(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

[hostage]

[Jesse sees that tear and he thinks it's his fault. He's scaring her. His eyes get wide and he gives a fervent shake of his head.]

No, no - we don't die! I mean... They can fix it. If we do.

[There's a memory that goes along with that, and it's what Jesse presumes were his last moments on Earth. A knock at the door, Jesse reaching for his gun, opening the door to face the man who'd come to kill him...]

The technology here, it's real advanced. You don't have to worry.

[lifemelody]

I'm a white mage, yes.

[Because I'm sure that term makes total sense to you bro]

[hostage]

He was a serious douchebag. Like, what the hell? If I'm gonna poison people or drug 'em or whatever he thinks I'm doing, why would I be sitting here with the evidence right in front of me?

[strategic_guile]

[He's biting into his cookie with a smile and a shrug.] Cops like to think people are stu- Damn, what is in this cookie?

[He looks at it, totally ignoring the fact he interrupted his own sentence.] This is definitely the best one.

[And back to the topic.] They think you're stupid, nevermind that you've got permission for your shit here. Good for people or not, it's not illegal here so they can shove up their self-righteous asses.

[Finishes cookie and grabs another of that kind.]

[hostage]

Yeah, well, Edgeworth's got a total hard-on for me so they'll probably just try throwing me in jail and coming up with a reason later, same as last time.

[inthejunk]

[The sudden movement catches his attention, but he doesn't seem to react at first. He just gives her a puzzled look, and then it gives way to concern. It was all a good game at first, but this girl is starting to seem a bit distressed. Yosuke blinks, and then bends down just a bit, to get on eye level with her.]

Hey...is something wrong? Are you alright? Do you need me to get someone for you?

[supitslilith]

He wasn't so bad. I could still kinda tell it was you.

So, whattup with it?

[strategic_guile]

Well, you're exactly the type who gets under his skin most. You had a hell of a lot of girls stepping up for you though.

[hostage]

Nothing. I just wanted to shave my head, so I did.

[reassures]

((ooc; Sweet. ♥ ))

[This, out of all the faces she has run into so far, is not one that Nill was expecting to see. She's visibly a little startled - she wasn't expecting someone to nearly bump into her, sidestep so easily, and then greet her with a face that she knows.

...just how does she still know that face? When she'd arrived in the Port, Nill had forgotten almost everyone. Her head was hazy right now, yes, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the near all-encompassing disorientation that had come with her arrival in the last world.

She's run into so many people that don't know her anymore, though, and Nill was never particularly attached to Sakura. She was just another girl from an awful world. She holds up a finger, gesturing for Sakura to hold on for just a moment, before pulling out her tablet.]

Do you know me?

[It can't hurt to ask that of Sakura. Or at least, it won't hurt as much when she says no.]

[hostage]

Yeah. Mia did a great job, too. But these guys... I dunno. They're just waiting to nail me.

[strategic_guile]

Yeah, they've got it out for you. Stay lawyered up and give them tons of saccharine smiles.

[hostage]

No kidding.

[Except middle fingers instead of saccharine smiles, oops.]

[reassures]

["Angel girl". No name attached, no familiarity. It's the same generally friendly, if relatively awkward kid that she watched movies with, who trusted her when he had no real reason to because she lied to him constantly, and he doesn't know her, does he? She can tell without really even needing to hear his thoughts. She's seen it one too many times before (a lot of which were today alone).

Even so, she smiles back. There are no tears, because she was expecting it this time. She's pretty sure she should expect it from now on. If she sees someone familiar, she should just remain under the assumption that they don't know her. ...It would probably make her life a lot easier if she could manage that without hoping that someone would know her.

She pulls the tablet out, and begins typing.]

Hello.

[strategic_guile]

[One last cookie as he backs up.] Stay outta jail and I'll get you the recipe and stuff.

Thanks for the cookies.

[hostage]

Yeah, no problem.

[reconnaissance]

( She opens her mouth to protest, but kind of just winds up looking a bit amused. ) Actually, just kind of reminds me of my grandfather.

( And maybe was being a little obnoxious. Kicking the dirt a little awkwardly, Ellie feels incredibly childlike, a feeling that she's never really felt easy about. Especially not since Harvey's Heroes. Having adults around wasn't really something to feel confident about, really.

She chews a bit more in silence, just kind of mulling over the conversation. ) Hey. Thanks for the biscuits. I should probably... ( Glancing over her shoulder, it hits her again that this is really fucked up. I dunno. Figure out where this unit thing is meant to be.

Does it get any less weird? Being here?

[iorhael]

...I imagine that should you die, the matter of leaving this place would not be a problem to you.

Have you only just arrived?

[he hopes that he is not a frequent victim of kidnapping in any case!]

[reassures]

[Maybe she's too obvious... Nill nods though, because there's no denying she's new here.]

I haven't been here for very long yet. Maybe an hour or two.

[She looks up at the sky, and then types up another message before he can say much of anything.]

Do you know when the weather will clear up?

[supitslilith]

Well, you look pretty alright without it.

[and she takes another cookie]

Pretty glad about these, though.

Exactly, No one walks in

[iorhael]

[Frodo looks at him, glad to see the elf again, though he has to wonder at so many of the Fellowship coming in. Is this by the Initiative's design?]

It is you! I am glad to see you again!

[hostage]

[Well now he's glad he put the cigarette out, if he's reminding people of their grandfathers.]

It gets weirder. But you also kinda get used to weird.

[wilder]

Right.

[and at the question, he can't help but give a soft noise and glance up at the sky]

Been here two months now, and I've been wondering the same thing.

[Aka, like he knows]

[reassures]

[It's honestly amazing that even now, dressed in black and guns at her side - when just a little while ago she'd hit him hard enough to send him to the ground - he's still concerned about her, still thinks he's scared her somehow.

Nill nods, and she smiles, because that's great, that's really great, no one can die, that's amazing, that's wonderful. It's great. It should be great, but when "God" said death mattered it was bullshit, and there's nothing great about ripping people's souls apart. A moment later she presses her lips together as more tears slip down her cheeks. She's used a man with this face for her own needs before, and even now, some alternate timeline version of him still somehow manages to care, even when he has no idea who she is. No one has any idea who she is.]

[hostage]

[Jesse actually gets up out of his seat now, approaching her even though he's not sure if he should reach out or leave her alone.]

Hey... It's okay. There's a lot of us here and we all take care of each other. And the Initiative, too. I know it's hard to believe that, but they really care about us. No one's gonna let anything bad happen to you.