Intro Log: April 2015

[highseasmods]

WELCOME NEW CHARACTERS!
Have an intro log for the month of April!

Who: Any and all new characters, as well as anyone hanging out on or around Isla Empieza!
Where: Near the fountain in the town center.
When: New characters will arrive around April 9th! The log is good for as long as you need it.
What: You've just been dropped on your head in a weird new world. Time to figure out what the heck is going on!
Status: VERY OPEN.

Spring has arrived in Empieza! The days are cool and occasional thunderstorms growl through the night. If the citizens of Empieza seem more anxious than usual, it's because of the pirates that aggressively roam the streets, hunting for fresh meat -- either for shanghaiing or sport. If you don't wish to be coerced to sail under the flag of Ammon the Bloody, it's best to stay out of their way.

Feel free to throw your characters here if you need a place for them to get situated and start figuring things out! Start new threads, tag into others, meet the people who might just become part of your crew! Older characters will be in and out, too, depending who is on the island at the current time.

HAVE FUN! And welcome to High Seas!

Comments

[makingfriends]

[It's been a while since Ventus woke up in this strange town, but he hasn't gone far or done much since. For a bit, he didn't go anywhere, or do anything besides hoist himself up to sit on the edge of the fountain, staring silently at the surrounding town, the buildings, the people passing by, as if in a daze.

He partially is. His mind is a hazy mess of memories, some recent and some old; some crystal clear, some jumbled and foggy. It would be enough to alarm most people, but Ventus isn't too worried. He knows in his heart, at least, that the recent past is nothing to be alarmed at, and that's enough for him to keep a level head. It's the present that warrants questions and concern and investigation. Even so, he doesn't hurry to explore or talk to any of the townspeople or discern what world this is just yet. He wanders the town center for a half hour or so, listening to the local talk and getting his legs back (all of him feels so stiff, even a little groggy), but soon makes his way beyond the edge of the town to the beach. He stands just above the shore and stares out, feeling the breeze and squinting slightly in the bright sun and thinking and... living. Awake. He's awake. Alive.

Not all of it's clear, but he knows something's amiss. He's not where he should be, he's not with who he should be... but for the moment, that's okay.

Anyone passing by might notice a familiar?? teenager standing on the sand and staring out at the waves, a distant, sad smile on his face. At his side, he clutches a glass trinket of some kind, but he's otherwise absorbed in the sight, or maybe a memory.]

[childofreim]

[Titus had been hunkered down in the sand further down the beach, poking little crabs with the end of his staff and watching them run around with rapt fascination when he looked up and noticed he wasn't alone. Since he figures it can't hurt to talk to new people, he stands and walks over to the other boy.]

Have you never seen the ocean before?

[He isn't sure how to interpret that look, but he's sure he's seen something similar. Actually, he probably should have introduced himself first and then started asking questions, but the look surprised im a little.]

[makingfriends]

[Ven breaks from his thoughts with a slight start, but quickly smiles as he turns to the stranger.]

I have a couple times, actually. But it's never looked so... big, before. [Plus there's just something so... familiar about it, but more so than before. Like he's done this many more times than he actually has. Not to mention it's relaxing.

But anyway--]

Are you from this town? [He indicates the one behind them with a nod.]

[yourotherleft]

[The Million Merrily has just pulled up so they can restock on Luffy's favorite meat en route to the summit. Zoro honestly meant to go find a tavern to wait in but ended up turned around (as usual) and is now at the beach instead.

Right, so he needs to figure out where the bar district is from here but first. Is that who he thinks it is? He cups a hand to his mouth and calls out.]

OI! Roxas? What're you doing here?

[makingfriends]

[The name itself doesn't really get a reaction; it's the fact that the beach is pretty empty and there's not many people this guy could be addressing.

Ven glances over out of reflex, staring briefly at the stranger before turning and looking behind him -- but no, there's no one else.

So he tilts his head curiously, blinking once.]

Uh...?

1/3

[heartismyown]

[Roxas arrives the day after his journal conversation with the mysterious Ventus who questioned his skills. He's fired up and ready to go. He even stopped at Miss Margie's and happened to pick up something special, a little surprise for him.

He's ready. He goes to the beach.]

2/3

[heartismyown]

[Roxas is treated by the strangest thing he's ever seen. The boy on the beach, the only one around really...looks just like him.

Like he's looking at a mirror.

What. The. Hell.

His eyes go wide with surprise.]

3/3

[heartismyown]

[His brain has never worked so slow in his life, he's completely speechless.

He walks up to Ventus and pokes him in the chest, to see if he's real.]

[mikangirl]

[Nami doesn't like waking up in strange new places. At least this one comes with a weird introductory journal (..?) and a decent supply of money (not beri okay, sure, but a quick adventure with a local merchant shows her she's not badly off at all). So she's more confused than upset. So far, she assumes something weird happened while they were anchored off of Dressrosa. Which means some of her crew might be here as well, right?

She wastes no time in checking out the fountain that's referred to, scribbling down the entirety of that weird riddle. In...the journal in question. Aheh. The townsfolk don't seem to want to give her the time of day, so after she explores as much of the town as she can, looking for familiar faces or someone who's even remotely friendly-looking, she vanishes into a bar and takes up a back corner and starts studying the journal's introduction and this written down riddle.

After a while, she'll start taking notes.

Guess where they'll end up.]

[alwaysgrumpy]

[It didn't take much more than a passing glance to figure out what the deal was. She was a newcomer. She didn't have the scent of a local, and she did have one of the journals. Natives didn't get those, only outsiders. He actually decided to do the courteous thing for once, and see if he could help.]

Guess you got hauled into Jones' net, too. Sorry about that, lady. How you holdin' up?

[mikangirl]

[Nami blinks, glancing up. It's not like she wasn't expecting people to talk to her in here, but she wasn't expecting someone in the same boat.]

I'm doing okay. You mean I'm not the only one?

[thetruehistorian]

[A familiar floral scent permeates the air, and a moment later the unoccupied chair next to Nami is no longer unoccupied. A waitress bustles by with something in a mug a moment later, her face pale as if she were terrified, but she drops the mug and an additional one without a word and rushes back to other, less murky areas. Robin takes a sip, and smiles brightly.]

It's good to see you again, Nami-chan. How are you enjoying Isla Empieza?

[mikangirl]

[Nami gives the smallest jump as there's suddenly a chairful of Robin-- the floral scent does a lot to put her at ease, but people appearing out of thin air is something she'll never get used to. That being said--

Her face lights up in relief.]

Robin. This place is really weird. What's going on?

[...and weren't you going into Dressrosa last. She can't help but notice you're looking a little different.]

[serving_love]

[Oh, he saw her post alright. Which had plenty of things pinging him, from the handwriting to log pose to Dressrosa, and then she SPOKE and Sanji's gone, off the ship in half a shitty second and sprinting through the town.

Remind him to thank Luffy later, his demands for boar meat are the reason they're even docked at Isla Empieza right now.

He doesn't bother ducking into every bar he passes -- she said the rum was good, so there's a couple that stick out in his mind that she might've found. Plus he's got both his haki and Mellorine Radar~ on high alert, searching, trying to find—

There!

He explodes into the bar like someone who's never even heard the word 'subtle' before, and as soon as he catches sight of her lovely orange hair out of the corner of his eye, he takes off toward her in a whirlwind of flailing arms and pounding hearts.]

NAMI-SWAAAAAAAAAAAAN~!!!!!!

[mikangirl]

[OH MY GOD SANJI you can't be taken anywhere she was trying to be quiet here--

--wait--

She waits for him to twirl right across the bar full of startled patrons and greets him with a cheerful smile, shoving a hand out to keep him at arm's length. Y'know, just in case.]

Yes, yes, it's me. Now sit down and tell me where we are.

[Quietly. She only saw you like... three hours ago. Tops.]

[vanitas_veci]

[After his conversation with Ventus, Vanitas is staked out on top of one of the town walls, half hidden in the shadow it's casting as he observes the people and and silently seethes over the fact Ventus is alive and can't do anything about it]

[heartismyown]

[Roxas is wandering through town. After his latest bout of existentialism he's feeling a little introspective, which is never a good sign in Roxas. Maybe some doughnuts will cheer him up.

He doesn't see Vanitas but it wouldn't matter if he had.]

Quartermasterly duties || OTA

[anelegantmyth]

[It felt like only yesterday she was joking with someone about her crew being "Cynthia and the seven dorks". A year later, people come and go and suddenly she found herself back to that single title. Her and seven men, stuck on a boat together. Well...two men and five kids, but whatever.

Not that she could complain or anything. She loved her boys. Loved them enough to do all the shopping because there was no way in hell or heaven above she'd ever let anyone touch more money than their designated allowances. So there she was. List in one hand, one poot on each side, looking around the market to food and supplies.

A.
You'd find her at the market stalls, with her two poots, buying food and little trinkets for the boys. Now that she was interested in redecorating their ship, she might be looks at furniture and decorations as well. Go bother her.

B.
She'll also be spending a good portion of the day combing through Backwater Brig for those speciality items...and a pretty dress because she felt like splurging a little. While here, her two poots shall be outside, waiting for their mommy and guarding the things.]

B

[childofreim]

[Leaving the poots unattended was perhaps not the wisest idea, because now one of them has been grabbed out of the air. Titus' high-pitched squeal of excitement is loud enough to be heard two shops over, let alone inside the Brig.]

IT'S A WHALE! It's a tiny flying whale! How does that happen? Where do you find them? Do they make sounds? What sounds do they make?

A

[whitedragon_abs]

[was roped into carry heavy objects for her. He's not complaining. He has to earn his keep somehow as he's useless on the boat]

Man, this is like shopping with Yukino and Minerva.

A

[makingfriends]

[After breaking off from Roxas (a little reluctantly, although Ven recognizes that some people need more space than others, especially after such a shock), Ven takes to wandering the town again. He already made a few walkthroughs yesterday, but it never hurts to do so again, especially with all the knowledge he's gained since.

Enjoying the trip is a little easier said than done, however, since he's constantly scanning the crowd for a sign of Vanitas. Ven's banking on that twisted honesty and betting that Vanitas won't come after him too soon -- not today, at least -- but attempts on his life have nothing to do with not wanting to be around him, period.

All the same, browsing the stalls and stores is a nice distraction. Even if Ven has very little spending experience, it's interesting enough just looking at the wares and watching the people. As such, he notices the strange little whale creatures pretty quickly -- and he also notices the woman with them, or more specifically the looks that some of the locals are shooting her over their shoulders. The kinds of looks they've been giving Ven since he arrived.]

Oh...

[Another outsider, maybe? ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.

Ven moves up beside her once there's space in the crowd, politely avoiding bumping into either her or the creatures.]

Um -- excuse me.

[misterhero]

[There was never anything pleasant about waking up in a strange area. Whether it was by natural means, or completely unnatural ones. Even if you are perfectly untouched and healthy, the simple act of coming to in an entirely different location compared to the one you started off at was never an endearing experience.

And this one was shaping up to be one of the worst.

Having none of the goofy poem scrawled on the fountain, or the book that seemed to be as talkative and annoying as Kagura Mutsuki, he turned his attention towards simply finding someone who might explain the long and short of this all. Preferably as straight as possible, and without wasting his time.

Not that he was expecting much with his ill luck thus far.

His eyes swept his surroundings, looking for anyone that looked like they might know a thing or two. Or at least weren't trying to avoid his eyes.]

[alwaysgrumpy]

Guess you're a new one, huh?

[Akira gazed down at the oddly dressed newcomer from a nearby rooftop, giving him a momentary visual assessment. Blonde pretty-boy. Gaudy manner of dress. Sword. Piercing gaze. Gave off an impression of being just a little stuck-up. Could be fun.]

I guess that you're pretty confused, right about now.

[vanitas_veci]

[Vanitas was wondering back towards the fountain, waiting for Shiki to come get him when he spots the blond swordsman. He keeps moving, not really wanting to have a conversation... but the man had a sword. He wondered if he was any good with it]

[judgementscythe]

[Lorelai, slightly tipsy after a night of Rum stepped out of the bar she was in and bumped Jin as she walked past]

Excuse me.