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

[challengesfate]

[Ah, so, there's swords in his world? Okay, that makes things a lot easier.]

You're right, it isn't easy. I train constantly in swordsmanship myself. [A pause.] Though...without Falchion, I don't know how well I can keep up with it.

[When she's close enough to do so - and she's been moving pretty slow, because let's not make this guy bolt again, he's damn fast - she holds out a hand towards him.]

My name is Lucina. What is yours?

[photoshooter]

[He remembers, suddenly, someone else offering him a hand after he made a fool of himself, and the laugh he laughs is more of a breath as he takes that hand and finally stands upright instead of hiding.]

Prompto Argentum. Sorry about the whole, ah, running and screaming business. I thought I got captured by the enemy or something.

[challengesfate]

[Her handshake is firm, yet gentle, and Lucina lets out a puff of laughter herself. What a silly situation this is, in a metal building with strangers and finding themselves frightned by each other. Surely this can't get any worse.]

It's alright. You startled me as well - and while I would normally feel the same, no enemy I know could possibly have a...fortress like this.

[photoshooter]

[Surely things can only look up from here!]

Yeah, I mean... [He looks around, rubbing the back of his neck.] It kind of looks Imperial, but I've never busted a base with a library in it before. So I really don't know what's going on.

[challengesfate]

[Obviously everything will be sunshine and rainbows!]

Well...we are in a library, are we not? Perhaps there is something here that could explain something. I...do recall the voice saying we needed to be in the cafeteria, but it did not say we needed to go immediately.

[photoshooter]

[Friendship will definitely save the day and nothing will hurt, ever!]

It did say we had about an hour. Think that's a long enough time to make a search? Like, maybe if we find the reference section there'll be an atlas or something?

[challengesfate]

An atlus would be as good a place to start as any.

[Ready to rifle through the stacks, Prompto?]

[photoshooter]

Okay! I'm not totally a library guy, but usually they keep the reference books right out in front, right?

[Let's go find a book!]

[challengesfate]

I...think so. It's been a long time since I've gotten to be in a library.

[Apocalyptic hell dragons don't really give a shit about the education of the last of humanity.]

[photoshooter]

[He's light-footed even when he's not terror-sprinting, so in almost less than a bounce and a skip, he's found the shelf for reference books. He squats there, walking his fingers across the tops of the books as he reads their spines, head cocked to one side.]

Mmm... dictionary, encyclopedia... uh, spaceship repair manual? That's a new one.

[challengesfate]

[Gosh, he sure is a bouncy young man, isn't he? Lucina's admittedly a little facscinated by it. Not a lot of people are naturally quick-footed like that - a couple of her friends were, sure, but not everyone. She kneels down next to him to take a look for herself.]

...The others I've spoken to keep mentioning that word. "Space ship". But...I'm still a bit confused. Ships are for the water, and space is...[She waves her hand around in the air, gesturing to the empty space around them.] It's a term. Isn't it?

[photoshooter]

What--oh! No, what they mean in this case is outer space. [He waves a hand, too, though only in an upwards direction.] You know, where all the stars and planets are, out past the atmosphere. So a space ship is supposedly a vehicle for traveling out there, except they're really not supposed to exist in real life. I mean, as far as I know.

[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?

[photoshooter]

Yeah! Or sci-fi movies, or video games... things like that.

[challengesfate]

...I'm still not entirely clear on what "movies" are, besides moving portraits. But..."video games"?

[Oh my God. Prompto, are you prepared to deal with actual jrpg medieval princess?]

[photoshooter]

[He did it in one game, he can do it again. But at this moment, he finally pauses.]

Hey, Lucina? ...Where are you from?

[challengesfate]

[Where she's from isn't a video game, why is - oh. We're. Changing the subject, okay.]

...Ylisstol, in the Halidom of Ylisse - or of what remains of it. And...you?

[photoshooter]

Insomnia. Uh, capital of Lucis.

[How does he ask this.]

What... kind of technology are you used to in Ylisse?

[challengesfate]

Um...wagons and horses? And...bows and arrows, which we've already discussed.

[Oh. So wait, that means...]

There's a woman here who was looking for someone from the...Lucis Kingsglaive? Her name is...Lunafreya, I think. Have you spoken to her?

[photoshooter]

[And Prompto's train of thought jumps completely off the tracks, crashes through the wall of a station, kills dozens of passengers and stationworkers alike, and careens into the abyss.

What.

What?]

Lu... Lunafreya? You saw Lady Lunafreya?

[Guess who hasn't checked all the profiles as of this early thread.]

Are you absolutely sure?!

[challengesfate]

[Wow he's going to regret that train metaphor at some point isn't he]

Yes, I'm sure...that's what she said her name was. She's...a bit older than us, blonde, fair...do you know her?

[photoshooter]

[He springs to his feet, as full of uncurbable energy as he was full of panic before, but this time it's a whirlwind of excitement, disbelief, joy.]

That's--yeah! She, everyone knows her, she's the Oracle and--and she survived?

[He can't remember the last time his heart's pounded like this with wonder rather than fear. He shifts like he's about to race off once more, the restless movement of a horse before a charge, but he doesn't know where he's going.]

Where can I find her? Where did you see her last?

[challengesfate]

[Survived? Survived what? She almost wants to ask, but Prompto's energy is...something to behold, honestly. She blinks once, twice, trying to make sure she remembers correctly; there's a sense that she doesn't want to let this boy down.]

U-Um, uh, the...hallway. Where we were before. With the rooms we woke up in, I think? I don't know if she's very far from there now...

[photoshooter]

[Hallway. She was right there and he didn't see her? His gaze snaps to the door, then back to Lucina even though he has to go go go.]

I'll--I'll explain about video games later, okay? Right now it's really, really important that I go find her. Like, fate-of-the-world important.

[Even if that's not why it's important to him. He starts to run, but he doesn't even complete a step before he's hurrying back to Lucina and lifting up both her hands together.]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! This means so much, I can't--thank you for telling me! I won't forget this!

[And nyoooom, there he goes.]

[challengesfate]

[Her eyes widen slightly. It's that important? That's...a level of importance she understands completely, and Lucina is about to say it's alright if he goes - this doesn't seem like an especially large place, they'll probably see each other again - but then he's taken her hands and he's thanking her and it's all over in quite a rush. Once Prompto has nyoomed, Lucina is left a bit stunned, staring at her hands...]

...

[That was...definitely something else, for sure.]