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

As his fingers pass through Tyki, Strange's expression goes from confused to understanding in the blink of an eye. Well then. This certainly explains a lot. Now the sleeping back to back thing makes more sense.

With the hand that just phased through Tyki, Strange reaches over to take a bottle of juice..and almost physically recoils when he sees that the label says 'pineapple.' Urgh. No thank you. Why does Tyki have this anyway, he thought the man had taste! Instead, Strange grabs a bottle of grape juice.

"For lack of a better term, I thought it was a power to 'not touch.' Turns out it was a power to touch." And now he's got a billion nerdy questions. "Tell me, do you have to consciously think about this while walking? You might pass through the ground otherwise."

It is times like these that he enjoys watching Strange figure out everything on his own. He watches his expressions and gauges that understanding with a gleeful enthusiasm. There we good. Such a smart magician.

Note that he did not offer the apple juice. That was solely for him and he has it tucked against his side already opened. He lifts a brow at the pineapple juice but then remembers Wismuth. Ah, it goes much deeper does it?

"Since you've figured it out, perhaps, I can indulge you that it is my Power to Choose," he says more specifically. "No, I do not because I already subconsciously want to touch the ground when I walk. Do you remember the effects of Faerie Ale during The Cure from the Manor? I could barely stay standing on my own two feet. Sunk into the ground, missed a step here or there, started floating." He feels awfully sorry the night Childermass took care of him, even if Tyki is grateful that he did.

He lets out a little laugh at Tyki's story and the mental image of poor Tyki struggling to get back to his tent while falling through the ground every step of the way. Because hey, it's funny.

"So is that how you can breathe? Or how you can eat? You subconsciously want to do those things, so your body does them?" This is intensely interesting, and Strange just has nerdy question after nerdy question for Tyki. His Power to Choose...Strange had only a vague idea of what Tyki could do. Now that he's learning the full scope, he's downright impressed. This must be more powerful than Strange ever imagined.

He does have some of his faerie ale with him in a small container. He had left the bulk of it at home. He just hasn't had the real decision nor reason to use it just yet.

"For the most part," or so he figures. Tyki wasn't one to methodically break down his power or how his body worked. He wanted to breathe so he did. He plucks out a potato crisp out of the bag and wags it around in the air, "I could just feed this crisp directly into my stomach with my hands but there is more pleasure in eating it the normal way. Taste is often taken for granted." And being of nobility, he does have a rather refined palate. That being said, he could easily shove something hazardous into someone else's stomach as well. "In my world, I can manipulate just about anything with my power." The Ringmaster's Realm was another thing all together.

Whereas Strange desperately wants Tyki to methodically break down how his power or his body worked. This is something new and interesting and he wants to poke at it with a stick until he finds a way to figure out what it does.

He gets the taste thing, though. Good food and drink is something that most people take for granted.

"How does your power interact with other magic?" Strange's tone implies that he's got an idea brewing in his mind.

As he talks, he reaches up and undoes the top two buttons of his shirt, so that it's easier for him to access a large spot of mirrored coating on his shoulder. This also means that Tyki can get a glimpse of the mirror coated stab wound scar on Strange's chest, right near his heart.

He should know better and he kind of does. Strange was always going to pick and prod at magic when it came down to it. He had such a passion for it and he always found a way to dissect the smallest of things.

"I have a feeling you're going to see whether I tell you or not," he says casually with his eyes now on Strange now that he's opening his clothes. He's up to something and while Tyki did give him a manner of trust, it came with a heavy price of forwardness. Tyki was always up for any of Strange's schemes. He gestures for him to continue regardless. He notices the addition to his scars, having seen Strange's naked torso before months ago.

Strange picks up a potato chip and gives Tyki a worryingly wide grin. He's going to do something dumb with magic. "I've recently figured out a way to use reflections to store things—much like Childermass uses his shadows."

He murmurs a spell before placing the potato chip against the mirrored covering on his shoulder. It rests against the mirrors for a moment before Strange starts to push the chip into the mirror. The tips of his fingers slide in the mirror as well before Strange moves them out of the way. He unbuttons another button of his shirt so that Tyki can get a better look at his shoulder. It looks like someone placed the potato chip on top of Strange's mirrors. However, the potato chip is actually inside the reflection, just kind of hovering there and not touching anything.

"Try to remove the potato chip from my shoulder." Which honestly is a sentence that Strange never thought he'd say in his entire life.

Look, Tyki always assumes he's going to do something dumb with magic but Tyki indulges in him anyways because it is usually worth it. "Things, not people." He's been inside of Childermass' shadow. It was rather boring.

Not that he's putting any emphasis on the fact that Strange's magic was any less than his boss. It was likely far more grand than that. It's why when push came to shove he always told others that Strange was the better Magician. He watches with a quiet satisfaction as that potato crisp is pushed into his shoulder and his eyes narrow in scrutiny.

He's given permission to touch and Tyki does not hesitate. As he touches his shoulder, along the mirrored reflection, Strange will feel a tingle as his fingertips dip into his mirrored flesh. The general rule he gives to others is that if he can touch it, he can take it. He chooses to grab the potato chip, fingers ghosting along the bottom of it, and he pushes to lift it out of him. It's just, Strange's magic was always different and this realm always has estranged effects on his powers, "Hmm, interesting."

"Maybe people, maybe not. I haven't practiced with a large enough surface yet." This means that Strange is 100% going to try and trap someone in a puddle at some point. After all, he's got to know the limitations of his magic! This is simple practice!

As Tyki reaches into Strange's shoulder, the sensation is oddly cold. After all, the chip is stored in the reflection, not in the mirrored coating itself. Weird magic is going to be involved. But Tyki is able to lift it out of him: Strange's eyes widen with excitement as he sees the other man do so.

"I was working on this spell during the Athenaeum and only put the final touches on it when—" when Ignatius was training me to fight, Strange wants to say, but he cuts himself off "—during all that kidnapped business. Whatever's stored only makes the reflection a little bit heavier. The item can't be bigger than the reflection. However, depth isn't taken into account."

"I know I can use that to store a sword or something in the mirror on my chest. I'll just have to store it this way," and Strange pantomimes holding out a sword lengthwise, like he's going to stab himself in the chest with it, "instead of this way." And he pantomimes holding that sword upwards, like he's going to stab it into the ground.

"Just don't drown anyone on accident or get someone stuck in there for good," he says nonchalantly like he entirely endorse this horrible plan. He should use animals first and not people but who knows how quickly he'll seek to advance his magic.

He fingers the potato crisp in his fingers, weighing it as Strange speaks. He's not sure if it is still the intended potato crisp or not. Either way, he'll experimentally lick it for taste and quality. After all, magic like this didn't work if one couldn't return an object. Then again, it had been Tyki that pulled it and not Strange himself.

"I imagine you had a good while to yourself to figure it out," he comments without directly commenting on Ignatius's influence on Strange. He himself never wanted to talk about the Manor, not even now. He tilts his head at the example given and looks down at the mirrored chest of his. Scratching his chin in idle speculation, he nods along with that assessment, "That makes sense given how reflections can distort."

Strange lets out a little laugh at Tyki's warning. He 100% is going to straight up jump to people, but no need to worry Tyki about that. As for the potato chip, it is the exact same one that Strange magically shoved in his shoulder to begin with. It tastes salty, still fresh, but it's oddly cool, like someone had left it in the freezer for a minute or so.

"Apparently it was only two days or so," Strange explains, also obliquely commenting around the problem of Ignatius's influence on him. "It felt so much longer."

But back to the talk of mirrors. Strange idly taps a nail on the stab wound on his chest. "I've a larger expanse of mirrors on my back, but I can barely reach them. I can also store items in other reflections: ice, a hand mirror, the lake, and so forth. I've mostly been working with smaller objects but I'd love to try something large sometime soon."

Don't worry, Strange. Tyki isn't worried. It'll be a shame if someone is stuck in a puddle and sure, it'll be a wonder if said puddle vanished overnight. The Ringmaster could probably do something about that. He muses for a moment over the potato crisp and then just pops it right into his mouth to chew. He has to no. His curiosity overtakes him. There's a small reaction from the chill of it but it is no different from ordinary. "Hmmm."

While Tyki's poker face is usually undeniably functional 24/7, his eyes slit unnaturally, for a fraction of a second, when Strange talks momentarily about his experience. It's bringing up memories of the Manor, where time stalled and the scent of rot filled his nostrils. No food, no water, no fresh air, time dragging on and on without a clock or daylight to guide him. He would never had known how long he was in the Underbelly without someone informing him later. And while his ears don't bend back nor does his tail lash from that controlled poker face, he is grateful when the conversation returns to mirrors.

"May as well while we have this time on our hands. I can fell a tree or a boulder if necessary."

Edited 2018-06-23 14:05 (UTC)

That worryingly wide grin just grows even wider. If Tyki can fell a tree or a boulder then hell yes, Strange wants to test and see if he can store it in a reflection! This is a brilliant plan!

"The lake would be our best choice," Strange explains, as he gestures towards the lake. "I'll prepare the spell and prime the magic. We push the boulder into the lake, it stays trapped in the reflection for however long we want, and then when the spell's lasted long enough, I release it and it sinks to the bottom!"

It's a solid plan in Strange's mind. He obviously has no qualms changing the topography of this place and messing up the natural environment of camping world. After all, a lot of his time in the peninsula was spent trying to move forests and rivers and occasionally forgetting to put things back. He looks like he's ready to get up and do it, despite the fact that it's night outside and they probably shouldn't be felling trees in the dark.

"What do you think?"

He glances over at the tent the minute Strange starts talking again. He can already see the excitement growing and he knows that Strange isn't going to let this go so easily. There's a good chance they are going to be out at a decent time tonight at least going over the magic for a few rounds. Unless Strange was tired but that never really stopped him before.

"That won't drain your energy more than you already are?" he questions less for Strange's own safety over his own, "Not that I doubt you. We're still doing it. I just want to know the effort it might take." Slaving over magic wasn't his idea of a good time like it was Strange's but he did often get just as excited.

It sounds possible enough to convince him and he nods with a pat in the air, "Hmm, it could work. Let me go inform Rhys that I'll be stepping out." As not to spook the pup when he just up and disappears.

"I've no idea how much effort it would take," Strange admits. "But if I feel my energy start to wane, we'll return back to the campsite." He's not exactly the world's best judge of his own stamina, but Strange is fairly confident that he'd at least be able to tell when he's reached a point where he can't do anything.

But at Tyki's statement, Strange nods. He stands up from the blanket and it already looks like he's ready to go. For a grownass magician, he's looking a lot like an impatient child at the moment. "Shall I wait for you here or will we meet at the edge of the lake?"

Based on how fidgety Strange is, it's obvious what he wants Tyki to pick. After all, he can get some of the magic started if he meets Tyki at the edge of the lake instead of waiting here.

"It's fine, either way. I'm sure I could drag you back if I had to," he says far too casually again. He's capable of carrying a lot of people at once given he can heft a tree or a boulder with ease. "Or carry. Wouldn't want to set the forest on fire with that new hairstyle of yours."

He snerks at Strange bouncing like he's ready to go and shoos him with a little hand gesture of his own, "I feel like if I keep you, you might explode. Go, go. I'll catch up to you in a moment." Just be careful, Strange. He was often dangerous alone. "You get started and I'll bring the tree." It's going to be loud and noisy but so be it.

Edited 2018-06-25 12:10 (UTC)

"I didn't plan on this happening, you know," Strange teases in return. He wraps one of his curls around a finger as he gives Tyki a wry smile. Because really, he didn't. He'd prefer Ignatius show his influence in ways that weren't Strange setting his pillow on fire.

But as Tyki starts to shoo him off, that wry smile shifts into a bigger, more childlike grin. "I'll get the reflection spell started," Strange explains, giving Tyki a little nod before he just starts running towards the lake.

And that's what he'll be doing when Tyki and possibly a tree arrive. Strange is standing in front of the lake, just a few inches shy of the waterline, with his hands out in front of him as he mutters a spell. He should be able to make just part of the lake store in it's reflections—after all, he was able to scry via part of the lake. But it's taking a bit longer than expected for Strange to figure out the right wording or right way to actually cobble together the spells.

"That I can believe," Tyki says in affirmation. He's never sure what Strange ever intends but it is always fun to go along with it anyways. He knows Strange will figure out a way around setting his pillow on fire eventually.

There he goes, running off like a child that can't wait to unwrap a present from underneath a tree on Christmas morning. He smirks gently at the scene and then turns around to alert Rhys he'll be gone for a while. Hopefully the pup won't be too frightened alone at night.

Strange might hear sliding over anything else. It's a loud crack as he passes his body through a tree and separates it from trunk and base. It's an impossibly clean cut and he lifts it upwards above his head with a minor difficulty in balancing. Really, the biggest issue is bypassing it through other trees as the branches tangle and ensnare. It almost looks like a tree is walking by itself through the forest in general. Thankfully it isn't Coco and he'll emerge with it just like that through the treeline.

It should be impossible for someone like Tyki to carry something like that. Being a Noah has its perks. He sets it down somewhere near the water. Tyki allows portions of the base to slide into his hand and into the ground so it roots itself.

"This big enough?" he remarks regardless if Strange is finished or not.

The sound of foliage getting ripped apart is enough to make Strange pause for a moment. He frowns, looks behind him, and holy shit that is Tyki Mykk literally carrying a giant tree. Strange pauses for a moment and just stares. Because again. Giant tree. It's only when Tyki asks the question that Strange returns to his magic.

"To be honest, that's bigger than I was expecting," he answers, a little bit awestruck. "I've enchanted a large enough portion of the reflection that I think the tree can fit in it, but I'm honestly not sure."

This is a literal tree. How could Tyki lift up a literal tree like it's a simple package or a sack of potatoes? Was this his Power to Choose? No this couldn't be it, having the tree not touch you would mean that it would fall to the ground, right? Besides, Tyki's touching it in the first place. As he goes through the options, Strange at least asks a question. "How do you think it would be best to get the tree in the lake to begin with?"

Edited 2018-06-26 01:33 (UTC)

"Is it?" he replies gently, looking over the size of the tree in general and then down towards where Strange has started his enchantment. He activates his power to choose and begins to ascend into the air. About halfway up he'll slide his arm right through it and severe the tree where it stands. It splits from the base and he'll grab onto a branch to try to sustain it so it doesn't land on Strange itself. Only when it hits the ground with a heavy thud will he size it up.

There is now a base of the tree stuck in the ground and the other upper half is now settled against it, "That should cut it down to size." He looks up at Strange's question when he lowers himself back down to the ground, grabbing branches as he goes to ensure it doesn't tip over right away, "I could give it a push but then the water might rise for a moment." That is if the reflection didn't work how he was considering it would.

Strange just watches, eyebrow raised slightly as Tyki raises himself in the air and slides an arm through the tree. Well then. That might explain how he got the tree out of the ground, but it doesn't explain how he could carry it. Once again, Strange has ten billion questions that he's planning on asking Tyki when all of this is over.

But right now, they need to work on the reflection. "If it comes at it in an angular direction, that could work." And Strange gestures with his arms, showing a forty-five degree angle. He's a bit confident in his explanation, but it's obvious from his tone that this is a lot of maybes and what ifs. "Ideally, it would be best if the tree was pushed in vertically or dropped at once horizontally, but I doubt either of those will happen."

It's getting a little more intense in carnival and while Tyki had a full deck of abilities and powers, he wasn't inclined to share all of it. Having a few unknown abilities and magic came in handy. With Strange, that was simply another matter all together.

"Vertically might be easier than horizontally but I cannot stop the tree from swaying from above." He rubs his chin in thought, looking over the size of it now that it is half a tree, "Unless I stabilize it such a long length from the middle if we want to try horizontally."

"If you shove it in there fast enough, it shouldn't be any trouble," Strange hypothesizes, as he looks over at the tree again. Half a tree is still a really tall tree. But he's confident in his skills and confident in his magic that somehow they'll find a way to make this entirely dumb piece of showing off work.

"Of course, now I've found another problem. The way the magic works, the depth of the water shouldn't matter. After all, you're storing the tree in the reflection not the lake itself. But in order to get a large and stable enough reflection to do the trick, I suspect you'll have to get your feet wet."

While the lake doesn't really have tides, it does have various forest creatures who can lumber around and splash things and make it so the edges of the lake aren't as stable as they could be. Strange doesn't know what would happen if an item was only partially stored in a reflection and, truth be told, he doesn't really want to find out.

"Then would it work further out?" he asks with some thought into all of this while still taking in exactly what part of the lake Strange might have already prepped. The water is still enough for now but he was right, that could change any minute.

There's a flood of magic at his back as two long tentacles emerge with practiced ease. Strange will notice them much longer and thicker than before. They grasp around the trunk of the tree for stabilization as he turns it ever so slightly to angle it towards the water. They are listening to him without any hint of resistance. Even the spines flex to grasp and grip at the bark. "What's wrong? Don't want to trapeze across it while it is sinking into your reflection?" He looks down at the edge of the water and starts to walk into it, except he doesn't, instead walking on top of it.

Oh! It's Tyki's tentacles! And they've...grown? Strange looks at the tentacles with a little frown. That's something he'll have to ask him later. Did that happen on their own?

But right now, they're having fun with magic and reflections instead. Strange watches as Tyki walks out onto the lake. As he walks a bit in, Strange calls out, "That should be far enough." The spell reaches that far and a bit further, but Strange doesn't want to have to recast or extend the magic he currently has.

"Now simply lower it in!"

If Tyki does so, it's like the trick Strange pulled with the potato chip. The tree is pushed down into the reflection, not even breaking the water's surface itself. When it's pushed in all the way, it would look like Tyki was looking down at the tree, head on. The image remains stable, only shifting and rippling when the water shifts and ripples.

On the shore, Strange has his hands out, concentrating fiercely and murmuring all the while.

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