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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Unfortunately, Zecora's solitude isn't meant to last. A few days into their stay at the celebration, she'll find a series of thumps at her door -- like someone's bashing their fist against it.

"Room service!" That definitely doesn't sound like it could be one of the servants, which appear mostly unsolicited and silent. Lambert also doesn't actually know what 'room service' is, so he doesn't have food or anything like that, but it occurs to him he hasn't really seen hide nor hair of one of his bosses in a few days, and in some abstract way that doesn't seem right.

If she doesn't answer her door, he'll move on to trying the handle, his outfit of the day eye-searingly shimmery under the hallway lights.

Zecora looked up from her book at the knock, and then with a roll of her eyes slid off the bed to pace across the room.

"If you wish me to open the door," she said, as she tugged on the handle to let it swing open,
"Then use a truth I won't ignore!"

Given that Lambert was leaning most of his weight against the door, he nearly fell in when it opened. He caught himself with the door frame before he could bang into Zecora. He was noticeably rumpled, smells of recently-consumed alcohol, and his eyes red-rimmed and somehow even wilder than they were before.

"Hey," he greeted, cheerfully, like he wasn't leaning heavily to prop himself up. "You're not at the party."

Edited (idek why i typed that) 2017-02-21 21:47 (UTC)

Zecora arched one eyebrow, then stepped away from the door towards a pack filled to near-bulging at the foot of her bed. When she tugged at its straps, it clinked and clattered with the sound of shifting glass.

"And just what would I do
If I went back with you?"

She dug one obsidian hoof in, very carefully, till at last she produces a large vial. The contents within practically shone with a bright green light. Nodding in satisfaction, Zecora gripped it with her teeth, then plodded back to offer it to Lambert.

Truth be told, the reason Lambert had sought her out wasn't to drag her back with him -- but between one flight of steps and the next, the thought had fled his mind entirely, and the only thing that had been left was the purpose of seeking her out. What other reason would he have for looking for the doctor, if not to make sure she was having fun with the rest of them?

When she returned with the vial, he accepted it automatically, though he couldn't help looking down in clear confusion.

"What's this for?" Oh, but it's shiny. He tapped the glass a few times just to see the contents shift, and he grinned and he uncorked it. After a few days of being here, he was far too ready to try substances without questioning what they were for.

Lightning in a bottle, liquid sobriety. Zecora considered his state to be a medical issue in need of treatment and had no qualms about doing so, particularly since it was clearly affecting his judgment and reason. Witness the fact that he decided to drunkenly stumble up to his room.

She wondered what he might have considered trying if she were his species.

The potion shouldn't take more than a minute to work once he quaffed it, so Zecora just looked up with expectant patience.

With a shrug, Lambert tipped the vial to his lips and chugged the potion down, licking his lips when it was finished off. With Witcher metabolism, the effects were realized even swifter than Zecora might have anticipated. After one blink, then another, Lambert's expression twisted from that easy grin to a grimace of distaste, then looking like he was about to be violently ill, and finally pale and slightly sweaty, blinking the stars out of his eyes as he leans against the doorway. Now he really does need it to prop himself up.

"Ugh, that's a hell of a hangover cure," he muttered, rubbing at his temple. Still, it helped -- though the urge to hare off and grab himself another drink now that he was sober was still there, at least he could focus.

"Something more people around here could use."

"Now you're back with me
In sobriety," Zecora said with a nod, then she motioned to the water pitcher propped on her table.
"Now I think
You need that drink."

She didn't expect to get any rational thought out of him till he'd gotten the sudden biological needs he was doubtless feeling at the moment taken care of. But she really was curious what he'd come up here to accomplish, drunk logic or now.

That, at least, was an order Lambert could follow, and he was thirsty. Gingerly, he stumbled into the room -- the unsteadiness more because of the weakness in his knees, like exhaustion's finally caught up with him again, than because of lingering effects of the alcohol -- to pour himself some water.

Miracle of miracles, he didn't drop the pitcher, but there was more water spilled on the top of Zecora's dresser than there should have been, and some splashed on the carpet. Once he drained his glass dry and taken a moment to center himself, he finally spoke.

"I can't tell if it's a curse or an enchantment," Lambert said with no preamble. "But this place makes it hard to think."

The mess bothered her purely on a professional level. This wasn't her place, somepony else would clean it up, but she disliked seeing resources of any sort wasted. Still, she could accept that he wasn't at his best.

"I wonder what you hoped to see
By coming up here and seeking me," she said, amused and offering him the chance to laugh at the joke as well.

"If I could remember that, you think I'd be sitting here right now?" Lambert snorted, but the edge his voice might otherwise have was softened by real worry. He knew he'd come here confidently enough, but he'd gotten distracted along the way. Zecora's potion might have brought sobriety for the moment, but he could tell once he was out of here he'd probably get right back to it again.

There. That was it.

"I think," he started slowly. "I was going to ask if you knew something that could ... keep a mind focused."

The answer to the first question was 'yes', as Zecora had the impression that he'd come up here for purposes that made sense to his fogged mind, and was now trying to come to grips with them. At his request, though, the zebra arched an eyebrow.

"First, I think
You should not drink."

Obvious, but Zecora really had no sense of the supernatural pull to indulgence that this world had -- being boring as she was, without much in the way of vice or hedonism within her.

Lambert shakes his head, automatically. "It's not that simple." Unfortunately, he's no good at communicating exactly why it's so urgent, either, so he sits there for a good moment or two opening and closing his mouth before he can find words.

"Look, Witchers can drink, and drink a lot, but we don't need it. You don't get addicted to stuff," some magical substances aside, he's convinced of that much, at least.

"Here it's like..." He frowns, rubbing at his own arms. "I don't know, it's harder to say no."

Zecora didn't quite understand. She hadn't had any trouble, after all. Multiplying her temptation still resulted in a tiny number. But she wasn't about to dismiss Lambert out of hoof, either.

Frowning, the zebra paced a few steps across the room. "I must know," she said as she turned back to face him,
"CAN you say 'no'?" The difference between 'harder' and 'impossible' might be a fine line, but it was a very important one.

"I don't know," Lambert will answer in turn, honestly. Here and now, sober and away from the bustle and noise of the celebration, it's easy to think he could, but once he's back out there...

Holing up in his room isn't a viable strategy either, though. His mouth twists as he frowns.

"Childermass..." Now what had Childermass said? Does she even know Childermass can do magic? "The cards told him something was wrong."

Zecora didn't keep track of who could or couldn't do magic; that would be a daunting task, especially in the carnival where people came with knowledge from the outside and picked it up here. On the upside, though, she didn't doubt the report -- vague as it might be.

"He used magic to find
An influence on his mind?" Just to be certain she understood here.

It's hard to explain something he barely understands himself, but Zecora's inquiry gets her a nod, Lambert's expression becoming more certain as she finds the succinct way to phrase what he's trying to communicate.

"Yeah," he says, finally pushing himself to his feet. "He was drawing cards to read his fortune -- kept coming up with the Devil. He said it meant bondage -- 'will being tied to an outside force' ..." It would have sounded funny to him a few days ago, not so much now.

"Didn't say what was causing it, though."

Edited 2017-03-02 16:32 (UTC)

Hmm. Cartomancy was a complicated and vague method of divination, often employed simply for fun and entertainment... but she had no reason to doubt its results here and now.

"Trouble here is no surprise.
I should have brought my supplies!"

Never a day off for Zecora, she was starting to learn that now. Thinking she could at least relax and enjoy some reading had proven futile twice over now.

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⇨ THE CELEBRATION

room, sorry boss

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