[Voice, locked to residents] --EMERGENCY--EMERGENCY--EMERGENCY--EMERGENCY--

[malnosso]

[At 2:15AM, the journals suddenly blare out an alarm, followed by this message.]

EMERGENCY. EMERGENCY. This is an emergency.

The following occupants of the Luceti enclosure must report to the teleporters in twenty minutes. You are required as reinforcements in Region 13. Bring all necessary armaments with you. You will be teleported directly into combat.

Anyone who fails to comply will be forcibly escorted to the teleporters by droids.

This is not a drill. I repeat: this is not a drill. You have twenty minutes.

[The message repeats twice more, the alarm continuing until the twenty minutes has elapsed. No questions will be answered.]

Comments

[wildbluevagner]

Fine! [He finds himself smiling as he tried to act agitated by it.]

If that's the way it is, maybe I'll just take some of your worrying for myself! And there's nothing you can do to stop me.

[He dips an imaginary spoon towards Mia's head, as if scooping up ice cream.]

[frost_jewel]

[The motions are...unusual, but the sentiment is real.]

Oh, no, I can't trust you with it. Something awful might happen to it while it's with you, and then where would I be?

[wildbluevagner]

[He tried ok. The sentiment definitely can't get any realer.]

Come on, I can totally handle it! Would it be so bad to end up a little more worry-free? If it means a Mia who smiles more, I don't see the problem there!

[frost_jewel]

I think I smile a lot already, Kurt.

[That one stung, as the implication that she's doing a disservice to herself of her friends always does, however humorously intended.]

[wildbluevagner]

You have a good track record. I'll give you that much. [He plays at mulling it over. He's trying to make sure he doesn't slip in anything that hits him. He'd much rather live in this moment of levity for as long as possible; he's not even sure how much longer they have left until they have to leave at this point.] Still, smiles must be a lot better when they're not mixed with worries.

[frost_jewel]

They are. Still...this stretch of calm was too good to be true, wasn't it?

[wildbluevagner]

I guess it was. [Reality starts to drag him down, but he holds a soft look on his face.] At least we'll have something calm to think back to, whenever things get crazy.

[frost_jewel]

[Mia can't help but smile again and shake her head.]

You really don't worry about anything.

[wildbluevagner]

[He runs a hand through his hair.]

It's only because I don't have to do homework here! ...Or maybe I just find it a lot harder to worry, when I'm around friends.