epidemiology | [EVENT POST] I FEEL STUPID, AND CONTAGIOUS.

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[EVENT POST] I FEEL STUPID, AND CONTAGIOUS.

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.

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[Beautiful 10/10, Shizuo is in full support of this entrance tbh

It's true, though, he can balance quite a lot of dishes at once. And has! In a couple of past jobs actually being a waiter at a restaurant, because carrying the platters was never actually the issue. (How he dealt with customers who didn't tip was pretty much exactly like this, actually, and that's why he never held onto either of those jobs for particularly long...Maya's intuition is on point yet again clearly.......)]

Maybe if we can find a lot of duct tape. Like, make them stick better? [Because clearly the issue was a lack of tape, and more tape would surely prevent infected from tearing them off quite so easily--the logic is sound enough, alright?

But ah, at least she ducks, so that's something...though now Maya's careening right into a second infected at the same time, which wasn't something Shizuo had accounted for. Maya...was that an accident? Was that on purpose?? Either way, the skates have proved their merit at least a little, he guesses.

Shizuo's keeping an eye on her and keeping close anyway, though, as he follows after Maya's wobbly rollerblading path.]

Well, in that case, follow me. I'll clear them out of the way, let's find a place to get some cover. Don't get bitten, huh? [Obviously that should go without saying, but really!! He's letting you roll around for now, Maya, but one call too close with an infected and he's going to pick you up and carry you out anyway. Use your autonomy wisely...!

Shizuo's starting in the direction of the clothing shop's entrance, now, stop sign leveled like a polearm as they slowly start weaving around clothing racks.]

[As much as Joseph might sometimes try to pretend like other people's problems aren't his and that he's going to stay out of it, that almost never actually ends up being what happens. It'd be especially foolish to think that it would be true this time when he spots two kids holding hands while running with the distance between them and the infected getting smaller and smaller and smaller.]

[So, Joseph does what he does best, which is meddling. And hauling ass.]

[Of course, it doesn't appear that there's about to be any gratitude between the futile smacks and pushes at his sides and stomach, and the hollering behind him. He frowns. Gratitude isn't the reason why he'd do this sort of thing, but goddamn. It'd be nice if he could get a little recognition for doing a good thing instead of getting smacked and yelled at. He looks over his shoulder back at the kid trailing behind.]

Less talking and more running!

[Also less talking because Joseph needs to be able to focus. It's not just mindless running away, after all. He's looking for the closets safe spot to dump these two kids off until something can be done to get everyone out.]

As long as it's secure.

[ It's close, but not close enough to present an immediate threat. As the infected get more desperate, they might have to consider vacating some of the stores on this floor. It'll happen, Emma realizes, once they start searching other places for food.]

If you're going to go for food, go with me. Deal?

[He'll have to help her achieve her dreams.]

[Maya knows where it's at, definitely. Look, the way she's picturing it, he's the hero of his restaurant!! Who could fire an employee who protects the people and makes sure the skeeves are tipping right?]

Good thinking! To the hardware store! [She says, as he heads to a clothing store.... but she approves. This guy is definitely on her level. She deer-on-ice skates over behind him, keeping up but narrowly avoiding getting grabbed in the process.]

Don't worry about me, Mr. Heiwajima! Just make sure your non-armored arms and legs don't get any nibb--- woah!

[Just for the of sake comedic irony and because Shizuo just needs to pick her up everytime they thread, it's at this exact second that an infected hand grabs her from a clothing rack and starts pulling her into the 50% dresses. The horror!! The horror!]

What the--- hey, I'm not changing! My outfit's too awesome!!

[She swings her SNES as them]

Edited (im tiared) 2017-03-17 05:34 (UTC)

[When it come to the big decisions, Joseph is perfectly willing to let other people make those decisions. That's why when word spreads about the parking garage, he doesn't offer an opinion about whether to seal it off or use it to escape. As far as he's concerned, there's too much room for miscommunication and confusion if there are too many people trying to make calls like that.]

[There are also much bigger, more immediate concerns to contend with. Mostly, this means Joseph needs to stay on the move because he's attracted attention from the infected that's taking him nearly from one end of the mall to the other. If one were to ask him, he would assure them that this was entirely planned. After all, this is an old secret Joestar technique. Unfortunately, there's no time for that sort of explanation. And it seems highly unlikely that someone would take the time to ask that question in the first place because the infected sure as hell aren't going to pause and politely allow for some brief discussion between the un-infected to commence.]

[What there is time for, however, is an invitation to use the technique.]

Don't just stand there! Run!

( his face colors with slight confusion as he obligingly holds still and Maya satellites around him. he recognizes her, of course he does, though he doesn't remember the fact he neglected to introduce himself. he holds steady, trying to help her slow to a stop without losing her footing. it seems a bit like a losing battle, though. )

I think you ought to take those off. ( he might take it back, though, because when another infected lunges for them he releases her and she slides cleanly off in a different direction, and the poor woman lands resolutely on the floor, and gets a tranq dart for her trouble. he'll run out of them sooner or later, he knows — and then dealing with the infected will be far more difficult.

hopefully Maya is not running into a wall in the meantime. )

if you can get in, I have no objections. it is an electronic system, key card I think. if we find it we can get in easily, but I haven't had any luck so far.

( look honestly it's kinda impressive that he keeps up with Camp Pining Hearts well enough to know the name. he pauses just a moment to try and recognize this other Percy she might be on about, though he comes up short. he can ask about it later, perhaps. if they don't do something about the infected pouring in, they were not going to have a later.

or, he wasn't.

he nods at the instruction. it sounds simple enough, though one man against many infected was not actually that simple. ) All right. I suspect the noise could draw a great deal of them, so be careful. I'll cover you the best I can.

( left unsaid is that he might not be able to track them all. he did not know how a gem could be affected by the infected... it'd be best if they didn't learn. )

( the team. vague, yes, though also clear enough for him to understand immediately. he nods, not answering with words but his expression was clear. Pokémon team, or Audentes team, either was good enough for him. it meant he could breathe a little easier, though even in the midst of madness there was only so open they could be.

it was easier to work with another member of ALASTAIR, however, that was undeniable.

he's no better knowledgeable about the location of the security room than she is. if she saw an officer heading that way, it's as good a clue as any. ) Stairs suit, though we could walk down the escalators too, depending on how crowded the area is. Back stairs might be emptier.

I so promise.

( he does not relish the fact he must lush into danger, though he has little choice. hiding in safety won't do anything to rectify the situation. there might not be any amount of safety to be had in the mall, so long as it was full of infected. he had to do something, dangerous or not.

and he would be careful, because believe it or not, he wanted to survive as much as anyone else. he could be a little impulsive with his own health, yet no part of him wanted to die a second time. he would be more than careful, and he would do what he must to survive.

With the promise to protect the store granted, he tugs her hand slightly to wrap her in a hug. it can't last long, yet with the mind it could be the last time he sees her safe for some time, he wants to say goodbye with the reminder he cared for her. )

You be careful too. ( his voice is quieter now, worry clear. )

( Graham does tend to get on with animals well. even ones he'd never met seemed to have some sense that he was closer to animal than human than the average man. that happened when you were raised by wolves over human beings. it is hard for graham not to greet the dog personally, it is just not the time for it. even he knows as much.

he will make a point of getting to know Dogberry later, though.

Graham recognizes the patch, and nods. that was very lucky, to run into a member of security. if she can help he will happily take it. ) I figured it might be locked. Do you have any ideas as to where the keys are?

If you were going to look anyway. I'm sure if we look together, we'll be more likely to find something. In the other stores, even if it might just be snacks.

[Obviously the food court is the most obvious to look but. With the infected swarming there that isn't the best option right now or likely since they got at it.]

So I'll come with you.

I will.

[Even if she might eventually wander in order to find supplies to help them get through this. Knowing there's only so long they might hold out in one place like this. In one store against all of this. But she does return the hug, tightly, her smaller fingers clutching at his shirt for a moment when he pulls her forward into the embrace. ]

[wtf is a key card]

it will not be necessary to locate such a thing

shall i meet you at the security office, then?

...

[What did she just do? What sort of Sandman, bring me a dream nonsense is this? Mettaton doesn't stop himself from gaping as the girl immediately falls into a deep slumber. Aqua can just... do that?]

I will pay you to teach me that spell.

[He means it. He could get so much done if he could just knock out Undyne any time he saw her. He will pay Aqua a King's Fortune (of $200) for this dark magic.

...wait. They're talking about him, aren't they? Good enough. That's his favorite subject.

Gently, ever so gently, he starts to pick the girl up into his arms, silently debating on what to do with her. There's some other civilians nearby, the ones he had seen earlier. She should be safe with them, but...] As for me, well. It'll take more than one little apocalypse to get this fabulous curtain to fall. Can't... say I'm doing so well in the whole "not shutting off" department is all. [Sigh. This girl should weigh 50 pounds soaking wet and he can barely lift her...] You wouldn't happen to have a portable charger, would you? A few double As? Honestly, sweetheart, I'd take a potato at this point.

[...that's a joke. He's not charging with a potato. He has limits.]

...

[There's a certain look that crosses Mettaton's face as Feferi explains herself. It's the sort of face a parent makes when they tell their child to wash their dishes and the child takes the plate into the tub with them during their wash. It's wholly and completely incorrect, and yet ingenious enough to only garner a sense of bewildered respect.

He nods.]

No. No, I was planning on writing in these. I appreciate the sentiment, however, and will keep it in mind. [What? It sounds like an amazing use of slapstick.]

...Is that what you're using to defend yourself? [It looks like a cheaply made replica of Asgore's trident.]

Gladly.

[Why leave them to roam around unhindered, after all, when in all likeliness there'd only come a moment a little later on when they become a problem for the civilians attempting to take cover here? And so he stands back, fires off a few more clattering shots with an easy kind of indolence, aiming yet again for places that will hurt and disable, yes, but won't kill.

It only takes a moment, and then he's lowering both pistols, glancing back at the other Audente as the infected writhe and snap on the ground.]

Well, that was fun.

[The roll of his eyes goes unseen behind the bright sheen of orange lenses, though the slight curl of his lip indicative of distaste is made clear enough.]

As am I, and no wound sticks for long.

[Immunity to poisons and pathogens has set him in good stead here, and that autonomic regeneration of his at least means he'll heal from any bite he receives. But still-- arguing like this, it's wasting time.]

But suit yourself. If you want to distract them, get on with it.

[Maybe he'll just shoot one or two, out of spite...]

Heh. Easily. [she slams the shutters down to keep them from being disturbed to prove just how easy it is.] We can use this store as a rudimentary prison for any infected we come across in this area. [she waits until he puts his limp captive down and works on bending the metal into a ring around them. it's tricky, because she's not had practice with this level of her abilities, but she manages somehow all grunting and groaning aside, though she looks exhausted afterwards.]

Holy smokes. I... actually didn't know I could do that. [that's Peridot for you. Claims she's capable of doing something and then surprises herself when it turns out she wasn't wrong.]

What sort of locks are we talking about? Are you looking for a key, or are they electronic? With regards to the security office.

If all of these shops are complying with safety laws (note: they probably aren't) first aid kits should be found somewhere in each of them.

[Fugo is in the bookstore because he's on the lookout for a first aid kit to loot for supplies. Unfortunately, given the hissing and the banging on the employee's lounge and the lack of supplies behind the front counter, it looks like this particular is a bust. For medical supplies, anyway. Most of the civilians here are pretty wigged out, so the tills haven't been touched. Nice.

So. Given that he is ... also in the middle of stealing, the look Fugo's shooting Mettaton isn't judgemental so much as it's curious while he taps his selection of bills into a neat stack and binds them together with a rubber band.]

Oh, yeah. Therapy doesn't really have a good return on investment anyway. How are you doing that?

[God, Giorno is going to be so angry with him.]

[Getting separated was not part of the plan. (Honestly, not a lot of this outing has gone to plan; or the plans keep getting made and then discarded because so much of hostile situations is thinking and reacting on your feet.) But that was an accident. One minute together and the next, Giorno's just-- he's gone. He's gone, drifting away, probably drawn to someone who needs to help. It's fine. He's fine, because nothing can defeat Giorno Giovanna, even though he's not answering messages on the magitech.

Anyway. All of that's just fluff. A pointless distraction, when he needs to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. He knows where he's going: he's aiming for a store, whose stupid name he can't quite remember but location is burned into the mental map he's got of the mall, that has an employee lounge he can barricade himself into. That's his current plan, made after pitching a few rubber balls into a group of infected and telling a particularly drooly one to go shove a boat up their ass with the oars sticking out* to pull them away from a pair of hysterical kids who'd climbed up onto the roof of a kiosk. Not the greatest higher ground, but. Beggars can't be choosers. He guesses. He hopes they're okay.

* (Ficcati una barca in culo con i remi aperti, for anyone reading at home curious about creative Italian insults.)

The point is the situation he's put himself in is not an accident. And Giorno's going to be very annoyed when he comes to get him, but Fugo's hoping that the (slightly squashed) pretzels, water bottles, first aid supplies, and (stolen from various tills) cash will soothe his frayed temper. But that's thinking a bit far ahead. Left, right. Ignore the dizziness. Push away the tiredness. Left, right. He's run faster than this, for longer than this. The storefront he's aiming for is on the right, five stores down.]

[Don't move!]

[A lot happens in the next few seconds. Fugo tracks most of it, because he's used to the funny way time seems to slow down in hazardous situations of the life-threatening kind. Someone yells. He looks up. They're on the chandelier, reaching out to nothing. Fugo squints up, confused, from under the hood of his jacket, twists back to look over his shoulder, and then ahead just in time to see altogether too many (blue???) bones suddenly springing into existence from the linoleum. Just plain fuck is Fugo's swear of choice as he tries to bob, weave, and ultimately skid around one just to trip over another. He thinks his shin stings, in the same way his hands and arms probably hurt from catching himself on the way down.

But he's a little more distracted from things like pain at the sight of the crowd, caught and pinned in a cage of-- bones. Femurs? Why are they blue. And glowing? He turns back up to look up at Sans when he calls down again, blinking a few times as everything processes. And then he scowls, in the universal put-upon way every person who hates puns manages.]

Are you-- [He wheezes.] Really? A pun? God. [His heart is still pounding. Now that he's not running, his legs feel like ribbons and his lungs are screaming. And, yeah, his leg hurts in the way he's sure is going to bruise later. Fuck. Fugo takes a moment to catch his breath, plainly very frazzled, pressing his hands to his eyes to try and chase away his tiredness and a pesky headache that just won't quit. And then he calls up:] Yeah. All good. Not dead.

[Except no, not really, American food is the worst and Fugo is more confused than anything else why anyone other than a bunch of literally insane cannibals would want to eat a fast food hamburger off the floor. It squelched when it hit the ground. Ugh.

Fugo snakes one arm in the mess and hooks his fingers into her shirt collar and, with the ease of long practice of pulling similar stunts with Narancia, yanks her back and away from her fallen meal.]

What are you doing?! Are you seriously about to throw your life away for some shitty hamburger? We need to get out of here! [Because that sure isn't the only group of hungry-looking infected. And that burger isn't going to distract them for long.]

[As a general rule, Fugo prefers to avoid closed spaces. They make his chest feel tight with anxiety on the best of days and this is not one of his best days. Purple Haze has been snarling in the back of his thoughts since the lockdown began, beating a steady mantra of fury and fear on the back of his eyelids. He's very tired. And that's the problem: in the time that they were apart, he and Giorno managed to wind up in opposite corners of the mall. They're meeting halfway, of course, but between all the running around Fugo's doing would leave a healthy, well-rested person worn out.

So here he is, hiding out on the floor in this abandoned kiosk selling a bunch of junk that's trying to pass itself off as foreign antiques, quietly drinking a bottle of water. He's also listening carefully, one elbow still hooked into the strap of the backpack of supplies he's gathered, poised and ready to spring to his feet and launch over the counter at any signs of a hostile infected approaching. When Feferi stumbles upon him, he's hunched over a pendant she'll recognize as Audentes magitech; his shoulders jump up, he squints up at her from underneath the hood of his jacket, and then... well, don't entirely relax, because Fugo never relaxes, but he's obviously just nervy and not hostile.]

Yeah, sure. [He wearily beckons for her to come in, followed by a gesture that she ought to stay low.] And I'm fine. Just tired.

[And kind of banged up. There are dark marks on both of his palms that he's just wearily accepted are going to be bruises, because that's just how life goes when he trips and falls.]

With a clear conscience. [Oh no, they have little stamps with music notes on them!! And stars!! Those get nabbed too.

Mettaton's fiddling with his star stamp as he finally takes a closer look at his compatriot. A civilian wouldn't be this blase, so the only option is Audentes.

He gives them a smile.]

And I'm assume it's the same for you.

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Page 7 of 44

[EVENT POST] I FEEL STUPID, AND CONTAGIOUS.

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joseph joestar | 00:00 - 02:00 | ota

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Looks good to me!!! 👌🏼

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haunting ground huey my heart sob

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text; un: hemlock

b.

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(plays a funeral dirge for the burger...........)

[ 00:00 TO 02:00 HOURS ]

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