lostcarnival | the med tent is the hoppin place to be

Who: Childermass & open.
When: D90-D91
Where: Back at the carnival, in the medical tent.
What: Childermass had a bad time with a bear's claws and now he's stuck on bed rest.
Warnings: Mentions of violence, injury.

The tail end of the entire Eden fiasco is a blur to Childermass. He made a very poor tactical choice when dealing with Bezaliel, one of the Architects with far more power of the shadows than the magician could have ever imagined. One set of iron claws later and he only vaguely remembers being found by Syrlya and Lambert, bleeding to death in the forests of Eden. They brought him... somewhere.

The temple? He imagines it must have been, the one the healers kept, or else he doubts he'd yet be alive. Who and how he was brought back out of Eden is a mystery and one he hasn't inquired about. Someone carried him or the Ringmaster whisked everyone away, most like, and now all that's left is for him to lay still as can be in a cot and dwell on all the 'should haves' running through his head. In fewer words, sulking, although with his usual lack of emotion, it'd be hard to tell as much.

With his left side and chest all stitched up, along with deep scratches across that same side of his face and what's bound to be a brand new scar across his sharp beak of a nose, there's not much for him to do but wait. Eventually he'll be free to move without worry of popping a stich or two but until then, if he spots anyone approaching by foot he'll eye them and ask in a hoarse, gravelly voice:

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to help me escape back to my own trailer..." It's a pointless request. They wouldn't make it very far. "Or at the very least bring me something to read?"

Or if it's only someone else stuck there with him, well, he clearly can't ask them for aid. They're in as much a bad spot as he is, meaning the best he can offer is a curious look and then a somewhat pained shrug.

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"Yeah, but he's asleep," she huffs, glancing over in Steven's direction. "I mean... I wanted to see how you were doing, too. Trying to take down a gigantic reality-bending shadow bear is pretty reckless. Did being around the Mirror screw with your head or something?"

It's not even meant to be an insult, though with Peridot's typical bluntness it probably sounds like one. She's genuinely confused. Are you okay, Childermass?!

"Good god, this must be what Mr. Strange goes through every time..." Every time he does something absolutely mad. People coming by, trying to figure out what motive could have existed. Childermass sighs after that and gives Peridot a tired look.

"I thought I could match his magic, seeing how we both used shadows. It wasn't the Mirror, it was just me being a fool."

Something he doesn't like to admit but he isn't a man of great ego. He can see it for what it is. A poor choice, made at a very poor time, that's left him in an equally poor condition.

"Ha!" Peridot barks, highly amused by that admission. "Well. You get some abstract 'points' for at least being able to admit that. Strange never would." She leans against the bed casually, and cocks her head at him. "All the same... even if you were just being an idiot, I'm glad you didn't have to make use of your egg. That would have put a significant damper on our victory."

"Because a gentleman is never wrong," Childermass does mock Strange lightly that way, though there's no bite to it. He's the one who really screwed up this time, whereas Strange didn't have much of a choice. "Although I can't say I'm too worried about eggs. I have two. It's a bit excessive."

The mocking of Strange definitely gets some snickering out of the gem. She almost considers engaging in the fun with her own imitation of said gentleman, but drops the idea at Childermass's next comment.

"I don't know... two chances at regeneration doesn't seem excessive to me when humans die so easily," she points out blandly. "Having two eggs practically makes you an honorary gem! You just retreat to those instead of a gem when your 'physical form' gets destroyed. Besides, imagine what a mess Lambert would have been if you'd actually punched the bucket."

Too bad Childermass is a few years too early to even correct her on the punched the bucket saying, so it slides by without much note beyond it being a very odd thing to say. Being an honorary gem does earn Peridot a puzzled squint, though.

"That's why you go into your gems? Because you die?" Or get destroyed. Whichever. "I've only seen it happen to Lapis Lazuli... Back at the Prince's manor."

"It's not really dying so much as... Mmm..." She rubs her chin. "Maybe falling unconscious for an extended period of time is a more apt comparison to the kind of state we are forced into when it happens. But it only gets triggered when our forms sustain a degree of damage that basically makes them non-functional, so... It's also kind of like dying?" Peridot shrugs. "There's not really a perfect one-to-one comparison."

She pauses and glances away, her expression darkening. "I forgot you would have seen that. Lapis never really told me about what happened that day in much detail..."

"She was one of the few not to fall to the Prince's poisoning at that meal," Childermass is stuck in bed, fairly bored, and therefore happy to explain. There's been just enough time between what happened back then and now that it doesn't particularly bother him. That part, anyway. Other parts...

The other parts of it all are better left be, to be honest.

"Along with myself and two others. I believe she tried to flee first and that made the Prince strike her down, which, naturally, caused the Ringmaster to attack him in turn."

Peridot's expression darkens considerably. "You know, that whole visit is exactly why I've decided to never put any sort of organic food-stuffs in my body ever again. I don't care HOW much it ticks off the host. I didn't need to eat, I should have been there with you guys, working to stick it to that clod!"

"Peridot, all we did was run away," Childermass points out. There was definitely no sticking it to anyone. Sure, they did go on to find the Rose eventually but things didn't exactly go as planned from there. "I pocketed her gem and dragged the other two away before they could get crushed."

"Fine, but I'm just saying: Needing to eat food is a weakness, and I was an idiot to have allowed myself that vulnerability," she says, jerking her shoulders in an annoyed shrug. "The point is, we all make mistakes: Some of us eat poisoned food, and some of us try to single-handedly take down gigantic reality bending shadow bears."

She pauses before adding, "But also... thanks for looking out for her back then, since I wasn't able to. I had no idea you ever even did that. I appreciate it."

"Well, I'm not sure I would discount all food just yet," Childermass says. There's a hint of amusement there in the face of such a complaint, though only just that. He won't do much more than quirk the edge of his mouth in a short-lived smile before he moves on to just shrugging himself.

"And think nothing of it. I am sure any other supervisor would have done the same."

the med tent is the hoppin place to be

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