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.

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Two things catch Jamie's attention about the bunch of elf kids: they're being kind of chill, and the little mossy lion boy from the carnival is hanging out with them.

"Hey. What's goin' on?" he asks, in a brilliant attempt at being cool.

"JAMIE!" Steven exclaims, throwing up his hands, only to remember a moment later that they've not actually been formally introduced and so therefor it's pretty weird to just address him by name. The only reason he knows is because Jamie works with his dad and his Peridot, and he is naturally kind of a busy body about that stuff.

"...Uh! Just hanging out with some cool people I met!" he supplies, quickly, to distract from my mistake. "Come sit down!"

Oh jesus that's an enthusiastic greeting. Jamie blinks and leans back a little, glancing from Steven to the rest of the youngsters in the group; they still seem fairly low-key, compared to the rest of the activity around this place, and Steven did just invite him, so it would be kind of assy to decline. He picks a spot in the circle and sits down, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about his horn-nubs and new ears.

"So who're your friends?" he asks, adjusting the knit cap pulled low on his forehead.

Steven is relieved when Jamie decides to come over, smiling his welcome and gesturing to some of the elves. All of them have long, pointed ears and faintly green skin tones.

"Oh! This is Moondust, and Leafwing, and Shivermist, and Ivycurl!" He indicates each elf accordingly. It's not clear which are boys or girls or even if that's a thing they do. "They have other friends here too."

Steven looks to the elves now, who seems to be regarding Jamie dubiously.

"And this is Jamie! He's... my coworker?" Basically.

Jamie bobs his head in acknowledgement, trying to hide his discomfort at the way the elves are looking at him. He doesn't think they're weirded out by his new features, considering they seem to have no problem with the much more visibly altered Steven. Unless the issue is that Jamie doesn't look weird enough for them.

"Yeah, we have the same boss," he confirms. There's an awkward pause, and then he manages lamely: "So...some party, huh?"

Steven either doesn't notice, or is trying not to notice the fact that the elves seem kind of skeptical of Jamie's presence. One of them vaguely shrugs a shoulder at his question, and Steven is quick to fill in the blanks with his own answer.

"They said that they've been here for a long time already, so maybe it's just kind of normal feeling now...?" 'Shivermist' nods solemnly.

"This place gives us what we need."

"What you need?" Jamie kind of huffs a little chuckle. "Seems like you'd be getting a lot more than what you need in a place like this. I mean, unless you're addicted to conga lines or something." Fucking conga lines.

"How long is 'a long time'?" he asks after a moment.

Ivycurl laughs, batting a hand at Jamie as if he's made a joke. Which he sort of did, but they probably aren't laughing at the bit he meant for them to laugh at.

"It probably would seem a lot longer to a human! You don't live very long, do you?" they say.

Steven, who is used to this kind of commentary from Gems, only looks somewhat awkward at that comment.

"Probably a couple of years...?" Steven supplies.

One corner of Jamie's mouth curves upward in an uncomfortable approximation of a smile. The elves' overall demeanor, their way of responding to him without really answering any of his questions, is off-putting.

"A couple of years?" he repeats, a little incredulously. He's only been here a couple of days and he's ready to leave. "That...that does seem like a long time to be. Partying." Or whatever these guys are doing. "What it it about this place you like so much?"

"Well... why would we go anywhere else!?" Leafwing laughs, throwing up their hands in exaggerated bemusement. "It can be such struggle living other places..."

"Places were you may suffer from lack of such basics as food and shelter..." Shivermist says. "It's arrogant to turn away a gift like the one we have all been given, here."

Jamie considers this, rolling his eyes a bit in contemplation. "Well, yeah, the free accommodations are pretty nice," he concedes. He pauses, trying to find a way to articulate his thoughts.

"It's gotta get old after a while though, right? Don't you guys ever wanna go somewhere else, see something new? Something that's not...people overdoing everything?" Jamie gestures vaguely to indicate the venue at large.

The elves are perfectly quiet for a few moments. It's Moondust that eventually speaks up on behalf of the rest of them.

"...No?"

Steven laughs it off, like it was sort of a joke, and he looks to Jamie.

"That's what I thought, too, but they've been showing me around and I can kind of see what they mean!"

Jamie looks disbelievingly first at Moondust, then Steven. "What, seriously? What else is there to see around here other than people drinking and puking and making asses out of themselves?"

Steven honestly hasn't seen much of that at all given that he's like twelve, but either way, he thinks that Jamie is missing out on the big picture.

"But there's all kinds of stuff! There's music, and movies, and food, and costumes..." Steven puts up his hands. "And a POOL!"

Kid just loves pools for some reason.

"Yeah, well, there's all of that stuff out...there, too." Out there obviously meaning "the rest of the world that is not this den of frivolous stupidity." He makes vaguely frustrated little grasping motions with his hands.

"I mean...there's, there's no way to grow while you're here. You can't learn anything, or push yourself to your limits, or see what you're capable of." (Seeing how many chili dogs you can eat without barfing does not count.)

He thinks suddenly of his friend Leon back home. "What about your potential?"

Steven frowns, considering. He's not so caught up in things yet that Jamie's point goes over his head - instead, he nods a little, seeming to understand.

"I guess you're right," he says, after a moment. "But sometimes... I think it might just be nice to rest for a while, don't you?"

"For a while, yeah," he concedes. "But not for years. Don't you guys have...I dunno, families or jobs or lives to get back to?" he asks the elves, looking perplexed.

"Why are you so judgmental?" Moondust asks, leaning back and crossing their arms behind their head. "What does it matter to you what we choose to do with our lives?"

Steven just looks sort of uncomfortable.

Well, he's judgmental because he's a teenager, mostly. Still, Jamie looks chagrined for a moment that he's actually being called out on it. "I - yeah, okay, I guess it's not really my business," he concedes reluctantly.

Then he goes on, a little more firmly, "But that doesn't mean you should go around trying to convince little kids to live like you do."

Yeah he's referring to you, Steven, you're a little kid to the mature fourteen-year-old.

Steven flushes, due to a mixture of social awkwardness and the fact that people being concerned about him makes him emotional. He raises his hands in an attempt to pacify everyone before a fight breaks out.

"It's okay! I'm fine! I'm just listening to what they have to say-"

"Well! Aren't you a rude one?" Ivycurl says, and the whole group is now giving Jamie the stink eye like he's made a gross misstep. "Don't you think Flowerchild can make his own decisions?"

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⇨ THE CELEBRATION

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