Don't pet them, grab them! [Mingle]

[ourearth]

Date: 25th of July
Characters: Open!

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I.

In the afternoon on the 25th, a network message alerts the Numbered to the fact that the petting zoo in Moss Manor's Menagerie is facing a major break-out: Someone has torn down the fences, and all the bunnies, sheep, and all the other animals typically found in petting zoos have decided to book it. They are now swarming the manor's grounds.

Due to the staff being nowhere near enough to catch them all, and due to the generally low threat level of the animals that escaped, visitors are asked to help catch them instead of being sent away.

And anyone who just happens to show up and help will be happily welcomed and included in the fort, without any question of who told them that help is needed.


II.

Afterwards, Lady Margaret Camilla Brassant invites everyone onto her patio and offers refreshments - tea, water, little sandwiches, cake and scones with clotted cream and jam. She retires quickly herself, but not before giving a brief speech thanking everyone who helped save the gardens from hungry mouths.

Comments

[runs]

"Boo." That's disappointing. Especially since she's pretty sure that he was truthful there.

"Hey! Hey, llama! Stop looking at him!" She waves, hoping to distract the animal from the approaching Benjiro so he can grab it.

[warped_replica]

He finds outright lies distasteful. Moreover, he would never knowingly teach a child something that would put them in danger or set them up to be punished.

The calling and waving Kitty uses to distract the llama gives him the opening he needs when the llama hesitates before twisting its head the other way to look at her. Benjiro darts in close, wrapping his free arm around the base of the llama’s neck in a loop to hold securely. Of course, the llama immediately reacts to the contact, pushing away with its body as it swings its head down like a hammer in an attempt to head-butt the teen off. Blocking with his backpack again even as he drags his heels against being pulled, the llama only hits the pack twice before it opens its mouth and chomps down on the material in frustration. Straining enough to hold his ground with the llama, Benjiro can do little about the bite on his pack even as the llama tugs its head repeatedly to pop a seam and open the side.

[runs]

"I'll get someone!" She calls out before taking off, guinea pig still held close.

Not too long after, she shows up with an employee in tow that is better equipped to deal with the llama, should it still be there.

[warped_replica]

“Yes, please do!!!”

In the time it took to retrieve someone better equipped to wrangle the llama, the animal has drug Benjiro down along the same path in view. Backpack discarded along the way, the llama is stubbornly still walking, straining to move forward with Benjiro half draped over its back and both arms around its shoulders with his feet still acting as an anchor. Once the employee catches up and secures a harness on the head of the llama, Benjiro is given clearance to let go.

Releasing his hold slowly, the llama jerks hard against the lead line, but stalls when its head does not budge under a firm grasp from the employee. Instead, once shown a treat, the llama sweetens and follows the employee to lead it back to the pens.

Benjiro, relieved and now quite fatigued, bends forward with hands on his knees to brace himself as he catches his breath, “Kitty... Thank you!”

[runs]

"Are you okay?" She comes over hesitantly, her hands free now that she's dropped off the guinea pig, but doesn't quite approach fully. She wouldn't admit to it, but she's a bit frightened. She has never really witnessed something like this before, and it did give her a bit of a shock. And a weird hollow feeling and the feeling that she witnessed something like this before, and it was very nearly lethal....

She's not sure what to make of that, and so she's reacting a bit tentatively to everything now that the immediate rush of action is over.

[warped_replica]

Lifting his head as he hears that question, a drop of worry threads into his thoughts at the way Kitty is hanging back from him alongside the posture of her stance. She’s more guarded than he’s used to seeing from her now that they’re building that drone together.

With a simple push off his knees, he raises up straight with a deeper breath in and steadies himself through careful attention. His muscles are complaining in that way that hints at a soreness to come in the morning, but he is already recovering from the struggle. Benjiro offers her a warm smile and a light laugh, “Hah, yeah, I’m alright. Never thought I’d end up wrestling with a llama.”

His backpack is left on the ground, but he’s not hurrying to collect it as he steps back closer towards Kitty even as he doesn’t move directly towards her on the way, “How are you holding up? All of this is pretty crazy.”

[runs]

"...You didn't get hurt badly, did you?"

She doesn't think he did, but she very much feels like she needs to make sure. She remembers a time when someone she knew had a nearly lethal encounter that was similar...

...enough. She frowns. Thinking about it the memory doesn't really make sense. In part because it contains a centaur.

[warped_replica]

His steps slow to a stop as she phrases her concern a new way. He takes an extra couple steps towards her and stops again, crouching down to get on level with Kitty so she can look him directly in the face when he answers, “Not at all. Worst it did managed to do was step on my foot.” That might bruise a little, but he’s dropped worse on his own foot before.

Benjiro selects his words carefully as he asks her a different question with his smile giving way to a soft look of concern, “What’s bothering you? Is it something here, or maybe from somewhere else?”

[runs]

"...Somewhere else?"

She really isn't sure what he means there. "I've never really been out of Mossgate." A few times to London, a few trips to Brighton or someplace in Kent. One time to France. That's pretty much it.

[warped_replica]

“Sorry, outside the menagerie is what I meant,” he clarifies. Still here in Mossgate certainly as he doesn’t expect her to travel on her own anywhere else.

Misunderstanding corrected, it still does make him think. He hasn’t quite gotten around to talking to Kitty about the network, and this might be an opportunity to do so without disrupting the fun they’ve been having working on the drone.

“After that frantic call earlier, I’ve got a lot I’m thinking about.”

[runs]

"...Like what?" She's still reeling a bit from the notion that she's not sure where it's coming from, but she knows that tone and immediately gets cautious. It's the tone of 'we have something serious to talk about', that usually precedes unpleasant things like a family change or someone catching on to her skiving.

[warped_replica]

Turning his hands up and open towards her, he shrugs a little as his voice stays calm, "Like...how many people have a special number that let them hear someone calling to bring help here. People like you and me."

There is a lot more on his mind - whether this is an intended purpose of the network, whether the person that called has anything to do with the network after failing to identify themselves, whether this manner of call can be used later to draw the numbered out for a specific purpose... But none of these things will be shared. Benjiro just wants Kitty to know he's part of it.

[runs]

"...Oh." She frowns and just stares at him for the longest time before following up with a very important query. "Do the aunties know?"

[warped_replica]

Benjiro waits patiently as she takes the information to process, letting his hands come back down to rest at his knees. Her question is an important one that draws an uncomfortable, almost pained frown from him, “No. I haven’t told them, and I don’t plan to yet.”

[runs]

"So you think that it's one of those things that you don't tell adults about?" There are a lot of things like that, but in this specific case, if even Benjiro thinks that it is something that shouldn't be told to his aunts...

[warped_replica]

Hesitation holds his answer for a few seconds, wanting to select his phrasing appropriately, “For now, yes...but there are some adults we can talk to because they have numbers too. Like Walter. He was my friend before the aurora, and now he’s trying to find out what’s happening to us. Once we know more, then I think we’ll be able to talk to the other adults we trust.”

Or because they will be forced to discuss it.

“And you can talk to me about it too,” he offers, recovering a small smile. Benjiro would not pressure her to tell him about her experiences, but he wants her to know he’ll be there if she needs him.

[runs]

"I don't think adults that aren't involved are very good people to trust in. They do all kinds of things with the things you trust them with, like talk to child services or your teachers." She frowns. "Or they try to talk you into doing something.

But I'll talk to you." Ben is cool, after all.

[warped_replica]

His smile faintly falters at her mention of child services, then inwardly moreso at some attempt to talk her into something, gleaming a hint about her placement from the references. There is no sense in trying to pry, so he will simply keep it as a piece as of the puzzle. Burying the whispers of worry, he’ll focus on what can be done.

When she expresses a willingness to talk to him, his smile opens to something closer to a grin, “Thanks. All this stuff with the numbers has been weird.”

[runs]

"It has.

It'd be cooler if this network had games or something. At least candy crush." She's not asking for much, here.

[warped_replica]

To that Benjiro rolls his eyes, “Ugh, that game is already everywhere. It comes on new computers now.” As much as the game persists in invading electronic devices, his complaint is as much jest as distaste for its pervasive nature. “Now if it had something new to offer game wise, I’d be all for it.”

Rising back to his feet, he finally moves to pick up his backpack and examine the busted seam. He can repair this without much difficulty.

[runs]

"Maybe you can program something into it." She purses her lips. "I mean that would make it a lot more attractive.

Like you could play a game whenever and nobody would notice." Excellent for when you have to sit in a boring class.

[warped_replica]

The idea seems preposterous on the surface, but he has never really input anything into the network personally, so he cannot dismiss it. Maybe Walter has made such an attempt. “Pretty sure it’s meant to be functional for communication only, but I’ll check into it.”

As a game streamer, he has come to enjoy having observation of his play, but before moving here, he would have preferred to play secretly.

He takes a moment to search through his backpack, and finding a safety pin, he closes the ripped steam with the temporary measure before sliding on the straps. At least the most important things stowed inside are tucked deep. Attention turned back to Kitty, he asks her, “So, should we keep looking for more animals? Maybe something smaller this time?”

[runs]

"Sure! I think I saw a small goat run that way," she points into the direction that she assumes it to be.

"And if you figure out a way to make the network better, you should immediately announce it!"

[warped_replica]

Goats have hooves, are known for headbutting, and have horns...so, more of the same with horns in a smaller package. Yeah, okay. He can manage that. Looking the way she points, he moves to start walking with her in the same direction.

“Eh, I might let Walter do it. I don’t want to add to the network until I learn more about it.”