exsiliumlogs | (no subject)

Date: June 1st
Location: The Initiative Hold & Courtyard.
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports arrive and are shuffled into the Courtyard after their initial briefings. Now with 200% more People-Seeking lists!
Warnings: None.

You've just been hustled and bustled through mazes of information and literal, wide corridors of the Initiative Hold and you've been equipped with your weapon—be it a gun, a sword, or even your existing powers. They've handed you this light netbook and a small pouch of coins (or a debit card, if you're more inclined), and there are several Transports before and after you going through the very same motions. You can hear the Greeter's voice as she walks alongside large groups, telling them all about the history of this place and sharing with you your purpose here in a hurried and urgent tone. "You're in luck that we have enough rooms for all of you; the housing building is getting awfully full. Please, let me show you into the courtyard."

You pass what looks like huge gymnasiums, all with dummies and targets strewn and splayed around the room. Training areas. There are even classrooms, and a few small offices. You're rushed past a large library while the Greeter informs you that you can find almost all your information there, if you've got the time to look—and trust her, you'll have time. You don't spend a lot of time in the bank, and it's a bit of a blur of exchanges with more and more of these strangely-accented and oddly polite-seeming members of the Initiative.

Soon enough, you're in a massive courtyard bustling with all the other Transports. It's not exactly what you'd expect, and it looks more like barracks than anything—huge walls of concrete and stone, separating you from all of the hallways you'd just passed through. It's raining heavily, and dark clouds loom in the air, though it hasn't turned to snow. It's a chill cold, and there are shelters—long cloth hangings that extend from the walls of concrete to house you from the rain, but not enough. Most notably, the courtyard is filled with a marketplace. Even in the cold and the rain, there are several citizens seated at their covered booths and tables, bundled up against the weather. They're selling all manner of their own handmade goods and foods, and citizens and Transports alike are traveling from one small covered shop to another in search of all manner of necessities. Now and then around you you might spot paper fluttering in the faint wind from somewhere relatively dry. It looks like a list.

The Greeter's voice has become so faint now, but you swear you can make it out in the back of the crowds as she tells you, "Good luck. Be safe!"

Her voice is drowned out by the busy marketplace, though even the transactions taking place are somewhat subdued. Nobody is overly happy, really, though most citizens can be found with smiles on their faces. It doesn't seem like they're that shocked to see you, either; even if you're not bound in tattered rags and wrapped in heavy shawls as they are. You're welcome to walk up to a shop, and find yourself something to eat—hey, maybe you'll even find something akin to a raincoat. Or, you can join the others under the coverings against the walls. Where am I? What war? She was talking so fast, and it didn't all make very much sense… did anyone else catch it all?

Welcome to the courtyard. Welcome to the Initiative Hold—and most importantly, welcome to Exsilium.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well, isn't this an interesting looking guy.

Gin pauses for a second at the approach, before ducking slightly to take shelter beneath the umbrella. He can't exactly get sick from the cold, but no point in making things complicated.]

Nice a' ya' to offer! But what about you?

[Christopher 'hmm's musically at the question, and then bursts out with an answer that he feels is appropriate.]

It makes me sad to see others get rained upon, and the rain gets on my soul. My soul stays dry if other people are protected from the rain, and if my soul doesn't rot from wetness, what does it matter about my body?

Ya' don't say.

[The mention of souls is just far too amusing, but he decides to play along.]

But if yer' body rots away, where'll your soul go to?

Who can say if I have one? Since that's our uncertainty, I'll just never let my body rot.

[This is still in that cheerful, confident tone. Perfectly normal conversation right here.]

Live forever, huh? Lotta folks strive for that.

[A chuckle. Most normal duo in Exsilium right here.]

Anyway! Since yer' playin' the most gracious host, you probably know the best place to get outta the rain to, hm?

I haven't the faintest idea. [Still on with the blind, sing-song cheerfulness.] Shall we discover it together?

[It is a bonding activity.]

Sounds like a plan; weather's just right for it, after all.

[At which point he begins to set off, expecting his new friend to follow.]

So, what, yer' a new guy who believes a heck of a lot in solidarity? From the way you were goin' on, I expected you'd been here a while.

[Of course he'll follow! They are now friends.]

Wellllll, it makes even more sense for people who are new. After all, people who are new are without bonds to the world around them. Those who are familiar with the neighbourhood already have roots settled in, but we have to make connections as soon as possible, or else we might drift away into space and die from exposure to the sun.

[That got away from him there.]

[As weird as that sounds...Gin just happens to like weird. Christopher's response actually gets a laugh out of him.]

Ya' don't say! Who knew bonds were so important. Why, if I'd not thought of askin' you I mighta ended up dyin' right from the getgo, all ignorant an' that.

I practically owe ya' my life already an' it's only been ten minutes.

[Yeah, he's just running with this. Best conversation he's had yet.]

[Not a lot of people do go along with Christopher. He really warms up to Gin at this.] We're mutually indebted to each other. The only thing to do is to use each other for the rest of our friendship. My, aren't we off to a wonderful start?

[Christopher laughs happily.]

I'll say. Pitch that idea to most folk an' they'd probably start arguin' you don't "use" your friends or somethin'. Silly, ain't it? Friendship in itself is selfish, ya' may as well admit to it an' get somethin' more than a bit a' company outta it, right?

[Christopher laughs.] The minds of modern people have been warped by radioplays. I agree that it's natural for friends to use each other. After all, there are plenty of symbiotic relationships in nature, isn't that right? Simply because a flower and a hummingbird use each other, it doesn't mean they can't have feelings for one another.

Hah, couldn't a' said it better myself.

If there'd been a few more people with that mindset back home, I'd a' made more interestin' friends. You're alright, guy. What's yer' name?

[Christopher steps in front of Gin so that—still walking, now backwards—he can bow to Gin, florid.]

Christopher Chareau de Red. I hope our parasitic relationship is full of warm affection.

[He chuckles at the display, offering a mock bow in return - whereas Christopher's is grand however, Gins own bow is half-hearted, a little forward tilt of his torso as he places his hand over his chest.]

Lookin' forward to it, Red. Here's hopin' I end up as useful to you as ya' might be to me.

[Christopher rises with a wide smile.] That sort of reciprocity would be marvellous. We probably won't be able to achieve it, since most things aren't equal most of the time, but what a grand goal.