[OPEN]

[dontpokethat]

Who: Ginko and ANYONE
Where: Wherever animals are kept
When: Variable? Let’s say anytime in the week after Orientation (10/16-10/23)
What: Ginko tries to do his job, with “tries” being the operative word
Warnings: weird animals? Potentially bitey weird animals? To be added as necessary

A carnival can’t be fully experienced with just one sense. Just looking or listening isn’t enough; taking it all in requires much more than that. Of course, while smelling one’s surroundings might bring its own benefits in other parts of the carnival… well. Not so much here, unless you really like the smell of wet fur, animal waste, and lots of hay.

The menagerie is unlike any zoo that could be found in most worlds, if only for the sheer variety of animals kept there. The Ringmaster likes to pick up specimens from different worlds, the more unusual the better, and the end result is… well, not necessarily chaotic. But it’s definitely highly varied, and pretty strange.

Most hours of the day, anyone who happens to wander into the area, by accident or intentionally, is likely to run across Ginko at some point. He’s always been inclined to take his work seriously, and that certainly hasn’t changed since he started working here. The fact that he’s the only veteran keeper left after the recent mass exit doesn’t really help matters, either, and the end result is that he spends even more of his time in the menagerie than could be accounted for just by regular shifts.

Depending on when one comes by, he may just be mucking out the stalls - but a lucky visitor (or one who has the schedule memorized) may come by for feeding time, or in time to watch the process of grooming or exercising those animals that need it.

Closed to Bonnie

Ginko has to admit, after several weeks of trying to keep up with all these animals on his own, he's pretty glad to be getting help again... though he'd be happier about it if it weren't from a young child who clearly doesn't want to be here.

Unfortunately, there isn't a lot he can do about that but to try and make sure this is as good an experience for her as it can be - which means making sure she's as prepared as possible for the work ahead.

It's fairly early when it comes time for Bonnie's first work day, but not ridiculously so. Ginko's already fed those animals that need to eat early, and he's waiting at the edge of the menagerie when she arrives, cigarette in hand and elbows resting on the fence. He raises his free hand when she gets close, giving a small smile. "Hey. You ready to meet these guys?"

((OOC: Closed prompts might be added later! For open stuff, feel free to take a look at this (in-progress) spreadsheet to get an idea of what all animals there are! If you want to assume something is there but aren't sure you should, just message me.))

Comments

[meanlook]

Typically, Silver will end up in the animal area a few times a week. When your job is to do whatever needs to be done, you tend to become somewhat familiar with multiple areas. Today's task has him delivering some hay, which he is trying his best to appear as if he's not struggling with. It's a rather large bushel, and he's swerving a bit as he's nearing his destination.

Finally, it's thrown off his shoulders, his chest heaving heavily from his breathing as he steadies himself atop the bale for a moment of rest. His eyes dart around, hoping nobody has seen him in such a (to him) humiliating state.

[dontpokethat]

Sorry, Silver, no such luck. Ginko comes around the corner just then, hauling a bag of soiled hay over his shoulder. When he notices Silver, he sets the bag down and walks over. "Hey, you alright?"

[meanlook]

The words make the teen visibly jump and turn on a heel. "Fine! I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?"

After a few beats he calms down somewhat, scratching the back of his head. "Here's the hay you needed. I still have to go get the second one."

definitely bitey weird animals

[atouts]

One would think looking the way it did, The Monster Books of Monsters would be a less than viable candidate for someone trying to pick it up. Only when it's sleeping, it's not moving, and if it's not moving, it's easier to mistake it for nothing more than a book that someone had a field day with binding. It doesn't help matters that Childermass has handled quite a few odd books in his time and finding this one doesn't ring any particular magical warning bells.

It's about the time that Ginko is off, out of sight, mucking out the stalls that he's happened by. Seeing no one immediately around enough of an invitation to come poking through the menagerie, although he did have a better reason for it. It's just the reason was put on hold once he spotted a book in a cage and, well, what follows is audible throughout the place. There's a snap and a startled shout, growling and a short scuffle, and what Ginko will find at the end of this is the unfortunate John Childermass with his arm stuck in the proverbial cookie jar.

Only the jar is the book's little cage and the book, being the cookie in this case, is attached to his arm. He's not the sort the panic, so there is that on their side. Instead, he's stoically trying to carefully pry it off. Every attempt only encourages another growl and for it to sink its teeth deeper through his black coat's arm, which disguises the growing bloodstain for now, and even deeper into his actual arm underneath that.

[dontpokethat]

The moment he hears that snap, Ginko pretty much drops his tools and runs in the direction the sound came from. He swears under his breath when he confirms what happened, and immediately goes reach into the cage.

"Dammit-- okay, hold still." He takes hold of the book, quietly glad that this thing can only bite one person at once, unlike certain other animals. He shoots a glance at Childermass, scowling, as he starts petting the book's spine. "This should only take a moment... you know, you shouldn't just try to pick things up that you find in cages."

[atouts]

"I had not moved since I got here, so I decided to take my chances," Childermass replies, voice tight with pain, though he doesn't show much sign of that otherwise beyond that and the stiff set of his jaw, biting back any other complaints he might have. He'll leave off trying to pry the book back open, more than grateful to let Ginko take over from that point on and making an effort to hold as still as he can with something like that gnawing on him.

To the scowl, he at least offers a weak, one-sided shrug (not wanting to do anything to further pull on his chomped arm) and a nearly apologetic, "Not one of my better choices, I will admit."

I mean mbby it has purpose mbby she's building her eldritch tolerance

[fortuneglass]

[Carly appears to be here for very Personal reasons.

Very. Personal. Maybe it's feeding time, she doesn't actually know. But she's on break, and it's one of the few breaks she has before it's time to head out and do some scouting, which means ONE THING.

STARING CONTEST WITH THE SLENDERMAN.

It never seems to go well, as far as staring contests with things that have no eyes go, but she tries.

She Tries.] MMmmmm....

.....

MMMmmMMMmnnnNNN....hhAAHHH- [Blink.] You win again..!

......

[This seems to be a semi-regular occurrence; if the slight movement of the shadow is any sign however, the Slenderman might be less interested in the contest and more interested in whatever strange conversations it can hold with less than (formerly) human beings under the guise of a staring contest.]

[dontpokethat]

[There's something about feeding an animal scraps of paper that still strikes Ginko as a little bit strange, but he guesses it's not really the paper that this thing eats so much as what's on them.

Either way, he approaches the pen (thank goodness it's actually in there for once) with a handful of paper, frowning when he notices what Carly is doing. Again.]

Still don't think that's a good idea, for the record.

[fortuneglass]

[Carly gets pretty into these sessions, so between that and Ginko's rather quiet approach, she jumps a good foot in shock.] HIHH!

Th- AH-

Well it doesn't seem to bug him, right? I think he might even be having fun!

[...Probably has more fun with her shadow, honestly.]

[fragileandsoft]

While the vast majority of Greg's job is geared towards the flash and dazzle of lights on the stage, he's still got to pay attention to the electrical needs of the rest of the carnival too. Where there's a light, there's an electrician. As a new recruit, he's making an effort to check out every area for future reference.

Greg himself has made a point to keep quiet and out of the way while working; there's nothing exciting or magical or noteworthy about doing lights, so ideally no one should take notice. He's a normal guy who's super normal, all the time, don't mind him. It works well enough in most areas, but today he's a bit distracted and not paying proper attention, letting himself fall into routine rather than thinking it through. Perhaps a menagerie full of strange creatures with specific individual needs isn't the best place to start flashing lights at.

[dontpokethat]

Ginko has kept quiet, too, having noticed Greg's presence but not wanting to distract the electrician or himself from their respective jobs. He's put his focus instead into brushing down the hulking rat king, waving off its paws with whenever it starts trying to return to favor and get its claws into his hair.

When the lights start flashing, though, the enormous rodent stops what it's doing, the more mobile of its heads looking around to look for the source, pulling away from Ginko in the process. He sighs and follows its gaze, giving a brief wave with one hand.

"Hey, uh-- would you mind doing that a bit later? Trying to keep this guy still can be pretty tough as it is."

[waitingforplayer2]

Chiaki's mostly trying to keep to her own area; the Gamer's Circle keeps her pretty busy, since it's just her and Yuugi. But every so often her curiosity gets the best of her, and she goes wandering around the Carnival to see what else is around. Every time, she gets a little closer to the animals.

Today, her wandering is close enough for Lamar to leap out and attach itself to her head, causing Chiaki to cry out and fall over.

Luckily the headcrab's been debeaked.

[dontpokethat]

Ginko nearly drops the feed bucket he's carrying when he hears the scream, and it doesn't take him more than a moment to get to where the headcrab is clinging to poor Chiaki.

"Oh for-- alright, come on," he snaps. He grabs Lamar, hurriedly prying its legs off of Chiaki's head, holding it up once it was loose. "You okay? Sorry, keep meaning to get some kind of covering on that pen."

[dragnerd]

Natsu knew as soon as he'd heard about the menagerie that he wanted to come and see it, even before he'd joined the carnival. Now that he's an actual employee, though, and there aren't any guests around, what's stopping him from sneaking a peak at the critters that aren't on exhibit? Maybe he'll even find a Vulcan or something. Eh, but then again, that would have to mean someone got eaten, right?

A lot of the animals and monsters there seem pretty standard, and several are pretty weird - one pen had, like, a person? Whoever it was just kind of stared at him, but it was definitely a person, right?

What stopped him, though, was one enclosure in particular. It looked like this one wasn't a part of the ordinary carnival display - it was pretty big, after all - and it was curled up towards the back of its enclosure, so it was a little hard to see, but the leathery wings wrapped over itself and the scales that caught the scant light were unmistakable. Suffice to say it halted Natsu's progress as soon as he saw it. He heard someone walking this way, but for once Natsu didn't greet whoever it was. He was just leaning against the enclosure, eyes glued on what could only be a dragon.

[dontpokethat]

Ginko almost didn't notice that there was anyone else already present when he arrived, focused as he was on going over his schedule in his head. When he did catch sight of Natsu, he jumped slightly, fortunately managing not to drop the food buckets hanging from his hands.

"--Damn, you scared me there... wouldn't recommend standing that close, by the way."

[starseedling]

Weird creatures don't hold a ton of surprises for Steven, considering how varied the forms of corrupted gems are, but that doesn't mean he isn't awed by everything he sees of the menagerie on the way in. There must be creatures from all over the multiverse! He knows there are some people whose jobs are to tend to them, but he doesn't think he's met them yet.

So he's a little bit unsure as he navigates the area - he doesn't want to alarm any of these guys, but he isn't sure how to get someone attention. He calls out in a softly raised voice.

"Hello? Is there anybody here?" He pauses and then looks around to some of the beasts living nearby, cracking a smile and giggling. "Besides you guys, I mean! You just keep doing your thing."

[dontpokethat]

One of Ginko's ears flips toward the voice and his attention follows it. Of course, he can't actually go toward Steven at the moment, occupied as he is with holding out bits of food to the dozens of tiny grey hands reaching between the slats of the wooden crate in front of him.

Instead, he calls back, his voice not much louder than Steven's. "Over here; just around the corner from you, it sounds like."

[pokepochette]

She's as ready as she'll ever be, having shuffled her way over to where she was told to meet Ginko the day before, Dedenne napping in her little side bag. She'd been told that her job was to take care of smaller animals, which wouldn't be so bad at all. The only downside was that she'd rather be with Clemont and not part of a sideshow. Still, she might as well make the best of it, right?

"Uh huh." There's a nod that follows, eyes wide with curiosity. Just how strange or weird would the creatures she'd be taking care of be?

[dontpokethat]

"Alright. Come on this way." He puts his cigarette in his mouth and leads Bonnie toward the rows of pens and cages nearby.

"Now, I'm gonna have to go over some more specific safety stuff with you, but the short version is that it's important to keep in mind that a lot of these animals can be dangerous, especially if you're not careful around them. Fortunately, most of the ones you're going to be in charge of shouldn't be a problem, but if they're acting strange or anything and you're not sure what to do, come talk to me before trying to handle them, okay?"

[pipers_son]

Fortunately, Joker absolutely has the schedule memorized and it's around the feeding time for the flying fish that he can be found by the animal areas. Whenever he comes by is actually when the stage manager seems to be at his most genuinely relaxed instead of cheery and chattering.

Which doesn't mean he's silent, but he's manageable as he spots Ginko coming up. Pausing in playing with the glittery little fish, he waggles his fingers at him with a grin. "Right on schedule, Ginko~."

[dontpokethat]

Ginko raises a hand in a wave when he catches sight of Joker. "I could say the same for you, at this point."

He opens the hatch on the top of the enclosure and glances over again as he tips the contents of the bucket in his hand inside. The food doesn't fall straight to the bottom so much as it drifts and swirls through the air as if caught in an invisible current, drawing the fishes' attention. "How are things going with your new performers?"

[wild_magic]

Susan, of course, has to explore everything in the carnival, and the animals are definitely no exception. After spending his life in the forest he's rather used to being around various animals, including dangerous ones, which meant that he had to make his way here eventually.

And so, his familiar following behind him, Susan made his way through the menagerie, just going from animal to animal with excitement and amusement. He's never seen any of these before, and most of them are pretty cool looking, especially to an excitable kid.

SORRY FOR THE WAIT

[dontpokethat]

Ginko is pausing for a moment when Susan gets within view of him. Technically speaking, he's not on break; he's just sitting between a couple pens, smoking and frowning down at a notepad in his lap.

When he notices someone moving nearby, he blinks and glances up, ears flicking. "--Ah, hey, it's you. Getting to know your way around?"

[veinglory]

A peculiar thing first started happening a few days ago. Around a certain time of day the resident clown will walk into the stables, whistling a cheery tune as he finds somewhere to sit. Sometimes he'll bring a snack or a drink, sometimes not, but he is always prompt! You could set your watch by him, even!

He won't try and interrupt whatever Ginko is working on, and is mostly quiet -- well, now and again a little amused giggle might escape. Or a sound of amazement. Sometimes a polite clap when a difficult task is completed.

There is no doubt he is very entertained by what he's watching.

[dontpokethat]

If Ginko is honest, he has absolutely no clue what to make of this.

The first time it happened, he was about ready to ask Gottlieb if he needed help or something when he was distracted by the fire eye throwing a tantrum. The second time, he was having more trouble than usual getting out of the R.O.U.S's pen without it escaping, so he just assumed Gottlieb would say something if it was really important.

By now, he's more or less just... accepted this as part of his daily life now.

All the same, by some amazing chance, he finally remembers while pausing in his work one day that this is, in fact, something that's been going on for no clear reason without him ever having managed to address it. So, in the midst of wiping off his face after feeding an overzealous, oversized tyrannosaur with more drool than it had respect for personal space, he calls out in Gottlieb's general direction.

"Hey, d'you need something?"