Welcome to the Program

[airlockedmods]

Good Morning, Champions. In the interest of maintaining healthy sleep patterns, a day/night cycle is in effect. Your presence is expected in the cafeteria in exactly one hour.

[The voice comes through not a large speaker, but through the device that's attached to each Champion's arm. Further investigation of the features of the device will reveal a list of profiles, a mini-map, and a list of rules. The hallways are shiny white and silver, with running lights along the floor and lights on the ceiling, and at the junction of the hallways is a sign with a knife and fork icon and an arrow pointing down the hall.

Welcome to the Excellence Program, Champions. Time to get to know your teammates.]

Comments

[lmafo]

Roxy Lalonde, at your service! Or... I'm here, at least, and you're here so. 'scool.

[hellahighwater]

[ She wants to say, it'll never be the time, because it did, it worked out fine. She's alive against all odds, it put her back in contact with Max- it's fine, like destiny or something, it worked out.

But she doesn't say any of that, instead shrugging ineffectually. ]

Exactly. Gotta get ourselves out of this hellstation.

[challengesfate]

[Thank goodness she understands turns of phrase or else this would devolve into something pretty awkward and cliche.]

It's good to meet you, Roxy. And...thank you, for answering my questions. I feel that I'm going to have a lot of them the longer we find ourselves here.

[photoshooter]

Aw, yeah, that's really awful. I can't believe someone would use a dog--or, uh, a dog-girl--for evil. Dogs are so good. There are no bad dogs, only bad dog owners.

[lmafo]

holy shit

[ But okay, no, he asked her something in return. Uh... hm, how to answer that one. ]

That one's weird to me too, but... I guess I've always kinda wanted to do one? I don't wanna go out killin anyone so I can funeralize them, duh, but I like the idea of celebrating instead of just sittin around cryin alone.

[challengesfate]

...So...it's still the sky, but...further out?

[What in the world could even go that high]

It's never been in any stories I've seen, but...would they be in the "sci-fi" stories?

[hellahighwater]

[ EYYYYY we're all gonna die. ]

Mm... Well, long as it's not... Toss me somethin' unhealthy delicious, would you?

[challengesfate]

No, I don't.

[Thanks for adding to the sudden spike of self-consciousness.]

But I'm finding more and more that it's assumed that I should.

[lmafo]

Well she has like the worst owner ever right now, so it makes sense. My bff is evil too right now, but she's just brainwashed, not a dog.

[challengesfate]

It...could be a very isolated area? And we could be incredibly high up.

[photoshooter]

Augh, I keep telling people, I'm not a Niff!

[Because that's totally what Kaiba was getting at.]

[in4apounding]

No... neither of those places, sorry. Is Florida part of Menagerie?

[immaculacies]

I don't think the point of this game is to be balanced in the first place. It's designed so that its master, these Overseers, have all the power from the first step. The eighth rule just makes it so they can wield it over us however they like, without any limits on themselves.

I just wonder if someone is going to tell us what the goal of all this is.

[photoshooter]

Okay, yeah, I guess I should start from the beginning of our trip, at least.

[He points his thumb down the hall.]

We've got to head to the cafeteria anyway, so I can grab us some food if you save a couple seats? What's your pleasure, dude?

[immaculacies]

Oh!

[That actually gets...some sort of reaction out of Manaka? She blinks, and then her eyes widen.]

Um, does that mean you aren't, then? From a place like that.

[hellahighwater]

Yeah, wouldn't want to... [ wait ] Uh, I mean- it wouldn't be anything like that anyway, she's just my best friend.

[immaculacies]

Mm, all right. [So, not of any help to her, then. Still...] Thank you. That's all I wanted to know.

[playthedamncard]

It doesn't have to be to blow pe--are you just referencing action movies at this point?

[hellahighwater]

...If there's any hella fucking stupid designation I had to get, I guess there could be worse ones.

[playthedamncard]

We're meant to meet here when the hour's up. I can only assume we'll meet someone. Be given some tasks to perform, perhaps, or at least be told something that may not even be true.

[photoshooter]

It's not the worst place I've ever been. At least no one's shooting at any of us. And nothing's going to try to eat us.

[Always look on the... bright side...?]

[playthedamncard]

What's a Niff?

[immaculacies]

You're right. But... The truth is, it doesn't make any difference to me. There isn't anything tying me to the place that I came from.

[Not yet.]

[theundertaken]

Action movies...? I’m referencing the military-industrial complex, that’s where the funding goes.

[playthedamncard]

It seems to me it's better to get it over with as quickly as possible and move on, not wasting time lingering on it.