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

[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?"

[warped_replica]

Drifting in closer to the bonfire for that same warmth when he has yet to find a fitting coat, Benjiro notices a familiar figure and alters his course to come up beside her on the side opposite where she is holding her littlest. He smiles right back from behind his mask, “Hello, Mrs. Tilly. She’s doing much better than she was this afternoon. My aunts are still around if you’d like to talk to her. But uh...how have you been?”

He has a matter he wants to discuss with her, however, he is not eager to broach it if this isn’t a good time to talk about Number weirdness.

[catted]

"It's fine. I just heard that she wasn't doing well, and worried. I can't really move right now, anyway," she points down towards the backpack with her chin. Her arms are occupied holding a sleeping child, after all. "How have you been doing yourself?

There's been a lot going on."

[warped_replica]

When Mary Ann points out that she’s more or less anchored to the spot, he lets out a sound between a hum and a chuckle from his throat. He remembers having moments like that when he was looking after his little sister. “It was another headache is all. She said it was nearly gone by the time we left the house.”

Although he notes that she doesn’t quite answer his question to her wellbeing, Benjiro rolls his shoulders when she asks for his, still carrying a lingering soreness in his muscles and ache in his bones, “Busier than ever. I’m trying to get a part time job, but I finished building myself a motorcycle, so that should help. And, uh, still recovering from Halloween.”

[catted]

Normally, she would just not and agree - Halloween was pretty distressing. But Ben is Numbered, and with that at hand, you never know...

"Halloween, as in just the general situation of it, or did something specific happen to you?

And nice, about the motorcycle. Will you be allowed to drive it on public streets?"

[warped_replica]

"I'll be taking the motorcycle in to be inspected this week, but considering I looked into all the safety guidelines to make certain it qualifies, it should be deemed street legal. If not, I'll make adjustments and try again," he has confidence in the machine after all the work he put into it, but he isn't about to assume anything when he developed a brand new balance assistance system for it.

"As for Halloween, I ended up getting a few Echoes nearly all together. A couple memories, and the third left me feeling really sore. I believe it's been altering my muscles somehow, but that symptom has improved greatly so I think it's nearly done." He'll pause, then turning a little more directly towards Mary Ann, he'll venture to ask, "About that day... In the morning after Sadie and I stopped by, did you notice anything?"

[catted]

She listens attentively and nods every once in a while, but ends up to not answering to anything but the last bit.

Because huh. "Noticed anything? Like what?"

[warped_replica]

“Like if something was there that shouldn’t have been?”

He’ll wait to see if that is sufficient, but should Mary Ann not key in on anything, Benjiro relents to a more direct explanation. One hand reaching up, he rubs behind his neck as he speaks, “I ask because after you were sitting down in the chair to recover, it looked like you were petting something. But, Sadie and I couldn’t actually see anything on your lap...”

[catted]

She blinks, and tries to remember.

As far as she can remember, there was nothing out of the order, so... "I was probably petting a cat? I'd probably remember if it was something else..." She tries to think back to it. There was so much going on... "Oh, right. The black one that first wandered in a little while back. ....Around the time Nel and me found the network, I think?"

[warped_replica]

"If you had an Echo at about the same time as finding the Network, that might be related," he suggests. Hand lowered from his neck he knows that the household has an ever changing population of felines, "Do you think you could find that black one again?"

If Echoes can bring about objects, there is no reason to assume they cannot summon animals or the vision of one.

[catted]

"Well. I will be able to find a cat only if it deigns to visit our house at the right time." She laughs. "We have a lot of infrequent visitors.

...But sure, I could try." She frowns. "You really didn't see it at all?"

[warped_replica]

“Nothing that I can recall that would indicate something was there physically other than your hand maintaining a consistent arc. That said, I didn’t look closely for any impressions that would indicate a weight on your legs,” he answers before offering his suggestion, “If you can find it, maybe check with Nel if she can see or feel it.”

A matter of differentiating from something invisible to something immaterial.

[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

[warped_replica]

The growth spurt did in fact move him from average height of a man in the UK to above average, but he’s not a head taller or anything. Yet.

Spotting the blur that is his girlfriend as she runs then leaps at him, Benjiro raises his arms in time to catch around her middle even as he has to fall back a partial stride to deaccelerate her without falling over while he laughs through the protest from his muscles, “Owwahaha! Hello to you too.” His expression lights up seeing her, but the way he holds her is looser than normal without any real pressure to the contact.

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie laughs and pecks Ben on the cheek. "Nice catch! I'll admit I'm a little surprised that we're not flat out on the ground but I won't complain." She kisses his cheek a second time. "I missed you Ben."

She does notice the looseness of Ben's hold on her and loosens her grip slightly to see if he'll tighten the hold. "Shall we go for a wander?" Some alone time and privacy amongst the crowds would be best for any questions and conversations between them afterall.

[warped_replica]

Her laughter and kisses bring a tinge of color at his cheeks around the edges of the mask, and even with the fabric between, he tilts his head to kiss her cheek in turn, “Missed you too... You know you can always try again if you’re disappointed with the results.” It is said in jest, but other opportunities will present themselves in the future.

As her grip shifts, there’s a reflexive pull in his arms that is countered by conscious restraint that he follows into lowering her to her feet with a bend of his knees. “Yes please.” Away from the crowd is tempting enough, but Benjiro will follow Sadie anywhere. Releasing her middle, he instead offers a bent arm to her as he turns to face away from the bonfire and thus the draw of the gathering.

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie chirps happily as Ben kisses her cheek. "Maybe I shall... I will strike again when you least expect it and topple you for good!" She proclaims jokingly even as she pouts at Ben putting her down, though she happily links her arm with his as they start wandering away.

"How have you been?" She asks, gently giving his arm a squeeze as she looks up at Ben.

[warped_replica]

The possibility of another hug attack is duly noted for the future.

Her pout does not go unseen, and he intends to make certain she understands why he did not want to squeeze tighter to keep her closer. Walking with Sadie on his arm, Benjiro reaches to lay his other hand lightly on her forearm near her wrist, "Better for the most part. Soreness is almost gone, but..." There's a delay as he checks that they are far enough from other people to talk freely with his voice lowered with his tone guilt-ridden, "I keep breaking things when I'm not careful. A pen, two pencils, my alarm clock... I even had to fix a door handle I pushed too hard."

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie eyes widen and she quickly assesses Ben. "Are you alright? You haven't hurt yourself have you?" She asks, concern peaking her tone.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" This was clearly the result of an Echo and she hates to hear Ben sound guilty over something he has no control of. He's clearly worried about hurting her so Sadie pulls Ben down into a hug, purr kicking in in response to her want to comfort him.

[warped_replica]

Brows raise at her swift rise in concern, and he lifts his hand from her arm to try to calm her as he smiles, but he doesn't have the chance before Sadie has wrapped her arms around to pull him downwards into a hug. Benjiro blinks in surprise after giving no resistance, then smiles as he sighs softly at the sound of her purring in his ear. Moving slowly, he wraps his arms around her with a light squeeze given in a ginger hug that holds for a few seconds, "Yes, I'm alright Sadie. I think my bones have adjusted to the new forces, so I haven't hurt myself."

"All I can ask is for you to be patient with me, and honest with me about what feels normal and what's too much when I hold your or squeeze your hand. I need to get used to the ratio of conscious effort to neuromuscular recruitment is all," as so far he's been making an effort to be delicate. Were he to accidentally injure Sadie, he isn't certain he would be capable of forgiving himself.

[dragoonrouge]

She nods into Ben's shoulder and squeezes him once more before releasing him from the hug and relining there arms.

"Of course I will. Step by step, and slowly does it yeah?" She reassures him, lying or not saying something would never even cross her mind. "I guess that's what the Halloween incident has turned out to be then?" And speaking of Halloween... "Did it feel different to you that time? Not the normal hollow and heart pounding at least?"

*hold you or

[warped_replica]

Arms withdrawn from around her reluctantly, he takes solace in the knowledge that Sadie is now aware and has been encouraged to be vocal with him, for better or worse as he tries to adjust, "Thank you, Sadie... Definitely slowly."

Benjiro nods as she correctly links his increase of strength to the dual Echo he received on Halloween. He had told her at length about the two memories, but right after the fact had not understood why his muscles had spasmed and weakened. Then, Sadie keys in on the quality of that Echo, and his brows furrow as he confirms, "It felt very different. I heard a heartbeat outside of me, and there was no dizziness, but..." He collects the best words he can think of to describe it with a grim edge, "That hollow feeling was magnified. For a moment, I didn't exist and all that was left were my bones."

Re: *hold you or

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie frowns, another piece of the puzzle but what the actual cause of said puzzle was she was no closer to being able to figure out.

"Mine felt different to usual too, but not in the same way as your's. There was none of the dizziness I normally feel and...and it felt like I was being gently embraced... It was oddly comforting."

[warped_replica]

That Sadie received a variation in the quality of one of her Echoes as well does speak to a pattern for the day, and she describes something far less terrifying than the all-consuming emptiness that had swallowed him. “You got a hug?” The relief she had a positive change is apparent as his expression clears, but he finds the difference curious. Especially that it seems to have a sentimental quality.

“Huh. Have you already asked anyone else if they had alterations as well on Halloween?”