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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Jimmy smiles widely at seeing Joker come walking up. Joker gave him hope, and he'll never forget that. "Yeah. There's some interesting combinations here that I think we could borrow to use in the cookhouse. Maybe change up the menu a little." Koel's recipe reservoir seems near-bottomless, but Jimmy's trying to find something to impress his new boss with.

"Pull up a chair, please." With a gesture at the the opposite chair as Jimmy asks. "I've never seen anything like this. Have you?"

Always one to come when given an invitation, Joker takes a seat opposite of him, setting the tray down expertly. It’s amusing to him to see people still so into their jobs even when this sort of thing is supposed to be a vacation of sorts, but he’d be a liar if he said it didn’t make him feel a little better, too. For all its troubles, and however suspicious the Ringmaster might be… the carnival isn’t a bad place to be, although he supposes he would have to admit he’s biased. Anything would be better than what he’s left behind.

“Do ya mean the food or the place?” he asks cheekily, grinning as he pops what looks almost like a broccoli with bits of berries in it.

"The food, mostly. I'm not so sure about the place itself." The smile fades a little as Jimmy glances around. Something about this place isn't sitting right with him. "It could just be me not really dealing with this whole place very well, too."

"But, what do you think?" It'd be nice to know that it's more than just a handful that aren't comfortable here.

“Me? Well…” Joker gives a shrug, empty sleeve shifting with the movement. “Some places always seem a little strange, but it’s because we ain’t used ta ‘em, right? Completely foreign right down ta the air. So that could probably be half of it.”

Except he’d be a liar if that was all. And while he is a liar, it’s not about things like this. So after a second, he admits, “But there’s no outside, which is bleedin’ bizarre, I’ll tell ya, and some of the folks here, well…” He leans close and twirls one finger around his temple. “Don’t think they’re all there, but considerin’ some of the things I’ve seen get passed around, well.” Don’t do drugs, kids.

"No outside? Like a fishbowl?" Jimmy winces at that image. "Well, that doesn't help things any." The smile gets a little more strained at that.

"There's strange and then there's strange though. And I think this is the latter." He shakes his head, half remembered images of a beautiful room percolating up from the memory blocks. Not something to think about right now. "I've already seen some of the offered temptations going around." The smile gets a bit more rueful as Jimmy taps a cigarette case in a vest pocket.

"You think this place presents a real threat?"

“Hey, don’t get too worried about that,” Joker says, quick to pacify. “I thought it was weird too, but, hey- I couldn’t reach air over in Atlantis no matter how straight up I went. Some places, well, they’re just like that, ain’t they? Every world is different.” Nevermind that it had still tugged at something in him. Joker guesses there’s a difference between water having no air and a room having no exits elsewhere.

For now, at the more pressing question, he leans back thoughtfully and pops something else into his mouth. “Probably not from the place itself,” he guesses aloud. “More the things ya might drink or eat, or smoke. If there’s anything ta worry about, it’s probably other people. I mean, never know what kinda folks will end up at crossroads like this, huh?”

"I suppose. There are stranger things on Heaven and Earth, huh?" Another bite, and Jimmy tries to settle his nerves. "If you need someplace quiet to get away from all this.." He waves a hand to encompass the Celebration at large. "I'm up in Room #434. White noise generators, high enough that you at least feel removed from all of this. C'mon up if you need a break."

“Jimmy!” He places the tips of his fingers to his chest and flutters his eyelashes. “Invitin’ me ta yer room so soon! I’m flattered!” And before there can be too much offense, if any, he laughs a bit. “But thanks for the offer. I don’t think I’ll need it much- I like ta think I’m a fairly flexible sort.” Literally. Except now that the offer is on the table…. Joker taps his fingers. “Although… I do have someone who I think might not mind that kind of thing…”

Jimmy blinks, blushing violently at the implication. "Wait, no. That's not-" He blinks at Joker's laughter and huffs. "Not what I was offering, no."

"The offer stands, though. It just.... gets to you after a while. It's a fast track to overstimulation, and I've already picked on one vice I shouldn't have, I don't want to add to it."

There’s no immediate answer, because Joker is laughing into one hand. One day he’ll stop messing with people, but if it hasn’t occurred to him to stop yet… “Yeah, I get what ya mean. Sometimes ya just need a break, right?” He tilts his head towards him. “Doin’ alright with that vice of yers?”

"Smoking again. Quit for years, and then as soon as this place really starts getting to me, there's an attendant with one of these." He fishes a silver cigarette case out of his pocket and pops it open. Full of hand-rolled cigarettes, waiting to be smoked.

"I'm still trying to space it out, but by the end of it I should probably stock up, because I'll be smoking like a chimney."

A low whistle careens out from between his teeth- whether at the silver of the case or the clear quality of the cigarettes, it’s anyone’s guess. Maybe both. There’s really no short supply of amazing things in a place like this, although Joker can see how it gets a little…. Rowdy because of it.

“Place stressin’ ya out that much, huh?”

"Kind of? It's partly this place, partly a bunch of half-remembered mess in my head." Jimmy shrugs, trying to roll with it. "You want one? I seem to never be in short supply." Although Jimmy will save his cigs for after dinner, it's polite to offer.

"You've been with the Carnival longer than I have, have we been here before?"

Lazily, he waves his hand again before spearing meat that looks suspiciously purple with one wooden finger. “I’ll pass, thanks. Wasn’t ever one for smokin’- didn’t do much for people’s voices, and I used ta be a ringmaster myself, so, ha. Ya see where I’m goin’ with that.” A ringmaster was nothing without their voice, able to shout into the crowd and catch their attention. Sure, he knows about magic now, but that wasn’t a common kind of thing in England. At least, his England.

“As for this place, not in the time I’ve been here. In the last couple of years, we’ve never had one stop twice. I heard that in the last three, we had a single repeat customer…. But I don’t know about that. S’just somethin’ I heard from someone else before they left.”

"Yeah. And I'll be trying to quit when we leave, and it'll probably suck as much as the first time." At least his co-workers had been understanding about the reasons, and the saved money was in a coffee can for now, the start of a college fund.

"That's good, I guess? That we won't be coming back here." Jimmy looks around, and he may or may not be checking to see if there's any Attendants dropping by before he adds. "I'll be glad to see this place in the rear view, no matter how nice it is."

Well. Joker can’t blame him for not wanting to come back to this place. There’s been a couple of stops for himself that, when he’s looked back on them, he has to admit that he would be perfectly happy if they never showed up there again. This one suits him just fine, although he thinks it would suit him better if he hadn’t just gotten someone to watch over.

For now, he pats Jimmy on the back before going back to his food. “Well, it’ll all be done with soon enough, so for now enjoy the food, yeah~?”

"Yeah. Enjoy it while we can, and I'm enjoying a break from the kitchen too." Jimmy smiles. He doesn't really like this place, but he can at least appreciate that he's not up to his elbows in dishwater all day.

"I'm not really the party type anymore, so after this I'll probably head back up to my room and relax." The bath alone was worth the price of admission. Big enough for at least four people and perfect for falling asleep in.

“Hey!” Winking, he takes a glass and raises it up in a teasing cheers. “It’s still takin’ advantage of the place! Whatever works, yeah?” Snake, he imagines, will probably appreciate just being in their room the whole time, especially with little perks like being brought whatever he needs. It makes Joker feel a bit better about leaving him there while he sticks his nose into just about anything.

Jimmy laughs and returns the toast. "This is very true. There is something to being waited on hand and foot for a while." He looks around at the restaurant, trying to avoid looking too long and getting the attention of the waitstaff.

"Just... be careful in here. Nobody wants this place and the Ringmaster arguing over who you owe more to." Jimmy smiles wryly, knowing that's how the boss ended up with a good chunk of her staff.

JJust the mental image has Joker muffling his laugh into his wrist. Oh. Oh can he imagine that. “The Ringmaster would win,” he assures Jimmy. “She called dibs on me. On all of us, frankly, so we’d get taken from her from bleedin’ cold dead fingers.” It’d be like he was getting rescued from execution all over again.

"That's.... kind of reassuring?" If you count random transformations, attacks and dimension hopping to god knows where, and you're along for the ride reassuring. It beats the alternative, though.

"I mean, it's.... the Carnival, but you know she wouldn't let you go without a fight."

“It’s the carnival,” he agrees with some dry amusement, a statement that says all it really needs to. Sometimes it’s more than a little questionable, and you start having some major issues with your body, but…. There are worse places to be. Joker thinks they both know that. “At least she’s just a little daft instead of outright malicious.”

"She's 'eccentric'. At least, if you're saying that to her face, anyway." He chuckles. The Ringmaster is terrifying if you really start thinking about what she can do, but at least she's a benign god..... For the most part. A little neglectful, but benign.

"And thank you again. For telling me about when you cam,e from. It.... was the shot in the arm I needed, to try and get a plan together for after this." Jimmy's not sure how many people actually have an 'after this' plan, but he's got one now, and it's got a lot of potential.

"Oh, I tell her she's a bleedin' delight if I have ta say anythin' ta her face," Joker says with a grin. God bless a fae's vanity. So long as you're not a complete idiot with your words, Joker has found, it's easy enough to stay on the Ringmaster's good side.

"And listen, it ain't a problem." He flicks what looks like a blue chocolate chip the size of his thumb Jimmy's way. "Whatever helps, yeah?"

Jimmy laughs at that, reminded of too many finicky clients of his own. "And at best, you're spending hours soothing the savaged ego if you say everything right, but they've got a hair up their ass about something." If you'd've told Jimmy he would miss the clients he used to deal with, he would have called you a liar to your face.

"Amen. Whatever helps."

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⇨ THE CELEBRATION

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