EVENT #010

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam and any other megacity the Displaced happen to be in/travel to!
WHEN: May 28, 2512
WHAT: Golden-eyed monsters stream into New Amsterdam and other megacities the world over.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Violence, death, body horror, mind control, and transformation.

> EVENT #010

It starts in the middle of the night, when most everyone should be fast asleep in their beds, whether they're still taking up a cot in the safehouse or staying in their own apartment. One moment it's quiet, with most of the rest of the city having also turned in for the night, and then in the next? It isn't.

There will be mass confusion as the scope of the situation becomes clear. Monsters stream out onto the streets, thundering up the stairs of a train station, skittering out of construction sites, or climbing up the walls. Some of them fly. Others slither. Others run, loping forward with only one goal in mind: to find something to sink their teeth or claws into and to leave destruction in their wake at every turn. They are a horde, a swarm, a teeming mass of creatures that have no intention of stopping. All of them have eyes or bodies that shine gold and wherever they go, they seem to leave decay. Concrete turns black and porous where they step; plants wither and die.

There is no real preparing for an attack of this scale. New Amsterdam will awaken as the sound of these monsters crashing down on cars or bursting through storefronts or into homes forces people to run screaming from their dwellings or places of work. There is no discrimination in who these beasts might target, and no discernable pattern in where they go.

All that one can really tell is that they seem to want to spread out. They're constantly on the move, leaping from victim to victim, and they're relentless. No one knows why they've come, where they're come from, or what will make them stop. At least for now, the only option seems to be to cut down their numbers. It's time to fight the horde.

The first night will be utter chaos as everyone reacts to the monsters' sudden appearance, but by the morning hours news reports will start streaming in. This is not only happening in New Amsterdam, or wherever else a Displaced might be staying, but seemingly everywhere. Some cities seem harder hit than others, but practically every megacity is overrun with the creatures.

With no way of knowing who might have unleashed the monsters, all of these cities have essentially been turned into battlefields. Not many civilians are prepared to fight for their lives, and it will take a mobilization effort from the police, Morningstar, the Displaced, and anyone else who's willing to take up arms in order to survive.

◉ As a note, this attack starts simultaneously in multiple cities. While it's the middle of the night in New Amsterdam, the monsters will appear at other times of the day in other parts of the world depending on the timezone!

> BESTIARY

So as to not make this post overly long, we have compiled all of the monster descriptions into a Google doc here for everyone's reference!

> (NOT SO) SAFEHOUSE

For those Displaced who stay at (or spend any time in) the safehouse under the hoverbike shop or the Red Wings bar, they may become aware of the presence of the monsters sooner than others, due to the fact that at least a few of the giant mole monsters will end up burrowing up through the concrete basements to wreak havoc. The screeching noise of steel claws tearing through the floor will be sure to wake up even the deepest of sleepers.

This won't just be an occurrence on the first night of the attack, either. Unless something is done to deter them, tunnels leading straight into the safehouses will continue to be created, allowing even other types of monsters to find their way through (the smaller ones, that is). Where exactly they're coming from won't be entirely clear, though it's a safe bet to assume that they must have originated in the cave system somehow.

Suffice to say that El won't be happy about the safehouse being compromised in this way, though this isn't a possibility that ze or anyone else could have really prepared for. While ze can't do much to physically help with containing the invasion of the monsters, ze will offer whatever resources ze can—though Morningstar is going to be busy in plenty of other locations, as well, and they only have so many resources.

The Red Wings, being a Displaced-operated location, will also be in need of assistance, especially if it's meant to be a point of safety and a hub for handing out supplies. Speaking of—

> RED WINGS HQ

As things begin to deteriorate, Clarke Griffin and Stephen Strange sink their resources into Red Wings, adapting it into a base of operations for the Displaced. Clarke also called in PRESERVE to set up a checkpoint here, too, and anyone—from the Displaced to civilians—will be able to seek aid here. (Of course, Red Wings will be just one of a few locations throughout the city where they attempt to set up shop, but Red Wings may prove to be more fortified thanks to the talents of the Displaced.) Civilians will not have access to Red Wings' safehouse, however. That's still something that Clarke and Stephen want to keep under wraps, for now.

In the bar proper, there will be medical aid, supplies, and even weapons for those who can use them. During rare moments of downtime, the gang at Red Wings will also work on reconnaissance missions to find safe spots throughout the city to provide much needed protection and safety for the people of New Amsterdam. This task may be much easier said than done. Gathering intel on the monsters is a high priority, too, and for anyone who tries to capture a monster to learn more about them, the basement might be a good place to hold them. If the Displaced are going to be able to fight back, they need to know exactly what it is they're fighting.

However, the truth of the matter is that this attack happened quickly, and in the middle of the night to boot. As much as the group at Red Wings tries, resources are stretched thin, and they didn't have time to prepare as much as they wanted to. Supplies need to be rationed, bandages and stitches used for wounds that really need them, and if you're not a great shot, it might be best to let someone with more training take that gun you're eyeing.

More than anything, despite the difficulty, this is a way for the Displaced to help out as many people as they can, and a way for them to cement their humanitarian efforts and affect the population's opinion of them. The citizens of New Amsterdam are sick of this cycle of destruction, and are just waiting to be empowered. Now's the time to teach them to fight back and help them protect their city.

Red Wings' safehouse underground will be damaged by burrowing monsters as well, and will need protection. The bar itself will escape relatively unscathed.

> INVESTIGATING / GATES

Maybe the best way of dealing with the monsters isn't violence at all. Maybe there's a more strategic way to deal with this.

The monsters will be moving from city to city via the gates, just like the Displaced do. There might be a way to keep them from spreading, or at least slow them down, by shutting down the gate network. Of course, with the mag trains shutting down, getting back home could be an issue. One option is the delivery network of hover trucks. They'll still be running to get supplies from city to city, but their batteries don't run indefinitely, so these will be relatively local trips only. No getting from New Tokyo back to New Amsterdam with this method, unfortunately, and convincing a driver to let you hitch a ride might be a challenge, but it's doable.

Of course, there's also the question of where these things are coming from. Intrepid characters might be able to track them back to their nests, which are tucked away in wildly different places depending on the city. In New Amsterdam, they might be in the caves below the city. In other places, they might not be in the city proper at all, but just outside of it. It's important to keep in mind that the nests are far away from any of the action taking place elsewhere. Tracking these origin points may provide some answers, but the cost would be less involvement in the crisis taking place.

And then there's the matter of the monsters themselves. How can you fight an enemy you know nothing about? For those determined or crafty enough, capturing them might be an option, although this will take some creativity. Once these creatures are captured, they'll need to be kept contained, and kept alive. Just because they're monstrous doesn't mean they don't have to eat, after all, and some will need special environmental considerations as well, such as the mind control slugs.

What happens after that is up to the Displaced. Is dissecting them the best bet? Their internal anatomy won't be wildly different from most "normal" animals, with the exception of some creatures who have strange appendages or the like. Still, this might give the Displaced a better idea of how they operate and what their weak spots are. Sending samples to a lab is another possibility, if the Displaced can figure out how to safely store those samples. After all, the world is in a crisis, and no one is running tests at the moment.

All monsters, though, seem drawn to the blue light. When a Displaced uses a power or activates the empathy bond, the creatures will lock onto it, utterly transfixed, and if this is done enough times, that gold glow of theirs will intensify. What does it all mean? Maybe figuring that out will be a pathway to stopping their attacks.

> PITCHING IN

While all of this is going on, it certainly won't be just the Displaced who are heading out into the streets to try and stem the flow of the monster attack. These creatures are certainly not holding back, and no matter how much work might be put in, their numbers are overwhelming. Plenty of people will end up dead as a result, ripped to shreds or dragged off somewhere to be eaten. Yet, for some reason, these monsters are not as vicious toward the Displaced. They'll engage them in a fight and injure them, but they never go so far as dealing a fatal blow.

Seeing how that's not the case for the rest of the populace throughout the world, however, some groups and organizations will be rising up to do their part.

Police departments will be mobilizing in every megacity to put the monsters down, and while they are armed, it's not on the same level as the UNA. They also don't have any sort of training that's prepared them to fight monsters, but they'll still be putting their lives on the line to put a dent in the monsters' onslaught. When it comes to enforcing regular law and order, they certainly won't have the bandwidth for anything like that. Then again, most people won't be in any position to take advantage and commit crimes either, given the chaos that will be a constant everywhere.

Morningstar will also be jumping into action around the world. The New Amsterdam branch will be most likely to work alongside the Displaced and share some of their resources, particularly with those who are signed up as official agents or those who've supported them in the past. In cities like New Prague and New Beijing where the Displaced have made some contact with Morningstar before, they'll also be open to working with the Displaced. However, their resources are by no means robust. Morningstar is an organized rebel group, but they're hardly an official army in any sense of the word. They might be able to hand out a weapon here or there and they have a safehouse set up in almost every city, but beyond that, they'll mainly be getting boots on the ground to help with the fighting.

UNA soldiers who have been left without any sort of purpose or guidance will now have an opportunity to put some of that training to use. Their involvement will be much more scattered, though in some cases small groups of these soldiers who used to work in units together will reconnect in their effort to fight off the horde. However, having been cut off from the UNA in an official capacity, they won't have much in the way of gear or weapons. They're still formidable fighters, though, and now might be the perfect time to reach out and make a connection with some of them.

Mercenaries belonging to various different outfits, depending on what city they're based in, will also be joining the cause. Whether they're acting out of a basic desire to survive the attacks or if they're actually being paid by someone to go out there and risk their lives will be less clear, but they're some of the best-equipped fighters (other than the police). They also won't really find much reason to protest any of the Displaced pitching in to fight with them. The more firepower, the better, right?

A group of regulars from the New Amsterdam fighting rings will be rising up to add their fuel to the monster-fighting fire, as encouraged by Hawke and whoever else might know them well enough to reach out. Given that some of these people have illegal mods to enhance their strength or cybernetic attachments that can do impressive amounts of damage, some of them might hold their own against the monsters. Hell, some of them might even ask the Displaced to demonstrate some of their powers if they end up fighting together, as word of their abilities has become more known among their ranks. Either way, they'll be jumping into the fray with quite a bit of gusto.

PRESERVE will be involved on the other end of these efforts and will be doing their best to tend to the wounded and the dead, along with finding shelter and safe spots for people to barricade themselves from the attacks. It's not like the grand majority of civilians could stand a chance against these monsters, after all, yet not all of them can rely on their homes to be safe enough to stay in. They'll be quick to accept an offer of Displaced help, as they'll be doing their best to try and drag the recently dead to hospitals to get them put into medi-units before they're too late. Along with what's set up at Red Wings, they'll also be cobbling together other relief spots throughout the city for taking care of wounded and offering up what supplies they have (food and water, medical supplies, etc).

And what are the corporations doing in all of this? Well, suffice to say, mainly just panicking. Unsurprisingly, they're not much help during a crisis like this, with most of the super-rich opting to hide away in whatever highly secure bunkers they might have. Too bad that these bunkers might not prove so secure in the face of these attacks. Could that prove to be an opportunity if someone went looking?

> FINAL OOC NOES

Please refer to the OOC EVENT POST for all OOC info, including suggestions for directions on how to engage with the event. Given the spread out nature of this event, as well as the amount of additional details provided here, please direct all questions to our QUESTIONS thread below. This is, naturally, a huge event in terms of scale, and so we're certain there are aspects of it we haven't covered and questions that have yet to be answered. We do encourage that all of our players use the event planning post for any additional ideas and for touching base!

Please do not begin to thread out any aftermath until AUGUST 8, 2020, which is when we will put up the aftermath log and OOC post. If this date changes, we will provide a gamewide update as needed! As a note, the August calendar will be posted alongside the aftermath!

As a reminder, there is one power level up available for this event, granted for a thread of at least 5 log/action comments containing your character utilizing their power in some way during the event itself. They will need to reach the 5 comments required by SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 to be eligible. Submission will be handled on the wrap up post.

Our Activity Check will be posted AUGUST 1 at 12 AM UTC. It will run for seven days and close on AUGUST 8 at 12 AM UTC.

Have fun and fight some monsters! Or … whatever else you might do with them. 😉😏 Your secret's safe with us. 😙

> NAVIGATION

Comments

[lifetothefullest]

[Hearing that whoever her friend is will be fine is good, both for their sake and for having a better sense of how much Clarke is dealing with. Her short answers aren't giving him much to work with, but her tone is, and he allows the subject change with a nod and an attempt at lightening the mood a little--]

Sure, though you may want to choose the subject. If it's up to me you'll just getting boring talk about music or how tempted I am to see if the bakery a few blocks from here might not have been raided yet.

[He wants a muffin and if they've been abandoned to the monsters then no harm in putting them to good use, right? Right.

But really, the point is that while he's willing to change subjects, he's trying to keep her engaged to an extent. Pulling yourself out of these sorts of states is difficult when left to dwell in them, and he knows that from experience rather than just training.]

[strove]

I think I know the bakery that you mean. [It gives her a mission, albeit momentarily. Heading out is a dangerous task, but she doubts the monsters are looting baked goods at a time like this. She checks for her gun, makes sure it's close, and looks toward the entrance of the bar.] Let's head in that direction. I wouldn't mind hearing about the music, either. I'm curious about how much made it to my people.

[Everyone on the Ark was perpetually stuck with having music from the first half of the 21st century. Some older tracks made it in there, but not as many as one might expect.]

Oh, do you have a weapon? We'll need that.

[If anything, moving instead of being borderline catatonic is helping. It's probably not the most healthy redirect of emotions, but it's working toward something. She needs it for herself.]

[lifetothefullest]

[Distraction is, of course, indeed not the healthiest way to handle things, but it's also not the worst. In the short term, while the whole crisis is still happening, he's more than happy with using distraction if it means she's coming out of her previous state at least a little bit.

He hadn't exactly intended to go check the bakery immediately, but he nods at her words and the question; the gun he'd gotten from Marcos is hidden under the hem of his hoodie and he doesn't bother to show it, but he is armed.]

Yeah, I have one.

[And that established, might as well begin toward the exit of the bar, as he asks--]

About the music, what year was it for you? I wonder if anything specific that I could mention would mean anything to you.

[No point in naming songs or even necessarily genres if they won't mean anything, but he has some other options to choose from to talk about if not.]

[strove]

That's a bit of a difficult question. [For many, many reasons.] All music production ended in 2052, but I was born in 2131. And aside from that, what music they had in space was definitely whatever came out before 2052. Transferring files up to space was a slow-going process, so they were limited by whatever they had on hand. [It's a methodical, sticky explanation. Clarke chooses not to mention why all music production ended, but she hasn't kept her apocalyptic roots a secret.

She just doesn't go into it. Yet.]

The most likely difference is that whatever you know didn't make it up to the stations where I grew up. If it existed at all. [Multiple dimensions and the like. Some Earths aren't paralleled by other Earths. It's all complicated, the life of being on another version of Earth for this long.]

That's not counting what's here, but ... I haven't really had time to play catch up on most of it. [Music festival drop off a couple months ago aside.

She is, by the way, walking out the door as she finishes.

Sweets definitely asked a complicated question. Clarke didn't even get to the part where she's also a hundred years older by way of cryogenesis. Fun!]

[lifetothefullest]

[He definitely has questions about that situation, but this is not the time for it especially with the tone to what she explains being what it is. So he just nods, taking in that answer and creating a little mental timeline with half his attention and making sure to stick close to Clarke with the rest of it. Not like they have a long way to go, but it could definitely still be dangerous and he's not sure how 'present' she is yet.]

It was 2014 when I was in my world last, so yeah, probably not much overlap even assuming we're from the same general setting.

[The multiple dimensions thing really is a problem. But okay, music here is something he can latch onto talking about--]

I haven't had much of a chance yet either, but maybe I will after all this is over. I also want to try to find some instruments here and see if they've changed much, if people are even still using physical instruments at all; I bet music production programs are pretty amazing here.

[Also he wants to know if there are like, implant-integrated keyboards or something because he totally wants to 'play' a holographic keyboard. If you can't play with tech that makes you feel like you're in a sci-fi movie, what good is being in the future?]

[strove]

I think some instruments still exist, but I haven't had the chance to see any up close. [While a couple of Displaced musicians will occasionally play at Red Wings, it isn't a common feature (and she's fairly certain their instruments come from home).] One of our drop offs was at a music festival, but I never got up close enough to see what they were playing. [There were instruments. That was decidedly true. But it's not like she could describe the make and design of them.

Now that they're outside, she looks up, trying to ensure that they aren't dove on from above or tackled from behind. The longer this goes on, the more New Amsterdam is actually ... falling under control. There are less crashes, less sounds of people screaming. It isn't just that people are growing used to it. No, the monsters are actually being fought back, bit by bit.

Her body relaxes when she realizes that there aren't any immediate threats. It's an incremental change, if only because Clarke is often alert. The worst part about these creatures is that they're unpredictable, at least compared to humans. It means that she can't expect an action their part that complies with normal logic.

She offers Lance a nod, as if confirming they're all right. She doesn't state what this means exactly.]

Have you looked into digital mediums for art? I had to learn how to use them when I got here, and I still feel like I've only scratched the surface. [Some of the VR work that's done is incredible. Clarke doesn't even know where she'd start.]

[lifetothefullest]

[He's gonna have to look into the instruments thing more for sure, especially since it seems like some do exist in some form. That seems like a fun distraction after all of this.

It does seem pretty under control where they are, which is good to see; it feels like progress is being made, and knowing that the efforts of everyone in the city are paying off. He remembers when the Null attacked Hadriel the first time and the people there figured out how to fight them, and slowly things came back from feeling hopelessly overwhelming to possible to inevitable that they were going to win. Those turning moments are incredibly important.

But they also can't get ahead of themselves, and although things seem calm they still need to be cautious. So he returns the nod with a faint smile, shaking his head briefly at her question before turning his attention back to their surroundings.]

No, I'm terrible at art, so I haven't even thought about it. I bet my friend Nate has, though.

[He's going to have to ask him, but he mentions Nate purposefully; he knows Nate works at Red Wings, though he isn't sure how well he and Clarke might know each other. And as for the rest of what she said--]

Do you draw, or paint, or something else?

[strove]

I draw. I've been picking up how to paint here, but it's limited. I mostly do sketches. [For Clarke, a pencil has always been her primary tool for art. Even when she lacked paper, she had the floor of her solitary chamber. She managed to make that work for her when nothing else would (and it became a framework for her mind down the line).]

I didn't realize that you knew Nate, [she goes on to add.] Same world, or—[She knows enough about Nate's former experiences in that other world, one where people were pulled from all over like this one. They had talked about it before.] I don't recall the name, actually.

[Her familiarity with Nate is more through the network than in person, in part because while he works at Red Wings, her hours only started shooting up there after the simulation. She knew that she had to prioritize better, and Red Wings came to the forefront. Turns out that was a good move, given the circumstances now.

She does turn, checking behind her. Some of the creatures can move fast.]

[lifetothefullest]

What do you like to sketch?

[And now he's honestly curious how that would work here; they had tablets and that sort of thing at home, but that was still a physical thing. Is drawing done through VR? Or even mentally through the implant? He's suddenly curious about this and he's going to have to ask her, but first he fills in the information about Nate.]

Hadriel. Yeah, we met there; we actually arrived on the same day, and left the same day a little over two years later.

[And then because time is weird Nate has been here longer than Lance, but whatever.]

[strove]

Still life. Memories. Sometimes it was things I saw in movies and tried to depict in a way I understood. More recently, it's to share stories with my daughter. [It had been a way for her to communicate both the history of the world to Madi and teach her English. She knew very little up to that point, so Clarke made sure to offer it to her. (And Madi, for what it's worth, is her adoptive daughter.)]

Are you happy to have someone from there here? Did you think you'd see each other again?

[They might seem like idle questions, but anyone who's pulled away from home for too long will begin to think of the people they might lose when pulled away. Isn't that only normal?]

[lifetothefullest]

[Oh, she has a daughter. He isn't sure if he should ask or not, but Clarke brought her up, so he thinks it probably okay--]

You have a daughter? Is she here, or still in your world?

[Lance never met his son--even if Lance hadn't arrived in Hadriel, he knows he would've died before his son is actually born--but he can at least guess at how difficult it would be in both situations. On one hand, having your child with you means you aren't separated and can do something to protect them, but on the other it means they have to be in such a dangerous situation as these places tend to be.

The subject of missing friends is also complicated, but in a totally different way, and he's unsure about how much to say. Eventually he decides on an abbreviated version of the truth that still gives context, hopefully without being too confusing.]

Yeah, I'm happy. Nate is one of the two people I knew best in Hadriel. The other one was... I was actually trying to go to her world--that's where I was supposed to be, not here--and I hoped I might be able to visit Nate's world eventually, but we didn't really expect to see each other again.

[And so although he misses the Kyna from Hadriel terribly, and he hates being back in the situation of being afraid that any day he could disappear from this world and go back to his to die, the fact that Nate is here helps make it so much more manageable.]

[strove]

[Clarke shakes her head at the first question. Knowing that Madi isn't here is a bit of a relief. She knows that there are some people who are confident that their people must be locked away somewhere, ready to be rescued, but she's not comforted by that idea. Thinking she hasn't been brought here yet gives Clarke peace.

Either way, there's no sense that she doesn't mind the question, it's just that what he goes on to ask gives her a way to tie it together.]

A friend of mine offered that to me, too. [A chance to visit his world. To live there. Clarke sometimes wonders what it would have been like, if she hadn't been so afraid that she would make things worse there. The problem with her is that she doesn't always know how to curb that in herself. She's better these days, better than she's ever been, but there's still a fear of it.

And back then, she knew that part of herself too well: the part that would shovel people's problems onto her shoulders, and never know when to stop.]

That was before I knew about my daughter. It was supposed to be a way out. I guess it wouldn't be that way for everyone, but I'd lost everything. Or thought I had. [She figures those offers aren't made lightly. She just also doesn't assume that he had a darker, more unhappy reason for wanting to go to a different world.]

I hope we can help you get there when this is all over—either to her world, or to Nate's eventually.

[lifetothefullest]

[He nods in understanding at her explanation; the reasons had varied, for those he'd known in Hadriel who'd wanted to go to worlds other than their own or even stay in Hadriel itself, and although he doesn't have a good sense of her situation it's easy to understand that her world might be one she wants to escape from. Especially if she had nothing and no one left there.

Her last comment earns a faint smile, because although the practical, realistic side of him is very afraid that there's no way he'll manage to get to the 'end' of being here, not after beating the odds to do so in Hadriel and then it just leading him here, he still appreciates the sentiment. And he hopes that maybe it really will be possible.]

Thank you. We only had the opportunity once we figured out the reason for being in Hadriel, and how to resolve the problem we were brought to solve, so that might be the key here too. For anyone who might want to choose where--or when--they go to.

[And they're nearing the bakery, just another block or so of avoiding monsters to go.]

[strove]

Were you told that you had a reason for being there? [Now that she's nearing a year, Clarke believes in there being a reason even less than before. All of it seems random: from the people who stay to the people who go. Even the ones who are still there from the first group are so random, given how small of a group they happen to be.

It doesn't help that Clarke doesn't tend to believe in "reasons" or "fate."]

[lifetothefullest]

Yes. We weren't told everything, but we had some basics, and found out more over time.

[He doesn't believe in fate or destiny or any of that either, but his experience in Hadriel had been a mirror of his experience in life in general; some parts of life are random and unexplainable, but a lot of things just come down to people's choices. That had been the case in Hadriel, and he thinks it's the case here.]

We were brought there because the beings that had control of the place needed power to fight their enemies, and they gained that power through emotional energy. There was no native population anymore that they could gain that energy from, so they had to find a replacement source, and therefore they activated an artifact they couldn't control which is what caused people to come and go from Hadriel.

[strove]

[An artifact that they couldn't control? And being used as an energy source? It's an unpleasant situation, and one that Clarke isn't quick to say she'd prefer. She's been aware of how people were used as sources of life back home, and it's not something that she imagines would sit well with her people, and especially not the people once known to her as the grounders.

But then, who would like that? Or want that?]

And there was never a choice for the people there. Not that we have much of one here. We've theorized why some of us end up here, whether we were set on this world to change it or not—admittedly, I don't like thinking of us as important enough to matter one way or another. But I know that that's preference. I also hope we're not being used for something, though. I think I can be right in saying we're not. [It's all her circling around to say what she hopes.

Clarke knows that, too.]

[lifetothefullest]

[Lance is far less convinced; he's pretty sure of the opposite, that they're indeed here for some purpose, and to serve some use. But he also knows that may be his past experiences talking, more so than any actual facts about the situation here.

Either way, this isn't the time to mention it, because it doesn't hurt if Clarke wants to be hopeful and right now, with whatever is going on with her personally, he's not about to undermine something that might prevent another weight or stress on her.

So instead he nods, even if it's more in contemplation than in agreement, and comments on the part he does feel the same way she does about--]

I don't like thinking we're important in some special way either. We're no more or less important than anyone else.

[Even if they are here for a reason, it doesn't give them any more or less inherent value than the other people in this world, and it's important to remember that. It's easy to get caught up in being special, and having a special purpose, and lose sight of anything outside of that.

But how quiet the streets are compared to before is a good reminder that many of the Displaced seem to have their priorities in order, and it's been incredibly encouraging and reassuring to Lance to see. It's a nice change from Hadriel.

And he catches sight of their destination, which is definitely abandoned, with a smashed front window and glass scattered across the floor, but although he can't totally see from this distance it looks like--]

I think we may be in luck.

[strove]

[Glass crunches under her boots as Clarke steps up behind him. She half expects something to come bursting out of the store, but that would involve logic, reason, and terror colliding and meeting in the same place. She knows for a fact that that doesn't tend to happen just because someone expects it.

Gingerly, she begins to push in through the shop window. She's not surprised that no one's taken to looting this place. Unlike many businesses, baked goods tend not to keep long enough to be worthy of this kind of attention. Plus, they don't have any resale value.]

What were you looking for again? [Her focus on this mission had been a way of escaping her gloom and worry. That detail was one she'd normally hold on to—normally. She glances to him for the answer.]

[lifetothefullest]

[As she steps into the store he glances back, making sure there's nothing following them, but it still seems clear and he carefully follows her while being sure to avoid any of the shards of glass still in place in the window frame.]

I'm not picky, but if there are any muffins that's what I'm going for first.

[But he will definitely take anything without complaint. This sort of thing was pretty much nonexistent in Hadriel and he's still getting used to having the option at all, so he's not going to turn down something just because it isn't exactly what he's looking for.

And now that they're inside again and she might be less distracted, he continues conversation for her to focus on as he starts looking around the store.]

How about you? Have any favorites?

[strove]

Donuts. [Despite having forgotten his preference, Clarke is quick on her own answer. Of all the baked goods she's had since she arrived here, donuts hold the most sentimental value for her. She doesn't necessarily think they're the best. She's just the type of person to cling to an emotional memory like that, especially now that the person attached to them has left her.]

I had a friend here who introduced them to me, bit by bit. It took a while for me to get used to the sugar content. [A beat.] We didn't have much by way of that back home, so it took a while.

[And whatever preparations they had before they got to the city, Clarke could easily tell that "eating large amounts of sugar" wasn't a priority. Which is fine.]

[lifetothefullest]

Donuts are pretty great.

[He's not surprised she would have to adjust to sugar content, from what little she's mentioned about her world, since he would imagine sugar might not be a common thing in space. Seems like the sort of thing that wouldn't be worth hauling up there.]

Any favorite kind? People get kind of serious about their favorite types of donuts.

[strove]

Prom taught me about that, yeah. [Clarke smiles when she thinks of her friend. In some ways, she's glad that none of her closer friends have returned with no memory of her. But in others, she would love to get to know them all over again. Being without them is hurtful either way. It's a loss that can't be defined, at least not compared to the frequent death back home.]

But I'm pretty straightforward. I like plain or glazed. Any of the filled ones are too rich, and I can't finish more than a bite or two. [Just about the only thing that's rich that she can take down is alcohol, and that's helped along by a good amount of experience with moonshine.]

So, since you say that people get serious—that means I have to ask you. Right?

[lifetothefullest]

The filled ones are a lot. I like them more as a teenager, but now they're not my thing either.

[The novelty had worn off fast and they're definitely too rich. There are better things if you want something that rich, like cake.]

I was exaggerating a little, but people tend to have strong opinions about their favorite types of donuts, and they'll get into usually joking arguments.

For serious food arguments, though, it's toppings on pizza. Especially pineapple.

[strove]

[It's a whole cultural thing that she's only begun to understand here. Food is usually not plentiful enough for her to argue over what's best. She had the beginnings of seeing that at Sanctum before things had gone to hell. (But that's life for Clarke, isn't it?)]

Is the debate whether or not you should include pineapple? And if so, where do you stand on it? [She sounds amused, and begins head into the back of the shop where there's less of a chance of any of the goods being tainted by glass. Best to just head there first.]

[lifetothefullest]

Yes, exactly. I'm boringly neutral; pineapple isn't my first choice, but I'm not going to turn down pizza just because it has fruit on it.

[Lance has some strong food opinions, but one is that when it comes down to it, he's not that picky. He very distinctly remembers what it's like not to have enough, both in Hadriel and before, so although he has preferences there usually aren't any real dealbreakers.

That said, his friend at home takes this to an incredible extreme, and Lance is not about to go that far. Three day old food at a crime scene does not deserve a second glance, Aubrey.]

How about you? Any pizza opinions?

[He too is wandering further into the store now that he's pretty sure it's deserted and there's nothing in the area to be worried about for the moment, though he's slightly distracted by just curiously checking out the decor. It might be pretty destroyed now, but observing what a place says through its design and decoration is an old habit and gives him some additional mental exercise.]