epidemiology | EVENT ★ THE SICK AND THE DEAD

EVENT ★ THE SICK AND THE DEAD

THE LAST HURRAH

STATE OF WOODHURST

Things are bad. There's more infected on the streets every day, ravenous since their would-be victims are all boarded up in their houses. Audentes members who are infected are likely feeling ravenous now, too, and some of them are far gone enough that they might need to be subdued.

The city is in a state of panic, and the military has been given permission to use lethal force if necessary to stop people from leaving quarantine; keeping the virus contained is the number one priority of the federal government. As for the local government, all non-essential persons have been given leave until further notice for their own safety.

The police department is still running, but they're in a constant war against the infected, forced to retaliate fatally more and more each day. They have no time to focus on any other crimes.

Some citizens would be thankful if Audentes ran some "errands" for them — attempting to loot what's left of the stores, for example — or accompanied them outside as protection. Many people have family to see, some of them on the other side of the city, but it's nearly impossible to get there without a bodyguard of some sort. Someone could possibly make some cash this way, but there's something more important to do.

MEANWHILE . . .

The hospital, formerly chaotic, has devolved into outright bedlam. Theft and fights with the staff are increasingly common, and frenzied people are constantly demanding a cure the doctors don't have. Fortunately, it looks like Audentes does. Science-minded recruits have been hard at work creating a vaccine, which is widely available already, and a cure, which is rolling out slower.

Administering the vaccine is risky, as it requires escorting people to the hospital without getting killed, as well as hoping the infected constantly wandering into the hospital have been taken care of.

Administering the cure is even more so; it's highly recommended that the infected be unconscious before being given the cure. Even Bristol sufferers have to sleep! If not asleep, knocked out or otherwise sedated will do. It is absolutely not recommended for anyone to go at an angry infected with a syringe, but it's not like anyone's going to stop you... except maybe the infected.

Escorts and security guards are necessary at the hospital. The police department has offered their services, with their main priority being the vaccine. Until everyone is vaccinated, the city can't afford to think of a way to safely administer a cure to the infected population, so anyone interested will have to do it themselves. Stock up on syringes at the hospital and get going!

DR. PERCY

For those more interested in seeking out the source of the virus rather than treating it, it's not difficult to surmise that "Doctor" Percy is hiding out in the sewers. Very deep in the sewers. He's apparently built a subterranean expansion: a series of winding, metallic tunnels with many forks and dead ends. Be careful when exploring, as you might run into one of Percy's robotic bodyguards before finding him.

But once he is found, tucked away in a wide cavern . . .

It seems he's preparing a hasty exit, with almost everything packed up and his human disguise dropped. Without it, he appears to be an alien of some sort, but not one that Audentes has run into yet. His skin is amber, smooth, and slimy. He has several pairs of wide-set eyes of different sizes, but no nose. His mouth extends far across his face, and below it is a wattle, not unlike that of a turkey. Peeling off him at all times are scales; apparently, he's shedding more than just his disguise.

He's completely alone, without another Zymandis agent in sight, and not a particularly good fighter. Subduing or killing him would be easy, especially when it's several against one. When first encountered, he says nothing if spoken to, and only attempts to run.

If attacked, he will summon several robot bodyguards -- seven-foot-tall bipedal constructs who only listen to Percy's commands, directed via remote control. They will fight to the death to protect their master, who will use the distraction to again try to run.

It looks like the choices are clear: Audentes must choose whether to non-lethally subdue him or kill him. If subdued, what happens to him afterwards is still up in the air. Whatever your decision, it's highly likely you'll meet some resistance from the other members of the team, so get ready to argue.

CYOA

Each character will only be able to officially do one of the following choices.

Confront Percy.
Protect citizens.
Spread the vaccine/cure.
Other.

For the sake of tallying, we ask that each individual character submit their choice separately rather than in a group. The Dr. Percy encounter will be open for 48 hours only, after which participants will receive the outcome, which will be based on their choices. The rest will be open for 7 days, will not receive a reply, and will only be used only for tallying purposes. Making a choice is not mandatory, but the choices will affect whether Audentes passes or fails the mission.

You may of course thread out other options, but they will not count for the purposes of the pass/fail tally. Again, you may only officially choose one option per character.

OOC NOTES

Because this log is being posted late in the month, threads are eligible for March or April AC, but not both. Though the encounter with Percy will be a short one, the rest of this log will last two IC weeks. After that, characters will be immediately rifted away from Woodhurst without warning.

THOSE WHO RECEIVE THE CURE: As the virus is not a degenerative disease, characters will suffer no lasting (physical) trauma caused by it. Side-effects from the cure may include nausea, weakness, vertigo, rash, brain fog, numbness of the face, insomnia, dizziness, fatigue, heart palpitations, or vomiting. This may last for anywhere up to four weeks.

THOSE WHO RECEIVE THE VACCINE: Side-effects may include irritability and hunger for anywhere up to four weeks.

Questions about Woodhurst can be submitted to this thread. Questions about the game in general should be directed to the FAQ. You may submit mission ideas or player plots at any time.

All bounties listed with a 3/25 due date are now closed. There are two open bounties remaining on the Bounty Board, which will need to be turned in by the end of the mission on 8 April. ( 1 2 )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Quite a few, actually. We've really sped up the process by now.

[the answer doesn't come from the place she directed the question at- rather, it comes from behind her, courtesy of a tired-eyed, but much healthier Urahara, his lopsided smirk once again present. he might still be dressed in normal Woodhurst attire, but he's carrying the cane he has with him often with him now- both a protective measure and also because he can't bear to part with her right now.

and, infuriatingly enough, he doesn't seem to be the least bit awkward or hesitant about approaching her- it's not even just how he seems. there were unpleasant words exchanged and maybe they both could have handled the situation better, but it's all over now.]

Welcome back, Sonia-san~

You-- [ She starts, though it's more because she needs a moment to process it, the familiar voice that the last time she spoke to was not exactly hers or his best moment. She turns slowly, unsure of whether to smile or frown. ] --you have?

[ When she carries on speaking her voice is a lot softer than how she started. He might not be awkward or hesitant, but she is.

Mostly because he doesn't know how bad it got -- probably for the best, really. ]

Thank you.

[he shrugs.] Sieglinde-san was kind enough to administer the cure to me early, so I could get back to work here.

[he bridges the gap between them, pausing only when there's barely any space. even before he knew that being in close proximity to him could be the difference between life and death while he was in the thrall of the infection, he was careful with physical contact. now seems as good a time as any to break his own rules.

he doesn't ask permission or give any real indication what he's about to do- it's a quick movement. one second he's standing in front of her, smirking like a schoolboy who doesn't want to admit he's gotten lost- the next, he's wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace.]

[ Her eyes shift aside at that, mouth remaining firm even if she wants to frown. ]

I see. I know that she came to me first, but I tried to get her elsewhere as soon as-

[ She doesn't have change to get very far with it as she steps closer. It's strange that despite having weeks of having wanting--maybe even needing this--she's only getting it now that it's "over".

Her body and mind don't know how to react at first. She's overwhelmed even though this time it isn't after a conversation about torturing some of the Deemers once they were uncovered as Zymandis and being pulled into a slow dance to make things "better". It is, in someways overwhelmingly worse. She had insinuated that he wouldn't care if she would die in the end, hadn't she? Not like he had made it very clear if it was otherwise but... now she's being more rational it's easier to keep that in mind.

Yet, she can't think quickly enough to process all of this either. She only been awake a few hours at best.

Her shoulders bunch up, a tiny noise puffed from the back of her throat as her hands move to grip onto his jacket. It's like she's unsure of whether to push him away or cling on, still raw despite it being over something that may even just be trivial by now. It's why rather than letting him see this, she just drops her head forward instead and bites down onto her lip, trying to keep herself in check. ]

[he's not in the business of sparing feelings when he gets something into his head. the worst part is that he can't even blame in the infection for his words- they were all things he meant, decisions made when he was of sound mind enough to consider the effect they'd have. it's a kind of cruelty he's famous for.

he was only trying to protect her and so he hurt her. how many others can say he's done the same. how many times can he do it before he finds someone who won't forgive him?

Sonia not pulling away is a good sign anyway. he sighs and lays a hand on her head, petting her hair gently.] I know. I'm truly sorry, Sonia-san.

[ She would argue that sometimes it isn't necessary, that they're both good enough at reading a situation to know when the line was drawing too close. She would also stubbornly argue that she doesn't need protecting, even if that has been proven otherwise since she ended up with Audentes.

It's when she feels the pat on her head, the words that almost sound condescending with how he makes it seem like this was okay that has her snapping out of it long enough to draw her right hand back and away from him, body leaning back as well, before she aims a punch right at his face.

Sorry, Urahara... but this has been a long time coming. ]

No you fucking do not!

[he did not see that coming.

at all.

and somehow maybe he should have, considering how often this happens.

he draws back, hand going to his face, eyes going wide, and while he can normally brush this off as him having it coming- this time... oh this time, he's struck dumb, and, infuriatingly, he meets the punch by taking overdramatic offense to it.] Are you mad, woman? What was that for?

[ Her hand aches from where she his him, shaking it while swearing profusely at the pain that jumps up her forearm from the impaced but this is fine, she's upset enough to not care as much about that. ]

I am furious! What do you think it was for? [ This time, she tries to stamp down on his foot. This is what happens when you push someone away when they needed you, you punk. ] All I wanted was-- [ But she cuts herself off there, head lowering because really if she considers it properly, it isn't exactly becoming of her to ask for it anyway.

She should be above it, wanting and needing apraisal, having wanted to be cheered on as well when all she'd done was struggle because unlike the other three this wasn't her forte. For as smart as Urahara can be, it sometimes feels as though he misses the point completely. ]

[he sidesteps away from her foot, more out of concern she might hurt herself more than she'll hurt him.] All you wanted was what?

[no, he doesn't get it. he barely interacted with Peter, and he and Sieglinde have a rapport already cultivated in the trenches of Perdition's Rest. it's not that he'd consider her an outlier or anything- she's been invaluable to him, but the idea that this hasn't been about needing physical comfort and more about something else is beyond him.

for a little while anyway, until he remembers who convinced Giovanni to give his blood, and even if he isn't sure that's what she wants, he's trying to smooth the situation over. it's tactical, if nothing else.] Giovanni-san... Told me that you asked him to give us that sample.

[ Her hand (still sore, potentially starting to bruise as well at this point) clenches into a fist. ]

Just... [ Her voice ends up being completely different to before, the anger draining out to be replaced with disappointment, whether it's with him or with herself is still up for debate. ]

How many times are you going to make me say it?

[ How many times is she going to have to say that despite how odd things have been, she cares. That she worries, because even if he does have a lot of advantages on his side, you cannot know everything what happens - only predict potential outcomes and hope for the best.

What if one day he can't predict something well enough, what if Zymandis really do end up just stomping on them to get rid of them and really what could he even do against that? ]

What does Giovanni even have to do with any of this?

Nothing. [not specifically about her feelings, honestly, but he's feeling this out, one step at a time.] And maybe everything. It was foolish of me to push you away, Sonia-san. And it's unfair of me to pretend like I didn't realize how much, until I saw we wouldn't have gotten this far if you hadn't convinced him to donate the samples. You were gone and I couldn't even thank you properly.

[at least he's admitting it- he could have gone forever and never told her that the second she proved her worth to the whole group was the moment he realized he hadn't meant it to turn out this way. that doesn't make it better.] I was wrong about so much this entire mission. I'm finding it difficult to keep my footing, and I can't promise I won't hurt you again.

But it won't be because I dismissed you. I think we're past that now.

It would have been stupid of me to not ask, after all I knew all the details of his immunity. It would have shown true negligence had I ignored what he had told me. Though I can admit I did not make a choice that would have made many people happy.

[ Her arms are littered with proofs of that. Something the suit Giovanni got for her hides quite well. It doesn't make this any easier to go through though. ]

I fought with a lot of people... and either way I cannot know for sure if I made the right choice either, if there even was a right or wrong option in all of this. In the end, I just wanted encouragement, the idea that for once I did something right instead of failing over another world. That someone I respected and looked up to might actually think it would be more than just a shame if I did lose myself completely and I would have to be--

[ She cuts it off there though, but maybe he will fill in the blanks on his own. She doesn't know how much Giovanni would have told him, that if it had come to it she had asked him to end her life instead of suffering until she was gone completely.

She just looks sad, not crying but as though she doesn't really know what to feel about any of this anymore. ]

[Urahara's expression collapses into a grimace as he avoids her gaze.]

You did what you had to do. I'm not going to judge you for that- nor am I going to judge Giovanni-san for his part in any of it. [he sighs] For what it's worth, I would have stopped him if he thought time was running out before I did.

[he knows how to feel about all of this, anyway, because it's an emotion that stays close to the surface, hovering over him like a shroud. guilt. that's all he has to show for this entire mess- more guilt to balance out whatever good karma he might have accrued from what he did in this town.]

Edited 2017-03-28 22:16 (UTC)

[ Was it even what she had to do? Maybe. She'd needed more than what she'd allowed herself, still isn't sure if she was using it as a means to punish herself or something else. Tried to suffer it alone to the point that Giovanni was the only person she spoke to after Stiles had left... whatever day that had been.

Maybe what happened to Peter had pushed her further along, she doesn't know. All she can do is accent those words and frown faintly. She shifts her weight, hands clasping together so she can hold onto the one she punched him with. ]

You may not have been able to. I lived with him, after all. It would have been fine if not anyway, do not worry about that. ...and I am sorry for hitting you. I ruined the moment this time, did I not?

[ It's usually him okok ]

[he looks up, trying to smile and falling short of it.] You probably preempted me finding some way to do it. Now I'll never be able to top that, and I'll have mind my manners.

[there's the humor slinking slowly back into his expression.] I know it probably means less now than it would have then, but you really did do well here. In fact, I would like it if you could keep working with us wherever we go next.

Edited 2017-03-28 22:33 (UTC)

No, it is... not that I did not want it I was just. [ She pauses. ] It hurt, I suppose. Perhaps I was just being selfish, but it does not matter now.

[ Though he keeps talking after, and she obviously made a mistake of actually looking at him before as her expression starts to crumble a little. There's a lot of meaning that comes from that for her, and it's something he might understand in how much guilt both of them carry with them for their own situations. He should know that she wanted to do well to try and make up for her own shortcomings at home. Here, she's managed to make a difference.

That means a lot. ]

I-- [ She tries very hard to keep a straight face, but her lips are twitching into a watery smile. ] --would like that.

[it does matter, though, but he can't make up for what he didn't do by harping on it. he may harbor a lot of guilt, but his method of dealing with it is fixing it going forward.]

It's not always going to be your niche, Sonia-san, but we help each other out. And I know you're intelligent enough to keep pace with Peter-san, Sieglinde-san, and myself.

[ She doesn't know what to do with this, but in the end she can't regret bringing it up because maybe this was what she needed to hear anyway. That maybe, just maybe, she really has found a place here.

There's a second, then another and another where she doesn't say anything like she's weighing things out. This time it's her who steps forward, latching on in a hug in the way it should have been five or so minutes ago. Her hold is a lot tighter now, more sure of herself.

The "thank you" she whispers is much softer too. ]

[he hesitates this time before raising a hand to the back of her head, avoiding the stroking and the vaguely condescending words this time to keep from spoiling it.]

It's going to be all right now. We'll figure all of this out and go from there.

[We. Not I. And perhaps that's all he really ended to say from the start- an admission that he can't do this on his own and never could. for all of his myriad of successes, there's been too many demerits as well. perhaps he needs balance.

he can't promise some things won't stay the same. Zymandis looms ever-present and he's willing to get his hands as dirty as possible to figure that problem out and he'll use people to do it, but it's nice to know he has a port in the storm. people he feels he can trust- people who at least seem to be trying, bit by bit, to understand him and call him out when he's pushing too hard.

it's a new start, and his old sins can't take precedence here. perhaps when his pink slip finally comes up and he can return home, he'll be the sort of man who can put Ichigo back to rights and be the sort of person who doesn't engage from the sidelines masterminding everything. he has a long way to go, but...

it's a start.]

[ It's something, better than we "we" he had said on the call when she knew he didn't consider her a risk. Compared to him, her own abilities would not be enough to cause too much harm before they were stopped. Her chaining herself in her room, struggling by herself there yet unable to fight the restraints she put on herself gave her proof that even when at her worst, there was a means to control herself. She doesn't know the extent of it, but she imagines that wouldn't be the same for him -- but that doesn't mean others cannot try and help.

Contact was supposed to have made all of this easier, yet neither of them had really allowed it for their varying reasons.

Now, at least, she can look back and see where things started to go wrong. ]

Yes.

[ She only says the one word though, instead leaning into him more now that it feels as though he is listening. ] We shall.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ THE SICK AND THE DEAD

one

ew gross it's u

i'm here to ruin everything

you are oh my god???? I WAS UNPREPARED

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