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

[spaghettimonster]

There is that. The usual answer is, other people watching will have Opinions and Whisper about them, and that makes life worse somehow. So the secret is, have the really tasty stuff in private.

"Uh..." Russell stares back at her, nonplussed by her intensity. 'Something?'" Children love hyper-precise rules, don't they?

[runs]

"Say some more. Tell me what you ate yesterday."

She just needs to hear his voice a bit more to really be sure.

[spaghettimonster]

Little mystery child, with all the strange things today, he does not remember the first thing he ate today.

'Ahh, I don't... I know it wasn't jam and scones," he offers.

[runs]

She still isn't entirely sure, but she's pretty sure she recognizes that voice. She's heard it before.

"Tell me the first number that comes to mind."

She shoves another piece of clotted cream scone into her mouth.

(if she asks about the network, he's going to bolt, for the sake of avoiding time paradox)

[spaghettimonster]

Russell rolls his eyes and complies, listing off a sequence of digits... before trailing off and making a face. Of course it's those digits, again, that long number he can't get out of his head.

He's trying not to think about it.

Instead, he rushes to distract her.

"Maybe I should recite a speech, you might have seen me in a play! At the theatre in Mossgate, or, somewhere else?"

[runs]

She'll answer.

In a moment.

After she wiped off her fingers and quickly put that number into her phone, neatly separated by two zeroes to not accidentally dial it.

If that's what this is.

She'll investigate later.

For now she stashes her phone away and considers him. "Are you big in theatre?"

[spaghettimonster]

He watches her input the number with discomfort. Maybe she has an assignment. Collect the first numbers people think of and look for patterns in it.

Man, he's reaching.

"Well..." Russell hedges and hums and haws, resting his chin on his hand. "Locally big!"

[runs]

"...Local to your bedroom?" Something like the theatre equivalent of the hairbrush in hand and the bathroom mirror as a stage?

returning from hiatus!

[spaghettimonster]

"What?! No, not just... There's a theatre down in Mossgate, maybe you haven't been. I perform there! And help out in all sorts of ways."

Though he's certainly done that kind of rehearsal around the flat. Benefits to Walter being a computer person is that there's plenty of hours where he's off in his closed off room, and there's no one to hear Russell practicing.

[runs]

"I know where it is. It's behind the steps that you can sit on nicely when it's not too hot but sunny because they warm up quickly." She's got her priorities straight. Theatre sounds, frankly, a bit boring. Sitting still for two hours while other people move around? It's like a very stuffy version of watching films, just without popcorn or being able to move around.

[spaghettimonster]

Russell blinks at her a few times, because those certainly are some kind of priorities. But they're not ones he shares. Theatre is life, especially since he's usually moving around and helping make the movie magic himself.

To save himself from trying to figure out something to say, he takes another big bite from his scone, and hums as he nods.

[runs]

Well, eating is a priority that she shares, at least. Still, storytime is good, too.

"So what animals did you catch?"

[spaghettimonster]

This kid has the uncanny instincts of a waitress in the future, catching him with a question in the middle of a bite. Russell does his best to get through it, and swig a swallow of that tea in an entirely inappropriate manner, to answer all the sooner.

"Oh, I herded more than I caught... A mule, a pony, some turkeys, one of those miniature pigs. I did catch a chicken, though."

In the middle of his cousin giving him a heart attack, honestly.

"How about you?"

[runs]

She doesn't particularly care, or even notice, the inappropriate behaviour.

"I caught some chicken and guinea pigs and helped someone to not get killed by a llama!"