[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

[feytality]

[At least Maya alerted Aqua to the threats? But no, even though she jumps up to help, Aqua dispatches the two attacks with little preamble and lots of style, and Maya, easily impressed as she is, can't help but exclaim (a little too loudly, thanks, Maya---)]

That was incredible! Where'd you learn to do that?

[Prince Aqua's got herself a fan.... albeit a noisy one. The intrepid duo makes their way over the bookstore with no further incident, though some other infected notice the commotion and start to head in their direction. But they still have time.]

[However, there's another obstruction -- the gate's already closed up the bookstore, hastily locked but enough of a barricade to buy those inside some time if infected did head that way. Maya looks to Aqua]

What do you think? I might be able to get this thing open.... or do you want to keep looking?

[Maya's arm is thin enough that she can probably get it through the gate.... so she attempts it]

she's so cute omg

[keeper]

[ (Maya!! Pls!!! Contain your excitement!!!) Aqua's response is hushed and almost hasty, like she's trying to soft pedal the girl's outburst. ] I was taught by my Master.

[ The magic aspect, anyhow... She can explain later if Maya's interested, that is if they can make it to shelter. (Alas, it seems their bookstore is already barricaded, and the two of them on the wrong side. No signs of other civilians behind the gate, either.) ]

Let's give it a shot. If we can't get in, we can try somewhere else.

[ She's gunning for this particular shop if only because the heavier bookcases might do a better job of blockading the entrance, as opposed to a stack of swaying clothing racks.

As Maya fidgets with the lock, Aqua turns to a handful of the infected stalking their way. ] —I'll be back in a moment. If anything happens... use the network and I'll come right away.

[ She'll hold off their pursuers in the meantime, and she won't be too far from her. She begins to build a charge in her hands, ready to stun the incoming intruders with well-controlled zaps of lightning magic. (Go go go, Maya!) ]

she's the president of Aqua's new fanclub tbh

[feytality]

[Nothing hushes this girl and her outbursts. Okay, that's not true, some things hush her, but even being in the middle of a stereotypical zombie flick where they're trapped in a mall can't truly dampen her enthusiasm.]

Oh!! Like... a martial arts sensei? You gotta teach me how to do that!

[But now's not the time. Heavier bookshelves as a blockade, boring books.... there are plenty of reasons to flee to this relic of a store, and Maya sobers a little to nod to her as Aqua prepares to do her thing]

Okay! Be careful, and kick zombutt!

[In the meantime, Maya holds down the fort by wiggling her hands around through the bars in the hopes that this will somehow get it open. Good thing security in the 90s isn't all that tight]

Oooh, open, you dumb thing!

the best =u=b

[keeper]

[ Meanwhile, Aqua's karate-chopping the rest of the infected into submission, or throwing sparks from a giant black flip-phone—a prop to trick any eye-witnesses or cameras into thinking she's got a taser. One of them lunges towards Maya and she puts on an invisible burst of speed, slamming the rabid civilian face-first into the wall just next to the girl, knocking him out cold. ]

...Sorry.

[ Didn't mean to startle... She drags the unconscious body back to the others, arranging them in a disheveled row against the balcony lining the higher floor. By the time she makes it back to Maya, she hears a triumphant click of the gate latch (and probably a victory whoop to go with it).

A smile cracks her stony expression once more. ] Very nice work. Shall we?

[ Time to hole up inside!!! ]

[feytality]

[Aqua spends the whole time kicking ass while Maya's fumbling to break into a store like the little criminal that she is]

[She does startle when Aqua slams the dude into a wall--]

--Eeek!

[But that jump actually gives her the momentum to reach the lock properly so she can get to work. The latch clicks, the gate swings open (with Maya swinging with it), and she pumps her free hand into the air for that whoop]

We did it! We did it! Now let's go throw books at them!

[Right after she actually gets her arm out of the gate...]

[keeper]

[ Throwing books... Where in the world does this girl get all these ideas from... (Well, it's not the worst self-defense tactic. Clocking the infected with hardcovers might actually keep them at bay without dealing any lasting damage; she's assuming Maya's got the physical strength of a normal teenager her age, anyway...) ]

...We should see if we can get some other civilians here, and barricade the gate.

[ She pulls a large almanac from the bargain books section and hands it to the other recruit, to be used as both a weapon and a shield. (There's really not much else here to work with, and at least she's just cleared the area for them—unless Maya decides of course to summon even more infected with her boisterous ways.) ]

Can you check nearby for anyone who might need shelter? I'll start rearranging the shelves in the meantime.

[ Meaning, she's going to start emptying them so she can drag the wooden furniture over to the entrance... ]

[feytality]

[Books are heavy and hard... they make good projectiles]

[Maya's physical strength honestly isn't too impressive, but she can manage weaponizing some textbooks and other hardcopies.]

[She takes the almanac and nods enthusiastically -- yeah, hopefully she hasn't attracted more attention -- and heads off to start scoping out the area]

Roger that! Don't forget to build some book soldiers to guard us, too!

[keeper]

[ Book soldiers......... Maya she's got magic but she's not God okay, she can't animate inorganic (or even organic) objects like that...

As Aqua works she keeps a steady eye on her tracker, making sure Maya hasn't wandered (or gotten dragged) anywhere too far. She trusts the girl to raise a verbal siren if anything were to go wrong, though of course she'd rather it not come to that...

Whenever Maya finishes playing pied piper, she'll return to find all of the bookshelves lined near the gate, ready to be put into place once the civilians have been herded inside.

...There are several very tall stacks of books scattered about the place as well (mindfully arranged so the poor employees can re-shelve them without losing their minds), though they don't look anything like book-people... ]

[feytality]

[what use are you to her, then, Aqua!!!]

[Yeah, if Maya got nabbed, Aqua would hear her screaming from a mile away. AS it stands, Aqua probably made out bits of her conversation -- it looks like she did find some stragglers, and is reassuring them they'll be safe. After a while, Maya comes back to marvel at Aqua's progress -- it's better than nothing.]

Hey, good job! Lemme just fix something for you...

[She gets on her tiptoes and carefully jengas a book away to open it and place it on top as a 'hat'. Apparently, that's what a book person is]

He looks pretty tough, doesn't he?

[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...) ]

[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]