Lost Carnival Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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lostcarnival2017-09-04 07:53 pm
ringleaders) wrote in lostcarnival2017-09-04 07:53 pm
⇨ GREYSOL
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,![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
joysweeper is our guest event runner for this location, and location specific questions should go to them.)
Warnings: Individually marked!
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,
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. |
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"Terca Lumireis. That's the name of my planet." She supposes she should say more, as the name alone doesn't tell him much, but it's hard to think of how to describe your own world. To Rita, Terca Lumireis is just normal. There's a delay before she continues. "As far as I can tell, there aren't any significant differences between us and humans from Earth. A lot of animals are different, though. And... if I had to say what the biggest difference between our societies is, it'd be our reliance on magic-powered technology, as opposed to their reliance on electricity."
Of course, Rita doesn't know if that still applies after ten thousand years. Civilization and technology could completely change in that much time.
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9S considers Rita's words. If Terca Lumireis is another planet, could it actually be somewhere out the same world, but a different part of space? Androids had never bothered with space exploration, not when they were so focused on Earth. Maybe that's something they could do, after the war with the machines is over.
"If you've got easy access to magic, that makes sense." He nods, before pointing at Rita's necklace. "Is that example of your magic-powered technology? It doesn't seem like normal jewelery."
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They have a lot of features that technically make them more ineffecient, but are kept with respect to their creators. 9S can't bring himself to mind them; it's hard to, when taking them away would make him feel like there's a part of him lacking.
"Even if an android normally can't make use of it, I could still take a peek..." 9S raises a hand, hopeful. He really wants to take a peek and see if it's something that can be hacked and inspected that way. "...Since your blastia seems to be part technological and all."
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"Looking is fine, but..." Clearly, she's a bit wary about it. "I can't lend her to you. I never take off this blastia. And no messing with the formula, either." By the formula, she means a sort of program that determines the blastia's behavior, which may actually be accessed through hacking. To Rita, someone else altering that code would be a taboo far worse than any soul-touching could amount to.
Having made that clear, she lets her hand drop as she relaxes a little. "And to my knowledge... it should be possible for androids to use blastia." There are a few uncertain factors, but even if they became issues, they could be easily worked around.
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9S lowers his hand, but the disappointment is clearly written on his expression. "'Her'?" If his eyes weren't covered, 9S would be shooting Rita a dubious look. "Can a mechanical device like that even have a gender?"
Heck, from outward appearances, it doesn't even appear to have the capability of thought or communication.
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"B-besides, what are you saying that for? You're mechanical yourself. Are you saying you're fine with being called it?" In fact, he didn't actually express a preference, and Rita knows full well that they're not equivalent anyway, but she's flustered and feels the need to deflect right now.
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"We are sexless by default, but..." That's probably more information than what Rita wanted to know. "I guess it feels kind of cold if you called me an it."
It's a plain fact that he's sexless but hearing 'it' directed his way fills him with a sense of detachment and dread he can't quite place his finger on. Maybe she does have a point about 'it' being used for just tools. He's made to serve but being seen as a mere tool rather than a person doesn't sit well with him.
Unwilling to dwell on that thought for any longer than necessary, 9S continues, "A-Anyway, I'm a YoRHa number 9 type S model, but people call me 9S. What's your name?"
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"9S...?" She gives him a dubious look. For someone who looks and sounds so human, it seems kind of odd that he doesn't have a more human-like name.
Oh well. He asked for her name, and she might as well give it. "My name's Rita. Rita Mordio." She shrugs. "I've only been here a couple months, but I can probably answer any questions you have about the carnival."
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"Oh!" A small smile crawls across his face as he realises who she is. "I was told you're supposed to be my roommate."
It's pretty convenient meeting her here and now, all things considered.
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In fact... this could be an opportunity to learn more about 9S and his technology. Sharing a roof might actually be to Rita's advantage.
"Have you seen the place yet? I can show you there."
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"Nope. Lead the way."
If Rita starts walking towards their shared trailer, 9S will fall into step beside her.
"You know," he begins casually. "I wasn't in much of a hurry to find out where I was rooming. I always had my own room, but it's not like I used it for anything other than sleeping. So it didn't seem all that important."
He sends Rita a broad smile.
"But now that I know I'll be rooming with you, I'm actually kinda looking forward to it!"
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He's not talking about being friends or anything, right? That would be stupid.
"Yeah, well, I guess it'll make it easier to exchange information," she replies, somewhat hastily.
The daemon on her shoulder, which had been quiet until now, lifts his head up. "Isn't that great, Rita? Now you two can be close friends!" he teases in a boyish voice.
"Shut up!" Rita hisses, swiping a hand at him. He simply scurries behind her neck, to her other shoulder.
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It would've been nice if 2B could've come along with him here, but the Ringmaster had only offered this to him. He'd been worried that maybe... he wouldn't really get to hang out with anyone, now that he's on what is essentially a solo mission.
But it looks like he was worrying over nothing.
He can tell examining Rita's feelings isn't something Rita wants to talk about, so he doesn't prod too deeply into it. But he can't resist saying, "Your friend's right. It could be fun!"
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She leads him into the trailer park, and points to indicate one of the trailers. "We're here. It's that one." It doesn't have anything in the way of outdoor decor, but it does have one thing the other trailers don't. On the roof of the trailer, a small animal with red and black fur takes notice of them, creeping over to the edge of the roof and staring down at the two of them. "Oh, right. I have a cat. That's Francis."
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Taking in the trailer, it doesn't seem anything especially exciting. But 9S' expression lights up at the mention of a cat. A cat! He's never seen any sign of them on the surface, but there's plenty of video footage of cats that other androids have salvaged and distributed to the rest of the Bunker.
...There are so many video of cats in existence. So many.
He'll never quite understand why humans recorded so many videos of cats doing the most inane things. Why do videos of cats climbing into various containers exist in multitudes? 9S can only surmise that the relationship between human and cat is complicated and bewildering.
This one has unusually bright red fur, though. Is this really a cat...? Uncertain of how to behave in the face of unfamiliar wildlife, 9S gives Francis a small wave. "Um. Hello?"
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"He's not too friendly with strangers, but he'll probably get used to you," Rita explains with a shrug as she makes her way to the door. Her Litten tends to avoid people unless they have something he wants. Maybe she'll let 9S feed him a couple of times to get on his good side.
As they come closer, Francis doesn't move, but the target of his staring changes as his eyes are transfixed on the Pod and the way it floats in the air. Eyes widening, he shifts back on his hind legs... then pounces off the roof, attempting to smack the Pod out of the air with his outstretched claws. Rita, with her back turned as she faces the door, doesn't see and offers no warning for them.
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Luckily, Pod 153 comes with automatic evasive systems. Even though its priority is to support 9S, its own safety takes precedence even over that. So when Francis pounces, the boxy robot deftly jerks out of the way with a quiet whirr of its internal rotors. The entire situation hasn't gone entirely unnoticed, however, the movement catching 9S' attention. His head whips around just in time to see the 'attack' on his pod. "Hey! What's the big idea!?"
Bad cat! Normally this sort of attack would be met with gatling gun fire, but fortunately that function had been disabled as part of his agreement with the Ringmaster. And... well, the cat is Rita's pet. Rita, who is (mostly) human. So killing it is probably out of the question.
Dammit! What's he supposed to do?
Half paralysed by impotent indecision, 9S puts himself between Francis and Pod 153. Humans often talked to cats, so maybe... "Pod 153 isn't an enemy!"
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At this point, Rita's turned around, watching the display with her arms crossed. The attempt to reason with the cat is almost funny... but then, who knows? Pokemon often seem to understand a lot more words than one would think.
"He's just playing," Rita offers with a shrug. "Cats evolved to hunt birds. They can't resist the sight of something flying around near them." She doesn't sound too concerned about the implication that her cat is trying to hunt the pod.
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The pods are pretty sturdy, but even so, 9S doesn't like the idea of Pod 153 having to be constantly dodging a cat.
9S keeps his gaze fixed on the cat, not trusting the creature to pounce while he's not looking. "Can't you just, I dunno. Tell him not to do that?" That works for pods! "Pod 153 isn't a bird or a toy. My pod could get damaged if he manages to catch it, you know."
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But since she can't just leave this standoff as it is, Rita walks over and scoops the Litten up into her arms so that he can't do any more stalking or jumping. He meows at her, but ultimately allows it. "...Is the pod really that delicate?" She has some doubts that a creature this small could damage something made of metal, designed with such highly advanced technology.
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"Well... no," he admits. Pod 153 is perfectly capable of taking care of itself, especially since it has to be used in combat against the machines. Pods are even capable of basic repair functions, so he doesn't even really need to perform maintenance on it. "But you'd be upset if he played with your blastia, wouldn't you?"
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"You could try to be more helpful," Krios admonishes her in a flat tone.
With her cat cradled in one arm, Rita waves the other in a dismissive gesture, then turns back to the trailer door. "Anyway, I'll show you inside." Her daemon's suggestion goes ignored as she opens the door and steps inside, then makes room for 9S to come in after her.
Of the two beds, the top bunk is a mess, with its blankets twisted around in a clump, while the bottom bunk is neatly made. Paper litters the table, and books can be found stashed on various surfaces. While most appear to be thick textbooks, there's also a thin, colorful book titled Litten and Me, an illustrated guide to caring for Littens. A few clothing items have been shoved into the closet without being folded, including a biker jacket that doesn't look like it would fit around Rita's wings. The kitchenette appears to have been used very little. There's a loaf of bread and a bunch of bananas on the counter, and the fridge is mostly empty, housing only a few condiments.
It doesn't look like anyone's dusted in a while. There are some scattered feathers on the floor, and some corners have accumulated clumps of cat hair.
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Don't insult the human don't insult the human don't insult the human.
"Wow. Do you ever clean this place?"
Whoops he insulted the human. Even Pod 153 has some words to say about the state of the trailer.
< Analysis: Interior does not appear to have recently undergone proper maintenance. Proposal: Begin cleaning immediately to prevent increased levels of dust and other foreign particles from entering filters >
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"Hey, it's not that..." Rita begins to protest 9S, but Pod 153 interjects before she can finish the sentence. "--You too!? Come on, it's just a little dust. If it bothers you that much, then you clean it." She folds her arms and humphs at them. As far as she's concerned, this is a pretty normal level of cleanliness. What are they, a couple of neat freaks? Maybe androids are used to more sterile environments.
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