[Message to All]

[scales_and_silence]

Hello, my name is Doctor Alex Price. Unfortunately my introduction comes with an apology and questions.

Is anyone missing any of the following items?:

-A set of keys with an LED Statue of Liberty keychain and laser pointer

-One purple scarf with silver threading woven through it and beaded fringe

-One of those shower scrubby lathering things (I don't know what they're called) made from the plastic mesh stuff. This has been destroyed, I owe you a new one. I've obtained several from the nearest dollar store in hopes of matching the color of the original.

-Several 1" buttons bearing the logos of 70s punk bands and albums, slightly dented

-A small collection of Disney souvenir pins

All of these items will be returned and/or replaced if claimed.

Comments

[peacefulexplorer]

None of those sound familiar.

Neither do you

You new?

[scales_and_silence]

As of yesterday, yes. This is my first surprise visit to an alternate dimension, usually these sorts of trips are a bit more planned, and a little more... brimstone-y.

Never let it be said my grandmother plans boring family trips.

[private]

[peacefulexplorer]

[That is...extremely new. As in a day ago? Yikes.]

Well first order of business welcome to manhattan

second- I dont think there's a polite way to ask if someone is kleptomaniac

[Private]

[scales_and_silence]

My splinter colony of Aeslin Mice. It's- complicated, but, yes, talking, thinking, sentient mice who use tools. They're hyper-religious and worship my family as gods going back about seven generations or so. We're cryptozoologists and the mice are excellent record-keepers so we've found having them around is quite beneficial and as far as we know our colonies are the last of their kind- um, right, nevermind-

Not so much kleptomaniacs as natural scavengers and prone to picking things up that catch their interest. I've done my best to keep them from stealing from people, but things that have been dropped, left out in the open... well.

I... really don't know how to explain the bath thing though. I really, really don't.

[private from here on out]

[peacefulexplorer]

[Lucky to have brought a piece of home with him. An incredibly intriguing piece of home.]

well first things first- as Ive recently discovered its not always wisest broadcasting yourself openly on the network. It is ocasionally monitored

Id recommend refraining from stating your outright location

[peacefulexplorer]

your mice might unfortunatly be something of a liability

there are several organizations present that would likely have an interest in studying them and theyre not run by people in the habit of asking nicely

can they keep a low profile

[Private]

[scales_and_silence]

[laughter]
There's always an organization, isn't there. If it isn't one trying to wipe out all life not specifically mentioned as being accounted for on Noah's Arc, it's one trying to dissect everything in the name of science.

Yeah. My family's motto is "low profile." That includes the mice. I was five when I got my first false identity.

[erratic_hematic]

It's called a pouf. Not mine.

I'll take the buttons if no one else claims em

[scales_and_silence]

If they go unclaimed, you might have to argue with the ones who found them.

[erratic_hematic]

You didn't find em?

[Private]

[scales_and_silence]

Nope. My splinter colony of hyper-religious sentient talking mice did.

If you want to convince them to give up their new cloak pins and/or explain to them what a Buzzcock is, be my guest.

[Private cont.]

[erratic_hematic]

ugh ive had enough with the talking animals lately

who owns talking mice? what are you?

[Private cont.]

[scales_and_silence]

I don't own them. I am responsible for them.

They've worshipped my family as gods for several generations. We're cryptozoologists, generally making sure the overenthusiastic monster-hunters of the world don't go stomping and burning through the world and salting the ashes and wreaking havoc with the natural ecological balance of things in the name of "wait, that wasn't specifically mentioned on the Arc, get it."

Wipe out all of France's unicorns in the name of a holy quest, and you know what you get? Cholera.

Yeah, sure, they're ferocious beasts that'll flay any virgin that gets near them, but they also purify water tables. They might kill as many people as the average bear, but how many people died in Paris of cholera by 1832?

[private]

[apidae]

Hi! I don't think any of those things is mine but it's sure nice of you to let everyone know. I'm Bee! You're new, aren't you?

[private]

[scales_and_silence]

Brand new. Lovely to meet you, Bee.

1/3

[apidae]

Welcome! Lovely to meet you!!

2/3

[apidae]

Well, sort of. We'll meet in person soon enough I'm sure!

3/3

[apidae]

where are you staying?

3/3

[scales_and_silence]

Daine set me up with a place, I think it's permanent? I... am not 100% sure, so I have yet to set things up entirely.

[apidae]

Oh good you met Daine!! She's wonderful isn't she? I'm sure she'll be able to introduce us soon. :)

[singthesong]

Don't think so

Did you just get here?

[scales_and_silence]

Yeah, not very long ago. Still settling in, meeting people. It's... been a trip, definitely.

[singthesong]

You could say that! Welcome, then. Hope you aren't too far off your usual time period, at least.

[scales_and_silence]

A few years back, but not anything traumatizing.

...which, honestly says more about how weird my life has been up to this point than I'd like to think about.

[singthesong]

Don't worry, that's pretty common. I'm not sure how many of us started off as "normal".

I'm the Balladeer, by the way.