⇨ 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

[mylastchance]

"I never attacked the Prince." he explains, annoyed at the suggestion that he should have known better. It's mostly annoying because it's also true.

"We just followed Reira and she told on us." he says, describing the event that lead to his and Susan's capture in the most childish terms possible. He didn't need to attack the Prince to get a sense of his power. He could tell he was someone to fear simply from the way the Ringmaster acted around him. And the Prince and the Ringmaster were really the only fae he'd encountered until recently.

He didn't even know who the Rose Queen was until after Portland. He didn't see any of the fighting at the end of their stay there either.

"We didn't want her to take Steven, and Susan was there too. What else was I supposed to do?"

[kingsroads]

"Run." Would Lauren like this answer? Probably not. But without a plan in mind, without the slightest idea of how the Rose Queen got here and what she was doing, that's the safest solution. Strange is trying to keep his voice calm and level.

"You take Susan and Steven and run. And if you encounter a High Fae when you're unprepared like that ever again, that's what you should do. Especially if it's one of the ones we deal with on a regular basis."

[mylastchance]

"She blocked the exits." It's an excuse, even to his own ears. It only frustrates him further. He hates this, listening to Strange talk to him as though he were a child, as though he didn't know any better.

"I don't need you to tell me it was stupid." He already knows it was a mistake. He wouldn't be here if he didn't.

"I had plenty of time to think about that when I was stuck in the ground." And he certainly has no intention of reliving the experience.

[kingsroads]

"I'm not telling you it was stupid," Strange points out, even though he thinks that attacking the Rose Queen is a phenomenally stupid idea. Instead, he frowns a little, as he tries to piece out a sensible plan of action that explained Lauren's motivations.

"How much did you know about the High Fae in the first place? Before she found all of you?"

Because if this is a 'Lauren didn't know about the fae' sort of thing, then that doesn't make his actions any less stupid, but it makes them a bit more understandable.

[mylastchance]

Lauren raises his arms, exasperated, as though asking the sky why he's being interrogated like this. He doesn't know why Strange is asking him all these questions and he doesn't know what he's expected to say either.

"They're strong. They kidnap people. They're coming after us." Was this a test now, one of the horrible paper sort they had in Portland?

"Was that the precise definition you were looking for or should I try another?" He's getting angry now, not just annoyed, and he doesn't like. Anger is sharp, bitter, it makes him say and do things he regrets. He closes his eyes, forcing himself to focus on staying calm.

"It doesn't matter what I knew or what I didn't." he says tone measured and even. He sighs when he's finished, exhaling the frustration, or at least trying to.

"I should have run," He starts, telling Strange he's right, which is probably all the man wanted to hear, "but it's not going to happen again."

"I don't plan on being there for the next fae encounter, so hopefully my reaction won't matter."

[kingsroads]

Hearing Lauren say that he's right does boost Strange's spirits a little. But he's got plenty of condescending know-it-all energy left in him so this conversation is far from over.

"None of us planned to meet with the fae for this encounter," Strange points out. If the fae caught them by surprise once, then they can catch them by surprise again. "As long as you're in the carnival, the more you know about the fae, the better. What matters is that you keep yourself and Susan safe and it would be easier to do that with information. Who the fae are, what they can do, any particular personality defects, and so on."

What Strange is trying to say is 'brush up on your npcs, Lauren.'

too mad to talk

[mylastchance]

He ignores the spike of irritation the sentence brings. It irked him even more how calmly Strange explained all this. He could stand there and argue, but he didn't want to. Instead he simply turns around and walks away.

[kingsroads]

And when Lauren walks away, Strange lets him. He's picked way too many fights in the past few days—he won't continue this conversation if Lauren doesn't want to.