Collar Checkup Boycott

[animusmods]

Characters: open to all
Setting: infirmary; around the Tower in general
Format: party-style all week; please note the date your post is taking place in the subject line
Summary: The results of the collar boycott slowly become clear...
Warnings: standard Tower warnings
Note: You may NPC your own retrieval units.

The results don't begin to become clear until Tuesday--Monday passes more or less without incident, except for the number of orange-collared residents who miss their checks. And on Tuesday, the retrieval units are out to search for them. It doesn't seem like they were meant to recover so many, though: a clever resident will be able to avoid their retrieval unit entirely. And so, some oranges continue to have escaped their collar checkup today.

It's worse on Wednesday. Retrieval units are out and about again, but this time to try and search for the yellow-collared residents who skipped the day before. No orange-collared residents are searched out at all, and even then there seems to be enough confusion in the programming of the retrieval units any boycotting yellows can run off and hide if they're careful about it.

By the time Thursday arrives, there's a general, obvious level of confusion in the retrieval units' retrieval programming. They were obviously not programmed to be searching for so many colors at once. Some residents may find themselves being dragged in for a second collar check this week, even if they went to theirs, and the infirmary seems to be working at double time. No one even bothers to search for the two wayward greens.

By Friday the retrieval units are out in a number that seems more fitting for a small militia than anything else. Still, they seem more intent on tracking down the greens--their programming still telling them to retrieve those who were missed the day before--but they don't seem to know which greens they're looking for. Anyone with a green collar may be dragged in for a collar check, possibly multiple times today.

Saturday is chaos in the infirmary. The retrieval units seem to have entirely lost sight of who they're actually searching for, and anyone brought into the checkup room will be able to see how messy and confused it looks, with no real time to clean it and orange through violet collar fluid all lined up at once where normally only the color of the day and of the day before would be out at all. Again people may be brought in for multiple checks while those intent on evading capture can remain elusive.

But Sunday--on Sunday the entire process breaks down. There's too much volume for the retrieval units to handle, and they scatter about in a strange catch and release program, dragging anyone they catch to random places around the Tower before letting them go. They don't seem to be entirely certain of what they're supposed to be doing.

Something else happens on Sunday, as well...

Comments

[imperialsun]

Yeah.

[He turns towards Zelda.]

Don't move. I have an idea.

[A flash of blue light and Barbatos come out of Naoya's mind. The persona lifts its gun and fires a shot at Zelda, but when the bullet touches her, the Doronpa spell is cast, causing a cloaking effect on her. Well, as long as she doesn't move too much or cast spells, she'll be completely invisible.

Of course, that leaves the others visible...]

[sageprincess]

[Again, she blinks, but then remembers what kind of position she's in. Ahaha, she must look rather absurd right now.]

Of course, but then this is also the third time today something like this has happened. They seem to be beyond the point of telling who is who.

[And after the last few days of being dragged down for check-ups she didn't need, she decided fighting was a waste of energy. This would be cleared up soon enough, right? Her unit continues struggling with the ice at its feet, shifting Zelda in its grip as she tries to push against it. At least, until Naoya instructs her not to move, which gets a puzzled glance and a quirked eyebrow.

And then she's invisible.

Okay, that's new.

The retrieval unit's touch nullifies her own magic (or, well, the illusion of magic), so that shouldn't be a concern, at least. But, uh...]

... Is there another part to your idea?

[imperialsun]

...gimme a minute.

[Not quite according to plan. Thus, the great Naoya...gets the persona to poke at the unit with it's gun and feet until it notices it, and as soon as it does, starts to fly off in the opposite direction.

There's your plan.]

[halfpintsorceress]

...that's your plan?

[Really? REALLY?]

[wegotlucky]

[This is such a bad plan. He stares, and the other unit now deciding that right now is a good time to start to drag him away, tries to leave, Neal thrashing at it.]

Wait a minute here!

[sageprincess]

[Miraculously, Zelda's retrieval unit does not go after Naoya himself for his persona's poking. Being so confused, it seems like it can't tell the difference between persona and user. Zelda is thrown to the ground just as unceremoniously as she was snatched up (not that... anyone can really see her at this point), and the retrieval unit breaks the ice at its feet to chase down the offending spectre.

Zelda, meanwhile, groans as she rights herself, rubbing the place on which she landed in hopes of soothing the bruise that will likely be there tomorrow.]

Nngh... Lina, help Neal, please. We can catch up when this ridiculousness is taken care of.

[halfpintsorceress]

...well, it worked. Guess it's not all bad.

[Lina shrugs, then turns to Neal - she at least assumes that he's Neal, given the situation. Once more, she conjures up blue energy and flings it at the ground by the retrieval unit's feet.]

FREEZE ARROW!

[imperialsun]

[OF COURSE IT WOULD WORK he's done far stupider things far stranger things before. The persona continues to lead the retrieval unit away, as Naoya inches just close enough to keep a mental contact with it. Maybe he can lead it to a window somewhere so it can fall down...]

[wegotlucky]

[It's enough for Neal to break free, staring incredulously at the frozen unit.]

Thanks, Lina.

[sageprincess]

[The unit's not quite dumb enough to simply walk off the edge of the Tower on its own, but it does come dangerously close. One solid push and it would probably go tumbling down.

While the others are taking care of the units, Zelda gets to her feet, taking care not to slip on the remaining ice from Lina's spell. After a brief moment of taking stock, she gestures to the staircase, motioning for the others to follow.]

Come on. We can escape while they are distracted.

[halfpintsorceress]

"Eh, don't worry about it. Just be glad the situation is what it is, or otherwise I'd be shakin' you down for a reward," Lina grouses, dusting her hands off while looking a bit put out.

Zelda gets a nod, though, and a sigh. "Been meaning to find you since I showed up again, but this isn't exactly ideal conditions."