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Save Our Earth Mods ([personal profile] ourearth) wrote in [community profile] saveourearth2018-11-11 03:24 pm

Light the fires [Mingle]

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.
spaghettimonster: (HUMAN: SPARKLE)

[personal profile] spaghettimonster 2018-12-05 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Russell nods approvingly as they walk. Those words are poetry, the kind of smooth delivery he's still striving to manage on stage.

"I'm going to remember that, and think of loss, whenever I drink this cocoa," he says as he shifts his pace to walk a little closer to Sky so the grandparent and grandchild can clasp hands. "Did you just come up with that on the fly?"
Edited (forgot to fix my order of things.) 2018-12-05 18:36 (UTC)
vernal_miss: (Persicaria)

[personal profile] vernal_miss 2018-12-07 04:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Hand found nearly as soon as she makes the unspoken request, her hand clasps to as many fingers as she can fit in her small grasp. Arm sinking down to hang otherwise relaxed, she allows her head to drift down to rest her cheek against the new man’s shoulder, head turned to keep at least some view of her grandfather. The question from Skypa is met with a quiet murr of half-hearted agreement.

She feels downright exhausted and she can’t quite get her muddled brain to find the right words to express that. In lieu of words, the fact that she has already returned to a rag doll state in Russell’s grip might be a good indicator even as her grip is retained.
blueskying: (Default)

[personal profile] blueskying 2018-12-08 12:16 pm (UTC)(link)
This is more tired than he'd be expecting, honestly, but Sky reminds himself that he can't judge all children by his own, who had honestly overwhelmed him at times. He can mention it to her parents.

"My son," he says, still in a preacher's voice, "I have stood at the pulpit for decades. Improvisation is a useful skill, though I will admit that it's best if I have a moment to consider first. I've never been quite so rapid that I can hold my own at improv."

Of course he's tried improv.
spaghettimonster: (RUSSELL 4)

[personal profile] spaghettimonster 2018-12-10 06:43 pm (UTC)(link)
The rag doll child is a lot easier to carry than a squirming and impatient kid would be, he walks comfortably assured that nobody's going to shove limbs up in his face. The same could not be said for times babies or toddlers were lent to him.

"Oh, that's fair," Russell reassures, and adds in a more confidential tone, "I think the 'good' improv artists have things pre-rehearsed, and cues agreed between them, to buy time to think."

Anyone who's anyone has tried improv, right? Even if most don't excel at it.
vernal_miss: (Persicaria)

[personal profile] vernal_miss 2018-12-12 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Listening to her Skypa talking with the man carrying her, she has difficulty following the discussion through the sleepy haze. Head supported on a comfortable shoulder and hand still held, her eyes start to shutter bit by bit with each blink with only a vague curiosity regarding her current position to keep her from dropping immediately back into sleep now that she’s aware she’s safe.
blueskying: (in moon and stars)

[personal profile] blueskying 2018-12-24 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
Definitely more tired. But he'd like to think he'd 'hear', if she were sick. He can tell if someone's feeling unwell at least, and she's not.

"I'd assume so. The ones I've spoken with deny it completely, but they're actors, after all. They know the art of selling a line better than anyone." He smiles.
spaghettimonster: (HUMAN: PUZZLING)

[personal profile] spaghettimonster 2018-12-26 03:19 am (UTC)(link)
"Exactly, that's what I've been thinking. Who can take any of their advice seriously!"

Still, though the motionless and mostly-asleep kid is easier to carry than someone wriggling around would be, she's not light weight. Russell adjusts his grip a little, and glances around them.

"But, uh... You said you want to get her to her moms, right? Where are they supposed to be?"
vernal_miss: (Persicaria)

[personal profile] vernal_miss 2018-12-27 10:30 am (UTC)(link)
The steady progression of her eyes closing is disrupted when the grip around her is adjusted, if only by delaying the inevitable. Nel does hear mention of her mothers, but she is uncertain regarding their location. Last she can recall they had been near the bonfire. Perhaps one of them is still there.