(no subject)

Who: Everyone
When: July 1 and onward. See this post for info.
Where: Kauto + Chioni + Ingress Complex
Warnings: Potential violence. Please label warn-worthy content in your subject headers.

There's a burst of light in the sky when the Ingress breaks, a final flare followed by a shuddering that only those in the facility can feel. A flurry of panicked activity in the complex follows, ushering new arrivals to where they need to go in a hurry, with little time to give them the needed information, much less answer questions. The lights remain on, but dimmer now, life functions still operating but little else. On Kauto and Chioni below, the sky fades into an early twilight, followed by night, and day does not come again.

nerds save the world

Before the end of the day, all TABs receive an emergency broadcast notification outlining the situation. The speaker, a lead Savriite Ingress technician, does not invite panic but nor does he mince words. The Ingress is broken; their best efforts have failed to restore it. The time has come to turn to anyone who can help: scientists, engineers, those who have worked with advanced technology on any world. Formal qualifications don't matter when it could be the end of everything.

"Help us. Before it is too late."

Those who come will have the run of the complex and full access to the Ingress, as well as whatever tools are available and as much coffee as they can drink. People are encouraged to work in groups and share ideas, and a small number of young and nervous technical assistants will be on hand.

the land below

As Thisavrou is denied light and warmth, the weather becomes brisk and descends into bitter cold. Chioni is evacuated due to the effects on the already-harsh weather cycles there, although a skeleton crew of scientists remain behind. On Kauto, the arboreal Region Three and pastoral Region Two suffer the most from the temperatures and the snow that eventually begins to fall. Many crops are frozen over, and refugee citizens are driven from their homes to the Regions One and Five, where stored energy will keep dwellings warm. Save for those who choose to leave the underwater facilities, Region Four remains largely unchanged, but there are unverified accounts of strange aquatic animal behavior near the surface.

Overcrowding, limited supplies and a pervasive fear presents the opportunity for both heroism and foul deeds. Many come together to share resources, supplies and fellowship in what could be the end of worlds, while others take what they can from the unwilling or exploit the desperate. Sentient evacuees are followed by fauna from Region Three and unsettled lands beyond, in search of warmth or food or merely confused by the change in habitat. Some are unthreatening herbivores, while tanglesnakes and clownbees are more troublesome. Others are poisonous hunters, while still others are small, but dangerous when faced as a pack.

Just when all seems lost, light returns to the sky. The Ingress begins to function once more.

the coming days

As the temperatures rise, many demand answers, but most turn to the rebuilding of their lives first. Damage has been done that isn't so easily fixed, and even in the least-affected areas, remnants of the crisis show in the lack of fresh food, in the increased signs of criminal activity. Those who can help others through their own efforts of by organizing assistance are needed, but those with impure intentions are more likely to go unnoticed.

Eavesdropping on the streets may reveal a desire for vengeance. "Those intruders from last week. They're responsible for this, aren't they? What's being done?" But don't listen too closely, or a suspicious eye may be turned on you. "Aren't you one of the refugees from the Midway Hub? You should return to where you came from! All the trouble began when your people showed up!"

Life goes on. But life does not go on unchanged.

[quick ooc note: the Region 4 search & retrieval mission/RNG fight will be posted in a separate log.]

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Ah, yes. The old call for help ploy. A pity that won't work on them. How stupid does he think they are? As earnest as he may seem, that effort will inevitably be in vain; he's gotten his children in striped shirts rather confused. Only one of them is deserving of that level of patience, of understanding, and that certainly isn't Chara.

"I fail to see why that would concern you," says Chara, yanking a dead flower out by the roots with an especially brisk wrench of the wrist. "Except that in playing the savior, I imagine you feel as though you're doing something comparatively more useful with your time than harassing children via text."

"People harassing kids concerns me," he says, simply.

Seems like they really are going to have this conversation every time. He shakes his head, stepping toward the sidewalk again. To head back home. Arguing won't accomplish anything. And he can't stop stepping in, either. Doing that would be wrong.

Leaving someone in trouble is wrong, from where he stands.

"You can imagine what you want, Chara. It's not going to change the offer."

"People harassing demons should not be adequate in scraping you out of your hole," Chara corrects, patiently. He remains in perpetual denial about their true state of being. That is fine. Well understandable, even, given Frisk's own asinine denial of the fundamental fact.

His optimism holds itself in terrifying parallel to theirs, at times.

"In fact, most would claim that sort of thing is well-deserved."

"I guess I'm just going to disappoint you there, too."

He still sees a kid. One with more issues than he has. But still. Bad things happen. Kids can be as messed up as adults. He thinks that's the situation here. Chara keeps on proving him right, in that regard.

"I'm not most people. Thought you would have picked that up by now, man."

"I daresay you're not." Determined, is he? Well, that's proven to be the undoing of far more resolute SOULs in the past. He is no different. He will give up, inevitably, because that is what people like him do. That is all anyone can do, in the face of creatures like them.

"A shame, really; is it your selfish altruism that brings you back here, or the foolish idea that in intervening, you are capable of effecting some sort of difference?"

"Not a disappointment? News to me."

He shakes his head. This conversation is just going in circles. Nothing he says is going to convince them he expects nothing out of them. He's just doing it because it's the right thing to do. That's all.

"It's the way home that brings me back here, to be honest with you. Like I said." He gestures up the road. "You can literally see our house from here."

And the lion on the roof is wearing boxer shorts. Somehow.

"Not giving up," Chara clarifies, evenly. Circular conversations appear to be quite the standard where they're concerned, rather fittingly. A pity the secondary meaning is rather lost on him, but most things are.

"Yes. I would say that I can." They tilt their head, gaze drifting to survey the lion with lifted eyebrows. "It appears someone's asleep on it, in fact."

Just kind of perched atop the lion. Snoring, probably. If it were any louder, they could hear it from here.

"No, I'm not."

He doesn't really know the meaning of the words "give up". If he did, he'd have done so back in the prison. He'd have done it when he'd found out about their future. Giving up isn't an option.

It never has been.

Slowly, though, he turns to look. And grimaces. "That's... Darin. He does that."

"And is he also accustomed to waking up with lurid patterns drawn on his face?"

Because there's also someone who appears to have jetpacked his way up to the man snoozing astride the lion, armed with something they must assume is non-lethal. Not that there's any fun in that, but they wouldn't peg Shiro as someone who willingly lives with knife-happy toddlers.

They can give him that much, at least.

"I..."

It takes him a second to realize what he's looking at. That the blue and white blur jetting up to the top of the roof is Lance. And ... that's probably a marker in his hand. Shiro just exhales. Slowly.

"I guess he will be."

Look at that. Another potential fire to put out.

"Something the matter, sir? You seem on edge."

Chara, on the contrary, looks about as close to genuinely if wickedly amused than they possibly ever have since their arrival on this damned planet. But if they're going to witness the linchpin through which a housing situation decoheres into chaos, then they will enjoy every moment of it; inasmuch as they can enjoy anything.

"Nothing we're not used to."

It's sad how true that is. Shouting and chaos in the house is pretty much a daily occurrence. No matter how hard you try to prevent it.

"They'll figure it out."

And as resigned as he sounds and looks, there's an odd surety to that statement. He believes they'll sort it out. Eventually.

"And you're certain there's no familial relation?" They're definitely pushing buttons in the deliberate sense now. Implacable as Shiro presents himself to be, no human being can possibly that well-adjusted without having a hideously vulnerable center.

It will take time and it will take exploration, but such a thing is inevitable.

"Yeah. Really... really certain."

Unless someone hijacked his DNA when he was a kid. Which is way, way too weird to think about. He shakes his head.

"Family doesn't have to be blood, though. If you really want to push it, sure, we're like siblings."

"Siblings." Family doesn't have to be blood. Once, perhaps they may have agreed. But now - ha. They know better, now. They know precisely what family is, and what it does, and what it's capable of.

They know precisely what family means.

"Not fatherly in any respect?"

He makes a face. Resignedly watching the scene at the house's roof unfold. That's going to be a mess to deal with when he gets back. Maybe he'll take the long way.

"No." Firmly. "Not unless someone pulled a Back From The Future."

He's way, way too young to be this team's actual parent.

"I've found that age doesn't necessarily contribute to such things. It's all in the demeanor." Coupled with a broad sweep, the opening supination of one palm.

As if Shiro's demeanor needs further explanation.

"Demeanor."

It really shouldn't be possible to cram that much skepticism into one word, but wow, he tries. He's just doing what he has to, really. Without much thought to it.

"You know the hair's not... natural, right?"

Yes, he is aware that isn't what they mean, but hey. A little deliberate obtuseness doesn't hurt, right?

"Could've fooled me." Are they joking? It might be hard to tell with the smile and all. Or maybe he'll simply be struck with the notion that they're messing with him, just because they can.

Haven't you heard? Because they can, they have to.

"Were you not attempting to model yourself after a skunk?" says Chara, altogether too innocently to be genuine.

"Fools a lot of people."

Deadpan all around. Seems like it's a constant presence here. Then again that's sort of Shiro's sense of humor all around.

He does blow out a breath, which just serves to fluff up the little puff of hair in question.

"No, actually, I was trying to match my lion."

Not... even close. But oh well.

He's a little like a tiny dog trying to be intimidating in that way. Perhaps it's because he's made it so plain that he refuses to hurt them in any fashion. So they'll continue to press and pry until he reaches the point where he will.

It's bound to happen sooner or later.

"You failed."

"If it ever shows up here, I'll have to introduce you."

It's not a hollow promise, either. He means every word. Even if he has no idea how the ancient robot would react to them. If it would react at all.

He grins at Chara for a moment, before inclining his head in a sort of "see you".

They tip their head in disdainful farewell. His baseless optimism can be so terribly grating at times, but what else can they do but prove him wrong, consistently and concisely?

They will.

Inevitably, they will.

It's only ever a matter of time.

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