⇨ 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

[soft_focus]

"No." So she agrees, apparently. But she has a good reason to still say what she said- so she feels. Reira still stands there, not completely walking over, but certainly not trying to keep any distance. "...But what you wear can tell people how you feel, because of how different it is," she explains. If she could, she would have simply said, 'it's a way to express yourself'.

That's just not in her vocabulary, however. "Normally you wear plain things- and your feelings are quiet, and 'secret'...but now you're wearing colourful flowers, and things people wear when they're happy!" Or at least, what they would if they didn't wear them literally every day. As far as dreaming-Reira is concerned, a conscious choice was made here. (She couldn't be farther from the truth)

[atouts]

Childermass can see why she might say that, to be fair, and he can't really argue that he isn't happier on a beach, surrounded by Growlithes, a drink in hand. It's a 'vacation', which is a concept he's never really had time to bother with until the carnival's more or less mandatory ones. Alola, the Summerlands, literally the moon...

Still, he feels the sensible need to point out, "These are so I don't stand out. Everyone else on these islands seems to wear them."

Or just, you know, actual colors. Of course, aside from Reira and himself, there are absolutely no other humans around, so it's not like he needs to be fitting in right this moment.

[soft_focus]

It is a vacation of sorts that Reira is absolutely unfamiliar with, and has never even remotely seen. Sure, she saw the vacation on the moon...but that was different. There was snow, and also Julien trying to make her wear three layers of clothing to stay warm (she really didn't feel cold at all!).

Reira does tilt her head a little skeptically- in fact she even takes a look around the area, just to see if maybe there are other people at all.

Naturally, there are not. But if he says the people wear them, he does. "...Okay..." she starts, blinking. "...You still have really quiet feelings though..." the girl adds, frowning a bit. She decides that's not really a topic worth sitting on though.

Not when there are far more important, fluffy things-

"Where did all of the Baker-babies come from?"

She needs to know. It's important (and she doesn't realize this is a dream, so she's yet to realize she can't just take ALL OF THEM home).

[atouts]

"All the better to keep my thoughts to myself, Ms. Akaba," Childermass only has that to say in reply to his feelings being quiet. He is, as ever, a quiet man, even in his dreams. On the topic of the many little Bakers, however...

Well, that one makes him smile some as he looks at the growlithes.

"Oh, this is Alola, the world that they're from. It's only natural they would all be out here. They're common enough, actually. I'm surprised there aren't even more of th— ah." He turns in his chair, craning his head around so he can look back towards the jungle that borders the beach. Dense ferns rustle. "Perhaps I spoke too soon."

[soft_focus]

That just feels even more confusing. Mostly because she's taking it to literally mean 'thoughts'- since when could she read THOSE? But talking about fluffy animals takes priority, and if anything dealing with someone who would much rather not show any feelings too often is no different than dealing with her brother.

Except, obviously, Childermass actually seems to have his life somewhat in order (more than Reiji at least).

Reira leans to peer at the jungle rather slowly, glancing back to the puppies only after a few moments.

"....How many bakers are there..?" She's not ready for this. This is already Too Many! She could vanish into a pile of fluff and never return.

Or at least, she'd have to wake up and that would be a shame.

[atouts]

"A lot," Childermass answers unhelpfully, though what he means will make itself clear when about twelve or so dogs come bounding out of the forest, a few of them the larger, evolved variety that Baker is in the waking world. Luckily for Reira, they don't seem too intent on burying her in orange and cream fluff.

Instead, one of the large ones, an arcanine, skids to a halt in the sand and drops a tennis ball somewhere between where Reira stands and Childermass's beach chair. That done, they look hopefully from one to the other, because surely one of them will throw the ball. Right? Right?

man this is bringing back memories of my newf.... ;u;

[soft_focus]

She considers counting them for all of five seconds. (It quickly becomes aparent to her that counting is just not going to work, in this case) Five seconds isn't quite enough for all of the fire dogs to get there, but it's long enough, and there's not much time between that and when they're dropping a ball in front of them.

She watches it roll about a foot, slowly looking from it to the dogs to Childermass- and then back to the ball itself.

Cautiously, she picks it up and looks at the dogs. "Umnh..."

Fetch isn't really something you do with menagerie animals- you're supposed to sort of give them the special enrichment toys and treats and let them have it. Something about minimizing contact or something. But.

"..." She holds it out to the side with one hand, watching as various puppy eyes follow the motion. "Aahhhhh..."

Up...left...up. Down...

She brings it back close, blinking. "...That way-" she decides eventually, throwing it past Childermass' chair. This way they can see where the dogs are as they all pile on for the ball, right??

Yes. This can't possibly end with sand in their eyes, or dogs piling over them to get to the ball. They're Good dogs after all.

newfs are such good dogs

[atouts]

Throwing it past Childermass will absolutely give them a view of where they go. However, throwing it past Childermass and his chair this close also... means a puppy stampede, which encompasses not only Reira but also Childermass and his chair. The arcanines are about as aware of their size as the growlithes are, which is to say not at all.

Childermass begins to sit upright, out of the comfortable lounging angle of the beach chair, but it isn't fast enough. One leaps over him, back paw catching the edge of the chair and flipping him with it (he definitely shouts something not suitable for the ears of children with that). Naturally, a dog that large carries on unimpeded, wholly ignoring that they've just knocked someone over and spilled their drink.

There's also a lot of sand being kicked up, so have fun with that.

gosh they are,,

[soft_focus]

She probably should have predicted this. Probably, given that she threw entirely at an awkward angle that lines up with `Totally meant to throw one way, but it seems it's gone the Worst Way`, but there is little time to really think about that as she's diving out of the way herself.

"HaaAHH-!" Yikes!

Yelping aside, that doesn't go great and she's soon rather covered in sand- there is probably so much in her ears from doggy kick-off, she didn't even hear that cursing. The only thing that will probably make this worse is when they come back with the ball, at this point.

For now the sand is an astoundingly good place to rest one's face. "Mngphg." She'll just be here, behind the upturned chair.

[atouts]

"You really need to throw those off in a direction with no obstacles," Childermass grumbles from his overturned chair. He fumbles with pushing it over, mostly because dream logic has dictated since he's literally on the sand now, he must also be an arcanine. One still wearing sunglasses and a now oversized Alolan shirt, but still.

It's a dream.

It doesn't have to make sense.

Of course, if the dream is doing that to the magician, Reira could very well find herself as a Pokemon herself at any given moment.

"Arcanines never fully realize how big they are..."

[soft_focus]

Reira isn't even entirely sure what a pokemon is, but dreams don't really care about that because she's definitely a tiny shiny growlithe all of a sudden. Presumably because this beach is just sort of populated entirely by the things.

She is somehow still wearing her alice dress. It's like if Growlithe was after the beauty competition.

Reira doesn't seem to really pay much attention to the part about throwing the ball in a better direction either- she'll keep it in mind for at least as long as this dream, maybe, but right now she has bigger worries. Like that last thing that Childermass said.

"....YOU'RE too big..!" she immediately retorts, pouting quite furiously. "...Get back down..!!" It was bad enough when she was taller than three feet, but now she really isn't, sir!!!