lostcarnival | ⇨ CAMPING GROUNDS

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⇨ CAMPING GROUNDS

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Out of all the mothmen gathered, there's one Reira may notice in particular, partially because it's actually noticeable. This is because all of that deep blackness has been broken up by... leaves. Dark green but brilliant leaves stick oddly to the mothman. This hasn't stopped it from participating in the theft, however...

...But the blur of orange and green which bursts out from the trees after it might.

Some of the mothmen might go scattering as Feathers chases after his quarry, his outraged hoots sounding more than a little offended. From the more ground level brush, there's the sound of mild swearing, twigs breaking, and then Joker stumbles out from them. "Feathers, I told ya we have more-! Ah, Reira!"

...Oh no, poor Reira.

Poor Reira indeed. Being swarmed by great Mothmen was already bad enough- and then she's almost swarmed by the one who's covered in leaves. Except that one- not to mention all of the rest- quickly decide that Fleeing is the wiser decision when the mass of Orange and Green tears after it.

And, you know, plows into the small child it's no longer shorter than.

As one does. "Mgpf!" FEATHERS!

...Are in her face, they sure are. (But hey, you're big enough to give a kid a hug now Feathers! Imagine that!)

Oooooh boy. Joker lunges forward, nearly tripping over either his feet or plantlife, to try and grab his overly large bird. Reira is small, but she looks even smaller compared to Feathers now.

"Reira!" The mothmen are gone, so, well, he can ignore that. But he doesn't want the poor girl to be suffocated. "Are ya alright?"

At least Feathers is a good boy, as he flaps his wings and tries to step back. WHOOPS...

"Mmnnhhg- Bleh..." GOSH. That was far too many feathers, and Reira takes some time to shake herself from that shock before turning about in order to face Joker. "Umn...I'm ok, they didn't hurt me..."

"Charcoal annoyances..!" chimes in the daemon, who has shifted itself into the form of a marbled white and black fox now.

"...they're not that annoying..." (They were)

"They were just a bother, huh?" Amused, Joker rests his hand on Feathers' head to keep him from running off again. At least the bird is trying to reach over to lift stray feathers (and leaves, and things that are apparently both) from her head.

"They've been buggin' Feathers, too. They keep stealin' his food when he's not lookin'."

"They all wanted the apple I gave one," she pouts. "...The birds thought it was nice, but they still weren't listening..."

When Joker mentions that Feathers has been losing food to them however, she finds herself handing him the remaining apple. "Umn- you should have this then," she determines. "...Since they took your things."

"Well, now I guess we know not ta be too nice ta the wildlife." Joker snorts a little, raising his left hand to shield his eyes as he looks about. It never hurts to make sure that no one comes back, after all. His attention lazily goes back to Reira when she makes an offer, however, and he chuckles a little.

Admittedly, part of it is the way Feathers coos in appreciation, a wing going to his chest as if he's touching his little bird heart. "Say thank you, Feathers," he reminds the bird, who barely needs the encouragement to start.... grooming Reira's hair...

Well it's a start.

"I wasn't that nice," she protests, giving a slight frown. "...I think I was nicer to the lake animals, and the leg things..." The leg things were rather sweet, albeit odd. All they did was stare. They didn't even make sounds.

It's lucky she's used to her own> bird doing this actually, though for the same reason she pouts instead of dropping the apple or being 'touched'. "...that's not 'thank you' that's 'your hair is messy'..." she protests dejectedly, though she at least tries not to sound TOO disappointed.

Maybe he's trying after all.

He is trying, bless his bird heart, because her protest has him pull back with a soft confused hoot. Joker laughs, leaning around the large bird. "Ah, that's my fault. I had ta groom him a lot when he was smaller, because it'd calm him down and make him happy. So he just does it now."

Quite pleased with himself, Feathers draws his eyes into a soft squint as if confirming the words.

"At any rate, want an escort back ta camp? Just so that nothin' gets any ideas."

"..Oh..." Well, now she feels a little bad- so she promptly sticks her arms out, just so that Feathers can more easily reach All of her hair. "...I'm okay then," she declares, Ready for the Grooming.

Though she does turn her head to Joker when he keeps going. "Umn... ...I guess that's a good idea..."

"Too small, too soft," her daemon agrees, ignoring how his partner huffs.

She is not going easy on the mothmen! She's not! (She is)

Delightedly hooting again, Feathers immediately leans in. If nothing else, at least he has a delicate touch for someone using a beak and nothing else. Joker lightly pats his shoulder.

"Then we'll get goin'. Hopefully they don't follow us, right?" he asks, before pausing. Alright, let him just... gently move this giant bird's head... They gotta walk, buddy, come on...

"Mnhh...yeah! A lot of birds like to follow me around a lot," she mutters, pouting a bit as Feathers is moved from careful cleaning to walking off with the group. She scoops up her daemon best she can, looking a bit like someone trying to hold the oversized family dog (or cat).

"Even Tyrannosaurus likes me!"

Specifically, Ginko has had to keep watch to make sure the T-Rex doesn't try NESTING the child, as she's far too small to be sat upon like that.

Well, as long as she doesn't drop a small animal on its ass, everything's fine. Joker lightly digs his fingers into Feathers', well, feathers, sating him with attention as they all walk. At her bit of boasting, he gives a low whistle.

"Now isn't that somethin'. Good thing he doesn't try ta clean ya up too, huh?" ... "Unless he does."

Reira turns with rather big eyes, and immediately stops Joker's words. "Tyrannosaurus is a Girl," she corrects. Because it was clearly obvious! Super obvious, sir!!

As it is. "Umn...she doesn't try to clean me, but she tries to give me her food a lot..." The drawbacks of being tiny. Apparently T-Rex has deemed her FAR TOO SMALL, and in need of growing help.

"Of course, of course." Joker laughs softly. "My mistake~. And she's a lovely girl as well." You know, for a given value of lovely, when one is enormous and has a lot of sharp teeth and is covered in feathers.

It's all about perspective, or something.

"What kind of food does she give ya then?" Carefully, he reaches up to adjust a branch so that he doesn't get his antlers snagged in it.

Her plummage is beautiful and fluffy, so Yes, Super Lovely.

The food is not very lovely. "It's her meat," she replies. "She chomps it up and tries to drop it for me, when she's supposed to eat it." So...kinda like birds, but it's no less gross really.

Ew.

Oh. Wow. Hm. That sure does make for a pretty unpleasant mental image, and Joker pauses as he tries to figure out how to react to that. It's not really something that they should encourage, right...?

"Have ya told Ginko she's been doin' that?"

"Ginko's trying to train her not to," is the reply. So, apparently it's a work in progress. At least it shows T-Rex cares??

"Well, that's good ta hear, then." Godspeed, Ginko. He'll be rooting for you. Still, pausing to make sure he's not going to get lost, Joker glances down at her from the corner of his eye. "How's he been doin' lately with the animals?"

Ginko will have his work cut out for him-

Or he would, if the animals weren't all going to the Summerlands. As it is. "Umn, he's doing ok! I'm helping, and Jasper's also helping...so he has a lot more help I think."

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."

The T-Rex is absolutely going to continue obsessively mothering, Sadly.

But hey, whatever works in the interim.

"...I guess," is what she says about the 'strong lady'. "...She'll listen if Ginko says she has to do something, at least..." Bit of a failing point there but Jasper IS definitely a hard worker and she can't deny that. "...she still said not to talk though," she grumbles, apparently quite sore about that.

Oh boy, other department drama. Joker's ears flick up. He knows Jasper isn't exactly a "good person", although they haven't interacted a whole lot, but to make Reira be annoyed about it...

"Not ta talk in general, or just while yer working'?"

"I don't know. I just told her how I know what the animals want, and then she said 'don't talk to me ever'! So if I want her to do something, I'll just have to write it down."

That.

That isn't how it works,

Oh, sweet child. Joker looks away, his hand curled up over his mouth. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite cover up his wide grin. Very few things can, alas.

"I. Ha, I don't think that's what she meant."

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