exsiliumlogs | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Date & Time: 06.18 and on;
Location: Asch's basement, outside, anywhere;
Characters: the Dan, their uncles, anybody else involved?! I am losing track. people. six degrees of separation. tag yourselves!!
Summary: as usual, anti-spam mingle log due to numerous interactions between numerous people. action, voice, text, video, post-its.
Warnings: bombs?!

They thought that trips to Alaska and getting shots would be the beginning of a relaxing break. Instead they got quarantines and bombs and people getting mad at them. Big. Sigh.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Huddled against the corner with earbuds wedged tightly into his ears, Shinji has his legs pulled up close to him and his gaze fixed on the ground. He hasn't moved much from his spot since they'd been herded into the catacombs. No matter how loudly he turned up his music, he couldn't drown out the roar of the bombs when they dropped.

He doesn't notice Shintaro--he's too busy trying to tune out the world, and the noise from the other Transports jammed in doesn't help. You might have to tap him on the shoulder.]

[He weaves his way through the crowd, stepping over people who are sitting, squeezing past those who are standing. He almost loses what he was carrying with him -- the bag of the vaccines he still had left, with bottles of water tucked in where there was space -- on the way, but he holds tightly onto to it until he reaches Shinji. He doesn't touch him though, unsure how much that would startle him. Instead, he steps right up to his friend and crouches in front of him, trying to get into his line of sight.]

Hey.

[Detecting movement, Shinji looks up. When he sees it's Shintaro, he immediately pulls out his earbuds, straightening up.]

... you're alive. [He says it like it's a miracle. He hadn't expected to see him down here.]

... Nope. Zombified. [He raises an eyebrow at the reaction. Really? But he can't really blame Shinji for it. He reaches into his bag and pulls out two water bottles holding one out.]

Thirsty?

[He's relieved, though. Shinji was messaging him but he's glad to actually see that the kid is alive and safe.]

[Likewise, it's a relief to see Shintaro. While the hours stretched on with no word from the other boy, he assumed...]

Mm. Thank you.

[He doesn't let his thoughts dwell on it as he accepts the water. One of his friends is alive and still here. He's grateful for that, even if he's still a little cross at him. As he unscrews the cap he scoots down, making room for Shintaro to sit if he wants to.]

[He would really love to rest his legs, so he sits in the space Shinji makes for him. The moment the weight if off of them he feels the cells of his legs -- every one of them -- trying to turn into mush. His knees feel like they'll creak next time. His muscles hurt and he doesn't think he can put any strength back into them. At least not for a while.

(He'll have to get up again. It's just a break. He has to get back up and find her, too.)

He sighs heavily, tiredly, and leans back against the wall behind him as he uses his sleeve to wipe some sweat off his brow.]

Something like this happened before, right?

[He's slouched over, folding his hands in front of his legs, bottle dangling from his hand. His words are direct and crisp, as though he was reporting to a superior officer.]

There were a few attacks, all last year.

[He's done his research and he follows the network closely enough to get a general grasp of what events were happening and had happened. Boredom was a poison, even to someone who tried to shut the world out. He mumbles.] ... they were easy on us for a few months.

... So a lot of the newer Transports weren't prepared at all.

[He pushes himself off the wall, opening his own bottle to take a sip of the water. He takes a deep breath, hoping it'll send more oxygen into his bloodstream, then looks over at Shinji with a genuinely relieved smile.]

... Well, it's good to see you safe.

[It's hard to stay annoyed when he's given such a sincere expression. Shinji relents, relaxing beneath the smile even if he doesn't return it. His brow knits in worry as he looks in Shintaro's general direction, though not quite at him.]

... I'm glad that you made it down here. [A beat.] The girl you were looking for. Did you find her?

Aah...

[He trails off, faltering as he drops a hand to his knee.] I thought I might be able to find her down here, but I don't think she is... so I can't stay too long.

For now, though, I can barely stand.

[Why can't you just stay.]

Wouldn't she have found shelter already?

[He shakes his head, sighing, and tightens his hold on the water bottle, crumpling the plastic a little.]

She'd either be lost or using her scarf to help anyone that's hurt. Or both. [Heroic, stupid, reckless.]

[It's mean of him to say. But...

Shinji averts his gaze, lowering his voice.]

You should leave it to someone else.

I can't. [He doesn't raise his voice. In fact, he lowers it. His tone is darker and almost pained as he grasps the bottle tighter yet. His eyebrows are furrowed and his lips are pursed as he stares at the ground, although he's not seeing any of the gravel by his feet. In his mind, a scarf flutters.

He covers his face with a hand.]

... I don't want to hear the "news" from someone else again.

[... he's intruded too far. Shinji silently withdraws, pulling back his selfish annoyance back into himself, locking it up so that it doesn't seep out outwardly.]

... sorry. I didn't mean to be pushy.

... [He holds his head for seconds, lost in thought, not immediately reacting to the apology. When he finally does, he lifts his head to look at Shinji with a slightly alarmed expression. Crap, he said that out loud, didn't he?

(He really needs to get a hold of himself. Getting upset like that.)]

Aah-- sorry! No, it's fine, I didn't mean to snap at you.

It's not your fault. [He says it plainly, as if it's the most obvious answer.] I shouldn't have pried.

["It wasn't prying" "What you were saying makes sense" "Sorry"

He doesn't say any of that, but he releases the tension in his body and leans back against the wall again.]

... Right.

[He shouldn't have made it so tense, not after Shintaro seemed so happy to see him. Shinji looks Shintaro's way.]

... I hope you find her.

... I do too.

[He's nervous. He really hopes he can. He sees Shinji look his way, so he takes a sip of his water and tries to give him a smile.]

[Even if he doesn't feel like it, Shinji tries returning the attempt of a smile with one of his own. Shintaro can't disappear. There are measures here that weren't present in his homeworld that prevented someone from vanishing, no matter how horrible something happened...

He turns his head away, looking back at the ground.]

... Hey.

[He's turned to Shinji still, though the smile is dropped. Just a casual glance, at least from someone like Shintaro.]

[He doesn't look back up, but at least he responds.] Yeah?

[He holds up an arm, the back of his hand facing Shinji. He would be embarrassed to the ends of the world if Shinji doesn't return the gesture, but he's just going to shut his eyes mentally and go in for this wrist bump.]

I'm no optimist. But... it'll probably work out somehow.

[He seems confused by the gesture. After a moment of studying it, he raises his hand and gently places his wrist against Shintaro's. Bump.]

... even if your friend gets into trouble, the Initiative can save her. ['Gets into trouble' being 'dying.']