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

[searingedgelord]

[Velvet can see that there are still people here and one of them is Sorey. She doesn't let go.]

You're just going to keep saying that until there aren't any shuttles left. We need to get out of here as much as anyone else.

[monolike]

[Sorey yanks harder, but this time he can't break her grip despite the honest effort.]

You can go, [Sorey says lowly.] But I'm not going until everybody's safe, so let go of me, Velvet.

[searingedgelord]

[She notices that he can't break her grip, even though he seems to be really trying. Which, she suspects, means he's exhausted on top of everything else. Her eyes narrow a little.]

No. We are going.

[She turns to the group of people he was helping.]

You all know what to do when the next shuttle gets here, right? Good.

[And then she just...picks Sorey up...and tosses him over her shoulder like he's a sack of potatoes and heads to her shuttle.]

We're leaving before you pass out.

[monolike]

Vel- [Hang on- no wait, hang on a minute, she can't just-

Sorey digs his fingers into her shoulder before loosening his grip, not really wanting to hurt her (though he honestly doubts he could right now) but still struggling and trying to shove her away, an elbow against her head.] Velvet! Knock it off, put me down! You don't get to decide what I do!

[And the natives, oh lords, they still look so scared. He can't leave them here to save himself, is she joking? There's no way he can do that-!]

[searingedgelord]

[Normally she would agree with him. His choices are his own. Except he's not the only one affected by his choices.

It's kind of funny that she's looking at the bigger picture and a Shepherd isn't. In a way she likes him more for it. It sets him apart from Artorius. He's running on pure emotion right now and she can understand that.

But that doesn't mean she's just going to let him be stupid and die.

So she just keeps going, not slowing down at all.]

You need to rest. At some point you have to trust them to help themselves.

[monolike]

[Velvet steps up into the shuttle and Sorey grabs for the door, hanging on as his tone shifts from angry to desperate, as he hangs on with whatever feeble strength he has left. It's not rational at all; there's not a single thought running through his head that's been tested and tried by logic, and he knows it, but all he can picture are the flashes of the villagers screaming as the hellion wearing his skin ordered his best friend to burn it to the ground.]

Velvet, please-! Please let me go-!

[searingedgelord]

[She moves away from the door, pulling him away from it before shutting it.]

No. You're not going to do anyone any good if you're hurt or dead. It's time to go.

[monolike]

[Velvet isn't gentle, and as soon as she loosens her grip Sorey is already shoving away from her, face twisted in anger as he paces in the little space left in the shuttle, fully aware of the evacuees watching him worriedly as he drags his shaking hands through his hair. He's angry, yes, he's upset, he feels- he feels belittled, childish, but more than that he's angry that there really isn't anything more he can do to help other than just give up a single seat on a single shuttle.

But Velvet's the only viable target around here, so Sorey glares at her, breathing hard, hands balling up into fists.]

You- you had no right. You h-had- you had no right to do that, Velvet-!

[searingedgelord]

[Maybe he's right. Maybe she didn't. She wasn't really thinking about what was her right and what isn't. She just didn't want him to die. She doesn't regret it, either.]

Yeah, well, I guess I can add it to the list.

[Her tone is dry, but she's not angry or defensive, honestly. As the Lord of Calamity she's done a lot of things she probably didn't have a right to do. This doesn't seem so bad in comparison to some of them. She's not going to apologize for wanting him to live.]

[monolike]

[And there's nothing Sorey can do about it either, nothing but glare at her, tremble and be upset, all while she doesn't have a single harsh word for him in return. It feels unfairly one-sided, too much, so Sorey just storms away from her and finds a small, dark corner of the shuttle to fold himself into, turning his face aside. If he looks at her, he'll just start shouting again and upsetting everybody here. They've been through enough.]

[searingedgelord]

[Yeah, okay, she'll let him go be angry. Sulk a bit. She doesn't mind, really. It's been a long day for all of them. She heads to the cockpit to prepare for take off. She and Sorey can finish their conversation later, if he wants.]