⇨ SPACE OLYMPICS

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 30 - Day 44
Where: The carnival, Zargon, and Olympic Spaceship
What: Things return back to normal as the carnival performs for aliens of all sorts at the Space Olympics. Or at least, as normal as it can be when you've got an underfunded and falling-apart spaceship hovering over a deadly planet.
Warnings: Sports and people's inability to do them.

REACH FOR THE STARS↴ At first glance, the Space Olympics seem marvelous. Aliens from all over the universe, of all shapes and sizes have joined together in an intergalactic display of teamwork and sportmanship. What could be more inspiring than that? It's only when you hang around for a bit that you notice things aren't exactly in tip-top shape. ► OLYMPIC SPACESHIP: This is where most of the events are held. It's a massive spaceship spanning hundreds of miles and consisting of multiple floors. Teleportation discs and space public transport can take you anywhere on the spaceship in a blink of an eye. It has almost every amenity an athlete can think of: multiple gyms, practice arenas, saunas, etc. Likewise, there are plenty of things for civilians and spectators: merchandise stands, shopping malls, grocery stores, and television screens everywhere so people can watch the event. Shuttles to and from Zargon arrive on a regular basis. ► ZARGON: Facility wise, Zargon itself is less impressive than Olympic Spaceship. The carnival and the athlete's village comprise most of the habitable areas. Both are concealed underneath a large biodome, the main thing making the area livable. Enterprising Zargonites have set up stands that let people explore outside of the biodome. Rent a spacesuit and you too can enjoy Zargon's natural wonders, such as the distant red plateaus and the stunning solar winds. Just try and stay away from the toxic mold, naturally occurring pockets of hallucinogenic gas, and ten foot tall Zargon Death Flytrap. ► 1980s TRAINING MONTAGE: Since carnival members can only attempt to medal in one event, why not try different sports to see what that one event is? There's equipment for all sorts of sports: gymnastics, swimming, biathalon, snowboarding, etc. They've even somehow brought space horses up here for Space Dressage! There's also equipment for sports that carnival members might not have even known existed: Space Gymkata, Space Pooh Sticks, Space Limbo Skating, etc. The sky's the limit! ► A BIT OF A BUDGET SNAFU: The Space Olympics is kind of falling apart. After performance week, the carnival is drafted to help out and keep the Space Olympics running as smoothly as possible. This means fixing buildings, breaking up fights, helping in the kitchen, trying to sell merch, etc. If there's a feasible problem, the carnival members will be drafted to help fix it. The biggest problem of all is the multiple mechanical failures: artificial gravity stops working, temperatures on the ship rapidly shift from hot to cold, and the snow machines for Space Slopestyle won't turn off. ► PERFORMANCE: Performance week will start early this stop, to try and get everyone back into the swing of things after the chaos of Wismuth. Athletes from the village roam the carnival, taking in the sights and sounds. A lot of them haven't ever seen anything like the magic of the carnival and it's workers and will proceed to ask question after question about how all of this works: turns out that sci-fi and fantasy don't crossover as much as one would think. Still, don't be alarmed when you turn the corner and there's a Hutt trying his hand at test your strength.

Comments

meow. a very late meow.

[dirthena]

( Lavellan hasn't been around the Carnival not to be immediately suspicious -- there's shape shifters in her world, of course, but that is an art rarely used and hardly common. Instead she simply eyes the cat with a sort of detached fondness when she notices it following her as she wanders around, doing her job. When her shift ends, and she looks up to spot it somewhere where it shouldn't be, she only smiles. That was what cats did, wasn't it? Clan Lavellan never had any, and there were none in Skyhold that she knew of, but their reputation generally preceded them. )

Are you sure you aren't bored by now?

( She says, jokingly referring to how unexciting her shift had been. )

[prazerbutterfly]

[There is a point where he might stalk someone new to his personal experience with people. He likes to follow those he doesn't know and on this occasion he's not entirely rewarded for his decision. She's a species he doesn't recognized and he watches with renewed patience for anything odd or out of place. She functions like a human from his observation and he pads behind him without trying to hide himself. Cats follow people or so he's been told.

Yet when she stops, he stops and when finally addressed he simply meows. A high perch is always a good spot to watch someone. He just hasn't quite stuck the landing or getting down on occasion.]

[dirthena]

( elves, unfortunately, are much the same as humans. that she's missing an arm is only related to her job and not her race. but she smiles wider, flashing her first change -- sharp canines -- as she lifts her hand up to the cat to sniff. like a dog, she supposes, or a halla. )

How'd you get up there, I wonder.

( and more importantly, how does he get down? she might not be an animal person, but she wouldn't want it stuck up there. lavellan casts her gaze around for someone who owns the cat, or at least knows something more about it. and a way down for him, failing all else. )

[prazerbutterfly]

[His tail starts to sway absently against the side of what he's laying on and his back claws curl against the structure to keep him rigid. The hand is always new to him as it is displayed and so like any other cat he plays along. He doesn't sniff the hand like is expected of a regular cat but instead stretches his own arm out and places a paw into it, gently. Small claws spread out against skin but do not latch.

He meows again.

It's hard not to look down at the side at where he began to climb, using whatever means he needed to in order to get up there. There was always the mastering of claws and in the future he could add his own power to the mix to make it easier to get up and down. If he tried to jump down right now he'd likely land on his face.]

[dirthena]

( That he places his paw over her hand delights her, and her eyes light up more. Not an animal person, no, but the clever antics of cats can win over even the most impassive of people. And she has never considered herself impassive. Instead she grins, and while she doesn't exactly slip into the sort of baby-talk associated with animals, there's a softness to her tone. )

Are you stuck? Do you need someone to help you get down?

( She feels that that, too, falls under what can be expected from a cat. Lavellan frowns, for she doesn't have the height nor the two arms to scoop said cat up. )

I suppose I could catch you--

[prazerbutterfly]

[There's doubt on his features even with most of it lost in that cat fur and his eyes slit a little narrow than they were as he considers just how capable she would be actually assisting on getting him down.

His ears bend back and his paw sits there a little longer in her hair with a press before he draws it back and curls both of his front ones over the edge with a peer downwards.

'Suppose? Could?' Not exactly comforting words. You'll forgive him if he's hesitant to jump.]

[dirthena]

( She sees that doubt, and sighs. )

I've only got the one arm, and my magic is combat oriented. You can climb down if it helps.

( And she holds out her arm to him, forming a pathway to her shoulders if he wanted to take her up on it. )

[prazerbutterfly]

[His eyes lower to her arm and he takes a ginger step forward to plant a paw on her arm and test just how stable it was. Another paw presses forward and he practically sprints across her arm to her shoulder where he grasps onto her clothing and hunkers down there so he doesn't fall.

Distress cat is mildly distressed and he suddenly wants back onto the more stable perch. He might be using his claws a little excessively.]

[dirthena]

( Lavellan winces as the claws bite into her skin as he decides that he wants back off of her. Now she understands why people had described cats as fickle -- he'd seemed to have wanted down. )

Ow-- careful, the clothes were a gift from the Ringmaster... Hold on. ( she says, reaching up with her hand to stabilize him as she crouches, minimizing the distance he'd have to leap off of her to reach the ground. ) There, now you can jump off if you want.

[prazerbutterfly]

[At her words, he tries to balance but a moving target on new legs was never a good idea. He'll get better at it as she reaches up to grab him. He has to allow that touch because he can't use his power right now to refuse her touch.

He paws at the material of her clothes as she crouches. The ground still seems kind of far but only because he's smaller than his usual size. He slides a little awkwardly down her arms until he just leaps and hits the ground hard on his front paws. He skids lightly and hops on his back legs in order to prevent himself from face planting into the ground. That was not graceful at all.]

[dirthena]

( Not graceful at all, and Lavellan lets out a small chuckle at the entire affair. Neither of them seemed very good at this -- cat nor elf. But they managed, and so her look turns from amused to proud. )

There. That wasn't so bad, was it? ( It was, in fact, that bad. She doesn't move to stand, and instead reaches forward-- not touching the cat again, but leaving her hand out for him to sniff and permission to pet. If he'll give it, of course. ) I can't say I would have be any better at it.

( On account of missing a limb. She's quiet for another moment, and then: ) Alright then, I think that's enough adventure for one day. ( She fully intends to go back to her caravan, sans cat. After all, what interest would an animal have to follow her for that long? )

[prazerbutterfly]

[He turns himself around to face her and tilts his head with a look of doubt when it comes to being not bad but then that can easily be seen as him not understanding what she says.

He raises a paw and rubs one of his ears casually before he'll take a step forward and sniff her palm. He takes in her scent but does nothing else as if waiting for her to take action. Being pet was new but he couldn't honestly complain. Just don't expect a purr.

Sometimes cats are just overly affectionate and with renewed interest he'll follow her all the way to her trailer/caravan and into it to snoop around.]