the veil is thin . . .

[thespaceopera]

[ On the night of the 16th, the feeling of tension and horrid anticipation comes to a head. Everything stops when the sun goes down-- even the ever-present music in the hoppingest part of the city center. One by one, everyone turns their eyes to the skies. The young and old alike pour out of their houses, some in bare feet, and they point to the velvety blanket of stars.

It takes a second to find it, especially if one is unaccustomed to the starscape. But even a casual observer can see it.

A brightly-shining star, larger than the others, and growing larger.

An announcement cuts across all communication channels that encourages people to evacuate to the space station, but it’s clear that these are just people and they’ll need some help. Supplies, equipment, organization, there’s something for everyone to do.

Civilization is disrupted by a panicked stampede of people vying for limited seats aboard spacefaring craft. Within hours, there will be crushed glass, looting, and chaos.

The clock is ticking. Will you help? Or would you rather watch the dying gasps of a Singing Planet from a safe distance? ]

[OOC: Please see this post for plot details. Phase two has begun! Feel free to use this post as a reaction post, mingle, etc. or make your own!]

Comments

[whatisright]

[Justice nods, standing up without trying to force the girl from her hiding spot. She won't leave. He knows she won't with the same certainty that she knows it. She's too afraid, and as frightening as they look, they're the only ones who've promised to take her to her parents.

Justice, almost without thinking about it, trails a finger on the wall as he walks by Fenris. He catches scraps of the family--two superstitious parents, teaching their daughter how to use crystals. A little boy, only just old enough to begin inducting into crystal work as well.

As he picks up more scraps from the air, he glances at Fenris.] Do you have experience calming children? I confess I have very little. [The girl and the boy will both be frightened. Justice does not have much faith in his abilities to comfort them. Up until now, he's only encountered mortal children in their dreams or when they've perished and lingered in the Fade. In those cases, he was usually more focused on warding off demons rather than soothing the child in question.]

[wolfuncaged]

I know a little.

[His time here and in Exsilium have seen to that, at least.He continues upstairs, frowning softly. He's uneasy- he knows they don't have the time for this. They need to be making sure they, themselves get out, too. They can't cut it too fine. ]

They will be fine, the important thing is getting them out and away from here. Somewhere safe.

[whatisright]

I can find their parents. They will not evacuate without knowing where their children are. [Not that Justice has actually met the parents, but he can feel it. The children's fear and the fear of their parents is tangled up, and Justice can follow the link once they have the kids.

Justice, despite having never been in the house, knows exactly where the boy is. His feet trace the footsteps the family have made towards the child's room, opening the door to reveal a little boy napping on his bed, clutching a baby blanket tightly.]

[wolfuncaged]

No, I suppose they would not. You would have to be quick, we do not have much time.

[If the parents can't be found, Fenris would be more than willing to grab the kids and run for it. And that skill is both impressive and suspicious. ]

...That was quick work. Still, best get the child downstairs.

[He moves over, using his great kid skills to give the sleeping boy a poke. ]

Wake up.

[whatisright]

I can sense where the parents are, just as I sensed where the boy was. I can find them quickly.

[That's going to have to be enough explanation for now, because the elf is correct: they don't have time. The boy wakes up with a start, jerking his baby blanket close on instinct. He's too young to fear strangers with the same fervor as his sister, but he's not yet old enough to be reliably reasoned with.]

"Who're you?"

[Justice keeps his voice steady and low as he speaks.] We're here to take you to your parents.

[The boy doesn't seem to quite be paying attention. Instead, he's reaching out to prod the lyrium tattoo coiling Fenris' arm.]

[wolfuncaged]

You...can sense them. How?

[It's made him suspicious. He really hopes it's not what he suspects it is. He folds his arms, shifting out of reach of the child. Then uses his amazing childcare skills. ]

Follow us, and we will take you to them. Don't touch me.

[Truly, he is the Best At Kids. ]

[whatisright]

I... they are... distinctive. And I know what they feel like from what they've left behind in their home.

[Justice struggles with a better way to describe it, but he's coming up short. How does he explain how distinctive the fingerprints they've left behind on this house are? How does he explain how he can recognize the fingerprints, follow the trails left behind? How does he explain how intensely they want their children? How does he explain how their want tugs at the kids, even if they can't feel it?

He can't. At least, he can't when they're so pressed for time.] I will explain better once we are through here.

[Justice is forced to question this mortal's skill with children, because the little boy recoils, his lower lip trembling. Justice really doesn't want to deal with a crying child, so he fingers the headboard of the bed, searching for something in the room or Kristoff's memories that will tell him how to calm the child.

There's a crystal on a chain by the bed. The boy sniffs, eyes going wide. Justice picks up the crystal and dangles it in the boy's face.

The boy pauses just before he begins to cry, watching the crystal dangle before grabbing it and rubbing it between his hands. Justice isn't sure if that's exactly how you're supposed to stop a child from crying, but it worked, so he's not going to question it.

The boy has stubby legs and Justice questions his ability to keep up with them, so he braces himself and just picks the child up. His presence hums weirdly so close, but the boy doesn't seem to care, now cuddling his baby blanket and playing with the crystal as Justice balances him awkwardly. This is not what Justice thought he'd be doing today.] We should get the girl.

[wolfuncaged]

[Fenris has a distinctive feeling he will not enjoy the explanation when it comes to fruition, but he'll let it lie for now. They have a much more important thing to focus on, after all.

He watches Justice calm the child- impressed, if reluctantly. It's better than he could do, anyway. Social skills are not his forte. He gets on better with kids who are already...pretty damn independent anyway.

He nods, moving out of the room. Justice holds the kid awkwardly, but he could do no better. He does try to soothe his tone a little, addressing the boy.]

Do you know where your sister is?

[whatisright]

[Justice is so uncomfortable right now. How is someone supposed hold a child? He hopes people are supposed to hold them like they're bombs, because that's basically what he's doing.

Luckily, the child does not seem to care all that much. He chews on the corner of his baby blanket thoughtfully, then shrugs.] "I dunno. Downstairs maybe?" [The boy waves his crystal at Fenris.] "Why are your ears pointy?"

[wolfuncaged]

[Fenris would go for the 'sack of potatoes' method, so it's not like he's any better. Fenris lets out a long sigh, but manages to keep this tone even. ]

Because I am an elf. Elves have pointed ears. Downstairs, you said?

[Let's head down that way, Justice. FUN ADVENTURES. ]

[whatisright]

"Downstairs, probably. Or her room. Or the sky." [The child laughs, pulling at the crystal's chain.]

The last suggestion was a lie. You shouldn't lie. [And Justice is here to state the obvious and sprinkle in a little moral scolding because that's his job. But he follows Fenris downstairs, still trying to figure out how he's supposed to hold a small child.]

"Are all elves grumpy?" [The child asks with a giggle.]

[wolfuncaged]

He is a child, he thinks he's being funny. It's what they do.

[How does Justice not see that? Another mark against him in Fenris horrible theory that...this guy may be what he dreads. He exhales, heading down and starting to look through the rooms. ]

No. Some are obnoxiously happy.

[whatisright]

How is... [He's about to ask how lying is supposed to be funny, but considering his track record understanding mortal humor, he shakes his head and just gives up.

The child reaches out and tugs Justice's ear gently.] Stop that. [Justice tries to pull away, but unless he holds the boy straight out from him, he keeps reaching for the ear with a giggle. Justice gives up on that one too, settling down to tolerate tiny grabby hands until he can hand the boy off to his parents. Are all mortal children like this?

The girl, definitely older than the boy, has migrated from under the sink to the kitchen table, hugging her stuffed toy as she watches them with wide eyes.]

[wolfuncaged]

Try not to drop him.

[That is the stellar advice Fenris is offering. Lucky Justice.

He heads off towards the kitchen, crouching down near the table. He attempts a smile- it's not great, but he tries. ]

Come on. We have your brother. We are going to take you to safety.

[whatisright]

[Justice is seriously questioning this mortal's experience with children, if that's the best advice he can manage. He's just going to have to put up with being grabbed and tugged to keep the boy calm, he thinks. So the child keeps grabbing his ear, and Justice tolerates it with the look of a soldier suffering through battle.

The girl still looks a little unsettled, but she tries to give Fenris a weak smile in return.] "Okay." [She hesitates, then reaches for Fenris's hand to hold, keeping a tight grip on her toy.]

[wolfuncaged]

[Fenris hesitates. Maker, he hates touching people. He hates it so much. Still, it will probably be the better solution here. So, he takes the girls hand, raising again to bring her out from under the table.]

There we are. Now let us leave this place.

[Don't judge, Justice, he got her out from under the table didn't he? Seeeeeeeesh. ]

[whatisright]

[Justice is always judging. It's basically his job.

The girl holds Fenris's hand tightly, her eyes darting between him and Justice nervously. As they walk, she says quietly,] "You're holding him wrong."

[Justice is still holding the child like a bomb. He looks down at the boy, still trying to grab his face.] How should I hold him?

[The girl demonstrates with one arm and her stuffed toy.] "Like this."

[Justice hesitantly tries that, and the boy immediately grabs onto both of his ears. The girl scowls.] "Stop that, Baby. That's not nice." [Immediately, the boy stops, chagrined, and goes back to pulling at his baby blanket.

Justice takes a moment to stare in surprise at his new freedom from grabs, then looks at Fenris, shaking his head.] If I did not know better, I would say the girl was a mage. [It's meant seriously, but it comes out so deadpan that the girl giggles.]

[wolfuncaged]

[Fenris pulls a face as the continues to walk. He'd been enjoying the little exchange, until Justice went and ruined it and used the M word. Fenris likes to think he's got a lot better at handling his magic issues since leaving Thedas. But they're still there- albeit a little quieter. ]

I would rather she weren't. I am sure one can teach their siblings good manners without magic.

[whatisright]

I doubt she is. For all their talk of magic, I have not seen a sign of any mages among this planet's people. [They're like dwarves. Orange, human-sized dwarves. That said, after his limited experience with toddlers, he doesn't know how getting them to behave without magic is possible.

So it seems that the little girl is the most expert regarding this of any of them, so he looks down at her for answers.] How did you do that without magic?

[She giggles again, and Justice really doesn't know what he's saying to make her giggle, but it's relaxing her so he won't question it.] "You don't need magic to make him listen. You just need to tell him to stop."

[Justice frowns in confusion.] I did.

"You need to tell him he's not being nice. When he does something bad, tell him that's not very nice and make an angry face." [She gestures to Fenris, now looking up at his face instead.] "Like you. You make good angry faces."

[wolfuncaged]

[Fenris has only been half listening to this exchange when attention is brought back to him. He'd been busy trying to find a good path to get the kids safe (and out of their hands). He frowns at the unwanted attention. ]

I am not angry. I am concerned- currently.

[He says. Looking angry. ]

[whatisright]

[The girl looks at him skeptically.] "You need a better concerned face."

[Justice would probably find this amusing if he had a sense of humor, but as it stands, he's just confused. Instead, he focuses on following the trail of their parents, gesturing occasionally for Fenris to follow as his feet lead them closer to the ships.] How does a person have a better face for anything?

"If you have a good angry face, then people know you're mad without being scared. And if you have a good concerned face, people know you're concerned... without being scared." [Maybe they've been too nice to this girl, because now she's tilting up her chin and looking at Fenris as if to dare him to say he's not scary.]

[wolfuncaged]

I think mine will do its job just fine, thank you.

[Fenris is not rising to you, little girl. He'll continue staring ahead with his angry cat face forever and ever. He's fine. This is concern. Honest.

...A really spiteful, angry concern, but hey. ]

We should be on our way to the shuttles to get you safe.

[whatisright]

We should hurry. I believe their parents are attempting to get away from the shuttles to find their children.

[Justice picks up the pace, his feet naturally taking him towards the rest of their family. The boy doesn't seem to be paying attention, leaning on Justice's shoulder and playing with his blanket and crystal, but the girl frowns in concern, her grip tightening on Fenris's hand.]

[wolfuncaged]

[Fenris quickens his pace, headsing towards the shuttles, pointing at the child as they arrive. ]

Um. Is this anyone's????

[Because returning a lost child is like returning a lost puppy, right? Right? ]

[whatisright]

[Justice does not have much context to judge by, but he continues to question this mortal's experience with children. Some people look to see what Fenris is pointing at, but none of them light up in recognition. Justice doesn't stop moving, instead making a quick gesture for Fenris to follow as he ducks through the crowd.

Off in the distance, a man and a woman are screaming at a cop keeping them in line. The little girl perks up immediately and waves her arm.] "Mom! Dad!"