[WORLD TWO | SHIT MEETS FAN]

[spellbindmods]

Who: The Chosen 12, Shehui Monitors
Where: Around Shehui, The Underground Holding Areas
When:
Open/Closed: OTA, but especially the Chosen 12

[ Something seems different about today...you feel it when you wake up if you're of the sorts who happen to have a good gut instinct. You don't have to wait around long for the news of the day to confirm this anxiety in your chest. In fact, it may only intensify if you happen to be looking at your ID card when the announcement comes in.

On your ID's text scroller, a message comes through with a loud, blaring beeping:

The following Shehui residents have been requested for an audience with officials. If you know of their location, please tell them as such and maintain their location as much as possible. (The list, though, contains last names OR the name they offered at their Shehui introductory meeting.)

Ruby
Haru
Geir
Madoka
Jade
Julius
Jusis
Shirley
Orga
Noctis
Akechi
Riza

If you're in your apartment and happen to be on that list, you'll find that your door is locked from the inside suddenly. You and your buddies aren't going in there until a monitor comes by. For those out and about, you may be able to hide for a while if you're in a crowd of folks who don't know who you are. However, any and all news or screens will begin offering photos of those on the list as the day continues. That might get you some interesting looks.

That being said, you have options -- giving in and surrendering is only one of the choices you can make.

pre- or just after the announcement: Want to react to this sudden discovery that you're quite possibly a wanted criminal? Go right ahead! Maybe this is where you begin to plot your life on the lam. Maybe, maybe you have a mental break down. Maybe, maybe, maybe you just need some advice about what to do. Who knows!

running: Life on the lam is entirely possible, and even though it might not last, you can definitely make a break for it. If you have magic that can help you...why not use it? What do you have to lose? However, know that monitors will be looking for you far and wide. You thought there were a lot of monitors hanging around the city before? Think again, now. There are some pretty good places to hide, like in the woods of the more rural areas, but be warned -- that doesn't mean the monitors won't come for you there, either.

fighting: Maybe you're more proactive in your denial. You don't want to go anywhere with these monitors, and they're closing in...instead of surrendering, it's time to battle! Magic will do you well in this scenario, but monitors do have weapons and tools they can use to try and combat your fighting spirit. These include stun guns, energized-batons and a gun-like device that shoots out magnetized clamps designed to grab at arms, legs...even your neck. Trying to cut through these is also very hard, and once the gun is attached to you? It's also electrical in nature. You'll get a pretty good zap if you don't comply.

capture: So that's it. You've been caught. What does that mean for your future in Shehui? It's hard to say -- but it is for certain that you aren't simply being interrogated in your apartment this time. The monitors lead you to their underground doorway, opening it and bringing you inside. What you find is a totally different building that looks very ornate yet official -- this is the home of the Shehui government. The hallway you're led through is long, and your restraints tighten before your feet are clasped together with a device that's similar to the clamps the monitor's gun spat out. There are hundreds of monitors looking to stun or even shoot you now that you're away from the public. Escape is seemingly impossible...at least for now.

From there, monitors will take you to a holding room that lies at the furthest end of the last hallway you're taken to. It's not that bad for being what is essentially a jail cell -- there's an enclosed restroom, sizable bed and mini fridge. A table, a television built into the side of the wall...and a sign on the wall that lists up to three different names. Even though there's one bed, that doesn't mean you'll be utilizing it on your own:

-- Geir (his own, larger cell -- though it's outfitted with larger amenities)
-- Riza, Jade, Ruby
-- Jusis, Noctis, Julius
-- Madoka, Shirley, Haru
-- Orga, Akechi

The first day, everything is quite quiet. A monitor brings you food, carefully making sure that you can't escape through the door...since they're sliding it through a tiny slit, it might be very hard to squeeze through. That's where you're at right now...Today is day one, and who knows what the next day will bring.

[SPECIFIC NOTE: For large creatures, i.e. Geir's big dragon ass, the monitors are going to be using helicopters and larger versions of their regular weapons. They'll be very cautious in trying not to injure Geir -- more than they would be when it comes to the average coven member -- because potentially felling him from the sky can lead to casualties. If he is captured, the underground door will grow to accommodate him, and there is a larger holding area for bigger creatures. Hallways, however, will be a tight squeeze.]

telepathy: Telepathy can be utilized at any time during your long, hard day, but it may be beneficial to attempt to use it while you're locked up underground. Those who hear your mental feed will find that whatever signal you're trying to send is very faint -- for instance, sending text, the letters will be less than opaque. Voices will be softer and potentially static-y, as well as video transmissions.

In general, citizens of Shehui will take a pretty standard approach to coven members who are on the circulated list. They won't get directly involved with the chase; there won't be many citizens who will put a coven member in a headlock and directly involve themselves. However, they will shout, point at and follow coven members who they know are on the list in an attempt to help the monitors. However, you do have the freedom to create non-standard reactions from Shehui residents. You can say they feel some sympathy, or maybe they're even more violent than the average person!

Comments

[allbroea]

[ jusis is in the same position: no weapons, no magic, and his gift ... would be less likely to harm his cellmates, but equally less likely to help.

still, there are twelve of them down here, and so many more that are just barely out of reach. ]

At this point, coordinating with each other is most likely our best course of action. [ a pause of consideration. ] Given how many monitors attended our walk of shame, I'm not sure anything the twelve of us alone could do would work, but I'm not familiar with most of the coven's abilities. [ he's barely familiar with his own ability. actually ... ]

If we don't intend to rely solely on the coven members on the outside, the most important thing we can do is find out the capabilities of those of us here.

[armigers]

Can't say I felt much shame during that walk.

[ More like the walk of irritation. What are they even hoping to accomplish by keeping them here? It's obvious the magic-thing is a sore point for most of them, but it's not like any of them can adequately explain how or why they get their powers -unless one of the prisoners knows more than he does. Which is very likely. ]

What sort of magic did they give you?

[ Better figure that part out, and do as the guy says -see how they can make some use out of one another. It's not like Noctis is teeming with any bright ideas himself at the moment. Mostly, he just wants to lie down and wake up when this is all over. Or at least make sure his friends on the outside are safe and got away in time.

He can only hope. ]

[allbroea]

I certainly didn't feel any pride when I was brought through the door.

[ they've done nothing to be ashamed of, but the fact of the matter remains that any onlooker will remember their faces as criminals. the only mercy is the people of the city don't even know his name for him to have tarnished it, but the significance isn't lost on him.

it's not worth arguing about. ]

I was given the ability to create ice where I please. And yourself?

[ noctis gets some points for cooperation and not ducking his head under the covers and hoping it blows over. jusis doesn't have any reason to think he's not a civilian, and he would allow him to take the circumstances poorly, but he'd much rather have two proactive cellmates than one. ]

[armigers]

Turning into a dragon. Really big, really cool.

[ He's just putting that out there, but creating ice is probably more useful at the moment. It's discreet and less messy -a whole lot more than barreling through the bars as a behemoth with wings. Noctis almost envies that ability as though he couldn't do the same up until a few weeks ago. Man, he wishes they hadn't taken any of his actual powers away from him. ]

Any chance you can turn the walls to ice so we can shatter them?

[ Matter doesn't work that way, but it's a start. ]

Or maybe making a key out of ice so we can unlock the door.

[ A little more reasonable, he thinks. ]

[allbroea]

[ on the flipside, all of his friends have cool transformation sequences. he's starting to feel left out. —okay, most of them have terrible drawbacks, so not really. still a weird coincidence. ]

If I could shatter them, I would. [ definitely resigned. that's his go-to for ice usage back home. ] As for a key ... I would be surprised if they allowed us a method to open the cell from inside. Even if they did, the lock is most likely technological.

[ and besides that, there's the problem of his keysmith skills. still, it's a good thought. ]

I did consider whether the lock itself could be shattered, but I'm not sure we have the force necessary to try.

[armigers]

[ He guesses it's too much to hope for the old RPG trope of stealing the key from the guard when he comes to give them their food. They even have a slot for that. It's almost like they thought of everything. ]

I could try burning it, but this place is a little cramped for a dragon and two guys.

[ He could accidentally squish one of them, though he's not that big of a dragon, but he'd rather not risk setting them all on fire or anything like that. Better to play it low-key. ]

Might as well just wait it out for the others. You got anyone on the outside?

[ He told Prompto as much as he could, but he doubts Prompto alone is going to foil all those security measures. ]

[allbroea]

I'm told Brigadier General Mustang is in the process of creating a plan. It's not ideal having to wait on others, but getting out is a matter of when rather than if.

[ not exactly his man, but someone he trusts with a jailbreak anyway. he suspects someone capable of overthrowing a corrupt military can manage. ]

When that time comes, I'm sure having a second dragon around will be useful. Until then, we should steel ourselves for whatever Shehui intends to do with us.

[ a pause. it's a formality, considering the nameplates, but. ]

I'm Jusis. I already know Julius, so you must be Noctis?

[armigers]

Don't know them. Anyone I should trust?

[ He imagines if they're a Brigadier General, then they must be a big deal wherever they're from. Unless they just made up that title. Sort of how like Noctis keeps calling himself an expert hunter when he clearly hadn't even left his own kingdom up until a few months ago, but it's not like he has a whole lot of other allies to rely on at the moment, so it's either trust blindly or keep racking his own brain for a way out. He also doesn't want to know what Shehui plans to do with them.

He nods at the rest of Jusis' words, still feeling a little awkward about actually being addressed by his name after doing his best to conceal it when he arrived. That ended up being a bust, but there's not much he can do now. ]

Just Noct, if you want. [ A casual shrug. ] Did that general guy give you any specifics on how long it'll take?

[allbroea]

Noct, then.

[ here is where he would say it's a pleasure, but he has a feeling that's a bit tone-deaf right now. instead, he moves on to the questions, tilting his head in thought. ]

There are worse individuals you could trust. From our brief interactions, I get the impression he's a respectable man with ample experience.

[ jusis frowns momentarily—he has certainly learned about trusting people blindly—but he doesn't have a lot of options here. ]

Right now, I would consider him trustworthy, yes. As for a timeframe, I'm certain they're working as quickly as possible.

[ which is a much more pleasant way to say he has no idea. ]