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

[hellahighwater]

'Cause it's some fucked up story about the exploitation of minors for entertainment or...something? People suck, the world's a shithole. Shock.

[ ...But yeah, it's pretty messed up. ]

[photoshooter]

Oh--oh, wait, it's a story.

[He breathes out and slumps forward, then leans back, head tilted back.]

I thought you were talking about something that actually happened. Girl, don't scare me like that. The world's bad enough as it is.

[hellahighwater]

Hey, would you be surprised? Especially since, hey, look around! [ She raises up her hands and gestures around them. ] There's probably some pretty young people around here, too.

[photoshooter]

[He looks unhappy.]

There... are, yeah. I think the youngest girl here is fourteen? And there are a lot of kids who should still be in high school.

[hellahighwater]

[ She scowls. ...You know, she should probably still be in high school too but. Ignoring that. ]

Ain't that just a hella good time... You seen anyone around who's running this place, pretty boy?

[photoshooter]

[He blinks. 'Pretty boy?' That's not something anyone's ever called him. Wait, isn't that what Aranea calls Noct?

Wait, right, question. He shakes his head and clears his throat, trying to collect himself before he looks completely stupid.]

Oh--uh--no. Uh, not yet. Only, you know. These.

[He points to his PIP.]

It said we were supposed to be here for something. I guess maybe we'll meet whoever's in charge then.

[hellahighwater]

[ She's just saying the facts, my dude, like. Chloe raises her eyebrows at him, unimpressed. ]

Well, whoever it is better show up really damn soon so I can knock their teeth in.

[photoshooter]

Um. Don't you think that anyone who could kidnap this many people is probably, like. Armed? And definitely not just one person?

[hellahighwater]

...Okay, so I'd need to take turns knocking their teeth, plural, in?

[photoshooter]

Teeth is already plural. [A beat.] But yeah, I guess. I just know I'd feel a lot better about the whole teeth-knocking idea if I could at least get my hands on a gun.

[hellahighwater]

Well, yeah that's a hella lot more ideal. Any kind of weapon'd be better. I'd take a cracked baseball bat at this rate.

[photoshooter]

If it's not against the rules, you could probably break one of the easels in the art room for a stick or something.

[hellahighwater]

...Good idea. Not so bad, for a pretty boy. [ Maybe...you should learn his name...

She starts actually checking through the rules. ] Hmm, "proper maintenance of the life-support systems blah blah blah, eat my ass, something something punishment." If they mean "no vandalizing" can they just fucking say "no vandalizing?"

[photoshooter]

[STOP, you're making him BLUSH, Chloe. Pink, he starts going through his own PIP, too.]

Uh, I dunno, it sounds more like they're worried about us breaking something we actually need? Putting a hole through the hull of a space ship sounds like a bad idea, even if that Seto kid's right and this is some kind of virtual reality experience.

[hellahighwater]

[ S H R U G S she's not really looking at him now, but...making guys squirm is kind of funny. Plus he's got this vibe about him. Like, someone familiar. ]

Sure sounds like it, but look there, at that "other structure or machinery" bit. Isn't that just the kind of TOS bullshit used to trip you up? What happens when someone insists something totally irrelevant's necessary for our survival- which, sidebar, also bullshit. If they care about our safety, they wouldn't have this one about how we can fucking slaughter each other.

[photoshooter]

You're right. Probably better not to risk it, huh? I don't know what this 'punishment' is supposed to be, but I don't want to find out anytime soon.

[hellahighwater]

Fuckers. [ ...There's no point to this, Chloe just wanted to say it again. In fact, she lightly kicks the leg of the table she's seated at. Fuck you too, table.

Chloe deflates a bit but she's still just as annoyed. She figures, after a moment: ] So what's your name? I can't just keep calling you pretty boy, that's probably degrading, or something.

[photoshooter]

Uh--no, it's, it's not degrading. [Why would that be degrading? Call him the prettiest boy you know. Tell him his eyes are an ocean.] My name is Prompto, though. Nice to meet you!

[...]

Even if we are kidnapped.

[hellahighwater]

[ Your breasts are also an ocean. ]

We're not drugged, so. You know, it could be a fucktruck worth worse.

[ #JustArcadiaBayThings ]

Name's Chloe. It's...likewise, I guess.

[photoshooter]

[What even is Life is Strange]

Ugh, yeah. I mean, at least we can be sure we're not drugged anymore. I have no idea when I could've gotten kidnapped, though. And it's not like someone hit me over the head or anything, I already checked for bumps.

[hellahighwater]

{ Disappointing ]

...I think we'd've felt something if we were drugged, though. That doesn't get out of your system so fast, usually you're still...drowsy, at least in my experience.

[photoshooter]

[Uh-oh, here comes the concern.]

You've... experienced something like that?

[hellahighwater]

[ Oh jeez. Chloe tries to seem disinterested. ]

Not the kidnapping. It worked out fine. I'm here, aren't I?

[photoshooter]

[There's a lot to unpack there, Prompto can tell, but it's even easier to see she doesn't want to talk about it. At least not to him. And that's fair, they literally just met. He glances away, brushing some of his hair back from his ear, then nods to let her know he's letting it go.]

Um, right. Now's not really the time, right? We've got to figure out a way to get out of here before anything else.

[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.