lostcarnival | ⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 3

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 15st - 22th, 2017
Where: Still in Portland
What: As all sides of the struggle gradually become informed, and the awareness of outsiders begins to spread, Portland faces a critical question - what should be done with them? And who gets to decide?
Warnings: Individually marked!

THE WOLVES AMONG US↴

► WHEN SEPTEMBER ENDS: It's fairly common knowledge that October is a special month - Halloween has always been an excitable time in the supernatural community, because its during this month that the magical energies of Earth seem to disproportionately swell in power. This peeks on the 31st, and has every year for as long as anyone can remember. The holiday of Halloween is a byproduct of this, because the magical phenomenon has gone on for ages past. It's also a pretty common time for wizards to attempt bullshit shenanigans, and also when the Severing first came into effect.

► TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL: Towards the end of the week, Prudence Jaeger will be asking her angelic contacts for a pretty huge favour - she wants them to help her and some of her associates break into the Circle stronghold that the visiting Council members are staying at. It seems that they have some kind of macguffin item that will be needed to crack the barrier cutting off the Earth from the cosmos - and, to that end, allow the angels and mysterious outsiders to return to wherever they call home.

► THE PATH TO HELL: Perhaps unsurprisingly, Team Heaven isn't the only group to clue into the fact that the Circle has what they need. On the same night that the angels go in, so will Anath's army, as the arch demon finally arrives in the city just in time to join the party. Whether the angels and demons fight each other all the way or cooperate to achieve a mutual goal is up to them.

► WITH GOOD INTENTIONS: The Circle and Torchlight aren't all bad, okay? It's entirely possible that they are just acting in the best interest of humanity - unfortunately, that has resulted in them being pretty massive pricks recently, and now the payback for that is arriving on their doorstep. If you're a member of the Circle, you may or may not realize that anything is coming in time for you to prepare. (That will depend on your threads up to the end of the week.) However, once the fight starts, you'll be charge with defending the Councillors whether you like it or not, and Torchlight is getting pulled in as an unexpected ally to ensure their safety as well. Are you going to heed their call? Or is it time to split from the pack?

► BLOOD OF ICE AND FIRE: It's been made no secret that the Rose Queen isn't the only fae trying to pull back her lost changelings - now the Winter Court appears to be doing it, as well. More than a handful of changelings have gone missing over the last couple weeks, lost to both the thorns and agents of the Count. Whatever they're doing, it's also in competition with each other - Winter and Summer will be biting at each other's heels far more than normal, to the degree that it becomes clear they must have some competing objective in mind. Unfortunately for everyone else, that objective happens to conflict with the desires of just about everyone else. Fae are, by nature, opportunists.

- ✪ -
These are the major conflicts that will be coming to a head towards the end of Week 3. In the meantime, your actions will decide how certain elements are set up, and what the likelihood of success is for each group.

Dice rolling handily won the opinion poll where we asked for the preferred method of conflict resolution, so that will be coming into effect a bit later on to determine who actually wins and loses, with advantages based on the choices made.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Greg isn't getting it, Sans thinks, but that's fair, because he hasn't even told him everything he knows yet. Which, he probably has to, now. If this conversation is going to continue, he can't just leave out the details.

"This half angel came to town, to talk to us about how everything's been all topsy turvy lately. She said that it's all about the Severing event from twenty-some years ago - that something big enough, numerous enough, passed through. Enough that it was more than the wards that caused the Severing could take, and now everything's all screwed up."

"And it sounds like those otherworldly things were actually people." He pauses in his rambling long enough to face Greg, with the kind of expression that seems like it should be accompanied by tears of frustration, if Sans was any better at emoting. "People like us. That we just... got inserted here like a week ago, and think we've been here forever when we actually haven't."

"Some guy replaced Marmaroth completely! He didn't remember anything about this place. He said he was a dimensional traveler that just showed up here, like a ninja samurai or somethin'."

Giving details about Marmaroth only confuses matters, but the fact that it is this bizarre seems important. It can't be understated how fucked up that is.

Wrapping his brain around that is too much for Greg right now. It's weird enough to think that something could push through the Severing, because that's the whole point of the thing, that's how everything's turned out the way it is, and that's the least of what Sans is saying... it's far too big, too strange for Greg to comprehend. Someone would have noticed sooner, all of them would have, and yet...

A dimensional traveler. Something about that phrase strikes a chord with Greg, hits him in a way he didn't expect.

He remembers. An argument, or disagreement, or confrontation... with a woman. A woman who wanted him to do and see more than what his world allowed him.

"Who was...?" Greg puts his head in his hands, suddenly dizzy. "Oh man. That doesn't--this doesn't make sense. Sans, what the heck."

"It doesn't," Sans agrees, deflating a bit given that Greg has no idea what to say about it either. His wings droop and refold themselves behind his back, having been flared out with agitation moments before. "But it's what I've been hearin'."

He flops down again, defeated. It's not really fair to take this out on Greg - not if they're maybe experiencing the same thing. He'd come here expecting that it would just be a him problem that Greg could listen to, and both of them potentially being embroiled in it changes that reality considerable.

"Whatever it was..." He trails off, staring into space. "I don't wanna go back to it, man. I dunno what that stuff I remembered was, but..."

He finds himself staring down at his hands, at a loss. The memory of it fills him with revulsion and fear.

"I don't want it."

After a moment, Greg lifts his head again and looks over at Sans. The idea alone is overwhelming to him, but he can't recall anything as intense or frightening as the little Sans has spoken about.

"Maybe you don't have to."

So, everything they thought they knew may be completely different. But--but, in the end, his first point can still stand, can't it?

"You--we're here now. Whatever this is... that doesn't mean you have to go back to it. Right?"

That's pretty optimistic, and it makes Sans let out a soft chuckle. He doesn't know about that, but the sentiment is nice.

"Being an angel isn't like being a human. You can't just... mingle with whatever you want. Be whatever you want. Angels are all part of the plan. We've all got a mission, and we share that."

Even if they don't always like it.

"Got no reason to think I still have any place in it, if any of them knew. I'm not real like they are, and... I know you don't get a ticket from hell to heaven just like that. I never understood how an angel like me got made in the first place."

A little optimism in the face of a complete existential crisis never hurt, probably.

"I... Sans, I'm just a human, so... y'know, take all this however you want." Greg runs a hand over his face. This is all way above his pay grade. He's spent a lot of time around nonhumans, getting used to their way of thought, trying to come to an understanding... but this is a whole different level.

"If you're seriously... genuinely not an angel, then... then that means you get choices now, don't you?" He eyes his friend. "Just because things aren't the way they, uh, are, doesn't mean they have to be the way they... were?" Does that make sense? He's not sure that makes sense.

The concept catches him off guard. He hadn't considered it that way at all, focusing mostly on fearing what he remembered and wanting to cling to what identity he still had. Finding a place in between seems somehow improbable, want part of him is desperately reluctant to let go of the comfort of something oppressive but familiar.

His gaze flicks towards Greg, and then away again. That's not part of his inner makeup, and possibly being a fake hasn't changed that feeling. He still feels like he should be an angel, should follow those rules, even if he can't anymore. But yet...

"I don't know... how," he says, proceeding slowly and uncertaintly. Sure, angels could make plenty of little choices. Where to hang out, who to love and befriend. Even so, the purpose and trajectory of their life was already spoken for.

Duty came before everything else.

Greg offers Sans a small smile.

"Well then. Choice number one: do you want to learn?"

He knows angels can gain knowledge and experience but Greg's not sure how often they get the chance to learn something new.

Sans stares at Greg for a few moments, apparently completely disarmed by that question. That makes it sound so simple, but at the same time... is it complicated? Sans just doesn't know, because he's never done it. At least, not that he remembers.

A snort bubbles out of him, like surprised laughter. He bundles his arms in his hoodie, looking down at their mutual feet.

"Dunno," he says, finally, with a note of quiet humour. "Sounds like a lot of responsibility."

That little snicker lifts some of the heavy atmosphere that's settled into the room. Greg nods, still smiling faintly, and leans back on the couch.

"Yeah... just think of it. Even if you do the exact same thing here on out, it'd be because you decided not to do nothing."

It's a bigger feat than a lot of people realize.

Sans sighs, and glances towards the window. He wishes he had something to distract himself with right now, but that's also not really the point. Greg just doesn't really understand what he's saying.

"I already choose to do nothing," he says. It's not in his nature to try to change the world. Psychopomps deal in the aftermath of death, not in saving lives or dishing out justice. "Plenty of times."

Like every time he escorts a soul that he could have saved. It's just not the way of things to intervene, but with heaven away, he's always known deep down that he could.

⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 3

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