The Goldmar Incident: A Superhero Role-Play { Accepting Applicants via PM }

[Fappy]

"Right, sorry. It took a while to remember. We haven't been introduced."

Noel smiled warmly and nodded in response. She was thankful the blonde girl brushed off her awkward inquiry.

"I suppose I should start us off. Name's Lisette Gray. I, er, ah... wasn't really studying anything in particular. Been on the fence a long while now in regards to my studies. What about you? What're your names?"

Noel's smile grew larger as a thought occurred to her.

She takes initiative... I like it.

"I'm Noel Brandt. Political Science major," She stood up and took two steps across the gulf to offer Lisette a handshake. "Nice to meet you."

She briefly wondered if her rather... formal greeting put Lisette off, but banished the thought almost as soon as it came. She wouldn't hide who she was. Though, if someone had recognized her from inside the lecture hall that may be a problem. The last thing she wanted was someone prodding her about that boy. In fact, she was actively fighting not to get consumed by that memory. That terrified expression. The hopelessness in his eyes.

As she sat back down another student spoke up.

"How long have you guys been waiting?"

Noel crossed her arms and pouted to herself.

Too damn long. I probably have like... fifteen-million phone calls to return at this point...

 

[NeoAC]

"How long have you guys been waiting?"

"It's been three minutes for me," Kayla informed the man asking. There was nothing to do but stare at the clock until the talking started, so she was sure of her statement. In all honesty, she was glad there was talking now. It was something to do to alleviate the boredom of the station waiting room.

"My name is Kayla," she informed Lisette, the only girl who had her beat on wait times, by a substantial amount. "I'm in my last year of finishing a double major in English and Physics, and I plan on moving onto Theoretical Physics next year." I guess it's just pleasantries then. No one wants to talk about what the heck happened in that room, and I don't blame anyone for it. I can't be certain it was all a bad dream myself.

 

[Dogmatic99]

Adam could only look around in dazed confusion as people in blue and green easily herded him back to bed. He fell asleep as soon as his head it the pillow. He couldn't be sure how much time passed later, everything just devolved into bouts of heavy sleeping or coughing his lungs out.

All his things had been taken away when he was admitted into hospital but luckily the police or the hospital or someone called his family.

His mom was all tears and hugs and she made those howling noises that only mothers could in moments of anxiety. His dad quietly hovered on the edges while Adam tried in vain to struggle free of his mom's rib crushing hugs. She carried on about how worried she was and how happy she was to see he was safe blah blah blah.

His dad tried to say something along the same lines but Adam shrugged him off.

The police came around to everyone in turn and asked for any information people could give while giving as little as possible in return. One thing he did get out of it was that he could pick his things up at the station once he was out of there. At least he'd get his phone back and - more importantly - his ipod.

* * * * *​

The Car stopped outside his dorm building and Adam moved to get out.

"You sure you don't want us to come with you, Hun?"

"I'll be fine, Mom, thanks."

"I'd feel better if we came with you." She said in that tone that never failed to make Adam feel guilty.

They'd already had part of this conversation on the drive there. Adam had backed down for the most part and agreed he'd move back home, at least for a while but his parents seemed determined not to leave his side.

"I'm just going to get some of my clothes from dorm and get the rest from the cops."

"Then we can give you a rise to the station."

Why wasn't there an easier way of saying that he wanted to be alone?

He gave a half hearted excuse and waved them off once he was out of the car. He made his way up to his room, not bothering to turn the lights on and slumped onto his bed. Part of him knew he should do something, that he should get up and pack. But he couldn't. All he could do was lie in the dark starring up at the ceiling. He was so tired but sleep wasn't an option. They'd made him sleep in the hospital and each time he had the same dream. Every time he woke up he could still the burning flesh, taste the gas in his throat. Was he crying?

Come on Ad, man up!

Adam clenched his fists and forced himself to get up. A quick shower drowned out the cobwebs and helped him feel a little bit better. He could do this, he just had to put one foot in front of the other.

* * * * *​

"Adam Chambers." He stated to the bored looking officer behind the desk. They gave him a line about having to wait a little while and that they were trying their best to get his belongings out of quarantine as quickly as possible. Adam got the feeling they'd had to say the same thing over and over today.

He turned to the waiting area. It looked like some of the others from the lecture hall had gotten there before him. There were still some empty seats but Adam wasn't in any mood to stay still. He leaned against the far wall for half a minute before starting to slowly pace up and down the waiting room. The eyes of the others making him self conscious of how he was acting but he was too restless to stop, only making glancing eye contact with any of the others.

 

[Lambi]

Once she had been given some final checkups, Chris walked out with her family, who had all come to see her, and nine other people, at least one of which she recognized, if only barely. It was the tan skinned man she'd tried to help, and it made her feel better knowing that he was alright. She stepped into her family's car, sitting in the middle backseat with each twin on either of her sides who didn't want to let go of her after what happened. She didn't do anything to take them off her since she was relieved to be alright and soon to be home. First, though, they had to go to the police station to get her stuff.
[hr]
They reached it fairly quickly, and Chris insisted on going alone inside, with her parents and twin siblings waiting outside. If it would take a long time, then her family could go to the nearby café to get themselves something. The twins didn't want to, but they reluctantly agreed to it as Chris walked towards and then into the police station, seeing a few people had already arrived of the nine others who had left the hospital with her.

She went over to the front desk where a man sat there and looked towards her when she stopped in front of his desk. "Can I help you?" he asked her. "Yeah, I'm here to retrieve my things that were put here after the attack on Goldmar." Her voice didn't carry her usual musings, but that was to be understood after what happened. "Name?" the officer asked her again. "Christine Harper." She never liked her full first name, preferring Chris, but when giving her name, she had to give the full version. "We'll get to it soon enough. Just take a seat and wait for your name to be called." he said to her before going back to work. "Thank you." she answered and turned around to take a seat. She didn't feel chatty today, really, choosing instead to just sit down and wait.

 

[Pm0n3y]

In a way that was true to that receptionist/secretary/officer's words, two more individuals (that were most likely students) appeared in the waiting area. The constantly fluctuating surroundings was not at the fringe of Dominic's attention however, he more lost in his thoughts than anything. Swirling thoughts about the event, about missing class, about getting to work (and if he was even going to go to work, in which-knowing the boy-of course he would), about finishing his finals project (and if this whole event would put him off schedule). He made nary a reaction as the girls around him conversed and introduced themselves.

The one other boy's pacing barely went noticed in Dom's eyes, but, as if it were a subconscious reaction, he began tapping his foot against the ground. His posture changed some, with him leaning forward to meet his interlocked fingers in a raised steeple. His gaze sharpened as he pondered into a wall's texture. It was safe to assume that the boy's actions were beginning to rub off a little on Dominic.

The girl quietly entering the area brought him from his gaze as he made a reflexive glance in her direction. It didn't take long for the boy to make the connections between her and the incident. "She didn't sit that far from me on Thursday..." He began to wonder how his plight from that morning might've looked from her angle, thinking of beginning to initiate a conversation about it. The thousand yard stare she seemed to be displaying told him to cancel the questioning, and his mind began digressing back into the event as a whole. Soon after, his mother nudged him the ribs less than a second after Kayla made herself known. Using not-so-subtle hand gesturing, she wanted him to do the same. "Oh, um, I'm Dominic. It's my last year too." He turned towards the direction of the girls. "But in Criminal Justice...not Physics." He hastily added for some reason, feeling the need to clarify his areas of study.

 

[elementsoul]

Marcus and Dontez left the hospital at the same time with a group of nine other survivors. The lack of information provided by the police, and the fact that Marcus now had to go to a police station in order to get his possessions back, were annoying to say the least. Still Marcos persisted in silence until they were checked out of the hospital.


?So did you bring the Expedition?? Marcus asked Dontez as he looked over the rest of the group that was leaving.

?Didn?t drive. Wasn?t sure if you?d give up your ghost or not. You?re not supposed to drive after you lose someone; couldn?t do that to dad. But you didn?t, so no worries; I?ll message my ride.? Dontez replied as he took out his phone and texted someone. Fifteen minutes later a man with three white bandanas rolled up to the hospital in a Honda Civic, and took off to the police station upon Dontez?s word.

Once they arrived, Dontez and the Titans recruit sped off leaving Marcus to enter the station to retrieve his possessions. The familiar walk into police station was a bit unsettling; although there was a keen difference in the fact that we wasn?t there to bail someone out of jail for the first time. There was a less than concerned officer sitting at the front desk that Marcus approached.

?Can I help you?? The officer of duty asked in a tone that carried the fact that he had asked the question several times in the last couple of minutes.

?I was informed at the hospital that I could pick up my possessions here, since they were taken into contamination. My name is Marcus Wickliffe, and there should be the suit that I was wearing, an IPhone 4S with an urban camo phone case, and a black wallet with a driver?s license, Goldmar student ID, bus pass and fourteen dollars inside.? Marcus replied promptly knowing that he?d likely have to wait for them to process his stuff before he would get it back.

?It?ll take a bit get your possessions. You can join everyone else who showed up before you in the lobby.? The officer replied as he finished writing down the information on a form.

Marcus nodded and mumbled thanks as took a seat in the lobby. A man with a lighter tanned skin was introducing himself at that time before stumbled at the end of what he was saying.

This guy will probably bite his tongue off if he keeps talking like that.

?My name?s Marcus. I just finished the first year of my accounting degree,? Marcus said before throwing his head back for a second. Criminal Justice, Physics, Accounting. Marcus? email had stated that it was supposed to be a lecture that wouldn?t exactly benefit two people finishing their degrees in such fields. It left a question in his head that he at least thought would be safe to ask. Near death experiences were often talked about where he came from right after they happened. Why would these people be all that much different?

?So why did the rest of you show up at the lecture hall? I know the email I got said it was a senior partner at a prominent Michigan based accounting firm, but clearly it would have to be something else that got everyone else to show up there.? Marcus said calmly as he shifted his head back down in order to look at everyone else in the room.

 

[NeoAC]

"Clearly it was just a ruse," Kayla said matter-of-factly. It was the same tone she had when dissecting poems and explaining physics solutions in class, and it was the only confident tone she had in her Michigan arsenal. It did make her sound like an insufferable know-it-all though. "Whoever that man is, or is working for, sent that email out tailored to each recipient to try and lure us there for that attempted mass gas chamber death." It worked didn't it? I fell for it without a second thought. "Mine suggested that it would be a lecture given by a world-renowned particle physicist. Instead the only particles analysed were whatever ones got inhaled or settled on our things."

Kayla stopped talking after that. The information was out, there was no need to continue. The crowd around was growing rather large as well. Tall guys that made her feel even smaller with her butt plonked on the bench, and another girl that looked just as thrilled to be here as she was. Why'd I have to shoot my mouth off like that? I don't know exactly what happened there. I was just as stupid for going to the thing in the first place. Great the first time I speak to people and already the foot is lodged square in the mouth.

 

[Fappy]

"I know the email I got said it was a senior partner at a prominent Michigan based accounting firm, but clearly it would have to be something else that got everyone else to show up there."

"Mine suggested that it would be a lecture given by a world-renowned particle physicist. Instead the only particles analysed were whatever ones got inhaled or settled on our things."

Noel considered this for a moment before speaking up, "Mine was specifically tailored to me as well," She paused, biting her thumb, before continuing. "If the same can be said regarding the rest of the students I think it's safe to say that this... 'Nefarious' was looking for diversity in his experiment. I mean, wouldn't it have been easier to just invite the entire physics department and be done with it?"

She glanced around the room at the rest of the students, "I mean... this is a rather 'unique' collection of students."

Noel slowly began to put the pieces of the puzzle together in her heard. However, she still didn't have an answer for question numero uno. What exactly did Nefarious do to them? She crossed her arms and began pondering possibilities.

 

[Pm0n3y]

"I figured we we're gettin' played the second that guy started spouting sensationalist transhumanism bullshit." Dominic contributed with murmurs, soon after the Asian talked of a ruse. Maria nudged him in the ribs a second time. "Language!" she warned in a whisper. Ignoring her, he wished he had got out of that hall when he had the chance. He began to wonder if the chance of returning to a normal life would be possible for him, or any of the students involved. Then, some of the words he managed to hear played back in his head, words he heard before he lost consciousness that day.

"...a genobomb, a biological tool devised by yours truly for one specific, non-lethal purpose..." He recalled, recited by that Nefarious person. Soon after Noel pointed out the diversity of the crowd, Dominic had his own words to say. "D'you guys remember some of the things that man said? He said that bomb was non-lethal...and yet they're probably still picking dead bodies out of the hall. It just makes me wonder...where does that leave us? Why did we survive? What did we do?"

"...genobomb...biological tool..." replayed in his head. "Biological...?" He began to wonder just how immune he was to whatever was released unto he and his peers. Or better yet, what it would do to them if they weren't. Was the immunity just a fluke? What if wasn't meant to be survivable (despite the terrorist's words)? What would his body go through next? His mind began to plague with the questions, and his heartbeat began to increase in rate. The thoughts of acting against this act followed after, and began to question just how helpless he was against it all.

 

[NeoAC]

"Some people are just unlucky," Kayla said coldly as she shrugged. "It's like being allergic to peanuts or something, and getting force fed a king-sized Snickers. Even in biological cases, there are certain people that can't handle that sort of thing. At least, that's how it was explained to me back in high school. My parents were pretty abrupt about it. In any case we should probably be grateful that we had the necessary body structure to avoid ending up like those poor bastards."

At this point, Kayla was praying for the call out to come. It couldn't take that long to find some bags, could it? If it did, it offers a good reason for why such an event was allowed to occur and people in the hall were allowed to pass on to life graduation.

 

[elementsoul]

?I wouldn?t call them poor bastards; at least not yet anyways. If he was trying to kill us Chlorine gas would?ve been a lot more effective or those guys in suits who had those weird weapons. Instead he tells us that we?re supposed to live. It sounds like were part of some fucking experiment; a lab rat rather than a survivor. I definitely wouldn?t call the people who died poor bastards,? Marcus said as he shook his head in his hands. The cops needed to hurry up and get there stuff this topic was getting depressing and fast.

So what now? What do we do from here on in? I know I can go on just like this was another drive by or jumping, but what about them? They probably have no clue how to deal with something like this, and I?ll just bury it away with the rest. I?m not helping either and fuck, someone needs to change the topic because I?ve got nothing.

 

[Fappy]

"It sounds like were part of some fucking experiment; a lab rat rather than a survivor. I definitely wouldn't call the people who died poor bastards,"

Noel furrowed her brow and looked up at him. She thought back to the boy she'd watched die. She was grateful she didn't share his fate, "There's no point in jumping to conclusions. There's no evidence to suggest any of us are about to sprout wings or go blind. And even if we did, I think that'd be preferable to simply getting shot through the chest," Noel summoned all the willpower at her disposal to keep her emotions under control, but a pained expression had clearly found its way onto her face. "Those kids died with their whole lives ahead of them. They didn't get a choice whether they would live or die..."

Noel sighed as she closed her eyes and dropped her forehead onto her fingertips, "I don't know about any of you, but I'm not going to take my life for granted."

She couldn't get that face out of her head. That terrified expression. The look of a boy who knew his time had come.

 

[Pm0n3y]

Maria let out the quaintest of gasps at Kayla's less-than-appeasing words. "One should have more respect for the dead!" She murmured irritably. Quietly whispering to Dominic that she'd wait in the car, the mother collected her things before exiting the area in a bit of a huff. Dom sighed slowly before turning his attentions back towards the students still conversing on the subject of current events. One of the girls denied the possibilities of any sort of outwardly mutations as a result of the bomb. "At least, nothing too drastic, i'd hope." he thought as he looked on. He couldn't help but slink in his seat some as she continued to drably comment on the already bleak situation. He sighed another sigh as he looked into his hands.

"I don't know about any of you, but I'm not going to take my life for granted." Noel added lastly, burying her face into her hands. Dominic shook his head, his expression sharpening some. "I'm from the 'fields. I stopped taking life for granted a long time ago." He stated plainly, crossing his arms. "If anything, this event only further defends against that way of thinking."

 

[CounterAttack]

"So why did the rest of you show up at the lecture hall? I know the email I got said it was a senior partner at a prominent Michigan based accounting firm, but clearly it would have to be something else that got everyone else to show up there."

Instead of answering verbally, Lisette instead thought over the question. The email had said that the guy was a geneticist... not exactly something that would draw her, specifically, to the lecture hall. The answers the others gave seemed like the emails had been... tailored, as Noel had put it, a bit better to their chosen courses. Though that was probably because Lisette didn't have a defined career choice of her own yet.

"D'you guys remember some of the things that man said? He said that bomb was non-lethal...and yet they're probably still picking dead bodies out of the hall. It just makes me wonder...where does that leave us? Why did we survive? What did we do?" one of the others, Dominic, queried.

"I don't remember exactly. Once that man was... was shot - " Lisette choked on the word a little " - I think the guy said something about... some kind of non-lethal purpose for whatever that thing was. A genobomb, I think he called it." What does that even mean? Genobomb? Some kind of biological weapon, like a terrorist attack? But surely it wouldn't have been 'non-lethal' if the guy was a terrorist... I don't know. It was giving her a headache just thinking about it.

The conversation was eventually interrupted by the officer on duty clearing his throat. "Er-hem. We've found your possessions. They've all been cleared of contaminants and authorised to be released. Just need you to sign for them," he explained, producing forms and passing a handful of pens around. Lisette gave the form a quick read over just to be sure - it all seemed to be standard issue, including a hand-written description of her satchel and its contents - then signed it. There was a slight waver to her signature that wouldn't have been there otherwise. Her hand was a little shaky, most likely a result of having not hand-written anything recently.

She passed the form back to the officer, who soon collected the rest that he had distributed and disappeared into a back room. Within a few minutes he was back, accompanied by a few others: they were sharing the load between them.

Lisette gratefully accepted her satchel from one of the officers, thanking him as she did so. After resuming her seat she promptly rifled through the satchel to make sure everything was still there, just to alleviate some mild paranoia that something had gone missing. That was not the case, although the battery of her phone had been removed and set aside. Gah. Why'd they do that? I charged it a couple of days ago, it would have survived. She snapped it back into place, turned the device on and quickly fiddled with the settings to restore it to its previous condition.

Once that little necessity was concluded, she was a mite conflicted over what to do next. Her parents were waiting, of course, but Lisette felt like she wanted to spend a bit more time with her fellow students. So she got up and made for the door, but took a spot leaning against the nearby wall instead of leaving.

 

[NeoAC]

That was a new one. I know I was being a little blunt but driving someone off? Damn, I've really got to back it up a bit, I guess. I forget some of these midwestern types...or Latin-American types are hyper-religious. There wasn't much time to dwell on it as the desk jockey came over to the group of students announcing the return of their belongings with the wave of a pen. I don't see why ALL this info is necessary, I just want my stuff back. She filled out the release form quickly and the papers were returned to the office behind the glass.

After a few minutes, a sigh of relief quietly escaped Kayla's lips as a couple more of the officers emerged with the in-the-shop cop from the back room with an assortment of bags hanging off of their arms. Her laptop bag was clearly visible, the dark green contrasting enough with the usual assortment of blacks and greys to stand out. She grabbed it off the arm of the policeman holding it and started going through it immediately, making sure everything was still in there. The fact that both the batteries on her laptop and phone were removed was a bit annoying, but still all her belongings appeared to be in place. She snapped the battery back in on her phone, and it slowly began to boot up.

While waiting for her phone to come back on line, Kayla started to move towards the door. Can't wait to just get this whole thing behind me. Don't need to be come back to this station any time in the near future. Hopefully the bus is coming soon. The bars finally showed up on the ACER phone, the only phone Daddy would allow her to have, despite her desire for an iPhone like everyone else. At least the internet is fast enough. A quick search of Silverhollow's transit website pulled up the number of the stop closest to the police station, and she dialed it up, eager to find out if she'd be getting back soon. The automated voice gave her the cold message.

The next bus on route...24...is scheduled to depart in...25...minutes. For information on another route, press one!

Oh fuck off! Seriously? I'm not going to wait here another half an hour...But I don't want to walk... The other girl was still here, the one who got a lift. Am I really...no, she'd never give me a lift. Not after the looks I got...but what do I have to lose? She says no, I never see her again, whatever. Kayla slowly approached the blonde haired woman as she leaned against the wall. "So, you're the one who's got a ride, right? You wouldn't happen to be going anywhere near Larchwood Avenue would you?"

 

[Pm0n3y]

Not before long, officers began into the area, brandishing bags and forms in their hands. It was a lot faster than Dominic was anticipating, but he wasn't complaining. "Smart move. Get us out of here before any more kids start showing up." He thought, spotting his rucksack with ease. Some signatures later, the pack was back in his possession. A quick rummage through the sack let him know that everything confiscated had been respectfully returned. "Wallet, phone, clothes, classwork..." They even cleaned out some of the unneeded papers and junk that had accumulated at the bottom. "Huh. That was nice."

He felt it was time to move on after that. He got what he came for, and didn't really see the need to linger about any longer. He made his way past the two girls conversing at the threshold, the act probably seeming much more disrespectful than he was thinking. Though as he made his way out, he figured he could at least let Paz know he was leaving. Soon, he approached her desk where she still sat, having working through what remained of the mountain of paperwork she had.

It was a lot easier to notice the the footsteps approaching her desk this time around, and she looked up to see the student nearing her. "I'm going." Dom said, giving her a short wave. "Hold on!" She stopped him before he could fully take his leave. "How're the other kids doing?" She asked, rising from her seat to stand at his side. Dom didn't know how to fully answer the question. "Fine...? I mean, most were good enough to introduce themselves and talk about the event...some of the others kept to themselves, one girl seemed to still be pretty shook up about it..."

"Annnd...?" The officer interrupted his elaborations. "Did you talk to her?" Dom visibly seemed to look for words to answer with. "I was going to, but I didn't want to say anything that could upset her."

"Well, you should have told her something...Actually? No. You need to tell her something. Comfort her, y'know? And not just her, but all that would need it. You'd be surprised at what a few choice words could do to someone's life. It's one of our jobs as police to make sure the populace is safe, both psychically and mentally. With you on your way to becoming an officer, you should've known that." The pseudo-stern tone brought forth by her short spiel softened some, she looking into Dominic with a light smirk.

He sighed in admittance to his wrongdoings, for she was right after all. He made his way back towards the holding area, an idea beginning to churn through the cogs of his mind. He stopped short of the two girls still standing at the threshold, one trying to coax a ride out of the other. He waited for a low point in the conversation before excusing his way in. "Lisette, Kayla...it might sound like i'm coming completely out of left field with this but...d'you think we should stick together? All of us, I mean. Out of those that got involved with the accident, not everyone would've gotten back on their feet as quickly as some of us did. They could use the help, especially by those that they can relate with. We've all been brought together by a relative event, the least we could do is try to make something out of it." He said to the girls.

 

[Fappy]

Finally...

She quickly scribbled a mockery of her usually elegant signature and returned the forms to the officer, "One second ma'am."

Noel crossed her arms and leaned up against the wall. She had been a bit flustered from the prior conversation and was quite anxious to get her stuff and leave, but after taking a moment to gauge the lobby's atmosphere... was there anything she could do for these people? The mental wounds were still fresh and many of these people wouldn't likely forget the grim details of the attack as long as they lived. It was simple enough to put them all behind her so as to not be reminded of their plight, but Noel couldn't do that.

As her mind wandered her purse appeared before her eyes, snapping her out of her trance, "Should be everything, ma'am."

Noel nodded in thanks and started sorting through her things. After slapping her battery back into her phone she booted it up and quickly made her way for the exit.

Only 10 missed calls? What have I been doing wrong?

Noel stopped outside the station to catch up on what she'd missed while in the hospital. At least half the calls were manic voicemails left by friends and family. They didn't exactly make Noel feel any better, but she listened to the entirety of the messages out of respect, if nothing else. After revising her mental to-do list she put her phone back in her purse and was about to start the long trek back to her apartment when she looked back at the police station.

Lisette and Kayla was it?

The two girls were speaking near the door.

I should at least say goodbye to them. Maybe I should leave my number if they needed someone to talk to about this... whole thing.

Noel shouldered her purse and walked back into the station. Dominic began speaking to the two of them just as Noel was entering the station.

"Lisette, Kayla...it might sound like i'm coming completely out of left field with this but...d'you think we should stick together? All of us, I mean. Out of those that got involved with the accident, not everyone would've gotten back on their feet as quickly as some of us did. They could use the help, especially by those that they can relate with. We've all been brought together by a relative event, the least we could do is try to make something out of it."

Noel smiled and approached the small group, "Sounds like a plan to me. We should exchange contact info." Noel's smile was frozen on her face for a moment before she realized what she'd just done. Her eyes were set on Dom as she spoke as if directing her words to him specifically. She blushed for a moment and mentally slapped herself across the face. She laughed nervously, "I-I mean, all of us should exchange contact info!" She explained motioning to the other students in the room.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Fix this Noel!

"This whole thing... I don't think it's going to leave me anytime soon, but I'm willing to discuss it if anyone else here needs someone to talk to."

 

[CounterAttack]

"So, you're the one who's got a ride, right? You wouldn't happen to be going anywhere near Larchwood Avenue, would you?"

Lisette looked over to find Kayla standing nearby. "Larchwood... I think I know where that is. It's a little out of the way, but sure, I can get you a lift there, no problem," she answered with a small smile. Kayla's comment about Lisette having a ride probably meant that the Asian girl - Lisette often had trouble differentiating between Chinese, Koreans and Japanese - didn't have transport of her own. Saying no, and leaving her to find a route home on her own, was a bit of a harsh move.

Not long after Kayla had made her request, the guy Lisette recognised as Dominic approached the two girls and spoke up. "Lisette, Kayla... it might sound like I'm coming completely out of left field with this but... d'you think we should stick together? All of us, I mean. Out of those that got involved with the accident, not everyone would've gotten back on their feet as quickly as some of us did. They could use the help, especially by those that they can relate with. We've all been brought together by a relative event, the least we could do is try to make something out of it."

Lisette took a moment to think over the proposition, tucking a stray lock of hair behind one ear. The offer seemed sincere... maybe if she ran into other survivors of the incident, she might stop and talk if she had the time. And now that Goldmar U was quarantined, she had all the time in the world.

"Sounds like a plan to me. We should exchange contact info. I-I mean, all of us should exchange contact info!" Noel chimed in soon after Dom finished speaking. The group seemed to have split up into a few splinters now: those standing near Lisette, and those who were scattered around the lobby to examine their personal possessions, having collected them.

"Hmm... Sounds good," she answered both Dominic and Noel with the same response. She pulled out her phone and offered it - hoping they would ignore the texts, voicemails and missed calls that she hadn't dealt with yet - for someone to take and add their contact details. Her phone was a simple one, a little archaic in that it wasn't a smartphone, but it got the job done.

"As for sticking together... well, that detective guy back at the hospital mentioned that Goldmar's been quarantined, so I don't have much else to do except stay at home. I have no major plans. If I'm allowed back at work, you'll probably find me there. You know The Festival? It's a café and bar just outside of the university," she explained. "Hmm. I'm probably going to end up seeing a fair bit of Goldmar while it's in lockdown, since I both live and work near there." She didn't sound particularly enthused by the idea.

 

[Lambi]

Chris got up once most of the others had gotten their belongings and proceeded to fill out the form she was handed, handed it back once it was all signed and grabbed her belongings. She sat down while she went over everything, which wasn't a whole lot, really. It was just her handbag, sketchbook, pencil, phone and keys. Her phone battery had been taken out, so she snapped it back in and turned it on, seeing a few missed calls from her family and friends. Once she listened to them and put her phone back, she made her way towards the exit. A few of the others had gathered around there, but she didn't really want to talk to them right now. She just wanted to go home and forget all this.

Although, what they were talking about did somewhat grab her attention. Talk of sticking together, and another one of them mentioned exchanging contact info. It did sound like a good idea to her. She may not have been feeling chatty, but if the others wanted to stick together, then she wouldn't mind participating in that. She stepped closer to them and took her phone out of her handbag. "Here, you can put your numbers in here if you want. My name's Chris, by the way." she said in her soft voice as she offered the others her phone to put their numbers in.

 

[Dogmatic99]

A few of the others tried to fill the awkward silence in the lobby. Adam tried to work up the energy to try and join in but it just wasn't in him, what could he possibly say? What could anyone say about what had happened? An officer came out laden down like a pack mule, with everyone's bags hanging off their arms. Adam picked his bag out of the line up and scribbled up the signatures they wanted. He took his sweet time searching through it, even though he hadn't taken much with him the day of the 'lecture' checklisting his things gave him something to think about other than his current situation.

Now he had to go home. God, I don't want to go home...

He got up to leave and unwound the earphones looped around his beloved ipod. He tried turning it on, only to find the battery was dead. It must have goten turned on in his bag... great. He wandered over to the exit to find some of the other students gathered around, exchanging numbers and talking about getting in touch with eachother, support group style. It didn't sound like SUCH a bad idea, what else was he going to do, sit around the house and brood about it? He'd been pretty quiet though, it would be awkward to just blurt in on the conversation, he didn't know any of these people.

Come on Ad, don't be a douche.

The whole reason he went to Goldmar was to be more proactive, to take control of his life.

"As for sticking together... well, that detective guy back at the hospital mentioned that Goldmar's been quarantined, so I don't have much else to do except stay at home. I have no major plans. If I'm allowed back at work, you'll probably find me there. You know The Festival? It's a café and bar just outside of the university," she explained. "Hmm. I'm probably going to end up seeing a fair bit of Goldmar while it's in lockdown, since I both live and work near there." She didn't sound particularly enthused by the idea.

"Yeah I thought I recognized you earlier." He said, placing himself into the conversation. "I could get in on all that I guess." He passed his phone around to anyone who would accept it so they could exchange numbers. "Uh - Adam... by the way." He said, giving a small, crappy wave and a half-smile.