[WORLD TWO | LOCKDOWN]

[spellbindmods]

Who: All coven members in the apartment building
Where: Shehui Apartment Complex #43
When: Day 188
Open/Closed: OTA with telepathy potential for those who aren't currently there

[ Unless you're a you-can't-tell-if-it's-night-or-morning-at-this-hour owl, then you probably don't even notice the apartment complex goes on lockdown. At around 3:30-4:00 AM, the front doors lock from the inside, all elevators stop operating and individual doors require a special clearance ID in order to be opened -- something no one who isn't a high-level monitor would have.

This means you're likely sleepy and snug in your room, totally ignorant of the issue. The exceptions are those on the leisure floor or outside at an early morning job -- if you try to leave your floor or come back to the complex, respectively, you'll find that it's impossible because of the lockdown.

No one else will know until around 6:00 AM. Everyone's ID cards will begin to beep, flashing a message that lockdown procedures are in progress, and they will be visited shortly by a monitor who will be speaking to them privately.

Whether or not you decide to wake up because of this information, you're certainly confined to your quarters until this whole thing is over -- which will be around 4:00 PM. Even after the monitor comes, asking you one-by-one to step into a chosen bedroom to have a conversation, you'll be stuck with your roomies until the whole ordeal is over.

Time for some small talk...?

OOC: If there's only one person in your character's room, ICly they will be moved to a nearby room (of your OOC choice) in an effort to cut down on room visits. This will allow you to tag into another room, not just imagine your character staring at the ceiling on their own for 10 hours! Also, you can say that some characters slept over or were hanging out in another room if you wish. ]

Comments

[sealeted]

[Hakuno, who had been carefully extricating herself from two small Palai children and carefully tucking the covers back around them, stops. She considers the words he just said—and more importantly, the ones he didn't—and then carefully turns away from the bed and marches right up to him, hands settling on her hips as she drags a scrutinizing look over his face.]

Right. ...and if I happen to be the one asking?

[guerrilla]

You already know what my hobbies are, so I didn't think you'd need to ask.

[He shrugs and gives her a skeptical look, avoiding the point of the question entirely.]

[sealeted]

I do know your... hobbies, yes.

[If she were a different person, she might have used air quotes just know.]

You just failed to mention you'd settled back into them, here. ...to me, at least.

[guerrilla]

[Still completely feigning ignorance:]

I didn't know I needed your approval to go pick up girls, Master. Should I bring 'em home so you can give us a lecture about being back by 10?

[sealeted]

Sure, go ahead; maybe Beech and Kata will think they're your new Jumins.

[It would be a prickling quip, under normal circumstances.

Under these ones, Hakuno takes two more steps, now well and truly invading his personal bubble on her own, for what is possibly the first time. Her eyes are large, dark, and fathomlessly serious.]

...if I did give you a curfew, would it keep you out of trouble? Would you stay safe?

[guerrilla]

I guess that depends how strict you are with your curfew.

[His gaze flickers to the back of her hand, for just an instant. The last person who wanted him out of trouble had had to force him to stay out of it.]

[sealeted]

[Not too long ago, he had seen her hesitate, seen her guilelessly admit that she wouldn't shackle him down if he'd be happier serving another Master. In sharp contrast, when her gaze follows his to the Command Seals...

She considers it. She honestly, visibly weighs the pros and cons, right in front of his face, because this isn't about happiness or other people—this is about him, and his life, such as it is.]

I don't want you risking yourself, Robin.

[guerrilla]

[Robin shrugs again, evidently not moved by her simple, plaintive request.]

I guess it's a good thing I have a one-date policy then, don't I?

[They both know he hasn't been talking about picking up girls since the beginning, but he's determined to deflect this. He hadn't expected Hakuno to care this much about him sneaking around, honestly.]

[sealeted]

[This man.

Hakuno feels frustration lick up the back of her throat, but doesn't let the first three things she wants to say pass her lips. Instead she shifts forward again; he's lounging against a wall, as per usual, so she braces a hand next to his bicep before he can get any funny ideas of physically avoiding this conversation, as well as through subtext.

In a way, it's almost a blessing to be locked-down.]

Robin, seriously. ...you said you weren't going to leave us. You said.

[guerrilla]

[This would be kinda hot if the circumstances weren't what they are.]

And I haven't, so everything is fine.

[It's all good if he doesn't get caught, right????]

[sealeted]

Look me in the eye and tell me, honestly, that whatever you might be doing, you aren't treating yourself as expendable.

[Her fingers fist against the smooth, blandly pretty wallpaper, visions of him, poisoned and all but pleading beneath the quips and sarcasm, to be put down, dancing across her mind's eye.]

[guerrilla]

[Robin makes a difficult expression. On one hand, lying comes easily to him, but on the other hand, she'll almost certainly know if he is, judging by how upset she already is about this.]

Look, I know that golden moron you contracted with doesn't think it applies to him, but Servants are expendable by nature, you know? So I couldn't honestly say I don't act like I'm expendable at all no matter what.

[sealeted]

Kata already lost one parent.

[Her voice is always quiet, but there's a steel to it right now.]

Beech... has never lost anything. So please don't call her one and only father expendable.

[guerrilla]

[Robin's expression is intentionally vague as he thinks about what Hakuno's saying. It's really not fair, dragging Beech into this...but on the other hand, this is probably the best way to get him to listen.]

...So all I have to do is not say it, right? That's easy.

[But he's not committing to sitting still, either.]

[sealeted]

I cannot believe you're seriously going to make me use a Command Seal for this.

[guerrilla]

I can't believe you're gonna use a Command Seal to stop me from helping you either, but I guess I just keep ending up with busybody Masters!

[SEE IF HE CARES. (He cares immensely.)]

[sealeted]

[Her free hand knots itself in the front of his shirt and yanks him down, so they're properly eye to eye and he can't hide from the sudden, grave snap of the next sentence.]

If you die for me again, you will do so much more damage to me than anything you could hope to protect me from, Robin Hood.

[guerrilla]

...Technically, we don't know if the people they banish are dead.

[Not helping, but anything other than missing the point would be acknowledging that someone else cares about him and that's not about to happen.]

[sealeted]

Fine. Then I'll just take a nice fluffy scamper outside for the first time in a while, how does that sound?

[guerrilla]

Don't you dare -

[Okay, point taken, he concedes to himself as he grabs her wrist.]

...You...you have to think about Beech, too. If I can't disappear then neither can you.

[That's as close as he can get to an argument without blowing one of his own into smithereens.]

[sealeted]

Don't you dare start spouting off bullshit about expendability. Not to me.

[Between the two of them, only one was literally designed to be a short-lived, expendable commodity.]

I am thinking about Beech. Unlike you and her... I've never had a family, or even just a father. So I'll do whatever I can, to protect hers.

[guerrilla]

This is the only way I can do anything to help, you know.

[He's not good at doing things any way but dangerously and illegally, let him live.]

[sealeted]

You were helping just fine the way things were.

[guerrilla]

By not doing anything? People are getting thrown out, no one knows what's happening to them, and it's all getting covered up - how is not doing anything about that helping?

[sealeted]

Aha. So that's what it was.

[Some of the intensity eases off her face, and she gently releases his shirtfront.

...he might have just gotten played a little.]

Why did you hide it from me?