saveourearth | Grandma's less pleasant memorabilia [mingle]

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Grandma's less pleasant memorabilia [mingle]

Date: 24-27th of September
Characters: Everyone!

A few weeks ago, they started building at the very end of the High Street. They're tearing down one of those ugly houses that were built after the war to replace all the buildings that had been destroyed in air raids, which Mossgate, being a coastal town with a significant harbour at the time, saw a lot of.

It's not an exciting rebuild in itself - Premier Inn is building a hotel to have a foot in Mossgate's reviving tourist industry. It is, however, kind of exciting to see new buildings, as there hasn't be much building activity on the High Street since the recession hit.

Or, well, it certainly causes some excitement. Because one of the typical hazards of building foundations in this area strikes: You tend to either hit Roman ruins, in which case you need to let the archaeologists have a go at it before you can continue - highly annoying for the builder. Or you hit a WW2 bomb, which needs to be defused and removed before you can continue - highly annoying for everyone who lives, works or shops nearby.

In other words, around 11am of the 24th, anyone within a certain distance of the bomb will be evacuated indeterminately while the experts come in and have a look at the bomb. So far, so annoying. The constables say that it shouldn't last longer than two days.

Due to the location and size of the bomb, the area of evacuation includes shops, a part of residential suburban Mossgate, a school, a senior residence and the town museum.

People who live nearby have to evacuate their houses and either stay with friends or relatives or bunk up in a hotel or emergency shelter in one of the local school's gyms.

Shops have to shut down and leave their goods in the hands of their security systems and the local police force.

A call for volunteers goes out to help evacuate the residents of the senior residence, as there isn't enough staff to evacuate all of them quickly enough.

Bus lines get rerouted.

Constables are pulled in from other locations and volunteers activated to send people away from the dangerous area, and tape goes up. Interested Bystanders [tm] gather and have to be argued with to make way for evacuees and professionals. Some local press gathers. Car drivers who just need to go through real quick, there's no reason to be like that Constable, don't you know who I am need to be sent away.

The excitement dies down some on the following days, though the evacuation lasts.

On the 25th, the Super announces that according to the experts the bomb should be in a state to defuse it and take it away safely.

On the morning of the 26th, a second announcement follows: No, it seems that the fuse and the bomb is too corroded to be defused, and that a controlled explosion will have to be undertaken.

Straw and other materials are brought in to pad the bomb and thus protect the neighbourhood from the detonation, other precautions are taken and preparations made, and on the 27th a controlled detonation removes the danger. But as detonated explosions go, they are still explosions, and the shock wave damages a wall of the next house, which holds McDonalds, while some of the straw catches on fire and is taken up by the sea breeze to set a roof two houses over on fire, which is the town museum. The fire department is present and quickly takes care of it, but the damage is still done.

After that, everyone is allowed to return to their houses, schools, shops, and so on.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That smile...Sadie already thought the man was dodgy and a tad unsettling but that smile pushed the stranger well into creepy territory.

"They haven't disarmed it yet, so not really harmless just yet. It might be best to stay away just in case." She counters, still just about managing to maintain a neutral tone and expression in the face of how unsettling she found him. "Safety should take priority over curiosity."

"Very unsafe, indeed..." He gives them a smile that would be reassuring or winning in someone who manages to seem more trustworthy than Scar from the Lion King. Sadly, that bar just isn't low enough for this guy.

"Many thanks for the information. Have a splendid day." And with that, he wanders off, away from Walter and Sadie and into a side street.

Edited 2018-10-25 12:28 (UTC)

"That seems awfully anticlimacti-"

And then that hollow feeling strikes again, and Walter looses track of what he was saying, because whose face is that?

For a moment his head seems to clear, but then- another memory? Of some sort of ape painting a... portrait...?

Really, this would be a fascinating experience, if not for, well, the timing.

Sadie didn't even manage to say anything as she watches the unsettling man walk away as the empty, hollows thudding strikes, and her hands curl and cramp, causing Sadie to hiss and growl as the massive muscle cramping is then accompanied by the feeling of her bones and nails. Sadie doesn't get to feel her emerging claws dig into her palms as she is whisked away into a memory.

"Gimmie yer sodding coin purse you slag." She winced back from the towering, green-skinned Roegadyn looming over her, she hardly needed her nose to practically taste the ale on his breath. But despite the size difference, she stood her ground, fur and tail fluffing up as she hisses at him.

"Go fuck yerself on the foremast, you drunkard." She spits at him and takes a step to the side, meaning to slip around the man and continue down the backstreet when she hears the shuffle of clothing and a gleam catches her attention. She ducks with a yelp as a long, jagged knife goes sailing over her head.

"Gimmie. Yer. Purse." The Roe snarls and lunges at her once again, sending her scrabbling backwards. She couldn't get past him-

"Shit!" Her distraction costs her as there was another drunken lunge and the Roegadyn's knife manages to bite into her cheek. "Shit." Her heart was racing, her breath coming out as short, panicked puffs. She had to get out of here. She pushes herself back to her feet, dodging left, still backing up as the Roe advances faster and faster, getting closer and closer, and still no way past. The Roe swipes once more, over-extending in his drunken state and she ducks under his arm and lashes out, claws fully extended.

Time seems to slow as her hand and claws swipe at his throat. she feels the tug and resistance and pull of tendon and tissue as her claws dig in and rip in a shower of blood. The sticky red splashing across her face and running down her arm and the flesh of the man's jugular warm and spongey between her claws and-

Sadie gasps for breath like she's drowning all over again as she slams back into herself, wobbling on the spot as her vision fades in and out. Oh god, the blood. She's wheezing, hands rubbing and nails scratching at the backs of her forearms still able to feel the viscous trickle of blood running down her skin.

Edited 2018-10-26 00:11 (UTC)

Walter's legs tense, forcing himself to stay put as he comes out of the plunge into new memory, because he is not here alone and-

"Sadie? Did you see-?"

He looks over, initially meaning to ask if she'd seen where the stranger had gone, but one look at her face wipes away that possibility.

"Sadie! Breathe with me, okay?"

Deep, steady breaths. While he has no idea as yet what she has seen, the act can still only do them a world of good.

Sadie can barely hear Walter, it feels like her head is full of wool and static, everything around her shifted slightly like Dutch angles. All she can really feel is the phantom sensation of blood and body tissue and hadn't she ended up with a bit of the spray in her mouth?

Sadie gags, doubling over, new claws still unknowingly digging into her forearm, and throws up, eyes watering at the acid sensation and then finally full-on crying both from the state she's now in and from what she saw and felt.

Like when Jim had been stuck in a nightmare (has it really been two months since then?), Walter's next go-to step is physical contact, gently rubbing circles on Sadie's back.

"We should get out of here," he says, out loud, if only to keep himself accountable... and to try to steady himself, frankly.

"Sadie," he says, trying to emphasize her name in a way that will get through to her, "Whatever it is that's in your mind right now, it isn't happening again. Breathe, okay? Just breathe."

Sadie whimpers as Walter rubs her back but the physical contact distracts her from the repeating image in her head. Dry heaving, the grip of her claws on her arms loosens and she becomes far more pliant, Walter should be able to move her even though she is clearly still distressed.

Claws - and Sadie had been worried about a tail!

He gently starts steering her into moving - but where to go? Obviously there'd be less questions if he simply took her to his and Russell's flat, but home may well be more comforting for her...

That'll have to wait, Walter decides; Sadie does not look in the mood for discussion.

He keeps up the rubbing as they walk, though it's more of a shuffle than anything.

"C'mon, Sadie, we're moving now," he murmurs.

Edited 2018-10-27 15:32 (UTC)

Sadie nods, still crying and sniffling, but following Walter's gentle prompting.

"M-m-mum's ho-o-o-ome." She stutters out between the tears and shakes her head. She does not want to go home in this state, and would definitely prefer Walter's place even if it is a bit beyond her ability to articulate it properly at the moment.

"And James? I could call him," he offers.

Sadie could, too, but if she's not up to calling, she shouldn't feel she has to just yet.

Walter wishes he'd brought a jacket tonight, or some sort of extra cloth so Sadie could cover her hands.

Sadie shakes her head more, stopping the motion abruptly as it makes her a bit green about the gills. She loves her brother but she doesn't want him to see her like this.

"Not J-j-j-ames. P-please Walter." She continues to cry.

Walter moves one hand from her back to her shoulder, trying to steady her.

"All right, all right. Our flat, then," he confirms.

He'd make the run, but he doesn't exactly want to (a) jostle Sadie, or (b) draw attention.

Sadie leans into that steady contact and tries to focus on it. It works, for the most part, with some help from her now stinging arms and the unpleasant feeling of her top as vomit on it cools.

By the time they reach Walter and Russell's flat Sadie's crying has nearly stopped altogether, just a stream of tears and some shaking.

Walter manages to navigate them in one-handed, double-checking to make sure the door is locked (he really does know after the first time, but doing it twice may well reassure Sadie).

Looking around at her again, he grimaces.

"I should have some spare clothes - and I can warm up something for you."

One of his larger jackets should fit, anyway.

Sadie nods and sniffles. "...Thank you Walter, do you have any mouthwash?" Her mouth feels and tastes awful, although the tang of acid was better than- Sadie stops that thought as dead in its tracks as she can, her entire posture sagging.

"Please may you call Ben for me?" She quietly asks Walter.

"Yes, though it's the kind that burns," comes Walter's answer.

Sadie's next question is answered by a solemn nod.

Probably shouldn't call him on the Network... Walter had picked up Ben wasn't comfortable with it, much as he kept an eye on it. Understandable, but that just meant using "old fashioned" methods to keep in touch.

Like text messaging.

"I'll go get it, and the clothes." And Ben. "Sit down for now, okay? I'll be right back."

A couple minutes later and he'll return, having also retrieved his laptop and sent the text:

Sadie and I ran into someone at the bomb site; a bald man, looked like a complete stranger. We both talked with him and were then hit with unrelated flashbacks simultaneously. At my and Russell's flat. Sadie wants to see you.

He could have written 'needs to see you', or even just 'Sadie wants you', but neither feels quite right for him to say.

Late as it is, Benjiro had already wrapped up his two-hour stream online for the evening but remains seated at his desk while he attends to matters of homework for school. The message alert pings from his speakers, and he glances to the direct message with Walter that comes to the front of the screen. Concise, he reads it in a flash and he sends back a response as quickly as his fingers can move.

Sadie wants to see him, but Walter is the one telling him. If she can't message him or call him, something has gone wrong.

Out the door in 3 minutes and I'll be there as soon as I can.

Already half risen from his seat, he sends the partial work to his online storage and closes it out. Shutting down the computer, he waits for it to cycle down before hitting the power switch, and changes clothing as he waits for that process. In appropriate attire, if hastily donned, he reassembles his backpack for school and slides it onto his shoulders before snagging his phone along with a small bag left tucked away under his desk. Benjiro prepares for all reasonable possibilities, and that small bag is all he needs to stay somewhere else overnight.

Lights flipped off and door shut, he nearly vaults down the entire staircase in a few bounds with the noise causing his aunts to pause their television program. He yells through the house to his great aunts, "Aunt Rosemary, Aunt Agatha! I have to go! Walter's having an urgent plumbing issue and he can't get anyone else out! I'll text you if I stay overnight!" Excuse answered with an affirmative understanding, he bolts out the door at a sprint for the station.

Edited 2018-10-29 00:16 (UTC)

Will be at door when you get here. I'll focus on helping her in the meantime.

In other words, Sadie's health in all aspects is paramount.

Though, he will want to know why on earth Ben came up with that explanation.

Once he manages to barely catch the transit, he settles in a seat and fishes out his phone as he starts to recover from the run. Reading the message from Walter, he replies swiftly.

Please focus on her. If you can’t respond until I get there, that’s okay. I told my aunts I might be out for the night. Said I needed to help you with an urgent plumbing issue. Is Sadie injured?

That final question is at the forefront above all else.

Walter's reply is delayed by a few minutes.

Not injured, at least by the stranger. Whatever she saw made her sick.

There's a moment spent wondering whether Sadie would rather tell Ben herself- I'll ask her what she wants to share with him, first, he thinks, and looks up to ask her permission...

She has claws, now.

And then, almost as an afterthought:

Plumbing issues, really?

Edited 2018-10-29 22:32 (UTC)

SORRY! I had to fix it after seeing the edit too late

warped_replica - 2018-10-29 23:54 (UTC) - Expand

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cw: graphic murder *cracks knuckles* time for Sadie to have a real bad time

8')

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Hmm. Should we joint-thread with Russell, or just assume he's not in due to the other NPC thread?

We absolutely can if Swirl wants in. Sadie's probably going to ask Walter to call Ben for her too

Plurked the question~

/thumbsup

Ben reply parallel starts here~

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Sadie's choice PM'd with her mun!

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Since I don't recall if the flat is one floor or two...

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cw: graphic murder cracks knuckles time for Sadie to have a real bad time