Welcome Festival | Day 06 | All Sectors | OPEN

[hazelwood]

Characters: You! And you! Even you!
Location: All Sectors
Situation: It's the sixth and final day of the Welcome Festival!
Warnings/Rating: To be updated if actual warnable material occurs.

OOC Details:
>Header threads are available for the major events of the day and anyone can tag into them, replying with others as they are interested.
>Our thanks go to everyone that volunteered their character for the special event today! Favrielle and Yue are the lucky two foreigners that will be "voluntold" for a grand demonstration in front of half the city.

FINAL DAY:
Five days of festivities have come and gone, but the sixth dawns as one final celebration across all of the sectors, with the tours of each day reinstated and the markets re-opened for all! The lanterns made during each previous festival day now decorate their respective sectors and are being lit throughout the day -- though each sector has a podium with the most beautiful of the foreigner-made lanterns on display, ready to be lit at sunset.

With five sectors and twelve active gangs spread across Keeliai, the Alderwood Commander has mobilised the entire police force to patrol all areas and enforce the laws where they have been broken. An eye has been applied to the exact deployment of officers, with the greatest congestion in the Fire, Metal, and Earth Sectors according to gang presence and criminal activity over the course of the festival. Given that the entire force is beating the shell, there are equal amounts of upstanding and corrupt officers spread about and a few juulan go the extra distance in dissuading the latter when one has crossed the line.

Evandau is again a constant presence today and he moves with such frequency through the sectors that he often seems to be in two places at once. Most of the honest kedan take his presence as a reassurance, but there is the portion that eye him nervously and avoid eye contact. There are rumours of a half dozen arrests overseen by him personally since dawn, but he has proven too busy to confirm that via idle chatter with civilians.

Despite the increased police presence, criminal activity continues to fluctuate. Many of the less savoury kedan can be seen employing their skills for their own betterment, so mind your purse and person anytime that you go into a crowd or off the main thoroughfares.

Once again, should two or more characters get into an large-scale altercation, be it with NPCs or one another, please advise Alex (reignsdown or gmail or aim) for intervention/dispersal.

PARADE:
Roadways have been cordoned off throughout all of the sectors for the sake of one parade to trace a spiral route out from the center of Keeliai to the outer walls. Preparations for this parade have been the most secretive of all events during the Welcome Festival, but it's clear by the costumes donned by dancers and acrobats meant to participate in it that no expense has been spared.

Scheduled to begin two hours after dawn, it has drawn many kedan to the sidelines to watch. They, in turn, have been encouraging foreigners to the very front and center, where many have gathered to see and follow the path of performers as they trek through the city.

Widely agreed upon as a beautiful way to mark the final day's festivities, there are few in Keeliai that realise the parade's start is about to be usurped by a demonstration far more powerful that the grand luxuries displayed over the previous five days.

Interrupted before it can begin, all ceremony is gone when the crowds are swarmed by members of the most powerful gang in the Fire Sector and two foreigners are taken hostage, dragged onto the stage bridging the street -- a planned platform for Lieuen to make a final festival speech from -- as the leader of the gang steps up to spread an entirely different, anti-foreigner sentiment while making a demonstration that no one will forget.

Comments

DEMONSTRATION

[alderwood]

Do you honestly think that this is going to save us? That these people are going to save us? Look at them!

[The kedan stalks across the stage, grabs one of the two women his henchmen have dragged on stage and gives her a good, hard shake by her white hair. The other prisoner, when he gestures, is shoved down to her knees. A position of execution, for anyone familiar with it.]

These people aren't even capable of saving themselves! We've wasted decades worth of resources for what? Throwing a party? For these Foreigners?

No more. That ends here, right now.

[The statement is prophetic, but for reasons contrary to the kedan's desire. When he turns towards the red-headed woman, ready to fulfil her position, the shadows cast by the silk draped in festive designs shifts and Evandau -- the Alderwood Commander himself -- almost materialises from it.

There is no time, no chance for the kedan to react. He wields a knife and moves fast, dispatching the head of the snake and the two henchmen holding the hostages. A spray of blood, some cries of pain, then there are three dead kedan and two living Foreigners left unharmed but bloodspattered.

He does not mince words, nor does he check to see if they are okay. There are others in the crowd, loyal to the dead kedan and wielding weapons easily concealed. They will be hungry for Foreigner blood and so it is these that he goes after, intending to hunt them down one by one as police flood the area to make arrest those that evade him and to ensure that no others have been hurt or killed.]

(OOC: The muster grounds for the parade will have erupted in chaos and there's a good chance that many of the anti-Foreigners mingled in the crowd are still about; officers will be advising any that they see to clear out and return home, or to move to one of the peaceful sectors and enjoy the remaining festivities, because they have this under control. Feel free to have your character act or react to other player characters here or move them to a safer area.)

[littlecousin]

[As soon as the words "this ends" are spoken, Nita's in the air, but somehow Evandau is faster, and when she reaches the stage seconds later, the hostage-takers are already dead.]

Favrielle! Are you okay?

[Nita offers a hand to her new friend, and another to Yue, scanning the agitated crowd for further danger.]

[flawedgoods]

[Favrielle's eyes are wide, expression panicked and pale. It all happened so fast she didn't have any time for her mind to catch up with what was going on, and over just as fast. She recognizes Nita, though, and doesn't hesitate to take the hand of the other woman.]

I'm unharmed.

[The words are shaky, and the most accurate she can be because no, she does not feel okay in the least.]

[vaaaansamaaaa]

[Merle had been on the turtle for only a few hours, but she'd been wandering the whole while. She was tear and dirt stained and looking positively miserable, but she'd been herded along to the Fire Sector with everyone else. The kedan didnt pay any mind to her complaints or her arguments, all smiles as they promised a delightful day at the festival. She'd already missed several days' worth of celebrations and it wouldn't do for her to miss anymore than that, now would it?

She never could have imagined the show she'd get as she was hustled and bustled to the front of the crowd. The kedan wanted her to have a wonderful view because she was so little.

None of them knew what was going to happen. None of them possibly could have imagined.

For all the fact the the cat-girl has grown up in a war-torn country, she had never seen a blatant execution. She stood in wide-eyed horror as the gang member snatched two woman, also foreigners like her she'd heard, from the crowd and dragged them to the stage. Her hands clasped over her mouth but weren't quite able to staunch her scream of terror as the kill strike was made. The women were safe and the head o the police was stalking the crowd, seeking additional members of the gang, and blood had splattered Merle's face.

She trembled where she stood, pale beneath her light fur.]

I want to go home...

[dadissues]

[He's moving for the platform as soon as it's clear that shit is going down, grabbing his sword from off his back and unwrapping it, just in case. He doesn't want to unsheathe it, not so soon, but even sheathed it's a sign that he's armed. And it provides a bludgeoning weapon.]

[He's not fast enough, though, and he's shouting when it starts to look like those two poor girls are about to die--then a kedan comes out of nowhere and the kedan holding the girls hostage simply drop dead. Rin freezes for a moment because...how in the hell did that man move so fast? Rin has never seen anything like it, except from high class demons like Amaimon. And this guy might even be faster than he was.]

[Chaos erupts and someone bumps into Rin, and he's jostled out of his shock. Right. Time to be a hero. He plows his way through the crowd toward the platform. If no one gets there before him then he intends to get the girls to safety. As he draws close enough, though, he sees Nita gathering up one of them, and sees the other disappear into the crowd.]

Oi, wait!

[His call is lost in all the noise, and the girl is already gone. He snarls out a few curses, showing his pointed canines, and that's when he almost bumps into Merle. He blinks hard. He has a second to appreciate the fact that there is a real life catgirl right in front of him; then he sees a kedan coming up behind her, brandishing a knife.]

Oryaaaaaaaaa!

[He swings his sheathed sword and it cracks right across the oncoming kedan's face, sending him to the ground. Hey, his aim is getting better! No time to celebrate, though. He reaches forward and takes one of the cat girl's hands.]

Oi, I'll get you out of here, okay?

[closed]

[lunargoodness]

[It was difficult to understand how all of this could happen so quickly. It was a festival. That was all this was supposed to be. But then she was taken away with another woman, and was torn between wanting to help her and being overcome with fear. How can I help if I'm also the one that needs it? Then they were on the stage. There was talking, there was pain, there was panic.

They were going to kill her. She was going to die. Again. Again again again again.

But then came the screams, and Yue was soaked in blood. On her dress. In her hair. On her skin. But she wasn't dead - no, isn't dead. There's chaos all around her, now, and she isn't dead. No, the dead one is the kedan who was holding her only moments ago... the one whose blood she's wearing.

This is her second chance, and she was about to die again. Yue doesn't want that to happen. When would I get to live again? Almost as soon as it's all done, there's another woman there. She's helping the other woman on the stage, and holding out a hand to Yue. She doesn't know her - doesn't know the other one, either - and in her state of panic, Yue can't bring herself to notice if she's kedan or not.

So instead of taking her hand, the princess does what her instincts are telling her to do.

She runs.]

[stickshift]

[Asami pushes her way through the chaos of the crowd as it's happening. She doesn't know where Sokka is and doesn't have time to call for him, even if he's probably better suited to deal with this situation than she is.

But when Yue runs, all Asami can do is chase after her.

Despite everything, though, she's not afraid. She's sick. Pulling people on stage for 'executions'? Amon did that. She's sick and she's angry and when one of the armed kedan reaches for her, Asami doesn't even think about it. She twists away and slams the heel of her palm against where the sternum would approximately be on a human, and is rewarded by a wet crunch of broken bone. She doesn't even stop.

Catching up to Yue isn't hard, and when she does, all Asami can think to do is just reach out for the girl and grip her by the upper arms. She's hysterical enough that she might fight, and although Asami knows she can overpower her if necessary, she doesn't want to hurt her.]

Princess, it's me, Asami. We're going to get you out of here, okay? Do you know where Sokka is?

[mistyoldworld]

[She sees white hair up there, white hair on a young woman, and her first thought is Tuatha de Dannan. The feeling passes almost immediately as she gets a better look, but all the same--these people are in danger. They may not be Brendan--the only human she really cares about--but that's no reason to ignore what is happening. There's a swirl of mist and she is a wolf, darting her way through the oppressive crowd to ward the platform.]

[But then there's screaming and the scent of blood reaches her wolf's nose. She bares her teeth and snarls, but a glimpse of the platform tells her that it's not the white-haired girl or her companion--it's the kedan.]

[Then chaos breaks out and she loses sight of the platform completely. All the movement and cries and people brandishing weapons are abruptly too much to deal with. Spooked, she darts off toward the Wood Sector, letting mist roll in to conceal her.]

Re: DEMONSTRATION

[zydrateanatomy]

And people wonder why I like to avoid who like this...

[Grave eyes the scene critically, frowning from the outskirts of the crowd. He joined each days' festivities mostly to get a lay of the land and a future idea for product placement. Where there was street violence and gangs, there were drugs and THAT was the ideal setting for Grave. Still, he had at least partial familiarity with one of the women that had been dragged to the stage, but he was by no means a hero. Want to know who might have been just a tiiiiiiny bit relieved when Nita showed up to rescue Favrielle? This guy.]

[harthad_uluithiad]

[Sam had been actually, finally, starting to relax here.

For all that it's not Middle-earth, for all that it's just about as far as you could ever get from the Shire, it seems that this place isn't so bad. Yes, it's full of Big Folk, but it also seems to be full of food and drink and festivities, at least thus far, and not an Orc or a Black Rider in sight.

He's wandering along with Mr. Frodo, waiting for the parade, half-thinking about the plant he'd won and wondering if there's any chance he can start to grow a garden here, and half-wondering if there will be fireworks at the end of the festival, when his attention's caught by something not parade-like at all. There's some angry yelling, and Sam turns just in time to catch the kedan pushing the woman down to her knees. It's over in an instant, the Commander emerging from the shadows and swiping his blade across the other kedan's throat, the three of them going down instantly.

Sam's never seen anything like it.

He stares, wide-eyed, unable to even believe what he's seeing, and then he turns in a panic - because his first thought, of course, is for Frodo's safety. The other hobbit's been lost in the crowd - everyone's panicking at the demonstration onstage, talking and yelling and moving in a hundred different directions, and Sam, lost in a forest of Big Folk, turns from one side to the other, bewildered and afraid.]

Mr. Frodo!

[iorhael]

Frodo had made it out to the last festival. He had arrived late, appearing suddenly at his gardener's side. It appeared a change had come over him since he had taken to his quarters for all the others. This one was for the better. The hobbit still seemed a tad pale, a hint of transparency and weariness about him, yet the color seemed to return to his face. Something had happened while Sam was out, although at this time, Frodo would not say of it just yet. Frodo's spirits in the meantime had picked up. His appetite had made an even quicker recovery.

So it was that Frodo had made their first order of business food. He would not be convinced otherwise. He was deadly hungry now that the worst of it was over. And now that they weren't expected to travel on a Ranger's schedule and habits, he would take advantage of it while he could! With a hidden smile, he watched Sam drinking in the sights of the festival. There's nothing familiar here, and for the lad, it had to be so utterly exciting and new. Maybe even frightening in its own manner. Beyond anything they might have thought of in the Shire!

It was then that they settled in to watch the parade. It was when a kedan angrily began to decry the festivals that Frodo turned, a second after Sam, to see what the fuss was. Everything happened so quickly after that. What Frodo vividly recalled of it was sudden spray of blood and how nonchalant the one kedan was about it. He had never seen someone act so casual about taking a life. It made his gut twist.

The crowd swelled like a living thing, and then broke like the river on rocks. Frodo found himself torn from Sam's side.

"Sam!" Frodo cried. They would be swept apart, or worse, for with this crowd, they could be trampled.

[knowsmadness]

The second that Kara sees all of these events unfold, she reacts. She’s not as fast as the commander that has taken control - where had he come from? – but Kara is quick on the draw and within seconds her gun is out and she’s shoving foreigners – those like her –  back and away from those that would desire harm. Military training has her protecting these people and placing herself between them and harm, regardless of familiarity. It’s part of her job description - protect the human race.
 
“Alright, move it! Get back to your sectors, now! Let’s go, let’s go people -- get inside, stay inside, and for fraks sake don’t linger here! Does anyone need an escort?”

Re: DEMONSTRATION

[onethickskull]

[Hammerhead was a lot more willing to watch and see how the whole scene played itself out than he was to take part in it. Frankly, he was even content to let the killings play out, just so he could get an idea of what kind of competition he'd be dealing with, and how long it'd take the cops to react. To say he was disappointed with how quickly Evandau ended the demonstration--not to mention how he did it--would be a severe understatement. Though, he managed to keep the only sign of that disappointment to a simple twitch of the toothpick he'd been chewing. He could be a problem. A serious one, at that.

Once the chaos really set in, Hammerhead figured the whole demonstration was pretty much over and done with. And with Supercop around, he probably wouldn't get to see what he'd been hoping to see. He'd just have to gauge the strength of his competition some other time. For now, better to just get out of the area, and keep an eye out for anybody gettin' a little too 'friendly' with him. Quite a few of those kedan managed to escape into the crowd, and he wasn't stupid enough to assume they'd just given up and gone home. They'd be lookin' for a way to save face, after how their boss got taken down. And Hammerhead had a few guesses as to how they'd do it.

Still, that didn't mean Hammerhead was going to chalk the demonstration up as a total loss for him. From the look of things, some of the other "guests" were taking on the gangsters that were still out for blood. He might be able to get a little information after all. Matter of fact, if he could just find that kid from earlier, he might get a real good idea about what he'd be dealin' with in this place...]

[repelled]

[the appearance of the gangsters was something of a surprise, but not a bad one, even if they were technically arrayed against him. let them take hostages and show off their skill, their anger - they might be worth watching, if not worth talking to. after all, he wasn't precisely human, and so whatever fierce hatred they had for the foreigners might be allayed when it came to his true form. or just impress them. either way, he won.

but evandau ... chase watched, practically marveled, at the man's sudden appearance and skill. it hardly took one stroke to decapitate all three men, and he moved in the shadows, and in an instant the entire police force nearby was in action. morally, yes, they were opposed. and morally he was practically required to want to slit the man's throat, lest he wind up arrested for some pointless (or less than pointless) infraction. but a skilled fighter was always something chase was on watch for. challenges were ideal.

and this would be a challenge.

ignoring the explosion of chaos, chase glanced around idly for any signs of further interest. there was at least one gangster moving swiftly toward him, if the killing intent in the air was right - a little harder to smell over the overpowering stink of blood - so he stood still and gave them a target to focus on. the attack, swift as it is, is blocked, only for chase to discover that kedan are not close to humans, and that their strength isn't something to be doubted.

it's with some surprise that he managed to force the man back, sweeping his feet out from under him in a swift movement and cracking his skull against the ground. the incoming guards he didn't bother to stop and speak with. they can take care of the gangster.

unsettled, he turned and made his way back through the crowd. he's so rarely surprised, especially not while fighting. he didn't notice any familiar faces, nor familiar moral stances, as he paused to glance back at the stage for any further signs of death or interest.]

[withoutaworld]

[ Even Rikki had frozen as the two women were dragged onto the stage, unsure how to react. They were too far away, even with her near the front of the crowd, and she was unarmed - any attempt to intervene could as easily get the hostages killed. If Steve were here...

But he's not, and it's up to her to figure out how to deal.

The chaos that follows the demonstration, the panic and the milling crowds... that she's better equipped to deal with. This feels almost familiar, and she quickly turns and forces her way into the thick of the crowd - but not to make her way back to her own sector. No, she saw the expressions of more than a few of the kedan when the commander took out the ringleader, and they were not pleased; they'll be looking for trouble.

She spots one kedan drawing a long knife from a sash, her attention intent on a foreigner who has their back turned. Rikki quickens her steps, sliding and ducking around a couple more kedan, and sweeps the woman's legs from under her, stomping on the wrist of the hand holding the blade as soon as she's on the ground. The kedan drops it, and Rikki lunges to pick it up, foot still pinning her wrist, before the kedan can roll and retrieve it with her free hand.

Pointing the blade, she backs off a step or two to let her up, grimacing internally as she realizes there's really no way to watch her own back in a crowd like this. ] Leave. Now.

(OOC: Anyone want to be the foreigner Rikki kept from being knifed? Or just a random onlooker, that's fine too...)

[sophos]

[Annabeth? She sure did slide on her Yankees cap and go invisible the moment she realized what was going on. Anti-foreigner sentiments? She certainly looked like one, so disappearing was a quick decision, and it was easy to slide through the crowd -- brushing up against people didn't have the same shocked reaction it normally might, given the chaos. All that matters is keeping her cap on.]

[She could leave unnoticed, of course, but instead she continues to weave in and out. If someone needs help, she'll give it; it looks like the two women pulled on stage have gotten pulled safely away, but there's no telling what some of the kedan in the crowd mean to do.]

[For a moment, she wonders if her knife would hurt any kedan. But it's not something she plans on testing without a backup plan or backup in general. She'll just shove any threatening kedan out of the way for now and leave them looking around in confusion, giving potential victims the chance to escape.]

[tasteforpoison]

[Yelena couldn't go invisible, but all at once she was both pleased and frustrated by her size. Being short petite gave many a size advantage, but that also allowed her to move quickly through small spaces between people as she started to make her way to the edges of the crowds. It wasn't safe, and she didn't want to fight if she didn't have to. Still, her hand is in her pocket with its opened bottom, hand at the switchblade strapped to her thigh.

She's looking around her carefully, doing her best to keep aware of all of her surroundings and the kedan there, but there were so many it was hard to ever be at a place she felt safe. She wouldn't until she was in her own room again. Even now, as she bumps straight into something, a jolt runs through her and she scrambles to pull her knife out.]

PARADE GROUNDS - AFTERMATH

[alderwood]

batman || ota [several hours after the fact]

[cowled]

[Even as Bruce Wayne - which is how he appeared at the festival - Bruce has rarely been so ill prepared to react to something. It isn't that he's slow to do so. Nothing could be farther from the truth. His reflexes may not be buoyed up by speed force or alien DNA, but there aren't very many people alive faster than he is.

Which is why Evandau is troubling to him. He's fast. Too fast, if Bruce is to be perfectly honest. So far, none of the other kedan have demonstrated such abilities, but that doesn't mean they don't have them.

The bodies of the three slain gangsters left where they fell on the dais while the area was cleared, and Bruce returns there later under the guise of darkness. The lanterns have all been lit, and between that and the natural glow of the turtle's shell, the night is not the friend to him it's been in the past. Still, he's dressed all in black and wearing a simple mask (in the vein of Zorro!Bat) as he approaches the dais.

As far as he's concerned, these three kedan (one female, two male) were murdered in cold blood. Regardless of their criminal stature, whatever the Commander hoped to accomplish through this wasn't justice, and Bruce is briefly angry at himself for allowing it to happen. He'd been too far back in the crowd to react.

Not that that's an excuse. Not for him.

He crouches down, checks the bodies. No signs of life, not from these wounds. The blood itself isn't quite the same colour or consistency as what's found in humans. He takes several samples, and then examines the knife wounds that killed them. The blade isn't made of anything that's common on Keeliai. Something specially issued to the Commander? Perhaps. He's going to have to pay Evandau a visit, and sooner rather than later. But in the meantime, he's going to look over these bodies. All three are marked with branded tattoos, something common to gangs in the Fire Sector, but their clothing is simple and meant to blend in with the crowd.

Still. He tugs several threads loose, and those join the blood samples tucked into his utility belt. He works in absolute silence, each motion quick and self-assured.

Bruce Wayne is just about the hardest person in the world to sneak up on, but feel free to give it a try.]

[demon_brat]

[The little, bright-tunic-clad figure doesn't try to sneak in. He simply drops beside him, brows drawn down over the mask.

He hadn't manage to get close enough on time to do anything, either, arriving over the rooftops as the bodies were falling to the ground.

But he did try to track where the enforcer actually went.

Failing that, he returned to the parade ground, keeping non-kedan safe. And then followed some of the wounded kedan who tried to harm the newcomers home. After some work, Grayson HAS managed to convey the importance of information as opposed to immediate action into him.

... he also manages not to blurt out a compliment to Evandau's bladework.]

[hairpipes]

[ Imu doesn't sneak. It's kind of hard to be stealthy in wooden shoes and those big ass hairpipes. She's not a fan of concealing herself anyway. There's precious little she's faced that she couldn't handle with the direct approach.

She wasn't around for the violence, but she's heard what happened and is now curious. She keeps her distance from the man taking samples, though, if only because she doesn't want to interrupt him. ]

No offense, but I don't think blood samples are going to give you cause of death.

[ It's pretty damn obvious what that is for each victim. ]

Re: batman || ota [several hours after the fact]

[iorhael]

[Frodo had enough of being cooped up inside the suite. He had been for sometime already, now it was starting to get unbearable, and to the point that Frodo had slipped out when he could and found himself returning to the scene where things had gone so terribly. The officials insisted it was safer to remain in doors, of course. Frodo was of the mind that they were no safer there. The kedan were much stronger than they looked. A simple door seemed like a formality.

The hobbit crept quietly towards the site to find that someone else had gotten there first. It was a Man, not a kedan, but strangely dressed, and bent over something. Now and then he would reach for something out of sight, then continue working. He moved with the same quiet, efficient energy that Strider had.

What washe doing?

Frodo crept closer, as soundless as any hobbit.]

[stucktoeverything]

[Peter's watching the masked man tinker around the crime scene. A policeman or a detective perhaps? But Peter finds that difficult to believe, even in this strange land with its customs and oddities, there's something in the way the man moves that tells Peter he is not here in an official sense.

But despite that, it looks like he's doing some detecting of his own.

Peter missed the prequel; sitting on a rooftop far, far away from the stage, he had only felt the vaguest of tingling in his skull before it all went down.

There hadn't been a way to cross the chaos - let alone stop any killing - but that failure sticks in Peter's throat. He's been so stupid, just floating along with each passing day; somehow - stupidly - believing everything was as tranquil as it looked on the surface. How could he have been so stupid? So naïve?

And thats why he's here, hours later, suited up, watching a strange man collect samples and trying to work out what he should do now.]

[sophos]

[Annabeth comes back later, after the crowds are gone. She's not sure what she expected to find, but she didn't like the idea of staying inside because it was safer. She had years of practice in sneaking; she doubted angry anti-foreign kedan would pick up on her presence.]

[She's careful to stay out of light as best she can; invisible as she is with her cap on, her body still casts a shadow. She comes into the square, the scene of the crime, so to speak, and makes her way for the dais in perfected silence. Someone alive is up there, and it looks like the bodies are, too. Mostly, she wants to know if it's another kedan or not, and if it's related to the "show" earlier.]

[She creeps to the edge of the dais, staying low, but doesn't climb on top of it, content to just observe. Blood samples? Was that what the guy was doing? And something with their clothes.]

OTHER SECTORS (PEACEFUL)

[alderwood]