lostcarnival | ⇨ THE CELEBRATION

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⇨ THE CELEBRATION

Who: Everyone, especially YOU.
When: Day 60 - Day 65
Where: The Celebration
What: The carnival workers are invited to spend the week within the realm of the Celebration, the grounds of a party that has been going on for centuries. Accommodations are luxurious, but those with keen instincts might notice something off about this whole arrangement... (Questions can go to the original setting post!)
Warnings: Booze, drugs, sex, and everything in between.

THE CELEBRATION↴

If you observe that the layout of the Celebration grounds seem inconsistent, then you would be correct. In reality, what lies at the end of each corridor depends largely on what the guests of the Celebration want at the time - if a few people find themselves craving a drink, a bar may appear. If a group finds themselves wanting to dance, a club will open up. This goes on at all hours of the night, and given how many dedicated partiers fill the building, the services are well used. It isn't instantaneous, and the Host has to consciously decide to provide that service, but the changes are fast none-the-less.

► ROOMS: Each trailer pair will be assigned a room to themselves - whether or not it has two double beds or a single king sized bed seems essentially random. Hopefully you aren't too sensitive about keeping that space to yourself. The curtains at the far side of the room don't actually lead outside, but instead to a walk-in closet filled with the Host's best guesses at the type of clothing you might like. They may not hit the nail on the head, but at the very least all the clothing will be in your size. The styles could be just about anything, from any universe, but they do tend to average out to clothing that is Earth-ish. Either that, or clothing that looks like they are meant for elves from a high fantasy novel to wear.

► SHOPPING: If none of your pre-picked outfits tickle your fancy, plenty of boutiques and clothing shops can also be found around the grounds - whatever you're thinking of, you'll probably be able to find a shop appropriate for it eventually. Though, maybe it doesn't really count as shopping if you don't have to pay for any of the things you take back to your room with you? Unfortunately, from the sounds of it, you won't be allowed to drag all of your haul back to the carnival with you, so you better enjoy it while you can.

► DINING: There is no daily schedule to follow, after you arrive. You are free to attend the dining room whenever you wish, and will be seated at large round tables with whoever else may be around at the time, and can either order from the menu or most dishes you may think of off the top of your head. If you don't like the fine dining experience, there are also a selection of smaller cafes and eateries that open and close at varying times of day - and, of course, you can always call for room service.

► ENTERTAINMENT: There is plenty of live music around the grounds (not that you can ever seem to remember who the performers were afterwards) whether it comes to harp music while you eat or a full set of DJs in the club you found. If you are inclined to look for them, you may also find some cozy lounges with big screen TVs, and access to a multi-universal quantity of films. What's there or isn't there is unpredictable, but if you come from a standard variety of Earth you probably recognize some of them.

► SUBSTANCES: You don't have to be coy about it - just ask one of your servers, and you'll be able to get whatever kind of vices you might be craving. Drugs, alcohol, ice cream... it's all good. If this sounds like a nightmare for potential addicts, you would be correct. It's not uncommon to see people clearly over-indulging in certain locations, though guests are usually escorted back to their rooms if they take ill - only to see them back at it again the next day.

► SPA DAY: If you'd like to take a swim, pools of various aesthetics are easy to find. So are hot tubs, and saunas, and Host servants who are willing to give you a massage or manicure. If the party crowd isn't your scene, there are plenty of more low-key opportunities to indulge.

► GREENSPACE: There is one park area on the grounds, which appears to be constructed on the rooftops of other parts of the complex. While there are trees and greenery, there is no real sky that you can see - only the illusion of one. It may start to occur to you over time that no window or rooftop actually leads to any kind of outdoors. The Celebration really is there only thing here.

These are really just examples, and you can get creative with what kind of services you find offered while here, when it comes to generally mundane comforts. It really feels like the Host wants to win you over, as if you staying just a little longer has some sort of intrinsic appeal.

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Listen- sometimes a man just happens to get happier after a few pints. Joker is more willing to blame alcohol or even a bit of opium before he leaps to anything else, at least at this point in time.

…But not before he leaps into the game, shrugging before he looks around for a spare seat. “Well, I suppose if ya insist- what’re we playin’?”

One or the other for sure is helping it along, or even whatever it is several of the other card players at the table are smoking. Childermass himself only has a currently empty glass nearby, although that's hardly telling towards what else he may have been up to earlier.

"Some game from another world," or so he's been told. It must be, as he's never heard of it before this place. "You try to gather as many matching suits in your hand before someone draws the angel of death."

As for spare seats, well, the Celebration has impeccable (also creepy) staff that can appear on a whim, which means one is suddenly and ever so helpfully setting an extra chair down at the table just for Joker.

So polite, these practically ominpresent attendants. Joker sprawls himself into the seat, looking perfectly at home for all that he has no idea of what exactly he’ll be playing. Hopefully they don’t have to put down anything- he didn’t exactly bring any money with him. Not even the Atlantean coins. Oh well, maybe the Host can put that to rest, too.

“I think I’m a bit late ta win, then,” he says, faintly amused, “but hell, pass me a hand when this round’s done. I take it the Angel of Death is pretty easy ta spot, huh?”

"That it is," Childermass assures him. "You would not be able to miss it if you drew it."

There's no obvious betting going on, apparently a game for fun over profit. With the Host providing the way he does, it's not as though there'd be all that much to gain from gambling aside from the satisfaction. While that is something to aim for, this time it hasn't come up.

What is, however, is an ample amount of cheating, if Joker is watching closely enough. There are varying degrees of skill at it, ranging from not too bad but still catchable to one or two who don't appear to be cheating at all (but probably are regardless). Childermass falls into the latter category... either that or he's just that lucky because when he discards and draws, he'll lay his entire hand down for all to see to reveal he's gotten five full angels, including the Angel of Death itself (a fairly stylized reaper-like figure).

"Any better?" He'll ask, but of course, there isn't, so he just grins and collects the cards again to reshuffle.

He'll pass Joker five cards along with everyone else when they move on to the next round.

Joker is absolutely watching. Not only does he have all the time in the world for it until the round ends (which is probably the opposite of ‘all the time in the world’, honestly), he loves people watching. Some might find it dull, but not him. You can learn so much, especially when people are trying to hide so much like in a game of cards. A person’s tells, if they’re a good liar or not, if they’re having fun or getting too frustrated to want to continue- it’s a fun little pasttime.

Childermass, he has to admit, is pretty spot on- he must be drinking some good stuff. Joker accepts the cards dealt out to him, picking them up fairly well and fanning them out for all that he has one hand. It’ll be hard to cheat, too, but, well, he’s sure he’ll manage. Probably.

“So you’ve just been spendin’ time with cards, huh, Childermass?” he asks casually, looking over his hand to see just how far along he is.

Joker's hand is two serpents, two knights, and a dagger. While he wouldn't be able to put names to any of the cards, they images and markings are similar enough between the various suits to tell what belongs together. Definitely not a deck from Earth, that much is apparent.

"Oh, not all my time," Childermass answers, shooting a less than subtle smile over towards one of the elven ladies — the black-haired one — also playing. It's a look she catches and returns with a wink before tossing a card out onto the discard pile this round has started and drawing a new card.

"Though I do admit these have taken up more than a little of it," he'll add before turning his own attention back to his hand. Like the rest, he'll pick a card out to get rid of, then pick one up from the remaining deck. "And yourself? Haven't dragged any poor souls to some spontaneously appearing mall or anything, have you?"

What’s ever from earth nowadays? Joker rolls with it, glancing over his cards before setting them down and sliding the dagger card out from its place to toss into the pile and accepting a new one. All the while, he grins. “My my,” he drawls in response to that little reveal of personal life, although he doesn’t make as much of a show of it as one might think. Plenty of time for that later, and when Childermass is sober besides. “And sir, slanderin’ my good name ta strangers! That mall was there from the start, don’t lie ta make yerself better. I’ve been a perfect innocent, just browsin’ and chattin’.”

The next card Joker gets is a third serpent. Meanwhile, sober Childermass is going to have so many regrets, but that's a problem for the future, not for now.

"Slandering? Hardly!" He replies with a laugh. "If you think about it, that place did not even actually exist, though I did mean here. Have you not noticed? How the rooms and places move around? I would not be surprised for one of those to spring into existence on a moment's notice."

He discards one of his own cards, drawing a new one. He takes a moment to rearrange his hand, though his easy expression doesn't change in the least, not giving away whether it's better or worse now.

Edited 2017-02-27 03:45 (UTC)

“Ah, that,” he says, idly amused. “I think I caught wind of that, after the first few go-arounds of this place. Enough ta make ya dizzy, innit?” Then again, with the kind of things Childermass has gone through as far as Joker can guess (on the magic front alone), maybe not. “Although it certainly makes things easy, huh?”

What things? All sorts of things. Like finding the perfect place to play cards, and Joker makes a move to discard one of his daggers in very much the same way he had done before.

This time, the next card Joker draws will be an angel, but not the angel of death.

"Not much worse than the labyrinth spell back at Hurtfew," Childermass admits. Yes, he has run into something of the like thanks to magic. "Although the point of that one was to make certain no one actually got to the point they were trying to get to. I wonder if one might not reverse the effect into something more like what they do here..."

And he'll go through the same process of picking an unwanted card after some consideration and getting rid of it.

Ha. Almost felt his heart nearly stop for a second there, although it doesn’t show on his face. Instead, he gives a low whistle. “Now that sounds like somethin’. Well, if ya got permission from the Ringmaster…. I’m sure ya could give it a try.” A knight now into the pile.

“Although not sure how much travelin’ is really needed in a carnival, ha.”

"Oh, I doubt I would be able to use that spell on my own," Childermass says, shrugging. "Maybe with help..." They do have Strange, after all, but has he ever read up on that one? He would have to ask. "Though I suspect the original purpose would suit the carnival far better."

On the maze, on any building, maybe even around the backyard, who knows!

The knight discarded, Joker will get a song card. A wholly new suit, one that does not match any he's had yet.

“Well, I’m sure the Ringmaster could give ya plenty of help if she thought it was fun,” he hums, even as he internally raises an eyebrow at his new card. Amazing how many new suites other worlds could come up with in their card games. Back in England, it was just the four, and ya made all sorts of things with just those. “She likes new ideas. Very open ta ‘em, if ya catch her in the right mood.”

And Joker would know all about those. The song card he’s hoping is a good sign, so he’ll discard his other Knight.

Knight gone, his next card is, again, another song.

"And just how would one catch her in the right mood, Mr. Joker?" Childermass asks, actually curious, so it's an honest question as much as it is an amused one. He's only ever seen her either in a good mood or in a very bad mood. It doesn't seem like there's much of an in-between!

...Hm. Well, this is an interesting road to follow, now, isn’t it? Well, as a performer, it only feels right if he goes with what’s coming up… So away with a serpent it is.

“Well… When things are goin’ her way,” he says casually, grinning all the wider. “When she’s got good compliments, and when she hears people talkin’ about family. Haven’t ya ever charmed a lady, Childermass?”

Serpent in the discard pile, a third song from the deck.

"On occasion," Childermass admits with an easy smile of his own, in particular for, again, the woman seated on his other side. She laughs and makes a point to remind him she charmed him first. To that, he pauses, thinks about it, before going, "Ah, that is right."

Then he just shrugs back at Joker before flicking a card away from his own hand, drawing a new one.

"Or more the other way around, as strange as that may seem. Though if family is her favored topic, she will only find me lacking there."

Edited 2017-03-09 04:18 (UTC)

See? Hopefully the lucky streak continues- it’s easier to be lucky when luck is in your bed than cheating. At least with one hand. So away with his other sepent it is.

In the meantime, he’s laughing too. “Well maybe your lady friend could give ya some tips!” he says, winking to her playfully. “Especially if yer lackin’ family. Ha, although ya could always use mine, lord knows we have more than enough folks ta go around…”

This time Joker gets another angel, though still not anything on it signifying that it's death.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she could," Childermass agrees with a laugh, looking between the two, but the topic moves on swiftly from there. It's back to family and he can't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "Do you have a very large family, then?"

A hand full of angels and songs…. He wonders if this is Lady Luck winking at him meaningfully. Ah well. Off with a song, and a little bit of laughter too.

“Got seven siblings!” he announces. That they’re all adopted is something he doesn’t bother to mention; it’s not important. “Three sisters, four brothers- one of ‘em just arrived in the carnival, matter of fact. He ain’t much for parties like this, so I’ve been mostly keepin’ company with him in our room, but I get some air now and then.” A wink. “Clearly.”

Yet another angel is what he pulls next, but this time it's a skeletal thing wearing a cowl and holding a scythe. Congratulations, Joker, you've pulled the angel of death.

"Seven? That is large," Childermass won't question actual relation or not between them, because, frankly, there's no point nor does he find that number wholly unbelievable. Some people just have large families. "I suppose you must be thrilled to have one of your brothers show up. Are you the oldest?"

Ha. Well, someone had to pull it. Definitely not the luck he was looking for, but oh well. "Probably," he says, which is an odd answer to a normal question in any other situation, but he clarifies. "A couple of my siblings are a bit odd in the body- two of 'em have looked young as hell for years now, and the other looked like an adult before he was a teenager. For all I know, I might be third oldest, but we go with me as the oldest. I take care of 'em all anyway, ha!"

And, with a dry laugh, he reveals the angel of death card. HEY GUYS GUESS WHAT HE GOT.

"All on your own?" Childermass has to ask, if only because he's idly curious. Typically the oldest girl would be the one doing all the babysitting, although he can't say himself he's too familiar with how families are really meant to be. That's derailed a bit with the revelation of the angel, however.

"Ah, and that's the game. Lay them out, ladies and gentlemen."

His own hand consists of four knights and one serpent. One of the knights being, in fact, one that Joker had recently discarded. Wonder how that got in there...

The ~mysteries~ of Joker’s family life will have to wait for another conversation as everyone lays out their hands, and the stage manager’s only response to recognizing that knight is to laugh a little to himself. Ah, cheating. Would card games be nearly as fun without it?

"Games go by quick, don't they?"

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⇨ THE CELEBRATION

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