1st Team Meeting

[makeadragonwannaretire]

WHO: Azula and any vault dwellers who show up.
WHERE: The Rec Room
WHEN: Three hours after her annoucement.
WHAT: Azula's "War Council" to disseminate information and introductions...also snacks.
WARNINGS: Possible discussions of violence and/or dark backstories.

Azula had attended a number of war meetings growing up as well as social affairs for meeting with important members of the public or military. This was different for a number of reasons, the largest being that this was a place no one seemed to have any respect for her title.

But she could handle that. It had taken her half a month to come to terms with it but here the title "Princess" was only as important as she made it.

Unfortunately that meant having to play "Nice" having to bite her tongue and not get frustrated when she wasn't catered to. That would have been harder for her two years ago, and impossible a year ago.

But here we were, with her waiting patiently near the entrance to the Rec Room to greet people as they came in. Oh how far she'd fallen.

"Come in, help yourself to some snacks. We'll get started soon."

Comments

Introductions

[makeadragonwannaretire]

As everyone files in and chooses whether to sit or not Azula moved to a place in the room where she could be seen and cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"I think it's best to start with everyone introducing themselves. I've only been here a short time and haven't spoken with all of you and would appreciate it. Share as much as you like but I think it's important we know who we have and what they can do for our team."

She expected that at least one if not more people in the room would share as little as possible but that couldn't be avoided. For all she knew the others might just lie.

Azula

[makeadragonwannaretire]

"As I introduced myself before, I am Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. A place I am aware most of you probably have never heard of."

Though for a moment she glances around the room hoping for some look of recognition. Even if they knew her true nature she would almost prefer it to this feeling of being so far away from home.

"My kingdom was the strongest in our world, the most advanced though not nearly as advanced as the technology in this place. We were on the verge of establishing peaceful relations and unity for all the kingdoms. Though I fear I may never see that come true now."

Sure that "Peace" would have been after her nation dominated all the others with fear and fire but she didn't need to share that part.

"I have some combat training, though I've been cut off from my fire bending. But a warriors greatest weapon is her mind. I won't let what I've lost get in the way of our claiming victory over this place."

[cicadashell]

She's a fucking warlord.

"Peaceful relations and claiming victory sound like opposite things."

Azula is going to be a problem, he's realizing. If something happens in here, she's the one to take down.

"And what's fire bending?"

[makeadragonwannaretire]

She rolls her eyes at his comment.

"Did you wish to establish peaceful relations with the Rats and bugs? Or perhaps those unfortunate creatures we found in the testing chambers?"

Honestly sometimes she had to wonder if anyone outside of the Fire Nation had sense.

"My people are born with an affinity to manipulate fire. Not that it matters here since I seem to be cut off from it."

Something that was bothering her more then she expected. It felt like part of her was missing and whenever she took too long to dwell on it...

"I was quite the prodigy as well. If I could somehow regain my power we'd have no problem opening these doors or fighting off those beasts."

[torsion]

Jill is curious about her, naturally, but she doesn't interrupt and is polite enough to wait until the younger woman finishes speaking.

"I don't mind volunteering to help you learn more about some of the technology, but anything intensive like hacking would take a long time to learn -- especially since the terminals all seem pretty keen on keeping me out."

She was used to stumbling through it if it all boiled down to the worst of it. But she's never quite been that lucky, she supposes. While the personal information is curious and interesting, it's nothing she thinks can be utilized immediately.

"I wouldn't say that a mind can beat a well-placed roundhouse. In my line of work I deal with people who play the superior mind game all the time. It's important to have your wits about you, but in a fight you can't necessarily outwit someone -- or something -- into rolling over dead." The rules of this place were pretty black and white. It seemed that way to Jill, anyway, and while brains would certainly help, they weren't going to be safe on the front lines. "If you're better with tactics, it might be a good idea to gather before any excursion and have you work with the planning, however."

[makeadragonwannaretire]

Azula had been concerned that this one might be more aggressive, but she came off as reasonable, if not a little stiff. Not unlike many military types she'd met back home.

"I would appreciate any assistance I could get. Some people make for better teachers then others." She nodded her head in the direction of Jiro. "While he was helpful for figuring out the basics of the Food Processor I can't be sure he wasn't just making it up as he went along."

As for the combat part she actually smiled honestly, a rare thing for her.

"And as satisfying as it is to out think my enemies I will admit there's a feeling of satisfaction in landing a perfectly executed blow that puts them down isn't there?"

She didn't mind the idea of them turning to her for tactics and she nodded at Jill's suggestion, "I'll do my best of course. This is far from a traditional war or battle but there's plenty to be gained from planning ahead."

Sandy

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy raises her hand to go next then realizes no one else did that and looks awkward putting it down.

"Um...hi! I'm Sandy...Sandy Marko." She starts sounding unsure and looking uncomfortable addressing a room full of people older then she is.

"I'm from New York, Brooklyn if you want to get specific. And in my world we used to have superheroes. So if you've heard of like spider-man, Captain Marvel, Iron Man...maybe we're from the same place? I dunno. It'd be cool if we were though."

She shuffles her feet and offers a crooked sort of smile.

"I'm only really good at running fast and getting into small spaces but I'm learning. Louis taught me how to sew so I've been trying to fix the clothes I find. I fixed this dress."

She does a little spin showing off her faded and pale green dress that have some rudimentary stitches keeping it together.

She looks like she's trying to figure out what else to say and adds "And before anyone asks, I'm 13. I know I look younger but I'm a teenager!" She sounds a little defensive on that subject.

[cicadashell]

He likes Sandy. He does. But... he can't help it, watching her twirl in that shabby dress and talk about sewing. The words just spill out.

"You're still playing house at 13? Grow the fuck up."

[justoutrunyou]

She recoils looking visibly hurt. She tries to bury it down muttering in some degree of defiance.

"I just...thought it would be useful. You don't have to be a jerk about it."

But he did didn't he? That was kind of his thing.

[wildguardian]

"Sewing's important. Hey -- think I can tap you for repairs if I wind up ripping the suit?"

He'd prefer to get out of the awful blue-and-yellow onesie as soon as possible, but he doubts he's going to get anything more fashionable down here. Faded sundresses might be fine for a thirteen-year-old girl; Zhao Yunlan has slightly different taste in clothes.

She's doing her best, though, and she gets a cheerful grin for it.

"There's some people with superpowers where I'm from, but I don't know those specific guys. New York's a long way from my home, though."

[justoutrunyou]

Zhao's response helps sooth her hurt feelings from Jiro.

"Y-yeah. I found some suits too, and like Doctor's coats." The fedoras were harder to fix but she was getting better.

His grin is infectious and she grins back at him.

"You probably wouldn't wanna visit my New York. It's not as cool as when we still had heroes. Lots of cops."

[torsion]

"Those are pretty integral skills, though. I pride myself on speed and I don't doubt speed can be important, here. Not everyone needs to be a powerhouse fighter to contribute."

It's good that even if she doesn't talk about fighting, she's fast. That can hopefully ensure the girl's safety. Jill doesn't want to see anyone getting hurt, but she knows it's a fact of life -- and a likely circumstance here.

"I'm familiar with Brooklyn, but I can't say much for the rest of what you've mentioned. At least we have those similarities in common. Is it in the United States for you, as well?" Jill still isn't sure how all of this might work. Alternate universes? Maybe. It's not unheard of, but it's not exactly something she's keen on. "I was last settled in Canada, but I tend to be on the move for work."

Jiro

[cicadashell]

This is fucking ridiculous. Jiro hated his own team meetings and hanging around in the warehouse, and he hates doing the same thing in this shitty rec room. He's sprawling on one half of the couch and isn't at all hiding his annoyance with being here in the first place. Fuck everything. Cookies were not worth this. The basics are all he goes for here, because the rest of it is irrelevant when it comes down to it.

"I'm Jiro, but everyone already knows that." Maybe. He may not have given his name to them all, but he's talked to everyone at least once and that's good enough. "I'm from Japan, in the year 2017, if that's even fucking true. Who the fuck knows? Anyway, I'm shit with computers and whatever, so what I can 'do for the team' is move heavy shit and punch... creatures."

He has to start thinking of them as either some category removed from sentience, or objectively evil, to deal with the mole rat and cockroach infestations.

[wildguardian]

"You know," Yunlan comments, "I've been thinking it might be nice to figure out where some of those creatures are coming from and see if we can shore up the cracks. The last thing I want is to run into an angry mole rat on my way to the bathroom at two a.m."

The rest of Jiro's introduction isn't a surprise, though the parts about 2017 and Japan are useful information.

If, as he says, any of that's even fucking true.

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy's still mad at Jiro for barking at her about her sewing, but listening to his attempt at an introduction she can't help but speak up.

"He also saved me when a mole rat was gonna rip my arm off so he's dependable."

Which at the moment is the best thing she can say about him.

[pride_outbreak]

"Still as approachable as I remember from our first encounter." Saya starts and crosses her arms. "Are you just trying to end up alone? Or is your attitude part of whatever plan you have to survive this mess?"

She was honestly curious. Part of it was... because she could see a bit of herself in Jiro as far as having too bristly of an attitude at times, and part of it because while she had grown up quick during her own apocalypse, she also knew that these kinds of attitude meant trouble if not worked on in the long run.

[torsion]

Jill can't say she loves it, but it's a smart thing to do in this situation. Maybe everyone will be on the same page and be able to offer some tidbit of information they weren't previously aware of this way? Maybe it wouldn't do anything useful? It could go in any direction.

"You sound really happy to be here." She was going to cheerfully say 'hello, Jiro!' at the start, but she gets it. She's never been fond of meetings back home since they often involved semantics. While she could work with a group, she definitely preferred a partnership for a reason.

"2017, though... it was 2009 for me. Not sure if it even means anything considering how different some of the places we've come from can be, though."

Zhao Yunlan

[wildguardian]

"Hello there! I've met most of you." Yunlan flashes a quick grin around at the ragtag collection of refugees. "But not all. If you haven't heard it yet, I'm Zhao Yunlan, former head of the Special Investigations Division of Dragon City, China."

He's perched on one of the booth tables, one booted foot on the table with his elbow on that knee. He glances around the group, pausing on the less familiar faces with genuine curiosity.

"Not that that matters here! The long and short of it is: I have a criminal justice background with some combat experience, I've handled diplomatic communications, and I'm qualified with hand-to-hand and firearms. Over to you guys."

Saya

[pride_outbreak]

Saya took a moment to survey the group and make notes. She really wished she had her tab or one of her laptops, but that wasn't important right now as she could just keep mental notes just as well.

"Takagi Saya," she began with a slight bow. "Student from Japan, also 2017. Though at this point we can all assume we're all here from different worlds, summing up that the multiverse theory is more than that now. Or we're all crazy and our memories were tampered with."

Pausing for a moment with a shrug, she continued. "I am considered a genius, whatever that might happen to mean here. I'm well versed in a multitude of academic subjects, technology and most of anything requiring learning and education." Because her knowledge was vast enough that she wasn't going to go into specifics.

"I had also been taught basic weapon handling and martial training but we didn't get into much of that before waking up here... I. That's it." she had forgotten for a moment that her group wasn't here and felt a pang of sadness creep up. She stuffed it down and put up a strong face once again. There's no room for weakness here.

[makeadragonwannaretire]

Azula listened patiently having guessed bits of what Saya was sharing with the group now, but it was nice to get confirmation that she was...at least for Azula's purposes: useful.

Once the introductions had moved along so they could speak more privately Azula made her way over to Saya.

"I can't help but wonder if you and I had similar difficulties despite our different worlds. I was considered quite the prodigy myself in my world. For example, the pressures of living up to the title of "Genius." when everyone expects perfection from you."

jill valentine | resident evil

[torsion]

[ Jill is quiet and neutral while waiting for others to speak up. She's not eager to put herself in the spotlight, but she's hard to miss. Still (unfortunately) blonde and filing out her vault suit with thick legs and thighs that have obvious muscle definition. She cuts an imposing figure despite her height and when given the opportunity to speak she raises her brows and laughs a little. ]

Jill Valentine. Thirty-four, former United States Army Delta Force, currently a founding member and special operations agent of an international anti-bioterrorism group -- in layman's terms, I investigate and apprehend criminals involved with bioterrorism as well as prevent it and combat it. An easy way to describe what I do is fighting monsters. [ She's direct, matter-of-fact, and while mildly personable she still doesn't mince her words or waste time. ] I have extensive combat training with and without weapons, am an expert in explosive ordinance disposal as well as an expert locksport, so I'm your best bet in breaking into something locked. I can deadlift over 800lbs, so please feel free to utilize me if you need some muscle.

[ She feels like she wants to keep more to herself, but she carries on, anyway. It's better for the sake of all of continued survival, she supposes. Arms folded, Jill uses one hand to do her talking, sweeping it in half-crescents while speaking. ]

Though I've not been trapped like this before, it's not dissimilar from situations I've previously been in. Please don't hesitate to ask me for anything.

[makeadragonwannaretire]

[Azula listens looking appropriately impressed with Jill's background, nodding and already thinking about how best to utilize this clearly capable woman.]

May I ask what your rank was and if you prefer we use it when we address you?

[After a pause she added,]

In my country military service is respected and considered a great honor. I was hoping it would be similar in yours.

[wildguardian]

Special Forces? That's an impressive resume. [Yunlan's appraisal is equally direct and sincere; combat training, explosives disposal and locksmithing is a highly useful set of skills in here.

So is monster hunting, considering the size and hostility of the wildlife. He quirks a smile at her, and holds out a hand.]

It's a pleasure to meet you properly. I've been considering ways to get us out the front door, and it sounds like you're exactly the person I should be talking to about that!

Chocolat

[loveyoudarling]

Indignant indeed. It wasn't as if Chocolate didn't like most of the people she had come to meet during her time trapped here in the vault. But that did not quite mean that she understood the reasoning behind this meet-up. It felt like some unnecessary public get-together for people she had mostly come to already know during her month-and-a-half trapped with all of them.

"Do we really have to do this? I could be spending this time looking for my beloved Carrot. ♥ ♥ ♥," She already seemed to be half daydreaming. Her hands resting against her cheeks as she leaned forward in her chair. The upper half of her jumpsuit completely unzipped and barely hanging off her shoulders, as if threatening to fall completely off her upper torso at any minute. It was true she had been spending more and more time these days within the pod room when she wasn't otherwise cleaning the vault or looking for a way out. It seems she must have been in the middle of doing just that when she was so rudely called over to come participate in this.

[makeadragonwannaretire]

Azula was quickly losing her zeal for leading this band of misfits. For however much good it was doing to share information they had gathered they were complaining more then she was used to tolerating.

Which was to say in her own world, anyone who complained about her ideas was punished in some way or another.

But she couldn't do that here so she plastered on her best fake smile to keep this meeting moving along.

"I would have thought you'd have already had enough time to check every room for him. He must be very special to keep you so eager after...how long have you been awake now?"