⇨ WISMUTH

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: S2:D6-D11
Where: Wismuth and the Carnival Grounds
What: The carnival enjoys a few days in Wismuth, a coastal city on this planet's version of the American east. However, there are a few things very unique about this version of the planet...
Warnings: The usual, wholesome fun.

PILLAR OF CREATION↴ Upon arriving, things in Wismuth will seem pretty peaceful. It's a massive city, with no shortage of things going on, but things like violent crime and homelessness are at an all time low. You can wander the streets without much scrutiny, presumed to just be tourists, and most people here come across as helpful and friendly. ► VIBRANCY: The main thing that sets this planet apart is its vibrancy - AKA, the raw creative energy its filled with, flowing from its status as a Pillar of Creation. There is no literal pillar, but Wismuth and its planet is a place where Creation's energy comes through strongest. As a result, everything here feels somehow more real, more intense in a way that's hard to put a finger on. Life is abundant, and its bleeds through in every sensation. ► ATTRACTIONS: There are plenty of things to see while going around the city. First and foremost, there is a lovely beach area bordering the ocean, and a number of tourist aimed attractions built around it. There are giant malls, movie theaters, live stage performances, museums and all kinds of other points of cultural interest. Anything you can do in a big city you can do here, but better. ► ALLOWANCES: The Ringmaster will be giving everyone a reasonable amount of local currency for a few days on the town. You can't make any massive acquisitions with it, but it's more than enough to eat out, see some shows, go to the beach, and whatever you like. You can feel free to pick up some casual supplies, like mundane clothing and souvenirs. There will be more given out later, after the performance week. ► PERFORMANCE: Performance week is starting early this time, after only a couple days of exploration. When the carnival has already been on vacation for a month, the Ringmaster figures they may as well get right to it, and then do more touring afterwards. Members of the local populace will find themselves in the carnival once performances begin, dazzled by the other worldly sights. Magic doesn't seem to exist here, despite the fact that it will flow easier for people bringing it from other worlds.

Comments

[espigeon]

He dips his beak out of Victor's field of view, to somewhere on his opposite shoulder, and after a second comes back into sight holding a stack of tokens from somewhere. Julien's neck doesn't usually look all that long, but under the feathers it is, and flexible enough to serve as an arm.

Julien figuratively stays out of the way as the showman gentles the clingiest child off him. Whoever this is, he could've taken up one of the positions that involve managing guests, that's for sure. When he's free he lets his feathers rouse up, standing almost on end so he's considerably larger and fluffier, and shakes off a little before letting them settle back. Whew! He loves people but obviously there's limits.

"I'd be happy to! We might go to the cookhouse beforehand, actually - it's the absolute center of the place and everyone comes through there." He's not terribly worried about the kids getting separated from their families for long. The Carnival can be a bit overwhelming if you're not used to it, but it's not particularly malicious.

[genice]

Where was he keeping those tokens? Victor absolutely wants to know. He doesn't ask, but he wants to know.

So of course, instead he smiles, making a vague shooing motion to one child glancing in their direction. The line of children being handed over cotton candy cones as they're made dwindles, some collected, others looking up at Julien and giggling before making their way off. Victor's grateful for that much. He doesn't actually know what he'd do with children in distress over not being able to find their parents. Contact whoever works in security?

"The cookhouse?" Of course: it hadn't occurred to him, but now that Julien's mentioned it, that's one more detail to get figured out. Eating. What was on hand, and what he'd figure out for his own diet, as needed. "That'd be great. What's the dining schedule like here?"

"Sugary!" one kid chimes, skipping right past both them.

[espigeon]

Julien, walking, doesn't bob his head quite like you'd expect out of a giant pigeon, but it does move and sway more than a human's head. A child puts a sugar-stickied hand up on his wing; he doesn't draw it away.

"Well, things are more extravagant on performance weeks, but in general, there's a whole lot of flex. There are mealtimes, it's pretty buffet-style, but they also set aside stuff for people hungry outside the usual times. And of course your trailer has a kitchenette and a fridge so if you feel like cooking for yourself and actually can, you've got options. I like cooking for myself or me and a couple other people once or twice a week depending on how busy I've been," he says, completely disregarding the matter of how a giant bird cooks. "You got any dietary restrictions?"

[genice]

He's very vaguely reminded of a time where he was walking next to an ostrich; not so much by intention than by circumstance at the Touching Zoo in St. Petersburg the one time he visited. Julien is much larger and much more present than the ostriches had been on the other side of the wood and rope cage.

It's all good information to have. Victor plans on seeing what the menu is, along with what the set-aside goods are. He hasn't had time to go shopping, considering he's just ended up in these new circumstances, but he's seen the interior of the trailer. He's had worse cooking areas to work with in hotels. He can make it work, if he ends up not being able to make or work with the mealtimes and menu. Buffet style may be incredibly rewarding, or incredibly unnerving. "Ah, yes and no. I can handle most everything, and I don't have any food allergies or sensitivities." He smiles at one of the kids still trailing after them. "Not so fond of concentrated sugar, but I generally eat following a more or less athlete healthy protein diet when actively competing. Are we able to borrow or use ingredients on hand at the cookhouse, or only what we pick up from a market ourselves?"

He goes from wondering how Julien cooks to if Julien wears an apron while cooking while flipping pancakes with a deft twist of his head and neck, pan handle in his beak. It's apparently where Victor's imagination decides to take him; he smiles a bit absently in response. "Managing a few home-cooked meals a week is an achievement in and of itself."

[espigeon]

Ostriches can hold their heads higher up and seem to have more leg. Julien is mostly body and wings and tail, less lanky, more exaggeratedly buff. You can feel it a little when he takes a step, if you're standing close enough. He turns his head to look back out of one eye at a child reuniting with a teenaged sibling, and the spectral eyes keep him from stepping on anyone.

"Cool cool. Yeah I don't think you should have a problem! Obviously willpower is sometimes an issue because there's always stuff around that's outside of the bounds of a healthy diet. I'm lucky flying is so energy intensive, hah. You can stop by the kitchen for ingredients, it's fine! One plus about being here is we only really worry about money when we're out on a stop and buying something. Clothes, food, healthcare, that kind of thing, it's part of the package." For some people this life is a lot better than where they were before. At least, when bad things aren't happening.

"Heh. Well, I was a sous chef for a while a few years ago!" Okay, now he's doing it on purpose. "Cooking as a career isn't my thing but it's relaxing to do it now and again."

[genice]

For a moment, Victor even believes him. Why not? A giant pigeon sous chef? Only he isn't, or wasn't, with the next remark, but the mental image of Julien in one of the busy kitchens from various television reality shows strikes him as amusing, for size related reasons. He laughs, shaking his head. "You know, I'd have believed the sous chef. At this point, I'm less certain what I don't believe is possible, or even likely." At least in terms of what he's unfamiliar with and the potential of the people he's meeting here.

Since he's still accepting the existence of floating eyeballs, that aren't exactly eyeballs at all, sous chef? Yes, he would have bought that wholesale.

"It's good to hear what's included. Housing, clothing, food. Any mandatory healthcare, or is it more as needed?" He's so used to being tested, examined, and prodded multiple times a year, he's not actually sure what other relationships with healthcare really look like, let alone here. Do they see a medical provider once a year to say hello? Give them wine and chocolates? Half that happens anyway back home, to make things go more smoothly. One of the few kids still with them darts forward, patting at Julien as they go. They don't seem to be aiming for anyone in particular, but they lose themselves almost immediately in the crowd calling out a happy Nana!

[espigeon]

"Oh, of course, I looked totally different back then, I should note. It's a little hard to cook without hands. Fortunately these days I've got 'em when I need 'em. Don't worry too much about things being impossible!" His tail trembles behind him. "I know a lot of stuff is overwhelming when you're new. You're doing very admirably at rolling with the punches."

Julien himself had been accustomed to a certain baseline of strangeness, but of course they'd gone to Portland just a couple of days after he signed on. After that, very little looks strange in comparison and thinking of things as strange kind of requires a moment to take someone else's perspective.

"Eh, the current team will probably want a starting checkup and to know your medical history, but it's basically as needed." He swivels an eye at Victor, wondering if he should say that the previous doctor was a talking zebra. Nah, Julien decides, someone else can have that.

He nods indulgently at the child. Julien's hoping none of these came here without their parents or family or whatever, like a bunch of them did back in Greysol. Of course the kids there had been more independent anyway. "By the way, I'm Julien. Julien Delacroix! I really appreciate you helping me out."

[genice]

Kind as it is to say Victor's rolling with the punches, he still stares for a beat after Julien clarifies he had hands then, and has them when he needs them now. Victor opens his mouth to comment: he's surprised by the laughter that ends up coming out instead. "You know, I was wondering how agile you were with that beak!"

He's aware of how ridiculous the thought was, and also how many presumptions it made, but still. Presuming people changed shape (or used robotic enhancements, or whatever the answer actually is) meant going a step further than he had so far. He calms his laughter quickly, the initial burst of self-aware amusement passing into the background noise of every other ridiculous thought he's been having of late. Accurate or otherwise, this is a whole new worldview to be taking. "I wouldn't say I'm taking all this in as well as I'd like, but..." He gestures around, allowing himself to look considerate. "I'm here. Turning a blind eye helps next to nothing."

He hums and acknowledgement of the medical history for the medical team. To him, that sounds fairly standard so far.

"Good to meet you, Julien! I'm Victor Nikiforov, and you're welcome, though I'd like to hope another of our coworkers would have stepped in before much longer. Sometimes people need a little encouragement not to overwhelm performers." Drunkards, on the other hand, could be ridiculous no matter what venue they were visited in. "Do you mind if I ask about what you mean when you say you have hands when you need them? Just assistants in the kitchen, or...?"

[espigeon]

Julien's tail swishes behind him in what to this body is a laugh. "Well, hey, try and take it slow. Let things sink in, don't just leap into the crazy. It's good to remember that no matter how weird things are here, you've still got to eat drink and sleep, the clothes still need to be washed, and we've gotta try to look out for each other."

He hadn't had too much trouble adjusting himself, Julien thinks, but of course, he'd had his own inoculation into heavy weirdness years before coming here.

"It's kinda complicated..." And would probably get too weird too fast. "They're definitely my hands, though, same ones I was born with or a really good recreation. But with blue skin on the backs, hah, just because I'm here and picked up some color changes. My feathers and hair were black when I showed up, you know! Apparently blue's just my color here." Black to blue is totally fine, he used to bleach and dye a lot. "I'll show you later, all right? It's not something to just pull out in front of people."

[genice]

"Focus on the things that haven't changed in the face of the many things that have?" He laughs, this time more breathy, shaking his head. "It's good advice, really. Though in looking out for each other, did you have anything in particular in mind?"

He has never wished ill for anyone, but there are very few people he's ever kept tabs on in his life, and only one he's every felt responsible for in any meaningful, lasting way. He might have, when Yuri Plisetsky was younger, but Victor had as much experience being the person Yuri lashed out at (feeling safe, he supposed) and ignored by that it wasn't until Yuri faced not having Victor around at all that the teenager finally started listening to what Victor had been telling him all along. Yuri Katsuki, on the other hand...

Victor smiles, staring openly at one of the spectral eyes at last. Dear goodness, why. "You realise how little sense that makes out of context." The hands he was born with o a good recreation. Recreation itself makes Victor come close to shivering. He manages to hold the reaction off, instead looking back up at Julien's beaked face at the comment about blue being his colour here. "Was that one of your first changes? The blue? And I'll... look forward to being surprised." Julien really doesn't make it sound more appealing by saying it's not something to just pull out in front of people, meanwhile the eyeballs? Fair game.

Victor has a feeling he might want to be leaning against something if not outright sitting down whenever Julien shows him his dramatic reveal.

[espigeon]

"Pretty much! People are people everywhere, as the saying goes. Just... well, ask for help, try to give when it's asked, believe people when they have warnings, I guess." Julien would prefer not to overwhelm him with specifics there. "You can be a loner here but it's way better and easier to have friends, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. Sorry. My life's been getting increasingly baroque since I was like, twenty-five. And I'm only thirty, so who knows how much more involved it'll get?" Julien's got excellent eyesight and is pretty good at reading people, he can tell there's some discomfort there. He should explain a little, really. "So basically I'm human and I turned into a bird before I even signed up here. You won't turn into a bird, or at least, not all the way like this."

Not unless he pisses of a High Fae or anyone else really into transformation as punishment. Julien flicks a closed wing. "Totally unrelated."

People tend not to like when both of his bodies are in the same place, or when he pulls his human one out of storage. Julien's happier if he's liked, so he tries to avoid being seen with either.

[genice]

Julien says nothing that Victor thinks he can't reasonably handle, though he knows at the same time asking for help he only does a portion of the time, usually related to sensible professional things, less so himself. It's not something he sees changing anytime soon, but who knows. Maybe the faerie carnival will change that; maybe it won't. "Friends are generally good, I agree." He smiles, thinking fondly of Chris and Yuri. He has more acquaintances than close friends up until now, but it's something he doesn't mind changing. A handful of good friends sounds like a beautiful happening in his life.

He breathes out in a light laugh, considering the difference between that pool of friends back home and what is here. There's no bad involved, only different priorities and wildly different backgrounds. "So this is all part of a different story." He tips his head toward Julien, meaning his bird existence, over anything else. "Really, most what you're saying sounds like keeping a good head and an open mind, using common sense. Which is appreciated advice, since I don't think I've said thank you yet."

The last of the children race off in pursuit of candy apples and games, from what Victor catches of their conversation. He lifts an eyebrow, but says nothing about it. Kids are energetic and the future and all of that, but they're also not the people he has to deal with most often. "I tend to get on with people fine. That'll get put to the test here, I suppose, but what's life without something to challenge us? Belief wise or ability wise." He's used to facing challenges head on. It's the kind of thing he can thrive on, if he lets himself.

[espigeon]

"Yup! I've been through a lot of weird nonsense I sure didn't grow up with already, so there wasn't a whole lot of shock involved when I showed up here and there's people with tails." He dips his big head graciously. "Not a problem, dude. You did me a good turn."

Julien watches the kids hurry away and hopes they'll be all right. The one normal-ish stop he's been in, kids came in and played and left without incurring debt. He's pretty sure that the children working for the Carnival right now are people who wrote up contracts that get them some benefit, not to pay for something, or many more of the staff would be children. Well. No sense worrying about things they can't change.

"Aaah, yeah. Well, you'll have your fill of that, sure enough! Things can get pretty unpredictable, but I think you'll make out fine in the end." Is this an overly optimistic estimate? Yeah, probably, but Julien likes the bright side.

[genice]

Meanwhile Victor is twitchy about possibilities all on his own; then again, he hadn't expected to be here, and yet he is.

He inclines his head toward Julien, taking the optimism at face value. Realistically he's already met a certain value of harm: he doesn't know, emotionally, how he's going to fare away from Yuuri for a year. His inspiration, the man who woke him up to what life had been neglected, to the loves he'd forgotten could expand past the ice and the surprise he generated when he skated out there, is out of reach. He's images and videos on a cell phone, and Victor, so used to him being within reach, isn't happy that he's not.

And that's just on him, not counting what he can't control. "I'm sure there's a pattern to be found, one way or another. Thank you for the kind thoughts. Worth remembering that this isn't forever, unless someone asks for it to be, hm?"