(no subject)

[initiates]

Date: May 1st
Location: The Initiative Hold & Courtyard.
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports arrive and are shuffled into the Courtyard after their initial briefings, while those Transports on the mission to Wollongong return.
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.

Comments

DONNY: if you really like people who are painfully shy

[bumbles]

( The only option had been to get more clothes. He was too conspicuous as Atlas, but Donny was practically part of the wallpaper anyway. It'd be easier to take a look around, to figure out his surrounding on the ground level without the mask and the body armour. Once that particular mission is accomplished, though – thank God these Initiative guys gave you some currency – he's got Atlas crammed into a backpack along with some extra clothes.

The clothes were hardly the major concern, though. How could they be? It was fixed, and easy: disappear into a ramshackle building with no witnesses, and emerge as just Donny. (Easiest and worst transition of his life, generally speaking.) What is he going to do without Max? And she couldn't be stuck back home alone, not with Asteria running wild. All of this seemed too bizarre even for Asteria's machinations, and there's no way she'd have granted him the mercy of arriving as Atlas. Was there? How far would she go? But--

A: whomp. He's so caught in his thoughts that he walks into someone.

B: The poor guy is hungry, and might just-- eye some of the stands, or wander past a cafe, and he can't quite settle on what to do. But that one thing he's looking at surely can't be actual food, right? Something with that much grease is probably a poor idea. Especially when you need to be running along rooftops.

C: Wildcard?

D: Or they could have stumbled into him before he finds somewhere to get clothes. For all your silent superhero needs! Eyemasks and black and red Ancient Greek themed outfit is go. )

B.

[wolfchild]

Here.

[ The girl holds out a snack. ]

[bumbles]

( If it were Atlas - if only he could be Atlas all the time - he probably wouldn't jump a little at someone talking to him, too locked up in his head as his hands twist nervously around the strap of his backpack. He's not Atlas, though, so he does start, and it takes him a few moments before he reaches out for it. )

Um. ( A moment; he just stares at it blankly, and then he's rummaging in his pockets for the currency he was given. ) Uh, I d-don't-- how much?

( Still trying to work this out, and he definitely can't take food for free, not from a kid. )

[wolfchild]

I don't sell them. You just look like you're like to eat someone.

A

[medicating]

[He's not the only one lost in his thoughts. McCoy's just come back from the mission in Australia and is still trying to process things when he's knocked into at the shoulder. He jerks at the sensation, but looks with worry at whoever he's hit, thinking he's to blame.]

Sorry, kid. You all right?

[bumbles]

( On reflex, he's shaking his head, taking a step back. He doesn't stand straight, his height undermined by his slouch, and there's something inherently apologetic about his body language. )

Sorry. M-my fault.

( It was better to defer, to admit fault, and then sometimes people let it be. ) Fine.

( He doesn't really look fine. He looks more like the most lost of puppies. )

[medicating]

[Well he looks like a stiff breeze would knock him over, the way he carries himself, McCoy thinks.]

Would you be one of the new ones?

I PICK D.

[highhealplz]

[ He's enjoyed his return to Exsilium so far. The market has nothing on Prontera's, of course, and it's dull, dingy, and damp. All that is true, yes, but it still has a charm. So it is that he's out to enjoy the sights, and happens to catch one that doesn't quite belong.

A transport, obviously, or a native that bought a transport's outfit off of him. Either way, it's an interesting garb. With curiosity piqued, Ashraf steps after him. ]

Excuse me! [ Not much of a conversational starter, but he'll think of something. Mostly he just wants to catch the attention of the man with the suit before he can slip away. ]

DELICIOUS

[bumbles]

( Automatically, he turns. If he were Donny, he might slink away, try to get out unnoticed, but typically speaking if someone addresses a superhero, then something needs addressing. Even if it's small, or stupid and petty, it needs to be done. His rush to find clothes will have to wait, apparently.

Atlas turns, head cocked curiously as he looks to the man, but he doesn't speak. It's part of Atlas' secret to success, after all: he doesn't have Adonis' weaknesses. )

no, that's D for DIC......tation

[highhealplz]

[ Oh, there's a mask. This is just getting stranger and stranger. But nonetheless he smiles, drawing nearer. ]

Sorry, it's only — [ Well, may as well be truthful. ] Your clothing attracted me, I have to admit. I haven't seen anything like it around yet. You're a Transport, right?

A!

[forks]

[Welp, looks like there's been an accident. And for once, Bella wasn't the cause of it.

STOP

THE

PRESSES

The force of the impact is almost enough to knock her off balance, and, honestly, it's a miracle that she's still standing. But give her a second to firmly regain her footing before:]

Hey. You okay? [There's genuine concern in her voice. She may be more sympathetic about something like this than most, given her own notorious lack of grace.]

[bumbles]

( It's fine, next time she can fall into him, it'll be perfect. The balance will be met.

Despite the divides entrenched between himself and Atlas, when he knocks into someone that hard, he automatically goes to catch them if there's any chance they'll fall or slip, so his hand is on her arm - firm, but not painful - until he realises what he's doing and snatches it away, as fast as if she'd burned him.

This is mortifying. )

F-fine. I'm-- yeah, I'm uh, I'm.

( Fine. He's fine. ) Are uh, you?

[forks]

[The entire existence of Bella Swan is defined by an extensive collection of mortifying experiences

She's sure she can top this

As a result, though, awkward is something she's well-equipped to handle. Because even if this is kind of awkward, all she'll do is pull away in a motion that folds her arms across her chest.]

Yeah. Totally, totally fine. [Somehow, she manages the smallest of smiles.] That was nothing, trust me.

A

[perdre]

[this keeps happening to him. Peter where are your senses.]

I need to stop doing that - sorry.

[bumbles]

( WOAH oops okay Donny tries to correct the situation, overcompensates and trips in the least elegant way possible, landing in the mud.

Today is stupid on so many levels. )

M-my fault.

( Flat, quiet. Was that a deliberate thing? He can't even tell, he feels so frazzled. )

A!!!! your body better be ready

[scinlae]

[ She is tired, by the goddess she is so tired. It had been days since she slept, less since she ate a proper meal. To say she is off guard would be an insult to her, to call her mood pleasant would be a lie. The rain hampered her desires (Beltane is upon them, but how does one light the fire when the sky does naught but rain?) and exhaustion disarms her.

So when another body crashes into her own she all but stumbles, annoyance lining her features, though instead of curses and annoyance she struggles to regain her balance. Hands falling to a nearby wall, gripping in vain. ]

MY BODY WAS SO READY IT DISRUPTED THE TIME SPACE CONTINUUM AND I AM TAGGING FROM TOMORROW

[bumbles]

( At least, after Cat's strict help and supervision, Donny had felt less shaky, even if there wasn't really anything that could be done to make him feel any better about this entire situation. He's manages to scrabble together a few things: bread, jerky (he's not sure about what kind of meat, didn't ask), some fruit, cheese. It's not ideal, but it will do. Going to the housing complex is a can of worms he is not interested in opening. Why would you trust the people who drag you out of your home world that much?

He's been so busy with all these clusters of thoughts, that yet another collision (idiot, Adonis, you stupid idiot) probably shouldn't be a surprise. The bag breaks, apples scattering (everything scattering, really) but it's really not the primary concern. Sometimes, only sometimes, Donny moves with the speed of Atlas, catching her arm to help her. His body moves faster than his words. ) I'm-- I'm s-sorry. I'm really-- are you o-okay?

( Stupid, clumsy idiot. Useless, Adonis. Always useless.

All his thoughts go blank when he spots her face, though. ) Selene?

d

[crystalia]

<sub>( The arrival day always brings with it too many emotions. Will someone she know--her daughter, one of her husbands, a cousin, a friend--show up? Or will it just be a sea of faces, each as confused as the last, and none familiar? There's a biting worry as she surveys the crowd, hoping and also worrying about seeing someone she knows.

Then she spots the mask. That's something familiar, even if she doesn't immediately know who it belongs to. She shoves her way through the crowd, somehow managing to maintain her royal dignity, and approaches him from behind, reaching out one hand for his shoulder. )</sub>

Ah, excuse me--wait, a minute, would you?

[bumbles]

( This is really not the best time for anything, Atlas is sure. It's chaotic, so many people around, so many people lost, and not for the first time so far today he's feeling kind of pissed. Save the world, sure, that's a priority, and it sounded like this was meant to be a chance to save your world, too. It seemed, at least in the "greater purpose" sense, like something the Sphinx would find interesting. However, the way this fucked with people on an individual level and dragged them off somewhere without their permission - that wasn't something either of them could get behind. Especially not with teenagers running around.

Some part of him is almost aware of the hand reaching for his shoulder before it grabs him, and he turns immediately, perhaps a shade too abruptly. There's no vocal response - there never will be, from Atlas - but he tilts his head curiously, nodding at her request. And, then, he raises his eyebrows, expression concerned, a kind of you okay? )

C because someone had to?

[lar]

[ THERE IS SOMEONE LEANING ON THE WALL OF THE BUILDING DONNY JUST WALKED OUT IN CIVVIES OMG.

Fortunately enough, Ella didn't see Atlas, or wouldn't really care much if she did. But she didn't! No early secret identity bust for you, Donny.

At any rate, Ella is far more invested in pouting at her iPhone, which is currently in its death throes. Damn thing never managed to last much without being constantly charged. Why would Ella want a phone when she already had one made little sense; emotional reasons, most likely. She did have a couple of pictures she would probably want to look at later. ]

C'mon you stupid thing, don't die on my now. [ She sighs in exasperation, and that's when she notices the boy. Ella smiles as she tries not to look like a crazy person, whatever that means in this place. ]

Hey there, I didn't see you there. Please tell me your not another newbie and you actually know your way around?

[ It's worth a shot? ]

hurrah! sorry for the slow, got hit by a fluthing :C

[bumbles]

( NO WHY HIS LIFE

Unfortunately, Donny is used to people being at least a little bit crazy. Or, maybe fortunately, all things considered. At any right, people talking to him is weird, unexpected, and usually he just sinks into the background. He's unremarkable: it's Atlas who runs the show.

Where Atlas would have been able to grin, take this in stride, Donny has to contain the urge to flinch. And, more worryingly... did she see him enter the building? He gulps, shrugs. )

I'm n-new.

( His fingers clench the strap over his shoulder, twisting at it. ) S-sorry.

A; yisssssssssssss

[scalded]

[ Too bad for Donny, he walks right into Zuko. The firebnder was also so caught up in his thoughts as he walked towards a shelter that he failed to notice Donny until it was too late. He falls back a step and catches himself, his attention snapping forward to focus on whoever he as bumped into. ]

--sorry.

HELLO HELLO and sorry for the slow, had an epic flu battle. (and also essays blergh)

[bumbles]

( He really needs to stop doing this, today, but he's automatically just moving with it, letting himself stagger back, though his back his a wall with a bit too much momentum for it to be comfortable. )

Uh, n-no, my-- my fault.

( Though his gaze falls on the burns on Zuko's face, and immediately, he gulps. Fire can be a dangerous thing, and his hand spasms guiltily. Somewhere along the way, his skin had gotten immune, but there was always that fear of pushing his body too far.

Donny's too self-conscious to stare, too aware of how much it sucks, so he looks away quickly. ) Are, uh, you-- okay?

( Somehow that sounds so, so awkward. Story of his life. )

D;

[minded]

[ Thinking that maybe Wally or anyone else from the Team could arrive with this new batch of recruits, Conner's down in the courtyard. He's scanning the faces for someone he recognizes, and his gaze happens to fall upon a masked figure, their get up red and black. It's the colors more than anything else that get his attention.

Robin?

Conner's going to follow this guy-- there has to be a reason for why he's dressed the way he is, and it isn't often a masked vigilante (or so Conner assumes) pops up in this place ]

[bumbles]

( Atlas is maybe a little Ancient Greek in theme than what Connor usually sees around, but then, it had been a deliberate move to make him stand out at home, too. Atlas couldn't speak, but he could be memorable.

That said, this particular hero doesn't have a bag with him, has no civvies, so he's trying to make his way out of the Hold, head towards shops or... something.

He does stop, though, just trying to get his bearings, and lets out a bit of a sigh. This is going to be a pain, huh? Maybe this weird device thing has a map. Technology is not really his strong suit, though - it's really more the Sphinx's arena, so he's looking a touch perplexed. )