PHASE I [ 8 00 ] You’ve arrived. You’ve received your powerpoint presentation, and your head is filled to the brim with the knowledge that your world is destroyed, and that everyone you once knew and loved is dead. You are ready to handle whatever is thrown your way --
Or maybe not. You end up in a giant game of Pacman, and from the yellow spandex jumpsuit you’re now stuck in (glow-in-the-dark, even, how snazzy), you’re Pacman. Everything is a maze, all towering dark walls and corridors, and everything seems just a little...well, off. First off, the balls you’d normally collect in pacman? They’re floating there, yellow and distinct, the only source of light in the maze, but if you pick them up and touch them, you’ll experience a memory.
It’ll be something warm, gentle and sweet, a memory of your home or the people you love that is something you truly treasure, a memory of a time that is so very important to you. And then the globe is gone and the world returns to its cold, stark state, and you are reminded: everyone is dead. Better go pick up another one!
And, of course, there are the ghosts. They’re a little horrifying (though they come in all sorts of fun colors!) and if they grab you, all of those positive memories turn horrible. A nice memory of a picnic? It’s now a memory of losing everyone important on that day, cut down by masked figures.
Of course, that’s only for the newcomers to ViViD. For anyone who enters ViViD as a veteran, well...you can watch. If you try to enter the game, there are some unfortunate consequences -- you’ll end up as one of the ghosts chasing down those poor innocents, unable to do a thing about it.
Be sure to admire the scoreboard hanging over the game for everyone to see, though.
PHASE II [ 1030 ] Just when you’ve gotten a handle on Pacman, now you’re stuck playing...Tetris?
Everyone (newcomer and old veteran) has been dumped in the game now, and those falling blocks don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. You'll be in an unfortunate tag-team; the person you're tossed into the game with may be a total stranger to you, but you're stuck with them now. After a few moments of dodging giant, falling blocks, it should become clear how you win this game: the blocks follow you (or your partner) in an attempt to squash you, so with some careful wrangling, you can guide those blocks into place and erase row after row of deadly blocks. Of course, if you can't work together, you're more likely to end up squished at the top of the screen, but if you should somehow manage to clear the screen, the door at the other end will open and you'll be free to go.
Let's hope you're stuck with someone easy to work with.
PHASE III [ 1145 ] Stumbling out of Tetris will bring you onto a rickety platform, a hangman’s noose gently wrapped around one of your very most important people. You can’t approach them, you can’t touch them, and they can’t speak, but they look at you with pleading eyes even as the talking tree they are to be hanged from tells you the rules. Guess letters, guess the word, and your friend will be freed. Guess wrong, and, well… the noose will tighten bit by bit.
Time to work together to get your friends down from there. Admittedly you might see someone different up there from the person next to you, but it’s all the same in the end, isn’t it? You’ve got to save them either way.
If you fail, that person will be hanged -- only to reveal that they were just a straw doll all along. Phew, what a relief!
If they succeed at guessing the word, a trap door will open up underneath that person and the rope will be released, dropping them down to never be seen again. Bye!
PHASE IV [ 1300 ] And then you’re dumped right out of ViViD and back into Cerealia. The city is still a little water-logged, though it is looking better than it was before; either way, you may be dumped anywhere. On a roof, in the middle of the park, on top of the scrap heap… anything could happen.
And it seems that things are still a little glitchy, or maybe the glitchy ViViD experience has infected your code in some way, because for a short period of time after, there may be a few...side effects. Fingers and faces might glitch out for a moment, or your hand might phase through a wall. You may also have your In Game Title hovering over your head for all to see. That’s not weird at all.
It’ll all fade away in an hour or two anyway, without any side effects to speak of. Or so it would seem.
PENALTY [ xxxx ] You may have ended up here after getting eaten by a pacman (or ghost), or you may have ended up here after jumping down the trapdoor to save your friend in Hangman. Perhaps you were squashed by a tetris block. Perhaps you just fell down onto your sword (why would you do that). Either way, here you are.
It’s an empty area, totally silent and void, aside from this one carnival game. Once you’re seated, you can’t stand up -- you have to win the game to leave, as the friendly game host will inform you without a single smile. You’ll be playing against the others who managed to end up here, but you’d better give it your best shot, or who knows how long you’ll end up staying here.
Time to play a carnival shooter game.
At least the targets are of a few familiar faces. Maybe that’ll make it more appealing?
And if you win you’ll be able to exit stage right, plus you’ll have a cute Mosley plushie as a prize. Hooray!
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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iv-b arururruru
When Zara hears the howl, he tries to convince himself that it could be anyone, really - maybe even Malia - but responsibility dictates that he goes and investigate. If Guillan is drowning in a puddle somewhere, he ought to help. Imagine his surprise when he finds Arles instead. ]
-- S... Sir Arles. You're here, as well...? [ even though he's clearly shocked, he manages to be polite. ]
aruruwuwuu
It appears so.
[He approaches with an easy stride... stopping until they are within swords-length of each other. His manner seems easy, courteous almost, a smile on his lips, but it's probably not that simple.] Don't tell me you've come in answer to my call?
[zara you're not a wolf]
awuwuwuuu
[ he'd say "the small, angry one," but he doesn't want to step on any toes. Regaining his composure, he straights his back, linking his hands behind himself in a butlerly manner. Arles is certainly an intimidating man, but he mustn't let himself seem easily cowed. ]
... Regardless, I thought it would be for the best if I investigated.
[ he doesn't include the part where he was worried about possible people-eating going on nearby. ]
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Arles chuckles quietly, stroking absently at the hilt of his sword.]
Were you concerned? [It's as good as if Zara stated that he was worried.] I do not plan on acting rashly, and if this place is wholly unrelated to Weblin, then...
[What's the point of enacting revenge here? Arles is reasonable enough. He wants to make sure he's eating the right people.]
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When Arles sees right through him, he stiffens almost imperceptibly, shaking his head curtly. ]
That's not it, [ he says, even though it is. ] But... I can promise you that it has nothing to do with Weblin, aside from my presence here.
[ and julian's, but. ]
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...I had surmised as much.
[He's been tugging your tail a little, Zara.] Ah, yes, I had a question for you. Is your charge-- [Pause. Amends.] Fiona Galland, is she here as well?
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The question about Fiona is actually somewhat unexpected; Zara feels faintly worried that he might have been planning something with her, after all. Not that it matters now. Frowning deeply, he shakes his head once again. ]
... No, she is not. Though they tried to trick me into believing she was earlier.
[ thanks hangman game... ]
I've been here for months, but I've seen neither head nor tail of the young lady.
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I see.
[He lifts his hand, combing through his hair, pushing it from his face.]
You have been here for that long of a time?
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[ because he's pretty sure that Flamines story is pure hogwash. They're purposefully lying to them and threatening them when they get close to answers. ]
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[Arles heaves a low sigh. Just arrived and the frustration he feels from some of those here is practically palpable.]
They leave no openings?
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Rather than that, I worry that I'm simply unable to find their openings. The technology in this world is far beyond that of Weblin... It would be very easy for me to overlook something because I don't understand it.
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Ignorance can be as dangerous as an attack. [It's not a jab so much as acknowledgement of their situation. Right now, they're entirely at the mercy of CERES who runs this place-- Arles even more so, lacking in essential knowledge all around.]
It seems as though I have much I need to come to understand.
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Which brings him to another point. He's quiet for a few moments, lacing his hands together pensively, before glancing up towards Arles again, looking rather steely. Last time, this hadn't worked so well. ]
I think that working together here would be the best plan, Sir Arles.
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[Arles looks back at him, his expression unreadable. It's habit by now, for anyone besides his wolves and his pack. The gregarious and emotionally open days have since passed for him.]
In finding our way from here, is it?
[What goes unspoken seems to be: I have not changed my mind about what I said about the vaccine before.
Not as though there are any here afflicted by Zodiva one could test medicine on anyway...]
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That's right. This may sound absurd, but in this situation, the fact that we're even from the same planet gives us a sort of kinship. [ though he doesn't mean to infringe upon Arles' pack - he would never - he does think that it's a common bond they should try and depend upon. ] ... In Weblin, I know that you didn't think much of me - of us. Knowing what you've all been through, I understand.
[ If anyone could understand, it's the Rabitz. He continues. ]
This has no bearing on what we asked of you back then. There's no sense in me worrying about Zodiva and the young lady while I'm stranded here. [ not that he isn't worried about it, but trying to get the Wolves to side with him while they're so displaced would be wasteful. ] This is purely in regards to our being hostages. I'd like to ask you to cooperate with me in trying to find answers here. Or, at the very least, to agree to a truce with Julian and I while we're stuck here.
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Hmm. So the eldest Garibaldi is here.
At last, Arles sighs and looks off to the side, as though seeing somewhere else.]
Thus far, I see no reason to hinder you or disagree to a truce. Our purposes, for the time being, are the same. Here, our enemy is the same. [He's not saying he'd put his trust in him or Julian... nor would he ask for Zara to put his trust in Arles.]
...
So, very well. I shall cooperate with you. I would not expect you to follow me and Guillan should we choose to carry out any plans in the way we're used to, but we can at least share information with each other.
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... Thank you. I promise that I'll do what I can to assist you. [ it's the least he can do, really. It's not that he's done anything against Arles in particular - and especially not in Cerealia - but he feels that the Wolves are owed much. This is a baby step in the right direction. ]
And... I'm sorry to burden you with this right away, as well. I simply thought it would be important to know where we stand.
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If anything, I would think you are experiencing more burden than I am right now.
[Arles isn't as uncertain or nervous or anything like that...] But you needn't worry about myself or Guillan, at the very least.
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With any luck, this will be the beginning of a more lasting partnership. For now, he'll just be happy he's not on the menu. ]
Then I will not. [ as much. ] ... I would offer you shelter, but I'm afraid mine was recently destroyed. They should have provided you with a home in the apartments, however. Have you found it?
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[He'd do fine even if he and Guillan had to be outside... but it would be better to have four walls around them and a roof in a new place. ONE NEVER KNOWS.]
I don't know how to feel about their provided housing, but I suppose I will make use of it for now.
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[ this is why he hates introducing the place to newcomers - he never has anything good to say. Being the bringer of bad news is unpleasant, and even more so when you have to do it for the Wolf King. ]
They're not safe, to say the least. For now, it seems all right, but strange things happen here regularly.
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[Arles's mouth twists and it's a muted expression of annoyance. He doesn't like being toyed with. Who does?]
Are there any measures we can take to prepare? [He's starting to walk, pausing as though he expects Zara to come with.]
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None that I can think of, unfortunately... It's a trite saying, but "expect the unexpected" is the best advice I can give. And, perhaps, learn the layout of the city as well as you can, in the case that you're unable to return home.
[ or there's another city-wide blackout. you know, whichever. ]
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[It's much different from the forest surrounding Zanan-- he can't afford not to know as much of its layout as he can. Even though he would much rather return home, realistically considering how many people are still here, he has to consider all of the options.]
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... There's something else that you should know, too. Have you got one of these?
[ reaching into one of his pockets, Zara retrieves his cerevice, holding it out demonstratively towards the wolf. ]
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