⇨ 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

[atouts]

Maybe not the answer she wanted but it's the only answer he has for her. With the topic changing, Childermass glances over at the bits and pieces of jackalope.

"Hm. No, not really," he admits after a cursory look around the campsite. "I didn't actually take rabbit guts into account when packing, so you may need to get a plate from the kitchen's tent. Well, that or use your hands, but..."

He's pretty sure Rita isn't doing that.

[atouts]

Quite the opposite.

[ Childermass, blunt as ever. He does look at them, very briefly, then back to Zangetsu's face. Yeah, he's keeping his distance from this 'practice' for now, opting to fold his arms across his chest and lean casually against the tree. ]

But I imagine what I think doesn't particularly matter. [ In fact, he's certain of it, only this isn't why he's out here today. So after a pause, he adds, ] You did a good job back there, in the Athenaeum.

[atouts]

"Because I would share my bed with someone for no particular reason at all," Childermass says faintly, in disbelief. Strange, please, but then again, should he be surprised? It wasn't anything relating to the other magician himself, regardless of him feeling like it's totally his business now that he does know.

"It doesn't give you an excuse to attack Lambert over it, however, regardless of what you may think. He kept it to himself for my sake, not his own."

[whattaprick]

"Your dream?" Lambert asks, faintly amused, but looking willing to humor it. "What would I be doing in your dream?"

Not being much of a lucid dreamer, Lambert can only take it in stride. He follows Peridot without protest, after a last look around.

[periphrasing]

Peridot pauses. "Well... I was assuming it was because you were just a figment of my imagination generated by my subconscious, but now I'm starting to question that," she hums, rubbing her chin as she sizes Lambert up again. The inability to influence him in any way would be one thing, easily explainable simply by token of the fact that her control over her dreams isn't necessarily 100% perfect. But the fact that he's questioning why he's here at all is... Well, no other dream construct has done that to her before.

[hippocarnival]

"Uh--yeah." Yuya honestly tries not to think about the eating people thing the Ringmaster does.

He's not sure they have the option to not get the mirror, either, with the Courts after it and the Ringmaster's head now. But that's a thought for another day. They're supposed to be taking the moment to recover, not worrying about the future and what all of this means for them.

He stabs his stick into the ground before offering Strange the rest of the bag.

[kingsroads]

"I've figured that out now," Strange grumbles, looking over at Childermass. "He isn't one to keep secrets—it only makes sense you were holding him to it."

With hindsight, all of the moments which Strange thought were evidence of Lambert in love with him make more sense: it was Lambert offering excuses, offering the next best answer because he wanted to say the truth, but couldn't. Whereas with Childermass, getting anything close to an emotion from the other magician was like wringing water from a stone.

"But my point still stands. It was months, Childermass!"

No comment on that attacking part, though. Strange can try and defend himself about how he didn't know Lambert was that beaten up, but at the end of the day, he knows he fucked up.

[exaomori]

Well, she's happy. Nothing wrong with that. "A cart? Nyaha, we can come back tomorrow! Unless you're really that hungry..." In which case, they may as well just go to a pub. Actually, that's not unappealing.

[exaomori]

"It's not just one herb, it's a bunch of 'em!" So... it tasted herbal. That's the best Shura can do to explain. Maybe if she had ever tried to make something more complicated than instant ramen, she'd be more helpful. Alas, this is what Gon will have to deal with. But she's trying... kinda. She picks up a new bundle of green and sniffs it.

"Like this. But more, you know?" She says, thrusting the bundle right up under Gon's nose.

[atouts]

Once he starts stabbing at the stew like that, Childermass will shift over closer and put a hand on his arm, if only to keep him from splattering dinner everywhere and regretting it later. Admittedly, that would be one way to escape having to eat Lambert's cooking, but this seems like the right thing for the moment.

"You don't mean that," he says, quieter. He's not all too happy with Strange right now, either, but there was no way they could just leave him, even less so hand him back over. "So if it isn't enthrallment, maybe something else is wrong. Has he said anything about what happened to him while he was with Ignatius?"

[atouts]

"And? If you came here expecting me to apologize for that, you had better learn how to live with disappointment," Childermass replies because, honestly, he doesn't see it as something requiring one. It's his life. He doesn't need people prying into every part of it.

[chronosynthesis]

"You made it sound as though this trip was going to be more fruitful," Syrlya hums as he glances back to Strange. The numbers don't quite add up--what is he hoping to find, one? "I think restoring magic would get much further if any of you were inclined to trust one another."

Not that he's surprised, he's seen the amount of backstabbing that occurs in human politics. He can't imagine actually trying to keep up with any of it in the long term. At least it only takes one person repairing broken bridges to effect some real change, there. They just have to start.

[exaomori]

My, that is concerning to see a grumpy faced man look concerned. She has to wonder just what's worrying him so, but she doesn't have to wonder long.

"Yeah, that ain't too nice." Shura glances over the board and cards, trying to see if that narrowed down the searches at all. Nope, it's completely unhelpful. Maybe that would have been a cue to alien tweens, but it's remarkably useless to someone who's only has worked with the supernatural before. "Anything like a human would die pretty quick since it's a vacuum 'n all."

[kingsroads]

He gives Reira a little smile. Her enthusiasm is contagious. And, for someone like Strange who doesn't really believe in stopping or resting when he's working on a spell, he appreciates it.

"You would. Get a meal and a few hours rest and we can practice again this evening, if you want."

After all, it's not like they have anything else to do in the campsite.

[kingsroads]

Strange doesn't take the bag, but takes a few more marshmallows for himself. Putting one in his mouth, he looks over at the campfire. Or, more accurately, what remains of their terribly built campfire.

"I should put this out," he explains through a mouth full of marshmallow. "That is, unless you want to sit and talk a bit more."

No matter if it's putting the fire out or relighting it, it would be better for Strange to do it standing up. Getting to his feet, Strange shoves the other marshmallows in his mouth before vaguely gesturing for Yuya to back away from the fire pit.

[soft_focus]

A meal, and a nap. She can do that. So with a steady nod, Reira replaces the coin in her pocket and makes to do just that. "Okay..! ...Um...I'll come back here then, when it starts to get dark!"

That's 'evening' more or less right? Right.

She makes sure not to forget one last thing before turning and heading off though- "...Thank you." For teaching her, obviously. That means a lot.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya rolls the bag closed before getting to his feet and stepping back as well, giving Strange the room to deal with the pit. He looks up at the sky, gauging the time.

"I wouldn't mind talking, but we can always do that at the camp site." It's starting to hit evening, so it's probably time to say goodbye to their pit anyway. Especially before nosy critters start to show up. "You know, if you have anything you want to get off your mind."

[kingsroads]

The fire at the end of Strange's hair starts to creep further up his curls, setting his head more on fire. Because yes, he did come here expecting some sort of an apology, or at least an acknowledgement from Childermass that he could have handled this secret boyfriends thing better. Because obviously all of this is Childermass and Lambert's fault.

"After you received the Starlight's letter, you told me that you would try to be more open about things. Did you actually mean that? Because all of this," said with a vague hand gesture in Childermass's direction, "tells me otherwise."

[exaomori]

Oho! Well, after hearing a bit more about the man from Carly, she can't say that this competitive side of Strange is a surprise. Could this be used to her favor? It certainly could!

"Nyaha, can't pass up the chance to win, huh? The game ain't hard. Y'see, these--" She waves her hand over the game board and the cards, "--Are our potential suitors. And this," she says, pointing the the space phone, "Is gonna give us the clues to figure out who our space boyfriend is. Easy, right?"

Of course, there was the entire matter of unknown alien physiology and culture, but that wasn't the point.

[prazerbutterfly]

It's the fact he's making an effort that expresses more than anything else. He's not set on entirely respecting his boundaries seeing as he might stalk here and there. Ginko was just kind of boring in some way as a result and didn't get that treatment often.

"He's a businessman, he says," Tyki says as he implies otherwise, "Not use to the outdoors. A little overwhelmed maybe."

[prazerbutterfly]

You should feel right at home then with the way things are here. We're technically being hunted.

[He really should do something about easing his discomfort instead of increasing it. He's not sure how much Rhys was paying attention to the radio either during all that mess less than a week ago.]

Hmm, you have a survival ability then, at least.

[atouts]

"I have been more open," Childermass finally snaps. He shoves up from where he's sitting, getting to his feet, though he won't stomp over to Strange or shove him or anything like that. The urge to do so is there but he'll resist it, for now.

"But not about that. You weren't owed that, it's too personal. Worse, if anyone else in England should find out, you know exactly what will happen. It's bad enough that he wants to return to England with me. He'll be miserable there, which you also know."

[whattaprick]

"Be mindful where you go to sleep," Lambert corrects, shaking his head. "I think it's breathed in."

Assuming Syrlya will foollow, he starts heading back to his campsite, though it won't be at any great speed. He still looks better than when Syrlya left, though, so that's probably something.

"Last I heard, he was still in the Ringmaster's stomach. No idea what she's done with him now, or if she intends to let the rest of us know. Strange still hasn't hatched."

Now that's not a sentence he expected to say.

[whattaprick]

Lambert shakes his head, an annoyed expression flickering across his face as he barks with laughter.

"You don't get it," he says, and its his turn to grip the railing and turn away. "Everything was real there. Everything. Growing up with Peridot and Miko, going to school, working at that stupid cafe..." Portland's Lambert had had a life. It wasn't much of one, and it was a small and ignorant existence in a way that Lambert hates thinking about now. But it's not an answer to Yuya's question, and he shakes his head again, more slowly this time.

"I don't want to go back." What he has now, he wouldn't give up for anything. But... "I want a life I can keep."

[kingsroads]

Ohhhh Strange does not want to talk about this. But Carly told him about what happened to her, it's only fair that he tell her what happened to him.

"I was," Strange admits. "The Jonathan Strange of Portland made a contract with Nightshade. He broke it and left me to pick up the pieces." Really, fuck Portland Strange. And because he knows that he didn't exactly give a good explanation, Strange continues talking.

"I obtained my full memories sooner than most—that Jonathan Strange arranged it so Nightshade could restore them. But fae contracts don't take into account things like memory loss or false pretenses. Breaking the contract was enough for Nightshade to see how I broke the contract and take possession of me. I was in her realm for under a week before she enthralled me and charged me to help reclaim Steven."