lostcarnival | ⇨ WISMUTH

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⇨ WISMUTH

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.

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But why would he not do that in the first place? Lambert feels so much and thinks so much that he can't help but comment some times. No, he's probably going to continue awkwardly pointing out Lambert's memories and hurts. Just a bit more subtlety from now on.

"I can't help it," Cole simply responds, as he looks out to the sea as well. All of the beaches he's been on have been far more rocky than this. To be here, surrounded by sand, with a wide expanse of ocean in front of them, it's a different feeling than he's used to.

"I think I like it here too," he explains, still standing next to Lambert. "It feels more." Which doesn't really make any sense to other people and isn't really something Cole can accurately describe, but it just is.

"Better than the cold," Lambert answers automatically, which provides at least a modicum of insight into how to hold a decent conversation with the man -- get him started on his favorite thing, bitching, so he's too busy doing that instead of, say, being annoyed at who he's speaking with.

Of course, a comment like that gets his wary attention. "What do you mean, more?" It's not like he hasn't noticed it himself. Everything is magnified, even the way he feels, enough that it's hard to ignore (as much as he'd prefer to).

How to explain this? Heck if Cole knows, it's all mostly sort of vague descriptions and terms that Lambert won't know what they mean. It feels like the Fade is thin except this place doesn't have a Fade to begin with and Lambert doesn't have a Fade so time to find a better description.

"I feel full. Solid and strong, less of a flimsy thing and more like me. It's easier."

That...probably doesn't make sense. And based on Cole's wary little frown, he knows it doesn't make sense.

"Hm. You seem solid enough to me." Solid enough to pick up and kick out of a cabin, definitely. He's deliberately misunderstanding that just to be a jerk, though he's also moving on before Cole can say something inane and annoying to that.

"Magic's easier, too. Wanna see?"

"Yes please." And Cole can't really hide the slightly eager tone in his voice. He's seen magic before, of course, but he hasn't seen Lambert's magic. He's pieced out that since Lambert's from a different world, it wouldn't look like the rift magic or necromancy of his world. So what exactly would it look like?

'What it looks like' turns out to be a gesture -- sharp, quick, and decisive.

What it feels like is invisible force catching Cole square in the chest and launching him backwards a good twenty feet, right into the surf. He'll at least have a moment to appreciate the look of mild surprise on Lambert's face as Aard turns out to work far more effectively than he ever expected.

Cole did not expect that in the slightest. As such, he goes flying backwards, probably a bit further than that twenty feet as he's a twiggy little spirit that still dies when he's got the maximum guard belt on. He lands in the water with a loud splash.

...and then nothing happens. He's not moving. And isn't really even bothering to make a break for freedom or try to get out of the water or anything like that. Whether it's because he doesn't breathe, he can't swim, or because this is his first time in water deeper than he is tall, it's hard to say. But Cole isn't making any attempt to get out of the water.

Lambert strides up to the edge of the water and waits, hands on hips. The longer it goes without Cole popping out of the water, though, the more his shit-eating grin fades.

This could be a problem.

Wow, Cole sure is drowning. Good job Lambert, you're an a+ witcher and an a+ responsible adult.

Oh for fuck's sake--

Lambert takes a running dive, cutting smoothly through the waves and using limbs and tail to push him powerfully through the water. Luckily, this is a tourist town beach with not a whole lot of rocks or undertows to worry about, and even with the salt stinging at his eyes as he forces him open, Cole isn't difficult to find. Lambert grabs Cole around the chest and uses one arm to haul him until his head is above water, then starts dragging him back to land.

Only once he's dumped him back on the sand does he start yelling at him.

"Don't you know how to fucking swim?!"

The answer is no, he doesn't know how to fucking swim. It's like moving a limp noodle as Lambert yanks Cole above the water and drags him to land. Once he gets air, he starts coughing and spluttering, coughing up sea water and just really not moving from where he is.

That wasn't good. New rule for Cole, don't go that deep into the water.

"Why would I?" he asks Lambert, in between bouts of coughing and puking up sea water. It's an honest question. Cole never needed to know how to swim before. He spent most of his short life either traveling, hanging out at Skyhold, or hanging out in a creepy Spire basement. You don't really need water for that.

"Because it's a useful life skill," Lambert snaps back. He gives the spirit a good few heavy thumps on the back to help get the last of the water out, then rolls away and gets to his feet, brushing the sand off his clothes.

As Lambert whacks him on the back some more, Cole pukes up even more sea water. He's bent over as he coughs slightly, trying to cough up some more, before he realizes that no, there isn't any more water left in his stomach. So, he simply stands up, not really wanting to move.

"For who? Birds don't need it." Of course, the obvious thing here is that Cole isn't a bird. But then again, Lambert's thinking of it as a useful life skill for people and Cole's not people.

"No, but idiots stupid enough to let themselves get shoved into water do," Lambert answers acerbically. Still, there goes whatever contentment he'd managed to scrape together, withering in the face of Cole's everything. Again. At least this time, it was after he'd already spent time with Childermass, instead of trying to kick Cole out of the cabin before he showed up.

"Forget it. I'm going." He turns to leave, reaching to slide his sunglasses back up his nose -- only to grumble when he realizes he lost them to the surf.

For a brief moment, Cole entertains the idea of going back into the surf and finding Lambert's sunglasses. But no, they're probably way too deep in, he'd definitely drown if he went out too far (but he'll search the shallows later). He stays put as Lambert goes to leave. However, during the moment where he realizes he lost his sunglasses, Cole quickly speaks up.

"I can make you forget," Cole says, very matter of factly. "Not the morning, you deserve that, you deserve happiness. But this. Us talking. It would make you feel better anyway."

Maybe Lambert should have let Cole drown anyway, he thinks, idly. It would have been immensely satisfying. He could have walked away and nobody would have known the difference.

"I told you, I don't want you in my head, or my anything," he snaps, hand half-raised like he's ready to throw Cole into the surf again. "What do you mean you'll make me forget?"

If he explained, he'd trip over his own words. He'd mess something up, or say something wrong and then Lambert would yell again and get mad and nothing would get done. Lambert wants to drown him already (were all Lamberts so cruel?), Cole isn't going to try and chance saying something wrong again.

So, instead, Cole stares out at the other people on the beach for a moment. He could help. Helping someone while showing Lambert. Maybe that would be better than simply explaining things. And even on a lovely beach on a nice day like this, people still hurt.

"Follow me," he replies, as Cole starts to walk over towards a young woman sitting on a beach towel fifteen or so feet away, staring out into the surf.

It's a good tack to take. The witcher's ever been one to order action over talk, and it's likely any attempt that Cole would have made to explain would land him in the surf. Cole wandering off and promising a demonstration, though, that piques his curiosity, and so against his better judgement Lambert trails after him, frowning.

As Cole approaches the woman, she's staring out in the ocean, a frown on her face, lost in thought. It's obvious she's thinking heavily about something, and not something pleasant. He sits down next to her, though she still doesn't look at him. It's only when Cole starts speaking that she turns to look, a bit surprised and definitely wary that he's there.

"It was sickly and small, separated from the litter with no hope of returning. You tried, but there was nothing you could do."

The woman blinks at him for a moment, before hesitantly asking, "Um, what are you talking about?"

"It's better to die in comfort than the cold. You made Whiskers comfortable. He loved you for that. " Standing up, Cole extends his hand in the direction of the woman before saying, "Forget." There's a brief flash of light before the woman blinks slightly. She's gone back to looking through Cole instead of at him, not seeing the spirit. She pauses for a moment before stretching, getting up to go to the water. It's obvious just from her body language that something's changed. She's more relaxed now, less worried.

He turns towards Lambert to explain. "I can take the memory or the pain. For her, it was both. She dwelt too much for a few days."

The witcher lacks Cole's seeming invisibility, so he hangs back, but those fuzzy ears are more than sharp enough to pick up on the soft conversation -- as much as it can be called one. Cryptic bullshit, confusion, and a wave of the hand... and it's over.

Somehow, Lambert expected more. His medallion barely trembles against his chest when Cole utters that word, and the woman's expression doesn't go slack or stupid the way it does when he uses Axii to do the same thing. It makes him scowl, arms reflexively coming up to cross his chest.

"You take it and then what?" He demands. "Where does it go?"

"It doesn't go anywhere," Cole explains, with a little frown. "They forget."

He's just the person to make them forget. Because it's better. Because it heals the hurt and really, that's what matters most of all for Cole. And he just doesn't understand why Lambert doesn't see the same way. Sometimes, people needed to forget things in order to move on. There's items upon items, hurts upon hurts, that he'd make Lambert forget or he'd help Lambert work through. His father, Aiden, all those small little conversations with Childermass where Lambert cursed himself for making a wrong move.

"People need to forget some things. But they always remember the things they need to forget. It's...odd, that way."

Right. Well, however it works, one thing's abundantly obvious to Lambert.

"If you ever try that on me, I'll rip those ears right off your head," he threatens, pleasantly. "Just so we're clear."

Whatever Cole might think he 'needs' to forget, he doesn't want any part of it. Old hurts, old hates, those are all part of what Lambert wraps around himself like armor and weapons both. They're what make him who he is.

"How would you know?" Cole asks. It's an honest question. How could Lambert remember him if Cole made him forget in the first place? Seems a bit counter intuitive.

Of course, this doesn't address the 'don't do this' part of the equation to begin with.

"I'll know," Lambert says, simply. Who cares about logic when you can have vicious, stabby conviction instead? Lambert may not always know when he's being fucked with, but he'll be happy to punt Cole at the smallest provocation regardless.

That doesn't make any sense and Cole's calling BS on Lambert's logic. He gives the other man a frown, a sort of 'sure, Jan' expression. And then there's thoughts of physical violence again and threats against Cole's life again and really, this is getting to be obnoxious.

"The other one is worse. But not by much."

All Lamberts are jerks. But this one is less actively torturey than the Lord Seeker was so points for this Lambert.

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