⇨ 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 nods absently.] Yeah, but I just want to get a little closer. It's pretty cool, right?

[Yuya, frankly, is glad for this impromptu air balloon trip. It's some well deserved fun.

Too bad the large tree they're drifting a little closer to has other plans.]

[whattaprick]

They usually hide themselves better. [ Lambert can agree with that, at least.

He sees the tree coming up all right, and he reaches up absently to adjust the flow of air and the direction they're going in to avoid it --

And then the tree abruptly stretches, in a way that no tree ever should, to grab the basket out of the air, the same way a child might grab for a pillow in its sleep. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya wouldn't know, unicorns definitely don't exist in Maiami. But before he can follow up he feels the basket jerk as it's grabbed and stumbles, falling over into the basket with a holler.] W-What's going on?!

[That tree forcefully dragging the basket into its branches is what's going on.]

[whattaprick]

I don't know, hold on!

[ The consequences of bad decisions, that's what. Lambert reaches a hand out to grab but has to yank his fingers off the edge of the basket a heartbeat later, as the branches wrapping around them tighter. The canvas of the balloon gets torn off as they dip down, with a sickening feeling of vertigo in their stomachs, and Lambert summons a shield more out of instinct than any real idea whether it's going to protect them or not, pulling Yuya to him.

The branches curl around them like a hand squeezing around a ball in its grip, the wood creaking and groaning cacophonously until ... suddenly, it's quiet. Lambert doesn't quite trust it, so he keeps the shield up for a few more seconds before lifting his head, warily. The branches are wrapped tight, but not so tight there isn't space between them to let the light through and see exactly the nature of the predicament they're in. ]

[hippocarnival]

[He doesn't have to tell Yuya twice, he's not looking to tumble out of a basket at elevation today. When Lambert pulls him closer his grip just shifts to grab hold of him instead, his gaze jerking around rapidly as he watches the branches enclose around them.

As the silence draws on his shoulders slowly lose their tension.] Uh...

[He leans forward, trying to peer out between the branches from a secure distance.] We're in a tree. [Obviously.]

[whattaprick]

No shit. [ Lambert says, reluctantly letting Yuya go. ] Stand back, I'll try to burn us out of here.

[ He's already raising a hand. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya tumbles forward a bit, but with that release he's able to peer through the branches and see just how high up they are.

Which is very high.] W-what?! Wait! We're hundreds of feet in the air and you're going to burn the tree that we're stuck in?!

[Okay, hundreds is an exaggeration. He turns around and waves his hands quickly.] Let's just call for help!

[whattaprick]

There is no way we're hundreds of feet in the air. [ Lambert just gives Yuya a look as he speaks, flatly. ]

And I never said anything about burning the whole thing.

[ He gestures at part of the branches surrounding them ... and thus this radio post ends up happening. ]

1/2

[hippocarnival]

Well it's definitely too high to be a safe fall. [He's already pulling out his radio, because fire and tree and heights do not mix well in his book. How are they supposed to climb down faster than the flames?]

[hippocarnival]

[And of course, after everyone has had their commentary about their predicament and a rescue party is on their way, Yuya and Lambert are left to wait. Yuya keeps his radio on just in case anyone still tries to reach them, but most of the talk has died down.

He's now sitting in the basket with his back against the edge, chin propped in his hand.] It was fun while it lasted...

[They are probably getting banned from the balloon ride, though.]

[whattaprick]

[ That's when you steal the balloon and ride it anyway, Yuya! Still, even Lambert would admit that might be pushing their luck. He's lying on his back on the bench, but since his legs are too long, he's got them propped up on the edge of the basket, just a few inches over from a now-immobile branch. ]

That's what you get for chasing after unicorns. [ Does he still think burning their way out is still an option? Absolutely. But he'll sit on that for now until it looks like the others won't be arriving... ]

[hippocarnival]

You didn't argue. [In fact, he flew the balloon for them! He's definitely not taking the entire blame for this.

There's no point in arguing about the way the balloon ride went south, though. So Yuya changes the topci to what he hopes is a more agreeable discussion.]

Have you seen John--er, Childermass since we got back?

[whattaprick]

[ Yuya couldn't possibly have chosen a topic less likely to help Lambert relax, because the name alone is enough to make him scowl. ]

Yeah. Why?

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya shrugs.] Just wondering. You were both hurt really badly getting out of that ritual.

[The bloody, nearly dead kind of hurt really badly. He sure remembers how he felt seeing his best friend in that state.]

[whattaprick]

[ Lambert looks up at the canopy of branches above them, frowning. ]

We'll live. [ Well, Yuya didn't see what he did to himself to recover after, so it's not technically lying. It was touch and go there for a bit, but why bother bringing it up? He survived, and that's what's important. ]

Could ask the same thing about you. That sounded pretty painful. [ He doesn't remember much about the ritual, but he does remember there was screaming. ]

[hippocarnival]

Uh, well... it was. [There's no hiding that.] But I wasn't dying. [Probably? It's not like he's had a soul doctor to talk to.] You almost did.

[He slides down against the basket with a frown. When he thinks about it, the feeling of their bloody, barely breathing chests is still too fresh in his mind.] He's important to you, right?

[whattaprick]

No witcher's ever died in his bed. [ Lambert shrugs. ] Not that I've got a deathwish-- [ Whatever the present situation might indicate to the contrary. ] --but it just comes with the territory.

[ Never mind that he wasn't exactly in his right mind while all that was happening, either... either way, the brush with death doesn't seem to bother him as Yuya's next question, which makes him roll his eyes and fold his arms behind his head. ]

I like annoying him. Does that count?

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya gives Lambert a scrutinizing look, but it's more for his blase comments on dying than the one about Childermass. He's probably not going to get anywhere debating death with the Nightrider.]

I mean, you're friends, right? [Friends can definitely tease each other, but he's pretty sure you have to be close to nearly die to save them. Yuya's not judging that, though--he's not in any position to.] I assumed you were pretty close. At least... there.

[Portland Yuya had been more isolated. He can't imagine believing he was friends with someone and then stopping, suddenly, when their memories returned.]

[whattaprick]

[ For some reason, those words just make Lambert scowl harder. ]

That wasn't really us. Strange is the closest thing to a friend I have here, and I spent most of that month wanting to punch him.

[ Or actually punching him. But Childermass doesn't really seem like the type of person who does close, and neither is Lambert. If there's any clearer proof of that, it's obvious in the way the magician's made himself scarce rather than seeking him out -- Lambert's not an idiot. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya blinks rapidly at that. He sits up straighter, looking at Lambert with more innocent confusion than judgement.]

But... we were really there for some of it. At least from when we started remembering. I forgot my best friend too, and made new ones. But even if it was while we couldn't remember ourselves, I still think that friendship was real.

[He can't imagine them going through the things they did and then just... not caring as much. About Strange, or Rita, or Tamaki. His identity was a little weird, but the most recent memories were absolutely his.]

[whattaprick]

Yeah? Well, this might be a difficult concept to wrap your head around, but not everyone thinks like you.

[ Lambert's tone is sharp and bitter, cynical in a way his Portland self could never quite touch. He's tired, he's stuck in a tree waiting to be rescued instead of rescuing his own goddamn self, and now he has to listen to this on top of it all. ]

Just drop it, all right?

[hippocarnival]

[That, at least, does get Yuya to quickly drop it. His shoulders raise and his eyes dart around to any place besides Lambert as he mumbles an apology.] Sorry.

[He fiddles absently with the volume of the radio, but it's still silent. Yuya goes silent, too.]

[whattaprick]

[ If Yuya was expecting an apology in kind, he can stop waiting: he's not going to get one out of Lambert anytime soon, possibly ever. The Nightrider's expression remains stormy, but its his tail that betrays his ill mood most of all, slapping against the bottom of the basket and making it shudder underfoot. Luckily, at least, the tree isn't reacting to it.

After a few minutes, though, he'll break the silence, and though his voice is still taut with anger at least it's also more even. ]

Who healed me, back then? [ He knows what injuries generally feel like, and something that severe shouldn't have let him return to consciousness so quickly, much less summon the energy to punch someone hard enough to knock them out. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya doesn't expect any apology, but he also doesn't meet Lambert's eyes again. The tail-slapping anger makes it very clear the level of shame he's supposed to be feeling for prodding Lambert, however accidentally.]

It was Steven. [Steven... he hopes he's doing all right. Poor kid probably went through as much trouble, being the Summer Court's catalyst (Yuya definitely still thinks he's younger).]

[whattaprick]

[ The funny thing is that Lambert isn't usually used to anyone feeling shame about the way they treat him, ever. It makes the anger just feel petty and unjustified, and while Lambert's not typically one to care about that either, it will at least keep him from working himself up to saying anything else sharp and cruel.

Mentioning Steven makes him look puzzled for a moment, but then he shrugs, just ... accepting that fact. He doesn't want to know if Steven actually spit on him or not to revive him; the outcome was the same anyway, so why dwell on the details? Though there is one he wants to ask about: ]

The weapon that ran you and Peridot through -- what was that? Did it come with us? [ Because seriously, what the hell was that. Lambert still isn't entirely hip to how the ritual got screwed up there. ]