[log] it's in the air and it's all around [closed]

[devoutish]

Characters: Alfie Solomons, Emily Kaldwin, Royce Melborn, Tifa Lockhart
Location building 241 and building 242, then ???
Date: morning of 162 through ???
Summary: rescue, hallucinations, eventual mourning of dead people; it's gonna be a party for sure
Warnings: n/a; will edit if anything comes up

Catch-all for EVERYTHING - rescuing the blind gangster asshole, dealing with the event-induced static, etc. Top-level and tag as you see fit.

Comments

BUILDING 241

[devoutish]

A small police station. Unfortunately for any who might look, any weapons that may have been there have been cleaned out. There's a small area with three cells, and the keys are available in the room. Indeed, they can't be removed from the room, immediately dropping onto the floor and taking anything they're in with them when it's attempted. There's also a morgue here--not too large, but it's clean. The rest of the building is functional (the water works, though it's cold) but not very interesting. The atmosphere is rather cloying, though. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FIVE, TRAVELLING NORTH-WEST, IF ANY ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED CONTACT @LELRIC ANY TIME" is written on one of the walls. A large red crossed-out circle (Ⓧ) is drawn on the drawer of one of the bodies, along with a charcoal drawing of a mask.

[devoutish]

[Alfie is of two minds here. One the one hand, he wants out of the morgue as soon as possible - he's up and at the door the moment it unlocks. But on the other hand, he doesn't want to go wandering around in the snow by himself. This leads to him hovering just outside the building, back against the closed door, bags at his feet.

It's colder when he's not moving. It's emptier when he can't see. It almost feels like... no, he dismisses that thought immediately. He has contact with the others, thanks to his tablet. It does not feel like he's the only person left in the town.

He rubs his gloved hands together for extra warmth, and waits.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce is there as quickly as the weather allows. He's still not doing great, but he's fine enough to go pick up Alfie. Royce makes noise about going on his own to pick Alfie up, but Tifa and Emily both want to go along and Royce doesn't stop them. Maybe he feels safer with them close by. They can't vanish if he has them in his sights.

He's sure to make noise when he approaches the police station. His footsteps are inaudible out of habit, but he speaks up immediately when he sees Alfie to make sure the guy hears him. He'll let the girls get into Alfie's space - he stays back, for now. ]

Solomons. Should've waited inside. Warmer.

[powersouls]

[Tifa makes her fair share of noise, too, because she's never been great at moving quietly. She follows along close behind Royce, holding Emily's hand. She's ecstatic that Alfie is back, of course, but there's still something somber in her movements and expression—Aigis told her about Nathan's death just before they set out, and she can't help but think there's a pattern here. It's like she gets one friend back only to lose another.]

Alfie, are you okay?

BUILDING 242

[devoutish]

Even with the signs long gone, the large garage doors and the design of the building make it clear this is a firehouse. There's even two poles that can be used to slide all the way from the third floor down to the first. There aren't any fire trucks in the garage, sadly, but there are a few simple beds for sleeping in, and two bathrooms with working public showers. The water is cold, though. One of the bathrooms has a bed handcuffed to the door, sealing it shut. The door rattles occasionally. "OPEN WITH CAUTION. MONSTER INSIDE." is written on the rattling door. "ALPHONSE ELRIC, DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FIVE, TRAVELLING NORTH-WEST, IF ANY ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED CONTACT @LELRIC ANY TIME" is written on one of the walls.

[devoutish]

[Unfortunately for Alfie, there's not much he can do while blind. Searching the house is out, as is making notes and observations. At one point he feels his way into a corner to pray, but other than that, he's largely sedentary.

He can't see the static, but he can hear the screams, and they unnerve him - as does Kesara's role in this prophet stuff, and as does the fact that he hasn't been able to get in touch with Fiona yet. He'll be tense all afternoon and evening.]

[bywolves]

[ Royce does not like being trapped with the anomaly, which is why he spends most of his time as far away from the bathroom it's in as possible. He's cold and energetic, and it's a terrible combination - he paces the entire station for a good few hours before everything starts to get bad again. The screams are putting his nerves on edge and the eyes are, too - there's a few times where the others are going to hear Royce trying to stab the eyes that appear on the walls with his letter opener.

Mostly, he paces, but once Alfie settles, Royce doesn't let the guy out of his sight. He's probably annoying with how much he wordlessly checks to make sure his little team is still all here. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie might not be able to see Royce, but he can definitely hear him. He checks his communicator for about the millionth time, then looks up.]

Duster, sit down somewhere. Fucking hell.

[bywolves]

It's pace or fidget. [ Royce tells him, sounding annoyed. ] I hate it down here.

[empireofrats]

[Exhausted, achy, Emily keeps strangely quiet and to herself. She would color, but it leads to arm and wrist pain, so she doesn't. She echo of the screams won't let her focus on the end of the book she received from Royce.

Later, it starts as a little tickle in the back of her throat. She swallows several times, but--it's like a hair, stuck, tickling over and over. Then it's heavier, and her stomach feels full. Saliva keeps piling into her mouth when she thinks about the cottony weight rising up her throat.

She coughs, just a few times at first. Here, there. A bit of a fit, and then she thinks she can't breathe. Her coughing is rough and ragged, and she gags.]

[devoutish]

What's that?

[It sounds like Emily to him, but it might be Tifa. Still, he guesses--]

Emily. Is that you making that racket?

[He's concerned here, not annoyed. Surely she's not choking, is she?]

[empireofrats]

[Surely not.

She's choking. Mildly! Something seems to be caught in her throat perhaps. It's strange. She can breathe fine, she thinks. Not coughing like this, sure, but air gets to her lungs, it's just... there's something not right.

Her skin breaks out in a cold sweat, and she feels suddenly ill. The coughing crescendos into a final retch--nothing to vomit up except a little bile and

Through her teary eyes she can see it staring back at her. She had left it hidden in one of the bathrooms earlier.] I'm okay. [To Alfie, her voice hoarse and weak.]

[bywolves]

[ The coughing casually terrifies the fuck out of Royce. He doesn't show it except for in the way he moves, quick and tense, moving over to her and settling down in front of her. ]

Emily. [ He kneels, reaching to push her hair out of her face. ] Emily. Breathe.

[empireofrats]

[It's the second time it's happened--so far. Each time is no less worrisome than the last, though by this time, she isn't scared of strangling to death so much as seeing what comes up when she's finished.

Hacking into one of her fists, she nods her head in agreement and squeezes her teary eyes shut. It's no big deal. It's fine. Right?

As long as there's no blood, she's fine.]

[powersouls]

[Tifa is doing her best to try to seem cheerful for Emily, even if she's not really feeling that way. She's been keeping an eye on her, too. Not hovering so much as... checking in every once in a while, so when Emily gags, she hears it, and she's by Emily's side in an instant, crouching beside her.]

Emily? What's wrong?

[empireofrats]

[Third time's a charm.

It doesn't take as long as the first two, and it's without too much coughing and too much fuss. She vomits almost immediately, turned somewhat away from Tifa, nothing but saliva with her palms turned up to catch what she already knows is coming.

Her hands waver with weight, but nothing is there when she curls her fingers around what she catches.]

BUILDING 236 - evening 163

[devoutish]

A small tool shed. It has a lot of boxes in it, but the vast majority are empty. It's cold, but it's not too bad if you're alone. The more people, the tighter the fit, of course. A rough map of the entrance area is drawn on the inside of the door, along with the following warning: "An anomaly has been trapped in the bathroom in the fire station. Avoid if possible, and use caution if you have to pass through or spend the night. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR. @standardissue" The fire station (242) and the fast food place (248) are both labeled as such, with an X on 236 with the note: "You are here."

[powersouls]

[By the time everything seems to calm down in the morning, Tifa is absolutely exhausted. She feels like the screaming from the tunnels is still echoing in her head, even though she's certain it's gone, and a dull ache has settled into her bones. After lockdown, she paces for a bit, absently toeing at some of the boxes on the floor. At one point, she reads the message on the wall silently, chewing on her lip, arms crossed tightly across her chest.

Finally, Tifa wraps herself in a blanket and parks in herself in a corner, feeling weirdly like Royce while she's doing it. She's been trying to keep her spirits up for Emily, or at least pretend that she's doing okay, but she's finally run out of steam. Nathan dying was what did it, she thinks, combined with the last few terrifying days, and now she just can't keep up her usual relentless cheer. She'd go to sleep, but she's afraid she'll hear that screaming again, and she keeps seeing eyes on the walls, on her skin, just at the edges of her vision. It's enough to leave her jittery and anxious on top of everything else.]

[devoutish]

[Alfie is in a similar state. He's more tense than usual, and a deep frown is etched across his face more often than not. His keeps his tablet out and switched on at all times, checking it often as he sits - as he broods, really.

He looks up at Tifa at one point, tiredly.]

Eaten yet?

[powersouls]

I'm okay.

[So, not yet.]

I'm just tired.

[True! But also a much more pathetic version of her usual avoidance.]

[bywolves]

[ The shed is tiny, and Royce is on edge. Tifa's upset, and he almost leeches onto it - he doesn't want to take out his bad mood on her, not consciously, but she's a target. A good target, because he knows deep down, like with Alfie, that she's unlikely to just let him get away with it. ]

Stop fidgeting. [ Royce snaps sharply at some point during the night, voice hoarse and pissed off. He knows he's going to get yelled at. Good. ]

[powersouls]

[The response he gets isn't as venomous as he might have hoped—Tifa is just too drained to manage it. He does get a sigh, though.]

You were pacing and stabbing the walls last night, and I didn't yell at you.

[bywolves]

[ A tool shed is the last damn place he wants to be after the night before. He's prickly and upset and he wants nothing to do with anybody. Every once in a while, he sees the eyes, sees them for a split second, and it's driving him crazy. He's losing his godsdamned mind and he isn't dealing well.

Most attempts to talk to Royce are going to be met with silence. It probably won't stay that way, with how he's practically buzzing with angry energy, a dark cloud in his corner of the shed, blocked off by as many boxes as he could get behind.

But as silent as he is, there's going to be a hell of a lot of arguments he's not going to be able to stop himself from getting into. The mania's getting worse, and he's recognizing it, his mood getting fouler and fouler as he tries to keep himself quiet, ignoring the knot of anxiety it causes in his chest. ]

[devoutish]

[If Alfie is angry with Royce, he's not showing it. He's been grumpy and on edge all day, but none of it is directed at anybody in particular. With his eyesight back, he's currently busying himself with noting down the writing on the walls. It's a small enough space that he's not in danger of missing anything, but that small space creates other issues.]

Duck your head, mate.

[He motions to Royce.]

You're blocking a word.

[bywolves]

[ No response. He doesn't move, doesn't look at Alfie, doesn't say anything. Make him. ]