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

[substitutable]

[Shintaro has been unaffected by the gas. He'll look back on it later and realize how lucky he was, especially considering his terrible luck usually, but at the current moment, he's looking around at the people he walks past in the catacomb, not paying a whole lot of attention to where he's headed because he's so focused on looking for someone. So he doesn't realize Cheria stumbling in his direction as he steps over the legs of someone stretched out on the ground, not noticing her until her outstretched hand bumps into him.

At the unexpected contact, he jumps, whipping around to see what horrifying and short-tempered thug he might have angered and should apologize to when he recognizes the woman in front of him. Her name was... yes, he remembers her name, and he remembers the conversation they had before.]

Cheria? [Why is her arm stretched out like that? He only wonders for a moment before he remembers the gas outside.]

-- It's Shintaro. Are you having trouble seeing?

oh man this is so late i'm sorry ):

[flashmaiden]

[It takes her a minute before recognition dawns on her face. He was one of the other new arrivals from when she had first arrived too. They'd talked about their worlds.

She withdraws her hand quickly, smiling apologetically.] Sorry!

[Her smile falters a little at the question, and she casts her eyes downward.]

...Um... Yeah, I guess it's gotten pretty bad.

no worries, no worries! :)

[substitutable]

It's dangerous to wander around like that. [He's not the biggest fan of physical contact but this is no time or situation to be saying things like that. Worried that she might bump into more things and possibly hurt herself if he let her wander off now, Shintaro raises his hand to lightly grasp the wrist of her outstretched arm.]

You should sit down. I'll find you somewhere with space... do you have anyone coming to get you?

[flashmaiden]

You don't have to do that but- Thanks.

[She takes a step closer to him, giving him a tired smile. She doesn't think people should be wasting their time helping her when there are people worse off than she is, but she's still grateful for it.]

No, I don't. They're helping other people, probably, so I don't want to bother them.

[substitutable]

What do you mean, I don't ha-- come on! [He makes sure that as he leads her, she isn't going to trip over anything or bump into anyone. He weaves through the crowd until he finds a part of the catacombs that isn't overcrowded but not empty, either.]

Here... you can sit down here.

[flashmaiden]

Thank you, again...

[She tries to keep up with him as much as she can, but her steps are still unsure no matter how many she takes. When he finally stops, she sinks down to the ground, leaning against the wall and letting out a breath.]

What about you, Shintaro? You weren't hurt out there, were you?

[substitutable]

[He's worried. He's always worried, but right now he's worried for her, crouching in front of her and making sure nobody's going to step on her accidentally.]

I'm okay. I guess I have weird luck like that... I'm just a little tired. Do you want to let anyone know that you're here?

[flashmaiden]

Then you should rest, too. You'll pass out if you exert yourself too much, you know?

[Her expression falters, and she shakes her head to the question.]

N-no, that's okay. I don't think I'm ready to face them yet.

[substitutable]

Uh? Oh, yeah... I guess so. I'll take a break later, but I'm fine. [He considers this moment a rest, really. He's not running. He's able to catch his breath. He'll be fine, he thinks.]

But it'll be hard for them to find you when you are ready... It's not like you can find your way back up there or write a message.

[flashmaiden]

Don't push yourself too much! [Just because she can't see doesn't mean she can't still nag.]

That's alright. Since they're helping others, I don't want to interrupt them just yet. They'll end up down here eventually so... I know I'll run into them.

[substitutable]

Eh-- I-I'll be okay! Really! Don't worry... sorry...

You're sure? I mean... if you need anything I can try getting it for you.

[flashmaiden]

Everyone needs to take a break, okay? So don't just forget to. [The biggest hypocrite, it is Cheria.

She nods.]

I'm sure. I'll be fine right here. Thank you, though...

[substitutable]

[She really is. He doesn't say anything about it. She's just being nice.]

... Do you need someone to stay with you?