exsiliumlogs | (no subject)

Date: August 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

[ woah, hey, that is not where she'd meant for her hand to end up. in her effort to try and make her way through the crowd, push had apparently come to shove and as is the case with being sardined with strangers, she'd been shuffled right into someone. Allison recoils the betraying appendage with lightning fast speed and her entire expression turns immediately apologetic, eyes wide and a wince on her face, as she tries to find something to say. ]

I'm sorry. I didn— uhm, it was an accident. I promise. [ she stares at Poppy hoping that the other woman will be quick to forget about it because really how bad does this sound. ]

[Well. If nothing else, she certainly wasn't expecting to find a young girl on the other end of her indignant stance, but she takes a moment to remember that anything is possible. Take a look at how she met her fiancé (which involved him touching her breast and blubbering a drunken justification along the lines of Trust me, I'm a doctor) and much of her current thoughts are explained. Poppy remains still and quiet for a moment, brows still creased more in question than anything else.]

Well - be careful. It's really not a good idea to go around doing--that to strangers. You never know who you might run into.

[She's not sure what she's saying, but it sounds like a word of advice. She'll just go with it.]

... I don't suppose you're new.

I — I usually make smart choices about who I decide to feel up, I swear.

[ she lets out a quiet laugh because this really isn't how she expected to be speaking to someone, that's for sure. and also because talking to the other kind of feels like she's getting a bit of a lecture— although poppy is far less harsh than allison's own mother might've been. she stops short of trying to imagine what her mom might say to her in this situation because that really isn't a road she needs to go down at the moment. not with all this other new stress piling up. ]

Yeah, I just got here. Were you part of the group too?

I do hope so! I was ready to hit you with this thing, [she raises the headset she picked from the weapons room, firmly clutched in her hand,] If you'd turned out to be some kind of - pervert.

[Thank goodness that wasn't the case. The girl seems normal enough. And honest about her mistake.]

I suppose I was. I arrived alone, however. And I barely got much of an explanation about what I'm supposed to be doing here. Wherever this is.

[A sigh. Poppy is taking all of this a lot better than she expected herself to. There's still a very strong desire to get a hold of some kind of telephone to inform the authorities she's been kidnapped, however.]

What's your name?

[ allison raises her hands in semi-surrender because while it didn't exactly look like a weapon, she's sure that if it was slung hard enough, it could do some damage. plus, she can relate to the feeling of edginess and she's still not sure that this stranger won't sling it regardless at the slightest thing. ]

Allison. And I wish I could help, but all I gathered was that we're supposed to be trying to fight for someone who's decided to abduct us unwillingly. [ there's a sharpness to her tone at that because it still doesn't sit right with her. ]

I don't know how they expect anyone to just agree to that.

Yes, I doubt they thought this plan through, considering who they're taking. [radio hosts and teenage girls. Brilliance.] I'm Poppy. Poppy Chadwick.

Nice to meet you. [ and she finally puts her hands down to extend into a handshake instead. ] Even if it sort of has to be under these circumstances.

Are you planning on staying in this market area?

[Her hands are still clutching the headset, but she does eventually offer one to greet the girl.]

Nice to meet you as well, Allison. [hand retracted, she flips her hair behind her shoulder with a sigh.] I... have no idea. I suppose I should try to explore it, see what's here.

I think there's supposed to be places to get food.

[ because that's what her plan is right now. to try and stock up on what she can in case of an emergency. ] Exploring would save the trouble of trying to find a map.

I think I'd rather have a map first, to be honest. [she looks around.] Wouldn't hurt them to give us one, if they're so open to throw weapons around.