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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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He's an astromech droid.

[Well, at least you haven't done so enough that he isn't willing to speak to you? But he's not exactly surprised there are people here who can't even be sure about the sort of tech they're looking at.

Back water planets :[]

He's from the R2 series.

[He's not even going to bother acting as if he's oblivious to her, and not solely because he's protective of his droid companion. It's not often, even in a war like this, that he meets someone who's so very obviously not solely human- At least not any more.

This at least, makes him interested enough not to immediately try to shoo her off]

Impressive, isn't he?

He's a machine, capable of thought like you or I. Don't they have them in your world?

[Must be an Outer Rim planet, you poor dear. He considers the question, it's likely she would like an elaboration on his defence capabilities, but he's not quite willing to share all of those nice features]

That depends. What did you want him to do? [Playing dumb, aw yeah]

A what?

[Oh god.

oh god oh god it really is

Saul's just gonna go ahead and bend down so he can get a better look at the thing that is totally unfamiliar to him, nope, never seen it before in his life anywhere.]

Astromech — so, like, space?

Usually!

[That is the only reassurance you're getting.]

Yeah, well, I'm a pretty quick learner.

[Seven's eyebrow arches as she's addressed, and she straightens, clasping her hands behind her back.]

He is certainly interesting.

[She'd like to have a tricorder so she could see what makes him tick, but she doesn't. Disappointing.]

"Artemis," he replied, giving a small nod in greeting rather than offering his hand, given Nash's words.

"Having fun around here recently?" He glanced about the courtyard. There may not have been much visible damage in that particular area, but the dust was still in the air.

[Sango gives him a faint smile.]

I mean it, you know. You can relax a little, perhaps.

It did not take long for Artemis to notice the girl who was staring at him. He raised an eyebrow, quietly inspecting her, determining that she did not appear familiar from the time he had been here before.

"Can I help you?"

Huh? [She blinks up. Wow, her hair was even brighter than Tsubomi's!] Oh!

Oh, no, I'm fine, thank you! [She shifts her schoolbag over her shoulder.]

[There's a second's pause, and then Tsubomi blinks her way toward Rise.] Oh! Hello!

[How long had she been speaking to her?! She clears her throat into her curled fingers.] I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention.

[Kili sighs and looks up at the sky.] ...Not a bad idea.

I'm Kili, by the way.

[Utena smiles — she seems vaguely amused, but not judgmental.] Are you sure? You seemed kinda...

[...] Lost.

[Maybe. The vaguest hint of a smile deepens the lines at the corners of her mouth, and it's difficult to tell, between the rain and her hair sticking to her cheeks, whether or not it's really all that sincere.]

So do I.

[Wow, she was even prettier than Momoka! Tsubomi gapes for a moment, and then flushes across her cheeks, nodding.] I-I'm fine! I wasn't paying attention, I'm sorry...

[It's shock that he feels, at the words that come out of the other man's mouth. If he'd looked closed off before, it's nothing compared to the way he shuts down now]

I don't know anyone by that name. [His mother's family had been long gone before he'd ever shown up into her life, and if any had managed to survive- They were all dead to Anakin for the position they'd left her in. The position that compiled into the reason that she'd died. It's just him that bares that name now. Him and Padmé, even if she'll never do so publicly]

Artoo belongs to me. [And you might want to start doing your fact checking before you throw out names and claims to ownership] My name is Anakin. Anakin Skywalker.

[He's not angry, not quite just yet, but that's definite irritation clouding his tone. He doesn't like having missing information, the idea that someone is messing with the memory of his family for what? Access to a droid?So, more importantly:] Who are you?

[She ducks her head, bashful at the praise.] It's all I can do, I'm not-- [She gestures around.] I don't know very much about war.

[War, no, a fight, yes. As for the city itself, well...] Not very much! [Should that feel like admitting a weakness? She's barely been here an hour, she thinks she has time to study the lessons on the tablet.] It's very... gray, so far. [Perhaps an understatement.]

[That's something he'll have to check out once he gets settled in his nice cot and all. Who was the oldest person here and see if they were willing to impart some of their knowledge on this place?]

That's correct. Is it that easy to tell?

[He says that in a lighthearted manner and glances back towards the crowd of people. Some of them were obviously new and others he had a difficult time figuring out. Aster stops petting Kirara, though he does smile down at at her.]

Oh, I apologize. I haven't asked for your name yet. Mine is Aster.

[He feels a familiar sensation-- very much like being teased. It does go a long way toward easing some of the tension out of him, and he relaxes a bit.]

... No, you're right.

Sorry. Things are just a little tense today.

[His money's on 'not really', but that might just be his own cynicism talking.

He stumbles a half-step forward as someone pushes their way behind him, and then returns his scrutiny to Lenalee. There's something distinctly motherhen-like about it, despite the fact that no one his age should have any business mothering anyone.]

If you don't mind my saying, though, you look like you should be resting rather than out in the cold and the rain. Are you alright?

Anakin?

[ han knows of anakin, of course. luke talks of him enough. his jedi father whose lightsaber he owns. most of it han had tuned out along with c3po's incessant dithering and leia's indictments. ]

Nice try. You're not Anakin.

[ he might have believed him to be a skywalker too. there was a resemblance there. but anakin, the real anakin skywalker, would have to be in his forties by now. this kid is younger than him.

why is every other human he meets younger than him, he feels too old for this shit. ]

You want to know how I know? Because that would make you your son's age. [ but even as he says it, something doesn't feel right. something about the machine used to transport everyone.

but r2 is the closest tie he has had to luke so far, and where luke's concerned, han doesn't think straight. he never has, not with any if his few, too few, friends. ]

I'm going to give you one more chance. Where did you find the droid?

Ah...right. [Sometimes she forgets that, though how she does even she can't fathom.] I suppose that would make it difficult.

[...You cannot be on a planet that isn't flight capable. You just can't. Tentatively:]

What else would I mean?

I have no idea. I've never heard that word before.

[but do airplanes count]

Artemis' ears moved slightly at the sound of the voice, and he turned to take a considering look at the girl who had approached him. The sight of the shamrocks on her umbrella made his lips quirk very slightly. "I imagine there are others who are going to be needing them more than me."

He tilted his head a bit, quietly concluding that he did not recognize her from his last time in this world. He was beginning to wonder just how much the names and faces had changed in the nearly six months that had passed here.

"Air currents," he replied with a soft chuckle.

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