[ LOCKED TO SUTOKU ALLIANCE ] video; un: rider

[kaientai]

[ it takes ryouma a little bit to get around to this, but eventually(!!) he appears, filming a video from what appears to be... outside a fancy-looking starbucks? well, they're everywhere, after all! even in hell! maybe they're also paying him for the product placement? in any case, it's a nice day, and he's outside with his iced coffee and with sunglasses on you can't tell how tired he might be! coffee and a cigarette is the meal of champions when you have a lot of stress in your life. ]

Hello, everyone! I thought it'd be a good time to welcome in all our newest Alliance Lost Souls!

[ yes, he's waving! ]

I'm Sakamoto Ryouma — but just Ryouma is fine! — and a lot of people around here know I'm a Lieutenant and a main point of contact for any business with the Alliance. If you need anything, you can always come to me, and I'll at least try and help you find what you're looking for.

That being said, you've got plenty of good people around here you can look to also! The rest of you aren't off the hook~!

My newest co-Lieutenant is Matoba Seiji. [ so feel free to bother him now too, haha! ] Emily Dyer will be acting as my second, and if you don't already know where the clinic is, you should familiarise yourself and help out a little!

You can also find your other seniors — Kim Kitsuragi, Yuri Leclerc, Xingqiu, Artemy Burakh, Cloud Strife, and Ydris — if you need anything!

[ enjoy the new responsibility?? this is also live video and not text, so there is a strong possibility that ryouma has butchered several of these names in his accent. the good news is that he also holds up a list of the names written out because he knows himself.

now that that's out of the way, he can move along to some useful information before he wraps this thing up. his coffee's melting, and he's sitting when he probably has three other places he could be... ]

You represent the Sutoku Alliance now, so keep that in mind! We don't really have much of a dress code or anything, but you should still get one of these pins, so people know what crew you're with.

[ he taps the pin on his jacket with the kanji for sutoku. aren't you relieved that the naval uniform isn't standard-issue attire? now everyone knows why he's rated four stars for COOLER HAT on EMBER. ]

We have 'em at Konoha and at plenty of other places, too, so just ask!

We're gonna have a get-together officially soon enough, but this is a good opportunity to get to know each other ahead of time! My advice to all of you is to learn as much as possible about this place and the people who live here, your fellow Lost Souls in the other factions included! Find something that interests you and dig right in! Always be paying attention because it's all in what you know.

[ so go be nosy and get the good gossip!! ]

I'm excited to say there will be a lotta interesting things going on around here soon enough, so I'll be counting on you all to do your best! You have a week to settle in and get comfortable before we'll be putting you to work, so don't hesitate to reach out if you need something in the meantime, got it?

I think that should do it for now. Have fun!

[ ooc: this is an open post for sutoku so FEEL FREE TO THREADJACK TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT! ]

Comments

[exiguous]

[ There are so many words Mona doesn't understand here, so she takes some time to parse everything. Sometimes being from another world is suffering....but it's fine. In the end, it's good to know what her fellow Sutoku members like and dislike. For nebulous reasons. ]

You're a champion of these video games, then? Is that what you were mentoring people in?

[ Whatever he's talking about sounds very impressive, so it'd be good to get more insight! Especially if these games are part of Sutoku's realm of expertise. ]

Hm. The only games I've seen thus far are the "claw machines", though I'm not sure if those are really what you're looking for.

[fibrillate]

[they just laugh. oh, if they could only have gotten away with being a coach.]

No, no, I don't think I would've been a good mentor for these kinds of games.
The normal mentoring I did was helping new meta-humans get a handle on their new abilities. And the occasional bit of administrative work training, but mostly the abilities part.
I don't know if I would've made a proper teacher, but sometimes when people have dangerous mutations, they need to know that someone's in their corner.
And that's where I came in. :)

[exiguous]

[ Oh, that's interesting. They seem quite accomplished, which is good, though she's quite curious about these abilities and mutations. Something to ask them about, perhaps... ]

What an interesting line of work! I have respect for it, and in the future, I would be interested in learning about these kinds of abilities and mutations, if you'd be amenable to sharing any details. I may be an astrologist, but I do enjoy learning about other topics when I am not caught up in my line of work. And with so many people from other worlds here, I think we can all learn a lot from one another.

[fibrillate]

I agree! I think this is a fantastic way for all of us to come together and learn more about each other.
For example, well... I haven't seen the real night sky in a while. Just replicas of what it used to look like, projected on the dome of the city I live in.
I think it's all meant to be a projection based on data and star charts, but I see it so infrequently that I never bothered thinking much about all of it.
What sort of things drew you to study the stars like this, if I can ask?

[exiguous]

[ Funny they'd say that, actually – ]

That's not too far off from things I've been taught from home, though I can't claim I know much about this: The existence of a "false sky" exists in my world, but I'm not entirely sure what it entails.

What you've explained is incredible, though: A projection based on data and star charts. I don't know if such a thing could exist on Teyvat.

[ But who knows? Teyvat is such a mysterious place. ]

I studied to become an astrologist from a young age, under my master. Simply put, I am interested in seeking out the truths of my world; things that are obscured from the average person can be unveiled by reading the stars.

Why haven't you seen your sky in a while, Levi?

[fibrillate]

[ah, that seems... very interesting, actually. similar vibes, dare they think, to ursula, who also has a pursuit for knowledge—though the idea of divining it from the stars is new and interesting all its own.]

Well, I'm afraid that's not a very fun story... let me just simplify it and say that the night sky is too covered by smoke, smog, and other pollution to be seen naturally.
That's why the city I live in is covered in a dome. If we don't have a breathable atmosphere at home, store-bought is fine, you know?

[that may be a bit of a dark joke, but it helps them cope.]

Can I ask what kinds of secrets you're looking to unveil at home? On Teyvat?
Or is that a little too personal for a first meeting? :)

[exiguous]

I see. That is...rather unfortunate. I can't say I've heard of such a thing happening on Teyvat, but I do hope that you'll be able to appreciate its beauty here.

[ She can't fathom being in that sort of situation. The more she hears about their home, the more curious she gets about what drove it to that point... But first: ]

Luckily for you, I wouldn't say it's too personal. Teyvat is a strange world that has many layers – that is the easiest way I can put it. I feel as though I have only scratched the surface of everything.

Perhaps it's a bit too late to try and dig deeper now, but that only means I must get to work here and try to see what I can discern about the place we're in now. I'm grateful to have been placed in the Sutoku Alliance for this reason –information gathering is something I'm fond of.

[fibrillate]

Yes, I'm definitely seeing the advantages to being interested in gathering information!
I truly hope that Hell has more than enough to keep you solving mysteries for a while.
And when you eventually fulfill your contract, I hope it helps you solve some of Teyvat's, too. :)

[and because mona has been so accommodating, they decide to offer freely,]

With the way that corporations and the super-rich ran unfettered over New Gate City -- no, over the entire world, really -- we got used to calling it Hell on Earth.
I think it's a little funny that the actual Hell is, so far, much better than we expected. It really makes you want to give demons and devils some credit.

[exiguous]

Thank you, Levi. I look forward to returning home to do just that.

But of course the rich would indulge in such selfish matters... I will never truly understand what they gain from spending their money so frivolously, to the detriment of many others. It's telling that actual Hell is better than your world, though saying I'm glad to hear it also doesn't feel appropriate. That being said, I hope your stay here will at least be a little more enjoyable. Plenty of people to meet, and new places to discover.

[fibrillate]

Yes! It's already giving me the chance to meet so many people I never would've had the chance to meet otherwise.
Witches and musicians and seamstresses... it really does take all kinds here, doesn't it?
I'm looking forward to seeing what, if anything, awaits outside our city.
But if it's as inhospitable as the areas outside of New Gate City, well, I can definitely find ways to amuse myself within the walls.

[exiguous]

Wouldn't that be amusing, if something was waiting for us outside of the city? Something greater, perhaps? It is a little odd that we've been contained here, but it's as you said: We will amuse ourselves either way.

And you are right. There's quite an array of people here from different worlds and backgrounds, even within the Sutoku Alliance. I'm sure we can combine our expertise here to strengthen our faction's influence. It would be nice to live a little more...comfortably, if possible.

[fibrillate]

Yes, definitely. I'm... fortunate enough isn't exactly the right word, but. I'm not a stranger to our existing ways of living.
Still, I've worked with the NSO long enough to at least have a modestly comfortable living space. I can adjust back to the way things used to be, but...
Well, we're certainly on the same page here, let's say that.

I'm sure that by doing the sorts of things that advance us in the ranks like Cloud and Ydris have, we'll find some way to make it all work out. The hard part will be figuring out what actually qualifies as working for our faction, but I've never backed down from a challenge yet.

[exiguous]

I won't pry any further, but I'll take your word for it. Your living conditions back at home sound a little hostile, after all.

I think we can work together on figuring out what we can do, here. Ryouma mentioned that listening for any important gossip is a pretty integral part of our job, but I'm sure we can grab some specific assignments from him or others in the upper ranks.

[ Possibly, anyway. ]

Or...a more ambitious approach would be to approach our leader, if they'd allow it. What do you think?

[fibrillate]

I like that plan. I trust the Daitengu considerably more than I trust, say, the Enma to be forthcoming with what needs to be done.
I also never think it's a bad idea to go straight to the source when something isn't clear. In most cases, they've ended up in a position of authority because they're good at what they do, right?
And someone who manages the comings and goings of such a broad alliance must have a good head on their shoulders.

Or, at least, I would certainly hope so.

[exiguous]

I'm glad we see eye to eye, then. I'd normally have other things to do than work for a faction like this, but it can't be helped, in this case. We may as well do what we can given our circumstances.

We'll plan our next move, then. I look forward to working with you.