INTRO EVENT ;; OPEN

[nosotros]

Who: Everyone!
Where: All over the city!
When: June 19th
Summary: The newcomers to El Sera have arrived.
Rating: PG-13ish, likely!

For everyone who arrives in El Sera that day, it's the same. Whoever the newcomer might be, when he opens his eyes, he's alone in a calm quiet room. In front of him is a box. In his hand is a letter:

Hello. I'm sure you've got a lot of questions, so I'll do my best to answer them.

To start, you aren't on your home world anymore. You're in a city called El Sera, in a country called America, on a planet called Earth. A lot of you might recognize the name Earth, and you might even be from it, but if you're reading this then I can promise you one thing--this isn't the Earth you're thinking of.

Magic exists in this world, and that magic is what pulled you here. It's given you magic of your own, if you didn't already have it, and the ability to defend yourself from the monsters that inhabit this world. I want to ask you to take a more proactive role in fighting these creatures and do more than just defend yourself, but I'm a transplant from another world myself. I understand some of what you're going through and I won't force you into it, but it makes it easier for us -- Xochipilli -- to find a way to send you home.

Whatever you decide, whether to join us or strike out on your own, is up to you. I only ask that you keep your magical abilities and status as, well, an alien hidden. Xochipilli will do its best to hide and protect you, but there are limits to what we're capable off. This city is a bit of an odd one, so simply behave like you belong and most people won't give you another glance.

Sincerely,
Jackson Rau

The box primarily contains any objects or clothing of the newcomer that would draw undue attention in their new, modern surroundings. However, it also holds a phone complete with instructions, a key to the recipient's room, a map to their apartment or dorm (with an attached note reminding them that their roommate is probably a normal person and that they should maintain their secrecy), and a plastic debit card.

Whoever arrives here, the setup is the same: In front of him is a set of double doors, leading into a room filled with milling Xochipilli employees. Any questions he has about the city can be answered here--and if he's discrete enough about asking, he can even get some basic instruction on how to use their magic.

Behind him is a door labeled 'EXIT'. Should he choose to step through this door, he'll find himself in a deserted stairwell that opens up into an alleyway.

The choice is up to him.

The Welcome - The Festival - Roommates - Around the Town

Comments

THE XOCHIPILLI BUILDING

[nosotros]

It's pretty quiet here, and there's only a handful of people around. Most of them are friendly uniformed employees looking to answer your questions, but there are a few other newcomers in plain clothing milling about as well. For the most part, everyone is being directed to the festival going on at the Landing, but there's no reason you can't get to know the other people present all the same...

open

[crotesque]

[The last thing he wants anything to do with is a festival. Too many people at a time when his head is already too cluttered. The Xochipilli building is a little more what he's used to...]

[And he is assuredly playing detective and harassing anyone he can find about what's really going on here...]

[warmgun]

[John is also playing detective, albeit to less effect than someone like Sherlock might manage. Considering Sherlock outstripped the police on a regular basis, though, John wasn't going to dwell on that comparison and the disparity in their skills.]

[He has a notebook and pen out, everything else from his box having got stuffed into various pockets. The bloke with the thin beard is looking all right. At least like he belongs more than some of the others. John's stance is tight, guarded, though his face is as friendly as he can manage under the circumstances. He still doesn't believe this magic or new universe nonsense but he can try to be friendly with whoever the natives here are.]

Hullo there! Just trasferred over from the London office. Mad getting used to a new office, yeah? [He's not particularly adept at deception, but that's easy enough to maintain.] Are you one of the regular employees, then?

OPEN

[warmgun]

[John steps into the building, naturally. He's not Sherlock. He can't just live in anarchy when it pleases him to. At least whatever Xochipilli is, it has enough structure to have given him a note. Not that he believes a word of it. Magic? That was rubbish if John had ever heard it. Sounding like a madman certainly wasn't one of his top priorities, so he'd keep that politely out of the conversation as requested. Still, he's pocketed the bizarre blue magazine clip he'd found in the box with his other effects. It seemed... wrong to leave it.

His first move is to dial Sherlock's number once he's worked out the phone. He's expecting to get a voicemail, but the operator's voice informs him the number isn't in service. Harry's number isn't, either. Nor are Bill's, Mike's, or Lestrade's. Desperate, he tries phoning New Scotland Yard directly. There's no record of Lestrade, Donovan, or even Anderson.

Well. Right, then. Whoever put this together is really trying to convince him he's been transported to a different universe. It's certainly beginning to feel like it. He puts the phone away and pulls out his notebook and a pen before approaching the nearest person.]

Hi, sorry. Afraid I'm a bit new. D'you know who Mr. Jackson Rau is?

[nosotros]

[Lucky John, it's a young intern that he approaches first. Eliot gives John his brightest smile, though it looks a bit forced. It's not that Eliot is unhappy, it's just a bit awkward.]

I do! He's the CEO of our company.

THE LANDING

[nosotros]

This is where the real party is. Music, dancing, food -- it's all here. There are games for adults and children alike, boat rides, and even a small ferris wheel. It's easy to get lost in the crowds, and just as easy to meet new people -- or maybe see some old faces.

Open!

[inline]

[On one hand, he's grateful for the cover of the crowd and its bustle. Those Xochiwhoevenknows people can try to sell him whatever they like. He's not buying any of it just yet, and they can't make him if they can't find him.

...On the other, this is making it pretty hard for a boy with little presence to start to get anybody's attention.]

Hey— Sorry, 'scuse me!

[It's all right if you choose to ignore him. Heaven, hell, and Kazu himself know he isn't looking his most respectable in his sleep-rumpled clothes, slightly frayed at the edges like the rest of him and wreathed in the faint scent of smoke—also like the rest of him. Meet his eyes for more than a second though, and he'll plow on before you can decide you aren't giving weirdos the time of your day:]

You mind if I borrow your phone for a sec?

[estranges]

[Kain raises an eyebrow at the question. He hadn't even been looking properly, just surveying the new world he'd been dropped in. After all, he's already dressed the part, best to learn how to blend in.

But this boy is asking for his cellphone (isn't that one of the items in the box given to him?) and he'd been under the impression that everyone in this world has such a thing-- after all, it wouldn't have been given to him if it isn't a common item.]

What happened to yours?

Open!

[oakleaf]

[Well, there are certainly worse ways to spend his afternoon. The party at the Landing is a bit more crowded and chaotic than Hakuren is used to, but that's no reason he can't blend in. Or rather literally get lost in the crowd. Hakuren refuses to admit to being overwhelmed, but he's going to swallow his pride enough to admit that he's hungry. So he seeks out the first person that doesn't look too busy and reaches out to lay a hand on their shoulder.]

Excuse me!

[warmgun]

[John's feeling lost himself. He'd come out to have a look after getting his rooms sorted, but he's beginning to regret it just a little. At the touch, he stiffens and looks round to see some kid. John turns toward him, shrugging off the hand. He doesn't want to be rude, so he smiles politely.]

Something I can help you with, mate?

open

[smokefilledroom]

a:
[Party there may be, but Elijah's not really in a party mood. Instead, he finds a space that has less people passing by, where he hopefully won't be snapped at if he wants to pull out his lighter and smoke, because it's the one thing that'll help him keep his head right now.

Inhale. Breathe out slowly. And try to focus and not panic about what was happening.

Also, he'll keep an eye out for his family. And hey, if someone wants to chat with someone who doesn't look like he's too busy, then Elijah won't be so rude as to decline a conversation.]

b:
[Though being honest, food is a decent reason for him to be at least slightly pulled out of his attempts at keeping to himself. It's not that he's picky, it's that there's a decent amount that looks good that makes him indecisive. So he has to put on a nice smile and turn to someone who looks like they wouldn't mind one question.]

If you had to pick one thing to eat, what would you choose?

[He's not going to let himself get carried away today.]

ROOMING THREADS

[nosotros]

101 - Elijah Elkwood and John Watson (Apartments)

[nosotros]

Re: 101 - Elijah Elkwood and John Watson (Apartments)

[warmgun]

[John's first inclination is to find his home base. It was a soldier's mentality, but as he's apparently entered into the bad end of an episode of Doctor Who, he'll stick with soldier for the moment. He's wearing what Harry calls his 'oatmeal' sweater and knocks before slotting his key into the door and opening up.

The flat reminds him almost immediately of the one he'd been renting before he'd met Sherlock. It's tasteful, bland, and very much not 221B. Still, he squares his shoulders and marches in to have a look around. There's meant to be a roommate, as well, isn't there? A 'normal' bloke.

John goes to check the fridge first. It has some small amount of food - the necessities, really - but it's missing one thing.]

Of course we'd be out of milk.

102 - Kain Highwind and William Graham (Apartments)

[nosotros]

[estranges]

[Kain... he's taking it all in stride. He knows how to blend in, has the clothing these people of Earth tend to wear, but he feels very naked without his armor, or at least something to cover his head. But the lack of security his armor brings him doesn't bother him as much, because he learns as much as he can (or at least as much as this 'Xochipilli' will allow him to have) before deciding to retire to his rooms.

Or well. Shared rooms.

He knows the feeling of sharing quarters, remembers that much of his early life, but he knows this is different. He is a man far too used to battle, in both lifetimes, and living with someone he has never met does not sit will with him.

So he strides into the rooms without preamble, as if he owns it, intent on ignoring anyone there, if there is someone there. He just wants an empty room to hide his personal belongings in.]

101 - Kazu Mikura and Hakuren Oak (Dorms)

[nosotros]

[oakleaf]

[It could have been worse.]

[He could have been dead.]

[Melodrama aside, Hakuren has adjusted surprisingly well to... well. Everything. Some time at the welcoming party and some time at the Landing had more or less given him an understanding of how things were supposed to work here. Now if only he could keep Mikage from blowing their cover...]

[Hakuren let himself into his new dorm with little fanfare and was immediately disheartened by how dull it was. Still, it could be worse...]

Hello? [Was his new roommate here already...?]

102 - Teito Klein and Ryu (Dorms)

[nosotros]

[raggs]

[there are a while lot if things that Teito is a little unsure about. Well -- more than a little unsure, honestly. This doesn't seem like a place he should be, given that Mikael was broken and Frau was there and absolutely everything was going wrong in the most spectacular way possible, but he's not sure he buys this explanation either. It seems a little too weird to be a delusion of his, so... Maybe it was someone else's. somehow. Either way, he was going to go with what he knew for now and head to his assigned room. It had to be better than rooming with an Oak, right? He took in a breath and opened the door, prepared to see anything when he opened the door. Or anyone.]

Hello?

103 - Itsuki 'Ikki' Minami and Suzuki

[nosotros]

MISC

[nosotros]

(For random mingling around the town.)

Open!

[raggs]

[If nothing else, Teito wants to avoid the festivities around the landing. He's used to not knowing anyone, but not knowing anything -- that's a little different. He's out of his element in this situation, without Mikael, without anyone he knows, without any real sense of what's happening, and he can't stand it. So with little else in the way of a plan, he set out to explore the town and get a feel for everything in a place so foreign to him.

He looks a little out of place, in part because he looks so disgruntled about everything. There isn't anything quite like having a five foot talk irritated teenager watching everything while making an effort not to interact with anyone. Which might have worked better if he wasn't so busy looking at everything else around him that he walked straight into a lamp post.]

--Ow!

[oakleaf]

[Perhaps Hakuren is on a bit of a hair trigger, but that lone exclamation is almost painfully familiar to him. He whips his head around so fast his ponytail nearly slaps someone in the face and prompts a protesting 'pya!' from the little dragon tucked away in his bag. He'd know that 'ow' anywhere.]

Teito!

OPEN

[revile]

[As smart as Suzuki is, he's not exactly so easily convinced by a single note that he has indeed landed into a completely different world. I mean, he's from Earth, and he knows about America, but the second he'd read the word "magic" he'd just about thrown the stupid letter away and made a beeline for that exit that had been visible.

But instead, he just scoffed and tucked all the items in the box into his pocket and walked off, eventually finding himself in some town that he'd been led to by an alleyway. Stopping, he reached into one of his pockets to retrieve the letter again, opening it and finally taking the time to humor himself and read through the rest of it.]

Zochi... pi... chipill...? Is that a word? That doesn't even look like English.