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

[outstandingbalance]

[It's... not a plan Natasha loves. She marks the two men, though and she can see now that she knows to look at them directly that there's a tenseness there waiting to snap.

She nods.]

I have an idea.

[She approaches the red shirt, making the decision on the spur of the moment because he's the larger of the two, and if she redirects him away from the other man she figures he'll feel less threatened. At least for the moment. She stands straight, but her posture is less military than it could be, holding her shoulders and hips in a way that emphasizes the fact that she's not in fact a large woman.

In a calm voice, she asks for his help, distracting his attention and giving him something else to focus on. She needs a hand moving some supplies. The task puts him closer to a more mixed group, children and the elderly to one side, and in theory, at least the idea of carrying supplies might reinforce that they're not leaving without him.]

[whatisright]

[That works. Justice can feel the danger ebbing. It wouldn't have occurred to him to ask one of the men for help carrying supplies, but this is why he asked a mortal for assistance. She's good at this, clearly. They now have an extra pair of hands and one less potential riot.

Once he's sure that the danger has passed, he casts out his mind again, pinpointing others who may riot or attack one another. He'll wait for her to return before trying to give her another task.]

[outstandingbalance]

[When Natasha is satisfied that they've avoided this conflict, she'll make her way back to her strange ally in this endeavor. She's not sure if this will be sustainable in terms of how they use their time—but they'll be set back a lot more if fights or stampedes start breaking out.]

How's that doing? Crisis averted?

[whatisright]

Crisis averted. Good work. [He points to a woman with a big necklace of crystals, who seems very focused on a younger woman relatively far ahead of her, who is holding a baby.] She holds a grudge against a woman she feels stole her ex-husband. She intends to use the confusion to attack her, and hopes to slash her face in the ensuing riot. I have been keeping them separate as much as possible, but she still continues to find the woman. [This red-haired woman was able to handle the last issue very deftly. How do they get this woman away permanently without starting their own riot and panicking everyone else?]

[outstandingbalance]

[That explanation gets a frown from Natasha. The first conflict had been easy enough because, among other things, it was unconscious. She had simply had to redirect the energy and diffuse the tension before it could find an unfortunate outlet.

This, on the other hand, is someone who intends to take advantage of the chaos brewing for a personal vendetta. That will be harder.

She makes her way toward the woman in the crystal necklace. She'll make this one up as she goes.]

[whatisright]

[Justice follows her with his eyes. He's self aware enough to know that he's not as delicate as some situations require, and he suspects this is one of those situations. He hopes this mortal can handle it, but he's alert just in case she needs help.

The woman in the crystal necklace doesn't seem to notice Natasha's approach. One hand is fingering her necklace, almost like a rosary. The other hand is stuffed in her pocket, possibly concealing a weapon. Her eyes do not move from the woman ahead of her.]

[outstandingbalance]

[Now that Natasha is watching, the woman's behavior stands out as suspicious. There's not time to waste coming up with something subtle. Natasha sweeps in and takes the woman's arm, assertive as she leans in and whispers to her:]

Whatever you're planning, it's not worth your life. And it will be your life, because you start something now and there won't be space on any of the shuttles for you.

[Her tone is absolutely uncompromising.]

[whatisright]

[The woman's eyes dart to Natasha's, lips shaking. Clearly, she didn't expect someone to find her own.

Justice tenses, watching and ready to step in at a moment's notice.

The woman swallows hard.] "You don't understand. I'm not a bad person. She is."

[outstandingbalance]

Doesn't really matter. Not right now.

[Natasha walks steadily, her voice calm and even.]

Maybe you're not a bad person, yet. But you start something now and people will die. That's not speculation. People are ready to panic. If you start a riot, then you'll be a bad person.

You have a choice.

[whatisright]

[The woman shakes, her eyes fixed on the woman ahead of her. She swallows again, sweat beading her hairline.

Her arms relax.]

"Fine."

[Justice eyes linger on the woman, but it's like she's a puppet with cut strings, her whole body going limp.

Justice decides to keep her in mind for when all the refugees are evacuated, but for now, the danger has tentatively passed.]

[outstandingbalance]

[It'll have to do. There's no time to deal with this kind of problem with more finesse. When she's satisfied that whatever conflict might be between the two women will stay between the two of them, she returns to Justice, nodding despite the fact she's not entirely satisfied.]

It'll do for now at least. Think it'll hold?

[whatisright]

It will hold at least until they have both been properly evacuated. [Justice's mouth is a grim line.] I will inform the authorities at the station to be careful of her. I suspect she will try to attack there, but for now there is no danger of a riot from here.

[Which isn't the best, but Justice will work with it for now.]

[outstandingbalance]

[That's good enough for now. As much as Natasha might like to worry about the potential for jealous violence between two women, just now it's not something she can prioritize.]

All things considered, I'll call it a win. Any other hot spots about to blow? Probably too much to ask that most people are keeping their heads.

[whatisright]

There are some people that I would consider at risk, but I am uncertain that intervention at this point would put them any less at risk.

[Justice frowns at the red haired woman, though this isn't really a shift from his usual expression.]

How do you know what to say to them? [Justice isn't good at this, and he can read minds. This woman does not have that advantage, but she can deal with this better than even most of the mortals that Justice knows.]

[outstandingbalance]

At this point, mostly I'm winging it. [She might be sidestepping the heart of the question, though the answer is honest. There's no script for this kind of situation. In some ways, Natasha isn't good at dealing with emotions—mostly her own, and making them available to others. But analytically, academically, she knows how to navigate other people's psychology in the same way she knows how to navigate the Siberian tundra: as a survival skill.] We're just lucky it works.