lostcarnival | ⇨ THE SUMMERLANDS

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 138 - Day 152
Where: The Summerlands
What: The Ringmaster brings the carnival to the Summerlands immediately after being freed from Portland so that everyone can take a fucking nap. Her included.
Warnings: Individually marked! Most likely discussion of torture and trauma in here.

DAYS OF SUMMER↴

You made it! And things are back to normal... more or less. Upon waking, you will be greeted with a clear blue sky and gentle breeze – the carnival has found itself situated between a pair of mountain peaks, with great fields of flowers extending in the distance. In the other direction, you’ll see mountain-top cities and tall waterfalls accenting vast swaths of forest.

Some of you will already know this place. It’s the Summerlands. You game here once to rest in safety nearly a year ago, and now you’ve come to rest once again.

► WAKING UP: Shortly after the carnival arrives, the Ringmaster will send out a somewhat cryptic radio message - but her immediate location won't be clear. Whatever items you had on your person at the time the Severing was broken will still be on your person, including whatever clothing. All of the animals and pets of the carnival will have returned to the grounds as well, though they are currently free from their designated living spaces. Things in the carnival will appeared to have naturally aged a month, as if the carnival was been sitting here empty and waiting while everyone was in Portland. The lawn needs mowing.

► SUMMER CITY: After the Summer Fae become aware of everyone's presence, they will welcome you into their city. There are stairs that lead up the sides of the mountains, but thankfully there are also magical means of getting up there as well. The Summer Fae will be willing to help workers with the injured as needed, offering herbal remedies and healing magic to those that want it. You'll also be invited to join them for dinner, but they will not be particularly offended if they are turned down, for now.

► SUMMER PEOPLE: The fae here will mostly enjoy the company of any carnival members that offer it - it doesn't seem that much happens here besides day after day of peaceful meditation and relaxation. It is not uncommon to see Summer Fae spent days doing exactly the same thing, whether that be enjoying the weather, listening to music, or dancing - the day and night periods may be similar to earth, but when you don't need rest it can all blur together just the same. Some of the fae work on feats of agriculture or craftsmanship, and while there is no particularly need to work in this place, they take pride in the fact that they do.

► NEW ARRIVALS: Though the Ringmaster will not be offering much guidance for the first week or so, eventually the carnival will begin running for a few small performance sessions, off and on, as a thank you to their fae hosts. The carnival will also be open to receiving new arrivals during that period, and so there will likely be some newbies to train and get orientated as well.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Children are an enigma to Syrlya, but luckily grief is a very universal emotion and tears are a universal way of expression it. If someone's frowning and crying, you can bet they're in a terrible mood.

It's just kind of strange to see a child also watering flowers while crying over them. A child that appears to be growing flowers out of himself.

People really can develop just about any strange growths, can't they? Still, he makes a casual walk by, slowing down as he starts to pass Steven.

"Is there something distressing about the flowers?"

It had been a sudden thing, mostly out of his control. He'd known that the flowers needed to be watered, but once he'd actually started to do the work... things got complicated, and fast.

It felt like muscle memory, like a task he'd done a hundred times before in a different place. The feelings of stress and helplessness are waiting there for him, and despite the intellectual knowledge that he's back in the carnival, that he's probably safe, they run away with him all too quickly. As he water pours, he feels very far away, so much so that he doesn't even notice the tears on his face until he's brought back to himself by the sound of a voice.

He inhales, choking on his breath, his hand flying up to snatch at the watery streaking on his face. He drops the water can in a jerky motion.

"S-Sorry!" he gasps out, an automatic apology from somewhere else.

Syrlya freezes for a moment as Steven jerks, but he's quick to recover. He drops to one knee beside Steven, holding a tentative hand out to him.

"Shh, no, you needn't apologize." He was told they'd just left somewhere stressful, but he hadn't expected multiple people being thrown into tears as a result. "Can you tell me what is wrong?"

Edited 2017-08-10 02:03 (UTC)

Steven is already working at rubbing away the tears, which is incidentally rubbing that makeup all over his face. His hand comes away a bit purple as a result.

"It's kind of a long story," he manages, his gaze lingering on the ground. "I was just remembering... something really sad."

"I'm very sorry to hear that." He furrows his brow. You weren't supposed to leave crying children alone, right? It's more devastating to them or... something. "If it would make you feel better to talk about it, I am willing to listen. But it is just as well if you would rather not," Syrlya offers with a reassuring expression.

"I dunno," he says, rubbing his cheek shyly. Being shy isn't something Steven does often, but when he's feeling this off about stuff, it's surprisingly easy. It was actually something his Portland self did a lot. "I was kind of imprisoned in my fae mom's terrible garden for like four years? Like, part of it wasn't real, but I guess it kind of was, too?"

This is said in way too pragmatic of a tone.

"I'm--sorry?" It's really hard to tell what Syrlya is sorry for. He didn't even know Fae were a thing before the carnival, so he's unfortunately lacking the context to put anything that Steven says together. Apparently fairies run carnivals, make deals for magic artifacts, and imprison their children?

"That sounds awful, but... why do you think it was not real?"

Oh, this is a long story and he was kind of hoping that someone would have mentioned what happened to the new arrivals already. Guess not. Steven looks even more awkward as he tries to figure out how to proceed.

"So... No one told you about what happened last month in Portland, huh?" he says, hesitating. "We... Kind of got rewritten into different versions of ourselves that has always lived on that planet, after we arrived? I don't really understand it, but... I thought I'd been there my whole life, and my mom there... was a fae."

Even thinking about her seems to cause him some level of stress.

Nobody, apparently, wants to talk about Portland and Syrlya has respectfully not asked. So the surprise is clear on his face as Steven explains. Magic that powerful to rewrite one's memory... well, it was theoretical in Tyria, but absolutely nothing ever proven as real. No doubt, because using Tyrian magic for something like that would just poison the target.

"That... sounds like a very powerful illusion," he muses, because what else could that be to trick and confound the mind so much? "You are all lucky to have escaped it."

"Yeah..." Steven says, after a few moments of quiet reflection. "It was kind of a close thing? I almost died or got captured so many times. My mom... really didn't want to let me go."

He looks away, rubbing at his eyes again.

"But I guess she isn't even my real mom? My real mom... I never actually got to meet her."

Syrlya offers a faint nod of his head as Steven talks. No wonder he's so shaken if he's just a kid going through that much danger.

"That does sound like a harrowing experience." He reaches to put a gentle hand on Steven's shoulder, if he allows it. He isn't sure what to say about Steven not knowing his mother... he knows there's something different in that connection, between humans and his people. "At least you survived it. I would believe if someone has so much power, you should be safe to grieve here."

"Yeah," Steven admits, but then he chokes on his breath, his eyes tearing up all over again. Syrlya is apparently the lucky guy to get all the tears. "I just... I just wish my dad would come back already. It's been days and it could be, like... forever."

He smears more makeup around his face as he wipes his eyes, hiding his face behind his hands. Part of him wants to go back home again already, but he isn't even sure if things will stay okay there, either.

He keeps getting taken away from his family.

"I very much doubt it will be forever. Your time here is temporary, and you will return home with him regardless." Or, well, he hasn't heard of anyone who's here on a permanent contract. He says it with a gentle pat with his hand and a softer expression.

He could understand parental attachment at least, and he knows that for other races that feeling is so much strong. "And if he loves you just as much, he will not settle for forever, either."

Something about that last part is just too real, after everything that happened in Portland. His dad had been trying so hard to find him again, but for years it hadn't been enough, and...

When are they ever going to be able to stop fighting all the time?

Steven presses his hands his eyes chokes out another sob, nodding his head in understanding and agreement even as the sentiment overwhelms him with emotion.

"Thank you," he manages, softly.

"Of course. Is this your trailer?" Steven might want too finish crying this out in more privacy. Syrlya leans over to peer at the number on the door. He squints, having trouble reading it from the angle he's crouched at.

⇨ THE SUMMERLANDS

Paint it Black: Wildcard Edition

SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT

IT'S ALL GOOD \O/

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject