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

[mylastchance]

He shrugs, after all the arguing, he just doesn't want to start another fight. Somehow even if he was talking about his own problems, Susan would find a way to get upset by it.

[wild_magic]

His brother's lack of response annoys him, but Susan is tired of arguing too, so instead of yelling he just pulls away from him, staring up at the ceiling. Is Lauren mad at him? He doesn't know. Maybe he's just upset, and that's why he won't talk to him about these things?

He just wants his brother, but maybe he can't even have that, now.

[mylastchance]

He doesn't know what to make of that reaction. He thinks about it quietly for a moment before venturing to ask.

"Are you alright?"

[wild_magic]

He hesitates before nodding. He doesn't even know what to say, he just wants everything to stop changing. For one of the first times since arriving in the Carnival (and before today, it would have been the first), he wishes they'd never come.

"I'm not the one who got hurt." It's all he can finally think of to say. Lauren's the one who should be worried about, now, not him.

[mylastchance]

He's quiet. It was true Susan hadn't been turned, but that didn't mean he was fine.

"You are hurt."

[wild_magic]

He hesitates again before shaking his head.

"No I'm not." At least, not in a way that matters right now, when he's so worked up about Lauren.

[mylastchance]

He hesitates before contradicting him again.

"Your neck..."

[wild_magic]

He pauses before turning to look away. He doesn't really want to talk about it, but he especially doesn't want Lauren worrying about him right now.

"It's fine, it doesn't even hurt."

[mylastchance]

He frowns.

"It looks pretty bad."

[wild_magic]

"I just don't want you to worry." Which in itself is probably a statement that would make Lauren worry because why would he say it if there was nothing to worry about? But he doesn't think about that, because he just wants to not have Lauren worrying about him when he's fine, relative to his brother.

[mylastchance]

It does make him worry, and he tries to get a better look at Susan's injuries.

"I always worry..."

[wild_magic]

He's still facing away, but the bruising goes around his entire neck so it's still easily seen where it's not covered by his cloak. His singed hair and the burns on his face are probably obvious from how close they are too - but those are a familiar sight on Susan by this point.

"I know... But you don't have to."

[mylastchance]

"I can't help it." He smiles weakly as he says it. "Susan..."

[wild_magic]

"You should worry about yourself, instead." He finally turns back to his brother, giving him a small smile back.

[mylastchance]

"I have enough worry for myself and you."

[wild_magic]

He laughs a little.

"I know you do, but you still should worry about you more!"

[mylastchance]

"Maybe I am!"

[wild_magic]

He shakes his head a little.

"Really?"

[mylastchance]

"How would you know?"

[wild_magic]

"'Cause you worry so much about me, how could you worry more about yourself? It's just not possible."

He's still saying it teasingly, and honestly he's just happy to have maybe pulled the subject away from his own injuries. He'd just rather not focus on things like that right now.

[mylastchance]

He laughs, shaking his head.

"Don't worry about what I worry about?"

[wild_magic]

He smiles with another laugh.

"Okay, fine!"

[mylastchance]

He smiles, before looking to the bruises and burns again.

"Is there anyone here who could help with that?"

[wild_magic]

His smile falls, and he shakes his head a little, not quite meeting his brother in the eye.

"I don't know... I don't really know who's here."

[mylastchance]

He nods, not doubting Susan's word. It just sucks that he can't heal Susan himself, like he'd like to. It was all because of those stupid vampires. His own expression falls for a bit.

"What if I meet you back at the trailer?"