lostcarnival | ⇨ GREYSOL

Entry tags:

⇨ 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,

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Heck yeah 9S enjoyed the show. At this final demonstration, 9S lets out a whoop of joy.

Once Strange disappears into the water, signalling the end of the show, Pod 153 finishes the recording. Normally, 9S would inspect the video quality, you know, just to check, but he'd noticed the guy had seemed a little flatter close to the end there. Weird.

It's practically reflex for 9S to ping for lifeforms in his immediate area; being a Scanner model and unsuited to combat, it's even more important that he's aware of his surroundings, which could include potential hostiles. It doesn't take him long to realise Strange is at the back... and sounding like he's in a bad way.

Turning, 9S rushes to the man's side, alarm evident in his expression. "Strange! Are you alright? What happened?"

What's he supposed to do? He only has a rudimentary understanding of medicine for biological beings. His pod hovers behind him, speaking in its robotic voice.

< Alert: Human respiratory functions irregular. Proposal: Provide rest and care to restore normal respiration activity >

Strange however, just laughs 9S's concern off, shaking his head. "I'm fine," he says, though he's not moving from his spot, leaning against a post of the tent. But how to explain this in a way that 9S would understand?

"I use a part of myself in the magic to help hold everything together and make the spells work the way they do. Naturally, there would be results if I use a lot of myself in a short time."

That makes no goddamn sense and Strange realizes it. Quickly, he adds in, "Think of it as combat drills. Someone could be the most talented swordsman in the world. But if they practice at their full strength, as hard as they can, for a time longer than expected, then of course they'll get tired!"

The more Pod scans him, the more the machine will find that Strange isn't in danger of passing out or anything of that sort, he just needs to catch his breath, drink some water, and not push himself to the magical limit again.

Hmm. 9S doesn't really understand it as a point of shared experience; as androids, they don't really tire so easily. Really, their biggest concern is physical breakdown from repeated and frequent over exertion. Do the combat androids even need to practice? And, well, he's not even supposed to be able to fight, so running through drills is a moot point.

But he understands it, in a way. Magic is a drain on Strange's energy source and he just needs to replenish it.

"If that's the case, you really should rest. Sit down or something. You look beat." A glance away. "You shouldn't have gone so far if it was going to do a number on you."

"Yes, but I wouldn't have given a good show if I didn't go so far in the first place," said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Strange has a mixed relationship with things like 'self-preservation'. Oh, he wants to stay alive and wants to stay in one piece...but it's alright if he pushes himself to the limit while trying to get there. Ergo, it's perfectly fine if he pushes himself to the limit in the name of a good show! He wants to impress 9S and anyone watching, after all.

Still, if 9S wants him to sit down then hey, don't mind Strange, he'll happily sit down. He starts moving down the stands, closer towards the audience arena of the big top. There are seats here, let's sit there instead.

So, carefully, he sits down, looking over at the android with a small smile. "Happy?"

Look, it's fine if 9S pushes himself to the brink of death -- sometimes even over it -- but it's not fine if someone else does!! 9S kind of hovers by Strange's side, ready to give him a hand if it turns out he can't make it to a seat on his own.

"Yes. You really shouldn't be so reckless... But I'm glad you let me see your performance."

9S sits down next to Strange, still feeling a little guilty at being the reason the guy pushed himself so hard in the first place.

"Have you wondered what your show looks like to the audience?" He gestures for Pod 153, who hovers a little closer so it is within arms' reach. "I could show you."

If 9S feels guilty, Strange doesn't realize it. He gives 9S a small smile as the other man sits next to him. And then, as 9S mentions showing the performance, Strange can't help but look surprised. Truth be told, he had no idea how Pod worked and therefore had no idea they could view the performance then and there.

He is a little curious. He knows how the magic works and he's seen it be used before, by Childermass and by Norrell. But both of those magicians had a more understated way of doing things. Even in the carnival, Childermass's act tended towards vanishing over large feats of magic. And whenever he casts his own spells, Strange is too worried about the specifics to see just how they look. That surprised expression lingers for a few moments, before Strange assents.

"Why not! Show me what it looks like."

9S feels a little better, being able to offer something in return for the show he received. Get comfortable, Strange.

"Pod, project the recording so Strange can view it."

After all, 9S doesn't really need the recording to be projected when he can tap into the data himself.

< Understood. Initiating playback >

Pod 153 hovers just above 9S' shoulder. A small flicker and a beam of light is projected from the pod, materialising into a semi-solid screen within comfortable viewing distance of the pair. 9S wriggles in his seat until he's in a comfortable position.

As the video plays, the sound and video are crisp and clear. Every flare of magic from Strange, every one of Siobhan's airborne dances, captured in HD. And, of course, Strange's own voice is played back, grandiose as he shows off, strong and powerful as he had told 9S tales of the magicians of his world.

...Though unfortunately(?), the recording has also picked up every one of 9S' shouts and whoops of excitement throughout the entire show. Thaaat's a little embarrassing, hearing himself act like that.

Edited 2017-09-17 02:50 (UTC)

Strange watches the viewing with rapt interest and full attention. Every now and then, he'll offer a little bit of commentary. "That one's a reworking of a spell of Kirkwood's titled Contract With the Breeze," he says, pointing at a spell involving the wind. But for the most part, Strange remains quiet, watching his act, occasionally frowning to himself as if critiquing the magic on display.

It's good that he's actually sitting down and paying attention as his breathing becomes less laborious and his manner more relaxed. Good job 9S, you unintentionally got him to chill out, a task that plenty are still having trouble with.

When the recording's finished, Strange turns towards 9S and gives him a wild grin. "When I'm casting magic, I'm usually so focused on the shape of the spell that I don't consider it's appearance as much. Now that I've seen this..." Strange laughs a bright laugh as he gestures in the direction of where the screen was. "I know what I need to do next!"

Oh good, Strange hasn't said anything about his own overenthusiastic cheering during the video. Hopefully, it stays that way.

A small smile spreads across 9S' face. "Glad I could help."

He really means it. The fact that his small action was useful... It fills him with an overwhelm sense of contentment, especially since it seems the vigour has returned to Strange over the length of the viewing.

"Hey, Strange? Let me know if you ever want another recording. I'd be happy to assist."

At 9S's statement, Strange still smiles, giving the android a little nod.

"Likewise, if there's anything I or my magic can do to assist you, don't hesitate to ask."

Hopefully 9S now at least has a vague idea of the sort of things Strange can do. Of course, 9S hasn't really seen many of his practical spells. And how showy circus tricks can help out, Strange doesn't really know himself. Still, he's shown off enough magic that hopefully the man could piece together some of the non show-off things Strange could do.

Hmm. He has a better idea of what Strange is capable of now, but he's a little hard pressed to come up with a practical use for it. Maybe he'll come up with something later.

9S nods. "Thanks."

But maybe... He could help him with something else. Though is it presumptuous for an android to request help from a human when it should be the other way around?

"Hey, Strange? You're human, right? Before the magic here changed you." At least that's what Rita had told him, when he'd asked about why she seemed human but different. "I came here to learn about humans, so I've got a few questions."

Before the magic changed him...what an interesting response. So at least to 9S, he didn't seem human anymore? It only makes sense, considering how deep the faerie magic runs that Strange can turn himself into literal smoke now. But it's still a little disconcerting.

"You're right—I once was human." A true, yet terrifying statement. "And I'll be happy to answer any questions about humanity that you might have. Though, I'm afraid my answers might be different compared to others in the carnival. Different worlds, and all that."

Hang on, though. How much did 9S know about different worlds in the first place?

9S knows about other worlds; that's where the maso particles used in magic came from, after all. But maso particles... they were deadly to humans. There's not much maso left in the world now, so once the machines are exterminated, Earth will be ready for mankind's glorious return.

And they will enter a new age of peace.

"Even if you're from another world, there's still points of commonality. Humans always have the same base set of features and they're always sapient." At least, that's the impression he's getting here. "Most of all, humans have all kinds of culture, societies, and forms of entertainment that are lost to us. We only have incomplete records of what things were like. But all those things... I think they still exist in other worlds populated by humans. Things like... families. Or rollercoasters."

He'd seen one in one part of the Carnival when he'd been scoping out the place. Because of course he'd scout out the Carnival to build his own personal map of the area he'll be living in. He wouldn't be a very good Scanner if he didn't, would he?

"So any insight you can provide will be useful."

Strange can't help but look a little shocked. Yes, he can understand why 9S would want insight on rollercoasters: he had no clue what the hell they were before he arrived at the carnival. But he wanted to know something as simple as families?

"I doubt I'll be helpful for understanding families--I had a strained relationship with most of mine." Fun fact: Strange's mom died when he was younger and his dad was an asshole. "But I can help with other concepts. As I'm one of the few members of the carnival who is married, perhaps we should start with marriage? Madness might be another option--or what about England herself?"

Hopefully at least one of them might be a good topic of conversation for 9S. Because honestly, Strange has no damn clue where to start.

"...Oh." Not being able to ask about family... that's kind of disappointing. Operator 21O had gone kinda weird and quiet after she told him about family and he never could figure out why.

But the other options... Okay, why would madness be one of Strange's suggested topics? 9S has already had to deal with machines that're totally bonkers, so nooo let's not talk about madness. And England... herself? ??? Can a country even have a gender? Or is this like Rita and her blastia, where something is assigned a gender to show closeness to the subject in question? Humans are such strange creatures.

Nah.

"Let's start with marriage. What is it?"

Pod 153 pipes up.

< Records state that marriage is the ritualistic union of two human beings as a form of social progression. Circular bands of metal were often on the third finger of the left hand of the humans involved >

So obviously, the first thing 9S does is look for the 'band of metal' in question on Strange's hand.

Strange does have that band of metal in question. He holds up his hand for 9S to see: the ring is a simple, golden band, with no additional fripperies or embellishments.

"Pod is right. Where I am from, the man in the union is called the husband and the woman is called the wife. My wife is a woman named Arabella. We knew each other as children, but fell in love as the two of us grew older. We decided we wished to remain together forever, so we were married."

As Strange talks about Arabella, his voice softens and a small smile appears on his face. It's obvious that he loves her deeply and misses her tremendously as well.

9S peers at the displayed ring. Huh. That looks rather plain for something used in a human ritual. He's so used to humans and their excess that something as plain as that is rather surprising.

9S kicks his feet as he listens to Strange, feeling a strange ache in his chest. He understands love, sort of. There are plenty of androids who're in relationships with each other. But lover seems too distant when thinking about...

...He wishes she were here with him.

Without any outward indication of his thoughts, 9S verbally prods. "Why do you need to be married to be together forever? Can't you just... be together anyway?"

"Oh, you could. But at least in my time, it's seen as socially advantageous for one to get married." Usually for the women, poor things. After all, Strange is from the 1810s. The carnival's broadened his horizons but at least back in his world, an unmarried woman of a certain age was to be pitied, thought of as a spinster, and written off as not marriage material.

"Likewise, it wasn't seen as proper if an unmarried man and unmarried woman lived in the same space. They could certainly shows or travel together, but the unmarried woman usually required a chaperone. If you truly love someone, it's simply smart to get married so you can do all sorts of things without public judgement."

And if you didn't love someone, that never stopped a marriage. Oh, Strange knows that he can go on talking about marrying for money, legalities of coming into land via marriage, marrying to boost one's social status, the arranged marriages of royalty, and so on and so forth. But honestly, they'll be here all day if he was to do that.

"Of course, there are...other benefits to marriage that have nothing to do with status. After all, marriage involves the couple sharing a bedroom."

And Strange just smiles a big shit-eating grin, assuming that 9S will pick up on his implication. Because it's sex. He's talking about sex.

9S... doesn't get it. Why would an unmarried woman require a chaperone? That's some kind of guard, right? He can't imagine 2B putting up with someone being there specifically to guard her. In fact, none of the combat units would put up with that sort of the thing.

In the Bunker, it was usual for people to live in their own rooms, but on the surface, it's different. They don't have that sort of luxury. The fact that a human would have found it weird that him and 2B were living in the same room -- when they were at the camp and not out in the field , anyway -- despite not being lovers is kind of weird.

But then Strange says... that.

At first 9S thinks nothing much of it. Then 9S mentally backpedals and replays Strange's words and his expression when he says it.

...Really? He's talking about that?

"Oh. Um." 9S struggles to keep the heat from rising to his face, looking away. Androids don't have the parts for it by default, but... some of the other androids have the... upgrades... for it. "Are humans required to be married before they do that? We didn't know about the ritual, so some of the other androids have been..."

9S makes a vague hand gesture as he trails off. Have they been doing it wrong all this time!?!? He can't help but feel a little aghast, even though he's never personally participated. Because. ...Yeah.

Oh gosh, he's blushing. Strange's shithead grin just grows even more as 9S blushes before he decides that really, he should stop teasing the poor android (even if he's finding all of this a bit hilarious).

"Don't worry, humans aren't required to be married before they...ah, try for a child." For all of Strange's teasing, he's not actually outright saying sex--something that Siobhan's noticed as the daemon rolls her eyes and lets out a small annoyed huff in Strange's direction.

"It's simply that at least in my world, having a child out of wedlock was seen as a massive faux pas. People undoubtedly do that before marriage, but depending on one's circumstances, one might become a bit of a pariah if others know about it."

One of the perils of talking with someone from the 1810s. Though Strange is fairly liberal in his social views, he still best knows the social views of the time to begin with. Hopefully 9S will gather more data from someone in the 2000s as well.

Uhhh. Wait. "Hold on. It's not just about making children, right?"

If he can disconnect the topic from his own feelings, it becomes a lot easier to talk about. Especially since 2B isn't here to listen in this time. Yeah. Okay. He can have a normal conversation about sex with a human. Sure, no problem.

He turns his head so he can look at Strange out of the corner of his eye. "What about sex for pleasure?" Once he thought it was just for procreation, but there's far too much other material that indicates it's far from the sole reason. "If the pair don't have a child, would marriage be necessary?"

For all the teasing he was doing earlier, Strange has started to realize that he's made a terrible mistake. What started off as a fun little joke is slowly turning into sex ed for the android and he was not prepared for this in the slightest. Congratulations Strange, you played yourself.

Still, he's bound and determined to keep the conversation going and not admit to the fact that he made a dumb mistake, so Strange just keeps talking and keeps digging the hole even deeper.

"One can certainly have sex for pleasure. And marriage can be necessary for other reasons. Love, a step up in society, financial reasons, and so on. Arabella and I got married because we love each other and wanted to make that commitment permanent."

Edited 2017-09-21 17:19 (UTC)

It's probably fortunate that Strange doesn't have to explain the actual act of sex to 9S. Also fortunate that 9S is still in too much awe for humans to pull a joke back and make Strange explain it in excrutiating detail.

9S listens to the explanation with a frown on his face as he tries to process Strange's words and reconcile them with his own understanding of it all. It's odd... other androids have paired off before. They started relationships, became lovers, but there's something about it that strikes him as distant about it all. He's not interested in sex. Or rather, he is, but that's not what he really wants. He wants...

...Her to look at him and smile.
...Her deep sadness to be lifted from her shoulders.
...Her to spend more time together with him, doing inconsequential things.

Ha... ha ha ha... why does he understand that freaky singing machine's feelings? Machines aren't supposed to have feelings!

9S lets out a long breath and clasps his gloved hands together. Calm down. "Human rituals sure are complicated..." His voice is remarkably steady. Does marriage make lovers closer? "Wouldn't it make more sense to have a different ritual for the other reasons?"

He swings his legs in his seat, as if he doesn't have anything else on his mind. "What's Arabella like? She must be someone really special, since you love her enough to get married."

Edited (i'm good at finishing tags before hitting post) 2017-09-22 06:43 (UTC)

This is easier. This is something he can understand. Strange leans back in his seat, a calm, content expression on his face. What's Arabella like...well, he could talk about her until the end of time.

"She's wonderful. She's perfectly sensible and has talked me back from all types of nonsense before. She never hesitates to speak her mind or to tell me what she thinks of my actions. She's kind and caring. Arabella pushes me and challenges me in ways that I never knew I could be pushed or challenged in the first place. To top it all off, she's the most beautiful woman in the world."

And Strange loves her dearly. Just talking about her, hell even just thinking about Arabella is enough to turn Strange into a lovesick sap

Siobhan has the same sort of content and madly in love expression on her face. After all, as a daemon she's part of Strange's soul. Of course she'd feel the same way. "Arabella is the reason we are a magician in the first place."

It's clear in Strange and Siobhan's expressions that they really love her. It's the same kind of dopey look that he's seen on some of the other android couples when they talk about their partner. The corner of 9S' mouth curls up into a smile.

"She sounds wonderful." As a human, there can be no doubt about exactly how incredible she must be!

Though... Strange had said that only Englishmen could perform magic. 9S had assumed that was reason enough to become a magician. "But what do you mean, she's the reason you're a magician? Doesn't being an Englishman make magician your role?"

After all, what you can do is the role you play when you're a YoRHa android.

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