1st Dive: Beginnings [Action]

[koiwamizuiro]

[A quiet and peaceful slumber after a long, tiring day in high school for Ai Nanasaki ended up with her waking up in the middle of a forest, her body on the ground surrounded by leaves. Not that she thought she was waking up at first, but that she was in the middle of an odd dream, rather. A particularly vivid one.

It was a bit cold - certainly colder than her room had been - and her body didn't feel as relaxed as it did on the comfy mattress. And she was lying on something else other than the ground.

As Ai leaned forward, her eyes inspected her surroundings curiously, her head feeling a bit dizzy. It resembled the hill her grandfather owned, but... there was something off about it. She wasn't on the route she usually took, either - there wasn't one to begin with.

Still feeling something on her back, she reached over her shoulder and touched what felt like a wing. Also, she seemed to be wearing a peculiar white sundress and not the pyjamas she had gone to bed with.]

Huh...

[This was so strange. And it felt real. It didn't feel like a dream.

Ai continued turning her head around, and it wasn't until her gaze landed on a book right beside her when she stopped doing so.

The girl reached out and inspected both covers of the peculiar object with curiosity in her eyes.

Standing up with the book in her hands, she opened it up, trying to make sense of what was happening. But what was inside of it just seemed to confuse her even more at that point.]

Where am I...?

[Her voice sounded as confused as it could be. It was a good question. And why did it feel like she had wings on her back?]

(OOC: Ai will be walking around the forest while inspecting the book, trying to either find anyone who could help explain what was going on or a sign of civilization. You can catch her there.)

Comments

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ In a moment remarkably similar to when she first arrived, Twilight is making a lazy spiral around the town, moving farther and farther out, when she spots the new arrival on the ground below her. ]

Hello down there! [ She slows her movement and descends to land beneath the treetops. Have a three-feet-odd-inches tall winged purple unicorn landing right in front of you, Ai. ]

[koiwamizuiro]

[Startled by the sudden appearance of the colorful creature, Ai took a step back, simply staring at it for a brief moment before finding the words to respond. She clung to the book that she had found tightly as she looked the creature over.

Was that a baby unicorn? And it... just talked? What was this place?]

Um... Who are you?

[Could this be a member of an indigenous species here - wherever here was?]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

[ The teenaged alicorn grins up at Ai. ] I'm Twilight Sparkle. Welcome to Luceti! You are new, aren't you? [ She sure seems like Twilight felt when she arrived a day or two ago. ]

[koiwamizuiro]

[This unicorn was called Twilight Sparkle?

Well, it's not like Ai could think of a name more appropriate right now.

She had to blink one more time, making sure that she was actually, in fact, talking to a unicorn.]

Luceti?... Where is that?

[Was that the name of the forest here? And what did "new" mean, exactly?]

[fourthgenerationprincess]

It's the name of this world. And also of the town just a little ways away. People are taken from their homes and then they end up here for a time. I still don't understand it.

[gorehowl]

[Garrosh might have "moved into" a house for now, but he was not content to eat the food that was provided in the village. No, he goes out to hunt and trap and gather in the forest regularly. Not that hunting is easy what with how late into winter it is...

Anyway, while not in his full armor (no tusks on his shoulders for example) he is in some lighter parts of his armor and has a big knife in his hand. And a badly sewn together mes of furs on his shoulder as a cloak. Oh, and he's an eight foot tall orc. but he's actually out here to check his rabbit snare traps.

But he probably stands out]

[koiwamizuiro]

[And stood out he did.

Ai's eyes widened in surprise as she saw the eight foot tall creature in these woods, towering over her to a ridiculous extent.

This was not good. And where she was was definitely not Japan.

What was this? It stood on two legs, and wore actual clothing - or armor, rather. So it was not an animal, though that didn't mean she shouldn't be cautious.

It was her first encounter with anyone in the woods, though. Maybe she could get some answers as to what's going on?]

Um... Hello?

[Ai held the journal close to her, preparing herself to run away if she needed to and if the creature was hostile.]

[gorehowl]

[And he turns. He could smell and hear someone else in the area, but in the dead of winter the later in particular doesn't carry super well. He couldn't pinpoint where, and actually in light of how hungry he was was just ignoring his feeling someone was there. But when the thing speaks-

He turns, to face her. A human girl. A human girl in one of those white dresses, similar to those white pants he was in originally...

He tilts his head]

Hello. [With a deep voice]

[koiwamizuiro]

[Her suspicions that the creature was sentient were confirmed when the orc answered her in a fittingly deep voice, which intimidated her regardless.

She just stood there and didn't take a step closer, though, not willing to take any chances just yet. Her body only lightly shivered from the cold, her white dress not managing to warm her up particularly well.]

Who... who are you?

[There was obvious fear and confusion in the girl's voice, who proceeded to briefly glance sideways before returning her gaze to the orc.]

What is this place?

[If this was a dream - a theory she thought she had disproved before meeting this unearthly creature - it was a really vivid one. The forest, the orc, the journal she was holding, the fact that she seemingly had wings on her back...]

[heartofthematter]

[Wig liked the forests of Luceti a lot - with spring inching its way around, more and more animals were bound to pop out - and Diamond had begun to walk his big old Torterra in them. Lax, his Munchlax, is lazing away beneath the tortoise's mighty tree, and Diamond himself is sitting behind Wig's head. He spots her as she's moving through some trees, still staring at something (the book?), and pats his Torterra's head as he points.]

Ah, there's a girl... Wig, let's get closer! If she's new, then she'll need help.

[And shuffle closer they do! Until he's sure they're in her view, where Diamond will raise both his hands in greeting.]

Hi there! I'm Diamond, this is Wig and sleeping there is Lax, and you're new, right? I was new too a few days ago.

[koiwamizuiro]

[The boy's greeting was almost lost on Ai as she inspected the tortoise cautiously, which was unlike anything she had seen before and not nearly as small in size. She barely noticed the sleeping creature below its tree, who the boy called Lax. They didn't look like any animals that she knew of...

Then, she faced Diamond. While the tortoise looked a bit intimidating, he seemed friendly, and rather energetic.

Ai had to clarify what he first said, however.]

N-new? New to what?

[What had just happened to her?]

[heartofthematter]

[Hmmm. Diamond turns his body, so she can see his fluffy light blue wings flapping happily.]

To the Luceti region. These wings are proof of it. It's okay though, because there's a lot of people in the village!

[koiwamizuiro]

[Luceti? She hadn't heard of such a region in Japan before. That made her doubt that she was actually there more and more.

A village? At least that meant that there were probably more people nearby. Maybe they could help her find her way?

Something about the fact that she had wings on her back now made her doubt that, however.]

How did I end up here?... And these wings... how did I get them?

[The one comforting thing was that this boy seemed to have wings of his own, too. Perhaps she was not alone in what was happening here.]

[Action]

[faithfulflame]

[There were times in these cold, late winter days when Rei desperately needed to just be away from people. This cycle marked the anniversary of her first year in Luceti. A full year trapped in this odd little village, and even the fragile peace she'd found here at the shrine wasn't enough to keep her mind from wandering. So this afternoon the miko found herself in the forest, wandering with her twin crows Phobos and Deimos flitting around her.

As she passed by a clearing, she heard a rustling of leaves and headed over, wanting to investigate.

And it bothered her all the more that, when faced with a girl a couple of years older than her in a New Feather dress, she didn't even blink. Even that just seemed normal. The girl appeared to be Japanese, so she took a guess.]

Konichiwa. Are you hurt?

[koiwamizuiro]

[Ai looked in the direction of the voice while still holding onto the book, seeing a girl wearing a miko's haori walking towards her.

Despite how strange this all was, she couldn't help but sigh in relief upon finally stumbling upon another person in this forest, a friendly one at that. The pair of crows that seemingly followed her was an odd sight, but Ai would've preferred it if she didn't have to walk around in the cold for much longer, especially when she didn't have any heavier clothing on her or any kind of shoes. This was her first opportunity to understand more of her predicament.

The girl spoke to her in Japanese too, which was also a relief. Maybe this place wasn't too far away from home, after all.]

Konichiwa. I am just feeling a little cold.

[Her body shivered as the words left her mouth.]

Where... where am I?

[faithfulflame]

[Rei nodded, stepping to within a few paces of the girl. She'd been lucky, the last spring had been an early one, but these lingering winter days were a far cry from the relative warmth she'd arrived in. Phobos and Deimos caw plaintively, but a hand from Rei shushes the birds.]

You're in another world. It's known as Luceti. I'll explain more in a moment, but for now, just relax.

[Rei brushed aside her bangs to reveal a small silver mark that gleamed in the afternoon sunlight. She held up two fingers, and a series of silver and orange marks, similar to the one on her forehead glowed in the air between them. They banished the chill Ai was feeling without any preamble, a ward against the elements born of the Charter.]

Better?

[koiwamizuiro]

[Another world? Luceti? She hadn't heard of the name before... How could she have ended up here? Was it related to the book that she was still holding? Could she go back somehow?

Before her mind could race any further with what she had just been informed about, Ai's attention was caught after the girl told her to relax.

Her mouth parted and her brows lifted in confusion upon the sight of the symbol on the girl's forehead. As if that wasn't enough to surprise her, the marks that began glowing afterward certainly did, and especially what they did.

Just like that, the cold was suddenly gone.]

Y-yes, much better.

[It took her a little while to reply, still dumbfounded by what had just occurred.

Was that a special power of some sort? Was it... related to her being a shrine maiden?]

What was that?

sorry for lateness?!

[savedtheworld]

[Aang is on a stroll through the forest himself - not only because he likes talking nature walks through the forest, but also because he's keeping an eye out for any New Feathers. He's wearing a jacket and some wintry clothes along with a goofy-looking hoody-hat, but part of his arrow tattoo should still be visible.

And when he sees someone in New Feather clothes looking particularly confused, he's quick to wave her down.]

Hi there! Are you lost?

[koiwamizuiro]

[Ai quickly takes notice of the boy once she heard his voice, which brought her immediate relief. She was starting to get worried that she was all alone here.]

Y-yes, I am.

[She shivered lightly after a cold gust of wind hit her. This white sundress really wasn't appropriate winter wear, unlike the approaching boy's clothes. As weird as they looked, she wanted something heavier like that herself right now.]

What is going on?

[savedtheworld]

[He realizes he should start carrying extra clothes on him just in case of situations like this, but he's intending to warm up the air soon enough. First, to start with the explanations.]

This'll be hard to believe, but you've been taken to another world. We're now in a place on that world called Luceti.

[koiwamizuiro]

[The girl had to blink a couple of times. That was not what she expected to hear, though things were pretty bizarre already. The dress, the journal, the unfamiliar forest, and now this boy...

Was this really another world? Surely there was no way she could appear in a place like this after just having gone to bed. Luceti didn't ring a bell, either.]

I was... just asleep in my bed. How... how was I taken here?

[The answer would normally seem obvious - that she was dreaming. She didn't think she was, though, and the cold she was feeling was definitely real.]

[knightofratatosk]

[Well, this particular someone isn't going to be much help in explaining things, but the small furry animal is friendly enough, at least, so perhaps he will help calm her down a bit?

If nothing else, he'll slow her down, because much like a cat, he's going to be attempting to twine around her legs to get her to pay attention to him.]

[koiwamizuiro]

[As Ai continued walking through the forest, always turning her head around as she did in hopes that she'd find anything, her gaze landed on the small furry animal before it even approached her.

Finally, something in this otherwise desolate-looking forest. Was that a cat? It appeared a little odd, but it still looked like one - and it was kind of cute, too.

Her eyes widened when it began twining around her legs, but she didn't take a step back as she simply looked at it with wonder.]

H-hey.

[She would proceed to kneel down next and get a better look at it. Maybe she could determine whether it was a wild animal or if it was somebody's pet - if there was even a chance of the latter.]

[knightofratatosk]

[When Ai knelt down, the animal chirped happily and sat up on its haunches as if asking for her to pet it. It was too friendly to be a wild animal, though it didn't have any sort of collar or anything on it; however, it did seem clean and well-fed, so chances were that it belonged to someone.

If, you know, strange winged cat-like creatures were the standard sort of pet in any universe. At least it was the opposite of aggressive.]

[koiwamizuiro]

[Soft chuckle.] ...You are cute.

[Aww. Despite this looking a bit unearthly to her, and even though she was still full of questions as to what was exactly was happening to her, Ai still reached out with her hand to pet the animal. She couldn't quite resist, and a smile formed on her lips in response to its eagerness and friendliness.

It looked like a cat, that was what mattered - and Ai loved cats.

As she eyed it up and down, she was starting to get the feeling that this wasn't a stray or wild animal. The one thing that eluded her was the lack of a collar.]

...I wonder where your owner could be?

[What she wondered more, though, was what was going on and whether she would ever find a way out of this desolate forest - wherever it was. Maybe finding this animal's master would be the first step to getting answers to her questions, assuming that there was somebody who owned it.]