⇨ 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

[reflash]

"You're too old to be calling me grandpa." While the comment about her age might be too barbed to be a casual insult, his tone isn't vicious. He's... sort of relaxing here.

[exaomori]

It isn't like he's telling other people her real age again. She can let it slide. "You know what they say! If the shoe fits, you might as well wear it."

[reflash]

He huffs, annoyed but also not putting up a fight, and he sinks a little further into the hot springs. Not quite underwater, but close.

[exaomori]

It's just not any fun if he isn't fighting her. Those barbs were what they built their relationship on, and Shura had been happy to use them to keep Yukio at arm's length--not that it apparently worked. Shura lets out a soft laugh, turning again to look at Yukio. He looked like a little kid doing that, but she can take the hint. A soft quiet falls, unbroken but for the sounds of the water moving and splashing as she finds herself a good spot to really hunker down in. It was nice, really. She couldn't complain even if this place didn't have amenities.

[reflash]

Yukio is tired. He's been trying to keep it from catching up with him, moving and moving and never slowing down for long enough to feel as exhausted as he is. Which means that when it goes quiet, he starts drifting off without even really processing it. And then he slips completely under the water for a second, and wakes up again with some dramatic flailing and sputtering.

[exaomori]

Shura is also content to zone out in the water. However, Shura knows her limits and gets a proper night's sleep most nights, unlike a certain someone. She doesn't expect him to start a conversation, and so she isn't really listening to him--except that's a lot of sudden movement coming from behind her, and that's enough to get her to turn herself around to look, just in case those rumors of an invasion were true--

Ah, no danger here. Wasn't Yukio sorry sight, sputtering like that. Shura at least has the decency to cover her snort of laughter with her hand, but she's really not trying to hide her snickering. He looked less like an old man and more like the kid he really was like this.

"Heh, you really must be gettin' relaxed! Swallow a bug or somethin'?"

[reflash]

"S-something like that," he says, still kind of coughing. He should probably get out of the water, but that would mean admitting defeat.

[exaomori]

He probably should. Shura should probably get out just to give him an excuse to follow after her once she dressed. But giving Yukio the easy way out wasn't what Shura did.

Her snickering dies down, and there's just a few more seconds of quiet for Yukio to enjoy before she speaks, taking a serious tone.

"Hey, Yukio. You bein' serious when you say you wanna getting another meister?"

[reflash]

"I am." That's easy. It's just another meister, another title attached to his name.

"I was planning on earning them during high school." And then Father Fujimoto died and Mephisto casually told Yukio that he'd be teaching the paladin's classes. "But with how things worked out I didn't have any time back home."

[exaomori]

"I didn't think you'd be focusin' on that with everythin' else goin' on." Training to get stronger was one thing, but still thinking about titles? After what he said before, she didn't think he'd be interested in it.

[reflash]

"I wasn't, back home." Back home, where everything was crashing down around him, where he was not-so-slowly losing his mind from stress and whatever the hell was happening to his life. "I have more time here."

And there isn't as much to worry about. He's been able to relax, slowly and cautiously, as the reality of his new (temporary) life sinks in. Things might be occasionally stressful here, but not much more than a mission would be back home. Right now, he has more time than he knows what to do with.

[exaomori]

Maybe he should use some of that time to sleep every once in a while??

"After what you told me about Section 13, I thought you might not wanna deal with the Order. I'm kinda surprised." But only a little. Life as an exorcist was what they knew, and maybe it was just easier to go with the flow they knew.

[reflash]

"I can't just quit." So, yes, it's easier to just go with the flow. "Besides, having the skills can't hurt, even if I... decide not to deal with the Order."

[exaomori]

She exhales softly through her nose. Of course, that was still on the table. But at least he's telling her.

"If that's what you want, I'll teach you, even if you decide that you wanna talk to Lucifer." She hates it, but she can't ignore what's right in front of her.

"Just... tell me, okay?"

[reflash]

Tell her. Just tell her, just let her in on his plans and tell her what he's doing next.

How can he do that when he doesn't know, when all his plans are things he makes up completely on the fly? He never knows what his next step will be, he's constantly changing and adjusting and editing and rushing through ideas and possibilities until he comes out on the other side.

But she deserves better than his constant snapping.

"Thank you."

[exaomori]

'Thank you'? What was that kind of reply? She didn't want his gratitude, and she didn't want him to just acquiesce to her just because she demanded it. It grates at her, just the smallest bit, but she bites it down.

"I wanna be clear. I mean it. If somethin's goin' on, tell me. Don't bottle yourself up when you're anxious. Don't hide crap from me again."

Don't shut her out again. She doesn't know how to navigate this kind of talk. But she has to try, she had no other choice.

[reflash]

[If somethin's goin' on, tell me. She says, as if he'd ever push his problems onto someone else. He's trying not to be that selfish.

Don't bottle yourself up when you're anxious is what stings, like the request is salt water and every mocking comment she's ever made about his cowardice is a paper cut.]

You don't really want that. [He says, because he wouldn't want it. He's still that kid who was scared of the dark and old refrigerators and sudden gusts of wind, he just hides it better now.]

[exaomori]

She doesn't expect him to agree. There were years of picking at each other between them, years of keeping him at a distance, just in case he might see her as someone who she'd regret when it came time.

"You know I wouldn't say somethin' like that if I wasn't willing to take it." If he wanted to yell at her, if he wanted to hate her--that was okay.

[reflash]

She's willing to take it, and then turn it back on him if she's in a bad mood or if she thinks he's getting ahead of himself.

"I think I'm done here," he says, blatantly running away from the conversation. If she wanted honesty, this is as close as she's getting.

[exaomori]

"Yukio--" Damn it, what was she supposed to say to him? It was probably asking too much of him. They hadn't been there that long--she just had to be patient.

She exhales, her shoulders dropping. "You gettin' out first, or you wanna stick around a little longer?"

[reflash]

"I'm getting out." He can't stay here, not when she might corner him with questions again, or when he might just pass out from the heat.

... but he isn't going to stand up if she's still looking over at him.

[exaomori]

She'll stare at him for a moment longer, lips pressed together. She knows what he's doing, running away. Scaredy.

But she drops her gaze, turning away from him. "I'll be out after you."

[reflash]

What did she expect, really? He's a coward, after all. He can get out of this conversation, so he will. He'll just run away, again. It's safer.

But once he's dressed, he doesn't leave completely. He just sticks around and waits for Shura, because he doesn't know what he wants.

[exaomori]

He won't always be Scaredy Four-eyes, provided he doesn't get himself killed before he can grow out of it.

But really, he chooses the wiser option. If he had just up and left her, she would have taken it out of his hide later. She'll follow him out once he's done, not taking much time to dally when they out in the open like this. This wasn't the best planned trip, and Shura still doesn't know whether or she's doing to right thing for him. But it was what it was, and she'd just have to keep at it.

"I'm ready, let's go."

[reflash]

He's properly dressed, pulled together and contained and in control. He's fine now.

"Is there anything else you wanted to do today?"