⇨ GREYSOL

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 155 - Day 169
Where: Greysol
What: The carnival resumes its tour, this time heading to Greysol, a city tied deeply into the fabric of the multiverse. Here, everyone has an animal companion from birth that is the second half of their soul - and thanks to the Ringmaster, so do you. (Remember, joysweeper is our guest event runner for this location, and location specific questions should go to them.)
Warnings: Individually marked!

THE CITY OF GREYSOL↴ The carnival arrives in a manicured park in the center of a big city that sprawls out along where the river reaches the ocean. It’s spring, early enough that nights are chilly, warm enough in the days that people and their souls savor the weather, and sometimes shelter together from the rain. Greysol was designed from the bottom up to accommodate the human-dæmon bond. Go out and see! ► THE SHAPE OF YOUR SOUL: The dæmon-forming spell kicks in at about four in the morning. Most characters will wake up with their souls in some small form, curled against them. Even if they were awake, they became dazed and unfocused while their souls were being drawn out of their bodies and have little memory of how it happened. Until that evening every character's dæmon is able to change shapes, and children and some teens will continue to do so. Most will settle on their permanent forms by evening. Characters without dæmons will just look on, and the few who are thousand-pound bears have to handle being really big. ► IT’S GOOD TO SETTLE: Elaine Tavis Aracari, sixteen-year-old daughter of two actors and a moving pictures sensation herself, just ‘settled’ - her dæmon Tavis stopped changing shape - as a stunning blue peacock. Settling is a major coming of age milestone and celebrated as such in different ways all over the world. She and her family are throwing a massive party in the central park and inviting the public to join in! Enjoy easy access to free catering, live music and showings of moving pictures, and displays of mostly trivial magic. There are also form readers from across the country setting up booths, happy to accept a small fee to inspect your dæmon’s settled or most favored forms and tell you what they mean. Is there anything to these analyses? Eh, maybe, but they’re flattering and fun. ► WITCHING HOURS: Characters who are clearly witches for this event will often be assumed to be in town for a lover, and people, witches and not, may want to know who that is. Humans usually regard them with wary respect and interest. Real witches living with their human families or on business quickly suspect that something’s up, but without clear and present danger take a relaxed wait-and-see attitude. Wait for long enough and any possible decision will come around again, they believe. There isn’t time to learn much witch magic, but witches, real and carnival-made, have an inherent power: the ability to fly using branches of “cloudpine”, an attractive soft-needled tree common in the park. Witches usually ride large branches as if they’re steeds but can use even short sprays, and you’ll probably see the few witches in the city coming to the park to do so. Why not try? ► BEAR PUN: Human-panserbjørn relations have historically been troubled, but have warmed in the past century. It’s the 65th anniversary of the breaking of the Siege of Bertin, a much-mythologized time when Spectres flooded Greysol and a company of panserbjørn arrived and directed efforts to get the survivors out of the city. A statue is being erected and many florid accounts of the story are being told. If you’re in a panserbjørn shape for the duration of the visit you will probably get thanked and celebrated by people trying to hide their nervousness of you. Expect someone to ask if your dæmon would be a human - it’s a common supposition. ► KERNER ISLAND: From the harbor you can see a wooded island. Although there are no rocks to speak of it sports a tall lighthouse, and nearly all boat traffic avoids it carefully. On a clear day someone with binoculars or a particularly sharp-eyed soul can see loads of trash, birds and various other animals that don’t seem local, and… children? Adults and settled teenagers will see tall vague shapes moving about too. When asked about it the most important thing adults will tell other adults is don’t go there. They’ll hold their dæmons close and tell you that on that island are things that eat souls. They may also admit with mixed pride and shame that it’s been a source of wealth and innovation for the city. There’s a facility there that can open windows into other worlds, and the children who can reach it can cross through and bring things back. Many of the children are recruited by research and development teams on the lookout for items they can use, but there are also kids out to have adventures or who’ve run away. More on this later.

Comments

E

[dontpokethat]

[For reasons that are probably obvious, Ginko spends quite a lot of time near the trees around the menagerie. The only difference now is that Midori is along with him, coiled around his shoulders as he heads in the direction of the barn.

The whispering picks up both of their attention, and Ginko looks upward, his ears twitching - just in time to see Joker look out from the trees.]

...Uh. Hey.

...I hope you're sober this time.

[pipers_son]

[As sour as the memory is, something about the way Ginko delivers it has Joker bark out a laugh.]

Sober, sober, I swear on my own grave. Just... came up here ta chat a little with Aurora.

[The magpie in question suddenly seems to appear between his antlers, her little talons digging into his hair.]

Liquors a scary thing, innit? I'll keep 'im on the straight and narrow, don't worry. If he stops bickerin' with me, anyway.

[Joker waves his hand at her, which does nothing to chase her off.]

Oi, you...

[dontpokethat]

[Ginko gives a quiet laugh -and then, of course, Midori lifts her head up.] Is he being difficult? You'd think he'd listen to you, if nobody else.

--Hey, come on.

You know you were thinking it.

[pipers_son]

Ah-

[There's not much of a chance for Joker to really defend himself before Aurora gives a small disapproving trill.]

Oh, now ain't that a laff.

How about we just go off this, now? [It's said a bit hastily.] Goin' ta work, Ginko?

[dontpokethat]

[Believe it or not, Ginko is glad to change subject. He might poke fun at Joker's stubbornness sometimes, but he's getting the impression that his 'other half' doesn't bother to filter her opinions as much as he does. He'd rather not risk crossing a line.

So he just nods, while Midori gives a quiet laugh.] Everyone's about fed, but I've got some cleanup to do. Good thing the menagerie is in the woods, or there would be way more.

[pipers_son]

[In turn, Joker's just as glad himself. Aurora might have her opinions on what he should do, but, well...]

Oh yeah? How much is some, then?

It better not be a whole lot, we know how ya are.

[dontpokethat]

It's some.

What are we supposed to be measuring in, here, liters of waste?

[Midori's phrasing might make it seem like she's annoyed, but the amusement in her voice is clear enough. Ginko gives a quiet snort, then raises his eyebrows at Aurora.]

Even if it were a lot, what am I supposed to do about that, anyway?

[pipers_son]

Protest, of course!

Yeah, make a little sign and everythin' until the Ringmaster gives ya more coworkers!

[Look at that shiteating grin. Look at it.]

[dontpokethat]

[Oh, he sees it. Ginko sighs with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. ...Eye.]

Don't think it works that way. The whole carnival is short on workers, isn't it? We've just got to wait for more contracts to come in, and hope that some newbies get sent over here.

Besides, I don't mind handling this stuff on my own.

[pipers_son]

[There's a click of Joker's tongue, which says enough even before Aurora does.]

Ya put too much on yer shoulders, y'know.

[dontpokethat]

[Why does he feel like he's had this conversation about a million times?]

No, I don't. I accept my responsibilities; I don't think that's all that unreasonable. It's no more than we can handle.

[pipers_son]

Aurora, I feel like I've heard this type of chatter before...

Yeah because he says it even when he's worn ragged.

[Both of them shake their head. This is what you get, Ginko. Them fussing over you instead of secrets being spilled out.]

[dontpokethat]

[Wow. WOW.]

As if you have any room to talk at all.

[pipers_son]

Well, it's not like ya didn't know he was a hypocrite.

Besides, like ya haven't told me off for it, too.

[dontpokethat]

[Ginko groans and rolls his eyes... then his gaze lands on Midori.

You know when you can tell two people have gotten the exact same idea at the same time, and they both know it?

Yeah. One of those people is a snake in this case, but the point still stands.]

...Okay. How about this, then.

I'll try and see where I can cut back on work. I'll see if Reira wants to take on any more feeding or grooming work, I can talk to Psi about if Labor can spare anyone to help out at the menagerie. We'll see if we can spread out the workload a little.

But you have to do the same.

[pipers_son]

Oi, hey now-!

[Even as Joker protests, Aurora bursts out into high cackling, and he has to swat at her again. This does absolutely nothing to dissuade her; she really is a part of his soul.]

I would say my job is a little different than yers, Ginko!

[dontpokethat]

Oh, I know that. But if I, the only adult animal keeper, can spread out my work a little, I think you can too. You know how to delegate, right?

[pipers_son]

I delegate! I- Aurora, shut up!

[Aurora, predictably, does not shut up.]

[dontpokethat]

[At least Ginko is-- okay no he's not trying not to look smug about this at ALL. This might be the most pleased with himself Joker has ever seen him.]

So do I, but you seem pretty sure that I can go further. So I'd assume you can do the same.

[pipers_son]

Ginko, that's right cheatin', and yer dastardly good looks when ya get a point can't hide that.

[Aurora pecks at his ear.]

Don't let him distract ya.

[dontpokethat]

[For a moment, at least, Ginko's smirk drops into a scowl.] Oh, don't start in on that now.

[So much for not getting distracted. Midori, however, pipes up again.] How's it cheating? We're just giving the facts here.

[pipers_son]

'Cuz I said so.

[Truly a mature answer. But it's one both Joker and Aurora are tossing to the side as they lean forward, his ears perked up.]

And start in on what now?

What, that yer handsome?

[dontpokethat]

Ah, really now. Didn't know you wrote the rulebook on negotiating work schedules.

[--Oh boy now he's doing THIS. Ginko frowns and leans away in turn, hunching his shoulders.] Yeah. That. We know you think that's hilarious, but it's actually sort of obnoxious.

[pipers_son]

What-

Do ya think we're jokin'?

[Well, now they're at it, and that's both of them fluttering down from their respective perches. Get ready for some douchebag to be on the ground- although it doesn't seem as if Joker is doing it to invade Ginko's space. Gotta keep that distance, after all.]

Why would ya think that? I don't joke about folks bein' attractive.

Can't exactly judge when yer missin' a limb.

[dontpokethat]

You joke about everything else. It seemed like the obvious conclusion. Hell, it's right there in your name.

[He raises his eyebrows, and just kind of... looks at Joker. Just looks at him. Because has Joker looked at himself lately.]

Missing an arm doesn't mean you're not attractive.