⇨ 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

[spaghettimonster]

He doesn't object to either of their realizations. "Well! That stands to reason! I haven't announced it around, there's no reason you would have heard about it."

Seen the signs, maybe, but not especially. He's not the administrative, authoritative sort, outside of (trying to) boss his brother around. Being quick to encourage at the cinderspirits, tell them what to do, isn't the same. The biggest hint is the shape of the crystalline growths, which don't necesssarily mean anything.

"We're more..." Sistina begins, hesitates, and continues. "'King' Papyrus is more... an interim king. Once we're done here, the old king will be back... and, and."

Papyrus takes up at her second hesitation. "It's not a fun job. Not when they're all so worried, and scared..."

[betheman]

There is silence, between the two. How do they respond, to this? The struggle of politics is not one they expected to come upon, and it's clear that it's wearing on the other-at the very least, the glamor betrays them. Gongenzaka and Marishi both stare, and after a moment it is the latter who speaks. "...To lead a nation is not a task I would ever imagine fun.."

"....When your old King returns however..."

"...Will it be the souls of others that are still required to move onward?"

[spaghettimonster]

"No!" "No way!" They exclaim, almost in unison, then startle at the other's emphatic denial.

Papyrus laughs it off first. "No, that's why we're here at all!"

"We didn't know, that he would return. I thought, we thought... we'd still be king, after going back. And we couldn't make that choice. So there was only one thing to do."

"Ask for help! That's why we're here. After a year, the Ringmaster will finish it! No more souls, nobody else getting hurt."

Sistina doesn't share Papyrus' optimism about it, but looks away rather than object again.

[otoko]

"Hmm, I see..!" Well, well then.

"So then, both issues at hand will be solved-quite fortitous.... ....Isn't it..?" she asks, glancing to Sistina.

"...Indeed, you do not seem entirely sure of yourself..."

[spaghettimonster]

"Huh?" He twists to see where she's huddled behind his leg. "Sistina? What is it?"

"...Maybe all the monsters will be okay, now, but... Papyrus, we know too many humans now! They won't all like us! They won't all accept us! People will still get hurt, and, I don't want them to."

"Ummm. We don't know that, for sure--"

"Yes we do!!" She bats a wing at his leg, frustrated.

[otoko]

Both of them are....rather confused, suffice to say. "....Auhhh....n...not to take away from the matter, but..."

"How would they know of this matter, unless we followed you-while wearing glamor, on top of that?"

"Indeed... ...The fact remains, the majority of us within the carnival, even if human to begin with..."

"Well...we don't really look human any more, now do we?"

[spaghettimonster]

"It's true, You could blend in back home... But that's not what's wrong. The two of us will be fine! Even if we're one person again."

Papyrus considers the question, while Sistina frets her wings against the water surface and looks between Gongenzaka and Marishi.

"She's going to break the barrier, so everyone can go free, When we go home... And then we can leave the underground, and go to the surface. Where all the humans are. And they all look human, and they've only ever seen humans, and... You're human, and you're fine... And our friend back home, they were fine. But Lambert's fine, too. And he attacked us, when we first met."

"It hardly stung, just a little burst of fire between friends."

"...It stung enough, some monsters could die from just that."

They silently agree not to mention Sans.

[betheman]

Oh.

Oh. Well that's not good at all then. There is yet another set of traded looks between daemon and human, and after a few moments of silence, Gongenzaka swallows. "....Then.... ....it would seem to me..."

"...It appears you need an envoy, or an ambassador."

The man nods, frowning. "...You need someone to speak on your behalf... ...but it will need to be someone the monsters can trust, while appearing human enough to greet humanity first, then..."

[spaghettimonster]

"Looks human enough that even humans will trust them..."

"If they just look human... and everyone found out they weren't... The humans might feel surprised, betrayed! It could go badly. We'd have to get a real human to do it."

"Well, that's easy! We're already friends with a human." Papyrus's jaw shifts a little to the side, like a slight grimace. "But... in all fairness, they killed a few monsters. We'll have to convince them to do better, when we go back!"

[otoko]

"Auh...."

"W-Well, I suppose in that case real would be best then..." And.

Hooo. This is already starting to go. Downhill. Erm.

"You....do not know any humans who...haven't murdered any monsters, perhaps?" How did they end up talking about this particular issue, specifically??? It was technically always relevant, but somehow Gongenzaka's thoughts swirl.

[spaghettimonster]

Talks of stolen souls and murder go together like hotdogs and buns; you might not want it, but you can't deny the connection.

"Regrettably... I do not. But, I only knew the one human." 100% means a lot more when there's a lot more in the same size. He rushed to reassure, I'm sure most humans have never killed anybody!"

"That's probably true," Sistina admits. "Maybe... we could ask our human to bring others to the cave, so we can meet?"

[otoko]

It's a pretty solid connection, true.

Where's the ketchup in all of this though- "Mnnh-no one from the Carnival could help then..?"

"Ahhh...I suppose most of us do intend to go to our own homes after this...." Hmmmm. The daemon does have to give a wheezing chuckle however, as Papyrus hurries to defend 'human honor'-"Ahahahah! You would be...mostly correct?"

"To murder is a severe crime-depending on the severity in fact, you could be executed yourself!" Gongenzaka explains, his daemon nodding.

"A meeting at your gates seems a good idea however. You could organize initial encounters with world leaders, perhaps, and move from there."

[spaghettimonster]

Spilled condiments like spilled blood, maybe. Doesn't work so clearly with monthers, and other people who no longer have normal blood... but close enough.

"That sounds so sensible! Almost... too sensible?"

Papyrus looks to Sistina, expecting her to have some notion that shoots this one down. She shrugs her wings up, an un-birdlike motion to make her meaning clear.

"We're used to all this now... but if we weren't? We'd want to run out, and see everything."

"So others will too... I see, I see. Maybe... we could invite the carnival there? A nice big distraction, so nobody goes wandering."

[otoko]

They should probably not think about this too much, really. But too sensible? "Hmm! One can never be TOO sensible!" Gongenzaka snorts, his Daemon nodding in agreement.

"Though wandering, I suppose, is a natural worry..."

"To bring the Carnival there, it could well be the perfect solution however. Not only would it be a slight welcome to humanity in a sense, but it would be a way to bring something new with less risk..!"

[spaghettimonster]

He's making fun of sensible Sistina; the jokes about flights of fancy write themselves. ...It's almost a blessing that Sans has been keeping to himself. She preens her wing, aware and harrumphing about it.

"The perfect compromise! Just enough danger, what with rigged games and aggressive trees... but nobody who works here would kill a guest!" Not without significant cause, anyway.

[otoko]

It's a true shame, when the jokes fly over everyone's head. But as it is, the pair nod. "Indeed..! No doubt, even a few things would seem familiar, from what I, the man Gongenzaka have heard..!"

"Mmm, perhaps if we were lucky, a public egg hunt could be occurring again~"

[spaghettimonster]

"Yeah!! And I could introduce everyone around!"

Papyrus is really feeling this idea. It's not like he's actually good friends of Alphys, yet; they'd never met met underground, and she's been busy getting used to her job here. But, even if the Carnival keeps reaching home to invite monsters along, it's sure not happening in a hurry. And part of him is getting restless with the waiting.

It's not like Sistina has any reason to feel proprietary of eggs. She isn't exactly laying any; daemons are just shaped like animals, rather than being them. And yet...

"When did we hunt eggs, and what do we do with them?"

[otoko]

"Exactly..!" Everything will be fine? Perfectly fine. This is clearly the greatest plan, and Marishi will, in the meantime, explain the eggs.

"Mmm....they would typically be charmed-or at least they were when Noboru was present to participate. At the very least, I don't believe they were real eggs....it was just a mimicry of a western tradition called 'easter'."

[spaghettimonster]

"...Like a key gathering quest, except, with eggs?"

"Key eggs... Keys that have to hatch first... A puzzle within a puzzle. Wow! I've never heard of something like that."

[otoko]

"Hmmm, perhaps not quite like that, but..."

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if it happened."

[spaghettimonster]

"I'm surprised... that it never happened back home!"

"Even the classic guides are just about the tedium. But, waiting for the eggs to hatch..."

[otoko]

"Mmmm, to be fair however, it would more than likely be a human tradition, would it not..?"

"Even as a human tradition, the eggs are typically just decorative. Some, I suppose, are plastic and filled with candy...."

[spaghettimonster]

"Plastic eggs that don't even hatch... what's the point??"

Papyrus and Sistina look at each other, unified in confusion and a hint of disdain. She shrugs her wings a little bit, looks up at Gongenzaka.

"Lots of human stuff falls in the underground... We use some of it, and get all kinds of ideas from it. But I don't remember an egg hunting tradition."

[otoko]

"As we both said..." "...It was a 'Western Holiday'. One more celebrated outside of Asia."

The two continue. "It wasn't a holiday our country celebrated-perhaps for that reason, whatever country with access to the underground, never would have left eggs..."

"It's probably something that started out obscure but began to make money, honestly."