bravenewworld | Arrival in Gigas

Arrival in Gigas

The City of Gigas is unlike anything the people of Union have ever seen before. The city is immense, a sprawling metropolis that covers the land as far as the eye can see. Built up primarily around enormous centralized towers, unlike Union these towers are dark concrete buildings, covered in glass windows. The buildings seem to serve any number of functions, and have a startling variety in construction, style, and even size, creating a unique skyline that is breathtaking to behold. The city is connected with roads of asphalt, upon which whiz smoke-belching steel carriages at frightful speeds, the engines (and piercing, constant horns) creating an ever-present din that engulfs the city in loud, chaotic sound.

“Downtown,” as the Gigans know it, is a huge collection of stores, apartments, and businesses. Apparently, the larger homes are built in Calderan-style but tend to be further from the main commotion of the downtown areas, of which Gigas citizens assure Union citizens that there are several, each with their own district name and culture. The technology is quite advanced as well, full color televisions are standard in every home and built in devices so slim and with such sharp images that they seem decades ahead of Union’s own technology. Pokemon are still quite present in Gigas, many people riding flying types and the buildings having huge perches to accommodate them. As with the vehicles below, however, Gigas seems to regulate air traffic to individual lanes and the birds seem well-trained as they convey their trainers to and fro.

Humans are just that, here, Human. No unusual shapes and sizes like the Enlightened and Earthkin of the Union Alliance, and those displaying unusual traits receive odd looks. Like many civilizations to the east, Battling is a common sport though in this place it’s more like the combat arenas of old. Several stadiums dot the cityscape, the sounds of Pokemon Battles and cheering crowds echoing for blocks all around, and it’s a stadium where humans are not welcome. Unless, of course, they want to make a show and spar against a Pokemon, of course.

This is Gigas, the City of Reclamation. Union civilians have free rein to explore this grand city as councillors are invited into the massive capitol building to negotiate with the Gigan leaders. Gigas civilians, for their part, are polite, friendly even. While many of them are caught in the bustle of their daily lives they regard Union citizens with interest and curiosity, willing to talk about their city, extolling its virtues while complaining about the noise, the crowds, the lines, and the expense all the while. One thing is clear though, the people of Gigas are proud of their city and their accomplishments. This is their home, and they are eager to show it off to the world.

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OKAY SO TALK TO ME ABOUT GIGAN CURRENCY. How's it work and how much are we getting for our Union Dollas.

Also! For this trip, is there any organized lodgings arranged or is it up to the characters to get their hotels and such figured out.

Gigas also uses paper currency like Union, expect an exchange rate equivalent to that of USD to the British Pound Sterling. So, in other words, everything costs more and your money is worth half as much.

Visiting dignitaries will be put up in a nice hotel near the Capitol for their discussion. Everyone else will be able to find lodging in whatever hotels they can afford. The variety of hotels is that of a standard American city, so everything from the extremely upscale to the seedy Motel 6 advertising free wifi and a pool.

How long did the trip to Gigas take?

Not especially long, generally in the realm of a few days. We're intentionally loose on time and distance so players never feel like they can't tag something due to logistics.

The trip to Gigas was relatively uneventful, as far as Gwendolyn was concerned. While there was certainly undercurrents of concern and legitimate wariness within the group, the welcome at the doorstep to this strange city had been as warm as the local weather: extremely.

While hers was not a direct voice or vote in the Union Alliance council, Gwendolyn had been asked to sit in attendance as a representative of Citadel, a charge she did not take lightly. That means she may turn down offers to explore the city if she's required at one of the meetings, and anyone looking for her will most likely catch her at the hotel looking stiff and formal in her best armor -- one wanted to make an impression, after all. Her swablu and fletchling stay close, small enough to perch on her and stay in her room without requiring too much additional consideration; Gladr the Rapidash plays at being 'merely' a mount (albeit a very swift one), and she'd received ample reassurance that he'd be well taken care of while she stayed at the hotel assigned to the dignitaries.

She does take at least one day out and about, however, trying not to ask questions like 'how can anyone sleep with so much noise' and 'don't you miss having trees?', and admiring the flight paths set around the city.

In the few days it took to travel to Gigas, Sophia learned that not only was the desert extremely hot, being a grass type meant she spent most of the travel wilting in the heat. Elhaz the Ivysaur fairs better than she does, making ample use of Synthesis along the way, but to her credit she does her best to drink lots of water, and doesn't pass out with sunstroke! Ymir the Doublade frets the entire time, getting more and more antisocial and aggressive towards pretty much anyone who isn't Sophia the closer they get to Gigas.

That said, all plans of investigating the city and its history and its plethora of high-end technology have to wait while she takes a day to recover once they're in the city. The hotel isn't one of the best --prices here are certainly excessive compared to Union!-- but it's clean and cool, and there are plenty of magazines and pamphlets given by the front desk staff that provide recommendations on places to go and things to see. It's a good time to put heads together, to see where people are going and figure out what to do first.

Once she IS up and about, expect to see Sophia wandering around the city in a wide brimmed sun hat and a lilac sun dress, trying to avoid those whizzy machines, admiring the slick TVs and other technological wonders for sale in stores, and seeking out the best sources of information with her Porygon in tow: libraries and a museum!

And trying her level best to ignore intense feelings of déjà vu every step of the way..

Edited 2016-04-04 01:03 (UTC)

1. Various Streets

[Hayato didn't waste too much time around the gates. He the place was huge- he'd glimpsed it on that last excursion that lead to them finding Gigas in the first place but it didn't compare to seeing it this close up. It was credible. It was huge and foreign and he didn't know what he was even looking at. It was like stepping onto another planet.]

[After shaking off that shock and case of sudden cold feet, he tugs his hat down and marches on. He didn't think he had to worry about showing his face here. It was over a year ago and he imagined they'd want to keep something like an escaped experiment on the downlow. So- here went nothing.]

[With Goro, Nikon and Cyclone in tow Hayato can be found window shopping along the shop windows and looking at things here and there. Don't mind him as he starts taking pictures.]

2. Downtown- an Electronics shop

[If you happened to have been investigating an electronics shop, you might have come across Hayato animatedly talking to one of the shop keepers about cameras. Apparently both of them had been very interested in what each other carried. Hayato, for just how crazy looking these fancy Gigan cameras were. And the shopkeeper had spotted Hayato's absolutely fascinated by the retro design.]

That color is absolutely incredible! It's like looking out of a window. How did you achieve something like that? I've only gotten a few faded results.

[...]

Digital? What's that mean?

[Oh boy. Anyway, come pester him sometimes during or after the conversation? He seems to be in a better mood at least.]

3. Hotel room

[Back at the hotel room, Hayato sits on his designated sleep area (Which may just be a corner of the bed depending on how many people wound up staying in this room) He has a small collection of things in front of him and he's looking at them in some mild dismay.]

Don't look at me like that Nikon. Everything is way more expensive here than back home. I'm running out faster than I expected.

[Aggron! Aggron- gron...]

...Okay. Okay, fine. I might have enough for one treat for each of you but other than that we should be saving for supplies to get home.

[And the pokemon cheer. Sigh.]

Edited 2016-04-04 03:36 (UTC)

Harry had arrived at Gigas separate from much of the rest of the Union Alliance's group, having left later and traveled by a slightly different route than the others. It was necessary. Both to hopefully avoid a little more attention as a lone traveler, and also to put a degree of separation between himself and the diplomatic delegation if things went South with what he was up to in here.

He steered clear of the finer hotels when he arrived later at night, instead picking a sketchy motel in an even sketchier part of town. The kind of place where the guy behind the counter accepted payment in cash and didn't ask questions about the people staying in the place. With his room paid for, Harry crossed the gloomy parking lot until he found the door with his room number on it and stepped inside. He locks the door behind him, pulls the blinds shut and immediately sweeps the room. Unplugs electronics, checks out the bathroom, closets, even under the bed. Mouse sticks close by, sniffing around the room before sitting in the middle with a contented bark.

Finally convinced that the room was as clear as could be, he drops his bag down on the bed, opens it up and... just pulls out a human skull.

"Hey. Rise and shine." He gives the skull a little shake, then another until a pair of ghostly lights ignite in the empty eye sockets. Slowly, Bob the Duskull rises out of the dry white bone and hovers just above his trainer. "We're here and you're up. Don't make any moves, don't cause any trouble. Just get whatever info you can and head back, got it?"

Without a sound the shadowy Pokemon nods and then turns and drifts away, passing straight through one of the walls and vanishing into the darkness.

Okay, time to get some rest. Switching the lights out, Harry checks the outside through the blinds one last time and settles in to get some shut-eye before he gets to work.

Starting from the very next morning, Harry can be found anywhere in the city. Dressed in drab, plain clothes with his eyes masked by a pair of sunglasses and a cap pulled down over his head. He even shaved, just to further deflect notice. He's not paying much attention to the technological wonders around him, though he does seem especially interested in streets and landmarks.

He's casing an entire city here, after all.

Out and about

Minako had gone, of course. She was curious about the area to begin with, and now, with the Elite Four's threats still hanging in her memory, she wanted to see how the people of Gigas felt about what was happening.

However, a lot of that flew of her mind initially as she marveled at the technology around her. In fact, the entire first day of their stay, she spent more time looking at everything around them and poking at things and asking questions about all the stuff around them. Her awe and curiosity was even enough to temporarily ignore some of the strange looks she got for her shiny skin and hair.

She'd get back to the original plans behind her reason for coming tomorrow.

Looking for a hotel later that night

It had been a surprisingly exhausting day, despite the almost complete lack of productivity on her personal investigation. She was still determined, though, and she knew she'd have to get back to it later. After getting a very modest dinner, she was trying to find a place to stay for their time in the city... anyone want to help her out?

Sinbad kept himself away from the delegations for various reasons, though he takes his time to explore the city properly, and schmooze with potential business partners... if everything goes well with the meeting.

"Ah! Gwendolyn!" He calls out in greeting as he spotted the young woman, quickly running over. The young man was dressed quite different, jacket and vest, with an ankle-length sarong that covered most of his tail. "How have you been doing?"

They've finished early for the day, which feels a bit like a miracle, and Gwendolyn is mopping her brow as she steps out into the sun when she hears a familiar voice call her name.

"Sinbad!" There's a small smile, followed by the cheery chirping of the Fletchling on her shoulder; Firesong hops up and down excitedly to see a familiar friendly face, and only takes flight towards him when he gets a nod of permission from the Valkyrie. "So far, things seem to be going well," is the reply as Gwendolyn follows behind. "Though this heat bakes things so thoroughly. That they can keep rooms as cool as they do is a marvel."

He laughs softly as he lifts an arm to let Firesong land if the Fletchling cares to, as Focalor squawks on Sinbad's shoulder in greeting.

Hey there - have you tried the food here? It's delicious! You should try it.

"And if you keep doing that, you'll get too fat to fly." Sinbad snorts at his pokemon. "The technology really is amazing, I think I understand how they're able to produce things like those Pokeballs now, so guess it's both good and bad."

They're regulating the airspace, too.

[ Haruka and Michiru are seated at an outdoor café, waiting for refreshments to arrive; they're already sampling the city's finest fancy little drinks, even if the uh...exhaust...from these mysterious Rotomcycle-like contraptions affects the ambiance somewhat.

Haruka's eyes are currently on the sky, however. The buildings are so tall here. It makes it hard to feel the wind. ]

[Michiru glances upward, taking a closer look at the lanes of Flying types in the air.]

It's certainly a study in contrasts. [control and chaos, etc.

At least she can't fault their tiny fancy drinks.]

I: Exploring a New World

[The journey to Gigas had been quick and relatively painless, soaring in the sky high above the party on Olympus Mons. She was actually extremely grateful she'd had the forethought to keep one of the modified Pokeballs from the Sanctuary trip as a memento, and was even more grateful that Deimos and Olympus had both insisted on accompanying her. The Gardevoir and her Murkrow counterpart would be fine in the city but Olympus might be a problem, but since they were going into the jaws of the enemy the Pokemon demanded to come.

And once they do land, Rei is quick to slip out into the city to explore with the Murkrow and Gardevoir in tow and Olympus safely stashed. Perhaps more importantly than the pair of Pokemon with her, though, was the fact that she was utilizing her Disguise Ring, a gift from the Magi that made her appear completely different. Better not to be recognized, if at all possible, she figured. And what a change she made, though she left a tell for fellow Unionites in the form of Phobos and Deimos and some much less revealing clothes.

For the most part she's exploring quietly, but outside of an electronics shop she has to stop and gape.]

What...how can it be so thin?

[Or catch her on the street!]

II: In the Hotel

[And come evening, Rei's taken up residence in a moderately priced hotel. Money is hardly an issue, given the sheer wealth of the Hino clan, and she's not about to ignore close friends. Anyone who needs a hotel paid for has one, the young matriarch setting it aside as a business expense. She's done a little bit of talking to suppliers, and if an accord can be struck with Gigas then she'll happily begin importing. Why waste the opportunity?

However, it's work that requires thought, and Rei's sitting cross legged on the luxurious bed, pouring over charts and lists, doing some mental math and seems oblivious to anyone else who might be in the room. Seems, anyway. But...eventually she asks absently:]

What are your impressions of our hosts so far?

[ That's certainly something. Both Michiru and her partner are very particular about their tiny fancy drinks!

Haruka takes a sip. ] What do they gain from all the machines....

[ It's so unnatural, to think about riding something you can't commune with. The Rotomcycle at least has a Pokémon inside of it. This is just - this is weird.

And the most frustrating part of all is that they look like they're fast. Somehow, Haruka resents that. Silenly. Unconsciously. ]

I: The (Ex)-Commander's New Groove

[Why Nero had come back here, she had no idea. It certainly told High Command something, seeing the name Nero Claudius on the list of travelers, and maybe that was it. Sending a message to the traitors that she was alive and well was one thing she was not opposed to. She was never the sort to want to stab a man in the back, after all.

But that was not what today was all about. Today, she was the greatest and most celebrated woman in the world, returning to the land of her birth. And she was a whirlwind of excited energy, practically bouncing up and down as she zips towards the shopping district.]

Come! There's an amazing shop that you simply must see! And food, so much food!

II: The Fall of the House of Asper

[In the dead of night, Nero slipped away, careful to not be seen. People she was staying with might notice, but she moved with purpose, devoid of her usual airheadedness. This was a task she'd come to do, and come to do silently. A task that only she can do, and one that leads her through winding streets and dark alleys towards a section of the high walls surrounding a highrise. And it's there that even a crafty pursuer will lose her, the nimble Homunculus leaping upwards a story, and then climbing up the spire at an alarming rate. Once she's atop it, there are several long moments, and then a dull wet thud as something slams into the street from high above.

Moments later she reappears and slips back into the night, heading back to her lodging.]

((ooc: Feel free to catch her as she returns to the room, or after the event in prompt II.))

I: Growing Things

[Yukiko was interested more in the things that were growing in Gigas more than the electronics and gadgets and gizmos abound. So, she's spending her time in a park, surrounding herself with green and growing things...poking at various plants.]

My goodness! I've never seen this kind of thing before. I'm...not even sure what it is.

II: The Stadium

[Yukiko's life in Union had largely stayed away from these sorts of things...but standing outside the Battle Stadium, she's just staring at it. The roar of the crowd echos down the street, and she's just completely lost, until she sees you, and points.]

What...is this...?

Efficiency, perhaps. [and speed.

Still, there's a slight wince as one of the vehicles go rumbling past, heralded by both smoke and noise.]

"The City of Reclamation", huh. [ Either this tiny fancy drink is bitter or this smile is ironic.

But she shouldn't spend her whole outing with Michiru being a cynic about the city. She searches for her partner's eyes over her cup, smiling. ] It's a vacation.

[ Has Gigas's might kept away, say, a little brown dot on the horizon...? She'd be more favorably disposed in that case. ]

So those Pokemon battles at the arena. What are those like? Are we talking generally friendly spirit of competition here or are they something more brutal? (At least to the eyes of somebody from Union or Caldera.)

[ While Union certainly boasts some technological marvels, Gigas puts much of that to shame, and Sophia finds herself gravitating to the electronics district on one shopping trip with Ansuz the Porygon following along behind her. Mostly window shopping, to much private regret, the items here are far too expensive for her modest budget!

Hayato is hard to miss, however - the familiar stands out against the foreign, and Sophia finds one hand covering her mouth as she steps into the shop. She doesn't want to interrupt, particularly when he's looking so animated. And really, what better way to bond with the locals than over technology?

Only when the shopkeeper has to step away briefly to help someone else does she approach, the Porygon pushing ahead of her to click and whir in query at Hayato. ]

Did you find something you like?

Ridcully stood out in a crowd. The red robes, pointy hat, bushy beard, and tall staff (with a knob on the end, as is traditional) would make anyone stand out, and Ridcully was a hair over six feet tall and heavily built on top of that. He was practically a landmark. The Union group could have been told to meet under Ridcully if they got lost.

He had a bearing about him that spoke of a general assumption that everyone was aware of him and would make room for him wherever he chose to go. He was a wizard, dammit, and back in Sanctuary, people paid attention to wizards and gave them respect, or at least the wary caution you'd give a wild animal or a lit stick of dynamite. It worked, somewhat. Many people would just quietly step aside as he floated past to see this city. Not everyone did, though. Normally, Ridcully wouldn't have reacted badly to this, but the fact of the matter was there were no wizards in Gigas other than the ones that had just arrived, so the Gigans did not know. They needed a bit of an education in respect. So when a worker unloading a pallet of goods of some kind dropped his load in front of Ridcully's path, he decided he'd break the rules a bit.

Ridcully struck the ground firmly with the end of his staff and amplified his powers enough to lift both the poor worker and his entire pallet of goods up into the air so he could walk sedately beneath them while they drifted helplessly ten feet up in the air. The people around them backed away in alarm. He allowed the man and his goods to return to the ground once he was safely past with only a mild jolt.

He kept his face neutral, but internally he was pleased. Putting that much power into a spell put a real risk at it going haywire and doing something unpredictable, but it had held. A subtle buzz went through the crowd as the rumor spread. Men in pointy hats had strange and terrifying powers. It would be best to step lightly when they are around.

[It was a land of technological wonders that he hadn't ever anticipated seeing in his life, and Waver was as taken aback by the sleek looking devices and motorized wagons as anyone else who had just entered the city. Born and raised in Sanctuary, he wasn't unfamiliar with people from Gigas...but nothing could have prepared him for the city itself.

With Orpheus the Foongus perched on his shoulder as he wandered around, Waver found himself drawn to the heritage sites-- the museums in particular.

Those strange carriages drew his attention, and he was hoping to learn more about them!]

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Arrival in Gigas

OOC Questions

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Re: OTA

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OTA (it's a date, but what else is new)

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LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS