(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

[feathersandflames]

Okay, but it's not like you have that much time to think? I mean, like it or not, but I'm already pretty much in the thick of things, Kate.

[Bette reaches out and gently places one hand on Kate's shoulder.] I promise, I'm not going to die on you.

[gevurah]

I'm going to think on it. [ Her tone adopts a stern tone again.

And she was afraid Bette would say something like that. ] Let's get out of this rain. You can clean up in the apartment.

[feathersandflames]

I honestly wouldn't expect anything less from you. [Bette brushes her bangs out of her face and nods.] Getting dry would be nice. Because, you know. Wet. ....The fact that the suit has, like, sentience now means it won't shrink, though, right?

Because that would be kind of inconvenient.

[gevurah]

[ She gently nudges her in the direction of the housing complex, keeping an eye out for anyone who may spot her, but she keeps her hood pulled up. ]

I'm not sure. These weapons work in different ways and not always in the most obvious. You'll hear the other Transports complaining over the network about it in no time.

[feathersandflames]

[Bette gets the hint and starts moving. She wonders how secretive the hood's really going to be when Bette's there in all of her red-and-gold glory.]

You're keeping your identity a secret here, aren't you?

[She has more questions, but she's trying not to overload Kate.]

[gevurah]

[ They'll have to split up at some point. She pauses at the edge of the alleyway and looks from side to side. ]

Always. [ She's not going to take a chance here. ] Scarecrow was here once. If he was brought here, anyone who would take advantage of our identities could be.

I'll meet you in [ insert room # here I FORGOT KATE'S OLD APARTMENT... ] Can you get to a window?

[feathersandflames]

...fair enough.

[She supposes that makes some small amount of sense. Bette pulls her cowl and goggles back on and then pulls a grappling gun out of another golden disc-shaped compartment. She grins at Kate.] What, you think I'm not crazy prepared?

[gevurah]

Unless you knew you were about to be recruited across the multiverse and time. [ But she's glad Bette's got her costume, even if she knows this means she's going to be pressed for training.

Kate heads out first. ] I'll meet you there.

[feathersandflames]

Umm. No? Mostly, right before I was yanked, I expected you to shoot down my whole I-want-in thing.

[Which was true. It was a risk, that. Mostly everyone turned her down, and even the few times she'd managed to make it work, like with Beast Boy, she was eventually turned down in the long run because the Titans inevitably recruited him again. She'd hoped, Kate being her cousin, that the answer would have been yes, but... Okay, so she may have been seeking some closure there. Even if she needed to press Kate into saying yes.]

Ma'am, yes ma'am! [This said in the brightest, driest tone possible.]

[gevurah]

[ She wants to ask what Bette remembers exactly, but she puts it off for now until they can talk safely in her apartment. By the time she gets there and he checks for her roommates, none are currently around.

She opens the window in her room and leaves it for Bette to climb in when she does. In the meantime, she goes searching for clothes Bette can slip into. ]

[feathersandflames]

[Bette slips in fairly easily, and lands softly enough on the floor, water dripping off of her in several little rivulets. She reaches up and squeezes water off of her ponytail first before detaching her cape and tearing off her gloves and boots.]

Wow. This is...some place you've got here.

[gevurah]

The Initiative provides free housing for everyone. [ She doesn't mind the water right now; she can clean it up afterwards and no one enters her room. The only upside to living with a boy. ] It's crowded, but not too bad.

[ She pulls out black jeans, a green T-shirt, and then she digs for an extra pair of boots Bette can borrow. ]

Fashion is almost non-existent. [ Everything she owns is casual wear and cheap here. ] They're going to be big on you. If the pants don't fit I've got a belt.

[feathersandflames]

[Bette blinks down at the jeans and the t-shirt. Yeah, the jeans are definitely going to be a little long, and maybe a little loose. Bette's figure sn't quite comparable to Kate's. They are both athletic, sure, but Bette is also a good deal shorter than her cousin.]

I might actually need the belt. Especially since this belt doesn't go with everything.

Besides, I could totally just go eighties with the t-shirt and knot it up.

[She dries herself off as much as possible first, before changing into the outfit. The t-shirt is very...comfy.]

So. Okay, free housing. I guess that's fair, considering that we didn't sign up to live here.

oh no :( did the icons shrink when i uploaded them?

[gevurah]

You might have to settle for the nineties when it comes to the music and movies.. [ She snorts and disappears into the bathroom before returning with a towel. ] Heads up. [ She calls and tosses it in Bette's direction. ]

What's the last thing you remember from home?

HAHAHA. OMG, they might have? I didn't even notice that until you just pointed it out.

[feathersandflames]

I could watch Clueless on repeat. Mostly because I can kind of relate.

[Bette catches the towel and starts mopping up all of the wet she's encased in.]

Shockingly, me standing in front of you, dripping wet from the rain, flashing you with my Flamebird costume, and telling you that I wanted in.

[She indicates their current position.] Feels familiar, doesn't it? Or...does it? What's the last thing you remember?

IMGUR WHY. lemme get them up in a .zip >:(!!

[gevurah]

[ Kate is thinking about getting some hot coffee going for her, but the thought is pushed aside hearing that Bette is indeed, a little bit behind her in the timeline. She freezes in her spot, not even a muscle budges. ]

That was just after Cutter. [ She could never forget that day. She hadn't yelled at Bette like that until that day when she felt her buttons pushed. ]

You're not that far off from me. [ COMIC TIMELINES, ugh. ] It's only been a few weeks since you moved in with me.

Awww, don't worry about it! I don't want to put you through any trouble. :(

[feathersandflames]

[Er. A few weeks what now? But then, hey! That seemed like good news there, didn't it?]

Wait! That means that you totally agreed, right? To let me be your partner? [There's an excited, giddy squeal here. Kate should be thankful that Bette's not the Black Canary.] BATWOMAN AND FLAMEBIRD, KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES! And maybe teaming up with Batman and Nightwing!

no it's fine!

[gevurah]

[ Hopefully this works this time!

Kate nearly facepalms and steps into Bette's personal space to clap a hand over her mouth. ] I'm not the only one living here. [ The last thing she needs is one of her roommates waltzing in on her and someone in a brightly coloured costume. Halloween as an excuse isn't going to work here.

She pulls away and quickly shakes her head. ] We haven't done anything yet. [ Probably some basic training. Thanks DC, for cutting their run in Detective so short. ]

Awww! <3! You're too awesome.

[feathersandflames]

[Bette pinwheels for a moment as her mouth is covered, her eyes wide with shock.] Girlfriend? Roommate? Sorry, I didn't realize.

[She indicates the costume she's changed out of.] Where should this go? I'm assuming there's no special Bat-room behind your bathroom.

[Another pause as Bette considers this information.] What were we waiting for? I mean. I have a costume, you have a costume. We're in Gotham City... Or at least, we were.

no problem <3

[gevurah]

Roommate. [ No girlfriend here. She does like Roslyn, but relationships seem tricky in a place like this. ] A teenage boy. The Initiative assigns us rooms at random.

[ Kate closes the door to her bedroom and leans against it, watching Bette closely. ]

No bunker. I've been scoping out the city for a place to use, but most of the buildings are unstable and get too much traffic. The locals use abandoned buildings for shelter at times.

[ Her mouth forms a thin line as she deliberates on this. ]

I'm not letting you out onto the field until we've completed training and we weren't done. [ She adds pointedly.

It's been a lot to take in. She barely survived a cult that tried to carve her heart out, then discovered her father had been lying to her for twenty years and her sister had become the new High Madam of said cult.

And Kate failed to save her. She hasn't recovered from that yet and thinks she might not ever. ]

[feathersandflames]

Huh. I should probably look into that.

Can't we team up with the other capes and do, like, a Justice League of Exsilium type headquarters? [She's clearly not really thinking about the secret identity thing here.]

Wait. Wait. Hold on. You barred me from going out in the field? [This earns Kate a small glare from Bette.] You do realize that technically I've been running around in costume longer than you have, right?

[gevurah]

Something like that. [ She holds up a hand as if to silence her cousin. ] Bette, I told you, I want to know what you're capable of with my own two eyes. Fighting D-listers isn't what's happening here anymore.

[ Except sometimes... ]

[feathersandflames]

I didn't only fight D-listers, you know. There was that time with...well. There was that one time with that one dude.

[gevurah]

Let's focus on getting you settled in for now. [ A beat. ] As settled as we can be here.

[feathersandflames]

Okay...so what does this getting-me-settled-in thing entail? And I'm warning you, if the first thing you think of is confiscating my costume, you've got another thing cuz.