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

[immaculacies]

[o hi, neighbor]

No. [There is a stunning lack of emotion in this child's voice.] Or maybe we both do, now.

[theundertaken]

I mean, technically. [okay this is weird but he'll give her the benefit of the doubt for being creepy given that she looks like, eleven] Hey, you need any help? I dunno what I can do, but if you need anything...

[immaculacies]

[Thanks, Max. You're a pal.

At first, she meets his question with a slow blink. For just a second, she glances away from him—but then she looks back up again just as quickly, any uncertainty that might have been on her face already wiped away.]

...No. At least, I don't think there's any help that you can give me.

[theundertaken]

.....yeah, okay. [This is probably pretty accurate; he has no idea how to get out of literal fucking outer space.] You want some company while you look around?

[immaculacies]

[She cocks her head at that question. Again, there's a second of silence while she considers something, and then she asks instead:]

Do you?

[theundertaken]

...guess I wouldn't turn it down.

[he wouldn't recruit a little girl for it either, but maybe this is her way of asking without asking?]

[immaculacies]

[Ha, ha, the joke's on you, Max! She doesn't care if she has company at all. That's why she asked!]

All right. Then if you want to look around, I'll come with you.

[Yeah, sorry, she's not going to stop seeming weirdly detached any time soon.]

[theundertaken]

Okay. [Hey, she's probably freaked out. Poor kid.] My name's Max, what's yours?

[immaculacies]

["Max"... Did she see that name while browsing through the profiles? She must have, but she can't recall the information that had been listed. It really is bothersome, being limited like this.

...But. He asked her for her name. The faraway expression on her face clears as she focuses on actually giving him an answer.]

It's Manaka.

[theundertaken]

Nice to meet you, Manaka. Wanna go check out the kitchen? Or...oh, there’s a library.

[immaculacies]

I was going to go to the cafeteria to wait. The kitchen is already in that direction. [Though...] I wonder if the books in the library could give someone a frame of reference, though.

[theundertaken]

That’s kinda what I was thinking. Interesting to see what books are in there, since I guess some of us just come from places with magic?

[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.

[theundertaken]

Uh...no. There’s no magic or anything where I’m from. We do have some space travel, so I guess there’s that.

[immaculacies]

Well, none that you know of.

[...ANYWAY]

I agree about the books, though. I want to know what sort of rules this place operates under.

[theundertaken]

...yeah, I guess.

[Probably not though?]

Cool, let’s go check it out. [TO THE LIBRARY]

[immaculacies]

[Listen... She was raised as part of a secretive society of magic-users. The idea that Max just doesn't realize seems not only possible to her, but natural.

As they walk to the library, it becomes readily apparent that Manaka doesn't speak unless spoken to. In fact, if Max doesn't strike up some sort of conversation himself, she's liable to wander off in a random direction on her own when they do arrive.]

[theundertaken]

[Max is content enough to walk to the library in silence; it's not like it's a super-far trip, and also he's just not terribly sure what to talk to a fourteen-year-old girl about. Not a lot of commonalities, except the one big obvious one.

Once they're at the library, though, he pipes up again.]

Non-fiction seems like it would tell us more about where we are. Though, this looks kinda technical...

[immaculacies]

You don't have to read the books themselves, if you just want to take a quick survey. For example... If this universe has magic that isn't a secret, one of the titles should make mention of it, I think.

[As Manaka speaks, she touches the tip of one finger to the spines of the books in front of her, trailing it over them as she skims their titles for any words that stand out. He's right, these do seem technical... And mostly about space stations.]

[theundertaken]

I was hoping for something more like...I don't know, "History of X Planet". Or species. More specific.

[He picks one off the shelf and pages through it.]

Tell us what kind of people might've brought us here. These aren't even for this space station in particular, that could've actually been useful.

[immaculacies]

We could try looking for an encyclopedia. But... This library had to be stocked by someone. If there isn't anything like that here, they're likely keeping more specific information from us on purpose.

[theundertaken]

Yeeeeeeah. [He glances over at the fiction section.] ...I know some of these books, though. That's something.

[immaculacies]

Do you? [She follows his line of sight.] I don't read many novels myself, so I'm not sure how many I would recognize.

[...But, more importantly.]

Do you think they have publication dates printed inside?

[theundertaken]

[Max grabs the novel instead and flips through it.]

Nnnnnnnno...that page is just blank. Weird...

[immaculacies]

...How strange.

[That...gets a reaction out of Manaka? Her eyebrows lift, and she tilts her head.]

Not removed. Just blank?