⇨ THE SUMMERLANDS

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 138 - Day 152
Where: The Summerlands
What: The Ringmaster brings the carnival to the Summerlands immediately after being freed from Portland so that everyone can take a fucking nap. Her included.
Warnings: Individually marked! Most likely discussion of torture and trauma in here.

DAYS OF SUMMER↴ You made it! And things are back to normal... more or less. Upon waking, you will be greeted with a clear blue sky and gentle breeze – the carnival has found itself situated between a pair of mountain peaks, with great fields of flowers extending in the distance. In the other direction, you’ll see mountain-top cities and tall waterfalls accenting vast swaths of forest. Some of you will already know this place. It’s the Summerlands. You game here once to rest in safety nearly a year ago, and now you’ve come to rest once again. ► WAKING UP: Shortly after the carnival arrives, the Ringmaster will send out a somewhat cryptic radio message - but her immediate location won't be clear. Whatever items you had on your person at the time the Severing was broken will still be on your person, including whatever clothing. All of the animals and pets of the carnival will have returned to the grounds as well, though they are currently free from their designated living spaces. Things in the carnival will appeared to have naturally aged a month, as if the carnival was been sitting here empty and waiting while everyone was in Portland. The lawn needs mowing. ► SUMMER CITY: After the Summer Fae become aware of everyone's presence, they will welcome you into their city. There are stairs that lead up the sides of the mountains, but thankfully there are also magical means of getting up there as well. The Summer Fae will be willing to help workers with the injured as needed, offering herbal remedies and healing magic to those that want it. You'll also be invited to join them for dinner, but they will not be particularly offended if they are turned down, for now. ► SUMMER PEOPLE: The fae here will mostly enjoy the company of any carnival members that offer it - it doesn't seem that much happens here besides day after day of peaceful meditation and relaxation. It is not uncommon to see Summer Fae spent days doing exactly the same thing, whether that be enjoying the weather, listening to music, or dancing - the day and night periods may be similar to earth, but when you don't need rest it can all blur together just the same. Some of the fae work on feats of agriculture or craftsmanship, and while there is no particularly need to work in this place, they take pride in the fact that they do. ► NEW ARRIVALS: Though the Ringmaster will not be offering much guidance for the first week or so, eventually the carnival will begin running for a few small performance sessions, off and on, as a thank you to their fae hosts. The carnival will also be open to receiving new arrivals during that period, and so there will likely be some newbies to train and get orientated as well.

Comments

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya at least relaxes when it doesn't look like he's getting forcibly dragged to his trailer. He pauses before answering, considering how to describe it.]

It just aches now. It's... I don't think it was as bad as when we split. I was just more aware of it. [But it's hard to quantify soul damage when you can't see it.]

[bananaspeedrider]

Could've fooled me. It was still pretty scary seeing and hearing you like that.

[Anyway that was then, so they can put it behind them now. And focus on getting to know each other better.]

But hey...! I was just about to go check out the city, you feeling good enough to come along? If you want to that is.

[hippocarnival]

Sorry... [He doesn't regret what he had to do at all, but he can tell he worried everyone.] It surprised me too, even though they told ne it was going to hurt.

[But again, how does one quantify soul damage? The chance to get out lifts his spirits, though.] The one in the Summerlands, right? Of course! Is this your first time going to see it?

[bananaspeedrider]

Yeah! Along the way maybe I'll find someone who can tell me what these dice I found can do.

[Out of his pocket (somehow) Yugo pulls out a pair of dice respectively crafted with what must be true silver and gold, considering the fact that they almost seem to shine and hum with fae magic.

...Yes he stole them.]

[hippocarnival]

[Dice? Yuya leans in closer to look at them, raising a brow.] Huh, they're really pretty... where did you get them?

[Somewhere in Portland? He must have had them on his person when they left.] Are they not just normal dice?

[bananaspeedrider]

I.. uh.. well.

[Once a street rat, always a street rat. But Yugo's telling anyway, how honest of him.]

I might've nicked them from that count's mansion. So they're most likely magic.

[hippocarnival]

... So you stole them? From the Count of Crows? [He gives Yugo a decidedly unimpressed look.]

I don't think it's a good idea to make those fae any more angry at us than they already were. [He sighs, because there's no returning them by this point. What's done is done.]

[bananaspeedrider]

Well I like collecting dice...!

[Not an argument, but indeed oh well.]

... But anyway maybe it wouldn't be that hard to figure out if they do anything or not. I haven't tried rolling them yet.

[hippocarnival]

Let's hold off until everyone's better... just in case it's dangerous. [Knowing they come from the Count doesn't fill Yuya with a lot of confidence about throwing them around right now.]

Or maybe the fae out there can just tell us what they do?

[bananaspeedrider]

[Thank goodness for the number of people here in the carnival to be the brains for Yugo instead of himself. Nobody wants that. Keep up the good work.]

Oh right. That would still be a better idea. Wouldn't want to end up cursed or something.

[hippocarnival]

Let's ask them when we get to the city! [Because Yuya is eager to get a change of pace and air and not be stuffed up in his trailer all day.

Which means grabbing for Yugo's arm to take the lead.] I want to see these Summer Fae for myself, anyway.

[bananaspeedrider]

Yeah...!

[If Yuya's really feeling as well as he does to take the lead, then Yugo won't argue against going on their mini-adventure. Yugo being responsible? Please, never count on it.]

And after that, see what stuff there is to eat over there!

[hippocarnival]

[Despite Yuya's taking the lead, he gets winded pretty quickly--and his pace is slowing down before they even get to the gamer's circle. Is that stopping him? Not at all.]

You're already thinking of food?

[bananaspeedrider]

[A shrug.]

I'm already hungry thinking about it.

[Though speaking of food...]

When was the last time you ate? Because I bet you'll need something too.

[Because no matter the answer it'll a terrible one in Yugo's eyes, absolutely terrible.]

[hippocarnival]

I ate this morning! [With Tamaki as a roommate there is no shortage of food around the trailer.

He stumbles briefly with a big of a wheeze but dammit he is going to make it to the Summerlands.] It was only two days... I'm not starving.

[bananaspeedrider]

Hm. Yeah I've went through worse.

[Is it close enough to lunch then? Might as well be. Yugo turns back occasionally to check on how Yuya's keeping up, but once it's apparent that his counterpart is having trouble enough with this amount of exertion-

-doubles back to offer help in the only way he can think of.]

Hey, it's gonna be a long way for you to go so... Get on, they're not sharp.

[hippocarnival]

Eh? [Yuya stops as Yugo does, hunching a bit as the need to propel forward stops taking up the forefront of his mind. Is Yugo offering a piggyback ride...?

Now that he has the moment to look, Yugo's still so much taller and bigger than Yuya. He knows he's been in the carnival longer, so that's expected. But it's still a little weird when his impression of him is still that they should be almost identical.]

... Fine. [Better to hitch a ride than have to turn back because Yugo decides he can't handle it or something. So he climbs right on his counterpart's back.]

[bananaspeedrider]

[But of course, just because Yugo looks the part of being big and strong doesn't mean he doesn't take a few moments trying to get used to a new weight on his back that's practically his well-fed self from early carnival days minus these extra fae parts.]

Hah. Makes me wish I could fly like Clear Wing too...

[Perhaps he should look into it. But finally he starts off again.]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya holds on tightly as he go. He doesn't exactly hitch rides with other people like this, so when Yugo mentions Clear Wing, he's instead reminded of the way it feels to ride on Odd-Eyes during their duels. Briefly, he wonders if Odd-Eyes wishes he could fly too.

He pulls the card out of his pocket, looking at it with a small smile. It's really been a while.] How's Clear Wing doing? It feels like Odd-Eyes has been really upset since we got back...

[He can't really blame him. He did just get abandoned for a month--even if it wasn't intentional.]

[bananaspeedrider]

Blowing the whole thing off as if it was just one long break from being with me all the time. But you could probably guess as well as I can how he really feels.

[Disgruntled, no matter what his dragon insisted was the true reason. No big deal now.]

Not like we could have helped what happened so from here the only thing to do is make up for lost time, yeah?

[hippocarnival]

[They really haven't been separated from their dragons even since they were Zarc, have they? Even if Yuya didn't remember, he knows Odd-Eyes did... so he can take a pretty good guess how Clear Wing must really be feeling, losing its master like that.

He holds Odd-Eye's card closer to his chest.] That's right. We definitely won't abandon them.

[He owes his monsters some quality time once he's recovered, though.] I should take Gongenzaka up on that offer to duel...

[bananaspeedrider]

[At the thought of dueling it makes Yugo pause to try and find a reply. It's not like he can help thinking about having a hypothetical duel with his Standard counterpart, but despite how otherwise calm the dragons are and the Ringmaster's diligent watch for most dangers to the carnival...]

... Heh! If Jack Atlas is still around here, then there's no way I'm going without dueling him! One of these days real soon...!

[hippocarnival]

You'll have to wait for a place with streets before you can have a riding duel. [He points out helpfully. For a moment he considers asking Yugo if he noticed anything strange about Jack's memories, but... decides that's likely only going to be a confusing and fruitless conversation.] But don't let that stop you from challenging him! Someone has to fill the spot of Duel King in Synchro!

[And Yuya's got his own dimension to stay in.]

[bananaspeedrider]

[With memories of a certain tournament coming to mind...]

Did you end up winning the Friendship Cup? ... It got pretty close to it being between us for the semi-final duel didn't it?

[A good thing, in the end. But it still sucks to think about being so close yet not close enough to accomplishing a childhood dream.]

[hippocarnival]

Oh--yeah! [That's right, Yugo just sort of disappeared again while he was dueling Yuri. It was Yuzu's bracelet again, wasn't it? He smiles a bit fondly at the memory, even if everything surrounding it was chaotic--they'd at least succeeded in calming the city and having a great duel after all.] Yeah, I did. But I didn't stay. I went to save Yuzu, and when I finally found her... that's when we got thrown into another dimension again. I ended up in the XYZ dimension. Yuzu went straight to the Fusion dimension, right?