HELL OF A HANGOVER PT. 1

[ringleaders]

Who: The people who escaped!
When: Very early Day 66 to Day 67
Where: The Carnival
What: The Ringmaster brings everyone she can back to the carnival after getting kicked out the Celebration, a bit worse for wear. Those that have resolved their threads at the Masquerade can start trickling over here as they sort things out.
Warnings: Angst, mostly likely, as well as potentially graphic injuries.

RETURNING HOME↴ About 45 minutes after the conflict with the vampires begins, the Ringmaster will finally show her face at the Masquerade - and immediately be mortified by what she sees. Though initially mostly confused by the fact that there's been problems over the week, and characteristically obtuse about what's going on, as soon as she realizes the severity of the threat she will launch into action. If the Host managed to miss the combat already going on, they won't be able to miss the Ringmaster tearing up the joint and looking for her people. She's quick to scoop up those that have managed to gather in the dining hall - but unfortunately her arrival seems to be the vampire's cue to retreat. Her attempt to challenge the Host about this will result in the being finally losing their patience and banishing all the vampires and all of the carnival workers from the premises, forcing them back to the portals they arrived from and launching their remaining belongings out with them. The Ringmaster will be pretty fucking pissed off when they return (once again) and will tell everyone to take the time they need to recover, but to stick together and stay safe for the time being. She has a plan to chase down the carnival members that have been stolen, but it will take time. ► BEER PONG: Apparently the Ringmaster spent the entire week playing a nonstop game of beer pong, against several dozen of the Host's bodies. She hadn't quite won yet when the Masquerade began, so she was late. Whether or not she was caught up in the same spell as everyone else is up to interpretation, but the answer "definitely probably." She won, for the record. ► MISSING: Upon doing headcounts, it will turn out that all the supervisors are missing, as well as several regular workers - a few of which will have been spotted as freshly turned vampires during the fighting. Whether that was the point of the attack or not is unclear, but it's pretty clear that the Ringmaster is a little bit devastated about it - particularly about the supervisors. However, she will refuse to talk to anyone long enough to get into too many details. ► THE PLAN: The Ringmaster will announce that she intends to get everyone back - it's just a matter of figuring out their way back to the dimension they've been stolen off to. She guarantees that she will find it, but that it may take some time. In the end, the workers will have a total of two days to recover and plan - during the evening of Day 67, she will be leading a rescue mission to get them all back. You don't have to come, but lives do depend on its success.

Comments

[empty_vessel]

"Stop, Castiel. Please. Whatever you're trying to do, just... just stop." He's still not looking up. When Castiel sits down, Jimmy starts backing away. Castiel can't just be here for no reason. It doesn't work like that. If Castiel is here, then he's here for a reason, and that reason involves Jimmy.

"I can't. No. I can't do.... whatever it is you want. Not again." He thinks he might be crying, but the adrenalin's starting to wear off and Jimmy's just exhausted. "Whatever you're here for, whatever you want.... Not me. Not again."

[cellphoneangel]

"I work for the Carnival, Jimmy. I have for over a year."

Whether or not those words get through to Jimmy, Castiel isn't sure. This isn't the first humans that he's seen driven to the edge of insanity by fear. It isn't what he'd want for his vessel. Not now, not ever. He'd always tried to be careful not to frighten Jimmy anymore than he needed to.

"You have ... awesome friends. Sherlock Holmes and Jonathan Strange both threatened me to keep me away from you. Sherlock Holmes even extracted a promise from me not to disturb you any further. Such humans you've surrounded yourself with. I hadn't expected to have two that had no real idea who and what I am promise me violence if I upset you."

He frowns, sitting there on the chilled floor. Calming and comforting isn't something he's good at.

"I thought you were a vampire pretending to be me. I am sorry, Jimmy."

He stands then, giving his vessel one last look over. At least he doesn't look hurt to Castiel.

[empty_vessel]

Physically, Jimmy's fine, apart from a bandage on his hand where he'd been bitten. Mentally, he's a panicking mess.

And he absolutely wants no part of whatever Castiel is saying. He's just inching backwards and trying to remember where the escape routes are. Castiel standing sets him off, and Jimmy flees to the nearest door, not really concerned about where he's going.

[cellphoneangel]

He would reach out and touch Jimmy, heal that damage, if Castiel didn't think that would make this all worse. He sits there, feeling his uselessness. It hurts in ways he doesn't have to define. Angels weren't made to feel emotional hurt. They were warriors, given tasks by God or scripture. Only Castiel has gone his own way among humans.

"I am sorry, Jimmy. I wish I could be a quarter the human you are."

A last look full of hurt and the sound of flapping wings fills the space. Better he leave that torture poor Jimmy this way. Only a small white bag of sweetened popcorn remains where Cas was to mark his presence.