[ it's cold, and there's an unattended, opened box wherever you are right now. there might be more matches in it, right? the tag says basil, but evidently basil abandoned it.. didn't he?

except if you glance in, there's a mouse there. only not a normal mouse? this one is dressed very smartly in victorian style, and he's curled in the corner of the box making the most of his meager body heat, shaking too hard to light one of the rather large matches.

he glances up, startled by the face suddenly peering in, and shoves himself warily back against the wall of the box. ] I s-say, [ he manages, voice english-accented and clear despite his tiny size, and then cautiously gestures to one of the matches with a shaking hand. ] Would you b-be so kind as to light a fellow's m-match?

[ it's not normal for his world and the human world to intersect quite like this, of course. the humans tend to be oblivious of what goes on beneath their noses, and his people rather like it that way, and that's that. things here, however, must by necessity be different.

it's with that in mind that--seeing someone struggling with the cold--basil makes the choice to offer assistance. he can only imagine what dawson would say if he didn't, and really, the added warmth and potential for easier travel is tempting. as it is, basil's been struggling with the winds and the icy streets. he's small. days like this would normally see him curled in his chair by the fire, or at work with his laboratory equipment. not running about like this. ]

Hello! [ he has to cup his hands around his mouth and yell to make himself heard from his particular vantage point, which is some distance away by virtue of size difference or location. when he's caught the other person's attention, he points to the two remaining matches strapped to his back like staffs. ] Have you encountered a box with your name on it?

[ idk man encounter him anywhere. arrival scenario/inbox spam/finding a home or work, etc. ]