[Open Log] November Arrivals & Greeters/Protection Force

[thepull_mods]

Who: New November Arrivals, Greeters, & anyone else who happens to be hanging around the Tower Apartments to greet newcomers.
When: Month of November (Please Specify Date & Time in Thread Header)
Where: The Sector 4 Baseball Diamond, Parking Lot & Lobby of the Tower Apartments
Summary: This is your catch-all one stop log for arrival interactions!

Comments

[boundbytreason]

"You have three options," Caster answered, promptly. "Some people believe that our purpose for being here is to free the natives of this city from their fears of the supernatural. You see, it doesn’t matter whether you came here with the ability to perform supernatural acts. The Core changes you, and if you didn’t have one before, you do now. It mutates anyone living in this city, including those born here. However, they discriminate us as foreigners, so it’s possible that we are supposed to erase this prejudice."

For Caster, repeating all this information should feel automatic by now, but somehow, it always felt different. Sometimes, the person was more volatile, and other times, they were calmer. Occasionally, there were those in-between, like this young lady.

"The other two options are the companies of SERO and AGI," she elaborated further. "SERO believe that fixing and reconstructing the Core will reopen the way back to everyone’s original world. AGI, short for Afterglow, Inc., believe that will eradicate everyone living in the city, and they seek to prevent them from succeeding, all while searching for alternative means of escape. However, a fair word of warning." A slightly more serious note entered her expression as she glanced over at the girl, searching to meet her eyes directly to convey the gravity of the issue.

"SERO is known for experimenting on those with power, while AGI runs a business in slavery. Associating with either one will increase the chances of being taken in for their particular venue of interest."

[ OOC: asldkl You're welcome. ;_; B-By the way, this is totally unrelated, but since I didn't have a chance to reply to your intro post...I think it's so awesome you're playing someone from Fushigi Yûgi. ♥ ]

[un_fated]

Uruki's lips turned up at the mention of supernatural abilities -- very much a smirk. "Hn. People believe what they want. They do stupid things. No one's going to stop them."

An image of Takiko, lingering in her mind, reaching out to rub a woman's back . . . then yanked away by her hair, screamed at, buffeted by pebbles and water.

And yet . . . her hand outstretched, ready to try again.

The smirk softened. Faded.

Again Uruki concentrated on moving one foot in front of the other, listening with one ear.

"Both . . . companies made by people pulled in, or what?" A glance to Caster as the woman's eyes caught at hers. What exactly a company was could come later; for the time being the fact that it was a group of people sufficed. "And what do you mean, 'venue of interest'?"

((ooc: Aw! Thank you! <3))

[boundbytreason]

"Both companies are started by people born into the city," Caster answered, recalling the information that she gleaned from the books on the matter. "However, their members do consist of people pulled in. Those who ally with them in hopes of finding an escape or for the benefits offered."

She paused, briefly, before launching into the next section of her explanation. "AGI and SERO have the primary jurisdiction over this entire city. If you wander onto their territory, they will try to intimidate you into affiliating, even to the point of using physical violence. Neutral jobs -- jobs unassociated with them -- will pay less, so some join for the additional money and perks that come with membership. Later, I'll show you a map and point out which sections belong to them."

A faint, melancholic trace fluttered across her face, reflected palpably in her eyes. "As for their venue of interest...SERO enjoys experimentation. You could end up as one of their experimentation subjects or tasked to bring one in. AGI indulges in slavery. You could end up as one of their slaves or assigned to force one into it."

[un_fated]

"So really . . ." The smirk re-emerged, though whether it was amusement or wryness was anyone's guess. "This isn't a mercy thing they're doing. They just want us all out -- and if they snag or kill a few of us for fun times in the interim, all the better."

Sharp eyes flicked over Caster's face, catching the flutter as it emerged and lingered like a shadow. "What'd you choose?"

[boundbytreason]

Caster softly shook her head, her breath emerging as an opaque white when she uttered the words of her next response.

"I didn’t," she answered, quietly. "I made the decision to become a Greeter. A neutral job, which entails filling in the newcomers on their situation." A smile reappeared on her lips, the flickering of amusement grazing the curve of it as she noted the irony in her answer.

"I could not stand the thought of working for those companies." She turned her gaze towards the front, sending it across the silhouette of the Tower Apartments’ tall structure in the distance. In the Darkness, it jutted out as a nearly amorphous shape like a darker shade on a canvas. However, her eyes seemed distant, not quite taking in her surroundings but, rather, immersed into a different event like the vestiges of a broken memory.

"I do not agree with what they are doing, and even if they hold the keys to our escape, how could I possibly accept it at the price of another person’s life? To hurt someone, who has done nothing -- no, not even that. To treat someone in a way that no one would deserve?" Dark lashes briefly fluttered across her line of vision as she blinked once, restoring her sight to the present. Without realizing it, her smile had waned, and there was pain -- the kind of mental anguish at seeing another person suffer -- lightly evinced in the contours of her countenance.

Upon realization, she hastily cleared it away, letting out a soft chuckle at her own expense. After all, she wasn’t supposed to influence the Newcomers, but then again, it was simply her perspective.

"That is just what I think," she added, glancing back at the young lady with a calmer expression. "But what would you say for yourself?"

[un_fated]

Uruki followed her gaze towards the nameless shape, dark and looming, a smudge against a greater blackness. She was silent for some time, merely walking, moving, before her shoulders lifted in a slight shrug, mouth twisting again in its small smirk.

"I think it's about survival. Beyond that, haven't been here long enough to tell."

A pause. ". . . Where're we going, anyway?"

Maybe a good question to have asked previously, but by that point she

[boundbytreason]

"The Tower Apartments," Caster replied, focusing her gaze on its outline. "For one month, you’re allowed to stay there for free. During that time, I would advise finding a job to pay for the rent or to purchase new lodgings. If you need any help, I will be glad to do what I can. But I can also refer you to someone else, whose job entails assisting the new arrivals in finding what they need."

If she wasn’t mistaken, Re-l Mayer held an occupation known as a Newcase Worker, in case he preferred counseling from someone other than herself.

"By the way, I haven’t caught your name." She sent the young lady a quick, inquisitive glance in punctuation.

[un_fated]

Ah . . . name. That was awkward, as abruptly Uruki remembered that she was still caught in female form, braced against an attack that had never come. She could change easily . . . however, in spite of her current sense of Caster, past experience had taught her that people wore many faces of their own, keeping their own motives well-buried.

. . . No, the fact of her identity was not something that she wanted to explain. Not yet.

"Uruki." She settled on the name with a mental growl and the sense that someone somewhere was laughing at all of this -- a growl that left its remnants in her voice. "You can call me Uruki."

Another glance at the looming building above. ". . . Home sweet home for now, I guess."

((ooc: And . . . just realized that apparently I never finished that last sentence. ^^; I believe it was going to be something about having enough sense of Caster at this point to know that she (Caster) wasn't going to turn her (Uruki) in/attack/something similar.))

[boundbytreason]

"By the way, there’s one other, important thing that I need to mention, Miss Uruki," Caster said, delicately changing the subject. "The Darkness - you’re in it right now. When the sun sets, this heavy Darkness blankets the entire city and spawns monsters at will. No matter how many you defeat, no matter how many you destroy...there will always be another in its place."

On that note, her gaze pointedly ran across her surroundings, cautiously keeping an eye out for anything skulking about the shadows. She didn't really need to look for it when she could sense it, but it was, more or less, a demonstration for the young lady.

"That aside, the Darkness brings with it decay and destruction that lasts until sunrise. The sound of a siren will herald the start and the end of it." She paused, briefly, mulling over the other details that she needed to tell her. "When we get inside your room, I will show you how it looks to seal off a room from the taint of the Darkness. For that matter, never stand still for too long, or it will overtake you."

[OOC: Oh! I was curious about what you meant to say there. Thanks for the clarification. ♥]

[un_fated]

A blank look, utterly deadpan as this new warning distracted from the use of "miss." "Seriously."

". . . No, really. Seriously? You all huddle in your rooms at night because you're afraid of the dark and a few creatures?"

[boundbytreason]

A small frown passed across her lips as Caster turned her head towards Uruki. "Now, hold on there, little lady," she began, a bit firmly. "Not everyone has powers like you. If you think that someone without any skill in combat should tackle the creatures of the Darkness, then you're just spelling out their death sentence. While it is true that death is not always permanent here...it isn't a guarantee."

Returning her gaze to the path before them, she continued, "However, there are some who could care less about the Darkness. Like I said, if you know how to defend yourself or you simple decide to bear the risks...then that's your decision." Although, it was one of the reasons that many considered a Greeter's duty precarious.

"But you shouldn't look down on others for hiding away." A finger reached out to touch the girl's nose in a softly chiding gesture. "Not when they lack the strength."

[un_fated]

. . . No 16-year-old boy liked to be called "little lady."

Doubtful if any 16-year-old girl did either.

The worst part of it all was that Uruki could do absolutely nothing about it other than bristle internally, biting hard into her tongue to avoid a conversation that would no doubt result in very uncomfortable explanation.

All she could do was glare . . . the power of which was mitigated by her eyes crossing to follow Caster's finger to her nose. Sharply she raised a hand to bat at the finger, determined not to be treated like a three-year-old on top of everything else. Oi.

"You said everyone had powers," she pointed out, not to be outdone. "And what d'you mean, 'death isn't permanent?'"

[boundbytreason]

As Uruki swatted away the darkly gloved finger, Caster couldn’t help but utter a low chuckle of amusement. However, the young lady’s next question was quick to chase away her lighthearted behavior.

"It’s exactly as it sounds," she answered, serious once more. "In Siren’s Port, a person has a chance of returning to life. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it has more than once. They die, only to find themselves back at the baseball diamond - back where you awoke - with their life intact. Sometimes, it takes a few hours. Sometimes, it takes days. No one knows how that works either, but you can consider it another anomaly of the Core."

She sent Uruki a brief, sidelong glance to gauge her reaction. "By the way, just because someone has a power, it doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily active or particularly helpful against a monster."

Sorry for delay!

[un_fated]

Uruki couldn't quite decide if she liked the woman or not . . . On the one hand, she was interesting, curiously complex.

On the other hand, she could also be just plain annoying. So far the two seemed to counterbalance one another readily.

"Hn," was her distant reply, not looking back -- instead keeping her eyes towards the dugout ahead of them. What she thought of it might be difficult to read in her face -- slight interest, slight disgust. Useful . . . and yet cheating, almost. And plainly no escape.

"So." Her features changed abruptly, eyes flicking back to her companion with what was almost a small smirk. "What's your power?"

No worries! ♥

[boundbytreason]

It was a question that only a shrewd person would think to ask, and Caster found it commendable to hear from the girl’s lips. Out of everyone that she encountered in the city, Uruki was the second to make an inquiry about her powers. By using her class as Caster as her name, it was rather surprising that very few thought to make any mention of her abilities.

"My power?" she repeated, a bright smile tugging at the very corners of her mouth. "Well, I don’t mind...but can you keep a secret?"

Normally, magi never told anyone about their knowledge in magic, but in a world where its existence was common, she wasn’t about to kill every single civilian that knew. The rules of Siren’s Port differed from her own, and she wasn’t about to coincide them when she didn’t care to taint her fingers with any more blood. She adapted to the principles and conduct of that world’s society, and she saw far more disadvantage in claiming to hold no power. For as much as the Darkness prevailed dominantly over the island, there was still enough light to render the truth exposed.

"There are some dangerous people in this city," she added for clarification. "If they knew exactly what I had..." She trailed off, knowing that the silence would speak more than actual words.

And again. @_@

[un_fated]

Pale eyes flickered briefly again over the woman's face, then away again as Uruki lifted her shoulders in a light shrug. "If you're willing to give it."

The truth of the matter was, there was no reason to give it away. To Uruki, the question was merely conversational, perhaps slightly competitive. What did other people's secrets matter to her? These so-called dangerous people were not a concern, and even if they were, it was likely that Caster's secrets would be kept out of the sheer fact that someone else might want them. Sheer stubbornness.

Above all things, Uruki was for herself.

Himself.

Whichever.