one new mouse

[vivariummods]

It's been two days since the vote. Since then, there has been little activity. The speakers have never been turned on since that day, and there's been no sign of the owner of that voice. No further contact has been made, and it seems as if the group was abandoned again without a clue as to why they're here. ... Unless any members of the group are lucky enough to wake up early enough to catch a glimpse of something, uh, "new"... In the Greenhouse, while the artificial sky is a reddish colour from "sunrise", a large metal ladder is placed in front of the sickly trees. Beside the ladder is a children's wagon, filled with apples, and on top is an upright mouse with a gas mask... Yeah, as if this place couldn't get any weirder. The mouse quietly mumbles to itself, something along the lines of "... work... not paid... test subjects... spoiled", and holds an apple in one paw and a tape gun in the other. It appears to be taping the apples to the tree branches, one at a time, occasionally climbing down to grab an armful of apples to bring up. It's only a third way through the pile of apples (which only seems to be about a dozen...) so catch it while you can.

Comments

TALK TO CALHOUN

[formicarium]

[ Calhoun just continues to tape apples to the trees, occasionally taking breaks here and there, mumbling about test subjects and some other nonsense. Probably complaining as usual. ]

Re: TALK TO CALHOUN

[babel_hacker]

[That sure is a mouse. When Atsuro came over to check the Greenhouse and saw the house, he paused when he noticed its gasmask. Gasmask...

He remembers seeing a gasmask before.

Atsuro slowly walks towards it, until he's close enough to pick up on...words? It can talk?]

Uh, hey?

[This feels so weird.]

[formicarium]

[ Calhoun turns his head, looking down at the Atsuro, continuing to hold onto an apple and his tape gun. ]

Can't you see that I'm busy, test subject? Sheeeesh, what's a mouse gotta do around here to tape apples to a tree in peace?

[ He sounds... whiny. He sighs and shakes his head. ]

[babel_hacker]

[Yeah, now he's sure he's not imagining it.]

You can talk?

[formicarium]

[ Calhoun just looks at Atsuro like he has three heads. ]

Of course I can talk! I'm not just your average mouse, you know. Look, I even got working thumbs like you.

[ He places down the tape gun and apple on top of the ladder and jumps off. He's... extremely small, as in 3'2" small, but he stands in front of Atsuro and holds up his paws to show. His paws are definitely shaped like a mouse but clearly has opposable thumbs that he's wiggling. ]

[babel_hacker]

[Atsuro looks down at the talking mouse with an incredulous expression.]

Y...eah, you do. [Uh.] So if you're not an average mouse... what kind of mouse are you?

[formicarium]

[ He sees you making that face. ]

The mouse who's in charge of watching you bunch! Making sure that you're not misbehaving, getting in trouble, killing each other, though you've already screwed the pooch on that one.

Honestly, I leave my eyes off everyone for a few days and this is what I come back to. I really don't get paid enough for this.

[ He sighs and shakes his head. ]

[babel_hacker]

Okay, okay, you're a unique and special mouse!

[Atsuro raise his hands up when the mouse starts talking on and on. A few points stands out to him from his words.]

Wait, in charge of watching us? Are you really sure about that? And doesn't that mean someone put us into this place on purpose?

[If this weird mouse is telling the truth, that means someone assigned him to the role. And that someone have a reason for it.

The person behind this weird situation...?]

[formicarium]

[ Calhoun has a tendency to ramble on and on, so better start getting used to it, Atsuro... At the very least, he seems satisfied that he was called unique and special. ]

Of course I'm sure! I'm a mouse of my word. Actually, you know, just between me and you...

[ He looks around then waves Atsuro in to try to get him to lean down, while using his other paw to cup the side of his gas mask, as if he's trying to keep this a hushed secret. ]

[babel_hacker]

[...? With a blink, Atsuro pauses before leans down and turn his head, so he can listen to whatever this mouse might whisper.]

[formicarium]

[ Calhoun sucks in a breathe and... ]

That's top secret!!

[ He shouts right into Atsuro's ear. What a jerk. ]

[babel_hacker]

Gah!!

[Atsuro immediately moves back and covers his poor ear with a hand. Have a glare, you damned mouse.]

Who said you can shout?!

[formicarium]

[ Calhoun snickers into his paws. Atsuro's glare has no effect on him. ]

Don't be so huffy, test subject, I'm just playing! It's like a practical joke that you humans like.

[ It's... not really, but he's a mouse, what do you expect from him. ]

Re: TALK TO CALHOUN

[1st_response_is_anger]

Can I...take an apple? *Maria posed her question to the mouse in a gas mask. Because why not, really?*

[formicarium]

[ Calhoun turns his head, looking down at Maria from his ladder. ]

That's why I'm taping them up, test subject, so I don't have you bunch getting scurvy on me!

[ He doesn't budge from the ladder nor does he offer one, however. He just gets back to taping the one in his hands. Maybe he wants you to grab it from his wagon or climb a tree?? ]

[1st_response_is_anger]

How generous of you. *So much sarcasm. But she did take an apple from the wagon because they looked pretty good.*

Wait...test subject? AHA! I knew it! This is a stupid experiment!

[formicarium]

Hey! Put that down! I haven't finished taping those up yet!

[ Calhoun points to the apple in Maria's hand then back at the wagon. Huff huff, what a rude test subject. It looks like he's not going to even acknowledge Maria's last few comments about the "stupid experiment" and all. He's way too focused on the apple. ]

[1st_response_is_anger]

So I have to let you tape it up before I can eat it? *Seemed kind of pointless. Maria felt tempted enough to take a big juicy bite of the apple and say "deal with it." However, given that she'd recently been kidnapped, subject to a fight and a murder vote and couldn't quite remember all of her past, it might be the rare chance to use discretion in her actions. For her, anyway. So she placed the apple back in the wagon.*

Fine. *It's not like the apples were going anywhere. Also, she knew she should be more...wary?...amazed?...at the talking mouse. Somehow being kidnapped with a loss of identity was helping her cope more with whatever was going on.* What's your name, mouse?

[formicarium]

Of course you let me tape it up first! Otherwise I would have done half of this work for nothing.

[ And he really wants to see everyone struggle to get the apples off the trees, like how hilarious would that be? ]

And Calhoun's the name! But if you want to call me Sir, Master, Your Honour, and such on, I wouldn't be opposed to it!

[1st_response_is_anger]

*Your sense of humor is probably as wonky as Hisoka.* All right...Mr. Mouse. I don't suppose you have any idea where we are, do you?

[formicarium]

Mr. Mouse, huh? I like the ring of that!

[ He sets down his apple and tape gun on the ladder then jumps off. Now that he's actually at ground level, it'd be clear to see that he's... insanely short, like 3'2" short. Well, what else would you expect from a mouse. ]

Anyway, you're in a warehouse, but more specifically, a greenhouse. If you want to know more, we're on the planet Earth in the Milky Galaxy, but after that, who knows. It's pretty big out there.

[1st_response_is_anger]

Oh, nice that's it narrowed down that much. *But geez, he's tiny up close.*

[formicarium]

You've asked, test subject!

Besides, what do you want me to say? To spit out all the answers and reveal my secrets? No way José!

[1st_response_is_anger]

Somehow, I doubt you'd tell me everything.

*Well, she supposed she should keep the mouse talking. Because why wouldn't you?* So what do you here, Mr. Mouse? Besides tape apples to trees?

[formicarium]

Ehh, you know, the usual stuff a mouse's gotta do: watch over spoiled test subjects, make sure said test subjects don't get into any major troubles, and keep them from dying.

[ He then lets out a huff and shakes his head. ]

But you bunch already messed up and got one killed! I mean, c'mon, test subjects aren't easy to find! At least it wasn't so messy to clean up after but sheeeeesh, you guys aren't making my job any easier.