On the platform: Meet the new characters

[utopiamods]

As you all crowd onto the platform, which is drenched with sunlight though the air is cool you are met by six girls and ten boys. One of the boys seems to be a blue Hedgehog and one of the girls has wings; but the rest all seem human. All sixteenn are in uniforms that would match if not for the colour differences - skirts and trousers, waistcoats, and light summer shirts that seem totally inappropriate for the chill. Some seem irritable while others look excited. Each has a beret with a crest pinned to the front - nine depicting a shield on green, the other seven a sword on red.

At the first lull in the chatter, a frail looking girl with a shield on her cap steps forward.

"Excuse me, may I have your attention please!"

She explains that the sixteen of them are the current prefects of Rakuen, representing the two schools on the island. Nanami (she gestures to herself), Lelouch, Yuri, Sonic, Jade, Sora, John, Rebecca, Dirk and of Fortitude; and Santana, Flynn, Kevin, Gino, Suzaku, Golbez and Cirno of Conquest.

The introductions are over fast and the girl named Santana seems impatient, "So come over when your name is called so we can all get inside." They all move to stand in two groups some distance away from each other; a boy and a girl step forward and begin to read names from a clipboard.

Golbez, the Conquest prefect made an imposing figure, standing there with his perpetual glare on his face, as he read off the names. "Dave Strider, Cheshire, Isabela, Jade Harley, Jack Noir, Hideki Hinata, and Hiyo Shishidou."

Despite what seemed to be a broken leg slowing her down, the Fortitude prefect; Jade looked almost excited in her prefect's outfit and neon orange T-shirt that came to her knees. "Okay, the people I read off are for Fortitude! If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them, but please don't threaten me with violence... Komachi Onozuka."

Comments

[missedflyball]

[When Hinata steps off the train, he's waiting for his name to be called in the midst of this awful confusion. Wow was his head hazy. First that crazy dream, now something about some crazy schools...

He remembers disappearing from the afterlife, but he doesn't remember why-- is this where it lead?? Another messed up high school to be trapped in? Just. Perfect.

Of course, he doesn't hear his name... Well he hears 'Hinata' which is his last name and what everyone calls him anyway, but he didn't recognize any 'Hideki.' And he'd remember if his name was Hideki, right? He approaches the prefect with a bit of a confused look, shouldering the bag that had been with him on the train.]

Hey, I didn't hear my name! What am I supposed to do?

[stoppedhiding]

[ He glances down at the boy in confusion. ]

What is your name? There's never been anyone unaccounted for in the past.

[missedflyball]

[He pauses for a moment. Any attempts at recalling his first name are... not working.]

Err... Well my last name is Hinata? I heard that, but not my first name.

[stoppedhiding]

[ Golbez is starting to get a headache. ]

What is your first name?

[missedflyball]

[He's searching his head, hold on... Nope not there.]

... Err.... I don't know. I can't remember.

[He's not helping that headache, is he?]

[stoppedhiding]

[ Nope. He rubs at one of his temples. ]

I don't understand how we are meant to function as a cohesive unit if such vital memories are removed from new arrivals.

[missedflyball]

What?? You mean... I forgot my own name?

[Well, okay, that was a stupid question because he just established that he can't remember his first name...]

Err... nevermind. But, what do you mean by removed memories?

[stoppedhiding]

It's a method our overseers use to enforce our cooperation with their game. They remove our memories, which can be regained at the cost of participating in a game called Exaclan.

You can find the details in the manual with which you were provided.

[ He's not the most talkative prefect. ]

[missedflyball]

Cooperation?? They took our memories ransom so we'd participate? Err, wow, is it that bad?

[Geeze, this place took way more precautions than the place he came from...

He blinks at the mention of a manual. Oh, that'd be helpful. Hinata pulls his bag off of his shoulder and opens it up, and sure enough, manual!]

So we have to go to school or we don't get our memories back?? That's kinda cheap, isn't it? [He gives a bit of a laugh, though he's not sure how amused this guy will actually be. Golbez seems... grumpy.]

[stoppedhiding]

Yes, Hinata. It's that bad.

The schooling is not directly related to regaining our memories. If anything, it's a nuisance in the way of the true objective of this city: To battle one another and earn this city's currency, which we must use to purchase our memories.

[ Golbez is extremely grumpy. He's not amused at all. ]

[missedflyball]

[Lighten up, you're making him nervous...]

Sooo what's the point of it if all this is-- wait, battling for money?? [Okay now you've got him concerned.] What is this, some kind of Battle Royale thing?

[He glances back at the train.]

... Can I go back??

[stoppedhiding]

It's nothing of the sort. Only a few of the abductees are expected to fight at a time; the others serve as the weapons, providing items that apparently exist in a holographic state within their bodies until the time at which the players require them for battle.

[ He glances also. ] No.

[missedflyball]

[Sigh.] Thought so.

Still, we're being forced to fight. For money. Like it's some kind of game.

That doesn't strike you as... I dunno, at least a little bad?? Are you actually supporting of this or something?

[stoppedhiding]

I'm not supporting it. I'm simply informing you of what's expected of us. We haven't found a way out, but we do have reason to believe that playing along with the system will, in the end, grant us our freedom.

[missedflyball]

What, nobody's tried opposing the system yet?? If playing along is what our-- you're saying we're abducted, so I'm assuming our kidnappers set this up-- if our kidnappers want this, how could it end well for us at all??

[Spoken like a professional rebel.]

[stoppedhiding]

Exaclan is cyclic in nature. There are six women who remained behind from a previous iteration of the game. They are the ones who've informed us as such.

I understand your disbelief. However, having been trapped here for nearly three months now, I know what I'm talking about.

[missedflyball]

You just wanna keep the cycle going?? How is that helping anyone?? If they're giving us weapons, shouldn't we be fighting against this place, not fighting for it??

[He can not comprehend how nobody has done this yet. In fact, his face looks entirely unamused at the moment at the lack of rebellion that clearly should exist.]

[stoppedhiding]

If you'd like to suggest a target for us to attack.

[gottakilldaves]

[SOMETIME AFTER TALKING TO GOLBEZ surprise you're getting bumped into by an angry looking cyborg in a suit stomping towards the train tracks.]

Watch where the fuck you're going!! [CLEARLY, THIS IS YOUR FAULT]

[missedflyball]

[Hinata is almost knocked off his feet because wow is he light and incredibly used to getting knocked around.

Of course, when his boss knocks him around, that's just fine, but when it's some crazy robotic stranger--]

Where I'm going?? You nearly sent me into concrete! Where are you even going?? The train doesn't work.

[gottakilldaves]

[Well, he was going to carry on his angry way, but if this dumb kid is gonna talk back he's just fucking asking for it. Jack turns on his heel, glaring daggers.]

Then maybe you should stay out of the fucking way-- are you seriously buying that bullshit? We just got off that fucking train, of course it works! You're a goddamn idiot!

[missedflyball]

[Oh hey, this guy was a total asshole! Awesome!]

It's a one way thing! I'm used to this kind of bullshit, you can't just go back! You actually have to use some common sense and try to figure out what the hell's going on first!

[gottakilldaves]

Why don't you shut the fuck up, you loudmouthed brat!? I'll walk the whole fucking track if I have to! I don't have time for this school shit, but if you're so happy to give up already you can go ahead and fuck right off!

[missedflyball]

Hey, who said I was giving up, or even going along with any of this school stuff?! [He is so sick and tired of the forced-to-go-to-school thing, you hav no idea.] If you try walking down the tracks you're probably just going to hit a dead end, or an invisible wall or something. [Geeze, Jack, haven't you ever played a video game?]

[gottakilldaves]

What the hell do you think this is, a video game? [seriously]

Well shit, if you're not even gonna try then it looks like you're giving up to me! Have fun at your dumbass school!

[waving flipping him off as he walks away]