riverviewlogs

Entry tags:

open!

who: Mantis & friends (and not friends! Friends she hasn't made, or even met yet! Mantis & You!?)
what: Mantis searches for a missing dog, also welcomes new arrivals!
when: Late September - through October depending on which prompts.
where: Around Perimeter Guard facilities, Riverview in general, including the arrival portal.
warnings: Will update as needed!

one; mantis and the case of the missing pup

[ Whether you are on the Perimeter Guard facility grounds, or in the immediate area beyond it, if you are out and about then it is very possible to see a young woman (non human, if the antennae sprouting from her forehead are any indication) wandering around as though in search of something. In one hand is a paper bag and the other, a plain donut that she is breaking pieces off and sprinkling around as she goes.

She is also calling out, ] Puppy! Dom the puppy! Where are you, puppy? Would you like a donut? I have donuts!

[ After seeing a post on the network regarding a missing dog, Mantis had taken it upon herself to join the search. Lend a hand? Ask for a donut? Get accidentally sprinkled by donut pieces, or hassled by pigeons who want said donuts sprinkled nearby? Be confused by this strange bug lady suddenly behind you shouting to a bush that rustled as though maybe a puppy were hiding but it's really just a space possum? ]

two; welcome!

[ Another day, another job to do!

Having been in the city for a little while now, Mantis feels as though she has a better handle on the sort of things that new arrivals should know, and what they're likely to ask. Where some of her colleagues seem to want to keep certain things unsaid until asked, Mantis has been observed to offer information more openly and readily - which, for the most part, seems to be received well by those she has greeted thus far. (It also helps that Mantis herself has experienced some strange things here!)

There are a few things that Mantis does as a part of the Orientation Unit, but today, she is spending most of her shift stationed at the portal. It is (as usual) uncertain who (or what) will come through, or when, but those lucky enough to arrive today have had the experience of Mantis being the warm face to welcome them.

She even has a box of muffins of various flavours to give people! So far, most of the muffins have gone to her fellow Perimeter Guard folk, but she's holding onto a few for any new arrivals because hey, if a free muffin doesn't soften the blow of hearing you've been ripped from your reality to live in this one for a while instead, what does? ]

( ooc note: This one can be anyone, anytime this month! New arrivals meeting Mantis rather than just NPCs upon arrival, fellow PG workers stopping by to say hello, anything goes! )

three; wild card

( Start something, or get me to start something specific! plurk or bumbles#7533 on discord, give me a poke! )

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[Spider-Man, Spider-Man, knitting lessons with Spider-Man, can he knit, no he can't, that's why he's watching tutorial vid— Ah! A message on his phone, that interrupts the lady telling him how to loop the needle. It's Mantis! And the message is very impressively urgent.

ALERT TO SPIDERMAN a DOG is MISSING

Do not ask how he ends up landing right next to Mantis minutes later, holding a leash and a baggy of dog treats.]

Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, on the case!

... I came as soon as I could put my crochet set away. What's the progress so far?

[ If anyone can help her find a missing dog, it's Spider-Man. So she texts him an urgent message not long after she begins the search herself, starting from the Perimeter Guard grounds where Chyler had said the dog had gone missing from (and where she had just finished up work for the day), and working her way through the immediate neighbourhood to start.

The amber dog alert is a good idea, it seems, as the response time is speedy. ]

Oh! [ Where did he even come from?? ] You have a crochet set? [ No that's not important right now!! ] I have not found any signs of him yet, but I am told he escaped from the Perimeter Guard facilities, so I hope that he is not far.

[ There sure is a band of pigeons starting to follow her around though. ]

Oh, yeah! I've been working on it since it's one of my to-do's on my list— not important.

[He's about to get into the important task of finding the dog and getting a description from Mantis, but before he asks... He points at the wild flock of birds.]

Juuuust as an FYI — pigeons are totally not to be trusted. You feed them one time, they'll never leave you alone. I saw one kick a hotdog right out of someone's hand once.

[ There's a moment there in which Mantis almost asks him if he would show her how to crochet too, but no, they have other things to deal with first! ]

Oh? [ Looking back, Mantis sees the gathering flock closing in on her, the source of their crumbly treats, making cute little bird noises as they waddle in. ] They kick people? [ They're so cute that Mantis feels heavily disappointed that these little creatures are, in fact, deceptive and mean. ]

[He'll teach you, Mantis, no worries. Gotta have knitting bug buddies!]

They'll do whatever it takes to get some food.

I've even seen them cover someone head to toe just to get to his bagel. [You might as well play a horror sting right here. Spider-Man wags his hands, making the critters disperse, albeit not to a very far vantage point from where they started.] Shoo, birds! Go on, get!

[Ehem.]

So! Tell me more about this missing doggy.

I did not know they had such large appetites!

[ Pigeons, in the mind of Mantis, have now shifted from cute, fat little birds to mean little creatures with an appetite so ravenous that they routinely attack people to sate their eternal hunger, but that's- well, that's something she'll have to sort out later. ]

Oh! [ Fumbling with her donuts, Mantis fetches her device and pokes and swipes things before turning it around to show him the pictures Chyler had posted of him. ] His name is Dom, and he is a magic puppy, he went missing from the Perimeter Guard but no one has found him there, so he has maybe wandered further?

[Look, when you're Spider-Man and you're in a constant turf war with birds, all birds look ominous.

His weird mechanical spider-eyes whir into a look of surprise.]

That's Chyler's dog! I mean, she's from the perimeter guard.

I see her walking him sometimes. [He rubs his chin.] And he's a really cute puppy, so it makes me wonder if he ran away or was — uh, taken. By some jerk who wanted him.

[He's just loading poor Mantis up with all the bad news bears.]

Yes! You know Chyler? I have not met her or her puppy in person, and we are not with the same unit, but I saw her post!

[ Having thought up until now that Dom had gotten lost on his own, Mantis now begins to look worried when Peter suggests that someone may have actually taken him instead. ]

You think it may have been a puppy thief?! [ The worst kind of thief. ] We must find him! Can your spider emotions help find him? Maybe you can hear him if he is nearby? Can you smell him? [ Is that how that works?? ]

[He nods determinedly.]

Yeah! She's in the Perimeter Guard. I walked her home once.

[...................]

And no, I can't smell him. But I do have really good hearing. And my sight's really good! [WAIT] I can go to the roofs and look from really high up, if you want! And I can swing you wherever you haven't looked yet. No prob.

Oh! Yes! That is a good idea.

[ The rooftops do sound like a better vantage point, although the donut lures will only be helpful on the ground. Well, assuming the donuts help at all, that is. ]

Well, I do not think he is here, so, [ Mantis takes a moment to do a little turn then to regain her bearings, and to decide where to continue the search. They should stay close to the perimeter guard area, maybe? Move onwards to the next street? ] We should go this way!

[Peter really is considering questioning her method of using donuts, but...

You know what? Whatever works for her.]

Oh, sure! You're not afraid of heights or anything, are you?

[Too late he's already grabbing ya' and hoisting you through the air; it's really quite a fun feeling, as long as you trust he's not going to drop you on your head! All the while, the whites of his eyes expand on his mask as he goes for maximum input.]

I am not afra-oooh!

[ Heights don't really frighten her, and she trusts Peter not to drop her, but it's still sudden and strange and fun to suddenly be in the air! She is definitely making little "ooh!" and "woooah!" noises the whole time - it's like flying! What she thinks flying must be like!

Then suddenly, a thought. She gasps. ] I am Spider-Mantis!

Edited 2018-10-09 01:08 (UTC)

[He barks a laugh, clearly more than proud of her exclamation as they fly through the air, hanging for a while as they pass window after window before another line of webbing carries them forward.]

The next evolution to Spider-Man! The elusive Spider-Mantis! Look out, it's two bugs in one—

Oh, oh, hey! Don't forget to keep an eye out for the pupper!

[ Right, they're on a mission! Focus, Spider-Mantis.

Admittedly she's a little confused as to where they've gone now, distracted long enough to miss where they were going, but she sees a park filled with greenery and bushes that a sad puppy may want to hide in, so, ]

We should try there! [ Pointing, encouraged by the sight of a couple walking their dog through the pathway there. If there are other dogs here, maybe Dom would be drawn to them? ]

[Oh! His line of vision zeroes in where she's pointing, and — ]

Hey, not a bad idea! Dogs might get drawn to other dogs, right?

Let's see what we've got down here!

[SWOOP WHOOSH WOWZA, it's such a pleasant descent! And it leaves a nice roller-coaster-like feeling in your stomach. He's grown to love it a little too much. Funny how you can go from being nervous about heights to doing backflips off stuff.]

[...um.]

Did you lose your dog?

Oh! [ With Mantis standing still, donuts still in hand, the pigeons following her begin to waddle in closer, pecking at the bits of pastries she leaves behind in her search. ]

He is not my dog, but he is missing! Have you seen a dog? [ Descriptive! ]

[She's clearly trying and Wanda's not sure she has the heart to tell her that doughnuts aren't good puppy-bait.]

I saw a few...what kind of dog is he?

He is brown, and black, and furry?

[ It takes a few seconds, but eventually she remembers - she literally has pictures of the dog! Fumbling with her donuts for a moment, Mantis eventually produces her tablet and finds the pictures Chyler had posted, turning the device to show Wanda a few pictures of a Belgian Malinois. ]

His name is Dom, and he is a magic puppy, and his friend misses him very much.

[Wanda's eyes widen as she peers at the tablet. Oh no he's super cute...and he must be missing his owner a lot, too.

That settles it. The Scarlet Witch is officially on the case, too.]

I don't think I saw him earlier, but...what do you mean, a magic puppy?

[ Mantis pauses. She doesn't fully understand it herself, having only been told a little of what the dog is by his owner, but she thinks that the concept makes enough sense? ]

I am told that he was created by magic, and that Chyler is worried that perhaps the magic wore off. [ She is hopeful that that isn't true, and sad to think of what it means if it is, but the moment is fleeting and gives way to a sudden idea. ] Oh! You are magical, right? [ She doesn't know Wanda or her capabilities well, but- ] Do you think that your magic can help?

I can try? But if I reach out...I feel everyone. It is difficult to focus on someone I don't know.

[And she's not even sure if she could sense a magical dog.]

But I can try.

[ Mantis hadn't known what to expect in regards to Wanda's powers, exactly, but she seems genuinely interested in the response she gets. ]

You can feel people? Without touching them? Can you tell who is who? Oh! How many people can you feel at once? That sounds like it would be very overwhelming, to feel many people at once.

[The only reason she said anything at all is that Mantis seems so innocent and she's sure it wouldn't frighten her.

And, well, missing puppy.]

Everyone nearby. It can be too much if I am not careful.

I've been able to find people before, but last time I knew what the people I was looking for felt like.

Oooh. [ That seems like a lot of input to register, Mantis thinks. In her experience, at least, the sensation of seeing so intimately into a person's emotional state can be rather intense. ]

Do you think you could try? [ Wait ] If you want! I do not want you to hurt yourself.

[She nods.] I want to help.

But maybe we should try the park, or near the restaurants.

Yes! That is a good idea, if I were a lost puppy I would be hungry and I would like the smell of food.

[ Sound logic, she thinks! But it really is a good idea to move on to another area, so Mantis walks with Wanda - not entirely giving up on her donut lure idea, though, as she holds a donut in her hand as they go. Just in case! ]

[Wanda notices that she's still holding the donut as they walk. It's not a bad idea, exactly, just...not the most effective execution. But with something a dog might be able to smell...

There's a hot dog vendor at the edge of the park and Wanda's eyes light up.]

What do you think? A fresh hot dog might help.

[Richard has no intention of interfering with the woman's idiotic search. At least, he had no intention; not until he noticed that she was apparently trying to lure a creature out using a donut. Perhaps it was being here, or maybe it was Alex's influence, but there was something that pulled him in the belief that he simply couldn't let this idiocy stand.

He made his way over, frowning severely as he did so and watching her call to anything that would listen and looking ridiculous doing it.]

Have you tried the local pound?

[ So focused on finding a dog, Mantis seems to have not taken much notice to the smaller critters around that are slowly gathering in her donut crumb wake. And, oh! There is a man approaching her, and he's frowning, but Mantis greets him with a smile all the same. ]

I have not myself, but I do not believe he is there. [ Chyler has done quite a bit of searching herself already, after all. ] Have you seen a puppy? He escaped from the Perimeter Guard facilities but was not found there, so I am expanding the search.

[Richard can't deny that the girl in front of him seems stranger than most (even if you discount the feelers on her head and oversized yet somehow emotive black eyes). She seems almost ethereal, which only adds to the strangeness.

Her question is straightforward and he can appreciate that. Even if he hasn't seen any dogs other than Appo.]

No, but you seem to be attracting vermin rather than dogs. How long has it been missing?

Well, perhaps if the puppy sees other animals eating food, he will want to come get some too!

[ Definitely sound logic. If nothing else, at least, Mantis does seem to be putting a very sincere and valiant effort into the search for this dog. ]

It has been a few hours since he went missing. Oh! Chyler says he is a magic puppy, do you know any magic that could help find him?

I don't believe in magic, and I highly doubt that feeding the wildlife would help.

[There's a heavy sigh, he doesn't want to get involved, but it seems that it's already too late.]

Where did you last see it?

I am told he was last seen at the Perimeter Guard, but that no one has seen him since.

[ When she says that, though, she's making a confused face, distracted as she process his first statement. In her reality, magic is very real. ]

You do not have magic where you are from?

No.

[Demons, they have demons. Ok, they don't have demons, but they do have a disturbing amount of people who seem to believe they do. Also just, weird stuff. Weird, creepy, demon-type stuff.]

Do you know when?

Oh... that sounds like a very boring place!

[ Not meant meanly at all, just an observation. She also shakes her head in response to his question, although she then does also supply, ]

A few hours ago?

[Richard ignores the comment about it being boring. For him, that's hardly the case. Or maybe he just enjoys boring.]

Did it seem scared at all?

[Mantis isn't the only one looking for the last pupper. Relm's too damn Fereldan to not help out when a dog is in need. She suspects something more than the puppy running off has occurred, but best to eliminate all options before jumping to more drastic scenarios.

She's whistling, hoping to at least get a bark in response. While listening and waiting for that tell-tale sound, she hears Mantis calling out for the pup. It takes a bit of looking around before she finally finds Mantis, offering... are those donuts??]

Well that's certainly an interesting way of getting a dog's attention.

[ Pigeons are closing in on her as she searches now, cooing softly as they slowly congregate. ]

Donuts are very tasty, and I had some to share, so I thought that maybe he would want some too! [ Well, she gets an A for effort, if nothing else. It also takes a moment, but Mantis soon realizes she may have a searching companion! ] Oh! Are you searching for Chyler's puppy as well?

[...you know, she honestly doesn't know what to say to that. Do dogs like donuts? She's never given her dog a donut, so who's to say? It... can't be terribly good for them, though.]

I suppose if it works... [Let's hope the pup has a sweet tooth. At Mantis's question, Relm nods.] I am. Something tells me he's not in this compound anymore, though.

[ Who knows! Mantis has learned, however, that dogs can't have chocolate, so she's eaten all the chocolate donuts herself and is, responsibly, using only plain donuts that are more dog friendly. ]

I think you are right... [ So the search must expand! ] Where have you looked so far? I hope he is okay, it must be frightening to be lost if you are a puppy.

I imagine it's rather exciting at first to get loose, but after awhile yes, he's going to be wondering where his owner is. [And the circumstances behind this just don't make sense. Something else is going on.] I searched around the northside and in the immediate area around the compound there. Where have you been?

[ Mantis hasn't approached this with much a plan, simply taking her donuts and starting to walk around with them, calling out to the dog, but she thinks she has a general idea of where she's been so far. ]

I have looked everywhere on the compound! [ Maybe more like almost everywhere, but, ] And I do not think he is there, so maybe he is in the neighbourhood instead? Maybe he has found other food, so he does not want the donuts? Oh, I hope that he still wants the donuts...

Okay, so we can safely say the compound's out. I searched a bit of the neighborhood, but not all of it. We can head there next. [No point in them sticking around here.] I'm sure he'll more than want the donuts, especially if he's been wandering about with no means of getting food. I just hope he's gotten water...

[cassian is on the perimeter guard grounds a significant amount of time; it's his job, and although he isn't letting it consume his life, he still likes to keep busy. he's been on the lookout for chyler's dog, which is easy enough when he's on the clock.]

[when he sees someone trying to lure the aforementioned dog in with donuts, he pauses. not because of her antennae, he has seen all manner of species across the universe, but because he can't figure out if dogs eat donuts. it's not like they have the same kind of canines back home, maybe sugar is bad for them?? he has a cat, not a dog!]

I do not think dogs like donuts. [a beat.] But I have never seen one try to eat a donut, so I could be wrong.

[ Despite not knowing for sure whether or not dogs like donuts herself, Mantis still gasps, instantly trusting of the stranger's information. And a little disappointed, to think her donut idea may not be very effective after all.

But then, he says he could be wrong, and she lights back up again. Maybe her donut plan will work! ]

Well, humans and human like species and non human like species seem to like them, so I thought that dogs may too! And I did not give away all of my donuts today, so I still have these, so I thought that the puppy may like to have some.

[he makes a thoughtful noise.] They do seem to be universally appreciated as a sweet food.

[but should dogs have them?? domesticated animals aren't supposed to have certain kinds of food, he is learning this through the care of his cat and his chinchilla.]

What kind of donuts are they? Maybe different flavors lure in different animals. For example, my cat cannot have chocolate, it may be the same for dogs.

Edited 2018-10-10 04:23 (UTC)

[ Oh! Oh, she knows the answer to this one! She lights up, looking excited and sounding proud of herself when she replies, ]

Chocolate is bad for dogs, so I ate the chocolate ones myself! These ones are donut flavoured! [ They're really vanilla, but ] I am still not sure if dogs like donuts, but I think if I were a puppy I would.

[he didn't know there could be donut flavored donuts?? maybe it's a default and everything else is just extra.]

Good to know. [no chocolate for dogs, got it.] The young in any species do not always know what they can or cannot have either. If he's hungry, anything probably looks appetizing.

I know the dog in question also likes to play with sticks. It might be another way to lure him back in.

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