⇨ 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

[dressedtothe]

"I didn't learn 'mind control'," 9S corrects primly. "This was something I was always able to do... to mechanical beings."

And the number of mechanical beings they encounter in any of the places they go to is a big zero, so of course he's never been able to use the very functions that define his entire model. So really, the only reason he hadn't used his hacking to solve more of their problems is because he couldn't.

"But... yeah, that's the plan. If I can't break someone else's mind control," though that would be the ideal outcome, "then I can at least make them less dangerous."

[seniorvicejanitor]

You're so creepy!

( rhys gets to his feet and dusts himself off, looking down at the animal. it was probably going to have to be killed and he knows he could do that with his arm but ugh. )

You want me to just leave it here?

[scientificist]

Herbert looks, following the direction of Ginko's gestures. It's. A tree?

"I'm not blind," he says, "what am I looking at in particular?"

[scientificist]

"Dragon and phoenix?" Herbert asks. He didn't find the research particularly interesting until very recently, and now he's having to play catch-up. "What part of her is phoenix?"

[kingsroads]

"Probably not indefinitely," Strange admits. "I have a similar spell that I use for storing my pens and pencils and I need to refresh that one every week or so. Since the tree is much larger, I suspect it would last a few days at the most before the spell dissipates and we end up with a large tree in the lake."

Coincidentally, the spell's going to fall when everybody goes back to the carnival. But Strange doesn't know that.

He leans slightly on Tyki's tentacles as he moves to get a better look at Tyki poking the water. When it ripples, Strange smiles. There we go. A practically perfect spell.

[scientificist]

There are a lot of little tufty-ended stubby feather tubes across almost the entire span of Herbert's wings. They got really burnt up when he tried to get through Ignatius' fire wall, so the new feather growth is really all there is to Herbert's wings at the moment outside of down and intermittent partial feathers that haven't been moulted yet. Thus it's not as difficult as it might otherwise be to determine the broken feather.

Herbert helps out by making a close-mouthed pained sound when Syrlya brushes over it, but it's not too difficult to identify which new feather is snapped after that point.

"Yes: it will help stop the bleeding." He hopes. It should, anyway. He's really only recently started essentially training as a vet.

[kingsroads]

"Then partner up with someone else when you're trying to hack someone," Strange points out, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. If 9S is used to working with a partner, then work with a partner.

"You're a nightrunner. We work in a group to begin with. I'd happily distract someone while you're trying to hack them and I'm certain Rita would as well."

[dressedtothe]

9S huffs and turns away. "I know that!""

He knows... and knowing that he's part of the Nightrunners, that he isn't alone, that he has people who would look out for him if he ever was in trouble, his chest hurts with an emotion he can't quite place thinking about it.

He's not alone. He's not alone. He's not alone.

"But we're not always together. If there's a situation where I'm caught alone with a mind controlled you," just taking an example! "then I need to be able to deal with that without backup."

He does have that shiny sword hovering at his back, but how often has he had the chance to actually use that?

[whattaprick]

Lambert twirls the stick in his hand at Rita, and grins wickedly.

"Then move fast."

The stick in his hand snakes out with surprisingly fluid speed despite his injury, aiming to prod her in the belly.

[whattaprick]

Lambert, who distinctly remembers mushi stealing his voice and Childermass's vision the last time they were around, only grimaces even more.

"Some of it," he admits, grudgingly. He isn't sure if Yuya is thinking of anything specifically, so he'll pre-empt him.

"You ended up running off with a couple of people. One of them was a girl I remember seeing around the Carnival." Not since they got here, though. "The other..." He frowns. There'd been something familiar, but. Hard to say for sure. "Big guy. Couldn't place him."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya, luckily, does remember, and his expression lights up with recognition. "Yeah, after I left... uh, I think it was a basement?" Whatever dingy place Lambert was gonna hole up in with his boyfriend.

"That was Yuzu and Gongenzaka." You know, the even bigger furry guy. "Yuzu's not at the carnival now. I don't remember much of it after that, but I guess it was a good dream."

[anti_nonsense]

Rita shakes her head. "The cats dress themselves, stupid. Why would I do it for them?"

And what does he mean, she doesn't normally speak to cats like this...? Doesn't she? She feels like this is normal, but she can't remember clearly.

The one thing she is sure of is that 9S is worrying over nothing. "Something like what?" she asks, humoring him. "Nothing really happens in a sleepy village like this, last I checked."

Did you know you're in a village, 9S? Well, you do now. While the area around the table was vague and seemingly empty before, they can now see that they're in a small garden near some little wooden buildings with cone-shaped rooftops. Colorful flowers can be seen everywhere; on the ground, in flowerpots, growing along vines that stretch over the houses, but most striking of all is the enormous tree looming behind the buildings, its branches covered in pink flowers. From the way it stands, one would think the whole village would be covered by its shadow, but this spot where Rita and 9S are sitting still seems to be perfectly sunny.

[kingsroads]

Considering that Strange gets mind controlled a lot, he's not even questioning that example. And 9S's worries make sense. There's been so many times that it's been one on one or the carnival's been separated or something dumb's happened that it would be best for 9S to be able to do these things on his own.

The big question remains, how. How's he going to do this on his own?

Strange eyes the sword for a moment before looking back at 9S. "If you had a shield spell or something of that nature, you could cast it and keep you safe while you started to hack someone." It's a vague idea, but still counts.

[dressedtothe]

What?

9S jumps at the sudden transition that somehow he wasn't able to notice. How did that happen? Gigantic plant life isn't that unusual to him -- the trees in the city ruins were HUGE -- but he's never seen so many flowers... Operator 6O would've loved it... And maybe Operator 21O. Maybe.

"How did we get here?" He looks over at Rita in alarm. "That village wasn't there before! Wait." He turns, looking about as his gaze ping pongs while he searches for... "Where are the cats? They're gone! And..."

He frowns, his free hand going to his chin as he squints at the tree.

"The sun's behind the tree, so... shouldn't we be in the tree's shadow?"

[bananaspeedrider]

[Considering there's not much else Yugo can think to add out of his perspective of the duel, he merely shrugs once Yuya is finished.]

Nothing really felt weird to me for that time.

[anti_nonsense]

"What are you talking about?"

His concern was endearing at first, but Rita's getting worried. He's starting to sound hysterical.

"We've been here all along. The cats... look, they're right there," if he looks, he'll see the table and the cats right there with them in the garden. In fact, there are now oversized cats walking around the village, too. They live here. Obviously. "And the sun..." Rita lifts her head to look. The moment she does, the sun will appear to have repositioned itself in a more logical location in the sky, relative to them and the tree.

"Are you okay?" she has to ask, looking at him with concern.

[anti_nonsense]

Spotting the movement just in time, Rita springs backward in a short jump. If she was a little faster, she'd clear it, but her reaction is just slow enough to get brushed by the tip.

With an annoyed noise, she swings her own stick to try and hit his wrist. It's not a bad choice; she knows she wouldn't match his strength if their weapons clashed directly, and she doesn't have the reach to go for a killing blow, so an attempt at disarming is the best she's got. Unfortunately, she has very little experience with this sort of weapon, so her execution is probably lacking and just leaves her open to a counterattack.

[pipers_son]

[Alright, Joker can't help but laugh at that, hand curled to his mouth. It doesn't do much to hide the grin, but at least he's... trying...? Maybe...?]

Fair enough! But ta answer the question, I'm mostly human- [he jabs a finger towards himself.] And Feathers here is bird enough ta count, although the people where he's from would say he's somethin' called a Pokemon.

[anti_nonsense]

"Oh, yeah?" Rita gives him a slight smirk. "Prove it."

They don't have any training dummies around here, so...

Rita raises a hand and conjures some fire nearby, just far enough that it isn't likely to catch on her notes. The fire grows and takes shape in the form of a hulking brute. The elemental raises a fist menacingly, but doesn't move to attack.

"Think you can dispatch an enemy like that?"

[seniorvicejanitor]

And you're...combined?

( was that the word for it? how was this described? )

Same person, one body? Or something?

[pipers_son]

Funny how the timing all works out! And maybe if they all survive this whole ridiculous venture that they're going on, the animals will have learned how to be less disastrous. Maybe. But probably not.

In which case this could almost be a temporary vacation if not for the life-and-death bits, but, it's fine.

Blissfully unaware of the ridiculous future that awaits them, at least on the details, Joker gives a small, fond smile. "Good. He's overworked himself almost the entire time I've known him, so I'm glad he has someone like that strong lady there ta pick up the slack."

[pipers_son]

Ooooooh. This is a good point. Feathers leans in closer, one wing curling back in almost as if to press a hand to his chin. Only without a hand. And arguably not even with a chin, either. Pokemon biology can be a funny thing, sometimes. Unable to find any way to argue, he gives a nod.

Joker, in the meanwhile, enjoys his freedom from being at on, and leans against Feathers' back with a huff of a laugh. As long as it's not his fault weight, he's found it's fine. Feathers is a sturdy boy.

[dontpokethat]

"Most likely not, no." It hadn't done so in twenty-six years, after all; for one reason or another, it seems to be dormant at this point. "And, no. As long as it's inactive, it won't spread."

When it is active, of course, he's not so sure about. But so long as it stays put in his eye socket, it shouldn't be a problem.

[prazerbutterfly]

Well, he could just ask. Tyki would gladly talk about his family in extensive detail to some degree. He just won't get any powers or valuable information about it. Just the normal family stuff.

Technically Rita was also a young woman but she fit more into the adorable category than beautiful. 2B was quite the looker. Her body just accented everything about her. It's a horrible time to be looking at 9S because he wasn't aware someone like him could blush. He grins, smartly.

"Partner, huh?" he teases.

[prazerbutterfly]

Here I thought you would've gotten use to it by now. Maybe I should ramp it up a little more~

[His eerie chuckle vibrates off the trees in every direction mostly because he's on the move.] I can take care of it if you can't.