azume | Welcome.

AWAKENING.

You're asleep, and the first thing you're aware of is the pulse.

It comes quickly, flooding through your system and jolting you awake; the room you're in is dimly-lit but the bed you're in is soft, and while all of this is jarring you'll soon become rather aware that you aren't going through this alone. The room you're in is lined with beds not unlike the one you're in; you'll be able to hear other people stirring, coming awake as they respond to the pulse too, and...

...And it will soon become evident that whatever just happened, something is wrong.

Whatever your response may be to waking up in a low-lit room full of people is going to be highly amplified, the emotion rubbing your nerves raw in a way that makes you feel like you're experiencing it for the first time, and whenever you manage to sit up, you'll feel something...strange on your head, tickling the sides of your face, and as you turn your head a little you'll catch a glimpse of an odd, synthetic-looking green.

A wig...?

Your clothes, too, are different from whatever you remember last (because whatever you remember last, it wasn't this room, it wasn't this place - ); they feel warm, designed to withstand cold weather, and if you throw the blankets off at any point (or even just pause to look beneath them) you'll be greeted with an outfit made of thick material that's alternating parts black and white and glossy silver, with an emblem inscribed on the chest - a G inscribed in gold and black.

Whatever's happening here, you aren't given much time to dwell on it; everyone here seems about as confused as you are. There are twenty-four of you in the room altogether, and you're all going through the same thing; whatever you're experiencing, the door is closed, so at least you're experiencing it in relative privacy.

For now.

It isn't long before a voice can be heard, soft but agitated-sounding, as though trying very hard to not awaken everyone in the building; it sounds like a man, and you can hear his footfalls pause just outside your door as he speaks to someone else, voice soft and androgynous.

"And you're sure they're gone?"
"Yes, Commander."
"And don't you think something should be done about that...?"
"Right away, sir."

With that, the man and whomever he was speaking to can be heard parting ways, one moving rapidly down a corridor and the other pausing, shifting a bit before eventually moving on himself.

You have several options.

I. You can sit here for a while and get to know each other, seeing as none of you know what happened. That might be a good idea, all things considered, and as long as the door remains closed there's no rush. It's the middle of the night, after all, and it isn't as though anyone is going to come looking - despite the urgent conversation outside, there isn't any alarm going off, nor is there any reason for most of the building to be on high alert.

II. You can explore the building. Should you do that, you'll find several winding corridors leading to what look like dorms, with several rooms containing sleeping people and areas such as formal break rooms; exploring a little further will let you find conference rooms and other large, empty spaces that don't seem to have much of a purpose. There are signs and notices in several places referring to "Team Galactic" and its protocol, all adorned with the same emblem that's on your clothes. Some of these corridors also lead to doors that are, unfortunately, locked and staying that way; some of them lead to people dressed exactly like you, bizarre wig and all. They seem to be a little strange, however; they'll greet you, and they'll speak to you if spoken to, but they look odd and dead behind the eyes and there's not much to their answers, and asking them about preferences or any personal information will just net you a blank stare. It's going to be a long strange journey through the building, but at least you're traveling light; you don't seem to have any belongings with you - save for the outfit you woke up in and the red and white capsule attached to your belt...

III. You can also pause to try to figure out what's going on with those capsules. They each contain something very important to you, after all - a creature that seems to have been assigned to you specifically. They don't seem to have anything on them indicating a name or another person that owns them, at any rate, so it's probably safe to assume it's yours. That said, something seems decidedly wrong with it - it seems alarmingly apathetic, the look in its eyes dull and resigned as opposed to alert and emotive, and while it's willing to follow you (it's almost a bit too willing to follow you, it will stay close by your side in the manner of a dog trained to heel if you try to walk away from it) it doesn't seem to be due to any sort of genuine affection. It's all very...sterile, for lack of a better term.

Welcome to Sinnoh. Glory to Team Galactic.

[OOC: Welcome to Azume! Feel free to use this log to get to know one another iCly; you can use the prompts given or come up with your own, though for now you're confined to the building. The Commanders are currently not present in the building (anywhere that you can find them, anyway). For now, have fun getting your bearings.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A demon?

[...]

Wait, you mean those are real?

Oh yes, very much so.

[To his credit, he doesn't seem like he's trying to lord that fact over anyone right this second. Just pretty matter-of-fact.]

Though I can't really speak to whatever you might think you know about us.

Honestly? Not much. The word "demon" is thrown around sometimes, but I don't really know much about them.

Well, the basic gist that we're immortal beings beyond human comprehension. Those of us who work directly with humans - [He lays a hand on his chest.] - are given randomly selected human bodies, to...be able to relate a little better.

[He's leaving out so much right now?]

Huh. That's fascinating. So what kind of work do you do with humans?

Typically, humans are judged during their lifetime. The ones who rank the highest go to the Good Place, and all the rest come to us to be tortured for the rest of eternity. It's really a deeply flawed system, I was just in the middle of a court case about the whole thing.

"The Good Place"? Interesting name.

[Also sounds great?? Good to know he's going to be tortured for all eternity. G r e a t.]

So are you trying to fix the system, then?

...it's like I said. Humans can grow on you.

[so yeah]

I like to think we're pretty good at that.

Ha.

[He smiles a little.]

My friend Janet is still there, so the case isn't completely screwed without me. I'd still really like to hurry back, though. As would we all, I'm sure.

Here's hoping things work out for you guys. I'd like to get home soon, too. We just got finished taking care of one threat, but I'm pretty sure another just kind of fell into our laps.

[this is his curse as a protagonist.]

Yeah? What kind?

[He's a deuteragonist at best but he kinda feels that]

A giant "cataclysm being contained just beyond the sky" kind. Except the ancient civilization that sealed it didn't bother to leave us any kind of clear notes on that, so the thing keeping it sealed got broken and now it's free.

[That's a very simplified explanation, but hey, it works. Also: JRPGs, man.]

That sounds extreme. [Like, seriously.] What do you do about that?

Good question. Defeating it would be my guess, but who knows if that's even possible.

[you cannot fight the cataclysm, yuri]

Obviously someone dealt with it at some point. They must have started from scratch, too - you'll just have to experiment with it as much as you can.

Yeah. It's going to take some work, but if anyone can make it happen, it's the group of people I've been traveling with. They'll be fine without me.

...that's a nice way to think about it.

Welcome.

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