Let's be war buddies...

[initiates]

Date & Time: 18th, beginning at 2100 hours, through to the 20th.
Location: All around Exsilium.
Characters: Everyone!
Summary: The United Earth decides Exsilium had obviously not learned its lesson back in October, and does another round of humble-making bombing for those impertinent exiles. OOC info can be found here.
Warnings: Violence, death, general gloom and doom.

The warning had gone out approximately two hours before the bombing began, broadcast to any available receptor on the island: UE aggressions incoming, bombs expected; please proceed to Catacombs immediately. It repeats over and over, right up until the first bomb, aimed at the Hold itself, silences the signal.

The air is thick with smoke and worse. Every one to two hours another bomb shakes the island. Buildings crumble and shatter, but the focus is on the Hold and the native hospital. Initiative employees, some sick as anyone else, are steadfast in their escorting natives and transports alike into the underground catacombs. For two days the bombs continue ceaselessly, dropped by their cloaked and invisible carriers overhead.

The United Earth is nothing if not thorough.

Comments

catacombs, open!

[velveteened]

( he wakes underground a few hours after the bombings start; not for a lack of haste to get there (thanks to katniss) but for having been knocked out in the process (also thanks to katniss). residual grogginess helps tamp down any initial panic, as does hearing about the situation from gilbert, reassurances that most people they know are accounted for one way or another. it's a relief, at least, but there is another problem that presents itself quickly which can't be soothed away so easily.

regardless of whether oz's eyes are open or closed, all he can see is a perfect pitch darkness.

he'd assumed it was just his eyes adjusting at first, or that it was just that dark, before remembering something hitting the hospital with one of the early bomb strikes, making his eyes hurt. it'd been before katniss got there, something he'd forgot amidst the chaos. something that'll pass soon...right?

in the meantime, he stays close to gil and other familiar faces, but will be attentively listening for anyone he may know and up for conversation when not drifting, occasionally, in and out of sleep. )

yo have a problem you weren't expecting

[lazyinlove]

(At some point the urge to move happens, somewhere between the blinding panic. There's no rhyme or reason to it beyond the idea that he's somehow better off if he doesn't stay in one place. So Stanley stumbles to his feet and runs, with no destination in mind. Try as he might, he can't focus on his surroundings. Everything feels like a hazy blur. It's like a bad trip, but there's no one around to talk him down.

Funny, then, that he does take a trip. Something soft bumps him, or maybe he bumps it, and then he's sprawling, chin bouncing off the floor, the light patterns associated with sudden impact bursting behind his eye lids.

Dizzily, he sits up, rubs his face, and attempts to make sense of what just happened. Wait, was that a person? Whoops.)

Sorry.

LMFAO OH GOOD

[velveteened]

( he might've heard his impending doom by noticing the sound of quickly-moving footfalls, but amidst people coming and going and moving around the catacombs, it wasn't easy to make out - and he's still not at all used to having to rely more heavily on these other senses. so he definitely makes a startled, undignified sort of squawk as one palm hits the ground painfully and he moves to pull his legs closer to his chest - assuming that doesn't somehow involve kicking stanley or stuck awkwardly somehow.

the surprised scowl on his face doesn't get turned to stanley until the voice gives him a direction to look at, though it fades soon enough, mollified by the apology. )

Are you alright?

( saying anything like look where you're going feels a little too ironic - plus who's to say if the other person can. )

[lazyinlove]

(That's a good question. Or maybe it's a ridiculous question. Of course he isn't alright. There are bombs going on. But that's probably not what this dude means. He's pretty small, the guy Stanley just tripped over. Maybe a freshman. It gives him a moment of pause, to see this younger guy reacting so much better. He's still trying not to kiss himself, or throw up, or just lose it altogether. And really, its harder than he expected it to be.)

What? Yeah. I think...mostly.

[retraced]

[As soon as Oz had been passed off to him by Katniss, Gilbert hadn't left his side. He'd settled them against the far side of the catacombs, Gilbert resting with his back flat against the wall with Oz lying on his side right next to him. There are still people who need help, supplies that need gathering, but he's still having trouble breathing and Oz hasn't woken up yet. He's spotted a few people in the crowd while keeping quiet over here, so he at least is aware of those who are safe. As for others...

At the first sign that Oz is waking, he's instantly leaning closer to the young man and reaching up to push his hair out of his eyes and check the temperature of his forehead.]

Oz? Are you awake?

[velveteened]

( he wakes slowly, at first only dimly aware of all ruckus. more immediate is the chill in the air, making him shiver once even though he doesn't really feel cold, and the hand he doesn't yet recognize. the remnants of the sedative make him slower, groggy, so in the time it takes for him to quite understand the question or who's asking, he's already started to conclude that he's dreaming - or if he's not, that maybe it's time to get back to sleep anyway. but then he does recognize the voice and also the hand, because really only one person he knows has hands so large and cool and comforting. )

Gil...?

( coughs once, mostly just to clear his throat, and starts to open his eyes, though he moves one of his own hands to press it against them. )

[retraced]

[He frowns, thinking back to the first moment that Oz had woken after he'd arrived back out of the Abyss, ten years too late. Gil had been ashamed back then as he'd called out his name, but he hadn't been allowed to show it on his aged face.]

Yeah. [He answers softly, an apology for a moment that had been stolen from them by his pathetic cowardice so long ago.]

Don't strain yourself too much. We're safe for now...

[psychopath]

Jack's voice, when it comes, is calm and measured and warm, an eerie juxtaposition against the trembling that comes from above every so often.

"I was looking for you, good heavens," he says, close but not touching him, not wanting to startle his little rabbit.

[velveteened]

"Jack?"

It's not quite a question so much as a confirmation; it's still so strange to hear Jack like this. Like normal people, thought wryly, and he looks upwards (the direction of the voice and what he remembers of Jack's height) with a slight cough and a smile.

"I'm glad you're alright."

[psychopath]

Jack takes Oz's reply as permission to basically sit down on the bed next to him (right in his personal space) and ruffle his hair (again). He's been told of what had happened to Oz, and he has the passing thought that oh, well, Oz wouldn't know if Jack looked at him with a sort of possessiveness that usually ended in murder.

Like how Jack's looking at him right now.

"A bit shaken up, Oswald frowned at me a lot, but yes, I'm fine. I hope you've been resting."

[duplicitoussight]

[They couldn't catch a break, could they? Kano's busy scouring the catacombs for anyone he might recognize when he spots a familiar face. He waves as he nears, shouting over the low din of their surroundings.]

Ah, Oz! Is that you?

[velveteened]

( he hears the shout, placing the voice after a beat. )

Yes! Kano - right?

[duplicitoussight]

[A tired smile rises as he stops in front of Oz, sliding his hands in his pockets. He sounds relieved--in the chaos of everything it's good to know one of friends are safe.]

Yup, the one and only. You haven't forgotten me already, have you?

[commentboxtroll]

[ In between sleeping and whining about how it isn't fair that he's gotten sicker when everyone else is finally starting to recover, Caesar is out disproving just how sick he seems to think he is by exploring a bit of the catacombs (wow, what a whiner).

It's only natural he keep an eye out for familiar faces, even if they are blonde. That happens to include his roommates, so, yes, he does eventually come looking for Oz.

And what do you know, there he is. ]

Hey. There you are.

[ Waving (oh so uselessly) to get his attention. ]

[velveteened]

( he misses the wave entirely, of course, though it can perhaps be blamed on the fact that he'd only just opened his eyes; whatever hit them hurts, especially when he keeps them open for too long - which is of course exactly what he does to avoid the appearance of anything being wrong. to do otherwise would just be silly! but he does look up when he hears caesar's voice, visibly relieved. )

I should be saying that.

[commentboxtroll]

You should be? Why?

[ Well, Caesar did go off one day to bring Collette some things and then never returned, but, hey, that's....... normal, right? ]

[accidentalrebellion]

[It's been a while. She's lost track of how long it's been since chaos had ensued, since a race against time had begun to evacuate as many people as possible before the hospital collapsed in on itself.

Since she'd sedated Oz against his will and dragged him down here.

She's nothing short of exhausted. Every muscle and bone in her body protests from the effort she gave to the evacuation operation, what she'd thrown herself into as if her life had depended on it. But sleep isn't an option, not with the way the bombs still periodically hit and shake the walls of this pitiful excuse for a "safe" place. Not with the way her ears are now permanently tuned for any sign of collapse. For the worst.

Her heart pounds in tandem with a fear as old as life itself.

There's a point between bombings when she gives up on sitting still and begins to wander, like she did back in 13. Only this time, it's much more crowded and suffocating, and there's nowhere she can easily hide. The only option is to keep going.

Eventually, she comes across Oz. (No, something in her was actively looking for him.) For a time, she stands off to the side in silence. Even if there's an impetus to say something, her brain fails miserably at providing what that should be. Until, finally...--]

Hey. [Not exactly an olive branch, or an apology. Just a word, a pathetically simple word, but the best someone who doesn't have a way with them can do.]

[velveteened]

( he's curled up against the wall somewhat, with his back to it and knees pulled to his chest, arms wrapped around them. it's indicative of how alone he assumes he is at the moment, dropping pretenses of being perfectly fine and happy really even when it comes to normal things like exhaustion. it's a sense of feeling he ought to compensate - overcompensate - for being tired and unwell, not just from sickness but what's happened during the bombings, worry for people he hasn't yet heard from and those he has, and also for, at moments, himself. more than at moments, maybe, but both for gil's sake and because of the sheer magnitude of this attack, he hasn't wanted to be so - self-focused. there's no end of things to be concerned about and that's not likely to change any time soon, and if he can't do anything about it (which seems stupid considering break's lack of vision and complete lack of letting it stop him from doing anything) he can at least be fine.

he doesn't think he's been doing very well at that, though.

makes him think of lenalee and their fight not so long ago, the last time he'd seen her before getting sick and all of this had happened. we're friends, she'd said, what do you think that word means to me? i'll always help you. the rest had been not so unlike what elliot had berated him about once, or gil even more recently with it's times like this that you should depend on me to do the things that you're unable to do!

ironically, that's become very literal in the last day.

but not even gil can wait here with him forever, not with all that needs doing, and so oz is left with his muddled thoughts. at least, until he hears katniss's voice and looks up, eyes opening. )

Hi, Katniss.

[accidentalrebellion]

[She doesn't know what kind of reaction she'd been expecting when she finally saw him again. There are things that would've been understandable. Anger. (He should be angry with her.) Betrayal. (What she's done isn't something that's easily forgiven.)

"Hi," though, isn't one of them.

It takes her aback, and then pulls her out of the present entirely. Suddenly, she's a lifetime away, opening her eyes in the cave to find Peeta hovering over her, while the rain continues in torrents outside. There's nothing from him but relief, but gentleness, and his only concern seems to be making sure she eats. In his voice, and even in his face, there are no traces of anything that should logically be there. Nothing that would reflect seeing her for what she really is.

For a moment, or more than a moment, she's angry at him. Angry at both of them. Past and present collide into one homogenous ball of frustration, which gives her enough fuel to keep standing and compensate for her current physical condition.

But it's not something she can articulate, so it passes, leaving her almost more exhausted than she was before. Her voice is an obvious reflection of that.]

You're awake.

[copia]

[ kaede is roaming the catacombs as the bombs drop every so often, checking for anyone she knows well enough that doesn't mind an eleven-year-old girl stopping to say hi and question how they're doing during this nonsense.

nonsense, yes. that is what she considers this entire situation. nonsense and screwed up and full of corruption and scum.

but for now, her friends take priority, and the roaming leads her to a familiar mop of blonde hair. she heads over and crouches in front of him, a concerned expression settling on her face. ]

Oz...?

[velveteened]

( the catacombs are loud and full of echoes, making listening closely particularly difficult for a novice at it like he is; but he starts to look up when he hears nearby footfalls come to a stop. there's no recognition in his expression until she speaks, but she gets a relieved smile when she does. )

Hello, Kaede.

[copia]

[ confirmation that, indeed, it is Oz she is speaking to elicits a small smile from her. another name she can check off the mental list in her head. ]

How are you and Li Jun doing? I hope the sounds of the bomb haven't scared him too much.

[anklets]

[The sight of him is enough to make her angry— a deep bubbling frustration reserved only for her dearest people. She thinks she wants to take him by the shoulders and shake him for always disappearing, and when people vanish like that, it isn't long before she takes need to reaffirm their tangibility somehow. More than that, though, Lenalee is relieved, and her presence is lacking in the heavy heels preceding a Lenalee-fashioned Chewing Out.

She sits at his side, not quite near enough to bump shoulders, and without looking at him.

The cat speaks instead of her.]

[velveteened]

( the fact of the matter is that the catacombs are not a good place to learn, even hard and fast, how to rely on auditory cues.

there are so many people down here, all of them talking and moving about, a great many of them still coughing and sick, and of course the periodic thunderous rumbling coming from above - makes it difficult to distinguish any one from the others, especially when he doesn't know precisely what to listen for or when. in a quiet room, he might've recognized the particular tread he's used to hearing in the apartment, but as it is there's no reaction to her appearance or presence.

no excuse for missing the sounds of her sitting so near besides how deeply lost in his own thoughts he is, cutting a more slight figure than the usual between sickness and worry and how he's curled up, knees to his chest, and eyes closed. but his head jerks up at the meow, both surprise and relief sifting through his expression before he looks, pointlessly, in her direction. )

Li Jun?

[anklets]

[Another meow, because that was its name, and perhaps Oz will be more inclined to pet it and feed it than Lenalee. She is, after all, so busy with being morose.

A feeling she hates to cling onto, especially in moments like this, but it all she can do to keep from replaying the last few days, weeks, months and noticing all the tiny unpleasant foreshadowings.

She meets his gaze, tries to (it isn't quite dead-on). There's something different about his eyes in this light, though she hopes the light is all it is.]

I brought him down with me.