The Start of the Storm

[shardofwinter]

The god hosted Yule party left the Nexus in the state of beautiful Winter Wonderland. With the snow falling softly and steadily, and the beautiful festive lights twinkling in the darkness, the Nexus is left with a sense of serene nostalgia hanging in the cold air. This peace and joy clings to the streets for several weeks, buoying everyone’s mood as they look back on the past year and forward to ringing in the new one. 

It starts in the Wilds, and the outskirts. The cold air suddenly feels like it freezes everything it touches in an instant. Light doesn’t quite pierce the gloom. Gentle snowfall becomes thick and falls hard. One or two people looking for shelter from their uninhabitable homes isn’t too noticeable. People can still enjoy their pretty Winter, blissfully unaware. Pipes freeze solid, paths become impassable, power cuts out, simple walks become baffling in the poor visibility. Soon it’s not one or two people, it’s many, it’s families. There are people coming in, bloody, bruised and scared, saying they were chased. Eventually the kindness of friends and strangers becomes strained. Spare rooms are packed to the brim and the storm that stays just shy of the bizarre torches somehow seems to have a slow, but unmistakable march closer towards a point where the Plaza, Industrial sector and Downtown meet. On top of that, people are complaining about PINpoints acting up or portals freezing over. 

Streets are becoming packed full of people with far more problems than solutions. Huddling together and whispering about ghosts and monsters moving about in the shadows. In a place with no government, no organisation, no collaborative emergency services, chaos and confusion reigns supreme. And with chaos, comes panic. With confusion, comes frustration and anger. The Nexus is a powder keg waiting to blow.

That’s certainly how one Durant sees it. As a manager, Isidor is keen on organisation and order. Both things that are lacking in the Nexus at the moment. Groups pop up to help, but struggle to communicate effectively, or work together. Some people get free food twice, some people are still waiting for some at all. It’s madness, and Isidor can’t stand it. Particularly because she, her brother and sister-in-law are stuck here. So, when nobody else takes the mantle, Isidor Durant takes it upon herself to inject some order into this scrum.

In her fur hat and long coat, leather gloves and thick boots, Isidor can be seen directing people this way and that. There’s something about a confident person taking charge that means people instinctively defer to them. She becomes the point of contact quite easily, with people soon taking her direction regardless of whether or not they know her. Under her instruction, people are directed to a building that has tables set up, queues in front of them, and volunteers behind them taking names and telling people where to go. It might still be chaos, but at least now it’s organised chaos.

The question is: Where will your character go?

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((Below are comments for each desk. Tag any of them, threadhop, or post with your own character. I suggest putting your character’s name in the subject to help keep things clear. Comments marked with a snowflake ( ❅  ) have been coordinated with the mods and I as official event comments. The OOC Post is here! If you have any questions, feel free to message me or one of the mods!))

Threads of Note
Medicine/Illness | Shelter/Heat | Food | Security/Crime | Lost items/people | Misc resources/Donations | Volunteers | Expeditions | Planning Table/The woman in charge | Drulb's Deelz | A Ship in the Outskirts 

Comments

[staticandstock]

For a second there he thinks she might be broken, but then just as he's about to say something, she starts moving again. Did… Did she just make that up? It doesn't matter. It will do for the paperwork. He notes it down and then frowns at her.

"Your ghost?"

… She's not going to die on him right now, is she?

[rekindledtitan]

"Sure, my- oh. Hah, I mean my friend here." She gestures up at the little bot, who spins his shell in uncertain greeting as he drifts forward. "He'll be with me the whole time, monitoring our comms."

[staticandstock]

The grunt might not convey it, but Lyall is relieved by the clarification. Robot people dropping dead wouldn't be any good for morale. And Isidor would kill him.

He gestures with a single finger for the little bot to come closer, and then taps his sheet. "Can you tell me your frequency for here?"

Then he looks at Blaze. "Try to use non-violent methods if you can. Fewer bodies we have on our hands, the better. We're taking any dead to the back door of the makeshift hospital. Trying not to spread panic, you understand?"

[rekindledtitan]

Ghost glances at his Guardian before he ventures down and recites the frequency slowly, then repeats it so Lyall can double-check. Blaze gives a 'hmmh' but lets him finish before she answers in a dubious tone.

"Yeah. That I understand. I'll try to be gentle with any civilians, but non-violence isn't exactly my strong suit. I can avoid starting anything, but if it comes to it-" she shrugs, "I don't hesitate."

[staticandstock]

"Most of them are just scared or desperate or angry. Scaring them off sometimes works just as well," he tells her as he finishes triple checking the frequency and then sets down his pen. "Remember, a lot of the people causing trouble inside the boundaries aren't like us. They're just civilians. A bullet over their head or a smashed wall usually puts any stupid notions out of their heads."

[rekindledtitan]

"I'll do what I can." Most people don't argue with her, she's found, but she hopes no-one gets desperate enough to push their luck. Still, it's reassuring that Durant and her subordinates have the principle and sense to be mindful about these things.

She almost turns to go, but her optics pan over the man one last time. "What's your name, by the way?"

[staticandstock]

"Lyall." With a wry smile he adds, "De facto head of security."

It wasn't the job he was expecting when Ms. Durant approached him, but things are rarely simple with that family.

[rekindledtitan]

There's a hint of a return smile in her expression before she nods to him. "Light go with you, Lyall."

And with that, back to business, and the Guardian soon disappears beyond the crowd awaiting his attention.