I'm Waiting for the Call, the Hand on the Chest [November 23, Open]

[dead_black_eyes]

Who: Lazarus Lawliet and open to anyone!
What: Watching and waiting for the attack on Espresso Yourself to happen early Sunday morning... and with all hope, Locke City's Finest making some much-needed arrests of Mafia goons.
Where: Willow Ridge Boarding Academy, potentially around the coffee shop if any strong types want to hang around nearby and make sure no goons get away.
When: November 23, 3:15 AM
Warnings: Violence and profanity probs



The coffee is on, and so is every screen in Willow Ridge's newly outfitted basement surveillance center not far from Locke City's teleporter. Anyone here is likely present for one reason: to watch the cameras and make sure that everything goes 100% according to plan. It's a hail Mary pass, hoping that the police have taken the claims and evidence seriously and are able to get a sting operation promptly on the scene... but not nearly as much of a hail Mary as taking violent and aggressive action against goons sans police involvement.

Many of the monitors show feeds in or around the coffee shop from cameras situated up to several blocks away. L watches most of these intently, with three phones nearby. Though he's focused, he's ready to divert his attention at a moment's notice if someone or something important demands it.

It's just like a party, except free of anything resembling a celebratory spirit. Whether someone is tech-minded and here to work hard, wants to crack a joke to lighten the heavy, apprehensive mood, or has come to bring some much-needed donuts to a worn-out team, they'll certainly be appreciated. However, those with the speed and strength would be advised to remain on their toes just in case some thugs try to get away when the attack does drop.



[OOC: I'll post a couple of prompts, but feel free to treat this as a mingle post!]

Comments

Willow Ridge Surveillance Center

[dead_black_eyes]

[The lighting is dim, the screens are on and active, and everyone's hard at work behaving like they can do more than wait for the attack to happen and, hopefully, for the sting to drop. You can cut the tension with a knife; hopefully it won't last long.]

L and OPEN

[dead_black_eyes]

[Nursing a cup of coffee, L's undivided attention is a set of screens in front of him. He's beyond tired, but the last week has been building up to this, and until the attack has occurred and been resolved and he can see for himself that the police have taken him seriously, for once in his goddamn life, he's very unlikely to relax.

He loves his business, and he'll be sad to see it burn, of course. But even if the fire damage is too extensive to salvage the coffee shop, it's a sacrifice he's willing to make. The scene is a target they've hit before, a site stained by sucker punches and tragedies already... but tonight, it's also a snare, painstakingly set, and L doesn't want to take his eyes away from it until he's sure it'll work.

Poke a donut at him, ask him if he really knows what he's doing and express concerns about the future, offer him a shoulder massage. Whatever you do, don't startle him.]

[charcoalfeather]

[The things Rakka did for others.

The operation had better go well. Rakka had decided to help in the coming days to it, but then again, there wasn't much she could do besides help out behind the scenes. Like it or not, getting into a fight would have been detrimental.

So, she basically ended up in the so-called surveillance center, overseeing the operation, and trying to keep L from dying by accident.

So, here. Have a donut thrust at your face.]

Here.

[dead_black_eyes]

[He glances up at the sound of her soft voice; even before she spoken, he'd seen the shadow cast by her wings and the glow of her halo, which the computer screens hadn't quite managed to completely wash out.]

Oh...

[He accepts the donut, grasping it with his thumb and forefinger out of habit. Since he got his hands fixed, it's no longer necessary to hold things in that strange, delicate way, and he adjusts his grip to better hold onto it. He takes a careful nibble, but he's not very hungry, despite looking like he could devour a horse if one slowed down too much in front of him.]

Thank you... I guess I forgot about those until just now. How are you holding up? If you're getting sleepy, there are some cots in the upstairs wings... I don't want you to feel like you need to stay up...

[Even though he knows that most of the people here are just as nervous and morbidly curious as he is, he wants the girl to know that the option to sleep is available. He isn't a monster.]

[charcoalfeather]

[It was a bit odd, seeing how L's hands had been fixed up and were working better than they used to. A small ray of sunshine in the middle of this mess.]

I think you should try and eat. You look... worse than usual. [A little rude, but it was true.]

[At his offer, she just barely stifled a yawn.] No... I want to help, really. It's fine.

[Nothing is fine, which is partly why she wasn't sleeping.]

[oncedevil]

[With his attention so fixated on those screens, it's likely he didn't even notice the teenager sauntering up behind him to plop a muffin next to his elbow. Sure, he'd been keeping low, but he couldn't make L face this alone.

Even if he did have plenty of people watching his back now, Tony saw him at both of their worst. He'd stick around through thick and thin. Try not to start too much, L, Tony forgets that he doesn't always walk very loud.]

[dead_black_eyes]

[L knows that Tony is here, and while he's grateful for the support, he can't help but wonder if the young man is up for the stress the situation has been generating. While he's been trying not to handle Tony with kid gloves or treat him like he's going to break, the desire is strong to not put him in dangerous situations.

That being said, L has to confess that he actually feels Tony's safer here, tonight with him, than he would be in many other places.

He glances at the muffin as if it's a bizarre relic. He takes the paper off it, but sets about tearing it into tiny pieces rather than eating the muffin itself.]

Just so you know... even if this goes very badly and they manage to raze the shop before any police show up, you'll always have a job with me, Tony.

The streets near Espresso Yourself, during the breakin and sting

[dead_black_eyes]

[Around a dozen thugs, armed with matches and copious amounts of gasoline, have broken into Espresso Yourself, right on schedule. They're dumping gasoline all over the furniture, the counter, the floors and walls, working quickly and under cover of darkness. They're disappointed they haven't found anyone yet, but they're still checking upstairs, the office, the basement where Project Jump is mercilessly no longer situated.

A floodlight cuts the dark like a machete and several thugs cry out in anger and dismay as several canisters of tear gas are flung through the shattered windows.

Everyone on the ground! This is the police!

While one thug desperately lights a match and starts a fire, a fight breaks out between the Mafia goons and the police on the scene.

Two thugs run in opposite directions. Do you choose to try to put out the fire, or go after the escaping criminals? Hurry!]

[scarlet_devil]

[Emi had held back even when the fire broke out, both not wanting to be spotted and find out she's gotten a weakness against fire. Anyway, she was there to watch for any of the thugs trying to get away from the scene, and fortunately for one of the two thugs running away, she will refrain from killing anyone tonight.

She'll waste no time here! The instant she spots the thugs trying to escape, she's swiftly taking to the air and giving chase...]

[dominateartimus]

[Xander had been sticking to the shadows, quite literally, during the operation. He made sure to stay within sight of the building, just in case anything went wrong.

When the fighting between the police & the mafia breaks out, he tries to fight the knee jerk reaction to join the fray. He spots two thugs fleeing and Emi is already pursuing one of them. Following her lead, he goes for the other one by sticking to the ground and avoiding any light.

Once he catches up to the thug, he grabs their leg and intends to keep them there. He knew this was a reckless attempt when the other person could easily attack his hand or arm.]

[dead_black_eyes]

[If anything is true of the masks the thugs are wearing, it's that it makes it very difficult to discern subtle movements in shadows. While one thug leads Emi on a desperate, wild chase, the other takes off the other way.

At first, he thinks he's doing well, risking slowing to a jog since the flying horror had pursued his partner. That sense of security doesn't last long, however; he yelps, petrified, as his leg is seized and he goes down hard on the pavement.

Flailing and afraid, he lashes out at Xander, trying to kick him in the face with the leg that's not being held. His main objective is getting free as he scrabbles for his gun.]

[dead_black_eyes]

[The fleeing thug stumbles slightly, cursing under his breath. He's not going back to that nasty business, since fire and cops don't sound like a great time to him, but he's not great on his own, either. He only agreed to come and set things on fire because he was doing it with a bunch of his friends, after all, and not that no one's got his back...

He hears something overhead. He glances over his shoulder and immediately wishes he hadn't; there's something with wings rapidly catching up to him. He makes a panicked noise and tries to pick up the pace, turning a corner down a darkened alley.]

[scarlet_devil]

[Emi has a few major advantages here, her flight, her speed in flight and of course her strength. All these make keeping up a simple matter from her, and will help her make sure the thug doesn't get far. It's almost a pity she can't smell fear yet...

Trying to avoid her in the dark won't work here, not when she can see in the dark as if it were day.]

[radiantchicken]

[The others likely have the thugs, but there's that fire to worry about. Torin has shown up in his transformed state, and he's charging into the building all flash and bravery. He knows where the fire extinguishers are, after all.]

[dead_black_eyes]

[Torin's appearance has not gone unnoticed; the fight between the police and the thugs pauses for just a tic as they all stare in astonishment at the flashy newcomer. Multiple pairs of eyes widen and many jaws drop as he plunges into the burning building, where the flames are rapidly spreading.

"Sir, don't...!" a police officer warns, but he has to recoil from the intense heat. There's not much he can do until the firemen arrive, but who knows how long that could take?]

[radiantchicken]

[At least Torin had moved a couple of the fire extinguishers to make them easier to get to in preparation for this. He's glad to see that his transformed state is strong enough to handle the flames, if only for a short time, and he's going to make this count by activating the first fire extinguisher he can lay his hands on.]

Willow Ridge Surveillance Center- Afterward

[dead_black_eyes]

[That tension has dissipated, leaving relief and sleep-deprived giddiness in its wake. There's some fire damage, of course, but twelve arrests have been made. While none of these goons were close to Albero or particularly valuable to him, the press is on it like flies on rot, and for the first time this evening, it feels safe to let your guard down. Whether you've been manning the computers alongside L or on the scene helping with the fire or the attempted escapes, you're welcome to laugh, cry, drink, or pass out now that the danger looks to be past. For now, this is a victory, so celebrate and enjoy the boosted morale.]

L and OPEN

[dead_black_eyes]

[Whoever you are, you haven't seen this guy in such high spirits in ages. He's experiencing a pretty intense rush right now, and is approximately 300% more likely to laugh, hug, and high-five his peers than he's ever been before.

When he sees you, he smiles, and it's one of those rare occasions when the light of it actually reaches his lacquered eyes.]

Yes, what is it? Don't be shy, whatever you need I'm sure we can make it happen.

[ursoreckless]

[ he stayed the heck away from the shop knowing that he was still too raw to sit out on the chase and hunt of those thugs. he really did not need to go into a killing mode and then have the police arrest him as well for vigilante or murder. so Shou sat in the dark room drinking sake and watching the video feeds and coming up with plans about how to turn this place into a swanky cave instead of rusty chairs and big monitors.

by the time this happened and the thugs were all caught and the police was doing their thing to keep reporters at bay, Shou was feeling pretty good. he was feeling good enough to not answer L and instead to just give him a kiss.

after all, L was the closest person at that moment. ]

[dead_black_eyes]

[L has been wound too tightly to drink up until this point. Not that it matters; the operation's success has him in a state of gleeful delirium comparable to any chemical influence, and all of that pent-up energy and stress is looking for an outlet. The nearest one has found him first, and though he's surprised at Shou's move, it's pleasantly far from the types of horrific surprises he's been bracing for all week.

He grins against Shou's lips as their noses touch, doing his best to keep his laughter in check but unable to contain a gentle chuff of it. Shou is a good kisser; having initiated the kiss, the other man has effectively broken the ice, leaving L to permit himself an amorous moment and respond in kind. He tastes sake on Shou's tongue, which admittedly explains a lot... people as attractive as Shou don't tend to randomly kiss men like L without a little bit of liquid persuasion.

Enjoying the kiss as much and for as long as he dares, he breaks it, still grinning like a fool.]

On that note... heh, I saw the bottle of champagne you brought. I'm going to open it.

[icy_heavens]

[He'd been a bit all over the place at the scene, both knocking a few thugs flat, and using his ice to help get the fire down. So all in all, he's a bit tired. He could have just gone home, but you know what? They all need this. Even him.

[Which isn't to say he's as effusive as L is being. That's just not him. Blinking a little at the upbeat behaviour, though? Yeah, that works.] ... No, it's fine, really.

[dead_black_eyes]

[For all he had helped, it had not gone unseen. The cameras L had placed around the building had picked up traces of Toushirou helping to quell the fire and stop the Mafia menace, and seeing the young Shinigami reincarnate back safe is a relief and only causes his high mood to spike further.

He gives Toushirou a tight bear hug, actually lifting the kid off his feet.]

"Fine?" No way, it was great. You were great out there, and I am so proud of you.

[Happily, he goes for more champagne, filling his second glass entirely. His cheeks are mildly flushed, but that might be from when Shou came up and planted one right on his lips a few minutes earlier.]

Tony and Open?

[oncedevil]

[Now that the worst of it was over Tony had time to leave L to his own devices. He himself had just found a quiet spot to sit against a wall and watch the goings on. He wished he could have been of a little more use than just perching on a shoulder and watching as things went down, but it was probably better that he stay out of the line of fire.

He'd already lost an eye, after all, better not to tempt fate further. Even if it did make him pout that he couldn't be of more use.

Bug him?]

[ursoreckless]

[ and there was Tony. Shou had to first chat a little with L and fetch a couple more bits to go with his alcohol but after that, he was freely wandering around, poking at things and getting a better idea of how he was going to pimp out this underground base of theirs.

but that was before he spotted Tony looking a little grumpy. so Shou decided to walk up to him and give him a kiss as well. ]

[oncedevil]

[Grumpy and POUTING for great justice, not that he was about to explain what he was pouting for. He'd picked up his head to say hello when suddenly he found himself being kissed. He froze for a few moments, his brain taking its sweet time to catch up to what he was doing before he squawked and flailed a little.]

Woah, geeze, you sure know how to say hello don't you?