[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

[rootandbranch]

capture

[it may be a surprise to everyone, but once Geir is reassured that Vern will remain free, and reassures Vern himself that it will all be fine, he... goes with the monitors docilely. escorted by helicopters, he flaps his way back to the underground entrance with a good will, watching the machinery around him in open curiosity. he accepts the restraints and the holding area; he marvels at the fanciness of the government buildings and the cool enlarging door; and he cleans out his fridge in interest as soon as he's locked in the cell, wondering how well they feed prisoners here. not too badly, it turns out. from the monitors' perspective, they've just nabbed a model audience subject. the whole thing might make them uneasy, honestly, even though it isn't as if their records show Geir being anything but polite and cooperative to monitors up till now.

they'd be right to be uneasy. Geir is cooperative, but incredulous, giving the monitors enough rope to hang themselves. he can't believe that they've brought a prisoner as dangerous as he is into the very heart of their stronghold. he can't believe that they know that the whole coven has magic that they can't control, and yet still think they can keep them locked up -- can keep him locked up -- with no evidence that they've come up with more security measures, or apparent change in their tactics. the restraints don't bother him, because he hasn't even tried to break them yet. he's confident he could break them, or that he could simply kill and wreck enough in his path that it wouldn't matter he couldn't. through his biased perspective, this imprisonment will last exactly as long as it takes for him to decide not to play along any more.

in Geir's heart of hearts, he simply doesn't believe he can be contained, so there's no reason to panic or be anything but sanguine. to him, this is all a sort of weird academic exercise in "how stupid can these people get?" but the whole episode puts him close to any other coven members who might be at risk, so he can protect them. it's exactly where he wants to be.]


telepathy

[once Geir is firmly settled in to his holding cell, he curls up with a little sigh, not dissatisfied. he can still-- even if only faintly-- feel the "working" sensation of the other coven members' signets. he's not cut off... that's the important thing. other than that, this is much more comfortable than the last time he was trapped underground, though the restraints are a little annoying. he figures that he can manage.]

Is everyone okay? I'm in some weird underground place. I guess this is one way to find out what's going on.

[mapsio]

Pre

[Seeing her own name scroll across the screen is sort of a surprise. She didn't lead the monitor on to anything about magic the previous time she was questioned and she didn't necessarily give them a bone to pick otherwise. So why?

She has to plan. She's going to plan a way to get out of this— or at least she thinks she will. She sends her lizard child running to Nike and then Haru begins her great "escape"....]

Capture

[In the long run? It doesn't work out. When the monitors finally find and corner her? Any attempt to get away was closed off to her.

She goes with them, but not because she wants to. The citizens surrounding her are kind of cruel. Giving her nasty looks and throwing terrible remarks. A criminal like her among them. How horrible. How disappointing.

Once she gets to her cell she will sit on the single bed, looking a little defeated. While she may be the only for now... surely she will have some company sooner or later. There has to be a way out of here, it isn't like she desires to be a sitting duck.]

Telepathy

I don't know who can hear this right now. But I have been taken by the monitors to some underground of sorts. Whoever can hear me... there are more of us down here too.

[She's hoping that made it to the top. But in any case at least the people around her in the different cells can probably hear her as well?]

[bulletbiter]

before

[ Julius had briefly entertained the idea of using his abilities to try and make an escape, but ultimately it might cost him more control than he can afford. Thus he had resigned himself to going peacefully, though not without a telepathic message: ]

This is Julius. I'm going with them. I'll try to feed information out whenever I can.


capture

[ Much like Geir, Julius allows himself to be led into the cell without much protest. Luckily enough, they haven't obstructed his vision yet, so he's able to take note of the path and construction of the building. It's no different from the treatment he would have received back home should he fall into hostile hands, so it's bearable.

His bigger priority is to remain in control of himself over his escape. If he could bide his time and collect intel, then it would be a good change from the monotony of simply working here. The monitors wouldn't be able to get too much information out of him, for he is incomprehensible even to himself - the curse that binds his body unto an eternity of corrosion.

He takes his place at the corner of his cell, sitting down on the floor. Should food come, he would refuse it except for water. Most of his attention is trained on what he can perceive of the telepathic network, and on keeping himself grounded. Should his cellmates try to check on him, they may notice that some parts of his skin have turned white, with a texture much like bark. ]


telepathy

[ Julius has so manny questions, so might as well fire them off while someone might still be listening. ]

Who's around here? Are they treating you okay?

[hearsthesea]

Pre-Capture
[Shirley is, unfortunately, not a stranger to being a person of interest. Her life is pretty much defined by being a person of interest. She wants to believe that being a cooperative person of interest will help things work out, but it's the part about being tracked that does it. It makes her feel hunted, and when she realizes the apartment has been locked up it makes her feel trapped.

Panic sets in, and she kicks at her door fruitlessly. It hurts, but that's the least of her problems right now.]

Why? Why is it always like this?

Capture
[Shirley is no stranger to being taken captive, either, but it doesn't change how powerless she feels when they come. She goes quietly to avoid making trouble for the others in her apartment, keeping her head down to hide angry tears as she stews in her own failure to see the truth. She shouldn't have said anything. She shouldn't have believed they would be fair. In the end, Shehui is no better than Crusand or Gadoria; they just have fancier technology.

If this were home, this wouldn't be happening. If this were home, Shirley would have already sunk the mainland and there would be virtually nobody left to attempt this. Unfortunately, this isn't home and she's just useless instead.

She's totally sullen when she's escorted to her cell, but the presence of others does catch her attention. At least she's not alone, but the fact that they've taken enough people to warrant cellmates isn't that comforting. Shirley speaks up once they're left alone.]

I didn't know that they would put people together like this.

Telepathy
We're underground in a building. We don't know what will happen. Don't trust them.

[Shirley doesn't know who might hear or if they'll start interfering with telepathy again soon, so she keeps her message short and simple. She wants to ask for help, but...is that best for the coven members still free right now?]

[secondadvent]

before;
[ A chill of dread rushes down his spine when he sees his name on the list. Why him? It makes sense that Ruby would be on it after she told the monitors everything, but he made sure he would tell them absolutely nothing of value. He considers his choices here - surrendering peacefully, or escaping.

He realizes the latter isn't an option when he finds the door locked. It's only a matter of time before a monitor will come to arrest him, so he quickly shoves a few paperclips in his pockets; he's read about people using paperclips as lockpicks when proper tools aren't available, and while he isn't good at picking locks he knows how it's done and he'd rather not go completely unprepared. He considers slipping a pocket knife into his pocket as well, but decides against it. It's likely only going to be confiscated.

Then he puts on a pot of coffee and waits for the inevitable. ]

capture;
[ Akechi allows the monitors to escort him to his cell without protest, but there's anger simmering in his gaze. He doesn't speak a word, focusing on taking note of his surroundings and committing them to memory.

Once he's in his cell, he sits down on the bed and lets out a sigh, his brows furrowed in a frown. Things are looking rather bad right now, but there has to be a way out of this... ]

telepathy;
[ Akechi admittedly isn't fond of telepathy for various reasons, but right now he's grateful it exists. ]

This is Goro Akechi speaking. The monitors brought me to some sort of underground building. Who else is here? Are you unharmed?

[pigii]

pre

[ she's out running errands with dia when she gets the announcement, and both the sisters go pale as they drop their shopping baskets and run. neither of them are sure where they're running exactly, but out of somewhere public probably seems best... until they exit the building and monitors catch sight of ruby. it's at this time that she discovers the full extent of her power - when dia urges her to use her magic to turn invisible and run by herself, her grip on her sister's hand makes both of them disappear. it's an opening, and both of them take it as a desperate sign of hope.

unfortunately, that part of her magic comes with a price. it isn't long before ruby starts losing her stamina - she can't bring herself to run anymore, and her invisibility begins to flicker. unfortunately that's enough for the monitors to properly find them, and it isn't a pretty sight. they're in the middle of a busy street when the capture happens, with dia being restrained as ruby screams and cries for her sister as hard as she can. it makes quite a noticeable scene, but you know what they say about the bystander effect... the shehui residents sure don't seem to care, anyway. ]


capture (or: gay baby jail)

[ she's far too traumatized to even lift herself onto the bed - the best that she can do is sit upright against a wall and hug her knees as she trembles in fear. the way ruby moves is often compared to a small animal, but that idea holds much more weight now - with the way she's curled up onto herself without a word, the idea of a terrified small animal is easily invoked. talking to her might yield some sort of response, but it might not be a good one. ]


telepathy

Everyone... I'm sorry...

[ it's the only thing she can manage to gather her thoughts coherently enough to say, though it's not without the strain of tears. if she wasn't convinced by now that all of this misfortune was her fault, she's sure of it now - this is punishment, for both her and those around her. ]

[counteracts]

[There's a dull sort of cloying apprehension that sets in when Orga sees his own name listed. With all the situations he's been in the last few years, it's not something to send him into a panic; he's almost used to this kind of shit. Of course, he's also used to having a mercenary company and several other powerful alliances standing between him and being called in by officials, so he has to adjust his plan for what he might have usually done.

Usually? Lean on powerful connections and try to call attention to why the hell such a summons would be required. Now? He's caught out in the streets, a half dozen citizens staring at him uncomfortably. He ends up just raising his hands in a peaceful gesture, a grimace on his face.

When you're a foreigner in a foreign place, sometimes you just gotta kowtow rather than make a scene. When he's collected, he goes with the monitors peaceably.]

TELEPATHY
Hey. Everyone else who's been rounded up in here, we should have a little chat.

They're most likely going to question us individually, so we should get our story straight while we can. What sort of stuff can we tell them to get 'em off our backs? Or, more importantly, which things are we going to be sure to keep quiet on?

[efface]

PRE/ANNOUNCEMENT (ESPECIALLY FOR ROOMMATES!)

[ the feeling in her gut at the loud, incessant beeping, is familiar. and maybe that’s the worst part. the familiar tightness, the curling anxiety. thankfully, because she knows how this feels, she also knows her first plan of action. considering the beeping, and the sudden click of the locks to her front door, riza is moving. back to her room, where she keeps her pistols, and deciding quickly what to do with it.

it doesn’t take long - she is very talented at hiding things when they need to be hidden, especially in places that authorities wouldn’t necessarily look, and that’s where she sets her present from the previous holidays. away, not to be found unless necessary, and then the one pistol she brought from her clipped to her back.

if her roommates are around, they’ll see a very quiet, very serious, very practiced riza hawkeye. and if there has been any question of her militaristic training before, it’s gone now. she can’t quite run, or at least doesn’t seem to be planning to, but she can still prepare. ]

CAPTURE:

[ when her captors appear at her front door, riza is waiting for them. she knows how this goes, and she doesn’t necessarily plan on making a scene. not when she doesn’t know what she’s being brought in for, let alone the extent that they might go. so for now, she plays along. doesn’t say a single thing as she’s taken down through the underground tunnels, and doesn’t offer anything to the shouts or comments made in her direction.

the room she’s taken to is…nicer than she expects. but in the same breath, a jail cell is a jail cell, and the second the door starts to close she rounds on the closest monitor- ]

What is this about? [ her voice is clipped, dangerous. like she knows what she’s doing and what she should be allowed. and whether or not she gets an answer, the door closes and she turns back to the room, furious in that cold, controlled, handled sort of way. she’s not happy, so…sorry roommates. ]

TELEPATHY:

[ feel free to reach out to her at any point in time!!!! ]

[allbroea]

before
[ of course it shocks him to be on a list of wanted coven members, but jusis isn't one to act out. he's fuming under the surface, arms crossed and fingers digging into the fine material of his jacket, but in a city like shehui, running would be pointless. it would be more than pointless; it could be dangerous. he accepts the hand dealt to him and goes ... not quietly, but peacefully. he asks a number of questions about why he's being detained, and if the questions are answered at all, they're not answered meaningfully. of course. ]

capture
[ jusis' countenance isn't much different once he's been placed in a cell, though it gives him something more worthwhile to focus on. namely, he'll be scoping out their room for ... anything of use, basically, whether it's a place where the wall might seem weak or if there's something on the door that could be considered breakable. he probably doesn't find anything, but let no one say he didn't try. ]

If we intend to escape, it'll be by making an opening rather than finding one. [ this is his exasperated conclusion as he takes a seat near the foot of the bed. not exactly comfortable to rest his back on, but it'll do. besides that, he has no special reaction to his holdings, other than being in a seemingly permanent bad mood and occasionally hounding the monitor that brings them food for a reason. ]

telepathy
If anyone can hear this, this is Jusis Albarea. Some of you may recognize that name from the list sent out earlier today. [ he would feel grateful the static makes it harder to hear his absolute reluctance to actually have to say that if he knew it existed. ] Our honored audience with the officials is, as you may expect, essentially an arrest. We haven't seen Qri or the magic stash. ... At least, I haven't.

[ after a moment: ]

If any of you are concerned about Noctis or Julius, they are roomed with me, and appear to be unharmed.

directed mostly to the other prisoners!!!

[efface]

[ it's not going to take long before riza is going to try and reach out to any of the other captured who she hasn't spoken to. it's...pretty obvious her experience with these kinds of things is not shared, which means she is going to step in and help. ]

To anyone else being held-
My name is Riza Hawkeye.
I'm in one of the cells here.
If you have any contact with the monitors, or if they say anything to you at all, please let me know.
If you have any information as to why we're being held, or what they could want, that would also be helpful.
If you are harmed, or if they come in to harm you, also please let me know.
There isn't much we can do, but we need to look out for each other.