[726 ANDERSON LANE]

[Slugger's homework became suddenly more interesting when an unexplained voice pierced his thoughts. Whatever algebra problem he'd been stuck on at the time became a string of words that ran together across the page, un-seperated by spaces as he'd attempted to copy the gist of what was being said inside his own head. When the voice went silent, he straightened to squint at the scribbled mess.

What just happened? Had the voice been real? Had anyone else heard it? 'Zemekis', 'Annie': why were those names familiar and who were they? And his friends - Pokey, Ai, Charles, Johan - they were still here. How could they have been taken away? What did Annie mean? However, the words that stick out above the rest as being most disconcerting are 'tampered memories'. 

Having given up any further attempts to finish his homework, Slugger carefully sets down his pencil and begins folding up the page. He can't just throw it away, someone might find it. He's got to hide it. The first place that comes to mind is beneath his mattress where his Halloween candy is stored for safekeeping. But what he finds already hidden under the mattress is something even more surprising. A notebook - thick and worn and slightly crumpled, as if it had been used over a course of years - is wedged between the mattress and the bed frame. Removing it, he finds page after page of words inside written by his own hand, but the moment he starts to focus on a page his vision blurs with the onset of a painful headache. 

The notebook slips from his hand and as it lands, cards flutter out and lay scattered over the floor of his bedroom. Kneeling down to gather them into a small stack, Slugger finds that each card has a strange picture printed on it. The card on top portrays a figure placing its hand through a brick wall as if reaching through thin air. Slugger, after staring at the card in confusion, slips it and the rest of the cards into his pocket. His attention turns next to his own hand... and then to the nearest wall.

Moments later, a single thud rattles the floor. Inspection may find Slugger lying on the floor, half his body severed cleanly by a wall (or so it would appear). Depending on which side of the wall you're approaching from, he can be found with both hands clutching his head in pain.]


[ANYWHERE AROUND THE BLOCK; the homes of Pokey, Ai, Charles, Johan and family]

[Slugger has gone for a walk not only to make sure that his friends haven't been abducted but to further test his new-found (or re-found) ability. When he thinks no one is watching he'll try stepping through a variety of structures, such as walls made of brick or stone or cinder block and other tall things like fences and trees.

Each time he does it, he feels as if there is something more to recall. And each time he suffers the same consequence -- a crippling migraine that causes his knees to buckle and an invasion of thoughts about how wonderful Mayfield is.]

[Phone.]

I-I think something may be wrong with my voice. It keeps getting all squeaky- [and right on cue, Luke's voice cracks as he makes a high-pitched noise] -when I talk.

[He coughs and clears his throat, trying to make his voice sound deeper.]

I think I might be [and again his voice cracks] getting sick. [Another cough before Luke tries to make his voice deeper again.] I mean, I think I'm getting sick.

I-I think I'm going to just stay off the phones for a while. I've got a speech due in class tomorrow...

[Unfortunately for Luke, he's yet to realize that he's hitting puberty now.]

[Outside 726 Anderson Lane.]

[It's that time of year again - a set of pumpkins will suddenly appear on the porch of 726 Anderson Lane with a set of carving tools and a bucket nearby. Who's the culprit? Well, it's probably that boy rolling yet another pumpkin up the street, past the row of newer and smaller golems being built in the yard of 726 Anderson, and towards the porch.]

[726 Anderson Lane.]

[Luke had only been gone a little over three hours, but the way he's stumbling into the house makes it look like he's been gone for a week. The front of his shirt is covered in blood, and he has a nasty bite on his shoulder. Despite that? He doesn't look scared or traumatized, as he usually does with each horrible event the town puts them through.

Instead, he looks really tired.

He darts towards the kitchen, and rummages for something to eat and drink. He's tempted to find someplace to sleep, but there's still a few things he needs to do first. The first thing he needs to do is make a phone call...]

[Phone.]

What all was found in those portals? What did everyone see? The more you can tell me, the better. We ought to start making a record of our discoveries as soon as possible.

[Around town.]

[After a fresh change of clothes, Luke doesn't look that much better, but at least he's not covered in blood anymore. His first goal is to check on the people he traveled with in the void and make sure they all came back in one piece. While he's mostly interested in checking up on people he knows, he'll stop for just about anyone.

When he's finished making sure everyone is okay, he'll go pay a visit to a certain sea creature at the lake.]

[462 Stone Street - Late night]

[The event may be over, but Luke's paranoia gets the better of him. He's spent most of his day fighting sleep and stalking his Mayfield family just in case they don't get eaten by a glitch or something. But even as he tries to go to bed, he still keeps waking up in the middle of the night thanks to some very nasty nightmares.

Deciding sleep is a lost cause, he slips out of the house in the middle of the night, still in his pajamas. He makes his way over to 462 Stone Street to check up on a certain puzzler. Worried about waking them up, he ends up sitting outside the door like a creeper while he decides if he should knock or not.

Unfortunately his lack of sleep catches up with him, because before he can make a decision, he dozes off on the doorstep of the Nigma family. If Edward or Ema checks outside in the middle of the night, they'll find Luke curled up and fast asleep on the porch.]

723 Anderson
[Outside of this humble abode sits a car, Corran, and his astromech droid, Whistler. Corran has Whistler rigged up on a stand so he can look down at the car's engine in the same manner Corran is.

Both are fiddling around without issues until there's a loud POP. Corran jerks back and Whistler floops off his stand, screaming and hitting the ground with a THUNK.

Corran rushes over to right the droid.]

What happened there?!

[A very....rude noise comes from Whistler.]

What do you mean it was my fault?

[More indecipherable twittering]

Of course I remembered to ground the battery, see? [nope]

....oh. You need to remind me about these things. I've never seen something be so primitive yet so complicated.

[He looks at the droid, which hoots triumphantly.]

We're never going to get this done, are we?



Phone Call
If anyone has any idea on how to overcharge a car so I can get more speed out of it, let me know. The hunk of junk moves too slow for my comfort. I just can't figure this out and having more speed would be nice.

[726 Anderson Lane.]

[Ever since he came back from that strange carnival world, Luke's been unable to shake his depression. For a while he was fully prepared to give up, let the town do whatever it wants, and try to deal with the consequences the best he could. It was the easiest option after all, to just accept that one day the town will take away the people you care about.

But...

But he didn't want to give up. Not yet. People have been trying to help him the day he came back from the carnival world, and he'd been too sad to realize it. And even though some days it all came rushing back to him, all that sadness, today he felt a little stronger. He had to do something. Anything.

And after he pays a visit to the memorial he made for Edward Nigma, in the yard of 726 Anderson Lane, an idea comes to him. He knew what he needed to try next.]

...I think I've got it! 

[Phone.]

Has anyone thought about making a self-published newspaper before? Not like the one that gets delivered in the mornings, I mean a paper that's made and delivered by all of us. We could use it for um, important news that we happen to come across in town.

[Which is Luke's way of saying that it'd be a good idea to use it to get Mayfield clues out there to other people.]

And it doesn't have to be strictly news either! The papers we get already have cartoons, advice columns, puzzles - we could have those too! I'll be in charge of the puzzle section of course. I know for a fact that I could come up with better puzzles then the ones they put in the paper already. I mean, a five-year-old could solve some of...

[Wait he's getting off-topic.]

So um, what do you all think? I'd rather read a newspaper that's made by us, to be honest. I don't have the tools to publish one myself, but I think if we work together we can put together something worth reading! 

[ooc: This is the IC post for the self-published newspaper idea. I'd still love to hear some input!]

[phone]
Oh, marvelous, it's August again.  My favorite time of the year.

Students, I hope you've been working on your summer assignments.  Adult men, I hope you're prepared to be perfect gentlemen when we all find ourselves floundering in that ghastly hotel.  Anything else to expect this month?  No?  On to business, then.

I'm sure we're all very distracted by talking pony parties and pool parties and platter parties and inpourings of perpetually perplexed new populations, but has anyone made any effort whatsoever to sort out that business from last month or are we still playing the game where we ignore all interesting information in favor of smashing random objects we find in the dairy?  I don't mind that game; of course, quite invigorating, good for the vasculature, but it might be worth trying a different approach at some point in time.  I venture to suggest today, if no one's too busy holding competitions to see who looks the most absurd absent their clothing.

[action, 726 Anderson Lane]
[Susan can be found hanging up black cloaks and other assorted clothing in uniform crepuscular shades around the house where garish green was all there was formerly to see.  A welcome change, in her opinion; she'd missed her wardrobe from home, even if everything looked exactly the same as the black cloak she had commissioned here in Mayfield.

Still, she pauses for a moment as she handles an emerald-green cloak, never worn, hanging in the hall closet since the previous Christmas.  ...It goes back on the rack after a bit.  And she'll only push it back behind the others an inch or two.]

[action, park]
[A rather unusual sight in the park later on that week.  Somehow, Miss Susan the English teacher has been cajoled into reading a nice story for a small group of drones.]

And so, adding conspiracy and first-degree murder to their trespass and property damage charges, Hansel and Gretel pushed the old woman into the oven and ignored her anguished screams as they left the house of gingerbread, naturally taking all of her valuables with them as they went.  With these illicit goods, they reunited with their criminally negligent father, but not, surprisingly, their 'wicked' stepmother, who had mysteriously vanished in the space of the two nights in which the children were gone, leaving the father sole keeper of his property and remaining funds and raising suspicion as to who it was had devised the plan to leave the children in the forest in the first place.

But it doesn't matter, because they all lived happily ever after.

The End.

[The drones seem quite pleased with her recitation, at any rate.]

{ Action ; 724 Anderson - Morning }

[ Housemates might hear what sounds like a piece of furniture falling over in the master bedroom. Vader all but explodes from the room shortly after, the doorknob banging against the wall. Walking rather stiffly and somewhat bandy-legged, pulling on a spare shirt, he very nearly trips multiple times over his own feet on his furious search through the residence. ]

This can't be, it can't be the same...

{ Action ; Around Mayfield }

[ Kriff this. He's disoriented and afraid and furious. Without the Force his anger isn't a fuel, it's suffocating, but he's pelting hell for leather down the pavement as if he's got a whole squadron of Seps on his tail, gulping air. Anyone in his path might get shouldered out of the way.

Murkhana is still fresh in his mind, the Emperor's orders ringing in his ears, fighting with the abrupt wash of memories that flooded him as soon as he awoke. He hadn't been back in the galaxy more than a few hours, how can so much time have passed here? And Padmé- his wife is gone, an empty shell in a house full of other empty shells. He's failed, again.

Coming to a sudden stop, he presses white-knuckled hands to his temples. Agitated, he releases a noise of frustration, the sound welling up almost to a scream.

Yeah, so... approaching the guy in the midst of a psychotic break might not be the greatest idea. But hey. It's Mayfield. ]

Action; 726 Anderson Lane
[What had once been Edward's office in his "top-secret" underground lair was now just some abandoned relic. However, it still had its uses. Seated at the desk, Slugger absently pushes around some lettered slats on a Scrabble board. He isn't thinking much when the letters 'O - N - E' are haphazardly arranged on the board, but when he realizes the next letter beneath his finger is 'G', he pauses. His thumb and forefinger join in a circle formation and a tiny 'clink' echoes through the office as the slat rebounds off a far wall.]

Phone
[For the first few days after he'd returned from the Mayfield on the other side of the funhouse, Slugger hadn't felt much like thinking about his stay there, much less like talking about it. But now, he's ready to start getting down to business. Mayfield is a place he hates and yet it's a place that has given him so much, including a home. But what it gave, it had the power to take away. He isn't sure why he continues to search for answers or why he still feels the unshakable sense of responsibility for collecting whatever scraps of information the town might offer, but perhaps a certain man in green who is no longer here would agree that the search must go on until the answer is found.]

Edward Nigma is gone. Droned. This time for real.

[Though Edward had possibly been the closest person he's lost thus far, his words are devoid of emotion as though simply stating a fact. Almost as quickly as the announcement leaves his mouth, the call shifts to a new topic.]

Did anyone find something useful in the Other Mayfield? I'd like to see.

[Action: Anderson Lane]

[Akaya has the habit of falling asleep on busses. Well, this is what happened just before he was taken to Mayfield. He was going to school, but instead he fell asleep and went to the last stop. This is perfectly normal as he's gotten that way to an enemy school as well.

Well, this time seemed to be different. He woke up.. in a room? Did he just have a weird dream about sleeping on the buss again? That's what it seemed like. Then he looks around. His room seems a bit different from normal... or maybe he's imagining things. Oh well, no time to think about it! Time to get ready and go to school.

He ends up walking out of the house. He didn't really paying attention to what the place looks like cause he's too sleepy. That goes for his clothing and all the other stuff as well... silly boy.

... it's the outside and fresh air that makes him realize that he's probably not in Japan anymore.]

-- Wh-What is this place?

[Feel free to bug him. He's probably going to stand outside of 724 for a while.]

[Phone: Open]

... hello? Senpai? Akaya here. Are any of you hearing this?

This may sound crazy, but I think I've been kidnapped. I don't have my own clothes and they keep saying I live in this house -- and this is definitely not my house!

It seems like I can just walk out of here, but I'm not sure if I should! So please help...?

[Action - 725 Anderson]

[Fran blinks as she awakens in her new bed. She rises slowly and groggily, and it takes her a moment before she realizes the changes. She pats herself all over, checking her skin, noting the lack of her usual parts.]

Interesting~ Stitches and bolts removed, no sign of surgical intrusion~ In fact, no evidence of any prior surgery at all~

[She finds herself a change of clothes in the closet and then sets about exploring the home, noting her presence in family photos.]

[Phone]

[After dialing a number and assuming it went through.]

Veronica~ Okita~ This is Fran~ I believe I've been kidnapped or otherwise taken by someone~ I'll let you know when I have more information, but the address I've found is 725 Anderson Lane, Mayfield~ I appear to be in America~ Veronica, please don't kill anyone or else I will have to punish you~

[Action: 730 Anderson Lane]

[Despite being a normally sound sleeper, Battler Ushiromiya wakes up with a start. He can tell that something's off. For one, he's not in his normal pajamas...and for another, there's a warm body sleeping next to him. Now, despite all of his comments of his prowess, the closest he's come recently was when Ronove played a trick on him.]

Hey. Who's there? Where the hell am I?

[Eventually, he will make his way around to the rest of the house, and finally outside, looking slightly bewildered.]

I don't think that this is Rokkenjima...

[Action: Around town]

[As the day goes on, a bewildered Battler will just wander his way around the town, trying to figure things out, and thus will do so in the only way he knows how.]

Uh...do you know of a good place to play chess?

[Action: John Doe Park, evening]

[As the evening sets in, Battler will have made his way to the park, if only to find a quiet place to sit down and think, possibly at one of the tables around the park. He'll look restless, before slamming his hands down on the table, milky white tears streaming down his face.]

UWOOOOOOOO! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?

[Phone]

So, I've been wandering around this town, thinking. I know that some people might say that we were brought here by magic, but that's completely impossible, because magic doesn't exist. Personally, I think that this could have happened by one of two methods. First of all, and stay with me on this one...aliens. This could easily be an alien abduction. Second of all, this could be a government experiment, taking all of us from our homes and putting us in a situation where we have to live and learn together.

[There is a slight pause.]

Huh, that's odd, it didn't turn blue...

[726 Anderson Lane]

[The last thing Luke remembered was being dragged back through the funhouse by Lucas, right before he fell unconsciousness. He doesn't remember how he got home, but here he was, feeling exhausted and sick. A quick glance at his hand and he realizes that his fingers are still missing, but he doesn't dwell on it long before trying to climb out of the bed and towards the nearest food source.

At least it was over now and he was home again. Right as he clumsily lands on the floor, he's greeted to the sight of a familiar man in the doorway. Luke's face brightens in relief. As much as he thought he'd get used to how death works in Mayfield, it was always hard to watch a loved one die. But of course he was back and in good health again.]

Mr. Nigma, you're alive-

[Luke's relief is cut short, when he notices the blank stare and the eerie smile on the other man's face.]

Hey there sport! You're not gonna spend all day in bed, are you?

[...What? No no, that's not-

Luke frowns, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.]

...Mr. Nigma? You're-

Hey now, is that any way to talk to your old man? Anyway, I'll be in the garage. Why don't you help your mother out today by cleaning up the kitchen, eh?

[Luke watches as he leaves, a feeling of dread and horror washing over him. He stumbles forward on unsteady legs, trying not to collapse out in the hallway as he makes his way towards Edward's room, trying to find any trace of his Mayfield father's personal belongings.

But as much as he searches the room, going through closets and desk drawers, everything that was ever owned by Edward Nigma was gone.

A crash comes from the upstairs room, followed by a loud cry.]

[Outside 726 Anderson Lane - Evening]

[It didn't take long for it to sink in. After not being able to find a trace of Edward's things, it was obvious that Edward wasn't coming back. He feels a sense of numbness going through him as he approaches the swing in the yard, carrying the cane that Edward gave him as a gift.

Without saying a word, he sticks the cane into the ground hard enough to make sure it'll never be moved again. He takes a step back, admiring the makeshift memorial for a moment. It was foolish to get attached in the first place, after all the ones you loved where always the first to go. He thought maybe he could make up for the loss of his first family with his new family, but he...

He couldn't. He was weak and useless, incapable of protecting. He couldn't even hang on to the people he truly cared about.

Edward Nigma's number one apprentice. What a joke. It was...

...it was almost funny...

...if it weren't so sad.]

[Action for housemates:

She wakes up and it doesn't take long to figure out she's in a different house. The pictures help.

Hey new housemates, there is a teenager in a pointed hat walking around the house.]

[Phone]

This is Tiffany Aching, for some reason the town decided to move me. So I'm at 726 Anderson now. 

For anyone that doesn't know,  I'm a witch and if you need medical help, now or in the future, I can help with that.

[Park

In the park you might come across an odd sight as Tiffany is looking up a tree with her arms crossed. There seems to be ...a blue wheel of cheese up there?]

Now really, you have no one to blame but yourself you know. I told you not to chase after that squirrel.

Has anyone seen... has anyone seen Hawke? Short, dark hair, likely with something smeared across her face? Travels with a mabari?

[And damn if Anders doesn't sound downright frantic over this business. Like he's two seconds away from losing his control and introducing Mayfield to Big Blue And Violent.]

Or... Warren? He's a mage -- destructive magic. Dark hair as well... I...

Maker, I haven't seen them in days.

[She's gone. She's gone. She's gone. She's gone. This repeats in her head over and over. She's gone. Ema, Ema wasn't supposed to leave. Ema stayed. Ema was one of the consistent ones. She didn't just appear and then vanish she stayed. Not like everyone else. She wasn't allowed to be just like everyone else. Like, Saki, like Jane.

Ai stares at the wall before slowly standing up. Housemates may notice that the small child isn't emotionless looking for once, she looks angry.

The charred remains of the telephone might also give you that impression.

A. Ema wasn't supposed to get droned. The town droned her. It must have been for some reason. And what was always behind the bad things that happened to her? ....or who. Well one Edward Nygma. Which is why she's appeared in his house, in front of him. 

B. There is a small girl huddled up in the park. She looks miserable. More miserable then usual. The burnt tree next to her doesn't look very happy either. But hey, at least it's not on fire anymore. Just...burnt.]

It's one thing after another in this wretched place, isn't it? Lies. Zombies. Insanity.

One would hope in these desperate, bizarre circumstances, we could rely on someone... but apparently that isn't even the truth, is it?

[After that bitter statement, the next is something of an aside, as he's putting the phone back down. Because leave it to Anders to be a cryptic jerk like that.]

Maker's breath, I wish I could drink.



[LATER -- as in, after the phonecall, he's just sort of sitting in the room he claimed as an office space of sorts, writing furiously on anything even remotely paper-like.]

[Disturb the cranky mage at your leisure.]

Father's Day again, is it?

[He's been around long enough to know what this means, and he knows that there's no need to run and take cover from any crazy Mayfield antics. Still, it did make him a little homesick.]

You know, this actually reminds me of a puzzle! Let's see if you can solve it.

"A father and son are talking when the son asks this question: 'Dad, I'm 22 now, but just how old are you?'

The father replies, 'you wanna know how old your old man is, eh? Hmm, well, I'll tell you what. I'm as old as your age, plus half my age.'

How old was the father?"

By the way, does anyone know how to take care of a very, very large sea creature? She's been staying in the lake, but I want to make sure she's well taken care of.

[Because now that Loosha was back, Luke felt like he was responsible for making sure she was safe and happy here.]

[Action - Around the house.]

[On the kitchen table sits a card and gift box for Edward Nigma. Naturally the box is actually a puzzle box, making it pretty obvious who it's from.

Luke can be found outside, tending to the now animate golem standing guard outside the house.]