[ ...

.....

Huh?

... what?

... Why did he feel like he had blacked out, when such a thing should be deemed impossible when you’re already dead? The sensation all over his body is familiar, and yet long forgotten. He couldn’t exactly place it, having been so very long since he felt it for the last time...

... It couldn’t be. He laid there for what seemed like an eternity, but was in truth around three minutes, and with an effort that was previously seemingly unnoticeable, he opened his eyes slowly, his body laying stomach up on what seemed to be stone cold floor. Wait. Stone cold? Surely a dead phantasm could not feel heat, or lack of it, in that matter. He tried getting up, but his body was inexplicably heavy. Heavier than what he was used to, which was weightless. Being a projection of your dead self does take its toll on you. Gathering his forces for a moment, Kankri sat up, his eyes finally fully open, boasting a vivid orange sclera with red tinted irises.]

Ugh...

[ This was certainly more than odd. His clothes felt damp, and so did every other bit of him. The cold he felt from the breeze was one he had not felt in long rows of infinite sweeps, and the reality was slowly hitting him. He looked at a nearby puddle of water, his reflection plastered with his bright vivid eyes, the likes of which he had not seen in a very long time, at least not in this particular manner.

Oh lord.

He was alive. It was all obvious to him now, not only in his reflection. In a movement faster than lightning, he put his hand to his damp sweater, pressing with as much strength as he could muster toward his chest. His heart beat was there. There was blood flowing through his veins once more. Whilst being alive was nice again, because it’s always much better to be alive than dead under most circumstances, he did realize that he wasn’t anywhere he recognized. Perhaps a memory of one of the newest inhabitants of the dream bubbles? Beyond that, there wasn’t anywhere else that this place could be. In his immediate person, however, was something that resembled a starfish, but he decided to fiddle with it later, looking around a bit and spotting individuals he had never seen before, and that he was absolutely certain that were not from any group of players he was aware of. His mind was filled with possibilities as to what this place could be, but they suddenly came to a halt when he noticed the huge “Welcome to Vatheon.” banner on a building. Having rested for a bit, he managed to get himself on his feet, albeit shakily, breathing irregularly, as it was a thing he was not used to doing for eras upon eras, and walked himself over, snatching a brochure and reading it thoroughly.

Mhm.

Mhm.

Well. Talk about odd (and oppressive, while we’re at that) (TW:oppression). So he was alive, but not in the dream bubbles, nor in Beforus, nor in their home session. In a totally separate world. The thought of being alive and kicking again was nice, but before anything he had to get to the bottom of all this. If the SFC was what the brochure described, then he should be able to get his answers from there. He fiddled around with it, eventually discovering the video function and turned it on, anyone who might be watching suddenly faced with his bright, piercing crimson stare. ]

Good evening, “Vatheon.”

[ Cough cough. ]

It has come to my attention that my person, along with many others, has been abruptly and rudely ripped from his home world, in order to take residence here.

[ So far so good. ]

Whilst not delving into how oppressive and inconsiderate such an action could be interpreted as, which, to be quite frank, could trigger a healthy amount of entities sensitive to such brute actions without any form of consent, [ Tw: Lack of consent, kidnapping, abduction, forceful removal from realm of existence.] and that could possibly be endangering a good amount of individuals, given their personal singularities involving their way of life and their well being. In truth, a system of oppression already seems to be thoroughly and deeply established, given the formation of a welcoming committee, I would assume the residents of this city have already given in to supporting this rather insipid and seemingly never ending cycle of abductions, given their callous indifference to the personal interests of those who are forced to adopt a life style in this place.

[ He coughs a bit, still unused to the fact he’s breathing once more. Hey, it’s hard to get the jyst of it when you’ve been dead for an eternity. ]

I do suppose I should introduce myself, given the circumstances. My name is Kankri Vantas, for those unaware, and I suppose that if no one has encountered a means to exit this place, I will be taking residence in here from this moment onwards. [ Run while you still can. tw: #Running, #Usage of lower limbs, #Ableism toward those crippled below the waist. ]

This, of course, means I’ll proceed with my crusade of enlightenment toward those who are uneducated in relation to certain matters of gargantuan social importance [not], which I am absolutely certain that everyone will be thrilled to further their own knowledge about.

[ You’re not ready, Vatheon. ]

I will be more than glad to set apart a fraction of my certainly occupied schedule in the near future to monol-- I mean, dialogue with anyone seeking instruction in these fickle and thoroughly important areas of our every day lives in society.

Thank you, and I look forward to working with all of you in the future.

[When the feed clicks on, it briefly shows the sky before the device tilts sideways and focuses on a girl with long blonde hair. She's holding the SFC in front of her at arm's length, using both hands and peering into the camera with an anxious expression on her face. Gosh, this thing is not like her cellphone at all.]

Hello? Is it working now? ...Aah, I think so. [She smiles and her demeanor relaxes a little.]

Good afternoon, everyone! My name is Honey Kisaragi. I just arrived here and... I-I've read the brochure, so I understand the situation. ... I think... [The briefest of frowns.]

It's very nice to meet all of you. I just wanted to say that I hope we can be friends and if anyone from my own world is here, I hope to hear from them soon. [Unless it's someone from Panther Claw or Miss Miharu. Then Honey would rather not hear from them, ever. She looks thoughtful for a moment, then continues.] Oh, and I suppose I have a question. I think I'd like to get a part-time job while I'm here. Is there any place in particular I should look for wanted ads?