[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

[ex_mettacrusher33]

I.

[That's it. That's all the comes out. "I." It's almost a question.

He peels his eyes away from the piles of bright pink diaries and the fistful of gel pens in his hand, and fixes dearest Feferi with a tired and confused stare.]

What?

[dishearten]

I'm fine.

( tends to be the answer one hears most out of graham, granted. he means it to the best of his knowledge, though. he hasn't been hit and he hasn't gotten particularly close to any of the infected, there's no real reason he'd be injured. that doesn't mean he has forgotten the danger of the situation, though, far from it.

he grips Sakura's hand a little tighter, stalling in front of the store that the civilians had crowded into. he knows she's not going to like what he has to say, but he's going to say it anyway. )

Please. Stay here, Sakura, protect these people. You have your cards, you can make sure all of you stay safe.

( and she'll be safer, too, if she stays out of the worst of the fray. )

[scrap_metal]

[ No, no, he doesn't. Looks like this whole Audentes team is reliable in that way, that you can rely only on yourself, or bash heads with others and attempt to take charge, depends on situation. Looks like it's attempting time. ]

I'm immune, and they can't hurt me, they will break their teeth trying. [ Lots of metal plating on the body. Silicone sheathing they could possibly chew through, but Genos does not intend to let them. ]

Looks like you're on saving duty right now.

[ex_mettacrusher33]

[Oh thank god, he knows this woman. Mettaton manages to focus on that bright, blue hair despite his eyes having every intention of closing, and he offers her a smile.

Yes. Yes, please help. Please.]

If that's what you want. [He shrugs nonchalantly and nudges the girl, who peers up at the sound of a much softer voice. Her interest only lasts as long as it takes for her to notice Aqua's... aqua hair, and she gapes at it, transfixed.] I'm not sure this one's a fan of Sondheim, so if you have any better recommendations, I'd appreciate them.

[sheriffing]

[ she pulls back reluctantly, just a second or two after he does. if he's given them three seconds of reprieve, she's taken four or five. her hand reaches for his once they've separated, a familiar gesture turning into a needy one now that she wants him close. it wasn't long ago that she'd taken his hand as they'd wandered through the pet store, a touch met with the same knowing look he gave her every time she was affectionate with him in public.

she can practically see the wheels turning in his head whenever she does it under normal circumstances, as if he's accepting the appearance of a relationship that she's already lost track of. it's been weeks since her inclination to touch him has needed the prompting of their cover. ] I was -

[ worried about him. afraid he'd gotten hurt in the crowd of the infected. wondering how long it'd be before they saw each other again. whatever she was, she gestures in the direction of the store they're looking for.] It's this way.

[prodigism]

I know. [ Is the curt reply he gives before turning around and facing the other. His expression is pretty unreadable at this point as he turns to look around to make sure this area is clear of civilians and infected alike. ]

I've been aiding in the efforts to round them up. [ He just didn't think to go through all of that against 3 of them with a child in the mix. ]

4:00-9:00

[prodigism]

That would also led to all the infected within the building getting out. There's probably some exits we can use to get a good majority of them out. However...keeping the infected from following them is another thing entirely.

[ How to keep everyone alive is the hardest thing of all. ]

[dishearten]

( it'd be inaccurate to say he perfectly comprehends the difference between their relationship and the cover they're supposed to be presenting. the easy touches and the closeness would have been easily explained away, if they hadn't found their way into routines with no one to witness them. he doesn't find Emma to be the sort to simply forget nobody is watching, and he doesn't suspect she acts on accident.

still, the exact motivation is lost to him, and he'll let it stay that way. he doesn't care what drives her, when he doesn't want the affection to stop. he's too fond of the little gestures to risk pressing for reasons why.

his eyes narrow, just a little, at the sentence she doesn't finish, wondering at the words she was choosing not to say. he is curious, yet there's no place to really question at the moment, either. he squeezes her palm, just once, before he sets off in the direction she'd indicated. he's following more than leading, though, since she knows where they're going. ) I didn't manage to get your snack, ( he says, a little repentant, even though he knows Emma won't hold the fact against him. it just reminds him that if she'd been hungry before, it's only bound to get worse. they might need to think about finding food in all this sooner or later. )

[mutemail]

ventilation system. it's like a second home now, with how many times I've done this.

[skelepun]

[Lucky for him, he's got this particular move on lock. He withdraws a hand from his pocket, carefully obscuring the palm before they made contact.

The resulting fffrrrrrrrttt was both extended and corny as hell, but Sans is grinning. A classic.

Hopefully the girl thinks the same. After everything she'd seen today, well... nothing would surprise him at this point.]

[sheriffing]

we know how the infected are getting in, it's the garage. trying to determine what to do about it.

shizuo | ota, lockdown

[longtempered]

[Come to think of it, how long's it even been since he actually last shopped at an honest-to-god mall? Ikebukuro had always been filled to the brim with pretty much every kind of shopping center you could ever possibly need, and as a resident Shizuo had ducked in and out his fair share, either pulled along by a friend or with a mind to pick up something a little nicer on sale. Which is maybe why he opted to come along to this particular sale at this particular mall too, today, retreading an old habit he's almost forgotten he had. Shizuo's entire stint on this mission so far has sort of been an exercise in subconsciously tagging after familiar things--familiar feelings--familiar settings, even if it's all a couple decades out of date and on an entirely different continent from Japan. Woodhurst continues to slide further and further away from a normal functioning city at an alarming rate, but little reminders like this are apparently still capable of cropping up anyway. Really, talk about optimistic salespeople...

For most of the day it'd almost looked like things were going to pan out perfectly normally, too. But no--apparently, there really is no taking a break from the current city-wide cannibal epidemic, even if all you wanted was a new pair of shoes and something sweet to pop into the apartment fridge.]

18:00 TO 23:00 HOURS;
[It just figures the food court would be ground zero, honestly, because Shizuo's luck always does seem to turn out this bad. He and Haise had arrived together, but once the topic of food came up they'd parted ways somewhat, the latter citing a lack of appetite but an interest in checking out a shop nearby. Shizuo had opted to linger and pick up something for the both of them to go anyway (in case Haise wanted any later), drifting about with a plastic bag containing shoes and a box of freeze pops slung over an elbow, scoping out a good hamburger place--and that was about as far as he ever actually got, before the chaos broke out.

A lot of screaming and yelling and running people later, Shizuo is still situated somewhere near the food court's vicinity; good sense and the voice over the loudspeaker dictates he should probably move away from that particular area at some point, but the going's been pretty slow. Initially he'd been wanting to regroup with Haise, but he's been getting repeatedly sidetracked--by frightened people, by infected, by frightened people being pursued by infected--

Like now. Maybe it's a fellow Audentes member, or maybe it's another normal civilian, but either way Shizuo's rounded a corner in time to spot a small gathering of infected converging on someone from behind, and he's not about to let it happen right in front of him.]

Oi, you! You'd better look out! [Voice raised to a shout, and more thoroughly irritable than anything. Shizuo casts around for the nearest thing to grab--which turns out to be one of the shoulder-tall mall guidemaps, which he promptly pulls right off its floor fastening with a hearty yank and a snap of popping screws--and then he's advancing straight towards the group, hefting the map's frame effortlessly. Throwing it is very tempting, but--at least he has enough restraint to close the distance with wide strides instead, before he's promptly swinging the map at the nearest infected.]

00:00 TO 02:00 HOURS;
[Well. It's further into the night by now...and infected, civilians, and Audentes members alike have apparently fanned out well throughout the mall at this point. A way out of the lockdown isn't any clearer just yet, but at least barricades for the townspeople have formed up; in a lull between infected sightings, and just starting to feel the mildest tired tug of the hour, Shizuo is staking out in front of a small VCR repair shop's entrance, settled on the ground near the foot of the walkway with his back propped against the wall. In the VCR shop proper is a cluster of frightened shoppers, trying to catch at least a little rest and refuge in this bit of shelter from infected, and Shizuo's volunteered his turn of lookout duty--this seems to be as good a spot to stay put at as any, at least until some news about what to do next comes in.

There's a full-sized Japanese stop sign pole propped over one of his shoulders, with an air so casual that none of the civilians he's run into so far have gotten around to actually asking him about it yet. (Probably just picked it up somewhere, right? ...But since when do malls sell stop signs, though? Foreign ones, no less...?) On the ground at his elbow, miraculously, is the same shopping bag he's been carrying around pretty much since the start of the lockdown, shoes and freeze pops still inside. And in the front waistcoat pocket of his bartender suit is a pack of cigarettes, which Shizuo is digging out about now. He even gets as far as shaking one out, and sticking it in his mouth, and reaching for his lighter, but then...his eyes fall on the "no smoking" sign, hanging on the wall across.

So he pauses, sighs, and leaves it in his mouth unlit. Though a thought seems to occur to him, after another moment, and he reaches for the box of freeze pops instead. Ah, might as well at this point...]

Hey. Want one? [Maybe you were just walking past, or maybe you've been settled in this spot too, guarding this particular area same as Shizuo has. Either way, there's a bright blue freeze pop being offered your way about now...though it looks more like a plastic stick of juice than an ice treat, at this point. Which he's also addressing now, vaguely apologetically.] Uh, kind of melted by now though, sorry. Been awhile since I picked these up.

WILDCARD;
[Got a prompt of your own? Toss it here! Or feel free to message me at hollyjolley, and we can plan out a thing :V]

[keystaff]

Ah, I guess not...I didn't mean to be in trouble or anything.

[She's just trying to help as best she can given the circumstances. Figuring with Shield at least, she could have some protection while trying to find food. But still, she turns a little at the question, pointing.]

Back there, in that video game shop. It was the closest one I tried to get them into.

[There's some adults too, of course. But mostly children and teenagers.]

[keystaff]

What about you? We still need to do something about the infected.....

[She could easily make a barricade, use Shield as an invisible barrier of sorts to protect a group at least. But Sakura can't help but worry about the others in knowing not everyone can or should group up together. That she won't necessarily be aware of how he or others might be doing in all of this. Especially when she's being told to remain here. Making it sound like he might go to do something else on his own.

It has her worrying all the same, holding to his hand a little tighter as she looks up to him with a faint frown.]

you chose well, friend

[feytality]

[One of them has a tranquilizer gun and smarts, while the other one is covered in 90s references. So it's pretty clear who's more prepared for this situation..... Maya.]

[Except not really, she's losing her balance as Graham comes to her rescue and barely avoids getting her nose bitten while she struggles to remain upright with the skates and skitters like a baby deer on ice.]

[When Graham reaches his arms out, she grabs onto them with both of hers.... but it's not enough to stop the traction, so she tries to swing around him rather than crash into him]

[Stay tuned for how this will backfire]

-Aaaah! It's you!!

[Her mysterious laser tag partner!!!]

[feytality]

Well....

[Look, she didn't think that far ahead. She's kind of surprised she's being listened to in the first place]

Th... The Christmas music thing isn't off the table! If we lock 'em up in a department store and blast the music, they'll be too busy covering their ears and groaning to focus on munching flesh!

[It's a work in progress....]

[daimeinashi]

[Maybe a touch impatiently:]

it will be

00:00 - 2:00

[thinhammer]

[ After almost walking straight past him Naruto has to double take when he hears the stranger speak up, and points at himself in silent question while he blinks down, bewildered, at the blue offering. He's never seen a freeze pop before, but he's had a similar kind of thing on a stick before, so he understands enough. And honestly, he's a teenager so of course he's excited at the prospect of a sugary treat (even if it is mostly melted by now), not to mention the fact that being offered food makes a nice change from being chased as food.

Naruto looks around to see if there's anyone else Sunglasses Guy might be talking to, but when he sees they're reasonably alone he looks back with an expression close to anticipation on his face. He shifts the rucksack on his back a little higher, considering, and then it's like the remaining thread of resistance breaks as he darts forwards, crashing down next to Shizuo and taking the treat from him in an animated swoop of movement. ]

Thanks! [ He grins, then tears the top off with his teeth like an animal. ] Ain't you gonna have one too?

[ Sucking the juice out of the plastic, he sits his pack between his legs and rummages in it. ]

D'ya want one? [ He offers back, holding out a bag stuffed with chocolate and various other candies. The candy store was one of the first places he'd hit when he'd arrived here, before all the craziness started. Look, okay, Naruto hasn't ever had sweets like this before - his village is pretty traditional as far as food goes - and since Sakura enlightened him to the wonders of candy he's kind of been hooked. He's also recently got a pretty decent payload for completing a mission so, whatever. His money, his rules. ] I know adults don't usually like it, but if you're hungry like everyone else it's better than nothin'. An' it's good, trust me.

[slapfight]

[the 90's-grunge-cover-of-an-80's-hit skips to a stop. Peridot yelps and takes a few steps back, not expecting RANDOM MEN to be falling from the sky. fortunately, this mission has given her an amazing capacity for recognizing voices. ah yes, Papyrus's brother. Sans or something.

anyway. it's time for her to unveil her best "Peri-Plan" yet, and she regains her composure and puffs out her chest. it looks just as unimpressive when she's in the guise of a human teenager as it does when she's just a gem.]

Once they're inside, I'll use my metal powers to slam that grate down. [she points to the metal gate positioned almost out of sight above the entryway of the store.] It'll trap them safely and effectively until someone can come along and deal with them.

[slapfight]

[Peridot hears the scuffle just as she finishes her new prized weapon, and leaps into the fray before she even knows exactly what civilian she's saving... but that isn't a civilian on top of the mall directory. THAT'S FEFERI.

Now's her chance to be really impressive.

She gestures the little RC car out from behind her and it rolls up to the infected, who move out of its way, but seem less than interested in it. Foolish. They had their chance to move. Now comes the real pain.

Using the remote control she fires off a volley of BB pellets at their ankles at point blank range, which has to hurt like the dickens and incapacitate them (and probably prevent them from getting anywhere fast) for awhile.] Feferi! Get inside! [she points to her safe Radio Shack haven.]

[slapfight]

Ew. No. This Percy is an insult to the name. I'm talking about the one from the hospital.

[for once, it's not her being nonsensical. it's just her being remarkably fixated on a singular individual because he has the gall to call himself Percy.]

I need you to make sure I don't have any distractions. Moving Earth vehicles takes finesse. [and hopefully no one minds if their car is used to block a sewage grate. not that she cares.]

[slapfight]

[after slapping him five with a maniacal cackle of glee, she produces a pair of an extremely sparkly pink sunglasses from her backpack and hands them off, because bffs remember these things.] Let's get him in there. [she points to an abandoned store.] The infected might devour their own if they see one helpless.

[look she's just being practical, if not basing her entire knowledge of this sort of thing off the teen supernatural dramas she's been watching every weeknight.]

giorno giovanna ][ ota

[digiorno]

( A ) ɪ'ᴍ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ғᴇᴇᴛ ᴅᴇᴇᴘ, sɪɴᴋɪɴ' ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴀʟʟᴏᴡ ᴇɴᴅ ( ᴘʀᴇ-ʟᴏᴄᴋᴅᴏᴡɴ )

[If most people ask, Giorno isn't going to say where he went. If most people ask, Giorno isn't going to say anything about his motivations for going to the mall today other than, It sounds like fun! Come with me, won't you?]

[As it turns out, this is a pretty persuasive argument for at least a couple of people. It's a totally genuine sentiment, as well: Giorno isn't feigning how much he wants to go out and just have fun, doing enjoyable things with His People and making them have a nice time whether they want to or not. For much of the afternoon, he can be found linked arm-in-arm with someone or other--anyone he's even vaguely familiar with, really, could get roped into this, even you--a pair of designer-for-the-90s sunglasses pushed up on top of his head, looking for all the world like nothing bad is happening or has ever happened.]

[But when the shit hits the fan, it's notable that he doesn't look too surprised. Annoyed, maybe, because he was hopeful that his nice time might last a little longer, but--]

Nothing gold can stay, [he murmurs wryly, looking towards the exits--sort of speaking to whoever he's closest to, sort of to himself. It's a joke, ish.] Best try to keep casualties low, but--I wonder how they'll handle this.

( B ) sᴄᴏᴛᴄʜ & sᴜɴ, ɢɪᴠɪɴ' ᴀ ʟᴇssᴏɴ ᴏɴ ( 00:00 - 02:00 )

[There is a point at which Giorno loses his patience. He hasn't quite reached it, not quite, but he's getting close. It's been a while, and he's getting hungry; getting hungry makes him anxious, and anxiety makes him tense. His jaw's clenched tight, eyes narrowed as he spends a few minutes around the turn of midnight deciding whether to keep still, or . . .]

[Or do what he's better at doing. Action is easier by far than inaction. Besides, this is all just containment, and he's nothing if not good at that. Gold Experience Requiem, he's often thought, is the ultimate defensive Stand; in deference to his own nature, and in an effort to remain as calmly neutral towards civilians as possible, he keeps himself to restraint.]

[Well. Restraint and other things. Sure, he spends most of his time whipping vines out of nowhere and wrapping them so tightly and securely about the infected that they've got no chance of getting away--but there comes a time when his patience just snaps at the sound of the infected pushing at the barricades, and he moves forward, chin tipped up purposefully.]

I'll need you to get out of the way, darling.

[Is he about to do something incredibly weird but also helpful? For sure. Is he effectively making that clear? Nope. He's literally not even trying.]

( C ) sᴛᴜᴘɪᴅ ғᴜɴ, ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs sɪɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀғᴛᴇʀɴᴏᴏɴ ( 04:00 - 09:00 )

[Giorno has a number of complaints. None of them are actually petty, although sleep would admittedly be nice. No, what he's infuriated about is the lack of external support--not for himself, or for his teammates, but for the civilians inside this mall. The city infrastructure has totally failed them, and he's pissed about it.]

[So maybe he's brusquer than he needs to be. Again, the lack of sleep doesn't help. He's never outright rude, but he does frequently drop what is (to him) the illusion of teamwork amongst people who haven't earned it from him. And then again: isn't he the decision-maker here? Of course he is. Anyone who doesn't recognize that is a fool.]

[He's willing to talk about whether or not to kill the known infected. That, he will listen to arguments on, although he might not be swayed by any. But as for those who've been attacked, he doesn't even consider it in question.]

Contain them. They aren't to leave here until we have somewhere to keep them.

& closed.

[digiorno]

( 18:00 - 23:00 ) ʀɪᴅɪɴɢ ʙɪᴋᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴄᴋs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴠᴇɴᴜᴇ ( Fᴜɢᴇᴛᴛᴏ ᴇ Aɴɪᴋɪ )

[This is so annoying. Annoying, that's the word he uses to himself instead of terrifying. It mostly works; he's an excellent liar, even to himself. It's annoying, he thinks, because he wanted to have a nice day, with his Fugo and with Jin, both of whom could do with relaxing a little. He wanted to keep an eye on people, get a feel for how the population at large is feeling, how they're coping. He wanted to make fun of American mall food. He wanted to buy new sunglasses. And yet.]

[The truth of the matter is, in a situation like this, with who he's with, his first concern isn't the flesh-eating infected. He can grow flesh back. Who knows? He might even be immune. Not really worth a deliberate risk, but it's not as though he particularly values his own skin.]

[Jin can't, though. There's a much bigger and more immediate danger than the infected around the corner, and it's standing right next to them.]

[Giorno smiles a little crookedly and slides his fingers through Fugo's, squeezing his hand gently. It's flirtatious. It's insane. But it's also deliberate, because they're stuck in a corner near a crowd of panicked people, and if they don't get out of here soon there's the potential that everyone here is going to fucking die.]

Jin? You're enormous. Do me a favor and look around quickly, please, over people's heads, until you find the biggest open space you possibly can, as far away from other people as you can. Do not argue with me or ask questions. Thank you.

( 18:00 - 23:00 ) sᴍᴏᴋɪɴɢ sᴏᴍᴇ, ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ɢᴇᴛ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʙɪᴛ ( Sᴀɪ ᴇ Nᴀʀᴜᴛᴏ )

[As soon as he's got a spare moment, which takes longer than he expects it to, Giorno breaks away from Fugo and Jin for a bit to find Sai. Which in a way is illogical. He knows that Sai is perfectly capable--nearly as capable as he is, in some ways, and probably more so in some ways. So he doesn't need to check on him.]

[But they agreed to be friends. Caring about each other is what friends do. Sometimes, taking stupid risks to take care of each other is friends do. So it's a point of stubbornness, too, in a way: I'm going to be a good friend to Sai, because he deserves it, flesh-eating undead monsters or no flesh-eating undead monsters.]

[So he hurries, spreading his life-sense out out out so he can feel who's coming, human or not-quite-human-anymore. It's a relief when he turns a corner and sees Sai, not only visibly safe but with the same person he was with before--a friend, it has to be a friend, and someone Sai trusts, too, if he's sticking with him in a crisis. (How many people in the world does Sai honestly trust?)]

Oh, thank God. [Giorno exhales sharply, visibly, and grins with relief, a shockingly unguarded expression for him.] I was worried. But you're okay!

( 00:00 - 02:00 ) sᴜɴsʜɪɴᴇ ʙᴜʀsᴛɪɴɢ, ʜᴏᴡ's ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴜᴛᴇ ᴄᴏᴜsɪɴ? ( Fᴜɢᴇᴛᴛᴏ ᴇ Jᴏᴊᴏ )

[Picture this.]

[Here are two boys in the middle of this fucked-up mall, surrounded by infected, trying not to get bitten or let anyone else get bitten, or trampled, or so on and so forth, various crisis-related hazards. Here are two boys who are under a lot of stress, and have a lot of zombie-related baggage anyway, and coincidentally one of them, when stressed, is pretty likely to whip out a flesh-eating virus himself, only by accident, which makes it extra fun.]

[It's been an evening. And now, just past midnight, here they are, just outside the foodcourt, nervously eyeing the infected milling around. They are mostly in the food court at this point and seem to be treating it as a home base of sorts, which is annoying on the one hand but could potentially make it easy for them to corral all of the infected. Fugo and Giorno are having a silent conversation using body language, mostly eyes and eyebrow wiggles, to determine the relative advantages of attacking here and now or going back for help.]

[And then all of a sudden, one of the infected looks up and sees them. And then, one by one, all of the infected look up and see them.]

[Which answers the question about relative advantages very succinctly.]

[There's no conversation needed before they both decide to run. Fugo's hand finds Giorno's, and they're off like bats out of hell (#vampirejoke), running for the hills, for higher-ground, for that coffee shop with the grate thingy they figured out how to slam down. It should be fine. It should be. The infected aren't following that fast.]

[Except Fugo can't run that fast. He isn't well. He's never well. When Fugo starts lagging behind, Giorno does too, because like hell is he leaving Fugo behind--and the distance between them and the infected begins to slowly close.]

[And then, out of nowhere, a figure looms up behind them, picks Fugo up around the waist, tucks him against its side, and pulls ahead. Giorno helps and hangs on to Fugo's hand tighter, but it's no good, and their fingers break apart, and he growls and moves because no, he doesn't care, it doesn't take life sense to be able to tell that's not an infected person but he's seeing infrared.]

Put him down, you son of a bitch!

[thinhammer]

[ Naruto has his rucksack hitched high on his back, his thumbs in the straps, and he's partway through trying to explain a rather haphazard plan of action to a less than impressed Sai... and the more Naruto tries to include in said plan the more tumbling his explanation becomes, till he's just kind of sighing and groaning instead of actually formulating anything cohesive. The idea is there - he definitely wants to make sure the innocents are safe, but doing that and also stopping infected spreading and also making sure sure they have the advantage in this lockdown that could last who knows how long, is a little too much multitasking for Naruto's one track mind.

It's kind of a relief, then, when a voice sounds close by. It's close enough that it was intended for them, but... he doesn't recognise it, so he gives the speaker a confused look.

That's when he realises the guy is looking at Sai and Naruto's confusion turns into total surprise. ]

Uh.