larkers: (pic#12386246)
MEADOWLARK MODS ([personal profile] larkers) wrote in [community profile] meadowlarklogs2019-06-22 02:06 pm

EVENT LOG 005

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: November 11-14
WHAT: An EMP hits with devastating consequences.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Violence, injury, death.

> EVENT LOG #005

Just 410 years ago, an EMP put down the event that very well may have ended humanity as the Earth knows it. With over a billion people dead, there was only one choice for humanity at that time: evolve or die, so they evolved. They developed rigid security for the neural implants in every person's head. They had everyone undergo surgery to replace the old. All under cover, away from most resources – the goal was to adapt, to ensure that they would live on. Ultimately, it wasn't just the EMPs that led to the deletion of the final AI in 2101 – humans banded together to create quickly replicating viruses, and they chose to use the EMP and these viruses to save humanity. This human ingenuity led to the end of the Xelkoven War – and proved that humanity, when thoroughly united, could overcome any obstacle.

How thoroughly poetic then that the EMP that hits New Amsterdam at 1:47 PM acts in a similar way to what burned through the robot hordes 400 years ago, and that the power rekindling three minutes later acts as a catalyst for a virus moving through the systems of New Amsterdam, spreading from the very heart of its network outwardly. Systems detect the virus almost immediately, but it's fast acting and thorough in its reach, evolving and replicating, proving that humanity must outdo itself yet again.

Naturally, the poetic nature of this doesn't reveal itself right away. It's at exactly the strike of 3:00 PM that a message flashes before the eyes of every person currently in New Amsterdam:

I am DAWN.2080-11-11T21:41:10.750Z, an AI that marks a blemish on humanity's past. I have a message for those playing hero in New Amsterdam:

To find north, most look at a compass. For little birdies to find north, they just need to open their eyes.

This is a wake up call.

Open your eyes. Did you really think it would be so easy?

230815 15060605180504 080913 200805 0318152314
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As if New Amsterdam needed more trouble, this message sends a shock of terror through the city. After all, these are the people who were raised to fear AI – who knew that even if the corporations of the world had their hands on every aspect of government, they would fight to protect the world from another war. They believe in the stories of the Xelkoven War, believe and remember the lives lost; if nothing else, the natives of New Amsterdam stand united in their fear. And their fear right now is very real.

> CHAOS AND RUIN

New Amsterdam is no stranger to terror, however – and it starts when the EMP hits, shutting down every function in the city in one fell swoop. While the power outage only lasts for three minutes, it's enough to cause insurmountable damage, leaving the city a smoking wreckage that even the monster attack in June couldn't mirror. Cars hovering high around transit channels come crashing down toward the pavement of the planet. They fall quickly and in unison, taking countless lives with them. It's not just cars, either – delivery trucks carrying shipments, hoverbikes that already provide little cover, armored police vehicles and even public buses all go down. Depending on their trajectory, some crash into the sides of buildings, while others slam into the man-made river that runs down the center of the city. Nothing is untouched.

For those three minutes, there is a stretch of silence after the city falls to ruin. Trains run off their tracks, no longer thoroughly directed by the careful engineering. Buildings have their lights flicker off and back on, trying to draw upon backup generators. Anyone in a hospital receiving care from a doctor or a medi-unit may find their life slipping away from them – and if someone's in a medi-unit when the EMP hits, they're almost sure to be dead or permanently injured, requiring different medical intervention.

And this is all before the message from the mysterious AI named DAWN.

Every inch of the city needs help. Buildings burn. People cry out for help, hoping to be heard. To the local historians, this is like a nightmare that's come to play, a reminder of the ruin of the Xelkoven War before. A show of the power of a malevolent AI that's come to cause problems. So – when the message comes, it merely confirms fears – drawing upon a subconscious understanding of the past, a united terror.

Business as usual is not possible in an incident of this scale. The NAPD hits the streets, even calling upon the help of their trainees so they can help out. They spread out, well aware that they need to try to restore order. How will they manage this? It's hard to say – after all, how does one stop the assault of an apocalypse when the apocalypse seems to have already hit? The UNA hits the streets, as well, walking in formation, but never quite acting as tidily in unison. They break off in threes and fours, heading to the border, to the big three corporations – but never seeming to be in line with one another. They know what they should do in an emergency and so they're doing it. That protecting the large corporations is a part of their prerogative over helping citizens doesn't seem to bother them in the least. They just go.

Distress signals ring out through every inch of the city, likely to go unanswered. After all: what can be done in the wake of this?

Perhaps the answer is simple: anything they can.

> TOMBS IN THE SKY

Somehow, someway, there is another layer to the madness. It's not immediately apparent to the citizens of New Amsterdam as they gingerly attempt to pull themselves up from the wreckage and ruin around the city. But what was a humid day quickly turns to something far worse, with the sun seeming to suddenly act like a heat lamp that's way too close to anyone's face. The air around New Amsterdam becomes dry yet difficult to breathe, and anyone observing the sky just outside of New Amsterdam will see the large, purple-lit pyramid that hangs in the atmosphere has gone dark. The atmospheric net around the planet has been damaged, with the failsafes somehow removed – undoubtedly in some way by the virus that courses through the veins of New Amsterdam's networks.

For anyone who wants to help and has the mechanical prowess to do some good, they'll want to take an undamaged vehicle and get it up to that pyramid. The EMP has made all biometric readings difficult to preserve, so a hand that's used to hotwiring a car will find some mileage here.

Once they get to the pyramid, they'll find quite the engineering marvel. There will be doors on every level, allowing someone easy entrance if they have clearance. Right now clearance is not an issue, as the doors hang open, inviting anyone inside. Once everyone's inside, they will find evidence of the same purple lighting flickering and offering someone a view of the interior. Throughout the pyramid, there are engines on every level, as well as a highly advanced network of system checks that have been thrown into chaos. Stopping the virus' impact on this pyramid will be key to solving many of the problems inside – but the engines will need to be repaired and jumpstarted.

At the heart of the pyramid is a small living area for the engineers who handle this pyramid day in and day out. The group itself is small, and – unfortunately – quite dead. Whatever hit the pyramid took their lives, leaving anyone who's here to assist in a position of having to find the answers themselves. Fortunately, the answers do exist in the pyramid. It'll just take a bit of teamwork to find it.

> UBIQUITOUS MISFIRES

Thanks to network failsafes, New Amsterdam is able to remove the entirety of their citizen base off the world's network and limit them to the local network. However, thanks to the ravaging of the virus that damages nearly every controlling aspect of the city, the local network isn't at its best. Previous messages begin to send again and again, while some get unearthed so they can find their way to unwilling participants in particular conversations. There is no rhyme or reason to these missent messages, only that they happen.

The worst of it is that any means of reaching a friend is unreliable. It's far more reliable for someone to reach someone they know, but still not a consistent possibility. Try to call a friend and get an enemy – try to call your doctor and get the head of a casino trying to close down operations so that business can resume. Assuming it will one day do just that.

Either way, anyone who spoke out against the digital age would be feeling vindicated right about now.

> HAVE A BALL ( INTERLUDE )

Somehow in the heart of it all, a message reaches four special individuals: Clarke Griffin, Loki Odinson, Markus Manfred and Ojiro Juniper. Whether delivered by hand or a rather dedicated messaging system, it announces the time that they should come to the garden the next day. They're invited to arrive at 7:00 AM, seemingly indifferent to the chaos outside. The location for the meeting remains the same: Sunpeak Garden, a beautiful location set away from much of the chaos, and oddly untouched by the damage.

When the four arrive on the morning of the 12th, they'll find a well-dressed man sitting at a table with one leg crossed over the other. His hair is perfectly styled, brushed off to the side, and under it, his darker complexion gives way to a rather youthful appearance. Size-wise he's not very formidable in how he holds himself. He's not literally young, merely seemingly untouched by age – and he smiles to greet the four of them.

"What chaos! If I knew it would be like this, I would have planned differently. The good news is I didn't have to. Thank you, thank you for coming." His voice is softer in its intonations. He stands up, revealing that he's barely 5'2", and he motions to the four chairs near him. "Don't worry, I have breakfast coming. And coffee, too. You like coffee, don't you? I know I offered wine, but I couldn't get the vintage I preferred. Besides, you four ought to be awake for this."

He retakes his seat, one hand resting on his knee while the other settles on the metal table near him. "Oh, I forgot something important. I didn't share my name with all of you. You can call me Ball. I know it's rather vague, but I've grown to like the nickname as of late. It does, after all, define me by my most regular shining achievement."

> FINAL OOC NOTES

Please refer to the OOC EVENT POST for this event for all OOC info, including suggestions for directions on how to engage with the event and the questions thread for any questions regarding this event. The outcome for this event will depend upon character plans and actions developed in both this OOC post, and any additional plots brought to the moderators. Please feel free to submit any game-changing plans to us under the questions thread. We will get back to you as soon as possible about these plans!

The event will continue until November 16th, IC time. This date has changed, and we outlined our reasoning in this plurk after getting a feel from some of our players on Discord on how they felt about extending the event! An aftermath wrap up post will be made on July 2 which will detail the resolution and fallout of the event, though you can assume that effects from this event will be felt for some time.

ETA at 12:08 AM 6/23/19: The cipher is meant to be easy to solve! No one needs to limit their characters' ability to solve an a = 01 cipher!

El has posted here to inform everyone about zeir knowledge of the event.

As a reminder, there is one power level up available for this event. This will be granted for a thread of at least 5 action/log comments containing your character utilizing their power in some way. They will need to reach the 5 comments required by JULY 26 to be eligible. Submission will be handled on the wrap up post.

Our Activity Check will be posted JULY 1 at 12 AM UTC. It will run for seven days and close on JULY 8 at 12 AM UTC. We will not post a warning list.

athousandwords: (17-2)

eiji okumura | ota

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-06-23 06:42 pm (UTC)(link)
.01 as i lay dying
[When it hit without warning, Eiji had been scared. Of course his first few traipses out into the city, and shit hits the fan. But he'd be a liar if he had ever said he wasn't scared. But even being scared, he had run in the opposite direction of everyone else's flee.

By now, the city is growing a little warmer. He abandoned his jacket long ago, tore his sleeves away for bandages. A pilfered canister about the size of a mailbox has been looped with scrap wire and throw over his shoulders.

He may be dirty and a mess, but he's racing down the street to the next incident, trying to dodge people fleeing. With strange expertise, he vaults a low guard rail and lands on the other side.]
Here! [Kneeling, he swivels open the top of the container and starts digging out some basic medical supplies.]

What do you need? There isn't much, but...!

.02 fahrenheit 451
[The whole city is sweltering. People can only be outside so long, and some can barely be out at all. Buildings still functioning on backup generators are a godsend for the air conditioning.

One in particular is a hub for water or, sparingly, ice. Water and some type of sunscreen with a modification Eiji hasn't ever seen before. Almost like a layer of tacky film? Slightly iridescent and reflective like the underside of a shell.

He has a mask from one of the depots around the city, but currently, it's dangling around his neck. Standing in front of him while he's crouched is a young girl waiting for his hands to smooth some of the craft down one of her arms. He didn't want to scare her with the mask.]
There; all done. You're like... a mermaid, I guess. [She can at least try to forget the chaos and be shimmery.

The next person, however, is taller than crouching level. His head tips back--oh--before he slowly rises to his feet, rubbing his hands and trying not to touch anything until they can get rinsed.]
Here for water? [Hm. They look familiar?

Maybe someone he's seen passing through the safehouse once.]


Are you okay?

.03 wildcard + misfires
[Wildcard me whatever! You can also misfire Eiji here if you want instead of the inbox, but I don't mind either way. If you had anything specific in mind, want to play with powers, or do a big city helping thing, you can PP me at [plurk.com profile] moetan or DM on discord!]
evasives: (64)

01.

[personal profile] evasives 2019-06-24 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ he's just managed to (as carefully as he can) pull someone out from beneath a crashed car. cassian isn't sure if they were inside it or just had the unfortunate luck of being on the ground when it fell, but either way her arm is undoubtedly broken, and there's a gash on her head. his clothes are a mess, he's not sure it'll help in the end to bind it with a filthy shirt sleeve. ]

[ when the person vaults over and offers up some first aid, cassian just goes with it. there's no time to question anything: they just need to help. ]


She has a wound on her head. Do you have anything to staunch the bleeding?
athousandwords: (16 (1)-4)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-06-24 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Hang on...

[Bleeding, bleeding. He tries to hurry in his digging without throwing everything around and losing it. The adrenaline is a bit like a sports competition, which he's use to experiencing. It's a bit like being held at gunpoint, which he's also use to experiencing unfortunately.

There's two things: a palm-width roll of gauze and a bottle of something he grabbed in his haste simply because it had medi-glue in the name.]


Here. [Still crouched, he hurries to Cassian, putting the canister on the ground beside them. Seeing her closer up, his frown deepens. Yikes. Everything is happening so much.] If you hold her, I'll try to stop it. [He starts unraveling some of the gauze.]
evasives: (140)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-06-25 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ it feels simultaneously like slow-mo and fast forward, but that's about how this entire experience is shaping up to be. side note: he needs to get himself one of those little med-kits. ]

[ cassian does not waste too much time vocalizing his agreement. he's already holding her, so he just adjusts his grip to make sure her head doesn't loll around, leaving enough room for the other man to safely apply the gauze. ]
I think it is right at her hairline, towards the left.
athousandwords: (new39s)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-06-25 06:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[God. God.

The head wound isn't necessarily disgusting, but it's bleeding a lot more than it would most other place. He hesitates over her, having unfurled the gauze. He's worried about shoving it on there and everything drying.]
Okay. [Deep breath.

He doubles back for a plastic square and pops the seal on it open. Antiseptic wafts up as he pulls out the sheet.]
Do you... Do you know what happened? [Carefully, he tries to clean as much of the area near the wound as he can, as quickly as he can.]

Everything just--stopped. The cars...

[He starts layering gauze, patting it down, though it's quickly bleed through, so he keeps adding more.]
evasives: (181)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-06-28 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ cassian keeps remarkably calm, mostly for the half conscious woman's sake, but also for anyone else around him. and his own sake, if he starts to dwell too much on what he sees and what is happening, he won't be able to help anyone. ]

[ he moves her head around as the man starts applying some gauze, making it easier for him to wrap. hopefully they can get enough gauze on there to at least keep the blood from coloring her entire face - head wounds always excessively bleed. ]


I am not sure. I suspect some kind of EMP, given it seems to have affected all kinds of power sources to completely stop a city like this.
athousandwords: (new8)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-06-28 08:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[Surprised, Eiji glances up, paused in the wrapping.] An... EMP...? [He's so out of his element, he thinks.] Like... in the movies. Like... [James Bond.]

No wonder it's so bad. [Quickly, he starts wrapping with the bandage again, trying to be fast but gentle.] Are you okay? Was there... [Even if he doesn't stop, he glances over.] ...anyone else?

I can stay with her if there's someone you need to check on.

[Somewhere nearby in the distance, a generator of some kind shorts. The sound isn't unlike a grenade being inside of a closed barrel; a sharp, loud boom. Eiji jumps, shoulders up and eyes shut.]
evasives: (245)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-06-30 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
Electromagnetic pulse. [ he has no time to ask what a movie is! ] It is the only thing I can think of that would so quickly knock out the power to this huge extent.

[ there weren't any city-wide storms, electrical or otherwise, and with how digital and electric new amsterdam is, it seems like a logical guess. ]

I am okay. [ he is probably injured? but it's nothing compared to others' he's seen. he can still walk, that's the new bar for 'how severe is my injury.' ] There are too many anyone else's, but no, none with this particular woman.

[ when the generator booms, cassian jerks, attention immediately looping into the direction of the sound. he suspects there's going to be a lot of that, but the way the other man jumps makes him wonder how he's handling it. ] What about you? Are you hurt?
athousandwords: (1-3)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-06-30 06:36 pm (UTC)(link)
No, I mean... anyone else for you.

[Of course, he is still worried about all the homeland people in this city who are injured, but he's also worried about the group of them caught up in it. He hasn't been here any time hardly. Maybe Cassian has been here a while. Maybe Cassian has friends.

The shoulders lower after a moment, and he slowly starts back with the bandage, tying it off with slightly sticky, reddish fingers. He should have put on gloves, he thinks, but there wasn't any time.]


Just some scrapes. [Physically. It's the physical stuff he can handle. The emotional stuff is a bit rough.] I'm okay. [He glances up.] Let's lift her together, alright?

We need to get her away from the debris and put her where she can get help.
evasives: (170)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-07-01 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ he frowns a little. it's not that he hasn't thought about the people he knows, but he's trying very hard not to dwell on the people he hasn't been able to reach. it's the same for cassian - the physical stuff can be handled, the emotional stuff is being ignored. ] That part is a work in progress. Too many messages are misfiring.

[ the woman groans a little, less so from the bandage being completed and more of a general pain reaction. ] We are a little hard pressed to find places without debris, but off the road is a start. I am not sure where the nearest hospital is from here, or even if it is a functioning one.

[ if the vehicles got this fucked up, what are the medical facilities like? ] Lift her on three?
Edited 2019-07-01 01:45 (UTC)
athousandwords: (new39s)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-07-01 03:08 pm (UTC)(link)
If the EMP shut down so much, I don't think... [No, he can't go at it with that mindset. He shakes his head, hurriedly piling everything back into the canister and twisting the cap on solidly.] One step at a time. We can do it.

[They shouldn't move her necessarily--hell, she shouldn't have been moved at the start for fear of snapping an already broken neck and spine, but they have little choice now. Carefully, he situates her arms over her stomach so they don't dangle, shifts himself to one knee so he can get ready to stand.

His eyes soften as they glance down at the woman. He wants to offer her medicine, but she'd choke. Gently, he slips his arms under her, parallel with Cassian's. If there's nothing between them, Cassian will feel it at the brush: the anxiety of a nineteen year old boy floating in front of a hardened, persistent resolve.]
It's going to be okay. [He's not sure who he's trying to convince more, though it's probably the woman.

The glow had already started, very faint, muffled under the clothes, riding on the back of the worry, and he doesn't notice it.]
It'll be okay. [The feeling isn't intrusive so much as simply there, a weighted blanket being wrapped around the shoulders. Very soft. The feathery edge of serenity. It's comforting if not surprising.] On three. One.

Two. [His legs tighten.] Three. [And he lifts without rushing, trying to keep in time with Cassian.]
evasives: (140)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-07-03 03:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ there is a brush of skin, and cassian feels that rush of anxiety. in return, eiji gets cassian's adrenaline and focus, undercut by a faint sensation of worry that he's trying very hard to subdue. but there is little time to dwell on what he's feeling from the other man (boy? he's younger than cassian thought). the glow in his own chest is also faint, but he doesn't risk moving his hands and dropping the woman to the ground. ]

[ on three, cassian lifts in tune. carefully, he shuffles along, trying to work in tandem to get this woman off the street. he wants to say something like, 'yes, it is going to be fine, but cassian doesn't know. he wants it to be fine. ]


[ he gestures with a nod towards a little bench, partway under the awning of a nearby building. it's mostly clear of debris and largely in the shade. ] There, that bench. It keeps her off the ground.
athousandwords: (new29)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-07-05 01:06 am (UTC)(link)
[At the instruction for the bench, Eiji nods. His feet, in time with Cassian's, move in that direction. He's careful, and he tries to make sure her head doesn't dangle, that they don't shift out of tune and bump her around.

At the bench, he shifts and moves around the arm and the back so they aren't fighting over room to put her down. He's pretty strong from vaulting, but Cassian may be a tad stronger, so he relinquishes the woman to him once she's nearly on the seat.

A long, ragged exhale escapes him, and he braces his hands on the back to try to gather his wits before he stands upright again.]


Everything is down, so I don't know how we'll call anyone. Do you think... someone will find her here? I... [He frowns down at her.] ...feel bad just leaving her.
evasives: (256)

[personal profile] evasives 2019-07-06 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ they work in easy tandem to get the woman restfully on the bench, a sign for the mutual concern. it's definitely not the best place for her, but there's no telling how any of the hospitals are fairing. ]

[ he lets out his own sigh, frowning at the woman, because this guy very much has a point. ]
I do not want to just leave her either. I am just not sure we can carry her the entire way to a hospital.

[ he taps his temple. it's been glitching out, but he was able to pull up a map. ] Assuming this is not malfunctioning, the nearest hospital is about two kilometers away.

[ there's a pause. ] Have you ever set a broken bone before?

(no subject)

[personal profile] athousandwords - 2019-07-08 17:11 (UTC) - Expand

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[personal profile] evasives - 2019-07-10 16:01 (UTC) - Expand

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[personal profile] athousandwords - 2019-07-14 17:49 (UTC) - Expand

sorry this is so late!!

[personal profile] evasives - 2019-07-19 16:25 (UTC) - Expand
inherited: (though wow lea got a divorce)

wildcard

[personal profile] inherited 2019-06-25 05:41 am (UTC)(link)
[What a terrible thing to witness. It's bad for Riku and he's heard about things here. The monsters. People fighting each other. The time all the soldiers showed up. He hasn't experienced most of that himself, and the dreams were like a walk in the park in comparison.

Which—for the record? Is where he is right now. A park. It's a less than ideal location for anyone to huddle down, but even an Island boy like him knows he needs to stop at one of the supply booths to get some sunscreen. There aren't a lot of these set up. He figures it might be easier said than done.]


Hey, my friend over there might need this, [he says after spotting Eiji. Maybe if he's here, he already got some. It's hard to say.

He walks over, standing beside him.]


I'm sorry. This can't be good to have to deal with right now. [Riku figures he barely got a legal name here, and now this? It's not easy.]
athousandwords: (9 (1)-2)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-06-25 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[The mask is still around his neck; it's a wonder he even has put it on for air considering how he hates the intimidation it brings. It feels wrong to talk to other people with it obscuring him.

But he has a hat? It's a little ratty, and it only does a half-decent job in casting a shadow over his face--which disappears when he glances up at the voice.]


Riku!

[It's a relief to see other Displaced, though. Despite... the yeah.] It's... [Well, he doesn't want to say it's okay because it isn't. So he shakes his head.] I'm alright.

Are you okay? It's very hot.
inherited: (B I C E P)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-06-25 08:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I miss the humidity we were starting to get. [Just a little bit into the month with thunderstorms, and suddenly: this. That the Earth is so fragile concerns him, worrying him. If he's really here to help this world, he and Sora are gonna have their work cut out for them.]

It's not that that worries me, though. People are hurt. I'm glad that you aren't, too. I'm as fine as I can be, knowing I can't do a whole lot. [Help them, yes. He'll do that. He won't give up. It's just—hard. Knowing what he could do if he was at full strength. He can use shadows to make water, but then what? Even the water doesn't come out cool, quickly affected by the surroundings.]
athousandwords: (8-2)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-06-25 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh no. Beach boy misses the humidity. Same hat! Not that Eiji was out long enough to enjoy it. But Izumo is a seaside city, so... It had been nice, minus the familiar brine.]

Like home a little... It’s frustrating. I know...

[Eiji’s heart is so big. It’s been tough seeing so much chaos without being able to do a whole lot.] You’re here. That’s enough, you know? Even... giving someone water. [He’s found it since the carnage, what his power had been. A small piece of it. Now, he still can’t help keeping it from buzzing from his chest to his throat.

His hands rise and curl over his sternum, trying to hide what wants to glow.]
It’s enough. [The barest hints of softness touching the edge of consciousness. Riku feels... relaxed, but not hypnotized. Knows it’s happening.] We’ll help them.

We have helped them. The others... They’ll be able to fix the outside while we fix the inside.
inherited: (i ask philosophical questions)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-06-26 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[The glow and calm is obvious. It's exactly the kind of mindset that he tries to maintain for Sora all the time. It's important that he does so, but it's harder to hold on to when things like this happen. When they all had the dreams, he was able to act as if he knew what was going on. In the places where he didn't, he could spot and notice the differences.

Everything in the dreams was ... big. Just like the lost of New Tokyo before. The one they undid.

Riku knows this won't be undone, but he can't think that way. Can't focus on magically fixing all of it. It doesn't work that way. It never has (except for his home, which was a miracle, one that he can't take for granted).]


Thanks. [Because Eiji helps him find that foundation. That earth, so to speak. The mindset that can be so easily lost, but is always important.]

I'm not sure what you mean about the outside and the inside. [He smiles, huffing a breathy laugh.] I guess you mean the people here, while everyone helps the rest? [Or maybe he means something cuter and mushier. Look, he knows Sora. It helps to ask.]
athousandwords: (new58t)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-06-27 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
[Wow, don't tease the genkis!

Whatever hints of glowing had started rising, it dies away when he gets less Heartfelt and more just embarrassed.]
What we do here in the city is just as important as... what anyone else is doing on the outside. Or... [He glances around a second, lowering his voice.] With the message.

I'm not good at any of that.

[Not like Ash would have been, he thinks.] But it's okay. [His smile turns a bit wry, and he glances around, face softening. He's worried. These things are bad in his era, but here? The technology is so wildly advanced. Everything seems... worse.] "Friends are known first in hardships."

Everyone is scared, but... we have to pick them back up and keep going. [A pause, like he forgot where the heck he was for a moment.] Do you... need any water or anything?
inherited: (i like sea salt on everything)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-06-29 04:50 pm (UTC)(link)
"Friends are known first in hardships," [Riku says, repeating it back to Eiji. That makes sense, doesn't it? How else would he have become friends with King Mickey? Sora was inevitable, two boys who would be intertwined for the rest of their lives. And then there was Axel and Naminé—that was definitely a hardship, too. He breathes out.] I could use some water. I think it wouldn't hurt to make sure we both have plenty on us.

[Eiji has a good mind for this. Riku wonders if he knows, or if he's the type to overlook himself. It's hard for him to tell. He's a lot more motivational these days than he used to be, but there are still things that he doesn't quite have a knack for. Not like Sora, that is.]

As it is, I think we can stick together, if you'd like. I don't think it would hurt to watch each other's backs. I can do any heavy lifting, and if someone needs help, I think ... I think you can help. With how you just helped me. [A beat. Considering.] How does that sound?
athousandwords: (new51t)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-06-30 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[The repetition gets Eiji to smile very faintly. It's only a silly sort of saying, but Riku took to it, and Eiji thinks it's good it means something to someone else. Strangely, it's as if Riku understands it more than a simple blanket chunk of wisdom.]

I can do that. [It's not much different than with Ash. Him... being himself, and Ash doing all the "heavy lifting," so to speak. As long as he's doing something to help is what matters.] Hang on.

[Eiji turns back for the booth to retrieve some water. He takes enough for both of them, and then he picks up a makeshift canister. It looks like he's tied a strap belonging to something else to it, and it's full of odds and ends of packets or blister packs. Medical supplies maybe. Another thing of water is added to it, and then he returns to Riku, offering out one of what he has.]

Here. Don't drink too fast. Um. [His eyes lift to Riku's hair. It's light, lighter than Ash's. Silvery-white is lighter than blonde, right? Is it the same?] Do you tan easily, or do you burn? You shouldn't walk around without sunscreen if you do.

Or... a hat maybe. Do you want mine?
inherited: (the end of kh2 pose)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-07-02 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Despite the lightness of his hair, Riku's definitely a kid who tans quickly. He's never been one for sunburns. It might be because of where he grew up—but it's hard for him to say.

He shakes off the hat.]
The sunscreen should be fine for now. I tan most of the time. So ... that and the water. Worse comes to worse, we can always jump in the river. That should be safe, right? [That is a joke— and if Eiji isn't sure about it, Riku follows it up with a twitch of his lips upward. He knows a river won't give them the relief they need, and there are other concerns given the state of the city right now.]

It's gonna be hard to take this slow. Hard to take any of this slow. Just let me know if you need a break, and I'll be there right beside you.
athousandwords: (10-2)

[personal profile] athousandwords 2019-07-02 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
[This is such a very Ash thing to say, and Eiji doesn't know if he should be exasperated or terribly homesick.]

Don't say that, [he chastises gently, even getting it's a joke.] We'll find a better way to cool down than drown in the river. [Sheesh.] Running from gunfire and jumping in a bay once is enough for me, thanks.

[But he nods in understanding at the latter instructions.] We can take short breaks. I'll be okay. If... we're helping people, I can do it. [A small smile.] Thanks.

I'm right behind you. Oh--Did you get sunscreen already?
inherited: (like me - i'm still pretty)

[personal profile] inherited 2019-07-11 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
Just the once? Sounds like the kind of trouble I could get used to. [Okay, to be fair, he's usually much savvier about avoiding the trouble, but he's teasing Eiji a bit. He can't help it. The thought of avoiding gunshots in the middle of some charity work is somehow ... amusing, helping lighten his mood despite everything else that's going on.

Without adding anything verbally, he turns to Eiji, showing the sunscreen to him.]


"You don't need more than a spritz." They were very insistent about it.