aterat | Intro Log + Network Post

Entry tags:

Intro Log + Network Post

Who; Ren Amamiya and YOU
What; Exploring the market alleys | Network Post
Where; Log; Market alleys, night | Network; Noble District; outside the movie theater
When; Early July
Warnings; None as of yet, will update as needed

It could be argued a 16 year old boy didn't have any business wandering the streets at night in an unfamiliar time and place. Ren would counter, how else would you expect a new arrival to get his bearings in a new place if not to explore it? So what if he was also hoping to fun into a certain talking cat, or anyone else he found familiar? After spending over a year with Morgana and all the others, losing them so suddenly was a shock. Yes, he'd been leaving town anyway, and yes he'd said his goodbyes, but there was something so much more profoundly final to this transportation, as though he'd never seen them, or anything that was familiar again.

It was overdramatic, he could recognize that (he'd had a good instructor in dramatics recently) but it was a hard fear to shake when nothing around looked familiar. He'd been hoping to shake that feeling by getting oriented with the place, but as he passed an alley, this one linking two major streets in the market district, a sound caught his attention that gave him pause. Was... That a cat?

"Morgana?" His furtive call was wishful thinking, he could recognize that, but it was worth investigating, right? The rattle of glass down there in the darkness spurred him on. Surely it's just a cat, right, or at worst a harmless drunk?

Network | Video

[The feed initializes first on familiar surroundings to some, the Noble district, with its strange mix of manicured lawns and half-fallen buildings, and then the camera is panned over what looks to be the façade of a theater, set back across a park with a small semi-circle of worn and neglected cobblestones in front marking what was likely once a busy carriage park. The building is complete with a marquee, though it is weathered and lacks any sort of billing.]

What a strange place to find a movie theater. [The voice is young but deep and masculine, and then Ren turns the camera on himself in selfie mode. It's difficult to see behind the shine on his lenses behind his unruly hair, but there's a slightly mischievous gleam to his eye for those familiar with the look.] Anyone up for an adventure?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

continued from here

Ren swayed with the force of Yusuke's greeting, a small smile teasing the corner of his mouth as his overdramatic friend fawned over him. It was really the only way he could think of the greeting, and he let the other boy ramble as he processed Ren's appearance in this weird world. It was true, after all, he'd only just arrived earlier today and hadn't even given the orphanage to which he was told he was assigned a look before setting off. He'd gotten food at a stall when he'd been hungry with the coins he'd been provided and set about exploring. Aterat was an impressive city, it was true, but it couldn't hold a candle to the congested labyrinth of Tokyo. He'd acclimated to that place well enough, and this one would be no more difficult.

He'd had trouble shaking the anxiety of appearing here alone, though. After his trial, being sent away to live with distant relations in a city so much larger than his home town, he'd been plagued by isolation and loneliness only to find companionship in a group of misfits who'd taken it upon themselves to change the world--and they had. He hadn't wanted to leave them after it was all over, and the thought of losing them to an entirely new world had him out of the streets looking for distraction, when he found one of the people he was already so desperately missing.

In that way, Yusuke's rambling was a comfort he wasn't going to shake any time soon, though his expression shifted to concern when he realized the artist had taken Ren's somewhat sarcastic question seriously.

"This alley reeks, Yusuke. Don't take any of this stuff home." He couldn't stay that way, though, and he smiled again, reaching up and patting one of Yusuke's hands before stepping himself out of the artist's grip. "It's good to see you here." Even he were currently aware of the dangers Aterat posed, he would be. Together, they could face anything.

Edited 2022-07-06 16:45 (UTC)

He could understand the anxiety that gripped his friend. Being unceremoniously dropped in this strange world had been a shock to the system. For all that he had tried to adjust and find plenty of ideas and projects to take his mind off the lack of balance and presence of those important to him? It was all so different after he’d only just found some semblance of stability and comfort in the company of their group after leaving the shack and his old life behind. Knowing Ren had already had to leave one life behind under such unfair circumstances himself, to be dropped here and think he was alone? It was undoubtedly just as much a shock to him as well (He’d say even worse if he were fully aware of how far in the future Ren was from).

So fawning and rambling was a bit hard to avoid, but Ren was at least no stranger to the dramatics and took it in stride, as he always did.

Frowning lightly, almost a pout, he realized that Ren was probably right about not bringing something from the alleyway home. It did smell a bit. “You may be right... I suppose it does have a particularly egregious odor. Perhaps I should set our sights on a less potentially unpleasant place to look for inspiration.” Yes, he would undoubtedly pester Ren at a later date for assistance.

But for the moment, Ren, patting his hands and moving away, distracted him fully from the idea, and he pulled back himself with an apologetic, slightly embarrassed tone. “Ah… Forgive me, I was simply overjoyed to see a friend.” He offered, before moving to pick up his bag and settling it on his shoulder again. “After two months, I had all but given up on seeing you or any of our friends again.” He added with a small shake of his head, as much as he’d hoped… Each passing day had made it harder to believe it might happen. “But It would seem that’s changing, if this months beginning has been anything to go by.” First Haru, and now Ren… Sure, he didn’t know Haru when she arrived… But he was working on that.

"We will, Yusuke, don't worry." After putting a few steps between himself and his overeager friend, he adjusted the way his own bag rested on his shoulder and took another look around the alley. He hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said the alley smelled and he grimaced when he noticed the piles of garbage and who knew what else. "You've been here two months?" Admittedly, he'd spent a good bit of time in prison, but one would thing he would have noticed if Yusuke had gone missing.

"Wait. What's the last thing you remember?" If they'd traveled between worlds it stood to reason, just as they could spend hours in the Metaverse and only an hour or so would pass in the real world, their departure times might not be the same. If that was the case, things were going to get very interesting. "Actually, hold that thought. There's got to be a better place to catch up than this."

It was hard to not smile at the confirmation. Ren going along with his ideas (absurd as they were at times) was always such a welcome support, even if the other teen had to discourage things now and again with good reason (case in point: the alleyway garbage). It was also such a comforting familiarity to hear after the last few months, it really was damn good to see his friend again. The question gets a confirmation in a quick nod, gesturing at the surrounding city. “I have. I arrived in this world’s May and it’s now July.” Which was weird, considering it had been the end of summer vacation when he left.

Opening his mouth to continue to answer the next question, Yusuke awkwardly paused abruptly as Ren had second thoughts about having the conversation here… Which, to be fair, was a good point. The alley was a bit unpleasant the longer you were there. “You’re right, of course. We should head back to our lodgings by this point in the day, anyway.” And luckily, being here for a few months meant he’d at least figured out his way around pretty well by this point. “I presume your key to the apartments was withheld for the time being and to find a space at the ‘House of Solace’, as they call it?” Unless time was excessively different and Ren was from a few years ahead of him, in which case it still wasn’t far from the apartments he supposed if he needed to show his friend there instead.

He was right then to assume times could vary from their points of origin, not just worlds. Yusuke had been here two months and Ren had seen him just earlier today, before he'd gotten on the train.

"No, I was shown the House of Solace, too. I think it's where they put all the minors." He wasn't going to complain about free food, though, or clean place to sleep. They didn't have to give them places to live, but they did, here, and that was something. "Why don't we head back, then? We can get something to eat and catch up." And by that Ren meant he'd ask a lot of questions and not divulge too much information.

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