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(no subject)

Date: July 1st
Location: The Initiative Hold & Courtyard.
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports arrive and are shuffled into the Courtyard after their initial briefings. Now with 200% more People-Seeking lists!
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. Now and then around you you might spot paper fluttering in the faint wind from somewhere relatively dry. It looks like a list.

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.

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Loyalty is only endearing to a point, Jesse. Then it becomes a bit much.

[Saul's trying really, really hard not to look angry, but it's impossible. What's Walter supposed to do? That's not Jesse's problem. It's not Saul's, either. Or it shouldn't be, anyway. But it is.

And he hates that.]

I don't care if he comes to me and begs for an apology on his hands and knees — I'm not giving it to him. Whether you want to forgive him or not is your choice, but I wouldn't be so quick to offer that up without him actually asking for it.

It seems so but I can't deny it. My mother has spoken to me of the future, Thorin has told me of a kingdom that's yet to be founded and I met a relation of mine who died many years ago.

[She knows this feeling, Kili. She's only just recently learned about the 'shift' key on her tablet.]

[The kind of energy and enthusiasm in that response is rare here. But it's refreshing. Her smile grows wider.]

I guess you can say I am.

Well... [That brings him up short for a moment, but he hurries on in an attempt to cover up the hesitation.] --Yes.

I'm assuming they need us to be some level of proficient before they can send us on missions? [And that's an alarming thing to think about all on its own. Missions at home go poorly enough as it is, and those are just routine exorcisms. He shudders to think about the consequences of a botched time-travel expedition.]

[Jesse groans in frustration and runs his hands down his face.]

Fuck loyalty, Saul. I don't wanna kill the wrong person. Is it that crazy?

Eat them! Eat them for the less fortunate.

Eat them for the hung over that can't.

End the cruelty!

[She seems to calm and settle at it, at least, though she settles, cradling her head gently.]

Do you buy it?

[He straightens up, finally, and then looks... up. Way up.]

I suppose it must be obvious... I just got here a little while ago.

And I'm okay, don't worry. [... Maybe not entirely convincing when you're soaking wet, exhausted, a tiny bit shell-shocked, and more than a little overwhelmed, but for him it's an obligatory statement regardless.]

Don't tell me it's a threeway situation.

[ she laughs. ]

No. It'd just be another waste of time.

[She might let her call her Tsubomi sometime with how happy she looked. But then comes that question. Kido hesitates.]

Well... there's a garden about three miles north of here. But... it's a pretty dangerous place so if you go check it out, you shouldn't go alone. No one takes care of it. Ah, Flora might. She's a member of my gang and she's a good person. But you can probably tell by looks of this place it's not too friendly to flowers.

[Well, it looks like we have a gentleman in our midst! (Or so it seems.)

At the moment the stranger approaches her, she's slightly preoccupied, so it's only when she feels the rain stop that she turns. She returns his smile politely. Easily.]

That was very kind. Thank you.

[A girl in an almost comically old fashioned dress had stopped for a few, careful swallows of water. The comment isn't so much directed as audible, as she looks around.]

Is everyone here young?

I don't suppose you could make a rainbow for real, could you?

[He frowns, actually thinking about that at some length. On the one hand, it's very possible that these people could be lying to them--disguising your cause as one that's righteous and just is a great way to manipulate people into helping you. But the fact that they managed to bring them here at all, as well as arm them and let them do as they please...

More than any of that, though... in this moment, being reassuring is probably more important than being entirely honest.]

I do.

Thanks...

Huh... There's a lot, isn't there?

Looks like a really bad one.

[Kido is helpful. And at least she realises he probably has bigger problems.

...Maybe.]

Uh, I know where there's some spare hoodies if you want me to get you one. You really stand out like that.

I suppose there are none quite far enough away to require a letter.

[Charming, Han.

You really do have a way with people.]

I'm looking for the housing building. [Amazingly, though, her tone of voice still hasn't changed]

But, that's --

[she pauses, heart sinking.]

I just, I don't know. I wish they would communicate more with us.

[You know the correct term for the little guy, but you seem completely alarmed by his presence? Anakin is woefully unimpressed, regardless of the state of the lack of such advanced tech in this place]

He was a gift.

[He figures it hurts nothing to admit it, though he doesn't attempt to invite further conversation, and barely spares Han more than a glance]

[ A frown. Was this girl in the military then? She doesn't look like the type, but who is he to judge? ]

It's not that I can't fight...

[ Though not the type of fighting that would win a war. ]

But I can't really waste any time here right now.

[ he could teach you, but he'd have to charge. ]

It'll be that one. [ he points it out. ] Don't get too attached. Seems to be the United Earth's favorite bombing target.

No mailman to deliver it, either.

[ bullshit. ]

From who?

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