lostcarnival | ⇨ 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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"Mnh!!! I! I'm all here! I'm..me! I'm this me! And-"

There is a sudden pause, and his ears flick a few times as he stares.

"..................it isn't?"

So, he's probably not all there.

Yeah, no. Even Lambert's better half can recognize someone that needs more help than he can give.

"Not if you don't want it to be," he says, reassuringly, then changes the subject.

"Where's Yuya? I would have thought you'd be stuck together while we were here."

Oh boy. When Yuuya is mentioned, Gongenzaka immediately devolves into panic, half choking and half spitting out his food. "Yu-YUUYA-!?!"

He scrambles back, looking left and right and entirely behind him, eyes wide. "HE- ...Did you see him?! I can't let him see me, I..I can't!"

He just, can't, Lambert.

Now that’s an entirely too familiar reaction. Lambert raises his brows, unruffled and patiently waiting for a forthcoming explanation ... and when Gon doesn’t show any signs of calming down? The witcher simply raises a hand, casting a short, simple spell.

“Calm down,” he soothes, like he might be speaking to a particularly spooked horse, but with the weight of magic behind the words to give them force. Sorry, Gon, Lambert’s ideal self has absolutely zero hesitation using a little friendly mindwhammy.

“Tell me what happened..”

"Mnhh-" As easy to convince as Gongenzaka is in this state, the result of Lambert's request- and magic- is imminent.

All his mental strength was an ideal trait after all. Swaying somewhat, Gongenzaka's ears twitch as his eyes droop- the stare growing dazed and unfocused. "Mnhh...Yuuya...Yuuya asked if he could kiss me, but..." He's been made to be calm. He can't panic- not really. But part of him is trying. An edge to his voice brings the whine out, a fox's whimper as he goes on. "I can't..."

"I can't tell him the answer...I can't tell him, so many things could happen..."

Well, now that’s information Lambert wasn’t expecting to get. He doesn’t react with shock, just consideration. With everything he knows about the pair of them, it really isn’t even the most surprising development now that he thinks about it. Yuya cares intensely about Gongenzaka for reasons that are honestly opaque to Lambert, but familiar in the sense that he knows them because he feels that way about someone, too.

Such a lackluster — or vehemently negative — reaction from Gon is kind of disheartening. Then again, this isn’t the Lambert with the insecurity issues, so he just bluntly tells it like it is.

“So you ran away and went shopping instead.” Come to think of it, that’s probably what his dark half is doing right now (or close enough) but it’s a bit pathetic to see someone else in similar dire straits. He sighs, shaking his head.

“You can’t run forever.” Especially when he’s this scatterbrained. It’s just a matter of time until Yuya tracks him down.

"Yes I can!" ....Wait. "...maybe... I. I can hide...." The drawbacks of being perpetually uncertain are that even the things you're running from are. Well.

Uncertain. "I can't- I can't answer..!" he protests again. "It's too dangerous! Something would happen, and then he'd be gone, or I'd be gone, and it'd hurt more, or..." For all that he's been struck with a mind-blast, he's panicking rather thoroughly- tears are even flowing, at least as much as can get through the haze.

"I can't tell him if something bad will happen after..!"

So...Evidently, it's worse than simple negativity.

This side of Lambert, at least, is undisturbed by the sign of so much emotion. He isn't particularly empathetic -- that would need him to have both shame and fear to start with, which he pretty much doesn't -- but he remembers what it was like to have them. The endless spinning in circles, asking questions he doesn't really want to know the answer to, is a dance he knows all too well.

After all, it's the part of him he cut out.

"So you want him to," Lambert says. "But you're afraid." It's not a question, and he lets the spell dissipate, and his hold on Gongenzaka's mind with it. Then he goes right back to eating.

When the spell dissipates, the reaction is imminent.

Gongenzaka leaps upright, immediately panicked. "NH!! Y-You!! I shouldn't have said that," he yelps, holding his head. "No...I shouldn't have- I shouldn't have come out here, or...or run, I shouldn't have talked," he rambles, going back and forth on himself before finally backing away from everything. "I...!"

"...I need to go somewhere else..!!" Okay buddy, whatever you say.

Lambert isn't going to go out of his way to stop Gongenzaka from leaving, if that's what he wants to do, but he raises a brow at him regardless.

"And where are you going to go?"

"Mnh..." He stops briefly- if at least because he doesn't have the will to really not listen, but...

"I... ...Somewhere!" he vaguely replies, fidgeting as he tries to determine a particular path.

He'll probably pick at random, at this point.

"Well," Lambert says slowly, "Good luck with it. Whatever you're going to do."

Though he'll be surprised if Gon manages to pick anything, at this rate.

Boy, is Lambert right.

Because Gon ends up taking an awkward middle path cutting through a bunch of plants.

bye-

⇨ SHABONDAMASHII

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i can't even remember if there's plants but there's plants now