[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

[unholey]

I've been misinformed. [Fugo continues to frown at his bag, while he retrieves one small plastic cup after another.] I was led to believe it was the sport they call football, but isn't, and... the... [He pauses, looks up, and squints while he tries and fails to remember the word he's looking for.] Patties of ground hamburger served on sliced buns with melted cheese, sliced tomatoes, and lettuce on top. Garnishes include pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard.

[Hamburger. The word he's looking for is hamburger, but all he can remember is a forlorn cry. It was deluxe!]

[digiorno]

It's lots of terrible things.

[Ground hamburger . . . why . . . Giorno sighs, holds the pretzel wheel against his chest, and extends his hand palm-up for Fugo to place some of the cups in. He's quiet for a moment. Then:]

This was very thoughtful of you.

[Thanks, he means, for knowing how much of a disaster he is without a known food source.]

[unholey]

[There's a story behind this stupid pretzel wheel. It involves a lot of sneaking around and more than one miraculous stroke of luck. At least one significant, somewhat stupid risk. But Fugo doesn't doubt for a second that it's worth it.]

I know food is important. [In general and to Giorno, specifically. Knowing that made finding some food at the top of his list of priorities. Fugo places two of the cups in his hands.] That yellow stuff is supposed to be cheese, I think. And there's an M written on the lid of the other one, so it's probably not ketchup.

[digiorno]

[Oh. It's . . . stupid, to feel this kind of useless emotion in the middle of a crisis. So he puts it Away, and locks it up, and throws away the key, and focuses on Fugo's words instead.]

[Then on the food, because: what the fuck.]

Cheese is not that color.

[He takes the little cups but. He's just furious.]

[unholey]

[Fugo shakes his head in tired disgust.]

I don't understand Americans. [But still, moving on...] These are the last two. Chocolate and supposedly cream cheese icing but it's probably just powdered sugar. Because I guess pretzels can be eaten sweet or savory.

[PICK ONE OR THE OTHER, AMERICA. An important note: although there are four options, there are five cups in total. Because he picked up two of the chocolate.]

[digiorno]

Why would you have cream cheese icing . . . ?

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

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

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

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