[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_adept136]

[The wry tone is impossible to miss, and Haise's expression is appropriately sympathetic. It's terrible that those good intentions were met with this unfortunate, chaotic mess. But that does seem to be how things happen for their team, much as he wishes it were otherwise. They're not the luckiest squad.

Or if somehow they are, he'd feel truly sorry for the others out there scattered across time and space.

Mettaton might be in for a little disappointment, since Haise meets that gesture by collecting his hand and giving it a gentle shake like the softest businessman alive]

Haise Sasaki, please feel free to call me Haise. [Since so many of his colleagues either use western conventions or go simply by one name, like they're musical artists. And this guy is, so that's apt] Good to meet you, despite the circumstances.

[skelepun]

[It doesn't take much to click into place. Monsters were made of magic, after all, and the feeling of expending too much of it was a shared sensation among their species. He didn't often work himself to that point, but he could imagine it well enough. Exhausted and barely able to keep his eyes open, no matter how necessary it was.

Sounded like a nightmare, honestly.]

C'mere, nerd. [Sans offers, grinning at the kid.] You ever heard the one about the robot who kept getting angry?

[The little girl shook her head no, and with it Sans risked a glance over at Mettaton. If he was going to shut down, Sans was going to have to figure out some means of cover. Teleportation was one thing, but not with their shared ward unaccounted for.]

People kept pushing his buttons. [She giggles dutifully, and Sans is happy to tell a few more. Why'd the robot train so hard? 'Cuz his skills were getting rusty! Do you know a robot's favorite kinda music? Heavy metal!

It went on like that for some time, with the girl laughing and occasionally turning to her initial savior with wide gleaming eyes, hoping for a reaction from him as well. If her fear was still present, it was forgotten for now.]

18:00 - 23:00

[ex_adept136]

[That guy over there sure is effective despite having only one arm to work with. Haise can only imagine he'd be that much more encumbered were it him, but then, perhaps the fellow is accustomed to his circumstances. Given time, anyone can adapt in ways that others might find truly remarkable.

He thinks to offer his assistance, but gets no further than opening his mouth when Sasuke speaks. Well then, it seems he's being asked anyhow, so he hastens his approach, knocking out an infected vendor with a swift cuff to the back of his head]

Glad to see I'm not the only one aiming for knockouts here.

[As opposed to outright killing. Haise just hasn't the stomach for that as a first approach to a problem]

[keystaff]

[Her pursed lips and frown betrays her conflicting feelings in this. Yes, of course she agrees and understands that she can help in such a way with using the Shield card. But she also wants to help Graham.

Still, if she can at least get something set up and then figure what to do next from there. She looks to the group she has helped gather in the store, looking back up to Graham.]

Alright. I'll do it. But you promise to be careful.

[unholey]

[This is all going very poorly.]

[This being trying to herd the infected into a more contained space. The expedition. The trip in general. He's so tired. But he can't stop, even though there are spots in his vision that won't go away and his lungs are screaming, because if he stops-- well, people are going to die. And, God, he's been trying so hard this whole time to avoid being pushed into a corner where that becomes less of a possibility and more of an inevitability.

It's so stupid. He's run for longer than this before. Oh, sure, it was jogging rather than sprinting but-- he's the one tugging on Giorno's hand, slowing him down because his stupid body won't move. Fugo grits his teeth and strains to scrape the bottom of the barrel for energy he doesn't have. There are so many people chasing after them that he can't tell the heavy footsteps apart from the crowd until a moment before it's too late; Fugo turns to look behind him, eyes glassy with the exhaustion that go wide with shock when a pair of stupidly enormous arms reach out and grab him by the waist.

And then: his feet aren't touching the floor. And then: by the time he looks back towards Giorno, their fingers are pulling apart and when he tries to grab him by the wrist his hand comes up short. And now: every teeth-rattling stride this stranger takes is taking him farther away from Giorno.]

[What the fuck. What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck--]

[Fugo is so tired and almost entirely out of breath from his ill-advised sprinting. But, by God, he's got the breath him him to let out a stream of the best (worst?) swears Italy has to offer, peppered in with increasingly insistent demands him to put him the fuck down. And when that doesn't work, he just. There isn't really room to maneuver, so he (rather ineffectively) starts slapping and pushing at the side and abdomen of whoever decided to pick him up and just. Haul off with him like a sack of stolen goods.]

[longtempered]

[The kid points to himself, clearly surprised at being addressed out of the blue, but Shizuo's only response is to nod shortly and sort of, waggle the freeze pop a little more insistently--you know, to get the idea that he really and truly does want to hand it over across. There's a bit of hesitation, apparently, but in the end it works--thoroughly, if the surprisingly enthusiastic way the kid plops down next to him immediately afterwards is anything to go by. ]

Ah, no problem. [Naruto please, the pop had a little manufactured cut to peel off the top already, why the teeth like a heathen......well, not that Shizuo's judging all that much, though. For all he knows this guy could be real hungry; pretty shitty being stuck for hours in a mall where the main food place was also the spot most infested with infected at the moment. The initial question earns a slight shrug as Shizuo sets the box of pops back down beside him.] I'm sort of thinking about it, yeah...even if it might be a better idea to save them up, but they're also melting, so--huh?

[--Oh. That sure is a bag of candy being offered his way all of a sudden. Shizuo stops short, blinking down at the bag and then back up at Naruto...before the rather neutrally disgruntled expression that's been sitting on his features up to this point dissolves, in favor of something much more pleasantly surprised.]

Sure, if you're offering. Thanks kid. [He is absolutely taking that bag of candy off your hands, man; Shizuo tugs it open, even more visibly pleased to find the chocolates inside, and he's pretty much almost immediately popping one into his mouth. Grinning slightly, he offers Naruto another of the chocolates too in turn. (What do you mean chocolates and freeze pops can't go together?? He certainly doesn't see why not.)] Yeah, guess it's true most adults don't...if you ask me it's because they've got no sense of taste, though. Or they think it'll make them fat, or something...that's another one I hear a lot. [Tragic, isn't it?? Shizuo's shaking his head to himself as if it is, anyway.]

THIS IS POOR MAN'S ICE CREAM, CLEARLY...OR SOMETHING.....close enough

[longtempered]

[Yeah, she'd sort of looked like she needed one, hence the offer out of the blue; Shizuo's always found that sweets of any kind tend to help at least a little when a bad mood's coming on, and being somewhat beaten down by a long and tiring night fighting infected people in a locked-down mall probably counts as a bad mood of its own.

Aqua takes her pick from the box, and Shizuo follows suit, picking a yellow one for himself before setting the box back down behind his elbow. Straightening, he looks over at her remark; yeah, kind of gloomy small talk for sure, but it's a gloomy situation. Not like he's got anything better to talk about either. So she gets a hum of agreement in turn, faintly irritable--not at her, but more at this problem in general here.]

Yeah, I was about to ask--but I guess you haven't heard anything new on that front either, huh? [He leans back against the wall almost in sync with Aqua, even, half-pinching half-tearing the top off his own pop (inevitable, when even your hands tend to be unnecessarily strong) and tipping it into his mouth before it has a chance to spill anything. Ah, you never know with the yellow color...will it be banana or lemon....?


Oh. It's banana. Sucking out the juice, and then taking a bite himself, the next bit is mumbled around melty banana-flavored ice.]

Police are always so damn slow...hope our people'll be a little faster. [By which he means the Audentes members not locked in the mall...]

[keeper]

[ She nods once, understanding the girl's thoughts without her having to fully voice them. (If only because she has the same limitations... after all she's not an infinite source of power, either.)

And while her magic hasn't quite bottomed out, she knows she's beginning to fatigue herself—she knows as well there's still plenty of infected left in the mall. They would both do well to regroup and recover, even if it's just for a few minutes... ]

Here, this might help.

[ She hands her an elixir, disguised in a small bottle of cola. (Hopefully they can each work their way through a restorative before trouble stirs again...) ]

[longtempered]

[Dim as the lighting is at the moment, Shizuo actually hadn't recognized Haise right off the bat at this distance--mostly he'd just been sort of making a random offering to the nearest approaching silhouette not carrying any evident unsteady symptoms of an infected. But then the figure draws closer, and waves, and Shizuo's entire demeanor brightens almost immediately.]

Ah, Haise, hey. I've been looking for you. [Not particularly mad nor particularly relieved, but more matter-of-fact; Shizuo had always assumed they'd run back into each other somewhere in this mall eventually, and he'd also figured Haise could hold his own more than well enough to not warrant too much concern. Goodness knows how many times he's handed Shizuo's ass to him as it is, in the bits of training they'd done in Oska before ending up here--and that's no easy feat. The guy can definitely handle himself in a fight.

But still, it's good to see the latter again--Shizuo would be lying to say that he doesn't appreciate the level-headed company Haise so often provides. As such, he takes no offense whatsoever to his freeze pop being turned down; instead Shizuo shrugs, and peels the top of it off himself while Haise settles beside him.]

Suit yourself. Me, I'm fine...all this sure as hell is a pain in the ass right now, though. [With a free hand he gestures vaguely to--everything around them, in general, before he moves to pluck the unlit cigarette in his mouth and replace it with a bite off the freeze pop instead. He chews it with a sigh.] I could go for a smoke right now, to be honest, but... [Another small gesture at the "no smoking" sign.] Can't. So. ...I don't think these freeze pops are gonna last long enough to get into the fridge back home after all, sorry.

[ex_mettacrusher33]

I do like heavy metal... [That mumble is the closest thing to a reaction either Sans or the girl gets for a short while. He can feel his core dimming the longer his eyes stay closed; it reflects on his cloak as his face slowly drains of color. It's fine. He'll honestly be fine. He's just... exhausted. He just needs a little rest.

Mettaton's eyes flicker open despite himself, and he glances at the duo next to him. The girl's staring at him, all bright-eyed and expectant. He's spent the last few hours with her, trying to ease her fear and tears. He guesses it's only natural she take an interest in what he's doing.

Heh.

He raises his hand, moving to ruffle her hai-...

...He raises his hand...

...

His arm isn't moving. He can't move his arm.

His eyes go to his legs, splayed straight against the tile, as he tries to move a foot. It doesn't move. He can't move his legs. He can't move his torso. He's a living head and nothing more.

Why do bad things always happen to good Mettaton? What did he do??

He offers her a strained smile before his eyes dart towards Sans. A text message should be appearing in his comlink.]

I can't move my body. If I shut down, you have to distract her.

rip maya's 90s armor, we knew ye well

[longtempered]

[The voice is a familiar one, albeit in a rather alarming context, which is the main thing that has Shizuo abruptly shifting directions and making a concerned beeline for the source--which turns out to be somewhere in the clothing section, and...swarmed by multiple infected, ah. --Wait, is that seriously her, though? No, the topknot's pretty unmistakable--her snowball stealth antics have taught Shizuo well, by now--but Shizuo's voice is still caught somewhere between dubious and confused as he shouts over the infected horde.]

Maya?! The hell are you wearing over there? What are you...no, okay, move out of the way--out of the way, damn you--

[The latter half is, of course, angrily addressed to the infected themselves as Shizuo promptly begins wading through them and towards Maya, rather as if he were pushing through a street full of pedestrians as opposed to a mob of cannibalistic people. The utterly assured confidence is probably helped by the full-sized stop sign he's currently carrying, though--and now using, as the infected turn on him and attempt to grapple at his fleshy human person, jabbing at some of them with one end and outright whacking at the more insistent ones with the other. --Gentle whacks, mind you. Or at least, as gentle as you can get, when you're Heiwajima Shizuo and you're wielding a stop sign as hard as diamonds; several bodies still go flying, and have quite the hard time standing back up once they hit the ground (or clothing racks) at various distances off.

After a few long strides he manages to reach the eye of the infected storm, so to speak, and he unceremoniously grabs the nearest infected trying to bowl Maya over by the shoulder, straight up tossing the man away like a sack of potatoes before the guy has a chance to so much as snap at him. Another infected does manage to get in an attempt at a bite, which is promptly met with a punch to the face. And then it's Maya's turn, thankfully much less violently, in the form of Shizuo taking her by the arm and trying to tug her out of the infected swarm with him...but she slides, unexpectedly, which nearly has Shizuo tripping in turn.]

What the--are those skates?!

[webdesigned]

( well, it's hard to tell what is happening in the struggle to begin with. he's downright determined not to injure the infected, no matter how downright determined they seemed to be to injure him. there's a quiet thwip here or there — covering open, gnashing mouths so they can't actually take a nice bite out of him. he's not going to take the risk of a bite if he can help it, yet all the ways he's restricting himself are adding up.

if he refuses to let the infected get hurt, then he's going to have to lighten his expectations on them not gnawing on them. doesn't seem like he can do both.

by the time the last one is dragged away, his head is reeling a little too fast. his senses don't quite like the idea of something being thrown by an unseen force — like a baby staring at something that contradicted their reality, his head apparently chugged at the prospect of magic in front of him, even his spider senses didn't seem to like it. the world didn't work that way, or it wasn't supposed to, and it was impossibly difficult for him to wrap his head around, no matter the circumstances.

in this instance, though, he's at least not stuck chewing on the prospect for long. he breathes a heavy sound of relief, flopping back on the dirty floor to actually relish in the fact that somehow, he made it out of that without losing a hunk of his arm, and without losing any of the infected, either. even if it was utterly bizarre to be the one saved for once, he has no complaints.

he accepts the hand after a moment, whether he needs the help to get up or not. ) Thanks. I wasn't sure if there was webslinging my way out of that one. ( if only he could have, he'd like to see these infected climb on the ceiling— wait no. no he would not like to see that. let's keep all the infected grounded, you hear universe??? his gratitude doesn't last long, as his attention flicks to the ... bizarrely caged infected, some of which were on the ground, apparently bemused as to how they got there. ) They're okay, aren't they?

[skelepun]

[Welp.]

yeah, of course. but how long do you think you've got?

[The text will come through to Mettaton not a few moments after the initial one is sent, for all Sans is seemingly back to preoccupying the kid. He grins, telling another joke that's only a little more distracted than before.

His skull was rattling with more than just wordplay now. People were wandering through the mall in a significantly less urgent daze, word of the lockdown being lifted filtering through in whispers. Sans kept his eye sockets peeled, scanning the crowd for anyone with dark hair that might resemble the lost little girl.

For her part, the girl was distracted too. She kept her eyes on Mettaton no matter how many times Sans attempted to refocus her on him. The worry was clear. Impossible to miss, even as Sans had his attentions divided three ways.]

bonehead to robody, checking in. still with me?

[keeper]

[ She nods wordlessly in acknowledgement to Mettaton, and then blinks down at the little one with a warm smile. ]

Rest, child.

[ She reaches out to give the girl a gentle pat on the head, coaxing her to blissful sleep with an invisible dusting of magic. The girl's eyes close immediately, and her head lolls against his collarbone. One of them taken care of, she directs her attention to her teammate. ]

...Are you injured?

[ Despite his human shell, she remembers that he's not so organic underneath. (And while she isn't much of a mechanic, perhaps she can get him to someone who is...) It doesn't occur to her he might be low on battery, but as fortune would have it, she can easily generate a charge for him. ]

[ex_mettacrusher33]

[The handshake gets a tight frown, but no comment. Again, a teammate misses the opportunity to kiss his hand. Will this injustice never cease?

Whatever. It is always good to meet Mettaton.]

Oh, the pleasure's all mine, sweetheart.

...So. [So. Mettaton folds his hands behind his back and rocks on his heels. Well...] It's a waiting game now, is it? Have you heard any good news about this lockdown?

[keeper]

[ Is she? Fighting her?? That's certainly a development Aqua wasn't expecting, and she has to convince herself not to knock Maya out with a sleeping spell for both their safety. ]

We'll get you another one later, I promise. [ (A stronger one, a better one...!!!!) If she were a crueler person she'd chide Maya for being silly, but she understands! It's very important to her!! (JUST! NOT NOW!!)

As soon as they're a safe distance away (the burgers being the safe ones from Maya), which is probably an entire floor up, she sets her charge down and attempts to massage a cramp out of her shoulder. ...The commotion hasn't dimmed despite the stretch she's put between themselves and the Food Court, and she frowns in the direction they'd come from. ]

...We ought to look for cover.

[ex_mettacrusher33]

["Of course, I'm still with you," he tries to say but, of course, the worst has to happen.

The world shuts off like a television feed and he's trapped in darkness. All the more horrifying is not knowing how the cloak is responding to this? Have his eyes closed? Does he look like he's just sleeping? Or are they open and blank, like another corpse? Please don't let it be the latter. Please, don't let it be the latter.

He can't see the feed anymore, but he knows he still tap into it. Just use your head and...]

I'm still with you. I can't see, but I think I can still hear. Please tell me you found her mother or a portable charger. I don't need to fake my death twice in one week.

save the sneses

[feytality]

--Mr. Heiwajima! [If anything, Audentes people really know how to make an entrance. One minute Maya's being swarmed by infected, soon to join their ranks, and the next: Shizuo the undercover waiter, armed with a stop sign (wait what, did he bring it in from outside)?? is bowling for zombies left right and center, coming to her rescue like the big damn hero that he is. Despite herself, she's awed by the whole display, that is one of the weirdest/coolest things she's ever seen.]

[She's trying to break free and skate to freedom the entire time, but he snags her first and she slides -- taking advantage of the momentum to try to tug him with her.]

[(She's totally just going to fall on her ass)]

It's my armour! Isn't it neat? Though, I guess it isn't all that effective... woah!

[And here comes the falling, though she's doing her best to hang onto his arm]

[feytality]

[Her struggles become more and more pitiful, dying off as Aqua carries her away from the buns she loved and cherished. And the rest of the burger, of course.]

B-But that one was deluxe.... [She clutches at Aqua weakly as they run, whispering:] It had... all the toppings..... All of them.

[Surely, Aqua can understand her plight. Anyway, once they're clear and Maya's back on her feet, she attempts to be a little more serious]

That was really cool, though! You were like a prince, sweeping me off of my feet! [Did I say serious, I meant "fangirling Aqua]

[But, oh, right, cover] We could hide in a library! No zombies would ever go there. [There aren't libraries in the mall, Maya]

[longtempered]

[Clearly it's the team theme...don't worry Maya, one day you too will cultivate a dramatic entrance of your very own......

But no...it's awful, this is the worst, what's so heroic about wading through a bunch of hungry people with all the grace of a bulldozer anyway!! Which is roughly what Shizuo thinks of this entire situation, about now, patience stretched to a fine line and temper simmering a little too close to breakout for comfort at the moment. Not that it's Maya's fault in any shape or form, of course--his ire is at the mall and the infected in general, and the fact that they're all locked inside with them. If anything, it's Maya's presence--alongside that of several other people over the course of the last several hours, civilians or fellow Audentes alike--that motivate him to more carefully keep his anger in check, his rhetorical grip on it just about as tight as his grip on this stop sign is at the moment.

He's been getting better lately, maybe. Sort of. But he doesn't want to mess it up now, cannibal people or not. The strain combines altogether into the decidedly irritable scowl on his face at the moment, though at Maya's answer it...actually manages to ease just a bit anyway, if only in favor of genuine bemusement.]

Your armor, huh? ...Yeah, that's pretty neat. [This is an actually genuine comment; it'd be almost thoughtful, if they weren't currently surrounded by flesh-hungry zombies. But they are, so he just has to settle with being hurried instead.] We should find you some stronger stuff, it's gotta be around somewhere...whoa, hey--! [Yep, there she goes falling; she manages to grab his arm before hitting the ground, and so Shizuo can properly catch her and hoist her upright again by the back of her shirt, faintly exasperated.] Can you actually skate or am I gonna have to carry you? We need to get out of--

[Oh, wait, that sure is another infected throwing themselves at them from the side, and Shizuo whips around.] Duck! [Hopefully Maya heeds this warning immediately!! Because he'd really rather not take off her head with a stop sign. And if she does, it'll connect to the infected instead with a swing and a solid metal clang.]

[feytality]

[She'll show up riding on Shizuo's shoulders and somersault through the air]

[Maya is blissfully unaware of his little anger issue, so her assumption, at this moment, is more that he's just a super strong waiter who uses his strength to balance stacks of dishes for hungry customers. And since he's clearly experienced with hungry, angry people, he knows just how to handle them.]

[Either that or that's how he deals with customers who don't tip.]

Thanks! Wanna match? I bet I could find you some Segas for shoulderpads!

[She skitters like a deer on ice when he holds her upright, but manages to stay upright when he lets her go]

No, I got it, I got--- AAAH!

[She does duck, luckily -- she's got pretty good reflexes -- and barrels into another incoming infected, knocking them down. These skates are good for something after all!]

[Two down....... many, many more to go]

[aspearation]

[ Dogberry is a good dog, and a tough one at that. He was on a special dog mission before coming to Woodhurst. He gives a tentative sniff then goes back to panting, still alert but not at all bothered by this newcomer. That's enough for Undyne to give him a pass. ]

Well, you found the right mo-- uh, person for the job.

[ She's lost her fake-badge, but tugs at her sleeve to show off the patch from the security company contracted by the mall. ]

We're gonna have to get the keys back first though.

[aspearation]

Papyrus could always cook for you. So where do you want to take your chances??

[ She loves Papyrus dearly. Sans of all people knows that. Nothing else needs to be said whatsoever. ]

Haven't really come up with a plan yet though. Most important thing is to keep people safe. So we either have to find a place to hide them, or find a place to keep. Uh. The other guys. And since I think there's less of them, we find someplace to lock 'em up until we can get the doors open.

[ She has a hard time as seeing them as less than human, just because they're sick. She doesn't know how else to call them, though, so she just avoids it altogether. Still, they need to be contained... it's unfortunate, but true. ]

[fintastic]

What?

[ Feferi, too, is confused by this reaction. ]

You're going to use those to fight, right? I just thought one big one might be better! If you use a bunch of little ones, you have to I guess throw them, and then go pick them up, and you might run out before you can get them. If you have a big one, you just... pow!

[ She pantomimes, maybe too well, the act of hitting someone in the head with a very large book. ]

I saw some real big ones in the section with all the books about oceans!

[fintastic]

[ ...well. It's a serviceable distraction, anyway, and Feferi is thankful for the backup regardless. She doesn't squander the momentary relief from the onslaught of the infected who seem to be more interested in making their way towards Peridot now, though the onslaught of pellets does seem to slow them down.

Feferi leaps off the kiosk, tucking and youth rolling into into the store, and recovering into a crouching position. ]

Okay, I'm in--!