(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

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[ex_b_a_n_g251]

[His white with black stripped fur coat hadn't fully dried out from the place he had previously been in, but he had never minded the rain before. If rain was hitting his head and soaking his two-toned hair, it meant he was a free man. He was just getting to like his freedom again after all, even if this entire situation was crowded with foreign feeling minds and their confusion annoyed him as it pressed in on him.

He didn't like it. Of course, Jake didn't particularly like a lot of things. This entire situation was starting to be one of them. It was an atomic wasteland, and he was apparently going to be joining a war (yeah right) for some cockroaches who couldn't even use all those stupid stocks of weapons to fight back? It seemed pathetic and lame, and he would much prefer to have his contacts in Ouroboros instead.

Of course, he would have liked to have Kriem around as well. Where was that woman when he needed her anyway? He didn't worry though; Kriem could handle herself just fine. He had taught her after all.

Shuffling his shoulders in his big fluffy coat, he arranged the collar even higher on his neck, if that was at all possible. Rain poured lines down his face and bare chest, but he paid little attention to that. Instead, he looked around him in disgust at the courtyard he was standing in.]

Squealing like little pigs.

[Lifting a hand, he began to chew almost mindlessly on a thumbnail, eyeing whoever came in his range of sight or even attention. He looked down on all that he could.]

[of_the_lake]

[His foot-steps were too loud even in the rush of those looking to find weapons and move out to find comfort. Berserker stepped out into the court-yard, having taken his weapon and dismissed it into nothingness. His armor, which had been visible only moments prior, was suddenly engulfed in a twisting nether of darkness.

He paused, hearing someone speak insult to those around him as if he couldn't be heard--or, if he simply didn't care that he was heard. Berserker set his red tinted visor on Jake with a measure of statue-esque stillness. His voice was twisted and obscured by the enchantment on his body.]

What do you expect of these people?

[ex_b_a_n_g251]

[Now that was an interesting armour, and he was amused that someone coming here was pulled into it. It was awful dark and moody, and he had to wonder about the man inside clunking around. Now, what was he to do with someone coming up to him out of the blue? This wasn't training camp.

He eyed the other man for a long time, just chewing on his thumb-nail as he considered that odd voice.]

I don't expect anything from ants. Just wish they wouldn't squeal so loud.

[of_the_lake]

What a meager response. [The darkness set in his armor began to condense and slowly, the actual armor itself became more and more visible until it exposed its true shape. Berserker removed his helm with a few clicks of his fingertips, hair spilling down past his shoulders once he did so. His hair was in disarray, his appearance sparing no look of dishevelment. Only a half our prior, he had been completely insane.]

You look more like a jester than one who would consider himself 'on top'.

[ex_b_a_n_g251]

Can't say you've said anything too exciting either. [It certainly is interesting armour, and he wonders if that's something that came with the guy or just happened to be one of the 'weapons' available for the taking. It seems a little too unique to be something of this place. Then he sees the man underneath, which is meager to say the least in his opinion.]

What can I say? I like the stand out. Your armour is pretty fancy.

[of_the_lake]

It is nothing worthy of envy, nor pride. [His eyes finally shifted to fall on Jake again, his fingertips clasping his helm until it simply vanished into dust for the moment, He had no need of it.]

Though, I have no desire to be interesting or maintain such arrogance.

[At that, he looked down to the cruel looking sharp curls of the fingertips of his gauntlets. They resembled a barbaric sort of shape which would in no way be promoted as 'knightly'. It was armor more useful for a marauder.]

[ex_b_a_n_g251]

Huh... you're a drag, you know that? I'm feeling my will to do anything but stand under a rain cloud leaving just talking to you. [Why did people have to be so dull? Didn't they have anything worthwhile to live for or do or... well, anything?]

Well, you've got the whole not-interesting thing going well. Years of practice, I take it?

[of_the_lake]

One would suppose that the level of dedication that has gone into my level of seriousness and off-putting stoicism could be comparable to the faithfulness you must maintain on such an appearance.

[That was the longest 'I know what you are, but what am I?' in the world.]

After all, one cannot simply fall on the ground and look such a way.