ya gotta wanna be a battering ram

[headandhand]

WHO: The entire dang city.
WHAT: Dualis Days, a week-long summer celebration.
WHERE: Central Square Park and the rest of the city.
WHEN: June 17-23.
WARNINGS: Terrorist violence, likely some blood and injuries. Please warn in individual threads!

June 17; Central Square Park.

Every year for as far back as anyone can remember, the start of summer is heralded by the week-long festival known as Dualis Days. This celebration officially kicks off at midday in the middle of Central Square Park with a commencement speech by the current mayor. This year marks Marcelina Dubanowski's third term as mayor of Dualis; she is an average-sized, middle-aged human-presenting woman with blonde hair styled in a short bob and a plastic, toothy smile that never seems to turn entirely off.

"Welcome, one and all!" she begins, with the practiced cadence of someone who is quite comfortable with public speaking. She invites all citizens, new and old, to spend the next week indulging in festivities in all districts of the city and getting to know their neighbors a little better. This is a joyous time of celebration, and the crowd responds with enthusiastic applause as the mayor finishes her speech and introduces this year's parade marshall, Peshtigo Tengfei.

Tengfei blows a whistle six times to signal the start of the parade - and this is where the celebration goes sideways.

A loud explosion tears through the air, and it's followed by panicked screams and the sharp screech of microphone feedback. A bomb has gone off at the platform where the mayor was standing, collapsing the wood and tearing it to splinters and dust. Chaos erupts in the gathered crowd, and as the people shift in all directions to get clear of any possible additional bombs, a loud siren cuts through the cacophony, calling attention to the sudden crackle of video feed present on all television screens throughout the city, including those set up in the park to broadcast the mayor's speech for those standing far from the stage. The picture is plain, a black background and bold white block letters filling the screen:

WAKE UP
WAKE UP
DON'T BELIEVE THE LIES

The final image is an anatomical graphic of a human heart, displayed for about three seconds, and then the feed goes black again.

Confused murmurs sweep through the crowd as citizens resume tending to the injured and evacuating the area until official first responders arrive.

June 17-23; aftermath around the city.

Dualis Days continues as scheduled, though Mayor Dubanowski is unable to enjoy the festival, as she is spending the week in the hospital recovering from her injuries. A team of Iterations guard her door - no visitors allowed - but the news media frequently report updates on her condition. Nothing to worry about, folks! Return to your celebrations, and don't mind the increased visible presence of the Hand as Iterations are stationed every few blocks throughout the city. It's only for your protection, after all.

Comments

[cisskabob]

She finds his hand and laces their fingers together, giving his a squeeze. "Good. ...How's your head feeling?"

If she sounds a little guilty about that, it's because she is definitely feeling guilty, especially after they day they've had. She probably won't believe him if he says his head is fine. Hers isn't fine, and she didn't start the day with a concussion.

[mrsarcastic003]

"Fine."

It's not fine, but he's had worse, so it's not really worth worrying about, as far as he's concerned. He grimaces, even though she won't see it. "I'm pretty sure this is not what either of us was planning for today. I thought we were watching a parade."

[cisskabob]

"Liar," she says, without any heat, leaning a little harder into him to make her point. Any other kind of movement seems too much at the moment. Still, she manages a bit of a laugh. "Yeah, me too. Parade and a carnival with a lot of fried foods. I was going to force you to try a fried oreo."

[mrsarcastic003]

"That sounds horrifying," he replies, his tone mild. "I guess I dodged a bullet there. Thank goodness for terrorism, right?" He sighs. He's tired. Between the lump on his head and arriving in a new world that is decidedly not Gotham and the excitement following the abortive parade... It's been a long day, and this is the closest he's going to get to rest for a while.

[cisskabob]

"I heard some people talking about coming back tomorrow for the food, so you might not be in the clear yet," she informs him, squeezing his hand again. "Maybe they'll have artichoke pizza here. Or even Zesti. You never know."

[mrsarcastic003]

"I might be convinced to give carnival food another shot in those circumstances." He gives her a wry grin. "You know how I feel about artichokes. And Zesti." He glances over at her. "So what are you going to be looking forward to? I mean, aside from your horrifying oreos."

[cisskabob]

"I do know how you feel," she says, smiling tiredly. "You are so strange, you know. But I think I want some good old fashioned french fries. Maybe some fried dough." She paused and asked thoughtfully, "How do you think artichoke and pineapple would work on a pizza? I bet we could find an open pizza place somewhere on our way back to the dorms."

[mrsarcastic003]

"I think that sounds weird, but it's a weird I can work with." He gives her a sidelong look. "Bring it back to the dorm, or eat there?"

[cisskabob]

She gives him a hopeful look. "...Back to the dorms? We can eat on the beds in pajamas? Watch a movie?"

It's been a long, hard day and she just wants a shower and some food and a bed. She's not sure if Tim wants to keep working, but she has a feeling he could use the break too.

[mrsarcastic003]

There is a large part of him that says that he should push through, deal with the headache and the everything else until everything is settled again, but looking around... It's not really necessary. The authorities have it under control at this point, and while he knows that they can be helpful, there's no point in overdoing it now. Cissie's exhausted. So is he, and who knows what tomorrow will bring, especially since their new 'home' seems to have its very own terrorist group?

"That actually sounds really good right now."

[cisskabob]

Cissie lets out a soft, relieved sigh. She hadn't exactly been holding her breath, but it's still a relief that she doesn't have to work harder to convince Tim to give it up for a while. She smiles at him, and carefully pushes herself to her feet, standing and offering him her hand.

"Then let's go, roomie. Pizza, pajamas and falling asleep with the tv on."

[mrsarcastic003]

"You drive a hard bargain." He takes her hands and gets to his feet. "Let's go."