[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

[longtempered]

[Clearly....just mob him with all the children honestly, the cuter the better. Add some spice to his life...

Shizuo dislikes disingenuous things in multiple forms, really, especially if he's doing those things himself. He's got no illusions about the sort of person he is, and he doesn't like trying to cover that up for most any reason, even if sometimes it might make things easier for him. That's where he and Kasuka really differ, in the end.....but at least his dislike of leaving children unhappy is even stronger than putting up a front that he's not, for a small amount of time. If that's what it takes, sometimes...

Well, then that's just what it takes. And Riza's words do take the shitty-feeling edge off being fake like that too, admittedly.]

...Yeah, guess that's true. [Though that's about all he's going to admit, if it. Though maybe Riza can spot the reassurance anyway, in the slight relaxing of his shoulders, a bit of tension slipping away. Shizuo nods shortly at her suggestion.] --Nah, I might as well stick around here for awhile. Haise and I were together before all this stuff went down, but I already know he'll be fine, so... [He waves a hand vaguely.] We'll bump into each other later, I bet. That sounds like a good plan to me. Let's split up and ask around, huh?

[And so they do.]

[longtempered]

[Well, of course he's counting on her!! She's here, she's on his arm, there's helpful opportunities abound and Shizuo isn't terribly picky. If he judged everybody's helpfulness on the merit of how good they are at punching things compared to himself, well....there sure wouldn't be anybody helpful enough at all, really. Which would be silly.

Sure enough, his faith in Maya is promptly rewarded too. One flying skate and a toppling rack of bras later, the incoming infected are stumbling aside, and Shizuo's more than happy to make use of the newly-provided opening. Hopefully Maya meant getting ready to jump in the literal sense, because that's...about what Shizuo does, actually, with a final wide half-leaping stride through the newly-formed gap.

After that it's not a very long way at all. A few seconds later--following a lot of punching on Shizuo's part and a lot of throwing-things on Maya's part--they're finally out of the lingerie section altogether, much to Shizuo's relief. The area opens up, clothing racks thinning out in favor of exit space...and, sure enough, doorways of dressing rooms up ahead. After taking a sharp glance around to make sure they're not being pursued by any more immediately nearby infected, Shizuo promptly ducks into the nearest dressing room with a sigh.

Shutting and locking the door behind them, he shifts to start...letting Maya down too, finally.] ...Well, that sucked. Looks like we made it for now, though. You okay?

[longtempered]

[He's so bad at puns, honestly...don't look at him Sans.....but anyway--

Shizuo is just about to agree that sure, there probably really is only one way to find out. He's curious as to how exactly this guy plans to pull it off, after all. --But this curiosity ends up being answered...a lot faster than expected.

So fast that he's barely blinked before the falling sensation hits and then--they're someplace else.

The vertigo and disorientation kind of hit simultaneously; Shizuo, highly unaccustomed to the finer points of instant teleportation, stumbles like he's still falling even as they do arrive back on perfectly solid ground, to the point that he ends up grabbing the nearest supportive surface. Which would be Sans's shoulder, apparently.]

What the-- [????? oh wow. Oh man. Shizuo cuts himself short as he regains his bearings enough to realize he'd just grabbed the stranger in question, at least, straightening and letting go very quickly.] --Shit, sorry. [...Looking around now....] ...Damn. This is what you meant?!

[keeper]

[ wao fine be that way!!!!!

Also Aqua, in her infinite patience, continues to indulge Maya her little charades. (She figures this must be her way of Coping with the stress of possibly getting eaten alive in the middle of a mall...) ]

Perfect and proper.

[ She flashes the other recruit a faint smile, but her attention quickly diverts itself to outside of the bookstore. (She'd better leave before they begin blocking off the entrance, or else she'll have to magic herself to the other side, which is strictly taboo.) ]

I'm going to see if anyone else needs help out there... Will you be staying here with the others?

[ If Maya wants to join Aqua won't stop her, they're on the same team after all, with the same mission. (As pleasant as holing up and waiting for help may seem, that simply isn't the route for a keyblade master; the safety of others will always be her first priority...) ]

[slapfight]

[Peridot sweats it out and then promptly, with as much gusto as she can manage (which is a lot), she points and shout.] Oh no! Infected are attacking those helpless humans. I must assist them!

[and there she goes.]

[slapfight]

Why not? Aside from being an insult to your intended form, it's highly useful for those who can do it.

[which she can admit now, because metal powers are BETTER than shapeshifting.]

[perma_banned]

Ahhh, really? But, I thought you wanted to get away. [Ban jerked one thumb in the direction of the somehow growing crowd of violent zombies chasing after them and a few other people.]

They don't seem smart enough to reach vents that're high enough.

[perma_banned]

[His eyes went elsewhere fast, finding it easy to fall into deep thinking at a time like that.

When Ban's gaze shifted and became solemn and distant, he was thinking. It wasn't apathy or disinterest. He simply fell back on old memories in those moments. Naruto brought a few good ones to mind without even trying. Though, Ban might have been wrong in figuring he and Naruto were similar. In a stark contrast--Ban didn't want to be seen or noticed by anyone at that age. Being seen and noticed made his life much worse.

He didn't really know how to respond to Naruto's honesty. In a dull and lifeless sort of way, Ban cleared up one fact.]

Unfortunately, it's out of date. Undead Ban. Right now, that's my name.

[keystaff]

Um...o-okay then.

[There's more than enough for everyone to have at least one chocolate bar. She shouldn't feel so hesitant in having one herself to keep her going during the search for food for them all. So Sakura sheepishly takes the offered chocolate, opening it and giving a soft hum of appreciation as she takes a bite.]

Thanks!

[thinhammer]

[ The hand on his shoulder is enough of a surprise that Naruto ceases firing visual daggers in Giorno's direction and turns his attention instead to give the hand a quick glance, and the same for Sai's face. It also distracts him enough that he takes a step back as if he'd taken an unconscious one forwards and lets out a sigh of ceasefire rather than defeat (which he makes clear by not unfolding his arms or letting the little twitch in his creased eyebrows subside).

He knows how neccessary and useful healers are - he's had enough exposure given that his closest friend is one, and lately he's actually been pretty interested in learning healing for himself - but Sai comparing Giorno's help to the help that Tsunade might offer to them puts a funny taste in his mouth. This guy and Baa-san are not the same, and never will be, and Naruto pretty much loathes the idea of Giorno being their team's Sakura replacement, so he doesn't relent at that either.

He does, however, soften just a little at Giorno's words... though 'a little' is probably still an overstatement. ]

That's good. [ He says, because it is. Naruto can relate to wanting to keep people safe and limit hardships, but Giorno has pet his fur the wrong way so now he's doubly wary of anything that might come out of his mouth. ] But Sai's safe with me an' I'm safe with him, an' neither of us are sufferin' so you can go find someone else to help, can't ya?

[ His shackles are definitely raised, and the way he gives Giorno a defiant look - defiant now, not the angry little scowl it'd been before - says I'm not leaving his side. As far as Naruto is concerned, if Giorno wants to be Sai's friend too, he'll have to work on his attitude and learn to share. ]

[thinhammer]

Nice to meet ya too! An' thanks for all the help and stuff.

[ He puts his arms behind his head; not exactly bashful but there's a certain kind of childish shyness to the way he says thank you in that genuine sort of way. The kid from before then approaches him and tugs at his jacket, so he relents. He picks up the kit and starts to walk back like the gentle pulling is a lasso around his middle, but before he turns away completely he turns around to wave at Graham. ]

Hopefully I'll see ya around, maybe when we're not stuck in this place!

[ He doesn't make it sound like a question, because it is one, he'll definitely see him again, for sure. ]

[thinhammer]

Undead?? [ He makes a kind of crowing noise, clearly impressed. ] Does that mean you're like a zombie? Or just that ya can't die?

[ He's thoroughly distracted by the conversation taking this kind of a route. He never dwells too much on his past since he's constantly trying too hard to make people remember who he is now, so he has very little need for nicknames or personas since usually he's all the personality he needs. ]

Though, even if you're dead or not-dead or whatever.. [ Naruto says, shrugging a shoulder. ] Doesn't mean ya can't still be a bandit. Undead Bandit-san sounds way cooler.

[beginanew]

Back... Where you came from?

[He wants to ask this man so much, specially if he had teams like his own with Taka and team 7, but... that'd be rude.]

[skelepun]

[And there she goes. Sans watches her race off, head canting to the side in amused curiosity.]

Heh. What a weird kid.

[Aaaand away he teleports.]

[ex_adept136]

Yes, that's right. We're organized into small groups who work closely together on missions.

[This might sound a little familiar...]

[dishearten]

Perhaps we will.

( Graham doesn't make it sound like much of a question, either. for starters, they're teammates — running into each other again is more likely than it is unlikely. and now that he's gotten some sense of who Naruto is, he certainly seems to be the sort of person he'd like to keep an eye on.

for now, though... he'll leave him to the civilians that need him most. Graham has other things to pull at his attention, so ultimately he can't linger long... but he'll remember what he saw here, and Naruto himself as well. )

[beginanew]

That... Sounds familiar.

[He smiles, or what he considers a smile really.]

Were you close with them?

[nextlineis]

Maybe...?

[It's not actually a question, nor is that the actual answer. But that's what he makes it sound like.]

[nextlineis]

The only things I know of that can shapeshift that look like humans aren't exactly things you want around you.

[So, he's got a little bit of a hang-up with it.]

[nextlineis]

[He scowls in Ban's direction.]

I'm not crawling through a vent!

[Even if there were one big enough to fit him in, that's not on Joseph's list of ways to get out of this situation. No thank you.]

[nextlineis]

[He shakes his head a little.]

You gotta keep your strength up.

[ex_adept136]

[He nods, and his own smile is quite easily distinguishable]

Yes, actually. I see them as my family.

[No need to be shy about it either]

[feytality]

[Okay half a point. In this world, it's Val or be Valed]

[Rapunzel doesn't have much luck on her own trying to weasel free of grabby mcgrabbers, but Riza's well-timed intervention helps her break free. Maya squeaks out a little--]

Thanks!

[Before scrambling up to her feet and hefting her bat defensively in front of her. She's under no illusion that she's the competent one in this two lady party, but she does seem pretty determined to batter up if any zombos try to pull Riza's hair... or other parts]

S-Stay back, you zombie jerks! Our meat's too tough to eat!

[Not that that's going to work, but hey]

[feytality]

[She did mean jump in the literal sense, as such she cheers when Shizuo clears the hurdle. Well done!!! She keeps up her part as the duo (or the Shizuo, she's mostly just along for the ride) barrels through the remaining infected and onto freedom from lingerie. She's lost all of her armour in this process, but it was worth it.]

[Yelling out directions and warnings like a support character in a video game was pretty fun, too. By the time they make it to the dressing room, even Maya's a little out of breath, and she slips off of his arm and onto the ground, looking up at him.]

Wow, that was...

[She takes a few quiet(er) seconds to regain her breath, and then starts bouncing up and down with no warning] That was incredible!! It was like we were in action movie! How'd you do all that? You were just like--

[And here's an enthusiastic and somewhat (not only somewhat) exaggerated play by play of Shizuo's adventures to Shizuo himself. You know, in case he forgot. This will probably go on for a few minutes, hopefully she won't alert all the zombies they were trying to evade to their new hiding place]

[feytality]

[Maybe slightly, but Aqua can't prove anything. Maya nods approvingly at Aqua having a sense of fun -- it's no good to get too serious in times like this -- and their bookman.]

...I'll make sure everyone is settled in first. Then I'll come help you out for round two!

[Maya's not one to sit and wait, either, if she has way less to offer in comparison. But still, she seems confident, so Aqua can go--- Maya will make sure the fort here's secure before joining her for more rollicking adventures]