lostcarnival | ⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 4

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⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 4

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: October 22nd - 31st, 2017
Where: In Portland, for the last time.
What: The seasons change as the Winter Court seizes a surprise victory, claiming both the Tree of Life's pendant and the blood catalyst needed to take control of the Severing Ritual. Meanwhile, interdimensional problems are about to get more weird. Check out the conflict results for the attack on the Circle as well as the Beast's attack on the Summer Court here.
Warnings: Individually marked!

DAYS OF WINTER↴

As the end of October nears, so does the grasp of winter. On the night of the 22nd, it will freeze overnight, and the temperature will drop for the following days. As the night grow long, world-wide magic slowly reaches it apex, set to reach it on the night of Halloween. With so many factors at play, knowing what to do with that moment of power may be a challenge.

► FULL CIRCLE: The Angels succeed in their planned attack on the Circle, managing to get to the living quarters of the Council members with the help of Ashleigh Mischief. The plan goes without much resistance from the mages or from the demons attempting to claim the ritual object for their own. Of course, when the fae make a surprise attack on the Angels after they flee the scene, it has the surprise result of the Winter Court ended up with the pendant in their talons. Threads for this attack can be done in this log. If you need mod direction at all, let us know, but otherwise feel free to NPC demons, angels, or random Circle members as you require.

► THE QUEEN'S GARDEN: Realizing that the Rose Queen is distracted with attempting to claim the pendant, the Beast will summon her co-conspirators to raid the Queen's gardens. The ultimate plan seems to be to get the Beast far enough into the gardens to kill the Queen, while also rescuing as many changelings as possible along the way. As it turns out, this doesn't go well. While they do manage to penetrate the gardens with Childermass's help, the Rose Queen, Ignatius, and Nightshade happen to all be there. Seriously outnumbered, even by the Beast's terms, it will take everything the group has to just make it out alive, sustaining heavy injuries as they go. In the end they will manage to rescue Greg universe and four additional changelings that were imprisoned there, but any damage done to the Summer Court itself will be negligible. Threads for this can also be played out here!

► REFLECTIONS: As the ritual draws closer, the line between this reality and the one you came from will also be becoming less clear. Regaining memories is not required, but it will naturally become easier to occur, especially if you're already started receiving them. It's a good time to start making connections, while you still have the chance.

► THE SEVERING: One way or another, the Severing is going to make an impact on both this world and the lives of those trapped inside of it. The Angels are going to be making an attempt to interrupt the Winter Court's ritual, as will the Summer Court and Anath's forces. Whoever comes up on top will be the ones to decide what to be done with it. Yet, with news that the Severing continuing could cause irreversible damage to the planet's spirit, it could feel like there are no perfect options. There will be an event header put up for this by the mods closer to the end of July.

(NOTE: canon powers will returning while the ritual is in progress, so keep that in mind for planning - both sets of powers will be active.)

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Ahh.... [Well. He looks around at where they are, coughing.] It...may be best in private, in that case...

A-Aah, my apologies...

[He is giving a bit of a bow, suffice to say.] Auh... ...i-if you would not mind doing so while I had access to a hospital, certainly!!

[GOTTA RAID THE BLOODBANK AFTER]

Might be because his dad's the leader of that court, or something like that.

I want to find them too. Can't exactly get around right now, but we should figure something out.

Hopefully with more of a plan, this time.

"Uh, yeah? I mean-- I remember all about the carnival, it's just... uh." This is always awkward to explain to people. Shit. He sighs, pausing for a beat to get his words in order. "It's Portland I can't remember anything about. Like... I know I have this apartment, and I'm on TV, like, really on TV, but I don't... remember how I got here at all."

He's been able to piece together parts of his history, of course, from looking himself up, but it's impossible to know how much of the more interesting bits are actually true. (He chooses to believe that all of the fun ones are true, though.)

[It's around the time everything is going to complete and utter shit that his luck runs out.]

[Not that Joker really has had too much luck in the first place. But he's managed to scrape by for this whole month with minimal problems. Sure, he's been exhausted, and his mind doesn't know what it's doing half the time or who's most important, and he might have gotten some arrows through his leg at one point before anyone actually started fighting with each other over a magical trinket.... But he's been managing.]

[That stops when his exhaustion means he misses a demon lashing out at him, and the angel- stage manager, maybe- goes crashing to the ground with a curse. Everything is such a chaotic mess, both inside his head and out, and for a second he's stunned.... and vulnerable.]

[Maybe it was a bad idea, this whole thing. But Sora's the one who begged Joker to bring him along, and well, now he has to stick it out. But anyway, he wouldn't dream of leaving behind someone who needed help.

Even if that person is his own guardian angel.

He hears the crash, and the cursing, and whirls around to find Joker sprawled on the ground some feet away, and if that isn't the most unnerving sight, he doesn't know what is. Sora races over to Joker, dropping to his knees beside him as the demon backs off for just a second.]

Joker! Joker, are you...?

"A ghost we both know," Lambert will explain for Rita's benefit. He's just not going to add the bit where he's possessed Yuya before, at the Animal Fair -- from the sound of it, she probably wasn't aware of that. However, he has to wonder what it is in his expression that necessitates a kid telling him not to worry.

"He was the one who told me the Earth Spirit is dying," he adds, off-handedly and with a little frown. He elects not to mention that Tamaki may or not be going through a bit of identity crisis about whether he's from this world or not, as he doesn't really know what's up with that anyway.

"Apparently, it can talk to ghosts directly. Because ... it's where spirits here go when they die?" Lambert turns one hand palm-up, helplessly -- don't ask me what any of that means, I'm not some kind of spirit expert here. "Apparently werebeasts can contact it too, but they need to work harder for it."

Edited 2017-08-01 06:24 (UTC)

It had all happened very fast. Iuliael had been completely surprised by the appearance of Winter Court forces. So had everyone else, to be fair.

"Heels and throats. That's really good imagery!" He rolls the hemispherical dry lentils between his fingers, looking at them with the pleasure Iuliael brings to nearly everything, but he's clearly thinking of something he wants to say. "I just feel like there has to have been a reason to subject this poor world to so much. I hope whatever happens next works out well for as many people as possible."

He hesitates a moment longer. "Joker, do you remember Heaven at all?"

If you're not in immediate danger yourself, perhaps you should come over to my clinic? [Still no lead walls, but she'd never leaked information conveyed to her in confidence yet.]

Peridot definitely hears something coming from the stairs, and she shoots a suspicious glare in that direction. Fortunately for Miko, Lambert and Strange quickly distract her from investigating the disturbance any further.

She nods thoughtfully as Strange explains his proposal, and then cocks her head curiously at what Lambert has produced from his coat pocket.

Her nose crinkles. She lifts a finger and points at it unnecessarily. “Hold on—Is that… Did you….”

Take that off of him? Pick up one of his shed feathers? Did he give it you as a gift or something? Lambert what the hell.

Edited 2017-08-01 17:05 (UTC)

“Proper titles and honorifics are for people who aren’t weirdly cagey with me,” Peridot insists stubbornly. Which, in other words, means that she makes no promises.

She snorts and shoots a furtive look over at Lambert, before returning her attention to the changeling. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you: I’m willing to help out The Beast and all that, but a large part of why I’m here is to also keep an eye on him. I heard you two talking just now. So if you can… I don’t know…” She shrugs with frustration. “If you think of anything that will help me to do that, I’m all ears.”

She looks extremely embarrassed to be admitting all of this but uh. Clearly, beating around the bush to try and get information isn’t going to work with this guy.

Like Lambert, Strange is a boring human and doesn't hear the noise from the stairs. There's something new to judge anyway. Strange's nose wrinkles at the same time Peridot's does. Because Lambert. That's gross. Do you not realize how gross that is? So, despite the fact that Lambert's glaring daggers at him, Strange is going to open his damn mouth and give Lambert shit about this.

"Most people wear a jacket that their boyfriend gave them, not carry around the changeling equivalent of hair clippings."

And don't worry Pumpkin, those fingers are 100% not poisonous and also 100% giving ear scratches, oh my god he is so gonna steal this dog.

Miko frowns and looks questioningly down at Screamo, as if she's going to be able to answer what the hell they're talking about in there. What does Lambert even have in there? And... wait, so does that mean sweater guy is a changeling after all? She didn't know changelings could turn into--

Oh holy shit does he have like, a handful of feathers or something. Lambert what the hell. It's too bad she's supposed to be hiding, so she can't join in mocking him about it.

Edited 2017-08-01 18:56 (UTC)

Not deigning to answer either of them, Lambert stomps back over to the couch and drops the feather on the coffee table. His movements are sharp and jerky, but it isn't embarrassment at the present he's leaving them with as he retreats. There's almost definitely a bit of blood on the end of that quill.

It's only once he's stepped back that he offers any kind of explanation for leaving them with such a weird memento--

"It's hard to hold on to someone's jacket when faeries are kidnapping them, so this is all I've got," he says with false brightness, mouth twisting in a sharp, ugly sneer before he turns sharply on his heel.

"I'm going out. Text me what you want for dinner."

And before anyone else can react to that, he's gone.

"Don't thank me yet," Childermass automatically replies to being thanked by trying to shrug it off immediately. He's a knee-jerk reaction. Fae things, really. He won't turn to watch Yuya searching around, keeping an eye on the elemental as it finally turns itself around and spots them.

It roars. At least, one could assume that was a roar. It sounded more the hiss of fire rising suddenly, only at an incredibly loud level. Then, it's lumbering back their way. For now, Childermass just waits. He'll try something once it's near enough but until then...

"And I only ever worked for Summer Court out of necessity. I'm not one of their changelings."

The skeptical look on Peridot's face slooooowlllly slides away when her brother explains the significance of the feather and then abruptly leaves.

"Lambert--" she starts to say, half-rising from her seat, but. He's already gone. Pumpkin has twisted in Strange's arms to watch him go as well, whuff-ing inquisitively. Peridot just blows a harsh breath out with her cheeks, flopping back down onto the couch, her stare lingering on the door for a long moment. Great. And now she feels like the world's biggest tool. She hadn't even realized she was saying anything quite so hurtful, either...

She supposes the only thing to do for now is to try her hardest to locate Childermass, and apologize to Lambert later when, hopefully, they have more information on his whereabouts.

She looks up to meet Strange's eyes, scowling grimly because, hey, she's not the only one who fucked up here, and she hopes Strange knows that. "Alright, well... The fact that it literally came from his body and it isn't just a random belonging of his should at least help focus the spell, right?" There's even some blood on it! Lovely. Surely that must be help too. Blood is useful in magic, right?

Edited 2017-08-01 22:36 (UTC)

To his credit, Strange does look a little apologetic as Lambert leaves the room. That apologetic expression is on his face for a few moments before he feels Peridot scowling at him and Strange quickly adopts a scowl of his own. He's fine! He's not sorry about his actions, he didn't goof up, he is entirely perfectly fine with how things went except for the fact that he really kind of isn't.

"It should," Strange admits, as he gently sets Pumpkin down on the ground. Almost a moment later, she starts whining. "The spell I use can easily be modified to include a sympathetic tie, especially one as small and personal as this feather. We'll need a large bowl of some sort, like a mixing bowl, filled with water. Likewise, I'll need pencil and paper so I can write down the incantation--you'll say it, while I perform the actions needed, thereby linking our power together for the spell."

It certainly sounds like a lot of impressive magical bullshit, at least. And fits in with any theory that Peridot's read about multiple people casting spells and/or scrying.

Peridot listens to his explanation attentively, nodding thoughtfully. "Wait here," she says once he's done, rising to her feet once more. She goes to disappear into the next room, but pauses briefly in the entryway to glance back at him. "Oh, right-- There's a pencil and notepad there next to the computer, if you want to start writing. I'll attend to the other items."

And then she leaves, Pumpkin obediently trotting after her, perhaps hoping that there may be food involved in whatever task is sending Peridot into the kitchen. There's some rustling and clattering coming from in there, the sound of a tap running and then stopping. When she emerges once more, she's awkwardly balancing a battered looking mixing bowl, trying not to slop water off the sides of it.

As Peridot leaves, Strange moves over towards the computer to pick up the pencil and notepad. Unfortunately, he's walking a bit closer towards the staircase as he does so. Miko might want to get the heck out of dodge because it is only by the convenience of plot and Strange's own obliviousness that he hasn't spotted her.

Instead, Strange sits down next to the computer for a moment to scribble out the spell in handwriting that's definitely readable, but also atrocious. He's still writing down the incantation when he hears the water slosh as Peridot returns.

"Good! Set that down on a clear space like a coffee table or something and place the feather to the left of it. I've almost finished writing down your part..."

Edited 2017-08-02 05:07 (UTC)

Yuya looks up briefly as he hears the roar. Damn. He doesn't want to force Childermass to have to play bait so he bounces to the next bush and begins to look more fervently.

"Your magic doesn't look the same. Are you Winter Court--aha!" He pulls the crowbar up triumphantly. "I found it!" He waves it briefly over his head before coming out of the foliage to stand close to Childermass--but not too close when he's swinging iron around.

Lambert shoots him an incredibly dubious look at that, but if 'Sans said similar things' and clearly didn't feel strange about talking to this guy about it (although he strikes Lambert as someone unreliable, something feels right about speaking this frankly?) and slowly nods.

"Right," he says, finally. "Well... that's about the shape of it. Main thing's finding a way to get into the Winter Court and handle whatever we find there."

[Sora wastes no time in getting himself together enough to walk down to the cafe in question, practically running the whole way. He knows there's no changing his visions if they're already set to happen, but this still feels like his fault. Like he should've done something sooner.

He walks into the coffeeshop and makes a beeline for where Lambert is sitting.]

Hey, are you okay?

As he's directed, Lambert politely averts his eyes while Peridot changes, only glancing back when he sees her settle down beside him. As a human, the injuries she sustained as a bat are even more concerning, though he currently doesn't have the energy to scold her about not being careful.

He's the reason she's here in the first place, after all.

"Probably," he agrees, and then more seriously, "I'm glad you're mostly in one piece."

Because he's not so wrapped up in worrying about Childermass going missing that he can't be grateful for small mercies like that.

Peridot gladly does as instructed. The water slops onto the table a bit when placed, and Peridot grumbles and lazily mops it up with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

She holds the feather up for a brief examination-- more out of curiosity than out of a search for any additional information-- and then gingerly places it down by the bowl like she's asked, sitting on the opposite end of the couch from strange.

"I hope we can find something," she murmurs suddenly, her demeanor strangely devoid of her usual self-confidence. "I'd much rather have some good news to relay to Lambert, once he makes it back."

Pumpkin whines with concern and hops up next to her, and then leans over to try and sniff the feather. Pumpkin, don't eat that....

"Memories," Lambert supplies, like that's any kind of explanation at all. While Rita powers up the spell, the beast is indeed starting to charge towards them, ground trembling underfoot as its bulk comes barrelling forward.

Together, they make an easy target; he understands that intuitively. If they split up, it'll have to divide its attention. So without bothering to signal Rita, Lambert breaks away, waving an arm to catch the beast's attention and buy her some more time to set the spell up.

"Hey, ugly! Over here!"

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⇨ The Tourist Trap: WEEK 4

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Action!

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