(no subject)

[theguidinghand]

CHARACTERS: EVERYONE
LOCATION: MED BAY
WARNINGS: ... Partial nudity? It should be pretty tame, but let me know if I need to add anything.
SUMMARY: Side-effects of a jump may include disorientation and temporary memory loss. Fortunately, there are a handful of others who have been through this before.
NOTES: Yes, it's a rehashing of the game premise. Don't worry, you can personalize your own (re-)introduction!


You wake up, alone in the dark.

There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're deposited on the floor of a stark, sterile medical bay.

Don't worry, you are not alone. There are others who have come before you, others who are awakening beside you. Some may be familiar to you, perhaps even friends. They will help you through your disorientation, even though they might suffer from it too.

After you catch your breath and your vision returns, you notice a number on the inside of your forearm. Maybe it's a familiar number. Maybe it means something. Maybe it's just a number. But the number—completely unique to you—is a tattoo, and it does not come off.

If you enter the room adjacent to the medbay, you will find a small locker with your number on it, surrounded by rows upon rows of identical lockers. Inside, you will find a few of your personal items, a communications device, and a ship's uniform in your exact size. The comms device is fully powered and connects directly to the ship's network; it's your only means of communication beyond physical conversation. Upon turning the device on, a neutral, automated voice will say, "Please take the blue lift to the passenger quarters." Any other attempts at communicating with the rest of the network are met only with static.

This is your welcome party.

Comments

No worries!

[fourseasons]

"Does Holland-san think that could happen?"

These paranoid thoughts are contagious. And now Japan's wondering about it, among other things, and it's not a very cheerful line of thinking.

"I suppose we could try entering one together..." Sort of hesitantly spoken, but he does think Holland is pretty strong, and he has faith in his own ability to find useful things and ways out of situations, so maybe it would be better that way...!

[handelaar]

"Yeah. If it's a prison." Of course he thinks it could happen, he worries like he gets paid to do it.

"Mm," a grunt and not words, exactly, but it's definitely uttered with a disagreeing tone. "Then we'll both get stuck." He's unaware of the thought process behind Japan's suggestion, though.

[fourseasons]

"It seems as if much of this place is run on a higher technology," Japan starts, and it's clear (at least to him) that he's hinting at what he thinks he's capable of doing. But that's not something he voices clearly, so he'll focus on making Holland's part forward and clear instead.

"Holland-san is quite strong as well," he states, eyeing Holland now. He's tall too, surely that's helpful. "So I believe if such a thing were to happen, we'd have a better chance together."

He's too cocky though, why does no one call him on this...

[handelaar]

This is the country that produced The Human Centipede, not Ringu, and that implication goes right over his head.

"...maybe." That was a good thing to keep in mind, yeah. "But if one of us was trapped, the other could get help..." he trails off and chews his lip again, suddenly wondering if anyone they found would help.

"If ya found anyone."

Yes, he's already assuming he'd be the one to go in first.

[fourseasons]

Japan frowns at that, even more than he was before, and stares at Holland. Yes, he caught that assumption, and he can't say he really likes it. Though he does guess they don't even know if this will happen.

Though he doesn't get to voicing his concern about that, instead stopping in his tracks with a sudden "Ah!" as he recalls something. He pulls out the phone-like machine from earlier. Sure enough, it's working this time. So he'll take his time looking it over, silent for now. A network, it seemed...

[handelaar]

He stares right back, ready to put up a fuss over it -

And practically trips over Japan as he stops, looking incredibly worried until the comms device is pulled out, and then he simply looks curious. He tries to keep from getting too close, but damn it, he wants to see.

"What is it?"

[fourseasons]

"It seems to be working now," he speaks, with a brief (maybe too brief, stopping with no warning like that...) apologetic glance. "Ah, it is more like a computer than a phone, however."

There's a few more minutes of investigation before Japan decides to try out this communication system. By starting a private video call to the number that matched with Holland's to see if it would work.

"Is Holland-san getting this?" A stare at the screen, then a glance to Holland. "It seems there is a list of many of these. So I suppose we can speak to one another this way. It is by number... See?" He offers his and shows the options for making a "post." Sending it to everyone seems much simpler than what Japan just did with the private call... but he tries to explain that, anyway.

Why give them these devices, though? Japan wasn't quite sure.

[handelaar]

"Really," and with that he pulls out his own, slightly jealous at the moment by how much better Japan is with technology. And annoyed that his hands are so huge, who designs these things?

He blinks at the screen and nods, looking over once Japan begins explaining, paying attention to every word. "So we hafta know someone's number t'do this privately," he muses, and once the words are out of his mouth he realizes he sounds like a dumbass. That's how phones work normally, of course it'd be like that.

All in all he looks pretty grumpy about it, despite the conclusion he comes to next.

"Guess it's not a prison, then."

[fourseasons]

"Yes, but at least a network-wide call can be made... In various modes." At least Japan isn't judging Holland or anything of the sort. He seemed much more fascinated with the phone device itself, ending that private call and browsing through some other things.

But at the prison comment, he glances up.

"...It is still lacking in explanation, however." Why they were here, what happened... Anything like that. Only instructions on where to go...

[handelaar]

Hmph. "That sounds annoying as hell," he mutters, more to himself than anything. Talking to all the numbers on that list at once isn't something he wants to do, but he can see the value of it.

He rubs the back of his neck and nods as he glances up the hallway, thinking back to the message before. Goddamnit he wants a cigarette to think over, he's convinced it would help.

"We're passengers...so some kinda ship." Right?

[fourseasons]

"So it seems..." Japan ignores Holland's earlier mutterings (politely, or something) and peers around. Well, the high tech equipment all over, this suit, what this phone was giving the impression of...

He sighs one of his too-old-for-this sighs. "It is beginning to feel like a movie of America-san's."

[handelaar]

He huffs and runs a hand through his hair. Great.

"What happens in one-a those?" he asks, pulling out his pouch of tobacco and searching for papers, because he wants to be doing something other than standing around and wishing he could smoke.

[fourseasons]

Japan eyes that tobacco but says nothing on it, instead answering the earlier question. "I believe there is much fighting, aliens, irreparable damage to the ship that is somehow avoided at the last minute, romance on the side, and a near death experience for a valued character."

He sideglances. "Things of that nature, I suppose."

[handelaar]

Aha - he finds the papers and starts getting one out, only to pause completely at that answer.



"That sucks."

He shuffles his papers and tobacco back into his pocket, slightly worried again. "We should move." He's getting antsy, just standing, and that didn't help.

[fourseasons]

He nods slightly, but eyes Holland critically. He's just remembering the whole 'what if the rooms lock you in' conversation, you see.

"I agree. Ah, but I am not so sure about the rooms at this point... Perhaps there is more to see." He'll start walking now, watching the room numbers they walk by.

[handelaar]

Oh, whoops. He thinks the look is for being too blunt, and glances away as he shoves his hands in his pockets, feeling slightly awkward as he keeps pace.

"An' maybe somewhere I can smoke."

Sorry man, he's a little fixated on it - he's gonna start getting snappy and irritated soon and he knows it.

[fourseasons]

There's a sympathetic sort of 'hmm' as he nods and keeps an eye out. Really he can understand Holland's habit. Well. As unhealthy as it is, many of Japan's citizens are the same way, and as long as it isn't anything illegal, he's fine with Holland's smoking. (So Holland only gets nagged if he does the illegal stuff in front of Japan! He has confidence that this has been established well enough in the past.)

"If we stop, I can see what more I can find with the phone... Ah, or whatever this is to be called." He waves his communicator. "I am not sure what else there is, though..."

A sigh. He's really out of shape, he feels exhausted just from everything that's happened in combination with this walking (and the mental stress on top of it!). "Why is it that this sort of thing always happens around the New Year...?"

[handelaar]

He glances over out of the corner of his eye as they continue, sighing a bit at the prospect of finally getting to smoke. This entire situation is stressful, and it's the first thing he does when he's stressed, usually. (He's probably pointed out that it's not illegal if he's home, then, too. On the other hand he's too much of a cheapass to bother with the illegal shit very often.)

An affirmative sort of a grunt is all he bothers answering with - now that he has something to focus on, he's gonna do it. Even if that something is as mundane as finding a place to pause.

It takes him a second to process the last sentence. "New Year?"

[fourseasons]

Surely they've had various Talks on this topic back in the day, and at least it's ended as most things do with them: a chill sort of silence in mutual understanding. Something like that...

Japan is still watching the numbers of the rooms go by. "Ah, yes... That's right, the year before this, someone who resembled France-san..." He trails off and his face changes a bit before he shakes his head. No, maybe he won't explain that. And he's sure Holland had to deal with things too.

"...I suppose it is just that strange things in general happen to us, regardless of the time..."

At least it's starting to look like there's a way out of the passenger area now. But what a large area, how big is this ship?

[handelaar]

"Mn, that. Thought it was somethin' else." Another superstition, maybe, this time about the New Year being unlucky or something. Definitely not that weird-ass version of France that attacked him.

He's about to answer, but he just slows to a halt at the end of the hallway. Whoa. It's huge, but...


"It's kinda empty." Yeah, it creeps him out a little.

[fourseasons]

The empty comment makes Japan frown in realization. It is. He personally doesn't find it so strange, but he's used to staying in his home alone (so he thinks) so it's a similar sort of feeling that it brings rather than 'creepy.'

However, considering the circumstances, this was creepy. Yes.

"And quite large..." Japan seems more worried about getting lost in this place, as he glances back from where they came. Although, how lost can they get if they already have no idea where they are?

"There were many others in the same position as us," he recalls from the medbay. "But I am not sure that that is such a comfort." But his troubled expression shows just how much he wished things were more clear.

[handelaar]

"Yeah..." and with that he's already stepping in and poking around for a decent place to sit and roll up his cigarette. He's not worried about getting lost at all, it hasn't even crossed his mind yet.

He finds a little set of chairs and a table and sits down, heavily, annoyance flitting across his face that even these chairs are slightly too small for him.

"Maybe they know what's happenin'," he grumbles, but the huffiness is directed toward the table - it's not comfortable to lean this far down just to roll up a damn cigarette.

[fourseasons]

He takes a seat rather formally, not anywhere near to having the same problem as Holland. But he sets one hand firmly on a knee while the other holds his communicator, looking through things.

"It is possible..." Japan's eyes drift up to Holland now, watching him roll the cigarette. "Perhaps we should contact them."

[handelaar]

Finally, he gets it rolled up, and he leans back as he lights it, a ghost of a grin on his face. After the first drag he answers, sounding far more relaxed already.

"Yeah? What should we say, then." He shifts in his chair and thinks on it with the next drag. "I wanna know if there's a way out..."

He lets it trail off, because frankly, there's a lot he wants to know, so he decides to shut up until he's figured out the most important things.

[fourseasons]

That relaxed sort of expression is always nice to see on Holland, and not creepy to notice, right? so Japan sort of relaxes himself from it. Right, what to say, they had a plan now. This brought some sort of comfort right?

"An introduction may be important..." Japan thinks so, at least. It would be rude to ask so much of a bunch of people if they're strangers. "Ah... I would also like to know why it is we're here. Though that may be something that is unknown."

He sets his communicator on the table for now.