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: Black and white picture of a man looking up and off to the right. (What Even Is This?)

Action OTA!

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-20 04:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[The only good part about it taking place at 3:15 in the afternoon and not the morning is that, rather than falling out of bed in surprise, he is outside for fresh air and holding himself very still in order to not drop his laptop.

Or, well, fall over in surprise.

The earthquake may only take a few seconds, but it feels like much longer for him.]

"What- what was that?!"

[He has also literally never experienced an earthquake before.]
twirighted: (10)

Action OTA

[personal profile] twirighted 2019-01-20 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Anyone walking by the Teufel Doll Shop will hear the immediate reaction as the earthquake happens. The sound of a few smaller things breaking and a very distressed shop owner. Not too much later, they'll find him putting up a "closed" sign and cleaning up broken dolls. ]

Such a shame, such a shame... I worked so hard on these...
dragoonrouge: (Sadie)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2019-01-20 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I-The Quake Itself

Sadie, as she always does on the weekend, had spent her Saturday morning at the RSPCA shelter and had stopped off in town to do some window shopping when the earthquakes struck. The seismic waves send her stumbling, shoulder knocking into the window of the stationary shop.

"The fuck?!" Before she could react any further, she freezes as the thudding of an Echo begins to run its course.

II-The Itch.

Sadie runs her hands through her hair and groans as she stares at her computer screen. Something wasn't right. More so than what had become the Mossgate usual. And the earthquake...It was needling at her, sure she wanted to be a Geologist but this was ridiculous. And with all the other things as well. It was filling her with restless energy.

Pushing herself up from her desk, she grabs her bag and her coat.

"Mum! I'm going out!"

It was time to organise a couple of things, she was going to try and plan to have all of the Numbered meet at once. She just had to invite them first, and the Network was the wrong place to do so.

III-The Dive.

The river mouth was the epicentre.

This couldn't be a coincidence, not with that being the centre of the boundary. She needed to check it out, get some samples of the rock and water, and anything else unusual. Luckily she has just the right skill to make that a reality.

"I'm going to do something that might be stupid but will probably help us figure this all out, and I need your help."
iamnotgod: Black and white picture of a man looking up and off to the right. (What Even Is This?)

Re: Action OTA

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-20 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[Walter does, indeed, happen to walk by on his way home after the quake hits.]

Need any help?

[Because it helps him to feel useful, in times like these. And the work will ease his conscience if anything in the flat has been broken.]
iamnotgod: A man, staring down and left, looking unimpressed and/or concentrating. (*Really?*)

III! ... Though now we have to figure out where they are. |D

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-20 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Walter gives Sadie a flat look, which softens after a moment's consideration.

"What can we do to help? And, more to the point, what do you plan on doing?"
dragoonrouge: (Sadie)

The library?

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2019-01-20 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Sadie leans in, trying to minimise being overheard.

"The epicentre of the earthquakewas the mouth of the river, which is also the centre of the Boundary. It can't be coincidence, and seeing as I can breathe underwater I would be the best choice out of all of us to go and take a look."
twirighted: (3)

[personal profile] twirighted 2019-01-20 11:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Sure, if you don't mind potentially cutting yourself. There's broken porcelain. Not all of it's small enough to just sweep up.

[ He really appreciates it. Even if he doesn't mention it and seems a little distressed. ]
lovedramamoron: (in thought)

Action OTA

[personal profile] lovedramamoron 2019-01-21 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
A. The Quake
At 3:15 PM Jimmy was walking by a bookshelf in the public library. He'd returned to check out more Sherlock Holmes novels, after he'd quickly finished the first one. He braces his feet as he feels the tremors start, and has to duck hastily to avoid several books falling from the shelves above him.

B. Curiosity
At first Jimmy was merely interested in the local news. Some of the social media was entertaining, and he collects a few of the more interesting jokes to send back to his family in the United States.

But as the days pass, he starts to feel restless. It wasn't enough any more to just read about things. Honestly, it hadn't been enough ever since he'd read that book, and that memory appeared in his head. Of what it felt like to want to be someone who could investigate things for himself.

He starts spending time in the library after school, reading the newspapers and reading every book on earthquakes they had. He approaches people and asks them about their experience with the quake. It doesn't take long for that to extend to asking about other things. Even things that had happened before he had arrived in Mossgate.

It wasn't detective work. Not really. It was more like how he collected information for his stories.

But it was something.
Edited 2019-01-21 01:09 (UTC)
iamnotgod: A man staring slightly off-center, looking serious. (Let Me Explain You A Thing)

Works as well as any! Also go to bed. =P

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-21 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
By this point, Walter's aware of as much has been made public online about the quake (and a liiittle of what isn't public but still online) - and while his eyes widen, he can only wish that he were surprised about this plan.

"Take a backup of some sort with you. Not least because the place is probably being watched by now, and if someone sees and panics-"

It wouldn't be a pretty picture.

"Whether it's me or Russell, or Ben or James or Stone... at least have someone watching your back."

He isn't protesting the idea as a whole because, well, he's curious too.
And part of him is aware that there's no whole explanation for his curiosity, and he hates that.
iamnotgod: A man, smiling and holding a book. (When He Smiles.)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-21 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
[Walter smiles reassuringly.]

I think I'll be okay, but, thank you for the warning.

[He walks on over, stepping carefully around the glass and more than a little thankful that he can think faster than he can move most of the time, rather than the other way around.]
saveournpcs: (other)

B

[personal profile] saveournpcs 2019-01-21 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
Most of what Jimmy can find about earthquakes in the area from studying books amounts to: The area is not particularly active tectonically, there only very rarely are any earthquakes, and if there are they're of low magnitude.

Digging deeper, however, he'll come across another bit of information. Perhaps he reads old newspaper clippings that point him to this, or perhaps he branches out to the uni library by himself and finds an old dissertation, and then follows that papertrail.

Either way, the information amounts to this: In the 80ies, a group of students from the fields of geology, history, and archaeology teamed up in an attempt to write a story of the earthquakes in the Mossgate area and use the results for their various dissertations. For the most part, it's uneventful and just a very scholarly, number- and historical record based reiteration of the general information to be found.

Except for that they did find one aberration that occurred a little while before the Norman Conquest. If Jimmy finds the dissertations, he'll find that one of the history students wrote their whole dissertation about how people interpreted the events as the first calamities before the apocalypse, as a sign that the world must surely be ending soon, and how a wave of Millenialism swept across the area. The others mostly mention it as a part of larger context, but the information boils down to: A series of earthquakes took place around this time, including two major ones. There is no exact localisation to be found, only that the epicentre must have been located somewhere in the south tip of Kent or in the Channel close to that area.
Edited 2019-01-23 06:40 (UTC)
twirighted: (10)

[personal profile] twirighted 2019-01-21 03:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's more than a few dolls, but a good number of them remain on the shelves and just. Knocked over. So thankfully it's mostly just some basic upkeep. ]

It's really a shame. I'll have to secure them better, I suppose.
iamnotgod: A man, smiling and holding a book. (When He Smiles.)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-21 03:52 pm (UTC)(link)
With seatbelts, maybe?

[Walter makes sure the door shuts behind him.]

I can focus on what's on the floor, if you'd like.
iamnotgod: A man, holding a folder in one hand and gesturing with the other, looking off to the right. (And WHAT Is This?)

B - also holy crap that infodump! o.o

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-21 03:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"... Yes?"

Caught on a(n increasingly infrequent) grocery run, Walter turns to the source of the directed question.

"What did you want to know?"
twirighted: (3)

[personal profile] twirighted 2019-01-21 03:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Might need to just splurge on cabinets that open and close, then they won't fall off. And don't worry, I'm not that old.

[ Seth you're in your forties. ]
iamnotgod: A man, smiling and holding a book. (When He Smiles.)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-21 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[Walter does not roll his eyes, even good-naturedly, though it takes some effort.]

Still; it'd feel wrong of me to touch all the dolls you haven't sold yet, particularly those that have escaped this mess unscathed.
twirighted: (6)

[personal profile] twirighted 2019-01-21 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Eh, they're made to be handled, even if carefully in some cases. The porcelain ones are higher up because of that.

[ He's going to begin inspecting the ones still on the shelves, at least. Gotta make sure these don't need repairs or whatnot. ]
iamnotgod: Many lines curving off into the distance and entangling, shaded in colors from yellow to purple (Default)

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-21 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[With a nod, Walter sets to work, looking for a fresh pair of gloves before carefully pushing the tiniest pieces of glass he can see into more-easily-noticeable clumps.]
warped_replica: Temp sketch icon (Human: Cover Neutral)

III

[personal profile] warped_replica 2019-01-21 06:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Only a day after the earthquake, Benjiro is in constant contemplation regarding the event. So when he finds himself seated together in a now otherwise empty classroom with Sadie, he already suspects the reason when she broaches the topic of doing something risky in order to gain information.

Reaching to take her hand, he takes a breath in before he answers, “You have it. Tell me everything you’ve planned so far.” If possible, Benjiro wants to find ways to make the endeavor safer – whatever it may be.
dragoonrouge: (Sadie)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2019-01-21 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Sadie squeezes his hand back, shooting him a thankful smile.

"I'm going to go swim down to the bottom of the river mouth." She tells him plainly, "It can't be coincidence that the centre of the barrier and the earthquake epicentre are the same place. All of the stuff from Halloween, Bonfire Night, and Christmas just keep swirling around my head. I think this might yield some answers."
warped_replica: Temporary sketch icon (Human: Curious)

[personal profile] warped_replica 2019-01-21 08:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Restraining the initial flare of worry, Benjiro considers the endeavor on the whole rather than only the risks to Sadie. Brows lowering in concentration, he replies, “All of the events, including the tremor, have been rather intrusive since yesterday for me as well. That shouldn’t press us to act rashly, but I agree that coincidence is highly unlikely and should be investigated.”

Then he moves to planning, “After classes are over, we should head there to scope the layout of the banks. That should give me a solid plan of how to set an anchor and line to keep you from being swept out of the river. I can put a basic one together in minutes once I have the correct supplies... What about a wetsuit and a diving mask for you? Do you think James would know someone your size you could borrow from?”
lovedramamoron: (pic#12712918)

I know! Looks like Jimmy has some work to do.

[personal profile] lovedramamoron 2019-01-21 08:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh good, someone familiar.

"I'm just curious. This was the first time I've been through an earthquake. What did it feel like to you?"
dragoonrouge: (Sadie)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2019-01-21 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Sadie nods in agreement, "I've barely been able to think of anything else since the quake. I do miss when life was a series of unrelated random events." She jokes wryly.

"I've already asked James for his GoPro, didn't want to chance the Network, and he'll have a suit for me by tomorrow afternoon. The only thing I need then are goggles." Sadie lays out what she's already sorted so that Ben can adjust his plans accordingly, "I will bow to your expertise of course."
dragoonrouge: (Sadie)

[personal profile] dragoonrouge 2019-01-21 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
"I was wondering if you could come along? Ben's going to spot me as I go down and not only would it be good to have an extra pair of hands on deck in case it all goes tits up but it would also be good to have someone keep an eye out on our surroundings whilst I'm down there."
iamnotgod: A man, holding a folder in one hand and gesturing with the other, looking off to the right. (And WHAT Is This?)

/grin intensifies

[personal profile] iamnotgod 2019-01-21 11:34 pm (UTC)(link)
"It was unsettling, for sure. Loss of balance, a feeling of precariousness-"

'As though I were teetering on the edge of a precipice' - Well, not quite that, though the flashback to a snippet of his preincarnation's internal dialogue makes him flinch.

"Also a sense that it should be looked into." A statement he is not quite willing to make a judgement about.

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