⇨ THE PRINCE IS DEAD

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 178 - B1: Day 6
Where: The Carnival and sometimes on top of the Heart of Stone.
What: Now that the Prince is dead and gone, there's a lot left to sort out. As the remaining servants are liberated and those captured by the Prince are tended to, it's time for recovery and goodbyes.
Warnings: Nothing in particular.

HOME GROUND↴ At long last, it is over. The Prince is dead, and all of his stolen Names have been restored - all that's left to do is treat the wounds and move on. For the first day or two, the Ringmaster will be arranging passage for the servants that are left, all of which have remembered their names for the first time in years. The earth elemental that had been trapped and forced to serve as the Prince's manor, the Heart of Stone, is happy to help for the moment. It appreciates the Ringmaster's mercy, and is free after untold eons of imprisonment. Yet, there are plenty of aspects that are far from simple. There are still servants left mad and transformed into beasts, with no easy way to change them back. The Prince's spells outlive him, and those bearing his poison and his curses will have a difficult road ahead of them. Though most of the bestial servants have been rounded up, and a large number that had been reduced to unmoving statues returned, even the Ringmaster can't return them to normal so simply. The next week is for rest and for settling remaining affairs. If you want to bid farewell to any particular NPCs, or assure care is given where it's needed, now is the time to do it. ► A CURE: The Ringmaster will tell everyone simply - there is no simple way to undo another fae's magic. The Prince's powers were essentially on par with hers, which means that those who have been transformed to stone and those that were cursed into beasts and driven insane are not something she can trivially fix. It will take the work of the carnival and a couple weeks of treatment to shed the curse of stone, and the maddened servants are an entirely separate matter. She will do what she can, but for the most part she is arranging for the Prince's servants to be cared for elsewhere. At least for now, the Ringmaster will be animating the stone portions of people's bodies with magic, though those portions will still be a bit clumsy and numb feeling. ► THE NEW HEARTSTONE: In the absence of the prince, the Heart of Stone will be taking over the remains of the Prince's realm and preventing it from collapsing into void. As it turns out, the manor had been an earth elemental all along - a form of Wyld Fae almost on par to the Prince and Ringmaster themselves. How the Heart of Stone was enslaved is a long story presumably, but the Ringmaster considers it to be a sign of the Prince's own depravity. The Heart will be allowing visitors for the first couple days of this period through the portal, but keep in mind you are essentially just walking around on its body. At least the realm has a floor, now, instead an endless abyss surrounding it.

Comments

⇨ INVESTIGATION THREADS

[ringleaders]

Not all locations will have much to investigate, necessarily, but this is the section where people can make investigation requests for if their character wants to learn more about a setting than is immediately apparent. This can also be used to cover the broad strokes of interacting with various available NPCS.

Like before, you must be specific about what your character is doing to find new information, and you must keep your requests to one or two actions per comment. No big laundry lists of things your character is doing - it is much easier to handle taking it one topic at a time.

[atouts]

With the Prince gone, the Heart of Stone freeing everyone, and names returned, Childermass and Cole will be offering to help Bunny find her Fox once more. Hopefully, searching the Heart of Stone will be far easier than searching the Prince's awful domain this time around.

[hippocarnival]

[Toplevel broken down below!]

Closed to Gongenzaka

[hippocarnival]

[When Gongenzaka was cleared to his tent to rest, Yuya followed. He has been separated before he saw his friend rouse, not willfully but caught by the sudden energy of things and his own wounds. While Gongenzaka's wounds and poison were tended to, Yuya's shoulder and upper arm had to be deeply patched.

He has, at least, changed shirts, and he crouches beside his friend in his tent. Much like Portland, except this time Yuya doesn't try to sleep. He doesn't know how coherent his friend is, so instead he watches silently and waits for Gongenzaka to acknowledge him first.

However long that takes.]

SANS IS BACK | D178 RIGHT AFTER THE PRINCE DIES

[osteothropy]

► IT'S ALL COMING BACK TO ME NOW (CLOSED TO TYKI)
It's like a thunder crack - the change fills him like something that struck before he ever could have heard it, jolting his system like an electric shock. One moment, he is nothing. And the next...

He was trying to ignore all of this. He hadn't wanted to see. He wasn't interested in what the carnival was doing and any knowledge of the Prince filled him with the empty desperation to fulfill some purpose. He felt like that little was left of him was draining through his fingers, becoming lesser and lesser, as every hour passed.

But now... But now...

Sans opens his eyes, and everything is different. With a clarity that rocks him to his core, the reality of the last several days comes to him - pieces popping into place, all centered on the keystone of identity, the opened lock of his soul. Beneath the blanket binding him, his arms move to hug his body, a sudden and anguished sound leaking from between his teeth. His soul thrums with the energy of it, a force unleashed from behind the floodgates.

Tears spill from his eyes, outside of his control. It's an impossible, melancholy ecstasy - and in this moment, it blinds him to all else.


► FINDING ANSWERS
The last week has taken its toll on Sans, and he doesn't have much time. Even as exhaustion and stress threaten to overwhelm him, though, he knows there's something he has to do. Something he has to find. He hasn't fully wrapped his mind around everything that just happened to him, but his body moves on instinct alone.

He's torn the cloak that had been wrapped around him as an entrapping blanket, cut down the side so that it now hangs like a torn poncho, ripped by the bone weapon he still holds numbly in hand as he stumbles through the carnival ground.

He feels like a zombie. He looks even more like a zombie. Yet something is driving him he can't ignore, and the rush of his returned identity has him latching onto that will, that purpose, and allowing it to take him wherever it wants to go.

This is who he is. He never wants to let go of that again.

[motivenotfound]

The instant that name lights up her brain, Mari is running, literally sprinting across the Carnival grounds, vaulting tables and fences in search of its owner.

He isn't hard to find--even with his crude poncho, there's nothing disguising his distinctive shape, or his gait, or his fat, teal tentacle of a tail.

She comes tearing around the corner, flinging her arms up in the air and wide to her sides in a rare, extravagant display of unfettered excitement.

"SANS!!!!

ota

[destiny_key]

Sora did not have a fun time being a servant of the Prince.

The actual process of being enchanted like he had had been painful, like he was being ripped in two, with the spell trying to force intrusive thoughts into his head where they didn't fit. A lot of it is a blur, but the ghost pains from it remained throughout the entire following experience of being forced into servitude and hating people he considered friends and comrades.

Logically, he knows it wasn't his fault, but Sora's still having a hard time forgiving himself for all the hurtful things he'd pushed onto those who'd tried to talk to him. He felt the worst about how he'd dragged Rin into the situation, and then the things he'd said to Hinawa and Childermass and Rita, and... oh god, especially Joker. He'd have to find all of them and apologize. As soon as he got out of the medical tent, he'd apologize.

And that was the other thing, being put back together again by the Ringmaster. If it had hurt being put under the enchantment, it was worse being ripped out of it, because at least the Prince's spell had provided a level of numbness to his soul, to help forget the past and give him a sense of false happiness. Taking that away had given a sharp clarity to the world that put everything back into perspective, and it's not that he's not grateful to be himself again, but it had made the pain double. Not to mention the injuries he'd sustained from the absolute smackdown Psi had given him when he'd dragged him in.

At the very least, he was grateful he hadn't physically hurt anyone. He'd come close to hitting Doll, yet another person to apologize to, but he hadn't hurt anyone. For now, though, the only thing Sora wants to do is curl up under the thick blankets of his cot in the medical tent and sleep. He's doing much better now, after a few days of proper care, but he's not quite ready to face the world outside yet. It might be nice if he got some visitors, though.

[puddingemote]

It's a bit later, after Tamaki is feeling more up to talking to others in the aftermath of the hunt, before he makes it down to the medical tent. He's here to see a few people, and Sora is one of them.

He comes over to the cot slowly, looking over Sora where he's curled up, trying to assess whether or not he's asleep. He doesn't want to wake him up, but as it seems he's at least somewhat awake, Tamaki clears his throat.

"Are you feeling better?"

He doesn't really look better, but looks can be deceiving?

[chronosynthesis]

[Lending a Hand | OTA]

[Syrlya moves quickly among the remains of the hunt, the servants and the wounded. His hands are free and he hails down anybody who looks lost, injured, or like they need help.]

Here--[He starts, offering his hand if they're down on the ground, or carrying too much, or completely directionless.] Do you need help?

[Closed To Strange]

[Syrlya escapes back to the carnival later in the evening. His part in this was done, and there's been a rotation in who's in which trailer and he needs to move his things. Thankfully an additional staff, shield, and stone are very easy to transfer to his new living space.

He notices, immediately, the amount of stuff lying about when he lets himself in. Papers, books, and the kitchen table is well and covered.

He'll need to find a better spot for them, but for now he sets the bloodstone on a shelf and rests his weapons nearby it, including his sword. He turns to navigate to the kitchen, but before he bothers to look any further he stops and leans against the table with a sigh.]

[Wildcard]

[Goooooo]

[kingsroads]

[ The trailer really is a bit cluttered. Not only are there books and papers everywhere, but knick-knacks litter the trailer as well. A windchime made of seashells hangs near the kitchen window. An alligator skull sits on a chair. A small, wooden carving of a seal sits on the shelf next to where Syr sets his bloodstone...where oddly enough, there sits another stone, a small ruby-red gemstone, about the size of a ping pong ball. Most noticeably, the couch is gone. In it's place stands a large, sturdy looking desk and desk chair. Most of the books and papers have migrated to that area.

And then, the top bunk moves. For all of Strange's trying to take a nap, the sound of someone entering the trailer (urgh, and not leaving) is enough to yank him out of the sleep he was almost going to get. Blinking back sleep, Strange sticks his head up from the bed, looking at the new arrival, intent on fussing at whoever it is to piss off and let him nap. ]

Syrlya? [ Oh! It was Syrlya! His expression goes from annoyed and tired to bright and...well, still kind of tired. Strange honestly still wants to nap, but he can easily make an exception for Syrlya. After all, he's got so many questions for the man! Strange clambers down from the top bunk, yawning as he talks. ]

I was hoping I'd run into you. That magic you cast, with the Blue Rose...where can I even start on such a thing! How did the magic precisely work? Were you a conduit or simply the wielder?

[ because that's the logical question to ask first, not 'how are you doing' or 'what are you doing here.' ]

Rita Mordio

[anti_nonsense]

[Toplevels will follow. Will match formats for prose or brackets!]

OPEN - Revival

[anti_nonsense]

Rita awakens with a gasp. She immediately claws at her throat, as if trying to tear something away from her... but there's nothing. She can breathe. Her neck is heavily bruised, the pattern of fingers somewhat distinguishable around it... but she's alive, and she's breathing, and nothing's stopping her.

Stone covers her right shoulder, most of the arm, half of her chest and the base of her neck. There are a few puncture wounds left by arrows; one in her left side, one in her back, and most prominently, one in her face, through the cheek. Fortunately, she removed most of the arrows while she was still a beast, but one remains embedded in her left wing.

Her lungs still burn, and the venom feels more oppressive than ever, but she rolls herself to one side to watch the exchange between the Prince, the Ringmaster, and her fellow carnival workers. It's unclear how much she comprehends, as she shows no reaction to the unfolding events. Rita just stares outward, wheezing slightly as she breathes, but otherwise unmoving.

[This prompt is open for anyone who might check on or aid Rita during the immediate aftermath of the hunt. This'll just be one thread, but characters are welcome to threadhop.]

Lambert

[whattaprick]

[ Toplevels will be placed below! Hit me up on mythicbeast#9659 if you'd like a custom starter put up. ]

RECOVERY

[whattaprick]

[ D1-D3: Medical Tent ]

For more or less the evening and the whole first day since Lambert was brought back to the medical tent, near-catatonic despite the strategic application of magical first aid, he ... looks pretty damn awful. Open gashes left by claws and teeth -- ones that have had a few days to attempt to scab over, only to be torn open again with the rigors of the hunt -- litter his body, and his neck is a ring of fading bruises. The lack of proper medical attention immediately after probably means he'll have a fair amount of scars to show for after this, not that he was short on them to begin with. If he's awake, it's only for brief periods of time to mumble deliriously at someone before exhaustion and the general trauma of dying send him right back under. Fortunately for all, his modesty's being preserved by a sheet thrown over him, though stone feet still stick out awkwardly from the cloth.

By the second day and third day, he's regained proper consciousness, though he's still looking drained and takes brief periods of time to nap. Celandine, the marbled polecat that serves as his daemon, is usually puddled across his chest. The dark-furred boar's ears that fan out from his head, a parting 'gift' from the Prince's involuntary transformation, are constantly flicking, listening for sound even if Lambert's sitting still. Someone's managed to dig up a hospital gown to stuff him in, and it's not a flattering look. Whenever an errant visitor comes by, they could be greeted with any of the following:

"Do you think they'd look better if I painted them?"

"Can you pass me that scalpel on the table?"

"How much do I have to bribe you to get me a drink?

[ D2, Afternoon: Nightrunners ]

Now that he can sit up and stay awake and alert for an actually reasonable amount of time -- meaning longer than half an hour at a stretch -- Lambert decides it's about time to catch on just what happened while he was out of it. He reaches for the radio again, and this time he flicks it to the nightrunner channel, still sounding tired and hoarse as hell as he speaks into it.

"This is the Nightrider. If you've got something to report, see me in the medical tent. Otherwise..." Damn, he can't even say 'the Warden's in charge,' the Warden is probably even more fucked up than he is. "... ask the Ringmaster and the other supervisors where you need to be.""

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

Yuzu has just had it. The Prince was dead. Good. But, instead of staying around and tending to anyone who might need it, she ended up turning around and heading back to her and Reira's trailer. There was the sounds of furious and angry wall-pounding after the door closed, but things would go silent after that.

If you peeked in afterwards, you'll find Yuzu laying in bed, her long maroon hair covering her face, her Duel Disk, hair ties and bracelet on the floor by the wall - the tiny dent on the wall showed that throwing her Duel Disk at the wall did the most "damage".

[soft_focus]

"Mnh-!" Naturally, the resident empath has not taken this well. It isn't anything near 'that bad' of course. She'd be in trouble if that were the case, but bursts of rage do not jive well with her recovering body, even as they settle into misery.

Reira waits....quite a while before she goes in. Quite a while, before she pulls the door to the bunk room open.

"....neesama..?"

Julien Delacroix | OPEN

[espigeon]

[Day 178:...]
Compared to the other people in the recovery tent, Julien's... well, he's not petrified, the stone scales move fine and don't feel heavy, but he's had a heavier dose of poison. He feels very much like he doesn't belong with the ex-imprisoned, though, and it's kind of unpleasant being in an enclosed space at all. So. He struggled out while no one who could stop him was looking and now sprawls outside. It's fine. He wants to soak in sunlight when it's light out. Feel the air on his feathers when it's not. Even get rained on, if the weather goes that way. It's better than being under a roof right now.

He looks terrible. There aren't bandages - his skin is good at closing back up, even without the healing ability the Earthmind gave him - but many white feathers are stained a rusty brown, and he's bedraggled, various feathers on his neck plucked out to show thin skin a few shades paler than on his human body. The skin of his eyelids is dry and so thin his pupils can be seen through them. The wings he has outstretched along the ground are immense, like on a small aircraft. Curled at his side, or under a wing, or lying on top of his feathery bulk, is his human body, uninjured and not as affected but with a sleepless, unhealthy look.

The contact and the pressure, received and inflicted, helps in the same way cupping an injury with one's hands helps. It also helps to be able to spread himself out, to perceive the world through a body that feels less abused. Still not great, though, and he has no idea how or when it got poisoned. It must be partly an illness in him.

It's going to take a lot of coaxing to get his bird body to move, but if you come by a floating spectral eye or three might appear in the air over him, and if you don't move on his human head will raise blearily to look at you, the fuzzy new pedipalps pressed against his face.

[Wildcard, After?]

The human-shaped part of him is in a good enough shape to go out and do things that aren't a strain. Or, well, everything's something of a strain, and he spends a lot of time curled up with himself, but if he can stop to rest pretty often Julien can walk around, get food, visit the menagerie, in general do something to not feel like a complete invalid.

He'd like to avoid various people he's ended up hurting or slighting or betraying in the past week or so, but Julien's thirty years old and tremendously social. He knows that doesn't work. Seeking them out right now is generally out, he doesn't have the energy or the panache to try to patch anything up, but he doesn't turn away or plot out ways to not let them see him.

[motivenotfound]

There's a difference, Mari thinks to herself, between actively looking to find her former prey and almost literally tripping on him as she rounds the corner.

It's not hard to identify him, at least. His feathers are basically the same, and the profile of injuries was pretty distinctive. Also, she'd had the dubious benefit of watching the massive dinosaur that had tried to eat her turn into a significantly-less-threatening pair of bird and hominid right in front of her eyes.

She isn't really sure what to do with him... on the ground like this, though.

"Nnnnno. That's... a bad spot. You are gonna get stepped on if you stay there."

Big Tent Sleepover - D2 and onward

[pipers_son]

[Around..... noonish of the second day, anyone who still has their radios on them will find them crackling to life.]

Ah.... Joker here. If anyone is tired of sleepin' on their own, I got some things set up in the main performance tent. Just drop by.

[Boy, does he sound exhausted as all shit. Wait, wasn't he one of the hunted? Wasn't he in the medical tent just yesterday? The man has an entire stone leg right now, how the hell did he sneak out- ]

[Regardless of the many questions that arise from Joker's questionable life choices, the big tent is set up for anyone to come join what is basically just an enormous sleep over. There are a lot of reasons someone might not care to sleep in their own trailers. Who knows? Perhaps sleeping in small space with an assigned roommate seems too much like the Prince's rigid schedule. Regardless, the floor and seats in the main tent have found themselves scattered with various blankets and pillows. It's sure not enough to cover the entire floor, let alone all of the seats.... but someone has given it the good old college try.]

[Feel free to curl up just about anywhere, or bring just about anything, including food or more blankets and pillows. Either would certainly be appreciated.]

joker - ota

[pipers_son]

Day 2

As for the stage manager who's set all of this up? Well, to find him.... Just look up.

For the acrobats and daredevils of the Carnival, there's usually no reason to spread out a net. Magic safety measures are well in place, considering that, on a normal day, the performers are some of the most important individuals around. It' not a carnival without a show, after all. Yet they still have one, because a traveling interdimensional carnival can never have too much shit lying around, apparently. It's that massive net which is currently strung up high in the air within the big top. Even more blankets have been draped across it, making it impossible to see what's laying on top of them.

At least, not unless someone clambers up there, or has the ability to fly. Then, it'll be fairly easy to find Joker. The stage manager is draped across the blanket covered net, a few pillows strewn here and there. One in particular is pressed against his face. Presumably he's sleeping and, thankfully, he seems to be dressed now. Certainly, any visitors will get the sight of Feathers the Dartrix puffing up at them in warning, with the Pokemon looking about as ruffled as his owner.

If you have anything to say, make it quick. This bird is determined to not let Joker do anything else.

Nighttime

....Or, at least, it's as good as night time when the figure up in the big tent net finally makes his way down.

It's a careful, slow descent that's made up mostly of gliding instead of the usual dives or flying that Joker is known for. Feathers follows right behind him, making quiet and worried coos. They only intensify as Joker lands, stumbling, and he has to raise a hand up to hush the Pokemon. Anyone around who's awake and watching will get an almost sheepish smile. "Ah, sorry. Wake ya?"

Pay no mind to how he looks absolutely ragged. Probably just the lack of makeup.

Still, he has some people he wants to check up on... And, if they're not in the big tent, that means having to leave it. That's how, still accompanied by Feathers, Joker can be found wandering about the Carnival. With his leg completely turned to stone, it's somewhat slow going, something that can be told by the stiff way he has to walk. Occasionally, he sinks down to sit, taking a breath, and Feathers is immediately on hand to fuss over him.

It's good luck that he's not worse than he already is... Unlike some of the others, like Lambert. Any broken limbs were fixed, even if the poison is weighing him down almost as much as his leg. Still.... He smiles wearily down at Feathers. "We're a mess, ain't we...?"

Joker's Wild

[As usual, if you want to do anything else with Joker that the prompts don't cover, just go for it. He'll mostly be sticking to the schedule of sleeping (??) in the daytime and wandering about at night, because a screwed up sleeping schedule is what he needs.]

B1:D2 & Onwards | OTA | Prose/Action I will match

[prazerbutterfly]

[D2 - D5]

After meeting with Curse, Cobweb, and Princess, Tyki had finally given in to his poison and extreme fatigue. He couldn't really remember where he had passed out at or how he ended up in the medical tent. All he knows is he had wandered back into the carnival and that was it. There's a blur of everything from the moment he wakes up to the moment he wanders out of that medical tent. He feels sick and despite anyones' urging to stay in the tent or return to it he'll refuse unless forcibly dragged back there.

Throughout the next few days he's found his way into a hot shower and put on a change of clothing every morning/early afternoon. He has enough energy to wander around but the stress of the entire week is still mounting heavily. For once in this entire week he has his own mind and his own damn choices. Even if they are bad choices right now he refuses to just stay in a bed somewhere. He's stiff in movement with his back more rigid than anything else. The presence of his Tease, his purplish black butterflies, occasionally scattered here and there are a good sign that he's somewhere nearby.

He can be found just about anywhere from under trees to lounging in them, up high where there are quiet perches or soft landings, face down on a table in the cookhouse from his failed attempts to eat or sitting in the middle of the ground in selective spots when he needs to rest for a moment. He might've even dozed off in those places with a bit of unease.

[D4 only]

The sound of scraping might gather ones attention more than anything else. Around Tyki are a few baskets of potatoes along with a few containers to put them in once they are peeled. If he's alert enough to wander around instead of resting in the medical tent and resting in general then he's good enough to peel potatoes. He's settled back against something near the Cookhouse with knife in hand and potato in the other. He could very well use his Power to Choose to make this easier but part of his punishment was doing it the hard way.

He starts from the top in a fluid motion similar to peeling apples and works his way down to the bottom. It's rougher than the skin of an apple and he has to stop when the knife slips off the smooth line and he'll slice downwards instead. Whether are not Tyki is just starting or it is several baskets later he'll be at this all day.

Part of the punishment is the extreme boredom as well and he's feeling it.

[D5]

After all that boring work and everything he's had to endure the week before Tyki will make the long journey up towards the hot springs with a bottle of red wine.

Every step is tasking and tedious but he does feel a little better now that he's slept a lot, eaten some food and kept it down enough to regain some energy, and had a chance to relax without worrying about anything else. With the poison still coursing through his body he's tired easily by late afternoon. A dip into the hot springs will do him some good enough that he'll likely strip down to a thick towel wrapped around his waist. For a man usually covered in head to toe he's on full display, scars and all, and he knows it. This late into the week he's stopped caring about the petrification on his back or the wings heavily burdening him with that reminder of a painful mistake.

After pouring a glass of wine he'll soak in down to his throat with his head back against some sort of surface with an effort to not fall asleep. Unfortunately, he just might.

[Wildcard]

Have something else in mind and want to throw it at Tyki? Go ahead! I welcome just about anything right now. PM this journal, plot with me at mister_hyde or Discord: Tyki Mikk#0824!

D4

[dressedtothe]

9S doesn't need to eat, but food is a fun novelty for him. Sure, being at the manor totally killed his desire for food for a while after being made to eat and eat and eat and eat with no outlet for the built up restless energy, but he discovered he's something of a sweet tooth.

Which brings him to the cookhouse during a non-meal time; he'd rather wheedle a dessert off one of the cooks when there's no one else around to witness it.

Except... he doesn't find one of the cooks.

"...Tyki?" Now that they're not in the manor, time to drop excess titles! He's not usually a cook, is he? "I thought you were a performer, not a cook...?"

9S has certainly seen better days. While he's dressed back in his usual clothes, complete with visor covering his eyes, the exposed parts of his legs have ugly burns scorching his synthetic skin. In some places along the sides and back of his thighs and calves his skin was completely burned off, exposing patches of his metal frame for all to see.

Lauren and Susan

[wild_magic]

[top levels below! hit either of us up on plurk (akibara and moirallegiance) if you want to plan something else!]

Returning to the Carnival

[mylastchance]

Once they're both awake, once the fight is over, once they've both finished holding each other in confusion in fear, Lauren stands, holding Susan in his arms as he makes his way back to the carnival. Normally Susan would complain or fight against being picked up, especially like a baby, but right now he doesn't have it in him, and so instead he doesn't bother as he clings to his brother as best he can with one stone arm and one injured arm. The position isn't the most comfortable for his wings, but he ignores that for now, just wanting to go home. Unfortunately, though Lauren can move with his stone feet he forgets their clumsiness, and after a few steps begins to stumble, barely managing to catch himself from falling. Maybe he needs a little help with this.

Papyrus

[spaghettimonster]

[top levels cometh]

Night 178 [Closed to Sans]

[spaghettimonster]

Papyrus hadn't run back to the carnival right away. He'd lingered in the amphitheatre during the resolution of everything, and headed back to the carnival with something of a limp. The hunt had been... bad. Difficult enough, without the use of magic to move himself around with his usual ease. Worse, with how hard the giant feathery creature fought back to protect themself, not understanding what was happening. And worst with... how it ended.

By the time he'd gotten back, and headed to the supervisor's grove, his brother (Sans!!) was asleep. Rather than wake him, Papyrus went off to do a few things. Shower, change out of torn and bloody clothing to something more... comforting, and comfortable. Gather some food on a tray, to bring with him as he started yet another vigil over an injured Sans.

Now it's a couple hours later, and half the food tray is covered in crumbs instead. Papyrus has nestled himself in a corner by the door, Sistina's neck stretched across his knees. A few pieces of paper are crumpled balls beside him, skewered on a shishkabone for easy carrying and disposal. They're writing a draft of a letter, something to leave in the mailbox in case it turns out his brother is still angry and wants privacy upon waking up. And, as much as he ever talks softly, he and Sistina are talking its contents out.

"--write out a whole copy?"

"It'll just take a few minutes more! And then, it doesn't matter if he does; we'll have a spare."

"Mmmm... Yeah, okay. But add something else. Uh, we want to remember. And, the Ringmaster helped him remember all that other stuff, so, we could...?"

"Oh! Good idea!"

ZANGETSU!

[moonfang]

Toplevels to follow!

B1D2 - Who is dis ghost bitch (Closed to Cole)

[moonfang]

[What a hot mess this had all turned out to be. Everything about this was awful, just awful. And all Zangetsu wants to do is rest and recuperate.

... Well, and speak to Gongenzaka. Personally. Alone. He had a lot to say, and something he needed to do. He's pretty sure Gon will probably be in the medical tent, but he figures it wouldn't hurt to check their trailer first. But when he arrives, he doesn't sense Gon at all. No, he senses a different person entirely.

He flings open the trailer door, slamming it against the outside of the building with a loud "BANG", with the intent to startle the intruder. He narrows his eyes as he stands in the doorway]

Who the hell are you?

GONGENZAKA | OTA

[otoko]

[B1:D1-D3 | Tented]

[She had filled this tent with curtain after curtain of fabric, all of them a shade of blue. Drapes to cover the washroom area, drapes to cover the cooking area...drapes over any area left un-used, really, and more than that, over any colours that weren't blue. The only thing that isn't blue, sits upon a large desk at the side-a great, ceramic tiger, a stunning orange in contrast to what lays around it. There will be a lot to take down and neatly tuck away, but for now the multitude of lounging pillows and sheets gathered by Blue Diamond over time are creating a suitable addition for the bed that Gongenzaka lays upon. The Tent-being a large tent-doesn't lend very well to bunks. It's meant for those who are excessively tall, possibly even with difficulties handling ladders at all. What they have instead, are just...beds. And Gongenzaka is making good use of his.

He needs to, for his own health. His left arm of course, is still missing. His right eye, though gouged in the hunt, is merely recovering and to be kept gently under bandage.

But aside from this, there are greater lingering matters from the Prince's punishments. Stone coating most of his left side and limbs, even extending into his leafy and vine-like hair. But most chillingly a set of horns-curling backward almost like antlers, nearly identical to those that he had during the hunt.

Gongenzaka sleeps-or at least for now, but he is not alone. A maltese cheetah, missing a forelimb and carrying a weak look within her steely blue eyes, looks toward the opening in the tent fabrics to keep watch. And in addition...]

Nffh...Hrrrmrnn..RRrrmmmnn...

[Gongenzaka sniffs a bit as the pink snubbul with moss additions whimpers at him, doing his best to gently scratch her ears with his one arm.] Ssshhhh, Suzu... ....It's alright. ....I, the man Gongenzaka.... ....will be alright...

[B1:D4-D5 | With My One Eye]

[The eye is, for now at least, still supposed to be covered. Gongenzaka assures others that he can see through it, of course-but it looks unnerving all the same, and the stumbling walk he has is no better. It is a strong limp-though mobility has been regained in those limbs, they are still stone and poisoned, a steep contrast to his otherwise limber right side. He is determined however, it would seem. He has his usual sashes in place at long last, his t-shirt on beneath the one, and though it is difficult to keep from scratching where his right eye is bandaged over...he resists.

And instead walks for whatever his destination may be-the portal outward to the Heart of Stone? The Cookhouse, for some well needed food? Or perhaps some other place, to discuss various matters on what to do with certain things in the Tent.]

[B1:D4 | CLOSED TO SANS]

[It would be a lie to say Sans was the only one he was thinking of, when he regained consciousness. They weren't that close, as much as he hoped things were a bit better between them since their conversation in Greysol. It would be a lie as well, however, to say he hadn't been thinking of him a fair bit. Being able to hear the name in his thoughts, being able to even murmur it aloud, was such a wave of relief he wondered almost if anything was real. At the time he had thought this however, he was upon a bed. Unable to properly leave, unable to properly see for himself. Time and rumor would tell more of course, but...

Gongenzaka limps as he walks, half his body still encased in mobile stone. The same side lacks an arm, and rock weighs down on loosened branches and vines, coating the leaves and flowers like crude carvings from clay. His head bears new horns-brilliant in comparison, shining with the polish of something fired in a kiln-but their beauty is marred by their origin, and marred further by the bandages still covering his right eye. The eye is, thankfully, there of course.

It's just not ready for the light.

Gongenzaka doesn't have Marishi with him-not just yet. But he has only one destination in mind. Slow, and steady. Quiet, despite clumping feet upon the ground, somehow.

He knocks at the trailer door within the Supervisor's Grove, and calls gently-]

...Sans? ....May I, the man Gongenzaka, come in, perhaps?

D3 - Tented

[moonfang]

[After checking in at their formerly shared trailer, it's... not hard to track Gongenzaka down. His spirit energy is low, but not gone. He needed to rest, just like all of them. He isn't sure what, if anything, Gon remembers from the hunt -- but Zangetsu figured it was probably about how much he remembered from the first hunt. Snippets, tinged in red and dark around the edges. Like dreams. Just fragments.

He knows Gon can sense him coming, so there's no point in him trying to be stealthy. Despite knowing this, his falters at the front of the tent. He reaches out for the flap, then stops, hand shaking slightly in midair.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, then grabs the flap -- but does not open it. Instead he calls out]

Knock, knock, the man Gongenzaka. [he laughs a little, trying to lighten his mood, and he speaks in the same old-fashioned Japanese that Gon is so fond of] It is I! The sword, Zangetsu, requesting an audience.

REIRA AKABA | OTA

[soft_focus]

D178 - B1:D1 | Aimlessness

[soft_focus]

[She's looking for someone. Someone they won't find-no, he'll find her, when the time comes, and when the time comes there will be a fall and a rise as necessary for such a time. But for now, she is looking. She still has her shoes from when she was a maid-her normal ones were taken at the manor. She's wearing clothes at this point though-shorts, a shirt, her hoodie...but beyond that she is small, and it could be easy to miss the girl.]

9S | OTA

[dressedtothe]

[D3 onwards]
For once, 9S is in the training yard and actually using it rather than watching people and skedaddling before anyone can drag him into training. The reason may be soon apparent; while he's dressed back in his usual clothes, complete with visor covering his eyes, the exposed parts of his legs have ugly burns scorching his synthetic skin. In some places along the sides and back of his thighs and calves his skin was completely burned off, exposing patches of his metal frame for all to see. Rita's done the bulk of his repairs and restored his motor functionality, but he needs to run his body through the ropes for testing and make adjustments as necessary.

Besides, after everything that happened at the manor, he could go for blowing off some steam.

It might be strange that he's standing several feet away from the training dummies with his sword in hand. As usual, his box shaped robot buddy, Pod 153, is hovering nearby. The distance between 9S and the training dummies is much too far for a swordsman to feasibly attack in melee range, so why...?

It's obvious once 9S gets started; 9S controls his sword with what appears to be telekinesis, swinging his sword with as little contact with it as possible. A ring of light encircles the weapon's hilt, the same ring that encircles his wrists with every slash. The absurdly sharp sword absolutely decimates the dummies, shredding them with every spinning sword strike until all that's left are the wooden poles that were propping the dummies up.

Somehow, despite all the dummy destruction, 9S doesn't feel any better about everything he learned in the last few days. With a growl of frustration, 9S sweeps into a crouch, slamming his sword point first into one of the poles, driving it deep into the wood.

...It appears to be stuck.


[Wildcard]
[If you would like me to write a closed prompt, I'm happy to be contacted on jesii, journal PM, or Discord for discussion!]

For Peridot

[dressedtothe]

For once, 9S is running the Obstacle Course, which he usually sees as pointless due to being an android that can't build muscle or endurance. This time, though, he needs to test the repairs Rita did on him.

Normal is too easy for him. Hard makes him put in actual effort. He might not be a combat unit, but he's made to be nimble to avoid getting his expensive parts damaged. Plus, being made of metal and artificial muscles means he doesn't really tire the same way organics do. Once he's completed a run of the Hard course, 9S sets the course on Death March out of curiosity. And. Wow. Who would run the course on this setting?

...Him, apparently. If he's focused on dodging lasers, then he doesn't have to think about everything else that's recently happened. He manages to make it past a pretty decent chunk of the course without injury, but eventually, he's just a little too slow and one of the lasers sears across the exposed part of his legs, adding to the scorches that are already there from fighting Rita as a phoenix.

Damn it! He's a Scanner. No more holding back!

Stretching out an arm, 9S fires his consciousness into the laser in order to hack it. It's a simple machine, having a singular purpose and no defence barriers to speak of. Within a fraction of a second, the laser explodes.

Peridot | Closed by Starter

[periphrasing]

[Various prompts will be added in time!]

Closed to Amethyst

[periphrasing]

It's finally over.

Even to an immortal being, the time the carnival spent at the Prince's manor, and then the subsequent collapse of said manor and the siege and challenge that immediately followed, all felt like they had lasted eons. Peridot can't remember ever having felt quite this tired before. Not after everything with the Cluster, not even after that time she had been kidnapped and brainwashed by vampires.

Well... She sure is tired now. It's not a physical weariness, but the kind of emotional exhaustion that saps so much out of you, you can't even think about where to head next. First she'd failed Lambert and Sans. She failed Lapis. She'd had to kill Lambert, and now he's unconscious in the medical tent, half petrified and struggling to recover...

That's where Peridot is leaving from now, emerging through the tent flaps looking like her mind's off on another planet entirely. It's not like she knows anything about humans, or their medical needs, so there isn't exactly anything she can do for Lambert. She'd be much more useful elsewhere.

If only she actually felt useful...

[criticallyfucked]

Days 1-2

At first, Foster is very easy to find, because all he does is sleep. It's not a surprise; after everything that's happened, he's exhausted. Physically and mentally. There's not much else to worry about besides those two, but those are bad enough. So it's almost a kind of mercy that he's sleeping so heavily. And definitely not worrisome at all.

Anyone seeking him urgently for some reason (no really, why) will find him curled tightly under several layers of blankets. Drooling.

Day 3

You definitely found Foster during the first couple of days, right? Got whatever you needed out of him? No?

Too bad, because right now Foster is a sour and self-loathing pill. A pill who still refuses to eat. He's actually working, of all the things, and can be found struggling to haul carts of trash (actually, they look like... potato peels?) back and forth across the carnival with a dark look on his face.

It's pretty transparently a losing battle, though. His body's increasing efforts to shut down on him force him to sit down, or lean against walls or fences, breathing hard--pale, drooling, visibly ill.

He'll ignore anyone who approaches until they're within arm's reach.

Days 3-6

Thank god for Hinawa, probably.

Having sick people doing heavy manual labour is not really to anyone's benefit, and even Foster can eventually be persuaded of that. Instead, she has him set up with a cart laden with food, which he is tasked with delivering to those who are confined to their trailers for one reason or another. This job seems to satisfy him in some way; it also compensates for his ailing state, since he can use it to support himself while he makes his rounds. He still has to stop periodically as waves of dizziness or weakness come and go, but he doesn't look so much like he's ready to die any more. Of course, everyone still has to deal with his personality when he shows up at their doors.

But starting on the fourth day, he actually seems... significantly less unhappy.

He finally had a talk with the Ringmaster.

Anyway, he brought you food!

It's potatoes.

Days 4-6

It's no longer forbidden to him to eat, but after a week and a half of not eating, attempting to do so...

He doesn't really know how.

He's sure that if he could just start--but he can't, he can't and he doesn't know. It's as though he's lost the impetus required to start--as though perhaps whatever function of the mind that's involved in eating has just stopped in him. Maybe the disease finally rotted into him there. He doesn't know. He keeps thinking about it--almost wanting it, trying to grab apples, or plates of fries or mashed potatoes (there are a lot of potatoes right now.) But he just... he just can't seem to start. He can't even bring himself to sit down with them--he just grabs them, walks a few yards with them, and then loops back to the kitchen to put them back.

It's... kind of sad.

Day 5

[whattaprick]

As Fosters heading back to return whatever it is he's grabbed and can't make his mind up on whether he wants to eat or not, a french fry comes sailing at his head out of seemingly nowhere, flicked with all the force a mildly irritated witcher can muster.

"What are you even doing?" When did he even get there? It's a mystery.

Junko Enoshima | OTA

[disjunct]

D3 - Morning

[disjunct]

[ She is... sitting outside with all the makeup she could carry, that she discerned with her taste as the Ultimate Fashionista to be high-quality, along with some childish looking ones. There's also a bowl with a wet rag and some makeup remover nearby. ]

Hey! Hey you! [ She doesn't care if you're human or monster, you're getting the ta-ta wave and then the 'come over' gesture, and should you follow it, she'll beam at you menacingly cheerily. ]

So I have to do some facepainting and I'm rrrreeaaally out of practice. And if we have all different kinds of guests, I have to learn how to paint on all kinds of faces. Would you step up for a really simple design? I got stuff to wash it off with.

[ It's a simple enough request. Do you trust her? ]

Connie Maheswaran | Starters below

[sworntothesword]

Sans - Reporting for Duty, B1: D3

[sworntothesword]

The Ringmaster told her when she became an official 'employee' what her job would be, but from what she could gather, this was still a pretty unusual initiation. Her 'boss' has pretty much been recovering from a lot of Crazy Stuff, the same Crazy Stuff the resulted in her being here in the first place, so she's been a ball of nervousness wondering what her superior is supposed to be like. For three days. Three whole days.

Her imagination might have started to run away with her.

So now that there's rumors that the scary skeleton that had his name stolen?? and runs security is actually finally out and about, she's possibly an extremely tight bundle of nerves.

ota, except the one part that isn't.

[eclipsingblade]

==Creeping On The Wounded, D1 through when everyone's harder to find==

[A newcomer and reluctant employee, Ichigo had stayed in the Carnival as everyone else went to go slaughter their friends and allies. And now that it was over..

Now that it's over, he's ghosting through the carnival, to the medical tent and anywhere else the injured have been brought, running a mental tally in his head. There were many people changed, many killed and though he didn't know ANY of them except for maybe one, he did have a rough idea of numbers and if the right number of people are recovering..

So Ichigo's lurking. He's not going to interrupt unless spoken to because injured people need their rest, but ANYONE hurt is worthy of attention, their injuries weighed versus what might be needed to kill someone. Those sleeping are left to sleep. Those not .. are also left to their business, for the most part. But he's watching, a perpetual frown on his face. It might almost look like he's disappointed they're all alive but .. very much the opposite.

It's just counting, really.]

==Closed to Tyki Mikk==

[Most of the time when Ichigo arrives at his new trailer, it's during the day. Guard posts required night shifts sometimes, and as much as he resented even being there, that aprt he didn't resent much. Jobs came with weird hours.

Now he figured out fast that someone else lived in the trailer too, there were belongings. And that certain scent that said 'this isn't a dusty locked up place that hasn't been opened for years', so he's been carefully mindful of anything that looked important. Sinks, fair game. Bathrooms, fair game. But anything else.. he's not one to mess with other people's stuff. But over on the side he'd decided to call his own because it looked slightly less lived in, there's now two balloon dogs set, and a very small number of boring teeshirts and pants folded up and tucked away.

And yet he hasn't encountered his new roommate. So this time.. this time he's going to stay all day and as much of the night he can manage just to see who or what he might be sharing space with.

Which means when Tyki does return, inside the trailer (with all its windows opened, and the door as well) is lurking one orange-haired punk, with a beat up and tattered paperback book to pass the time. He's patient. Sometimes.]

==Time To Hit Things==

[ONE good thing about this place, it has a training yard.

Once he's found it, Ichigo's decided to spend all day there, from literally dawn til dark. He even fetched some packed lunch to bring! It's ... sort of an elaborate toy as far as he can tell, and figuring out how it works (he's NOT asking thank you) is half the interesting part.

Normal mode proves too easy very quickly, and that venture stops after he completes it at a run without pausing.

Hard is ... harder, but he manages that pretty well too, though it takes a few singes, scrapes and a nice burnt patch to figure out yes that's actually real fire, those ARE lasers and hey, the floor vanishes!

It's this mode he'll spend most of the day on, and it's pretty clear after a while that Ichigo's just doing it for fun. He's not exactly goofing off but he's definitely not trying his hardest.

By the time evening rolls around he's eyeing Death March with interest. After all day running through the other ones, he's tired (the downsides of being human), and his reflexes won't be fantastic, so clearly this is the best time to consider the hardest setting.

He can be interrupted or joined at any time. Company makes things more interesting.]

> Picks the one other than the one assigned to him...

[prazerbutterfly]

[If Ichigo is observant enough he might notice the few Tease scattered in the trailer will start to flit their wings a little faster than normal the closer Tyki gets. It's their way of warning him that there is someone up close or nearby. He had noticed signs of someone else being in his trailer the first couple of nights but hadn't bothered to try to really find any way of figuring out who it was.

Normally he could use his Tease to track the scent but the effort in following them when really there was only certain places he would rather be was rather tasking on him with that poison running rampart in his system. He honestly shouldn't be out of bed at all but he was out wandering every day.

It's slow and staggering as he makes his approach toward his trailer near the back of the trailer park. Every heavy step from a days worth of effort is taxing on him and his eyes will lift to see the Tease, the windows and doors open, and then the orange haired person waiting inside. He smiles a half cheerful, half tired look towards the other.]

Ah, so you're the one that's been lurking around my trailer...

Yugo | OTA

[bananaspeedrider]

A - Extra Shave Reborn [Closed to Carly]

With how thoroughly armored the amphithere form was, there’s not that many injuries on Yugo’s unconscious form to worry about compared to those on the others. An arrow through the eye is what had done in the snake beast, now a mess of dried golden blood. Just barely he stirs during the moment of triumph against the Prince, but forced to screw his eye (just one eye?) shut against the light and noise.

It’s a mostly-forgotten blur when he’s carted back to the carnival. The first thing that Yugo notices to a significant degree by the time he’s tucked into his bed… it’s still cold as hell in his opinion.

---
B - (Not) Speed Recovery [Open]

The second thing Yugo notices once more awake is that Clear Wing’s card isn’t safely in his deck or sitting on his bedside.

More than enough to send the boy into a panic. As fast as he can, it’s all Yugo can do to sit up in his weakened state- his entire tail and left arm still numb even if they’re still functional beneath the petrification. No getting out of bed for him, but he’s willing to try anything for the chance to find his dragon. The spirit could be out there crying and scared, someone could step on the card, or maybe sent flying by the wind- never to be seen by him again…!

Alternatively, the teen finally has said trading card and his "Destiny Dice" back- but still stuck with bedrest whether he likes it or not.

---
C - Wildcard

[Got something else in mind? Come at me!]

B

[hippocarnival]

Knock knock! Yuya's rapping his knuckles against the door longer than necessary, probably, partly zoning out as he stands at the door. He's been making a lot of rounds checking on his ill friends.

"Yugo? Hey, Yugo, are you awake...?" He didn't see what happened to him during the hunt. He hopes he's no worse off than everyone else.

Jonathan Strange | day 3 | ota!

[kingsroads]

Having gotten into two dumb fights over the radio the day before, Strange is spending most of his third day back being an adult...except for the fact that no, he isn't, he's sulking around the place like a literal child. His sulking takes place in various locations around the carnival.

Option #1: His trailer where Strange's form of sulking consists of him pouting with the door closed and the lights off. The problem here is that a few of the windows to the trailer are open and anyone passing by can hear some creepy music box music emanating from inside the trailer as well as the faint sound of a woman's voice. Care to investigate?

Option #2: near the forest where Strange is still sulking, but this time he's sulking while performing magic so okay, he's feeling a bit better already. He's been standing near this tree for the past half hour or so, muttering almost constantly under his breath as the tree blooms, then stops blooming, as limbs grow then retract, and so on. Strange is also infinitely more jumpy near the forest than anywhere else. As he hears someone approach, he turns to them and grumbles, "Can't you be quieter?"

It doesn't matter how quiet they were to begin with. They could totally have been quieter in his mind.

Option #3: at the medical tent where Strange continues sulking, but this time it's sulking as he's reading a book. The book's massive and boring looking with tiny print, but Strange seems to enjoy it. As such, his expression changes every few minutes. He'll calm down and seem downright relaxed before a thought crosses his mind and that petulant scowl reasserts itself. He's also unintentionally sitting in front of one of the medicine cabinets. Have fun getting those supplies you need.

2

[atouts]

"No," Childermass tells him, simple as that, and follows it up immediately with a, "Here. I believe this is yours."

That being the other magician's radio that he tosses towards him without further ado, previously pried out of his hand just the other day when Childermass showed up to stop him from talking. Over the public channel, anyway. What a god awful mess that had been. Anyway, the single silver lining here is that Strange could hear him approach at all, which means he deigned to walk up rather than appear through a shadow like a huge, unexpected creep.

Probably because he doesn't want to startle someone in the middle of doing magic, so... yeah. That's definitely the consideration there.

Tamaki | D2 onward | ota

[puddingemote]

A: Side Tent

Having healed most of his wounds (small scratches and bruises, mostly) by now, Tamaki can be found for a few hours a day in one of the small side tents, up in the silks or doing various small feats of gymnastics on the floor. He doesn't really seem to be practicing; rather than doing any specific routine, he spins himself around in the same practiced movements over and over. It's as good a way to get rid of nervous energy as anything.

When someone comes in, he'll make himself known if he's up in the silks, generally by hanging upside down and calling out. "Hey."

B: Cookhouse

If one is familiar with Tamaki's eating habits, they might notice that his appetite hasn't been diminished by the goings-on around the Carnival. If anything, it seems like he has more food in front of him; his binge eating might be getting worse rather than better.

He doesn't look like he's really enjoying the food, though, eyes absently wandering the wood grain on the table instead of looking at what's going in his mouth. Eating doesn't entirely distract him from thinking.

Though he will look up if someone sits down, and nod at them in greeting.

3: Big Top (at night)

Instead of sleeping in his trailer, Tamaki can be found in the big top at night, spread out under a blanket and using his arm as a pillow. It's going to go to sleep like that before he does, but he seems alright with that.

He won't actively call anyone over (except for Doll), but won't protest to anyone coming to join him, either. It's just nice to be around people right now.

B

[pullingamiko]

It's nice to know that there's at least one place where Miko can pretty consistently know to check for Tamaki. She slides in next to him and sets her tray on the table, ears perked up - which isn't forced, exactly, but she may be putting a little more effort than usual about maintaining a general air of cheerfulness.

She knows better than to be overly enthusiastic under these circumstances, but... you know. Maybe Tamaki will appreciate some amount of cheer.

"Hey. What'd you get?"