[OPEN INTRO] Lost and confused

[dragon_ken]

The last thing Ken Amada remembered was going to his dorm room after a normal day of school. There had been nothing unusual at all that day, nothing strange going on. Just a strikingly normal school day, almost boring in its ordinary nature.

But now, there was nothing ordinary at all with the sight before him: a room all in blue, a man with a long nose, several doors, music, and the lack of any clue about how he had ended up here.

"Welcome," said the strange man, "to the Velvet Room. I am Igor, the master of this place. It is always a pleasure for me to meet a new guest."

The Velvet Room? What was that? Why was he there?

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter," pursued Igor. "If you have any concerns about the world from which you have come, you can rest assured that you are not truly absent while you stay here. Still, you should use your time wisely, and form bonds with the others you find in a similar situation to yourself, as you never know where they might lead you! So please, feel free to explore."

Ken took a deep breath. "So this is... another world?"

"Correct."

"And I'm... just living here now? Until I'm sent back home?"

"That is also correct," answered Igor, his smile unflinching.

"...Aren't you going to explain anything else?"

"It is up to the guest to find their own answers," continued Igor, his smile being almost creepy with how static it was. "But I believe one of our residents has compiled information that many have found useful," he added while gesturing to the conspiracy board.

Ken approached it and diligently read it. It was all... dizzying.

And then it really hit him, all at once. He was far from home, in this strange land where worlds collide, populated with vampires, demons, worlds inside TVs, strange things called "Personas", and more. He was there, and he had nothing, he had no one, he didn't even have any idea of what was going on or any skill of value. He was there, and he was nothing.

Ken felt himself starting to shake. He felt the tears starting to form themselves. He felt the panic rapidly settling inside.

Come on, hold yourself together, don't be a little kid about this...

He had to hold on. He had to be strong, for...

For what, really? The only reason he kept going was to bring justice to his mother's death. But this place, vast, unknown, and full of magic, made him understand how insignificant he really was. What was he thinking, really? That an ordinary kid like him could track down and confront someone who had a terrifying monster under their command?

Maybe that was why he was brought here. To bring him to his important realization. He was insignificant. He didn't matter. He should stop holding onto delusions of being able to change things.

He fell on his knees. If he didn't have his revenge, what was the point then?? What was he living for...?

Other people may:

A. Find him in front of the conspiracy board, on his knees, shaking, softly crying, his gaze empty.

B. Find him several hours later, after he calmed down, praying at the shrine.

Regardless of how they find him, for those of them who know other Ken Amadas, this one seems to be the youngest of them, around 10 years old.

Comments

B)

[dragonprincegoro]

There was a scent of something familiar, and Goro wasn't sure he liked it quite yet. This was his area after all and he wasn't too kind to someone taking it from him.

His tail swished as he peered at the small child praying at the shrine. A low growling from his chest. He was trying to make himself bigger than he was.

Kid or not dragons started marking territory early and it was important to teach them. He didn't plan on being too mean, just a little harsh so it would stick.

"Mind answering what you are doing here, Lil one?"

[dragon_ken]

Ken was abruptly taken out of his meditation by a sudden growl. He quickly turned around, and saw...

Well, he was aware of the many strange and supernatural occurences in this place, but to actually see such a being was a wildly different experience. The newcomer looked somewhat human, but his hands, his horns, his tail...

And more worryingly, he didn't seem happy.

Ken instinctively took a step back and started shaking, although he tried to keep it under control. He visibly looked intidimated.

"D-did I do something wrong?"

(Weirdly enough, he was also feeling something, as if the newcomer should be familiar somehow... but that was silly. They just met after all, right?)

[dragonprincegoro]

okay, that was strange, normally, the kids have some sense of pride at this point. This one was, scared of him? He didn't think he did too much to scare him. There were certainly much more he could to scare, that he would have with older kids.

He sighed and ran his hand across his face, standing down. "Don't you have any senses?" he said under his breath. He shook his head thinking about how exactly how to word this. "how old are you?"

[dragon_ken]

"Wh-What do you mean? I just came to this shrine, the same as back home, I didn't mean anything by it... is there something wrong? Is there something special with this one? If so, I'm sorry, I-"

But then the newcomer asked for his age.

"Erm, I'm 10." He gulped.

[dragonprincegoro]

He glanced at the shrine, it was safely in his territory, which meant the kid should have... detected that. As he thought his tail tapped the ground. "The shrine is just that, a shrine." he huffed, "I don't care about it particularly."

Ten, that's not too old, but old enough to start learning some dynamics. He was just a child. Goro leaned forward and sniffed him, he didn't smell parental dragons on him, or at least that claimed him.

"How much do you know?" that's a good place to start.

[dragon_ken]

Ken was almost frozen, trying to not provoke the newcomer even more. He was just a normal kid, he knew he didn't stand a chance if he got all these supernatural entities mad at him. Were he not so afraid, he'd be intrigued by the way this persons seems to smell him, or fascinated by how his tail moves... but alas.

It was relieving to learn that coming to the shrine wasn't a big offense, but the next question was... confusing.

"...About what? If you mean this err, world, I just arrived, a few hours ago only. I don't know much more than what Igor told me and what I found on the board. I'm sorry if I'm ignoring some kind of important custom."

[dragonprincegoro]

He was dumbfounded. What the hell? This kid, this kid had no fucking idea. He looked at his tail like it was the strangest thing, the smell like it wasn't normal.

"We don't have customs for new people. At least not that I've been told." He sighed. Okay think, how was he going to tell this small fucking child. Who he'd probably need to teach a lot of things.

"Do you notice anything strange about yourself?"

[dragon_ken]

"Err... what do you mean by that? Should I?"

He was so confused.

[dragonprincegoro]

Oh this was going to be so much harder than it looks. "Yes, you should." He sighed. Fuck him.

"Is there anything at all that stands out to you?"

A

[cognicat]

This is when one of the doors opens, apparently by itself, and there's just a glimpse of a black cat coming in—before, with a poof, it transforms into a still small, cat-like figure. Which is staring right at Ken.

"Oh," it says, in a strange, slightly panicked voice. "You're crying? Okay, I'll just leave you to it—"

Morgana turns to the door with a bounce, only to feel the weight of Igor's gaze on him. Damn it. What would Joker do? He turns back to the kid.

[dragon_ken]

Ken hears a voice coming from somewhere. He doesn't really understand what it says, but he turns around to look at its source-

What. I mean, he knew there was supernatural stuff around, but there was... some kind of humanoid cat? Huh. He takes a few seconds to process this. At least the tears stop falling!

"H-Hello? Who are you?"

[cognicat]

"I'm Morgana," the cat-thing says, as if it explains everything. It comes forward. "You just got here, huh?"

[dragon_ken]

"Y-yeah," he says, smiling through the tears, trying to appear friendly despite everything. "Is it common? How many people are here?"

Right after, he remembered something, speaking a little too fast to fix his mistake: "Oh, by the way, I'm Ken Amada! Nice to meet you!"

[cognicat]

"I know who you are. There are a few of you here already," he says, coming a bit closer to size the kid up. Something is wrong, though; something about the smell of the boy is... wrong. Other. He stops well out of reach.

"It's not worth getting sad about. Think of it as a vacation." Listen, it's worth a try.

[dragon_ken]

"Really?" he exclaims before he can stop himself. There are others Ken Amadas? What are the odds? Is there actually anything special about him...?

Or maybe they're all making the same mistake, and they all need that wake-up call.

"It-it's okay," he answers to the person's next statement. "I don't think I mind being here that much. It's not like I'm leaving much behind..."

[cognicat]

What a sad little story in those few words. Despite the smell, he's come closer before he knows it. "Yeah, there are a lot of people here who could say something similar. It really isn't so bad. You can learn all kinds of things here, and even change your future, if you get the chance."

[dragon_ken]

He lets the cat-like being come closer. He even makes the effort to sit properly on the ground, instead of staying slumped on his knees.

"My future..."

What future?

B

[fogboundcrow]

Raven often wanders the various doors, if only to explore and avoid boredom gnawing at his mind. Iwatodai offers its fair share of interesting sights, and the shrine has its tranquil allure, far more spacious than the Tatsuhime Shrine in Inaba. The playground, admittedly, is also a nice touch, even if he wouldn't admit it with others around.

However, the sight of a new Ken draws him in. He's smaller, if only slightly, and that's enough to pique Raven's interests.

So he moves in, though he tries not to make too much noise. It'd be rude to interrupt, after all.

[dragon_ken]

Ken eventually notices that he has company.

"Oh, hello! Have you come to pray, too?"

[fogboundcrow]

"More to look around." Though Raven shrugs, he moves closer. "I don't believe I've seen you here before, though."

[dragon_ken]

"I have indeed only just arrived. I'm Ken Amada, although it seems like several people already know that, as I understand I'm not the first one?"

[fogboundcrow]

"No, there are a few others here, but I believe they're all fairly distinct." He'll wait to mention the more malicious of the lot, just for now. The last thing this kid needs is information overload. "Are you acclimating all right?"

[dragon_ken]

"It's not been easy, but I'm managing."

That's a lie, but the last thing he needs is to worry a complete stranger.

"By the way, who are you?"

[fogboundcrow]

"Goro Akechi, otherwise known as Raven." He brings a hand over his chest, grinning. "You could say I'm a fairly known figure in this community."

[dragon_ken]

"Raven-san... oh, you are the author of the board!"