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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[Making a brief 'humph' of affirmation, Ban settled his eyes on the sleeping child for a moment. What a pain. Naruto's admittance gave him the slightest idea, at least. If communication was harder for the two, then bridging the gap between them would have to be done through alternative means. Getting a sense of the outside would be important.]

Which means he's probably still not sure what to do since he hadn't returned. Meanin'--you need a way to talk to him.

[He assumed the magitek was out of the question, since it would be an easy first move. Naruto probably tried it.]

I'm gonna think of something, then. [Pausing, Ban looked to the box that Naruto was still fidgeting with.]

And, hurry up and eat. It's not hot anymore but I still put work into makin' it. [Pork-fried rice, fried eggs, stove-cooked vegetables, and chicken. It was all arranged and cooked with an extremely professional air, contrary to the guy who shoved the box at Naruto in the first place.]

[ Naruto hasn't tried shit with the magitek because he's still not really all too certain how to use it. He's been told a handful of times but he's not the quickest learner or the most capable student, so the possibility of using magitek hasn't even crossed his mind.

Obediently, he opens the box and his eyes widen. He'd been expecting like.. legitimate take out, like the food you get from food stands, perhaps Ban's leftovers from earlier that he didn't want or didn't like and was hefting them off to Naruto under the guise of being a nice guy. Naruto didn't even for a moment think that the contents of the box would be Ban's own handiwork, or that they'd be so nicely arranged and apparently untouched. Ban gets another inch of Naruto's confidence in him for the gesture.

He raises his eyebrows and lifts a piece of chicken to pop it into his mouth with a mere attempt at tentativeness.. but really he's too hungry for that. It smells even better than it looks now that the lid is properly open, and once he's determined that the meal is as good as it looks and smells, he starts tucking in. ]

You made this?? [ He repeats with full hamster cheeks because it's still.. pretty astounding to him. ] You don't look like the cookin' type.

[Failing to ignore the compliment he received just by merit of Naruto pounding food in his mouth, Ban succeeded in pretending he was indifferent to it. He took a silent sort of pride in his cooking and rarely tended to show it. The last time he really felt happy to exchange words over his cooking had been with Meliodas. This, he said nothing of.

Teppenyaki was new to him, sure, but Ban had a knack for learning new recipes. Merlin's insistence that he busy himself when he wasn't drunk was enough to get him into at least one good habit.

He peered back at Naruto when he was sure the young man was distracted, curious. Naruto looked as if he had set aside his judgment and dove right into the meal with quite a bit of fervor. Turning away before he could smile, Ban heaved a sigh.]

Yup. If thieves want good cooking, they better learn for themselves. Chefs recognize pick-pockets the most, especially when it comes to their favorite stock ♪.

[ It takes a moment for Naruto's mind to understand what Ban means by that, and though he probably misses the boat he does eventually come up with a conclusion and looks up - with sauce and flecks of food all over his face - and nods. ]

That makes sense. When I was a kid I stole a lot to piss people in my village off, but they always caught me, I guess 'cos I always stole the same stuff.

[ Which is probably why he never learned how to cook. Cup noodles were easiest to steal, even if he rarely got away with anything the more he tried it. ]

Is that why you learned, then? You're a good thief, aren't ya?

[It wasn't at all what Ban expected to hear. Kids like Naruto should have grown up in rich families. People bragged about how their wealth enabled them to utilize the best education and grow up with the loftiest morals. Heroic knights came from rich peoples' families and it was shoved down their throats all the time. Ban didn't expect someone like Naruto to share that sort of background with him.]

...

[So, he wondered where he went wrong.]

Yup. They used to call me Bandit Ban. Did you get a nickname, yourself?

Bandit Ban, huh? Hah, that's a pretty cool nickname! Ya should use it more often, Bandit-san~

[ He's teasing, being a little shit because he can, while he finishes off what's left of the meal. He makes short work of it... but he's idling and it's obvious from the way he takes time cleaning his face on his sleeve and closing the box again after placing it carefully in front of himself on the floor. ]

Nah, not really any nickname. People called me demon, or monster, or brat. [ His eyes flick up and he shrugs. ] Most of the time they just called me Naruto, though. [ Which, with the way he says it, makes it sound worse than anything else they could have called him. ]

[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.

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.

Everyone forgets about the whole 'Bandit' thing, these days~. The 'Undead' part is a bit more memorable.

[It was also his worst crime, admittedly. Stealing from some wagons paled in comparison to taking the most coveted treasure in all the kingdoms. Ban stole a legend and kept it for himself, according to them. He was the enemy of countless lords and kings. While he may have made enemies with caravans before, the scale in which his true sin had gone made that pale in comparison.

While Naruto found himself interested, Ban couldn't have sounded any less proud or pleased with himself.]

I drank the Fountain of Youth. I won't ever age or die from any kinda wound.

[ Fountain of Youth? Naruto has never heard of anything like that, so he can't really grasp the gravity of the situation or the weight that it holds. All that comes to mind is.. the word Youth. ]

But you're old.

[ He squints, as if trying to work out if Ban is messing with him again. Ban is, by no stretch, old enough to be called old, but he's older than Naruto and therefore.. You get the idea. He can't understand how someone as not-a-teenager as Ban could have drank anything to do with youth. ]

Shouldn't it make ya young if it's called the Fountain of Youth?? If it keeps you at the age you are, then it's just an live-forever fountain or whatever.

Old? [Ban paused, touching his cheek. He was 23 when he drank the elixir of life. Was he older looking than he thought? Naruto's comment made him wonder if he had any wrinkles from the beginning. When he stopped and realized that wasn't the case, he leveled a brow a bit lower and sustained a bit of doubt.] Ah, not like it matters.

I'm the only one who's drunk it, so I dunno if it makes you younger. I was at least twenty-three when I drank it and I haven't gotten any older. It might make you younger if you're old--I dunno.

[He offered a wide shrug, knowing no better than Naruto did.] Course, most people wanted it for the immortality side of it--not so much wanting to be younger.

[ Then it should definitely be called the Live-Forever Fountain in his opinion but he won't keep pushing it. ]

Huuh. That's pretty neat, not bein' able to die and all. I guess that's why you didn't back down from Sonia-chan, huh?

[ Naruto had thought Ban one of those bad guys with a death wish or maybe a desperate guy with nothing to lose, and now he realises Ban is.. just a guy, with a crazy ability. He can't begin to imagine what being incapable of dying might do to a person's level of recklessness, but he has a feeling the end product might look something like Ban. Then suddenly, he does a double take. ]

Wait, you're the only one? Did ya drink the whole thing?? [ He looks more impressed than scandalised or anything. ] You musta been real thirsty to drink an entire fountain!

Ah, who's Sonia?

[While Ban would easily remember the face of the girl who didn't flinch when she had to stab someone with a needle in the middle of a fight--he was terrible when it came to names, normally.

He was understandably caught off guard by Naruto's follow-up question and the excitement that came with it.]

It wasn't really the entire fountain. It was just a mouthful of water from a chalice~.

[ He squints. Was Ban teasing him again? How could he forget Sonia??? She almost killed him not a few weeks ago.. ]

The girl who was with me when we met, y'know. The one ya pissed off by takin' her stuff.

[ Bad, Ban. ]

Aaah, so how d'ya know you're the only one then, huh? If ya just drank a cup of it then there's gotta be lots more cupfuls to the whole thing.

[Naruto, later on, probably wouldn't be as surprised to know that Ban didn't really think of 'people who tried to kill him' as always that memorable. While Sonia was an intelligent girl, Naruto would have had to lead with--]

Ahhh, the one that stuck me with the needle. OK, I remember her~.

[Pursing his lips, Ban made a cupping gesture in the open air with one hand.]

Nah, see--the fountain was just a chalice that would keep pouring water out of itself until someone picked it up. Once it was set down in place, it'd keep pouring water out--so you could drink it entirely if you picked it up.

Ohh-- [ He says like he understands completely when he really only has vague understanding. It sounds pretty magical, so he supposes it makes sense that it would give Ban magical powers at the very least. He can't help but wonder if there are negative effects to taking away the whole fountain, though. Things didn't usually exist and then disappear without some kind of cause and effect. Not in his experience, at least. ]

Were you normal before ya drank it, then?

[ He remembers ban saying most people drank it for the immortality, but the way he phrased it kind of made it clear that he didn't count himself as one of those people. ]

Did ya drink it for what it'd do to ya, or for another reason?

You gotta tell me what normal is, first ♪. [A smile found its way on Ban's face when he considered the prospect of normalcy, especially when compared to other villagers and people from Raven. It was difficult to even think of himself as normal on a human level even omitting the prospect of magic and strength. To begin with, even when he wasn't strong and had powers--people would have considered him subhuman for being a street urchin and even lower for becoming a thief.

He snickered, though there wasn't any real humor in the gesture.]

Can't say I'm at all normal, either way. Before or after.

[Then, with a smile that contained absolutely no joy or promise of a punchline, Ban looked to Naruto and admitted something he hadn't said aloud in over a decade--]

I thought I'd drink it because even though my life was crummy from the start maybe if I lived long enough, something good would happen to me eventually.

[ Naruto stays quiet for a long moment.

He can understand the appeal of immortality, sure; it's total offensive and defensive freedom, the kind of freedom Ban has to be totally reckless when he fights or antagonises people, but Naruto can't shake the feeling that it has it's fair share of drawbacks too. It sounds lonely. Not many people are immortal, after all. He can't imagine what it must be like to constantly watch people grow while you stay in the same spot, what it must be like to watch people leave to places you can't follow.

Naruto isn't immortal and isn't very old, but even so he feels he can relate to what Ban says. ]

An' has it yet? [ He asks. Yet, he says, because that's his way of saying that if it hasn't, he knows it will. Eventually. ] This place is a good thing, don't ya think? The whole team thing, and ALASTAIR.

[ He pauses, stretches out his legs in thought and hums. ]

I'm not gonna live forever, y'know, but I'm gonna do my best to live as long as I can. Till my arms don't work anymore an' my legs are just stumps from all the runnin' I'll do, an' my eyes go misty an' my voice goes all quiet from yellin' so much. I'm gonna chase after all the good stuff and keep it close, y'know. [ Another pause. ] I think it's good to not be normal. Normal is boring.

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[EVENT POST] I FEEL STUPID, AND CONTAGIOUS.

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