Welcome to the World IC

**Hymusia** · 05-28-2012

Was rather surprised at the energy of the little group they all seemed so high spirited. Eric sent her links to his favourite classical pieces and with a shy little nod she promised to listen to them later that day. There was very little music she didn't like, rap, house, garage. All of that seemed to just be noise to her and made no sense while generally being insulting to as many people as possible. The other music she couldn't stand was pop music, it was now just recycled and tinny and most of it altered by electronics to make the tone deaf singer sound better.

Classical music though and even rock music to a degree was always fresh, the former was so dependant on the performer's interpretation of the piece and the feelings and energy they put in. Like wise the latter was all about the energy and emotion the performers add but at a different end of the scale usually.

She had realised she had partially zoned out of the conversation as the three people around her were talking, though when she heard mention of 'the world' she was rather happy to not have heard the rest. The game interested her very little and the idea of going to a café or even a library and actually playing on wrld with these people was something she couldn't stand. They'd mock her for her avatar, two of them had already proven to be bullies so they wouldn't really understand the appeal of the character she had chosen. Further the idea of her sanctuary being breeched by these people was insulting to say the very least, it was the only place both her thoughts and her projections of them matched. It was where she let off steam and forgot about the loneliness that was her muse for most of her projects.

Miu then spoke in a rather high and squeaky way that showed she was truly excited about the concert. She was going already, she'd bought tickets as soon as they'd gone on sale, she never missed it and had attended it even before coming here as a student. Classical music was her passion and her life, however the idea of going with Miu, or these other strangers, didn't appeal to her at all. She always went with Ellie, they had their tickets already and had planned the whole day out.

Still she didn't get a chance to voice her opinions as Tk spoke up in quick succession to Miu and spoke about getting her in the concert. She was visibly shocked by the mere suggestion of such a thing, she had imagined that in a few years she might be part of the concerts, but she'd skipped forward on the music academics that she hadn't planned to try her luck for a while yet. “I...” It was no use though, her voice couldn’t' even begin to work through the complex emotions surging through her chest and her tongue certainly didn’t' know what to do in response. “That...that is...” Fear, anxiety, excitement, curiosity. It all hit her like a sledge hammer to the chest and she had to visibly fight to keep herself from hyperventilating. “I...can probably finish it...though I don't know if it would be good enough.” She finally uttered, her voice meek and small. He was teasing her, she could almost see him and Miu laughing all over again as they had at Martin in a minute, saying it was just a joke.

Good enough perhaps for the school concert at the end of the month was no problem, but to have it ready in less than a week? Especially for that kind of concert it seemed too short of time. Luckily Professor Klein came and saved them from further delving down that realm of thought by shooing them off. T.K agreeing with Eric that they should move off, probably to the café he spoke of, which once again left Yoshi in a bad position, she didn't want to seem anti-social but she didn't want them to see her avatar, or see her play the game.

So for the first time since the doctors had asked her if she had anyone at home that could help her with self- medicating for the pain in her leg, she had to tell a little lie. “I'm sorry, I will have to decline today, I have to get back and take my medication then I have to practise for an hour and a half....I also wouldn't be much use to you as I don't play the game myself.” Well it was a bit of a lie but she didn't play it excessively, just enough to unwind after a stressful day, just more self- medicating in her opinion. “I'll see if I can download it tonight though. It was nice meeting you all, but I really ought to be going.” With that she offered a smile, took the breaks off her chair and set it to electric. Her fathers car would no doubt be waiting for her at the gates anyway as she didn't live in the dorms here.

**Mercenary Lord** · 05-28-2012

Eric glanced at the others. I'll handle this, he motioned. "Call me when you three reach the Cafe," He muttered under his breath. He set off after Yoshiko, following the girl as she motored across the park. "Hey, Yoshiko!" He placed a hand on her shoulder, and then walked beside her. "Is something up?" He had taken enough psychology classes to know when someone was uncomfortable. He smiled. "I was thinking we could talk about...well, anything. I don't have many true friends, and you seem like one person I'd like to get to know better."

He glanced at the sky briefly. "This is where I would go into a long winded story about my life, but I don't think you'd appreciate that. So instead, I'll ask a question. Why do you seem so uneasy to go On World? There isn't much to be afraid of there..." He winced. That was a lie, but it wasn't important. "So, what's the problem?"

((Sorry for the short post, but it's a conversation. My bad.))

**Hymusia** · 05-28-2012

It was strange to have someone run up to her, Ellie used to, but she'd run right in front of her wheelchair like a royal idiot, usually ending up with one or both of them on the floor giggling like two normal school girls might. That memory was as fleeting as a butterfly when Eric grabbed her shoulder over the handle of her wheelchair and forced the girl to slow and then stop the wheelchairs motor lest he still have to walk with her. He spoke of true friends, which honestly she could count on the fingers of one hand with some change if she truly wished too. Ellie being the most important one of note and oddly, Mr. Carlaisse as well. 'I find that hard to believe.' She thought to herself, good looking, talented, he probably had more friends than even he knew he had. Although, a lot of them may well have been posers as well.

“I find that hard to believe Eric.” She uttered, a kinder spin on her words than her inner monologue originally gave them, a soft smile offered as further reassurance. “You seem to be the person to get along with everyone.” When he spoke about her discomfort she sighed and released the controls of her wheelchair. This was where she too could go into a long spiel about her many many reasons for disliking the game, not wanting to play with them, or this entire project and how uncomfortable it made her to be thrust in with people that seemed so assertive and aggressive in their varying ways. Miu and TK were obvious, but Martin certainly seemed aggressive when he thought the two had stolen his things and Eric was a little aggressive in chasing after her.

Instead she turned her gaze up to the sky as well, watching a few clouds float by. “I...” What? What could she really say. “Eric I just...” The honking of a car horn across the campus by the parking lot indicated it was time to go. “I'll e-mail you later, please, go have fun with the others. You could...if you wanted, send me your character name, so I know who to contact when I get online?” She offered a weak smile and a little wave before attempting to depart. Her dislike for the world, her discomfort with the group, it wasn't something she wanted to confront.

When she reached the car a large man unfolded from the drivers side, six foot with some sort of Caribbean heritage. He was dressed smartly though and seemed rather old fashioned in his job etiquette. “Good afternoon Miss Fukusaku, have you made a new friend?”
“Not really Joseph.”
“Not really or not yet?” Glancing up at his wise dark eyes she offered a weak smile and a shrug. “You hold people far too distant from you girl, you can trust people other than Ellie. Not everyone is like Josephine.” To this Yoshi nodded lightly as he packed her things into the car with great car.

She unbuckled her belt and moved to stand, but Joseph lifted her up before she began to fall. “Don't push yourself Yoshiko.” As if realising what he'd said he cleared his throat to which Yosh giggled.
“I won't tell Father.” She uttered as she was helped into the car.

**Celestial** · 06-01-2012

Miu sighed as she saw Yoshiko leave. She was probably a little too forward with her. To make it worse, she already knew she left a very poor impression of herself upon the girl. In the future, she would have to keep herself in check and made a mental note to apologize to her group member whenever she saw her again. An email struck sour with her.

"So whats the plan? Did we want to start some groundwork today or leave it until all of us are back together?" asked Miu. Martin still had yet to talk, which didn't sit to well with her. "You okay Martin? You've been quiet for a while now... I'm seriously really sorry if that little stunt we pulled rubbed you the wrong way."

One apology down, one more to go. Miu sighed to herself as she checked the time again. It was getting kind of late, so whatever they had to do, they should probably get started soon. Her parents, though were somewhat lenient, still expected her to be home in a timely fashion. A scolding is definitely something I don't need right now...

**Vietmyke** · 06-01-2012

TK shrugged as Eric ran off after Yoshiko, he looked back at Miu and Martin(who we cannot really pretend did not exist because of all the hazing, but we can start to diminish his role considerably), and gestured in the direction of the cafe, looking at the sky as he did. Streaks of orange were prominent in the sky, the sun would be setting sometime soon.

"We probably have a few hours before it starts to get late out," He pointed out, "Not that I have a curfew, mind you, but if you guys aren't much for staying out late.." TK left the sentence hanging. "And as for work... with those two gone, I don't think we can really get anything major done today, maybe some sight seeing? We can share our results with the two of them tomorrow probably,"

--------------------At The Cafe----------------

The Rhythm and Bar Music Cafe was a fair sized cafe, a fairly popular spot on campus. The cafe was quite modern, and featured a lot of dark red with small bits of white. Dotted throughout the room were small round tables with 2 or 4 chairs around it. The corner closest to the door had the counter in which most transactions took place. In the back of the room was a well stocked bar, alcoholic drinks were only served to people 21 years or older. Along the edges of the room was a stretch of bar style seating for people who wanted a window seat. In the direct center of the room was a raised circular stage. On the stage at the moment was a small Jazz band consisting of a bassist, a drummer, and a pianist, playing a smooth ambient piece. The lighting of the place was fairly dim, and a bit moody, but not too dark for anyone to see.

The back corner opposite the bar held a small section separated from the rest of the bar by a small half-wall. This small section had tables like the rest of the cafe, but unlike the rest of the cafe, these tables sported high-powered computers in front of the seats for people to use.

It wasn't night yet, so the cafe was relatively empty, they didn't have the night bands in the building yet, and the crowd inside the cafe were made up mostly of study groups, people getting a quick bite to eat, and the occasional quiet couple.

TK led his two group members to the small section of computers and sat down at a table for four. He pulled out his PFT and tapped it, and the device unfolded and headphones were visible. His PFT also served as his headset for The World.

"Er, do you have your headsets handy? There should be a couple lying in the bin in the corner if you don't have yours."

**Hymusia** · 06-03-2012

After getting changed; which was a lengthy affair due to the brace, she was left in a summer dress, a plain white affair that fell well passed her knees but not quite to her ankles. Showing off the thick leather straps and the rods that held her leg together and in place. She'd also pulled back her hair into a messy bun, the length and the ringlets in her hair making it rather hard to get a neat hairdo and she wasn't much for dressing up unless she was playing a concert.

The house itself was rather pseudo modern and contemporary. From the front door there was a square foot well where people removed their shoes and hung up their coats where provided. There was even a small bin for umbrellas, three of which were in there already. Then a small step up across hardwood flooring one followed the walls of one bedroom and the kitchen into the expansive living room. It was vaguely rectangular but seemed to have strange angles cut into it for no other reason than the 'fashion' of the time it was built. To the left (the wall with the bedroom) were two single bedrooms placed side by side. Both doors were shut and locked with no real discerning difference between them, both were dark wood, heavy fire doors,with silver coloured steel fittings.

The walls of the living room were painted white, broken only by the opposite wall to the front door which was comprised entirely of windows and a set of French windows. Pale eggshell blinds hung from each window so as to make means of blocking out the light. Today of course they weren't closed so one could see out onto the patio, which was large enough to house a few plants, some wooden deck chairs and a wooden coffee table.

There was a set of two 's' shaped spot light fittings which provided light in the late hours hanging between the wall by the bedrooms and the opposite end. The furniture on this 'upper' level of the living room was all dark in hue to mix well with the room. A dark brown leather 'L' shaped sofa and some chairs were faced towards the blank wall between the first two bedrooms and the window and patio. A large plush cream coloured rug was spread between them with a long coffee table with glass top and dark wood divided the seating area from the large wall mounted plasma TV. Either side of this were dark wood book cases, one held books, the other DVDs and the various remotes for the hidden System which resided in a cabinet underneath the TV.

To the right of all of this was the second level, once again a step down and it took up a good section of the right hand side of the room. Facing directly opposite the kitchenette -which was complete with breakfast bar and kitted out with slate coloured surfaces and dark wood cupboards; with silver fittings and a tiled floor-, was the grand piano and it's stool, a CD player was mounted on a shelf with a selection of CD's in an equally wall mounted CD rack. The French windows were also on this 'level' of the room, giving this part of the room a nearly tear drop shape.

Along the remaining wall were two doors, both again were fire doors though only one had no lock and was the only door currently open. That being Yoshi's room as she came out and fixed herself a drink before moving to the piano. Laying her crutches against the stool she placed her laptop on top of the piano and found a coaster so she could do the same with her drink.

While she waited for Eric to arrive her fingers ran across the ivories, playing and melding tunes as TK had earlier at the fountain. Something to simply keep her from growing bored and giving her some light practise, it was hard work using only one foot for both peddles but she could still play.

**Celestial** · 06-05-2012

Miu followed TK in as he led her and Martin towards the back where a few computer monitors were stationed. Honest to god, she didn't know too much about this place. Yes, even though it was a popular campus spot, she had never gotten around to exploring it at all. From what she heard, it was lively at night. However, since it was still somewhat early out, the cafe was littered with students as they studied for whatever class they had.

She took a seat at a computer terminal by TK as she began to rummage through her bag for her headset. It was a fascinating thing. It stored itself in a circular-like shape and with a tap in the middle, it expanded into a headset. She had linked this with her PFT to speak to people whenever her hands were busy doing other things. The headset also suited the purpose of communicating on The World, which was absolutely convenient.

She booted up her screen as she winked at TK. "Ready whenever you two are."

**Vietmyke** · 06-05-2012

"Ready whenever you two are."

TK lauged, "Alright," he chuckled as he pulled his PFT/Headset over his ears and booted up his computer.

Almost every public computer in New Eden had a copy of The World installed on it, however most public computers also charged per hour used, the Cafe they sat at was no different, however unlike most circumstances, TK noticed that the icon on the left hand corner of their screens said that they had already paid for at least 3 hours worth of net usage. TK would have to thank his manager later on. He drummed his fingers on the desk as he waited for his computer to finish booting. The game's launcher icon had appeared in the center of and TK was about to click it when he realized something.

"Oh... uh we never told Eric and Yoshiko our Persona names, that might be an issue if we're supposed to meet as a group." He said as he pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled his persona name on it. "Here thats mine, can you send mine and yours to everyone else in the group? I'd do it myself but my PFT is around my head at the moment." he laughed. ((so we don't have to have an extra round of posts to get on world I'm just gonna assume you gave me your persona name Cel, :P ))

TK now clicked the launcher and the computer's screen became golden brown as the game started and led him to the title screen, where he quickly logged in, remembering his username and password almost through muscle memory. Upon logging in, several options appeared before him, allowing him to 'spawn' into the game where he so chose, his options were:

Spawn where you last logged off.
Spawn in Illeria City Square.
Spawn in Bar and Ar Wharf-side Pub [Private Domain].
Spawn in Illeria Church.
Spawn in Illeria Fields.
Spawn in Residential District

((OOC: Just a note, several Off World sites are either wealthy, affluent, or well connected enough to have their own 'piece' of 'The World', in the form of 'Private Domains' which can be any kind of place that anyone can enter, but only people on its network (such as TK and Miu at the cafe) can log onto, The R&B Cafe is lucky enough to own the piece of crap shanty that is the B&R Pub on world.))

"Oh, and tell them If we're going to go sight-seeing, we're better off spawning in the fields and adventuring our way to some place as opposed to spawning in town, I mean unless you guys want a urban scene." TK said. He hoped they didn't intend to do something urban, he didn't know much about designing, but something as lively as a city had to be a lot of work.

Soon enough, everything was set, and they were ready to get On World."Alright, see you on the other side," TK laughed as settled himself comfortably in his chair, activated his headset's visor and clicked the correct spawn icon. A dull white noise appeared in the back of TK's head, and a his visor began to white out. A feeling of weightlessness occurred, and TK knew he was about to enter The World.

Since The World was a virtual reality game, EdenTech had to find a way to place its players 'in' the world, without having them strain their necks staring into a small computer screen. After much trial and error, EdenTech came up with the revolutionary headset that people used today. It served many purposes, first of all, it could be used like a headset/bluetooth like linked device for one's PFT. But its second, more important function was to enter its wearers into The World. The Headset accomplished this by first clearing the wearer's senses, and then inserting the senses of The World through revolutionary visual and audio technology. The headset emitted a noise that made physical hearing impossible, and gave the wearer a sense of weightlessness, the visor used a unique series of visuals to 'white out' the wearer's vision, and sent visual impulses to the brain in a manner that wiped the remaining senses. Of course, such technology was regarded with high suspicion when it first came out, and so every headset came with numerous fail-saves.

The first fail-safe was automatic, the headsets, were equipped with a sort of neural monitor, and at the first sign of serious abnormalities, the player was automatically ejected from from the world and brought back to life ('real life'). This fail-safe was eventually adapted into the game for players who played on 'Super Real' mode, in which they felt the wounds they received until they logged off or died in game. In Super Real mode, dying in game automatically triggers the first fail-safe and ejects the player from The World.

The second fail-safe was a manual fail-safe. At any time, the player can reach up to his head and pull off where his headset would be, even if the player is wearing a helmet. Though no headset is visible in game, the player will be able to feel it on their ears, though no in game item, or other player can touch it.

The first sense to return was TK's vision, where it was white, suddenly faded into black, and faded into the golden brown of The World's iconic background screen. His character, named Dust, appeared before him, a blond haired character of a stature slightly shorter than most, standing in at around 5'10. TK's character rotated a few times before TK began to 'float' forward and 'enter' the character. TK's vision flickered dark once more.

The darkness quickly lifted into the light brown of a small sandstorm that swirled around his character. After a moment, the sandstorm suddenly dissipated, the sand scattering itself and dissolving away soon after. Dust found himself standing in the middle of a fairly wide dirt road, with a large expanse of grassland on either side. To his right was a single tall tree, with a sign tacked onto it. Directly behind him, the dirt path led to a large stone gate with a portcullis, underneath which the dirt immediately became cobble. The wall on either side of the gate stretched onward for what seemed to be miles, encasing the entire massive city of Illeria in its stone arms. On the field by the gate was a small stone and wood building built onto the wall. It was a small stable of sorts, with red shale tiles on the roof. Inside the stable were a few horses, and in a fenced off area of the nearby field, dozens more animals, mainly horses, roamed around.

In the distance, Dust could see a mountain range, a massive waterfall cascading down its center, its peaks hidden by low lying white clouds. In front of him, the flat field ended after a distance, and shifted into rolling hills, with sparse woods here and there. Far off the road, touching the mountain range, was the large ocean that Illeria sat on.

Dust made a short walk to the tree on the path, and sat under it, its limbs shading him from the bright golden sun that was only occasionally interrupted by the white rolling clouds. He sat and waited, Miu's Persona should be getting on relatively shortly, and together they could wait for the others, maybe fight a monster or two while they waited.

**Mercenary Lord** · 06-05-2012

((Long overdue, sorry.))

Eric shook his head. What a nice girl. He realized suddenly that the house itself wasn't too far away, it was simply that the road there took a massive, winding way of arriving. He grinned. I could be there in less then five minutes, just by taking...a shortcut. He looked around, searching for something in the street. A ladder caught his eye, and he dashed over to it, and sped up to the roofs. Looking around, he realized that he was right. Yoshiko's house was near, but the road to it took almost half an hour by foot.

Up on the roofs was another matter. He took off running, his feet pounding on the material as he surged toward the edge of the building. It was the fastest way to her house, after all. He leapt, clearing the eight foot gap from one building to another just barely, and rolling to his feet. Almost there. The building was only a few stories high, so the light post of the next street rose above the roof. Perfect. He leapt off the second building toward the lampost, and grabbed onto the horizontal part, swinging back and forth. When he slowed enough to think clearly, he slid down the pole, and set off in the direction of the house again.

It took him only five minutes to reach Yoshiko's house. He saw that the door was open, and smiled warmly. Obviously, she had expected him to come. As he entered the house, he opened his mouth to call out, but then stopped when he heard the light meanderings of music. Closing his mouth, he moved silently through the house until he came upon Yoshiko, sitting at a grand piano, lost in the wonders of music. He took a seat in a chair behind her, and pulled his laptop free of it's bag. He waited a few moments longer before quietly typing an e-mail.

You sound beautiful.

((doopdoop, done))

**Hymusia** · 06-06-2012

Yosh had left her lap top on just in case one of the others sent an e-mail or if Eric himself sent one back. Finding her house could be rather difficult for some people after all. Very few had come up here as well, it was quite an intimidating complex, not many had their own footmen any more, most were swipe cards or scans. The background for her laptop was an animated waterfall, it even made the soft hiss of water frothing at the bottom and in the furthest corner a little Yoshi (A green dinosaur cartoon) wandered back and forth before disappearing off screen.

While she wasn't blind she might as well have been, Eric was unseen as he slipped his way into the house and settled himself on a chair. The music of the old traditional piano cancelling out the sounds of the sofa's squeak and her mind so enraptured with the music she didn't feel anything a miss in the house. It was a collection of her favourite pieces, of pieces her parents used to ask her to play, while she ought to have been practising her harp or the violin it was always good to slip back to this at times, besides if she didn't play it it would only get dusty.

When Eric sent the e-mail it appeared in a new window on her lap top along with an alert tone that made her hit several bum chords. Flinching at the sound they had created and shaking her head she turned her attention to the e-mail. For a moment her brows furrowed in confusion, but then as her senses returned she felt a difference in the room that was hard to explain with any logical part of the human mind. Her head whipped around to the seats where Eric was sat and as she turned scarlet from embarrassment she jumped up from the piano seat knocking it to the floor in the process. “Eric! I... I di-didn't hear you come in!”

When she tried to move she'd briefly forgotten the fact she was not a spry and normal teenager and nearly pitched face first to the floor. Catching herself on the edge of the piano she allowed both her senses and her composure to return before reaching for the crutches she'd placed by the piano. “Yo-you should have said something, I hope you ha-haven't been waiting too long?” Once she had the crutches under her she shifted around the toppled stool which she'd straighten later. “I...do you want anything to drink or eat before we log on?”

'There's a boy...a boy in my house, a boy in my house and no one's hear. I'm so stupid, this is so stupid, I should have invited the others...no I wouldn't want them here, they'd ask too many questions, Eric might, but he seems far too respectful for that.' For a moment she offered him a rather awkward smile, still blushing from head to toe, before of course she realised she'd forgotten her manners. “Oh!” Slipping her Pft from her pocket she accessed her e-mails and typed a short reply, hitting send a second later and offering him another awkward, but sincere smile. Thank you, I'm glad you liked it.

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