(no subject)

[initiates]

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.

Comments

[comprises]

[Oops, he missed it. Ah well, he'll take the umbrella he's offered anyway, though his eyebrow raises at the fact that Riku knew his name. Wait for it, Riku--he's actually trying to see if he can place him, first.

Nope. Now here comes the question:]

Have we met? [Wait, bad question. He waves his hand a little bit dismissively.] Well obviously you know of me, but...I don't remember you.

[Okay, this world is really not cool. He doesn't like being caught off guard so much like this.]

[limitstorm]

[ ah, that question. riku's briefly surprised, hand falling from his mouth. as easily as his surprise comes, however, does a slightly sad smile and a shrug of his shoulders as he slips his hands into his pockets. ]

... don't worry about it. It looks like timelines are all over the place, nowadays--maybe you're from before we met.

[ which makes him a little more concerned than others, to be honest. joshua's always been more on the worrisome side when concerning his friendship with him. either way... ]

I'm Riku.

[comprises]

[Even if Riku tells him not to worry about it, it's still worrisome. He's so used to being able to mostly control a situation, and now he knows that someone has the upper hand in the memory department?

Augh. He appears to get over the frustrated look that was starting to change his expression, and he smooths out to something a little more curious.]

If you would...maybe you could refresh my memory anyway, Riku.

[At least he would know the circumstances, and that would be better than knowing nothing at all.]

[limitstorm]

Why aren't I surprised?

[ he mutters; there's some thankfulness in that joshua isn't completely different from what he remembers. he crosses his arms. ]

You needed me to help find Rhyme--she was the portal between two versions of your world, [ well, riku wasn't told that they don't live in traverse town, score one for misinformation ] where she, you, Neku, Shiki and Beat were separated from each other. Me and Sora, my best friend, helped you find her. You mentioned there being a Game, too.

[ That part wasn't too clear, but I can't say I expected you to explain everything. ]

[comprises]

[Joshua will probably never change, but that's probably a bad thing in most some ways.

What a story, though. Rhyme being a portal between two versions of Shibuya (he's never heard of Traverse Town of course, so Earth/Shibuya is what comes to mind when Riku says "your world")? Also just interacting with those four again is something he thought would happen, either. But if Riku was just pulling his leg, then how did he know everyone's names? Was he a Player he overlooked? Probably...not...]

That's quite a story you have there. What do you know about the Game?

[Since apparently he mentioned it, it doesn't seem like he said much. But it'll cross the Player theory off if Riku really doesn't know anything about it.

Which he's not sure what that'll leave him with, but he'll cross that bridge when he gets an answer.]

[limitstorm]

I know there's... a timer? And partners help each other fight. You're in charge, last time I checked.

[ there's not much riku knows at all. ]

[comprises]

[Most Players don't even know that he's in charge. So even though he's vague with everything else, that still kind of throws Joshua here.]

So you've obviously never experienced it. You're saying I told you all of this?

1/3

[limitstorm]

You told me about the timers and partners. You being in charge--Sora and I guessed that part. What with you not having a partner at all, and protecting the others... there were only a couple of guesses. No offense, wings or no wings, you're not much of a protector. Which means you had to be in charge the whole time.

2/3

[limitstorm]

But... we weren't sure.

3/3

[limitstorm]

[ a pause. ]

You didn't correct me, though, so I'm guessing we were right.

1/2

[comprises]

[Okay, he's got something to say to that of course. He still won't actually say if Riku was right or wrong, but that shouldn't be too surprising.]

Are you so sure about that? I could be a protector, for all you know, and you may have hurt my feelings just now.

[Wait.]

2/2

[comprises]

[He gets just a little bit distracted.]

Wings?

riku is so rude i'm sorry

[limitstorm]

[ cue flat look. hurt joshua's feelings over something that small? he can't claim to know joshua well, but he doesn't seem that type of person. ]

Yeah, wings. Big and feathery, white... I guess I'd call them angel wings, if you weren't... you.

[ joshua, an angel? naw. ]

at least joshua is used to jerks

[comprises]

[He'd be correct in that assumption, at least.]

Why couldn't I be an angel? [He giggles a little.] Do I not fit your picture of one?

[Yeah he might be playing with Riku now.]

[limitstorm]

You give off a weird vibe.

[ blunt as hell. ]

People trust angels right off the bat. You, I have trouble trusting.

[ well. had... ]

[comprises]

[A weird vibe...Riku you really are blunt...]

Have you met an angel? Or are you just going off from stories?

[Nobody trusts Joshua, it's okay. Probably for the best.]

[limitstorm]

Y-yeah, I have--

[ riku, that's a bit defensive, even if it is true. ]

And I trusted him.

[ of course he was also a kid and this was also kaowru so-- ]

[comprises]

How sweet.

[Is that sarcasm there, Josh? Maybe.]

You seem like the stubborn sort, so your mind probably wouldn't be easily changed even if I wanted to change it.

[He'll just keep the mystery as to what he is up in the air, because he likes it that way.]

[limitstorm]

You sure picked up on that fast. Am I that transparent?

[comprises]

You're not the only one who can make guesses.

[He giggles.]

Seems like I was right.

[limitstorm]

[ this face. ]

You're too quick on the uptake to not be dangerous.

[comprises]

[Aww, Riku...don't hate.]

Well if I'm "in charge" of things, as you put it...shouldn't that be in my job description to be quick to these things?

[But he's got a point, he's dangerous. When he wants to be.]

[limitstorm]

[ mmph. ]

I guess it's a good thing you're quick-witted. [ riku, don't even. if it wasn't for joshua, you'd have no clue what you got yourself into. ]

[comprises]

Of course.

[A little sigh.]

It's been a wonderful chat, but I guess I should be going. I'm sure we'll run into each other again, though.

[So don't be too sad! He's gotta think about what they'd talked about too...and figure out what was going on here.]

[limitstorm]

This place is too small not to.

[ he almost reassures joshua with that. ]

Be careful.