saveourearth | Thanks, Ben [Mingle]

Date: 4th of January 20, 3 hours after everyone came out of the cavesCharacters: OPEN

Three hours after everyone came out of the caves, an earthquake of the magnitude 5.7 shakes the echo boundary.

Up on the ruins, a single block from one of the lower walls gets dislocated and falls.

Down in the city and villages, things go a bit worse. A couple of sheds collapse, things fall over and off things, and some houses are left with cracks in their walls and might end up condemned. A number of telegraph poles fall over and a few on cars. There's three injured and no fatalities over all, and a few related car accidents because people got distracted that again go without fatalities.

...And, of course, the Media are back. The next day, the Sun titles "IS THERE A NEW CRACK IN THE EARTH'S CRUST??? Another earthquake strikes Mossgate 4 houses condemned, 10 admitted to hospital, powerlines down", but newspapers with more journalistic integrity send reporters as well.

Someone else is back, too - Numbered will see Mr Neutral, Mr Evil and Mr Helpful wander the streets.

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Her pace slows to a halt when she sees him there in the graveyard at the church. Ever since that awful Halloween she has been wary of the graves. Being in broad daylight and having a reason to go in will coax her to change direction. Walking to enter the area with the graves along the path, she waits to try to get his attention when she gets closer.

“Are you looking for something? Or maybe someone?” she calls initially. Should he look to her, she smiles and adds, “It’s been a while since we met.”

He does turn his head when she calls out and then for a long moment just looks at her.

And then waves her over towards him. "You can help me look."

She stays still with her hands folded low together as he looks at her, and her smile lightens when he invites her over. Moving respectfully around the plots, she walks up to him.

“What should I look for?”

"They said that there is a fresh sinkhole here.

I'm looking for it. ...I've been looking all over, but none of them have been very deep so far."

Her smile fades into a look of concern, “Aren’t sinkholes dangerous to be looking for? You could fall in if they are deep...”

Nel looks down at the ground beneath their feet and considers the issue momentarily as she lifts a foot.

"That is why they need to be found. Especially if they are careful." He pauses for a long moment, and something like agony settles on his features, before they turn vacant. Then the agony is back, for just a moment, before he clucks his tongue and reaches into the briefcase that he's carrying to pull out a rope. He tosses one end to her before wrapping the other around a tree as an anchor. "Put this around your waist. That way, if you find it and fall, you won't fall far."

Thinking out loud, she ponders, “I wonder why they’d know about it and not have roped it off yet...” Most adults she knows are responsible enough to see to such a matter appropriately immediately after discovery.

Then she watches the changes in his expression with confusion. Her wildest guess might not even come close to what he might be thinking that would cause him such discomfort. Surprised, she catches the rope out of reflex. As he ties it around the tree, she smiles brightly, “Oh that’s brilliant!” Following his instruction, she ties the rope snugly around her waist.

“Do you have a second rope for yourself?”

he relaxes a bit when she calls him brilliant instead of thanking him or something along those lines.

"It won't be needed.

And my minions would hardly rope an area off." Both on principle and because they lack the hands to do so.

“As long as you’ll be okay,” she comments without worry. Nel has no idea what he might be capable of so she trusts he knows his limits. Rope secured at her waist, she stomps a foot against the ground in test. Not much force to it... Maybe she has to hop.

Then he grabs her attention, “Ohhh! You have minions now? Do they have uniforms? Maybe ones that coordinate with you but don’t match so you stand out?” She clearly is not thinking of the sharks. Robots perhaps.

That gives him pause.

Is that what they're supposed to do?

"Yes."

Of course they do. If that's what's expected. He'll have to get to that.

"I've had them for a while. Ever since I came here."

“That’s absolutely ace!” she says with a grin. All the best villains she can remember that had minions had some sort of uniform. It adds a level to their presentation in showing a unified force against the heroes.

“Does that mean you found them here? Or did you bring them with you?” she asks for clarification. Even as she pursues additional information, Nel does remember she is supposed to be helping and returns to checking the ground. Staying off the graves themselves, she jumps in high hops to try to push down on the ground with more than her weight or strength.

"I brought them with me.

I have yet to find truly loyal minions here. The cats are beautiful, but..." He makes a face. "one of them threw up on my carpet just yesterday. And they will not sit on my lap when it is needed." They're a lot less convenient than he thought they would be for the aesthetic.

That gets a titter from Nel. She understands all too well how cats behave after growing up with a clowder of them. “That happens. Cats lick their fur to groom themselves, so they end up swallowing bits of it. Usually it goes through, but if it gets caught and makes a clump, they have to throw up to be able to eat properly. …but sometimes they just throw up.” She gives a small shrug, having long accepted it as a fact of life. “As for sitting in your lap, cats are tricky. It usually seems like they want to be in your lap only when it’s cold or if you’re thinking about getting up. Especially if you need the loo. But I think it’s best that you pick pets that suit what you want rather than try to get them to act contrary. I’ve seen lots of little dogs that like sitting in laps.”

More jumping on the ground, and with no results, she moves around to a new spot within reach of the rope. After a moment, she poses a different question, “Did you come a long way to Earth?”

The next spot that Nel moves to... actually gives when she jumps.

And she starts to slip, sliding down, the ground giving just slowly enough that she can react but too fast and certain for her to jump to safety. It's a good thing that there's a rope around her waist.

A very long rope, and she would still have fallen some distance if Mr Evil didn't lunge for the rope before she really falls far. So when she's slipped and fallen about one metre, the rope suddenly stops coming, and her descent is broken. It probably hurts, because in the end it is only a rope, thick as it might be, but at least she's not falling any more.

There's nothing under her feet. Or anywhere near under her. She might have fallen some distance indeed if not for the rope.

Thanks, Ben [Mingle]

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