I would have picked a quote about shadows [OPEN]

[atouts]

Who: Childermass & open.
What: Having finally gotten his shadow teleport spell to work, Childermass is trying to iron out just how to control the damn thing...
When: During the Mainframe stop, before Performance week.
Where: Around the carnival.
Warnings: n/a

i. all around the carnival

It's a whole lot of trial and error, it seems, this shadow magic, but at least Childermass doesn't anticipate ending up anywhere deadly as he goes from shadow to shadow, place to place. He's found early and late in the day works best, when the sun is forcing shadows to cast at an angle. Night time only deepens and darkens the entire world, which, in theory, you might expect to make it the easiest time of all, but there is such a thing as too many doors...

So, during these days before the carnival opens, it won't be uncommon to suddenly find a tall, somewhat dour-looking (exciting as messing around with magic like this is, he just isn't the sort to let on to that easily) Englishman abruptly existing where there hadn't been an Englishman — or anyone at all, for that matter — before! Look fast enough and you'll catch him moving like he's just stepped out of somewhere, though there's usually nothing but shadows and whatever is casting them behind him.

This could be inside buildings, the cookhouse, the Big Top, all around the forest—

ii. or in your trailer, any trailer at all

Or accidentally shadow-stepping straight into the closet in your trailer or maybe even the bathroom, if the lights been left off in there by some chance. There'll be a THUMP of Childermass walking directly into something — a broom, the shower curtain, whatever it is — and then a muttered curse of, "Oh, damn it. Not again."

And here he thought he was going to be better about this than Strange was...

Comments

[atouts]

'Looking good' only earns Lambert a huge roll of his eyes. Childermass knows better. This kind of clothing just isn't for him, although if he were feeling particularly mean, he'd point out they weren't looking any better on Lambert, either. Too big for one, too small for the other.

But while Lambert's away to the magical dryer or whatever — something his own trailer is sorely lacking, yet another reason to stick around for the time being — he will take the chance to poke around. Most of it isn't too interesting to him. He doesn't care to read about Mainframe, seeing how he's blatantly avoiding the digital world, but the cards? He'll definitely pick up the cards to look at, though not having the faintest idea what gwent even is, he can only frown at them a little and ask, "What are these for?"

in which i make gwent less fourth wall breaking i suppose

[whattaprick]

"What?" Lambert calls back, over the sound of, yes, a dryer being started up and activated. Don't think too hard about it, because Lambert certainly isn't; he's figured out the dials enough to not shrink his clothes three sizes and that's about the limit of his desire to understand the machine. It beats hanging up his clothes and very carefully using Igni, anyway.

When he re-emerges to squint at what Childermass's got in hand, he snorts. Of course he'd go for the cards.

"Those are for gwent. It's a game from back home." He flops down on the end of the low couch, lounging against the armrest. The cards themselves don't feel flimsy in the hand, though they do have a slightly worn-in quality around the edges. They're marked with text and numbers -- illegible at first, though if Childermass focuses on them he'll find the Carnival's magic kicking in to reveal such illuminating names as 'Smuggler' and 'Archer.' The illustrations are minimal, more symbolic than graphic, with a row of symbols underneath that have no immediately obvious meaning.

[atouts]

Considering gwent cards are the right size for a tarot deck, of course he went for the cards. Expecting anything else would a surprise. Childermass picks one, in particular, out from the rest to take a close look at. Checking the quality, the weight of the cards. If he could find paper stock like this—

Well, no matter. Using a spare joker left behind by Joker was one thing. He doubts Lambert has a card suitable for the Fool even if he was inclined to lift one for himself.

"How do you play it?"

[whattaprick]

It's been a long time since he actually had to explain the rules to someone who has no idea what gwent is at all. It shows in his face, the moment of brief surprise and mild confusion before he leans forward, picking up the cards and shuffling through them absently and laying out examples on the table as he goes.

"Two players, one deck each. Goal of the game's simple enough: build a bigger, better army than your opponent. Wouldn't be a proper army without different forces, though, so you've got all kinds. Sword means a card's a close combat fighter, melee. A bow's for archers, mid-range, and for long range you've got the ballista... hmm, though this one's a Scoia'tael deck, so I don't have any."

He reaches out, taps the gold gilt on the edge of the card the magician is holding: the elf queen, more ornately decorated than the others, her miniature expression scornfully staring out at the magician. "... and that's what they call a leader card."

[atouts]

Childermass nods a bit, here and there, following along. When Lambert taps the card in his hand, he'll pay a little closer attention to it, turning it one way, then the other. It's a nice card, though he'd noted that previously. He makes a quiet, thoughtful sound.

"Don't suppose we can still play with only a single deck, can we?" Childermass asks although he sounds like he already knows the answer. If everyone needs one deck for themselves, that's going to be a big, fat 'no'. Still, it doesn't hurt to ask.

[whattaprick]

"Not really. Game goes up to best out of three, and you're supposed to draw seven cards each round, so splitting it wouldn't work. " Lambert shrugs, shifting positions so his tail is slightly less pinned under him. "I could lay them out, show you how it'd work in a game, but unless the Acquisitioner starts bringing in gwent decks you're just going to have to use your imagination."