Displaced Dead Person Alert!

[puzzle_king]

Who: Atem, PRESUMABLY ZELDA? anyone
Where: Plaza!
When: Evening
Style: Anything goes~
Status: Open!


Atem couldn't remember the last time he'd been soaked from head to toe. He could remember the last time Yuugi was--diving over the side of the ship sailing for Duelist Kingdom to get Jounouchi, but not himself. Tan hands wrung the water out of his cloak, but his clothing would have to wait for now. He did his best, though. This was really, really unpleasant. If he'd still been with Yuugi, he mused with a small smirk, he'd have retreated by now. Sorry, partner. He sighed, smirk slipping into a smaller, fond smile. Partner... He wondered how the Japanese boy was doing, not being able to do much more than wish to see him since he'd passed through the door into the Afterlife. He didn't regret his decision, but at the same time it would be a lie to say he didn't dearly miss Yuugi.

Pulling himself together again, Atem lifted his chin as he strode through his new whereabouts. There were people wandering through, a series of fountains, a... glowing... thing. Coral, his mind supplied from a memory of one of Yuugi's homework assignments. But did coral glow? He frowned, approaching it warily.

"Have I been pulled into another world? Just when I'd gotten settled, too." Well, it was that or a Game, but he somehow doubted that. All in all annoying, but he found some sort of amusement in it. "Mana's going to be disappointed." His magician's apprentice was so excitable, and he was sure she'd spread the news like wildfire. It was going to be his sealing within the Puzzle all over again. "Just without my partner."

It was okay, though. He'd like to see Yuugi again, like to be able to talk to him, tell him about the Afterlife and everything--everything, but Yuugi had his own life to live. He didn't need to be caught up in Atem's continual temporal misplacement. At least he had all his memories this time around; it would be a pain in the ass to try to find them wherever he was now. It almost looked like the monster world, or maybe this was Atlantis? It looked pretty much like it was underwater, and very blue.

What would Yuugi think of this place? He probably wouldn't find out. The thought made his heart sink a little, but he hadn't expected Yuugi to be here, anyway. No sense in it. Better start exploring, then.

After speaking with a few people, getting a... communicator of some kind and a towel, and having a vaguely better grasp on his current placement, Atem was left standing beside one of the fountains with more questions than he'd started with. He rubbed vigorously at his hair, towel catching on his crown from time to time, and just tried to make some kind of sense. This had to be like the Shadow RPG that the Thief King--or was it Zorc?--ran when he was going through the Memory World. But... strangely, he wasn't too sure...

Comments

Hey baby.

[zelda_hylia]

[Never let it be said that Zelda doesn't take her assigned duties seriously, even in another world. When there are new arrivals, the princess is present in the plaza most days, always with a pot of tea ready in the Welcome Center and a towel in hand. She approaches Atem with a smile.]

I take it you arrived just today, then? Has someone explained things to you yet, sir?

[He looks fairly calm, so maybe someone already has...]

How *you* doin'?

[puzzle_king]

[Atem regards the approaching woman curiously, posture straightening for the most part but still just a little informal in weight placement. He takes the towel away from his head to shrug a shoulder.]

Yes, and mostly yes.

[So many questions... And he's quiet for a second. She could be a card, with the way she looks.]

You seem different from the people I talked to before.

[zelda_hylia]

I am a foreigner here, the same as you. I'm part of a small group that helps people get settled when they're pulled in to Vatheon. We've all faced the same thing ourselves, after all.

[Since he isn't demanding an explanation right away or looking lost, Zelda takes the chance to introduce herself properly for once, holding her hand out to him.]

My name is Zelda.

[puzzle_king]

["Pulled into"? Atem turns that phrase over in his head a few times; so it could be a Shadow Game of sorts. But there isn't anything particularly... dark about this place. Just very blue.

He takes her hand as it's offered, almost without thought.]

Atem.

[The short name works better. Not many people quite grasp Egyptian naming schemes.]

Secret goal: have Zelda undress 50% of Vatheon's population by this time next year.

[zelda_hylia]

A pleasure to meet you, Atem. Would you like to get cleaned up a bit? We have facilities in the Welcome Center over there. I know the salt can get terribly stiff. I can handle your clothing while you do, if you like.

[She finds laundry to be strangely cathartic, especially when someone's just arrived. Watching all that salt go down the drain gives her a satisfied feeling.]

Oh well damn. She's got two of mine, then!

[puzzle_king]

[He considers the option, not entirely sure how he feels about it since he doesn't have any makeup of his usual amenities with him. He'd like to get rid of the salt, though... So he concedes.]

Sounds like a good idea.

[He makes a bit of a face as he reaches up to pluck his crown from its place; it's more like a circlet, but far too wide and it loops around his ears and somehow through his hair to keep it steady. It's a pain in the ass to put on, let him tell you. He just wants it off, for now, and so he can examine the damage it's taken.]

Get undressed, boys!

[zelda_hylia]

Right this way, then. Does your world have showers?

[The amount of people she's had to show how to use the shower is staggering. Zelda heads towards the Welcome Center, walking slowly in case Atem is hiding an injury. You never know!]

Many don't. My world did not, we only had baths.

Pushy Zelda~

[puzzle_king]

[Let's answer the easy way.]

Yeah.

[Because there's no other way to answer "the past when I lived didn't, but the future I woke up in did, and the Afterlife doesn't really have them" other than sounding completely crazy. Probably. But he walks easily behind her, comfortable and just kind of looking around.

How do you ask about a setting without sounding meta? If this really is a Shadow Game of some kind, he doesn't want to trigger the NPCs... But she might be another PC trapped in it, too.]

I wonder if Atlantis was like this place...

[He's unaware that he's mumbling to himself, so used to doing it around Yuugi that it's absolutely habit, now.]

[zelda_hylia]

Atlantis? I've read of that in the library here. They have books gathered from many different worlds. Does that mean you are from Earth, Atem?

[He's not dressed like the Earthlings she's met before, but he may just be from a different area. She opens the door to the Welcome Center. The smell of chamomile tea wafts out. Ever since Zelda really took over the place, there's always some brewing when new arrivals come through. The princess heads over to the bathroom.]

You can get cleaned up in here. Just leave your clothes outside the door and I'll handle them.

[puzzle_king]

[Different worlds? Well, maybe it's a crossover game? Or maybe something like planeswalking is involved...]

Yeah, I am.

[And no, he wouldn't be; he'd been pulled from the Egyptian Afterlife. While in Yuugi's body, he'd appeared as his vessel; where he belonged and with all of his memories in tact, he appeared as he had before being trapped--dressed in the regalia of the pharaoh.

The scent of chamomile is nostalgic, though he wonders as to its purpose for a second before an adopted memory reminds him how people use it in more modern times.

He looks around once they stop, nodding to Zelda and smirking--not unpleasantly, though.]

Thanks.

[zelda_hylia]

Think nothing of it. I'll have some tea prepared properly by the time you're finished. How do you take it?

[Zelda opens the bathroom door and steps to the side to allow him entrance. Her eyes flick to his hair - how curious. Why was it two different colors? Did he dye it?]

[puzzle_king]

As-is.

[Fiddling again with the winged crown, he flashes a grin as his next thanks; nice lady, really. And if she'd asked about his hair, he'd make a comment on how some things just transcend all logic--and sometimes time, space, and genetics. Will of the gods sort of thing, he's pretty sure. Gods have weird tastes in hairstyles, though; Atem included. Hm. Welp, disappearing, now. Showerrr...]

[zelda_hylia]

[She waits for his clothing to be deposited where she can get at it, then takes it over to wash out the salt. As usual, drying is accomplished with a quick spell. When Atem emerges from the bathroom, he'd find his clothing folded neatly on the floor and Zelda at the small table in the corner with a pot of tea. She's positioned the table so that she can't see into the bathroom, wanting to avoid seeing people naked if she can help it.]

[puzzle_king]

[Atem reclaims his clothes with a small sound, redressing easily enough (though he's gotten used to other people fussing over him, again). In a place like this, though, he figures he should probably go and acquire different clothes, things more suitable to this environment. Or maybe that's just his itch to change his style back to how it was when he was with Yuugi. Either way, he walks out, dressed, to find Zelda at the table.]

What can you tell me about this place?

[His tone edges towards formal, but it's overall too loose and almost but not quite drawling as he asks, and he deposits himself at the table, resting his cheek against his fist.]

[zelda_hylia]

[Since he seems to have relaxed somewhat, Zelda gently pushes a cup of tea towards him and forgoes tiptoeing around an explanation.]

Vatheon is a place that pulls people from different worlds and times. While you are here, no time will pass on your homeworld, so don't worry overly much about that. The city takes care of necessities for us for the most part, we are housed and fed for free. Or, well... we don't have to pay with money, at least.

[She slips one of the brochures towards him. It's not that Zelda minds explaining things verbally to people, it's more that people become overwhelmed easily and it tends to work out better if they can read the information as many times as they need to before asking her for clarification.]

Please take a look at this. If you have any further questions, I am happy to answer.

[puzzle_king]

[Atem takes the cup but doesn't yet drink from it. His attention is purely on Zelda, and it's a very focused thing, as if slowly pinning her down while she speaks. Really, he's just trying to discern truth from as much as possible; if this is a shadow game, it's important. If it's not, then... well...

An arched brow lifts with her explanation, though he claims the brochure to peruse. As he goes over the information at hand, comparing it against what she's shared, Atem hums lowly. The multiple worlds thing isn't too new; between a world occupied by monsters and an Afterlife, and worlds created by shadow magic... Yeah, he's not too unfamiliar with the concept.]

The locals don't sound too helpful.

[zelda_hylia]

Helpful is definitely not how I would refer to them. They are determined to withhold information from us, so we'll have to conduct our own investigations.

[Zelda looks mildly irritated at all of this. It's not as if most of the city seems to want to make a collaborative effort, and it really grates on her. Honestly! If they won't help her, she'll do it all herself.]