WEEK ZERO: ARRIVAL - OVERFLOW

[gatonina]

ARRIVAL

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PASSENGERS: 41 You know how the story goes by now. One minute you’re somewhere familiar, and the next you’re suddenly somewhere else. Unlike previous times before, the source of your rude awakening isn’t a mystery. A harsh jostle causes your body to lunge forward as a tire jumps over a pot hole in the road. Try as you might, it’s hard to ignore the steady thrumming of an engine and the gentle sway beneath you. The faint scent of gasoline seems to waft from the outside, but as you look around you’ll notice that the windows are locked, tinted, and impossible to see through. Likewise, the door ahead of you appears to be locked as well. Perhaps the scent is your imagination…? Regardless, though the lighting is a tad dim, it becomes apparent that you’re inside a large bus dotted with the occasional seat and amid a jumble of other bodies. The people you were last with may be among your fellow passengers. Perhaps they are not. But worry not; there’s plenty of time to look around and get to know one another on this long, strange trip. It may even be wise to examine the staircase at the other end of the bus. Who knows what awaits you on the other floors? Ah, but before you move too far it may be best to assess the situation. On the bright side, any injuries you incurred have been healed! Isn't it nice to have your limbs in place again? Miracles happen. But...what happened to your clothes? You’re fairly certain you weren't wearing this t-shirt before...and what's with the denim shorts? Maybe you were fortunate enough to get the knee-length version, but for those of you waking up in bootyshorts...well, we're sure you look great! And what better way to tie the whole look together than white socks and tan sandals? At least you'll be comfortable for the ride. Lucky for you, your new threads aren't the only gift you'll receive upon waking up. Attached to your waist is a high-quality bag filled with some fun goodies for every passenger! For those of you who unzip your bag to check its contents, you will find: -Dry shampoo -Wet wipes -Deodorant -Travel pack of toilet paper -Travel toothbrush + toothpaste -Poncho -A stylish travel guide No other items are on your person at this time, even if you were holding onto it as you began your previous departure. That's a bit troublesome, isn't it? Not really; it's still a bus. Be grateful for the extra elbow room, alright? Oh, and one last thing...on the wrist of every passenger is a small, equally fashionable white scrunchie. Not your style? Perhaps it's a good idea to give the travel guide another read. Searching the bus from top to bottom will net zero results in the way of an escape. All of the windows are similarly tinted and locked, and the only exit door appears to be the one on the first level that can't be opened at this time. But hey. You're all old pros at this, right? You know what to do next! Get to know the people around you, trade stories with your fellow passengers, and...well. Buckle up for the bumpy ride ahead.

Comments

overflow! come at me scrublords i want new tags

[shixiong]

a. nooooo my emotional support mask

[ one minute you're on a boat with the ghost king, discussing the sheer amount of paperwork you have to do when you arrive back at home, and the next... this. first of all, the jostling? the smell? what the actual fuck is going on. yin yu who grabs at the closest seat and pushes himself up into a crouching position as the bus rattles around, looking vaguely stunned and ready to fight the bus, drawn into a fighting position....

...upon realizing that he hasn't been swallowed by some horrific monster, he drops it, and quickly goes into crisis mode. he was just with dianxia and chengzhu, and they're missing. there are a lot of people (forty or so), and...all of his things are gone. a quick check over himself reveals that he's wearing... something absurdly weird, his clothes are way too colorful, his legs are showing (this is very improper), his hair is down around his shoulders, and yin yu pauses as he reaches up and touches his face.

most importantly than anything else, his mask is missing.

there's a long pause before he just kind of. sits back down, and covers his face with his hand.

what in the three realms. ]

b. lets explore the bup

[ once that's over, it's time to go into actual crisis mode. the best thing you can do in a strange situation is learn your surroundings. so! though he still looks vaguely shook every time the bus rattles too much, but .yin yu's tied up his hair with the... stretching, rabbit eared thing, so it's no longer touching his shoulders, and is going to get to it helping others. a quiet presence might appear at your elbow if you stumble and fall when you stand, carefully providing support with a soft - ] Careful.

[ or! despite being on a bus in a tiny space he somehow still manages to be as quiet as ever, and moves from floor to floor, exploring each level of the bus itself. if you feel like someone's sneaking up on you... it was an accident, we promise.

if you catch him by himself, you may find him looking slightly curious at the entertainment area as he takes one of the blankets and folds it up. his attention is focused directly on the television.

he's never seen anything like that ever in his entire life. if you notice him, you may read the curiosity straight off of his face. what is that. what are these things. what is happening we hate this. ]

c3po

[shixiong]

from here.

[ that's... a little better. somehow, equating c3po to all of the ghosts in ghost city is a little easier on his ancient china brain. he seems a bit less twitchy at the title, and shakes his head to his observation. focus on the task at hand. ]

I'm sure I wasn't headed for a spaceport. [ there's just a hint of wryness to that. space? hello? ] ...But, no, I don't. You don't recall anything, do you?

[machinetranslation]

I'm afraid not, sir. I fear that the damage I sustained during our trials could be worse than I thought.

Or, and I shudder at the thought, whatever influence that was causing everyone to lose consciousness on the island continues to affect us.

[He straightens up with a jolt]

You don't think we've been captured do you, sir??

[shixiong]

I don't think it's what was on the island. [ he and giyuu would not have been able to have that incredibly clear conversation, if it wasn't. ] There wouldn't have been any reason to suddenly resurrect their 'sacrifices', either. It would've defeated the point.

[ as for the second point. yin yu doesn't quite grimace, but his expression sours a bit. ] ...I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. I don't know by whom, or why, but it must have been something extraordinarily powerful. It's best to be on our guard.

[ as he says this, the bus hits another pothole, which is the worst. he's decided as an ancient chinese man he hates buses. ] The concept that many of us had come from different 'worlds, and even times,' came up on the island. I imagine this is another one of those situations.

asch

[shixiong]

from here.

[ he nods, politely.... right, of course... if you say so ]

Are you more familiar with this type of... vehicle, then? [ what is a bus ]

thank you for giving me TWO overflow links i'm crying

[getdrekt]

No.

And it doesn't make any sense, regardless. Whoever's kidnapped us this time chose this form to ensure our close quarters exacerbates the situation.

SKFSDKHJ me, shoving my tags in your face

[shixiong]

[ oh good. he was thinking roughly the same. ]

You came from a place with strange circumstances before this as well?

lili

[shixiong]

from here.

[ all but one... that's really what sticks, of her explanation. yin yu had come to much of the same conclusion, and the fact that there were so many people here was concerning, of course, but. all but one. the same process as done in mt. tonglu, the same process that chengzhu went through.

he suppresses an internal shudder.]

...It was eleven. [ in their case, anyway. ] A little more than half, in the form of 'sacrifices'.

[coastal]

.... unacceptable.

[it's clear as day, and her shoulders tense at the idea - ]

More than half, all but one, eleven, thirty - I can't believe this. And they truly wish to attempt the same thing with those here? I won't allow it.

[again, it's so hard to place where exactly she's getting the confidence from, but she's indignant. she's angry. she's fueled by spite 90% of the time and right now, she's truly pissed]

I'll burn it all to the ground before I accept that so easily.

[shixiong]

[ goodness. this indignant fire here is impressive, and also incredibly hasty. as they make it up to the top floor, yin yu hears her out, and feels just a little bit more stressed than he did five minutes ago.

...then again, they successfully overthrew the "gods" of the island, so. who's to say it couldn't be done. it's not like him to speak up often against anything, but that brash action sounds like a not great idea, so... ] It's more difficult to aim an arrow into a forest than it is to a clearing, Lady Lili.

[ ... ] ....That is to say, there's no hide nor hair of anything or anyone short of the fact that we are here. I'm sure the people here agree with you--myself included--but to move forward with no information, in such a small space, risks just as many lives as you might save.

[ he ends it with a little bow of his head, because providing advice to any sort of noble figure is questionable at all times, but. you know. ]

flayn

[shixiong]

from here.

[ the mental image of yin yu hiding behind flayn is absolutely sending me to another plane of existence. ]

We didn't receive direction immediately there, either, so it makes sense to be in the dark. [ he recalls, trying to think back to the first day. just two weeks ago... gods, how had it only been two weeks. two weeks since their comrades had died and come back to life like it was nothing.

being on guard is an understatement. ] And with our things missing, as well, I am sure this is just the beginning. Right now, all we can really do is wait.

[fishingforcompliments]

[I KNOW IT'S SO FUNNY I KEEP PICTURING IT AND LAUGHING



Anyway. Flayn frowns. Nothing that he's said is wrong, but... she doesn't like it. It's difficult, to go back to feeling powerless again, when just minutes before they had all been so sure they would be going home.]

I rather dislike the idea of waiting, but... it does not seem as though there is anything else we can do. [A pause, and then...] At least no one is drowning this time.

[shixiong]

[ yin yu's lips twitch up, a brief smile at the bit of optimism. ] That is true. [ he would take the drowning. at least in that situation he was able to swim and move around and get himself to shore. also, he had the earth master shovel, and also, his clothes that are not these extremely exposing shorts, and also his mask.

... it's fine. he shakes his head. ] I have to wonder if there's a destination in mind, too, or if we'll simply be staying on this...vehicle. The paper had few answers.

[ both options honestly make him uneasy. considering what their task was last time... and there are so many people here. they're in agreement: this sucks. ]

I can't believe I had to wait for overflow

[shortforever]

[Well. That sure was a range of emotions right there. Fight to relaxed to hiding his face?]

You okay over there?

the fact that overflow happened that fast was terrifying

[shixiong]

[ tfw people notice you.

he doesn't jump, necessarily, but turns at the voice. an unfamiliar face... he's missing his mask more than ever. ] ...I'm fine, thank you.

[ not the chattiest guy in the world. ]

Maybe we'll need another overflow before the weekly post happens

[shortforever]

[This guy doesn't look fine at all.]

You sure? You're not one of those guys bothered by the clothes, are you?

[As hilarious as NHS's response to the shorts was, Chuuya doesn't want to be mean to random people about it. Just NHS.]

minako

[shixiong]

[ from here

purifying worlds... that sounds more like heavenly behavior than anything else. it does make their island seem almost humble.

he considers the ride, for a moment, and then gives minako a small smile. ] ... Rather bumpy. [ yeah. it's a little bit of a joke. ] It's unlike anything I've ever experienced, in many ways.

[muragas]

[ haha, i win captcha chicken

that gets a chuckle out of her ]

So much for smooth sailing, huh? [ hah. ] How do you usually get around back home? Horses? Buggies? Foot power?

[shixiong]

[ you will always win captcha is my enemy.

he's not sure what a buggie is, but. ] I use Distance Shortening Arrays, more often than not. [ he almost reaches to his belt, as if to pull the dice, and then stops himself. right... right. ] It's a cultivation tool, though you do not need spiritual energy for the way that I have utilized them; my lord created a pair of dice that connect to a network of them in various places that allow you to travel great distance with ease. The full title of a distance shortening array is something along the lines of 'a thousand miles in a single step.'

[ a pause. he seems just a bit tired, for a second. ] Of course, using that method, where you end up can depend on the mercy of your luck, but there are ways to circumvent that too.

[ he can distinctly remember dianxia's bodyguards two godly friends yelling and screaming about being thrown into random places... what a headache that was.... ]

dimitri

[shixiong]

( from here )

[ yin yu looks just as tired. if anything, dimitri is a comforting presence. for someone like yin yu, who does his best at working with others--for others, really--it's reassuring to see someone who he knows is capable around. he manages a small smile of his own, and bows his head. ] ...To be filial is a difficult habit for me to break, but I will do my best.

[ (it's not going to happen)

he glances back out at the bus around them. ] There are many others from the island here.

[overruns]

[ So long as he's willing to try, that's fine. (Sort of. Why is everyone so bad at dropping titles??? Honestly.)

His smile fizzles, replaced with something harsher, eyes set ahead on the throng of people aboard the bus. ]

There are. Weren't we meant to go back to our homes? I am heartened to see you again, but...

[ They never should have met again. ]

[shixiong]

[ he's a servant man its his life

and...yeah. yin yu's expression sours too, though it's not as obvious. he's less than thrilled about their new predicament. for someone to have captured him when he was literally standing next to chengzhu is unbelievably bold. ]

I hope you'll take no offense in knowing that I hoped we would not be meeting again. [ a little, half not quite smile. ] At least not in these circumstances once more. I am not nearly optimistic enough to believe this is anything less than us being captured.

ogata

[shixiong]

( from here )

[ yin yu's expression doesn't change at all; he just gives ogata a polite smile. ]

It is not of my own choice not to have it. [ aka he'd REALLY like it back. his security blanket. :( ] I get that a lot. Are you unharmed?

[snyaiper]

Physically, yes.

[Mentally he's very peeved to be put in this outfit and robbed of his gun.]

Why did you wear it all the time? Your face looks entirely too normal.

[shixiong]

[ same, man

ah.. he's still asking. the insult just bounces off of him, because it's a fact of life at this point..... ] The line of work I do at home requires some form of anonymity and protection: it is a common practice in the Ghost City to wear masks.

[ ...that being said, it's a simple answer. ]