⇨ CAMPING GROUNDS

[ringleaders]

Who: Everybody!
When: Day 64
Where: The Camping Grounds
What: While the Ringmaster attempts to purge the carnival of magical tracing spells and deal with the angry fire fae in her belly, everyone else is getting sent on an emergency camping trip with some unusual local fauna.
Warnings: Camping.

CRYPTIC CAMPGROUNDS↴ You're given about three hours to prepare, after the Ringmaster tells you her plans for the coming week. There is a vast selection of camping equipment at your disposal, and the means to take along enough food for the length of the stay. The wilderness of the planet you're left on is nearly idyllic, but some people just don't like the great outdoors. ► CRYPTOZOOLOGY: As it turns out, the carnival won't be alone here. There is a varied ecosystem of cryptids to be found as well, living in relative peace and mostly reacting to the newcomers with curiousity. More details can be found on the plotting post. You are free to NPC the cryptids as much as you need to, as long as you stick to the behaviours described. ► DREAMSHARING: There is a player plot going on which will allow characters to share dreams! These are specifically more dreams than nightmares, and the mushi-adept characters will be here to help. ► CHILLAX: There isn't any plot twist for this setting, so this is mostly an opportunity to decompress from the last plot and get ready for the future. The Ringmaster will show up occasionally to help with needed medical treatments and check on things, but won't stick around for long.

Comments

here to wreck yukio's peaceful dreams

[exaomori]

[Was this old monastery her home? No, not quite. But today, it's good enough. She doesn't have to think too hard about it as she makes her way through the gate and beelines to the kitchen. There should be something to eat in there, right? She was hungry. There had to be some juice at the very least...

Oh, and maybe she should announce herself or something. Well, it's not like she was a total stranger here.]

I'm back~

[Back from somewhere she couldn't quite remember. But that's fine, she knows she's somewhere decent now.]

let's make this good

[reflash]

You're late. [Yukio (age... somewhere like 12) is sitting at the table, pouring over homework. It's not a surprise to see Shura here, of course. This is as much her home as his. It's also not a surprise for her to come back late even though she said she'd help him study for his certification exams.]

[kingsroads]

As Rita yanks her hand away from his, Strange gives Rita a slightly tired smile. Yeah, he kind of figured she'd do something like this. But even though she quietly admitted she's glad he's back, Strange heard it so it still counts. The moment of sincerity lasts for a moment before Strange continues teasing Rita.

"However, you didn't actually help me out of the egg," said as he still gives Rita a tired yet shitty grin. "Was it the nudity or the slime that made you pause?"

He reclines slightly, propping himself on his elbows, mostly so Strange doesn't have to put his head back on the awful wet towel that Herbert's making him use for a pillow.

[exaomori]

Nyaa, don't make that face at me~ [At least let her get something to drink! Of course she was late, but she had a good reason for once. This time it wasn't fooling around with one of her boyfriends. She hadn't forgotten her promise, she just took a bit of a detour before coming home.

She rummages through the fridge, taking a bottle of juice out before sitting beside him at the table, peering over his homework.]

What's this, calculus or somethin'?

[kingsroads]

"But I would know if they were looking at me," Strange points out, as if it's obvious. "I can see and sense magic, I think I'd be able to tell if someone was casting a scrying spell on me."

That is not the point in the slightest.

[hippocarnival]

That isn't remotely the point, which vis very obviously going over Strange's head. But his rebuff does make Yuya pause, and he raises a brow.

"I thought scrying was done from far away. How far can you sense magic?" Yuya thought it was close proximity--would it really work with magic cast far away?

[kingsroads]

"At the risk of pointing out the obvious, apparently she ate Ignatius but kept him alive enough that he could be, erm, removed later." Don't say vomited up, don't say vomited up. Strange was keeping up with the radio chatter while Herbert went to get some water, so he's got a vague idea of what's going on. Alas, a vague idea doesn't solve any of their specifics.

"I imagine it's a delicate matter. Most of the enemies I've seen her eat, she simply devoured. As for how I'd go about asking, I'd wait until the Ignatius matter is dealt with." However the hell she'll deal with it. Is she just going to vomit up a fae? Gross.

[prazerbutterfly]

"If you insist. If I indulge in a second glass, which I likely will, you can pour it then. For the pleasure, of course." Oi, Shura was really tempting with everything she had to offer. It's hard not to flirt, though he is riding those golden apple after effects and he's mellowed out enough not to let it go to his head.

"There aren't inquisitive and bright young women like you in my world. Far too wild and exotic to ever take home to a father." Not that he wouldn't mind. It would be a hard transition in his old aged and outdated world. "I have heard of it. I stayed in Edo for quite some time."

B. bring me a dream

[flashover]

[For Rin, it's absolutely where he wants to be. He steps through the gates, and he's home. Really, truly home. It's not his dream, though he's had hundreds just like this.

He's young again, just a dumb kid with no demonic powers and bandaids over his scrapes and cuts. He sits down in the courtyard and curls his tail around him, the tail he shouldn't have but does because it's part of him now, like it was always there.

Maybe it was.

As much as he likes the Carnival, as much as he enjoys his time at school--]

I miss this place.

[atouts]

"I see," is the magician's reply, neutral as ever, even if the underlying sense of him being annoyed lingers. It's something that spikes the longer he looks at Steven which, of course, means Childermass will look away sooner than later, staring off into the woods around them instead.

On the bright side (and a very dim bright side at that), it won't be something Steven will have to ask about, even if he does carry on being silent a moment to dig out a cigarette. It's when he's idly searching for his lighter that he'll speak again.

"While I am glad to hear you'll recover from your ordeal, Steven, I do not appreciate you squandering what protection has been given to you. You and Mr. Strange both, though I suppose I cannot save him from his own stupidity any more than I can save you from your misplaced bravery."

[starseedling]

Steven honestly wasn't expecting this, and for the annoyance to be so directly aimed at him comes as an initial surprise. It's usually the sort of thing he has to convince himself away from believing, that every annoyance or bad vibe he picks up on his fault. This time, though... he guesses it was true.

It leaves him looking and feeling totally bereft, looking up at Childermass with confusion and then something like hurt. His hands ball nervously, his tail curling around his feet.

"I... I didn't squander it," he says quietly, like he can't bring himself to speak up any louder.

Apothecary D67

[flashover]

As promised over the radio, Rin gets himself ready and goes to visit Tanyuu at her tent. Ginko was undoubtedly nearby, too -- they were rarely seen without one another.

"Tanyuu-san...?"

B

[dontpokethat]

Though Ginko has noticed Alphys around, he supposes he hasn't really talked to her much. Now, though, it, uh... seems like she might need some help.

He heads over and examines the mess with a concerned frown. "...I take it you're having some trouble?"

[atouts]

Steven will have another moment or two of silence to deal with as Childermass finally finds his lighter, lighting the cigarette up with a quiet click from it. He won't look over, first taking a drag off the cigarette and breathing the smoke out, though he does turn his head away from Steven's general direction to do that.

It's only after that he'll turn to look at him again and this time he'll at least frown on the outside (rather than just project it).

"You didn't?" Childermass leans closer, equally lowering his voice like they're exchanging secrets or something, but it's nothing even remotely that silly. "And yet the Rose Queen found you? Very odd, Steven, if you ask me." And then he's away again, sitting up straight on the outcropping and raising his voice once more. "Then I suppose the blame is to be laid at the Starlight's feet. Her spell must have been a lie."

[starseedling]

He doesn't really understand if Childermass is trying to get under his skin, or if this is just the way he is about everything. It feels an awful lot like he's going out of his way to try to hurt him, though, or at least humiliate him. Is that something Childermass would do? Or is he just upset?

Can he blame him, if he's upset? Steven has done this to someone before, and they were upset too, so who is the problem here, really?

"She was going to force them to swear an oath to her," he says. "We... we could have lost even more people. Is that supposed to be better?"

[whattaprick]

"This? " Now that Yuya's pointed it out, the book that was in Lambert's hand shifts from illegibility to being in focus.

"It's something for my thesis." He holds it up so Yuya can read the title: On the Breaking of Fairy Curses.

[whattaprick]

"Just a few days," Lambert says, before he frowns. In the time he's known him, Syrlya's never looked so visibly worn. Harried, certainly, and exasperated. Almost complaining, though? That's a new one.

Fortunately, Lambert has a tried and true remedy for that.

"You look like you could use a drink," he declares, then grins. "I brought some faerie ale, if you want some."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya grips the rail firmly to balance himself as he leans over to look at the cover. "Fairy curses... so your thesis is to help Childermass and Mr. Strange?"

Yuya looks up with a wide grin. That's really sweet, actually. He approves. "But if Mr. Strange lets the Ringmaster break it, we only have to worry about Childermass."

[atouts]

"And Ignatius was going to kill them all if someone didn't sacrifice themselves," Childermass mutters, turning away again and leaning back against the outcropping. Smoking. In the end, he is just upset and even he knows it because Steven asking if losing more people to the Rose Queen is any better...

He dwells on it, not answering right away if only to smoke some more. Would it have been better? More contracts to contest, more reasons for a mad queen to chase them, all that versus a living link to one of the Miracles. Who's to choose? Would he have done differently? God, he hates to wonder about that, the very idea of going back to the Count.

"No," he finally answers, that initial spike of agitation mellowing out to a much more quiet, directionless misery. "None of the choices are any good."

[scientificist]

"I'm aware of that, I made sure she stayed hydrated considering she had an outside source of fire trapped inside of her." He brought it. There is a barrel of remaining Dragon Gatorade in the opposite corner of the med tent. Anyway, Herbert thinks it likely she might vomit him up. Presumably she's keeping him out of any digestive processes somehow, and evicting Ignatius the other direction would likely shove him through those to some extent.

"Iiii've...never seen her...embarrassed. Before." He's not sure if that's the right word. Honestly, he looks kind of puzzled about it.

[starseedling]

Lion has sat down at this point, watching the two of them cautiously. Though, his general aura seems to suggest he'd be sharing a cigarette with Childermass if he was capable.

Meanwhile, Steven's perception of the situation is rapidly turning. While he'd been initially defensive, feeling that air of misery can only inspire sympathy. He understands that feeling completely, and it's the same one he's come to every time he tries to think of what he could have done better.

"...I didn't know that she could do any of that stuff she did to me," he begins, carefully. "I just... realized that she and her guards couldn't sense when I was around because of the ward, and so... I thought that if I got her attention long enough, and acted like I was going to go with her willingly... I could give the others a chance to get away, and then lose her somehow and hide myself. Since she wouldn't be able to use her magic to track me."

"I thought that maybe I could get everyone out if I did that, and... at least I knew she wouldn't kill me." He looks sad to admit that's what it's all come down to. "But as soon as she looked at me I couldn't make myself move."

[atouts]

Well, it wouldn't have been a completely terrible idea, even if had been reckless. That outcome, though, now that's something that Childermass can offer an explanation for. Something that had even faded from his own memories, right up until the Count commanded him in Elysium.

"It's a bloodbond," he supplies that awful little word for Steven, "Because you're of her blood, not just some changeling. If she can see you, she can command you. It's... the same. Between the Count and myself."

[whattaprick]

In turn, Shima might feel a thin thread of amusement back. They really stop being so distracting when you’ve cut down a hundred of them.

Him hitting the water is more of a concern, but Shima’s not drowning, is he? Still, there’s a brief spike of controlled alertness — no panic, just anticipation, they’re faster in the sea than in the air, have to end it — and then in the blink of an eye, as dreams seem to work, the sirens lie in pieces on the deck and in the water. A few stray bits bob on the waves that have finally started up again, like the death and blood were all it was waiting for.

Lambert wipes his sword clean of ichor on the scaly hide of one, then starts chopping off heads, booting the rest of the monsters into the water. A decent job. Less sirens harassing trade routes will always have someone willing to pay. He might even be able to pay for a real dinner and an inn room tonight.

He finally seems to realize he isn’t alone. After a pause, he looks up, expression questioning.

[whattaprick]

Lambert’s brow furrows a little. Was that what his thesis was about? Yuya seems certain, so it must be true. He adjusts his glasses and peers at Yuya over them.

“That’s a big ‘only,’” he says. “But if we can’t figure it out, he’ll never be able to go home again. So I have to try.”

[hippocarnival]

That makes Yuya pause, his expression slipping.

"What do you mean he'll never be able to go home?" Yuya furrows his brow, thinking back. That's not specifically what the curse was about, was it...? "Is the curse stopping him?"