ourearth: Silly Mod icon, reads: MI5 | Current UK threat level: Cup of Tea (current threat level)
Save Our Earth Mods ([personal profile] ourearth) wrote in [community profile] saveourearth2019-01-20 05:30 pm

We shall rebuild [mingle]

Date: 2/1/19
Characters: Open


With the festive season well and truly over, and most wallets smarting from the festivities, Mossgate has, as usual, been extremely quiet through January. The last of the sales are still lingering in the stores, hoping to entice any shoppers who aren't desperately holding out for that first January pay day at the end of the month, and the seafront is empty of all but the hardiest dog walkers, wrapped up against the cold winter winds. At least the evenings are finally starting to ever so slowly get a little bit lighter, but that's small compensation for the otherwise grey and dull month.

It seems as though it will drag on this way all the way through to February, but on the afternoon of the 20th Mossgate is shaken awake. Literally. A 4.5 magnitude earthquake hits the town just after 3:15PM, with the epicentre located at the mouth of the Moss River. The shaking lasts for a couple of seconds, and sends a couple of chimney stacks flying, but there's very little real damage done around town. As earthquakes are extremely rare in the UK, most people are unsure what is happening, and most report it to the media as assuming that a bomb had gone off, or a lorry gone past, or something similar.

Almost immediately the internet lights up with the usual British response to such events, and it's headline news on the local papers and TV for the next few days. Initially they cover the event and the clean up, and then the social media response to it.

However, those who have numbers will not just be subjected to the initial scare and then the following ridicule. As the shaking fades, an unsettled feeling starts to rise; subtly at first, but increasing as the days go by. They are left feeling anxious and uneasy, but also curious and excited. In particular, they will find themselves drawn to the earthquake and the information about it, perhaps checking the news or social media about it more than they usually would, or easier to draw into conversations about it. Whatever they can find just doesn't seem to be enough, and they're drawn to discuss it and the other unusual events (such as the appearance of the poppies in November, or the strange gifts over Christmas) of late more, and to find out more about them. It can be ignored, but as any niggling annoyance it won't disappear if it is.
iamnotgod: A man staring slightly off-center, looking serious. (Let Me Explain You A Thing)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-21 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Walter nods sharply.

"Consider me on board, then."

This was far from his first experience with rivers, after all, and not even his first with the Mossgate River...

Which was rather fortunate, all things considered. Even if he hadn't considered diving in at the time.

"Though, will this be a carpool or by bus, if we go as a group? It is a bit of a walk."

Depending on Sadie's own plans, everyone going separately may be simpler - stealthier, at least, and definitely faster in Walter's case.
warped_replica: Temp sketch icon (Human: Surprised)

[personal profile] warped_replica 2019-01-22 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
Her joke is met with a faint smile and a soft huff of air. Finally, a chance for answers, and the anxiety is making the unknown wait they have suffered almost appealing.

That last remark regarding his expertise stirs clear surprise and a flustered blush at the edges of his facemask as he disagrees, “Expertise usually requires experience.” Nevertheless, he needs to come up with a plan. “A diving mask might stand up to the current better that goggles. Maybe add gloves and a swim cap to keep your hair out of your way and keep you a little warmer...” he muses before focusing on practicality, “All of which we can order and have in within a couple days if we cannot find them at the sporting shop.”

Benjiro fishes out a notebook from his bag to start making a short-hand list as he continues to talk, “The anchor system will be very basic but will require a harness. You will not be able to stay submerged long without risking hypothermia so we might consider periodic dives beginning with a first swim down the length of the area we think is most promising. After that, you can go back into certain spots. Ankle weights could reduce your effort to stay in place if you need to move or collect anything. Those should be easy to make from sand and cloth, so worst case scenario you can ditch them and they’ll degrade safely.” He jots those down then taps his pencil tip in thought only three times before he shifts, “We can use my bike to go there and back, but keeping you warm between dives will be the hardest. Dry clothes and gear should suffice at the end if we get you straight back home, but some pocket warmers wouldn’t hurt...”
Edited 2019-01-22 11:28 (UTC)
warped_replica: Temp sketch icon (Human: Nervous)

[Text]

[personal profile] warped_replica 2019-01-22 01:08 am (UTC)(link)
[A minute or so after the tremors have passed, Walter will get a text from the teenager.]

Walter? Are you okay?
lovedramamoron: (pic#12708307)

[personal profile] lovedramamoron 2019-01-22 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
"It was the same for me, mostly." The books falling on him had been rather disorienting.

"And I feel the same," Jimmy says thoughtfully. "Like I need to know more about all of this."
iamnotgod: Black and white picture of a man looking up and off to the right. (What Even Is This?)

Re: [Text]

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-22 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Once Walter's reoriented himself, his response is swift.]

I am now. Was not expecting that.

What about you? Where are you right now?
iamnotgod: A man, hands up at chest level, staring left and down (In The Dark)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-22 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
Walter nods.

"Which then leaves us wondering, is it because earthquakes are so rare around here? Or is it because we're Numbered?"
warped_replica: Temp sketch icon (Human: Cover Neutral)

[Text]

[personal profile] warped_replica 2019-01-22 12:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[Benjiro is texting multiple people at once, but he flips between the communications easily.]

I don’t think anyone was. This area isn’t supposed to be active tectonically speaking.

I remembered something, but otherwise fine. I’m used to earthquakes from living in Japan a couple years. Currenlty still at work. My shift ends at 1700.

Any signs of damage around you?
Edited 2019-01-22 12:07 (UTC)
iamnotgod: A man staring up and off to the right. (And He Asks Why.)

Re: [Text]

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-22 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
It triggered an Echo for you? Or just normal remembering?

[That part sticks out the most to him, though there's no distinguishable pause between that and his next questions:]

May be something worth looking into, if these aren't supposed to be happening.

No; I'm outside, away from buildings. You'll be all right?
fairfeste: (Default)

[personal profile] fairfeste 2019-01-23 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
This is... annoying.

Feste has felt decidedly Off since the earthquake, and it's driving them crazy. They looked way more into it than they should have, and even when the funny memes about the minuscule amount of damage done ceased to be funny they still wanted to talk more about it. So... they guess they're going to talk about it.

"Have you ever felt an earthquake before that one?" they'll ask, with absolutely no context, to whomever might be nearby.
fairfeste: (Default)

III

[personal profile] fairfeste 2019-01-23 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
Feste blinks at her, wide-eyed and very confused and not at all sure why she's talking to them. ...Maybe because they're there. That is probably what they would do.

"O... kay?" they agree, which maybe they shouldn't have done before knowing what she wanted, "What is it?"
warped_replica: Temp sketch icon (Human: Surprised)

[personal profile] warped_replica 2019-01-24 10:05 am (UTC)(link)
Initial Event (Open for contact through his phone)

When the tremor rumbles through the ground under Mossgate, Benjiro recognizes the energy rolling through the lithosphere with only a few seconds delay to overcome his initial shock. An earthquake occurring away from a fault without human activities inducing seismicity is high unlikely, yet undeniable for someone that had become used to them while living in Japan. Walking in the break room at the warehouse when the shaking hits, Benjiro immediately stops by a counter with a partial box of donuts left from the start of the morning from a generous manager and the aging air freshener still reminiscent of grapefruit. The teenager breathes them in as he grips the counter with a hand, and he feels his inside slip. The heartbeat that follows pounds over the rattling of the dishes left in the sink and the earthquake fades into the background as his mind takes on a new memory...

An earthquake shook the underground lair as the planets in the solar system came into alignment. Water flooded the city as an island began to rapidly form off the coast of Greenland. The crystal he kept as a momento reignited with energy after being spent. The tunneler was prepped and back down into the deeper underground tunnels they went with Michelangelo at the helm driving them straight into the magma and back out. The necropolis had regained life, and the crystal moon shone with new light. They attempted to enter and were ignored only to be set on by magma creatures. With no way to fight, they tried to flee only to be cornered over a trap right into a prison cell. He came to lord over them and taunt them with a promise of slavery once human civilization had been degraded by the natural disasters they were causing. Left alone, a hole melted through the wall gave them escape. She disagreed. Versaillia wanted to stop the repetition of history, and told the brothers everything. A crystal meteor had fallen to the island nation during a previous planetary alignment and became charged with power. Power that the denizens of Y’Lyntius used to create an advanced civilization. Yet, in this rapid rise, they began to think of themselves like gods and enslaved humanity. Human slaves were then mutated to better suit their tasks. In time, these slaves and humans of all nations banded together and overthrew the cruel empire. The slaves turned the crystal weapon back on the source crystal and sank the island - which would later be known as the Lost City of Atlantis. The survivors lived underground until their power waned almost entirely and put themselves into crystal suspension to await the next alignment. Now attempting to resurrect the old ways, they had to be stopped. Versallia took them to an armory and gave them suits and crystal tipped spears to fight the magma sentries. Able to then shut down the sentries, the four brothers turned to the ceremony underway to raise havoc on the surface. Disrupting the process with a distraction, Leonardo broke the focal crystal, causing a feedback that turned on the city. Versaillia swept in with transport and helped them flee as the city sank into the magma pool. Versallia, who had lost all she had ever known, struck out to seek other survivors, and the four brothers turned homeward.

The memory runs its course by the time the rumbling has ceased, and setting it aside, Benjiro moves to the doorway to check on the floor of the warehouse. A few items had fallen, but all present workers confirm no injuries were sustained one by one. After reporting himself in the roll, he ducks back into the break room to contact friends and family to check on them by text.

Sunday Evening and Onward (OTA)

Off his shift at 1700, Benjiro wastes no time in driving his motorcycle to check on anyone who had left an inkling of doubt after briefly conversing following the event of the afternoon. Even with no particular logic to cite, Benjiro makes sure to catch up with Sadie in Mossgate in person before he returns to Moss Manor.

That same night, he barely naps let alone sleeps as he researches online in an attempt to find information relating to data from the earthquake that rocked Mossgate, faults, earthquake activity in surrounding areas, any mining operations on or offshore within a radius, or any reports of explosions, landslides or volcanic activity. Anything he can think of that could explain the occurrence or give him a hint. Even after exhausting his resources at home, he finds it difficult to stop thinking. The earthquake, the poppies, the spiders...all of the odd events playback and he ends up reviewing all his notes and research around each.

At least once Sadie has brought him onboard with her plan the next day, he has something he can do that feels productive. Gathering supplies after school the following day once they scope out the mouth of Moss River, he can be found out and around in Mossgate until the evening when he has to host his stream and focus on schoolwork.
Edited 2019-01-24 10:17 (UTC)
warped_replica: Temp sketch icon (Human: Cover Neutral)

[Text] (*Currently; my typo not his)

[personal profile] warped_replica 2019-01-24 10:15 am (UTC)(link)
Echo. Not a bad one, so we can talk about it later.

I definitely will be looking into it to be certain.

Yes. We have some things to clean up at the warehouse, but no one was hurt.

Stay safe, okay? Earthquakes can shake things loose and it might not become apparent until later.
iamnotgod: Shade Over Face (What Did You Do To Me?)

Re: [Text] (*Currently; my typo not his)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-24 03:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[Walter internally sighs in relief - it'd have been out loud, too, but there's no one immediately around to hear it, so nothing is lost by keeping it in his head.]

At the park? Flat will have to be looked over.

I shouldn't keep you from work, then.

Understood.


[It made sense; substances without obvious weakpoints could have them revealed by seismic events like these. And those with cracks could have them widened.]
twirighted: (3)

[personal profile] twirighted 2019-01-25 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
So, uh... Do you like any kind of music? I can probably find something to put on while we work. Though I guess the radio might be taken up with reports of the earthquake...

[ He's discarding a few dolls, but a few others are set aside for repairs and even more are being set right. ]
iamnotgod: A man, sitting and possibly smiling. (Awkward Smile)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-25 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm more in the line of enjoying musicals than straight-up radio, actually. What's your preference?

[Walter's part of the work, like with weeding the poppies, will be done quicker than Seth probably expects.]
twirighted: (4)

[personal profile] twirighted 2019-01-25 11:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Classical and electronica. It's... A little bit weird.

[ He'll laugh a little. ]
iamnotgod: A man, sitting and possibly smiling. (Awkward Smile)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-26 12:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Walter chuckles a little as well, though it's subdued.]

I've heard of weirder combinations, don't worry. Though, do you listen to electronic arrangements of classical pieces?

[That's something one of his clients had specialized in. Customizing the audio embeddings to their specifications had been... interesting.]
lovedramamoron: (pic#12874338)

[personal profile] lovedramamoron 2019-01-26 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
"Or maybe we're just curious," Jimmy points out.
iamnotgod: A man, smiling and holding a book. (When He Smiles.)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-26 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
"I know what curious feels like. This isn't quite the same thing."

Not for him, at least.

"Though it'd make sense to be curious about this anyway, given how out of place it seems. Geology isn't my specialty, though."

It is, however, Sadie's...
iamnotgod: A man staring up and off to the right. (And He Asks Why.)

Set this a week or so after the quake, maybe?

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-26 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
"No," Walter says firmly, shaking his head.

It is good to see Feste, regardless.

"Never been in a geologically active region in my life, and this isn't exactly supposed to be one regardless."

Not that geologically inactive regions were somehow immune to earthquakes, but that was rather beside the point, Walter feels.
fairfeste: (Default)

[personal profile] fairfeste 2019-01-26 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"No, it's not..." Feste frowns. Admittedly they'd never really thought about that before, but geology was not one of the things that had ever caught their attention. More things to ask Sadie about, maybe. "Do all of them feel like that?"
iamnotgod: A man, holding a folder in one hand and gesturing with the other, looking off to the right. (And WHAT Is This?)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-26 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"Depends on what you mean. Going by magnitude, that was supposed to be middle-range. In terms of being unsettled... that's more personal."

And in most cases, Walter would bet the answer to the latter was 'no'.

"It'd be rather unfair to generalize from a sample size of one, at any rate. But ask around, or at least abroad, and you might get a better answer."

Walter shrugs.
lovedramamoron: (surprise)

[personal profile] lovedramamoron 2019-01-27 12:06 am (UTC)(link)
Jimmy hadn't noticed much of a difference from his usual level of curiosity. If Walter hadn't mentioned it, he might not have ever realized there was a difference.

"Not mine either. Do you know of anyone who knows about the local geology?"
Edited 2019-01-27 00:38 (UTC)
iamnotgod: A man, holding a folder in one hand and gesturing with the other, looking off to the right. (And WHAT Is This?)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-27 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
Walter nods.

"Though you sort of have to break that question down, too - Sadie's a friend of mine looking to go into Geology professionally, but she's only recently moved here. And normally I'd recommend checking at the museum for someone who's kept track of this sort of thing long-term, but it is still closed after the controlled bomb detonation went awry back in September..."

He makes a wry face.

"I do still have the contact information of most of the people who work there, however."
fairfeste: (Default)

[personal profile] fairfeste 2019-01-27 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
That's not really what they meant, but then again, Feste isn't at all sure what they were after with that. They feel like something about it was... different. But they have nothing to compare it to. Except...

"...Did it feel like the poppies, or the spiders, to you?" they ask, before realizing how little sense that makes when they say it out loud, "I mean, I know that sounds mad, but there's just. There's something and I can't stop thinking about it."

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