⇨ HOME AGAIN

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone!
When: Day 68 - Day 72
Where: Carnival grounds.
What: Everyone makes it back to the carnival after their adventure in hell. The Ringmaster makes a new lake to celebrate, apparently.
Warnings: A notable absence of torture.

TO HELL AND BACK↴ The rescuers and the liberated captives will emerge from the portal like bats out of hell. Much like their previous return, this arrival will be met with a flurry of medical activity as everyone gets their injuries seen to, particularly those that had been held prisoner within Morningstar's hell fortress. It will still be night when they arrive, and the rest of Day 68 will be clouded over completely, for the benefit of the new vampires as they get settled in. After the immediate panic is dealt with, the Ringmaster will disappear into the forest until the morning of Day 69. It will be raining off and on during her absence. ► RECOVERY: Unlike the last time, the Ringmaster will be supplying the carnival workers with some healing potions from her private hoard, given that most of the healers are already wounded or spent. Damage caused by iron poisoning will not be cured by healing magic or healing items though, unfortunately, and those who have spent a lot of time in contact with iron will take at least a week to fully recover. However, regular healing remedies like bandages and herbs may help speed things along if the patient is suited to them. ► A BRAND NEW LAKE: On the morning of Day 69, the Ringmaster will return the forest to announce that she's built a new lake into the carnival grounds, only a short trail's distance from the backyard. Unlike most of the forest, this area won't just lead you in circles when explored, meaning that it can actually be modified and developed as the workers see fit. The water is always clean and just the right temperature for swimming, though it gets a bit cooler the deeper you swim. At the far side of the lake, there is a warm, stone pathway leading up the side of the mountain, that will eventually take you to some bangin' hot springs. Brought to you mostly because the Ringmaster doesn't know how to say sorry with actual words. At least it gives you something to play with while you try to shake off the trauma. ► FRUITS OF VICTORY: On Day 70, all the workers who came to hell for the rescue mission will be given a gift from the Ringmaster. Each of them will receive a bright green, glowing seed, about the size of your thumbnail. She will tell you that, when planted, the seeds will swiftly grow into a small citrus tree, which will grow fruits with regenerative properties. More details about these plants will be written up in a separate post, but for now your characters can ogle them and decide if they are going to plant them or not. ► TAKE ME TO CHURCH: Staring on Day 71, the Ringmaster will be starting to work on removing the vampirism from those infected with it, which apparently involves a lot of... meditation? She will take the newbie vampires out into a shady area of the forest and encourage them to look inside themselves and attempt to separate themselves spiritually from their demonic beasts. How well you character masters her teachings over time will determine whether or not she is ultimately capable of stripping out your demon soul and returning you to life. Of course, not all demons are made equal, and some will be more difficult to separate than others...

Comments

day 70-ish

[dontpokethat]

Given how much time Ginko has been spending around the lake and mountains, it was kind of inevitable that he would come across Sans eventually.

He doesn't sit down or get particularly close when he first finds him; for the moment, he just stands a few feet back, hands in his pockets, and looks over Sans with the sort of strangely blank expression he tends to put on when he's not quite ready to let his distress show yet.

"...Hey."

[osteothropy]

Sans is just leaning back against a tree at the moment, staring at nothing in particular listlessly. It doesn't seem to occur to him to do anything in particular until Ginko has actually spoken, and then his interest only comes after a delay.

"Hey yourself," he says, with a dull note of humour.

[dontpokethat]

Now that Sans knows he's here (meaning Ginko knows he's not going to end up startling him), Ginko walks a little closer. He looks in the general direction Sans had been and finds nothing of note... which he guesses isn't too surprising.

"How're you feeling?"

As if he expects Sans to be straightforward about it.

[osteothropy]

In what is probably a surprising turn of events, Sans looks down at the ground distractedly, bundling his arms across his rib cage in a defensive gesture. He's quiet for a while. No witty commentary is incoming.

"I dunno."

[dontpokethat]

...Oh.

That's unexpected.

It takes Ginko a long few seconds to react. Then he walks the rest of the way over to sit down, about a foot away from Sans. His gaze kind of sweeps over him, but he doesn't even try to make eye contact, and a moment later he's just looking into the distance again.

"I'm glad you're back."

[osteothropy]

It's sort of awkward, but Sans is also kind of in that zone where it's hard for anything too be more awkward when he's already so humiliated by everything. So, he just sink down the tree he's been leaning again, struggling to know what to say.

"Yeah," he says, after a while. Is that a good thing to say there? Saying thanks seems dumb.

"...Havin' kind of a hard time with this," he admits, and it's probably the frankest thing he'll say about it at the moment.

[dontpokethat]

Ginko hums, quietly. Something between agreement and simple acknowledgement. "Can't blame you for that."

He's not even sure if "this" refers to all that happened - with the vampires, and Hell, and everything surrounding that, that Ginko is still just hearing about in pieces - or the act of thinking about it, or talking.

Any of those would be pretty understandable. And whichever it is, Ginko can't think of what else to say. So he goes quiet, waiting for Sans to say more or for something to come to mind that could possibly be of some help.