⇨ 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

summer city

[atouts]

[ Bright, clear day, a beautiful meadow, a colorful city, and then one very black crow to mar the general beauty of the gate Yuya just wandered through. He'll get a few minutes of enjoying the scenery before the bird makes a sound and interrupts. A caw rather than an entire racket of them, possibly a second one if the first wasn't loud enough, that's all.

Considering the Summerlands and its preference for bright, wildly colored wildlife, this one seems a little out of place. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Childermass does stick out like a sore thumb, it's true. Yuya doesn't think much of it at first, until he actually looks at the bird. And then squints, scrutinizing it.

He holds his hand out, arm diagonal to give him a spot to land on if he comes closer.]

[atouts]

[ Hard not to, even without being a damn crow. Winter Court decided to stick a little to his soul and he does not appreciate that. However, he also doesn't appreciate the offered arm. He puffs up his feathers briefly but does take off from his perch on the gate. Only he won't be landing on Yuya's arm. The idea is just... odd when he's still thinking of himself as a man, not a bird.

So he lands in the grass nearby instead and makes a few scolding sounds at Yuya for it, even if that is a little unfair. ]

[hippocarnival]

What? [Yuya makes a face right back at him. Allen sure didn't mind Disney Princessing it up with Yuya back in Portland, how was he supposed to know it was offensive.

He leans over, elbow propped on his knee and chin propped on his hand.] Does this mean you're doing better? You were in pretty bad shape before.

[Yuya is absolutely just assuming this is Childermass on the basis of having seen Childermass transform before. He will feel very stupid if it's not.]

[atouts]

[ Then Yuya's in luck, since the crow will prove to be Childermass within the next ten seconds or so. First, he'll tilt his head one way, then another, and then it'll be the Englishman seated where the bird had been just before. It's exactly like in Portland, the transformation seemingly instant. ]

I'm well enough. [ Still a little tired and worn-looking around the edges, but not enough to be bed-bound. ] So long as I don't try to fly the entire span of the Summerlands in one outing, anyway.

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya blinks rapidly. They're about in the same state, then. But the confirmation it's Childermass and he's coherent brings a smile to Yuya's face.]

That's good! I was really worried when we found you. [A pause.] What's it like turning into a bird, anyway?

[If he's still doing it, there's gotta be some benefit.]

[atouts]

Hmm, yes, I was a little worried, too.

[ That no one would show up and get him the hell out of there, but they pulled through in the end. Of course, he was also unconscious for most of it, so there's that, too. That question, though, has him frown briefly, but only as he looks away from Yuya and up at the sky instead.

Thinking, just for a moment.

What's it like? ]

It's... like being a person, just smaller. [ And he looks down again, back over at Yuya. ] Which isn't a very good description, I know, but there's nothing very special about it. You just get small and can fly. I suppose everything looks a little stranger than usual, as well.

[hippocarnival]

And you don't have arms anymore. [In Yuya's mind, this should probably be very weird. What do you even do when you don't have opposable thumbs?!] That's still pretty cool, though.

[atouts]

Not necessarily. [ He holds up his current arm, which sports black feathers along the forearm regardless of form. ] A wing is basically an arm. I just change its shape. Though I suppose it is... cool.

[ Which is a really weird word to use in place of 'interesting', hence the pause before actually agreeing. ]

Even if I hadn't expected to keep the spell. [ That all said, he lowers his arm again. ] That was something the other me could do. It should have faded with the rest of him.

[hippocarnival]

[Welcome to the world of modern, fae-translated lingo Childermass.

'other me', however, gets Yuya to perk up slightly.] You mean in Portland? So you couldn't do that before?

[He rolls his eyes up to the sky as he thinks about that.] I still remember the spell I learned in Portland, too. I guess there's no reason it shouldn't still work if you know how to do it.

[atouts]

[ Modern lingo is weird and he should probably avoid it altogether, really. ]

No, I couldn't. [ But moving on to magic is always a good way to keep his attention, even if it does mean discussing Portland at a little more length. ] Knowing how to that, it just stuck, so I'm not surprised that may be true for others.

[ Including Yuya, apparently. ]

What's yours? The one where you move objects?

[hippocarnival]

Nah. [He's a little disappointed about that. Telekinesis was awesome and honestly handy.] I learned a spell there that blocks fae and their magic from entering places. We were using it against the Rose Queen's flowers to protect the Santuary and other parts of the city.

[atouts]

Did you? Well, that sounds very useful. [ And he actually sounds genuine in saying as much, as opposed to his usual dryness. ] I wonder if there's a way to see if it still works without offending our current hosts.

[hippocarnival]

That's a good question. I don't think the Ringmaster would like us trying to block her from anywhere in the carnival, either. [When she, uh, comes back.] I could tell when it worked, so maybe we can just block a fae that we don't want around?

[Like, any of the Portland fae.]

[atouts]

You can specify a target? Well. I can think of a few I might want to be kept out, but why don't we start small? To be sure it still works the way you think it does.

[ Because he's just thought of a different option, one that can't possibly take offense. ]

You can try warding something against my own magic. It should fall under being faerie enough.

[hippocarnival]

You think so? [Well, it's worth a shot. Yuya slowly gets to his feet, stretching.] Now we just need a doorway to ward. Like a trailer, or...

[He glances back to the gateway that connects the carnival to the Summerlands.]

[atouts]

Or that. [ Childermass finishes, looking back the same way that Yuya is. ] Though... you are able to undo the spell, right?

[ It would suck to be trapped outside the carnival, a lot. ]

[hippocarnival]

... Maybe we should use my trailer. [Just in case.] We didn't try to undo it, but I think if I invite you or your magic back in, it stops keeping you out. It's kind of like marking territory.

[atouts]

What? Like a vampire? [ Which he thankfully has never been, in spite of how he dresses. Still, something about that seems to make him grimly amused in tone. ] Very well, then. Your trailer it is.

[ And he'll get to his feet now that that's been decided. No wings this time. He can walk. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya turns on his heels. He just went through all that effort to get out here, but he can just return later. He'll just walk slowly this time, spare his energy.]

Something like that. It's like saying 'this is mine and you're not allowed here'! But if I let you back in, that means you are allowed.

[atouts]

Ah, I see.

[ Then it probably really is reversible, which is the most important part. When Yuya starts off, Childermass follows along after, going slow to keep pace with him. Although, seeing that it might be difficult for him, well... ]

Once we pass back into the carnival, I should be able to take us straight to the trailers. Provided you don't mind traveling through the shadows, of course.

[hippocarnival]

If you warn me ahead of time, it's fine. [It felt weird, but it didn't hurt. And it probably would be faster than two injured people walking.]

[atouts]

That I can do.

[ Which will be simple enough, seeing as he'll have to offer Yuya a hand once they finally do pass through the gates and back into the carnival proper. One realm into another, so to speak. Once they do pass through, it's just a few more steps until they walk into the shadow being cast by the admission booth before he does just that, holding out a hand to Yuya. ]

We can go from here.

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya takes his hand with a nod.] I'm in trailer fourteen.

[He assumes Childermass knows exactly how to navigate as a shadow, because to Yuya it was all just a blur of movement.]

[atouts]

[ He knows well enough, though in this case, going through the shadows is much different than before. There's no rush of motion, just black, like stepping into a dark room and then immediately back out again. The two spells held similarities, but in the end, worked somewhat differently.

Regardless, it's only seconds and they're stepping out of the shadow of trailer twelve rather than fourteen, which gives Childermass a moment of pause as he stops and looks around. ]

Hm. Close enough, I suppose.