lostcarnival | ⇨ SHABONDAMASHII

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⇨ SHABONDAMASHII

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.

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Francis really is quite greedy, isn't he? 9S angles the snack down so he can take a bite, but 9S doesn't take his eyes off Rita. He hasn't seen her react to him like that before...

"Rita? What's wrong?"

He reaches for her hand with his free one, concern in his expression.

As he reaches for it, Rita pulls her hand away. In doing so, she inadvertently blocks Francis from reaching the taiyaki, a move that prompts a cry of protest from the cat. With a growl, he takes immediate revenge: by snatching the box of takoyaki from her lap and running away with it in his mouth.

"S...sorry!" she stammers, fully realizing that this isn't normal for her, but also not really knowing how to not act weird. "I'm not..."

She doesn't know what she's trying to say, but she tries to find some place to start. "... Th... there's something you should know."

Francis no!!

9S jerks in surprise at the sudden shenanigans. What's going on? Rita's never reacted this way before... Hand holding was one of the things they always seemed to slip into, especially when no one was looking.

Uncertain of where to put his hands now, he settles on resting them on his lap. "What is it?"

Rita's hands also fall into her lap, though her fingers fidget with one another in an anxious manner.

"There's another me," she says after some hesitation, then immediately seems to reconsider her wording. "I mean... there wasn't always. Something happened earlier today, and now..." She lowers her gaze, not sure if she's making any sense.

"Huh?" Another Rita?

???

But that makes no sense? There's only one Rita in all the worlds... right? Subconsciously, he brings a hand up to his chin.

"What happened?"

"I was talking to Strange. It turned into an argument, as it usually does these days," what with Ignatius being a topic that's hard to avoid. "Then suddenly, this other Rita just... came out of me. She got mad and stormed off, and it felt kind of like... a lot of my anger went with her."

Not just her anger, as she's come to realize... but that's what was most obvious in the moment.

"Huh."

Wow... that's weird. If it wasn't for all the exposure to the strange things the Carnival experiences on a regular basis, he might have laughed it off. But also... Rita's logical (most of the time). There's no reason for him not to believe her.

"Maybe we should find her. I didn't think humans could excise part of their personality like that." It kind of sounds like... as if someone removed part of her personality data. Which might explain why she was acting so strangely. "If she walked off with a part of you, we have to get it back."

“Get it back...? I don’t know if that’s a good idea...” Rita wraps her arms around herself, seemingly uncomfortable with the thought.

“But... I think I know where she is,” she adds after a moment. “I can point you in the right direction, or... I guess we could go together.” The idea of meeting her other self again makes her anxious, though.

"Why wouldn't it be a good idea...?"

He wants nothing more than to hug her, but after her reaction to him reaching to hold her hand... 9S keeps his hands to himself, his cat ears drooping. She doesn't seem happy... and something's definitely missing. Never mind the anger, he's never seen Rita so hesitant before. Gone is the confidence he's grown accustomed to. Even when they were both nervous and uncertain about the way forward, together, Rita was never quite like this.

9S hesitates, before he pushes on. "Does... it have something to do with how you're jumpy around me?"

He's disappointed. Well, of course he is. He thought he was talking to Rita, and instead, he's dealing with this reject.

"I... guess so? The other Rita... she's not an impostor or anything. She's me... but..." She seems to struggle to find the words. Even Rita doesn't understand this situation all that well. "It's like she has every quality I ever liked about myself, and I'm... the opposite, I guess. She'll probably be a lot happier if she can stay the way she is now."

9S takes a long moment to think about this. "...But what about you?"

If he somehow split as well, taking only the bits that he liked about himself, what would that mean? Would his two halves still be 9S? It would be the same as modifying his personality data, wouldn't it? He wouldn't be the same person... Just two diferent people who happen to share the same face and name.

Humans... they've always been flawed. He knew, even before he came to the Carnival, that humans aren't perfect. They killed uncountable numbers of their own kind, and yet loved in equal measure. Would the other Rita really be human if she were her perfect self?

Is it really fair for this part of Rita to bear everything she doesn't like about herself?

"Would you be happy if you stayed this way?"

"I don't know..."

Rita stares down at her lap, at the floral pattern of her yukata. If the other Rita got to live out her ideal life as a separate entity... what would she do?

"I don't know what I want to do. Maybe there is a way I can be happy, doing my own thing..." She's uncertain, of course. While Rita may not know the full extent of which parts of her were separated and how, she knows that if she moves forward like this, it won't be easy. "The other me doesn't want anything to do with me, so it's not like I have much choice..."

He really has no idea what to do here, but he can't leave Rita like this. This is just, some kind of weird, probably magic induced, problem that the Carnival regularly encounters. What about their plans to return to Terca Lumireis together? He made that plan with the whole Rita... Surely there's a way to reverse this? It doesn't seem right to leave them separated like this.

9S smiles, the best he can. He's better at acting confident or unconcerned than 2B was, at least. "Maybe she'll change her mind if I'm there with you." Or not? Rita is kind of stubborn, sometimes. "Besides, you both can't stay here. We're going to have to get back to the Carnival at some point."

Rita's eyes light up at that suggestion. It's true... Maybe things will go differently if he's there.

"I don't think either of us plan on being left behind. But..." Well, she could tell him all the ways they could try living as separate people, or she can take the opportunity to see if that can be avoided altogether. She stands and straightens her yukata. "...Never mind. I'd bet she's at the Carnival, so... do you want to go now? I think... it's a good idea, for you to talk to her."

Luckily, the portal connecting the two dimensions isn't too far away.

The Carnival, huh? He's not entirely certain what to expect from the other part of the split Rita, but... it can't be all that bad, right? Even if they're like... this... they're still both parts of the original. The original who he loves completely, not partially.

Following Rita's lead, 9S stands.

"The sooner the better, right?" 9S smiles brightly, holding out a hand for Rita to take, not thinking about her earlier hesitation. "Let's go."

Rita considers the offered hand... and takes it. The gesture is stiff and awkward, and she seems almost too nervous to close the distance between them as they walk together, but for now, they're on their way back to the portal. Once they're back in the Carnival, Rita leads 9S to one of the performance tents, newly repurposed for the research division of Acquisitions. What used to be a stage is now furnished with tables, chairs, and a few bookshelves.

Standing over a table with several stacks of documents spread over its surface is a second Rita, dressed in shorts and a casual top. She doesn't look up as they enter, but remains focused on what she's doing, which involves jotting a few notes here and there and sorting pages into their respective piles. Every once in a while she picks up a sheet of paper and admires it, her tail swishing with contentment.

Francis is there too, sitting on an empty chair and polishing off the last of the takoyaki he stole just earlier.

The yukata-clad Rita lets go of 9S's hand and steps aside, glancing away nervously. It doesn't seem like she wants to be the one to get her counterpart's attention.

As always, 9S threads his fingers between Rita's as they hold hands. Though he doesn't show it, it's harder to feel comfortable, knowing that this Rita isn't fully her whole self. When they approach the other Rita -- fully engrossed in pouring over documents -- 9S gives Rita's hand one last squeeze before stepping forward.

"Hey, Rita." Even with his misgivings, he can't help the smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "You have a moment?"

At first, the occupied Rita seems annoyed at the intrusion. But the moment she looks up to see 9S, her expression changes to something much softer. She doesn't want anyone pulling her away from her work, but for him, she can make an exception. "Oh, I didn't see you there." She meets his smile with a fond one of her own as she moves away from the table to meet him partway as he approaches.

"Of course I've got time for you. Is something... oh." Her tone flattens as she looks over to the entrance, where the other Rita still stands. "You found the reject."

This is a good start, 9S thinks at first, but then this Rita calls the other Rita the reject and he can't help but be a little disappointed. It's really weird to hear Rita speak to, well, herself like that. Like she's someone she barely acknowledges the existence of.

The one he saw first... holds everything Rita doesn't like about herself. The parts she's apparently rejected. But just because you reject a part of yourself doesn't mean it stops existing.

"Hey, aren't you being kinda harsh?" He glances over at the yukata-clad Rita, shooting her a reassuring smile before returning his attention to the one in shorts and a casual top. "What's with the cold shoulder? You both came from the same Rita."

"It's not harsh," she protests lightly, drawing closer and affectionately wrapping an arm around his. "It's just how it is. She's everything that's been holding me back all this time. With all that out of the way, I can focus on the things that really matter, like my research... and you." She gazes at his eyes, or where they are behind the visor, as she pulls herself close.

The other Rita just keeps standing there awkwardly, averting her gaze. She can't bring herself to disagree.

[Continued here]

Edited (i'm a dope) 2018-10-02 14:37 (UTC)

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⇨ SHABONDAMASHII

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