wandering clown

[showmystar]

Who: Allen and YOU
When: Day 90
Where: Throughout the carnival
What: Allen getting acclimated and being a tool

The Cookhouse

[Allen was in a bad way when he stumbled into the Carnival--literally fell through a wall and found himself here. Barely conscious and desperate, he signed a contract with the Ringleader, buying himself some time. If he had passed out, he would have woken as another person. Now, with her suppressing the memory of Nea, he can sleep. He can recuperate while he learns how to beat the demon inside him.

But first, he must eat. And, following his nose, he beelines for the smell of food.

For those who wander into the Cookhouse early in the day, they will find a young boy devouring a mountain of food. No, seriously. The precariously stacked pile of meats, desserts, pastas, and sweets towers high above the tables, almost touching the ceiling. It sways as Allen tugs a leg of lamb from the bottom and promptly stuffs it in his mouth. The speed at which he eats causes cream and scraps to go flying. It's a messy, terrifying affair that honestly belongs in a cartoon.

Will you stare in horror? Play Food Jenga? The choice is yours.]

Wandering Through the Woods

[If you want to understand something, you might want to go to the beginning. Allen decides he needs to get to know this new, temporary place at which he's staying, so he heads toward the woods.

What do you get when you combine an enchanted forest that turns you back around and an incredible skill for getting lost? A pathetic mess, that's what.

Allen sprints through the trees, emerging again at the forest's edge. He's irritably scratching behind his right ear, where two white feathers have erupted the skin, just beginning to grow. A bulbous golden orb with wings limps through the air behind him.]

Seriously?! [He shouts to the sky:] Is this really all there is?!

Recuperating

[Thoroughly frustrated with the failure that was the forest, he finally finds the lake. Finally, a place he can explore and rest. Taking a moment to clean himself up, he takes off his shirt, kicks off his boots, and rolls up his baggy clown pants. Allen gingerly lowers himself to the water's edge, dipping his bare feet in the shallows.

Anyone walking by may notice the old scar running from his shoulder to his opposite hip, mirrored on both chest and back. A newer wound festers in his stomach, twitching tendrils of white feathers emerging from it. They are made of a divine substance, and it's healing him from within.

Still, it's completely disgusting, and he's in obvious pain.]

Exploring the Mountains

[Once he's gathered enough strength to continue, he pulls on his shirt and trudges up that strange, warm path leading up the mountain. It's practically calling to him, the unknown.

It takes him about thirty seconds to get lost. In the mountains. Alone.

This is it. This is the end for him. RIP Allen Walker.]

((I'll match prose if that's your preference!))

Comments

Wandering Through The Woods

[thevictoriandetective]

Yep. That's it. And if you don't want something horrible to happen, I suggest you don't try to escape.

[Sherlock's baritone voice echoed in the woods. The detective was sitting in the low-hanging branches of a tree, sunning himself and quite happily alone in the peaceful quiet at the forest's edge, at least until people came barging through.

His long coat was hanging over a branch, and he was wearing a button-up shirt and slacks. That was the ordinary part. He also was covered completely in green scales than blended in with the forest around them, and his face was decidedly inhuman with a snake snout, slitted eyes, and four small horns.]

[showmystar]

Is that a . . .

[Allen stops short as he turns and sees exactly what sort of person spoke.]

--threat?

[That . . . is a person, right? The man looks like what one might imagine a demon to look. Though Allen knows the face of devils enough to know this is not it, he can't help but stare, jaw agape. Though his eyes do flicker to that coat, noting that piece of normalcy.]

I'm sorry, what--who are you? [He's not sorry.]

Forgive my misspelling in the last post I meant *that not *than *facepalms*

[thevictoriandetective]

[A forked tongue flicked out a second, before disappearing back into his fanged mouth.]

Nope. It's a warning. A friendly warning, because I tried before. It didn't go well.

[A pause, as keen eyes attempted to pick up all the clues he could from the person that approached. Was he about to say 'what are you'? Sherlock was both mildly amused and mildly offended.]

My name is Sherlock Holmes.

it's cool! I hadn't even noticed 8D

[showmystar]

[That's a common reaction to Allen.

He shifts a foot back in the dirt, at once cautiously defensive and willing to trust someone who doesn't immediately attack him. He's battle worn and dirty, having been on the run and living on the streets, constantly fighting. He's fresh from it. And yet, he's still willing to trust someone he only just met? Naive. The strange golem hovering behind Allen is more cautious than he, acting like a scared attack dog.

Allen's voice is soft and masked with politesse.]

Allen Walker. May I ask what happened . . . ?

[thevictoriandetective]

[A nod in greeting. Sherlock notes his appearance, the clues that told of where he'd been, and his eyes glance up to the glowing orb, squinting slightly as he has no idea what that thing was. But it seemed benign for now.]

Well, I tried to escape. Couldn't find a way out, obviously, I was run down and turned into a chameleon for my troubles.

[A slight grimace.]

I didn't know when or if I would be changed back. And television and movies make things as supposedly whimsical as being turned into an animal all fun and games. It's far from it. It twists your mind with instincts and leaves your sense of self a shambles.

Wandering Through the Woods

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya is in the middle of a handstand right as Allen exits the forest. He's crossing his eyes trying to look at him.]

All there is to what?

[showmystar]

[Allen angrily throws an arm out to the scenery, barely even registering the guy he's talking to is upside-down]

This! The circus. When I signed up with that scary woman, I didn't think this would be it. I'm going to go stir-crazy.

[hippocarnival]

You just joined? [He rotates himself back to his feet, straightening up to look over Allen.] Well, we just finished our last show, so maybe that's why it isn't as exciting? Once we stop in the next dimension there'll be a lot more to do!

[showmystar]

Next . . . dimension.

[guess who didn't read the brochure!]

Recuperating

[whattaprick]

[ With the mess from the whole mushi incident over and done with, Lambert feels like he could sleep for a million years -- but more importantly, he needs to see to his horse. Pig's overall experienced much less distress than her master over having her body heat leached away, but just to be sure, he's pacing her around the lakeshore. His voice has yet to return, but after dealing with so many people over the last few days, Lambert finds the silence isn't something so unwelcome anymore.

On the enormous Mudsdale's back, he's urging her to plod along the shore and back to her pen when he spots the unfamiliar figure at the lake's edge. Huh. Interesting wounds. On his part, Allen will probably feel the tremors beneath him as the horse and her rider approach. The golden horns and tail are easy indicators this is another member of the Carnival, though as he gets closer the golden cat-like eyes are another. ]

just riding a mf mudsdale nbd

[showmystar]

[On edge, Allen notices the movement before the shaking ground, oddly enough, and he glances up. The horse is the first vaguely normal thing he's seen since he stumbled into the Carnival, and that makes it much more odd than the man's appearance.

Oh, wait. A person. Allen shifts his arm to cover his more recent wound, though the edges of the feathers still poke out. He's a little slow on the uptake today, due to exhaustion. He throws on a too-bright smile to cover that up, too.]

Hello. I'm not in the way, am I? [Because jc dude your horse is huge]

go big or go home etc

[whattaprick]

[ Of all the days to run into someone new ... Lambert raises a brow when he notices how the boy shifts to cover himself, but where a more polite person would take that as their cue to glance away, it's only invitation to scrutinize him further, curious what he's trying to hide.

He doesn't exactly smile back -- if anything, his expression's a slight sneer, the effect only worsened by the scars cutting across his face -- but he does shake his head, waving a clawed hand in a dismissive motion. Riding bareback as he is, it'll take a moment to swing off his horse, letting the reins lie slack on her neck while he gives her shoulder a firm pat and steps towards the newcomer.

Lambert doesn't stop until he's almost right beside him, and when he does it's only to drop to his haunches, reaching out to scratch letters into the soft earth at the water's edge. ]

You new?

[ He looks back at the kid expectantly. Hopefully, he's not just straight up illiterate, or this is going to be a much shorter conversation. ]

and since going home isn't an option...

[showmystar]

[Allen's watches the man approach, cautious and confused as to why, if he's that irritated. (And rude!) Everything about Allen's body language says please don't look at me.

Once he reads the words in the dirt, however, his eyes light up with understanding. Albeit, a little misguided--he's not surly, he just can't speak!

Allen nods, some of the tension in his shoulders easing into the familiarity of conversation.]

I've just arrived today. I'm Allen Walker.

Recuperating

[walkonedge]

[ In the aftermath of the mushi infestation over the past couple of days, the lake isn't as crowded as it should be. It's relatively quiet, and that's why Yamato thinks it's a good place for escaping the chaos of the carnival for an hour or so before returning. His vision is back to normal, but sometimes the carnival's lights are a little bit too intense.

He has a regular spot that he's used to occupying, not too close to the edge of the lake, but elevated enough that he can look down and have a semi-birds' eye view of what's happening below. Not that there's very much happening, anyway.

At least until he spots Allen lowering himself into the water, but what catches Yamato's eye is the ugly looking scars that look painful. ... A performance injury? Then again, Yamato hasn't seen anyone who's been injured that badly in the carnival yet.

He's alarmed enough to call out first-- ] Hey, are you alright?! You're hurt?

[ That's before he makes his way down - with how Allen seems to be in pain, just from the way that he carries himself, it wouldn't hurt to offer some kind of help, right? ]

[showmystar]

[Allen whips 'round to the voice, revealing the extent of his injuries: upon closer inspection, Yamato may realize the old scar is from a broadsword piercing through his torso, and the hole in his gut is from a long, thin blade--a katana, specifically.

Twisting like that stretches the fresh wound, though, and he grins through the wince, scrambling for his shirt to cover the newer injury.]

Oh--no, I'm fine, thank you. [HE IS NOT FINE.

In fact, it's obvious from the myriad of smaller scars across his body, he's been fighting all his life. He's just been through more hell than usual recently.]

[walkonedge]

[ Yeah, he's not buying the whole looking fine thing - come back and tell him that he looks fine when you don't have way too many wounds littered across your body, Allen. He can't exactly identify the difference between the types of wounds, but when he steps close enough to the edge of the lake, he can tell that it still looks bad. ]

You're new here, right? Have you gone to see the doctor for those, yet? [ Vague gestures of concern towards the injuries and the old scars.

... He's also not too familiar with what even to do with what clearly looks like battle injuries, although he also can't help but stare at the feather-like things that are... trying to heal his wound? Magic of some sort, he's guessing. ]

[showmystar]

[Magic is the closest term for it, yes. A magical parasite, anyway.

Allen, on his part, just stares a moment, blankly. Realization in three . . . two . . . one . . . Ding!]

You have doctors?

[He hadn't even considered it. And going by his tone, he still isn't.]

Cookhouse

[flashover]

[Nearby, a black cat with twin tails watches Allen eat, sending scraps of food everywhere. Wow! He's never seen anyone eat quite like that. But hey, he'll happily clean up the mess. Helping the cat, named Kuro, is a small pea-green bug thing that is all mouth. There's a particularly succulent bone with some meat scraps left that both Kuro AND Nosh spot at the same time, and end up in a tug-of-war over.

Meanwhile, another of the cookhouse's residents flutters nearby to land on the end of the table, eying the food scraps greedily. It's about the size of a small cat, covered in flames, and possessing four wings and six wild, fluctuating eyes. It... kind of looks like a bat? If you squint?]

[showmystar]

[Donut in mouth, Allen turns to watch the strange cat, curious. It's making his left eye twitch. What is that odd cat?

His attention on the two strange creatures leaves the entire pile of food completely unguarded, wide open for the strange . . . bat thing.

Perched on top of the food is a golden, winged orb with horns. A footlong sub is somehow stuffed halfway into its bottomless maw, and it's eyeing the four-winged creature from Hell. Allen might not know it, but this pile of treasure belongs to Tim, and he is guarding his dragon hoard.

Go on, punk. Make his day.]

[flashover]

[A cait sidhe, that's what! But for now, one that is way more interested in the snack than anything else. He also finally wins the tug of war with the buggy pokémon, and he carries his prize to a high perch where Nosh cannot follow. Nosh wibbles... and then starts to cry. Wow. Sad.

The bat, meanwhile, doesn't seem intimidated by the ball, despite it's hammerspace-esque mouth. It narrows all of it's eyes and creeps a little closer, it's flames scorching the wooden table.

Then, a series of sharp claps from the doorway to the kitchen.

Many things happen at once.

One, Kuro spooks, drops his bone, and goes zooming through seating area. He runs headlong into a door frame and knocks himself out.

Two, Nosh stops crying and makes a solid attempt to dig into the concrete floor. She fails.

Three, the bat is also spooked, and flies away screeching hellaciously, but not before knocking over a few of Allen's plates. Most are empty, but unfortunately some of Tim's delicious snacks go flying as well.

The boy who clapped just stands there, in awe of the destruction he has wrought with a simple loud noise.]

.... Uh..... I just wanted the bat to get off the table... he knows better!

[showmystar]

[Tim's tail and wings are ramrod straight, like that of a shocked, pissed-off cat. Allen had yelped when the hellbat had knocked over his delicious food, and now he mourns, huge, ridiculous teardrops wibbling at the corners of his eyes.

When he turns to berate the monster who did this, the tears vanish with a strangely electronic winding noise, like an old television turning on, and two gears just. Appear over his left eye, spinning in tandem with each other. His sclera is now black, and that is definitely an inverted pentagram for a pupil.

Which may make him a bit of a hypocrite when he tenses like he might have to spring up to fight at any moment, expression serious. He really doesn't know how to take this guy at all. He reads as not human, but the soul is fuzzy. No, two connected souls?? How]

Ah. It's okay . . .

[Timcanpy, in the short amount of time between devastation and now, has been shaking with anger. It's now that he finally explodes and shoots after the hellbat, breaking the tension. It will know his rage!!! HE'S HAVING HELLBAT TONIGHT.

Allen jumps to his feet, setting the edible mountain swaying.] Tim, wait! Don't eat anything weird!!

Mountain!

[small_reservations]

[Axel's wandering from one of his regular visits to the springs when he hears someone... climbing a cliff face? That's odd. Especially since there's a path to the top. Maybe someone fell?

It only takes a few minutes for him to return to the springs and get a rope, so swift do his hooves make him, and then he's on his way back. It doesn't sound like the climber has advanced much, so he calls down, leaning over the edge of the cliff, horns and equally spiky hair, slowly escaping its loose ponytail, outlined by the sky.]

I'm throwing down a rope, ok? Hold on for a few more seconds!

[showmystar]

[Allen Walker is an expert at getting lost. So much so, that once he wandered off the path, he couldn't find his way back to it. The only logical answer was climbing the cliff, obviously.

Now, normally, his Crown Clown belt would get him up to the top lickety-split. But his Innocence has been giving him trouble since he took that strange alcohol-and-monster-brain concoction Lambert gave him.

So here he hanged, until his sole savior popped his head over the cliff's edge. Allen's eye immediately reacts, two silver, spinning gears appearing over his left eye, which turns black with a red pentagram in the center. That means Akuma, and his left arm--his only weapon--is clinging to the rock face, so for just a moment, death flashes in his eyes.

Or maybe it's just because he's trying to reenact a scene from Princess Bride.]

Ah--okay. Th-thank you!

[small_reservations]

[Don't ever accept Lambert's drinks. Ever.

Axel tosses down the rope, after tying it to a strong-looking rock and testing it, and starts to haul Allen upwards. It's not easy work, but he manages, and flops back to lean on the aforementioned rock, panting slightly once he's done. Only then does he get a good look at Allen.]

You new? What's with the eye?

[Axel's clearly either a monster or not new at all, given his antelope-like legs, lizard tail, and horns. He's wearing a tank top, which advertises the carnival and allows one to see the rusty-colored fae marks striping his arms, and a kilt. His eyes glow faintly through the lids as he blinks, confused.]

[showmystar]

[Allen won't be accepting any Lambert brews next time, that's for sure.

This is the first time Allen really gets a good look at Axel, too. The changes throw him, but used to shooting before the Akuma do, he grips his left arm. Work, Innocence, work!!! He's wincing a bit from the trip up, favoring his right side, and rather than looking Axel in the face, he's staring just beyond him.

An untethered soul. That's strange.]

I'm . . . new, yes. Ah. Sorry. [His gaze drops to Axel's, and he rubs his wrist like it's just sore and he's not shouting at it in his head.] I'm Allen Walker.

[A carnival worker that reads as an Akuma with an untethered soul that looks pretty damn similar to the body........in a kilt. how is he supposed to handle this what is happening]