INTROS + MONTHLIES

[trainmasters]

Who: newbies + everyone
When: Day 56, late morning
Where: The Aurora and surrounding area

[Yet again this morning, you get an announcement on your Chain:

WELCOME NEW HEROES

Newbies are waking up in their rooms, in pyjamas or in nondescript team-coloured underwear. As usual they get the basic welcome message, as well as a prompt to view the IC guide.

When you're done welcoming them, or while you're at it, you'll notice that while clocks say it's late morning, the sun has still not risen. As it was on the first Star, the sky remains dark and empty and the air somewhat cold. Not cold enough for the frost you see on the windows, though...

From a distance, the frost looks like a typical wintery pattern of ice, beautiful and delicate. But on inspection it's not frost at all -- it's a sugary mold climbing up the sides of the train and, outside the immediate clearing, growing in thick fuzzy patches on the trees and bushes.

Touching or inhaling this mold will cause your skin to start to crystallize painfully into sugar. Physical affection will heal you, but it'll also give you a psychic link to the person you touched. For a few hours you can sense eachothers emotions, and in some cases even share thoughts or memories.

The mold will last for the remainder of the OOC month, but who knows what else tomorrow will bring!]

Comments

[learnedfool]

[Guess who touched the frost like a dumbass?]

[Guess who is hearing a long string of curses from his demon in his head about how that was very stupid, and he needs to fix it because she can't help as he shakes his hand in an attempt to make the pin stop and/or shake off the mold]

Whoops.

[So, hey, if anyone ever wanted to hear Desdemona directly, help Penric out?]

[daydreamshimmer]

Pen! What did you do?!

[Hurrying over to see what she can do.]

[learnedfool]

Poked something I shouldn't. Ow.

[shintaiprotagonist]

[a short, pretty newbie in Jasmine's colors approaches, peering at the infection curiously. to Des, he'll feel strangely like someone significant -- not necessarily dangerous, but worth respecting.]

You seem to have contracted something troublesome, friend.

[learnedfool]

[Des's senses are pretty dim right now, thank you, powerloss]

So I do.

[bestbrotherever]

[Loki's investigating the frost on the train, trusting that his magic will keep him safe if it's dangerous.

[Yeah, it doesn't help, as his hand starts turning icy-looking. He gives a strangled scream and stares at it in horror, seemingly unable to do anything.]

[daydreamshimmer]

[WHY DOES MY TEAM KEEPING POKING THINGS]

Loki!

[bestbrotherever]

[Because we are inquisitive cocky bastards.

[Also Loki barely seems to register her at all. He's staring at his stricken hand and soon starts making gestures with his other hand. The crystallizing hand goes back to normal, then turns blue, before returning to the icy white creeping up from his fingers towards his arm.]

No... how... why...

[whatsmytalentagain]

The calm before the storm... That never comes.
[Good morning, Ginger! You got a newbie on board who looks a bit suspicious of his surroundings.

Sure, it's suprisingly cozy and he was provided with a wider selection of clothes, but after getting dragged into some deadly game at least twice in a row he's not quick to trust the system here. At least the other people living here are usually alright, and he'll greet anyone passing through the living room with a nod as he clicks on the prompt for the Hero's Guide...

... His brow furrows in confusion at what he's reading.]

Doing what explorers do best.
[After he's gotten acquainted with his team mates, he decides to explore the rest of the train. He isn't going into anyone's private bedrooms, but he does have his Chain in hand as he wanders from car to car, investigating everything this train has to offer. If he sees you first, he'll smile and wave you over so he can... Unlock his Chain... And show you the screen.

There's a notes app on his Chain and he's already typed this on it:]

Name's Rantaro Amami. I'm new here. Can you tell me what's going on?

What the...?
[At last, he finds his way to one of the doors to the outside and opens it up.

He just stands in the doorway, staring in bewilderment.

Is this... Is this train parked in Candyland?! He's been a lot of places now, but this is just... Weird.]

[schrodingerscockroach]

[Oh hey, new Ginger. Should say hi to this one.]

[Especially since he's getting attention, so he'll approach. Looking at the screen.] Oh. [Pauses a moment, holding up a finger as he thinks.]

[It's Been A Bit, but he's gonna try ASL. Which....well, isn't JSL, but he tried.] Hello. I can answer your questions. Are you deaf, or just mute?

Do you understand this sign language?

[whatsmytalentagain]

[Blinks. Then just types a new message somewhere under the first one.]

Mute, not deaf.

[Which probably means he has no idea what you just signed.]

[bestbrotherever]

[Loki's outside the train, a short ways from the door Rantaro opens, his hands glowing as he directs magic blasts at the side of the train. He looks up briefly.]

I would recommend not going out unless you are prepared for a fight. And do not touch the frost on the surface, or anything else outside of the train.

[whatsmytalentagain]

[Thanks for the warning, he's gonna try his best not to touch frost... Well. This seems very concerning. Excuse him while he types something on his Chain...

He waves Loki over and shows him the screen.]

Thanks. Now what do you mean by "prepared for a fight?"

[bluediligence]

[ She was just heading from her room, dressed like she's going to the gym (don't mind the copious amount of scars she has; it's not at all alarming), when she spots the new arrival. ]

Oh! Hi there!

[whatsmytalentagain]

[Scars are one thing. How friendly she seems is another.

He smiles and waves pleasantly.]

[overworker]

[During his exploration, there's the library-- where he can find a short girl doing some reading.

As soon as he enters though, she puts the book down with a smile.]

Oh-- hello Rantaro. My name's Towa Herschel. It's a bit of a long story, but I'd be happy to help.

[whatsmytalentagain]

[ He smiles back and waves before typing up a response. ]

I'm patient.

[shintaiprotagonist]

In Jasmine

[This newbie has wandered out to sit, lotus-style, in one of the shafts of sunlight from the skylights in the main room. he seems intent on reading his Chain, which is hovering obligingly in the air before him, but he'll look up and smile brilliantly at anyone who approaches.]

Well-met, friend. How much can this whimsical summary be trusted?

Out On The Plateau

[Eventually, he finds his way down to the river of honey and stands on the bank, eyeing it, hands on his hips]

A curiously decadent ecology, isn't it?

[thunderbeast]

[ Okay, but why is your chain floating. ]

Accurate enough as far as I can tell. You're new here?

[ Last time he was the new one so he hasn't experienced this before. ]

[shintaiprotagonist]

[that's a fair question]

Newly-awakened, at least.

[bowtiedbones]

[wearing a dust mask because TO HECK with mold. there's also a tiny dragon skeleton curled around her neck.]

I have no idea how the food web here is supposed to work...

[shintaiprotagonist]

Surely all of it can't be constructs, can it?

[turning away from the water to cock his head at the dragon skeleton]

[featherbeaned]

[ plop splash ssssSSSQUAWK ]

[ That's the sound of a dismayed, betrayed dragon scrambling her way out of the river of honey, utterly and completely drenched in the stuff from toe bean to wing-tip. The honey's not the problem, though. ]

[ The problem is lemon-peel eel clinging onto her tail ]

Get! Off!

[cawnflict]

...hold still.

[ What.. are you... well, he's reaching over to try and get a hold of the tail end of the eel. ]

[featherbeaned]

[ a dragon!! obviously!! ]

[ nevermind the feathers. or how distinctly mammalian she looks. ]

Wait, wait! Careful-! [ He'll get a sharp shock the moment his hand brushes against the eel's lemony skin ]