ORIENTATION

[allforevil]

[When you start to stir from your slumber, you awaken to the smell of dust and rotted wood. Your bed is far from comfortable -- lumps in the mattress, a tattered blanket that barely keeps you warm and a pillow almost as hard as a rock-- and you'll immediately see there are others in your room with you.

All of you are confused, surely. "Where am I?" "What place is this?" Questions like that stir through your mind while you take in your surroundings. Something might catch your eye before anything else, though. A coloured chest tied with a bow, a large gift tag is attached to it with your name on it. There's one for everyone in each dorm, and if you open it you'll find:

An old, worn school uniform.
A colourful costume.
And a pamphlet with information about you, about your stay in this Academy, and a map of the layout of the school and the training grounds outside. The descriptions are vague, leaving out important details about your new super powers called "Quirks", a bland description about how you were selected to join the Academy called "VA" (no explanation what it means), and even the map has lame descriptions of locations that don't really give you a good idea of where you're staying.

Before you can start exploring, or chatting away with your neighbors, a voice rings over old intercoms. It sounds low and comforting, like a long lost friend. But there's something about that that feels.. unsettling. A feeling in your gut that this voice was anything but friendly.

"Welcome, students. You must be very confused, but I assure you I'll be able to answer all the questions you have in just a few minutes.

For now, relax, explore, and meet your new classmates who will be staying with you during this semester.

Oh, but..... whatever you do, don't enter the dining room."

The intercom cuts off, leaving you with a cryptic message to think about on top of.. everything else you're dealing with right now.]

Comments

[seventiesjapan]

[It sure says a lot her first thought when she wakes up isn't immediate panic, but a curious, numb thought: '...did something go wrong?" It was all supposed to be over, yet here she was now.

The voice only make the numbness settle in. Alright, Sonia, there will be time for freaking out later in private. Mostly out of reflex she walks out of the room and goes in direction of the dining room, just to stand near the wall opposite to the entrance, eyes on the door. It was a long shot, but she had hoped to find even a small clue of what was going on. No traces of black and white on the door, that's for sure.

If someone tries to approach the entrance to the dining room, she'll warn kindly, but firmly:]

I don't recommend disobeying the voice's request.

[That can only put you in danger. Even though she doesn't recognize anyone here, if she can do something to avoid anyone from being in danger right away then she'll do it!]

dining room entrance

[etincelledefierte]

[Claudine nods, but has a concerned look on her face.]

I wasn't planning on it. With as rundown as the rest of the building is, I had assumed there was something especially badly broken or in disarray inside. It's not worth the risk of getting hurt.

Are you all right, though? You look like you've seen a ghost.

[seventiesjapan]

[Sonia doesn't seem to have expected the inquiry about how she feels. Uneasy due to the entire situation and still prepared for the worst, all she can bring herself to do right now is give a tired smile, although she manages to effortlessly look radiant despite that]

Well...the situation does justify how scared I may look.

[She hadn't even realize she looked like that...truly, being brought here so soon after having left some nightmarish weeks behind has rattled her more than she'd like to admit]

Please do not concern yourself with how I feel, but thank you for asking.

[etincelledefierte]

That is completely fair. This whole situation is awful, and I think I’ve pinched myself no less than five times hoping I would wake up to it having been a bad dream.

[Still, though. Claudine would feel bad just leaving her alone.]

Are you sure you’re going to be all right?

[seventiesjapan]

I have to be all right regardless of how I actually feel, for the sake of not letting that voice have the satisfaction of seeing me toil at their feet.

[It's her way of being defiant for the time being]

[etincelledefierte]

[That’s a take on things that Claudine can get behind.]

Mais oui. I have no intention of letting the voice have that particular bit of satisfaction.

[She doesn’t seem to realize that she’s slipped into French.]

Would you like some company? My name is Claudine Saito.

[seventiesjapan]

S'il vous plaît, go ahead!

[Sonia replies with (possibly inaccurate --I blame the automatic Google translator) French as if it was the most natural thing in the world]

My name is Sonia Nevermind. Despite the circumstances, it truly is a pleasure to meet you. Let's do our best!

dining room entrance

[dralchemist]

You seem oddly calm about this whole situation. Know something we don't?

[Izzy is curious about what lies in the dining hall, of course-- it doesn't even seem like it's locked. And yet, here's Sonia guarding (well, "guarding", Izzy doesn't surmise that the princess is going to be able to physically stop her) the doors.]

[seventiesjapan]

Of course not!

[She sounds horrified. Sonia intended not to tell anyone about the killing game she had experienced before, but it seems it made her more prepared for situations involving groups of people being kidnapped than she'd be otherwise.

She's not sure she should be glad or not it jaded her a bit on this regard]

I just think we should avoid getting in trouble. Recklessly defying someone who may have brought us here would put our lives in jeopardy, wouldn't it?

[dralchemist]

[Whoops. Wrong assupmtion, then. Izzy writes something down in a notepad she's got in one of her hands, then thinks again and scratches it out.]

That's fair. Lots of unknowns in this situation. Though I doubt that disobeying is going to be punisheable by death. ["Lives in jeopardy", right. What's so reckless about poking at rules?]

[seventiesjapan]

[Whooops. She really still is handling this as if Monokuma is the one in charge. Boy that's going to be difficult to leave behind, it being so fresh in her past]

What would be the alternative?

[If not death, what could their kidnapper do?]

[dralchemist]

... imprisonment, physical harm, interrogation, torture, humiliative punishments, financial punishments, punitive punishments, legal repercussions...

[She just. Had that ready?]

[seventiesjapan]

[She definitely must have had that ready]

...perhaps it depends on how they need us? If we should stay unharmed.

[dralchemist]

If this is a mass kidnapping, there's gotta be a motive. Something the kidnappers want. I doubt they're just going to start killing willy-nilly; that'd get ride of leverage.

Though, this many people, it'd introduce some redundancies...

[seventiesjapan]

...is it strange that the thought of everyone being a necessary part of that voice's plans makes me feel better since it means our lives may be spared?

[True, there's still a lot of risk for physical harm and other consequences, but all that can be overcome if you're alive]

[dralchemist]

[Izzy just. Stares for a second.] It sounds like you already assumed otherwise. Or am I just reading too much into your reaction?

I'd certainly hope that there's a plan behind this whole situation. If it's just chaotic bastardry, then we're all fucked.

[seventiesjapan]

Eeeh?

[God damn it all to hell! She keeps slipping. Truly, the sudden developments ever since she arrived here keep catching her off-guard.

Still, she shouldn't alarm someone with tales of killing games. Things already look bad, there's no need to make it even worse by causing alarm!]

...this is...not the first time I have been kidnapped. In the past being reckless with the captor's rules would have meant death.

[Not the entire truth, but also not a lie]

Because we wouldn't have a way to fight back if they don't even have a plan?

[dralchemist]

... Oh. See, that makes your reaction make a whole lot more sense. [And she nods, curiosity somewhat satisfied. But now there's a new conundrum bubbling up.]

Do you think it's the same people? From the last time to now?

[seventiesjapan]

No, that doesn't seem to be the case. I have found no similarities so far.

[And she has tried really hard to find them, that's for sure]

[dralchemist]

That's a relief. Puts more points into the "probably not a mortal peril situation" category. I'm sure the ominous announcement will come with a better explanation later on.

[seventiesjapan]

What kind of person do you think we're dealing with?

[Other than 'evil', she guesses]

[tokencanadian]

Oh!

[Pyrrha, like many others, was curious at what the dining hall had that would warrant telling everyone to stay out. Maybe it was a good reason, maybe not.

She wasn't expecting other people to be acting as bouncers once she showed up.]

Hello! I wasn't planning to break the rule, I just wanted to see where it was. [Ahem. She relaxes, hands at her sides. It gives her time to look at Sonia.] Have... many people tried to go in yet?

[seventiesjapan]

A few. Thankfully, nobody has disagreed when I ask them not to put themselves in danger.

[Things are nice when everything is orderly and nobody is putting themselves in danger]

[tokencanadian]

Good! Good, I'd hoped there's not arguments going on about it.

[But, she's here now, and everything's fine. The door reminds untouched, for now.]

...What could be so important that we weren't allowed to enter a room like that.

[seventiesjapan]

...could it be the person that voice belonged to is behind those doors right now?

[And is doing something they don't want anyone to see yet?]