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

[monolike]

There's too many people still, [Sorey argues, helping an elderly man climb up into the shuttle.] They'll come back until everybody's up; I wanna wait with the last group.

[sylphystia]

[Dezel has a sneaking suspicion that this has to do with the place Sorey razed while he was a hellion. As someone who's taken lives and hurt people willingly and not, the wind seraph understands that guilt keenly. But he's also died for it.

He doesn't want Sorey to die for it too.

... This may turn ugly.]

Shepherd, [he says with an edge.] There's still time to get to safety. Do you really want to put yourself in a position where you need to be rescued?

[monolike]

[Sorey sets his jaw, staring hard at Dezel. Just a year ago, he'd have dug in his heels without thinking, but this time he gives himself a moment to contemplate that sharp tone in Dezel's voice, the way he snaps out that title instead of his name. He reflects, truly and honestly, if this is the right thing to do.

...and then he turns and helps a father lift his children into the shuttle bay.] Then don't rescue me. [It's stubborn and foolhardy but he can't leave these people behind, he can't. It would be the greatest deception of his own heart to willingly walk onto that shuttle and leave them behind.]

[sylphystia]

[Dezel stares back, for certain values of the word. He can tell Sorey is looking at him by the silence, by the feeling of his eyes; he's always had a good instinct for that. He should've known Sorey couldn't willingly walk away from that.]

Don't give me that crap. If you die, all of us are dead too.

[There's a few people left, mostly the sick and the elderly-- they're always the last to go in a crisis, because no one thinks of them. Sorey thought of them and that's admirable, but--]

You really want more blood on your hands? Making that decision isn't your job.

[It's up to Rose, to Dezel, the people who grew up killing and making those pragmatic decisions. Not the gentle Shepherd. He sucks in a breath through his teeth and raises his hands, summoning his pendulums in an attempt to bind Sorey where he stands.]

You need to keep that cloak white.

[monolike]

[Sorey's eyes narrow at that soft shing of Dezel summoning his weapons. He's not going to fight him, not like that, but he's not going to let himself get dragged helplessly away from people who need him, either.]

We don't know that, the pacts act weird here- Dezel, [Sorey exclaims, only just barely jumping out of the way of the cords of his pendulums.] I can't just go! You of all people should understand that!

[sylphystia]

I don't have time for this.

[Sorey's exclamation feels like a dagger but Dezel shrugs it off. He tries again, summoning chains of light this time.]

I know you can't! Why do you think I'm doing this?

[monolike]

[The remaining natives have started to scatter at the more obvious signs of confrontation, clutching each other and staring as Sorey dodges (poorly) whenever Dezel lashes those chains at him.] If you understand, then knock it off! [One of the chains hooks around Sorey's ankle and sweeps it out from under him; he lands flat on his back with a wheeze, but rolls away from the next assault. He's really not in any shape to be fighting, but he can't just give up and let Dezel drag him away.]

[sylphystia]

I'm making this choice for you! [Dezel keeps moving and casting, tendrils of magic shooting toward Sorey's limbs. He's not trying to hurt Sorey, just bind him. If he can trip him long enough, maybe he can get those pendulums to wrap around a wrist--]

You can hate me when this is all over. At least then you'll be alive!

[monolike]

I won't hate you, you idiot-! [Sorey pays for his moment of inattention when Dezel's pendulum snags around his wrist and yanks him off balance long enough for the binding chains to wrap around him, pin him to the ground.

Sorey begins to struggle in earnest, adrenaline lending him strength where there previously was none, but the bindings are sure and after a few short seconds Sorey runs out of steam, hiding his face in the ground as his shoulders shake.]

[sylphystia]

[Dezel pants for a moment. The fight is over, but his own heart is still going. He hasn't turned his weapons on Sorey since he was a hellion. Even though he isn't the only one of Sorey's companions to have fought him, Dezel obviously isn't comfortable with hurting people he likes.

He walks over to Sorey and kneels beside him, lowering his voice so that only the brunet can hear. Not that it's much of a problem. The refugees are back to being escorted into the shuttles; there's no time to waste for anyone.]

You've got four other people tied to your soul and a whole crew to take care of. You don't get to throw your life away just because you feel bad about what you did, you hear me? You haven't asked us to die for your guilty conscience.

[If Sorey doesn't stop him somehow, he'll carry the Shepherd over to one of the last few empty seats. Mostly everyone's cleared out by now; it looks like the last flight is reserved for the rescuers themselves and maybe some livestock.]

You can't make up for anything if you're dead.

[monolike]

[Dezel drags Sorey onto the transport as the chains disappear, but when he tries to push him into a seat Sorey shies away, shoves himself into a corner and pulls up his knees to hide his face in them. He doesn't want people to see him distraught (despite...everybody seeing that display down there). He's supposed to be reassuring these people, not giving them more reason to worry.

Dezel's right, and more than that he means well, but that he'd just chained Sorey down, forced him to tire himself out and then hauled him onto the shuttle- Sorey doesn't want to be anywhere near him. Not for a little while.]

[sylphystia]

[Dezel expected that, or at least expected some amount of resentment; he's fully prepared to take whatever Sorey throws at him because he knows he was in the right. But he doesn't rub it in. He lets Sorey have his space as he goes to help the last of the gathered refugees onto the shuttles.

When everything is loaded up, Dezel doesn't join Sorey in his soul. Instead he rides by the door, invisible and unnoticeable to the refugees. He disappears sometime after they reach the station, and it may be a while before Sorey can even find him; he makes himself scarce on the Huntress, too.]