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

[saveournpcs]

They walk for a good while longer, before they reach what seems to be the end of the tunnel and step out into - actually, do they step out? The tunnel ends, but there's no wide empty space. There's a space that might be huge, but a wall blocks the way. A wall covered in giant brown fur. A wall that is moving very slowly in synch with the breeze.

[iamnotgod]

Walter is immediately suspicious, and very much so.

"Is... that... that is not a mouse," is all he can make himself say, in a manner of voice that hopefully won't wake it.

[lovedramamoron]

"No one mentioned there were rodents of unusual size under the city," Jimmy says vaguely. In the surprise it was all he could think to say.

Reference is to an AJJ song.

[iamnotgod]

"No, definitely not," Walter says with some fervor.

There are no big red birds, either, but that's a reference he's not sure Jimmy will understand.

"I hope we're not supposed to wake it; it would make the earthquake seem small."

[lovedramamoron]

"Any ideas on what else we can do? It doesn't look like there's a way around it."

[iamnotgod]

"Well. It'd help if we had an idea of what to say, first."

Walter is not enthusiastic about this, not at all.

But slowly, tentatively, looking as if he'd rather be doing anything else... he walks up to the wall of fur and puts a hand on it, gently as anything.

He'll dash it away in a fifth of a second if the mouse (?) reacts, but at least it's as soft as it looks?

[saveournpcs]

There is no reaction.

The "wall" is as warm and semi-soft as one would expect a giant animal to be. From where Walter stands, he cannot really see the end of the expanse of brown fur - as far as their torch reaches, there's the cave wall and the furry wall, going up and up and stretching on to the sides as well. There's just enough space between mouse and wall to walk there and see if they can learn more about the creature, if they dare.

[lovedramamoron]

Jimmy follows after Walter and peers at the narrow passage between the enormous mouse and the cave wall.

"I think we can get through there if we're careful."

[iamnotgod]

"No such thing as too much careful, then."

He's practically not speaking at all, with the volume he's at now.

"One at a time. I'll go first."

Since Walter had initiated and all. Talk the talk, walk the walk, right?

[lovedramamoron]

Jimmy steps carefully to the side as he waits for Walter to enter the narrow passgeway.

[iamnotgod]

And he does, though he feels like he's scarcely breathing as he does so. They end up heading left, and Walter really hopes they don't step in anything...

He doesn't speak, now, in trying to be as quiet as possible.

Quieter than the mouse, one could say.

[lovedramamoron]

Jimmy follows after him, placing his feet very carefully as he moves. The last thing he needed was to trip over something.

[saveournpcs]

They walk for a while before the furry wall gives way to... a foot? Yes, that looks like a really, really big mouse foot right there. It gives a bit of perspective on the size of the whole mouse, at least - the foot alone is the size of four double-decker buses.

[iamnotgod]

Walter refuses to speak aloud, but pays attention to the way the foot is pointing.

He pauses, then turns around partway and tries to convey through hand gestures: Should we go back the other way?

Or better yet, leave, but he'd rather not have to deal with mice everywhere for however long until this gets resolved.

[lovedramamoron]

Jimmy makes an attempt to gesture to keep going. They'd gotten this far. They couldn't quit now.

Was there a way to squeeze around it?

[saveournpcs]

They can squeeze around it - if they are careful even without touching the foot.

[iamnotgod]

And if there's one thing Walter's been for most of his life, it's careful.

So he squeezes, proprioceptive sense working at its highest level he's ever had to use it. Any touching is minimized on his part.

Once he's far enough ahead - behind? - the foot he gestures for Jimmy to make his own way through.

[lovedramamoron]

Jimmy presses himself closely against the wall of the tunnel as he carefully edges his way through the narrow passage. He takes it slow,but eventually manages to reach Walter.

[saveournpcs]

Beyond, there is more fur wall, but again sufficient distance between fur and cave for them to walk.

[iamnotgod]

It's better than walking along a cliff; Walter will admit that much to himself.

Not out loud, though. While his curiosity is beginning to get the better of him, it's not that big.

Unlike the mouse.

So he just keeps walking, hoping that eventually they'll find more open space.

And possibly a place to write to the other Numbered again.

[lovedramamoron]

Exactly how big was this mouse? This was starting to get a little ridiculous.

Jimmy keeps walking behind Walter, hoping that they were getting close to the end.

[saveournpcs]

They are getting close to something, at least, as they can tell by the strength of the breeze picking up, and soon they're walking through a storm instead - a storm that changes direction every so often, and gets warmer and more humid in the outwards direction, too.

[iamnotgod]

"We do not want to be near its mouth," Walter finally broaches.

At least this answers the question of what direction they were headed?

"If only we could climb to a ledge down here."

It'd be safer - or at least feel safer.

[lovedramamoron]

"I'm mostly certain that dormice don't eat humans?" Jimmy offers. Although the book he'd been reading on British wildlife didn't really cover mice this big.

"Do you see a ledge?"

[iamnotgod]

"They're omnivores, and we're dealing with magic. Even if it has the same attitude as its smaller brethren, there are no guarantees."

He suppresses a strangled groan.

"Harder to see any from down here," Walter admits. If there were any, they were easily merged with the wall above.

They'd have to keep going for now.