lostcarnival | ⇨ THE CELEBRATION

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⇨ THE CELEBRATION

Who: Everyone, especially YOU.
When: Day 60 - Day 65
Where: The Celebration
What: The carnival workers are invited to spend the week within the realm of the Celebration, the grounds of a party that has been going on for centuries. Accommodations are luxurious, but those with keen instincts might notice something off about this whole arrangement... (Questions can go to the original setting post!)
Warnings: Booze, drugs, sex, and everything in between.

THE CELEBRATION↴

If you observe that the layout of the Celebration grounds seem inconsistent, then you would be correct. In reality, what lies at the end of each corridor depends largely on what the guests of the Celebration want at the time - if a few people find themselves craving a drink, a bar may appear. If a group finds themselves wanting to dance, a club will open up. This goes on at all hours of the night, and given how many dedicated partiers fill the building, the services are well used. It isn't instantaneous, and the Host has to consciously decide to provide that service, but the changes are fast none-the-less.

► ROOMS: Each trailer pair will be assigned a room to themselves - whether or not it has two double beds or a single king sized bed seems essentially random. Hopefully you aren't too sensitive about keeping that space to yourself. The curtains at the far side of the room don't actually lead outside, but instead to a walk-in closet filled with the Host's best guesses at the type of clothing you might like. They may not hit the nail on the head, but at the very least all the clothing will be in your size. The styles could be just about anything, from any universe, but they do tend to average out to clothing that is Earth-ish. Either that, or clothing that looks like they are meant for elves from a high fantasy novel to wear.

► SHOPPING: If none of your pre-picked outfits tickle your fancy, plenty of boutiques and clothing shops can also be found around the grounds - whatever you're thinking of, you'll probably be able to find a shop appropriate for it eventually. Though, maybe it doesn't really count as shopping if you don't have to pay for any of the things you take back to your room with you? Unfortunately, from the sounds of it, you won't be allowed to drag all of your haul back to the carnival with you, so you better enjoy it while you can.

► DINING: There is no daily schedule to follow, after you arrive. You are free to attend the dining room whenever you wish, and will be seated at large round tables with whoever else may be around at the time, and can either order from the menu or most dishes you may think of off the top of your head. If you don't like the fine dining experience, there are also a selection of smaller cafes and eateries that open and close at varying times of day - and, of course, you can always call for room service.

► ENTERTAINMENT: There is plenty of live music around the grounds (not that you can ever seem to remember who the performers were afterwards) whether it comes to harp music while you eat or a full set of DJs in the club you found. If you are inclined to look for them, you may also find some cozy lounges with big screen TVs, and access to a multi-universal quantity of films. What's there or isn't there is unpredictable, but if you come from a standard variety of Earth you probably recognize some of them.

► SUBSTANCES: You don't have to be coy about it - just ask one of your servers, and you'll be able to get whatever kind of vices you might be craving. Drugs, alcohol, ice cream... it's all good. If this sounds like a nightmare for potential addicts, you would be correct. It's not uncommon to see people clearly over-indulging in certain locations, though guests are usually escorted back to their rooms if they take ill - only to see them back at it again the next day.

► SPA DAY: If you'd like to take a swim, pools of various aesthetics are easy to find. So are hot tubs, and saunas, and Host servants who are willing to give you a massage or manicure. If the party crowd isn't your scene, there are plenty of more low-key opportunities to indulge.

► GREENSPACE: There is one park area on the grounds, which appears to be constructed on the rooftops of other parts of the complex. While there are trees and greenery, there is no real sky that you can see - only the illusion of one. It may start to occur to you over time that no window or rooftop actually leads to any kind of outdoors. The Celebration really is there only thing here.

These are really just examples, and you can get creative with what kind of services you find offered while here, when it comes to generally mundane comforts. It really feels like the Host wants to win you over, as if you staying just a little longer has some sort of intrinsic appeal.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Strange can't swim. Really, the most he could do swim-wise is mimic how he got around in Atlantis which would most likely prove to be a disaster due to the fact that he's got legs now. Because of that, he is not dressed for swimwear in the slightest, instead wearing clothing as close to his normal 1800s attire as he could find, just with an added pair of tacky, anachronistic sunglasses.

He had been taking a little catnap in a lounge chair by the pool but Ash's cheerful yell of fun pulled him out of that nap fairly quick. Taking the sunglasses off, he walked over towards the edge of the pool, being careful not to get wet, slip, or fall into the pool. "You look like you're having fun," he can't help but tease with a small laugh, as Ash popped her head out of the pool.

"Hey, Strange!" One hand shot up out of the water without any delicacy, splashing water everywhere as she waved to him. With a powerful kick under the water, she swam over to the side to hook her hands around the ladder. "This is fun. What're you doing out there instead of in here?"

She surged up, shedding water everywhere as she planted her feet on the side of the pool. Briefly, she was tempted to give a good stretch and enhance the display, see if Strange would finally manage to notice that, but naw. The guy was married. That would just be cruel even if he did notice. The world hadn't sunk its teeth into her far enough that she didn't care about that.

"I'm afraid it wouldn't be that much fun for me if I was in there with you. My swimming skills are minimal at best." After all, this place was supposed to be fun. There's nothing fun about doing something that you're awful at. He'd spend most of his time flailing around and attempting to swim over actually having fun. No, at least with this, he's content just to watch—he'll find something fun to do later that's more his speed.

"Besides, sometimes it's just as much fun to watch!"

Ash slapped one wet hand to her forehead, then dragged it down her face as she laughed. "Strange," she said, cocking a claw at him. "You have any idea how hard it is to resist the setups you give me? Here I am, thinking," and she clasped her hands in front of her chest, looking up and away like the picture of innocence, "'I'll behave, I won't get the girls up where he can't miss them.' And then you have to be all, 'I'm gonna enjoy watching, ha!'

"I've got to admit, that one was unintentional," Strange can't help but tease, a wry little smile on his face. "You knew what I meant, though! I meant that I enjoy watching you have fun."

"Oh, a voyeur," Ash said, tightening her fingers where they interlaced. Behave, Ashleigh Mischief.

She took a step back, flung her arms wide, and tumbled back into the pool with a sharp smack of water on her back as drops flew everywhere. A moment later, she planted her feet on the bottom of the pool and surged back up, tossing her hair back with a flip of her head. "So what's YOUR plan for enjoyment here?"

"You know, I'm not sure." Strange can't help but frown as he thinks things over. From what he's seen, there's a lot about this place that he likes and a lot that simply confuses him. He's not used to the idea of DJs and dance parties and all of the more modern aspects of the celebration.

"I imagine I'll play a few rounds of billiards—oh, and enjoy the food and drink, of course!"

"Few rounds of billiards ain't gonna last you a week, Strange, unless there's something I really don't know about billiards." She waggled a finger at him, though a moment later she distracted herself by running a claw over the surface of the water to part it. "You ever gotten a really good spa treatment?"

"Not really," he has to admit, with a little shrug. The amount of things Strange knows about spa days and spa treatments can be counted on one hand. Unsurprisingly, it's a bit hard to do things like 'spa days' when your time still has yet to grasp the concept of plumbing.

"I've looked into one of the treatment rooms, though. It all seems very...clean." It's a compliment as well as the fact that Strange has no idea how to describe what happens in a spa treatment in the first place.

Perfect! Ash clapped her hands together. "Okay, you gotta try that. It's safe, doesn't make you have to do anything, and you'll feel like heaven afterwards." Which he needed. Strange just kind of radiated 'uptight'.

"If it doesn't make you do anything but you feel like heaven afterwards then what happens?" He's a hundred percent curious, asking out of curiosity with no hint of any judging tone. Obviously something needs to happen to make you feel like heaven, but what exactly is it?

Ash made a little grumbly frustrated noise as she pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose, then lifted her hand to uncurl fingers in time with her points. "I mean you don't have to inject, imbibe, inhale, or generally use anything to enjoy it."

"So you just...relax?" It's entirely possible that Strange is having a hard time grasping the concept of 'just relaxing.' He's not a workaholic, per se, but for someone who's certainly never been to a spa and hasn't actually taken a load off in months, the idea's taking a bit to stick.

"Relax and get pampered. Yeah! Totally relaxes you. Soak in a hot tub and some soothing mud, get a massage, hot stones treatment..." Ash was purring just thinking about it, eyes half-lidded.

He's got to admit: the idea of getting a massage does sound relaxing, even if he's got no idea why mud or stones would sound relaxing (do they put the mud on you? what gives).

"When I do decide to have that spa day, you're coming along as well," said with a little smile of his own. "I wouldn't know where to start with all these treatments!"

"That's where I'm headed when I'm done here," Ash said, folding her arms on the side of the pool to look up at him. "Work myself tired here, then go get all the weariness and tension melted right out of me. So if you wanna go..."

Really, if she were pressed right now, Ash would like the company more than she'd like any specific activity. Most of the carnival seemed to have taken off for, ah, pursuits that didn't hold her interest, so this 'boring' swimming was a little lonely.

"I'd love to!" said almost instantly, right off the bat. For one, the more the merrier with regards to company. And second, it would be good to do something like this with someone who knows how it works already. Strange knows that if anybody was going to accidentally mess up spa day, it would probably be him.

Plus, it would be nice to do something here with someone. He's also uninterested in some of the pursuits that others are in, what with that whole being married thing, so even if it's just spa day with Ash, at least there'll be company.

"Of course, I don't want to rush you with your swimming. Take your time, I'm certain I can entertain myself until you're ready." Because yeah, he's still not swimming.

"Naw, I can always come back," Ash said, kicking her way over to the ladder. "And it's more fun with company anyway. Right now everyone else seems busy in more -- heavy pleasure?"

She tossed her head back as she climbed out of the pool, flipping water from her hair backwards in an arc. "Towel, towel..."

"Or, at least, the sort of pleasure that I doubt either of us would be interested in." Strange's problem is that he just wants to try everything, which is a bit of a problem when there are literally unlimited options.

But towels. There's a pause as he looks around, trying to spot one. Almost instantly, a faceless servant appears with an armful of towels. He offers one to Strange who takes it with a nod and a "Well thank you." Strange then offers that towel to Ash, seemingly unaware of just how quickly that servant showed up after they just thought of needing a towel.

"Here, this should help."

"Hey thanks!" Ash said, taking the towel to begin scrubbing herself off, without any grace or delicacy. She might have a lot going for her, but not those particular virtues in any real measure. "Don't get me wrong, there are a couple things here that I could get really into... but who needs to be here to get into them, right?"

She chuckled to herself as she slung the towel over her shoulder, drifting towards the changing rooms. "Just lemme get my stuff. You're gonna need to change when we get there, you know!"

Strange doesn't follow Ash towards the changing rooms, but he does yell after her, a bit confused, "Wait, change into what?"

You could give someone a massage without them changing clothes, couldn't you do that with the stone things as well? The mud...okay, maybe not the mud, but definitely the rocks and the massage! He doesn't really have any other clothes to change into—most of his clothes are the same 1800s style that he's currently wearing.

What, did he think she brought a bikini with her? When she'd wandered into the carnival all she'd had was the clothes on her back -- and the guitar, of course.

Speaking of said clothing, Ash wandered back out with it balled up under one arm and her guitar strapped on. The strap looked a bit uncomfortable in her current outfit, admittedly. "I bet I could talk them out of putting you in a Speedo."

"I've no idea what a Speedo is, but already I've a feeling I won't like it." After all, it's only taken a few days for Strange to discover that he doesn't really like most of the clothing options of the Celebration. Everything's a little too short and shows a little too much skin for his tastes. You can take a man out of the 1800s...

"Any help to keep me from wearing something ridiculous would be much appreciated."

It would be difficult for Ash to show more skin at the moment and still be considered 'clothed', so major points to him for managing to handle her presence. Though the way she was suddenly giggling into a hand might not reassure him in the slightest. "Are you suuuuure I'm the one you should be asking for help?"

Strange can't help but roll his eyes at Ash's giggles as he starts to tease her in return. "At least with you, I know that whatever you suggest, if I think it makes me look foolish then you're most likely suggesting it to make me look foolish in the first place!"

⇨ THE CELEBRATION

poolside!

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