(no subject)

[initiates]

Date: September 1st
Location: The Initiative Hold & Courtyard.
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports arrive and are shuffled into the Courtyard after their initial briefings.
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.

Comments

ROUND TWO FITE

[miscreant]

[There's a huge sad wheel asshole invading her territory right now. It hadn't really been a huge bother in the grand scheme of things, but it had annoyed her enough to drive her back into the Hold for a period of time. The noises it made reminded her of dying baby seals and, while she normally might have welcomed such a cacophony, she was in no mood to endure the sound of suffering she was not directly causing.

She hears Jan's approach before he manages to bump into her. In fact, she can clearly see the two of them are on a collision course and that this gentleman is not paying attention to where he's going. So just before they collide, she will try and reach for the gaming system and pull it from his hands, only bothering to speak once he's given her eye contact.]

Its recommended that you look where you are going when in a crowded space.

[--hm. This one is dead. How unfortunate. No point in smashing the strange toy and perhaps forcing him into attacking her then.]

take 2, now with 200% more implied wheel

[liprings]

[ There's absolutely no attention given to anything in his path, he doesn't even think to glance up -- right until the game suddenly disappears from his hands. He blinks, then switches over immediately into outrage. ]

Hey! [ Armored? Creepy and corpse-looking? Not gonna stop him. He goes to snatch it back, and he'll resort to undignified grabbing and flailing if he has to. ] Hey, fuck you! Shit, I almost had it!

[miscreant]

[Oh, he's feisty. This was a good decision. She stands her ground, throws an arm up to block him from reaching it and holds it a distance away behind her, smirking just a bit.]

And now, as consequence for your lack of consideration...you have nothing.

[liprings]

Hey, hey! Fuck!

[ He tries a frantic grabbing for just a few seconds more before deciding that's... probably not going to work, and stepping back to actually get a look at this RUDE stranger. He scowls at what he sees (hot though it may be, it just stole his game), adding a little half of a snarl. ]

Goddammit, at least pause it!

[miscreant]

[The snarl makes Seviilia chuckle.]

What I should do is break it. But lucky for you I'm rather benevolent when it comes to first offenses. On the other hand, I'm certain it would be more productive and teach a better lesson.

[She tosses it back to him casually, without pausing, because she doesn't know what that means she's a bitch.]

Don't drop it now.

[liprings]

[ He snatches it out of the air, scowls as he looks over his precious baby, pauses it (somehow his guy isn't dead yet, so the anger abates), and stuffs it into a pocket.

Once it's there, a grin immediately creeps into place. Shit, it looks like he's got a blue chick on his hands. ]

Sweet eye trick. What else've you got that glows in the dark?

[miscreant]

Knowledge is a privilege, not a right.

[Her arms cross loosely and the smirk fades just a bit.]

I take it you are a new shipment?

[liprings]

i bet it's nipples. You totally got glow-in-the-dark tit-toppers.

[ But he smiles, almost innocently, and elects to actually answer the question in his next breath. ]

—Yep, fresh off the boat! Just ship me into Ellis Island and change my name, I don't give a fuck.

I KNEW IT WAS COMING AND I STILL WASNT READY

[miscreant]

[Even without pupils it is obvious she is rolling her eyes. Her lips purse slightly and the reference is clearly lost on her.]

After that display, I wouldn't be surprised if you changed your name.

[Do her nips glow? Its still a mystery.]

no one is ever ready for the titty topper

[liprings]

[ He'll abandon this mystery for a brief interruption of a rude gesture toward her. ]

Hey, fuck you! Valentine's goddamn impossible to screw up, not even the good old US of A could pull it off.

[miscreant]

[A beat or two passes before she starts to chuckle.]

Your name is Valentine?

[liprings]

[ he doesn't like that chuckle, no sir. he frowns, but: ]

Jan motherfucking Valentine, actually.

[miscreant]

Oh, excuse me.

[She takes a step back and mocks an apologetic bow, still chuckling.]

Sir Jan motherfucking Valentine.

[liprings]

[ ha. haha. he made her swear. It feels like the same sort of pride that used to go with making his dapper-as-fuck brother swear, and he grins. ]

Fuckin' right, and don't you forget it! I worked hard for that title.

[miscreant]

Doing what, praytell?

[Surely he didn't mean that literally. She raises an eyebrow.

Actually, in these few short moments of getting to know one another, she wouldn't put it passed him.]

[liprings]

[ There's no doubting the meaning of the grin that spreads across his face, there really isn't. ]

The fuck do you think? Pretty self-explanatory, huh?

[miscreant]

I was hoping for something more interesting. Silly me.

[She doesn't sound disgusted. She was long passed the stage of life where things like "family" had meaning.]

[liprings]

[ Man, she's unflappable. But that doesn't bother Jan, it's just invitation to try harder. ]

I'm saving that for later. Sooo anyway, you got my name, what the fuck's yours?

[miscreant]

I shudder to think.

[Not really. Her arms fold. At least he was decent enough to ask.]

Seviilia.

[liprings]

What, just that? Don't they give weird-ass blue ladies last names?

[miscreant]

[A small smirk flickers across her face, like she can't decide if she's offended or not.]

Is it of any consequence?

[liprings]

[ He makes a face. ]

Dude, I guarantee that took more breath than just answering would've.

[miscreant]

[She smirks.]

I suppose its a good thing that I don't need to breathe then, isn't it?

[liprings]

[ And a glare! These faces, they change at the drop of a hat. ]

Don't you go using that ooh, sorry, I'm a corpse bullshit on me. You see me pulling that card? Fuck no! You know what I meant.

[miscreant]

[Its like a game of ping pong.]

But you left me such a lovely segue.