rakuen | On the platform: Meet the new characters

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."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ 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.

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?

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. ]

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.]

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. ]

[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??

Edited 2012-07-03 07:32 (UTC)

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.

[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?

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.

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.]

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.

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.]

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

[He pauses to think about that...]

Err, obviously whoever's in charge. But I wasn't saying we go in to like, kill them or anything. [He is greatly against anything to do with killing.] But y'know, some kind of operations for a recon mission? Figure out how to get out of here without having to play to their advantage??

We don't have access to whoever's in charge. They have never shown themselves to us.

We are open to suggestions. The fact of the matter, however, is that it simply appears to be most advantageous to play along.

[ He can understand Hinata's frustration. Really, he can. Nine or ten weeks ago, he'd have been there right alongside him. ]

Errgh, I still can't believe this...

[He's rubbing his forehead, trying to get his thoughts straight. He wasn't used to rallying forces, he needed Yuri here. But god knew where she went... she disappeared too, from what he remembers.]

... One more question. Are there any more people here, from where I'm from? I disappeared from where I was, and the next thing I knew I was here... is that the case for everyone from the afterlife or did I somehow get snagged here instead of being reborn or whatever like I was supposed to be?

The afterlife? [ A blink. ] I don't believe so, no. Some of those here were dead in their home worlds, but I believe the majority of us were not. There's really no rhyme or reason to who Rakuen decides to abduct.

So there's nobody here who had a uniform like mine?? [He gestures to the tan uniform he's still wearing, which he greatly prefers over the ones they're supposed to be wearing...] Or, err, a patch like this one?? [He shows him the SSS badge on his left arm.]

Not that I've seen. But you'd have better luck asking over the citywide communication system. You can access it in the computer lab back at Conquest, once we show you the way.

Right...

[He really hoped he'd come alone. He didn't want any of his friends disappearing only to show up...... wherever this place was. Rakuen?]

Thanks for the help, anyway...

I'm sorry I couldn't be of more use. Good luck.

On the platform: Meet the new characters

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