The Deadland

[At precisely noon, while the roaming monsters once again go on the attack, Mami leaves her apartment. It's only the second time, outside of trips out to find food, that she's left the safety of the room, and though she doesn't know it, she's not exactly doing it willingly.

Before she leaves the apartment complex, she manages to break into a nearby apartment - Lightning's - and steal the rifle and ammunition the woman had managed to take from the station. She left the empty apartment, headed downstairs, and outside. In a flash of light, her clothes were replaced with her puella magi costume, and without another moment's hesitation, she headed down the road. Just far enough so that people wouldn't immediately come running.

The first few monsters are taken down no problem. Mami is careful to conserve her ammunition; she was supposed to destroy all of them, after all. But the longer she fights, the more appear, attracted to the carnage. The ribbon around her neck comes alive as she unties it, using the magical item to bind several creatures at once to make targeting them easier.

On and on she fights, nonstop. She's aware of the burn of fatigue beginning to set in, aware of the monster blood splattered over her face and clothes from the occasional close call, but she continues. She's compelled to fight, and fight she will.

It doesn't take long for everything to go wrong. Her Soul Gem was already moderately low when she arrived. It only dimmed faster and faster as the days passed, as she found out about her own failure and lost herself further to despair. It only takes an hour or two of fighting for that despair to finally sink its claws in all the way, and she snaps.

Normal people might notice the ear-piercing shriek coming from somewhere on Market Street. The supernaturally sensitive might notice something showing up in that direction as well. The Puella (and Puer) Magi will definitely feel a chill roll down their spines, and their Soul Gems flair to life.

Witch.]

((OOC: A few quick notes! This is a free, open post for anyone who wants to get their character stuck in a crazy alternate dimension, though I will not be tagging unless someone makes it to the center. If you're not one of the magi, you may, but remember the witch is extremely dangerous, and as there are plans for the magi (Homura, Sora, and Suzaku) to bring it down, your character will be killed. Otherwise, they're free to roam around, comment on the creepy surroundings, and wait for someone else to find them. The barrier will disappear when the witch is defeated, so unless a magi helps them out, they're stuck until it's gone.

Subthreads up. Go for it!))

(ooc: Im assuming in the family meeting they let Patience in on their real names so they don't have to pretend in the house, but I'll correct if wrong.)

Suzaku didn't sleapt for most the night, his thoughts had been too jumbled, too confused. He instead had sat at the window his gaze drifting between the city and the soul gem he held in his hand. He was still struggling to take in everything Lelouch had told him as well as what had happened but there was nothing he could do now. So he accepted it.

He must have dozed off sometime before dawn though because he woke to the pattering of rain. Looking out the water he blinked in cofusion, instead of grey clouds like he was expecting, the sky was perfectly blue.

He rubbed his eyes and went out into the main apartment, no it was the same here. Raining but from blue sky, he had never seen anything like it before, he tapped lightly on Fletcher's door. "Come a..."

Fletcher wasn't in his bed. Suzkau frowned "Lelouch? Patience?" He went to knock on both their doors.

Radio Post a little later:

[There is a lot of crackling and static, Suzaku fixed his radio as best he could, but it still isn't perfect] H ...anyone... a little boy.... small... blonde hair... Missing... If you see... please ask... Zero

[It doesn't really matter who he was talking to. Or even what the conversation was about. Just that it was interrupted. Any individual or combination of people can be the other party on the radio.]

Dammit, these monsters are out already! [Shooting can be heard across the radio. After a couple shots, his voice can be heard again. He sounds pretty winded, and he's shooting again with one hand while talking into the radio with the other.] Zero, I'm pinned down at the co- [A screech of a monster, and silence.]

[Over the radio] This is Rivalz. Would everyone that is staying with me please return to our apartment? We have some important things to discuss regarding the recent developments.

((OOC: Tag format can either be in brackets or prose, it doesn't particularly matter. But feel free to just tag in as your characters arriving and chitchatting. I have to run and take another exam but I'll be back and I'll tag in his few main points in a couple separate threads for discussion's sake. Then we can have a round of Monopoly like Katy, Ketsu and I wanted |D Okay? Okay!))

There were fewer monsters around at the time Zero and Fletcher had gone out to search for loot. They had plenty of food for now, but they could use clothing, medicine, and the like.

Unfortunately, it didn't stay so calm. As they passed by an abandoned electronics shop, the dead televisions lining the front window suddenly sprung to life, blaring static. Fletcher jumped and let out a small shriek.

And then, the monsters came. Fletcher clung to the bag he was carrying and stepped behind Zero. This wasn't good.

Lelouch had finished bandaging Suzaku's leg, Suzaku was still a little confused by his reaction, after all he had given Lelouch a lot of information, including the fact he was dead. Did part of him remember that? Was that why he was so calm?

Or was it just because this was Lelouch and would not show Suzaku his real emotions. A knock on the door startled him and he reached for the helmet putting it back on and going to unlock the door.

[ Static, then across all channels a voice chimes in. He's very chipper and cheerful! It's probably irritating to some. ]

Hey, Asper! How are you, how's your stay been, hope the food's been good, nice weather we're having. Now that pleasantries are out of the way, let's get to business: everyone's favorite kid has let us know something to pass onto you guys.

Expect a period of time-- an hour at least-- any time during the day for these lil critters to get especially aggressive. There's some weird mumbo jumbo involved apparently, so it said "when something weird happens, that might be the time"! Keep your eyes and ears open.

During the time that weird stuff goes down, you'll find the wildlife drops a little flask when it's destroyed. It's called Energy, and it's just a drink. You'll need this to live on here-- unless you want to be sucked bone dry, anyways! So drink some every day. That's what it told me to tell you all.

That's all!

Open: [As darkness began to fall the sounds of the monsters faded as the moved away from the centre of the city. Suzaku had no idea why and he worried about it. Why would they just retreat? Was it the darkness? That would be strange, Suzaku had read stories where monsters came out at night and retreated in the day but never the other way round.

He made one more loop of the street, he had a shallow scratch on one of his legs, the bottom of his trousers were ripped a little, there was a deeper scratch on his arm but nothing serious. He was wearing the normal clothes that Lelouch had given him, they were blood stained but most of it wasn't his own. He was still wearing the Zero mask. He pulled the radio out of his pocket.]

The monsters are retreating from the central area of the city, what is the situation elsewhere?

A little later, for Lelouch, Fletcher and Patience: Suzaku checked the streets nearby and the whole apartment building for any remaining monsters before heading to the apartment. It seemed the situation was similar over the whole city and the monsters were gone... for now. He reached up to knock on the door realising there was blood on his hand.

Six months of peace, not everything had been perfect but... Suzaku hadn't had to kill since Zero Requiem had been completed. Though he could and should never rid himself of the guilt of all those he had killed before, he hadn't had to kill...

Until today and though they were monsters, monsters that wanted to kill them they still bled and died the same way as humans had. He had lost count of how many he had shot at today... He knocked quietly and rested his head, still wearing the mask, against the door feeling the urge to laugh at the whole situation.

[This is not exactly alien to Patience - waking up in new places certainly is not, and though she loathes it with a passion, having magic worked on her while she was insensate is also not an unfamiliar occurrence. That doesn't mean she's taking it any better, though you wouldn't know it from her demeanor; besides her soft mouth being screwed up into a pout, her temper shows in nothing more than the extreme, clipped precision of her movements as she walks down a street, treading carefully and sticking to the edges of buildings, hearing the noises of chaos dimly from not too far away.

She already tried to pull on the ambient power to aid in scaling a building for hopefully safer high ground; it failed miserably, and now mingled fury, fear and near-painful tension keep her hair prickling on the back of her neck and her vision almost ignored in favour of acute attuning to the currents of the world around her.

She can still feel, at least. Even if she can't use it.

Bringing the radio up to her mouth she keeps her voice low and modulated in case anything dangerous is in close proximity, but clear so as to hopefully minimize the distortion of the device itself.]

Is anyone out there?

[He sounds furious] What is making all that noise!?

[ You know what they need more of? Guns. Well, everything is what they need more of, but Lightning is feeling a little antsy without some kind of weapon weighing down her holster. The moment they all split up to search the areas around Mercy, she heads to the bizarrely familiar police station. She's been through enough cycles that she can rely on the push-tug of lost memories, so when she slips inside and goes immediately for the weapons lockers further inside the building, she doesn't question how she can guess where they are. It's just convenient. ]

[ She leaves the station door open, because if she's the only one who thought of this, they're in a worse situation that they think. Cornelia may want to monopolise supplies, but that's a little short-sighted. If something happens to them, what'll the next lot do for weapons? Anyway, once she's found a burst rifle, she's satisfied. It even fits her holster, almost. Add a baton and she's set. ]

[ And then she hears movement nearby. ]

... Hey. Someone there?

[After the supplies were gotten, it was time to get things organized in the apartment. Everyone had their own bedroom, Lelouch placed Suzaku in the one nearest the entrance to the apartment. It was time for this odd trio to get to know their new member a bit better.] Fletcher, put the boxed food away in the kitchen cabinets. I suppose I'll have to make do with nonperishables for now. [Heavy sigh. So inferior.]

[Follows after with another shopping bag, putting things away very meticulously.]

The town square is silent.

Cornelia paces, waiting for people to show up. She thumbs the hunting knife she'd picked up from a house near where she had woken up. Should any troublemakers appear, she was prepared-- unless, of course, they appeared with a gun. The city was too big to explore alone; too dangerous to wander the streets aimlessly. So that's why she doesn't have one herself. The only reason she didn't go to pick anyone up so they didn't have to traverse alone was because that would be setting herself up for an ambush. For a similar reason she waits off to the side of the square, concealed behind a food vendor, rather than sitting in the middle.

Trusting these people could be her downfall-- so she won't trust until they've proved themselves. But they're largely children. And she thinks of her late sister because of that. Euphie wouldn't want these people to go around alone in a place where any danger could be lurking. So that's her primary motivation in doing this. It's a mixture of that and the wholehearted desire to go home, to find the answers of this place. Cornelia knows returning home could be impossible with or without help, but she isn't about to give up on that hope. So she seeks help, because her chances are higher that way.

She scans the surrounding areas, alert. If that false Zero were to appear before her, she thinks, child or not-- she would destroy him. Anger swells once again, a sort of madness and hysteria that she finds unbecoming in other people. Cornelia breathes.

[ ooc: Mingling post! Starter in prose, please don't hesitate to switch to action. Cornelia isn't going to be coming out of the shadows until there are a few people there/ someone she knows appears, so please interact among yourselves!

Speaking at the Square
At the Apartments ]

[ during the first few hours of activity in Asper, you might see something a little weird. A movement out of the corner of your eye, in a patch of shadows or on a ledge just above the periphery of your vision.

If you turn to look at it, all you'll see is a flash of white as a small cat-like animal turns and scampers away. Unless your reactions are superhuman or you're a particularly wary person, in which case... who knows? Maybe you'll be able to catch a better look.

Some of you, more anxious about this strange city that the others, or more angry, more vulnerable... You might hear the creature's high, childish voice call your name. ]

[ After waiting a moment to make sure no one else is going to chime in and interrupt her, Cornelia takes a step forward and holds down the button of her small radio. ]

That's enough fooling around.

[ It seems as though most of them have only just arrived. But listening in on the radio has told her enough: she's stuck here with a bunch of lost children. There are a few adults, and not everyone has spoken up obviously... but an organizer. They need someone to efficiently manage them and direct their efforts towards returning home. ]

My name is Cornelia li Britannia of the Holy Britannian Empire; Chief General of the Imperial Army and Viceroy of Area Eleven. If you would like to survive with ease in this barren place and efficiently find a way home, you'll follow my orders and my command. If you would like to forage like a rat in the filth, go straight ahead.

We're meeting in town square. If you don't know where that is, there should be a map inside a building near your current location. It's along main street; connects with Beck, Baker, Indigo, Parkview and Hawk.

The majority of you are children, so I'll say this much: being brave and alone in a place where virtually any threat could exist is stupidity. Remember it.

[ Beeeep goes the radio before static. ]

[[ ooc; I'll be putting up a log for the town square meeting tomorrow morning, assuming characters are interested. ]]

Suzaku had listened to the radio conversation without joining in. No one seemed to know where they were, except that Lara woman who didn't seem to want to tell anybody anything. He had heard the order to get inside as well but had ignored it, if they were truly to keep safe then they should secure an area, make sure those that couldn't fight were safe. Organise...

What was he thinking? He wasn't planning on staying here. He already had one world that still needed him. There was not one thing he wished for, or nothing that he would admit to wishing for, so that child's deal was incredibly one sided. He had no intention of being in a dying world; apparantly there was more than one world, for longer than it took to get home. After all he had already helped save one world and the price had been high, one was enough for one lifetime surely.

He was stood in one of the streets looking around trying to decide where to start.