Run, run, follow me [Open Mingle]

[saveournpcs]

Date: Saturday, 4.1.2020
Characters: OPEN

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I.

It's midday when trouble seems to brew underfoot. Literally underfoot, in cases - wherever the Numbered are, they'll suddenly find dormice approaching them, running around their feet, in some cases up their legs, aiming to get their attention, and then running off - coming back again, running off once more in the same direction.

Trying to get the Numbered to FOLLOW.


II.

If Numbered decide to follow the mice, they'll be lead through the streets, fields, or whatever there is (in some cases, this might mean that the mice are trying to lead them through the military area aroudn the air base). Perhaps they'll run into other Numbered on the way - all mice seem to be leading those that they lead into the exact same direction.


III.

The direction of, it turns out, the tunnels under the cliffs. The mice will easily slip through the grates that bar the entries - the grates were made to keep humans out and let a tiny mice through easily. The Numbered, however... well, the grates were installed solid and sturdy to keep humans out. The mice will vanish in the tunnels and not come back.

Comments

[iamnotgod]

Well.

That was an option.

A very unpleasant option, as Walter snatches his notebook back up and rushes over to his flatmate.

Not to join him on the couch, exactly, but to distract the mice.

"Well, out with it! What do you want from us?"

Yes, he is talking to the mice. At least he knows they're intelligent...?

[spaghettimonster]

It's okay, Walter, the mice are doing more than enough to join Russell on the couch.

Easily a third of them are climbing up the sides and approaching him, with the rest milling at the base like they can't decide which of the Numbered to swarm around.

"If they could talk they wouldn't be climbing my legs?!"

That's not strictly true. Chad has been annoying in, not exactly the same way, but similar ways before. Clambering onto Russell's back to get out of mud, and so forth.

But there's no mud in this living room! The mice have no excuse for this!

[iamnotgod]

"If I grab cheese and walk out of here, do you think they'd follow me?"

Much as it'd be an even weirder sight for this flat than the norm, Walter wants to help his friend.

[spaghettimonster]

"Good idea!! Try... it...?"

Russell trails off, losing some of his frantic energy as the mice stop in their swarming to squeak at him.

Now that the mice are sure they're paying attention - Russell paying far more attention than he wants to be - they start signaling what they want. As a group, the mice move away from the two Numbered, heading for the front door, then swarming back in a wave. Back, forth, squeak squeak squeak.

"Or. I think... They want us? To follow them?"

[iamnotgod]

"More important matters than cheese going on," Walter concludes.

"But we can't just run off, either. Perhaps if one of us goes to scout?"

It should probably be Walter, if Russell's previous reaction was any indication, and he is okay with that.

"And if it takes longer than ten minutes to figure out what's going on, check the Network?"

[spaghettimonster]

"No question this is something Network-related," Russell grouses. "They had to wait until Saturday. Nothing going on, so of course we're free to do... whatever this is."

He taps his fingers on his knee, watching the mice swarm back and forth like the fuzziest wave in the world, and shivers again.

"Right, I guess that makes sense. You go on ahead, I'll... keep an ear open."

Thanks to his luck, and the inevitability of time paradoxes from the other prompts in this top level, he will join in the search before hearing anything back from the Network. This'll come in the form of more mice showing up while Walter's gone, convincing Russell to join in this reversed Pied Piper routine.