00 - prologue

[afflictionmods]

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.

-----

( 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)

Comments

[ignihidden]

[while they established a link of physical pain, it was a lot more difficult to track emotional pain. How was that quantifiable? And how could one pick out their own pains of anxiety from another? The very fact they'd noticed the shared pain didn't seem to be something that everyone in the group had managed. The explanation was... bad. It was the kind of video game tutorial where you look up a guide.]

[Well, he had established his questions, at least. Endure Saturdays.]

... if we take them at their word, that this is supposed to encourage growth of some kind, isn't wiping our memories counter-intuitive?

Although I guess you could wipe specific memories without the underlying changes, like a cache clear. That would require something more delicate than the magic back home, I think.

[magicam]

Hnn... I guess so.

[But isn't that going way too far? Encouraging growth through, what, trauma? Forced connections? In that case, why'd they have to pull someone from his world at all? Why couldn't he breeze through this like everything else?

It's worse that he's paired with someone from his own world, too?

So. He sighs. Ends up chewing on his thumbnail in a gesture not unlike one of Idia's own nervous tics.]

I think so, too... Maybe Azul's magic could do it, but then he'd have to hear about...

[Gestures!!! All this!!!]

[ignihidden]

[It's a surprisingly short answer from someone like Cater. There must be things that dampen even the most social spirit, he guesses. Or, well, maybe it was just appropriately normie for the threat of maiming to bring things down.]

Huh, right, the contracts... I've heard of him taking people's Unique Magic but... you can't sell or leverage a memory you've taken away from someone.

[And while he didn't doubt Azul would take their memories for some exterior promise, the how and the price given to them in exchange for the taking... it's a lot, it would be like four-dimensional chess.]

... ah. We didn't ask how long the course was going to last, did we? Wh- ... what about-

[our friends? our loved ones? our actual schoolwork?]

-my game events?!

[magicam]

[Surprise! It's not the threat of maiming! (It's kind of the threat of maiming.) But the threat of maiming is definitely a good excuse... or it would be, if he wouldn't have to come clean about certain things at some point.]

Right, so the price would be way steep...

[Terrible! Why couldn't someone actually magnanimous have gotten Azul's UM, anyway??]

They, like, implied it'd be over whenever we were done with what they had planned with us? Which is totally way too wishy washy, right? That's not a real answer! Eh- though, wait, you're most worried about your game events? Really?

[ignihidden]

[Was it a year-long course? A semester? How many weeks? Maybe they should have rallied behind the person who was asking for a syllabus. Then again, if this was the orientation then any syllabus would probably be just as sparse...]

Eh, well it's a bit concerning to not be able to do regular maintenance but... I think the school should be more worried about Ortho than me...

Meanwhile it's not like reruns happen often and sometimes they don't happen at all! That means it's gone forever! The definition of exclusive content!

[magicam]

[They syllabus was probably just the cookie-cutter pamphlet answer of "get to know yourself and others or die trying!!" that everyone had gotten when pressing about the nature of the course.

But. Anyway. Idia's answer is met with what is surely a confusing mix of contradiction. Outwardly, Cater smiles, even laughs at the thought of Ortho tearing through the school because Idia's gone missing (again), demanding the headmaster do something about it.

Inwardly, Idia will be slammed with a painful twist in his chest.]

If anyone would be able to get the Headmaster to find you, it's Ortho~ Cay could almost be a little jealous, you know?

[Almost? A little?]

[ignihidden]

[Emotional pain is something Idia is used to. Normally, though, it follows the idea that he's said something wrong or embarrassing. He can't process the idea that talking about Ortho would be something so damning. And, yet, there's that contortion.]

[So, for a moment, Idia's expression is just something a little stupefied.]

[He can't link the new sensation quickly enough to his new information. Instead, he's just left with this painful correlation. Something is bad. Something hurts.]

... well. Ortho's the only one who would care.

[His own, distant, scarred hurt aches for a moment. It wasn't pain about no one liking him. He accepted that time and time again. He would pre-emptively accept that.]

[Maybe he's just thinking that his own passivity here might be unworthy of Ortho, who does care, in his own way.]

[magicam]

Mhmm~ You're totally right~

[Ah. Idia's expression is showing that they really weren't lying about emotional pain being shared, too, and here he was making vague, damning statements instead of pivoting off and changing the subject entirely like he ought to.

Especially when there's an ache that isn't quite his, deeper set, looping back.

They probably want them to talk this out, to offer support, to really dig deep and get to know themselves, and, more importantly, each other, but...]

Idia... When we get home, we probably shouldn't tell anyone about all this, ri~ight?

[Don't you dare doxx him about this.]

[ignihidden]

[There's a kind of comfort when things go exactly as you expect them, even if you expect the worst. It makes things settle does and touch their feet against the earth. It pulls back from the wrongness of pain that wasn't his. Cater's words don't hurt him. He's in agreement.]

... ah. So, you wanted to take my memories of this?... that makes more sense.

[In fact, it makes so much sense, it gives him a palpable feeling of relief. With a single threat, Cater was letting himself be slotted into the mold of a two-faced popular student. Of course, he couldn't just be that empty-headed and friendly.]

[He didn't need to get to know others, he didn't need to get to know Cater, he was just a cut-out. ]

Well,

[His lips pull back in a smile that serves as an abrupt reminder that this is one of the few students who can casually hang out with Azul Ashengrotto.]

I guess part of that depends on how irritated I am about our door being open all the time... How much I want to talk about it and post online.

[magicam]

[And now Idia was showing his colors as that nasty shut in that no one actually liked, but whose presence was so rare it was worth paying attention to, anyway. That's fine. They could both set up their little cardboard cut outs, get through this, and never speak of it again.]

What, you'll have a chance to be irritated when you're busy being scared of whoever comes in? That's totally not cute, you know?

[But. Okay. If it's for the sake of his nice, pleasant school life, then he supposes he could make... a concession.]

Anyway, I'm not evil, so I'll give you Sunday, too. Y'know, since we have to do things on Saturdays.

[ignihidden]

[They set up their cut-outs and the pain stops. They're both attacking and hiding behind things that aren't real. As if he cares about being called uncute!?]

How merciful of Mr. Popular.

[A short, clipped statement.]

[Was there really any point in arguing further? They've both shown their "true" colors. There was nothing to be gained by going further. It was a shame, of course, that he couldn't retreat to a private room. It's hard to make a big enough statement to feel good just shuffling over to a bed a few feet away.]

Well... a pleasure to work with you, please take care of me, whatever, whatever.

[The most hollow pleasantries.]

[magicam]

[At least the pain stops - for now. The situation might not be entirely defused, but harmless barbs are better than the alternative by a mile.]

Almost as merciful as the headmaster, I know~

[So he does acknowledge that it isn't really that merciful at all, and is really just a platitude to put an end to the uncomfortable situation they're both in, at least for the time being.

But they still have to share a room, and frosty air between them makes less of an impact than the clipped shut of a door.]

Pleasure's totally mine, wouldn't want anyone else, etcetera, etcetera.

[...Okay, that one is sliiiightly more honest than it could have been, but. Cardboard cutouts reciting hollow pleasantries doesn't lend the most genuine vibe to it.]