keeping busy [backdated to before the gathering started]

[pauldrons]

Characters: Zack Fair and anyone who encounters him.
Setting: All dormitory floors; take your pick.
Format: bracketspam is preferred, but I'll match you
Summary: Trying to inform people, and keep them from panicking. ...This can only end well, clearly.
Warnings:None I can think of; will edit this if something changes.


[It's fairly clear when the power goes out that something is off. It gets clearer that something is wrong when people start disappearing, one by one, and they're not the people who were brought to this tower. It gets crystal clear that something is terribly wrong when it's impossible to find any food at all in the places where it's supposed to be. That's when Zack's training really kicks in, and he starts to do something. What might that something be?

Writing signs so others can have an idea of what to do and then putting them in easy to see places.

Like above an emergency light near the staircases on every dorm level he can get to. He doesn't block the stairs as he tapes them up, and those who get close enough will be able to read his blocky handwriting. Yes, folks, he hand wrote these babies. ...at least they're legible?]

You probably noticed by now that things aren't so good in the tower. Until we can figure out what happened, there's a few things everyone should do:

Drink lots of water and stay calm. People have survived longer than a month without food, so long as they have water and didn't panic.

Try to avoid fighting any monsters; there's no one in the infirmary to help out if someone gets hurt and blood loss or broken bones won't help anyone in this mess.

Don't go anywhere alone if you can help it. There's a reason the saying goes "safety in numbers". Travelling with a buddy's also a good way to make sure nobody gets lost alone. It's easier to find your way back with a partner.

[There's probably more he could have written on those things, but the idea is to be concise and keep people calm, not freak them out more than they probably already are. Those who find the signs are welcome to tear them down, but come on. Why would you do that? Don't you want people to have an idea of what to do?

Also, those on the Third level of dorms can find him kneeling near a terminal alcove, pawing at the machinery to try and get it to work...or trying to find something near the bottom of it. Those close enough will hear him muttering to himself, as well.]

Come on...where's that access panel...

[Yeah. He's trying to pry it open. Someone stop him before he breaks his hand or worse.]

Comments

[atouchofstrife]

Zack...

[ Okay the signs were pretty thought out, and they looked like they could be helpful, but seeing his old friend trying to hotwire a terminal was still an odd sight. He just watched him for a moment before sliding his main blade into his harness. It felt good to have it all back, even though he made a pretty weird shadow with all the swords sticking out every which way. ]

[pauldrons]

[It may be an odd shadow, but Zack is still torso deep under that terminal to try and find a way to power it, so he can't really see it. At least, not until he jumps in surprise and cracks his head on the terminal, flopping over to peer at Cloud like a deer caught in the headlights]

Yeah?

[atouchofstrife]

I doubt that's going to work.

[ It's not like SOLDIERs were trained to hack into those things after all. Cut them apart and maybe attach a fancy gizmo to them, but actually hotwiring it? Cloud just had to shake his head, trying his best to keep his expression neutral. ]

Maybe we should look for finding stuff that others may need like food.

[pauldrons]

Maybe not, but there's not much else I can actually do, man.

[He's already put up the signs and told people what he can, which is why he's so stubbornly attempting to get at the power supply for the terminal. Still, he stands and dusts himself off a moment later, mindful of the bump on his head.]

There's stuff on Floor 32, but it's a lot harder to catch then the frogs outside Gongaga. Don't think you want me up there.

[He'd scare off everything the second he tried to catch so much as a squirrel. No doubt about that.]

[atouchofstrife]

Trying to use materia to get the terminals started might just fry them instead of get them going.

[He just shrugs. He doesn't know if it will work really, but he does know that sometimes a person just has to give up their loses and do something that may help other people around them. Like patrolling the halls or making sure people stay out of trouble.]

You are a little loud. Sometimes.

[pauldrons]

Hey, I don't see anyone else coming up with ideas that may work.

[Or may not. Zack's not sure, but either way, at this moment in time there's nothing more he can do. It's the middle of the day so there aren't any monsters and people don't listen to him. Not like they listen to Sephiroth, anyway.]

Only sometimes? Huh. The way Angeal talked about it, I would have sworn it would have been "always" or something.

[atouchofstrife]

I rather get the kids together so they don't get hurt and find some real food instead of mess around with something that might make a mess out of my hair.

[ Seeing how his hair was in it's usual state - spiky - that may have been a joke. Since standing there frowning wasn't working, Cloud moved in closer to poke his nose into the guts of the machine. ]

Nah, you can be quiet.

[pauldrons]

See? If you're doing it, you don't need me doing the same thing. We'd just get in each other's way.

[Ignoring that messy hair comment because he knew his hair was as messy as those wires. And that was without Zack doing anything to either; the wires had been like that when he pried the thing open. Really.]

Name one time you've seen me be quiet, Cloud. One time.

[atouchofstrife]

Two of us can have a better chance at finding all the kids. Besides, you would never get in my way.

[ Well, looks like his attempt at joking fell flat. Cloud would have to try again when they were both weren't so busy with other ideas. ]

During missions when you had to be quiet.