(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

[chore_boy]

[Steve would find himself presented with a hand. Coby stood in front of him in full uniform, looking none too healthy, himself. Having drunk his weapon--a can of pop designed to rebuild his stamina when in bad health and put him in worse health when drunk in good health--he was fairly nauseous. He smiled through it, aiming to be as courteous as possible to someone who looked out of his element as well.]

Hello. My name is Coby. Would you like a hand?

[Coby met his 3D counterpart.]

[fe_male]

Holy shit.

[ That's Steve Rogers. Right there. Much easier to miss, but still the only person in the world who, when presented with the most creative and inventive and potentially effective armories, picks a shield. Tony's been accused of fighting with shields, of insisting things are not what they are, but it's always been in the 'oh ho this isn't a sword it's not dangerous at all' direction, not the other way around.

I mean, he'd known Steve was here - network scripts are great for that sort of thing - but the ping hadn't told him it was Steve. How could it have known? He's always been Captain America - Tony just hadn't realized it had been such an outward battle. Pictures and real life, totally don't add up. ]

Rogers! What are you doing? Did they catch you in your sleep or what?

[debugerror]

The nowhere here is much worse than this.

[His tone is detached; there's precious little he can do for himself at the moment, never mind other people.] So I hear. They're as cut off as we are.

[He can't bring himself to examine whether it was a mistake to separate him from Berserker or not. Can Servants even exist here without the Grail? He doubts it would be reassuring if he told the man, 'at least you aren't alone, because if a godly wish-granting vessel can't even reach us, then it's no wonder your space ship is out of contact'.]

[freewoman]

It wasn't Cedric. Ygritte was abrasive, and she tended to be blunt, judging everything. When he gave his name, she nodded. "Ygritte," she told him before she looked out on thr crowd. "They want us to fight. It's their war, but they say it's threatenin' our worlds. So we fight."

[holy_prankster]

He smiled at Cedric in that mysterious way, and with a secretive chuckle, the kirin continued to sip at his tea. It would be interesting to see how all of these humans would react to this situation, and he would observe the entire process until his return.

"You're more than welcome, Cedric," Sohki smoothly said. He didn't want to keep the young wizard, even if he had been enjoying Cedric's company.

[crystalia]

_{( Crystal stops in front of him, hands on her hips as she looks him over. Her brow furrows, as though she's trying to come to a conclusion, but ultimately she shifts her position and offers him a smile. )}

I'm sorry, I must have been mistaken. Did you just arrive?

o7 also i /strive/ for CONSTANT ICNESS

[fe_male]

[ yeah yeah yeah, all that hot, sticky patriotism, ooh baby, show him some more

Also man I totally forgot it was actually a luchadore mask. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

heh okay he likes you already ]

I'm not sure that would have been what made you less conspicuous, but you could probably get points for a good-faith effort. Is that actually keeping the rain out?

[controlledvariable]

If they had it figured out they'd give us a schedule. [She doesn't even try not to sound bitter. Forever mad at the Initiative.

But that's not really his fault, so she smiles for the thanks] You're welcome, and the apartments are a block that way. [she points in the right direction, then after a beat:] I'm at the training area almost all Tuesdays and Thursdays, if you want to find me for whatever reason.

[She'd give him her tablet number but. secret identities. This is the best she can offer right now.]

[goinbust]

"Guessing they're Earth based or from another reality, maybe both. Earth kind of abandoned most of us out on the rim so it was a loos confederation till the Dominion came."

[duplicitoussight]

[After nosing around the Hold, Kano's been spending his time scouting the area. Using the funds kindly provided by the kidnappers, he's bought himself another hoodie to wear over his lighter one. If he wasn't using his power he'd look pretty silly right now. He's in the middle of investigating the marketplace when he spots her.

The situation's become more troublesome. Had the Initiative brought the other members of their gang as well? But by the same token, Kano's relieved to see a familiar face.

He drops his power's cover and sneaks up behind her. He stands on his tip-toes, peering over her shoulder, a grin already on his face.]

Eh, I wouldn't choose that one, Kido! You'll break your teeth on it.

sssame, but not-costumed

[livinuptothename]

[ Batkids don't know what normal is, that's part of being a batkid, Peter. ]

Yeah, somethin' like that.

[ He steps further out of the shadows, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket and studying this new costumed dude from behind the glasses. ]

So who're you supposed to be?

invents silly words for his dumb web moves sIGH

[ex_havenofear960]

[ He's glad for the mention of the training area, actually, because he wasn't sure how to ask about keeping in touch. ]

Great. I'm sure I'll see you there. Well, I mean I'll probably visit you sometime, I'm not really one for training. [ He prefers flipping around the city like a crazy person, it counts. ]

Thanks again, Batgirl. Oh, and your ears - totally look like bat ears, I was probably thinking of chinchillas before. [ All lies, but he offers a salute before taking the cool exit at the loss of the webbing; a few lines shot to the nearest high roof, and then he's slingshotting himself out of view. ]

[hostage]

[It's not unreasonable to find Jesse suspicious. Everything about him: the shaved head, the scruff, the tattoo on his right hand, the thuggish slump and even the way he holds his cigarette... It all speaks to a criminal nature, not exactly the kind of person who'd spend the day in a kitchen. But when she walks up and inquires about the flavors, he leans forward and helpfully points out each one:]

Butterscotch, chocolate chip, peanut butter, fudge, shortbread.

Re: nikolai luzhin | as open as the legs of-- okay, I can't

[queenoftherock]

[Ollie is, by no means new, but he's still adjusting to the whole 'living in the future' deal. He's out of uniform, looking surprisingly, well, normal in a pair of jeans, boots and a long-sleeve shirt. His arm is still in a sling, but it's a far-less constraining one than a usual sling and Ollie's grateful for it. They've been good to him in rehab for his dominant arm and they've been adamant on keeping it in the sling whenever he's not training or doing work.

He hears the near-choking and the slam, shifting Ollie's focus from his own thoughts to this man.]

You alright, there?

[ex_havenofear960]

[ There's a delayed response, because he's finding the lack of recognition a bit strange, but then he gestures to the spider on his chest. ]

Spider-Man. I've kind of got this whole spider theme going on, but I guess it might be hard to see details through those shades.

What's your deal? You here to mug me? Because honestly, that won't end well for you.

[livinuptothename]

[ People wandering around and looking around is a pretty normal occurrence on days like this, but it's rare that the sight of him makes someone actually pause (at least when he's out of uniform). And that makes Jason pause.

He doesn't recognize the girl at all, but he still calls out to her when she turns away: ]

What, I don't even get a hello?

hi5!!

[ex_havenofear960]

Yes.

[ ...well. ]

No, not really. I am extremely uncomfortable right now. [ It's clinging in weird places, man. ]

Apparently spandex isn't naturally water-proof, who knew.

[frombrooklyn]

[ The shield he'd chosen from the armory is definitely a hefty thing, nothing like the (impromptu) things Steve's used to using to defend himself in sticky situations on the street -- rocks, pieces of wood, lids off of garbage cans, and on one memorable occasion, an abandoned muff. He could really do with a muff right about now, though. A lot less heavy and better at keeping him warm. Or a coat. Warm and big and to your right--

Steve stops. That's not a stray thought, that's a voice. An accurate voice, too, because some distance away on his right is a stall lined with what distinctly appears to be jackets. ]

Did... someone just... ?

[ He trails off, looking around as best as he can from under his makeshift umbrella. ]

[livinuptothename]

Something you wanna keep with, too, kid, trust me. The state of the weather here is permanently gray with hundred percent chance of rain. I swear I spent my entire first week here freakin' soaked 'cause I was convinced it was gonna clear up any day.

[ Or because his first week here there had been a bombing raid and they'd all had to evacuate to the cave system below. Either way. He leads the way to one of the lean-tos near a food cart, jerking his head to it as they near. ]

By the way, here's your first free piece of advice: this place has the best food. I don't even know what the hell it is and I'm pretty sure I don't wanna know, but it's awesome.

[ Yeah, he's switched into Chattering Robin mode pretty much automatically. ]

[debugerror]

You're not hallucinating. Go get yourself a jacket.

[If the voice wasn't so rough, you'd probably be able to hear the amusement in it. Kariya's well aware that he could easily pass for an apparition, if anything -- something that goes bump in the night.

(Honestly speaking, they might as well change 'Matou' to 'Goes bump in the night'.)

He still doesn't move from his spot; there's no real reason to, when he's just acting as a living signpost.]

[duplicitoussight]

Coincidentally, Kano happened to be scanning the crowd for someone to pester, so he can get a better feel of this new world. Keith seems friendly enough and his enthusiasm brings a big smile to Kano's face.

"What a great coincidence! I actually do. That's very thoughtful of you, very thoughtful!" With that said he ducks beneath the cardboard, taking a second to pet the wet dog. "Eh, you wouldn't happen to know where to get an umbrella, would you?"

[livinuptothename]

[ He visibly pauses then laughs, shaking his head. ]

Hey, why all the hate on the shades, I haven't even said shit about your freakin' gimp mask.

[ He takes his hands out of his pockets nice and slow and holds them up, palms up. He couldn't be playing the Friendly Street Punk role any harder even if he wanted to. ]

See? Not even packin' heat. I'm just performing my civic duty and checking up on the weird dude in the costume. So, what, you a superhero?

[ The glasses serve their purpose just fine, veiling the fact he's still watching Spider-Man keenly. ]

[heartsink]

[ She hesitates, glancing back, uncertain for a moment if he meant her, but... well. It seems likely enough. ]

Why, did you want one?

[livinuptothename]

I dunno. People say it doesn't, but we don't really got a way to prove it.

[theboywhodied]

Cedric swallowed hard. He really didn't like the idea, He hated it. He wanted to do everything in his power to help the war without killing, if possible.

"I have to give the others something to go back to. I'll help, I just...really don't like it."