⇨ 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

[prazerbutterfly]

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."

[kingsroads]

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?"

[prazerbutterfly]

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.

[kingsroads]

"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.

[prazerbutterfly]

"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.

[kingsroads]

"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.

[prazerbutterfly]

"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.

[kingsroads]

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?"

[prazerbutterfly]

"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.

[kingsroads]

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."

[prazerbutterfly]

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."

[kingsroads]

"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.

[prazerbutterfly]

"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.

[kingsroads]

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.

[prazerbutterfly]

It's been a while since the Winter Solstice and their trip on the moon. He's practiced and fully controls them when he wants to. Still, it doesn't stop them from working with his subconscious in the middle of the night but it is easier given they won't pull on accident.

He stops at Strange's bidding and uses his hands and the tentacles to lower the giant tree in. He's watching with the way Strange is already murmuring, knowing those telltale signs of him casting his magic, and he'll let go of it completely to see if it sinks into the water or stills. He's not sure what to expect at all even if the potato chip was suspended in his shoulder earlier.

He doesn't want to be disappointed right now, his tail swaying behind him in a curious manner. Like usual, he wants to touch but doesn't.

hmu if any of this doesn't make any sense, lmao

[kingsroads]

It's easy for Tyki to sink the tree into it's reflection. Once a good chunk of the tree is in the lake's reflection, it remains relatively stable and harder to wiggle. And once there's not enough space for the tentacles to grab onto, a simple push will trap it fully.

The tree sinks into the reflection itself. It doesn't look like it's going into the lake and there's no signs of the tree hitting the bottom, disturbing the water, or anything like that. It simply passes into the reflection, much like Strange himself passes into mirrors when he's traveling between them. Once the tree is entirely in the reflection, it can be viewed head-on. Looking down on the tree looks exactly like what would happen if Tyki were looking down on the tree from above.

In the lake, a few fish swim underneath the reflection. The tree trapped in the water's reflection is still technically trapped in water. Any ripples briefly change the shape of the tree, but it returns it's normal appearance once the ripples disperse.

Strange, still on the shoreline, is super curious to see what it looks like. The main problem here is the fact that he sinks. So, he turns himself into smoke and lets a breeze drift him across the lake, until he's floating next to Tyki, near the reflection.

[prazerbutterfly]

His tentacles grasp and snake upwards along the log the further it sinks in. He's using them mostly because if they get trapped he could easily de-summon them since they are mostly a subconscious spell instead of part of his body. They fold upwards near the top and when they become useless, he leans down and pushes the tree in the rest of the way.

It's an odd look and view from up above. Anything in the water usually had some movement but the tree was oddly still. He plays with his bottom lip gently as he examines it. There's a need to want to poke it but he doesn't, favoring instead a candy bon bon from his pocket and letting that drop into the water. The fish seem to be doing that all on their own as well providing him an interesting perspective.

When Strange joins him, his head tilts to the side with his usual grin, "Looks stable."

[kingsroads]

Strange is still in smoke form as he floats around Tyki, taking care to float beneath the man's shoulders and away from his mouth or nose. Though he doesn't really have eyes right now, he's definitely looking down at the tree, trapped in the reflection.

He wants to offer up so much more commentary, yammer on about magic, and thank Tyki for his help, but it's so intensely disconcerting talking in smoke form that Strange doesn't want to say more than a few sentences at a time. He kind of wants to solidify. But he also knows that if he solidifies, he's going to sink.

"Can they hold me if I turn human?" And Strange floats towards the tentacles instead, weaving around them as he approaches.

[prazerbutterfly]

Tyki still has some secrets. Strange's poison wasn't threat to him unless he was actively using it against him. Not that he'll ever say such thing out loud. He enjoyed it more when others figured out his power or he showed off.

In idle mode his tentacles sway behind him in the air as if content. It's his own wonder and curiosity bleeding into them as he watches the reflection down below in the water in the form of that tree. At Strange's prompt he'll find them sliding upwards towards the smoke with a brush. For a moment, Strange can almost feel them as they wisp through that smoke until they come to a stall around him, "Yes, they are much stronger than before. Likely thick enough you could stand on it."

[kingsroads]

"Good," Strange responds, with a little tone of relief in his voice. He's trusting you, Tyki! Don't let him down! Because a second or two after he starts talking, Strange solidifies and turns back into his human self.

He doesn't know what Tyki's tentacles will do (grab him? provide a ledge?) but Strange is quickly grabbing at one as he starts to fall towards the water.

[prazerbutterfly]

It's tempting to let him fall into the water. Yet he knows better than to foul magic and while he realizes Strange could likely get himself out of his own created reflection, he's not going to test that theory. He's had enough trouble lately in his opinion.

The thick tentacles snake outwards towards Strange, with his reflexes at attention given how he was controlling them, to wrap around his waist just under his arms. The other set slip right under his feet against his shoes and push upwards. There is no swaying like last time nor any unsteadiness. Not even the usual squeeze is present from the earlier confrontation back on the moon. Strange would have to piss him off to voke that kind of subconscious reaction. Even the texture under Strange's hands have thicken around the flexible spines.

"I won't drop you," he says casually.

[kingsroads]

Thank God for those tentacles. Strange relaxes a bit as he feels the tentacles wrap around his waist and slide under his feet. Tyki has gotten better with these and, possibly, the tentacles have gotten thicker as well. Understandably, Strange doesn't know enough about Tyki's tentacles for comparison's sake.

"I wouldn't have turned solid if I thought you would," Strange returns, with a wry little smile on his face. And now that he's solid and it's not weird to talk, time to yammer about magic.

"Since the tree's trapped in the reflection, it wouldn't do any damage to the tree or myself if I were to fall in the water. After all, once I move out of the way, the reflection would stabilize. I simply don't want to get wet."

[prazerbutterfly]

He's not exactly going to tell anyone else just yet what else he plans to do with these tentacles or else people would never allow him to get close enough. It paid to have a few cards hidden in his deck of odd powers.

"I don't know if I should be pleased you trust me that much or delighted," he says with every bit of amusement in his voice. His eyes lower to the water again and he squats down above the surface. Strange's words give him a little bit of confidence and he pokes the water with the tip of his finger to watch it ripple across the reflection.

"Mostly I wouldn't want to have to explain any mishaps to the Ringmaster. Still, I am impressed as usual by your magical prowess. How long do you think you could keep it in there? Indefinitely?"

[kingsroads]

"Probably not indefinitely," Strange admits. "I have a similar spell that I use for storing my pens and pencils and I need to refresh that one every week or so. Since the tree is much larger, I suspect it would last a few days at the most before the spell dissipates and we end up with a large tree in the lake."

Coincidentally, the spell's going to fall when everybody goes back to the carnival. But Strange doesn't know that.

He leans slightly on Tyki's tentacles as he moves to get a better look at Tyki poking the water. When it ripples, Strange smiles. There we go. A practically perfect spell.

[prazerbutterfly]

"Huh, if I were to put someone or something in a wall they would stay that way until I decided otherwise. I suppose a reflection is simply more complex because of what it is," he muses. It makes him wonder quite a lot of the potential. He didn't have to maintain a spell or object once he let go of it. What was done was done.

His tentacles grow a little more taunt to ensure he doesn't plop into the water unnecessarily yet bend at his yielding reflexively. If Strange wants a better look, Tyki has no qualms about offering it.