⇨ 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

[verbaltic]

"Well I finished the thing I had to do back home, zura. And considering that I had a contract to finish..." Hanamaru trails off, with a little shrug. In her mind, this makes sense: people would have had to see her again eventually. After all, she wasn't done with her contract.

"But what's all this?! You're...you're huge! And ya got four legs! And a cat?"

Hanamaru's so shocked by Gongenzaka's everything that she's not even bothering to hide her hick accent. She looks from Marishi to Gongenzaka back to Marishi.

"Have I really been gone that long?"

[betheman]

"Ohh! Oh no, it's alright, it's not even been a year since we've seen you I think..."

While the cheetah attempts to figure out the math, Gongenzaka steps forward with his ears pinned back somewhat- embarassment and nervousness both in his face. "Rather frankly, Marishi, you are simply confusing matters..." Though he does nod to Hanamaru. "Auh...s...she is correct however, in that it has not been as long as it appears..."

"Noboru has been something of a...magnet for misfortune and magic," Marishi coughs.

"A..Auuh, yes, that. ...As well...Marishi is less a 'creature', and more an 'extension'," he attempts to explain. "At one of the locations we visited, we were able to learn a method with which to materialize our spirits as partner beings."

"Naturally, I am his, just as he is mine~"

They'll just quietly not expand on that whole...Magnet of misfortune and magic deal, though.

[verbaltic]

Thankfully, Hanamaru is A: well read and B: used to weird shit thanks to her year and a bit with the carnival.

"So she's your spirit animal, zura? I've read about stuff like that before." Spirit animal is a slightly demeaning way of describing daemons, but it's not like Hanamaru has a better point of reference. Besides, she's noticed the fact that Gongenzaka isn't talking about that magnet of misfortune bit and is straight up going to call him out on that.

"Sure doesn't explain why you've got four legs now."

[betheman]

"Auh....In a sense, I suppose, though..."

"It would be more accurate to say that I'm part of his actual soul, manifested..the animal thing seems more like an 'extra' bit, really..."

Regardless, he coughs. "...It is considered a potential change due to...over exposure to faerie magic..."

Casually Not Saying He Died,

[verbaltic]

Hanamaru gives Gongenzaka a little frown. He's not saying something. She knows he's not saying something. There's being exposed to faerie magic and then there's growing a new arm, two new legs, and the other ten billion changes that's happened to him.

"I'm more exposed than you are and I've still got all my limbs. If you don't tell me what happened, I'll just ask someone else."

[betheman]

"MNH-"

To this, both of them flinch- it feels not unlike when they were called out by Yuzu, and while Hanamaru is not Yuzu, the impulse to duck an incoming paper fan still lingers.

The cat speaks first. "...You're not getting out of this one, Noboru..." Bugger.

"...It is...not a common reaction..." Ahhh, but that's hardly an answer either. "...I, the man Gongenzaka...recovered in this fashion due to the 'eggs' used by the Ringmaster to revive others..."

[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?"

[betheman]

Both are silent, for a few tense moments. They have to answer eventually, however, and so Gongenzaka sighs.

"...The Carnival was...enlisted to aid the people of a realm we visited. A battle against Vampires. ...However, they were able to follow those of the Nightrunner's crew back...and they attacked us within the Carnival itself. Not many perished, but..."

"...It's why Sans is our Warden now. And... ...Why so many of the 'longer' highers chose to leave." Last time Hanamaru was here, there were probably many people who had longer contract records than say, Carly.

Not so, now.

[verbaltic]

Fighting vampires and vampires breaching carnival grounds itself...Hanamaru still looks worried but now she understands a little bit more. Why she had a different job, why the Ringmaster seemed a bit different, why some of the carnival people she didn't recognize looked more changed than her.

"And it's not as easy as we defeated the vampires and everything's fine now, isn't it."

With the information she's already gathered from her brief return, too much has changed for Hanamaru to call their situation 'fine.'

[betheman]

With a brief moment to share a look, both find themselves looking back with a grimace. "...Unfortunately not."

"It would certainly be nice to say it was simply a string of bad luck, but everything seems connected, these days..."

"The vampires were hired again to attack us, using iron; and coming through that only brought us through Portland, drawing attention from the Court faerie which the Ringmaster angered in the past..."

"What we're doing now... ...Every part of it is to try and shake them off, for good, now."

[verbaltic]

"Zaka, slow down a moment, I don't understand." This is a lot of information to take in at once and, though Hanamaru's trying her best, that doesn't change the fact that she's getting a little bit of information overload all at once.

"What's Portland, zura?" asks the very Japanese teenager.

[betheman]

"Auh..."

"oh..."

"...In...most cases it is a city in the United States, though..."

While Marishi continues to hem and haw, Gongenzaka tries to continue. "...In this case, it refers to the version of it from an 'Earth' we visited. Fae which had prior interactions with the Ringmaster were there."

"Suffice to say, us going there reminded them that she exists! ...They didn't like that." There's more, but god, if they have to explain all of that in one breath...

[verbaltic]

Hanamaru still doesn't understand everything: Gongenzaka's explanation is slightly helpful, but she's missing a few core terms and a few core backstory details. Still, she's trying her best to understand.

"So we went from fighting vampires to fighting other faeries? That sounds like a handful."

And she can't help but frown slightly as she thinks. How chaotic that must have been! And no wonder so many people have changed since she saw them last!

[betheman]

A lot of core terms. All of the core terms, really.

"Well, we weren't really fighting the vampires full time..." Marishi mutters, but she's ignored.

"Handful enough, that the carnival's typical activities are cancelled for the time being at the least. I, the man Gongenzaka, can only assume you were told there would be no performances..?"

[verbaltic]

Hanamaru nods. It's obvious she's not exactly pleased about the fact that performances are canceled...but well, what can you do about it. She sighs a little.

"It hasn't even been a year...it's just been a few months and stuff's gotten insane, zura." And she still has half a year or so left on her contract! Things can only get crazier, which Hanamaru isn't too pleased about.

[betheman]

"It did happen quite quickly..!" Marishi laughs awkwardly, her partner simply grimacing.

"Aauh...Though with any luck it will also be over as quickly; when it comes to what we seek for the total defense, we are after all, quite close..!"

Well. Until one considers that they have zero idea where that red beast is, and what it is for that matter...

[verbaltic]

"What're we looking for?" Hanamaru asks. Having zero context on the Miracles, she's just assuming something like 'a really cool spell' or 'blueprints for a wall,' not 'a fae artifact that's also kind of sentient.'

[betheman]

"They are referred to as 'Miracles'!"

"There were three- supposedly they were created between the powers of the two courts...making them the most powerful faerie artifacts to exist."

"As of now, we have two; the Blue Rose, as well as the Silver Mirror. Presumably, we shall seek out the 'Red Beast' as we currently know it, after this vacation."

"...it would be nice to know what it looks like though," Marishi mutters despite themselves.

[verbaltic]

"I think it'd look red, zura," Hanamaru briefly sasses. Yes, she knows that there could be a whole bunch of different shades of red and a whole bunch of different types of beast. But she can't help herself and gets in that brief moment of being sassy before the conversation goes back to the Miracles.

[betheman]

"MNH-! That-!"

"It's a temporary name," Marishi chuckles. "Because the scripture found describing it stated it had 'red blood flowing through its body'. We don't actually know what it looks like on the outside!"

"Nor species, nor size... ...Simply that it escaped, to run free."

[verbaltic]

"So we're lookin' for something that we don't have a clue what it looks like?" Hanamaru siiiighs. They've got their work cut out for them: this isn't going to be easy.

"Hopefully the Ringmaster's at least got an idea of where to look. Otherwise, it seems a bit hopeless, zura."

[betheman]

Hah. Hhahahahhaa.

"Welll..."

"..For the moment at least, it is the time to have a rest from such things- no doubt, we will return to someplace where tracking the 'Beast' is more possible, after this."

Hah

[verbaltic]

She can only hope that'll happen. Because the more Hanamaru hears about the Red Beast, the more hopeless this situation seems to be. Relaxation and not thinking too much about this for the moment sounds like a good possibility.

This sounds like a 'talk it over with the Ringmaster' sort of problem anyway.

"Iiiin that case...wanna see if one of these spa rooms is a proper onsen, zura?"

[betheman]

They'll probably discuss it once this vacation is over- that would make sense, right?

"Oh! We know where-" Marishi is firmly cut off.

"Hmm! An onsen style room sounds like a wonderful idea, Hanamaru! Let us find one immediately then!" HOT SPRINGS!

[verbaltic]

"Then lead the way, zura!"

And then the weird dog plant lion man and the tiny tanuki girl have a nice long soak.