saveourearth | Run, run, follow me [Open Mingle]

Entry tags:

Run, run, follow me [Open Mingle]

Date: Saturday, 4.1.2020
Characters: OPEN

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.

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A pause, and then a nod. Like, 95% yes. They're just not sure if that's the perfect word to describe him.

Nel does try her best to be mindful of pronouns, but playing Guess Who does not promote such a conversation readily.

“Is he an adult then?” She will wait for an answer before asking a follow up, “Is he mixed up in all the Numbers business?” That would limit potential people significantly if so.

More nodding. She's definitely getting there.

It does not make much sense that Russell would be it since the mice brought him here to the tunnels. She might as well assume the same for Walter, and her grandfather. Benjiro is not quite an adult. So that leaves...

“Mr. Helpful?” She will wait for an answer, and if they deny his name, “Mr. Evil?” He seemed okay when they talked, but that’s what the others say he calls himself.

They shake their head at Mr Helpful, but not at Mr Evil's name.

That’s not good.

“...did he do something to your friend down there?”

They shake their heads, and then start to squeak at her with some urgency in their tones.

That’s quite a relief to know, but the urgency in the way they squeak prompts her to quickly ask another question.

“Does he need to do something then?”

There's squeaking. Lots of squeaking. That's NOT it. Their tones become ever more urgent.

“Sorry, was it someone else? There was that third one... “ she says as she starts to get flustered by all that squeaking. They hadn’t nodded to Mr. Evil after all.

They shake their heads. No, no, this is about Mr Evil.

“Okay, so it was Mr. Evil...” she starts only to trail off as she tries to think of what else she might ask.

“Is it something about a shark and Mr. Evil?” There are so many sharks about now in places they should not be, but the shark seemed important.

The mice squeak, and then turn towards each other, conferring about how to continue...

And then one of them squeaks and rushes off. The others stay behind and look after it.

This is difficult.

The girl watches as they communicate together, and one scurries off from out of the range of her glow stick. When the other mice remain poised to watch for the mouse that left, she at least understands she needs to wait for that one to return.

Well...in the meantime, she may as well get a kip. Careful not to get too close to any mice so as not to startle them, she lies down on the tunnel floor and curls up to shut her eyes.

After the mysterious giant mouse thing, Russell expects to be led to more cave art, or bodies left from the war, or one of the sinkholes, or maybe even a wizened old man offering him a sword. Something dramatic and storytale-ish.

He mutters complaints and ideas to himself, roughly keeping the flashlight on the mouse so he doesn't lose it, but mostly he looks back and forth at the walls for signs of something of the sort.

When he's led instead to a person, and a familiar one at that, he's shocked enough to stop complaining and crouch down next to her. "Hey, what are... Nel? Are you hurt?"

Her name seeps through the haze of sleep, and Nel stirs slowly as she takes in a deeper breath. Rubbing at her eyes, she peers one open to see a stronger light and someone close to her with a pair of feet. One hand is used to sweep her hair back as she turns her head to look up to see Russell.

“Huh...? Russell, you found a bigger hole? I was trying to look from inside but then I found the mice...” her voice is a little slurred at first but clears as she wakes further, “They showed me their big friend and we were talking, but then one of them went to get something.” A yawn follows, and she pushes herself up to prop on an elbow.

"Oh, you saw their big friend too," Russell says, with a slightly too-high voice as he tries to be calm and reassuring. He looks over her head and her surroundings, checking for any signs she hit herself. But her voice is sounding better as she talks, which is reassuring.

"No, Kitty found a better hole, she led a few people in... What did the mice bring you?" He checks around the ground again, as if expecting there to be something there. It hasn't yet occurred to him that this happened so quickly that it's him they went to get.

The walls around her and the floor show no signs of blood or anything of that nature.

“Don’ worry, they’re supposed to be that big,” Nel offers after hearing the higher-pitch and mistaking it for nerves. Drowsy in expression, she draws in a bigger breath to ready herself and pushes to sit fully upright. The girl is slouching, but awake enough to think properly again.

Initially, Nel begins to look for an item with Russell before her gaze turns back up to him thoughtfully, “...I think they brought you. I got stuck trying to figure out what their big friend needs.” The girl looks to the dormice to see if she is indeed correct, then does her best to recap for Russell.

“It’s not help exactly, but something like it. I asked what we need to do and they made a shark shape. Then they made a person and it’s Mr. Evil. But they said he didn’t do anything to their friend, and he doesn’t need to.” She sighs and shakes her head, “I dunno what the big mouse needs from the clues of a shark and Mr. Evil.”

The mice agree by nodding. They did indeed bring him here to help with the charades.

The lack of injuries is a relief. She's not wrong, though, it is nerves. Nerves that he's trying - and failing - to cover. Nothing can convince him that a mouse is supposed to be the size of an apartment building, or whatever the other kids were saying earlier.

"Is it that they want us to stop whatever Mr. Evil is doing...? Because Mr. Helpful already asked that," he tells the mice. "With no suggestions how."

The mice nod eagerly. Yes, thank you, Russell, that's what they meant with their very ardistic rendition of a shark.

“But...” she starts lamely, a little more puzzled and disappointed at her oversight to check if the request is a repetitive one.

Not ready to waste another opportunity, she decides to inquire, “We don’t even know what he’s doing that we’re supposed to stop. Mr. Helpful didn’t know. And I don’t understand...why did you show us your friend? Is your friend in danger?”

More nodding, and squeaking. Three of them build a pyramid once again.

"He's... building a pyramid. Building something terrible," Russell corrects, and follows Nel's example in tossing out more things to yes-or-no at. "Or it's just something to do with... Pyramids, triangles, Masons, Illuminati?"

They're this deep down the mouse hole, it's worth throwing it out there, right?

The mice squeak and pointedly look at Nel. YOU TELL HIM.

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