OPEN ♦ a cat about town

[verflair]

who: X'rhun Tia and YOU
what: An open mingle while X'rhun acclimates himself to the city. X'rhun will not be suffering from amnesia himself, but characters who are can certainly come bother him.
when: Mid-August, shortly after his arrival in the Quarantine.
where: Various places, including communal housing floor 10 and outside the perimeter fence.
warnings: None at the moment!

A | COMMUNAL HOUSING, floor 10

[ He has been informed that this is where he lives, now. He’s not unused to sharing space with others, so he’s not to bothered. His fellow Duelists occupied the same space as the resistance fighters of his homeland, and there was certainly not enough space there to go around. This place, however, is roomier and more well-furnished than even some of the inns he’s stayed in on his travels.

The red mage doesn’t have anything he cares to leave in the trunk at the end of his bed, preferring to keep his rapier and the accompanying crystal secure at his hips, so he gives the sleeping area only a cursory inspection before heading for the kitchen area.

Alright, stove, sink, cabinets. All standard, if a bit strangely designed. It’s the fridge that catches his attention, and he opens it to get a blast of cold air in the face. It’s not hard to discern its purpose after peering inside. ]

That is ingenious.


B | AROUND TOWN

[ X’rhun has learned that the sound of every approaching vehicle is not an attacking enemy in magitek armor, but now and again he still tenses at it. Decades of habit are difficult to break.

Aside from that, however, the city itself is fascinating. Instead of open-air markets, the shops are sectioned off into neat little rooms all their own. It’s strangely quiet to his ears without people shouting and bartering and trying to hock their wares, until he catches the sounds of a cheering crowd. He follows the noise to an electronics shop. The array of televisions set up in the front window are showing some sort of sporting event, but it just looks like chaos to X’rhun.

More than anything, he’s captivated by the clarity of the picture. If he didn’t know better, he’d think he was watching through a window, rather than some sort of video broadcast, like he’s seen on the network. His tail twitches as he watches, clearly absorbed until he catches the reflection of a passerby in the window. ]

Dare I ask if you know the rules of this game?


C | PERIMETER FENCE

[ Okay, so the forests are crawling with monsters, but frankly it’s the closest thing to home he’s come across here. It’s quieter, away from the central areas of the city, even if the fence is a massive technological beast in and of itself. Being on the Guard gives X’rhun a reason to step outside the city when he likes, though he doesn’t dare go too far until he has a better grasp of his surroundings.

His self-imposed boundaries still give him leave to wander through the woods a decent distance, eyes and ears alert, one hand on the hilt of his blade should he need it. ]


D | ANYTHING ELSE

[ Want a different starter or have an idea of your own? Feel free to let me know or begin your own thread. If you want to plan something, I can be reached at exposition or with a PM to X’rhun’s journal! ]

Comments

A | Communal Revelations Involving Refridgeration

[tevinteraltus]

[Dorian, too, had come to love the modern conveniences afforded by the advent of technology. Namely, he could have his grapes chilled and last several days. He's actually coming to their communal kitchen in order to restock his supply of the shining purple fruits but stops when his eyes fall on the back of the...person currently marveling at their appliance.

Maker, is that a tail? And...feline ears...?

The Tevinter mage clears his throat in order to get the other's attention, setting aside his bag of groceries, a very small affair, on a nearby countertop.]

It is rather remarkable, isn't it?

[verflair]

[ Yes, and yes. X’rhun’s hat sits on the countertop where he left it only moments ago, leaving his ears free to swivel in Dorian’s direction as he enters.

Ah, it appears he’s not so alone as he thought. He turns fully to greet the source of the voice with an amused smile, shutting the refrigerator door as he does. ]

It truly is. I have to wonder if I will ever stop being amazed by the technology here.

[ Probably not, he reckons. He hasn’t stopped yet. ]

I take it you live on this floor as well?

[tevinteraltus]

I'm certain we both shall begin to take it for granted, as is the way of things to which one becomes accustomed.

[But it's spoken in a tone that suggests teasing, a flippancy that may well simply be a joke.]

And I do. I happen to enjoy what the refrigerator does to grapes. [He motions toward the box X'rhun just closed, as though to also explain what the contraption is called.] The stove and oven also heat without flame. It uses electricity, the force behind lightning.

[He moves a hand to his chest.] Dorian Pavus, most recently of Thedas. Normally I'd be more specific, but world origin seems to suffice for most here. [And he gives X'rhun a small bow of greeting.] A pleasure.

[verflair]

[ His lips part in a silent “ah” once Dorian gives a name to the device behind him. A clever name, all things considered, and sounds rather like something that would come from of a certain corps of engineers from his homeland. ]

My stay here may very well spoil me, it’s true.

[ He’s not so biased against technology, a force which brought his home country to its knees, to not be appreciative of the conveniences it brings. This harnessing of lightning seems to be somewhat similar to harnessing refined aether, but it’s something he will need to educate himself on further.

He echoes Dorian’s bow of greeting with one of his own. ]

X’rhun Tia, most recently of Eorzea, which probably sounds as unfamiliar to you as Thedas does to me.

[tevinteraltus]

It's a pleasure, X'rhun, and you'll have to tell me about this Eorzea at some point.

[He glances to his retrieved groceries, then back to the exceptionally feline man before him.]

Would you care for a grape? Unless, of course, you have more pressing matters. I wouldn't mind a swapping of tales. I realize grapes leave a lot to be desired, but I wasn't prepared to welcome new roommates into our mutual domicile. I'll come armed with more robust fare, next time.

[And you can start with what you are, but that seems rude to say, so Dorian skips that particular line.]

a

[maskerading]

[ Let's just say Yuuto was at the tail end of a shower while X'rhun was peeking around. That's why it isn't until he starts marveling over the fridge that Yuuto emerges from one of the large bedrooms, hair still damp and dressed in a fresh set of his usual attire—the classic t-shirt, overshirt, and jeans combo. It's beginning to become par of the course to open a door only to find a face he doesn't recognize on floor ten, so he barely reacts, aside from pausing near one of the counters.

And a very subtle widening of his eyes.

He has a tail...

Yuuto doesn't do much to announce his presence, but he does venture into the silence: ]

Yeah. It's pretty cool.

[ It's terrible how he says this with a straight face. ]

[verflair]

[ Too bad that slang goes right over X’rhun’s head and fine feathered hat both. ]

I noticed.

[ Still, there’s a note of good humor in his voice, even if he doesn’t realize that he’s responding to a pun. ]

You must be another of my roommates, yes? X’rhun Tia, I’ve newly arrived.

[maskerading]

I am. I'm Yuuto Kurohane—it's nice to meet you.

[ He makes a slight incline of his head, a polite action in lieu of a handshake. ]

I've been here for a while, so if you need anything, you can let me know.

[verflair]

[ X’rhun isn’t one to presume that everyone here greets everyone with a handshake, so he echoes the boy’s gesture, nodding by way of greeting. ]

Nice to meet you as well— and believe you me, I have no shortage of questions. To start, however, what do you call this contraption?

[ He motions at the fridge, taking his hand away from the door to let it fall shut. We’re starting with the basics apparently. ]

A

[infact]

[ Arisu had return from her grocery shopping, toting a bag with a tray of strawberries into the kitchen. Granted, her case worker could have done the shopping and meal preparation for her, but the girl vehemently refused. Somewhere, her case worker is waiting outside in case Arisu needed to call for help.

As she goes to store the fruit in the fridge, she spots who she assumes is one of her roommates. Is that a tail? It's so realistic.

Her roommates came and went at different times, so she was unable to exchange pleasantries to every one of them. Now would be a good time to greet him.

Except instead of piping up a "hello", she quietly stands behind him. She'll politely wait for him to finish marveling at the fridge. ]

[verflair]

[ It’s a good thing she doesn’t need to announce her presence for X’rhun to realize she’s there. He heard her footfalls, quiet as they were, and turns to peer at her over a shoulder. It quickly occurs to him that other people may have need of this contraption, and he should really stop gawking. He steps away from the fridge, motioning her forward with a gloved hand. ]

Ah, I’m sorry. Go right ahead.

[infact]

...Thank you.

[ If he'd kept gawking at the fridge, she'd just be occupied with staring at his tail. But when he steps aside, she gives him a slight dip of her head to show her gratitude.

It doesn't take her long to tuck away the strawberry tray, then shut the fridge door. She's curious about her roommate, but it's only polite to introduce yourself first. That's what a mature adult would do. Though Arisu's not quite an adult yet, far from it, she tries to act like one. ]

I take that you must be one of my roommates. [ She turns to face him properly, giving another small head bow. ] My name is Arisu Tachibana. Pleased to meet you.

[verflair]

The pleasure is mine, Miss Tachibana.

[ He offers her a truncated bow, bending slightly at the waist. There’s a part of him that wonders if her parents are here, but given what he’s been told about the random nature of the portal, it doesn’t seem likely. If here parents are here, he’s sure he’ll meet them eventually. If not, well, he’ll just keep an eye on her. ]

My name is X’rhun Tia, and I’ve just arrived here. This is, apparently, where I am to live now.

A

[bunnyhopped]

[ And here comes Hana, heading over to the kitchen to grab a soda to drink in between matches in whatever game she's been playing. It felt a lot like Starcraft, except all the names were different. It was weird. She's expecting some of the people she knows when she walks in the kitchen, like Yuuto or someone, but instead she sees some guy in a... get-up. She's still got to get used to people around here coming from all over the place. She stops at the entry to the kitchen and watches, groggily, as he opens the fridge and is subsequently amazed by it. ]

What, you mean the refrigerator?

[verflair]

[ Ah, he thought he heard strange sounds from another part of the… floor— he hesitates to call it a “house” because it’s certainly not— and he had every intention of investigating before he became distracted by the kitchen.

He turns to face the girl when she addresses him, stepping aside so she can use the contraption if she needs to. ]

Is that what you call this device? I admit, it’s a far cry from how we store food back home.

[bunnyhopped]

[ Hana is from the 2070's and easily takes for granted the technological advances of the last hundred or so years that have led to modern comforts. At his prompting, she steps in and pulls the door open so she can grab a can of soda from inside, pulling on the tab. She lets that fizzing sound go off before she answers. ]

Yeah, it's "fridge" for short. [ She's pretty sure that's it, at least. ] And this is "soda." Want one?

[verflair]

Refrigerator. [ A bit slowly as if testing the word out ] Fridge.

I see, thank you.

[ He eyes the aluminum can in her hand critically. He's not so sure what to make of the noise it made when she opened it ] I may as well try it, if you've one to spare.

C | PERIMETER FENCE

[thegreatninja]

[Yuffie is doing her usual thing which means jumping from branch to branch just outside the wall. When there isn't a branch in her reach she jumps and runs or grabs onto the wall before continuing forward. She sees the figure in front of her but doesn't give him much attention until she notices his ears. She turns midair, rather athletically, and about-faces in order to check out the cat man.

After a half second something comes to mind.]

Oh! You're living on floor 10 aren't you?

[She doesn't live on that floor anymore but she's there about as often as she's on her own floor, mostly thanks to Vincent and Yuuto. Yuffie doesn't think that are that many cat people here.]

Hey, so, what are you exactly? And if I bring catnip to the floor will that bother you? [This is a very serious question.]

[verflair]

[ X’rhun had only lifted his hat from his head for a moment to wipe his brow, but that brief exposure of his ears was apparently long enough to garner a slew of questions from the only other living soul around. His ears press back, lying flat against his skull as he places his hat back on his head. Not that he deliberately tries to hide them, it’s just a function of his wardrobe. ]

Let’s see now, in order— yes, a miqo’te, and I have no idea.

[thegreatninja]

[Yuffie jumps and takes a seat on a branch near his, her feet dancing off the edge as she looks down at him curiously.]

Neat~ I know a lot of people there cuz I used to crash there. Still do from time to time. [On Yuuto's bed.] Nice order by the way.

What is a miqo'te? Or is it just someone with cat ears and a tail? You'd like RedXVIII, except that he was a talking tiger.

[verflair]

I suppose on the very basic level, you’re correct. Miqo’te do differ from hyur in some other ways, but nothing that matters in this context.

[ Hyur being the name for the humans in his own world, though if she doesn’t know what a miqo’te is, “hyur” might be foreign to her as well. ]

I can’t say I’ve ever met a talking tiger, though.

B

[mysophobic]

[ Shigeru will also be wandering around town. Without knowledge of his phobia, thanks to the amnesia, he's actually been walking around quite a bit. He might give pause then when he's asked that question by a being that was apparently a cat?! It's a first for him to encounter someone like X'chun but he smiles and shakes his head. ]

Oh! You mean the one on the television? I think it's called...soccer? It's an interesting game from a planet called Earth! You have to kick the ball and you can't use any other part of your body either. It looks pretty fun doesn't it?

[verflair]

[ It takes X’rhun longer than he would like to admit to realize that when this man flashes the screen of his device at him that he means to communicate. He assumes that he would talk if he were able, and he obviously heard X’rhun’s question, so while it might be a little awkward, a conversation is a conversation. ]

Soccer?

[ The pronunciation isn’t quite there, but it’s close. ]

I would guess the aim would be to kick the ball into the opposing team’s net, then. That seems to be the aim so far, but it still looks like colorful chaos to me.

Thank you. You’ve not only given me a name for the game but for the device I’m watching it on as well.

[mysophobic]

[ Shigeru smiles, nods, and gives him a thumbs up in response. ]

It's a very strange game, isn't it? In my world we don't have anything like that either. But it does come close to some other sports on my planet.

You're not from Earth then? Where are you from?

[verflair]

The star I’m from is called Hydaelyn. So far, I haven’t met anyone else who hails from there.

[ He casts a glance at the television in the store window. Someone must have scored a point, because there was an awful lot of celebrating going on. ]

There must be quite a few people here from Earth if they’ve taken to showing their sporting events in the Quarantine.