exsiliumlogs | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Date: March 1st
Location: The Initiative Hold & Courtyard.
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports arrive and are shuffled into the Courtyard after their initial briefings.
Warnings: None.

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm sorry if I said something to make you think I feel that way, but you don't need to worry. There's no way I'd be able to face everyone at home if I got there by turning my back on people in danger. [Or perhaps it's more simple and Ed isn't as ready to trust an alternate universe counterpart as he wants Al to think he is. Either way, the topic unsettles him.

[To the rest he nods along a bit absently, trying not to be daunted by how impossible the task ahead is starting to look. There are no guarantees his soul's connection to the armor is going to hold up all the way until the Promised Day, much less adding another world's fight into the mix. And even that much good fortune is supposing the Transporter can truly throw out the laws of time and send him back before it's too late. If Al were a little less optimistic he'd probably dismiss the whole thing as hopeless.]

There's a lot I have to learn before I can start making decisions. I'm not asking you to tell me what to think, but you've been here longer and I'd still like to hear anything you've already figured out.

[There's a brief flash of guilt across Ed's face. He'd been going for cautious, not accusatory. Not for the first time since he first hauled Al up here, he wishes Winry was still around to do the talking.]

As in what, Al? I know we keep getting people who think this army's a joke and talk about starting their own, even if half of them seem to forget they're no better equipped than the rest of us. Then there's others who walk away, like I was telling you. And some just try to keep their heads down, do what they can away from the fighting. Like Winry.

[Now he's staring at his feet.]

But the answers I want? I'll be honest with you - I can't figure out where to start looking.

Information on this world's history that hasn't been pre-approved by the Initiative would be nice, but I know that's going to be hard to come by.

[He shrugs a bit instead of getting discouraged, though maintaining the confident front is for his own sake just as much as anything else. Besides, sometimes finding the right questions can be half the battle in itself.]

Even knowing the things you've looked into that didn't pan out would save us from wasting time covering the same ground. [Has he countered Ed's use of I with we enough yet to drive the point home? Well, just in case.] No matter how difficult getting answer seems, you have me here to help you now and that means we'll find a way to manage just like always.

[Al's confidence might be an act, Ed isn't sure, but it's something he can damn well match if he's going to set a good example. He rallies.] Yeah, we will. That's what we do.

[He walks over to where he left his coat.] Might be too early to say whether any of this will pan out or not, but... [Quickly rummaging through one of the pockets, he pulls out a small notebook, which he flicks through once -] Looks like the right one. Here, catch. [- before tossing it Al's way. It's well-thumbed, slightly damp and almost completely full of his scrawl. ...Not that he knows if Al is going to recognise it as his scrawl.

Some of the notes are on past missions. Most of the rest are broader summaries of world history; they're more or less split up into discrete time periods starting from around the 19th century, but there's little semblance of order, chronological or otherwise. A few less relevant pages are mixed in as well, including a list of miscellaneous lab equipment and, oddly enough, a sketch of a familiar-looking ouroboros and hexagram.]

That should be all I got on history so far. Cross-referenced where I could, tried to note where the books and sources looked fishy to me - I figured that's the second best thing. But I didn't really start until a little while back, so it's pretty bare-bones. [He grins sheepishly.] And organisation kind of took a back seat.

Hey, a start's a start.

[Al catches the notebook, immediately flipping through it. A tangible source of information genuinely serves to cheer him up; as valuable as he's sure the network must be, it's still unfamiliar and involves way too much wading through personal conversations to be within his comfort zone. At least having an idea of what to look into further is a big help.

Since the notes are much more general than their usual field there's no reason to be put off by the lack of coding, but it gets a chuckle out of him all the same. It's not often he can decipher any of his brother's research at a glance, well organized or not.]

It's a lot easier to read than your alchemy notes. Thanks.

[The familiar--and yet, like almost everything else today, slightly different--image of the ouroboros does indeed give him pause.]

You didn't find something about the homunculi here, did you?

[Ed raises an eyebrow - is it easier to read? It's not like he's an actual historian! - but is distracted by the next question. He peers over at the page.]

Nah, that's something else. False alarm. Or I'd like to think so. Best you could say is that if any of them are around, they're keeping to themselves. [He straightens up.] There was this kid who sounded like he was asking about them, but when I showed him that, it turned out he meant some other group with a different tattoo. That's alternate worlds for you.

[He shrugs.]

No reason to be careless, though. One of them could show up someday, if they aren't here yet. Or... whoever their boss is. It's not impossible. You seen some of the people who get pulled into this mess, Al? They'd almost be an improvement. [He grins darkly.] At least most of them know what a functioning army's supposed to look like.

I don't think I'd call their idea of an army functioning.

[He turns another page in Ed's notebook, not bothering to look up as he talks. The homunculi are at the top of the list of things he wants to ask about when Ed's feeling more agreeable. If they were really created by a normal human then it makes sense that they'd be younger, and while he doesn't want to hope for too much, it sure would be nice to hear there's an Amestris out there where they didn't spend centuries engineering wars for maximum bloodshed.]

That's part of why I think comparing this stuff will be important for us later on. We can't be prepared for everything, but we can at least know what to expect when it comes to our own worlds.

[Another casual page flip as he mulls over what might happen if the homunculi really did show up.]

Actually... That we aren't from the same place is probably something we should try to keep to ourselves, just to be safe.

[Ed looks uncertain.] Well, I wasn't about to go shouting it from the rooftops, but... you really think someone would try to use it? Or could? [He spreads a hand.] I mean, people already know there's all kinds of issues with the way they bring us here. It's hard not to notice. Parallel timelines fit into that pretty easily.

[It's the principle of the thing. He's never particularly needed any reminders to keep a secret.]

It's more about not giving up a potential advantage. [Wyrly:] You don't exactly fit into anything the homunculi I know have planned.

[He closes the book and sets it aside.]

Normally they need us alive, but it's hard to say what they'd make of you being from another world. The only thing I can be sure of is that they wouldn't pass up a chance to use you against me if they thought they could. Like I said, we just barely got Winry out of a bad situation back home, so I'm not looking to take any more risks than necessary.

[Assuming the homunculi don't decide Exsilium changes the game completely, of course, but Al would like to think he and Ed would be able to stop them before any new plans become an issue. Anyway, that's a lot of paranoia for a hypothetical, so he quickly turns sheepish.]

But um, hopefully that won't be something we'll ever have to deal with.

Why? You think I must've gone soft while you weren't paying attention? 'Cause you know I'd be happy to demonstrate... [He cracks his knuckles, but then just laughs.] Yeah, it's a good point. Don't worry about it.

[He seems thoughtful again once he stops, though.]

Still, speaking of things we should think about dealing with while we're here... [He looks straight at Al.] You said something about being on a time limit. Is that one of them?

[Al nearly jumps. With everything else they've talked about, he was honestly hoping that little detail had slipped Ed's mind. Some things, he's decided, simply aren't relevant to Ed's world and would only serve to worry him; Al's situation with the armor and the nationwide transmutation circle being chief among them. So much for giving a shot at lying by omission.]

It's not exactly--I mean, I really can't be sure...

[He fidgets with his hands and starts over, scrambling for how to best downplay this. What's a nice way to say please don't get upset if it seems like I've blacked out?]

I guess it never became a problem for the other me, but a person's soul is really only compatible with their own body. An arrangement like this [He taps his chestplate.] can't last forever. Of course I'm fine right now! It's just... the armor's started to get a little unstable lately.

[Ed's eyes widen, but quickly narrow. He thinks he can make more sense of this explanation than some of the last few, already knowing that a human body degrades in contact with a soul transferred away from where it belongs... still, isn't that the kind of thing Al should have mentioned from the start if he was so keen to set out some priorities, not just in passing? Not to mention that initial reaction, which all but convinces Ed there's something more to this.]

Unstable how, Al? [His voice has picked up the edge it tends to get when he's serious, the one that could be mistaken for the beginnings of anger.]

[Al at least has the restraint to not add that this is exactly why he didn't want to bring it up. His shoulders slump dejectedly.]

Unstable as in my real body has been trying to pull my soul back where it belongs. It basically looks like I've lost consciousness.

[He shakes his head as if to dismiss the whole thing.]

It's only happened a couple of times and I'll find a way to get my body back way before it becomes something we need to worry about. I just don't want you to get the wrong idea if the problem comes up again while I'm here.

The wrong idea? [Ed spreads his arms.] How the hell is that not important?!

[There's always the possibility that rather than just wanting to keep quiet about it, Al specifically wanted to keep quiet about it in front of him... but Ed is doing a much better job of not overthinking this right now than he has been so far.]

You're the one who kept saying it was pointless to compare notes! [He raises his voice just a bit, but for the most part keeps his cool.]

And until just now I couldn't be completely sure that you not knowing wasn't just some kind of misunderstanding.

[Ed lets out a noise halfway between a groan and a growl, and puts a hand to his forehead.] Never mind that! Think, Al! How can you be so sure you'll figure it out in time with basically no resources here and no way to know when we can get you home? If fixing all of this was as easy as just marching into the Hold with a toolbox, someone would've done it by now! What were you planning to do in the meantime, sit and wait?! You got dragged all the way out here to fight - what if it happens in the middle of one? Or starts happening faster? [It's a wild guess, but if the problem really is Al's connection to the armour wearing out, it doesn't seem farfetched...] What then?!

[He has to stop to take a breath or several eventually, but judging from the look on his face, it doesn't calm him down much.]

Brother! Getting worked up like that doesn't help anything!

[Al holds up his hands in an attempt to pacify him.]

I'll figure it out because I have to! Alchemy works just fine here, and there are probably all sorts of resources we never would have had access to back home. There's no reason we can't keep looking for a way to get our bodies back while we're trying to sort out everything else!

[For a protracted moment, Ed looks like he's mentally preparing more of the same rant. Instead of unleashing it, though, he sighs through gritted teeth and, fairly suddenly, sits down on the floor next to Al.]

Al, we can't focus on everything at the same time. There's just the two of us.

That's never stopped us before.

[Which isn't entirely true. For Al, at least, restoring their bodies has had to somewhat take a backseat to focusing on the Promised Day. Deep down, he knows it would have to be the same here. They can't ignore the war and let people die just so they can spend their time and energy on fixing something they've brought on themselves.]

Besides, what other choice do we have?

[Ed shoots him a still annoyed glance before looking back down at the floor, deflated.] You moron. That's not a choice, that's a cop out. You've gotta decide what's important to you.

[Which is much easier said than done. Logically, Ed thinks he knows what the best option is - when the plans he already had work out, they'll benefit more people than just Al, and he must be at least a little closer to realising those than he would be to the end of this particular wild goose chase if he picked it up again now.

Logical in this case doesn't make him happy, though. He's not sure whether to consider that a warning bell.]

So... you're saying you expect this body to be useless by spring, huh? [The time limit wasn't the only minor detail he was, in fact, listening to.] How long does that give us? When did they pull you from?

No, that's something else. For all I know this body could still hold out for years, so there's no point in assuming the worst before we have to.

I know that helping everyone and figuring out what's going on with this war has to be our priority, so you don't have to worry about that either. [He doesn't mean to sound irritable, but he'd really rather cut off any additional reminders to think less selfishly before they happen.]

But even if you think it's a waste of time, this isn't the kind of opportunity we're ever going to get again, and it'd be crazy not to take advantage of it while we've got the chance. With all the things people claim to be capable of here, there really might be something that could work.

The other transports? [Thought so, he silently adds.] Listen, I'm not trying to say it is a waste of time, but you don't know if you can trust any of them for anything more than an argument.

Don't tell me you've been making enemies already.

[Though, really, he'd be more surprised if that somehow wasn't the case.]

There's the Initiative too. Time travel, accessing other worlds, supposedly sentient weapons... How they're able to pull all that off is something worth looking into.

[He flushes faintly, indignantly red.] Hey, I can keep my head down as well if I have to! [Badly.] I'm just saying. Listen out for clues on the side, sure, but don't believe everything you hear.

[Having said that, though, maybe he's overdoing it again. With a drawn-out sigh, he reaches up to bang on the side of Al's chest plate a few more times.]

So tell me, Al. What else didn't you want me to ask about? Carrying any bombs in there? Think anyone's gonna burst through the door with a hosepipe in the next few seconds? [There's a genuine note of reproach buried somewhere under all of that sarcasm.]

Geez, you're really something.

[He pushes Ed's hand back, somewhere between exasperated and amused.]

First you don't want to talk, then you get mad at me for not forcing you into it.