saveourearth | We shall rebuild [mingle]

Entry tags:

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.

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At the comment regarding the cut not being small, Benjiro shoots a silent but irritated look at Walter. Now may not be the best time to contradict his downplaying of the minor injury with Sadie already upset and in a far worse state.

The water poured over his leg did the job of washing most of the clotted blood and all of the visible particles of dirt away. Able to see it more clearly, he can’t help but wince as the pain becomes sharper for that attention. Looking away briefly, his focus turns back to Walter as his friend sets to pour on the alcohol. He shakes his head at the offer to hold his hand, “Thank you, but I’d rather not compound everything by fracturing your hand accidentally.” Instead, he settles for squeezing the blanket under him with both hands when the burning sensation sears at his nerves and he keeps a yelp strangled down to a pained noise in his throat. Staying a good patient by not allowing himself to move, he waits for Walter to wrap it and give him clearance to stand back up and pull on his spare pants and socks.

Once clothed, he looks to Walter with sincere gratitude, “Thanks for helping with that.” He feels fortunate Walter is not the squeamish type. Now with the area clean of any real evidence and all of them dry enough even with his hair still wet, he looks to Sadie as he sits back on the side of the blanket, “Sadie? It’s all bandaged. Just rest, okay?” While he could move under with her, he doesn’t want to bring the chill with him when she needs to stay warm.

He had whispered it, but Ben's got a point; Walter winces at that irritated look.

"As long as you hold something, it's fine."

As much as he appreciates Ben's restraint, it still worries at him. Once the bandage is on and covered he can ease his shoulders a little in relief.

"Anytime."

He follows Ben back to Sadie, taking up a closer position to try and offer warmth.

"Let us know when we can try carrying you back home, okay?"

Walter had indeed whispered quietly enough for Sadie not to hear it. However, unfortunately for Ben, Sadie has known Ben for a year and likes to think that she knows him very well at this point in their relationship.

"Benjiro Thorne," Sadie scowls as he mentions the wound being bandaged, "You are going to call Doctor Tilly and you are going to let her examine it."

Sadie considers how she's feeling; she can kind of keep her eyes cracked open without wanting to chunder so that was an improvement, and the spinning sensation has lessened slightly too.

"I don't think I'll be able to stand but I think you could probably move me sooner rather than later."

Edited 2019-03-13 18:55 (UTC)

With Walter returning next to Sadie, he takes comfort that she is in good care. Yet, she seems to be recovering faster than he realized when she uses a specific tone in her voice in conjunction with his name that plucks at a chord that makes him instantly shrink down where he sits with guilt. He responds weakly, “I…okay. I’ll call her before we leave.” His hands are still too cold to dial, so he tucks them into the opposite sleeves against his forearms with a little shiver. If he gives himself a few minutes to rest and recover some warmth, he can make the call and ready his bike at the same time since his phone is with his backpack there.

Benjiro listens as Sadie answers Walter, and he reluctantly points out, “…and what about riding on the bike?” Granted he will try to take it slowly, but turns remain part of the route and traffic may be a factor by the time they get back to the road.

Sadie's got the right idea this round; Walter simply nods from his position on the ground.

While he'll wait for Sadie to answer Ben's question first, he does have one more thing to offer:

"You can sit closer, Ben. It's no problem."

You are no problem, Walter adds internally.

"...Maybe not the bike just yet...The world is still spinning a little bit." Sadie could really do without throwing up on Ben, and considering how ropey she had been feeling the movement of the bike would likely prove too much for her.

She does shift slightly and reach out for Ben, echoing Walter's sentiment, "I'm a lot warmer now and you'll warm up quicker if you sit closer to us."

Were his leg not injured, he would walk the distance to her home without hesitation and come back for his bike and the equipment later. As it stands however, he has to rely on the motorcycle for the trip, and that means Sadie has to recover enough to tolerate it. He can be patient for that. Simply sit and watch…

Then Walter encourages him to move closer, and Sadie doubles it in her coaxing with a hand freed to reach towards him. Carefully separating his hands from the opposite sleeves, he reaches back to take her hand in his icy grasp loosely and weakly protests, “I’ll have to get back up in a few minutes...” So as to fetch his phone to call Dr. Tilly and deal further with what he Echoed in the river.

All it takes is one more word for him to relent. With a heavier exhale, he looks around the area one more time, then rolls off the blanket only enough to lift the edge it and slide partway under the covering with Sadie and Walter. The warmth beneath is an immense relief.

"I'll keep track."

It's such a simple thing - but as Walter can't help feeling time slip by anyway, he may as well make it useful.

He smiles reassuringly once Ben joins them.

Sadie visibly relaxes once Ben moves under the blanket, shuffling over enough that she can lean slightly against Ben, "Warm up a bit first, don't want to phone Doctor Tilly about your leg and having her end up treating you for hypothermia," she sighs, "Thank you for keeping track, Walter."

Welcomed into the huddle, Benjiro allows himself to sag down as he starts a conscious effort to relax which is aided with contact from Sadie. His voice reflects it with a faint smile, “...maybe five minutes would be better then.” Or ten for that matter. He won’t complain being allowed to recover longer, especially when Walter has shifted the sense of responsibility of keeping focused off briefly.

After a solid minute of quiet as he mentally examines the sequence of events, he speaks up to ask, “I have a feeling you already discussed this, but what happened in the river?”

"I'll let you know when they're up."

Since the question is more for Sadie than him, Walter keeps quiet after that, taking comfort in his friends' presence-

And, tentatively, scouring back through those new memories.

Sadie quickly catches Ben up to speed, quietly recounting the feeling of the river bed and what triggered her Echo.

"Q'uila was floating in this black void, and all that could be seen in front of her was this massive, glowing, blue crystal that spoke to her. She was... in awe of it, reverent. She thought of the crystal as God basically." That gets a grimace as she then repeats the words of the 'Hydaelyn'," So nothing ominous about that at all."

“Thanks.”

Benjiro remains silent as Sadie explains in full what happened to her in the river, and as she talks about the riverbed specifically, he lifts his head to glance back towards the river mouth in consideration of what she describes. Head lowered down once more to listen regarding the Echo, he frowns. As she comes to the end, he reaches one arm around her with his brow furrowed.

“...if there are parallels in that memory, then I don’t like the implications.”

"Join the club."

Walter sounds the slightest bit wry.

And emotionally fatigued.

Sadie huffs, "We can have jackets or hoodies made, they could read 'Fucked Up Club'."

To have company in his reaction is a small comfort of its own, and is braced by Sadie’s humor. He smiles faintly, “That...sounds like a therapy group. But the club attire sounds nice.” On second thought, holding group therapy could be beneficial with all their Numbers have been putting them through.

Thinking to the details Sadie relayed from her time examining the riverbed, Benjiro makes a mental note to himself to collect any mud from the wetsuit as samples before cleaning it later.

Edited 2019-04-07 13:57 (UTC)

"I'll have to check to see if that's a thing. We can place orders when we get back to town."

The humor brings a wry smile to Walter's face as well. And separately, he does have positive things to say about therapy... but that can wait.

"And speaking of - time, Ben."

“If not locally, on the web.” Anything can be ordered off the internet if you know where to look for it.

Time limit at an end, Benjiro takes a deeper breath in and out, then gives Sadie a soft squeeze before he dutifully scoots his way back out from under the warmth. He rolls to sitting then pushes with one leg to stand, easing weight to the bandaged limb after, “Alright…be back in a minute. When I get back, maybe we can try sitting you up, Sadie.”

Then off he limps over to his bike to retrieve his phone and give Dr. Tilly a call.

Edited 2019-04-08 15:31 (UTC)

"We could make it tie-dye," Sadie suggests brightly, "That sounds like a good idea too, although even if I'm not completely better we should move anyway. We've been here for a while and it's getting more likely that we'll be spotted."

Continuing to lie there, Sadie looks a lot better and she probably, probably wouldn't throw up if they left. Probably.

That thought's been on Walter's mind too, so once Ben's started on his phone call Walter pushes himself up into a sitting position.

"We could start now, with you leaning on me for support?"

If Sadie thinks she's ready, of course.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Don't want Ben to do all the heavy lifting."

Walter still ends up doing the majority of the manoeuvring but eventually, Sadie's sat upright with only minimal dizziness, "So far so good..."

With one stabilizing hand placed just behind Sadie's shoulder, Walter nods agreement.

"Can you curl your legs under you? That might help with the next step."

And help conserve body heat, though that's slightly redundant by now.

"Let's give it a go, it shouldn't be worse than getting me this far upright."

It takes a bit of shifting from side to side but getting her legs underneath her is a lot quicker and smoother than getting her upright in the first place was.

"So far so good," She smiles at Walter, "Thank you, Walter."

"You're welcome, Sadie."

That smile is brightly returned - then Sadie's expression resonates somehow with how Caitlin had sounded at the end of that second memory, and Walter's reaction is not easily suppressed.

Still, he turns his head, checking to see if Ben is any closer to being done...

Benjiro is...well he’s not where Walter might expect.

The heap by his bike, that had been covered by his coat partially, is gone, and Benjiro is no where in immediate view. A couple minutes after, he can be seen walking back with cellphone in hand towards his bike from an area with plant cover. He stops to deposit his phone in his backpack, pulls it on, then releases the kickstand of his bike to start pushing it over towards where Sadie and Walter are seated.

CW: Blood and Wound

Sadie can go next, now. =P

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I'd say next tag round through, five minutes are up?

o7

Okay~

Might be a mod question in that - "Would the mud samples yield anything?"

Jumping ahead here; and if I knew what to test, then I would

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Breaking tag order just so Ben can have more time for the conversation...

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My notifs went stupid here sorry