lostcarnival | ⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 3

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⇨ 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

"It's not judging if it's objectively wrong!" Lambert snaps right back, automatically pitching his voice at louder volume. Don't eve try to out-loud him in his own house, bitch, because even with smoking his lung capacity is still bigger than Strange's. Since, you know, he actually works out and doesn't spend all his time dicking around with herbal sachets. Buff nerd can break skinny scarecrow nerd over his knee, height difference or not, and when Strange gets up to loom over him, Lambert's response is just a flat, unimpressed glare.

Something's strangely cat-like about it, somehow. At any rate, he rolls his eyes and pushes Strange down to sit, again. Didn't learn the first time, did he?

"I'd bet least half of those things are your own fault! Did you really just come over to my house to bitch about how much your life sucks?" He didn't like Strange much before, with that special ire reserved for people who treat books badly, but he really doesn't like him now, knowing he's summoned and bound Childermass to his service to do ... really stupid shit, apparently.

Yet as tempting as it is to continue pissing on Strange for his life choices, he isn't wrong in his initial hypothesis isn't far from the truth. Lambert is missing context, and if the mage can provide it, that's reason enough not to be just kicking him out of the house ... and there's enough in his mad rambling to make Lambert's blood run just a little bit cold. It lines up too well with what the Beast mentioned.

Edited 2017-07-20 04:51 (UTC)

And he's shoved back down on the couch again. At least this time, Strange doesn't bother getting up, instead crossing his arms over his chest and sinking into a bit of a sulk. Lambert's won the battle of strength (and also the battle of voice, holy shit) but Strange doesn't know when to leave well enough alone so the petty complaining continues.

"I'm only here to get my notes," Strange grumbles, as he glares at Lambert. And he's sure as hell not leaving this place until he gets them back. He's also...just going to keep putting up a fight apparently, as Strange glares daggers at the man.

"Though what, may I ask, is objectively wrong about my actions? I didn't choose to have an odd soul. I didn't choose to have these memories. Is it the la--the changeling?" Strange catches himself from saying 'large bird'. It's amazing how many terrible habits one can gain from twenty-four hours of catdom and John 'large bird' Childermass is one of them. Still, he can't help but laugh, a short, cold, cruel laugh as he turns the conversation to Childermass. A little part of him inside squirms in revulsion at the words, but Strange just keeps on talking.

"He's a changeling. They're barely people to begin with. Ordering him about is the same as ordering a dog to pick up the paper. He doesn't count."

It happens before Lambert can think about it, really. Strange won't even get past dog before Lambert's lashing out. It's not a wild strike -- that would be a punch to his throat, obstructing his breathing, and leaving Lambert with a body to dispose of and no birds to do it for him. No. Because Strange's face is right there, his dumb nose makes the perfect target for the cross punch Lambert aims at his head.

At any rate, it's not a pleasant experience for Strange.

"My sister is a dog," Lambert says, conversationally, once 1. the magician has shut his face, 2. he's reasonably certain he has his attention. "Don't talk about him like that."

Lambert's fist connects with Strange's face with a thud. He has no idea how to even take a punch, so Lambert knocks him down face first on the couch. A moment or so later, Strange sits back up, trying to give Lambert a nasty glare but in reality, it's coming out as more of a childish pout. His nose hurts. Is it broken? How the hell would a broken nose feel? It's not a nosebleed, he knows what those feel like, even if he hasn't gotten one since he was seventeen. He gives his nose an experimental poke, winces, then uses his hand to attempt to feel around for a break.

He's probably just bruised. Strange is a wuss.

One thing's for certain: physical violence shut him up real good and real fast. Of course, now Strange is just sitting on the couch, sulking and holding his nose, waiting for Lambert to do or say something. He got punched, he's not moving unless given permission.

"You know what I meant," Strange mutters, voice muffled by his hand and his maybe-but-probably-not broken nose. And then, with seemingly no care that he's asking the person who just punched him for help, Strange grumbles, "Do you have an ice pack?"

Strange is most definitely just bruised, though whether it remains that way remains to be seen. Lambert isn't the type to hold back, but even so, he did pull that punch. Maybe he shouldn't have, with Strange still having the audacity to make that request even now, but another punch doesn't seem to be forthcoming ... for now. Lambert seems to recognize it too, since it's going to get him a snort and a shake of his head.

"Make your own, if you need one," he says instead. There's a twinge of familiarity there again, but it's brushed away as he continues.

Instead, he'll flip through the notes until he finds the page he's looking for -- easy, because unlike Strange, he resembles something organized-- and flicks the paper at his lap. As concentrated as Strange's notes have been on the idea of the whole Severing, this is the only thing Lambert's been able to find that remotely counts as related to his immediate problems...

"You said you could give context, so give me context. What does your soul and another universe have to do with the Severing?"

Strange is about to complain, asking if Lambert wants him to freeze the apartment before he realizes wait, he doesn't know any elemental magic in the first place. So instead he just kind of sulks on the couch, idly poking at his nose as if that'll somehow tell him that it's broken.

"Someone has tampered with the magic of the Severing. I thought it was those idiots with the Enlightenment Council, but now I'm not so sure. The tampering has made it so that some residents of Portland have their soul etched with magic from another universe as well as memories of a different them from that universe. It's also made it so that some people from that other universe are trapped here in Portland, bound by the Severing. I want to undo the Severing so that it can free the people trapped here as well as sort out my memories and the memories of those others affected."

And also so he can visit the proper realm of faerie and also because Nightshade really doesn't want to be stuck on Earth for so long, but Strange is keeping those opinions to himself. It's best that Lambert think he's an egotist who's focused on himself instead of someone who's made a deadly alliance.

That's a more altruistic motive than Lambert expected of Strange, so naturally, he's immediately suspicious that there's all there is to it, and his expression reflects as much.

"How are you sure that's going to work the way you think it will?" He challenges, brows raised. "Do you even know what the Severing was for in the first place?"

"Of course I do. The Severing was cast to cut off the realms of heaven, hell, and faerie and prevent more angels, demons, and fae from walking the earth." However, the way Strange says that, it's like someone reciting company maxim. He knows that's what everybody says so it must be true, but honestly? Strange has no idea if it's true to begin with.

But the fact that Lambert's asking so many questions about this is interesting. Obviously Lambert knew Childermass, so it's possible the two had talked about this but, having zero clue that Lambert's got weird memories as well, Strange has absolutely no context for his questions. "Why do you care so much about the Severing in the first place?"

"I don't," is Lambert's immediate, flat answer. It's honest too, for what that's worth. "Up until a few days ago, I didn't even know what it was called. But you care, and you're the one who said it might be related to the dreams and memory problems I've been having."

'Said' is a strong word for 'dropped a fuck ton of notes on my foot and meowed' but he'd at least taken Strange's implication that it was relevant seriously, and followed that information as far as it could take him. And what he's found out so far is exceptionally shitty. Strange isn't the only one who's been having memories that aren't his own, but the idea of having that much in common with him rankles.

"You didn't answer my first question. How do you know it's going to work? Or are you just guessing?"

"I know it's going to work because my..." Hmm. What is Nightshade to him? "My patron believes it will work. At least on this matter, I trust her judgement. Besides, all magic comes with a sense of risk."

He doesn't trust Nightshade entirely. She's a fae, why would he, faeries are naturally tricky and duplicitous. But he trusts her with regard to the Severing. After all, why wouldn't she want to go home?

And, at least with regards to Strange, he's viewing this exchange as a back and forth between asking questions, ergo it's his turn. He removes his hand from his nose and crosses them over his chest as he looks up at Lambert.

"Tell me about your memories."

"I'm the one asking questions," Lambert answers, casually flexing his wrist and examining his fist like he's gauging exactly how much effort it would take to punch Strange out again, just because he can. Don't push him, buddy.

"You first. How did you figure out that you had a 'weird soul' in the first place? What do you remember that doesn't add up?"

Jesus Christ, is he going to get punched again?! Strange's eyes widen as Lambert looks at his fist. It's not cowardice, it's self-preservation, he tells himself as he straightens his posture, tries to regain his composure, and starts talking.

"To answer your first question, through magic." There's an unspoken 'you idiot', but it's plainly evident in Strange's tone. "The spell was cast, my soul was examined, the anomalies were discovered." It's all deliberately vague and Strange knows that Lambert's going to try and press some more.

"As for your second question, I have memories of an English magician, a different Jonathan Strange, though I don't know if I'm him or he's me. He's got power far greater than my own and uses magic that I couldn't understand to begin with. Scenarios and events flit in and out of my head like...like birds through trees, but I at least have the basics: he's a mad magician who lost his wife, a friendship, and his sanity and he's come to the carnival to try and regain at least one of those."

Now hang on. Strange can't help but frown as he mentions the carnival. He knew that was a thing--Yuya had memories of the carnival after all. But until he actually said the words, Strange hadn't connected the dots that the English magician worked for the carnival as well.

There's no hiding the reaction: Lambert cringes at the mere mention of souls being examined, given that it comes with a particularly visceral recent memory, but he shakes it off quickly enough. And he would follow up on that whole 'hey wait so did you get part of your soul sucked out of you and spat back in by a fae too' in favor of focusing on what Strange says next.

"The carnival?" The way he's searching Strange's face, though -- it's not someone looking for new answers. Just someone trying to confirm something he's already heard.

Twice is a coincidence. Three's a trend.

"What carnival is that?"

You bet Strange noticed that reaction and filed it away. He didn't even describe what the spell to examine one's soul entailed. Why did Lambert look so disgusted?

However, the mysterious carnival is the new topic of discussion. This is the most confused Strange has ever been since they first started the conversation. Because he hasn't been to any carnivals since he was a kid. And yet, he--no, not he, the other Jonathan Strange who may or may not be him. And yet the other Jonathan Strange apparently worked at a carnival. Not only that, a carnival which he couldn't remember the bloody name of.

"You know. The carnival. The one with..." With what? Why can't he think of any attractions or any other workers or any hint of a name that the carnival has? Strange trails off, at a loss for words, not even bothering to try and explain this thing that he does know and yet doesn't know in the slightest. He closes his eyes for a moment, massaging his temples as he tries to think further, tries to remember more. Damn, if only he had his tonic, that could at least help a bit. "I think he works there. He's a magician and has that other job, the one that sounds fake...night ranger or something like that."

"A nightrunner," Lambert finishes. He doesn't look happy about being able to fill in that puzzle piece for Strange -- if anything, he's only angrier and more frustrated. "Working for the Nightrider."

Though he doesn't rub his own temples (for now) he can sympathize with the motion, at least. Though Strange will get what he asked for to begin with, as Lambert will now take the opportunity to provide his own exposition.

"Your memories of ... someone else you used to be are connected to the carnival. So are mine." He pauses, regarding him with reluctance and obvious lack of trust.

"Did you know the Severing was supposed to keep this world from being destroyed?"

"That's it!" Strange exclaims, with a tone of relief...which is then replaced with one of confusion. Lambert knows about nightrunners. How on earth is that possible? It's not like it's an actual word...but then his question gets answered a moment later when Lambert mentions that his muddled memories are connected with the carnival as well. Which one, jesus fuck he was like the fifth person with weird memories? This is getting a bit ridiculous. And two, this means that he and Lambert are more connected than either of them realized, if they shared the same memory connection.

Well, points to the tarot cards! Strange can't help but feel a little bit of smugness because hah, he (sort of) knew this, that's a perfectly good reason to feel far too good about himself. But then, Lambert drops another confusing bombshell.

"That's ridiculous," he scoffs, with a roll of his eyes. "Who'd want to destroy this world in the first place?"

"Arcadia," Lambert answers, grimly. He's dead serious about it, too, despite the fact that he's got nothing more to go on than the sly word of a faerie but -- well, if he takes the stories at face value, the Fair Folk can't tell a lie. He knows that word isn't going to mean a damn thing to Strange -- it means nothing to him, either -- so he won't leave it at that, going on after only a brief pause.

"Apparently, the Faerie courts came here to..." What was it the Beast had called it? "... colonize it, for lack of a better word. Remake it into something they wanted, even if it meant getting rid of all the pieces they didn't." Another pause, and a grimace at the words as they come out of his own mouth. It really does sound like the plot of a terrible sci-fi B-movie, but Lambert shoulders on regardless, with the grim air of a man who can hardly believe what he's saying, but here they are anyway.

"I don't know how the Severing was cast," and neither does Strange, from the looks of his notes. "But I know that's what they came up with to stop it." With the unfortunate side-effect of probably killing this world anyway, although he's not going to say that quite yet, wanting to gauge Strange's reaction to see if he knew any of this beforehand.

Edited (holy exposition batman) 2017-07-23 05:54 (UTC)

Oddly enough, the word actually means a little bit of a damn thing to Strange. Arcadia. A word that brings up the image of snow, the feeling of guilt, and the action of writing a letter, but nothing concrete. So it probably comes as a surprise to Lambert that Strange's expression isn't one of staring blankly but mild confusion. He knows that word...doesn't he?

What he doesn't know anything about is the idea of faerie courts coming to remake the world into something they wanted--and frankly, Strange doesn't believe that part in the first place. Ridiculous. The fae didn't work that way, not in Portland, and not in England. Why would they want to take this realm if they already had one of their own?

"Who told you this information?" Strange asks, in a slightly derisive tone of voice. Because, at least to him, they obviously didn't know what they were talking about...which made the fact that they were telling Lambert 'rando human' Wolfe this info all the more curious. It may be bunk in his eyes, but this certainly isn't be bunk in someone else's.

"One of the True Fae," Lambert answers, with a shrug. At this point, it's not much of a secret, so might as well be out with it. Besides, Strange already read its fortune before; it doesn't get more intimate than that. "The Beast."

Strange's tone of voice, prickly and disdainful as it is, tells Lambert clearly enough that his words aren't believed, for all there'd been that brief flicker of confusion that gave him a twinge of hope before. In spite of that, Lambert lifts his chin and holds his ground, gaze steady.

"If you don't want to take my word for it, I'm sure you've got your own ways of verifying what I've just told you. But--" He shrugs again, affecting carelessness that he doesn't at all feel. "Faeries can bend the truth, but they can't actually lie. There's something in there that's true."

The Beast again. There was something familiar about that name when he first heard it, but now that he has more of his memories back, he's able to pinpoint exactly where he's heard it. So Strange just grins, a purely shithead 'I know something you don't know' sort of grin.

"I wouldn't take her words too seriously. The Beast is just as confused as we are with regards to all of this--and that's before you take her reading into account."

The word 'this' is accompanied by a vague hand gesture. If Strange remembered the Beast aka the Ringmaster from the carnival, then the likelihood that she's experiencing memory nonsense as well is preeetty high. After all, that damn carnival's the running thread in all of this.

Strange really is a pain in the ass, Lambert reflects.

"Yeah?" he asks, dryly. "And how would you know that, given you didn't seem to know jack shit about her the last time we talked?"

Not counting the cat cafe disaster, anyway.

Strange is such a pain in the ass. It really is amazing how smug a sickly man who just got punched not ten minutes ago can look because hot damn, does Strange look so amazingly smug.

"Because as the month's gone on, more memories have been coming back. I barely knew anything about the English magician at the start of the month but now I've got a vague outline of his life. I imagine it's the same with you as well."

After all, the Lambert who effortlessly murdered a changeling seemed radically different from the Lambert who kept yelling at him for dogearing the pages in library books.

Lambert's memories aren't nearly so well-formed -- most of what he recalls is sensation more than concrete events, an impression of blood and violence and rarer, quieter moments that seem to belong to another life entirely.

Hell if he's letting Strange know that, though.

"Something like that," Lambert says, reining in the urge to punch him in the face again -- though how long that lasts, who knows. In any case, he squares his shoulders and squints at Strange.

"... How much do you actually know about the Severing?" he asks, finally. "Do you know what's powering it?"

How much does he know about the Severing? Absolutely nothing. Still, Strange isn't going to tell Lambert that much. The fact that he doesn't know anything pisses him off something tremendously, especially since he's trying to seem like Mr. Hotshot Mage who's on top of everything and certainly isn't floundering as much as everybody else.

So, he's going to take a guess. "I assume it's powered by the strength of the mages and the Circle's collective magical will."

Swing and a miss.

"I think," Lambert says loudly, like Strange's answer didn't even exist at all, "That the the Severing is tapping into the Earth Spirit's power somehow. The tampering you're talking about -- whatever caused it -- it's only made it worse."

Of course, because the question as to the source of that information is inevitably going to come up, Lambert's going to beat Strange to the punch.

"I don't have any proof -- it's just a theory. A ghost told me that something's draining the Earth Spirit, and it seemed like too much of a coincidence." He shrugs again. "You tell me if that sounds plausible or not."

strange's crazy was too much for dw to hold i guess

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