[EVENT POST] I FEEL STUPID, AND CONTAGIOUS.

[dishearten]

CHARACTERS: Open to all!
DATE: 3/11-3/12, ICly
WARNINGS: Zombie attacks? Violence? Shopping???
SUMMARY: Lockdown at the mall! Grab your CDs and your soft pretzel, it's about to get bad.

LET'S GO TO THE MALL LOCKDOWN Business has been rough for Woodhurst Shopping Center ever since riots and unrest about the Bristol Virus have shunned most to their homes. Perhaps ill-advisedly, in attempts to draw a few more customers back into the polished halls of the grandest shopping experience Woodhurst has to offer, a weekend of big sales, great bargains, and fun family activities was widely advertised in the Woodhurst Watch. There was even a scheduled public concert, performed by the University Choir. The turnout was smaller than hoped, yet the air was quite optimistic. Shoppers enjoyed the day of activities and fun, and the sense of security was bolstered by the increased security detail. There was even some members of the press on hand to document this return to normality in a troubled time. Everything was going well, until a scene broke out in the food court. Security tried to quietly remove members of the choir that suddenly seemed to snap, plowing into one of the food stands and starting to feed on raw meat. However, a good handful of them escaped instant confinement, and while many of the visitors fled the mall as soon as they could, soon Police Detail arrived and put the entire building on lockdown. Nobody in and nobody out until the situation was resolved. 18:00 TO 23:00 HOURS Anyone unlucky enough to be trapped in the mall is left to their own devices, with very little knowledge to go on. This includes many civilians, as well as a small number of Audentes agents. This also includes a small number of infected, more than just the university choir. There's a voice over the loudspeaker imploring people to hide in stores, barricade doors, and stay put until help arrives. The majority of the infected seem to linger in the Food Court especially. Bad news for anyone trapped and starting to get hungry as the hours pass by, without any obvious assistance from the outside. The members of ALASTAIR have a choice, help protect or just do their best to avoid the infected themselves. Characters can get into the Security Office for a camera feed on what is happening in the mall, and potentially use it as a base of operations to work from. 00:00 TO 02:00 HOURS It becomes apparent that the number of infected in the mall are somehow increasing, despite the lockdown. It means that those that have squirreled away into stores and outlets are growing less and less safe as infected numbers multiply and they begin attacking barricades. To make matters worse, anyone that hasn't found cover will find the infected extremely reactive, and willing to give chase around the mall. The security feed indicates the infected seem to be coming in from the Parking Garage. Investigation will reveal a sewer outlet on the bottom floor. Characters will have to decide whether they should utilize the tunnel as a means of escape, or if sealing it off would ultimately leave the remaining hours of lockdown a little less violent. 04:00 TO 09:00 HOURS It's been an agonizing 12 hours, and with surprisingly little aide from the outside. With time to make preparations and put plans in place, now it's time to end this lockdown once and for all. Audentes is tasked with neutralizing the remaining infected as well as escorting any remaining civilians to safety, by any means they decide on. It is up to Audentes to decide how the end of this event plays out, be it removing or otherwise drawing away the lingering infected, or putting them down once and for all. There are plenty of civilians that have been bitten and attacked, leaving the question in the air as to whether they are infected as well. What should be done with those that could be bringing the virus back to their families? The team is going to have to decide on the answer to that.

Comments

AGREED

[skelepun]

You go ahead. [Sans shrugs, staying put in the midst of the mounting confusion and chaos. He waves briefly, nodding for her to go on.]

I'll catch up.

[digiorno]

Why would you have cream cheese icing . . . ?

[He's confused. But also--once he realizes what Fugo's done--really touched. In a backwards and confusing way, emotionally speaking, because he just--]

[It doesn't make sense. He's so weirdly oversaturated. He wants to go home and go to bed, but "home" in Woodhurst isn't home. It's not even "home" in Oska, which isn't home properly. He wants his palazzo and his bed. He wants to understand why it makes him want to cry a little that Fugo got him two cups of chocolate icing.]

[Instead of being able to understand anything, or have what he wants, he just presses his face against Fugo's shoulder all of a sudden, since he knows he can't control his facial expression. And he can't get a proper hug, because his hands are full.]

Thank you. [Just let him hide here for a moment.]

[slapfight]

You'll see... [when she peeks over, she'll find Peridot turning that rod into what appears to be a pike with a taser attached to it. The "handle" has even been wrapped several times over with thick duct tape, covering some padded material to give it a nice grip. Feferi still has to observe for a few moments before she's finished enough to explain.]

Ta-da! [she holds it up.] It's a long-reach taser. I've amplified the power, so that when you pull this- [she demonstrates and the taser end of the spike sparks dangerously.] -it gives off a burst of electricity, capable of incapacitating most water-based organic lifeforms... In theory.

[a beat] Either way, it will probably hurt them a lot.

[digiorno]

[Giorno is stunned. He's put down and held there, kept from standing up entirely. He whips his head around just as Joseph gives his directive, and--oh, that anger's very much still there. The stiletto's handle is firmly hidden in his palm now, and it's tempting to stab Joseph now. But Fugo's inside. Fugo is inside, and Giorno has to get to him.]

[He makes a mental note to spit in this giant man's face sometime soon, then slides under the grate and positions himself firmly in front of Fugo, flipping the stiletto in his hand so the blade's out, held low at his center of gravity.]

[digiorno]

[Ah. Well, now that Wylan's shown throat, it probably won't last. There's a glint in Giorno's eye that says he's taking careful note.]

You're very welcome.

[rip]

Certainly not the civilians. [A beat.] You've got a free pass to ask, you know. About mine. If you want. You seem like you're curious and sitting on your curiosity, which is a good way to learn nothing.

[digiorno]

. . . The Christmas music bit wasn't bad.

[She looks so sulky. He's so weak.]

I don't want you to get hurt, that's all. Don't make a face, or I'll have to make one back, and worse.

[skelepun]

[If Sans were privy to the whys behind Shizou's expression, he might've offered some reassurance (Don't worry, nerd. It's a dessert joke). Instead, he shrugs, offering very little explanation whatsoever.]

I mean, probably. [Another shrug, equal parts ambivalent and ambiguous.] Only one way to find out, right?

[What happens next is a sudden floatiness. Less like they were being raised up, more as if the floor itself fell. It's an impossibly short period of time to fall, but still enough of a drop to leave those unprepared for it shaken and rattled.

Let alone the fact that they're now somewhere else entirely.]

[digiorno]

In the case of the latter? About forty-five minutes.

[This is getting annoying, now. He hates being bossed around on the best of days, which this is not.]

What are you angling towards, exactly?

yesss

[digiorno]

[You can practically see the ? form over Giorno's head. Power-naps. The phrase sounds sort of familiar, but he's also not that used to that sort of colloquialism. So he tips his head curiously, a little birdlike.]

[The explanation is very thorough and succinct, though. He brightens a little, as tired as he is.]

Ah. I see--sort of like just turning your brain off for a little while? I don't know much about neuroscience, but that makes sense.

[He doesn't know about better than coffee. But the rest of it makes sense.]

Your doctor sounds very smart.

[skelepun]

[The descriptions weren't very familiar -- be that the limits of Fugo's pantomime or Sans' own newness -- but the names certainly were. From their files, sure, but that was something.]

'Fraid I haven't. [He's genuinely apologetic about that fact, though not overly so.] But I'm sure they're around. You guys get separated?

[ex_adept136]

Might it be safer for us to go together?

[Not that Haise doesn't have confidence in his teammates, but all hell did break loose here not long ago.

They might not be able to anticipate what comes next]

[ex_adept136]

No problem. What're squadmates for?

[Please enjoy his most shounen feature: so much faith in teamwork.

Followed closely by being too much but hey]

[skelepun]

Not much of a lecturer. [It's not without a note of irony, but Sans moves past it quickly enough. He might actually enjoy it, that process, teaching someone, talking about theories and thoughts that he hasn't dedicated time to in ages. Long enough that those corners of his skull had cobwebs over them.

Spiders dug webs though, didn't they.]

You lead the way, kid, I'll give you some ground support.

[That's one way to put it, anyway.]

[skelepun]

So why don't you? [He asks, leaning back against the wall. If anything, he looks thoughtful.] Train people, I mean.

Seems to me there's an awful lot of people around who could use a little... guidance. Y'know, magically speaking.

[Lord knows he's not the one to do it. Undyne, maybe. Or Papyrus. Or, maybe, this little green gem.]

[skelepun]

I'm offering to help you cut that time down.

[It's sincere, despite it all.]

If you're the kind that accepts help, I mean.

[digiorno]

Really.

[He's doubtful, but--]

I accept help when it's good. How?

[digiorno]

Isn't it obvious?

[Giorno turns more fully, so he's facing Keats, then spreads his arms in a magnificent display highlighting Himself. After all, he can do what he needs to do without looking at this point, so it's whatever.]

They come from me. No seeds, no tricks. Just me.

[scrap_metal]

I've got virus immunity. [ Not that he cares about his own safety in first place... ] But it will certainly save the time.

[ Even if he finds the office, he might not find Haise upon returning here. That would make the whole scouting quite pointless ]

Tell me when you're ready to go.

[scrap_metal]

[ Uh, oh, there's a sudden gleam in Genos eyes, and he very vigorously nods. ]

Correct! He's a scientist of unprecedented genius, who mastered multiple medical, scientific and engineering fields. I wouldn't be here if not for him, and I'm forever grateful for the body he created for me.

[ There are very few people Genos respects, but to those he do, he will sign praises forever- but then he remembers that was not the point of the conversation, so he rails it back on track ]

...I've seen him doing those power-naps sometimes, when working on time intensive projects.

[ofobedience]

[Then here they both are, unlikely protectors of the civilians, unexpected saviors of the infected who may have otherwise died at their hands. Giovanni nods, flashes a sharp-edged smile.]

What fun.

[His voice is wry, and yet it's clear enough that he's willing to play this game.]

[ofobedience]

There you are, then.

[His voice remains a sardonic drawl, but he's at least moving to 'help' in as much as he can-- by knocking the remaining infected unconscious with a sharp blow to each of their heads, intending to make it that much easier to transport them.

He does, at the very least, observe what his teammate is doing from the corner of his eye, moves to mimic his actions with the other, bleeding, infected. It's not as though he knows much about first aid himself, after all, more accustomed to killing than curing, too used to his own swift-healing body to know how to properly cope with the greater fragility of the people they're now working on.

Still, eventually he's done, and he'll heft two infected up onto each shoulder as though they weigh very little at all, despite his own slender frame.]

This way, then.

[scrap_metal]

I'm right behind you.

[ Genos follows swiftly with his own haul of the infected threw across his shoulder. Thanks to the dressing he manages to not get blood on his clothing, but he's going to check again before they return. It might not be a problem for him, but it would be pretty stupid to bring infection to not-immune people. ]

How many infected are in the corral?

[feytality]

[calm down Flowey the Flower this isn't Undertale]

[Trepidation aside, it seems like Riza being in danger is enough to forget her fear -- momentarily, and she hefts up the bat properly and focuses on the incoming masses. Riza's a relative stranger, but Maya is the kind of person who would go to bat -- literally, in this case-- for someone else over herself, and that's exactly what's happening here]

[Self-defense what's that, lol]

Right! Let's do this! [does she even know Riza's name.... in any case, Maya swings the bat at another one's stomach, which is more meant to disable but gets him to stumble back and fall. For the record, she discovered her sister's murdered corpse and has seen other corpses, but thanks for the concern, Riza]

--Take that! We're friends, not food!

[feytality]

[Fugo aren't you in the mafia why is your punk ass so weak]

I dunno, he looks like he went to town on some people already...

[Hopefully their combined determination and pluck will accomplish this]

[feytality]

[See, he's being kind of cute here so she would have let up..... until he challenged her.]

I'll make all the faces I want!

[Puffs her cheeks out further!! Really, is this her priority right now...]

I'd like to see you top this!