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[prunedworlds]

WHO: Ritsuka + anyone
WHERE: just some random street corner
WHEN: 1st of July
WHAT: Ritsuka found herself whisked away to another world? Must be Tuesday...
WARNINGS: Probably none, this time

There's a new face in town! Or at least, there's a redheaded young woman who, while not appearing particularly bewildered or confused, most definitely is spending some time looking over the surrounding buildings and cityscape. As one does when trying to figure out where one is or how to get where one needs to go. In any case, it's definitely true no one here's seen her in town before!

Should you approach, though, she'll promptly swap from that evaluating stare to a friendly grin.

"Oh, hi there! Are you from around here?"

If you're especially observant, though, you might notice a set of red marks on the back of her right hand. But that's probably not important, right? Right.

Comments

[fionnuisce]

"Huh-?"

In all fairness, Ritsuka could be forgiven for not instantly recognizing an otherwise very familiar face. Even apart from simply wearing his hair in a high ponytail, the man she might have known under one or several names was in black and dark green as opposed to his usual red and gold. His left hand rested on the handle of a cane at his side, and his right...was also branded with three bright red symbols in a similar but markedly different shape.

"Not...exactly, no. You could say I've been here...almost a year, I think?"

[prunedworlds]

There's also the minor fact that she's alone with no Servants and no contact with Chaldea distracting her just a bit. But Ritsuka does definitely recognize that voice well enough to do a bit of a double-take, followed by a brief pause as she tries to guess whether whether this another version of the Servant recorded by Chaldea, a rogue Servant, or... someone else entirely.

Only a brief pause, though, because Ritsuka can never really resist blurting things out to someone she recognizes.

"--Lord El-Melloi II?"

[fionnuisce]

"...Uh. What?"

Which was not a denial so much as it was clearly genuine surpise, that branded right hand pushing his sunglasses to rest on top of his head. He glanced over Ritsuka as if trying to place how she knew him--definitely not one of his students, at least not so far as Waver was aware. Maybe in the future or in another worldline, given how absurd this realm was about that kind of thing.

"I mean--yes, but-"

Then he paused, eyes falling to her hand...and collected himseld in one hell of a hurry.

"...Have we met?

[prunedworlds]

Well that answers... a few things. Not all of them, but Ritsuka can at least make an educated guess. She's had enough encounters and heard enough explanations about worlds belonging to different timelines that she kind of gets the basic gist of it.

"Sort of. At least, I met a you from another world before."

It's technically a little more complicated but that's close enough.

[hoshikiri]

Ah, yes. The discombobulated darting eyes of the confused new person. The rain had quieted some so Takame was out and about getting a few things for a forced vacation. Seeing that someone is so clearly lost and dazed, Takame easily approached her and lifted a hand in greeting.

A hand that also had some marks on it. If that wasn't curious enough, the fact that a man with scales, horns and a tail was the one to answer her maybe could be. For anyone else.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. I've been here since last... October." One day he would recall the names of this realm's moons. For a moment, his eyes glance at the marks on the back of her hand and his tail halted from a natural sway but he didn't say anything more.

"Have you only recently arrived here?"

[prunedworlds]

This definitely isn't Ritsuka's first time finding herself whisked away under mysterious circumstances, so at least she's not too confused. Just, well, trying to figure out where (and when) the heck this place even is.

That said, the scaley appearance isn't the weirdest thing Ritsuka's seen by a long shot, for all she knows dragonfolk are a normal minority here or something, so that isn't even worth commenting on. The command spells are noteworthy... but, well, if he's not here to fight then she isn't either.

"Right. Can you tell me anything about what's going on here?"

[hoshikiri]

For as much as aggression laid beneath his calm surface, Takame was almost never the one to throw the first punch. He was another Master, but he wasn't going to fight anyone. He would ask about the Command Seals at some point, but for now the thought was shoved to the back of his mind.

She was new, so he would help. That's what good people did.

"Of course. Ah, where to begin..." He trailed off slightly. "Hm. If I may ask first, where do you recall being before finding yourself in this city?" Confirming if she's someone who just moved here or someone from another world would determine what information he gave.

[prunedworlds]

Ritsuka would love it if everything could be solved without fighting. Unfortunately, more often than not, circumstances have turned out otherwise. Not that it'll stop her from trying anyway.

"I was just in my room, back in Chaldea."

She doesn't expect the name to mean anything to him, but it's usually helpful to name a place people can assume is her homeland.

[youwouldntdownloada]

The change in expression might be swift, but it's still enough to make a girl jump and wonder if she was seeing things- Yasuho, for once casually on her way to the campus library, startles despite the friendly grin.

She seemed almost serious before, that wasn't just her right..? Right...??

....

(It was probably nothing. She's just tense, thanks to that whole announcement about shadow things and her last bowl of ramen coming with 'we need to get you to learn how to use a sword'. Gah!)

"Oh- uh, yeah. Are you a tourist? I could probably point some places out if you're not sure where to go..."

[prunedworlds]

There's a time to be all serious business and a time to make friends with the locals! And Ritsuka likes making friends when she can.

"Not quite... I think I ended up here by accident? But I can figure something out once I know what's going on."

Probably. She usually manages to muddle through somehow or another, at least.

[youwouldntdownloada]

As long as she is not faced with serious business, Yasuho can take it!

...Though, huh. She knew people were coming...through the gates, so to speak. It didn't exactly make a ton of sense but it was something she was at least grasping among the fact that her biggest worries were jumping from 'exam week' to 'avoiding faerie curses'.

(She nailed both, heck yeah.)

But. "Oh." Oh!

"Oh....that...seems to be happening a lot here." Hm! "...I'm not actually completely sure what to do to help- this company called 'Zodiac' has information on it all, but between the self-installing app and the...last thing that happened with them, I don't really trust them with much..."

She frowns, phone already in hand as she wonders just who to get or what to do. "I might know someone... ...oh- but first...what's your name? ...I'm Yasuho," she introduces, deciding to at least try for something basic in the meantime.

[prunedworlds]

Zodiac, huh? That certainly sounds like a lead to Ritsuka. She'll remember that to ask around about further. But for now, introductions are a good place to start, yes.

"I'm Ritsuka. It's nice to meet you!"

[onahairtrigger]

Now, Josuke can't claim to know everyone in Kaisou-- that's blatantly untrue, especially when he's only been here since the latter half of May. But a new face, combined with such an evaluating stare...

Well, maybe it's no small wonder he approached, just in case she needed help. (There's also a very interesting-looking duck waddling alongside him.)

He returns the friendly grin with one of his own. "Eh... well, I live here, but I only just moved here a month and a half ago. You new in town?"

[prunedworlds]

"Yeah I just got here."

And sure doesn't seem too terribly disturbed by that. Oh, she's worried by the fact that she can't contact Chaldea, but it's not like that's never happened before, either.

"Is there something going on around here?"

Of course, Ritsuka's under the assumption this is just another weird singularity that needs to be resolved...

[onahairtrigger]

He nods, thoughtful. "Well, welcome to Kaisou. If there's anything you need, I can probably either help you find it or find someone who does."

The question makes him tilt his head, though. "Depends on what you mean by 'going on.'" Just on the off-chance magic isn't involved here, he's not mentioning the seers just yet. Something's definitely on the horizon, but... well. If there's magic and other worlds involved here, he'll cross that bridge when he gets here.

[prunedworlds]

"I guess... anything weird lately?"

Look, no two singularities have ever been alike in their problems, she doesn't know how to narrow it down more than that.

[makura]

[ While poor Ritsuka's in the process of getting adjusted to her new surroundings... a calamity approaches. At, uh, steadily increasing velocity. ]

CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!

[ It's a bird! It's a plane! It's famed historical author Sei Shounagon launching herself to smash right into Ritsuka's fragile mage body in a full body tackle/hug/bear taming maneuver. ]

[prunedworlds]

"?!?!?!"

That, dear friends, is the sound of a very surprised Master attempting to choke out a reply while her lungs are being slowly crushed.

(She'll be fine. Hopefully.)

[makura]

[ Sei doesn't give her a proper response right away, too focused on crushing her in her powerful huggin' arms before she finally lets go – then just goes right ahead and seizes Ritsuka's shoulders anyway. Well then! ]

You're seriously here, right? Like, for real? This isn't some trippy spirit world hallucination or something dippy like that?

[throwmoreswords]

Sometimes you've been in town for a few months and you're just starting to think about settling in for a little while because hotel life is fine but your not-in-the-city assistants are starting to whine about how high the bill is getting, even though you make that amount of money just by breathing--

or maybe those are Gilgamesh problems, requiring Gilgamesh solutions, and right now, Gilgamesh's solution is to drink a ridiculously overpriced drink with artisanal boba pearls, whatever the fuck that means while he looks at his phone and lazily goes from one piece of real estate to the next, running through internal checklists of all the things he needs to do in the coming days

and then he just, you know. Runs into somebody. As you do. That brings Gil up from his phone, brow furrowed as if he's not the one at fault here. "Do you always stand in the midst of the walkway as if your purpose in life is to decorate the path?"

[prunedworlds]

One moment Ritsuka is trying to decide the best place to go first, the next moment some dude is walking right into her. It's not even that crowded a sidewalk! Not that she's about to complain or anything, that's just not how she rolls.

"Sorry, I--"

And then the voice registers at the same moment she looks up to see just who it is.

"King Gilgamesh!"

Except then she realizes that wait, he's not not decked out in his armor or those obscenely revealing robes of his, which probably means...

"Oh, or is it Gorgeous P?"

[throwmoreswords]

It is incredibly strange for someone to say that name to him, given that the fact that Gilgamesh has told? maybe two people? about his connection to Gilgamesh of legend, the strange golden man with his wicked heart and his single companion, and so Gilgamesh digs into his usual refuge--arrogant audacity, drawing up as he readies himself to dress down this overly familiar mongrel child--

Hahaha! For you to summon me like this, I see your luck has run out, mongrel!

He stands over her, tall and proud in the summoning chamber as the audacious little slip who would be his master smiles up at him, the static hum of energy and power crackling in his ears, in his very being as the girl presses a hand to her chest and greets him, soft and humble and shining like a beacon, resolved as a lighthouse that stands in a battering, raging storm, ever burning with its purpose, and he laughs again, hand out, the red cloth of his armor billowing even though there's no wind.

I ask you! Are you the insolent mage who seeks to bask in the glory of the king? Do you believe, mongrel, that you are worthy of kneeling before me as vassal with your plea that I may call you--

"Master?"

Physically, it was probably a sight to behold--a grown-ass man ramming into a teenager, snapping at her, and then going preternaturally still, eyes as wide as they were unfocused, the black drawn to thin slits in the flood of blood red as he stared at her, silent, and then sucked in a breath as if he'd just breached the surface of the water with his burning, empty lungs--

He dropped his expensive drink, sorry about any splash back, so that hand is going to his face for a moment as the memory rings between his ears, pulsing as Gil takes half a step back, Gilgamesh the King, Gilgamesh the Construct, and Gil the nearly forty year old human businessman who's just called a teenager 'master' in public all waging war for their turn driving the poorly dressed tank. He has the beginnings of a headache.

[lowestclass]

Also being new in town, Jinwoo has been trying to get around and see what there is in the city for himself. Given his curse, it always has to be when the sun isn't super bright, but thankfully, the start of july has already begun with being cloudy--so here he is, going out and about.

He's almost startled a little, though, when he finds himself staring at a peculiar woman with a tattoo on her hand. He does admittedly have a problem with staring, half because of the fact that normally, people don't notice him--he can go through rooms full of people without being percieved--and yet this red-headed girl immediately hones in on him like it was nothing at all.

To put it mildly, Jinwoo is spooked.
He's carrying an umbrella, despite there being no rain--and he's wearing a deep hood that hides most of his face. A long black robe with gloves--he looks so weird and obviously she SHOULD call him out... but...

How...

Did she...?

"I... do live here, yes. But I only recently moved here. I'm sorry, you are talking to me, yes...?"

[prunedworlds]

Ritsuka's used to seeing weird people. She's really not going to judge or make assumptions, especially when she doesn't have much information to work from. Not yet, at least.

That reaction, though, that is a little odd.

"Yeah, but you don't have to talk if you don't want to..."

At least, that's the first thing she can think of to explain that sort of response.

[lowestclass]

Ah. No, no--wait.

"That's not it at all. I apologise, samonim, that was rude of me. I just--you see, I have a very low presence, normally, and people don't often notice me when I walk by."

He sounds... weirdly happy? Yeah, that's definitely the vibe he's giving up. There's even a slight smile on his face.

"You don't know how refreshing it is for someone to greet me for once."