In front of the dorms, Friday

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall didn't know what to do about the people getting sick. He didn't know what to do about the creeping grayness of the land, or how to fix things.

There was one thing he could do, though. And he could do it very well.

Beside him lay a pile of dead creatures, slowly leaching foul fluid into the grass. Some of it was blood. Some of it was green and globby, or thick and black and inky, or a purple that almost seemed to glow. Where it had spattered on Squall, it sizzled and slowly burned away at his leathers.


None of the twisted animals were going to get NEAR the front door of the dorms -- not if he could help it.

(Open like an open thing!)

[ETA: LJ is being a sucky thing right now and not sending me notifications. If I accidentally drop a thread, smack me via email or IM.]

Comments

[bigshoestofill.livejournal.com]

There was a scarlet blur around the area and some of the grey things just kinda fell. Like they were being hit by something moving very fast.

There was a squelching noise and Bart was standing in a small puddle of ichor next to Squall. He waved. "Hey." Then he noticed what he was standing in. "oh grife, that's gross!" He jumped to the side and shook his giant feet until they were... cleaner.

He frowned at his shoes then looked up at Squall. "You look like you're being all hero-y, can I help?"

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

"You just did," Squall answered, with the slightest hint of a smile. "You're welcome to help more, if you want. It's a bad idea to get any on you, though -- I think they're contagious."

[bigshoestofill.livejournal.com]

Bart's eyes got wide for a second, then started rubbing his shoes on the grass rapidly. When the grass started smouldering, he stopped.

"So... what's going on?" He ran out ahead after speaking, then came back a second later, five of the things no longer approaching. "What are these things?"

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

"Forest creatures," Squall answered. Despite the fact that many of them didn't look like anything from this earth, anymore. "Whatever caused this is why the cabins are off-limits. Don't you listen to the radio?"

[notmyownage]

Claudia had woken up this morning feeling much better. She'd also woken up the morning looking way more gray and evil, but she wasn't terribly concerned with that, right now.

She noticed the pile of creatures and tilted her head. "What're you gonna do with those?"

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall looked Claudia over warily. "Burn 'em," he answered. "When I get time."

[notmyownage]

"Well, that's wasteful," Claudia sucked on her increasingly sharpened teeth. "Someone might want to eat them."

Yes, to Claudia right now, those things looked appetizing.

[badnewsandwit.livejournal.com]

Alistair had a sword strapped to his... shield, which was strapped to his back. Let's try that again: Alistair had a sword and it was glowing with bright lightning energy, though the redhead who'd given it to him had called it Thunder, he supposed.

Did about the same thing.

"Morning," he said, as he walked onto the grounds, looking mostly untouched but for the blood spatters. "Doing a bit of exterior decorating? I love the blobby details."

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

"Some of the students aren't fighters," Squall answered.

The rest of that chain of thought (viz: therefore someone needs to protect them, therefore I might as well protect them, how do I always get stuck saving people, this sucks) he left unsaid, since it was pretty straightforwardly implied.

[badnewsandwit.livejournal.com]

It earned him a respectful nod.

"I've noticed that," Alistair provided, happy to talk where Squall was doing the silent thing. It'd be good practice for Sten later. "It's not exactly a training grounds for warriors out here. I hope they'll stay indoors, where it's safe. For now anyway..."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher had just come from the preserve. There was blood on his clothes, and his black eyes were unusually intense as he surveyed the pile of animals next to Squall.

"Dude, crap or get off the pot," he advised. "You gonna eat those, or what? The neon colors aren't really my thing, personally, but you might wanna think about sharing."

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

"They're not safe to eat," Squall answered warily.

Topher was one of the weaklings, he was pretty sure -- which made the blood on his clothes more worrisome than the gray skin or black eyes. What was this disease doing to people?

[dollpocalypse]

Weakling -- check. Well, normally, anyway. It had been as much of a surprise to Topher as it was to Squall that he'd actually been able to kill anything.

"Then what are you doing, starting a collection? You might want to invest in a couple glass cases or something."

[angelo_wings]

Okay, Squall wasn't in his room, and he wasn't hovering outside hers, so now seemed like a good time to call her Knight.

... for no reason. Really. Just, you know, to say hi and catch up with him and not because anything was going on.

At all.

That would be his phone, ringing.

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Rinoa's ring tone.

Squall sliced an ex-rabbit in half, and then tried to answer his phone without getting the drops of blood on his gloves anywhere near his face. "Hey. How are you?"

[angelo_wings]

"Hi!" Rinoa was trying to sound casual. And possibly trying too hard. "You're not in your room. Is everything okay? I went to look and you weren't there. Where are you?"

... no reason.

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

James, a grim determined look on his face and his sword in his hand, was outside the dorm, defending his home as best he could.

His quickness was a match for the beasts, mostly. Mostly.

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall gave him a nod, and moved a little to make room for James. "Having trouble?"

[squire-hand.livejournal.com]

"Quicker than they look," he admitted, favoting his left side.

[withasword.livejournal.com]

As with Squall, this was where Kate was best, with sword in her hand and monsters in need of putting down around her. Healing people and mending worlds was never her forte, but slicing bad things into small pieces? She was so there.

She drew her saber as she stepped outside and rolled her shoulders to loosen up. "Do we have some kind of plan going?" she asked anyone who might be listening. It was a big group, and she didn't fancy stepping on someone's toes.

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

"Don't let them get to the dorm," Squall answered her. Sure, he could have come up with a more detailed plan, but it didn't look like they needed one, yet. "And don't let them bleed on you. They're probably contagious."

[withasword.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I figured that from the spreading freaky," she remarked, her eyes wandering to some of the people around them. They were starting to look less and less like people she wanted just wandering around her.

"I'd... keep an eye on them."

[heromaniac]

Finally Momoko had more than a few minutes of mental clarity and she managed to use it to make her way back to the dorms.

She had to eat.. NO! FEED Moshi. She knew that. Remembered it. Her cat. She had a cat. She was okay. She was herself. She wasn't a monster. She was just Momoko.

Fully grey, head misshapen, and covered in blood or ichor and whatever it was called that the MEAT had been holding in, she waved a claw at Squall and headed for the door to get back to her room, her tail trailing behind.

She was very proud that she paused only slightly at the delicious scent of KILL in the air.

[ooc: not looking to actually get in. Well, she is, but I'm not :) ]

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall stepped in front of her and silently barred her way with his gunblade. She wasn't getting in the door while he was guarding it Not looking like THAT, anyway.

[heromaniac]

And there it was again, the incredible irritation. Anger. The urge to just push him aside, with maybe a gnaw or two on his arm for being in her way... Mmmmm. Arm...

NO NO NO!

Human. Normal. Momoko! "Hey Squalll," she tried not to hiss, smiling at him despite her irritation at being blocked. "It's just me, Momoko! I need to go eat my cat." She clapped a claw... HAND! a HAND over her mouth, eyes wide. "I mean feed him! I have to feed him!"