bravenewworld | A Close Call?

It comes suddenly and without warning. The ground beneath the land shakes with great force and fury, the great towers of Union shifting dangerously due to the magnitude. Somehow, miraculously, nobody is injured, but great structural damage is sustained on many of the connecting bridges that keep the city together.

On the streets, people are fearful. What if another quake comes? What if they aren't as lucky that time? Teams of Engineers are all over the city, checking on the damage and making what repairs they can. Electricity has been knocked out in many areas and crews are still struggling to recover it, although the Signal Tower remains with power and broadcasts over radio and television are sent to reassure the populace.

Thankfully, no aftershocks come. Messages are already coming in from other ally cities, Caldera and Citadel are mostly fine, Refuge, while fine, has devolved into panicked prayer to appease whoever they offended to send such a large quake. As surveyors go out to examine the damage, they will find that new underground routes have been opened all over. Unfortunately, those who went to investigate have not returned, sending a second wave of panic through many of the cities. The Union Council is working with the governments of the other cities to plan a proper response, and they hope to announce within the next few days as the city recovers. For now, however, the new paths are strictly off-limits to all citizens, and have been placed under heavy guard by the Swords of the Savior, the Steel Battalion, and some Valkyrie volunteers.

((Feel free to use this post as an IC mingle to react to the earthquakes!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, thank goodness! Of course, you're right... staying calm and looking out for one another is probably the best thing any of us can do in these circumstances. No one is too badly hurt, right?

The student body seems to be relatively free of injury! How about you? You look to be around the same age as I am, so are your classmates...

[He pauses, remembering an incident with a certain prepubescent-looking young boy.]

...you are an adolescent, correct?

Oh, why yes, I beg your pardon! I am fifteen years old, although actually I was meditating as part of my spiritual training at the time of the quake... I've been talking to my friends from school, though, and fortunately nobody seems to have been hurt. I guess that we've come off lucky in that way.

[Well, that's a relief! Both that he hasn't mistaken her age and that nobody was injured. He wouldn't want any students to miss out on their classes just because of this quake!]

Excellent! If I may interject, meditation is an excellent exercise to calm your mind at the end of the day. I wish you luck in your spiritual training!

Yes, I always find it wonderful for helping to keep myself calm and focused! Oh, and thank you very much for your well-wishes, of course. That's very kind of you.

Hmm, now that you've mentioned it, I wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to encourage meditation among everyone else in the city to help them feel calmer after this earthquake?

It is no trouble, merely common courtesy! But now that you mention it...that sounds like a fantastic idea! Encouraging proper meditation techniques among the citizens could have lasting beneficial effects, especially if any other danger befalls Union. I applaud your ingenuity, Miss...?

Oh my, I'm not sure if I'd call it ingenuity! You're going to make me blush.

[ she laughs before she continues. ]

Oh, but please pardon my manners! My name is Pearl Fey. [ she gives a small bow as she speaks. ] It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, even if the circumstances are not ideal.

You are pardoned and then some! Allow me to introduce myself as well.

[He coughs.]

I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru. My motto in life is simplicity and fortitude. Let's all work together and study hard!

[He gives a much larger bow after he speaks. Th only person who might be unphased by how intense this guy is is Ishimaru himself.]

In any case, great ideas are nothing to be ashamed of. I wish I had thought of it myself!

[ he certainly is enthusiastic...! fortunately (or unfortunately?) Pearl is the sort of person who feeds off of this particular brand of enthusiasm. oh no ]

Tee hee, well, if you say so! Though I suppose the only problem would be with how to go about spreading the word to everyone.

[Trust me, this is both the last and the best thing that he needs to be happening at the moment. Someone who can match his enthusiasm and point it right back at him is fairly rare, and such a good natured young woman as well!]

I assume you have a Warp Band, right? We could make a sort of unofficial public service announcement for the city, or maybe even demonstrate a technique or two!

[His eyes flash brightly. What an excellent idea!]

Oh yes, I'm sure that an announcement would work wonderfully! Although, if you do not mind me saying so, perhaps a demonstration would work best if it were done in person? I feel like it would be difficult to convey that sort of thing on a screen, and it may be easier to offer pointers that way, too.

Not at all! You do have a point, so I'll gladly accept my loss. Isn't collaborating with others invigorating?

[He smiles a toothy grin before getting back to the serious stuff.]

I suppose if we're both going to be teaching, we should both meet in person to make the broadcast, correct?

[ she nods enthusiastically, bringing her hands together. ] I quite agree! Do you have any preference for where we should meet?

You cannot give personal information out so easily nowadays....are there any general locations we can meet?

[He believes the Brentwood administration has at least a few rules against holding potentially large outside gatherings like this on school grounds.]

Hmmm... how about the Kurain Channelling School, in Ninetails Vale? It's true that it is run by my family, but the school itself is open to the public, so there shouldn't be too many issues holding a meditation demonstration there.

A swell idea!

[Ishimaru might be the only person under 40 in Union to ever use the word 'swell', but the idea itself is pretty great.]

To say the least, such a spiritual environment will surely help any potential clients focus and adapt to meditating far more readily. Let's make it official, then! I'll see you there!

[He feels much, much better than he did a few minutes ago with the earthquake.]

A Close Call?

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