hadriel_logs | Intro Log: Rock This City

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Intro Log: Rock This City

Who: New arrivals and everyone else!
What: The intro log for January
Where: The colosseum and all around the city.
When: January 10th-14th
Warnings: New folks, rockin' dudes made of rock, and collectible friends!

This time, it's different.

There's no cave, no stone walls looming up around you and overhead, no stifling air or artificial light- not that you'd appreciate it, seeing as to how you've probably never been here before. And still, when you land facefirst on the dirt ground of the colosseum, you may not quite appreciate all the improvements and steps we've had to take to get here- after all, you're still surrounded by strangers in a crumbling city on an alien planet in the middle of nowhere.

Oh, and you're being attacked by Earth Elementals. These creatures are tall, between seven to ten feet, and made of solid rock, capable of punching through all the squishy bits of you- and for whatever reason, they definitely want to start punching. They're incredibly strong and, seeing as to how they're enchanted alive and have no internal organs, they're very difficult to kill.

But don't let that scare you off. For all the collectors in you, you can also find a very special array of beanie babies all scattered at the ground at your feet. Do you know that some of these things will be worth a lot of money someday? Better find the rarest one and stockpile it while you can! You might run into the rainbow crab, the platypus, or the sought-after bald eagle, or many more! Be sure to never take the tag off and never ever let anyone play with them so they don't lose value.

Once you've got your kids' college fund squared away, it's time to start exploring! You can explore the rest of the city! Find a house, a new monster, a project to help with, or simply scavenge for supplies. Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Hadriel!

► This log covers January 10th-14th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well!
► All characters arrive with phones that have network communication and the newbie guide installed.
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( The temples catch her eye, because the guide on her phone speaks of gods and Serah can't help but wonder if some of the answers to the many, many questions she still has. Maybe it isn't the smartest idea, not after--

Well.

She can't exactly let the past stop her from finding out more, from trying to correct the timeline and save the future. And she can't let those memories get in the way of trying to reassure this woman that she's not some terrifying monster. She's a tiny, pink ball of no more than 5'4", but unexpected presences are surprising. )

Um. Yeah.

( Strange. She's been running all through time, but there's this entire city of displaced people just... here. )

I'm Serah. What's your name?

( She's heard and read and seen a lot of things today. Maybe starting with a name would work just as well for now. )

[ All the outcasts of the multiverse converging in one place, that's them. Rose isn't even about to deny that she doesn't fit into the category of displaced. Even back home, she'd never quite fit in. Figures that it wouldn't be any different here.

Her breath is still uneven, something a little tense to her. What she's so wound up isn't visibly obvious, however, and she doesn't seem to want to share. ]

Rose, [ the blond offers, straightening up and trying to settle down. ]

Nice to meet you, Serah. Wish it was under better circumstances.

( Well. Maybe she can do some good here and eventually there'll be a way out, back into her timeline. Maybe she's here for a reason, just... a little different than the places she's gone before.

Rose gets a smile and Serah grips the bow she carries in front of herself, unsure what to do with it while she explores the city. It sure was easier when her weapon turned back into a moogle. )

... Did something happen? ( Not necessarily in the city, because by the sounds of what the guide said, it's always looked a bit worse for wear, but it's hard to miss the woman's demeanour and her words. )

[ Ah.

Is she really that obvious? Rose takes a moment to try and compose herself before answering. ]

Just. Not feeling super well right now. It's fine. The heat's been getting to me. [ Right. She's new, she might not know that- ] We used to be in a cave before this? The sun's kind of a new feature.

( She's a helper, that's all. Growing up with Lightning as a sister, you learn to read the smallest details in another's body language and tone. It helped when she became a teacher, too. )

A cave? ( Sunleth's always been warm and damp, but the heat in this city is another kind of unbearable altogether. ) That sounds like a big adjustment. ( Like moving to Pulse and learning to deal with monsters, building a home there. ) Was it hard to find this place?

( From what she's seen of the city, there... doesn't appear to be much outside. )

A cave, [ she repeats. ] Never thought I'd miss that place, but... Kind of do. At least when both those suns are in the sky.

[ Then she just wishes there were more shade. The dampness of the cave would be welcome too. ]

We didn't find it, it's just. Always been here. The cave's gone from around it but the city stayed the same. [ Well. ] Mostly. We're undergoing some renovations right now.

( Give her a moment on that one. Sure, New Bodhum looked a lot like old Bodhum, but they built it that way deliberately. Out by the sea, a new home. Three years and the place is still kind of patchwork, but it's theirs, no Fal'Cie to provide for them.

But here, if the guide is correct, there are still... gods. That's what they're called here. Providing for the people.

It'll be an adjustment, going back to living like that. )

So, it didn't always look like this?

( She'd assumed when the guide said better days, this state as meant. There's been a lot of information to sift through. )

[ 'Providing' indicates a one-way street. It's a symbiotic relationship, Rose would say. The people feed them emotions - sometimes elicited by the gods, sure - and then they give in return. Not a lot of people like it, but it works. And the gods need it to survive, which.

Rose understands being the monster that has to do what most people perceive as terrible just to survive. So she'll always be on their side. ]

Nope. I mean, the city's layout is pretty much the same but... It used to be a lot nicer, apparently. You can probably ask Tranquility about that when he's, uh, not preoccupied. If the gods seem a little unresponsive, you can thank the Null for that though.

( It really is a lot to take in. But she'll do it. Like she and Noel and Mog figured out where in time they were and what they needed to do to resolve the paradoxes there each time. Settling isn't really a thing, but learning the key facts you need becomes a skill.

Gods. The Door. People have been coming here a while. And now something called the Null.

She hasn't had time to read the full history of the place, but... )

It sounds like I need to read the history attachment...

( A smile. She will, if she's going to be trapped here until she finds a time gate or gets returned by The Door. But for now— )

This is one of their temples, isn't it?

Probably not a bad idea. I can give you the cliffnotes version, but for more detail you'll want to see the handy dandy guide. We also have a mural, I think? That's pretty bitchin'.

[ Rose doesn't mind the newbie song and dance but they had put the guide in for this purpose. It gives her something to focus on though, meeting the new people and... helping out where she's able to.

Anything to feel like she isn't sucking in despair instead of dry air. ]

It, uh. Yeah. Was? No. Is. Uhm, but- He's not... around anymore.

( It's nice to hear things from the horse's mouth, so to speak, but being able to sit down and read about a place at her leisure is new in this whole travelling through time and space malarkey, and Serah's pretty grateful for that. )

Huh? Not arou—

( Oh. )

— Was it The Null?

( Asked in a hushed voice, as though she feels terrible for having to ask this here, of all places. )

[ Got it in one, Serah. Not that it was likely hard to place two and two together, really. ]

Yeah, it was.

[ She shouldn't feel guilty about asking. She's new and a lot has changed, so. It's expected that they'd needed to be clued into going ons around Hadriel that the rest of them have just recently lived through.

But it hurts still, to think about it too long. To keep facing the reality of his death. ]

One of the casualties. He'll probably be back. I mean, I hope he is but that's- That's up to Hope, I guess.

( Still. It's never easy to talk about death, even more so in the home - or what is close to a home, she supposes - of the deceased. )

Right. The guide mentioned that.

( Being able to revive the dead. What a strange concept. )

... Do you think Hope might not?

( Didn't the guide also mention that Hope resurrected the gods before? )

[ 'Close' is pretty subjective. Especially if you ask Sorrow himself, really... Still. She cared about him and that's what matters. That's why it hurts. ]

I don't know, [ she admits, a bit somberly. ] I want to believe he will, but... I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't possible for whatever reason. [ This place does have a way of kicking people while they're down. ]

...I see.

( Maybe Rose is right. Serah doesn't know for sure. Until today, the concept of coming back from the dead was an impossibility to her mind. Her eyes shift to the path leading away from the temple, the smallest of frowns pulling at her lips for a moment. What could have changed back home, if such a power existed. Things would have been different for Hope, for Sazh, for herself and Lightning...

She's silent for a moment too long before seeming to come to her senses again, expression shifting out of contemplation to something more lively. )

Sorry. It's all so strange, to think that a power like that exists.

[ Trust Rose, she's thought long and hard about how things would be different if other worlds had the capability to bring people back from the dead. Survivor's guilt is a bit of a bitch that way. In some regards, she's glad they don't. In others, she wishes she could bring back those she'd loved and lost decades or even centuries ago. How much would have changed in her life... But the fact is they don't. And even here, sometimes Rose wonders how much of this existence is 'real.' ]

Don't I know it. Don't think too long on it though, y'know? Over thinking never leads to good things, in my experience.

... You're right.

( Serah laughs a little at the reminder, at her own train of thought. It can't be changed at home and stressing over it just makes things worse. She has a future to save. And a new city to explore. )

Are you gonna stay here?

( By the temple, by herself? Serah's thinking it's time she moves on and sees more. )

[ Here, as in Hadriel? Yes. But also, ]

Yeah, I'll probably keep hanging around this place for a little while longer. Need to collect my thoughts.

Okay.

( She gets that, and Serah offers a brief, gentle smile as she steps back. )

I guess I'll see you around.

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Intro Log: Rock This City

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