Mysterious music plays in the background [Mingle]

[saveournpcs]

Date: 2nd of July
Characters: Open

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When the Numbered arrive at the ruins on the Greens on the 2nd, as Mr Helpful requested, there... really isn't much to see. Everything looks as normal, the reddish walls of the structure sitting there in the afternoon ...okay, not sun, but at least it isn't raining. There's just clouds.

Mr Helpful is standing in a spot protected by the ruins, looking out over the Channel, a dozen binoculars hung from his shoulders and neck, and waits.

Comments

The request

[saveournpcs]

When all the Numbered have gathered and everyone has a binocular, Mr Helpful speaks up.

"I have gathered you today because I need to request your help.

You see, I should not be down here. Nor should Mr Neutral or Mr Helpful.

We are ...observers, is perhaps the best word. A kind of scientist, perhaps, if you so will. We aren't supposed to meddle.

But about - a year of your reckoning? - ago, Mr Evil disappeared from where he was stationed. So I came to find him and rescue him. I could track him to this town. But he keeps avoiding me, so I assume he has plans, and I'm starting to worry that they might be dangerous for this town." He looks truly troubled here. This is not just him wanting to do his job or wishing to help, his expression clearly states that he has come to feel emotions about this town specifically.

"Take your binoculars and look out at the sea forts. Look at the... second from the left, seen from here."

If the Numbered follow his instructions, they'll notice that the sea fort in question seems to have been renovated. It looks less derelict than the others and modern - almost sci-fi-looking - equipment has been put on the roof. It's not too obvious if one isn't looking specifically, but compared with the others there's definitely something going on there.

And if they look down and focus on the sea below the fort, they'll see a small submarine anchored near the bottom. They will also see some shark fins circling the fort - which is absolutely out of place in this part of the ocean.


[Please tag in without tagging order - first come, first serve, just for the sake of speed.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj7Vklv5nDk, because of course.

[iamnotgod]

"I take it," Walter muses, not necessarily needing the binoculars but holding them up for a comparison view just the same.

"That if any of us tried to renovate the forts, we wouldn't have been able to evade attention?"

[ineffablytartan]

Felicity does need the binoculars, and it takes her a moment to focus on the right sea fort. "Quite aside from the permissions required, the equipment would be quite noticeable, not to mention the extra boats to get equipment out. With the state they're in there's several months work there just to make them stable."

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie is more than happy to let the others question Mr. Helpful about the Fort because she is more interested in some of the other information he has just given them.

"A kind of scientist?" She asks, Amber eyes narrowed, "What where you observing and why?"

[saveournpcs]

Mr Helpful follows felicity's explanations with great interest.

"He could have started a year ago. I'm not sure exactly how long he has been here, he might have been here on and off before he went missing, but we noticed his absence ...last autumn, in this country's reckoning.

And," he turns to Sadie, "we are observing the quadrant. Which includes Earth. The same way humans observe distant stars, too."

[scarsolderthanyou]

"So. You're aliens," Sam puts that into more local terms. "From another planet somewhere out there." THat... kind of explains a lot, actually, if it's true.

[ineffablytartan]

"A year ago is when all of the strange things started here, roughly speaking." Felicity points out. "How close an eye were you keeping on him? How long would it take to notice him missing?" She is choosing to ignore the alien part. Books turning up are one things, aliens is rather ridiculous.

Chat among yourselves

[saveournpcs]

This is the general "mingle amongst yourselves before or after Mr Helpful said his piece" area!

[channingchanningchanning]

After Mr Helpful was done, he got stopped from leaving by Chad who had the doggy equivalence of a stern chat with him.

There was some yelling, because he is a yippy dog at heart even when he's a tall and handsome human man on the outside.

So by the time that Chad returns to the others and Mr helpful is gone, it's probably become clear that he's not happy with the delivery of the note that Mr helpful sent him, but not quite clear why because Chad is bad at putting the important information in accessible places.

He is surprisingly quiet when he returns to the group and just frowns quietly.

[iamnotgod]

Walter carefully eyes the temporarily-human-again dog when Chad comes back.

"You didn't get in trouble for receiving the note, did you? Or would you prefer not to discuss it?"

Chad may be all yapped out for the afternoon, which would be understandable.

[channingchanningchanning]

"I didn't. I'm a good dog and did nothing wrong.

But my family worries now. And that means that they'll pay a lot more attention." To him, to the surroundings of the house, and so on.

Just coming here was a bit risky.

[iamnotgod]

That first part sounded like it could be a variant of a tumblr meme - "X is pure and did nothing wrong." - but the consequences are more concerning.

"If we could clear a room at your owner's place, a private meeting space where they can't actually see what's going on..."

Walter would have to fiddle with any security footage - but, like with aiding Ben, it feels less of an issue worth questioning when it's another Numbered in trouble.

[channingchanningchanning]

"...I don't think that is possible. There are a lot of children." And children get everywhere. Nowhere that he can go that they don't sometimes, and that's everywhere, really.

[iamnotgod]

"Considering there are already children among us, that doesn't seem as impossible as you make it sound."

That, and there were always security precautions - such as temporarily installing a puzzle on the door to lock it that was either based on Number-specific knowledge or was just boring/deterring enough for kids not to bother with.

[ineffablytartan]

Felicity is rather unsure about being up here - at first she thought the letter might be something to do with the museum, or her new (not that it's particularly new) work on the Ruins. But having arrived and seen who else is here, it's fairly clear that this can only be something to do with the strange network, and all of those bloody books that turned up in her flat.

Still, a little bit of extra information than what she's gleaned from following everything that's come up since she became aware of it would be nice. So after Mr Helpful has said his piece she continues, hanging around the group just a little awkwardly. There are some people here she knows from real life, and she'll meet the eyes of anyone she's met before, but aside from that she's mostly just listening quietly to the general conversation.

[catted]

"Oh, hello." Mary Ann sounds... well, relieved. There's no better word for it.

Another adult. And another adult WOMAN, at that. She'd been told about the old lady from Folkton, but she'd gone off network before Mary Ann really got into the thick of it. So this is a first.

"This is the first numbered gathering you're at, isn't it?"

[ineffablytartan]

Felicity is also rather relieved to see someone around her own age. It's awkward enough to be up here with all of the young'uns. "Yes. I suppose there's only so long that one can ignore it." She pauses, thoughtfully. "I mean, having a house full of books might be considered the tipping point, but here we are.

How long have you been involved in this mess?"

[catted]

"Under a year, still, but not by much.

Dad has been involved for longer than I have," and she indicates her father with a nod. "Half my family is involved, really.

Though me and Dad have been the only adults for a while, now. There used to be more, but..." Jacob, Alexander, that Folkton lady... They just didn't stick around as having numbers.

[ineffablytartan]

Ah, so that accounts for the other adult then. It must be frustrating to have the only other adult be a parent, although if younger parts of her family are involved as well at least that means that if she loses her number there'll still be someone to keep an eye on them.

"People come and go. I figured as much from a distance." Felicity agrees with a nod of the head. "As though the whole thing isn't unstable enough as it is." She adds, a note of distaste in her voice. Not that she has a choice, apparently, but it's rather inconvenient.

[catted]

"It's not so much the unstable, but the unpredictable part that annoys me." What will her children do next? Turn into a puddle of water or turn into a giant dinosaur? Who knows?

"So the only thing that happened to you so far was that your house was suddenly full of books?"

That sounds like the opposite of a problem to her.

Okay, not quite, because the space inside a house is actually needed for other things, but...

Sub-OTA

[iamnotgod]

If anyone finds Walter gazing off into the mid-distance, it means he's working on something - drawing, perhaps, or checking up on the numerous people he's been stealthily looking out for.

He keeps his breathing level, not that it always helps.

[faimommy]

Rune is still processing everything that was discussed today. Or... at least he's trying to. But it feels like there's a stopper on his brain and he can't get it to let him think properly.

He begins to wander around in what almost feels like a daze. And he finds Walter staring off somewhere. Oh, good. A familiar friend. He heads up to him.

"Ey. Qweht th'dey, iisn ii?"

(Hey. Quite the day, isn't it?) Rune throws on a smile, but something in it feels hollow to him.

[iamnotgod]

Walter seemingly doesn't pick up on Rune's presence at first, though he's perfectly aware that his friend is there.

"Yes, it is," he replies, voice quiet.

"I've been thinking, though - if he's contacting us now based on how dire he thinks it is, how much worse can things get? Or, do any of the other strange events that happened here qualify as not dire to him? How different are our psychologies?"

[faimommy]

Rune's eyes widen uncomfortably. How much worse can it get?

.....

Oh, no...

Rune's discomfort echoes in the hollow half-laugh he gives.

"Ah kint sey ah know. He simd frenly enoff."

(I can't say I know. He seemed friendly enough.) A beat, and Rune lets his fake smile drop. His tone becomes concerned, maybe even a little scared.

"Wehl, whit d'we do now...?"

(Well, what do we do now?)

[iamnotgod]

"Friendly, yes - but there is a disconnect. From the sound of it, he grew up - if that's the word, even - in not just a different country, but a different world. I'm not saying he's threatening," Walter continues.

"But it's what this could mean that troubles me. We're going to have to investigate, of course. Cautiously."

Some of the steel in his expression softens.

"We don't all have to, though; a risk is still a risk, and it wouldn't be fair to make everyone pitch in."

Not that whatever's assigning or activating Numbers gave us the same consideration, Walter muses, taken by some surprise by the bitterness of the thought.

But then, that made free will all the more important, didn't it? Choice...