⇨ 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

for the sake of simplicity, assume this one's before blue rose stuff? :|a

[whattaprick]

Wismuth isn't much like Portland, for all that they have roughly the same level of technology (at least, as far as Lambert can tell -- he's no expert, and even Portland's Lambert had a rather different area of expertise). Still, it's all familiar enough that he doesn't feel as lost as he otherwise might. It's a touch annoying having to get everywhere on foot, but there's not much he can do about that either, even if he's briefly entertained the idea of just shoving someone off their bike and seeing if his vague memories of riding one actually hold up to use or not.

He's distracted from thoughts of criminal activity when he spots a familiar figure perusing a wall of posters. Lambert grins, jogging up beside her and opening his mouth to call out, only to be confronted with the sight of an irate cat glaring at him. His ears switch back and his nose wrinkles, but he doesn't let it dissuade him from coming up beside Rita. He is her boss now, after all. It's worth checking in on how she's doing.

"Seeing anything interesting there?"

[anti_nonsense]

Rita turns to look, having been alerted by Francis. Huh... It’s just Lambert? She’s never seen her cat get so anxious around someone before.

“Yeah,” she replies, nodding to the posters. “Looks like there’s—“

Suddenly, Francis hisses at Lambert, then hops over to Rita’s other shoulder, just to get a little more space between them.

Rita shoots him a bewildered look. “What the hell did you do to my cat?”

[whattaprick]

"Don't look at me, I didn't do anything." Lambert holds up his hands and spreads his fingers mock-defensively. He's wearing the ring Rita gave him, though it's obviously deactivated right now.

"Cats hate witchers. Not sure why -- maybe they sense something about us that's even freakier than we know." He smirks at Francis, unrepentant. "Sorcerers say cats are the only beings that can absorb magic, besides dragons. Maybe that's why."

[anti_nonsense]

Francis glowers at Lambert as he settles back down into a crouch on Rita's shoulder. His tail's still noticeably puffier than usual.

"Hm... Really?" Rita looks to Francis, as if seeking confirmation that cats absorb magic, but he merely turns his head away in irritation. Not that she was expecting much of an answer to begin with.

Looking back to Lambert, Rita's gaze turns to the ring on his finger. "Oh, hey, you're wearing the ring I gave you. You won't mind if I send some of my reports through it, will you?"

[whattaprick]

"That's just what I've heard. But you're the one who can see magic, not me." As Francis moves to settle down, Lambert relaxes a little, too. Most cats just leave it at arching and hissing, but he remembers the muscular fighting cat in Alola had seemed pretty ready to punch his lights out. Not that he realizes Francis is the earlier, unevolved form of the same Pokemon.

Still, when Rita asks that question, it draws his attention back to the present moment and he frowns. "About that," he begins, looking down at it. "I've been meaning to ask you how this thing actually works in the first place."

[anti_nonsense]

"Oh?" Rita raises an eyebrow at the ring in question. Looks like it isn't activated. "It's pretty simple. Runs mainly on voice commands."

She holds up a hand, showing off her own ring. "First thing you'll have to do is turn it on and register it." To demonstrate, she points out a tiny switch on the ring and holds it down until the display on the ring lights up. On Rita's, it briefly flashes the words < Welcome, Rita Mordio > before dimming again. On Lambert's, it'll instead display < Please Register Name >.

this got buried in the inbox, sorry.

[whattaprick]

Voice commands ... well, that seems simple enough. Lambert imitates Rita's movements, pressing down only a little more clumsily because of his own claws getting in the way, before it lights up and he can squint at the display.

"Lambert," he answers, tentatively, at the prompt. He looks up questioningly at Rita when he finishes saying it, though he'll glance back at the ring quickly enough to make sure he isn't missing any further prompting.

[anti_nonsense]

The words < Registration Complete > scroll briefly across the display, which then reads < Welcome, Lambert > before dimming.

"That’s about it. To message someone, just tell it who you’re sending to, then say the message. It’ll automatically convert it to text." Rita hasn’t actually done this before, but she did enough research while buying the rings that she knows exactly what to do. "For example..."

She holds the ring up closer to her face to ensure it picks up her words clearly. "Message to Lambert: See? Even a geezer like you can use it." About one second later, Lambert's ring will vibrate.

[whattaprick]

And as Lambert examines the ring when it vibrates, < See? Even a geezer like you can use it. > rapidly scroll across, earning an amused snort out of him before he lifts his own ring up to his face.

"Message to Rita: If you're planning to give your reports on this, better keep them short."

[anti_nonsense]

In response, Rita's ring vibrates. But she doesn't bother checking it, and just gives Lambert a look instead. "Yeah, I know," she says dismissively, waving a hand. "Short is what these do best, anyway." Rita might be a fast reader, but even she wouldn't want to read a novel off that tiny screen.

"It's more subtle than a radio, though, so it can be useful when you're trying not to draw too much attention to yourself." Or when a radio's just too cumbersome to bring along.

[whattaprick]

"Sounds like you're just trying to just skip out on work to me," Lambert grins, like the shithead he is, but he's genuinely curious about the ring, absently turning it around his finger.

"Really thought this through, huh? I didn't think you'd put that much effort into a gift."

Less because he thinks Rita isn't the type to think about that sort of thing (she is) and more because it's surprising she'd want to give him anything in the first place.

[anti_nonsense]

That throws her off a little, and Rita glances away as she tells him, "Don't read into it too much. I got it because it's useful, that's all." Who cares if it's a gift? Giving one to Lambert just makes part of her job more convenient.

"Besides, you gave me something too, so this makes us even, or whatever."

[whattaprick]

"Yeah, but this is a lot fancier than what I gave you." He did give her useful things to go along with that awful cat shirt, but the cat shirt was the main gift.

"You're right, though. This'll come in handy. Do you know if anyone else got them?"

[anti_nonsense]

It's fancier...? Well... compared to a weird cat shirt, maybe. The bombs seem like something she can get some use out of, though.

Rita shakes her head. "Don't know. Let me know if you find someone who did." Maybe the ring could turn out to have more uses beyond nightrunner reports.