everything's on fire

[krasnaya_vdova]

who: Everyone!
what: The residential building is on fire
when: ~2am, August 23rd
where: The Residential building
warnings: Fire, destruction of property, injury, general warnings for crisis situations



It's a reasonably quiet night, pleasantly dry with a slight breeze. Almost nice, for those that enjoy the hours after midnight long before dawn starts to creep on the horizon. Right until it isn't, when the air changes, and there's the scent of heat that promises smoke. In most places it starts with a flash of blue light that arcs from floor to floor as energy pulses through the building, and there's a crack of sound that follows. The power dies for a moment, and if you're one of the unlucky ones, the light that follows is a literal spark in the dark, burning to life in bright orange-red, yielding heat and smoke and trouble. The energy surge doesn't just hit the lights, but sparked flames that burst to life, and they catch quickly, spreading.

The worst of it starts on the ninth floor, where the smoke and the beginning of heat starts moments before the surge. The fire spreads faster there, people starting to startle awake and realize what's happening as the flames crackle. Eventually there's an announcement on the Network, both alerting people to what's happening and trying to organize both those that are willing to help and those that need it.

Some areas are untouched, while others are ravaged badly, reduced to ashes and crumbling ceilings, so watch your step. There's chaos, but through it there's people doing what they can to help each other, and the official fire services show up to help control the blaze. After that, it's just a matter of repairing the damage that's been done, rebuilding and putting things back together, seeing what's been lost and what was saved.

Even later, people start putting the pieces together, and there's the official investigation into what might have caused a fire like that in the first place.


[ooc: As promised, the residential building is on fire! OOC plotting post is here if anyone wants to work out some last minute plans before diving in. Plotting post also includes the relevant details. Elsewise, just top level and mingle. Try not to get burned too badly. :) Good luck!]

Comments

[tempredmental]

Keith was actually pretty clingy. He had no trouble keeping himself attached to the mech as Hana maneuvered it, even with it not being the smoothest ride. Though, watching her work it and being this close to it, he could sort of see now that it didn't really looked designed for what she was doing with it. The first clue was the fact that it didn't actually have hands. It was definitely a battle machine, with gating guns for arms, which was what he was balancing precariously on at the moment. Other than that, from what he could see of her own position compared to the shape of the mech itself, it didn't look like it had been designed with her comfort in mind, either. She looked like she was in a pretty awkward position in there.

Once they were down and solidly planted, Keith started to shift his position a bit in order to get down, even before she said she'd help him off the arms. He stared at her a second.

"I can do it." He might sound a little defensive. This was someone who was fiercely independent and used to being on his own. Accepting help was hard for him.

[bunnyhopped]

What was a little awkwardness and a stiff back to suffer through when it was for the greater good? That was what Hana would think, anyway. But Keith would be correct in pretty much all of his observations about her mech and he would be correct, too, to climb off himself because apart from exiting the mech and physically helping him down, the only other thing she could do was basically drop him on his ass. So she didn't object when he got defensive; in fact, she could relate to that stubbornness about receiving help from others. She merely shrugged her shoulders at him and let him climb off.

"Suit yourself! But you should probably sit out of the action the rest of the night. Do you know where the medic tents are?"

[tempredmental]

Yeah. As much as Keith hated to admit it, Hana was right about him staying put outside on the ground here. He carefully swung himself off, leaving his weight on his arms as long as needed until he was sure of his balance, then let go. Running up and down multiple flights of stairs in a fifteen story building on an injured ankle was probably the worst idea possible. He wasn't even sure of the extent of the injury, yet.

"Yeah... I've already been over there with a few people I pulled out," he said. He remembered where it was, and was also pretty sure he could hobble himself over there well enough. He carefully limped a few steps back to give her some clearance so she could take back off again. "Thanks." He looked a little embarrassed that he needed to have his butt pulled out of there by someone else, but he was genuinely thankful for her help.

[bunnyhopped]

She recognized the expression on his face when he gave his thanks; if they were in any less dire circumstances, she might have teased him for his sheepishness but as it was.. she merely gave him a nod, and raised a hand to salute him.

"Just doing my job!"

And she smiled at him as though to say, no big deal, before adding, "Don't sweat it. Just get your leg looked at, okay? And I got split up from him but – Shiro's probably looking for you, so you should get in touch with him. I'm going back in. Stay safe!"

With that she raised her mech's arm and actually... waved at Keith. With the mech's arm. Before she turned and engaged her boosters to make her way back up to where she might be needed.

[tempredmental]

Keith nodded, glancing first at the building and then out at the crowd when she mentioned Shiro.

"Thanks," he said. "I'll keep an eye out for him." Keith didn't want to try and call Shiro on the communicators and potentially distract him if he was inside still.

"Same to you."

He reflexively raised his arm to protect himself as Hana kicked the boosters on and headed back into the building to look for more people. Once the wind from the backwash of air had died down, he headed for the first aid station.