Blow the Smoke Right Through the Window [OPEN LOG]

[paraselenic]

WHO: Varian, Lycaon, Hugo, Lighter, Belle, and various others
WHERE: The Alley, Meropide
WHEN: After Varian's call to action
WHAT: Catch-All for investigation/mobilizing in Meropide, specifically in the Alley
WARNINGS: Eau de God, I'll update it as necessary


[Meropide was missing two very important people on this dreary February day, and the air was thick with tension should you intend to visit. It's usual slow activity, with people chatting in the cafeteria, looking at the fish, or doing patrols has now been replaced with all sorts of goings on--Whether its the Alley or in the common area, or even in the other rooms, someone is mobilizing for what's to come.

Whether its the Duke, Aides, or anything in between.

Their own were taken and the storm's only started.]

[ooc: feel free to use this to plan/investigate for all things in Meropide!]

Comments

Lycaon | Zenless Zone Zero | OTA

[paraselenic]

To the Alley

[It wasn't long before Lycaon had made it to Meropide, meeting with Lighter and taking the elevator down to the main entrance hall. His heels click against the tile as he makes his way through the halls he's come to memorize through his many trips.

Meropide was...about what he expected it to be. People were hustling about, either walking past him or talking with others to make plans for investigations on their own. It was truly amazing how fast Meropide could jump into action when the time called. For a place that he'd come to recognize as a slow lull of the waves against the shore, it was now high tide. Chaotic and powerful.

Lycaon keeps his pace brisk, trusting that Lighter'll be right behind him. Trusting even more that Hugo would rendezvous with them once he was done with his own preparation. He rounds the corner that leads to the Alley, his nose picking up Varian's scent to let him know they were close.]

Varian's just up ahead. Once we get into Harumasa's room, we'll need to look for clues. Let us hope Harumasa's scent hasn't changed.

And even more so that Cassie saw something.

[He likely wasn't the only one who'd be there, either.]

[greatlydares]

[Belle comes in a little later, a little Bangboo making her way over after having been dropped off by Hermes. She waddles up to Lycaon, reaches up to tap him on the finger with a Bangboo paw.]

Hi, Lycaon. Give me a lift? I need a better vantage point.

[paraselenic]

[The soft touch against his hand causes Lycaon to turn his head down to the Bangboo, recognizing Belle's voice instantly. With a crouch, his hand extends in the gesture for her to hop on.]

Ah, there you are, Miss Belle. Shall I get Del and bring him over?

[greatlydares]

Go ahead. I was planning to look for him anyway.

[Hopping on immediately, thanks Lycaon! She taps his arm in thanks as she settles down, perfectly comfortable in being carried around like this.]

Can't find anything on the feeds I've got so far, but then I haven't gone through all of it yet.

[fuegor]

[Hectic as all get-out in this place, but considering several of their own were taken and it's become the meeting place for search and rescue. It'd be more worrying if it wasn't abuzz.

... Still, Lighter hasn't even gotten the chance to speak with everyone since he returned from his, uh, sabbatical. And all this happens...

It's a good thing he came back in time. But if he were earlier... no, wondering about that is pointless. He was right behind Lycaon as he went through the Fortress. Harumasa's room had to have something.]

Here's hoping... unfortunately you know what they say. Hope for the best but expect the worst. [Not that Lighter wanted to be pessimistic about it, but. He wasn't stupid.] We'll find more than we knew before checking his room. That's what matters right now.

[paraselenic]

[All things considered, it probably would've been a breaking point for many if Lighter had still been gone when this happened. It would've been the natural assumption that he was missing along with Harumasa. Dark things to think about.

Lycaon turns the corner that leads into the Alley, his eyes pinpointed on the room that he knew for certain was Harumasa's.]

Mm. There's always something to be found at the scene. We have far too much manpower to not find something.

[The door was open, thanks to Varian, and Lycaon has to stop at the door. The scent already has intoxicated his nostrils, and he...doesn't like it.

He can't help but fold down his ears as he steps in.]

Varian | OTA

[droptheious]

[ Varian is absolutely still on high stress, and is likely to remain so until his loved ones are found. Thanks to people like Ratio, Blade and Anby, he is sleeping and eating... to a fashion. But he still looks so very worn around the edges, and his usual smile is nowhere to be seen.

He's here because... well, he lives in the Alley - and the main points Lycaon is checking out are his own home and that of his brother. Besides, helping here feels like he's doing something, instead of just looking helplessly around the city or calling Jun or Haru's phone for the six hundredth time to no avail.

He's currently standing in the common space of the Alley, tinkering with something in his hands. The longer he's there, the more someone might realise he's making a gun, but that's fine. Nothing to worry about right now. ]

Belle | Zenless Zone Zero

[greatlydares]

harumasa's room

[A little Bangboo pokes its head into Harumasa's room, ears bobbing. Those who've been to Random Play are sure to recognize them as Eous, Belle's beloved little Bangboo, so it may be a surprise to some, not all, when they speak up in her voice:]

Hey, I'm here. [Belle wades inside, looking around.] I've got everything set up, I just need to get Del's permission to view its feed.

If anyone else also has relevant camera feeds, especially via Bangboo, send it my way, I'll scan through them for any clues.

Josuke Higashikata | OTA

[onahairtrigger]

[Normally, when Josuke's in the Fortress, he's usually in the infirmary--if he's not needed, cleaning, organizing supplies, or checking and updating records, he's usually found reading or playing a game on his Switch.

Not today.

He's already organized supplies at least three times now, and his Bangboo assistant has shooed him out. The kitchen and cafeteria aren't his usual haunts in the Fortress by any means, so it might be a bit of a surprise to see him linger there, with what seem to be potions brewing, and a notebook close at hand that he keeps jotting things down in.]

[actnormal]

[For obvious reasons, Caleb is lingering a lot around the fortress lately. He can't help it, he wants to be around if his friends need him here.

That means when he spots Josuke in the kitchen, he heads over.]

Everything okay?

[onahairtrigger]

Yeah, Nurse Boo just kicked me out of the infirmary.

[Okay, that potion is still going but almost done, he's gonna need to bottle that real soon...]

She told me if I was going to be productive to stave off nerves to do it somewhere else.

[actnormal]

Fair. What're you doing? That doesn't look or smell like soup.

[onahairtrigger]

That would be because it's not. It's a healing potion--I figured out potion-brewing pretty recently and I figured the more of these we had on hand, the better.

[A beat.]

Plus, it means we don't have to spend as much on potions from Undertown.

[actnormal]

Which means we know exactly what's in them.

[Yeah this is for the best.]

Need any help? I don't think I'd be any good at the brewing, but I make a great gofer.

[onahairtrigger]

If you can help me bottle these, that'd be great.

[He thinks for a bit.]

Other than that, I'm thinking about putting together kits for people to take in once we figure out where everyone's being held, since I'm sure we're definitely going to have a fight waiting for people going in there.

[actnormal]

I can help, yeah.

[He'll start getting a funnel for bottling.]

That's a good idea. Potions, first aid kits...anything else?

[onahairtrigger]

Water bottles, I think-- we're gonna need those for the triage station, too, anyway.

[As he gets bottles for the potions.]

[actnormal]

I can help get those, and I can help get things to wherever you wanna set up the station. Want me on standby to help run people to triage?

[onahairtrigger]

That'd be a big help, yeah. And don't forget: buddy system'll be just as vital going in there as it is now.

[actnormal]

Oh yeah. If I'm not teleporting straight here, I'm taking my Pokemon with me at the very least. Neptune's taken to carrying around pointy sticks, I gotta find him that shell their species likes so much.

[onahairtrigger]

If we can find a moment to spare, we can go into Kanto and let him look there? I'll go with you-- I want to get my hands on some of that Herba Mystica anyway.

[actnormal]

Sounds like a good idea. Heck, maybe we should make time for it specifically so you can get the Herba Mystica. Who knows what state they'll be in when we find them?

[onahairtrigger]

We might end up making more than one trip--that stuff's pretty quick to lose the health benefits after it's been obtained if I remember right. But... yeah, definitely. I'm gonna expect the worst, so having it on hand is probably a good idea.

[actnormal]

Yeah. And once we find some, I can probably teleport there and back? Or at least try to.

[onahairtrigger]

We'll cross that bridge when we get there, but yeah, and thank goodness. And if nothing else, the Herba Mystica will be nice to have on hand for the cooks here anyway, even if it does lose the benefits.

Semmelweis; Reverse 1999; OTA

[duskmelody]

[Semmelweis looked around as Meripode leapt into action in a manner that reminded her of the Foundation prior to The Storm. She was bad at just sitting around, especially in these situations so she stated going around wordlessly assisting people with what tasks she could. She had been trying to track the various missing people but their trails ended up getting cut off like a glitched security camera. She honestly was a little happy that there was at least work to do because since she had been forced to take breaks the Cravings had been more insistent.

After a while she made her way to the Alley, snacking on some chocolate and trying to look approachable.]

[greatlydares]

[There are plenty of Bangboo around the fortress, industrious little bunny-eared robots that belong to one resident or another. This one is not quite new, but it doesn't belong to anyone Semmelweis knows down here, and it's moving with some purpose as if also investigating.

After a while, it audibly sighs, then catches sight of Semmelweis and waddles on over.

Another thing about Bangboo: they don't usually speak in a human language, all of them talking in "ehn-nhe"s. This one, though, peers up at her and says, in the voice of a young woman:]

Hey, you're new here, aren't you?