Multiversal travel can be disorienting, but there’s no need to worry! All side effects are temporary and lessen with each trip. Your body may experience several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You may have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer dizziness while others are perfectly fine. You notice that the area you are in is filled with a soft cerulean light and feels slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you. Regardless of your current state, however, the stress of transit forces your body into unconsciousness.
Waking up is another story. Or maybe it isn’t.
You find yourself in a nondescript room; sometimes with others who have found themselves in the same situation, sometimes alone. Welcome to Avagi Station, your new home.
Avagi
That First Step, it is a Doozy:
There are always risks to exploring new environments and Avagi is rich with new nooks and crannies to explore. You’re checking out a new corridor that’s been opened, though there have been signs warning that there are areas where structural stability has been weakened by neglect and the passage of time. But maybe things have been going well, you’ve found a few interesting things of note and you’re ready to head back to your bunk for the day.
Except when you turn to leave, the floor is giving way without a screech of metal. Hopefully you’ve got some good reflexes and can catch yourself before you topple down a shaft that seems to go down at least thirty or forty feet. Do you call for help or struggle to handle it on your own? And more importantly, how are you getting around this giant hole in the floor now that it’s there?
The Buddy System:
In order to help new arrivals find their bearings the more experienced residents on board have decided to try out the buddy system in order until the new arrivals get their space legs. The guide is responsible for answering any questions, showing them all the important facilities and making sure their new friend doesn’t wander anywhere too dangerous. And what better way to get to know your buddy than to try and help them find all the supplies they need to be comfortable in their new home? Hopefully the barter blocks have some clothes in your size or else it could get a little bit awkward come laundry day.
Shining Bright:
The Observation Station is the best place on Avagi to get a look at the storm that rages all around. However today when you stop by there’s something strange and new to look upon. It’s not clear if it’s a change in the environment or perhaps an effect of the living energy that opens the portals but the entire room is filled with softly glowing floating lights. If you venture into the room and dare to touch one of the lights you’ll find that you find a song playing in your mind that fills you with a deep and abiding sense of peace. What you do with that feeling is up to you but it seems that these lights aren’t going to cause any harm then why not let yourself relax in a beautiful space for a little while?
Kaittos
This month there is a portal to the planet Kaittos, a peaceful world containing one large land mass and a scattering of lived-on islands across a clear blue ocean. On the mainland, a large city-state occupies the central region and southern coast and resembles what some travelers from some versions of Earth might know of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Bustling and lively, the city is clean and well provided-for due to the temperate climate and the bountiful natural resources found on its northern side; orchards, farms and forests extend into the distance, butting up against a small mountain range. The technology level is low compared to Avagi, with carriages and candles in place rather than cars and electric lights, but the craftsmen of the world have managed some very impressive mechanical feats.
Kaittans, the local residents of the world appear somewhat humanoid, but the bipedal race has hooves rather than feet, silvery skin and three eyes with vertical pupils. Although there is no sign of any other sentient species in the world, the locals are nonetheless excited to meet their guests, rather than suspicious or afraid; for some reason, they are not surprised that aliens exist, merely that they are here.
Visitors are encouraged to explore the city and partake in an exchange of goods and ideas, to share their culture and stories with the locals. Perhaps there’s a merchant willing to trade a bauble for a story or you want to try something entirely unknown to your palette in the culinary quarter. The possibilities, while not quite limitless, are enough to keep the curious busy for quite a while.
[Ellie's been in situations like this before. Okay, maybe not exactly the same. But she's got experience in dealing with crazy shit like this. She's managed to run and jump over onto stable ground, but there's another kid here that isn't as lucky. Going for an adult is out of the question. Like she trusts them to help. And in the time it takes to find someone, he could fall. It's up to her to save him.]
Hey, just keep holding on, all right? I'll get you.
[There's a flimsy metal beam that's curved in on itself. It's right nearby where he is, and she's light enough she can walk out on it. It may not support both their weight but the risk is worth it.
Her backpack is tossed to the side and she hurries over to him. Her arms outstretch as she walks out on the broken floor beam, and she crouches about halfway across. She gets on her stomach and then reaches for him, making sure she's steady before she grabs at his hand. Ellie is small, but a hell of a lot stronger than she looks.]
(For some reason, Eddie suddenly thought of Mr. Keene and his dry desert eyes staring at him from behind his desk.
I'm not crazy, I'm not, I'm not.
(Your lungs don't have asthma, Eddie, your mind does)
Eddie doesn't quite remember getting to his feet. His memories shuffling like a card deck in his mind, flickering into place. Why was it so hard to remember that one in particular? It was so easy to fall back into it all.
But this didn't make a lick of sense to Eddie. Worst part was that he knew Richie wasn't joking with him at all. Eddie creeps back, his lungs shriveling up tight and uncomfortable in his chest
(You're not sick)
and he has to swallow a deep breath. God, getting his memories back all at once would have almost been better than this splattering thing of going back and forth.)
What are you talking about? Did I- Christ. I can't have forgotten everything.
[Ellie's been around, making some trades of her own. Who knew that puns and jokes would ever count as currency? She spies Bill making a trade of his own but doesn't interrupt until it's completed. He's from Avagi, since he sure doesn't look like he's from this place. The whole being around other kids her age thing is new. There was Riley and the others living in the same training groups, but that had been different. They were expected to be soldiers. ]
Wood you look at that. That's a pretty kickass boat.
[Sorry for the puns, but it's kinda her thing. She's eating at a bag of her most recent trade, some alien candy that's not as sweet as she wants it to be. But it's better than anything she's had back home, so it's damn good in her opinion.]
He shrugs. "I suppose trapped in space is a better alternative than some." It may be more nonchalant than some responses she's used to hearing, but Steve's a smart man. He knows there are all kinds of possibilities out there. He's also a dead man back home, and he knows it. This place, wherever it is, however it works, means another chance at life for him.
[Ellie's also partially responsible for the floor situation. She's here for the same reason he is; because she can and no one's around to stop her. When he steps in, she's out in the middle of the room, and has to haul ass to start making it toward the edge. She leaps and barely makes it to grab hold of the side of the caved in floor. ]
Fuck!
[Her voice is an echo as she struggles to pull herself up.]
I know somebody's there! Don't be an asshole, pull me up!
[--well, that explains the doors, but that hardly matters to Richie right now. It's confusing and terrifying that Eddie seems to have no idea what he's talking about.
Because he should. It's not like any of the things Richie mentioned happened in a vacuum.]
I don't understand, Eddie. You really don't know?
[Not only does he sound confused, but there's traces of fear there, too.]
People sometimes come back, but not often. So he's not sure that he'd recognize him when he sees him. If he'd greet him as someone he knew, or some distant, uncertain memory. Or an incident that never happened at all.
Kaz approaches Dorian with the trepidation of a man well aware he could be walking into a cautionary tale. It seems impossible that it could be a lookalike. But it's very possible that it's just someone that doesn't remember. Another Dorian, a clean slate, completely unlike the soul that he knew before.
If some stranger found out he drunkenly sang Freddy Mercury songs over the network in their good name, he might manage to be a little embarrassed.
(He says this with a shrilly quality to his voice. He's missing something huge, they both are, and he has no idea what he's supposed to think. His hands go into his hair briefly, but he quickly yanks them back out. He tracks across the room, and then back over.
Sans would know what to do in this situation. He was a smart guy, always thinking, always looking. What was Eddie missing?
His other memories usually came to him in, at least, pretty logical ways. Stuff would trigger them. So why wasn't that happening with this?
He thinks back to when he'd felt confused about the wheelchair thing too. Eddie turns abruptly around, feeling a crushing anxiety eating at his chest. Was he really that crazy...Or...)
[He doesn't even feel the need to make some funny comment about it. What matters more is also believing that their friends are out there. Everything would be fine and work out, he has to believe, if they're together.]
I can't watch for what I can't see, you know! [Still, he clutches the back of Bill's shirt and stumbles along behind him.] What's the point of living that sci-fi movie life if they're not even going to have lights down here?
[Richie is pretty sure he almost just saw some random girl die. He's actually not sure if she managed to stop her fall or not prior to her yelling. For a brief moment, he's just standing there waiting to hear a splat.]
How the fuck--
[It's not the most eloquent person, but he's back at the edge of the floor immediately, reaching down to take hold of Ellie. Once he's holding onto her, he starts trying to pull her up.]
For a girl you're a lot heavier than I'd expect.
[Or rather, Richie Tozier has no upper-body strength.]
[He waits for a brief moment to see if Eddie recognizes the name before he continues. And literally just sits where he is, because this is a situation where he's not sure how he can best help besides talking more.
That in itself is a first.]
He's the president? But apparently was some kind of actor, I dunno. They're all old movies so I don't think I've seen any of 'em.
(No, nothing about that name rang familiar. Eddie at least did know the president when he was around, and he shakes his head. Richie wasn't that stupid to mess up the president, so what was this about?)
[He says his best friend's name slowly. Richie is so confused and concerned, but he really doesn't understand how Eddie can be fucking time up so badly.]
(Sorry for the partial loss of hearing, but the scream is entirely necessary.)
That's impossible. I was born in 1947. What the hell? Wait.
(Wait. Did this have to do with the fact that the space and time thing pulled people from all over? Eddie's suddenly sitting down heavily next to Richie, his mouth hanging open.)
First Steps [Eleven's reflexes are well above average. They're the reason why she's able to get to safety when she feels the floor starting to fall. She doesn't want to use her powers so shortly after arriving in a strange place (one that she isn't sure is safe) but she feels responsible for cleaning up the mess she's made.
She stands at the edge of the crumbling floor and holds out her hand, using telekinesis to hold the tiles in place. It's a lot of focus all at once, especially when she tries floating each piece back to its proper place.]
Shining Bright [The observation deck is where El likes to stay. She can see everything here. The lights that are present today are ignored at first. When her curiosity gets the better of her and she chases after one to grab it, the music that plays in her mind makes her stop and stare blankly ahead. She stays like that for a long time, feeling content and peaceful. When someone else approaches she turns her head to stare.]
The lights are singing today.
Kaittos [Wildcard option! Find Eleven trying and failing to work out trades in the marketplace, or diving off of rocks into the ocean. When things get too busy and loud she hides in a corner of the city and puts her hands to her ears. ]
[Eleven is exploring when she finds him in the strange room. He looks enough like Mike that she stares, but he doesn't feel like him in her mind. She stays back and watches while he makes the floor shift and only steps in when she thinks he might be in danger. Mike or not, she won't let him die. Her arm stretches out and she uses telekinesis to try and scoot him back and away from the edge.]
It's not safe.
[ooc: If using tk isn't okay I left it open in your tag to have it be unsuccessful!]
(His hands automatically fly up to his hair, self-conscious of him suddenly being bald. As if that were at all possible. But his hands fly down just as quickly.)
It is not! And no! I wouldn't be bald! I have nice hair.
(But it does beg the question still of what the actual hell was happening. At least Eddie's got some sort of theory...
He looks around and gestures at the space they're in.)
Look at where we are. There's literally aliens everywhere. Maybe....Maybe we just. I don't know. Wait-
(Suddenly he grows suspicious. There were aliens everywhere, and apparently, there were a lot of people who had various super powers here. What if...This wasn't actually Richie? Eddie suddenly kneels close to Richie, squinting at him. He was really accurate looking, and definitely acting, but Eddie couldn't be too careful.)
Tell me something only Richie Tozier would know about me. Something- something serious.
[Bill is quiet while Eddie talks with the others, reassured by the presence of his voice that he hasn't lost the other boy. When the calls are done and Eddie is back beside him, Bill throws his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders and walks along with him that way.]
I think that's a swell idea, Eddie. We should all stick together. [And really, Richie and Bill were already accustomed to taking care of themselves without adults, anyway.]
And you've been holding up on your own so far, that can't have been easy. [A month is a long time to be alone in a strange place, for any of them, let alone for Eddie.]
(Eddie was not so accustomed. Even now, he had several adults that looked after him. Ones that cooked him meals since Eddie still hadn't gotten the hang of it yet. He was used to Sonia Kaspbrak's care, which was a whole other breed of 'adult supervision' than anything else Eddie had experienced, but all the same, he had spent years of his life not able to deny that his mother loved him dearly. That she took real good care of him.
After recovering his memories, Eddie wasn't so sure how right all that was. The weight of Bill's arm is comforting, and Eddie walks in perfect sync with him, not struggling at all under its pressure.
He looks up at Bill, feeling undeserving completely of the praise. He had been holding up okay, he wants to say, but at the same time, he feels a swell of rarely-felt pride beating its way into his chest. For Bill to compliment him...)
Awh, shucks, it really hasn't been that hard. A lot of people here care about how I'm doing.
(His face is a little red, and really, none of that touches how he dealt with...far more personal things. Things that he didn't know what to do with when his friends weren't around. But he doesn't want Bill to worry, so he doesn't mention them now.)
I mostly just missed you all. I really-. (His voice chokes out and he feels embarrassed by his own sudden rise of emotions.)
It's stupid. A month isn't even that long, but it felt a lot...more.
[ A wire, a wire... The blond looks high and low, and- ] Aha! [ she suddenly exclaims. It's not a wire but it is a thick piece of cable.
Hopefully it's not routed to anything important? It's probably not. Either way, the blond yanks it from where it is and throws it his direction. ] Think that'll be sturdy enough if I hold on to it?
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thisavrou_ooc2017-11-17 07:40 pm
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