⇨ 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

[atouts]

Childermass would make the exact same guess, knowing just enough about how the High Fae operate. That claim does draw a worried look across his face, though, because Jonathan Strange doesn't kill. Under someone else's sway, certainly, but why mention that at all?

"That still wasn't him in his right mind," he at least tries to put some reason to it, even if it's for naught. He knows better than anyone else how Lambert reacts to anything near his neck, how sometimes the witcher wakes up from some troubled sleep gasping for air. There's never been a lot to say about that. Comfort or pity; neither would fix the problem.

"He won't do it again. You know how he is."

[whattaprick]

"Won't he?" Lambert asks, though it sounds more resigned than cynical. "We can't even say that for sure. We don't know how deep it goes, whatever Ignatius did to him."

He lets his hand drop once he realizes where it is. Leaving the spoon in the stew, he settles for resting his forearms on his thighs, fists clenched.

"He's decided he's staying with the nightrunners. But he's not going out there again on my orders, if I can help it."

[atouts]

As if Strange won't go out all on his lonesome as if to prove everyone wrong anyway, but that insight won't help with this conversation one bit.

"For all we know, it may even just be him being a stubborn fool," Childermass sighs and pulls his hand back, off of Lambert's arm. "I suppose we'll have to wait and see. You said he mentioned the Winter Queen? That came up again in the moon. It turns out the Summer Court already suspected the Winter Maiden's hand in that..."

[whattaprick]

It’s also something Lambert is already aware of as a very likely possibility, which makes it all the more frustrating.

Childermass’s words get his attention, though, and Lambert frowns. He’d like to ask more, but—

“Are you even supposed to talk to me about that?”

[atouts]

Oh, there's plenty he won't be telling Lambert, but that part? Childermass scoffs.

"What? Tell you something most of us could have guessed at already? If we could figure out the current Winter Queen is underhanded, it isn't a stretch that the Summer Court would consider the same possibility."

[whattaprick]

“To talk to me about him at all.”

Even if Lambert could have guessed anyway. Frowning in thought, he looks away.

“So they know, and ... it doesn’t change anything. They still went after us, they’ll still chase the Rose ... and now, Ignatius. If they even realize he’s alive.”

[atouts]

"He'll be common knowledge soon enough," Childermass says with a shrug. "And no, it doesn't change anything. Their goal is the Rose, not vengeance against the Ringmaster. Whether they send anyone after Ignatius, however, is yet to be seen. Soldiers die, that isn't new. Who might replace him, though... I might worry about that."

[whattaprick]

“He’d know,” Lambert says, simply. Much like his own second in command is known to him (and god’s, isn’t rhat still a weird thought to have) he’s certain Summer must have their own plans for succession.

“Someone should try asking, assuming he doesn’t consider that too much of a betrayal of Summer to answer.”

[atouts]

"I hadn't even thought of asking that..."

Though it seems so obvious now, it should have been at the top of the list. Actually dealing with a changed and distraught Ignatius (or as distraught as that man can ever be, anyway) hadn't really lent itself well to picking useful questions.

"Well, perhaps later. He certainly isn't going anywhere."