[Mingle] Don't walk across a graveyard at night (you'll trip and fall)

[ourearth]

Date: 18.9.19
Characters: OPEN

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The local radio station is the first to spread it widely, but of course the news have already made the rounds around Moss Manor itself by the time they become official. Village gossip and all that.

And quite some news they are: The graveyard has been closed! Fences and tape have gone up, and if you stand on tiptoes and know where to stand and where to look, you can see the most visible reason for why that is: A sinkhole has opened near the centre of the graveyard, taking down two graves with a third tombstone balancing precariously at the rim of the sunk area. Luckily it hit the more historic part of the graveyard that has no recent burials in it, so it will be less emotionally impactful than what happened at Halloween last year, but it is still a dangerous development and has the vicar in a very unhappy situation.

Partly because there's press in the house yet again.

Press that is also bouncing around the whole Mossgate area trying to interview people in hopes of finding someone who will be hysteric about the situation. Or at least dramatically worried.

Most of Moss Manor's residents are unhelpfully calm, at least towards outsiders... but many are secretly treading very carefully and eyeing the ground closely wherever they walk. What, after all, if more sinkholes show up?

Comments

[saveournpcs]

Around the time that the sinkhole showed up in the graveyard, the numbers of dormice hanging around the Numbered increase. Those that they show themselves to fairly freely will notice the increase the most strongly, but for those that they have hidden themselves from up until now, it might mean that they'll finally happen across one of the little stalkers, after all...

Encounter: Right outside Walter + Russell's flat.

[iamnotgod]

((Specifically, on Walter's bike))

Re: Encounter: Right outside Walter + Russell's flat.

[saveournpcs]

The problem with following people on bicycle rides is that there are very few places to hide. Cars are the opposite of a problem that way, as is public transport or walking. But bicycles? Well. A dormouse has to be inventive.

So it went for the only possible place. Under the saddle.

Which has worked fine so far, but today Walter's bicycle tips over when he reaches for it, having been leaning awkwardly even before that, and the mouse squeaks in fright when it starts falling.

[iamnotgod]

Walter picks up on two stimuli at the same time - my bike was not where I left it, and is that a mouse? - and it's only thanks to his lightning-quick reflexes that he steadies his bike with one hand and foot, and catches the mouse with his other hand.

Steadying himself, keeping that hand holding the mouse level, he does his best to keep calm.

"Are you alright there?" he asks, feeling slightly less silly than he would have if (A) he wasn't Numbered, (B) if he didn't know Chad, and (C) he hadn't met that dormouse woman during Pride week.

"You're safe now; I'm not going to drop you."

With one last check to make sure his bike isn't going to fall over now (and that there aren't MORE mice in there), he walks on to some nearby bushes.

"This might be a better place for you; here."

[saveournpcs]

The mouse freezes when it lands in his hand, just. Waiting.

Watching him proceed.

It stays still even as Walter walks and speaks, and only when he stops at the bushes turns around and squeaks at him, once.

And then it jumps off his hand, and at that moment Walter is hit with an echo. The resounding heartbeat this time will, deep down, remind him of listening to his mother's heartbeat in the womb, and make a feeling of safety and warmth flow through him.

And whatever he echoes, it will be something good that made his preincarnation happy.

Encounter: Torin's Office

[bravelyplucked]

[Look, he's just pecking away typing on his computer while using only his index fingers, he's not paying attention to any possible mice in there.]

[saveournpcs]

He's just sitting there at his TV. And they've been here for a while. So what is the answer? Right. Investigate everything else.

Or so think a couple of young mice who are on Torin watching duty today. They are as quiet as they can possibly be, but when they accidentally cause a large tower of precariously balanced books and other items to collapse and go down, all they can do is try to scurry out of sight before anyone looks up, because there's no stopping the avalanche.

[bravelyplucked]

Torin had been in the zone, really, but even the zone can be interrupted for the noise that avalanche makes. "For goodness' sake!" There's an irritated sigh as he goes to start picking things up. There's so much of it, he hasn't noticed the mice.

[saveournpcs]

Good. Very good.

They'll just.

Keep quiet, then.

...The problem is that some of them hid under the fallen things, so they'll just... have to hope that he gets tired of picking things up before he gets to their hiding spots. Or Torin will find a mouse looking up at him with the best expression of oops that a mouse can produce.

Encounter: Lucas's apartment

[mockeryofthedivine]

Lucas hasn't heard about the sinkhole, and even if he had, he wouldn't particularly care. He has much more important things to do.

Namely, going on a truly epic acid trip.

Sprawled out on the very expensive couch in his very expensive apartment, Lucas was staring up at the ceiling with intense fascination. There were such fascinating patterns in the scattered reflections of light, dancing across the ceiling. He should get more lights. Just a big chandelier, right there. A chandelier made from lava lamps. Oh yes, he definitely needs one of those...

[saveournpcs]

...This is a rather worrying development. They are not sure what is happening, and if they should... well. If they should get help, really. What if something lethal is happening here?

Things are really off, after all, and what if that means the worst things?

There is a tiny mouse conference in a corner, the squeaks of which may or may not reach Lucas's ears, and then one brave tiny scout scurries over and up the back of the couch to peer down at him from that elevated point. Way more obvious a spot than they prefer, but dire situations ask for drastic measures...

[mockeryofthedivine]

What's to worry about? Lucas is, clearly, having a magnificent time here. Just look at the fabric on this couch. So lovely and smooth and furnished with such a fascinating texture. He reaches up, running his fingers along the the dark cushions, and...

...is that a mouse?

"Hello," he says, blinking up at it. Normally he'd be more than a little irritated at finding a mouse in his apartment. But right now, while he's flying high as a kite, all he can think is: that mouse's fur must feel glorious.

He reaches up, intent on touching it.

[saveournpcs]

...Okay, so he talks. That's a good sign? Probably?

BUT HE ALSO TRIES TO REACH FOR IT and the mouse is very unsure about that development. It moves away from the hand, a bit to the side so as to be out of reach of Lucas unless he gets up.

Encounter! Actually at the graveyard, doormice and press both welcome

[scarsolderthanyou]

As soon as he heard there was shit going down at the graveyard a-fucking-gain, Sam has driven over to glower. Thankfully, it's not Amy's grave, or the graves of any of his friends, but still. It pisses him off.

[saveournpcs]

There is press near the graveyard - not a lot, only a radio reporter and his assistant, but still. They're hanging out at a half-distance between the gate and the door to the vicarage, ready to pounce on anyone who looks like they might make for a good 'we interviewed the locals' face. They eye Sam, trying to gauge his emotional state, but haven't quite decided if he's worth attempting to interview.

[scarsolderthanyou]

His emotional state is "grumpy", which may or may not be something they want to deal with. But he lingers, prowling around the graveyard and the sinkhole site within, talking briefly with the poor minister. He might be the best shot you people have.

[saveournpcs]

...Well. They can try.

The radio reporter marches up to Sam. "You seem quite upset about all of this?" he prompts.

Encounter: Jimmy's Room

[lovedramamoron]

Normally, Jimmy would have noticed any visitors. With his increased observation skills it was hard not to notice things.

But right now he had a stack of new mystery novels newly checked out from the library. He was two chapters into the first one, and the protagonist hadjust discovered the first riddle.

[saveournpcs]

Being not noticed is how they get by, really, so if anything should slip his attention, it would be them, probably.

The problem today is that they brought one of the young ones with them, though. And the young one wants to see what exactly Jimmy is up to there. And thus risks more than necessary, climbing the wardrobe to be able to have a better look at the screen. It's still well out of Jimmy's line of sight, but if he suddenly turns, the mouse won't be able to hide away easily.

Kids these days, amirite?

[lovedramamoron]

Fortunately, it took a great deal to pull Jimmy's attention away from a good book. He turns another page.

[saveournpcs]

...Nope, this is unhelpful. It can't see anything.

The mouse runs forth and back, to the front of the wardrobe, and then...

Down once more and up the back of Jimmy's chair. What is Jimmy reading there?

OTA

[scarsolderthanyou]

Sam visits the graveyard immediately upon finding out something happened there. He has to make sure Amy's grave isn't affected, or any of his friends' graves are affected for that matter.

The fact that they're not doesn't make him any less ticked off about the whole thing, but it at least doesn't make him more ticked off.

He hangs around in the vicinity, checking for familiar scents that could be associated with one of the three aliens. Maybe he can track it, if he finds it. Otherwise, he can just be bumped into by family and other Numbered, and eventually he'll wind up back at his daughter's place anyway. Still grumpy, but trying not to take it out on them.

[channingchanningchanning]

This is curious, and he wants to investigate. He debated for a while what form to investigate in - the one that he could totally blend in with humans, yes, perfectly, or the one where he would get away with going anywhere.

In the end he decided on the one that his family wouldn't recognize should they happen to come across him.

So he's here, tall and blond and wearing clothes that look like they were made for a larger person (they were, the head of the Family is a lot broader in the shoulders than Chad's human form but closest to him in height). Looking around to see if anyone is around. The only person hanging around right now is Sam, and he knows Sam. So he heads over there.

"Have you been at the hole?"

[scarsolderthanyou]

Sam looks Chad up and down. At least he's not naked this time. That would definitely have the press getting into trouble. "They won't let me too close, but I've gone up as close as they'll let me. You?"

[channingchanningchanning]

"I haven't tried yet." In other words, he is going to make sure he doesn't fall in.

But if they won't let humans close... "They won't notice me if I don't look like this."