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?

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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)

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"That figures." This adult seemed capable, and Ren couldn't ignore the sword strapped to his back; the sword that the Third Eye told him by looking closely was a very real and very deadly sword, not just a cognition of one, and that if Ren gave off a vibe of being unfriendly or having ill intent, might very well be turned on him. He'd like to avoid that. Thankfully, he knew he could come off as very unassuming and defenseless. Time to live up to it.

He let a long breath, one of defeat, his shoulders slumping as he rocked his head forward, regarding his feet. He pushed the glasses he would up the bridge of his nose and used the same hand to love the fluffy hair from his eyes before he looked back to the much taller man, slightly crestfallen. That wasn't even a lie. This place was such a far cry even from his small hometown, let alone the congested hustle of Tokyo. The technology was archaic and completely alien. The longer he wandered the streets here, the more lost and cast adrift he felt.

Lost and lonely. He raised his bag, a messenger bag that looked mostly empty. "He was in here when I...I guess when I travelled here, however that works." He frowned, casting his eyes to the side. "He didn't come with me, did he?" He felt like he knew the answer to that one. He'd traveled not to a world of cognition this time, but to another different reality, one to which Morgana didn't follow.

[ Don't worry, she's mastered turning the video on now. Be proud. Her eyes are wide and full of hope as she looks at the screen. It feels like her heart may burst from excitement seeing him. ] Ren? [ Oh, wait, there were time differences as she had learned from Yusuke. She blushes and puts her hands to her mouth. What if he too had no memory of her? That was just awful to think about. ]

Oh, I mean, um, Amamiya-san? When did you arrive? [ Now she feels awful that she missed his arrival. She bows her head to the camera and ends up bumping it with her giant hair. Opps. ] I'm sorry.

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.

The former First Class wasn't sure what to make of this kid. His enhanced senses couldn't tell him anything but he did look at the bag. "So you lost your companion." There was a tiny note of sympathy there, because even if Angeal didn't have a pet, he could imagine there would be an emptiness about it if he thought his companion had come with him only to find that it hadn't.

He had a pup but that pup grew to a First Class in his own right and he wasn't here with him which was strange. But this wasn't about him, this was about the boy in front of him. "If you're here, it might stand to reason that your cat might show up." It was logical in his mind anyway. If a dead person could appear and be brought back to life to go live in another world, why couldn't a living animal do the same?

[ Illyana has a strange little smirk on her face when as she responds to the young man. ] Another change and this time for something like a movie theater? [ What could possibly go wrong with that? Maybe the movie creatures from some movie would come to life. Or the scenarios would come to life and start affecting them. Or maybe it'd just be a regular harmless theater. ]

What an innocent idea of an adventure.

It could also be argued that the 19-year-old ninja princess shouldn't be exploring the city by jumping from roof to roof or dropping down into allies to stalk and inspect her new surrounding. If that sort of logic was valid then the deities of this world wouldn't have brought them all here.

Yuffie was determined to get the lay of the city and to use every nook and cranny to her advantage. Like Ren she had been inspecting the darker parts of the city but unlike him, she'd had been doing so while attempting to go unnoticed. Of course, these things never went as planned.

There was a soft mumbled curse as Yuffie stumbled forward and nearly faceplanted into the unpleasant-smelling trash. She barely managed to right herself when she heard someone talking behind her. Her heel dug into the stone as she turned, reaching for a weapon at her hip.

When she spotted a boy with black hair walking towards her she relaxed though only by a fraction. "Do you think walking into an ally blindly is a good idea?" Pot meet kettle.

"What's a Morgana?"

Yuffie looked totally normal except that she was standing in the middle of an alleyway with no visible indication of how she'd gotten there.

[He's very proud, because he knows how much she struggles with technology. It's just part of the Haru charm. He smiles at her outburst, and there's fond amusement there at her apology, coupled with an obvious tension easing from his shoulders. It was very good to see her.]

Haru! I got here two days ago. [But his brow furrows slightly.] What are you apologizing for?

"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."

Thank goodness! [ At least he was familiar enough with her to call her Haru. That was a very good sign in things. ] Oh, it was nothing. There's no need to worry about it. [ She didn't want to cause him any sort of worry. Though now that she knew he'd been here for two days... ] Though, I do feel terrible I only noticed now! [ That was just awful of her. ] Have you found Yusuke? He will be so happy to see you!

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.

Ren's first instinct in any new situation is to make certain everyone's first impression of him is one of innocent mediocrity. He used to stand out, but that got him arrested and wrongfully charged for assault. After that, he'd awakened to his power and he'd become a thief bent on saving the world from adults abused their power and lorded it over others. That meant no one could suspect you were capable of doing things like that. Even the glasses he wore weren't prescription, but were worn simply to enhance the perception of timidness.

Bearing all that in mind, Ren didn't have to act to seem sad over the loss of Morgana. The 'cat' had been his constant companion for a year now, even sharing a room with him, and they'd become close. To suddenly lose him and all his friends at once, it was heartbreaking. He nodded. "Yeah. I did."

He swallowed, though, actually taking comfort in Angeal's words. "Yeah." And then he smiled slightly, looking up from behind those lenses and the hair that had fallen into his eyes. "Yeah, you're right, he could." It was a gentle and slight smile that touched his lips, and then he seemed to remember himself looking down and then bowing slightly. "I'm Ren, sir. Ren Amamiya. Sorry for disturbing you."

Innocent? [Yeah, he supposed it was, though it wasn't part of his act. He was genuinely curious what sorts of films might be in the archive in a movie theater on another world.]

Maybe. Aren't you curious about it?

His hearing caught the rush of wind as she descended and he immediately send out his supernatural senses to get a gauge on what was trying to get the jump on him. He wasn't expecting a ninja, but he did his model best to appear surprised when she came into view, even though his senses had given him a vague idea of her shape and her direction.

"Ah!" The sound of shock usually did a lot to sell the idea that he was surprised he wasn't alone and he chuckled nervously at her question. "Yeah...not my best idea." His eyes followed the motion of her hand and he kept his own clenched around the strap of his bad to avoid reaching for his own weapon, one he knew wasn't there. "He's a cat, and he was in my bag until I showed up here." He looked her over, expression uncertain. "I could ask you the same question." He paused. "About the alley, I mean."

Edited 2022-07-10 01:48 (UTC)

I haven't exactly made it public I was here. I wanted to get a feel for the place. Don't feel bad.

[Which he'd managed pretty well, considering.]

Yeah, I found him last night. [Which brings him to an important question he asked Yusuke he would now pose to her.] What's the last thing you remember, back home?

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.

Oh. I see. [ And now she's sad. Good job, you've made her terribly sad. Feel bad.

She's silent for quite some time before responding with a very quiet: ]

You leaving.

...I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here, either. [He pauses, here. He can hear boss's voice in his head, telling him he's made a mistake.] I'm glad you are, though, and that I ended up here, instead. I should have reached out sooner.

Well, how could I not accept an apology like that? [ She giggles. ] But...what about you? What's the last thing you recall?

[He chuckles softly along with her, and there's a tension that leaves his voice when he responds. He'd been worried.] Looking out a train window, leaving. I must have dosed off, and then I was here. So...you remember everything I do. Yusuke doesn't. It was only summer vacation for him, he said.

Oh that's such a relief! [ That is a weight off her shoulders ] I know. He did not even recognize me. [ It made her sad. ]

Don't worry. I'm sure you'll win him over in no time.

[As much as he was nervous about her response, he was going to have an answer and it was easier to find out now about their status than it was to wonder. Infinite worlds offered infinite possibilities for a lot of things.]

I'm glad we don't have to stay long distance.

We have gotten along quite well so far! [ She was happy to report that!

Oh no, she blushes some. ]

I...was worried you might not recall that. [ Which really would have been quite depressing. But...she does smile softly. ] Me too.

Yusuke had to admit to himself, it was a slight relief to hear that… Maybe it meant the point in time they had arrived from wasn’t too different? “It is from what I can tell. It’s not terrible? It reminds me a little of living in the dorms, and food is provided.” So that was a blessing, all things considered. It was a bit noisy, but so had Kosei’s dorms. It was just a different kind of noisy, really.

Considering he’d gotten more than a little distracted with a new project he’d been intending to start working on, running off to meet someone for painting without remembering to eat? Yusuke’s stomach grumbled lightly, as if right on cue at the idea of food. It was much needed, given the deal he’d made recently. Slightly embarrassed by the sound, he nodded quickly. “Now that I think about it, I am somewhat hungry. That’s a wonderful idea. Let us get out of this alley. I can answer your question, and fill you in a little more on this rather strange place we’ve found ourselves!” Yusuke offered a smile, leading away from the trash filled alleyway and taking a more direct path than the one he’d been meandering down before meeting Ren.

It wasn’t a long walk, at least, now that he wasn’t procrastinating on returning for the night. Plus… Well, there’s a light spring in his step. Yusuke was eager to catch up with his friend and was still thrilled about the night’s turn of events.

He nodded in silence as he heard the agreement and saw the boy's nod. It wasn't easy losing someone and Angeal knew that pain all too well. And there were times when he wondered if his pup would forgive him for what went down between them. It was a lot to forgive so Angeal wasn't going to ask forgiveness but he would definitely hope for it deluded as that might be.

The Soldier wondered if his words helped at all and he saw a slight smile. He didn't keep that hope for himself but he could try and impart that to others. And that's what he was trying to do, keep others' spirits up.

However, the bow got his attention, that was something he was used to. Sure soldiers saluted to him and all that, but he couldn't recall any ever bowing to him. That was new.

He tried a small smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Angeal Hewley and you didn't disturb me." Really he hadn't.

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Intro Log + Network Post

For Yusuke

for Angeal

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Action~!

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