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]

[ Luna...please don't get knifed... ]

...Crows feet? Like- actual crows feet, or those lines you get by your eyes and shit? [ ...oh no that sounds cool, either one. ]

[keepmeinyourheart]

They look like an incomplete arrow with a small notch at the end. So more like the birds foot than the wrinkles. He does have one right under his left eye, and another on his right cheek. As if the bird walked across his face.

[She is not kidding.]

[hellahighwater]

...That sounds like one hella cool tattoo! Holy shit!

[keepmeinyourheart]

[....] Hella? I don't believe that is a word I've ever heard before.

[hellahighwater]

[ ...Oh no. ]

It's, uh...it's a thing from Cali? California. It means like...a lot, or extremely.

[keepmeinyourheart]

California? Is that a place in your world?

[Hella is strange word...]

[hellahighwater]

...Right, you are...totally from a different planet. Because that's how my life's turning out right now. Yeah, it's a place like...south of where I live.

[keepmeinyourheart]

[How do you think she feels?] Are you from this California, or has that word just migrated north?

[hellahighwater]

...Learned it from someone. I'm from a different state.

[keepmeinyourheart]

State? As in a city state? [Like Altissia is, soft of?]

[hellahighwater]

No, like...a state. It's got a lot of cities in it. It's in a place called the United States of America.

[keepmeinyourheart]

I am afraid I'm still not quite sure what the context of a state is. Those do not exist in my world. [Which is fine. It seems to be another way of saying district or territory.] But this California and the place you are from has many cities? Who governs them if they are a United States?

[hellahighwater]

[ Ugh, she's doing her best but she hates talking about politics, it's a sucky conversation. ]

A whole bunch of people, one dude's the President and then there's a whole Senate under him? Shit like that. Each city's got a governor or a mayor and each state's got people in the Senate... It's a whole system, but please, don't...ask me about it in depth. Please.

[keepmeinyourheart]

[.........]

That sounds as if it would be a disaster in the making.

[hellahighwater]

The US government can be a shitpit sometimes, can confirm.

[keepmeinyourheart]

[Why do people keep swearing???]

Aside from the faulty leadership, is it a pleasant place to live?

[hellahighwater]

[ IT'S JUST HOW SHE WORKS, ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE'S PISSED GURL ]

...Some places in it probably are. Not my hometown, though.

[keepmeinyourheart]

[The Oracle does not swear, even if the situation demands it.]

Can you not leave?

[hellahighwater]

What, with no money, no contacts, and no way to keep my mom from having a heart attack and sending my step-prick after me? ...It's funny, I'm a little hesitant to jump at it.

[keepmeinyourheart]

So it's just as difficult there... [She shakes her head, chiding herself for that though.] It seems we both share that unfortunate lot in life.

[hellahighwater]

[ ... ]

Life's a bitch and then you die. That's how it goes, isn't it?

[keepmeinyourheart]

[Chloe, in the future, when she regains her memories, Luna will let you know just how right you are.]

I agree... But what we do along the way is what matters, is it not?

[hellahighwater]

You sound like some kind of self-help book. [ ... ] Or...Max, actually.

[ That... She shrugs. ]

Yeah, I guess.

[keepmeinyourheart]

A self-help book? [She tilts her head at that.] The Max here, or another Max?

[hellahighwater]

...Another Max. My Max.