⇨ ALOLA

[ringleaders]

Who: EVERYONE.
When: Day 73 - Day 87
Where: The islands of Alola.
What: The Carnival arrives at its next touring location, a series of tropical islands inhabited by a species of animal called Pokemon and their trainers!
Warnings: Pokemon is pretty PG-rated.

IT'S A POKEMON WORLD↴ Alola is broken up into four different islands, with a number of unique points of interest. Boats can easily be rented in order to get between the islands, or you can just pay for the fair of a scheduled trip. If you can prove you have the skills for it, you can also call on a "Ride Pokemon" - that is, either a Charizard or a Lapras that will fly or swim you between locations. ► POPULATION: Though the islands appear very small as an abstraction in the actual games, that doesn't hold over into the actual reality of it. When interacting with the different locations, imagine that they are about as big and spread out as they would be in real life. It's about on the same scale as Hawaii is on earth. Ignore any wikis that say the population of each island is like 200 people, because that's just adding up all the scripted NPCs, and there are realistically more than six houses per town. ► AMENITIES: Even if they aren't overtly listed on island maps, it can be assumed that all towns and cities will have basic amenities - that is, places to eat, place to go to the washroom, places to buy souvenirs, and the other things one would expect in a tourist heavy area. You can also buy malasadas pretty much anywhere. ► POKECENTERS: You'll be able to find a Pokecenter in pretty much every town - a Pokecenter is a public building in which Pokemon Trainers can rest and get their Pokemon healed. Think of it like free international Pokemon healthcare. You can also buy Pokeballs here, as well as potions and other healing items for later use. ► AETHER FOUNDATION: A peace keeping organization that shelters Pokemon from harm and abuse. If you kill/maim any Pokemon or otherwise act violently in public, they will come to try to take you down with their Pokemon. They also are the main force working against Team Skull. MELEMELE ISLAND↴ [MELEMELE DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU KOKO] [WIKI LINK] ► TRAINER SCHOOL: A full fledged for young, aspiring Pokemon Trainers! Students go here to learn about Pokemon care and battling before setting out on their own journeys. It would be sort of weird for an adult to show up here, like it would for an adult to try to attend an elementary school, but you can probably learn some of the basics just from touring the facility. ► HAU'OLI SHOPPING DISTRICT: The biggest shopping district on Melemele, you can do a lot here, from eating out to getting your hair dyed. A lot of shops are, unsurprisingly, completely Pokemon focused - but there are some that aren't, too. There are also some very nice beach fronts nearby. ► BERRY FIELDS: Berries come in a lot of different types and have different effects when used. Mostly, Pokemon love to eat them, regardless of what type they are. This is a big field of them, most of which are free to take if you catch them when ripe. ► TEN CARAT HILL: The secluded interior of a small mountain, filled with some rare types of rock Pokemon. You have to be able to bypass the left overs of some recent rockslides to get in. ► TRIAL SITE: There is only one trial on this islands, which is the Normal type trial. All you have to do is fight a bunch of Pokemon ferrets, and then fight an even bigger Pokemon ferret that thirsts for your blood. It's not so bad. AKALA ISLAND↴ [AKALA DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU LELE] [WIKI LINK] ► TIDE SONG HOTEL: A big ass hotel near the port - if you want to stay on Alola overnight, this is a pretty good place to go. It isn't too expensive, and is also rather nice. ► DIMENSIONAL RESEARCH LAB: Alola, on occasion, has been the site of various dimensional breaks (haha) in which extraplanar creatures called Ultra Beasts have crossed over. There isn't much information about these beasts, but they are something that are being actively studied. Characters who are nerds might find some of this information interesting. ► HANO GRAND RESORT: The inevitably big, fancy resort that tends to take route in touristy places like this. If you actually pay to spend some time there, you can enjoy all the things you'd expect to find in a fancy resort, except with way more Pokemon. There is also a fancy, secluded beach for resort goers only. ► BATTLE ROYALE DOME: A battle area in which 4 trainers fight each other all at once, with teams of there Pokemon. The trainers here are mostly quite expert, and you need a team of three Pokemon to play, so player characters probably won't be able to participate. However, you can still come to watch, if you like seeing a bunch of colourful monsters slapping each other around. ► PANIOLA RANCH: A large ranch that keeps a lot of Pokemon that resemble earth farm animals. You can leave Pokemon here to stay for a while if you need a break from the strains of trainer life. Quite often, however, your Pokemon will end up getting knocked up and leave you with another egg to care for. ► TRIAL SITES: Brooklet Hill is a lake filled area that contains the Water Trial. You have to fight a bunch of schooling Wishiwashi, and then an even bigger schooling Wishiwashi to win. Wela Volcano Park contains the Fire Trial, where you must climb to the top of the dormant volcano, and spot the difference between a series of ceremonial island dances. Then you gotta fight a team of Marrowaks and a giant Salazzle. The Lush Jungle contains the Grass challenge, in which you have to find a series of rare organic ingredients in order to brew something that will lure out a giant Lurantis. ULA'ULA ISLAND↴ [ULA'ULA DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU BULU] [WIKI LINK] ► MALIE GARDEN: A nice big garden to hang out in and chill. Also, there are Pokemon there... and also, Pokemon battles? There's really no end to it. ► MOUNT HOKULANI OBSERVATORY: Up at the top of the local mountain, you can go see a space observatory. Like most things in Alola, it's like a regular observatory, except with more Pokemon, since some Pokemon just straight up come from space. You can take a bus up here, but you can also hike if you want. ► HAINA DESERT: A shitty desert in the middle of the island. Mostly only good for if you want the kinds of Pokemon that live in shitty deserts. ► ABANDONED THRIFTY MEGAMART: A Megamart, but haunted. Extremely haunted, filled with the kind of ghost Pokemon that would actually kill you. You have to take a bunch of pictures of ghosts on your way through here if you want to beat the Ghost Trial. ► PO TOWN: The ramshackle remains of the town that Team Skull have taken over. It's completely walled off from the rest of the world, and is pretty terrible. No point in going in there unless you're fighting crime, in which case you can expect to get challenged to Pokemon battles by a lot of Team Skull knuckleheads. ► LAKE OF THE MOON: A huge, round temple thing in the middle of nowhere. It's used to praise a legendary Pokemon that existed years ago, but there presently doesn't seem to be anything around except cool architecture. ► TRIAL SITES: The Observatory contains the Electric Challenge, during which you have to fend off various kinds of electric grubs, before eventually taking on a giant Vikavolt. The Abandoned Megamart must first be cleared before challenging the Ghost Trial officially, at which point you will have to defeat a powerful Mimikyu. PONI ISLAND↴ [PONI DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU FINI] [WIKI LINK] ► SEAFOLK VILLAGE: A village made of nothing but houseboats and other water fairing homes. It's the only major town on Poni Island. ► ANCIENT RUINS: Most of Poni Island has been reduced to ruins, over time. Not many people live here, relative to the other islands, but there are a lot of abandoned buildings from when they apparently used to. ► VAST PONI CANYONS: Most of the island is comprised of canyons, caves, and valleys filled with particularly strong Pokemon, and also a lot of fight-hungry Pokemon trainers. Most of them will want to fight you as soon as they see you, since they are there mostly to train, but they will back down if you tell them you're not a trainer. Though, at that point they will strongly urge you to go home, because it's too danger for anything other than the strongest trainers. ► ALTAR OF THE SUN: A matching altar to the one found on Ula'ula, except this time dedicated to a legendary Pokemon of the sun. If you play some magic flutes here at the right time then apparently a giant lion might show up, but there's no way to be sure. ► TRIAL SITES: The only Trial here is the Grand Trial, which is a fight against the leader's ground type Pokemon. You may also get lucky and have the Fairy Trial's kahuna deign to fight you, with her fairy types, if she randomly wanders into your path. Both of them are very strong, and are not advised to challenge for new trainers.

Comments

[whattaprick]

Lambert snorts, though any amusement at the situation is mostly of the cynical, dry sort.

"Could be worse. At least I didn't end up with the compulsion to steal other people's dogs ... or eat them." He bares his teeth, pretending to snap at the Growlithe, before he pushes himself to his feet, taking Baker with him in his arms, if the dog will let him.

"Thought I was done with magic changing me years ago."

[atouts]

Oh, Baker will let him, but Lambert's going to have to put up with a Growlithe shoving his nose up against his face and then licking him like the excited puppy he is. Considering the nature of the dog, his breath isn't just warm, but hot, like being slobbered on by a furnace.

"Even if you did end up with one for eating people's dogs, I rather think Baker would hold his own against you," Childermass says. To the rest, he shrugs, only adding, "And if that's what you thought, you clearly didn't think through signing on with a magical circus."

[whattaprick]

"Seemed worth it at the time. Still does. Guess I have eleven more months to change my mind."

He shifts Baker to one arm and using the other hand to nudge his face away. He doesn't mind the temperature all that much, and he isn't sure if that's an effect of the Carnival too or not.

"I'm not Pig, you know," he chides the dog, before glancing up at his master. "Speaking of, you should come by and see her sometime. You ride, right?"

[atouts]

"Eleven more to end up as a damn dragon, too," he says, which is at least a few steps up from 'lizard'. One has to wonder if Lambert might not sprout wings soon. Making sure one last time the necklace is properly stored and out of sight, Childermass steps back over to stand by Lambert, though it's only so he can reach over and give Baker a pat on the head.

Even if the dog is acting the traitor by fawning all over the witcher like this...

"If we ever have time." Ignoring how now is, in fact, his free time. He looks up from Baker, up at Lambert instead. "But yes, of course I do."

[whattaprick]

"Mm, that'd be interesting. Then I really would be able to eat people." He smirks down at Childermass, looking entirely too pleased at the idea of it, but that's probably (definitely) because he's a total shit. Who knows how serious he actually is, though.

Baker's clearly a fine judge of character! The Growlithe is probably in doggy heaven from the sheer amount of attention he's getting, even if Childermass is much more reserved than Lambert. At least they aren't kicking at each other or rolling all over the floor anymore, though even that probably looked more like play than anything else...

"'If we ever have time,'" His smirk only broadens, somewhat ruining the accuracy with which he mimicks the magician's gruff Northern accent. "You saying you have somewhere else to be right now?"

[atouts]

Baker is a dog and therefore likes mostly anyone who lets him sniff their hand (Strange being the only exception, the poor bastard). As such, Childermass very much doubts his judgment, but that's yet to actually convince him to stop wasting time with Lambert.

"The cookhouse and then my trailer," he already has the most boring answer in the universe. It's right after a show, what else is he going to do besides grab some dinner and then pass out? Though the mockery with his accent does earn a roll of his eyes. "Now if you'll excuse us..."

He's going to try and shift the Growlithe over into his own arms.

[whattaprick]

Lambert isn't quite so ready to give up Baker yet, so he snickers and takes a step back. Childermass gets his necklace, temporarily loses his dog -- only seems fair.

"Better idea," he counters. "Cookhouse, then riding." He is, naturally, planning to use the opportunity to pick up some alcohol along the way, and he has absolutely no shame turning to Baker for support.

"You want to play with Pig again, don't you?"

[atouts]

Of course Baker's going to agree when he asks that, barking excitedly and immediately trying to jump down from the witcher's arms, probably to set off to find Pig without the two considerably slower men. Whether the Growlithe understands the words or just the tone, Childermass still isn't entirely sure, but he's beginning to suspect the former. Pokemon are oddly intelligent... and in this very particular case, that makes it all the more annoying.

How is he supposed to argue with a puppy?

"Unless you've managed to pull a second horse out of nowhere, you're still short one for anyone except you to go riding at all," Childermass continues to be disagreeable on the matter.

[whattaprick]

Lambert huffs a laugh, letting Baker slip away to wherever it is he wants to head off to now. Pig's quartered by the lakeshore for now, mud being an absolute requirement and the open air bothering her little, away from the part Childermass usually uses to practice.

"Figured we could swap off, or double up." Lambert shrugs, waving a hand lazily as he pushes the tent flap open to follow after the dog. It's not a big deal to him, either way. "That encyclopedia said she can pull up to ten tons for three days, she could use the exercise. You've gone bareback before, haven't you?"

[atouts]

With Baker already off, well, Childermass is stuck following along at least until he can recall the overexcited ball of fuzz. He does give Lambert a judgemental look when he asks that, however, because of all the things not to get...

"You never bothered to pick a saddle up? Surely they have them. You can't be the only person who's thought to ride on one of those horses," he says, pushing the tent flap out of the way before it can flop back to smack him in the face or something equally undignified.

it really is a pity this isn't a conversation anyone else can hear

[whattaprick]

"Have you seen the tack they were selling? They don't even have bridles, Childermass." Lambert asks, with apparent genuine revulsion. They had handlebars, Childermass. Handlebars. His horse is a magnificent steed, thank you very much, not a toy for children to ride around.

"Anyway, nothing wrong going bareback if you know what you're doing," he says firmly. Since Childermass was the one talking about the cookhouse, he'll lead them there next, though it's probably clear Baker raced off somewhere completely different...

old men scandalize modern youth with unwitting slang, news at 11

[atouts]

Childermass almost forgoes the cookhouse entirely, seeing how the carnival isn't quite winding down yet. There's still a crowd to get through and now Baker's gone off on his own, out of sight. When Lambert walks one way, the original, expected way, Childermass finds himself hesitating and looking off in the direction of the backyard as well as the lake.

That's where the Growlithe has supposedly headed off to on his own, but what if one of these Alolans go after him? He has to wonder if there's anything to keep that from happening, from one trainer catching a Pokemon already caught.

"They were a little absurd, I do admit," he agrees absently. Inevitably, he'll follow after Lambert. It's not like he can pick the little dog out of the crowd now, anyway, so he will just have to believe everything is fine. "But you'll need to get something for your horse eventually."

[whattaprick]

"I plan to. Maybe I can pay the acquisitioner to get me an Ofieri saddle on his next trip. They say their horses run like the desert wind, maybe it'll rub off on her." He chuckles at the thought.

The advantage of being a big, tall, horned man with a scarred up face: you don't have to make your way through people. People make way for you. Lambert's confident stride and lashing tail clears a generous amount of space for Childermass to step into beside and behind him. Lambert isn't so focused on their destination that he misses Childermass's expression, though.

"Changed your mind about food?"

[atouts]

"Of course not," Childermass says, looking back around to frown at Lambert. It's almost offensive how he's gotten so much taller so suddenly, though he stays back far enough to be well out of range of that tail. "Why would I have?"

So he's a little worried about his dog, that doesn't mean anything. He's certainly not about to skip a late dinner — even if it's only a few things pocketed from the back of the kitchen — after a show. When he does magic for just himself, hiding from sight or experimenting with other shadows, it's not so draining. When he's managing what's basically one crowd-sized act of misdirection? That takes a lot. He's no powerhouse like Strange is and even the other magician has his own limits.

[whattaprick]

Lambert shrugs. "Just looked like you wanted to run away too, that's all." As point of fact, he's a little surprised Childermass didn't take the opportunity to ditch him as it is. After days of falling in and out of each other's company on the islands, it feels more familiar than strange to be walking beside him again.

Of course, in Alola, they didn't attract nearly as much attention. With the magician still in his performance clothes, and Lambert's golden scales and horns catching the light, they're hard to miss -- unless Childermass is actively deflecting attention.

In any case, it doesn't take long to get there. The worker's entrance to the cookhouse is far quieter than the front, and it's easy enough to slip inside and get what they came for. In Lambert's case, that's a bottle of whiskey and a couple of mugs.

[atouts]

Would ditching Lambert even work? And for how long, if so? Besides, he would need to retrieve Baker eventually and this puts them all in the same spot no matter what he does. So he tags along, ignoring the attention but not actively moving it off of them. He is, after all, coming down off of that post-performance high, so to speak, and that means he's just going to be tired soon.

It's more for that reason that he finds this a bother, not exactly the company. Between the Celebration and Alola, Lambert's company is unsurprising, but not as unwelcome as he may think.

"More wondering if Baker will be able to find your horse through all of this crowd," he admits after giving Lambert a faint frown. Run away? No. Well, maybe, but he's hardly bothered by crowds himself. That isn't to say he's not glad when they enter the cookhouse through the calmer entrance.

And since sitting down for something is out of the question now, he's only pocketing what seems portable. Fruit, pastries — savory and not — and eventually he finds where the bottles of water have been stored. Disposable containers are a weird concept, but the resealable cap is worth it.

He does quirk an eyebrow when he spots the whiskey, though.

"Does everything involving you really end in drinking?"

[whattaprick]

It's amazing how quickly the magician has resigned himself to the inevitability of the witcher popping up -- it's unlikely Lambert is so dedicated badgering him that he'd follow Childermass back to his trailer to drag him out for a nighttime ride -- but it makes it easier for Lambert, so he can't complain.

"Things don't end with drinking, they begin," the witcher corrects. A whiskey bottle is somewhat harder to store in pockets than what Childermass has grabbed ahold of, and he doesn't really have anywhere else to store food, so luckily he isn't so hungry (it's amazing how filling popcorn can be). He does have a different advantage, as the handles on the mugs are generous enough to slip his tailtip through, leaving him with one hand free.

"That gonna be enough for you and the pup?" This whole thing feels a little ridiculous, sneaking in like they're street urchins forced to pilfer their meals and sneaking off when they could go in the front door and be perfectly normal adults about it ... but considering the whole world they've found themselves in is ridiculous, anyway. Might as well embrace it.

[atouts]

If he can resign himself to the inevitability of Strange being Strange, it isn't so much a stretch to just deal with Lambert being Lambert or, frankly, anyone else being their own bizarre self within the carnival. Annoying on occasion, but still not the worst.

"Sounds more like the beginning of you falling off your horse," Childermass points out, even though he's already aware the witcher would have to go through several bottles (probably) to get that drunk. Overall, still seems like a bad idea. In any case, pockets full, something he's easily at home with doing — some people here used to be urchins, Lambert, including present company! — and so he just shrugs at the question. It'll be enough for Baker, even if he ends up giving up whatever else he's bringing along for himself.

"You'd be surprised at what he's able to eat," he adds after a second or two, when he turns to head back out the door again. "Fruit actually seems the better choice over meat."

[whattaprick]

Childermass really needs to set better standards for his company.

"Pig wouldn't let that happen. Besides, I finished off the last of the White Gull I had with me, so I'm not getting properly drunk for a while." And doesn't Lambert sound wistful about that. Whiskey's good enough to get him buzzed, at least, if nothing else, until he gets a proper alcohol brewing setup. For now, it's filching whatever he can get away with from the cookhouse, and after a moment's consideration -- good point, Childermass -- the last thing he picks up is a bunch of grapes, dropping it into one of the mugs to hold it.

He follows the magician back out to the Carnival, keeping pace beside him this time. With a performance on, the trailers are mostly empty and quiet, though the muffled sounds of the Carnival in the distance aren't very far. Lambert walks with confidence, even in the shadows, though he's surprisingly quiet as they head for the lakeshore.

Not that it lasts for long. Once they get there, though, they'll find the simple, muddy enclosure Lambert normally keeps Pig in empty and deserted -- except for the small mound where he'd planted the seed the Ringmaster gave them, already grown into a small tree with its leaves quietly shifting in the lake breeze. No fruit yet, and given the Pokemon propensity for consuming them, maybe Lambert should move that somewhere safer.

That will have to come later, though. For now, he sets the bottle and mugs down by one of the posts, puts fingers to his mouth, and gives a sharp whistle, the sound dipping and rising in a short pattern before dying off, though the water picks up the echo and carries the sound. Nothing, for a moment. And then in the distance, a growing rumble of sound and sharp, happy barking. The ground starts to shake violently beneath their feet, and Lambert grins widely.

"Looks like he found her after all."

[atouts]

If he set better standards, he'd spend all his time being gloomy in a dark corner somewhere, and so here he is, hanging out with the likes of Lambert instead.

With the enclosure and plant, it's almost a wonder the witcher hasn't petitioned to drag his own trailer down to the lakeshore and live next to his horse instead of with the other supervisors. Not that Childermass would blame him if he ever tried. The lake at night, even with the dull roar of the carnival behind them, is a peaceful place.

Or... was peaceful, up until about three seconds ago.

"Yes, she has and she's about to start an earthquake over it," Childermass says, sounding a little less than pleased. Pig wasn't so bad, but her habit of shaking the ground as such was going to be a problem one day. Maybe not today, but the ground is moving enough that he's forced to put a hand against something to steady himself and that something is, once again, Lambert.

[whattaprick]

Lambert's lashing tail seems to serve as a fair counterbalance, which he turns out to need to steady them both, with the magician hanging onto him like that. He's rocking with the way the ground trembles, riding out the shock of force, and the rumbling's grown loud enough that he has to turn his head and put his mouth by the magician's ear to be heard.

"Sounds like you're jealous. Never had someone move the earth for you before?" He pulls back with a flash of sharp teeth, just as Pig and Baker finally come into sight, the Mudsdale's hard gallop slowing down into a steadier, plodding pace that still sends dull vibrations through the ground. Of course, she's taller even than Lambert now, and Baker barely comes past her hock, so they make an odd pair as they approach their masters. Pig's had her mane brushed through and plaited with red ribbons, clean of mud, but unfortunately the same can't be said of her tail. Lambert groans when he catches sight of the muddy mess clumped together, much like her forelocks, and shakes his head. Baker's looking pretty muddy too, from whatever the two were up to before they showed up -- in fact, given that a bit of muddy red ribbon has plastered itself around the Growlithe's neck and back, it's probably not hard to deduce whose fault it was the ribbon came loose at all.

"Not again, Pig." The horse is ignoring him right now in favor of striding right on up into Childermass, though, nostrils flaring as she sniffs at the-- "Careful," Lambert starts --magician's and his coat. Too late. Sorry, wardrobe.

[atouts]

That earns Lambert a scowl and a shove once the Mudsdale slows down enough that the shaking no longer threatens to knock Childermass over. He won't dignify the witcher's teasing with an answer and instead focuses down on his own Pokemon, who may as well be a Muk at this point with how mud-covered he is.

"Did you really have to run through it with he—" He doesn't get much farther in admonishing the dog before Pig intervenes.

He'd been expecting the horse to stop and bother her own master, but she apparently has different ideas. Ideas centered on the food in his pockets, naturally, but it's still unexpected when she grabs at a coat pocket, nearly knocking him over a second time (just not indirectly). Of course, he's not giving anything up that easily, even if the horse does have the, well, everything advantage. He stumbles back a step before steadying himself and grabbing at her nose, trying to push her head back. Doesn't matter if that means further smearing mud across his coat and even hands, he'll still do it.

"Off! You don't just get to pick whatever you want out of my pockets!"

Come on, Pig, at least let him feed Baker first!

[whattaprick]

Pig isn't as feisty as she was when she was just a tiny Mudbray -- something about being less compact has mellowed out that fighting temper -- but her appetite has at least doubled. She is easier to deflect than Baker tends to be, though she just has more weight to throw around.

When his hand lands on her snout, Lambert doesn't get to warn him against the way she tosses her head, knocking the magician's hand (and the magician with it, considering the force she puts into it) backwards. Her ears flatten and she retreats, huffing in offense, so at least he accomplished what he wanted. The witcher, coming up behind Childermass, reaches out to steady him by the shoulder, but when he speaks it's not to the other man.

"Back up," he directs, voice low and brooking no argument. Pig huffs again, but she grudgingly takes another step back, and Lambert smirks. "Good girl. You remember Childermass, don't you?" He's pretty sure Pokemon carry over their memories through ... whatever strange transformation that was she went through, but hey, the reintroduction can't hurt. "Don't squash him flat. You'll make Baker cry."

[atouts]

Overall a bad idea, even Childermass knew from the second he touched the massive horse's face. Horses don't like that. He should have known better, considering he had his own horse to care for back home and had it been Brewer, he also imagines he would've risked getting a hand bitten. Pig, apparently, really is more mellow than that ugly bastard he left behind before stepping onto the faerie roads.

Not that knowing that now saves him from being knocked back, only a few steps until Lambert steadies him and that's what keeps him from falling straight over onto his ass. Well, this is getting annoying... Just how many times is he going to have to deal with Pig nearly knocking him down? This makes it three times now for sure, possibly more than that.

"I don't doubt he would get over it once you got him another ear to chew on," Childermass says, sounding a little dour. He looks down at the muddy noseprint left partly on his coat, partly on his vest. The nice ones, too, with black silk and silver embroidery. That's straight from wardrobe. Well, at least at that he lets out a small laugh. "I'm beginning to think I'm cursed. I can't go two weeks without ruining a shirt in one way or another."

[whattaprick]

Whatever gentleness is in Pig's temper certainly isn't there by Lambert's care -- more like it's there in spite of it. The dourness in Childermass's voice makes him snicker outright, the amusement lingering in his voice when he speaks.

"Heard there aren't any spells for doing laundry. Maybe you should invent one." Of course, the real oversight was not changing out of the fine clothes in the first place, and he'll happily take the blame for that. It seems to occur to him then that he hasn't let Childermass go, but rather than doing so, he's straight up going use it to hold him in place and try and slip a hand into the pocket Pig was attempting to nudge an apple out of.

It's possibly going to get him kicked again or elbowed, but this time he's keeping an eye out for that, ready in case the magician choose to express his offense physically again.