⇨ 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

shura | ota

[exaomori]

1 - day 64

Camping. This isn't the worst or the best thing in the world, and Shura's stayed in worse conditions. Still, this isn't Shura's idea of relaxing. Maybe if there was a hot spring or something here, she could really kick back and enjoy herself, but this place is boring.

So it means once she's done with patrol, she's finding herself a nice tree to climb up, laying out on a sturdy branch, and cracking open one of the beers she brought with her. If she's going to be stuck in nature, she's going to enjoy it the best way she knows how.

Unfortunately, she only thought to bring two cans of beer up the tree with her, and she finished them off pretty quick. Anyone walking by might see her peering forlornly into an empty can and letting out a mournful sigh. Getting more beer meant getting down from the tree, and she's finally comfortable. Ugghh.

2 - any night

Shura's dreams aren't always pleasant, but this time seems decent enough, if a little mundane. Anyone who walks into her dream that night will find themselves with Shura in the produce section of a little Japanese supermarket. There's something specific Shura seems to be looking for as she rifles through the produce, picking up a bundle of indeterminable greenery before setting it down.

"Nah, that ain't right..."

3 - day 68

Camping wasn't the worst. Except for the part where it really is and she's out of alcohol to help her cope.

Desparate for anything to do, Shura finally finds herself pulling out something she threw in her bag on accident--the copy of Space Dream Phone she was given at the Space Olympics after her terrible run at the obstacle course. She mostly has it set up at one of the tables, and she's actually even reading the directions on how to play, carefully trying to sound out the names and grumbling to herself.

"I can't even say this one--Yebb? Eybb? What the heck..."

It's Ybb, but feel free to correct her.

1

[prazerbutterfly]

"Well this is cozy," he says out of nowhere. Truth is, Tyki was 'floating' there in mid air, his Power to Choose rejecting the air underneath his feet and allowing him to walk on it. In his hand is a bottle of wine and two glasses. It's almost like he's had this planned for a while or something he's use to doing on a daily basis. Either way, it'll be accompanied with a cheerful expression and a sway of that bottle.

"Mind if I join you?" he asks with some impression the answer is going to be yes. If so, he's going to step on find a branch near hers, regardless if it is sturdy or not, and he'll use his power to cheat and lounge there as he pours the wine into two glasses without much hesitation.

[exaomori]

The branch is plenty sturdy. Shura's nimble, but she knows well enough to pick something that she won't accidentally fall off of if she moves the wrong way. Shura turns her head at the sound of Tyki's voice, feeling fairly confident that she had not heard him approach. But oh, he's floating, and there's probably some trick to it, but really, the important part is that he's appearing at just the right moment with some booze. She moves to sit up, leaving plenty of room for Tyki and his wine beside her.

"My hero ♥! Nyeheh, you're always welcome to sit with my if you have a present like that~"

She can drink wine, this totally works.

[prazerbutterfly]

At this point he wouldn't let her fall. He likes her too much to do that. He's taken too much interest to just troll her. She's offering and he'll touch down on the branch lightly with his power and then move to sit beside her. Already he's popping off the top and pouring his own glass of wine. Then he glances towards her with a small pour into the other.

"Good to know. Shall I pour you a glass or hand you the whole bottle?" He's teasing of course but still genuine in the offer.

[exaomori]

"If I drink the whole thing, then I wouldn't get to pour you a glass myself, y'know." No, tonight Shura wouldn't be her lazy lush self. Too many people here who might get huffy over seeing her like that. She watches as he pours the wine, wiggling just a little closer to him in anticipation of her next drink.

"Don't know where we're goin' next, but I'll try to see if I can't get them to look for some shochu. I'm sure they wouldn't deny my request since I've been behavin', right?"

2

[textsfromhotland]

How did Alphys find a supermarket out here in the woods? And why is she wearing a pink, poofy magical girl dress? It is a mystery, but she doesn't seem to care that much.

"Uh, d-do you know where the snacks are?"

[exaomori]

"Snacks?"

That stirs Shura from her very serious contemplation of the various greens. It really is just green. Some of the bundles may not be edible, but she knows there's one specific one she has to find...

But you know what? Screw that. That was like finding a needle in a haystack. Getting snacks sounded much better. "Yeah, come on, let's go there." Shura motions for Alphys to follow her. The snack aisle is not far, and it's crammed with all sorts of prepacked and unhealthy things. There a a few sweet things, a basic selection of basic pocky and kit kats, but the shelves are mostly filled with drinking snacks. Shuira's immediately filling her basket with those. "I haven't had these in so long~ I've missed them!"

[textsfromhotland]

Alphys follows behind, flying on her staff like a broomstick, and soon they find the snack aisle. And what a glorious sight to behold! She thinks she can hear a choir of angels singing somewhere.

"It's so... it's so beautiful!"

[exaomori]

"It's nice, right? It has everything a girl could need ♥!" There's no need to try and put a damper on Alphys's excitement. Choosing snacks was a very important part of one's grocery shopping, after all.

"C'mon, get what you want. We gotta get some drinks, too."

2 - it brings new meaning to a late night snack

[betheman]

"Hmn?" Gongenzaka, for the brief moment, hasn't even realized he's dreaming let alone wandered into another one. Being Japanese and from modern-day himself after all, the scene of a market is quite familiar.

Even if it's not his usual. Of course, he's yet to consider the fact that he's still a massive plant-growing 'taur-beast', and he therefore only has the top half of his school uniform but.... "Are you looking for something?" Gongenzaka asks, looking up from what he wants to call celery, but isn't entirely sure is.

[exaomori]

It is familiar. The only thing that might stand out is how none of the bundles of green are really identifiable. They look different from each other, and they're all fragrant, but just what are they?? Who knows!

But it's important that she finds whatever it is she's looking for, and she grunts at Gon when he asks, shooting him a brief glance.

"Herb cookies! I gotta make them. But I can't find the right stuff for 'em. You know what I gotta get for them?"

[betheman]

Whatever it is, his dog nose is somehwo not overreacting. Dreams are wild!

Shame he has to shake his head at her question however."Mn...I, the man Gongenzaka, have not heard of 'herb cookies', actually... ...or at least, not many cookies I know of contain 'herbs' rather than spices or sweets..." he mutters, squinting.

"Exactly...how would they taste?"

[exaomori]

“Like herbs.” Duh. Though if she was honest, she could barely remember herself how they tasted. But that’s why they were experimenting!

3

[atouts]

"Yy-b," is what Childermass provides, although there's no real way of knowing if he's got it right, either. He only put in a marginal effort of getting names right before, back when there actually were aliens around. He had been passing by, but Shura's attempts to pronounce what's on the card made him curious enough, so here he is, looking over her shoulder at the game, eyeing the rest of it warily.

"What is this?"

Looks ominous.

[exaomori]

"Yy-b," Shura echoes back, flipping over the card and taking in thus Yyb's face and luscious locks.

"C'mon, sit down and I'll show you. You gotta have at least two to play, anyway." Shura motions for Childermass to sit across from her. What, he might have something else to do? It can't be more important than playing a dumb board game with Shura.

[atouts]

Wow, Yyb could use some sunlight and that thought coming from an pasty Englishman, even.

"Hm," though, is the initial response to the offer to see more of whatever this is. Childermass could come up with an endless list of reasons to move on but all of them would be an obvious lie. He's in charge of Acquisitions, something not currently needed in an empty wilderness, because what are they going to do? Con the lake monsters out of their seaweed?

"May as well." He really doesn't have anything better to do, so yeah, he'll take a seat on the other side of the table. "I suppose it's either this or wandering off to find who wants to argue with me next."

[exaomori]

Look, he can't be blamed for his people's underground lifestyle.

"My, you must be a popular guy~." Was he one of the idiots who got in trouble during the initial kerfuffle, or was he there for the second? Perhaps both. Either way, it's too late to back out when he sits down. He'll have to deal with Shura's whining if he tries to bail.

"Think there was a game like this back home. Never played it. But you gotta find the hottie who likes you, y'see?" Shura picks up the little communicating device and waves it at him. "And this little thing give ya clues." This would probably be more fun with booze, but they can play the first round sober.

2

[pipers_son]

"Aw, c'mon, that one was perfectly fine," Joker says, lightly teasing her even as he goes through the greens himself. Nothing seems particularly strange to him. Of course he should be here, with her. What's to question?

Sure, he... isn't entirely sure what they're looking for, but that lack of information doesn't seem really important. He just picks something up, partially nudging it into her sight for judgment.

[exaomori]

Shura purses her lips and wrinkles her nose. "Nah, it ain't the right kind. Didn't smell right." And Joker should know that, he came to the store with her! But she accepts the bundle he nudges toward her, taking it from him and carefully examining it.

"This one ain't too bad," she mutters, dropping the bundle in her basket. But just one bundle of herbs isn't enough. This soup required all sorts of herbs. Shura can't quite recall what exactly she had to have, but so long as everything smelled all herb-y, it'd probably work. Right? She reaches for another bundle, takes a quick look, and dumps it in her basket with the other.

"What else do we need? Eggs or somethin'?"

[pipers_son]

"I need yer nose ta figure out what smells right," Joker says breezily. It's a rather slapdash way of shopping, but who is he to argue with a lady on what goes in her kitchen? Besides, it's kind of fun. Not a lot of these herbs are particularly familiar to him, considering the location, and that just means it's a guessing game of sorts. Picking up another bundle of herbs, he gives a sniff to see if this is anything like the other random assortment they have in their basket.

"Besides, can't go wrong with eggs, right? And, ah..." Something about this is familiar... Oh, right, Ginko. "Do we have rice?"

3

[worldlyafflictions]

"What's that supposed ta be?"

Unsuspecting, Shima wanders over when he sees Shura set up at a table, poring over a bunch of cards and what to him just looks like some nondescript sci-fi device that could be used for anything. She looks so serious about it he almost wonders if it's actually something useful that came from that stupid Space stop.

[exaomori]

"A game," Shura replies, not bothering to look at Shima properly. She can recognize his voice easily enough, no need to look up from the card in her hand before she sets it aside and motions for him to sit and join her.

"You've been busy with all the stuff happening at that library, haven't you? C'mon, let's find out if this is worth keepin' or not." Is this Shura trying to make sure that Shima isn't getting too stressed from the work he's been doing? Maybe. She could also just want a sucker willing to fool around for a bit.

3

[kingsroads]

Camping is indeed the worst, especially when 1: you're navigating your hair being on fire, 2: everybody keeps picking a fight with you, and 3: no booze. Strange is enjoying this just about as much as Shura is.

Strange had intended to just walk right past Shura and go back to being a grumpy magician in the woods...but he's got no idea what the hell she's got set up on her table. Strange's natural curiosity wins out as he walks over towards her to take a look at Space Dream Phone.

"Does that thing light up?"

[exaomori]

The first two could probably be bearable with booze. But no booze? What kind of crapsack world had the Ringmaster taken them to? It's good that they shouldn't be stuck here for too long. They might have to start making moonshine if things started looking bad.

Shura's quite happy to ignore Mr. Grumpy Magician, but she's not going to refuse a direct question. She holds up the little device and clicks a button. It lights up in response, making some weird noise and blinking for a few seconds. There's the faint sound of someone speaking, but it'd be hard to make out unless it was actually up to someone's ear.

"Like it? Space kids have it pretty good, doncha think?"

Her toys certainly weren't so fancy growing up.

[kingsroads]

Likewise, his toys weren't so fancy either. Thanks, 1800s. Strange blinks back surprise as the device lights up and makes this intensely weird noise. That certainly is a thing. A...very weird thing.

He can't leave the conversation like this, not when there's something new and interesting to poke at. So, without really thinking about it, Strange turns on his third eye: eye shaped burn scars on his forehead, hand, and forearm light up with magical fire as Strange squints at the phone.

"It's not magic in the slightest," he murmurs to himself, not really realizing that Shura probably wasn't expecting this guy to set himself on fire. And wait, space kids? "This is a children's toy?" he asks Shura, not even bothering to hide the fact that he's downright confused.