Around Town, Tuesday morning

[grenadesandohana]

Steve was rapidly discovering that he'd relied extensively on Danny to do the detecting part of police work and he was...not immediately amazing at it without him.

Steve hated not being immediately excellent at anything.

He was out on his morning run, trying to remember which buildings were missing as he jogged along and wondering how the holes that were big enough to swallow the entire bowling alley were just...nowhere to be seen.

In his head he could hear Danny ranting about the island and its ridiculousness, which would have been more amusing if the island hadn't taken Danny.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[thatwaslucky]

Rey wouldn't stop patrolling now that she was watching the galaxy's cutest fifty-year-old baby, she just brought Grogu along in his pod since she figured that would be safest if something happened.

So she had him with her while she was staring at the spots where two warehouses had been, being really grateful it didn't get hers.

[grenadesandohana]

Maybe everyone needed to invest in floating pods!

"Hey," Steve said with a tight smile as he recognized Rey. "Was anyone in these or are buildings just randomly going now?"

[thatwaslucky]

"I'm pretty sure these two were empty," she said. "It sounds like three people disappeared yesterday but I don't know where it happened. So... could be either."

[grenadesandohana]

Steve pursed his lips. "I have the troopers trying to put together a pattern but talking to squirrels is shockingly unproductive."

[thatwaslucky]

"It at least looks pretty random," Rey said. "Except that I don't think it's hit the school yet?"

Or if it had it hadn't been specified on radio.

[grenadesandohana]

"Didn't a kid get eaten by a hole making breakfast yesterday?" Steve asked. "But the classes themselves seem safe."

[thatwaslucky]

"How many of them still have teachers?" Rey realized.

[grenadesandohana]

"And we're only on Tuesday," Steve said. "I'll ask Anakin tomorrow."

[thatwaslucky]

"I might skip it tomorrow," Rey mused. "I want to check out whatever happens, and I'd think it'd be harder to do a lot of things while babysitting."

[grenadesandohana]

"I noticed your little friend there," Steve said, smiling. "How's he doing?"

[thatwaslucky]

"He's gotten ice cream and he's sleeping in a racecar bed, and he's watched some cartoons," Rey said, smiling over at Grogu. "So I think he's doing okay."

Sorry, Silver, when you started using words like "ours" she was definitely using that as permission for borrow the TV for babysitting purposes.

[grenadesandohana]

"Oh, man, he got a racecar bed?" Steve said. "That's living the dream."

[thatwaslucky]

"It's coming in handier than I thought it would," Rey admitted. "I'm just trying to keep things kind of fun for him."

Plus it gave her something to focus on besides all the worrying.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve definitely understood that second thing. His apartment was spotless. And heavily armed.

"I have frozen peppermint patties stashed in the freezer if he'd like those," Steve said. "Or you would."

[thatwaslucky]

"Thank you," Rey said. "We might have to come for a visit later. Using the door, not the balcony."

Rey had definitely not taken down the option to rappel down since Christmas.

[grenadesandohana]

"I could use the company," Steve admitted.

[thatwaslucky]

"I heard," Rey said. "How are you doing?"

[grenadesandohana]

"I have learned that Danny provides more than just complaining when we're solving a case," Steve said.

He missed him fiercely.

[thatwaslucky]

She figured.

"This is the time when you figure that sort of thing out."

[grenadesandohana]

"I'm good at putting clues together," Steve said. "Not great on procedure and regulations."

Like, say, how to arrest a raccoon. Hypothetically. Or interrogate a squirrel.

[thatwaslucky]

"And you're worried about that right now?" asked Rey, probable hole-jumper.

[grenadesandohana]

"Not in the slightest," Steve admitted, "which is normally when Danny starts yelling."

[thatwaslucky]

"Then maybe it's something he can yell about when he gets back," Rey said. "I don't think I'd be thinking much about procedure myself."

[grenadesandohana]

"I'm thinking about giving the Troopers a bunch of shovels," Steve admitted.

[thatwaslucky]

"I'm not sure how much it would do," Rey told him. "But if you did it, I'd help."

[grenadesandohana]

"I'm hoping they fell into the tunnels that are under the main island structure," Steve said. "Danny and I got caught in a collapsed parking garage a while back--not a good time."

[thatwaslucky]

Rey frowned, looking at the ground in front of them. "Let's hope that didn't happen here," she said. "Any idea how far down these tunnels are?"

[grenadesandohana]

"Not really," Steve admitted. "The last time I was in them I was chasing raccoons looking for Stark's mask."

[thatwaslucky]

"Raccoons?" Rey asked, eyebrows raised.

Not because she was cluing into anything, it was just an odd thing to hear.

[grenadesandohana]

"They liked the mask because it was shiny," Steve said, nodding. "It was a really strange case. I think they're the same ones running the sketchy brewpub."

[thatwaslucky]

"I need to start paying more attention to things," she decided.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve chuckled. "It wasn't a huge deal at the time, I promise."

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie, who was out on her own morning run (and not at all able to concentrate on her amazing Britney-centric cardio playlist), slowed to a stop when she spotted Steve.

Had she been doing her own mental inventory of buildings that had disappeared? You know, maybe. She also maybe had started a little notes document on her phone to keep a list. (Seemed useful?)

"Glad to see you," she called out, managing a tiny smile as she pulled her earbuds out.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve waved. "You too," he said. "Diego still above ground?"

He was working on a mental list of people to follow up on daily.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"He is," Annie confirmed, hoping that hadn't changed in the few minutes since she'd left the apartment. "I heard about Danny."

And the bowling alley, which was...you know, not there, so it tracked with how her texts to Danny since the weekend had also been undeliverable.

[grenadesandohana]

Danny's phone was going to have a truly ridiculous number of texts when he had service again.

Not that Steve had worried. Shh.

He ran his hand across the back of his neck. "He's not great with enclosed spaces," he said. "Hopefully he's in a really big hole?"

With oxygen? Because otherwise Steve was going to have even less of a grasp on rationality than he did.

[defenderofdesmoines]

Annie felt her stomach give an involuntary twist at the idea of Danny -- anyone -- being stuck in an actual hole.

Oh, God, what if he was buried alive?

"Rey and I went out patrolling over the weekend. Didn't find anything, but she also said she didn't, like, sense danger?" Which Annie, who only had instinct and experience (and not a lot of either re: mysterious holes in the ground) was grateful for.

[grenadesandohana]

That brought Steve's shoulders slightly down from around his ears. "There's all these tunnels and stuff underground," he said. "I'm guessing he's in one of those. Probably bitching."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Can't blame him," Annie admitted lightly, though her brow furrowed. "I kind of want to lure out one of these holes, but I don't know what they respond to as bait, yet? If it's even like that."

It just sounded like it, from the whole...moving part.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve nodded. "I don't know if the holes are sentient."

He paused, listening to what he just said, and shook his head. "This place."

"And even if you do lure yourself a hole, what if we just have a bunch of people dropped into the ground in all of these different places?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I could try to see down into it," Annie suggested, with a little wave of her hand to indicate she meant by using her powers, "but yeah, and how do we keep it from getting us, anyway? These are competent people who've fallen in."

At least, Danny was. Travis seemed like he knew what he was doing, too?

[grenadesandohana]

Steve nodded. "Danny's not just gonna fall in a hole. He's not an idiot."

[defenderofdesmoines]

"There's obviously something actually going on," Annie agreed. "And I don't know enough about what's going on with this to, like, prevent it. Like do we all start tying ropes around ourselves and running around with grappling hooks, in case?"

It sounded insane to her, too, don't worry.

[grenadesandohana]

"It sounds a little crazy," Steve admitted. "Do people get nabbed in their houses, too, or just going out?"

[defenderofdesmoines]

"I don't know whether he was inside or not, but Hannibal got taken with his house," Annie said, pulling out her phone to double-check her list since she didn't know everyone who'd fallen in personally. "So it's not like staying inside seems safer, exactly?"

Not that it'd stop either of them, in any case, but still.

[grenadesandohana]

"Well, so much for that theory," Steve sighed.

[defenderofdesmoines]

"Are you doing okay?" Annie checked, gentling a little. "I mean, dumb question, but -- sleeping? Eating?"

[grenadesandohana]

Steve smiled. "Yeah, I'm good. Not ordering take out or anything."