⇨ 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

[whattaprick]

Look, there’s a difference between knowing Yuya knows and actually knowing he’s standing there watching them get all mushy together! It’s embarrassing!

Childermass pauses to consider the question — the expression, at least, is faithful to the magician’s serious consideration, unlike the smarmy smirk of before.

“Hm. As real as the spirits in your cards, perhaps,” is what he settles on, sounding a good deal more like his real self, though he’ll turn to Lambert at that. The witcher flushes on cue, even if he doesn’t understand what’s going on here, knowing he’s being teased somehow ... by his own subconscious, no less!

[chronosynthesis]

"What Strange wants to do and what he is capable of doing are different things." Would he try to be the most exceptional? Obviously, but lines have to be drawn somewhere. "Besides, if it's time to ressurection then I already have him beat."

Also, that.

[steadydollypegs]

This is what she's been missing-- comfort and contact. Doll hadn't sought it out after Ginko talked to her about her fight with Joker, maybe to punish herself for being so uppity with her beloved brother. Maybe because she missed Tamaki too much to think about being close to someone again. She doesn't know, really, but she does know that this feels good and right.

Her face tilts up when Joker cups her cheek, and she leans into the warmth she feels. It's been a while that she hasn't felt rough wood when he touched her, and she's happy for him. Really. It's just hard to find the words to comment and congratulate when she feels so shaken up.

But it's clearly helping, because Doll blinks the tears out of her eyes and nods to him. It's a good contrast to how cold she'd felt earlier, and does help drive the memory back.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya did talk about his spirits on the radio, but that's not the kind of thing he'd expect Childermass to jump to as a comparison. Especially when they just got out of dealing with a bunch of book spirits.

He looks sideways at Lambert, pursing his lips in a thoughtful manner. "The spirits in my cards are real. They're really there."

He doesn't seem as reluctant to explain that, this time, and instead counters like he's relaying a definitive fact. Since, well, it is. "It's just most people can't hear them."

[chronosynthesis]

Is this a tutelage or a rivalry? Humans are so strange.

The more Syrlya stares at the books, the more obvious it is that something's wrong. He reaches for one, flipping it open, only to find a bunch of nonsense. Is this an illusion?

Oh. Or a dream.

He sets the book down and turns on his heels to follow Strange, suddenly much more interested in where this is going. "Keeping it private, is he?"

[whattaprick]

Lambert just looks at Yuya helplessly. Look, he isn’t all that smart, all right?

Fortunately, Childermass — dream Childermass, evidently — picks up the thread.

“If you claim they are real based only on what you can perceive, what’s to stop others who cannot from claiming otherwise?” He steps to Lambert again, though he’ll come to a stop before him, with an expression that ... well, it couldn’t be described as sappy, but it’s certainly intense and focused, and when he reaches out to take Lambert’s hand the witcher is helpless to resist.

Childermass tugs Lambert to him, gently, and the scenery shifts again, as he pulls them and Yuya through the shadows — to what’s evidently a basement filled with strings of lights, cheap furniture, and a box spring mattress. Incongruously, there’s Chinese food on the counter. Yuya wouldn’t recognize it, but it’s he house John was squatting in, in Portland, some slapdash mockery of a college student’s dormitory, and poorly heated besides.

But this is Lambert’s dream, and his memories make this place warmer than it was. His gaze is still locked on Childermass, dazed — but Yuya will find, suddenly, a large muzzle nosing at the small of his back. Baker is here too — in his church grim form, meaning that cold spot at Yuya’s back is much colder than a dog’s should be.

[hippocarnival]

"Because the spirits are the ones that have magic back home." He gestures to his pendulum for emphasis. "They can still affect us even if most people can't hear them."

Granted, Yuya recognizes it's probably better when they don't, and most people wouldn't believe in them... but it's a little less perception, and a little more of a hidden truth. He'd explain a little more thoroughly, but then he's pulled through a shadow and ends up off balance as he finds himself in a dingy basement instead.

And then Baker puts a cold nose to his back and he jumps and yelps, spinning around. "Wh--ah! Don't scare me."

[fourthscribe]

While it's hard to tell for sure given her eye coloration (and the...number of them), she does at least give the impression of returning that partial eye contact. Nodding with a slight frown, Tanyuu carefully reaches up to the feather's base to find where the shaft emerges from his skin.

"I think I can do that...alright, I have it." Her antennae flick, and she grips the base tightly. "When you're ready."

[whattaprick]

Hearing Yuya yelp like that pulls Lambert out of falling back into the lull of a dream a little, and he shakes it off some, looking to Yuya again.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he mutters, frowning. Baker seems to think otherwise. Sure, he looks like a creepy death omen of a dog right now, but his tail is still wagging, looking at Yuya expectantly.

[hippocarnival]

The creepy death omen is still getting pets, Yuya ruffling the top of his head and scratching behind his ears.

"If I knew how to walk out of your dreams, I would." Because he can take a few guesses what they're going someplace private for, and he's not looking to be a voyeur tonight.

"Should I just use the door?" Is there a door?

cw for mention of eye trauma?? thanks mushishi

[dontpokethat]

Ginko only holds him up for a moment before turning around and placing Lauren back on solid(?) ground. He kneels down in front of him, making sure he's still between the child and the river - just in case.

"There are dangerous mushi living in that river. If they infect you, they'll eat your eyeballs entirely - and I'm all out of spares to give away."

He's not even joking. ...Okay, he kind of is, but it's also true.

[dontpokethat]

Rest in peace Alphys, killed by outdoor activities. Ginko crouches down next to her, doing his best to keep from sounding too amused.

"How long have you been trying to get it set up? These things can be kind of tricky." Ginko at least had the advantage of having to make shelters for himself before, but... working with these poles and fabric and all that still took some adjustment.

[anti_nonsense]

Rita turns to face him with a wry smile, one that says she wishes she believed that, but she can’t.

She doesn’t blame him if he can’t understand what there is to fear. He’s never had a dream before, so he wouldn’t know what it’s like to believe it in the moment. But maybe it won’t be like that for 9S if he’s simply observing.

Then there’s the fear that her dreams might reveal something about her inner thoughts that she wanted to keep hidden... Rita isn’t keeping any big secrets from 9S or anything, but there are still some things she’d rather not say out loud.

“Yeah... they can’t,” she agrees despite those thoughts. “I just wanted to make sure you know what you’re getting into. We can try it tonight.”

[anti_nonsense]

Well, that pretty much nails the biggest weakness of blastia magic. While Rita’s able to cast spells faster than most other mages, her spells are still vulnerable to interruption. It’s one of the reasons she’s prioritized the practice of fae magic.

Lambert’s next question catches her off guard, however. “Wh... what does that have to do with anything?” she snaps at him.

[anti_nonsense]

“Dueling? You mean you fought him?” To Rita, the normal assumption is that they fought directly, and usually to the death. Which leads her to wonder, “...Did you kill him?”

This ‘Yuri’ is a part of Yugo... Would he be okay if something like that happened?

[whattaprick]

“Strange said he trained him. That Ignatius requires his soldiers to be battle-ready,” Lambert answers, with a shrug. “I don’t know what he did... but considering he only had him for a day or two, it was prettty effective.”

He lets it hang there, watching Rita and waiting to see if she’ll pick up the implication on her own.

[kingsroads]

"It seems so!" Strange brightly responds. Unlike Syrlya, he hasn't really caught onto the dream aspect of all this. "I wonder what's so important that he's keeping them private."

The two are led to a smaller back room. There's about five or so bookshelves, packed heavily with books. The titles of these books, however, are readable. Some are concise, one or two word titles: 'Respect', 'Acknowledgement', 'Stronger Magic.' Others are longer, more specific titles: 'An Apology from Lambert', 'A Changed Contract Between Ignatius and Myself', 'Yuya To Succeed At Magic', 'To See Arabella's Smile Again.' If they're opened up and read, then the inside text contains exact instructions or an exact description of the title's subject.

Strange is looking at all the books with an expression of amazement and confusion. "This isn't fair," he mutters, more to himself than to Syrlya. "I want all of these."

[dressedtothe]

Well, Strange clearly has his guard up right now, which is always harder to deal with. Sure, the aim might be to improve their respective magics, but that doesn't mean 9S has to play fair.

9S half turns in a shrug -- which also gives Strange a glipse of the bone 'tongue' poking out the back of his head -- as he says, "Actually, nevermind. I've changed my mind."

[seniorvicejanitor]

You could have shaken me awake gently instead of just standing there.

[ but rhys has an idea that that wouldn't have been as fun for tyki. ]

What time is it? Is it nighttime? That's when the best animals come out.

[ stop bullshitting, rhys. ]

[kingsroads]

Strange just watches, eyebrow raised slightly as Tyki raises himself in the air and slides an arm through the tree. Well then. That might explain how he got the tree out of the ground, but it doesn't explain how he could carry it. Once again, Strange has ten billion questions that he's planning on asking Tyki when all of this is over.

But right now, they need to work on the reflection. "If it comes at it in an angular direction, that could work." And Strange gestures with his arms, showing a forty-five degree angle. He's a bit confident in his explanation, but it's obvious from his tone that this is a lot of maybes and what ifs. "Ideally, it would be best if the tree was pushed in vertically or dropped at once horizontally, but I doubt either of those will happen."

[kingsroads]

Strange is about to protest and complain that dude, you were the one who said that you wanted to do this...when 9S turns around and Strange gets a glimpse of something poking out of his head. Something really gross looking.

There's an awkward pause as Strange moves to try and get a better view of the back of 9S's head.

"Stay put," he orders, before activating his third eye and lighting himself on fire again. "You've got something odd in the back of your head."

A little part of him wants to pull on it but the rational part of Strange is pointing out that you don't yank on something that's stuck in someone's head.

[dressedtothe]

He doesn't understand :c

But maybe he will after... what was it that humans used to say? Walking a mile in Rita's head? 9S squeezes Rita's hand before he lets go. "Alright." He smiles. "You ready to get out of bed? Or," he brings his hand to his chin, "well, I guess it isn't really a bed, is it?"

...

Later that night, 9S shoots Rita a confident smile as he sits himself down on the ground of their shared tent. "Are you ready? I'll be careful, promise."

[dressedtothe]

He's already been made well aware of the thing at the back of his head. And what the hell, Strange? He's on fire!? strange r u ok buddy

But he's not... screaming in pain or anything so...

9S isn't going to say no to such an obvious opportunity. A circle of light around his wrist glows once more and the lightning fast beam of energy leaves 9S' hand for Strange again, attempting to hack Strange with the intent of getting Strange to turn around and walk the other way while he's distracted.

[kingsroads]

Specifically, it's his forehead, arm, and forearm that are kind of on fire, as well as his hair. Strange really doesn't seem to notice or care about the fact that he's kind of on fire, though. And his third eye isn't really telling him anything about that thing on the back of 9S's head.

But he's distracted enough that the beam of energy hits and 9S's command takes. Strange turns around and starts to walk away from 9S. But as he does so, he starts trying to cast his spellbreaking magic in response.

[chronosynthesis]

It's a little nosy to peruse... okay, it's very nosy, but he's curious. He takes a slow walk around the titles before opting to pick up the 'Acknowledgement' book, flipping it open to read the contents.

"Can't afford them all?" Syrlya asks offhandedly. Not that any of these are things affordable in real life for money, but the dream seems to have put them in a much more tangible and transient form.