(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

but then she can literally be called an ass muncher

[ex_cashcow493]

Afraid I cannot understand, milady.

[ TOO SERIOUS FOR THIS THREAD. ] Are they associated with robots?

Saber, King of Ass Munchers

[immortalize]

In a way.

[ MOVING ALONG... ] Have you been here long?

and then life was good

[ex_cashcow493]

A good number of months.

[ Only two seasons, but those are hard to tell with how the weather is here. A shame. ] Afraid I am not the sort to answer questions of this land. That is better reserved for the scholars who study it.

[immortalize]

Then instead of that, you can tell me of your experiences within this land. [ C.C. pauses, staring at Saber for a moment. ]

We are at war, after all.

[ex_cashcow493]

Debatable. If we were at war--[ She would have won it for this side already. ]--they would not send many of the people they bring here back.

No matter, the war varies. They send us to different points of time and have monsters of all sorts attack this place. Just a few days prior to the arrival of new transports there were a number of us inflicted with strange behavior.

[immortalize]

Strange as in...?

[ They were all strangers to this strange land. ]

[ex_cashcow493]

[ This is embarrassing, but she can't lie about it. ]

I believed myself to be several years younger and ran around accordingly.

[immortalize]

[ Giving Saber a brief down-up look. ]

Oh, I bet you were cute.

[ex_cashcow493]

I was a nuisance who caused more trouble than I should have. Had Sir Eceeer--!!

My apologies, it seems as though I was losing track of our conversation briefly.

[ How embarrassing. ]

[immortalize]

Sir Ecer?

[ Huh. ] A knight?

[ex_cashcow493]

There are many sirs and misses throughout time.

[ Totally a knight. That's why she's avoiding with a straight answer. ]

[immortalize]

[ Saber... you kind of suck with vague answers. Here, have one of C.C.'s. ]

Depending on how you view those sirs and misses.

[ex_cashcow493]

And how do you view them?

[ NO ONE CAN OUT VAGUE HER EVEN IF C.C.'S PERSONALITY IS 99% VAGUE BULLSHIT. ]

[immortalize]

[ So what's the 1%? ]

Everything and everywhere.

[ Hello Geass Subconscious of Humanity AKA God. ]

[ex_cashcow493]

[ ASS. TITTIES. ASS. ]

A frustratingly vague response. I believe you to be a wizard with your words.

[immortalize]

[ That's a pretty big 1%, tho'. ]

A consequence of being around for a while. You wouldn't be the first.

[ex_cashcow493]

[ Yet it doesn't come close to her vague background THANKS GUYS. ]

Define a while.

[immortalize]

[ NO POINTS GIVEN. ]

That I remain the same while everything changes.

[ And it isn't "wizard," Saber, gosh. ]

[ex_cashcow493]

Immortality?

[ She's heard rumors of such things being possible, but it wasn't as though King Arthur herself could go on such a quest. Her kingdom believed her to be immortal themselves. ]

[immortalize]

And you?

[ Not many jumped to that conclusion, even when she explicitly stated it unless they saw her reviving, unless they themselves experienced that somehow. ]

[ex_cashcow493]

... Yes.

[ No getting around that. ]

[immortalize]

How unfortunate.

[ There's a sympathetic note to that tone. ]

[ex_cashcow493]

[ She's happy for it. To be able to return to Britain anytime they need her... ]

Well, to each their own with these sorts of things.

[immortalize]

Yes. There's always something or someone who will change that viewpoint.

[ Even if they're long gone. ]

[ex_cashcow493]

A kingdom will always need a knight to return to it.

[ Someone though? People seem to pass by with immortality, don't they? Growing old, that sort of thing.

Best to not pry. ] Here we are.