(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

[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.

[inthejunk]

"Fixing a lot of worlds, apparently. Don't ask me how that works. But this-"

He gives the tablet a gentle flick, which by chance wakes the display.

"This I can probably help you figure out. See that? It's your lock screen. You have to unlock it like this...see? You can add a code so people can't use it without your permission if you want-"

And you're off to your first lesson in practical Muggle crap, Cedric. Hopefully it won't give you too much trouble with your magic, because Yosuke can only work the basics on these things. If it starts throwing sparks off, you're on your own, bro.

[theboywhodied]

Cedric mimics the motions on his own tablet. "So that's how you make things go. I wondered about that. I can probably work it out from here...I think. Sorry, I just come from a...very small village. No electricity."

[inthejunk]

"That sounds tough."

Yosuke makes a face, sort of a sympathetic nose crinkle. Because not having the Internet in a small town would make it even worse.

"My Dad's job transferred us somewhere way off the grid last year. But at least I could still check my Facebook."

[theboywhodied]

"I'm afraid I don't know what a facebook is. Is it like a yearbook?"

Cedric laughs. "Well, it hardly matters now. Unless it's involved in what I have to learn here."

[inthejunk]

That gets a surprised blink out of Yosuke. He gives Cedric a once over after that, and yeah...yeah, you're dressed like someone who's been living under a rock or something.

"It's...I guess you don't know what Twitter is either. Uh. I guess it is something like a yearbook. Maybe."

[theboywhodied]

"I'm afraid I don't," Cedric replies, but he nods...it sort of makes sense. Almost.

"I suppose it'd help to have a directory of who to talk to here. Is there anything like that at all?"

[inthejunk]

Uh. Sort of. At least if they've posted to the network there is. I'm not sure about people like me who haven't done that.

[So much for being knowledgeable as he promised. Sorry about that, dude.]

[theboywhodied]

They're rather complicated, aren't they?

[Cedric was just guessing. Did he truly have a clue? Not at all.]

That's all right. There's always talking to people the usual way.

[inthejunk]

Yeah, that works too. I've been walking around and running into people a lot of the time. I mean, it's hard not to in such an enclosed space.

[theboywhodied]

I can see that. London was like this all those years ago too.

[Cedric narrowly dodged being whacked by someone's shopping bag.]

Anyway, we could start applying faces to names now? I'm Cedric.

[He offered his hand, projecting more confidence than he felt.]

[inthejunk]

Hanamura Yosuke.

[Yosuke took the offered hand and shook it. He didn't even point out that shaking hands was old fashioned, the way he usually did. If this guy was from the middle of nowhere, it wasn't his fault. Yosuke could show him later.]

I bet London used to be a lot better, huh? I've seen pictures before. That big Ferris wheel, the Eye of London? That looks cool. And those shining dome skylights, and the clock tower. I know all about it.

[theboywhodied]

I've never seen a large Ferris wheel there. Maybe it came later?

[Cedric just grins.]

And the countryside was even more amazing. It's such a shame that it's all a wasteland now.

[inthejunk]

Oh. Right. Time travel. That's still weird.

[Yosuke shakes his head, and shrugs. What can you do, right?]

I haven't seen any pictures of that, but you do always hear the term Englush Countryside, so I guess it must have been something once.

[theboywhodied]

Englush?

[Sounds like Professor Sprout would get a kick out of that. He smirks.]

I'll have to get out to see the damage sometime. Not looking forward to that.

[inthejunk]

[Did he say it wrong? Ah, well. He'll just pretend that's how it's said in his time. Who's going to be any wiser? Yosuke grins at the suggestion, though.]

Actually, I've been planning to go see it myself. I heard someone say there are radioactive deer out there. That's worth checking out, right?

[theboywhodied]

That sounds frightening, but I think I'd better go too. After I buy a coat and get settled.

[He smiles.] Thanks.

[inthejunk]

Sure, I can put it off for a few weeks if you want.

[And if you don't want too bad, now you have to go anyway!

Okay maybe not. But he'll only take no for an answer if you refuse more than three times.]

It's no trouble.