(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

[hatesvampires]

Oh, I don't know about that. It's a big place after all, tons of people, crowded streets...

[He gestures idly to their surroundings, rotating his wrist a few times.]

I'd say plenty of people get lost here.

[debugerror]

Getting lost would imply you have somewhere to be.

[A slow shrug. Kariya isn't even facing you, silly Hazama, you look quite silly gesturing like that.

Though I suppose the air currents convey something too.]

The Initiative doesn't seem in much of a hurry.

['Not enough of one' goes unspoken.]

[hatesvampires]

Nowhere to be, huh...you're not dead are you?

[A somewhat dry laugh.]

You'd be surprised how many people we get around here! Uh...like that.

[debugerror]

[There's a distinct pause at that.

Then Kariya echoes the laugh, hoarsely.]

Always more surprises. But I meant it literally.

[hatesvampires]

Really? So I guess you won't be the first to jump on our captors in the hope they'll send you back as soon as possible, then.

We, uh, get a lot of that too. It's kind of like a neverending echo at this point.

[debugerror]

If I thought jumping them was the answer...

[He doesn't bother to voice the conclusion; the threat. He's considered it, but as he is now, he'd be like an ant trying to move a mountain. However--]

There's strength in numbers. They have crowd control?

[hatesvampires]

Who, the initiative?

They can't fight for themselves at all. It'd just take one or two superhumans to completely overthrow them I bet.

Wait.

You're not thinking...

[Although on the inside Hazama's thinking DO IT, DO IT, IT'D BE HILARIOUS TO WATCH.]

[debugerror]

[He ignores the implications -- he isn't thinking about it so much as considering the situation at hand. Kariya, at the moment, has no illusions about his own ability vis-a-vis those in power here. The best he could do would be shorten his own remaining time.

Not exactly productive just now.]

If they can't fight for themselves at all, how have they lasted this long?

[hatesvampires]

[A chuckle.]

Why do you think we're here?

We're it. First and last line of defense. As far as I'm aware, they didn't start engaging the United Earth properly until they started dragging us in.

[itsmagicallydelicious]

That's not what I meant.

[He raises his head and looks pointedly around the square. The proportion of confused-looking and out-of-place individuals is clearly much higher than the natives here. Not exactly a valid sample, but...]

They have a surprising amount of control -- can't even call us hostages.

[hatesvampires]

So, what, you mean their lack of control...?

[Man, this guy sure loves the whole cryptic spiel.

Hazama's not all that fond of it.]

I mean - look, ok! No matter what you're trying to say, all you have to know is everyone who isn't a transport flocks here for refuge from their oppressive little government over the sea.

Everyone who is a transport needs the initiative to go home.

That's all there is to it. Aside that, they've got as much control over their situation as a wounded rat does over the fact a snake's about to eat it.

[itsmagicallydelicious]

[He's not trying to be cryptic. He just hasn't had to explain to anyone else in a long, long while -- not to mention the strain on his throat. He'd be doubly frustrated if he were up to being invested in it right now.

There's just too much of it; all the things he needs to accept now.]

I'm not arguing that. [He releases a long breath, not quite a sigh.] There's just... some things off about their operation.

[An understatement, to be sure. He'd like to take a rain check on talking politics.]

SORRY THIS IS SO LATE aghghghg orz

[hatesvampires]

[YOU WANNA STOP, TOO BAD, HAZAMA TIME.

In all fairness if he knew it was straining him to keep talking, it'd...probably be more incentive for Hazama to keep him talking.]

How so? You think they're lying or something?

no worries!

[itsmagicallydelicious]

[HE WILL TURN THIS CAR AROUND--

And it's a strain for him to do much of anything at this point, so welcome to walking schadenfreude gratification. His canon loves him for it.]

It's more likely they're lying than not. [He's not entirely sure what he means -- he just knows that a number of things don't match up or conform to common sense (though the latter is a little laughable here -- logic would be the better word, perhaps?).] What do you think?

[He just arrived, why is he having to answer all the questions here.]

[hatesvampires]

Well, I make a point of never trusting people who keep so many secrets. Or tell too many lies.

[Nod.]

I worked for the government back home and let me tell you, open honesty was our top policy! Only way to win the hearts and minds of the public.

[In a sense he's not lying, just...it's more sinister than it sounds.]

[itsmagicallydelicious]

A government with open honesty?

[If his eyebrow went any higher it would need a pilot's license.]

That is something.

[There is definitely skepticism there, though he doesn't make a show of it. Polite 'I-don't-believe-a-thing-you-just-said' requires much less energy.]

[hatesvampires]

Oh sure! Exactly why we had so much loyalty, aside the odd rogue or two.

[See, he doesn't take offense cause he doesn't care - but the honesty is there! Noone ever asked if he was plotting to steal everyone's souls after all, so no ask no tell. That's it's own brand of honesty!]

But really, I've kept you long enough. I'm sure you'd like to get on with it, get settled in, whatever may and all that, right?