You're My Playground Love [Closed]

[espigeonage]

Who: Julien Sakazaki, Banagher Links, Alexander Varista, Alex Kusnitz. Later, Ryou Bakura; later still, Mordin Solus.
When: Forwards-dated to Friday the 28th
Where: Various; outside of the Tuning Towers, inside the Dead District.
What: One feckless batch of investigators gets more out of this trip than they expected.

[Unnecessary cut, I just wanted to use those lyrics. Look below!]

Comments

|Tower|

[espigeonage]

[The sky is largely clear with some wispy white clouds. There's a bit of a bite in the air, but it's warmer than it was a couple days ago. All the buildings here are tall and imposing, but none more so than the Tuning Towers. Near the ground floor they have a dramatic face and tall doors to present to passersby, a little like at the Empire State Building.

It's getting to the end of lunch hour for the business types, so purposeful foot traffic is dying down and sidewalks aren't a total crush of suits. It's still pretty crowded. Here's a class of elementary schoolers out on a field trip, gawping upwards and being herded into the building by tired teachers. Here's a small party of seniors with wristbands and an over-caffeinated tour guide. Here's a couple tourists from Florida, bundled in thick coats against the sixty-degree weather, arguing with their cell phones. City pigeons hop and scuttle underfoot after scraps, only taking noisy flight if they must.

No one else seems to notice the monotonous buzzing hum that rises above the noise of crowds and cars. No one else seems to notice the tremor. It doesn't even shake the leaves of the sad little caged trees dotted here and there.]

[amberhearted]

[ since Alex didn't feel like fighting for street parking, nor did he think it was a good idea to park quite so close, he'd parked his truck at a Starbucks a block away. of course, he urged the rest of the guys to buy something since, well, they were using a stall. he, at least, bought a tall coffee, though he refrained from drinking it.

The intense buzzing, coupled with the relentless phantom tremors, makes him uneasy. Worse, another Echo assaulted him AND left him with no idea of what just changed.

Those Echoes were really annoying, man.

He turns to the others, a light frown on his lips. ]

You guys okay?

[ directed at Julien and the other Alex (there had been cheer in meeting another Alex), since Banagher had already visited earlier in the week. ]

[espigeonage]

[This may have actually been a terrible idea, Julien realizes as he takes stock of himself. Public place and all, for all he knows this is some kind of pulse trap. He hasn't seen anything worth noting either.

...He feels a bit off now. Disoriented. It's pretty mild, though. He adjusts his drawstring backpack and shakes his head. At least it doesn't appear that anyone's watching them in particular. Turning a bit he surveys the others.]

I think I'm good. Maybe we shouldn't go in just now, though.

[moarnomsplz]

[Alex has never cut school before. It's not like he's a goody two-shoes or anything. It's just that it's always seemed like hanging out at the mall (as if he doesn't do that enough on the weekends) or whatever has never seemed worth the world of trouble he'd be in if he got caught.

The numbers club is starting to change that. He's grounded, possibly indefinitely, right when he needs to be free to get around, to learn stuff and do things. Important stuff, about himself, and the danger they're in. Maybe saving-the-world-type things.

So when the buzzing becomes an intolerable distraction--too loud to ignore, but too quiet to make any sense of, if there was sense to be made of it--he holds on until chemistry ends, then slips away during the class change, determined to get to the bottom of it.

He's relieved to see he isn't the only person with that idea when he runs into other-Alex and Julien. The buzzing gets louder as they approach Tuning Towers, which, duh, he tells himself, is only to be expected, but it seems to be buzzing inside his head, too, and Alex does not feel normal.

He has the presence of mind to get some distance between himself and the other two (and, more importantly, from the strangers around), half-thinking his tail might take on a mind of its own and appear like it did in the mines.]

This feel-zuh really weird...

[Then it looks really weird, in a way Alex can't identify at first. His vision swims, resolves itself. But resolves itself disorientingly, dizzyingly, into the tower in front of him, the street behind him, other-Alex and Julien and the side of his own head at an angle that should be impossible to see at all. It isn't until he finds the top of his head, hands all but flailing, trying to make sense of his oddly-multiplied line of vision, that he understands what's happened.]

Oh shit.

[Alex almost never swears, but sprouting two extras eyes on antennae seems like it calls for it. He hastily crams his arms over the top of his head, trying to squash the stalk eyes down and out of sight.]

[argents]

[ Though he's already been here once, the buzzing is still as uncomfortable now as it was then. It echoes in his head all the way down to his bones, and the ground rumbles up at him from the soles of his feet, making him feel uncomfortably insecure as they meet somewhere in the middle. Thankfully, his Echo was already gone and over with thanks to his visit a few days prior — the same feeling, shaking him a little looser from his life, and an odd suit left folded up in room when he returned.

Now, no Echoes are appearing to add that awful third layer, but it's still pretty raw, all things considered. ]

Nothing's changed. Since the other day, I mean... it felt just like this.

[ Banagher glances over at the other three, brows knit, just in time to see Alex the younger shift away. It's then that the distress sort of filters in, but that's only the tip of the iceberg when it came to weird, because watching him sprout an extra pair of eyes like a snail was definitely really noticeable oh my god. Banagher cuts off the noise of surprise quick enough to not draw more attention and goes to grab at Alex's shoulders in an attempt to get him to duck.

Marveling could come later, right now they were in some serious trouble if anyone saw. ]

Get down.

[ His eyes dart to the other Alex, a little panicked.

JACKET, STAT. ]

[amberhearted]

Ho- [ ly shit. he doesn't finish that expletive, already pulling at his sleeves to remove his jacket. he tosses it over younger alex's head, moves to wrap his arm around his shoulders and get him moving. ]

Man, this isn't the place to try out your dumb tricks, you're gonna give those old ladies a heart attack. Wait another month, yeah?

[ pls run with this. ]

|Dead District|

[espigeonage]

[From the most affluent part of the city to the least. The unwelcoming statue and dog police have been gone for long enough that the disenfranchised don't avoid the Dead District so much anymore, but that doesn't make it crowded. There's trash and graffiti here and there and very few people in view, mostly turning away, incurious. Good thing they left Alex's car somewhere a little more secure, though.]

[amberhearted]

[ per mordin's instructions, alex rolls the truck on in three blocks south of lsr clinic. seeing mordin (and only mordin) is a big relief. he puts the truck in park, then takes out his phone. he wants to minimize contact between the inside of the truck and everything else, so communicating through text will help with that. ]

[ text; private to mordin ]

How would you like to do this?

[testsonseashells]

[Mordin's gear is already on, and his omnitool glows over his left wrist. He replies with the following text:]

Will attempt to scan through doors of car. If unable, bring Julien to window and roll it down as little as possible. Will scan through that.

[Mordin puts the phone away, taps something on the omnitool, and examines it closely as it attempts to scan through the door. He sighs, shakes his head, and taps the window, motioning for the group to roll the window down.]

[espigeonage]

[Julien stares at Mordin dully, inner eyelids closed, blinking the outer ones when the class is tapped. When prompted by someone in the car he hesitates but complies, cracking the window down by about half an inch, and wipes his nose. There's a lot of discharge, and his eyes are all rheumy now.]

[[I think you know already, but they had a day or so of quarantine after this before they found out it's safe. Thanks!]]

ignore that last one

[testsonseashells]

[Mordin scans, and examines the readout.

Then he scans again, and examines the readout, furrowing his brow.

He looks back up, and begins to speak.]

Interesting. First time device has been unable to diagnose instantly. Will require greater examination - however, preliminary analysis suggests allergic reaction, rather than actual viral response. You personally likely to be fine, but don't know if virus is contagious or potential effects. Will analyze these samples as fast as possible and get back to you. Planning to enter quarantine, yes?

[espigeonage]

[Sluggish still, Julien has to be prompted again before he rolls up the window. It's possible to hear someone through the closed window, it's just more muffled.

But he just nods.]

after mordin collected the samples!

[amberhearted]

[ so it's going to take some time for mordin to analyze the samples. it's after he leaves that alex realizes they have no supplies for this 'quarantine' they're supposed to perform -- aside from the bleach.

which he'd like spray bottles for. that would be more efficient than trying to splash it around from the jug.

he gets in contact with bakura for that house or other he'd mentioned prior, along with a shopping list of items. among them are water, spray bottles, charcoal, newspaper, a lighter, a skillet, canned soup, skewers and marshmallows.

to lift their spirits, however minuscule.

he gives bakura a stern warning to keep his distance. only after he gets the boy's agreement does alex tell him where they are. the plan is to follow him to the house, have him dump the goods inside of it before plague brigade goes in, and then have him skedaddle.

he is 'authorized' to bring one (singular) adult with him since it's the dead district, but it's not like alex can actually enforce that rule. ]

[shiromadoushi]

[[It's about a half hour before Bakura's bike is spotted, the teen laden with a large backpack as he peddles. He waves on spotting the truck before waving in a direction and passing.

The house he has in mind isn't too too far from where they're waiting and is in fairly decent shape, all things considered. The roof is intact, the door isn't smashed in and most of the windows are unbroken.

He slows to a stop in front of it, hoping off his bike and shifting the well stuffed bag on his back before heading for the door. There's a trick to this one, but he knows it. Jiggle the handle just right, lift up until you hear the click and then push....

Shifting his shoulders, he lets the bag fall off them with a dull thump that sets up a soft cloud of dust before heading back to where his bike waits.]]

[amberhearted]

[ WOW THERE HE GOES

alex quickly starts the engine and follows, slowing to a stop when bakura does, leaving about ten feet between the bike and his truck. he watches as best he can what bakura does with the door, but his vantage point is poor.

once bakura is out, alex takes out his phone to text him. ]

Thanks baker I really appreciate your help here. Anything we should know about this place?

[ omg autocorrect

he sends off another text: ]

Bakura. Sorry auto-correct got me

[shiromadoushi]

[[The face Bakura makes at that text before shaking his head and replying]]

Standard abandoned DD home, no squatters. Lock is busted, lift up and jiggle it until it clicks and it opens. Third floor has a broken window so there's bird shit everywhere, so stick to the lower two. 2nd floor apartment's best. Most the furniture is fine too. One of the beds is kinda nasty but it's easy to spot.

|Quarantine|

[espigeonage]

[And... safehouse. Bakura chose this one. Handwave whichever extra details you'd like!

It is pretty decrepit. I wanna say it's a little reminiscent of here, but not quite that bad. It's been picked through by looters at some point but if there were squatters they didn't leave anything. There's a big boxy old TV set on the floor of what was a living room once, amongst abandoned furnishings. Detritus of glass, pill bottles, and the like have all been shoved against one wall to clear a space, but that must have been a long time ago. Dust is everywhere, thick enough that rodents have left trails in it.]

CAMPFIRE

[amberhearted]

[ after brewing up a storm of sneezes and expletives courtesy the thick layer of dust kicked up by their activity, alex helps to settle younger alex and julien in as best he can with the supplies they were given.

as the sun sets, he goes about making a small fire to keep them warm through the night and keep the rodents at bay. once the fire is established, he warms the canned soup in the skillet. then he busts out the marshmallows, skewering each innocent puff of sugar through the heart before passing it onto the awake parties. ]

Re: CAMPFIRE

[espigeonage]

[Julien has gone and had another pulse just from being in here, but with the trouble the last one caused and the troubling nature of it - nothing upsetting to the Apostle, but flying through a city cleaned out by Sumatera Flu disturbs Julien - he hasn't let it on. Mostly he's been keeping wrapped up and dozing, feeling at once hot and cold, vividly fantasizing that he's a chrysalis or something and his wings are pent up against his body, and he doesn't have the energy to stretch them out.

But the sound or smell or something filters through that, and Julien realizes that he's hungry. How long ago did he eat? It had been a scone from Starbucks... Eventually he rolls on to his back and sits up groggily, blinking two sets of eyelids over rheumy eyes. He's not congested or leaking right now, but who knows how long that'll last.]

...we're camping?

[argents]

Something like that.

[ Banagher answers because he's wide awake and wired, still gleaning adrenaline from who knows where. His tone is a little hollow, but he's otherwise accepted the marshmallow from Alex without complaint, even if all he does for a while is tip it back and forth and watch it. The feeling of a pulse of his own is still sort of ringing uncomfortably in his ears, but without any immediate effects, he could write it off as a trick of the silence, too.

Scooting into a cross-legged seat and trying not to kick up too much dust now that it had finally settled, he peers over at Julien. ]

How do you feel?

[amberhearted]

[ it's just pulse central around here. alex had one, too. surprisingly, the memory it came with wasn't delayed, neither was it earth-shattering, and for that he was resignedly grateful.

to julien, ] What're you feeling like, marshmallow or soup?

making a new thread so I don't mess up your flow!

[moarnomsplz]

[Alex followed, stumbled, or allowed himself to be tugged along in a daze that wasn't entirely unpleasant, because everything seemed distant and kind of funny. Something about the combination of being quarantined and the location Bakura picked for it hit him with a powerful sense of déjà vu that, before he was quite sure how, turned into a half-dream that he only recognized as a pulse when he was awake again.

And now that he is awake, more or less, he's been aware of the quiet murmur of voices for some time, and they're supposed to be in a barn, aren't they?

Alex sits up, and sways. Wait, why did he think it was supposed to be a barn? One hand goes to the back of his head, and he prods at it gently. Almost as if in response, though he knows it isn't, his vision blooms weirdly fourfold, the stalk eyes appearing without him meaning them to.]

Ohhh, that's still weer. Weird.

[amberhearted]

[ Alex's attention snaps to him as he begins to stir. He moves over to younger Alex's side slowly, trying not to kick up any more dust, and crouches next to him.

Those eyes are definitely bizarre -- he doesn't need the firelight to see them clearly, but while he acknowledges that they're odd, that's about where the evaluation ends. They're odd, but not personally disturbing. Probably because of their predicament.

When he speaks, it's with a hushed, soft voice. ]

Hey, Alex. How are you doing?

[moarnomsplz]

Better, I think.

[He spends several seconds blinking all four eyes, one by one or in pairs, until he lands on a configuration that doesn't make him dizzier, which turns out to be one main eye open.]

I chay, changed without meaning to. And I think I remembered something-ing.

[amberhearted]

[ looks steady enough...

alex starts back for the fire again. ]

Do you wanna talk about it?

[ he comes back with some canned chicken noodle soup, held with the corner of his jacket because wao, hot. ]