jikan_rpg | April | Event: Skybound Travelers

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April | Event: Skybound Travelers

Skybound Travelers↲ OOC Plotting

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As everyone settles into a routine in Nippon, newer refugees may find that visiting the Western Kingdom is something of an undertaking. Although considerably faster than traveling by airship or on foot, the underground train that connects Tokyo and Kyoto still takes at least five hours. And not everyone enjoys the roller coaster-like experience of the Sunday-only time surge that shortens that ride into ten minutes. But lucky for them, the NRL are finally ready to release a special new travel system!

Developed in part thanks to the refugees for gathering the necessary etherblossoms back in March, refugees will now find teleportation terminals available at the NRL in Tokyo and MRU in Kyoto. These terminals only connect to each other, with plans to expand to other cities in the future.

Or at least, that's what they're supposed to do.

Nippon Traveler

With the announcement of fast travel between kingdoms quickly spreading among the refugees, many of them are clamoring to be the first to take advantage. After all, the train is rather inconvenient for those with friends and family in both kingdoms, and even more so for those who wish to work in one while living in the other.

Thankfully, the NRL took this into consideration, and made sure to add additional platforms and a timed queueing system to make things run smoothly, essentially creating a small station on the top floor of the NRL's main building. And with exclusive elevator access on the outside just for traveling refugees, it's certainly built for convenience.

Ready, Aim... Kyoto, Western Kingdom
Despite the fact that the NRL has been using these teleporters just fine for transferring between Tokyo and Kyoto for the past few weeks, the sudden inundation of users is causing the system to overload ever so slightly. As a result, the teleporter hasn't been sending people where it should, occasionally redirecting them to random areas throughout Kyoto.

On the one hand, magic is so commonplace in the West that no one really thinks anything about the Refugees popping in and out of existence, with most natives just assuming they're teleporting using the local magic. But on the other hand, this assumption means the natives will think it's intentional, resulting in a large number of refugees finding themselves in both literal and metaphorical hot water after teleporting straight into a public bath, fully-clothed. Hopefully it's a mixed bath, or they might find themselves being carried away by the patrolling samurai guards for questioning.

In addition to becoming a public nuisance for the natives, some may find themselves teleporting into the homes of fellow refugees instead. They may wind up as an uninvited dinner guest, or perhaps they'll appear during a private or intimate moment between lovers. Some may even end up appearing in a closet, giving them ample opportunity to hide until they can make their escape!

Thankfully, this bug is discovered quickly enough that it only creates a few days of chaos -- so don't let that put you off the technology forever!

Here Comes a Thought Higashiyama, Kyoto
But of all the locations the teleporters are sending people to, perhaps the most common one is Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto's Higashiyama neighborhood. As one of the most famous temples in Kyoto, its already a popular tourist destination, with beautiful gardens, a veranda overlooking all of Kyoto, and is home to a magic school that specializes in the Mizu Element.

Those who are lucky may simply find themselves suddenly standing in front of a very tall pagoda, or overlooking the view of Kyoto. But most refugees will instead find themselves standing before the Tainai Meguri, a dark underground passageway beneath one of the many shrines in Kiyomizu-dera. Naturally, it'll be assumed they want to go in, and they may find themselves ushered down by a shrine maiden or two who don't want them holding up the line.

Blanketed in an inky darkness, the Tainai Meguri is composed of a single hallway and a rope along the wall to help guide visitors down to the lowest part of the passageway, where a mysterious stone can be found. Glowing with a mysterious power, the stone is the only source of light in the tunnel. And those who touch the stone with a clear mind will see the carving in the center change, showing which magic element they have an aptitude for: Tsuchi, Mizu, Hi, or Kaze.

However, those who touch the stone without a clear mind will witness something different. Because the stone in question is a Memory Stone, an ancient magical artifact capable to creating illusions of a person's memories. Once the stone is touched, the light of the stone will jump out into the darkness, projecting illusions of their past on the walls around them. Whether these illusions appear as text, an exact replica of one's memories, or something more abstract, varies by the person.

Those whose memories are being projected may find themselves completely overwhelmed by the emotions they felt at the time of that memory. For this reason, no one is allowed into the Tainai Meguri alone, so those affected better hope that their partner in the darkness is prepared to drag them out of it.

Into the Unknown

As the technology powering these terminals is still quite new to the scientists at the NRL, actually releasing these to the public is still a way off. Although there's zero risk of harm coming as a result of using the terminal, they have noticed that occasionally the terminal registers another point of travel, as if another terminal exists. A reverse transfer always brings them back just fine, but little is known about where these objects are ending up.

To that end, the NRL is asking brave enough refugees interested in exploring to take the teleporter to these unknown locations and report what they find. But don't worry, they're not asking they do this for free! All participants will receive a moderate sum of money, as well as a week-long stay at the Ōwakudani Hot Spring Resort in Hakone, to be redeemed whenever they like.

Cold Cuddles Sapporo, Hokkaido
For the first mysterious location, volunteers will be bundled up in warm clothes, as objects that come back always arrive very cold. And indeed -- upon teleporting, they'll find themselves in the midst of a snowstorm, an ancient version of the same terminal below their feet, and strange ruins all around them. And stranger still, the walls of the ruins appear to be covered in dark blue ice that won't melt no matter how much heat is applied.

It seems this teleporter is somehow connected to Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Nippon. Due to an ancient curse, the land is perpetually snowy and plagued by unmelting ice called everfrost. And while those who visited the region prior may recognize their surroundings enough to know they're actually very close to the city of Sapporo, others may not be so lucky, nor willing to take the risk of missing their return window.

Worse still, they're just far enough away from the city that their magi-comms won't work! With no way of activating the terminal from their side, and two hours before the NRL reactivates it on their end to bring them back, it looks like they'll need to huddle together for warmth to ensure they don't freeze.

Thankfully, the terminal is located in a covered area, and the remains of an old campsite nearby even has some blankets and supplies. And upon their return, they'll be given hot drinks and no shortage of apologies for not considering the risk of giving them such a long window to explore.

Party in the Dark Jigoku, Shitaya
The second mysterious location is by far the most intriguing, as it's clearly somewhere that people have access to, and yet no one has tried coming back through the terminals. Instead, empty cans and half-finished drinks sometimes end up on the terminal, with no explanation as to who was drinking them prior. And as this phenomenon only occurs late at night, that's when the volunteers will be sent.

Upon arriving, at first they'll find themselves blanketed in a perpetual darkness, surrounded by some sort of stone tunnel, with the sound of music echoing from further in. They'll still be able to contact the NRL, leading the scientists to suggest that they may be in Jigoku, the catacombs of an abandoned subway system below Tokyo.

Should they be brave enough to follow the source of the music, they'll stumble upon what appears to be a secret speakeasy in the dark, run by the Hanyo who live in the neighborhood of Shitaya. As many Hanyo still possess the Yokai ability to see more clearly in the dark than Humans, the lack of lighting is more a feature than a gimmick.

Still, for having made it all the way down here, they'll be offered free drinks and a playful atmosphere -- so long as they promise to keep their illegal supply of Uki-based drinks and snacks a secret from the authorities. A popular recreational drug in the West made from the naturally sweet Uki Weed, Uki is highly regulated in the East, and causes lowered inhibitions, feelings of calm or euphoria, and even functions as a mild aphrodisiac.

Which might just be why many patrons are taking advantage of the dark and inviting atmosphere for romantic trysts in the dark, with futons set up in nearby tunnels for all your sensory deprivation needs. The Refugees can contact the NRL to return at any time, so why not let loose and join the fun?

Castle in the Sky

After a week of using the teleporters, Refugees will discover a new warp point is now listed alongside Kyoto and Tokyo: Tengoku, the nation of Tengu, comprised of dozens of airborne cities that float high above Nippon. According to the NRL, the technology used for these teleporters was developed thanks to the Tengu of Skytower, as a much belated thank you for the refugee's help back in March 1921.

And while Skytower itself remains off-limits, the Tengu Capital of Miyazaki has decided to open its doors to outsiders for the first time in centuries.

Fly High Miyazaki, Tengoku
The Tengu cities are unlike anywhere else on Nippon, comprised of a single, massive amount of land that towers upward, and numerous smaller islands that float up and around the main part of the city. Mysterious magic-powered technology can be found all around the city, though the appearance is quite different from the more modern magi-tech.

But perhaps the most notable thing is that these cities are not designed to be very accessible to those who can't fly. Very few actual pathways lead upward into the city proper, and the entrance to most buildings are located on the top floor, with only a small balcony in front to land on. But thankfully, there's a means around it!

Upon arrival to the capital of Miyazaki, all Refugees will be offered a small backpack with a tiny pair of wings attached to it. Upon putting it on and jumping, the wings will grow larger, acting like a part of their body and allowing them to fly! These backpacks will only function in Tengoku, but they're welcome to keep them should they decide to visit again.

Of course, just because they have the power to do so doesn't mean they'll actually be good at it. Refugees may struggle to become airborne at all, or may find it difficult to control themselves in mid-air, flying into walls, other refugees, or accidentally hurling themselves over the edge of the city. Thankfully, there's patrolling Tengu who are always prepared to catch those who fall, but considering it always comes with a lecture, it's really not the best experience.

But those who persevere will be able to fly up to the very top of the city, where they'll find a beautiful garden overlooking the clouds. The flora here is far more alien than anything commonly found in Nippon, with plentiful etherblossoms, crystal-like mahougi trees, and-- is that a nuruname bloom? Maybe stay away from that one...

Liquid Happiness Miyazaki, Tengoku
Being so high up in the sky, completely isolated, meant that the Tengu cities were designed to be completely self-sustaining. Although they do conduct trade with the mainland below, almost everything they need is either grown or produced by the land itself. Which might just beg the question: where is the water coming from? Because nearly every level of the city is accented by canals and waterfalls.

But those who visit on a rainy day will get their answer. As high as they are, the Tengu cities are close enough that they can draw from the magic properties of the ring that circles the planet of Gaia, which is only visible at night. Thus, the rain that falls in Miyazaki has magical properties: in audition to a rainbow color, it can be infinitely multiplied, instantly heal wounds and certain illnesses, and seems to cause feelings of euphoria similar to Kizuna when one stands in it. For this reason, the rain that falls in Miyazaki is referred to as liquid happiness.

But for Refugees, these effects are even more extreme. Those who visit Miyazaki during a particularly rainy week at the tail end of April will begin to manifest severe Kizuna side-effects, especially the supernatural variety. While ordinarily these effects are only possible when feelings of love are present, the power of the rain will allow Refugees to share their thoughts and feelings with the people around them, whether they want to or not.

So strong are the effects of the rain that these effects will linger well after they leave, and may even become contagious to those they meet later on the surface. In the end, the NRL issues a warning for Refugees to avoid lingering in Miyazaki in rainy days until a more conclusive study on this "liquid happiness" can be conducted.

OOC Notes
Welcome to Jikan's April event! Please direct any questions to the Question Thread in the OOC Plotting post.

• Characters will not be allowed into the Tainai Meguri alone, and must descend in pairs.

• Sapporo is roughly a twenty minute walk away, and characters who are familiar with their surroundings will be able to go to the city proper. Magi-comms will also begin to work again. More information on Sapporo can be found on the Setting page!

• You are welcome to assume there is Uki-based incense in the underground party if your character would need an extra nudge to participate.

• Given their isolated status, the Tengu cities only contain Tengu Yokai, who range from entirely human-like with wings, anthropomorphic birds, and the traditional long-nosed variety! Although Refugees may be treated as a novelty by the people there, only elderly Tengu will treat them rudely for being outsiders.

• Characters will find that inns and hotels are both plentiful and cheap in Tengu cities, as the cities are very far apart from one another, and it's very common for Tengu to travel far from home. Miyazaki, for instance, floats above Kyushu near the Westernmost point of Nippon!

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"I don't think that's a choice you're allowed to make." Aerith replied softly before she reached out and placed a hand upon the hunched form of the boy beside her. "We do what we do when we have to do it. If I have the power to help and I sat back and did nothing, I would be as bad as the things we fight."

She sighed and glanced toward the fire. Without any conscious effort she had began to gently rub Wufei's back, soothing him.

"I don't like to fight. But I will if I must. To protect my friends and the people I love. If it makes you feel better, the part I play is a healing support role more than an actual fighter." Not that it meant she couldn't do damage of she wanted. Aerith was a powerful magic user. She could make someone's day very bad of she chose to.

He gazed into the fire, hugging his legs to his chest tightly and actually allowing her to offer him that small comfort. Here, where no one knew where they were, where they couldn't easily be seen or overheard.

He couldn't bring himself to look at her, letting out a long sigh as he closed his eyes. "Don't die for them," he replied softly. "It may feel noble in the moment, but if you give away your life, you condemn those who care for you to suffer. Every person they lose is another stone on their chest." His voice was thick and if she looked closely, she might see tears freezing to his cheeks.

"I don't plan on dying without a very good reason..." Aerith replied in a gentle but firm tone. As gentle and firm as the hands that now gathered Wufei up and pulled him into her embrace.

She wrapped her arms around him, one hand lifting to hold the back of the younger man's head to her shoulder. Because it was true. There was no one to see this. She could give him a little of the comfort he so desperately needed. If just for a moment. And in the process a little warmth too.

"And I'm sure she would have felt the same. There's never time to think about those you leave behind. No one leaves the house thinking 'I'm going to get myself killed today.' It's a last resort. It should always be the very last choice when all other things have been exhausted. And it hurts. Oh I know it does. But you should know that no one ever really dies. She should be waiting to be born again, if she hasn't already." Aerith had no idea who she was talking about, or even if she was reading between the lines correctly. She'd take the slap if she really was off the mark and being insulting. But Aerith had a feeling she was on the money this time.

It was such a foreign feeling, to be embraced at all, let alone with so much emotion clinging to the moment. "There were thousands," he whispered. "But my wife was the first," and even years later, it felt like an open wound being washed with vinegar.

He tried not to think about the war anymore, about the people he'd lost, the ones he'd killed. All the innocents caught in the crossfire.

Then he'd tried to start the cycle all over again. The guilt made him sick to his stomach, and he rubbed a hand over his face roughly. "I was never worthy."

"Being cruel to strange women in the woods is probably not the best way to test your worth." Aerith teased gently, she was smiling and continued to hold onto Wufei, not letting him pull away from her just yet. She ran a hand along his back still, comfort and warmth as snow fell down softly around them.

"But listen to me very carefully... Your worth isn't measured by yourself. It's measured in the lives you touch through your life. The deeds you do. The life you lead. If you don't feel worthy now, you're still so young, you have so much time to live a life worthy of her. Never, ever give up. That is weakness. That is what will make you unworthy of her. Fight. Keep on fighting. Even if that fight is just to be happy and loved." Fighting didn't always just mean war and battles. Life was an eternal struggle. Wufei should fight for the things he wanted. Live his life and make his wife's sacrifice mean something.

He sighed heavily, wiping away his tears and listening to her, for the moment. It had been a very long time since he'd lost his mother, but she reminded him of her in a way that made his heart ache.

He listened to her, considered the words carefully as he gazed into the fire. "Then I suppose I have been extremely weak this last year," he sighed. "All I've done is exist," and even that was a generous description.

She couldn't help herself. When he said that she lifted a hand, cold as it may be, and cupped his cheek gently to make him turn to look at her. Aerith was smiling.

"Suck it up, Solider." The words were firm but that smile softened it somehow. "You're allowed to be weak. You're allowed to be uncertain. You're allowed to stumble and fall as you find your way. You're allowed all those things us non-soliders get to do. You're human."

His cheeks went crimson as she said that, a stubborn frown settling on his lips. If she'd been a man he probably would've hit her for it, but... well. She was right, even if he didn't like it, and he huffed in reply.

"Don't be ridiculous," he replied, just as firmly. "I'm not just a soldier. I'm supposed to be a leader, but instead I let them all die." And that was the crux of it, really. All these people he was supposed to protect, to lead, to belong to, and they were all gone.

It was just him, alone, floating through space. He jerked his face away from her hand, tried to pull away from her completely.

Aerith let him. She wasn't going to force someone to accept her touch, so she dropped her hands into her lap and turned her face back toward the flames.

He was angry with her again. She hadn't meant to do that. It was the same way she had spoken to Zack and to Cloud, all of who had known loss, all of who she saw a little of in Wufei. Though Wufei was fully intent on beating himself up regardless of the reason or the outcome.

"Does punishing yourself bring them back?" She asked quietly. Her tone kind, even if her words could be considered harsh. "Will it change anything? Will it make them happy? I think not. I think that, no matter how much we try, there are so things we can accomplish with our own hands and some things that will happen despite our best intentions. I don't know why you 'let' people die, but I have a strong feeling you weren't just standing there drinking a cup of tea while you watched someone die. Am I wrong?"

It stung, all the way down to the soul. He hugged his legs to his chest again, gazing into the fire as he listened to her and shook his head. "I was... immobile," he replied softly. "I'd gone to space to fight, to stop Oz from taking control of them. They took my whole colony hostage, threatened to destroy them all if I continued to fight. So my people destroyed the colony and themselves." Chose to die to allow him to continue fighting.

He squeezed his legs tighter, took a deep, shaky breath. "Treize was supposed to kill me. I wasn't supposed to survive the war, I was supposed to join them."

"Then I don't see how any of that is your fault..." Aerith spoke as kindly as she could, her voice soft and holding warmth, even if their was a hint of sympathetic pain there too. "Your people..." Could she really judge them? It seemed a hugely kneejerk reaction, but at the same time, if they were all being held hostage and saw no other way out...? She thought about what Wufei had told her quietly for a moment or two more before she took a breath and believed she could reply now.

Aerith scooted closer and reached out a hand to lightly rest upon Wufei's back. "Listen to me. Your people sacrificed themselves for a reason. You were their hope. They took all the hope they had left in the world and they passed it to you, and then freed you of any obligations. They were your weakness and used against you. They removed that weakness so you could fight freely..." Aerith sighed. "I don't agree with it. That is a lot of pressure to put on your shoulders. But at the same time... I understand that kind of sacrifice. I understand from their point-of-view more than your own. So with that in mind, I can tell you that they would never have wanted you to die. You were their last hope for the future. And only by having a future do you ensure that their sacrifice was worth something."

Wufei sighed heavily. "They were all meant to die," he said softly. "Our colony was supposed to be dropped -- to crash into the planet and kill most of the people there so that I -- so that all the pilots -- could come to earth and take over. Hand the colonies to the Barton Foundation. That was how the war was meant to start. Instead, the colony stayed intact and we went to earth anyway. My people accepted that we would die in the war, that we would be martyrs. Maybe our deaths would be enough to change people's minds. All I thought about was how and when and at whose hand I would die."

He took a deep, shaking breath. "And then the bastard that was supposed to kill me threw himself on my sword instead. Took my death, took all the meaning from my life. There's nothing left."

"No ones death is written in stone." Aerith, when she spoke next had lost some of that gentleness in favour of a firm and uncompromising tone. "None. Fate can be rewritten. It takes a strong will and determination to change the future. And you can do it. But giving up, accepting that all you have left is to die? That is weakness in my mind. Strength comes from living. From standing up and facing what comes, head on, with no regrets!"

Isn't that exactly what she and her friends had been trying to do? Back home, the whispers, the hints that things weren't as they seemed. A turning point that, once crossed, meant that nothing would be the same again. And they had faced it, they had walked toward that future together to meet whatever came next.

"And there is no way you can tell me you have nothing left. What about the the friend with the milky skin and long hair? What about the friends you've made here? Do they not give you meaning? Are they not a good enough reason to want to live?"

He closed his eyes as he listened, and for a moment he could imagine his wife scolding him, too -- she probably wouldn't have been so nice about it. He was all that was left of his once proud clan, after all, and look at what he'd turned himself into.

And then she went and mentioned Duo, causing blush to warm his cheeks as a weak smile pulled at his lips. "Well," he replied roughly. "When you put it that way." He sounded pretty damn stupid. He wiped away his tears, sighing again as he looked to the fire. "I don't think I know how to live," he admitted. He'd spent his whole life fighting, even before he'd wanted to. He was a warrior without a war and he quite simply didn't know what to do with himself. How to find his own purpose. "But it would piss Duo off pretty badly if I died on him. He's lost everyone, too."

"You find a reason." Aerith said, and now she wasn't getting her head bitten off, she scooted closer so that she could curl her arm around Wufei once again. They needed to keep warm after all.

"Maybe your Duo is reason enough? You've both lost enough, maybe you're each others reason to live?" It was simplistic and maybe a little on the unhealthy side to be so dependent. But maybe that was what was needed after having lived a life depending on no one and fighting for your life?

Wufei sighed heavily, leaning into her embrace. It was definitely only for the warmth. He sighed heavily at her words and let his gaze stay on the fire. "Maybe," he agreed softly, giving himself a little squeeze. "Back home I had a job, but it... was slowing down considerably." And he hadn't been coping well.

"And what's keeping you from finding a job here?" She asks with a smile, curious about why that would be a limiting factor.

"As I recently explained to a friend, we have a second chance here. The ability to do things we couldn't do back home. A change to... live in ways we never could. If you give yourself time, you'll find a way, you'll find your way. Because the world you've left behind? It'll still be there when you return. So why not enjoy every moment you can while you're here?" It was, Aerith thought, the most logical an reasonable of ideas. How often did you get sucked into another world, your very own pocket dimension, away from all the trials and troubles of your own home so that you could live a second life? Not often, she thought! So why not make the most of it?

He bit back the first reply that came to mind -- that he had no right to enjoy anything, after all he'd done, after all he'd lost, but that would just talk them in another circle, so he shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe," he murmured softly. "If I can ever figure out how." He didn't exactly know how to go easy on himself, after all.

But maybe that was the secret. He just had to go hard in a slightly different direction.

"Give yourself time. You'll get there. And you have friend who can help." She paused for a moment, thoughtful, and the smiled once again. "I can help you, if you'd let me? If maybe you think you could ever consider me a friend?"

There was no need to go hard in any direction. Living didn't have to be complicated, if you had something to live for.

He managed a little smile for her, and nodded. "At this point, I owe you that much at the very least," he conceded, rubbing away the last of his tears again. "Thank you, for your kindness and patience," he knows damn well that he's a pain in the ass, even for the people who like him, and that he was lucky she was one of them.

"It's what I do." Aerith replied with a hint of cheekiness followed by laughter. "At least this distracted us from being too cold, huh?" Because she hadn't even thought about it for a moment while talking to Wufei, even though the tip of her nose and her lips felt icy enough she was afraid they might fall off.

She leaned away from Wufei for a moment to throw a few more bits of wood onto the fire and stoked it with another. "Do you think someone will be looking for us yet?"

He hummed in agreement, and after she tossed the wood into the fire, and shifted closer again. He settled his arm around her, rubbing her arm gently. "I doubt it, this area seems very remote, but the scheduled portal back will open soon," he replied.

Well colour her surprised! Wufei had moved up beside her to take the initiative. The arm around her was surprisingly strong, though the gloved hand that rubbed her arm was far gentler. She thought about commenting on it, teasing him, but recognised that if she did that the poor boy might get embarrassed and pull away. And she didn't want that at all. She wanted him to feel comfortable around her.

"Lets hope so. I could really do with a nice, hot bath and a cup of tea. This kind of snow is not fun in the slightest!"

Wufei probably would've taken offense to it -- he was still in a fairly delicate place, emotionally speaking. He nodded in agreement. "I've never lived anywhere that gets this cold, not even Brussels." He'd gone to cold places a few times for work, and space could always turn icy on you, but in those situations he'd been properly prepared for it. "Hot tea, maybe a warm bowl of soup," he agreed with a sigh.

Someone to cuddle up to, though he kept that thought to himself. He knew Duo would let him, but he wasn't sure he wanted to deal with the questions it would bring.

Aerith decided to just go ahead and dropped her head upon Wufei's shoulder after she'd cuddled up a bit more to his side. Shared warmth was the name of the game here. The fire was keeping them warm enough though, so as long as they could keep that going then they would survive long enough to be picked up by the rescue crew.

"It could get bad in the slums but never this bad. And I had never left Midgar to see anywhere else where it could get this bad." Even though this was the exact kind of climate she had been born in. "I don't think this is the kind of place human's are ever supposed to thrive."

"Also soup sounds so good." She sighed herself, daydreaming about making a nice big pot of soup. "I should make some. Maybe I'll even be nice and invite you to enjoy some also?"

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