lostcarnival | ⇨ THE LUNAR SOLSTICE

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⇨ THE LUNAR SOLSTICE

Who: Everyone!
When: Winter Breaks: Day 6 - Day 25
Where: THE MOON
What: The carnival journeys to one of its moons to celebrate the Lunar Solstice. More information here.
Warnings: Winter fun.

MOON WALKING↴

The journey to the moon only takes a blink of an eye, but it leaves the carnival far away beneath you. The second moon can be seen on the peripheral, massive compared to its usual view. At least when the holidays start out, there will be no notable wildlife on the moon, though this is something you can talk to the Ringmaster about if you think it needs a change. It sounds like this is the first time she's used it in quite a while - it probably needs some dusting off!

Claim your cabins, and proceed to... well, do whatever you want! There is no rush and little obligation, besides to enjoy yourself. For real, this time. She promises there will be no vampires. Or, at least, none that don't already work for the carnival.

► CABINS: Living arrangements are character choice for this event, and there are a variety of cabins of various sizes, mostly built to house 2-6 people, though you can fit more in if you squish. They are all made of wood and of a rustic design - no fancy modern furniture, here! Each building is housed with a fireplace and the needed amenities. You can pick up materials to cook with the private kitchens if you like. Theoretically, you could spend the whole holiday sequestered away, watching the snow fall. Some of them also have outdoor hot tubs available!

► ACTIVITIES: Activities are mostly going to be character driven, though there will be some large group games like bingo and maybe a poker tournament happening at some point in one of the festival halls. Otherwise, there is a lot to offer: skiing, snowboarding, hiking, ice sculpting, snowball fights - it goes on! If you'd like to run a winter activity, just let the mods know, and we will get the word out there for you.

► FEASTING: Every day isn't a full-out feast because that would get a bit unhealthy, but there will be a number of specific feast events over the holidays where everyone is encouraged to let out their inner hedonist and stuff themselves. There will be one big feast per week, with smaller but also delicious meals offered in between. The feast dates will be B12, B18, and B24. There's also plenty of alcohol available for anyone who wants it.

► SHOPPING: As mentioned in the planning post, there is a massive market being run by the World Walker Caravan! The Ringmaster has given everyone 1250 credits to spend on items, but there is a caveat - must spend at least 500 of those credits on gifts for other people. And it better be a good one, if you only buy one! (She will ask that you do not buy her presents, however. She appreciates the sentiment, but it seems sort of silly buying her things with her own money! If you'd like to gift her, please have it be something more personal or handmade, but you are not obligated to get her anything at all.)

► TREATMENTS: The beginning of the holidays will also be about the time that the emergency Medical Team will have finalized their treatments for the Prince's poisoning. Watch out for further information on that - and make sure to get treated if you are suffering from petrification or poison induced illness! The holidays will be a lot more fun that way.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Cole understands part of this. He gets smoking, you burn some herbs and it smells really nice and it makes the room smell good or makes you concentrate better or something like that. He's from fake fantasy world, he understands 'smoke this plant to help make you feel better' but only in a pain-killing sense. So what he doesn't get is why 9S would want to give him something to smoke.

Still, it's a gift and the concept of someone giving him a gift is so novel and so wonderful that Cole can't help but give 9S a little smile. "Thank you!"

He still has no fucking clue what to do with the weed in the first place. You're gonna have to walk him through this 9S and Rita, because Cole's not even taking the bag of weed out of the larger bag yet. He's just giving 9S a smile, trying to hide the fact that he still doesn't know why he got weed as a present.

"Does it also make the room smell nice?"

Plants you smoke? He can’t mean...

Rita returns, holding a bag from the market containing a digital photo printer. She never really thought to wrap it, but considering her present company, it’s doubtful that anyone will notice or care.

“Here.” She holds it out to 9S. “I was thinking about how you and Pod have so much visual data, but limited ways of sharing it with people...” Mainly because most people at the carnival don’t own electronic devices, much less compatible ones. If 9S can just print physical copies, he can pass that data around to anyone, anytime.

As she allows 9S a chance to take a look, she leans in closer to him and whispers, “Hey... are you serious about giving that stuff to him?” She sounds very, very unsure.

While Rita's busy getting the present, 9S answers Cole's question. "Hm, I'm not sure. I haven't smoked this before so I don't know what it'll smell like."

And he has to admit, he's pretty curious about what the experience would be like. 9S pulls out of the weed bags. That one is Cole's.

"I figured you might like to try a new experience? I can walk you through this." Sure, 9S doesn't have experience in smoking weed -- though he does with other drugs -- but he's read up on it!! He's got the paper, so... "Do you want to try it now? We'll need a lighter."

And then Rita comes back with his gift. At first, 9S doesn't know what it is that Rita's gotten him when he peers into the bag. 9S takes the time to look and hacks it, of course. It takes him a split second to discern everything about it, and he brightens considerably when he realises exactly what it does. "Thank you, Rita! This is perfect!"

If he shoved paper that Strange has spelled into this, would that mean he'll never have to hand draw a map again? And he could print off pictures of Earth for Susan! And any of his notes, he could just print off! No more handwriting ever again! 9S' delight practically radiates off him.

Though when Rita leans in... "Come on, Rita!" he whispers back, "You want to know what would happen, too!"

Edited 2017-11-27 15:04 (UTC)

Try a new experience...well that, more than anything, sells Cole on the idea of smoking a blunt. There's still so much he simply doesn't know about things. And if he's to help out and ease the pain of others, he's got to know about things like this to begin with, right? Right?

"I believe I do want to try it," Cole responds, with a little nod, not really paying attention to 9S and Rita whispering behind his back (though he does notice that. He's not blind, you two.)

Though, he will look over to Rita and just oh-so-casually ask, "What do you think?"

Good... He likes the gift. Rita hoped he'd find it useful.

But getting the spirit high still sounds like a very bad idea. "What makes you think I..." Rita begins to argue, but then seems to have a revelation, and instead mutters to herself, "Oh, I hadn't thought of that..."

Rita intends to study spirits, and here's a spirit who seems ready and willing to be a guinea pig in a highly unorthodox experiment. Has this ever been observed before? Certainly not anywhere on Terca Lumireis.

Looking between 9S and Cole, she sighs. "Fine... do it if you want to. But take it easy. Small quantities at a time." Rita has no firsthand experience with this, so she doesn't exactly know what constitutes a small or large quantity... but she'll try to set those ground rules, vague and meaningless as they may be. "And you don't need a lighter while I'm around."

9S puts aside his gift from Rita and says brightly, "Great!" Though at which part -- Cole's acceptance, Rita's acquiescence, or the fact they don't need to get a lighter -- is unclear. "I'll prepare the first one."

Maybe there will be a second one later?

Moving over to the table, 9S pours out what he guesses is a reasonable amount of the weed onto an empty plate conveniently left there from the previous night, taking care to keep it away from the actual food he'd brought back. Shedding his gloves, he begins to break down the weed with his fingers.

While he does that, 9S continues talking, "You know... records from the old world said that this stuff is usually shared."

Hint, hint!

Oh, it is? This stuff is shared? Well, at least in Cole's mind, that means there's only one option for this stuff. (And not just because he knows he doesn't eat, he's not entirely certain he can smoke to begin with.)

"Do both of you want some as well?"

Sharing is caring, 9S and Rita.

"What the hell kind of records have you been looking at..." Rita sighs, giving 9S a look of disbelief. After thousands of years, that's what gets preserved?

There's an instant of panic when Cole takes the cue to offer her some, but she quickly dismisses it with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, no... I'll pass. A researcher needs to always keep a clear mind." And she embarrassed herself horribly when she got drunk off that cure, so there's that too. The last thing Rita wants is to wake up once again with the realization that she spent an evening babbling about her feelings... and what if she did something even stupider? Nuh-uh. No way is she risking it.

While the other two are talking, 9S finishes up with breaking down the plant matter and wipes his fingers on the edge of his coat, because who said androids are good at maintaining clean clothing?

Plucking one of the papers for the weed, 9S folds it in half and starts filling it. "Sure, I'll try some. I'm not sure if it'll affect me, but if it does, it'll be a valuable experience to record."

That's his story and he's sticking to it!

"It's probably a good idea for at least one of us not to smoke it, anyway."

Rita's logic makes sense. Though wait, a clear mind? How exactly would the plant change your mind to begin with? He didn't know that! He thought this was just a new experience, not something that would affect people.

Cole suddenly looks a little wary, as he gives the small pile of weed a frown. But 9S is trying some and 9S bought the plants so it would be safe, right? But 9S was an android so maybe it would be different for androids? Cole is suddenly aware of the number of variables present in this equation and how each of those variables really sucks.

"What does this do?"

Good; Rita gets to stay firmly in her comfort zone. She peers around at 9S's hands as he prepares the drug. Did his records show him how to do that, or is he just winging it...?

She shakes her head at Cole's question. "Don't ask me. I don't use recreational drugs." For a lot of very good reasons. She also isn't sure if any knowledge from their worlds would necessarily prepare them for whatever this stuff is. Do they even know what plant it's from? It seems faintly magical, in the way that most things living in faerie realms tend to be.

Please. Nothing could possibly go wrong!

"You should try it sometime," 9S cheerfully says to Rita as he rolls the joint. Why yes, the first dose of the E-Drug that Jackass had given him and 2B, he had almost immediately tested. You know, so they could know the effects of their reward. Yeah.

Man, he'd felt so strong while under the drug's effects.

As for Cole's concerns, 9S waves it off before getting the paper to stick together and sealing the rolled joint. "This stuff helps people relax." Sometimes. "It can help them calm down, especially if they're the kind of person who's always wound up."

But if those YoRHa in the desert are anything to go by, sometimes it can make someone relax a bit too much. Drugs are nice every now and again, but he can't imagine getting so hooked that he'd forget his mission.

...Even now, he can't forget his mission, even though he knows that returning to Earth and YoRHa will probably get him killed.

That's not something he particularly wanted to think about, especially right now. "Do you still want to try it?"

It helps them calm down...well alright, that's good. He thinks he's calm, but perhaps he should be more calm? Maybe that's why 9S gave him the plants.

Cole is still looking at all of this with a little bit of trepidation. Still, he trusts 9S and he trusts Rita and both of them were here ready to help if something went wrong. Not that Cole thinks anything's going to go wrong, of course! But again, he doesn't know if he can even smoke to begin with.

Nodding at 9S, Cole looks over at the android. "Show me how to do it."

Rita simply turns her head away at 9S's recommendation. Nope. Not today, not sometime. Rita's greatest asset is her mind. She can't imagine ever wanting to impair it intentionally.

Still, 9S has a weirdly positive view of drugs. Is that just from the information he has about how humans used them, or...?

"Have you done anything like this before, 9S?" she asks. "I mean... would drugs even work for an android?" Sure, he can eat and drink, but his body must not process those things quite like a human's does. This is as much an experiment for him as it is for Cole... isn't it?

Oh, he's going to go first? Well, he supposes that makes sense, though he was hoping Cole would take the hit so he could see potentially what he was in for.

"Yeah, I have. It wasn't in this form, though." So yeah, apparently drugs work on androids. Granted, those particular drugs were developed by an android for androids. And the drugs were strong, but didn't last very long under a single dose.

He holds out the joint, "Rita, lighter please."

Edited (doing tags with voice activated keyboards is rife with danger) 2017-12-06 14:06 (UTC)

Cole's just sitting here, next to 9S and Rita, entirely attentive to how this conversation is going and what's going to happen next. He doesn't really have anything to add right now so he's keeping quiet, watching them both with wide eyes.

Wait... he actually has!? That gets a surprised look from Rita, both at learning that he used them, and that they actually worked for androids. He didn't seem like the type...

She's too surprised to say anything until he's already holding the joint out to her. With a sigh, she waves a hand, almost dismissively... but the gesture seems to work in conjuring a small flame, just at the tip of it.

"Let me know if either of you feel sick or... something," Rita adds, sitting down in a chair and bringing the video camera 9S gave her. Maybe she can figure out how it works while they're being idiots. "I'll be over here."

She'd offer to call a medic if something happens, but they probably wouldn't know what to do with a spirit or an android. Rita... might, depending on the circumstances.

The drugs were given to him. He had no other choice but to try them!!

9S flaps his free hand at Rita dismissively, turning the joint so the flame can burn the end more evenly before he blows out the flame so the joint is lit. "It'll be fine."

And with that, 9S brings the joint to his lips and takes a drag, letting the smoke flow into him, before exhaling a long, steady stream of smoke. After a pause, 9S frowns. Hm. He's not feeling anything? Is he doing it wrong? Or is it just not a drug that works on androids?

He tries not to let his disappointment show on his face as he holds out the joint to Cole. "Okay, you try now. Inhale slowly and not too much at a time."

These are very clear instructions.

Cole's watching 9S very carefully. Alright, he can do this, he thinks he's got this. Taking the joint, Cole takes a drag, inhales some smoke...and then just kind of chokes on it, breaking into a little coughing fit.

To nobody's surprise, the first time smoker is having issues. Still, that's not stopping him, as Cole puts the joint to his lips again, takes another drag, and inhales slowly. Bringing the joint to his side, he looks over at Rita and 9S, giving them both a small smile.

"I did it!"

Now what?

Rita turns the video camera over in her hands, examining the various buttons and switches on it, experimentally toggling them one after another... though she looks up briefly when Cole starts coughing.

She still can't believe this is happening.

"You probably won't notice a difference right away," Rita offers for Cole's benefit, her eyes back on the camera.

Hooray!

Except... Cole isn't feeling it either? Hm. Rita says that they're not going to notice it right away, but all the drugs 9S has taken hit him almost immediately. It was really obvious, too. Like, colours turned weird and stuff. Hard not to notice the drug working its way through his system.

"Do you feel anything?" 9S rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not feeling any different yet. Maybe we haven't taken enough."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to feel," Cole admits, with a little frown. "But I don't feel different."

But if 9S thinks that they haven't taken enough, then they might not have taken enough. After all, 9S has done this before. He knows what to do. But Rita says they might not notice it right away and Rita also knows what to do. There's an awkward pause, while Cole mulls over what to do next. The dilemma is solved as Cole takes another small little hit from the joint before he offers it back to 9S. There we go! A teeny bit more.

"Don't be stupid and overdo it," Rita casually warns them, her gaze still on her new gadget. In truth, she doesn't know how much is too much, and they're free to make their own stupid choices either way...

"It stinks," she adds after a moment.

9S takes the joint from Cole and takes another drag from it, longer this time, exhaling the smoke in a single long breath.

He still doesn't feel much different. At least, until it takes a few seconds for him to realise Rita's saying something to him.

"What stinks?" he asks, after an overly long pause before he turns to look at her. Strange. Her hands as she works with the camera seem to be remarkably still. He would've expected her to be fiddling with it with more gusto than she appears to be.

"I don't smell anything," Cole helpfully pipes up. But he's starting to feel something. His mind feels a bit...sluggish? Which is odd. Perhaps it's the cold, Cole's only been to places this cold a few times in his life.

Having no idea what the effects of weed feel like in the first place, Cole doesn't think to mention to Rita or 9S that his high's slowly starting to creep up on him.

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this just in; 9S is the worst

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and thus this group of idiots discovers that huh, weed takes a while for it to hit

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