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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[There is a short teenage girl with bright pink hair and a lot of cobbled together tech wandering around. She almost looks like she could be a native - while her clothes are colorful choices, it's clear they've seen better days - the bright shades have faded, and there's unmended holes and uncleanable grease stains. But the natives don't really come around to these things much, and she's staring at everything with obvious curiosity in her eyes.]

Man, this place is a total wasteland. Digitally and physically.

[She glances up at the grey sky, shielding her eyes against the light drizzle with one hand]

Least some things are still like the 'plex. Rain, rain, and a chance of rain.

Edited 2013-07-03 23:47 (UTC)

[ With the location of CM so close to the Hold, it's hard not to notice most of the transports coming and going when it's that time. Pepper's actually making her way outside to mingle through them, always a chance of seeing someone who might be from her world an ever-present possibility, and perhaps it's the color of the girl's hair that attracts her. Or her clothes. She's not entire sure, but there's an umbrella over them both now. ]

It is, I think. Nothing has gotten much better either. [ She gives her a smile. ] But welcome to Exsilium.

[Ally blinks, and tilts her head back a little farther to see who's holding the umbrella. When she spots Pepper, she grins.]

Thanks - I guess we're all kinda stuck here, huh?

That's what they've told us from day one. [ Just matter-of-fact, really. Pepper reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, an idly gesture as she holds the umbrella. ] Are you doing okay?

As well as anyone can be, I guess. It's not the first time I've been on my own, so... [She gives a little 'that's life' sort of shrug] Might've been nice to live somewhere that got sun sometimes, though.

Some are better than others though. [ Believe it or not, anyway. Pepper sighs, turning to glance in the direction of the apartment complex. ] Have they told you where you'll be staying? I can walk with you.

[ And then she's looking back at her. ] I'm Pepper, by the way.

[She pauses, looking thoughtful, which in reality is the look of someone accessing the tiny awesome advanced computer in her pocket, because she's pretty sure she made a note of it. In among all the talking, which got sort of boring after a while]

Um... 909, it looks like. And it's very nice to meet you, Pepper. I'm Ally!

It's nice to meet you too, Ally. [ Her smiles says as much too, and there's a slight tilt of the umbrella in indication they should walk. ] Let's get out of the rain. Your apartment should be easy to find.

Well, I grew up in Seattle, so I don't mind the rain too much. [Seriously, you can't survive in Seattle and hate rain. It's just a basic incompatibility]

Having a real apartment again is gonna be weird, though.

[ The word immediately makes her think of home, and she feels that, somehow, they might get along all right in the end. ]

I've been there before - it's a nice city. I'm from Malibu. [ Back home, at least. Pepper hopes that's understood because Exsilium certainly isn't like either of them. She walks slowly, glancing at her occasionally. ] What do you mean, a real apartment?

Malibu? That's... Cal Free State, right? I've never been outside of the Metroplex myself.

[She has at least enough sense to realize that this is a classy lady who probably doesn't live in the slums. Not that Ally is too embarrassed by that, but...awkward!]

Where I live in Seattle, it wasn't meant to be housing. We think it might've been a small office building, but it's... sorta hard to tell at this point.

[ Cal Free State? Metroplex? Those terms she's not familiar with whatsoever, and she wonders if it'd be rude for an explanation. They hardly know each other after all. ]

Yes, California. [ Just so she isn't ignoring that, but then, she simply stops and looks at her. ] There's plenty of room here, so you shouldn't have to worry about that. If you ever need anything, please tell me. Okay?

[Ally is still not totally used to this whole 'different worlds' thing. What do you mean California didn't get taken over by Japan in your world, etc]

Thanks a lot - but you don't have to worry about me, really!

because tony and teenagers are absolutely worth crying about!!

mostqualified - 2013-07-11 00:16 (UTC) - Expand

excitable genius hacker teenagers

candystar - 2013-07-11 21:54 (UTC) - Expand

that just spells disaster oh no

mostqualified - 2013-07-12 23:12 (UTC) - Expand

it can only end in sleep deprivation and robots

candystar - 2013-07-13 22:06 (UTC) - Expand

SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY

mostqualified - 2013-07-18 05:18 (UTC) - Expand

No problem! also Pepper = the sweetest

candystar - 2013-07-19 02:30 (UTC) - Expand

[Hello, very pink person! Have another very pink person (albeit much more scantily clad) wandering up and shivering.]

You have this shit climate all the time where you're from?

[No thanks.]

[Man in her neighborhood, she's seen it all, really. You aren't naked! This is a step up from some people! She kind of sighs heavily at the comment on the weather.]

Yeah, basically. We get maybe two months of sun in the summer, and the rest of the year is just rain, rain, rain. Only upside is that it doesn't get cold enough to snow much.