Blackout, House 11

[tryingitall]

Who: Balthazar, Rat and Open!
What: Lights are out. They should build a pillowfort and tell scary stories, right?
When: Day 101
Where: House 11, with possible visits around town by Balthazar, should anyone want that.


All right, so the blackout is, in itself, not terribly alarming. Inconvenient, yes, but provided the weather stays tolerably warm and nothing horrible comes out of the woods to kill them, it's just annoying.

At least in the short term. In the long term, water will need to be boiled and distilled, food storage will have to be tweaked, etc. Balthazar's hoping it won't come to that. Right now, it seems best to treat this as temporary.

On the second day after the lights go out, he's taken the initiative to snag some supplies from the store and junkpiles around town and created a couple makeshift light sources: three candles and an oil lamp in an empty wine bottle. The dim glow is visible from outside the house, a small circle of golden flames. Combine it with a little of the moonshine he's gotten from Ellen and it's almost festive, in a rustic sort of way.

Comments

[bluesrat]

If he'd still been sleeping out on the street, Rat might not have even noticed there was a blackout, but as it is he's still made no complaints. He's got a sofa to crash on and he's not starving, so it's all good.

He comes back in from who-knows-where to Balthazar setting up a little party of light, and blinks in the glow of the candles. "...That's pretty. What's the occasion?"

[tryingitall]

"Not knowing what's going to break down next is the occasion!" He says exuberantly, and offers out the bottle, then retracts it quickly. Wait, no, this stuff is too strong for humans to drink without something mixed in. "Er...I'll pour you a glass, if you want a drink. Have you seen Chuck?"

[bluesrat]

"...Oh. Well that's... festive." His eyebrows rise, then he looks a little crestfallen as the bottle is retracted.

"Not today, no. Sorry... and I'd take a drink." He sinks down onto one end of the couch, setting the guitar at his feet. It's very homey, somehow, with all the candles. "You seem in good spirits about it all..."

[tryingitall]

"No one's sick or starving yet. Until that happens, or until something presents itself than I might be able to fix, I figure it's best to stay positive."

He nabs a cup off the table, pours it half-full of moonshine, then adds water from another glass. "This is the first batch. It's extremely powerful, otherwise I wouldn't dilute your drink. If it's too strong still, there's some honey in the kitchen."

He sighs. "You know what would make it better is if I could get Loki to make us some marshmallows to toast."

For Alec

[tryingitall]

Ellen asked him to look after Dean, which is a nice thought, but Balthazar thinks it's going to prove impossible anyway. Maybe if he looks after Dean's younger doppelganger, that's close enough? Alec's been a lot more amenable to friendly overtures, anyway. So after about 20 hours of blackout, it occurs to Balthazar to seek him out.

So in the morning of day 101, Alec gets a knock on his door, and a smug-looking blond guy on the porch with an open beer bottle in one hand. (Surprise; he's refilled it with something stronger than beer. This is his idea of a housewarming gift.) "Morning. Holding up okay?"

[monticora]

He's trying to decide if he wants to sleep in the living room or stay in his actual room when Balthazar knocked. It's safer to be in the living room because of his proximity to the downstairs and the element of surprise if something happens. It's also more dangerous because of the multiple entrances. His room provides a more direct route he can cover, but it's predictable and Alec doesn't want to be predictable at this point. He wants to provide the element of surprise for those who'd want to hurt him. He's on higher alert since the lights went out.

Alec is hesitant to even go near the door, but keeping up appearances is important in this crazy place. He pulled open the door to reveal Balthazar and unclenched a little. Plus he's got alcohol and that really is a good way to start out a friendship. "No one's tried to kidnap me again so I guess that would be yes. Wanna come in?" He's already opened the door just a little wider to give him access.

[tryingitall]

It's a bit sad that any of them need to be so paranoid. Most of them aren't, in fact, but if Balthazar were privy to Alec's analysis of the situation, he wouldn't be able to fault him. The only trouble with being hyper-vigilant is that it doesn't seem to make a difference in whether their captors can grab a person or not. It's sensible, but futile.

If they can take Lucifer away, what chance does anyone else have?

Still, at least they can have some fun before the other shoe drops, and Balthazar flashes a cheerful smile, nodding and slipping inside. "I brought you some moonshine, courtesy of our own dear Ellen. It might be wise to use some to mix with water for the sake of killing bacteria, but if you want to drink it straight I won't blame you."

[monticora]

"You didn't tell her this was for me did you?" He wouldn't put it past that crazy old lady to put someone in it to mess with him. He wasn't sure if she was still sore over him not wanting to share supplies. She was nice and everything, but Alec doesn't really trust hospitality like that. Not even Logan wanted Alec around too much and he was a goddamn saint in a wheelchair. It kind of surprises him when other people actually actively seek him out. Balthazar is surprising him as well.

He shut the door behind him and reached for the bottle. He leaned forward and took a sniff. It was strong and it had Alec leaning backwards. "I guess I can't be too picky. Could be water." He has no intention of mixing with water or anything. Alec's immune system is pretty advanced. Transgenic's have been outfitted to be immune to most bio-warfare agents. "Little bacteria does the body good." It's safer than him telling Balthazar that him ingesting bacteria is like throwing darts at a brick wall.

Alec tilted his head back and took a sip. Once he swallowed his face contorted and he shook his head. "Good thing I don't have a liver condition."

For Riley

[tryingitall]

Riley probably has some of the best night vision of any of them out there. He doubts the lack of light is any problem for her, but clean water and food preparation might be a different story.

Besides which, he's pleased to take any opportunity to visit his friend Whiskers. He comes by her place in the light, just before midday, bringing a gallon jug of purified water, and an extra blanket, announcing his presence with a tap at one of her windows. "All right in there?"

[undomesticated]

Lack of power isn't a problem for her since she's lived on dirt floors and her bathroom has been anywhere away from the village more often than not, but she's a little worried about the fact that the power's out in the first place. Was this just another part of what the watchers were doing do them? Slowly taking everything away until they were living in the most basic of lifestyles?

The tap at her window surprised her, but the voice that accompanied it had her going over to it, opening it with a smile. "Well, well, look what the cat dragged in."

Yes, that was a tease at her own expense. "You coming in?"

[tryingitall]

"Meow!" He grins and leans on the windowsill. "You seem to be coping well; I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I brought you clean water, though."

There's a flicker of shadow as he unfurls his wings, flutters, and reappears next to her. "And a blanket, although it's not that cold. But maybe you can make a fort under a table with it or something."

[undomesticated]

One minute he's outside her window, the next he's in her room. That was kind of a cool ability and she turned and smiled at him, hearing the fading flutter of wings. "You brought me stuff? Balthazar, you're too cute."

He got a hug for his efforts and a kiss on the cheek. "I usually just wear my fur if it starts getting too chilly, or just find a friend to curl up with."

Yes, that was an insinuation. No, it wasn't the dirty kind.

Open! But Raphael is meddling

[servingmichael]

[ Raphael heard the hum of the electric go out. He wasn't too concerned, it occasionally took time for humans to fix these things. But when an hour went by, he grew curious, then remembered how fast food spoiled.

He was in the kitchen of House 11 immediately after, a touch to each of the food items ensuring they wouldn't spoil, finger tips brushing over the facets to keep the water pure.

A moment later, after thinking about it, he pulled an empty can from the trash and transfigured it into a lantern, complete with kerosene - that wouldn't run out until the power was back on. Then he tied a tag on it, for Chuck. He'd need the light at night.

And he'd continue to check on the house, of course. ]

[hung_garian]

[Gabriel's not exactly concerned by the lack of electricity either, or the blackout, or any of it. But he is on edge. He's pretty sure that whoever brought everyone here is easily capable of restoring power, so either they don't care or this is on purpose. And given that one of their main priorities seems to be watching their captives via those cameras, it seems unlikely that they just wouldn't care... not under normal circumstances, at least. Perhaps he's being a pessimist, but he's very much waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He wouldn't not notice Raphael anyway, of course. And to be honest, he'd probably be trying to take advantage of any time they could spend together - Lucifer and Anna are a looming reminder of just how easily that time could be cut short. But now especially he's eager to try and keep the family together, in case something does happen.]

Playing Santa Claus, are you? You forgot the outfit and the reindeers, but I suppose it's what's inside that counts.

[servingmichael]

[ Raphael has similar thoughts - the cameras are every where, he's curious if they are trying to flush out those that have powers and what they are.

But if it gives him reason to hold on extra tight to his siblings...he'll take it. Anna being gone (still) is a worry, and Lucifer is a heartbreak he won't allow himself to think about, because he doesn't understand it. So he just holds on tighter to those he can. ]

I'm not sure red matches Donnie. And the reindeer would just be food.

...Or I could etch them in Chuck's windows. Do you think he would get it?

[hung_garian]

Pfft. Everyone looks good in red.

[Although admittedly Gabriel isn't really someone who should be doling out fashion advice. See also: his shirt in Mystery Spot.]

I think he'd probably pass out in terror. Seems to be his default reaction to... just about everything, really.

Re: Open! But Raphael is meddling

[bluesrat]

Rat hasn't been staying there long, and he never ventures past the ground floor because he's not sure he has the right to go wandering into what might be private rooms. Sounds in the kitchen catch his attention, though, so he ducks his head through the doorway and squints into the shadowy space. "...Balthazar? Hello?"

[servingmichael]

"Right family, wrong brother." It's causal, calm and quiet, Raphael idly stroking the spigot over the sink. He's cleaning it, though you'd have to be another angel to see what he's doing. "I believe he's out currently."

He turns, looking over. If he's surprised that it's Rat, it doesn't show.

[bluesrat]

He freezes, in the doorway, and not just to give his eyes time to adjust. "...Ah. Don't I kn-Sorry, I mean... I'm not interrupting, am I?" His brain trips over what to say as he's caught off guard by fragments of dream memories. Rat knows him, but he's not sure he's supposed to.

For Donna

[tryingitall]

Balthazar worries just a bit about everyone mortal in the Cape. His closest confidantes both strike him as sensible enough to stay out of trouble in the dark, but he still can't stand not checking on them. Thus, in the mid-morning he arrives at Donna's door. He's brought clean water and a couple candles, knocking on the door firmly.

"Hello, Donna? It's me. Do you need anything?" He wonders if she has a fireplace. He could gather some wood.

[noblexcompanion]

Poor Donna is suffering from a bad hair day. It's bad enough that she doesn't have her straighteners and fancy shampoos and sprays here, but now she has no hair dryer. What kind of Hell is this place?! She's suffering from frizz and it's frustrating.

She opens the door to him, offering a half smile. "Hot water and hair dryers? Nah. I'm okay. Coping. Not the first power cut I've lived through. Course, most of 'em were when I was younger so it was kind of an adventure. Now it's a little worrying."

[tryingitall]

Balthazar doesn't seem to notice the frizz, or care. He smiles warmly at her and offers out the candles first. "Glad you're all right. I brought fresh water, but it's not hot. I suppose I could heat water for you, though."

"And I know what you mean. It's ominous. Part of the experiment, or something breaking down? Who know." He grimaces expressively.

open i guess if anyone wants any more threads with doucheface here

[hung_garian]

[Gabriel, similarly, isn't particularly bothered by the blackout, or its consequences. After all, it's not going to matter to the angels, is it? He's a little woried, though, about what it might mean. And besides, having their very own campfire's kinda nice.

Of course, he's not going to help with anything - or at least, he won't volunteer to. He'll just be sitting here with a glass of wine of mysterious origin, eating a similarly mysterious pile of strawberry bootlaces piled up on a plate like spaghetti, Lady and the Tramp style (except, uh, alone). It's good to know he's using his powers well, isn't it?]

Well, always.

[tryingitall]

[Little brother Balthazar chooses this moment to sit on the floor next to the couch and rest his chin on the arm, like a puppy looking for treats. He's not after bootlaces, though, or even Gabriel's wine. Not this time.]

What would I owe you if I could talk you into making marshmallows for us to toast over the fire? Just, you know, within this house. No need to supply the entire cape. Pretty please?

<3

[hung_garian]

How pretty? Girl next door pretty or supermodel pretty?

[He finishes slurping up the bootlace, then takes a genteel sip of wine.]

I suppose I could be convinced. Depends how many strays you've brought home. You and Raph can have marshmallows any time you like - or, well, you can, I doubt he'd touch 'em with a bargepole - but if you've got the whole menagerie that is your posse here, I don't know how you're planning to fit us all around the campfire. I can supply a couple extras, though. The family, the pet prophet and I suppose just a handful of your groupies, but y'know, I'm not a soup kitchen.