[OPEN] how long is forever?

[atouts]

WHO: Childermass & anyone.
WHAT: Childermass returns from his unfortunate vacation in the Matrix.
WHERE: The carnival, Trailer #19, the cookhouse.
WHEN: End of D32, on into D33.
WARNINGS: Mentions of torture, will update if anything else comes up.

[ D32, by the tree phones; closed to the first person to find him ]

Why he'd been released after giving so little information, Childermass can't be sure.

He wondered if they had picked up anyone else, someone more likely to talk about the carnival than he was. Perhaps that had made it less useful to keep at him, when someone else was more chatty, although if that were the case, they sure didn't mind trying to keep on "convincing" him. After all that effort, just to have him wake up back in the zoo, intact again, for the most part (the memory of broken fingers still has him rubbing his knuckles, often and uncomfortably). Part of him — the sensible, forever cautious part — wanted to stay and find out, to know, but the rest of him was exhausted. Caution be damned, he needed to get out, so that was exactly what he did.

Funny how only a few days ago he was telling Mr. Strange how bizarre it was to already consider the carnival home, but stumbling to the nearest phone and finding himself back among the trees, with that mad circus up ahead, is a relief. Back at last, after nearly five days of missing, he'll let out a sigh and lean heavily against the same tree the phone is hooked up to.

Now here's a man who looks worse for wear, but at least he's still standing, right?

[Late D32-D33; open to all]

Afterwards, whatever it is that comes afterwards, Childermass will be wisely leaving his supervisor a note about taking a day off to rest — if that's no problem, of course — and then holing up in his trailer to, for the most part, sleep. It won't be very restful, though, so more often than not he'll be found up with tea, trying and failing to write for any real length of time, or spending an awful lot of time staring at ceiling from where he should, but isn't, sleeping.

Basically, trying to avoid everyone, but he'll probably answer the door if someone shows up, assuming they're polite about it at all. Considering the door isn't actually locked, the odds on that might be against him.

Or, failing all attempts to get some actual rest, on the day after his return, one might find him having, by some miracle, made his way to the cookhouse. If only for some coffee and to — again — get absolutely nowhere with writing in one of his various memo books.

Comments

D32

[waitingforplayer2]

It's been impossible not to notice his disappearance.

Chiaki's been spending every morning before work searching the Matrix, looking for any trace of her friends. She isn't a very good spy and she hasn't really come up with any leads. She's sitting at the base of a tree eating some crackers before work when John shows up.

"John!" She nearly drops the package in her hurry to scramble over to him. "You're okay!"

late D32

[kingsroads]

Strange saw the note about Childermass taking a day off to rest. So naturally, he's going to just leave his duties as well to go bother Childermass. First he attempts to just move in there via mirror...but no, that's not working. Strange has a sneaking suspicion that Childermass removed the mirror entirely. Well fine then, he'll just walk there instead.

Once he reaches the door, Strange starts to mutter some sort of spell of unlocking...but oh. The door's unlocked. There's a pause and then, in a bundle of maniac energy, Strange just pushes open the door and just frowns in Childermass's direction. There goes the quiet.

"Where were you?" Strange exclaims, in a tone partly worried but mostly annoyed. Glaring, he points an accusatory finger in Childermass's direction...and hey, Strange has claws now. Small claws, only about an inch long, but claws all the same. "I've been looking all over for you!"

closed to Mari;

[atouts]

To be honest, this is the first thing he should have done upon returning. Tracking down someone in charge — the "can defend the carnival" sort of in charge — and discussing his disappearance, what the agents got out of him, if there was anything to worry about further down the line. It's the Nightrider that he settles on in the end, as Chiaki had mentioned she and her crew had been doing the searching.

If it had to be passed on to the Warden or the Ringmaster, he'd leave that up to her, and some sense of responsibility is what has him back up after a restless night. Tracking Mari down early in the morning proves to be more an issue than expected, however, as it seems she's still off searching the Matrix. He might be back, but he's only the first of three to have returned. For all he knows, she might not even know he's turned up at all yet...

Well, regardless, Childermass has no intention of returning to that world, ever again, not even to look for her, and so he'll be waiting by the trees with the phones, leaning up against one with his pipe in hand. He's letting the tobacco lazily burn without actually smoking, staring somewhat tiredly at the smoke twisting up into the air instead.

late d32 and starbucks

[pipers_son]

What had happened to Steven would have been enough to get Joker antsy enough as it is. He never likes it when any of his workers get injured, a fact which goes double when it's not in a performance and triple when they go missing. It's the last thing he's needed on his plate, frankly, and he's been rushing everywhere trying to fill up the gaps, make sure the rest of his crew is alright, and keep an eye out for anyone finding a miracle and coming back.

This all means that it's pretty late when he finally finds the note Childermass has left for him. Well, his sleep schedule is pretty wretched already; Joker has no qualms about flying over to the regular trailers. He only means to do a very brief and quiet check up on him, but he pauses as he comes in for a landing and still hears a bit of activity in the trailer. It makes him feel a little bit better about knocking.