⇨ SHABONDAMASHII

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 92 - Day 99
Where: Shabondamashii Bathhouse
What: With the Silver Mirror claimed and the animals of Eden relocated, it's time for the carnival to kick back and enjoy an interdimensional bathhouse and the surrounding festival city. Meanwhile, the scattered shards of the Mirror have an unexpected effect.
Warnings: Dark/Light halves acting weird.

THE BIG CLEANSE↴ As the carnival recovers, the Ringmaster has brought it to the gates of a famous interdimensional bathhouse to rest. She won't be joining you for most of it, though she will be checking in frequently and available by radio. She's fixed a large portion of the Silver Mirror after it shattered, but it seems like pieces are missing. She doesn't want to rest until the missing shards are dealt with, and the Mirror itself is locked away safely. ► YOUR OTHER HALF: The shards missing from the Silver Mirror didn't just disappear - after breaking apart in Eden, fragments of the object embedded themselves in the spirits of those not already touched by its powers, and those that had been the most fae-touched. That means, your characters. The effect of this, explained in more detail on the plotting post, is that some characters will be splitting into two versions of themselves: the Light, and the Dark. This doesn't mean good and evil, of course, it's far more complicated than that. Splits can start happening at any time after arriving in Shabon, and initially characters won't know how to rejoin with their twins. Later on, it will become apparent that they need to reconnect via the shard of the Mirror they share... of course, in order to rejoin, you have to have both halves, and not all twins will be as eager to go back to the way things were before. This plot point is optional. ► SPA DAY: When you're not engaging in metaphysical division, you are free to enjoy the many luxuries that Shabon offers. Things will mostly have an east-Asian bend, like what you would see in the movie Spirited Away, but as long as it doesn't affect the setting much, you can honestly have whatever spa-type services available that you want. Food is served both in restaurants and 'buffet' style. There are also well paid sex workers here, if that is your thing, but make sure to tip well. ► FESTIVAL TOWN: The city surrounding Shabondamashii is largely meant to catch the business of interdimensional tourists. There are frequent parades and other events held, and the architecture is very closely packed. It's easy to get lost if you leave the bathhouse, but it's definitely worth it if you like party. You can pick out a few outfits for yourself and some fun nick nacks, but nothing that would normally require mod approval.

Comments

[soft_focus]

The stall owner doesn't take too long to calm down though- not when an alien looking toddler a few feet off starts breaking into cheers. "It's about speed, and skill," she proudly huffs as the tot displays their little dish with a fish, before busying herself with getting the fish thing into a bag.

The result is Reira pouting at the water for a minute, before rather aggressively trying to splash something into the dish. "HFFF-!!"

"SCARE THEM IN!!" That's not helping, daemon.

[periphrasing]

"UHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," Peridot creaks, boggling with widened at both Lamberts, ears drooping with confusion. "Uh... Umm... ah..."

She stops. Rubs her eyes in a sort of comical way, in case she's seeing things. Of course, she isn't. She knows she isn't. She ran into Jasper earlier who said something about getting split in two, but. This is the first time she's seeing the actual moment of the split.

"L...Lambert...ss..." Peridot babbles uselessly, lifting an index claw and pointing shakily between the two of them. What the fuck. What the FUCK.

[periphrasing]

"Really!" Peridot exclaims, sitting up with surprise. Then she grins.

"They've gotta be the first gems ever partake in such an earth custom. Good for them!" She leans back against the edge as well, chuckling. "I guess that saves me the trouble of asking how Garnet's doing then. Perma-fused, AND married!"

[drrdrrdrr]

"Yeah, they got the idea out of a comic book," says Amethyst. "It was awesome, you wore the cutest dress."

[verbaltic]

So he died. Gongenzaka can use as much flowery language or metaphors as he wants, that doesn't change the fact that Hanamaru knows revival via eggs means that someone's died. Her expression goes from annoyed to sad at the drop of a pin.

This...really isn't good.

"How'd it happen?"

[periphrasing]

"I wore a dress?" she says with surprise. "Huh. Interesting... I never really saw myself as the dress wearing type. Maybe I'll have to give it a shot at some point in the near future..."

[drrdrrdrr]

"Yeah, it was yellow and sorta puffy..." She plaps her tail at the surface of the water as she tries to remember further specific details, but then shrugs. "You should try it out some time, it looked good."

She pauses.

"Hey... how's stuff with you and Lapis?"

[periphrasing]

Peridot looks even more surprised at that question.

"Surprisingly good, actually," she replies. "She apologized to me, you know. And to the Ringmaster, for being so difficult. So. Things are actually pretty good!"

[drrdrrdrr]

"Oh, yeah? Sweet." Amethyst slips away from the edge of the bath to just kind of... float on her back, with all her paws splayed out. She tilts her head, though, to look at Peridot. "Look, uh... I just wanna say, I know I keep saying how you guys should just hook up already, but..." She scratches the size of her nose awkwardly, and damply. "Uuhh. Maybe it's actually better if you don't?"

[exaomori]

Drinking with soldiers sounds familiar enough. Working with her rank and file exorcists was so much easier than anyone from the Vatican.

But her work? Shura hums, pursing her lips out. She hadn't thought too much on how to explain her job, but at least this guy did know that supernatural things existed, so that took care of some of the problem of explaining what she did.

"Back home, I was an exorcist. In a way, some parts of the carnival ain't too different from that, y'know?"

[kingsroads]

"An exorcist?" Thankfully for everyone, Strange knows the vague concept of exorcism. He's just in disbelief that someone could have a job as an exorcist to begin with.

"Does your world have enough ghosts that exorcism is considered a profession?"

[bananaspeedrider]

Maybe not as much as me. [Visibly very proud of his own height and physique for the hundredth time, unaware of where it really came from.]

But eat plenty of food and yeah you'll be surprised three years from now.

[amphibiopathic]

Hanamaru, are you for real? Eruka pauses in her self-pity tirade long enough to blink at Hanamaru, like she's realizing there might have to be some very basic misconceptions she has to address here first.

"Maru ... a bunch of us have always been thieves. Literally. That's the job we were assigned." Well, it's not what the job is called anymore, but that's neither here nor there! Eruka sighs and puts her hands on her hips.

"The Carnival's different. It probably isn't the best time to be back..."

[verbaltic]

Having spent most of her time shoved in performance or medical, Hanamaru doesn't really think much about acquisitions and the fact that yes, there is literally a group of thieves in the carnival.

"You know what I mean," she grumbles a little bit. "Even though we've got y'all and the Nightrunners, the focus has always been on performing, not stealin' stuff."

[exaomori]

"Eeh, if it was just ghosts, then we wouldn't have much to worry about." Of course, he just thinks it's ghosts. Dang, this was already too much trouble.

"Anything that you'd prolly think of as supernatural--ah, lemme think--redcaps and goblins, along that line. If they get to be an issue, that's when we step in."

[atouts]

"Aren't scared of anything... ha... what a load of crock," dark Childermass murmurs. He looks up again, if only just enough to eye Lambert from the corner of his vision. "You think I don't dwell on how we might all die? Or that the Count might capture me? Or the Rose Queen? I'm terrified of that, those two, what they might do... Or..."

And this one he hesitates on, almost doesn't admit. It's difficult. He'll forge on ahead regardless.

"Of you. If we ever manage to get back to England together."

he doomed them didn't he

[atouts]

"Syrlya, Syrlya, you shouldn't worry so much. We're tourists for once, enjoy it," Childermass chides, amused as he's ever been this entire conversation. Although with that in mind, he sets his empty glass aside and sits up. "I know, let's go see what else this place to offer! It isn't all just one big bathhouse!"

Even though, from the look of the stitches still healing across his chest and face, he probably should just sit back down and deal with the quiet spa side of Shabon.

[periphrasing]

Peridot always feels sort of awkward talking about Lapis issues to begin with, but this... This throws her for a loop. She squints, a bit taken aback, and then laughs nervously. "Wow, um. What makes you say that all of a sudden?"

She isn't going to like this conversation, is she.

[drrdrrdrr]

Amethyst rolls, in the water, over onto her front, so her face is underwater, her hair floating out around her head like a jellyfish. "Uhhh," she says, and it comes out as a stream of bubbles. Then she rights herself, and scrubs her hands over her face.

"It's just... some of the stuff that happened when I was back home. She was really cruddy to you."

[periphrasing]

"Oh," Peridot says quietly, face falling briefly. That negative expression only lasts for a flicker though, before she smiles weakly; she's trying to put on a brave face, to not jump immediately to the worst conclusion. "Well. Like what? Things are different at the Carnival, maybe it won't actually matter as much as you think."

[fortuneglass]

"Pffhhhhfff...I'm sure that's not what they'll do!" Well. They'll sort of do it. The creams and salves will probably have fertilizer, and she really wouldn't be surprised by it.

As it is, she sighs and soaks in her current treatment. "Mnhhh...not really...it's better to just go with the flow I think~ Whatever feels right...Maybe I'll get a drink after this, I guess..."

[fortuneglass]

"...She thought so too," is Carly's quiet response. "...We all went to the Summerlands to recover after that- ...but she was so depressed over what happened... ...we stayed there for three months, almost," she finishes.

It was...not a good time for the Ringmaster.

[fortuneglass]

Years long, Shura. Years long.

As it is. "Oooo it was~ We all had to take different forms- not for 'undercover' reasons, but just to be more comfortable...because everything, even the Carnival, was underwater!! So everyone was a mermaid of some sort! Apparently they're sort of like...cousins to the Fae? They were really nice at least..."

[reflash]

I know you do. [There's an easy admission, and it isn't like it's a bad thing if he actually says something that could be interpreted as "I pay enough attention to know you care, and I recognize when you're worried".]

There isn't anything I could say that would make you worry less, once you've gotten started.

[reflash]

[If he were... more himself, they would never have gotten this far, and a girl holding onto his arm would have effectively shut down his brain. But for how he's playing along with an extended joke and leading a stranger down a busy sidewalk.]

It's a reasonable thing to be worried about, [he says, kindly.] I would hate it if my school were in danger of being shut down.

Did you get a chance to go home recently?