lostcarnival | ⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 1

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 1st - 7th, 2017
Where: Portland area, in the new reality.
What: Memories begin returning to the displaced as the fall gets chillier. How the hell did we end up here, again? Also, apparently, the fair is in town.
Warnings: Individually marked!

PORTLAND BY NIGHT↴

Memory regains will come into effect at the beginning of October, to whatever degree you've decided upon, and may be regained at whatever pace you desire from then on. For those with their full carnival memories, it will be like waking up in the body of someone else - for those with half and half, it will be like rapidly recalling sets of memories from a totally different life. Those with full amnesia will simply feel as if this is how it's always been.

Unfortunately for you, memories aren't the only thing you have to deal with. The supernatural community of Portland is bustling all of a sudden - could your presence and these events somehow be related?

► THE OUTER CIRCLE: As of the start of the month, the Portland Circle of Enlightenment will find itself starting to get swarmed with members from other chapters. Most notably, it would seem that a small cabal of top mages from the North American Enlightenment Council will be making their home in Portland's HQ. For anyone but the highest of ranks, the purpose behind their visit will be unclear, but it seems like something is definitely up on a metaphysical level. The Circle will be buzzing with rumours of unique planar activity and threatening omens. It seems that it all started with an unusual flare of activity in the planetary ley-lines, starting approximately a week ago. However, even if you would usually be the type to keep tabs on such things, you will find that you oddly have no memory of observing this phenomenon yourself.

► THE ANIMAL FAIR: Good news, the fair is in town! Or, at least, it would be good news... if this was a regular fair. Instead, what's being observed is a bunch of nearly identical flyers, spread all around Portland - each of which bears only the words "THE ANIMAL FAIR", a seemingly bloody paw-print of unknown origin, and the directions to a vague forested location outside of the city. It's dated for October 7th, and all instances of its posting having been discovered with a scattering of rose petals, crow feathers, and pre-burnt matches laying on the ground around them. Most are taking this to be some kind of bizarre viral marketing campaign, but others may know better.

► THE EARTH SPIRIT: If you have connections to The Pack or any of its many variations, you'll probably hear whispers of something very odd that occurred last week - according to the elders, it sounds as if the Earth Spirit, the magical and spiritual center of the planet, has suddenly taken a wound. It's not clear why or how, but there is a fair bit of concern among spiritual types, as it is werebeast belief and nebulous magical fact that the magical forces within the earth are the source of all magic here, as well as the source of life. While many werebeasts claim to have felt the Spirit succumb, you strangely have no memory of such an event occurring. Though things do feel strange, if you know how to tap into the Spirit yourself.

► THE WAR CRY: Though Anath's rain of terror across North America lasted for the first fifteen years or so of the Severing, most independent demons have had enough time to start taking the arch-demon's relative inactivity for granted. For that first while, the warrior queen had seemed determine to rebuild an army on earth by forcing her scattered brethren into service - only for her to gradually settle down in a fortress somewhere in Texas and dig in her heels. Of course, this was too good to last - it sounds as if she and her demonic legion have begun tearing their way up the west coast, their goals remaining a mystery. Their destination, however, is almost certainly Portland.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I mean, Foster is the kind of werebear that answers the door in his shirt and boxers--boxers patterned in little dog bones, no less, and a shirt that says I BITE in chiller font with wolf jaws on it.

So that's classy.

But he can still turn into a 900 lb bear, so yeah, waiting for Foster to decide he wants Axel inside is probably good.

He stands for a moment, processing Axel's words. Yes, he knows he's worried about Amethyst, but that's not Axel's business or problem. With that in mind, almost the entirety of what Axel says to him is just filler.

It's the 'you probably should be' that really gets him to move.

"..... yeah. Uh." Yeah. This is fucked up. This is actually getting to him. Where's his indifference and comfortable lack of empathy when he needs it?

"Fuck. Fuck." He steps back from the door, though.

And slams it shut after him the instant Axel's inside.

Oh thank god. To have a door between them and the world is a relief. Axel's not picking up on much in the way of fae magic, outside of the berry he's fidgeting with (sorry Ginko, he touched one), and the tension starts to leach out of his shoulders, but he's not calm yet.

"The other day Ginko told me the fae were getting active. If Am's gone and these things around your house... They probably got her, Fos." Axel's not sure what he can do about it, but he's definitely worried about her. The fae of the rose queen's court have only gotten nastier since the severing, though he doesn't remember the shift himself; he was only 2 or 3 when it happened, and already in their custody.

He holds up the berry again. "I'm not sure what these are but apparently they shouldn't be eaten. You have any more information?"

Foster looks tired--like just expressing that much emotion was so repulsive and exhausting that he's ready to crawl into a hole and give up on it already.

"I--you know, the guy I'm seeing now, he took a few of them with him and fucked around with them, I guess." He waves one hand as he talks--an act both illustrative and dismissive all at once.

"There was a whole.... thing." He gestures with both hands, briefly, sharply, a little like he's disgusted by the whole affair. "So I'm trying not to freak out, but I am kind of stressed about this!"

Okay, so he's not doing a great job of pretending things are fine. But in fairness, Axel brought up what Foster suspected all along--and he really didn't want it to be true.

So something's already happened? Great, just great. Well, there's very little Axel can do without putting himself and probably other changelings he's aware of at risk. He pockets the berry absentmindedly, and turns away from Foster a little, thinking. "Let's hope they don't cause any more trouble, then. This is already bad enough."

Then he sighs. "I guess I can't talk you out of doing whatever it is you're going to do about this?"

Foster laughs. It's... that kind of uncomfortable laugh, one Axel is probably all too familiar with.

Talk him out of it?

Talk him out of what?

Foster has no idea what he's going to do about this.

"I don't even have a plan," he replies, maybe too honestly. "So there's nothing to argue against." Not yet. "So, no. No."

He sounds... strained. He looks strained. For once, Foster appears exactly as strung out as he actually is.

Oh, that's not good. The pressure must be insane. Axel can't even tell Foster that his sister isn't suffering, isn't being tortured and changed. He can't prove anything. But he can do a little bit.

He doesn't touch Foster, just smiles a little. "I know you. You'll come up with some hare-brained scheme to save her, I won't be able to talk you out of it, and somehow you'll pull it off. So let's get thinking. Who do you know that can help?"

⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 1

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Vague af because I don't know what Psi is gonna say. Chalk it up to him being stressed.

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