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

[retraced]

[Since Oz can't see the faucet, he turns it on for him, and puts his hand under the stream to test the temperature. Who knows if they even have a way to warm the water like they do in the rest of the city. It's still better than nothing. Without thinking he tries to answer, but he only gets a rusty sounding cough for his trouble.]

[velveteened]

( he frowns, hearing that cough over the sound of running water. )

You should get some medicine for that.

[retraced]

[And for the first time since he woke up, he's glad he can't talk. He doesn't even have to try and defend himself now.

Once it feels more warm than freezing, he takes Oz's hands and guides them under the water while he steps over to grab a rag from a nearby rack. They're not the nicest towels, but he's not about to complain. They're still cleaner than any of the clothes that they're wearing.]

[velveteened]

( this isn't over. he goes on while leaving his hands under the water, waiting for gilbert. )

I'm serious! Or I'll tell Lenalee to bring Li Jun to play.

( he means business!!! )

[retraced]

[Oz probably doesn't need to see Gil's face to picture the look of pure terror that crosses his face.

brb, choking]

[velveteened]

( yes, he can imagine with great relish. )

Now that I think about it, I'm sure that I should. He could use more playmates while we're all stuck down here.

( all empty bluster - he's not sure he'd remember his tablet well enough to be able to use it like this. but gil doesn't have to know that! )

[retraced]

[Yeah breathing is dumb, it's a good thing he's not doing it anymore. He grasps the side of the sink and chokes more as he pictures that damned cat attacking him in the middle of the night, down here in the dark catacombs while bombs explode overhead. Clinging to the front of his shirt, claws digging into his skin, ripping open his chest and his throat.

Or maybe that's just the ache in his lungs right now.

Either way the nightmares will last for weeks...!]

[velveteened]

( ...bro he's still over here with his hands getting progressively more and more soaked. )

But if you went and got medicine, I guess you'd be too busy for that!

[retraced]

[Still trying to take a deep breath, but since Oz is deciding to be a punk, he at least takes his wrist and yanks it towards a soap dispenser. Hopefully he can figure out what that is on his own, because Gilbert won't be able to explain it if he tries.]

[velveteened]

( wow that's rude.

it takes a moment of confusedly feeling the soap dispenser with his other hand before he pushes down on it and soap comes out. some of it misses his hand, but enough does land properly that he finally understands what he's doing and pumps out some more, then turning back to the sink and rubbing his hands together to get up a lather under the stream. )

[retraced]

[He takes this chance to get his breathing back under control and shove all thoughts of cats or cat shaped objects out of his head. The cat isn't here in the underground. Hell, it might not even be alive anymore. Which would be terrible because Oz would be upset, but the idea helps him to silence all fearful thoughts in lieu of quiet angst on Oz's behalf.]