2020-10-04 - Save Ferris

"What do you have over there, card swipe?" Leon was saying to Renata, because obviously, every conversation eventually comes down to occupationals. He had probably gotten introductions done at some point, just like with Nicole, though that introduction had likely been more of a catching up, being she'd likely been a sophomore in high school when they'd met. He was still talking about locksmithing, though. "I hear there's been a real problem getting replacement parts from China recently. Either not getting the right stuff or just shoddy crap when it comes in."

August was here because it's a nice walk for his afternoon break between appointments, and he saw the Ferris wheel and got nostalgic. He and Eleanor had their first real talk on their first real date on one of these, and now that they're married, he's of a mind to buy a ticket and take a brief ride.

He doesn't expect all the kids and nuns, though it amuses him. So he winds up in a car with Kailey and Aidan. "Hey," he says as the attendant stuffs everyone in, curling up his long legs. "How've you two been?"

Kailey has a sketch book out from her shoulder bag as she approaches the ferris wheel. Today she has a plan to sketch the water from up high. It doesn't matter if she has other people in the gondola with her. But she is obviously delighted when she sees the others. "Hey yous," She says with perky cheer and a big grin. "I've been tired. You?" And her eyes move from August to Aidan as she settles in and pulls out a mechanical pencil. The sketchbook is popped open and she readies herself for some quick sketching.

Squeezed into the last car with Renata, Leon, and Joey, Nicole gets as comfortable as one can be on a Ferris Wheel. She exchanges pleasantries with her care-mates, introducing herself to Renata, and reminiscing briefly with an 'oh yeah!' to Leon when he points out they were in school together. Her brain, however, kinda turns off at the topic of locks and all that. Not exactly her area of interest, though she does try to follow the conversation a bit. Turning to Joey, she stage-whispers, "all these nuns and kids. You're going to have to keep your vocabulary on its best behavior.' Her lips twist a bit crookedly at that.

Joey is here one arm around Nicole's waist being kinda... civilian really. It's not often the school gym coach/crime underboss gets to cut loose. Looking over Nicole's shoulders across to Leon he murmurs in that gruff agreement of his, "Yeah. Like that with everything though. I mean unless you make something yourself you really have to accept you get what you get, I'm pretty sure." There's a pause and he squints at the kids, and then the nuns feeling very bad for those kids. He knows what Nicole is getting at and murmurs, "If the nuns swear though is it ok if I do?"

Aidan isn't working today, but he's on the Boardwalk anyway because it was feeling quiet in the trailer and ice cream sounded good. He's finished the cone, but what the heck: Ferris wheel! So he's settled in comfortably with August and Kailey, giving the pair of them a wide grin as they all claim their seats. "Hey!" he replies brightly, "Not too bad. Though it's kinda weird not having anyone else in the trailer for a while. Which, congratulations!" That's to August, though he adds to Kailey, "Also to you, I think? Only not for the same things. As far as I know." He looks around at the other gondolas, as best he can from inside theirs, noting, "That's a lot of nuns. And kids, I mean, technically more kids, but usually I don't see that many nuns."

Renata wears a wry smile as the attendant ushers the crowd of children and nuns onto the Ferris Wheel. So much for reminiscing on a quiet ride into the sky. "I decided to stick with lock and key," She replies to Leon. "It's a little old-fashioned but I prefer it to electronic systems." She's polite and attentive during introductions, growing quiet as her attention is drawn to the view outside during the climb upward.

August is enjoying the trip up--he was Airborne, he's not afraid of heights or being out in them--right until he sees the Exorcist down on the boardwalk. She shakes her head, and August swallows. Why is she here?

Glimmer. Someoen's going to do something, and here they are, dozens of feed in the air. He braces himself, tense, looks directly at Aidan. "Get ready."

Kailey is throwing down some quick lines with her pencil. So she doesn't notice the nerves showing on August's face. She gives Aidan a grin at his congratulations and bobs her head. "Thanks. It's...an adventure," She says with a chuckled. Her eyes go to her paper and then go wide. Because her head snaps up and she looks around wildly. "The fuck?!" She says as she scrambles to shove the book into her bag. "The fuck is going on??"

Aidan has never even been in an airplane, at least not that he can recall, but he's not afraid of heights either, and this is part of why the Ferris wheel is fun, after all. See how far you can see, see everything from a different angle! Like that lady down there with the smoke. Something about her looks weird. Okay, several things about her look weird, or at least unusual, but--

He breaks out of that thought at the sudden feeling in the air, the way it makes his stomach tighten, and he tenses as well, glancing to August, and nodding. "Something's gonna happen," he says, glancing to Kailey, "Dunno what, but it's coming." He takes another look around, though this one's more assessing. What are their circumstances, what could they do?

"Oh, no, I definitely respect that better. Old school breaks down a lot less." Leon was saying, absolutely just boring everyone with inane lock talk, like he wasn't actually a good conversationalist. Sometimes, you just get on a rant. Blissfully unaware, he nods to Joey, "Yeah, definitely, but there's a lot less smithing in locksmithing anymore. Unless you're talking restoring old licks like Addington house."

"Absolutely." Nicole nods, chuckling to Joey then looking at the nuns. "Better if you get a recording of it first though." Grinning a little mischievously, she shrugs her left shoulder. "Mostly for my own amusement." It was nice to get out with Joey, act like they have normal lives for a bit of time. Besides, Ferris Wheels are romantic or something, she heard, once. Regardless of whether or not that part is true, it's fun! She catches Aidan looking around at the other gondolas and gives a quick wave in that direction if he happens to see it.

The ride begins with a slight jerk of motion before it begins the rotation, tick tick ticking upwards. Nicole leans into Joey, excited despite the tameness of the ride they are on, and starts to look around the boardwalk as they go higher, though still not too high. She blinks, nudging Joey slightly with her elbow and lifting her chin in the direction of the corndog vendor before leaning in to whisper into his ear. "Do you ... see that? Our old friend..." As The Exorcist looks upwards, so too does Nicole, trying to see what has the older woman's attention. A shiver rushes up her spine at the feel of that... something.. the glimmer in the air, and her eyes turn back to Joey again, wide. She gives a quick glance to Renata, then over to Leon, but poor dude seems oblivious.

Renata's gaze drifts to the ground below for some reason instead of the sky above. It would be normal to admire the view but something about the woman on the boardwalk catches her attention. She spots that smoking gash in the woman's neck and frowns slightly, unsure of what exactly she's seeing. She turns to say something to Nicole as she seems familiar with whoever that is. "Hey, do you know--," Her breath catches in her throat as the undeniable pull of glimmer resonates through the air.

Joey is slouched with his arm behind the seat. It's like romantic and shit stuff in an old fashioned sense. It's a great way to get nostalgic and enjoy the view of the city really. It's quiet. And then there's the Exorcist eyes them, making eye contact, and in return getting a small, sober nod. Sup. Murmuring to Nicole he murmurs, "Hey, it's the lady that helped Ma out. Huh." Something is off though and his head looks up STILL listening to Leon, "Mmhmm. I know right?"

Looking above he frowns at the small people that don't look right and... there goes trucking reality. He moves his arm just in time for the metal to snap in reality around them. "Mother fucker Hubbard." Yeah not swearing in front of nuns and kids.

August grits his teeth as his brain is yanked elsewhere, his body reluctantly following suit. The rocking cage car doesn't help. Not one bit. He blanches, sucks in a breath and turns his head to the side in case he loses it.

He doesn't. But... "Ah, shit. It can't be him," he mutters under his breath. He glances at Kailey, to see if she's alright. Then, to Aidan, "Thomas Addington. He's...did they ever find a body?"

Kailey grabs onto the cage with both hands and lets out a low whimper. "No, no, no, why now?" She can be heard to mutter and whimper to herself. Her eyes go to August with faint hope in them. "What...what do we do?" He's the oldest so he is in charge, right? But what he says has her going pale when the man starts gritting his own teeth. "Ummmm...what? Who is Thomas Addington?" Asks the outsider who hasn't really paid too much attention to who is who in the town. Yet.

As triggering as weirdness generally was for Leon, the fact his eyes only seem wider is a marked improvement, even with the sudden sideways shift. He might have missed the warnings, but he was alert now, looking every which way, looking for exits, even if it meant they were stories high. He was Airborne once as well, afterall. His hands cheat toward the concealed firearm behind his hip. "Ok, the fuck?" He looks at each of his car mates, taking stock.

"No, not again...," Renata murmurs in a tiny voice, eyes wide as they're dragged into a twisted mirror of reality. She retains her senses well enough to keep from rocking the metal cage as she braces her hands against a bar. She's already looking for a possible exit but it seems like the trap has already been sprung. It's a long way down, after all.

Aidan blanches slightly at the sensation of yankage, looking a bit queasy by the time it stops, particularly when the part of the gondola he'd automatically grabbed on to changes under his hand. "I... dunno," he answers August, "Sorry, I kinda remember hearing he died, but..." But that's it. He takes a breath, and at Kailey's question, suggests, "Um. Maybe protect yourself if you can? For now. Like if something was gonna attack you." Which something might, but he's too busy looking for things that might, and taking his own advice, or at least trying to, to bother saying. "Why?" That's probably for August, not Kailey. Kailey's question was pretty straight-forward.

Nicole lets out a sighed "ah shit....." as suddenly the world around them begins to change. But when she feels outright yanked, she closes her eyes, pressing a hand to her head, now mumuring instead an, "ah fuck... what the..." She's pressed in tighter in that gondola now made of metal, shifting slightly to her hip to allow more space. She doesn't even realize she's doing it, but on instinct, when others seem to add to the glimmer, protecting themselves, she does too. The lights begin to pop and startle her, making her let out a bit of a yelp as she looks down to the people below, biting her lip. It's all happening at a dizzying pace for her and she's just trying to get her bearing on things so she can focus and try to help.

August braces himself against the cage so his stomach will calm the fuck down. "Margaret's brother," he tells Kailey. "He...disappeared, a while ago. When the Art changed. Gohl's grave did at the same time." And in the long tradition of Gray Harbor fucked-up-ness, August has to assume if there was no body, then Thomas might not actually be dead. Which...is probably bad. Well, and the Exorcist's grimmer-than-usual expression doesn't bode well either.

So he gathers up his movement Art around himself, on the off chance a swift trip to the ground is in the cards. "Fuck, he's fucking rusting it." That's all August says before he starts fixing what he can in the wake of Thomas' handiwork. He growls, "We need to stop him," through gritted teeth. Which he would love to take part in, except, he's kind of busy.

Alright, so Joey had his wits about him and was covering his girl, who also seemed to be instinctively protecting herself. Renata, on the other hand, was not handling this well. Leon fixes her with a look, "Stay calm. We're gonna get through this." with all the confidence in the world. Meanwhile, his steely blue eyes track toward... that feeling. He lets his eyes shut and reaches out, tracing that degenerative power, seeking its consciousness, and sending a blast of emotional pain and fear at it, trying to disrupt or distract it.

"Fuck!" is Aidan's immediate reaction to catching what's happening to the Ferris wheel as well, his eyes widening, and he takes a breath, focusing on all that disintegration starting to take place and doing his absolute best to reintegrate it. Two against one, at least it's not bad odds on that front? "Yeah," he agrees with August, but he's kind of busy as well, frankly. But at least he can try to think at the same time. "Why is he doing this? I mean there's all these kids and nuns and stuff! And us, but I mean." Kids and nuns, c'mon, is he trying to be a supervillain?

"I...I don't know how to counter -that-!" Kailey stammers as her eyes go wie. She shakes her head and turns to look at the cage. She begins to pull at the level to try and open the cage. When that doesn't work she kicks it uselessly. "Fuck, why? I didn't do anything to this jerk." She might be crying as she tries to find a way to open the cage.

Joey looks over to Leon and Renata and says, "Yo, breathe. Sometimes this stuff happens. Important thing is we're in a roll cage and right now... that's probably a good thing. Just don't throw up on me." Now he's looking for the Exorcist. Leon's saying something about hey we got this and that? Well that is what Joey is all about though he'd be lying if he were to claim that he was trying not to piss himself like everyone else. Later. "We gotta slow this from hitting the ground. I'm not...going out in a snuff box." Breathe. damndamndamn~ dang dang dang! His hand tightens o Nicole's. not a banner day.

Renata yelps in response to the sudden jolt of the wheel followed by warning sounds of its imminent collapse. The panic-stricken motel owner seems to be struggling to find her bearings with everything happening all at once. She finds Leon's gaze in that moment of panic, focusing on him as he confidently assures her they'll pull through. "... R-right, I need to stay calm." She takes a few quick breaths, steeling herself enough to solidify the glimmer around her into a shield.

Kailey opens the cage and gasps as the wind blows past. Pulling it closed mostly she peers out and focuses on the control booth. Focusing. Focusing and then she frowns. "Someone...someone is keeping this thing going. I can't make it stop," She stammers in sock and shakes her head. The scream from up high draws her attention and cue the maternal instinct hitting. "Those kids...they didn't do anything either. Why is he trying to kill us all?" She asks of August.

Eyes still shut, Leon's face seems to crease further in concentration, the ephemeral tendrils of his seeking mind wrapping around that energy trying to pull the wheel apart. He squeezes his remembered terror of falling, screaming shells, jarring explosions, all pressed down onto that unknown psyche. Stop. He just wanted them to stop. He was standing now, hand against the top of the car, braced, focusing.

"I don't think it's us he wants," August says, eyes half shut. "I think--one of the kids. Which doesn't make sense. And--shit. There's someone else too." He sweats, trembling, as Nurse Cunningham vanishes, complete with sliced open throat. Just...like...

"We have to get the kids down. Now. Try to--lift them. By their clothes." And he goes for two of them, two he thinks he can carry. Because somehow, he suspects this Ferris wheel is coming down. One way, or another, and they have to save who they can.

'Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic.. shit...' This is the mantra going through Nicole's mind at the moment. She can't help but hear those poor children begging for help, so focuses her attention there. Holding on tightly to Joey, she lifts her eyes to the topmost car, where the blood and the screaming came from, and tries with all her might to help a kid down. Her heart is racing, the blood pounding in her ears. This is the way her Art works for her more often than not. ABSOLUTE PANIC focused on a task. She focuses on her breathing, trying to make it less shaky as one of the children slowly lifts from the car. Now, if only she can lower them slowly to the ground.

There is screaming. So much screaming. Sharp and piercing before the cage impacts. Kailey is thrown against the side of the cage. Was that a rib snapping? Oh...no...that was a metal spar from the carousel piercing her shoulder. THere is other weight on her and the pain has her frozen for a moment. When she tries to move the pain is worse and she looses a bit of air. She is trapped and she screams out with her mind instead. Loudly. To anyone who can or would hear, o O (~HELP!~)

Leon was... distracted, attacking two middlingly powerful minds with his own took concentration, and he thought he was doing a good job. It was sort of blocking out the feeling of tipping, all the psychic work, it wasn't until his feet were no longer planted that his eyes flung open, and he was slammed into the side of the cage on impact, a sickening sound of something breaking as his shoulder was crushed against metal. His mouth opened and closed, the wind knocked out of him, coughing as he tried to right himself, but having lost the use of one limb to try to lift his bulk from the flung-over car. Leon picks up Kailey's call, getting his wits about him. Those minds were still out there, dangerous. Even if he was down for the moment, he still had his mental faculties, he continues to lash out with terror and pain.

Down the Ferris wheel goes. August takes a second to think of Eleanor, of his sisters and nieces, and Itzhak, and--

Somehow, he's conscious when they hit the water. It helps, in a way; there was no water last time. It shocks him out of the flashback which was building. Did he save those kids?

No time for that. Their gondola's open--he grabs Kailey and Aidan, hauling on their clothes with his movement Glimmer. Up, up. They need to get to the surface. Now.

Renata notices that Joey also seems to be handling the alarming situation with surprising confidence, at least outwardly. This keeps her steady, especially when everything goes wrong and the Ferris Wheel is torn down by their mysterious assailants with all of them still on it. Her scream is cut short as they plummet into the watery abyss, shaken but still conscious. "Survive... we have to survive no matter what!" She says it like a mantra as she makes a rapid hand gesture as she attempts to gather enough force to wrench the jammed door open. Her skin goes that much paler as she realizes it's not working.

The merry go round ain't the only thing breaking down. As they careen to the ground he does the only thing he can do, and that's try to put himself to the wall to give Nicole and the others a buffer there. There is a crunch as many things near and dear to him crunch and metal bends and twists. A final effort with his arm that doesn't feel half torn from his body to push that damn dank door open (still kids present), fails. They hit the water knocking the air from his lungs with a hiss between his teeth in what might even sound like an apology... or a swear. Proooobably the latter.

There isn't time to think, to act. All she can do is take a deep breath and cling to joey as the ferris wheel goes crashing to the water, sending them under. Her right arm gets pinned awkwardly between botties and metal cage, and she almost screams in pain before realizing she needs her breath. She tries to open the door, but can't. It won't budge. Her mind starts to panic, to think she is doomed, and Nicole tries to calm it by focusing on the inner workings of the door locking mechanism. Can she pop it open? She can't seem to get it to budge, not at all, which seems to make her panic worse. Joey is beside her, but seems to be in worse shape than her. If they survive this mess... she is never going on a carnival ride again.

It's a lot of screaming. Some of it comes from Aidan and some of it doesn't. More of it would after hitting the water if his body didn't have the sense to catch a breath before they're submerged, most of which it promptly loses as he's thrown against one bit of the gondola and then again, with a cracking of ribs and something else in the arm or shoulder region, the limb attached not now inclined to move. Aidan is rather more inclined to, but not managing to do very well at it; the adrenaline in his body hsas his legs trying to push him out and swim, but it's not much good. He's sure not going to fight August's attempt to help though.

That weight on Kailey turns out to be Aidan. And she tries to focus her thoughts, pushing weakly against him with one arm. Trying to resist the urge to grab at August in panic as her air quickly begins to vanish. In rough shape she attempts to focus and help shove him off and out the door. But the pain is immense and she just can't get the Force to work for her.

She's not giving up. Not yet, no. Though the panic is rising more and she can taste something metallic and unpleasant on the back of her tongue (is it blood? bile? straight out fear?). Stuff starts to fall into the water all around them and she manages to dodge what she hopes was something metal or inanimate, but sees the others fair not so lucky. The door isn't stuck anymore, but somehow, she still can't get herself out. The only benefit of being in the water is, no one can see the tears she cries.

August hauls, straining, but can't get Kailey and Aidan loose. And if he's dead he definitely can't. This is what they hammer into you in a siege: you can't help anyone when you're dead. He kicks loose, swimming to the surface for a breath. From there he can keep at it. Blood trails after him; that gondola wreckage has taken a few swipes.

And once he's up there he grabs just for Kailey this time. Sorry Aidan--she's a new mom.

It's getting hard to not breathe, and Aidan can feel Kailey's caught beneath him -- feels her attempts to move him, too, and that's an idea he's willing to steal, to try to get himself out of her way. He tries to focus his mind on grabbing his clothes, ALL his clothes (he will promptly regret certain parts), and use them to draw himself up and off of her, out of the gondola if he can wrangle it -- but at least, off of her, freeing her up for August to help.

His shoulder was on fire, but the door was open. Leon couldn't really see what was going on besides... All those kids, all those bodies. But this was different. This was water, not desert sand, not the rubble of buildings. This was something he could fight. He tries, with his good arm, and his legs to get himself out of the cage and swim to safety. Even in the chaos, he looks back at the others. Gritting his teeth, he grabs hold of Nicole with his good arm and dargs her along with him, leaving just Joey left. Maybe he'd have time to come back...

Fortunately, Kailey's clothes are well made, so between August and Aidan, they get her loose. He pulls, pulls, pulls her up.

...and if Thomas Addington doesn't make himself scarce, August is going to tear him to pieces the first chance he gets.

Renata moves to rise toward the door, though she doesn't quite notice a piece of shredded metal in time before it opens a gash in her shoulder. She tries to put it out of her mind once she notices no one else in the gondola is following behind. Realizing their injuries and the mangled car is slowing them down, Renata reaches out with her gift again to pry Leon free and give him a chance to escape.

Kailey feels a hand on hers and grabs it tightly. That hand is a lifeline and she knows it. Through the water she sees August and he tugs and pulls her up and up to the surface. Where she takes a big gasp before starting to cough. Flailing for a moment with her one working arm she rasps, "Get Aidan!" To August trying to move and float on her back.

Joey at least can hold his breath a decent while. Leon comes back and he gives Nicole's hand a squeeze and forces her away from him to help Leon get her to the damn surface. Everything is heavier underwater. How? Well, if it all goes sideways he can ask the Exorcist about it tomorrow. Or his Ma. Fuck. Jaime's got to be panicking right now and weirdly that's the thought sticking with him; his twin.

Body parts. Wreckage. Blood. August treads water, wincing against the agony in his right leg. He feels around for Aidan's clothing, pulls him up, up. Come on, kid. Get your head above water.

Aidan tries again to get himself free, his body increasingly frantic about this 'no oxygen' thing, but it's no good until August returns and gets him free of the metal and up out to the surface. He gasps desperately for air when he gets there, a breath that comes out with a sound of definite pain before he manages a weak, "Thank you," for August, and starts trying to swim toward the shore. He's not in much condition to do so, honestly, but he can kick, at least. It's slow and awkward going. Also he might kind of be crying, but with this much saltwater who can tell.

With Joey's push of power towards her, and Leon pulling her out, Nicole is able to make it to the surface. When she does, she takes a huge gulp of air, gasping for it before murmuring, "Joey..." She uses her legs to keep afloat in the gross, debris and body part filled water. "Someone.. help Joey! Please... Please..."

Kailey isn't leaving the water quickly. She looks around the water as she catches her breath. The screams and cries and chaos around her don't help with focus. As she swims she spots an older child she thinks is struggling, "FLOAT ON YOUR BACK," She says as she moves closer. "Hold onto me, I'll tow us," She calls as she swims closer. At least her legs only have scratches and work. Reaching out she grabs an arm only to have it fully disconnect and the rest of the body sink beneath the water. There's a screech as she drops the limb and flails backwards with a sob. She splashes away from the bodies and towards shore. Tears make seeing hard, but she is slowly making her way there all the while trying to stop crying, jaw tense as she set her teeth and aimed for shore. "They're dead!" She cries to Aidan and August as they go. Those two being closest.

Renata surfaces and grits her teeth as she realizes there's still someone missing from their group. "No... we have to survive," She murmurs feverishly before taking in a gulp of air and diving down as far as she can go. She pushes her awareness outward as far as she can, seeking out a physical form. Something pings on her radar, so she swims toward it as hard as she can toward Joey. She reaches out for him and puts all of her strength into wrenching him free and trying to swim for the surface.

August begins his slow progress back towards shore, right until he sees Renata go back under. Someone's still down there. He pauses, treading water again. He's too exhausted to try another dive down, but he can help in other ways. He strengthens her, urging her to get whoever is still down there out. They can't have long.

Leon focuses on getting Nicole to shore first, kicking, complaining or calling for people to save Joey, "We'll go back for him. You first!" he sputters above the water, holding her under the arm with his good arm, and kicking with his legs in the rescue crawl until he could feel sand or rocks beneath them, lifting the blonde onto the shore and looking back. He takes stock of the others, spotting Renata diving back down. He couldn't focus, with the pain in his shoulder, but he wanted to reach out, see if they were ok, see if she could find Joey. For a moment, Leon starts to take a few steps back toward the deeper water and the sinking ferris cage. "Did she go back for him?" He starts counting mentally. A human could only stay under so long...

Nicole doesn't fight Leon's rescue of her at all. She tries to help him help her, truly. When he deposits her on the shore, she too looks around, trying to catch her breath, her arm cradled to her body. "I don't know.. I hope so.. Oh please.. I hope so...."

Kailey gets to shore and collapses with a soft gasp and reaches up to hold her bleeding left shoulder. Labor was nothing compared to the pain of her brachial nerves being lacerated. The bleeding is not the best and she makes soft noises as she reaches for her cell phone. Finding it surprisingly not wet. Small mercies or maybe the force field just kept her phone safe too? Whichever she is quickly swiping her thumb across the surface. Is she crying? Yeah of course. It fucking hurts after all.

Joey is a weird sort of ping. The concussion is not helping. It's really living proof that you can be build like a god blessed Brahma bull and still go down if you're crushed by gravity, iron, and water. Is he trying to to commune with the word? Maybe. Is this some sort of acceptance? His body has been in better shape, and worse weirdly. Right now he's resolving that people not coming down here means other people are getting help. That's good. They need it. When he's pulled out, or how, or specifically by who? He doesn't know. What he does know, is that asshole just tried to kill him twice and the rest... the rest? We'll he'll have new questions for their ghost pal.