This is an official Mod Note, per the request of one Miss Rosie, to let ye patrons know that this thread shall open on the first day of the twelfth month.

AKA, see ya'll in December.

...and we're back! Welcome back to Supernova, Rosie's amazing brainchild.

Day 2: Arida
In the projects near the convent

The woman returned a few moments later, carrying a baby and several bags. Xandria took one of these, and handed one to each of the other girls. Behind the woman were several other children, the elder ones carrying sleeping bags and other goods. Xandria took one of the sleeping bags and motioned to the others to do the same. They all turned and quietly walked out the door.

Xandria reached down and grabbed the hand of a littler boy. He looked up at her with wide eyes, then smiled at her when she smiled at him.

"Let's hurry," she whispered. Even though they were outside, she didn't want to attract any unneeded attention.

The Convent

Romano looked at Julietta for a moment, then down at the plate, then back at Julietta. Finally, he stood up and in two steps was beside Julietta. A moment later, he had gathered her up into his arms, and carefully carried the sobbing woman into the little house.

"Doctor," he called as he walked through the kitchen and into the sitting room. "I think you're needed. Julietta has a pretty nasty puncture on her foot, as well as a nasty cut on both her hand and her foot."

— Day 2, Late Afternoon —
Palisade National Park
Camp Watzmilion

Previously…

Sgt. Jones discusses “radiation poisoning” with Dan
The military ransacks the Baxters’ car and asks Dan to join them – without his family
The military chases Dan, his family, Jenny and Volt; they escape despite being shot at

Sergeant Thomas Jones squirmed a bit, even as he stood rigidly at attention. It wasn’t every day he faced a dressing-down from his CO. The day had begun so well; now his military career might be over.

“How could you have let this happen?” the older man asked, gesturing at the open file on his desk. The name BAXTER was prominently displayed. “It should have been a routine recruitment; this man’s talent with machines would have been invaluable to us. But thanks to your incompetence, he’s on the run.”

“Sir, he wanted to bring his family to a secure –"

“I know what he wanted!” The man slammed the file shut. “Don’t you think you could have promised to make inquiries rather than tell him no? It’s no surprise, after all. It’s all right here in his file, if you’d bothered to really read it. He’s loyal – to Azurema, his job, but most of all, his family. But it's not blind loyalty. There’s no way he’ll willingly help us now that he’s been shot at.”

“They were just tranquillizer darts.”

“Do you think it matters to him? It remains that you shot at unarmed civilians, even children. On top of that you needlessly seized his vehicle and ransacked it.”

“Sir, I –"

“You are dismissed, Sergeant Jones.” The tone made it clear that another such error in judgment would result in a demotion – or worse. “I’ll take over the Baxter case personally.”

“Sir.” Jones saluted smartly, turned, and left the room. If I ever get my hands on Baxter… he thought to himself.

“At least I know where he lives.” The CO closed the file and turned his mind to other pressing matters.

Day 1, Arenico, Diabolis, alleyway

General poked his head out onto the street and looked around. The whole city was in chaos. None of the neon signs were working, nor were any of the cars. Humans were running to and fro asking each other what had happened and trying to find their families.

"Seriously?" thought General. "It's been 5 minutes and they are already panicking like it's the end of the world? Even if it was they aren't gaining anything running around screaming their heads off."

Then he noticed that a lot of the people were running to his left. He poked his head out a little farther and looked to his left, but didn't see what they were running to.

"Or perhaps they are running away from something?" He looked to his right just in time to dodge back as a giant stone foot nearly crushed his head. A 10 foot tall rock creature was running through the streets screaming "What's happened to me! What's happened to me!" as everyone tried to stay out of his way. General simply stared after it in shock. "Okay, that just happened."

Day 1, Arenico, Diabolis, Sturgeon family's apartment

After helping his mom finish cleaning Harry went back to watching his father out the window. He watched as he pushed a pick-up all by himself while shouting for everyone passing through to stay on the left side of the road so people wouldn't be pushing past each other. There were no policemen or other authority figures, his father seemed to be the only one with any sort of plan, and no one dared disagree with him. Harry knew that it wasn't so much that his father intimidated people, (although that was part of it), he just had this "I'm going to get this done so are you with me or not?" air about him. He looked like someone to follow. Harry wished he could be like that. Trouble was, his father was a tall strong man who worked as a bouncer, he was just a skinny kid who could get beat by kids half his age. His father had tried helping him work out, but it seemed none of the strength of his parents had been passed on to him. He sighed and decided to check on Flame. The lizard was still out cold on the coffee table. As he got closer, he noticed an odd smell. After sniffing a bit, it seemed to be coming from Flame. Harry knelt down and his eyes widened in shock. Smoke was coming out of Flames nose!

Day 2, sunset, edge of Parksville

After hours of hiking, they could finally see Parksville from on top of the hill they had just scaled. If Jenny had bothered to look she could have seen that part of the town had burned, but she felt too tired. She regretted wasting her strength on a race she knew she had no chance of winning earlier.

"Well Volt," she panted, "we're almost there, let's get our disguises on. There's a patch of dirt for you right here."

"Rats, she remembered," thought Volt before reluctantly rolling around in said patch while Jenny got out her pseudo-glasses. When he finished he got up and had a look at himself. He had to admit, it was a good disguise, but he knew his fur and skin would start to itch pretty soon.

Jenny turned to the Baxters. "I've still got my makeup kit, any alterations you guys want to make before we start circling?" she asked.

— Day 2, Sunset —
Near Parksville

Angie stepped forward, thinking about how to answer Jenny’s question, but then gasped as she saw Parksville spread out below them. Dan sensed her apprehension immediately and rushed to her side. She remained silent, so he followed her pointing arm.

“That looks like our neighborhood,” he whispered, glancing back to see what Grace was up to. It was not the time to tell her their house might have burned down. As it happened, he had no need to worry; she was distracted watching Volt and Candy roll around in the dirt.

“I’m glad we can go to the Kingsleys’ house,” Angie sighed. “I just hope the Norwoods are all right.”

“Me too,” Dan replied as he walked to another part of the hill that had the best view to the west. He eyed the setting sun and asked, “So, do we want to go to town under cover of darkness – but possibly run into some wild animals – or wait until dawn?”

“Daddy, look!” came an excited little voice.

He turned to see Grace pointing at the vegetation near his feet. Leaves of three, let it be, the old mantra was.

“Ugh, some woodsman I am! Poison ivy!” Normally he was quite aware of his surroundings and had always managed to avoid the irritating plant; now, more than ever, he couldn’t afford to be easily distracted. This is no time to get sloppy, he scolded himself. My family’s counting on me.

Angie spoke up. “I have some lotion for – oh, I guess not. It was in the car.”

“Another reason to get to the Kingsleys, I suppose.” The frustration was clear. “At least I have a few hours before it gets too unbearable.” His wife offered him a bottle of water, and he went to work washing the areas where he’d come into contact with the poison ivy. “This might help. I wonder if we should wait for dawn, so this doesn’t happen again.” He gestured to the plants around him. “But I’m open to suggestions.”

Day 2: Arida
In the projects near the convent

Allee juggled the bags and two-year-old daughter with slight difficulty, but managed to follow the other girls out to the street.

She jumped as a gunshot ripped through the air, followed by several others. She ducked instinctively, but it seemed that the shots were in the distance. "What was that?" she yelled, still hunched over. She straightened, gripping the hand of the toddler tightly in hers. Her eyes widened as she ran through all the possibilities in her mind. She stared at Xandria. "Gangs?"

The Convent
Julietta's mind was a fog of pain and euphoria. Romano was carrying her! Finally, he was...

Her mind drifted along like a paddleboat on a slow river. And then everything faded to black.

She wasn't sure whether she'd fainted due to the pain or Romano's presence, but when she woke up she was stretched out on the couch inside the convent. The pain in her hand and foot was excruciating, and seemed to throb along with the ticking of the clock in the corner.

Julietta couldn't bring herself to move, so she just laid there and stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts alternated between bemoaning her klutzy tendencies and rejoicing the fact that Romano had had to carry her. So maybe there was a good side to the evening after all, she reasoned. If Romano confessed his undying love for her that evening, she'd wear her scars proudly forever.

Still... it really, really hurt.

Day 2: Arida
The Projects

Xandria set down one of the bags and picked it up again, trying to get a better handle on it. She nodded at Allee.

"Stick to the shadows," she said softly. "They don't have good aim, but that doesn't mean much."

The little boy whimpered and buried his face against Xandria's leg. Xandria knelt down and began talking to him quietly. He let go of her leg and wrapped his arms around her neck. He wasn't much older than the little girl that was with Allee. Xandria picked him up and kept walking, quicker, and closer to the buildings. A moment later, she knew they were in for it. More gunshots, this time, much closer.

"Split up and run!" she called softly over her shoulder. "We'll meet back at the convent. Stay in the shadows, and try to get away from where people might be!"

The Convent

Romano had carried Julietta inside, and then, when the Doctor stubbornly refused to wake up from his nap, decided to take matters into his own hands. He was just returning with the wonderful goodies of a doctor when Julietta woke up. Romano pulled a chair up next to the couch, and flipped the light on.

"Hey," he said, placing a stack of gauze on her hand. Not sure what else to say, he picked up Julietta's other hand and put it on top of the gauze, pressing the two together. After sitting down by her feet, he put a towel down on his lap and gently picked up Julietta's foot. He felt more comfortable talking, now that he had something to focus on.

A foot. With blood on it. Romano gulped, then adjusted the light and started cleaning the wounds. It appeared a piece of the plate was still in her foot.

"This is probably going to hurt...a lot," he said quietly. "Do you want me to numb it some?"

Day 1
Judicia, Erbaine
Laramie's House
Previous Post

Laramie nodded and allowed herself to relax a bit. "It looks worse than it is," she told Liam, peering over her shoulder at the mess inside the house. "And I'm fine. Everyone's fine. Well, except the windows, obviously." She glanced at the glass covering the porch floor. "And the couch. It looks like someone took a nap with a chainsaw."

She buried her hands in the pockets of her sweater and after a moment, said quietly, "We're waiting for Ben to come home." Her voice sounded tense and worry-filled even to her own ears, so Laramie shook her head slightly and said nothing more. Liam would understand, anyway.

Reaching behind her, Laramie pulled the front door shut before taking a step forward. "What did Dr. Dreyman have to say?"

Day 1
Judicia, Erbaine
Laramie's House

"I'm so glad you're okay." Liam studied his friend's face, then pulled her into a gentle yet tight hug. "Seriously. I don't know what I would do if..." He shook his head as he pulled away, refusing to let his thoughts go there. He stuck his hands in his pockets and remained silent as he thought about how much they'd lost today, and how much worse it could have been. Laramie was silent too, and he didn't blame her. Ben was missing... now what?

Laramie's voice brought him back to reality. "The doctor...?" Liam's voice trailed off, his brows furrowed. "Oh. The doctor. Right. He said that there's food and supplies stocked up at his house. He knew the supernova was coming, so he got it all together for that purpose. You have to come with me, Laramie." He grabbed onto her shoulders gently, unaware of the bandages on his hands or the pain that his wounds were supposed to cause. "It's the only way you'll survive. The only way I can save you."

Day 2: Arida
In the projects near the convent

Allee's heart jumped into her throat, but she managed to stay calm... for the most part. Aside from her heart pounding in her ears and her racing pulse, she was a-okay.

She grabbed the two-year-old with one arm and hoisted her up over her shoulder. She ran as fast as she could, all the while thanking her stars for all those years she did track in high school.

Allee came to a brief stop to catch her breath as soon as she made it into a side alley. She'd managed to avoid getting shot. For now.

All thoughts flew from her mind as she came face-to-face with the barrel of a gun. Well, that freedom was shortlived, she thought dryly. She'd made the mistake of running into an alley, and a wide-framed man blocked her way. There was no escape.

The Convent

"Hi." Julietta smiled up at Romano. "How are you? I mean, that's a silly question, considering that I completely ruined our whole evening..." She stopped short as soon as he picked up her foot. A new round of butterflies bounced around in her stomach. "Oh dear."

She bit her lip in a valiant effort to stay quiet as he cleaned her wounds. The pain was nothing compared to the fact that he was taking care of her.

"Do you want me to numb it some?" he asked.

The image of a needle flashed through her mind. "NO!" she screamed. The volume of her voice sounded like a chipmunk. "I mean... I'm just... it's that..." She sighed, looking at her hands, and her voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm afraid of needles."

Arida: Day 2
The Convent

Romano froze, antiseptic mid air, and looked up at Julietta.

"You're afraid of needles?" he asked in disbelief. "You're a medical student for crying out loud!"

Arida: Day 2
The Convent

"Well, it's not any different than you being afraid of blood, now is it?" she retorted tartly, then regretted it a moment later. What was it about Romano that made her love him one moment, then hate him the next? "Sorry." She poked him for good measure--with her good hand, of course.. "Give me a drinkable potion or something, but no needles."

Arida, Day 2: The Convent

Romano glared at Julietta momentarily.

"Well, at least I can swallow my fear without squeaking over it," he said crisply, moving her foot back onto the couch and standing up. "I'll get you something, but you better promise to drink it. Deal?"

Arida: Day 2
The Convent

Julietta nearly choked on her anger. He was doing this just to spite her, she knew, but then again, she guessed she deserved it after the comment she just made. Still, it was all she could do not to launch off the couch and poke him repeatedly.

Somehow, she managed to push back the angry words threatening to spill out. She swallowed. "Deal. But it better not taste bad. You know, maybe you could find something cherry-flavored?"

Arida, Day 2: The Convent

Romano rolled his eyes as he stepped through the doorway.

"I'll try," he called over his shoulder, first vanishing into the prep room and then making his way into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and stared into it.

"Cherry...lime-aid. Perfect."

Romano pulled the carton out, and then found a nice (plastic) cup for Julietta. He decided the glass and ceramic cups could stay in the cabinet for a good while.

After pouring about a half a cup of the limeaid, Romano began hunting through the kitchen. Usually Julietta's domain, it took him a few minutes to find that nice little yellow box, but when he did, he new exactly how to use it. After stirring vigorously, he picked up the package he had taken from the prep room, and returned to Julietta's side.

"I'm sorry, but it is a little thick," he said, setting the little blue kit down by Julietta's foot as he sat down. He sniffed the drink, wrinkled his nose, and then handed it to his fellow student. "Drink up."

Arida: Day 2
The Convent

Julietta took the cup, her fingers brushing lightly against his. "Plastic. Nice. I may be a klutz, but I'm not stupid. I don't blame you, though. I don't trust myself with glass ever again."

She made a face as she stared into the cup of gooey liquid. "You're not trying to poison me, are you?"