koiwamizuiro | 1st Dive: Beginnings [Action]

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1st Dive: Beginnings [Action]

[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.)

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[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?

[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?

Edited 2013-03-10 14:51 (UTC)

[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?

[Rei watched the girl's reaction with mild amusement. Seeing someone encounter magic for the first time never ceased to at least draw a smile. At least this girl hadn't called her a witch or run away. That was something she hated, more than anything else.

She keeps her tone light and airy, taking a moment to cover the Charter mark back up with her bangs]

Good, I'm glad.

[She paused, trying to think how to word it. Best to be open and honest.]

Magic.

[Magic?

Well, what the shrine maiden just did was not like any kind of medicine Ai had seen before. If she had to describe it to somebody, "magic" would be the most appropriate word for that.

The girl's body visibly relaxed after she felt no longer cold.]

Magic exists in this world?... In Luceti?

[She was still just as confused however, if not more than before. Now a little intimidated as well.]

Is that how I ended up here?... Magic?

[Rei watched the girl patiently, nodding at the question.]

Yes, magic exists here. And presumably it's magic that brings us here as well.

[She raises a finger to stifle the next most common question]

And no, you are not dreaming.

I thought as much...

[Ai had already presumed this wasn't a dream already, but hearing the other girl's words was the confirmation she needed.

Not that it wasn't possible to be lied to in a dream, but she didn't think that was the case.

Ai looked at the shrine maiden curiously, brushing away some of her own bangs that had fallen across her eyes.]

Do you know why I was brought here?

[Her first question in her mind was whether she was singled out or brought with the rest of her family, or even friends]

[Rei shook her head at the question, offering a sad smile]

I'm afraid not. None of us know.

[She takes out her own journal, opening it up to Raine's guide and offering it to the girl]

Take a few moments and read this. I'll be happy to wait. Though, while you read, follow me. I'll help you into the village.

[She walks slowly, keeping a close eye on the girl to make sure she can read without falling. An easy pace.]

[None of them knew... So there were more people like the two of them who shared their predicament. The village the girl was leading her to was probably where they were at.

Ai couldn't help but furrow her brows a little at the answer she got, not getting as much clarification as she hoped for.

Her expression turned into one of surprise, however, when she was offered the book. Looks like she'd find out more from there.]

Oh, thank you.

[Ai took hold of it, and then held out her arm towards the shrine maiden, her own journal in her hand.]

Would you mind holding on this for a while?

[She would begin reading the guide immediately afterwards, eager to find out as much as she can about what's going on.]

[Rei accepted the book without a second thought.]

Of course not.

[She walked on in silence for a while, giving the girl a chance to read.]

[The guide confirmed the shrine maiden's statement that nobody knew how they got in Luceti, much like her - but apparently, from what Ai was reading here, it was the Malnosso Organization that had something behind it. She noticed that there was a section that provided further explanation, but it was the introduction that she read first.

What caught her attention was the fact that there were people in Luceti of many worlds and times - not just her own.

What about the girl walking with her, though? She was clearly Japanese, and yet, she was obviously capable of unearthly magic. Did she come from the Japan she knew, or instead, another world where it also existed? Or did she learn magic here? She appeared as if she was younger than Ai - her body language and tone towards her were indicative of that.

And those crows that followed her just added to the enigma.]

You are Japanese...

[A few passed until Ai said anything after her statement.]

...But you cannot be from where I come from.

[There was more confusion in her gaze than suspicion, though there was an element of both.]

Unless you learned the magic you used here?

[Rei kept on walking, silently waiting for Ai to get through what she could and ask questions. The first comment drew a wry smile. It usually did.]

Hai. I am from Asakusa, in Tokyo. Where are you from?

[She laughs quietly at the second. Another thing she'd come to expect.]

I am a miko. I've always had spiritual talents. But you are correct. I learned more magic here.

[Ai knew of Asakusa, in Taitō, but she hadn't gone there before. Where she was from, however, was not far away from Asakusa at all.]

I am from Kibitou. I am a high school student there.

[If she truly had such talents as a shrine maiden before she came here, then that would fit with the common belief that they did indeed have special powers of some sort... Though Ai was more inclined to believe that her being in Luceti made it possible to perform the magic she did.

If anything, given her attire, the other girl being a shrine maiden was obvious from the start.]

I have not been to Asakusa before. I imagine you were brought in Luceti from there recently?

[Ai would ask more about the powers and how Rei learned them, but she noticed that there was an "Abilities and Limitations" section in the guide she had been given, which probably explained it.]

[Rei nods, not having heard of the city, but she expected as much since she wasn't particularly well traveled. But that question draws a bitter frown from her. Recently, she only wishes...]

I've been here a full year as of...tomorrow, actually.

[She shakes her head, remembering coming in, and the battle, and...everything that'd happened since she arrived. But she never faltered in her step, her poise remaining perfect.]

Oh. I am sorry, I've been horribly rude. I am Hino Rei. May I ask your name?

[Full year was a long time. Just how much was Ai going to spend here herself? And doubtlessly there were people who've been in Luceti for even longer than that.

She dismissively waved her hand a little in assurance after what the girl said next, and what she then asked of her.]

No, it is okay, I apologize myself. I am Ai Nanasaki.

[A smile crept up on her face in her response.]

It is a pleasure to meet you.

[Rei offered a half smile and a polite inclination of her head. Ai. That was a nice name. Short and to the point. Sweet too, in a way. The kanji for it said volumes.]

It's nice to meet you, Nanasaki-san.

[She really was. A teenager her own age, ish. With a polite disposition. That was always nice, someone at least familiar with home]

What year was it, when you left?

It was 2012.

[The girl nodded as she answered, briefly looking back at the journal in her hand.

If Rei had been in Luceti a year, Ai would've concluded that it was 2011 when she was taken. However, the guide mentioned that people were taken from different times too, so that disproved her theory and warranted her question.]

What year was it for you?

[Rei nods, she should've guessed. Times were off]

It was 1994 for me. But that's fairly normal.

[Her eyes widened a little in surprise. Well, that was an interesting coincidence.]

1994 was the year I was born, actually.

[So much time had passed since then. Japan, and the world as a whole, had evolved to be a different place after that.]

This is... surreal. Life must have been very different for you back then.

[Ai looked down to the journal again, catching a glimpse of the next paragraphs that explained that she would have to take extra care of her wings, always making sure that at least one of them intact.]

[Rei gives Ai a half smile, and nods once again.]

Mmm, that is an interesting coincidence. I suppose a lot has changed in that time.

[Stepping nimbly over a root, she slowed her pace to walk beside the other girl.]

You would be surprised. There were many mysterious kidnappings and other things going on at home. Here, it's just on a smaller scale.

[The Dark Kingdom...]

[Ai turned her head slightly sideways to listen intently to the other girl, processing what she was saying to her. And indeed, the news of such kidnappings happening right at that time surprised her.]

R-really? I have not heard of any kidnappings happening then - at least, not any more than we usually get even today. Though crimes in general have reduced in the past few years.

[The last comment unnerved her a little, though she had already read something about experiments happening in Luceti. The recollection made her look back at the guide she held in her hands, at the table of contents specifically, and indeed, she saw that it was further explained there.]

It's...probably just a difference in our worlds. It's nothing to worry about.

[Rei's voice starts slowly, and finishes quickly. She's not going to be discussing the Dark Kingdom. Though...]

Unless perhaps you remember hearing about a princess coming to Tokyo, around then, it's not likely our worlds are the same.

[That was definitely not something that happened in her own world, which would reaffirm Ai's earlier suspicion that Rei didn't exactly come from the same place she had. Certainly not if she always had at least some kind of powers... No matter the beliefs, there was yet to be any proof of shrine maidens practicing such magic.]

No, I have not heard of anything like that.

[Ai shook her head as she said it, and then raised a brow confusedly. Where Rei came from sounded like an alternate reality of sorts, because she was still clearly Japanese, and yet...]

So... does that mean the Japan you know is different than the one I was taken from?

Yes, it does.

[Rei nods tersely, offering up a meager smile. Simple enough, if Ai was as practical as she sounded.]

This place pulls people from many different sorts of worlds. In mine, things are definitely different.

I see...

[Ai nodded herself. If somebody was taken from Earth, it didn't necessarily mean that it would be from her own... 'version' of it then, and as she just saw, sometimes a different time in history too.

And that knowledge had to become something normal and commonplace for her during her stay here, regardless of how long she would remain here, and it was true for everybody... She definitely had to spend some time gathering her thoughts together.

As she walked side by side with Rei, she read more about the experiments she saw a glimpse of before, in text. So those were indeed the kidnappings that the shrine maiden mentioned... That made her curious about something.]

Have you ever been kidnapped by the Malnosso yourself, Hino-san?

[Was it related to her gaining even more powers than she already had in her own world?]

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