Light the fires [Mingle]

[ourearth]

Date: 2nd to 5th of November; backdated due to the Halloween mingle being too close by
Characters: Open!

---

2nd to 4th

Bonfire night approaches, and like every year, a large bonfire is set up on the Greens, as well as an impressive fireworks display, intended to happen on the 3rd. It's been advertised for a few weeks now, and many families, groups of teenagers, and just regular people are planning on going... And then it's abruptly cancelled at the evening of the 2nd. The official word on it is that some kind of safety regulations weren't met, and as this was discovered at the final security check, there is no time to fix them. Oddly enough, at the same time yellow signs go up near the Greens, reading:

Mossgate POLICE Working for a safer Mossgate
We are appealing for witnesses: Can you help us?
Police incident
An incident occurred in this area between 1pm on the 2/11 and 2pm on the 3/11.
In strictest confidence, plase phone
020787574
Did you see or hear anything?
Please call us
On the number above or at your local police station

...And the perceptive person might notice that there are a few oddities going on around town. For one, there is more police out in the streets than normal, constables nobody has seen before, too, and they are carrying guns. Why are they carrying guns? This is not the airport or central London! This is the first thing that really gets the rumour mill going.

The second thing is that the area that was fenced off so when fireworks and bonfire happened, only those who paid an entrance fee would be able to get close, is still fenced off despite the cancellation. And those who peer into the area will notice more police there.

And then, on the 4th of November, a few nondescript vans and a small nondescript lorry arrive at the parking lot at the bottom of the Greens, and some people get off. All of them wear civilian clothes. A few simply wander off into Mossgate, but the rest goes up onto the Greens. And some of those carry large suitcases that seem to be quite heavy. Too bad there's bushes and trees and it is impossible to see what they're doing at the place where the bonfire and fireworks were set to happen...

[ooc: There are a few dedicated open NPC toplevels below for people to investigate, as well as toplevels aimed at specific characters. If anyone has ideas for investigating that are not covered by the below toplevels and needs input, prod the mod contact thread on the last setting interactions post!]



5th

After the fireworks in Mossgate couldn't happen, it was decided to do them in one of the villages in Mossgate Council. Naturally, Folkton and Moss Manor both clamoured to get them. But after a few young men got into a fistfight about it and a nose was broken, Mayor Gary Russell arrived at the Salomonic decision of having the fireworks happen in Tarwich instead. They have a nice little park there, and the official reason for the decision is that it is closer to Mossgate town so it will be easier for people from there to attend. The real reason is of course to not take any sides in the village rivalry.

Tarwich, by contrast, is too young to truly have rivalries and there are no old families that could bring true patriotic pride into the mix. Nicely bland and harmless. An excellent middle ground.

So on the evening of the fifth, like every year, there are two massive bonfires in Mossgate council, one in Folkton and one in Moss Manor. Little fairgrounds have sprung up next to them - a children's carousel, a kiddie train, an ice cream van, one or two vendors that sell festival foods like candy floss (= cotton candy).

But unlike other years, there's a third event, and most unusually the location is the often-forgotten Tarwich: Carefully timed so that people can first go see the fireworks and then go to whichever bonfire they prefer, there is a very nice 30 minutes long firework taking place in Tarwich, just after nightfall. There are no carousels or ice cream vans here, but festival food is offered, too.

Comments

Closed to Sam, Sadie and Walter

[saveournpcs]

On the 5th, Sadie, Sam and Walter are all individually called by the local police station and requested to come into the local constabulary within the week. Appointments can be made. They are told that there are a few follow-up questions to be asked about the suspicious man they saw back in late September - nothing to worry about, really.

When they get there at the agreed upon time, they are led into the little comfortable meeting room next to the super's office. Superintendent Mahira Khan is there, but she is not alone. With her are two people, one woman and one man, who are wearing civilian clothes, have notebooks with them, and look a tad bit exhausted. They smile when the newcomer enters the room, and all get up for a quick round of handshakes.

The Super begins. "Thank you that you could come, [ms/mr name]. I'm Mahira Khan, and these are Mr Burnbridge and Mrs Potter. They're colleagues from London who are following up on a series on incidents, and took an interest in your encounter in September." The man nods and takes over: "We don't know if it is connected at all, but we're trying to cast our net as widely as possible and your encounter with this unidentified man could potentially be relevant to the investigation that we are a part of. So we would really appreciate your cooperation in this matter."

[iamnotgod]

Walter's expression, in stark contrast to what happened on Halloween, is schooled, calm, and serious. Gone are the near-hysterical levels of stress, though he can heavily relate to the investigators' exhaustion.

"I understand, Mahira Khan, Mr Burnbridge, Mrs Potter. It is my intention to be as helpful as possible, and I will cooperate fully as I am able."

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie offers the Superintendent a nervous smile, rubbing her hands on her trousers as she looks between the two other people in the room.

"Sorry, I've, um, I've never had to do this before. I hope I can help." She tells them sincerely.

[scarsolderthanyou]

"Sure," Sam answers with a shrug. "I'll tell you anything I can." Except what the man smells like, probably. He thinks that might not go over as well as everything else. "Not sure what else I can share, though. You got what I told the police officer, right?"

Resource: Police and related fields

[saveournpcs]

If your character wishes to investigate the matter in any way that would bring them into contact with the police force, the coast guard, the air force, etc., please comment here for interactions.

This includes but is not limited to the NPCs Mahira Khan and Stewart Fairhurst.

November 3rd - What About Halloween

[spaghettimonster]

Despite his words to Feste, Russell isn't really one for frequently going in search of authorities to ask them questions or give them info. If he ever learns that Sam Stone hadn't mentioned him, meaning he's saved from being called in for questioning as Sam, Sadie, and Walter will be...? He's going to owe that man a drink.

For now, though, between the mysteriously increased police presence all around town, the signs asking for info for some utterly unexplained situation with the fireworks, and the lack of official explanation given for that widespread Halloween prank... Well, it gets under his skin.

Russell heads to the police station to politely inquire at the front desk, with his mobile at the ready to show photos he shot from the sidewalk of the graveyard pranks. If anyone accepts taking a look at those pictures, there's also a couple photos of the bucket, apple, and the mystery mobile taken shortly before the graveyard shots.

Resource: Politics, administration, libraries, and related fields

[saveournpcs]

If your character wishes to investigate the matter in any way that would bring them into contact with the administration, politicians, libraries, etc., please comment here for interactions.

This includes but is not limited to the NPCs Gary Russell, Jane Astbury, Mary Saunders and Pat Marsh.

Library! November 4th at the public, and during the week at 6th Form

[warped_replica]

Having spent the day away in London with Sadie on the third of the month, it isn’t until the next day that Benjiro really has a chance to observe the yellow signs near the Greens for himself in the late morning along with the vans parked at the bottom. He had initially come out to Mossgate with another purpose, but his job hunt can wait one more day. He lingers only a matter of minutes near the Greens before heading back into town after snapping a picture of a yellow sign to send to his friends with Numbers. Observation of the activity at the Greens is not something he feels he can risk while trying to avoid more attention from the local police. Something already has them on high alert.

Instead, the teenager heads for the same place he frequents regularly on weekends: the library at the back of the Town Museum. Accessing the school library will be done during the week between classes to research the same lines of investigation.

Creating a mental list along the way, he gets to work as soon as he arrives with a warm greeting extended to familiar library staff. Benjiro begins the research with law enforcement structure in the UK with special attention to local structure and codes. He starts with books, but will branch into scanning for relevant connections with larger agencies in history or newspaper articles that might be available. With any luck, he might find what could spur the influx of outside assistance. After exhausting searches about law enforcement, he will take a left turn and deviate to local legends and conspiracy theories, once more looking to books before skimming in the archive.

He simply hopes he can get through it all before the library closes for the day.

Resource: Anything else

[saveournpcs]

Go wild! What connections does your character have that could be interesting? Please comment here if you wish to interact with an NPC contact that is not covered by the above fields. Feel free to contact Kira-mod to figure out the details of the NPC in question.

This includes but is not limited to the NPC Margaret Brassant.

Spy Time

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie had noticed the arrival in the Green car park as she had been walking Tigger at the time, watching from a distance as they carry the boxes up the hill. Going home, she decides to wait till four in the afternoon as it starts to get darker, dressing in darker clothing and makes her way to the Green, skirting around towards the top of the Green where the people were walking towards.

Silently moving through the trees, she tries to find a fir tree or a tree that had managed to retain its thick foliage just back from the tree line. Time to give it a climb to see what she can see, relying on her eyes to give her an advantage.

5th - Tarwich Fireworks & Moss Manor Bonfire

[runs]

Kitty is at the fireworks and then Moss Manor bonfire, technically with ehr foster family, appreciating the view and stuffing her face. At first, it's with the help of a tenner that her grandmother gave her to have a nice evening, and then...

well. Numbered and other people she knows might find her showing up next to them and saying: "They have candy floss over there and it's only three pound! Do you have three pound?"

Moss Manor bonfire

[spaghettimonster]

Not only does Russell have three pound, he has some candy floss of his own. It's dark, so it takes him a minute to place her, and when he does his first impulse is to turn tail and find somewhere else to be... But it's occurred to him that the trick to avoiding mockery from this kid might be in befriending her.

"...If I give you three pound, will you promise not to tell anyone I'm the one who gave it to you?" Trust exercise, bribing the child with candy, and avoiding any disapproval from her family or guardians. A win for everyone.

Fireworks and Bonfire

[fairfeste]

Feste arrives separately from their family to the festivities, having just headed over with the other film interns after they were done for the day. They do spend some time with their friends watching the fireworks, but they are well aware that certain siblings will be sad if they don't show up so eventually they switch locations to be with the Tilly clan, where they can probably be found with at least one sibling in their lap.

They're a little bit active at the bonfire, wandering around (still probably mostly with a sibling in tow but occasionally alone) and taking in the attractions- they're a bit old for all of it, but... they do kind of wish they weren't. Someone might catch them watching the carousel a bit wistfully.

[runs]

At one point, a girl comes to stand next to him and gives him a thorough look. "You're standing there like you have leftover money and want to spend it on a child riding that carousel," Kitty observes. Or well, rather insinuates, really.

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie really should have been watching where she was going but she was too caught up in her heated discussion about sailing with her twin as they make their way towards the carousel.

Not noticing Feste, she bangs straight into them, her claws digging into her brother's sleeve to stop her from toppling backwards.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!"

Fireworks time

[vernal_miss]

This one would be quite sad if Feste didn't spend at least a few minutes watching the fireworks with the family.

The moment her eldest sibling has found a place to sit and relax as the fireworks continue to burst in the air, she maneuvers right around behind to flop against their back with arms reaching around for a hug from a kneel. Chin touching one shoulder as she peeks around, she smiles happily to ask, "How was filming today?"

OTA

[scarsolderthanyou]

4th

The guns have Sam on edge. He's perfectly happy that he's moved to England and thus doesn't have to see guns in any amount anymore. So when people start showing up in his (formerly) quiet little town with guns on and weird packages, he does in fact investigate. He follows a couple at a discrete distance, breathing through his mouth to try and get the best scent he can off of them, and can be found occasionally loitering around the Greens once or twice during the day, interrupted by his trip to visit them in person, officially.

5th

Sam skips the fireworks for the most part, because it's loud and smells awful to his new senses. He does, however, get his big boat of a car out and makes an appearance at each bonfire, in part because he's wary of other strange things happening. After the cake and the bomb and the spiders and the graves, he's expecting something else affecting the rest of the numbered people, and he's going to make sure he finds it if so.

He does spend more time at any bonfire where family members or other numbered people are visiting, but not the whole night.

5th

[vernal_miss]

A number of children are darting about in a game, among them at least one of his grandchildren. When Nel spots her grandfather walking, she quickly diverts her path without slowing and weaves her way to intercept him. Rather than collide with him, she does slow down as she comes up alongside of Sam, but there is a stumble in her steps as she is focused upwards. Reaching for his hand, she'll take hold only after she's recovered her balance and greet him happily while trying to catch her breath.

"Hi Grandpa!!" absolutely beaming.

5th

[warped_replica]

Benjiro is not one to like being in crowds, so after he separates from his great aunts, he'll take a few minutes to move away from the bonfire and find a nice spot to lean his back against a wall where he can observe at a short distance. He only really learned about Bonfire Night after moving to Mossgate, but as it is his second time attending, it is more comfortable than curious.

When the teenager spots Sam moving around, he'll raise a hand out of his crossed arms to wave in greeting.

5th of November

[vernal_miss]

Tarwich Fireworks
Dressed in a coat to keep warm, Nel travels with most of her family to Tarwich to attend the fireworks display set to begin as night covers the council. Her hair has been cut shorter and tamed with effort into a pair of pigtail braids brought together into a thick bun to keep it entirely out of the way for the fireworks and later bonfire. She keeps within sight of her mothers here, only straying to greet familiar faces nearby.

Of course, once the firework show begins, she struggles to find an angle up through the crowd where she can see more of the light display. She may be ten but she’s still only the size of an average eight year old!


Moss Manor Bonfire
Not quite so attached to her family once they are back in familiar territory, she can be found running and playing with friends for the first bit as the bonfire gets to roaring. Even in the middle of play however, she’ll stop to say hullo!

The sweets offered at the vendor stands do catch her attention after getting some of her excited energy out, and with permission and a pound, she buys a spin of the candy floss. Walking to rejoin her family with the treat to share, Nel has to stop to avoid a pair of adults walking together carrying in more fuel for the fire. In the shadows, they don’t even realize they’ve strayed too far trying to circumvent the crowd until one of them crunches down a plant at the edge of a decorative bed. She sees the recoiling step, and after they have moved on, she diverts over to see what had been trodden upon.

Finding a crushed plant that was already weakened from the cold, Nel kneels down to reach one hand under a crumpled leaf. It’s a flowering plant in warmer weather, and the brief tingling in her fingertips she feels with touching it only encourages her. She tries to lift it erect in an attempt to straighten the stem, but it slumps without delay. Setting the candy floss in her lap, she tries again with two hands, reaching from the base on either side to draw it upwards with more support and something a little more special. Sliding her hands over the plant, she feels something entirely new as her hands warm and a few long, green flecks of light sparkle into the air from her hands as the plant responds to this touch and grows back into perfect form with all of the damage erased. To her surprise, even a bud appears at the tip as her hands raise above and free. What’s more, she can smell the scent of a fresh bouquet suddenly.

Staring wide-eyed at the healed and now slightly larger plant in the dim light with the sparkles gone, Ornella takes in a gasp of a breath only to exhale it slowly as her shoulders sag. She feels...strangely tired. More than a little tired actually, she feels downright exhausted all of the sudden. The girl takes up the sugar treat in both hands, and rousing herself up onto her feet, she blinks heavy eyelids as she starts to stumble her way back towards her family.

Or well, she thought that was the correct direction. Anyone that should go looking for her after a time or move away from the main gathering might find her curled up beneath a fence with the cotton floss left several feet away still in the plastic cover. Ornella is sound asleep, tucked as small as can be.

b

[blueskying]

The Men's Retreat this year had gone really well. One of the participants found Sky at the bonfire and wanted to take him aside to talk, so they walk together in the evening. As they break back up Sky can sense his granddaughter asleep, and he heads that way. He hadn't actually noticed she'd wandered off.

He'd like to just scoop her up and carry her back, but even small as she is, that kind of thing is a bit difficult for him, especially with his back acting up a bit, and he can't call out to Charlie and ask for help, not with the other's bum knee. Well.

"Nel, nella, oh-nellah-nee," he starts in a singsong. After decades of hymns Sky... will never be a star, but his voice is pleasant and he has a decent sense for tune. "Nel my belle hark back to me. Sugar sweet to black your teeth and drive you cah-ray-zee."

Yes. Yes, Sky is the kind of grandparent who improvises doggerel.

[warped_replica]

The fireworks display was nice last year, but when his great aunt Agatha became burdened by a headache in the afternoon, it was decided they would skip the fireworks display at Tarwich. Relieved to have escaped the need to mingle in the larger crowd, Benjiro bides his time working in his room until the gathering at the bonfire is set to begin.

Heading out with both of his aunts to the site, he spends a short while with his aunts and shares in a hot drink with them. After that, he begins to wander around at the bonfire of Moss Manor village, and looks for familiar faces.

[catted]

Unsurprisingly, Mary Ann is in attendance. With multiple children to call her own, there's really no way she couldn't be. Plus the general socialising factor of the event. She's hardly pressed to find people to chat with, between family and friends, but at times she still ends up by herself.

When Ben finds her, she's currently standing by herself not far from the fire to leech some warmth, her youngest on her arm fast asleep, a backpack leaning against her leg, waiting. She smiles when she notices him. "Heya. I'm glad to see that you made it after all. How is Agatha doing?"

[dragoonrouge]

There was a definite advantage to Ben's new height, it made it wonderfully easy for Sadie to find Ben amongst the crowd.

"BEN!" Sadie shouts with a grin on her face as she dashes over and jumps to wrap her arms around his neck

OTA

[tobodlygo]

Fortunately for the Mossgate Police force, Jim doesn't work over the weekends, meaning he hasn't been out of his house the whole lead-up to the bonfire and therefore hasn't been snooping around where he shouldn't be.

He's spent all week re-arranging his kitchen, throwing out the stuff he can no longer eat, sorting the bits he's not touched into a bag for the food donation bin at the Tesco's on the high st. It's been a long process, who knew so much stuff had gluten in it?

Too much stuff has gluten in it, Jim is suffering, and maybe he'll become a bio-engineer just so he can eat whatever the hell he wants again.

When it gets to the fifth, though, he knows it's time for explosives. The british have a day for fireworks, and there's less patriotism involved, but more fire in general, and that's something he can get behind. He's not gonna go show his face in Moss manor for a while still, so he'll be at the one in Folkton.

Find this idiot either staring forlornly at the food stalls or stuffing his face with Floss. It's still up for grabs because it's just sugar so long as they don't put any food colouring in it, and the gods have to give him something, anything that won't make him die on contact.

When everything's calmed down some, though, he's still kinda... restless.
He saw the sales, he's got the money, and so he has home fireworks of his own and a perfectly good back garden. The council ones are good, but sometimes you just gotta set off your own.

So after the Bonfire in Folkton, he's set up a small array at his house, setting them off at 8:30pm. People that know where Jim's house is or just know Jim in general will know that it's him because well, Americans, right?

[Text]

[iamnotgod]

[Jim gets a message shortly after those explosions go off, because the ambient noise of nighttime Mossgate is not enough to cover up the fireworks.]

???????

[Granted, that could have been any number of things, BUT...]

I better not have heard gunshots just now. Tonight is loud enough as it is.

Please be okay. :(