theafflicted | 00

PROLOGUE

It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing – something strange begins to happen. There's a sudden burning sensation that wraps around your right wrist and part of your forearm. If you glance at the affected area, you'll find that it's...glowing. The glow is pale blue, and it's so bright that it hurts to look at. The burn itself isn't so painful that you feel like keeling over just yet, but it does hurt nevertheless.

But before you have time to try to soothe the pain, you start to feel lightheaded, dizzy. Perhaps some of you may attribute this to any injuries you may currently be sustaining. For those who were previously unscathed, however, there's quite possibly no explanation for this other than the sudden appearance of the mysterious burn on your arm.

There is no time to mull it over, though, because it is the last thing that you see before the world suddenly fades to black.

-----

When you regain your senses, your vision is blurry; but when it starts to even out and you survey your surroundings, you find yourself sitting in a rather uncomfortable chair. Looking around you’ll see rows and rows of chairs, all facing the same way towards a desk, a podium, and an empty wall. A projector hangs from the ceiling and the lighting is bright and artificial... For some of you, it might be reminiscent of a college lecture hall. For others, you might have never seen anything like this before.

Your wrist, by the way, feels perfectly fine...though there’s now some kind of strange marking on it. It looks like a scar of some sort, and if you choose to touch it, it doesn’t feel inflamed or damaged in any way...but that doesn’t mean you don’t experience any pain. Perhaps the last thing some of you remember is a hard-fought battle, and the aches from your injuries still linger; some of you might not even remember getting hurt, and yet, your body aches like it has; for the lucky ones who feel fine, well. Pray that it lasts for a little while longer.

Because the moment someone gets hurt – emotionally or physically – there’s a small chance you’ll feel it, too. Where and who and what it’s coming from, though, is on you to figure out.

In front of you on the desk is some kind of device – a tablet, for those of you who are familiar. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be capable of doing much of anything right now, other than take photos and videos with the Camera app. There's also a translating app for those of you who need help reading some of the text around campus, as it is all in English. (Verbally, however, you can understand everyone in your own language. Tablets are also in characters' native languages.) It seems to be incredibly durable and hard to break, but you may want to be careful with it regardless.

Something shifts in your pocket (or...in your socks/shoe/what have you, if pockets aren't a thing) as you move around. Should you reach in and feel for it, you’ll find some kind of card – those who are familiar with modern technology will recognize that this is some kind of card you need to swipe. It has your name and a photo of you on one side, and the back of the card has the word "KEYCARD" on it.

There are also other people here, scattered throughout this mysterious classroom you’re in. In fact, there’re a bunch of you — 29 others, to be exact.

And now... you’re free to do whatever you want. Mostly anything, at least, given that once you step outside and explore, you’ll notice an ominous fog behind the various buildings within view. Still, this is a good time to get your bearings, check on what you have - and don’t have - and talk to the people around you until orientation starts.

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( OOC: Welcome to your Intro Log! The partner system is in effect for the Intro Log, meaning that yes, pain share is happening! For some notes regarding the partner system, your character will not know who their partner is upon arrival. It’s entirely possible that they find out now if their partner gets or is already injured, or if they can pick up on their mood. Otherwise, they’ll find out later today...!

Anyone who tries to leave campus grounds will have to enter through the fog, but no matter what, they will mysteriously wind up back onto campus grounds. And for clarification, the keycards are what characters need to gain access to their dorms!

Finally, we will have an NPC Reveal at 6pm EST today! )

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...

[ Target acquired.

Fai walks over to where this stranger is facing and holds out the book again. ]

[ No?? Stop this, you fiend. Hien's frown deepens and walks away from Fai. Go away. ]

Here I was, hoping you would tell me what this is!

[ But instead, he was disappointed. He doesn't sound like he is, though, his tone amused more than anything else. ]

[ But that would require opening his mouth to explain it, which he doesn't want to do. Hien looks at Fai, raising an eyebrow. Well. Whatever. When he opens his mouth, the voice sounds distorted with static. His eyes are weird too, but it seems a lot of people are weird here. ]

It's a math textbook, a supplement used for learning math and all its formulas. You have one math book. If I take it away, it becomes zero math books.

[ He tries to yank the textbook from Fai. ]

[ If Hien was expecting a reaction, he doesn't get much of one. While Fai does raise his eyebrows, the moment of surprise is gone in a blink.

After all, magic does strange things to people. ]

And if I keep it out of reach?

[ He holds it up high, using his long arms to his advantage. ]

[ He will not take the bait. He will not. He will not--

Hien attempts to punch him in the stomach. Die. ]

[ Fai dodges the punch with the swiftness of someone experienced in combat. The sudden movement causes that soreness from earlier to flare up in his shoulders, but he smiles through the mild pain. ]

Hyuu~ Feisty, aren't we?

[ Hien absolutely hates that he feels that soreness in his shoulders, but he just grits his teeth to endure it. It's fine. It's fine... ]

A child. That's what you are.

[ Should he be insulted? Probably. But the insult is honestly a little bit grounding.

...He should probably unpack that.

But for now, he just laughs. ]

I'll have you know I'm a full-fledged adult.

Prove it.

[ Yeah. He sure just told Fai that and also attempts to nab that textbook again. Here he was, hating on math, but now he wants the textbook. ]

How am I supposed to do that?

[ He switches the book into his other hand, standing on his tiptoes to hold it even higher away from Hien. ]

Why don't you prove that you are first?

Never said I was an adult.

[ He will be incredibly childish... like right now. He jumps again, but it's more like a leap in an attempt to knock Fai down to the ground. ]

[ The leap catches him off guard and he falls back, but not without taking Hien down with him.

It's not a pretty landing, and his back feels a little numb for it. ]

You can't be younger than twenty. You're clearly older than my kids.

[ OW HIS BACK?? HIS ALREADY HURTING BACK... He hates this so much, but then he gets up to just sit on Fai's stomach with his legs together off the side. Fai is his bench now. ]

You're right.

[ He's still trying his best not to show that he's in pain. He hates pain!! Fuck off, pain!!! He's not even sure if he did anything to warrant this. Physically.

He takes the book. His now. ]

No books for you.

[ He just accepts his fate, laying back on the ground. You know, this is much better than the last time he was thrown to the ground, so it's fine. ]

It's alright, I can't read them anyway.

[ How dare they not stock books in the written language of Celes!! (He has no idea translation apps exist, poor him.) ]

So, what are you anyway? Twenty-one? Twenty-two?

Twenty septillion.

[ ...

He also lightly smacks Fai's head with the book. Suffer. ]

I took you for a nerd, but I guess you're not if you can't read.

[ He makes a face when Hien smacks his head. Eugh... ]

What makes me seem like a nerd?

[ But also— ]

I can read, but not the language present here.

[ ??? His head hurts suddenly. What the fuck. ]

You're in a bookstore, for starters. Nerd. Of all the places you go to, you come here.

[ Pot. Kettle. Black. Hien is also here. ]

You're here too. I think that makes you the bigger nerd in this situation.

[ Yep. Totally checks out and makes sense. ]

I'm here to read comics.

[ There are... probably no comics here. Hien hasn't found them anyway. ]

Not math textbooks. Abominations.

I didn't see any of those.

[ And he only knows what those are thanks to Kurogane. ]

Everything here seems to mostly be educational.

Yeah. I was gonna leave, but then you... this stupid math textbook.

[ Eloquent. Truly. ]

Tongue-tied around me already?

[ Wow! ]

[ He drops the math textbook on Fai's face and gets up to leave.

Bye. ]

Ow!

[ His face hurts, especially his nose... at least the book wasn't heavy enough to seriously hurt him, but still!! ]

00 - prologue

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