lostcarnival | ⇨ THE SUMMERLANDS

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⇨ THE SUMMERLANDS

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.

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[Job: success. If she has any issues with the title and her gem type being omitted, there's no sign of it. It's just easier to be 'Blue' for now instead of 'Blue Diamond'. The authority she should have.. was stalled for at least another eleven months.

It still feels nice to know she'd guessed rightly on what might be nice. She thought it was all nice!]

I'm glad to hear it. I'll know a little better what to keep watch for.

[Fancy things. Luxurious things. Blue the demon had understood it well enough and she remembered .. a little of it. Dressing nice was important. Looking good was impressive.]

I wonder if I might impose upon you a little with this particular piece of cloth? Gems don't ordinarily bother to wear clothing but I don't think I could easily replicate this texture..

[The cloth in question, a particularly luxurious thing with the feel of velvet but sheen of satin. Leave it to fae.]

Hmm? [Carly blinks, looking over the sheet in question, and back to Blue herself. She did mention shapeshifting before, but...] Hmmmmn, and if you did, that would probably take some kind if focus huh... Like always flexing...

[it's the best analogy she can come up with at least. She brightens.] Well, in that case..! It's not imposing at all! I take it you need a fitting and design session then? [When it comes to personal wear at least, the design is at least a little more in the hands of the client, really.]

[It helped to know what you wanted to look like afterward. She ... didn't.]

A change of ... mm, outfit you could say, would not require much concentration, but it does require knowing precisely where you want to end up.

[And she doesn't. Blue isn't familiar with fashion, it didn't exist on Homeworld, and what would and would not look good eluded her. Some things she could guess at, after observing others, but it would in the end be just guesses.

It was on the other hand apparently Carly's area of expertise. If Blue were to bring this sort of thing home, would they require an entirely new gem to be created for managing it?]

... Yes? [And there's a touch of uncertainty.] I am unfamiliar with the process.

Ohhh...that's a good point, [she murmurs, appearing to give things still more thought. At the end of it all however, she beams, apparently excited.] Well...you're in good hands! And we have the time too! ....Well, I do at least...

Obviously, I don't know your schedule...and the point would be to work with yours! So, when you have a few hours, that would be best!

[That draws pause too.

She did have plenty to do with most of treasury and supply having taken their leave at the same time, but was it anything she couldn't put off for a while? Blue considers, then shakes her head slightly.]

I have time now. While there are things to do they are none of them particularly pressing. But this .. clothing, takes hours to plan out?

[Boy Blue has no idea what sort of work goes into a wardrobe.]

Good! And-

[Hooboy.] Oh definitely..!! We're starting from scratch-first I need to know the exact measurements, then I need to figure out what would be comfortable for you to wear, and what you would like best for a look to wear...so there's lots of drawing different ideas, and then from there I have to cut everything, pin it in place to make sure it's still sized properly, then go through with the sewing machine...

[It is...Quite a list.]

.. I see.

[That IS quite a lot more than she'd thought.]

Inputting information into a machine would be .. far simpler..

[But they didn't have one here did they? Which means doing everything manually and, she supposed, a lot of staying still.]

What do I need to do?

Hauuuuuh....if it could just go into a machine, that would be so cool...

Ah!! But, it'll be alright, trust me~! First off, we need to get some space made... And we need to put this away too, [she adds, referring to the fabric,] We can't do a fitting if your arms are full!!

Ah... [On that note.] I need to ask though, if you would want to shapeshift what you're wearing away when you wear the fabric things, or not...

[Time to begin looking around for a clean bit of space to put all the cloth then. As soon as she finds a likely looking spot, the armload is carefully set down, as if it's all more fragile than it really is.]

I could, though it's almost less what I'm wearing and more .. what I am.

[She's going to have to take a few minutes and decide what she wants to look like. Humanlike would probably be easiest for Carly.. at least she had a little to make that decision.]

I am told that given how long I've been here, changes should begin soon, beyond these..

[Without the armful of cloth, the short diamond claws are easier to see, flexed slightly. She can't retract them and the tips were going to have to come off sooner or later.]

Will that interfere with any of this designing?

If that's what you are, and what you'd rather feel like being when you're wearing something else, it's fine to stick with that..! The important thing is that you feel alright while you're wearing this outfit! [In her opinion, it's quite the bonus that Blue can 'adjust to suit' if she DOES feel something might be off.

That said.] Not a problem at all~ A lot of the work here is because everyone needs new clothes at some point. So in other words, we have to make it suit the changes~

I .. do not know if I will feel alright while wearing something ... else.

[The notion is baffling if she dwells on it too long, but there was only one way to find out and it's how things are done here! Blue considers her appearance for a long moment before there's a rapid creep of light from where her feet presumably are upward, the floor-length 'dress' she usually wears dissolving and replaced by what looks rather like a bodysuit in similar colors.]

But there is I suppose only one way to find out. And if it is .. too strange for me, then it seems I am large enough where resizing for someone else should be a simple matter..?

Hmmm. It should be okay to re-size...or depending on the design, even re-piece into something better fit over how you are now! [And hoo! Bodysuit time!]

But it's like you said! There's only one way to find out! So let's begin!

[That's good. Waste would be bad. Surely all other reasonably advanced worlds are also strapped for resources. With luck clothing wouldn't be that strange, and she did like the texture of most of what she'd brought to begin with.]

Very well. What do you need me to do?

[Beyond not wearing a 'dress' of her own making.]

For now, you just need to stand! Spread out your arms, so that I can measure across... [She adds, floating upward as her wings spread out a bit. Evidently they...don't actually need to flap. Go figure.

It's measuring time!]

[The lack of flapping seems reasonable to Blue, who is far more used to not-birds than birds or bats or any of their kin.

As bidden, she spreads her arms. It's a good thing Carly CAN fly, Blue's not small.]

[Getting the arms...getting various lengths down the body....Carly doesn't ask much of the other, zipping around as she goes, and occasionally jotting a few numbers down. Occasionally, she does ask if Blue can hold one end of the It's pretty easy so...] Right, right...

...Okay~ We're done for that part!

[So far Blue is a compliant gem. Hold a thing? She'll hold it. Move this way or that? That's fine too.

It seems a simple enough process. The difficult parts must be later.]

If I may ask, if you are not too occupied with .. numbers and so on. How does ... 'money' work?

[That's out of left field.]

Eh? Money? [She repeats, blinking.] ...Do you not have currency where you're from?

I .. do not think so. Gem society does not require it.

[And as one of three grand poobahs, even if there was currency Blue would have no need of it.]

There are some items that require it, apparently, and I would so like to acquire them for the carnival.

[A touch of enthusiasm creeps in, new things are interesting things!]

A silver sword among them! It's difficult to think such a soft metal could be a weapon, and yet it is so.

Hehhhhh....wow....

...Well... I guess the easiest way to put it is it's a way of making trade more easily recordable? So....someone who works in one job making clothes gets paid a certain amount of money. In turn, they can use that money, in a particular amount, to pay for....that sword, for example! And that pay would then cover for the use of materials, and the skill needed for the blacksmith to have made that sword!

Basically, since not everyone needs to trade their goods, or has more than a skill, you use money to represent it and keep everyone cycling through what they need~

[This is the Very Nice way of explaining money. Very nice.]

Mnnnn...silver though... ...maybe it would be better to have a sword covered with silver? It's a metal that lots of supernatural things are weak to, so I can see why someone would want it...

[Blue's expression is suspiciously blank, with just the barest peeks of confusion noticeable. Why didn't those who had a useful skill simply give what was needed? Good overseers would make sure each individual had their needs seen to, the addition of 'money' and trade of all things seemed a needless complication.

Maybe that's just how organics did things. With tiny lifespans, selfishness might be required simply to keep going as a species.]

That seems ... terribly inelegant.

[But even the fae did it, and in order to fetch a certain weapon she'd have to figure it out in detail very quickly.]

Apparently faerie craftsmen are able to forge a weapon of silver that has none of the weaknesses of that material. One of the Nightrunners .. riders? Had requested one in the defense of the Carnival.

[Which means Carnival funds!]

Ahe...w-well, if there was a better alternative I suppose we'd do that instead but...

[Best to change the subject she figures. A sword of silver that the faerie craft...]

Ooooh! Faerie Silver? Cool!! [Oh, but-] If that's something for the Carnival, you should be able to use our funds... ...though, I don't know how much the ones here would charge in the first place. Some of them just really like what they do....

There are always better alternatives. Whether they are acceptable to a human populace is another thing entirely.

[She sounds so certain. This trading of 'money' and such was not a particularly refined system, gems did it MUCH better, but perhaps that too was a flaw of humanity.

It can't be helped.]

I .. believe the craftsman in question was interested in a trade of like value. If it is so that the Carnival would pay for such a thing, perhaps it would be a good idea to acquire several?

[Weapons against vampires! Which thanks to certain conversations, Blue is pretty sure are a constant clear and present danger to anyone with blood.]

I mean, I'd be willing to hear it out.. [So who knows what would be what. That said.]

Equal value seems pretty standard... ...Ooh~ Maybe he likes outfits~! I could make him something unique? Craft for craft seems nice...

...Getting a number of weapons could be good, but we need to be careful about it though. Not all of the things we run into are the same between worlds...the vampires from Portland weren't really anything like the vampires we had to fight, after all. Those ones were sort of like demons...

[Outfits might work.. but then it wouldn't be the Carnival doing the trade, it'd be Carly. Blue considers this, absently flexing the fingers on one hand.]

Unless such things already exist and are considered to be used as trade and not for the duties of the carnival, I do not think it would be ... appropriate to ask you do to further work to keep the night riders furnished with weapons.

[It's pretty clear to Blue that Carly is already VERY busy.]

Though a variety of foes less requires more caution and more requires a wider arsenal. If one weapon does not work, having others available to try is paramount.

[She sighs, and shakes her head.]

Warfare is rarely in my purview. Were that Yellow was here, she could straighten all of this out quickly I am certain.

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insidescoop - 2017-09-16 18:12 (UTC) - Expand

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