transport log » ❝ welcome to Exsilium ❞

[initiates]

Date & Time: Oct. 24th
Location: The Initiative Hold
Characters: Everyone.
Summary: New Transports have all arrived and have been led to a banquet room within the Hold.
Warnings: None.

NOTE: This takes place during this plot, though the plot log will not be posted until tomorrow. The Transports already in game have returned from their mission to find the island overrun with monsters. The log is set within the safety of the Initiative Hold, however, so while characters will be aware of what is going on outside, they can otherwise go about their business as usual if they choose.

--

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. She looks worse for wear, pale and gaunt, though is putting a great deal of effort into maintaining her energy and professionalism for the new Transports. "I am truly sorry that you came at such a bad time. That wasn't intentional, I assure you."

She leads the way through the Initiative Hold. The walls bear the occasional claw mark as a sign of the misfortune that has plagued the island, but it hardly seems deserted anymore due to the other Transports recently returning from their mission. After turning several corners, you arrive in a large room that has been transformed into a makeshift banquet hall. The food presented is perhaps not as luxurious or bountiful as one would hope, but it is certainly enough to go around, and isn't inedible by any means.

"We wanted to try and make this up to you," she explains. "It's meagre, but we did not have much time to prepare." There are a number of Transports already present, some looking over the long banquet table, others seated throughout the room at large, round tables meant to each seat eight people. The mood is grim, despite the Initiative's efforts to raise morale.

Before the Greeter turns to leave, she is reminding you that it will be perfectly safe to explore the Hold, the courtyard, the housing building, and even a several block radius around it. "Hopefully things will be back to normal soon."

Welcome to the banquet. Welcome to the Initiative Hold—and most importantly, welcome to Exsilium.

Comments

[whatsupcroc]

Never?

( Collette looks as surprised as she feels. She's more amused to notice yet another person staring before deciding to not address the elephant in the room; maybe it was a consequence of being around more adults, or more people flat out unfamiliar with what a wheelchair even meant, in the long term.

Not that she minds. It just makes her grin. )

Yeah, you eat the lettuce. You can get all different kinds, put in some tomato, maybe some cheese, and toss on dressing to make yourself a salad. They're pretty good!

[mistborn]

What's a salad? [Vin frowns, obviously confused, and then puts the lettuce down, turning to some chicken wings instead. She stabs one with her knife and holds it up, a puzzled expression on her face.] Why is all the food here so strange?

[whatsupcroc]

It's... We could try making one?

( Explaining a salad as rabbit food might not be so helpful. )

The food here's pretty usual for me. You've got to be from some totally different place if it all looks weird to you! What do you normally eat?

[mistborn]

[Green things are usual? Clearly, she is in a backwards place.]

Baywraps. Flat pieces of bread with broccoli, beans, and carrots. But they're not green. All our plants are brown. Are plants not brown here?

[whatsupcroc]

Beans can be brown or white or black or green, broccoli is usually green, bread comes in all sorts of browns, and carrots? For me, they're usually orange! Plants can be brown, they're just a whole lot of other colors too. Some lettuce is even purple, or red!

[mistborn]

The nobility had purple and red plants. But they grew them in their gardens. You didn't eat them.

[She eats a bit of the chicken and peers at the knife for a minute, inspecting it. Then she sets it aside, refusing to touch it or the fork.]

What color is the sun here?

[whatsupcroc]

Those sound more like flowers than the kind of things I'm thinking about.

( It looks like she's even distrustful of the silverware. What did they eat with? Spoons? Strictly fingers only? )

We don't see it often behind the clouds, but I'm pretty sure it's still yellow!

[mistborn]

[Her eyes go wide and she jumps upward, leaning toward Collette.]

You have flowers? There are flowers here?

[whatsupcroc]

Yes, a few in the old courtyard, and there used to be a hot house or three. I'm not sure about right now, but -- I bet there still are. When did you last see flowers?

[mistborn]

Never.

[Vin's head bows for a moment, as she pictures the image Kelsier had given her.] There were no flowers back home. The sun was blotted out by ash. There weren't many plants, and only two kinds of trees. Brown pines and white aspens. I'd like to see the flowers. Are we allowed in the courtyard?

[whatsupcroc]

Yeah, we are, and it's safe enough since it's right here in the Hold. When things are calmer out past the Hold area, you can even see what's left of the Botanical Gardens. I promise, we're not going to stop you.

( She looks up at Vin like it's crazy to be hearing and saying this -- not to mention, sad. )

I can show you a friendship plant I've been growing for someone if you want to see something green before then, though it's just green, no flowers.

[mistborn]

That... would be nice. [Her smile is shy and small - a bit timid. Then her attention shifts to the wheelchair.]

Why does your chair have wheels?

[whatsupcroc]

So it can move around and not get stuck in just one place, of course! It's -- really, they're my legs. My working set of legs. But let's not focus on that! Have you ever seen anything like this before?

[mistborn]

Seen anything like... what? [Her eyes dart to the chair and then away, and she realizes that's probably not what the other girl meant.]

This place? No. It's... nothing like a nobleman's keep.

[whatsupcroc]

( Her lips quirk up; she had meant her chair, but the shift in topic is welcome enough. )

What are those places like?

[mistborn]

Overwhelming. The keeps are huge, all different. Keep Hastings had a ballroom at the top of a spire.

[She flinches slightly; Keep Hastings forced skaa to raise and lower the platforms that brought noble attendees to the ballroom.]

All the keeps had beautiful stained-glass windows. They were supposed to depict the Lord Ruler defeating the Deepness, but they were still beautiful. The keeps were stone. This is... not stone. [Vin will never win awards for being a fabulous public speaker. Ever.] Do you come from a place like this?

[whatsupcroc]

Me? No, no way. I come from a place that looks kind of similar, but this sort of thing? Not the standard at all. I wouldn't mind seeing a few more stained glass windows around here... on nice things, like skiing, or nature scenes. I'm not sure what I'd make of things like a Lord Ruler defeating... the Deepness?

[mistborn]

The Lord Ruler claimed to be a god. He was a tyrant.

[She glances aside and seems to shrink into her chair.]

He ruled my world for one thousand years. And then there was a rebellion. I killed him. [A sharp breath.] We still don't know what the Deepness is. We were trying to stop it when I was brought here.

[whatsupcroc]

Woah, this sounds like something worth a round of congratulations and applause!

( That being said, Collette gives her golf-standard applause. )

Seems like you're part of a good number of us taken away when we were working on something important. If you trust the big technology guys here, you're not missing out on much. You're supposed to be sent back to when you left, like bam! No one ever knew you were gone. Probably not even you.

[mistborn]

[She takes that in slowly, working it out in her head.]

So no one will miss me? [A good and bad thing. She nods to herself.] Then I'll do whatever I have to here to help. So they can send us all home. [Very black and white, Vin's mind.]

[whatsupcroc]

Um, there's no you to miss for a while, that's all! I'm sure if people knew, they'd miss you. But no one seems to know.

( Collette smiles; the simplicity of a do or don't is something she prefers, if she's had far less of that in the last few months than before. )

Are you sure about the whatever?

[mistborn]

Yes. This isn't the first time I've been a knife in someone else's hand. I don't mind.

[Lies, mostly. She minds.]

[whatsupcroc]

You should.

( Collette smiles with less energy than earlier, introspective on her own. )

I know I do.

[mistborn]

It's how it is, when you have power. People want to use you. You just need to find someone who you don't mind using you.

What powers do you have?

[whatsupcroc]

Oh, just shape shifting, really. Though we call it morphing! Shape-shifters are a whole different sort of thing, but it's about the same.

( Said as she see-saws one hand. )

Or you find a cause you don't mind being used for. Or being useful for.