Meet and Greet [intro #1]

[utopiamods]

As you all crowd onto the platform with your bizarre mix of faces, expressions, clothing and wild theories, you are met by two girls. Both are in uniforms that would match if not for the colour differences - skirt, waistcoat, and a light summer shirt that seems totally inappropriate for the thin layer of snow coating the station platform. Both have a beret with a crest - one's shows a sword, the other's a shield.

At the first lull in the chatter, the taller girl, her uniform red and white, speaks out over the crowd.

"Hey, losers!"

She explains, in short, irritated sentences, that they're prefects, representing the two schools in Rakuen. Santana, Conquest, she says, gesturing to herself with a smile that would be smug if she didn't look so annoyed to be out here. Nanami here is Fortitude, she adds, pointing to the pale girl half-leaning on her other arm. The girl nods.

"We're here to get you sorted and back to campus. If you wanna ask stupid questions, do it on the way. It's freezing out here."

The girl introduced as Nanami interrupts. "When we say your name, please move quickly and quietly to us."

"Yeah, then we can go back to the dorms."

They separate, moving to stand several metres apart, and both pull a list from their waistcoat pocket. Alternating, they start to read out your names.

Comments

[duchy]

[Alright, he can remember that.]

How many to get a memory back?

[straightupzorra]

40 Raks for a memory charm, but if you make nice with Recette she'll give you a discount.

[duchy]

Alright.

[He frowns, looking very serious for an eight-year-old.]

How many raks for winning a fight?

[straightupzorra]

Three for winning a round and five for vowing or winning a Weapon.

[duchy]

[Winning a weapon is easy enough to understand in context. Winning a round is self-explanatory. But...]

Vowing?

[straightupzorra]

In order to collect weapons you need to vow to protect them. It's pretty lame.

[duchy]

[Oh, she must mean the people the weapons come out of. It's a strange concept to wrap his mind around. He's still not sure how it's done. It's on a list, along with trains and Latvia being way too old.]

If you don't take care of your weapon, you'll get killed by someone who did.

[Someone told him that--one of his Dukes... But his name...

Must be something else he forgot.]

[straightupzorra]

You don't need to be nice to your Weapons in order to win. Weapons have almost no rights here, and Discards have even less.

[duchy]

You mean the people the weapons come out of?

[He frowns at that, thinking it over and waiting for more information.]

[straightupzorra]

Right, the people the weapons come out of have no rights. It's all part of the game.

[duchy]

[Lithuania's quiet, considering.]

I think it would be better to treat them respectfully, if you have to use them as weapons. I wouldn't turn my back on someone who hated me in a fight.

[...Eight? 8D?]

[straightupzorra]

[wisest eight year old ever]

Treat your weapons how ever you want. There are two ways to win, be nice or play hard. Personally, I find being nice to be way too boring.

[duchy]

It probably depends on the weapon.

[straightupzorra]

There are some really crappy weapons here sometimes. [she likes her own weapon though, and has learned how to properly use Day's blowpipe]

[duchy]

What sorts of weapons are there?

[straightupzorra]

Whips, swords, shields, and blowpipes are the ones still here, but really anything could be a weapon. And I mean anything.

[duchy]

Anything?

[That could encompass a lot of options...]

What do you do if you get something useless?

[straightupzorra]

Yeah kid, anything. From high powered lasers to paper clips. If you get a crap weapon you learn to deal with it, or use another weapon.

[duchy]

I guess there's probably a way to make almost anything work if you have to...

[straightupzorra]

Sometimes you just need to bludgeon someone with a dumb weapon.