⇨ 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

[soft_focus]

Shima's thoughts risk quite the perpetual loop of dislike, it seems.

But Reira shrugs. "...Everyone says '7'," she explains. "...I don't know when I'll be '8' though. I haven't picked a birthday." Not having a calendar to follow in this place has made it rather tricky to do so after all. She focuses on her food up near the fire for a moment, careful to keep it from burning.

[worldlyafflictions]

WHY THO.

Ssslowly backs up, getting his feet under himself and his prayer staff between them. He's not sure if this is something belonging to that Count guy or of it's native, but either way he doesn't really want to have to tangle with it alone.

"Uwaa.. let's just chill okay? Fighting is tiring..!"

Re: he's a mess of a bear-horse-fox thing so I felt you could use as much help as possible :'D

[seniorvicejanitor]

Well, okay.

[ sure, he could do this. he lifts his arms and scans it over gongenzaka.

ANALYSIS COMPLETE
Name: Don't make me spell it, it's so long
Nickname: Man, Then
Is He The Man? You should ask him, he's the man.
Theme Song: What Does the Fox Say?
Why: LOOK AT HIM
Occupation: Duelist/Collector of Beast Features
Who's He Cooler Than: You, Rhys ]

You duel things?

THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL...

[betheman]

[Excuse him as he blinks with a bit of mild surprise- it's a good thing Dueling is the thing Rhys asked about, on that note, as he would find the arm far less cool if he knew the rest.

Please, don't call him 'the man'-

He begs of you-] It was able to tell that I am a duelist?

[Well! Since he Never Leaves Without It, he pulls out a deck of cards to answer that question.] Here- where I am from, it is a sort of sport; holograms of the monsters are summoned, and duelists work alongside them to defeat their opponent.

[It's that hologram part that makes it cool instead of REALLY NERDY, honestly.]

[atouts]

'Something belonging to that Count guy' would, unfortunately, be very accurate. It's just that something is disinclined to ever return to that particular faerie. Regardless, there's really only so long Childermass can drag this out for without actually scaring Shima off into running and he thinks they've about hit that point.

Still looming, the creature's form gives an unnatural shudder and then changes. It's all a flicker of shadows and movement, the transformation itself happening quickly enough that there's no real need to dread how awful it would look to go from bird to human again.

It leaves Childermass with one foot casually propped up on the log, lowering his arms and tilting his head at Shima in a somewhat curious motion, as if he has no damn idea why he would ever be worried.

"Why, I was only saying hello, Mr. Shima. What in the world would make you think there would be a fight?"

[worldlyafflictions]

Tiny...

"Huh... I guess does it matter if ya turn 8 if ya just go home to the same point ya left?"

[exaomori]

[Rin couldn't stay an idiot forever! Well, not the same degree of stupid, at least.]

Bullets? Eeh, that's a lot of work...

[A lot of finicky work. Was that why he had asked her to help him?

[dontpokethat]

Ginko slides the box open and pulls out a brown paper-wrapped cigarette - then, after a moment of thought, just leans forward and lights it on the fire. No need to bother with his lighter under the circumstances. Gradually, the cigarette starts to give off a sharp, bitter-smelling smoke, largely unlike that of tobacco.

He sits up and just... looks at Tyki for a couple moments as he processes that question. "...Uh, depends on what you mean by that. Had to keep monkeys or foxes out of my supplies sometimes, and, of course, there were mushi and insects to deal with, but I don't recall ever... fighting a bear, or anything like that."

[soft_focus]

Eh....Reira pulls a bit of a face at that. "...I don't want to go back there," she mutters, furrowing her brows. "...I wasn't supposed to exist anymore anyway, so it's fine."

It's not quite like she was going to Die before Yuuya stepped in. More...an awkward form of reincarnation. Either way, she's here Now, and she wouldn't have been other wise.

"It would probably be weird for other people if I was 7 for the whole year though."

[atouts]

"All the better to keep my thoughts to myself, Ms. Akaba," Childermass only has that to say in reply to his feelings being quiet. He is, as ever, a quiet man, even in his dreams. On the topic of the many little Bakers, however...

Well, that one makes him smile some as he looks at the growlithes.

"Oh, this is Alola, the world that they're from. It's only natural they would all be out here. They're common enough, actually. I'm surprised there aren't even more of th— ah." He turns in his chair, craning his head around so he can look back towards the jungle that borders the beach. Dense ferns rustle. "Perhaps I spoke too soon."

[stillwinningthehardway]

There wasn't really anything to follow up to. It's like none of that ever happened.

[She wrinkles her nose, gestures to her face. The insides of her arms and wrists and hands, her collarbones, part of her throat and up her cheek and assuredly under her clothing, there's paler, gold-tinted skin sharing the outline of that dramatic injury.]

Except the color, anyway. Can't be helped.

[soft_focus]

That just feels even more confusing. Mostly because she's taking it to literally mean 'thoughts'- since when could she read THOSE? But talking about fluffy animals takes priority, and if anything dealing with someone who would much rather not show any feelings too often is no different than dealing with her brother.

Except, obviously, Childermass actually seems to have his life somewhat in order (more than Reiji at least).

Reira leans to peer at the jungle rather slowly, glancing back to the puppies only after a few moments.

"....How many bakers are there..?" She's not ready for this. This is already Too Many! She could vanish into a pile of fluff and never return.

Or at least, she'd have to wake up and that would be a shame.

[kingsroads]

"Any attempt at an explanation is a good start," Strange explains. Now that Susan is a human again and not a large animal, Strange sits up. He doesn't fully get up from the ground yet, but he gives Susan a little smile to show that everything's all right.

"Besides, I'm certain you'll do a good job at it. No one knows your magic better than yourself."

[stillwinningthehardway]

"I don't know why they aren't just banished from the grounds," Scout sighs. She suppresses the urge to tug her tunic straight. People get dirty sometimes, it's fine. Papyrus can deal.

"There's always been people ignoring Psi's rule. With what..." She has a pause of her own, just noticeable. "-we're facing, I'm not sure a buddy is enough. Anyway, this place is supposed to be safe. That's why we're here. Plus I'm not even actually that far from the camp."

[bananaspeedrider]

"Sure thing!"

Before he gets to climbing, Yugo briefly wonders if the tent is sure to fit all of him- crystals and everything...

Eh, he'll see for himself when he gets up there, because it shouldn't be too much of a problem to keep him balance on the ladder if it's too awkward for him to get through the opening.

[bananaspeedrider]

My ideas started and stopped at trying to duel and have our dragons do the rest. Guess we gotta find our own way of doing things if you're still down with this.

[Looking toward Gon for what should totally be obvious reasons-]

Hey Gongenzaka, maybe you have some ideas? You seem like the kind of guy who'd naturally be into this kind of stuff!

[soft_focus]

He'll find away. Worst case, he can just crawl up through the Big door that doesn't really have much of a ladder to it in the first place. Once he's inside it'll be fine though. The snake-guy could fit no problem after all. Reira sits in a pile formed of the pillows, her sleeping bag, Reiji's blanket, and her own teddy, staring somewhat expectantly.

"Mnh...so...what do we do?" Let's SEE this.

[betheman]

Hmn.... [For a moment, he seems to seriously be thinking things over in silence. At least, until he's called out directly.] MNH!?

What is that meant to mean..!? [He protests hurriedly.] To speak with Creation is not the same as linking thoughts with another..!!

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya looks equally confused about that. He asked for Gongenzaka's help because he's his best friend and they only have so many duelists, not so much because he expected Gon to have a vested interest in hiveminding.] You were the one who was excited... why would Gongenzaka be into it?

[dontpokethat]

Oh.

Ginko wasn't expecting that question, but he supposes he should have.

He's quiet for a few moments before replying, weighing how much to say, balancing what he's willing to say with the knowledge of how much she deserves to know after she saw. The environment they're in helps some - not in the way that intoxication or sleeplessness might loosen his tongue, but enough for him to speak a little more easily.

"What you saw back then was a mushi, called tokoyami. There's no eye in that socket at all; I lost it long ago."

[whattaprick]

"You'd better not."

There's not much else to say, as they head back to the campsite Lambert and Childermass share, set away enough from the other tents for some mild semblance of privacy, even if it's mostly an illusion. Lambert gestures for Syrlya to have a seat on one of the rocks around the fire, while he goes to have a rummage around his tent for his alcohol supply.

Syrlya won't be alone there for long, though. There's a rustling in the underbrush ... and then Baker sticks his head out of the foliage, doggy tongue lolling. He'd been drawn by the sound familiar footsteps heading back to the tent, but on seeing Syrlya first instead of Lambert, that great fuzzy head tilts a little, confused.

THANK YOU :D D:

[seniorvicejanitor]

[ rhys is honestly waiting for maybe a sword or a lance or something long and pointy so to see cards come out is a little confusing. ]

You duel with cards?

[ how did that work and not make you a nerd? he had questions. ]

Do the cards come to life?

[ well, he'd said holograms.]

[stillwinningthehardway]

Scout waits, seeing that this isn't something to press. The whole incident seems comfortably far away from here, but at the time, it had been alarming.

"Tokoyami," she says consideringly, trying out the sound of the word. "Is it going to blossom like that on its own? Is it contagious?"

Ginko's a responsible sort and she doesn't think it will easily spread. If it did, though... well, sure, someone can get by fine with one eye, but it's not something she wants to try.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya seats himself where Lambert gestures, a healthy distance from the fire (he might be leaning back a little). He tilts his head back when he hears the rustling, staring blankly at Baker as he sticks his head out of the bushes. Syrlya, at least, recognizes him even if the name escapes his tongue right now.

"Hello there," he offers the dog a faint smile, raising his hand.

[chronosynthesis]

To that, Syrlya can only shrug. "At least one of them went mad from excessive magic poisoning, so I am sure that had some sort of influence on his reason."

Most often, it's people completely foolhardy in their goals that they fail to see the damage they will cause. The dragons, those are a different story entirely. "The other was a god who, truthfully, did not care."

He'd survive it, after all. The third one is walking undead, and can probably create his own image after he obliterates everything. It's all terrible, frankly! "I do hope things never become so grave in your world."