[LOG] February Arrivals

[wewillwewill]

Who: Elidibus and OTA
When: Early February
Where: ADI Offices (Canteen), Gloucester
Summary: Elidibus arrives in the breakroom, later shops for clothing and anything else a newcomer can hope to experience.
Warnings: None expected.

A. Now Arriving - Canteen

A figure in a plain white robe appears suddenly in the canteen.

Hooded and masked, most of his features are unclear. But like all the sudden arrivals from unknown worlds, Elidibus shows some signs of disorientation. A gloved hand rises near his face as if to steady uncertain vision. Though he keeps a solid stance, it takes him a moment to realize there is more to his surroundings than what he should have expected.

A gentle, flowing descent has been arrested, wrenching him unceremoniously back into reality. And one that is entirely new, not that he is entirely aware of that.

The sudden, absolute lack of senses which came as naturally to him as breathing itself is another layer of shock to his predicament. Indeed it's almost as if he had been robbed of breath for a moment; not even the weakest mortal host he'd ever claimed had caused this. Awareness of his surroundings is now coming into focus. There are people here. Most seem to be collected as though his sudden appearance in their midst is a common occurence. Their words... It isn't quite modern Eorzean, but it's close enough to have a limited understanding.

"Arrival... new... call for..."

That too, the innate gift of understanding spoken word regardless of language, is gone. And so too is all magic, for even an attempt of something as simple as teleportation to find a quieter location amounts to nothing. Not even a trace.

Elidibus collects himself. If he cannot escape, he should not cause further alarm. Not until he understands what's happening.

"What is this place?" It shouldn't be difficult to understand him; at least those who can speak English.



B. Shopping - Town, Clothing Store

It was important to fit in. And to do that, without any ability to call on so much as a whisper of aether, Elidibus was all too willing to be submitted to the agency's ushering around to various shops for the purpose of clothing, toiletries and an initial round of food staples. Of these three, the clothing was more urgent and critical; a tour of the agency was enough to tell that robes and masks were not even a trend, much less the norm. And that they requested he change into what amounts to loaner sweats (ADI logo and all) before going out into public simply cemented that he would have stood out in stark contrast.

So Elidibus had acceded their wishes and can be found currently sorting through options at a local clothing store, a basic pair of sunglasses used to cover the odd luminescence to his eyes from unsuspecting locals. He looks the part of a young adult with white (dyed?) hair who is probably being helped back on his feet after some sort of unfortunate incident. An agent or two are nearby, watchful but willing to let him go about the business of selecting his own pieces. Given his cooperation thus far and ease of grasping the basics, they're willing to give Elidibus that much room. One is even holding the backpack with his original clothes so he doesn't get suspected of shoplifting.

His choices thus far have all been neat business-casual. White or dark purple button-down shirts and black or khaki slacks. There are a couple of shoe boxes in the cart - one for simple black dress shoes and another for white sneakers - and the staples of undergarments and socks, but a dramatic lack of truly casual clothes. At the prompting of one of the agents earlier, he's looking for just that; jeans and t-shirts as well as cotton pants and will probably get it right after careful consideration of all the options, but maybe someone more fashionably minded can help narrow it down.

And help the ever-patient agents to save some time.


C. Wildcard

Elidibus will be unresisting and cooperative so probably someone that can be found anywhere fairly quickly. Feel free to PM or Discord for a wildcard request!

Comments

[wewillwewill]

It seems the hooded figure understands enough, with patient hesitation to be certain of the flow of words.

"No, it seems not." The near-English response is said with a thoughtful tone. Again the hand rises, though this time it is to his chin and with a reflective manner. Elidibus turns to face the man who answered him directly.

"This does not seem surprising." To have someone from another world appear so suddenly in what is obvious a place of relaxation of this... society? Though many people seem to be keeping a cautious distance.

"Though your... language. It is like enough to Eorzean." Though also different enough that he himself is careful to keep to basic words so he might be better understood in kind. To be truthful, having to do so at all is troubling for other reasons. "Curious." He shakes his head. "I am Elidibus." His hand lowers as he introduces himself. "To whom do I speak?"

[worthallthis]

At least Winter speaks clearly, and deliberately, not rushing. It might make him easier to understand. "It's called English. And I'm Winter. I work here." He's not wary, like some of the others, in part because he does still have his gun holstered at his side, and in part because he knows newcomers' magic won't work if they have any. Not unless they've actively scared someone since arriving. "You should talk to the people in orientation. They can help you understand us better."

[wewillwewill]

The care Winter takes is appreciated. Elidibus doesn't appear to be a man who acts rashly by any means. And... he's already determined there's something gravely amiss. Magic attempts aside, his very nature feels barren. No, not that. Like wrapped in layers upon layers of cotton and wool, isolated from what makes up the core of his being.

"English." The term isn't familiar to him. But he nods with acknowledgement. A thin smile appears under the mask.

"Yes, it would be best to speak with the people you speak of. I suspect I will not have to wait long." Elidibus hasn't missed that a call was put in by some of the others in the canteen. And he isn't unaware of the quick approach of several sets of feet.

But there is something he wishes to do before they arrive. Having noticed a reflective surface- whether panes of glass or an actual mirror meant to make the space seem more spacious- Elidibus reaches up without any undue movements to grasp the edges of the cowl and draw it back. He has noticed the robes, while white, have changed to something he remembers from long, long ago. Then he removes the red mask and regards the visage revealed.

Despite the light baritone of his voice, his appearance is that of a young human male; in his early twenties if based on sight alone. His eyes are blue but seem brighter than they should be and his hair is a silvery white.

Of all things, Elidibus seems a little surprised by his appearance. At best, he had expected one of many faces he's worn in his long life. But not this one. Not... his own.

As a few members of security and some of the orientation team enter the canteen, Elidibus returns his attention to the person who spoke to him. What surprise he had shown- along with a brief flicker of emotion- has disappeared under a courteous mask that matches his demeanor.

"Thank you for your explanation, Winter. Perhaps we will meet again in the near future." How much gets through in the rough match of languages is mostly irrelevant. The tone and context is probably enough. "It seems my escorts have arrived."

[worthallthis]

"You'll learn our language all the way once you're in there," Winter promises. "There's a spell thing for it."

He eyes the ADI security team, nodding at a couple he works with a lot, and adds for Elidibus's sake, "I can walk with you, too, if you want. I was going to anyway." He's walked a lot of people to the ADI newcomer offices in the past.

[wewillwewill]

Now that the face is laid bare, it's easy to see Elidibus look intrigued and perhaps a little cautiously at that. The idea of 'magic' doesn't seem to invoke doubt or disbelief however.

"Is that so. I'm sure it will make communication far easier." A pleasant enough smile is offered and it seems in the realm of warm but polite courtesy. Given Elidibus makes no drastic moves to escape now that it's obvious a proper team of guards are here to escort him, the team takes stock of the rest of the room. Those that know Winter nod in response, along with a silently questing expression as though to check on whether things seem 'safe enough' with this new individual.

Well, within reason.

The young-looking man considers Winter's offer with a brief tilt of his head. A gesture of acceptance is added. "So long as it does not trouble my escorts, I see no reason to deny your offer."

There shouldn't be any reason it would cause problems, right?

[worthallthis]

Winter gives them a little nod. Sending more security is, frankly, overkill. Very, very few newcomers have been violent or caused any kind of stir. And even if he did, Winter's pretty sure he could handle it himself.

"Shouldn't. I work with them," Winter answers, and pushes his tray aside to come join the pair of co-workers. "You're from somewhere with magic?" he guesses, given that lack of surprise, that interest even, at the mention of the spell.

[wewillwewill]

It's probably a good idea to keep working in pairs. With Winter having opened a dialogue with the newcomer, it seems logical to let him replace one of the security that's there to keep a general eye on things.

"I'll go back," says one, nodding to Winter before peeling off and exiting the canteen.

Meanwhile the newcomer tilts his head with acknowledgement while the group starts off. There seems to be no reason to hide it.

"Magic is commonplace on my star. I have some skill in it. However..." Elidibus frowns slightly. "I seem to not have access to even the most common spell."

There is more. Much more, though he's wary of saying just how much he's crippled. Admitting to the lack of magic was a safe enough test.

[worthallthis]

"And you're not going to," Winter says firmly. "Unless you frighten people to fuel it. Which you shouldn't do, because that will make an apocalypse happen faster." Who knows which one? It depends which entity Elidibus is tied to, and neither of them will know that yet. "Nobody here has access to what powers we had in our own worlds without feeding on fear."

[wewillwewill]

One might expect more shock and anger in reaction to this pronouncement. But as Winter has already observed, this 'Elidibus', young though he appears, seems the type to remain calm even in the most strenuous of situations. What might he be accustomed to, that being summoned to another world, stripped of whatever magic he might lay claim to, would allow him to be that way?

Of course there is surprise. The mild widening of eyes at the knowledge that he is chained in some way that only by feeding on apocalypse generating fear would allow him access to his birthright and magic. But he doesn't pause, nor does he appear to express resentment and rebellion to his current hosts who seem to be on a side against the threat of this calamity, by the way Winter phrases it.

Well it remains to be seen whether they are, but it can wait for now. Elidibus falls silent for a few moments, obviously mulling over the statement. But he doesn't dwell long as, setting aside there is little to go on, there are also people who are obviously waiting to hear what he says.

"Will I be told of the details once they have cast the translation magicks you spoke of upon me?" he finally asks Winter.

[worthallthis]

It's pretty wild, Elidibus. Winter is aware of how wild it sounds, but also aware that it's pretty solid evidence to have your own powers bound up tight without fear.

"It's part of the whole orientation," Winter promises. "If you have magic where you come from, you will have a tie to an entity here already. I don't know which one. ADI won't, either. You will have to figure that out yourself." He makes an annoyed noise and adds, "I didn't even know I had one until months in."

[wewillwewill]

Well. Elidibus knows wild. He's been behind things that are the very definition of 'wild'. Including apocalyptic events.

Which certainly does not mean he is any more thrilled at being bound to some unknown entity and their designs upon an utterly foreign star than the average person might be.

"I admit some hesitation to this ritual, given the circumstances. It seems I would be capable of quickly learning the differences with English... without it."

It's probably very true. Elidibus seems to be slowly closing the linguistic gap between Eorzean and English just by maintaining the conversation. Whether he'll be permitted to circumvent that step on the other hand? Possibly not.

Admitting reluctance is one thing, resisting is still another. Elidibus is watching for the reaction of those around him but continues on speaking to Winter. Because what the man says intrigues him. Winter had hinted he came from another world like Elidibus already. But the rest...

"You are bound to an entity if your star had magicks. But you yourself were not aware for some time?"

[worthallthis]

"If you can communicate okay, they won't make you do it," Winter says with a shrug. "I didn't have to."

Of course, he's clearly human... ish. And spoke understandable English. Still, Elidibus could probably get away with avoiding it.

"It wasn't magic," he explains. "I am enhanced by a serum to be stronger, faster, and more durable than a standard human. I didn't realize I had a human base, that it counted as a power. I just thought that was how I was made. And it was sometimes hard to tell whether that power was active or not." He shakes his head a little. "I did not know very much about myself when I came here."

[wewillwewill]

"If that is the case, I will give it due thought." It's clear Elidibus is being polite but is well aware policies may change, particularly when it comes to red tape, if you will. He'll find out when he gets there.

"Ah. I suppose it is possible that it is a matter of the laws which govern this star then. What alchemy or technology may manipulate in one is not sustainable in another."

Did we mention Elidibus practically bleeds a sense of Academic? He seems to have no problems with the idea that both science and magic can coexist and even intertwine.

"Yet there is clearly magic which operates within its laws." He pauses and seems to reconsider this statement. "Or is it something which slips through the rift as we did." Indeed it could be a measure of both. This seems more interesting to him than his current predicament.

It isn't, exactly. But it is part of the whole matter of interest and it is better his person be seen as a sometimes absentminded intellect than... well, something worse.

"I know not the courtesies needed for your circumstances," he looks to Winter again. "But if you are willing, would you tell me how you came to discover you were bound?" A first-hand account is far better than a third party presentation. But he also recognizes it may not be something man wishes to talk about with a stranger.

[worthallthis]

"Sure." Anything to keep other people from feeding entities. Winter doesn't want to have to shoot newcomers for diving headlong into becoming avatars. "We were snowed in, last winter. Or. There was an illusion of snow. It all disappeared at once, so it was probably not real, but we still couldn't get out."

He glowers a little at the floor as they walk, remembering. He'd been so angry, when he realized. "Trapped for days, the entities were trying very hard to make us feed them. I felt it for the first time, with nothing else to think about, the difference between feeling strong and feeling weak. And why it changed."

[wewillwewill]

Elidibus will make efforts to avoid both plunging into becoming an avatar and being shot. He has no desire to serve this entity that's captured and bound him.

Yet Winter's story makes it clear it will be no easy task.

"I see. Though from what you have already spoken of, such tactics do not surprise me. I will be wary." Because that is honestly more relevant than how the man had found out his powers were suppressed.

"Not all who appear are immediately bound or aligned with these entities? Only those who had what counts as inhuman or magic by this star's laws?"

[worthallthis]

"Yeah. A lot of people don't have them coming in. But then they choose to align anyway, whether to save their lives, or out of some. Stupid desire to try and use that power for good."

Winter shakes his head at that, disgusted. "No good can come from it. It's tainted. And the more you use the more it convinces you to use it, and the more power the entities get, back." He has strong feelings about the entities and their hooks. He's been controlled long enough.

[wewillwewill]

"How strange." Elidibus does appear intrigued by the seeming paradox; where these entities might be responsible for all the summonings. But only some are bound from the start? Though most certainly you would want to have those with power be beholden to you, lest they choose to work their gifts against.

Then why not bind those without? Is the summoning imperfect somehow?

"Yet it seems I must learn more. And..." The group has finally made it to the wing where the processing of new arrivals is handled. "...for now we are at a point where our conversation must come to an end. Perhaps we may speak at a later time?"