lostcarnival | ⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 2

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⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 2

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 7st - 14th, 2017
Where: Portland area, in the new reality.
What: The week begins as the time of the Animal Fair finally arrives! Meanwhile, the truth of this reality starts to be revealed, and forces both human and celestial alike attempt to take advantage of a rare opportunity.
Warnings: Individually marked!

BY ANY OTHER NAME↴

Tensions thicken as various supernaturally forces react to the events of the previous week. Something critical is afoot, and it's only a matter of time before things start coming to a head. It's time to find out more about what's happened to this world, and what will happen in its future.

► A NIGHT AT THE FAIR: From the night of the 7th to the morning of the 8th, the Animal Fair is officially in town. There is a top level down below with more information, though you can also RP content from this elsewhere if you wish. The host, who is very likely something called a Wyld Fae (if you discovered that ICly), will be present, but they will only be appearing to you of their own accord and attempting to track them down by force will be ineffective. Just kick back and relax! Fairs are supposed to be fun.

► THORNS IN YOUR SIDE: Culminating in a full fledged attack against the Sanctuary, it would seem that The Rose Queen is declaring war on the changeling population of Portland. Though the vicious attack of thorns against the safe house was eventually stopped, it wasn't without damage, and the black roses that caused it are still popping up around the city and threatening the places where homeless and lost changelings would be likely to congregate. It's obvious now that this is a serious threat - will it ever stop without an intervention?

► HELL ON EARTH: As Anath's march draws near, the first waves of her demons will be entering the city. Primarily acting as scouts and foot soldiers, these demons will be attempting to secure loyalty from the local demon populace, as well as taking out any angels they can manage to catch. It's a level of aggressiveness against heaven's forces that hasn't been seen for years, and it's a foreboding hint of things to come. These demons can be NPCed by anyone, and will mostly be thugs or manipulators who don't know much about Anath's plans but do know that you need to join their side. They are also rowdier than most of the demons in Portland, and are a threat to the innocent mortal populace as well, if they decide to try to get their kicks here.

► THE WIZARD POLICE: The Enlightenment Council seems to have demanded control of the local Circle chapter, and now backup has arrived. These mages are being sent out into the city as if they are a police force, and will be attempting to demand control of various common supernatural areas, as well as questioning community members that they run into. Whatever is going on, it seems to have resulted in the Council instituting what is essentially martial law... of course, not everyone sees any need to heed their demands. If you are a demon, warlock, or other rogue element, expect to be harassed or even attacked by them. These character can be NPCed, and if you need additional information you can ask the mods.

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As it happens? Rita isn't the only one in the market for a little extra protection. Lambert doesn't really know what he's doing, but he's at least gotten a silver knife, the house is warded (how safely, he doesn't know).

"No," he's coughing, eyes watering as he backs away from one particularly overenthusiastic stall owner who really wants to convince him that her special herb blend will keep away all manner of evil spirits. From the smell of it, it would also keep away everyone else, too. "I don't think I'm going to need any herbs today, thanks."

The sound of a familiar voice instantly pulls Rita's attention away from the merchandise. She sets the iron knife she was examining back down and abruptly turns to approach the source, which happens to be at the next stall over.

"You sure get around, for someone who's not really familiar with magic," she greets him, her arms folded. Attitude aside, she's glad to see him. Rita was meaning to go visit him soon, but this works too.

"Rita?" Now that wasn't a voice he was expecting to hear now, of all times, and Lambert's head whips around in surpris. He'll spend a precious few seconds sizing her up and down before he concludes she isn't hurt or injured (and ignoring the pointed grumblings of the witch behind him) before he exhales, shoulders sagging.

"What are you doing here?"

A small smirk crosses her lips. "I'm a mage. Why wouldn't I be in a place like this?" Of course, that doesn't tell him what she's up to now, but that's a bit of a long story.

"Actually... this is convenient. I've been meaning to talk to you. Got a minute?" She didn't get to do much talking the last time they met, and she's certainly curious about that sight of his, or whatever it is.

A mage ... that explains a lot, and it doesn't all the same. But the question puts him on alert in an instant, looking at her warily before he gives a reluctant nod.

"Lead the way." He has a few questions for her himself, and worse comes to worst, he's pretty sure he can take her down in a fight. Maybe. If he knocks her out first.

She leads him past a few more stalls and into a quiet alley, where she casually leans her back against a wall. It's not the most private space, but discussing magic isn't all that strange or taboo in this particular neighborhood. She can always put up an anti-eavesdropping spell if the conversation turns to more sensitive matters... which it probably will.

There's an awkward pause before she begins. "Right, so... thanks... for the other day." She doesn't look him in the eyes as she says it, her cheeks taking on a slight pink tinge. It was a pretty embarrassing situation, and Rita just wants to get that out of the way so she can stop thinking about it.

But there were some things she heard as a bird that she doesn't want to leave unaddressed. "You said you could see things. What kind of things?"

"You're welcome?" Of all the things Lambert was expecting, 'thanks' wasn't really it, so he just blinks and shrugs. Perhaps it just comes with having two weresisters that could change in the blink of an eye to something else, but didn't always find it easy changing back... he wants to ask Rita if she found who she was looking for, in the end, but her question distracts him and he frowns slightly.

"The supernatural, mostly." Lambert crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the opposite side of the alley. "I don't know how it really works, though..."

The supernatural... "Then you can see me right now? The real me, I mean." Feathers, horns, and all.

She seems to think on that for a moment, and adds, "Could you always see things like that? ...Since we first met?" Rita tries to replay that first encounter in her mind, but it's been about a year. Did he react then?

That incident is much clearer in Lambert's memory, for reasons that are going to be quite obvious as he nods and answers her question.

"Not always. When we met, that was the first time. It didn't always work -- sometimes people would look normal one minute, then different the next." He rubs a hand along his arm, uneasily. "... It got stronger since then."

That was the first time? There's a flicker of surprise on Rita's face, followed by a contemplative look... and a sigh. "Can't believe you kept quiet about it all this time." It feels like she wasted her time pretending to be human around him... even though it might not have been all that different.

"You run into a lot of supernaturals around town?" she asks, then realizes the question is a bit vague. "... Anyone especially suspicious, lately?"

Lambert shrugs, adjusting his glasses and looking a little embarrassed -- an odd expression on such a normally surly man. "Yeah, I see a lot. Didn't really seem like it was my business to bring it up."

Not when he was the only one who could see things this way, as far as he knew. But her last question wipes the smile from his face.

"Depends what you mean by suspicious. I've seen a few ... demons around. Angels. Roses growing where they shouldn't." He can't help the short, unhappy bark of laughter slipping out of his throat. "Take your pick."

Edited 2017-07-15 05:55 (UTC)

"I'm mainly concerned about the fae," Rita clarifies, though she does wonder what sorts of angels and demons are in the neighborhood. She's met a couple weird ones, but they're tolerable, for the most part. Certainly not a threat to her like the true fae have proven to be.

"I heard you were involved in clearing away some of those roses. Do you know much about the Rose Queen?" She gives him a focused, curious look, wondering if she might be able to count him as an ally. Of course, opposing the Rose Queen once doesn't necessarily mean that he'll want to make a habit of it... but the only way to know for sure is to ask.

How did she...? Lambert frowns, but nods. He might not have been advertising it, but it wasn't like it was some great secret either.

"I don't know much," he says, quietly. "Mostly what you read in story books and myths. It wasn't until I moved here that I actually started meeting any." He's always cautious about talking about the fae, partly because he really doesn't know that much, but ... "It seems like she's been aggressive, recently." He frowns. "I think that's bullshit."

Well... it's not exactly a detailed response, but it's an agreeable one, anyway. Rita nods, then says a few words to cast a quick anti-eavesdropping spell. To someone unaccustomed to magic, it would seem like there was a short blip in the sounds around them, with everything continuing normally after that.

Without any acknowledgment of what she just did, Rita goes on to offer her stance. "She's been capturing changelings - people like me. I want to stop her... for good." It's not something one can say lightly about a true fae. They don't go down easily. She looks up at Lambert, meeting his eyes. "You interested? I'm looking for people who might wanna join the fight."

The directness of the question makes Lambert blink, briefly taken aback. It's more surprising than whatever magic she's cast, at any rate.

"What," he says, warily. "No lecture on how humans shouldn't get involved with this kind of thing?" That's all he's ever heard from anyone else. Though if the Rose Queen is kidnapping changelings ... that makes his stomach sink a little. There's a certain Winter Court changeling bound to the Rose Queen's service he can think of who might be getting caught up in all that.

That gets a light snort from her. Rita actually was saying things like that not too long ago, but...

"It's a bit late for that," she says dryly. After all, she's already involved Yuya in this, even after trying to keep him out at first. And Lambert looks like he's already waist-deep in supernatural nonsense, with or without her invitation. "Besides, there are some things that humans can do that changelings can't. And... I'll need all the help I can get."

Lambert can't help a little disbelieving laugh. "You don't even know who I am or what I can do. Seems a little risky, don't you think?"

Though he's already helped pull one spell together, he thinks. And if no one else is telling him shit, is someone who's actually willing to let him in on things really something he can afford to turn down.

"I don't know what I can do, but I'll help if I can," Lambert admits, with a frown. Though ... "You were at the Animal Fair -- did you know the fae behind that was planning on fighting the ones here?" She'd even killed one of them before, apparently. Pretty serious stuff.

Edited 2017-07-16 20:57 (UTC)

Risky? She's picking a fight with the Rose Queen. There's no getting around it being risky, no matter how she does it. Rita lifts her hand, showing off the leather glove she'd been using while shopping. "You can carry iron without being hurt or weakened by it, right? That counts for something."

But her expression soon turns to a surprised one when he brings up the other fae. She shakes her head. "I knew they probably weren't friends, but... wait, how do you know that?" Rita tried to investigate that fae and her fair and found nothing. Does this guy just have a weird sort of luck with the supernatural?

That gets Lambert to snort softly. Instead of answering, he fishes out the necklace he's wearing -- a simple cast iron letter opener, edges sharpened to an actually usable sharpness. It's a little rude flashing it at a changeling, probably a bit like waving around a gun, but it answers her question.

At the question, though, Lambert will look exceedingly uncomfortable. "I've spoken to it. Twice." He'd rather not explain the circumstances, that much is clear. "She's ... odd."

'Luck' isn't quite a word Lambert would use to describe his own encounters with the supernatural, recently.

Upon seeing the letter opener, Rita merely gives a nod of approval. "You might want something a little bigger than that." Sure, that stuff is highly lethal to her, but unlike the true fae, she's a mortal. Lots of things are potentially lethal to her.

His answer is vague, and maybe intentionally so, but Rita's interest is piqued. "Odd how? What's she like?" Aside from her years with Ignatius and a brief visit with the Rose Queen, Rita never had much interaction with the true fae. She figured they were all alike, in a lot of ways, but if this one has the same goal as Rita... is she different? Or is she just another player in the usual games of power and politics among the fae? "Any idea what she wants with this town?"

"I've got something." But Lambert doesn't bother showing it of this time. It's not iron, in any case, but a silver knife is a comforting weigh against the small of his back. It won't burn fae, but it'll be something, at least.

"She seems like she mostly wants to cause trouble for the local fae," he says, honestly. "Kind of a loose cannon, if you ask me. But..." He pauses, trying to pin down how he'd describe the feeling of oddness to.

"I'd say she's more ... primal than I expected a faerie would be." This is a nice way of saying he didn't expect she was the type to run around without pants on. "She called herself a Wyld Fae... whatever that means."

Primal? Rita scrunches up her face a bit, trying to work out the exact meaning of that. At the very least, it probably means she isn't as pompous and stuck-up as the noble fae she's met before. Doesn't necessarily mean she's trustworthy, though.

"Guess I'll have to see for myself," Rita mutters. If she can find this fae and talk to her, maybe she can learn something useful... or even join forces, maybe, but the thought of actually cooperating with a true fae makes her uneasy. Does Lambert have any idea of what they're like? Right... she should warn him properly.

"...This might go without saying, but I'll make this clear. The fae... I mean, the true fae, people like the Rose Queen, and maybe that Wyld Fae too... they don't care about the lives of mortals. They play games, they deceive, and they're pointlessly cruel." Those facts are all obvious to Rita, but she doesn't know how well a human would understand. "What I'm saying is... working with or against the fae is an enormous risk. If we start a fight with the Rose Queen and lose... we'll be lucky if she kills us. And, hypothetically, if we get help from that Wyld Fae and she betrays us... same thing."

Rita doesn't want to discourage Lambert from helping, especially when having that help makes it less likely that she'll be facing a fate worse than death at the end of this. But she can't drag people into this fight without first making sure that they know the risks.

As Rita continues to talk, Lambert can't help snorting. It's not directed at Rita, in particular -- it's just that the warning does him no good.

"I already knew that. Like you said, it's a bit late to worry about something like that." He knew the risks from stories, at least.

"But if things go south, it's going to affect all of us anyway, isn't it? Can't keep running away."

A look of surprise crosses her face at his flippant response. With how quick he was to agree to help, Rita thought maybe he didn't think it through... but maybe he's just as knowingly reckless as she is. That's fine. He'd have to be, to go along with something like this.

"That's right," she agrees with a nod. It's why she has to do this... because if she doesn't, the Summer Court will catch her one day anyway. Running isn't a solution. "I don't plan on losing, of course." Not that Rita has a clear path to victory... but she's confident that she's going to find one.

"I'll contact you later, when the plan is ready. Let me know if you learn anything that might help, too." Who knows? Maybe he'll just stumble onto something useful again. For now, exchanging phone numbers seems like a good idea.

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⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 2

b. shopping

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