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

outside room 2

[hellahighwater]

Not anywhere normal. [ ...Chloe reminds herself to try and be nice. She glances at the windows. ] If you don't wanna have a hella meltdown, don't...look out the window.

[challengesfate]

A "hella" meltd-

[Chloe, you of all people should know that if you tell someone not to do something, it exponentially increases the chances of them doing the thing - and guess who's slowly turning to look out the window, her eyes widening as she takes in the endless expanse of stars.]

...Wh...why does the sky take up so much of that window...?

[hellahighwater]

[ ...This girl's absolutely the type who has no idea what space is, isn't she. ]

Ohh, shit, I said don't look out the window, you're killin' me here! [ gentle panic ] It's space. The stars.

[challengesfate]

[Yep.]

W-Well, when you say something like that, of course I'm going to look...! And what do you mean "it's space"? It's clearly the night sky!

[hellahighwater]

I mean what's above the night sky, genius.

[ Despite the slight sarcasm, she really does mostly sound like she has no idea what she's doing! Probably because she doesn't. At all. ]

The...big inky planet shit, where the stars live.

[challengesfate]

[. . .]

But...you can't go to the stars. They're just - in the sky, not even a bird could fly that high...

[hellahighwater]

Not just by yourself, but we're obviously in a space ship.

[challengesfate]

But...ships are for water.

[Chloe I am so sorry.]

[hellahighwater]

[ why ]

A spaceship. Do you seriously not know spaceships?

[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.

[hellahighwater]

[ Oh... Great.... ]

It's 'cause they're a common thing. Not knowing means like...did you grow up in a cave, or- do they not have rockets where you're from?

[challengesfate]

I...grew up in a castle, until it was destroyed. And I've been traveling with my friends ever since, fighting to stay alive...we've never had anything like a "rocket".

[hellahighwater]

...What the...shit, that sounds like fantasy kingdom stuff. Like, really depressing anime fantasy stuff. You're not pulling my leg, are you?

[challengesfate]

No, I am not.

[It's a relief she knows turns of phrase like that, but all the same, yeah, it sounds pretty weird, doesn't it?]

I certainly wouldn't lie about my home, of all things.

[hellahighwater]

...Hella weird. [ Chloe frowns. She's starting to get the feeling this...goes into strangeness she's never even conceived. ] Where're you from? What's the name of it?

[challengesfate]

The...Halidom of Ylisse. [A pause.] And, where are you from?

[hellahighwater]

...Arcadia Bay, Oregon. So not whatever you said.

[challengesfate]

No, I...can confidently say it's not the same place at all.

[What's an Oregon.]

[hellahighwater]

What the hell... What in the world is going on here?

[challengesfate]

I...wish I could say I knew, but...I think it's apparent that none of us do.

[hellahighwater]

Fuck. [ She rubs at her forehead. And, as an afterthought: ] Sorry for- I don't know, judging you about spaceships and shit.

[challengesfate]

[Oh. She...hadn't expected an apology. Like, at all. Lucina pauses, her expression softening just a bit.]

...It's alright. You couldn't have known that I didn't know...and, I don't take offense.

[She's just feeling relatively self conscious about her lack of knowing anything now, though, which is super great. But still, not really Chloe's fault.]

[hellahighwater]

Yeah... Alright, super. [ At least she takes that in stride. She's apologized, the moment's done. With this out of the way- ] Now, let's focus up on how to get the fuck out of here.

[challengesfate]

Agreed.

[There's got to be some way out of here that's not murder.]

[hellahighwater]

Find any- shit, you wouldn't know what those are- anything marked "escape pod," that's like...a ticket out of here, if we can get someone to fly them.