Event: the Bother with Bunnies

[applesaucemod]

On the morning of May 6th, 2013, the citizens of Rift York will awaken to find themselves with a new and unexpected roommate. Or two. Or five. The good news: these new roommates don't eat much, they're quiet, and they're pretty adorable. The bad news: no one asked for their homes to be overrun by Angora rabbits.

The rift isn't in the habit of giving people what they ask for, though, so you're just going to have to deal with these bunnies everywhere until the evening of May 8th, when they will disappear as mysteriously and suddenly as they arrived. In the meantime, you might consider them a goodwill gesture from a rift that isn't always so kind. The rabbits seem to be most heavily concentrated in areas where rifties are staying, after all. While Manhattan at large might not appreciate the full extent of the bunnypocalypse, the rifties will find the creatures quite difficult to avoid.



Feel free to post your character's reactions here, or to make your own entries under the event tag. The event will be running for the next two days in-game, or through January 19th in real life. As ever, backdating is allowed and encouraged.

Comments

[stronglikebear]

"For now," confirms Yuri, carefully reaching over the board put across the bottom of a doorway to set his current rabbit down inside. "We're gonna need a new spot soon, though. I'm pretty sure we're going to reach bunny critical mass in the next half hour -- and people keep bringing in more from the apartments."

He sounds exasperated at that, but gestures for Peeta to fork over a rabbit. While leaving the rabbits where they might get hurt doesn't sit right with him, he doesn't see why the people in the apartments can't just hang onto theirs.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta doesn't miss the exasperation, and something about it is so Gale that homesickness twists his heart for a moment, quick as lightning. To mask it, he glances in the nearest doorway, surprised at the sea of rabbits the room contains.

"I didn't realize there were so many. I can always keep these in my room, if I need to," he offers. He really wouldn't mind; the company would actually be nice, and the rabbits seem to be very docile. "And I can help with all the rest."

[stronglikebear]

Yuri withdraws the extended hand, glances at the overcrowded bunny pit, and grimaces when he sees two of them scrapping. When they don't stop after a few seconds, he steps over the gate and starts carefully picking his way to the fighters. "It's up to you," he calls back as he goes. "I mean, I get it, I put mine in here this morning -- come on, guys, cut it out!"

This while stooping and trying to pry two raging fluffballs apart.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta watches Yuri's struggles with a sympathetic gaze. He glances down at the rabbits in his arms who, in contrast to their dueling fellows, seem to be entirely unperturbed by either their current circumstances or being held. Peeta feels a little guilty at the idea of leaving them with the others.

"I'll hold on to them, I guess. No reason to add to the chaos if I don't have to." He adjusts his slipping grip. "I'm going to take these two back to my room, but then I'll come back and help."

[stronglikebear]

"Thanks." Yuri sounds more relieved than he meant to. Now, if only the apartment dwellers would all volunteer to do the same, maybe the rebels could get on with figuring out how to take care of all the animals they already had. The bunnies were technically rifties, after all. He finally resorted to simply picking one of the annoyed rabbits up and tucking it under his arm like a football. "We're going to have to figure out how to feed all these guys -- but that's what the emergency fund is for. Sort of."

[peeta_mellark]

"No problem. Let me take care of these two and I'll be right back."

Peeta retraces his steps and returns the rabbits to his room. After a moment's hesitation, he grabs a bowl he'd borrowed from the kitchen and sets it on the floor, pouring the last of a bottled water into it. Food will come later, but at least the pair won't thirst to death in the meantime.

Stepping back into the hall and carefully shutting the door behind him, he once again heads toward the rabbit gathering grounds. Along the way, he scoops up three more hopping around aimlessly, but has to let a fourth one - spotted hiding against a door in a side hallway - go, as he doubts he can safely add to his armload.

He's idly thinking of names for the two rabbits the rift has gifted him with when he reaches Yuri again. "Found these along the way," he says, gently lowering them into the room. "Didn't have enough room to grab the last one I saw, but it didn't look like it was about to run anywhere."

[stronglikebear]

Yuri's still holding the recalcitrant rabbit as he surveys the room and chews on a fingernail, trying to think what other rooms can be put to the purpose. "There's going to be so much poop..." he says more or less to himself, before snapping out of it and watching Peeta manhandle three at once.

"Don't pick any more fights," he tells the bunny in his own arms before setting it back inside as well. "And, uh...I think we'd better stop collecting them for a while and just try to get another room set up. I think there are some unused bedrooms down one of these halls; if we block off the whole hallway and leave the doors open it'll hopefully be enough."

[peeta_mellark]

"Sounds like a plan." Peeta glances down the nearest hallway and rubs his hands together. He turns to Yuri, an expectant expression on his face. "So, what do you need me to do?"

[stronglikebear]

Yuri considers the question for a moment. He could send Peeta to go get something to block the hallway...but no, Peeta hasn't been here long enough to know where things are. "Stay here and try to make sure they don't get in any fights," he decides. "And if anyone else shows up with rabbits, I guess put them in with the others."

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta likes feeling useful, even if it is just by standing guard over a bunch (a very large bunch) of extremely fluffy rabbits. He gives Yuri a half smile and stations himself by the door. "I think I can handle that."

Unable to help himself, he reaches over the gate to pet the nearest rabbit. They're just so fluffy.

[stronglikebear]

At least they have that going for them. If Yuri knew more about rabbits, he'd be impressed that more of them aren't fighting, too.

"Great! I'll be right back!" With a quick grin, Yuri turns and hurries off down the hall in search of someone with a key to the various supply closets. He'll be gone for a good twenty minutes before he comes back hauling a spool of chicken wire.

[peeta_mellark]

As Yuri disappears around a corner, Peeta takes stock of their new residents. The rabbits are a spectrum of colors - from purest white to darkest black - and various depths of fluff. Some look like their fur is merely standing on end while others are so fluffy as to be impossible to identify on sight as rabbits, should the observer not already know that's what they are.

His two (and it doesn't seem strange to him that he already feels that they're his) are about a medium on the fluff scale. The larger of the two is dark gray and the other a pale, soft cream. In his mind, he's already starting thinking of them as Charcoal and Meringue.

A few more rabbits show up - two brought in by people Peeta recognizes from the base, and another, strangely enough, hops in on its own. It comes to a stop at Peeta's feet, and doesn't protest when he gently picks it up and sets in the room with the others.

Shortly thereafter, another scuffle breaks out and Peeta wades through the fluffy sea to separate the offenders.

[stronglikebear]

When Yuri returns, it's with a brown pom pom rabbit under one arm and his other hand dragging a spool of chicken wire. He drops the latter and sets the former down inside the bunny gulag when he sees that Peeta's occupied.

"I think we can wrap this around the edges of the doors or something to keep it in place," he says, dubious of his own plan even as he speaks it. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

[peeta_mellark]

"We grew by a few more members," Peeta answers, grabbing one of the offending bunnies and walking toward the doorway. He sets the rabbit near the door and steps over the gate to assist Yuri.

[stronglikebear]

"Well, at least they'll have a little more room in a few minutes," says Yuri dubiously, still thinking about how they're going to feed all these animals...and what they're going to do about what comes back out the other end. He leans the wire up against a wall and goes trotting off down the hallway, gesturing for Peeta to follow. "Need to make sure we're not annexing someone's room -- and that it's closed at the other end," he explains. As he goes, he'll test each door to see if it's locked, and check what's on the other side.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta follows along behind Yuri, peering into the rooms he opens. He's never been in this area of the base before, so he's interested in what it might contain. There are enough open rooms that the rabbits - however many they wind up corralling - should have enough space.

[stronglikebear]

The base is really a lot bigger than it needs to be. A few of these rooms have furniture, but most haven't seen any use except as storage space, if even that. There's nothing to prevent them from using it all as rabbit housing, at any rate, and Yuri leaves the doors open as he goes. The hall ends abruptly, and Yuri turns back.

"That's what I thought," he says to himself as much as to Peeta as they double back. "If we just block off the end of the hall, we're good."

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta knows for a fact that rabbits tend to be good jumpers, and he eyes the spool of wire as they approach it. "How high up do you think we need to block off? Do you think these guys jump very high?"

[stronglikebear]

"Um...." Yuri eyes the wire as well. "Couple of feet? I think it'll be high enough if we just unroll it and put it across the hall. I mean, I don't think they don't climb." But the wire isn't going to be very sturdy just spooled out, either. This probably isn't the best of plans.

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta is thinking along the same lines. "Maybe if we cut two pieces the same size and then tie them together? That would make a sturdy gate, don't you think?"

[stronglikebear]

Yuri gives him a relieved smile. "Yeah, that'd work. I got some zip ties -- I wasn't sure if they were going to be any use, but they'd work for that, at least."

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta takes the lose end of the wire and starts to unroll it. "Do you have snips or something to cut this?"

[stronglikebear]

"...Uh." Yuri really isn't very well prepared, is he? 'Snips' is a funny way to put it, but it's pretty clear what Peeta means, and no Yuri does not have any snips.

"We're going to have to make another supply trip," he decides with a sigh. "Want to come with me this time?"

[peeta_mellark]

Peeta suppresses a smile. "Sure." He sets the roll of wire aside, laying it near the wall and out of the way, just in case anyone else - or any more rabbits - come down the hall.

[stronglikebear]

The rabbits should be fine on their own, right? And anyone who comes by should have the sense not to let them out, which is probably Yuri's biggest worry in leaving them unattended. He gives a little nod and turns to go back the way he came. "Probably a good idea to show you where that kind of stuff is anyway," he decides.