⇨ 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

[pipers_son]

Then that's settled. For now, it's settled, and he doesn't want to deal with it any further- not when his mind is still a little fractured and bubbling with all sorts of things that he doesn't know how to deal with. Maybe later they can have more of a talk about it, but.... not now.

So he pats her on the back a moment before trying to turn her around and guide her in the direction of the trailer. "C'mon.... Ya can have a nap. I'll go look around the carnival and see if anythin' is changed."

[steadydollypegs]

Doll is extremely malleable, and she turns when Joker moves her and walks when he walks. Normally she'd want to go with him to make sure everything's alright, make sure all of her friends made it back, but she can't do it right now. Not with Joker, and she can't stand another piece of terrible news.

"Yeah alright," she mumbles. She lets Joker guide her to their trailer and Doll goes up the steps before breaking what was probably a very uncomfortable silence for both of them. But she has to say it because it feels too important to assume.

"Joker... y'know I only did this 'cause I love you, right?" It wasn't because she thought it would be fun, or she needed something familiar, or even because she didn't want to stay dead (though that had factored in heavily, of course). "Not 'cause of some... other reason. Jus' that."

[pipers_son]

The walk back to their trailer seems quiet even though Joker knows it isn't. Throughout the entire carnival, people are moving around, calling out to each other, getting their bearings again. Yet it's all so distant to his ears as he just tries his best to get his family back to what, for the time being, is their little home. So lost in that silence, Joker almost misses what Doll says when they get to the steps of the trailer.

But when he takes it in... Sighing, Joker steps closer and wraps his arm around her again. "I know," he says quietly. "S'why I do what I do, Doll. S'always been the reason why."

His family is his reason for living, his reason for eschewing morals that would make normal people wretch. No one will ever look out for him or his family. This is a truth that he's known since he was a child, when they curled up together in alleys and their feet were dirtied by the gutters. So he's had to do it all his own... And he'll keep doing it, even now. Nothing else matters.

[steadydollypegs]

Doll swallows the lump in her throat and nods, wrapping her own arms around Joker too. Alright, as long as he knows, that's enough for now. She doesn't need him to come to her side of things, as long as he knows she cares that makes her feel a little better.

"Me too," she says, giving Joker another little squeeze before letting him go. "I'll stay here 'till ya get back."

[pipers_son]

"Thatta girl." Leaning down, he presses a kiss onto her head. "Just give a yell if ya need anythin', alright? I'll have the radio on me, so I'll be here in a heartbeat." He'll be run ragged, probably...

...But he'll be here.