⇨ 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

[anti_nonsense]

"Exactly. Maybe if he was taken seriously as a threat that first time around..." Rita tenses for a moment, then sighs.

"Ugh... Guess we just have to live with what's already been done," she grumbles, instead of continuing down that line of thought. If they dwelled on every mistake that was made, they'd have so much blame going around the entire carnival, including at Rita, that it'd take weeks just to talk about it.

[prazerbutterfly]

From what Tyki heard Frost was a bit of a brat but no one had ever bothered to explain anything in great detail about him. "Would you say someone like me would know him if I saw him?" All fae were a threat. Some were just easier to manage than others. The Ringmaster for one could be a threat if she wanted to. She just chose not to be.

"Yes, what is done is done. There is not any reason to yell or discourage. Not right now and far too late later on." There's too much going on for that. Too much inner conflict. He leans forward, as close as he is to her, and curls his fingers against his own cheek, "And Ignatius? What about him?" He asks only because she was a source of knowledge, not because of her personal involvement. "Feel free to not answer that." He just wants her to.

[anti_nonsense]

His first question receives a simple enough answer. "Probably. He's small, pale, has wings." Rita only saw Frost briefly and indirectly, but it was enough to get the idea.

As Tyki leans in and continues, he's met with a wary look. "What about him?" There are a lot of things that could be said about Ignatius.

[prazerbutterfly]

"Hmm," he responds to that description of Frost. His curiosity is peaking mostly because she's acting so wary and defensive. He's fixated on her body language but then she was like this before.

It's hard to stop the grin on his face from growing. He hadn't expected his question to be met with such hostility. "I'm only asking the same thing I asked about Frost, Miss Wary. I meant nothing else by it."

[anti_nonsense]

Rita glares, then turns away with a huff. She doesn't appreciate the fact that he seems to enjoy her discomfort.

"He looks a little less human than the others. He's tall. Red skin. Flaming hair. A brand on his chest." Her reply is terse, but she answers the question. "Will that do?"

[prazerbutterfly]

Tyki's far too honest to ever take anyone else into account but then he knew how to read a room. His smile softens out of that grin and he sits up to give her some room to breathe.

"Yes, that'll do nicely," he responds to end that conversation, "I do hope though that you don't plan on using this break to compile notes. Surely there must be other things you do for fun."

[anti_nonsense]

"Studying is what I do for fun," Rita replies with all the sternness of someone who is probably not much for fun to begin with. "Organizing notes helps me organize my thoughts. It's relaxing. Like meditation."

Incidentally, relaxing is another thing Rita doesn't seem to do a lot of.

"That, and magic practice," she adds after a moment of consideration. There you go, those are the two things she likes.

[prazerbutterfly]

His mood deflates the moment she starts talking. He was hoping for something like sticker collecting, pony riding, starting fires, or even something mundane as hiking. But no, it's studying. He would've even been fine with reading books.

It's all over his face how disappointed he is until she perks up about magic, "Oh right, you were part of the Mage's Club." That's acceptable, "I just figured with all this wonderful air, the beauty of the trees, the feel of the water on skin, that there would be something more."

[anti_nonsense]

"Trees don't interest me," Rita says simply, shrugging. "I'd be able to find way more to do in a workshop, a laboratory, or a library than in a place like this." Really, what's she going to do with a bunch of trees? Set them on fire? Actually, that wouldn't be so bad...

"I grew up in an underground research facility, so I never really came to crave sunlight and fresh air, like a lot of people do." That makes perfect sense to Rita, who found her home cozy and familiar, but probably isn't a good general rule. There were plenty of people in Aspio who couldn't stand going weeks at a time without seeing the sun.

[prazerbutterfly]

"That explains a lot actually," he says with no real judgement. Tyki could honestly thrive inside or outside as long as he wasn't bored. It's why punishments or motivation worked on him in small spurts. It's a good reason why he can't sit and study. He just gets really bored even with a really good topic.

"Everyone has their preferred pleasantries, I suppose. Cats though. I know you like those," he responds with an all too bright smile.

[anti_nonsense]

Rita's face reddens. There's no hiding it, really, but boy does she hate being called out on it.

"A little," she hastily qualifies, even though it's pretty clearly a lie. "That's not much of a hobby."

[prazerbutterfly]

Ah, she's kind of cute when she blushes but he won't say it outloud. He's both seen and heard her temper rise easily from the slightest comment.

"I don't know. I think it's a wondrous hobby. Anything is what you make of it, even your love of studying. To you at least."

[anti_nonsense]

"Yeah... right," she mutters, through gritted teeth. She can't really argue, but there's still something irritating about the way he puts it.

"And what about you? I take it you've been taking advantage of the location?"

[prazerbutterfly]

"Cats are cute, gentle in nature unless disturbed, soft and comforting to pet. One can certainly make a hobby out of it if they want to."

And he did mean it about her passion for studying. It was hard to be a Noah of Pleasure and yet not lock in on what made people happy, even if that wasn't for him at all. He liked gathering information but he couldn't ever make a hobby out of it. "I have. It's not as quiet as I would like but then I like the chatter of people. I enjoy the company but then I enjoy time by myself. Fishing is much more grand here than at the carnival. There is something about actual stars that brighten up an entire sky at night. Not knowing what they are, what they mean, or where they lead to."

[anti_nonsense]

"Didn't know you were the romantic sort," Rita comments flatly. She doesn't sound especially surprised, however.

"Or a fisherman." That one is mildly surprising, but then again, Rita's never known anyone who's all that into fishing... though even 9S tried his hand at it, so maybe it has wider appeal than she thought.

[prazerbutterfly]

"I aim to please," he responds just as gently as the rest of his tone.

"Fishing, while some may find it boring, is usually found to be relaxing. It is the ease of comfort and the wait that allows time and temperance to take hold. Enjoying the water, feeling the breeze, the smell of the water, until that tug from the line signals it is time to lure it in."

[anti_nonsense]

“Still sounds boring to me,” Rita says flatly. “Don’t know how Nines can stand it...”

But she shrugs, relenting somewhat as she adds, “But I guess it serves a practical purpose, so if some people actually enjoy it while bringing food back to put on people’s plates, good for them, I guess.”

[prazerbutterfly]

"To each their own. Nines is a rather curious person. When you have an eternity at your fingertips sometimes waiting for time to pass by with simple things helps."

Tyki himself hadn't been alive for long but if nothing hindered him he could live for centuries or longer if necessary. "Just as if someone like you enjoys studying and can provide information for the carnival. Good for you, I guess.."

[anti_nonsense]

Rita stiffens, not at the blatant jab, but at what he says before it, about having an eternity to waste. The rest, she barely seems to hear.

"...Hmph. Is that just a shot in the dark, or are you speaking from some experience?" Rita figured Tyki wasn't that different from a human, his peculiar powers aside, but in truth, she doesn't know all that much about him or the company he keeps.

[prazerbutterfly]

He rocks back on his heels from that straight up sitting position and plops back onto his ass with his legs crossing properly. He slaps a hand onto his knee for attention drawing alone and grins wide.

"I would never speak so ill of Mister Nines without him present," he begins with his grin widening even further, "Don't you know curiosity killed the cat? Yet the best advancements in research and study have been made on curiosity alone." Humans were always ready to sink their teeth into new and exciting ideas without worrying about the consequences.

"But since you are so perceptive, the answer is yes, I am speaking from experience."