( OPEN )

[competing]

Who: lance (competing) & anyone!
What: catch-all for the first part of the october event
When: oct 1 - 15
Where: around
Warning(s): none at the moment! will update if necessary

market district | day of attack

[ he was along the outskirts of the market district when the explosion occurs, sidelined in his usual patrol by an overenthusiastic child regaling lance with his exploits during playtime of the previous day. one second laughing to the young child's uncanny imitation of his nanny, and the next lurching forward reflexively, protectively, when suddenly the ground shuddered and screams erupted in the air. tehro is already crying from his confusion, rushing out of lance's hold to crash into his mother's, who stood terrified nearby, eyes turned towards the sky. lance's gaze soon follows, feeling dread pool at the sight of a thick cloud of an unnatural purple waft into the air. he takes a second to swallow down his fear, before shouting for everyone around him to vacate the premises as quickly and calmly as they can. (spoilers: they only manage to do one of these things.)

he runs the opposite way, pace slowed by the throng of people eager to escape. by the time he gets to the scene, all he sees is chaos. ( 1 ) he rushes towards the nearest person on the ground, reaching out to help them back onto their feet. ]

Hey — I got you, I got you, it's alright—

[ ( 2 ) if you are one of the able-bodied, he might try to flag you down with a shout. ]

Over here! [ he's in the process of trying to lift a wooden stall that had overturned on its vendor. given his noodle body, he could definitely use some help... ]

around | days after

[ the next couple of days are kind of a blur. ridden with guilt, burdened by his dwindling confidence, lance winds up throwing himself into doing as much as he can for the people who lost the most that day. at any time during the day, you can find him doing any number of the following:

( 3 ) pushing around a wooden street cart, its sign and his wares changing from day to day. one day he could be selling produce from a local farmer, another day he could be selling questionable, ah, toys from another local business person. some days he might be accompanied by an npc (the vendor's bored child along for the ride, their grandparent out to make sure lance is marketing right, etc), but every single time he'll be out there, running that motormouth of his dry, trying to get everybody, anybody to stop and consider a purchase.

( 4 ) getting chewed out by a local, far too upset to realize he has long since stopped saying anything, and instead just stands there with his head lowered, nodding mutely to their angry accusations. this is all your fault, where were you, you should have been there, you think you can try to make up for it now, etc... he stands and listens to it all without protest. ]

shooting range/training yard | days after

[ he's stopped wearing the royal guard insignia. he's still dressed in all-black, though, but only really because it had wound up encompassing most of his attire anyway, but he hasn't actually been back near the barracks or the yard in some time. hasn't felt right, in all honesty.

but today he wanders close to the training yard, which bustles now with activity. everyone working double-time to try and find the culprits, probably, doing just about everything lance isn't — can't — which explains why he keeps his head low, avoiding any eyes.

he's got his rifle in his hands, but he doesn't seem intent on training with it. rather, it looks like he's trying to subtly turn it back in... ]

cyoa/notes

( if none of these prompts work for you, please feel free to work something else out with me! you can reach me at ellipses, PM this journal, or my plotting comment!

also, please let me know if you'd like to know about the RUMOR that lance overhears, and i can work it into our thread somehow! c: )

Comments

Attack 1

[winddaughter]

[Her ears are ringing and she doesn't even remember why she's on the ground right away--pushed over by locals, people she knows and sees on a daily basis. She's holding the side of her head and wishing people would calm down and stop shouting, she just needs a minute, she just needs to breathe.

The hand is startling. On a good day she'd smack it out of her way, insist that she doesn't need anything, but it's the closest thing to a breath that she'll get so she takes it. Anemone's grip is strong. She pulls herself up as much as he pulls her and it works out easily for both of them, though she stumbles a bit and she's still holding her head with her other hand, trying to focus and pinpoint all the surrounding voices so it's not just one jumbled, painful mess in her mind.]

Ah--thanks-- [She drops his hand just as she's bumped again from the side, but she doesn't topple over.] What is happening?

[competing]

[ in his own frazzles state, he barely registers the grip of her hand; likely it will bruise later, and later he will wonder about it, but in this moment he is more focused on looking her over, eyes occasionally flicking towards her head where she holds it, worried for an injury he can't see. ]

There was — an explosion.

[ his words are vague, but carefully chosen. every nerve in his body screams at him that this was an attack, this is no accident, but without any concrete evidence or information, he's hesitant to say anything that would cause undue panic. ]

Can you walk? We need to get you looked over—

[winddaughter]

[Her mind is of a similar thought, a continued caution sidling with her flare of panic. Warning. Attack. Enemy. Don't let your guard down, it could happen again.]

I--I can. Where do we even... [She thinks she's okay, but without knowing the source, she can't be sure. A quick check is all she really needs for reassurance before she gets to figuring out what happened, why, and if her friends are safe. What if someone was right at the source?]

[competing]

[ with his free hand, he gestures towards a cluster of people towards a far off corner in the area — a hastily set-up triage a safe distance away from the area of the explosion, but close enough still that anyone immediately injured can still be taken there without too much trouble. there, local healers and doctors have already arrived, though they are few in number.

when he turns back to her, he puts on a smile, attempting to inject some lightness to his tone in an attempt to diffuse any more tension. ]

This way, can you manage it? Hey, why don't you tell me your name? I'm Lance.

[winddaughter]

[Sheesh... she really hates doctors. She hopes they'll do a once-over and nothing more. If anyone comes at her with needles, someone will get punched.]

Anemone.

[She continues to follow him though, despite her concerns.]

[competing]

[ he doesn't know much about first aid past what his brief stint as a lifeguard one summer taught him, but he thinks perhaps keeping her talking, keeping her distracted, couldn't hurt.

he offers her a hand should she want it, or need to lean on him for support. ]

Anemone, huh? That's a pretty name. Rolls off the tongue real nicely.