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[umbralant]

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Good morning.

Or perhaps it might be more appropriate to say good evening instead, considering how it is moonlight that will rouse you into consciousness. And what a bright moon it is, half-full and clear without contest in the sky as it outshines the stars and galaxies in the backdrop. But it’s all the better to emphasize that the buildings that speckle the landscape before you are all completely devoid of any light. And by the way—do you always sleep outside?

The lack of light can be something to deal with later though, at least when you've properly gotten up from the cold, unyielding stone below you. And that chill down your spine—no doubt that probably has something to do with combination of cool temperatures and poor sleeping conditions, but it’s odd how it seems to linger.

Checking your person for any items that should be in your possession yields disappointing results, but it seems you're not empty handed (or pocketed) because you are now the proud owner of one (1) small bundle of black cloth. Unwrapping it reveals a key imprinted with a roman numeral, along with a simple note.

“Come at 6PM to the place circled on this map:”

“Don’t be tardy, dear Survivors, that’d be a bad first impression. If you don’t want your stay here to be more unpleasant than it’ll already be, you’ll want to avoid seeming careless or disrespectful. You’ll want to listen to my opening speech~!”

Finally, after an empty space that may be simulating an intense pause, there’s one last line:

“I know what you’re thinking, so I’ll say it straight: if you don’t come, you’re as good as dead.”

The news likely isn't welcome, but it's a start. And it seems you're not alone in your plight, though whether company is within arm's length or a stone’s throw away is up to fortune’s whims. For now, you're free to explore the town square and the surrounding areas as best you can in the dim light.

For some reason or another, Krakow, Poland is now your new home. That much is clear from the sign posts that you can inexplicably read, as red and white flag posts with "Święto Niepodległości" flutter lightly in the wind. While the storefronts are dark, the street lamps that scatter the town provide some measure of light, providing some solace against the layer of fog that's begun to creep in.

( OOC: Welcome to Antumbra! This intro log occurs ICly Sunday. Your MM's will be around at 6pm EST to hear your complaints. )

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[pr159]

a. awakening

[ ...Rideaux isn't sure which part of this is the most disorienting. That the white moon is back in the sky in place of Canaan; that he's apparently in some country that shouldn't even exist in his world; that he's able to stand up at all.

He's a little tentative with that last part, actually, rising to his feet a bit more slowly and unsteadily than usual, as if he's expecting his limbs to give out at any moment.

Hm. ]


b. tram station

[ The nearest tram station is the first place he thinks to check, because if he wants to try to figure out where the hell this city is relative to anywhere else, he should at least be able to find a posted map or something that would cover a wider area, right?

Apparently not! What's the point of even riding on one of these things, then?

He crosses his arms, looking with disapproval at the tram that's stopped there. It looks pretty outdated and rickety anyway, at least compared to the sleek trains he's used to. ]

How is anyone even supposed to travel to other cities if none of the trains go further than this place's borders?


c. opera house

[ ...And once it gets closer to 6, he will definitely be heading to the circled location, because whatever is going on, he has no intention of dying now.

He'll give anyone else who's shown up so far a brief once-over, evaluating them as much as he can from a first glance. ]

So, who do you think we're waiting for?

Tram Station

[noellemadic]

It'd be too easy for us to get away if the tracks led out of the city.

[Hi, Rideaux. There's a young woman with long hair, examining the outside of the tram like she expected it to be a trap of some sort]

What I'm surprised about is that it works. You'd think they'd want to break any kind of transportation to spite us.

[pr159]

You make it sound like this entire city was built for the sake of keeping us here. Even if they were blockaded, I would still expect tracks leading outside to exist. Though I suppose that could be what the-- [ glances at map again to make sure he has the term right ] subway is for.

[ Watching her as she looks over the tram... ]

Have you actually seen any of them moving?

[noellemadic]

Subways usually stay inside the city too.

[As far as she knows. Maybe subways here go outside, what does she knows]

No, but I found a manual of instructions on how to drive them. That's a bit of a strange thing to leave for us if they didn't work, right? Unless they want us to disassemble or mess with the trams.

[She's working with the mindset that anything they find was left by their captors, and that includes the manuals]

[pr159]

[ He would assume all trains usually had manuals in them just in case, just like how most people seem to hold onto the instructions for their blenders forever, but okay. ]

Are you going to try it?

Opera House

[inordertobelieve]

[ Normally Mikami is perfectly punctual, but this, of all things, doesn't seem like a bad idea to be early for. So he's here. He's also wearing the priest garb they've been given in their rooms and he looks pretty uncomfortable in it. ]

A very overconfident kidnapper, that's for sure. Bragging utmost authority over such a wide and open area... A pervert who enjoys flaunting superiority.

[pr159]

Seems like a fair enough evaluation, if not a particularly helpful one.

[ ...

Oh, right, that's where he saw that outfit before. In the closets in the rooms here. ]

Did you actually change into that?

[inordertobelieve]

[ Mikami stiffens up even more than usually as his attire is pointed out. ]

My original clothing was... not presentable. I had no choice. Appropriating the clothes of religious leaders is not normally my wont.

[ He may not be Christian, but he still feels this is very Wrong. ]

[pr159]

[ He... did not even recognize that they were religious garments, and that's something he should probably follow up on. But first-- ]

Well, now I'm just curious what you were wearing before that you were so desperate to get out of. Were your clothes just dirty, or were they... you know, the other kind of dirty?

opera house

[psychophant]

[Very fair, Rideaux. Iago's also looking him over and while his expression doesn't reflect much, he can at least approve of Rideaux's absolutely wild sense of style. #priorities]

The people behind this, I'd assume. We were brought here for a reason, so they're likely going to tell us why and what's expected of us.

[Fairly straightforward, but judging from his tone, he doesn't like it.]

[pr159]

[ IAGO IS NOT GETTING NEARLY AS MUCH APPROVAL IN RETURN, but thanks. ]

Well, yes, I had figured that much.

[ But if no one wants to engage in gossipy speculation with him, then fine!! ]

This whole place is new to you too, I assume.

[ Since he sounds pretty equally clueless... ]

[psychophant]

[GOOD, HE SHOULDN'T.]

Oh, entirely. None of the cities I'm familiar with are quite like this.

[It sucks and he hates it!!]

[pr159]

And where are those cities, if you don't mind my asking?

[ Or if you do mind, what does he care. ]

b

[ortion]

[Dist is actually in the process of checking the tram out! He's poking around to see if it's at all operational.]

He frowns as he exits.]

A better question would be how is anyone expected to travel in these at all if there is nothing to power them? This one is entirely inoperable in its current state!

[pr159]

[ i misread that as "as he exists" and was like, yeah that's fair

Looking in Dist's direction, Rideaux pauses for a second, wondering what the hell he's wearing around his neck and seeing no irony in the fact that that thought is coming from someone who's wearing a feather boa with a suit.

Anyway. ]

Given how dark the entire place is, it seems likely that most of the power sources here may not currently be operational.

[ Though it seems like there has to at least be some spirit energy active here, since...

He looks up at the power line suspended above the tram, and his eyes follow it as far as he's able to see -- which admittedly isn't very far under the current conditions. ]

Maybe some of the lines were damaged somewhere.

[ That hadn't been unheard of in Duval, anyway, where the infrastructure had been older and less well maintained than in the more affluent cities. ]

[ortion]

[To be entirely honest I accidentally typed it as "as he exists" at first. Also wow self way to fuck up your HTML immediately, I am so sorry.

Dist nods as he steps out to examine the power line with Rideaux, his hands on his hips in annoyance. He...might also sneak a side-glance at Rideaux's own outfit because damn, that's a Look. It's a look that he can get behind, at least? What a color palette.]

Yes, I assumed as much. Though my suspicions are a fair bit grander. It is almost as if this entire town's power grid is down. I would have to locate the source to see if there is anything that can be done about it...

[But ugh, why should it be his job? He lets out a huff.]

Of course our captors saw fit to dump us in a place like this.

a

[youspinmeknightround]

[feel free to evaluate Suzaku's fanciness - he's already standing up and looking around, but the movement around him has drawn his attention, however slow it is.
It's almost like he has some kind of injury, though he can't see one.]

Need a hand?

[He's sincere, though he's not fretting over him either. More like the demeanor of someone with a duty to help.]

[pr159]

[ Well, the cape is unnecessary, but otherwise it looks like a well-fitted and perfectly respectable uniform. So he passes the appearance section of the evaluation.

That aside -- honestly, this just adds one more layer to the already surreal feeling of this whole situation. He'd been shouting at his subordinates for not helping him up not long before this, but getting help from a stranger is different, and something he really doesn't relish.

Anyway, he's fine, probably. Though he waits until he actually makes it onto his feet and stays upright for a few seconds before turning the offer down. ]

The offer is appreciated, but no. I'm fine.

[youspinmeknightround]

[He does seem to have stable footing now! That's a relief. Maybe the dude just had vertigo from whatever put them both on the ground.]

Okay, good...

[now he can go back to worrying about. everything else. The huge gap in his memory leading him to this point, which is a huge cause for concern given what he just learned about rampant mind powers destroying everyone's lives.]

Sorry to ask, but do you remember anything about- well, all of this?

b

[notbymyside]

The answer is "we're not supposed to".

[Or at least that is what Ango thinks.

He also had to pause for a moment because Rideaux's hair has a rather distinctive coloring to it. But no, he just saw Akutagawa not too long ago, and there's no way that angry young man could grow both long hair and an entirely different sense of fashion in the span of a couple weeks.]

[pr159]

[ but was his angry hair brother as attractive as him ]

Maybe we aren't, but I hardly think this city's entire transportation system was built specifically for our arrival.

[notbymyside]

[Depends on if people like the rage and murder or not.]

Probably not, but we don't know this city's true purpose. Clearly many people lived here at once, but what if they weren't supposed to leave either?

tram station blues...... or greens and reds ig they're xmas colors

[p_q]

The same way we traveled here. Or perhaps not.

[Because, evidently, there's no way for them to immediately replicate whatever brought them here -- some kind of teleportation technique or other space-time interference is the most likely answer given everything they and Soul Society have been up to so far. There's a lot furiously resolving itself behind Ulquiorra's eyes but his stare remains flat.

He was already wandering the station, not in particular hopes of anything but just digging into what the city has to offer. Tourism is a foreign concept to him, but reconnaissance is not. He's currently knocking idly on the side of the tram. It's strange for it to feel so solid under his knuckles.]

Walking is also out of the question...

[Is that to the flamboyant interloper or himself? Fushigi mystery.]

[pr159]

If whatever technology they used to bring us here was that readily available to the general public, I don't think there would be much need for this mode of local transportation in the first place.

[ Like, if everyone could just teleport to other cities, why wouldn't they teleport from home to the marketplace?

Also, who is he saying that to? Is that an implication that he looks lazy or something?? He just walked from Aladhi Seahaven to Nia Khera recently! Because Rieze Maxia is a shitty backwater country with no trains! ]

And the plausibility of walking would depend on where the next city was located, obviously.

[p_q]

If the culprits are of this world.

[He has his doubts, particularly given his presence here and its nature and also a whole host of other small but persistent annoyances. But none of that is relevant to the man who wandered in, and Ulquiorra himself is busy stepping into the interior of the tram -- empty, of course, and doesn't seem about to yield answers. He has no real use for transportation, himself.

Nevertheless, he's forced to investigate with five senses. Terrible.]

Distance doesn't matter. Other cities don't matter. The fog, however...