The Bunker of Nariba Relia | OPEN PLOT MINGLE POST

[theroadwarrior]

Who: Everyone!!
Broadcast: N/A
Action: The bunker in the surrounding desert.
When: Sometime recently, see this post for full information. Below is the excerpt of information listed there. Feel free to make a top comment and thread out the sad truth and whatnot.

[Records buried in the library, the research facility, and cues from the power plant will eventually reveal the bunker in the surrounding desert. The passageway leads several yards underground, and it doesn’t appear to have been used in a long time. Those brave enough to venture inside will find that it is not much more than a tomb. Eerily enough, the emergency lights are still on, casting a soft red glow over sheets and the once-bodies beneath them.

It has been long enough that paper journals, books, and personal belongings (like bags and such) have deteriorated to the point of being extremely fragile. Handled with care, however, they are eager to tell a story.

“The engineers should have been more careful. I’m not sure I’ll be able to recoup my losses from this… At least I have enough money to buy a ride off this planet!”

“No one could have known this would happen. Hopefully it stabilizes so we can go home soon. In the meantime, I’ve been teaching my daughter how to count. She doesn’t understand what’s going on, and I don’t know what to tell her.”

“It’s not getting better. So many people have died that we’re running out of room in the morgue. We had to move all of the food to another room so that the smell doesn’t leach out, but we all know what’s back there.”

“The replicator was supposed to repair us, too.”

“I don’t know if we can go back yet, but it doesn’t matter. Even if the city was back to the way it was, there’s no cure for us. The dead are dead, and we lay down next to them as we wait for our turn.”

There is nothing that can be done for these people except to give them the eternal rest they deserve. Ultimately, the fate of Nariba Relia is a sad one and not altogether preventable.]

Comments

[watermarks]

[You don't tell her what to do. D8

But she doesn't really want to go in there anyway, even if part of her wonders if she should, if someone should, if someone should count them...]

I'm just going to check over here...

[...for now.]

[privateeyed]

[he's just TRYING TO LOOK OUT FOR HER okay.

With a grunt he nods and starts looking where he gestured before, squinting as he looks for anything that stood the test of the time]

[watermarks]

[He is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT and he should TELL on her or something if she starts to do something else that will traumatize her for life.

At least the light in the bunker makes it easy to see...

As they go to work, Katara wonders... who was the last one alive down here? Will they find an uncovered body? Or did they just lie down, cover themselves with a sheet... and wait?]

[privateeyed]

[Ben would never let her do anything traumatizing to her. To himself is a different story.

He does find some other journals as he moves along, and like he said he only stops long enough to take a picture with his device before moving on. He probably shouldn't touch anything, but he braces a hand on the wall anyway, just for that little bit of - he isn't sure. Support? Reality? Who even fucking knows]

[watermarks]

[Some of the books crumble under her hand. Some of them are faintly visible under sheets, and she doesn't want to go picking them up to look.

The silence is oppressive. She glances back at Ben.] Hey. You okay? [...no, she can do better than that. She clears her throat, tries to rid herself of the grief in her tone:] Taking your turn?

[privateeyed]

You wish. [his tone is mostly even, if a little more strained than it normally is. He stands up from where he was taking another picture and looks over at her - the tone of her voice isn't lost on him] Why? You taking my spot?

[watermarks]

Not yet. [Glancing back down, swallowing hard.] Maybe in a little bit.

...some of these are so old, Ben, that I don't even want to touch them.

[privateeyed]

Then don't. It's fine, I can see if other people got more than we did.

[he pockets his device and lets out a breath, then takes a good look around. His eyes fall on a way further into the bunker. It's tempting . . . even if that's likely where the morgue is. Or something worse]

[watermarks]

[Well if he goes, he's not going by himself. She looks at him closely.] Are you sure?

[privateeyed]

Positive. I don't want to spend any more time down here than we have to.

[. . . yeah he's going. He pushes off the wall and starts off] Wait here, I'll be right back.

[watermarks]

[She stands and turns to face him fully.] Where are you going?

[privateeyed]

I'm just taking a quick look, that's all.

[and maybe a picture or two real quick before he's absolutely done with this place]

[watermarks]

[She does not want to follow him.

She does not want to let him go alone, either.

She hesitates, a long moment.]

...don't be long.

[If he is, she's coming in after him.

...even if he isn't, she still might come in after him.]

[privateeyed]

[he waves over his shoulder as he heads on down, device in hand so he get it down and leave.

Were she not there waiting, he might've taken longer. But the two of them working together, at the very least, has given him someone else to focus on, and he can push his own problems to the back of his mind for a while. Which is why, as promised, he wanders back out not five minutes later.

A little paler and definitely done with this whole place, but he said he wouldn't take long]

[watermarks]

[...five minutes is way too long to stand there by herself and do nothing.

In fact, as he comes out, she might be headed in. In fact, she is.

But she is also... counting.

She's pale as well when he comes back out.]

[privateeyed]

[god dammit Katara. He stops short when he sees her, expression carefully kept blank. Then he wordlessly gestures upwards, as if asking if she wants to get out of there]

[watermarks]

[LOOK.

You left her alone for five minutes.

What did you think would happen?

AND SHE is not sure if she wants to go out now; she's started, she should finish, right?

But. He doesn't look so great himself.

So. Katara nods and turns back around. She knows the number in this room, anyway. Maybe she won't need to go back there to finish. Maybe he got it all in pictures.]

[privateeyed]

[IT WAS JUST FIVE MINUTES COME ON NOW.

(he totally got enough pictures to do a head count)

He follows after her, not even waiting until they're halfway up the stairs before he tugs down his shirt again]

[watermarks]

[FIVE MINUTES IS A REALLY LONG TIME TO BE STANDING ALONE WITH A BUNCH OF CORPSES, OKAY?

Honestly, he's lucky she lasted two before just going back there.

She doesn't want to ask, but she needs to know, though she can just manage to wait until the sky is above them again.] What did you find back there?

[privateeyed]

[unlike before, when he stopped when they were out of the bunker, this time he keeps walking]

More bodies. A lot more. [he takes a deep breath] I think I'm done with the bunker. Are you done? I'm fuckin' done.

[watermarks]

Oh, I'm very done. [Now that she's outside - she never wants to go back inside again.

She does pause and glance back at it. Maybe, she can get Aang to -- but with the way he is right now, maybe not a good idea -- she doesn't know. But she can ask Sokka and they can think of another way.

When she sees that he's still walking, she runs a little to catch up with him.] Are you okay?

[privateeyed]

[he glances sideways as she catches up and makes a concentrated effort to slow his steps a little]

Yeah, will be. [that isn't what she asked, Ben. He takes another breath] Just need to walk it off.

[watermarks]

[She frowns a little, not sure what the 'it' is, but --]

Alright.

[And she sets her pace to walk with him.]

[privateeyed]

[he sighs out, knowing how it sounds. Were it back home, he wouldn't bother elaborating - hell, he'd tell whoever was bothering him to fuck off. But this isn't home. He sighs out slowly and slows down again, after another minute walking]

I'm fine. [better make that clear first] But shit like that - makes me think of other shit, and I don't deal with it very well.

[watermarks]

[Katara is still disturbed from what she'd seen inside - there were so many of those blankets...

So although she's worried about Ben, her heart is cold, stomach still sick, and she's not trying to figure out why this might be happening for him. Really, what they saw is ample reason for anyone to be upset.

When he speaks, though, it tugs her attention back to him more fully.] ...I can understand that. [...] Although I think anyone has the right to be upset right now, even if it didn't bring up other things.

[There were so many sheets.]