enodia_ic | THE STORM

THE STORM

THE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

~~It was a dark and stormy night...~~

Shortly after 2AM, the sound of howling wind accompanies the rise of a bizarre storm and wakes up just about everyone in Enodia Station. Outside, the dark sky is overcome with swirling color like a frenetic aurora borealis and chaotic bolts of energy leap through the air with unpredictable ferocity, leaving scorched patterns and destruction in their wake. The raucous gale continues too and some residents claim to hear a whistling, melodic sound obscured within it. Barely audible but just there. Zeke Zelizer even insists they recognize the tune (it's obviously Help Me by Alkaline Trio!), though nobody else agrees or believes them. Perhaps more importantly, Noah Moon remembers hearing a similar melody just before the pulse. How strange.

Despite the presence of several backup generators, the storm also causes the Station to lose power soon after it starts, leaving the buildings dark and stuffy and increasingly hot on this summer morning. Occasionally, power returns long enough for the lights to flicker, but it never fully returns while the storm rages. Even the forcefield that surrounds the Station goes down and stays down. Electrical devices are similarly impacted, going dead in an instant and refusing to work properly, though some sporadically come back to life. Enoch Waldinger is able to use their phone to get a brief recording of the storm from a cracked window before the device gives up the ghost.

In the midst of this unfolding chaos, the directors make the call that everyone should shutter up their windows, stay put, hunker down on the lowest available floor, and wait this out. This message is passed along to everyone via a telepathic shoutout from Director Mora's assistant. While a few residents are working overnight shifts for Medical or Security and end up stuck in other buildings, this leaves most of the Station's occupants on the first floor of the Residential Building and forced into an unintentional sleepover. Get cozy, everyone! Some arrive dressed in their pajamas and wrapped in blankets, ready to try to get back to sleep, while others show up with candles, snacks, and the intention to start games for a proper sleepover experience. Either way, it's going to be a long night.

AROUND THE STATION

While most residents stay put, not all do.

Those that want to access other buildings to check on things there are directed to Lenz Polzin, who can create a portal to send them where they need to go. Probably. Who knows how this storm might impact anyone's abilities? Shortly after dawn, Director Madgy directly requests that Eden Chen and Annie Song be sent over to the Research Building to check in on the Liminal moles. With the power out, the forcefields that reinforce their cells are down and the last thing he wants is for the creatures to escape or wreck the place.

Those that want to go out in the storm itself will either need to sneak out from an upper floor or walk directly past members of the Security Division that are now stationed by the exterior exits. While Director Riddle hasn't instructed them to stop anyone that wants to leave, she has instructed them to strongly discourage this because of the danger outside and to let her know about anyone that heads out into the storm.

OUT IN THE STORM

Any character that wants to leave the Residential Building, either via teleportation or by heading out in the storm, will need to fill out the form below just to see how that goes. They're taking a risk, after all!

Any character that chooses to leave the Residential Building may or may not be able to get back. This will be clarified in their results. Players should keep this in mind when making the decision to leave.

AFTER THE STORM

The storm finally begins to calm in the early afternoon. The wind quiets, the sky clears, and the inexplicable energy crackling through the air disappears. Heading outside, residents find that the buildings are damaged, but this is mostly limited to the char marks from that wild energy and the occasional broken window. Unfortunately, [Character F] finds that they didn't secure their windows properly; at least one room in their apartment is filled with broken glass and was thoroughly wrecked by the storm. Hopefully it won't be too difficult to get things back in order! Around the grounds, the natural world is similarly scarred and the area is littered with the debris of unsecured objects and damaged flora.

While exploring the grounds, Minty Payne encounters the bizarre bird that had been previously captured in the Riftlands. It briefly imitates them before screeching and starting to get aggressive. They scramble to recapture the bird by bribing it with a snack and leading it into a corner where it can be captured and are able to do so! Fortunately, this was the only Liminal creature to escape and the Liminal moles remain safely in their cages in the Research Building.

» VIBE CHECK: How is your character feeling about the storm? What are they hoping for when they roll up for the Residential Building sleepover? Are they dressed in cute pajamas or looking like a scruffy mess?

» THE HALLWAY: Many of the residents end up camping out in the hallway of the Residential Building's first floor, clustered into small groups to doze, talk, or even play silly sleepover games. Whatever gets them through the storm!

» IN APARTMENTS: It's up to those that have an apartment on the first floor whether or not they want to let others into their homes. Let everyone know your verdict here and open up your room to scenes if your character is willing to take others in!

» AROUND THE STATION: Not everyone chose to stay in the Residential Building. Those that didn't can fill out a form here to see how that went!

» AFTER THE STORM: Once the storm has passed, explore the grounds to inspect the damage or just try to unwind.

» OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS!

(CODE)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well, it's not," Raine says, closing the door to his own bedroom. "And that room's off-limits." He doesn't sound like he's actually mad at her for snooping, although he sort of shoos her away from Poet's door anyway.

She refuses to be shooed, but does take one polite step back. "Is it where you keep all the actual like, personality? Is there just one poster in there but you hide it?"

"You can look in my bedroom, if you're that curious," Raine offers in the hopes of distracting her. There's nothing embarrassing in it, he just doesn't like the idea of people going in there without him. "That one's not mine."

This is, honestly, a good compromise, and she does not have enough self awareness or dignity to back down now. "Yeah, okay." She strides towards the other door instead.

The master bedroom is a little more personally decorated, but also spartan and utilitarian. The Enodia-standard furniture remains, although the bedspread has been replaced by a handmade patchwork quilt in shades of blue and gold. He has a nice television with a pair of current-generation gaming consoles tucked away beneath it. His closet is open; his clothes are neatly hanged and take up less than half the available space. On a bookshelf largely occupied by chemistry textbooks, there's a rare personal touch: a Christmas card from his foster-parents, a quaint looking couple in their early sixties.

"Happy?" he asks, still lurking by the doorway.

Crysta does a cursory lap, not touching anything, respectful in her disrespect. She does think the room is a window to a soul. Someone had made this quilt for him. She wonders if it's the lady in the picture, maybe his mom, or whoever. Probably he's read all the boring chemistry books her fingers ghost over without quite touching. (She does not want to read the boring chemistry books.)

Ultimately, nothing too revealing, and she exits the way she came in without making any pro-gamer jokes, which is his reward for letting her snoop. She just nods, mollified, ignoring the very deserved snappishness. "Nice room. How are you?"

Raine is tense the entire time Crysta's in his room for absolutely no reason. He just hates being perceived on any level. When she leaves the room, he shuts the door again.

"I've been better," he says. Raine already looks like a person who gets four hours of sleep on a good night, and he looks particularly disheveled now. His hair has become an unruly poof, as it tends to when he's too stressed out to care about his appearance.

She does look him over for the first time today, and her fingers flex with the restrained impulse to allow her ability to fix his hair a little. There are limits and sometimes she knows them. She also isn't sure what to do with honesty about anyone's state of affairs. She shifts a little from foot to foot, suddenly tapped on the shoulder by that rare visitor, guilt. Maybe she should've just listened. But that would be out of character.

"Because...like. The storm?" She tries, fully bungling her cue to try to talk about any feelings like a normal person.

"I've never liked thunderstorms," Raine admits, even though this isn't one, exactly. The flickering lights and lack of electricity still make him feel uneasy. And, to Crysta's great credit, this is easier for him to talk about than any of the other multitude of problems he's been dealing with recently.

"Really? I've always liked them. The air's electric. It always feels like something exciting's gonna happen." Maybe a bit too electric and strange for even her tastes right now, and exciting had morphed to mildly concerning, but the little prickle of danger on the back of her neck is still there, and not unwelcome.

THE STORM

IN APARTMENTS: Crysta snoops into 107

IN APARTMENTS: Crysta snoops into 107

IN APARTMENTS: Crysta snoops into 107

IN APARTMENTS: Crysta snoops into 107

IN APARTMENTS: Crysta snoops into 107

IN APARTMENTS: Crysta snoops into 107

IN APARTMENTS: Crysta snoops into 107

IN APARTMENTS: Crysta snoops into 107

IN APARTMENTS: Crysta snoops into 107

IN APARTMENTS: Crysta snoops into 107