⇨ 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

[amusicaladventure]

"Oooh," Ash said, tail swishing as she tossed the dust, then leaned back in to look at him. "Means we'll be working together. I'm the musical accompaniment, plus special effects. I back up everyone. Real magic or stage magic?"

[prazerbutterfly]

"Make sure that spotlight is bright on me then, Miss Ash." He lifts a brow at her questioning with an amused look on his face, "I'm sorry but there is a difference? Magic is magic, is it not? Though I've never really considered what I have to be magic."

[amusicaladventure]

"Oh, there's stage magic where things are accomplished with mechanical illusion, prestidigitation, trickery, and misdirection -- and then there's the raw alteration of reality." Her claws flicked out like she was sinking them into probability and space-time itself. "And I'm guessing it's the latter, but you know what they say about assuming."

[prazerbutterfly]

"I would be the latter then. I do not have to use trickery or misdirection even if I am capable." He's a mix of both really given how his powers work but it is raw magic. "Assuming is the cause of many misfortune, Miss Ash."

He holds out his own hand as if asking for hers, "Care for a demonstration?"

[amusicaladventure]

She hesitated briefly -- then remembered she didn't have to worry any more, at least not what she had been worried about. So she offered up her hand with a bright smile. "Sure! We can trade."

[prazerbutterfly]

His gloved hand is outstretched and he'll wait patiently for her to offer her hand. He cups it gently from underneath as he traces his finger down the middle of it before he covers it with his own and traps it between both of his hands with a small squeeze.

He waits with his eyes locked with hers until she feels a flutter of something against her palm. He then lifts his top hand to reveal a black and purple butterfly that has just 'appeared' there. "Heh, how about that?"

[amusicaladventure]

Ash wondered how much of all of that -- the eye contact, the finger tracing, the squeeze -- was really necessary for the trick.

"Oh, nice!" Rather than a swooning young woman, her comment was one of a professional critiquing the work of a fellow. "Minimal display, refined, efficient. You're good."

[prazerbutterfly]

Absolutely none of it but her certain knew how to distract an individual when it came down to it.

"Thank you, my lady. I have been wondering whether I should add it in or not to my performance but perhaps not exactly like this." Maybe out of his hat or as he descends to the stage. "I take it that fanfare was your doing earlier?"

[amusicaladventure]

"If you can do it at a distance at all," Ash said, letting him complete the the though. "Total opposite of my magic, 'cuz yeah, the music is my magic. That's a part of what I do -- any music I make, it gets automatic accompaniment out of the ether. Luckily I promise I learned long ago not to casually hum or whistle or stuff!" she quickly added, lest he begin imagining his time in this trailer to be torment.

[prazerbutterfly]

"Somewhat," but that depended on the circumstances. He had to have a bit of a assistance with the Tease sometimes. He's never heard of that kind of ability before and he does hope he can have some peace and quiet occasionally but he'll never tell her to stop if she does make music. Well, that is unless he's partially needing that silence but then he can always go elsewhere.

"So if you for instance started humming something or singing a lullaby you would get an accompaniment? That's quite unique."

[amusicaladventure]

"Yep! And I can play any instrument you want and any song you can give me." She honestly sounded more bored with her ability that boastful. What was impressive about just being handled competence without effort, after all? "And if that wasn't enough, I can make actual magic through the music. Nothing like yours, because it's flashy and inefficient and utterly inelegant..."

[prazerbutterfly]

"Born or inherited?" He has to ask because now he is a little curious. He cannot help himself when it comes to information like this. It intrigues him to a point if it is rude he will still ask anyways. "In order to keep up the fairness of information, I am both born with it but did not inherit it until later in my years."

He removes his top hat finally and will set it to the side on the bed. He will need to go over a few conditions for his stay here such as needing less space but at least a drawer or two to himself with a 'no peeking' rule.

[amusicaladventure]

She took a moment to process that question, interpreting it as a curious redundancy before his explanation clued her in to his meaning. "Oh, born. Just so you know, all this?" She stretched her index finger so its claw slide out of the slit where a normal girl would have a fingernail, then lifted it to tap one of her ears. "These aren't from my time here. I'm 100% bona fide catgirl, and we're a pretty magical species. Usually that's just a predilection for witchcraft or warlock magic, but I guess I got a heftier does than most, because that's how I came out."

Which may also be a warning: what does he think will happen if he tells a cat not to peek? Curiosity is an inherent flaw, after all.

[prazerbutterfly]

"Interesting. The carnival takes more than just humans." He himself was technically an advanced human or at least started off as one at some point. He wouldn't really divulge in that information to anyone.

"Hmm, in my world everything comes from humans in one way or another. Not exactly magic. More genetic." He gestures to the bunk beds, "I'll take the bottom bed if you are more of a cat than human. High perches seem to be a cat's thing."

[amusicaladventure]

"Oh yeah, we got a crazy crowd here. Humans were the base from which catpeople were created though, so it's not all that different."

She followed his gesture to the beds, then turned a sidelong smile on him. "That works for me, though let me know if you ever want to share sometime."

[prazerbutterfly]

"So I've noticed. The more I look the more I find and not just what this carnival has done. I have only been here a day or so and I have seen more than I thought I would."

His brow lifts faintly with a chuckle, "Forgive me. I am not use to women being so bold. Not that I am complaining."

[amusicaladventure]

"Oh nooooo," Ash said, on the verge of giggles. "You're from a more restrained time and place, huh? I'm going to scandalize you terribly, I'm afraid. Right now I'm being sedate."

[prazerbutterfly]

He laughs a little at that as he knows just how scandalous this can be and he's rather amused she's aware of it to. "Sedate? Oh my. Well, what happens behind closed doors is never repeated with care."

She could walk around in her underwear and he wouldn't care. He'd simply admire if she didn't care either. Woman married young in his world and though he was 26 he was one of the most sought out bachelors.

[amusicaladventure]

Hey, hey. If she walked around in her underwear she would like him to care. "Oh, good. Not too repressed then. I was almost worried for a second there." Though after a second, she laughed into a hand. "And I'm so glad you're not, like, sixteen or something. There seem to a whole lot of people right in that age range here..."

[prazerbutterfly]

Oh, he's definitely going to look as nonchalantly as he can. He's not a large prude like Allen is but he does admire the female form when he wants to. It'll be rather lovely eye candy. "So I've noticed. There are a lot more young adults here than I thought there would be given it is a carnival and not a circus. I suppose there is some difference but not much."

He's stripping himself of his coat and setting it aside as he places his top hat on top of it and will lean back into the bed to test it out with his head hitting that pillow in a content fashion. Not bad but not as good as home.

[amusicaladventure]

With his coat off, Ash certainly wasn't above checking him out again, now that she could get a better impression of what was under it. "I think we could get a coat rack," she mused, checking the space by the door. "So far it's generally been pretty nice here -- I mean, beyond just the Summerlands, so I haven't thought about it..."

[prazerbutterfly]

Coat off he only had his white crisp shirt underneath and he was peeling off his gloves as well to set them inside of his hat. He was getting comfortable if only to push that realization that this was real and not one of Road's dreams. "I would appreciate that, m'lady. I only need this bed, a closet for my clothes and perhaps a little space to set some other things on. You can have everything else."

"You were not involved in this.. Portland?"

[amusicaladventure]

Uuugh, drag the mood down, man -- and it shows, the way not only her shoulders, but her ears and tail droop. Catpeople tend to have their emotions written larger than humans, thanks to their expressive appendages.

"Weather experienced by alternate reality versions of me doesn't count," she said flatly, as she moved away from the door to the kitchen area. Bumping the water on with the back of her hand, she stuck her hands under the stream to start washing them. "Actually, we've been to a couple of places that were basically simulations, so I'm not sure those count either."

[prazerbutterfly]

He's taking note of everything about her from the way she moves to the way she talks. When he notices those drooping ears he will put on one of his best smiles as if to alleviate the situation. It's just that he enjoyed information quite a bit and given how he wanted to adapt quickly he wasn't afraid to ask questions that shouldn't be asked.

"I suppose you are right. Yet with the way it was cold and windy when I left home to suddenly this I would not doubt if suddenly there was snow."

[amusicaladventure]

She was no real challenge to read; she tended towards animation and energy. Not TOO much so -- given her height, she couldn't flail around too much without causing a lot of havoc, but still.

"Well, I could be wrong. Honestly we could end up heading to a new place that's all ice and snow for our next venue, but here in the Summerlands it's, you know. Summer."