⇨ 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

[manycharms]

She can tell he isn't comfortable with this line of questioning, though he simply shrugs in response to her. She shouldn't have brought it up, but just as she always did she spoke before thinking through everything she was saying. Her own alternate life hadn't been anything terrible, just different and strange. Still, she knew that wasn't the case for a lot of others. She thinks of Rita and the challenges she'd faced. Now she could add Tamaki to the list of people who'd been hurt.

It makes her angry. She was supposedly a hero, and yet when people had actually needed help she hadn't done anything. She knew it wasn't her fault, her familiar had reassured her of that much, but still it frustrated her. The Ringmaster had promised her she'd return home safe and sound in a year's time, but now she wondered just how much the Ringmaster could really do to keep them safe.

"You're Tamaki, right?" She still didn't quite remember everyone's names, but she thought she'd heard his before. For some reason it felt easier to remember the names of people closer to her own age, maybe because they seemed easier to talk to.

"I'm glad everything turned out alright."

[puddingemote]

He nods, trying to remember her name. He knows they've spoken before, on the radio and briefly as they went about their daily lives before Portland. Marinette, wasn't it? Marinette, Marinette...

"Thanks." He can appreciate that much too, at least. He's alive again, he's in one piece. That other him's anger has mostly left him now that he can't remember everything anymore. It really does feel like memories from an entirely different person, what things he does remember, but his feelings aren't the same as that Tamaki. It's good and bad, in some ways.

"You're... Mari-chan?"

[manycharms]

She nods back, smiling, now she remembered where she'd heard his voice before. He was telling her how to avoid her bad luck. It hadn't been too helpful, but at least he tried. That probably counted for something.

"You told me to find someone with good reflexes to hang out with." That felt like ages ago now, and it really was. She'd had an entire fake life between then and now and Tamaki had a death. How long was he a ghost for anyway? She's curious, she can't help it. She wants to ask him more about it, but pushing someone to talk was never really a good idea. She forces herself to leave the questions behind.

"Though maybe being intangible would be more helpful."

Though, even then she's sure she'd wreck something important.

[puddingemote]

He gives a little laugh, shaking his head. He remembers this conversation now.

"Mm, even if you wouldn't knock stuff over, it's not really worth it. You're... apart. From everything."

He waves a hand around as though to indicate the scope. As a ghost, it wasn't just a physical disconnect; the fact that many people couldn't even see or hear him led to a social, and so emotional, disconnect too. He just wasn't part of the world anymore, at least not the living one. Even for the people that could see and hear him, there was always the specter hanging over him that reminded them he wasn't part of their reality anymore.

"I couldn't feel the wind anymore, even. It's weird, not feeling."