(no subject)

[initiates]

Date: February 1st
Location: The Initiative Hold & Courtyard.
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports have all arrived and have been shuffled into the Courtyard after their initial briefings, while older Transports are returning from the mission to Uruguay.
Warnings: None.

While those who have been guests of Exsilium since at least the last wave of Transports return from their desperate mission and are pressed out of the Transporter room and into the Courtyard, the Initiative prepares to receive a second wave at the same time. And if you're in that second wave, the fresh meat, then 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.

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

Jesse Pinkman | OPEN especially to newbies!!!

[hostage]

[Jesse's set up camp right near the entrance to the courtyard. Literally. It looks like he's camping here. He has a tent set up to shield him from the rain and a few overturned wood boxes which are serving both as chairs and tabletops. Atop the "tables" are platters of freshly baked cookies. There are dozens of them in a variety of flavors. They don't look fancy, but they smell really good and they're still gooey - probably out of the oven only a few hours at most. There's a sign hanging on the tent that reads FREE - TAKE WHAT YOU WANT. Jesse himself is smoking a cigarette and watching the passersby, eager for conversation.]

non-newbie BARGING IN

[implying]

[ Well, someone is in his mask again, not long after the re-arrival. He spots Jesse and slows, switches the grip on his umbrella, and starts toward him. He slow as he nears, inscrutable as ever with half his face hidden. ]

Those look quite good.

ROOD

[hostage]

[The look Jesse directs at Vanadi isn't hostile, but it's highly suspicious. He's expecting a punchline to follow that statement, like it can't possibly be a compliment all on its own. He doesn't say anything, instead taking a drag from his cigarette, but he gestures to the trays as if to say go ahead, try one.]

[implying]

[ There's definitely no punchline coming. Instead, he ducks down and helps himself to a cookie, as offered. The nose of his mask tips out toward the rest of the courtyard as he chews, giving it a thoughtful look.

After a moment: ] Well— I was right. Nicely done.

[hostage]

Thanks, I guess.

[Ever skeptical. Jesse watches Vanadi for a second before looking at the courtyard as well, tapping his cigarette ashes out onto the ground.]

[implying]

[ It takes him until the last bite of the cookie, but once he's finished that, and without glancing over: ]

I seem to recall I've been an enormous ass to you lately.

[hostage]

[Jesse shrugs nonchalantly, turning the cigarette between his fingers.]

Whatever.

[implying]

[ Yeah, he figured it'd go about like that. ]

For what it's worth, I'm sorry.

[hostage]

[Jesse glances up at him, but the mask obscures any sincerity that may or may not be on Vanadi's face, so he shrugs again and repeats, like Vanadi didn't hear him the first time:]

Yeah, whatever.

[implying]

[ He might normally toss in a joke to lighten all this, but... yeah, definitely not in the mood for it today. He has too many other apologies to deliver. So he stoops to grab one more cookie, gestures with it toward Jesse, and moves to go with one last— ] Thanks.

[hostage]

[Jesse nods dismissively and takes another drag from his cigarette, watching Vanadi go without another word.]

Jason Todd | Open

[livinuptothename]

[ Jason likes watching the new comers roll in. It's probably fucked up to actually anticipate seeing who else is getting crammed in here with the rest of them, but hey, it's something. And he could use something to distract him from the weird memories in his head. Time travel was weird, time slips were weird and remembering shit you haven't even been alive for yet is really fucking weird.

He's perched on a stack of crates, underneath one of the overhangs of a nearby shop, dressed in worn jeans and a jacket that looks a little too big for him. Looking for all the world like a no good punk. ]

yoink

[inthejunk]

[Totally snagging one on the way past to poke around and see if anyone cool turns up!]

Cedric Diggory | open

[theboywhodied]

It's difficult for Cedric to concentrate on much of anything at first, given his circumstances. His eyes struggle to focus as he affirms his weapon choice and enters the courtyard, and he doesn't spare a glance for anyone as he picks a ledge for sitting down. All he can see is an awful green light, all he can feel is the coldest kind of chill imaginable. What matters if the worst has already happened?

He's so hopelessly lost that he walks away from a merchant without paying for his scrap of food, resulting in a painful tackle.

"I'm sorry! Here...here, take what you need," Cedric mumbles, holding out the unfamiliar coins. He trusts that the merchant will take what they need, maybe a little more for the trouble of tracking him down. When that's done, Cedric rubs his shoulder and stares at the fruit in one hand and the tablet in the other.

As he sits and stares at the unfamiliar electronic device, bits and pieces of the lecture come back to him. As far as he's gathered, he's in a war. He's going to help change the history of this world. There's bound to be more information on this device, but it looks hopelessly advanced---they'd barely mastered the basic television in Muggle Studies! He'll have to tinker with it later.

It's going to be a busy time, that much he knows. "Some afterlife this is. We're still worrying about money!"

open | especially for all your newbie guide needs!

[fintastic]

[ That time again... Feferi is going to have to look into getting umbrellas or something, it's always so wet. She doesn't mind getting wet, but the fliers she's handing out to anyone who will give her a second glance tend not to do so well.

This time around, she's invested in a little plastic folder to keep them in, taking them out only to thrust them out towards unfamiliar faces, like those people standing on the sidewalk trying to sell things, except cuter and fishier. She even wiggles her fins at a few, especially the more downtrodden types, hoping to cheer them up a bit. She's not going to let recent time shenanigans and missions get in the way of this self-appointed task. ]

Hi! Welcome to Exsilium, would you like a guide? Or maybe you have some questions!

[inthejunk]

"It's not, you know."

There's a kid roughly Cedric's age there, snacking on a stolen cookie. He's speaking Japanese, actually, but it turns out these crazy tablet devices have a handy dandy translation program built into them. He waves, friendly and inviting. You look like you could use some help, dude.

[theboywhodied]

Cedric spares a glance at his tablet, then looks back up at the stranger. Huh?

"What else could it be, then? I've got to be dead, there's no way around it."

He's not Harry Potter, he can't miraculously escape...can he? Does he have a scar on his forehead now? Cedric reaches up and rubs at it, but it still feels smooth. Huh.

[inthejunk]

"Dude, weren't you listening? It's time travel."

He doesn't notice how uncomfortable Cedric seems to be about something, he's too busy eagerly scanning the crowd. Though he does turn back after that bit of scanning, realizing belatedly that he's being kind of rude.

"Need a tour or anything? Or should I just pinch you to help you accept it?"

oh shit did somebody say free food

[neveraskedforthis]

[ Because for once, that means Adam doesnt have to beg OR steal, the latter of which he usually has no problem with--

But wait, this is still odd, considering the tent and all. He's just passing by for now, trying to get reaquainted with both his... body and his usual routine, which does include checking out the new arrivals (and there will be many of those, he's sure).

Looking at this, though, he's a bit skeptical, not least because Jesse doesn't seem like the cookie-baking-giveaway type. ]

And what is this supposed to be? I'm not sure the new arrivals would appreciate being used as guinea pigs.

[ Because yeah, these cookies DO look dubious. ]

[theboywhodied]

Time travel? But nothing can be used to reawaken---he just sighs and holds his head. "I suppose I wasn't. I'm sorry, I've been distracted. But I gathered that we'll be using time travel to fix this world, or something along those lines."

He shakes his head, choosing to pinch himself instead. "Well I know I'm not a ghost. That starts to narrow it down. But could you tell me a bit about this thing?"

He waves the tablet, looking at it as if it's a person with three heads.

[courageous_wit]

Hermione notices the familiar figure at a distance. Luckily she saw him first, so she can collect her thoughts and decide on how to approach him. On one hand, it's such a relief seeing someone who she won't have to convince she knows. Oh the other, she has no idea when he's coming from, and her future information is always awkward.

In the end, she decides for a neutral greeting as she makes herself known to the boy. It'll be surprising enough to him that they're the same age now. "Cedric!"

[hostage]

[Jesse barely glances up as Yosuke walks past. He's more focused on the new faces.]

[inthejunk]

[He would have grabbed a handful if he knew he'd get away so easily. Heh.

But don't worry dude, he'll be sure to point them in your direction as he comes across 'em.]

[theboywhodied]

Cedric knows the truth by now for the most part, but that doesn't chase the images in his mind away. It takes him a second or two to respond.

He thinks he recognises that face. That's Harry's friend, Hermione Granger. She was in that awful nonsense Rita Skeeter had written, and she'd been in with the champions as Krum's partner at the Yule Ball (that scumbag Krum. At least she seems to have lived a few more years). He lifts a hand in greeting.

"Hermione Granger, right? You look well," he says quietly,

enjoy your meth cookies

[hostage]

[Adam's an imposing figure. Jesse shifts uncomfortably in his chair when the man stands over him, though the way he shrugs in response is meant to be impassive.]

Try one before you knock 'em.