⇨ 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

[npcarnival]

Yuuya manages to find Ignatius, in basically the same place he found him before. From the melancholy air, it's pretty clear that it's Dark Ignatius.

He says that he already found his other half once, but they weren't interested in sticking around. He can't really see how they would join up again.

[hippocarnival]

Well... he's not the only one feeling that way about it, a lot of people are having that problem. Still, Yuya hopes they can eventually realize cutting one's soul into pieces permanently is like, probably a super bad idea.

But he can see Iggy hasn't moved much, ans if they're having issues maybe trying to force it before the other Iggy wants to listen is a bad idea.

So he'll ask if, in the meantime, Iggy would like to go check out the festival town? He feels like he's only scratched the surface even though it's been days.

[npcarnival]

Dark Ignatius just shakes his head, apparently completely disinterested in leaving his room. He says that he doesn't deserve to go out on the carnival's coin, and even if he did nothing feels appealing about the idea.

[hippocarnival]

There's a pause, before Yuya comes to sit (crouch?) by him, probably putting himself a little lower at his level.

He asks, honestly, why Ignatius doesn't think he deserves it? They invited him, freely.

Well, the Ringmaster did but nobody's kicked up a fuss either.

[npcarnival]

Well, he's pretty sure that Rita doesn't appreciate him being here, and rightly so. If anything, the people in the carnival have been irrationally kind.

He's their enemy. He almost killed some of them, and would have easily done worse if he'd needed to. The Summer Court has been so cruel to their kind, and he let them. He never changed when he had the chance. He still doesn't know the right thing to do, but it isn't what he did.

"I don't know why I didn't see it before," he says quietly, standing up and pacing away from Yuuya, his arms crossed over his chest. "My other half wants me gone, and... I can honestly say he'd be better off without me."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya listens patiently, at least until he gets up and makes that declaration. He gapes, then scrambles up to stand in front of Iggy and holds his hands out in a placating gesture. Stay put.

"You know, a lot of the people getting split feel that way? It doesn't make it right. The other you is missing a lot of important pieces that you have!"

He looks sideways, then back at Ignatius. "Anyway, I know what you've done to Rita, and Strange, and the rest of the carnival. If you don't think it was the right thing... we don't always do the right thing, either. I don't think you're evil, and... I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't think you still deserved a second chance."

[npcarnival]

"That's not your choice to make," Ignatius says. "I already know what the wizard thinks, but... Rita was the one that suffered me at my worst. She won't change her mind."

And he sounds genuinely bummed about that? Most of the time he seems to acknowledge Rita's concerns with a significant distance, but not this time.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya's shoulders slump a little, not discouraged but a little of the determination stuffed. "Well, no, I can't forgive you in Rita's place. That's her choice to make, and I'm not going to tell her what to do... but I can make my own opinion about it, too. So I'm giving you a second chance for myself."

He considers that, though, her forgiveness, and there's something else about that. "Anyway, Rita's not the kind of person who would believe you were different if it was only about changing her mind. Is that the only you want, her forgiveness? Or do you want to change, and be someone who doesn't do the things that you think were wrong?"

He speaks a little slowly, because he's watching his words carefully. He's trying not to navigate what the right decision is, so much as going off Ignatius' existing feelings about his prior behavior.

[npcarnival]

"If I was wrong then all of us are wrong," he says, hollowly. "Everything I've ever fought and suffered for was wrong. I have nothing to live for. Perhaps the universe would be better off without us."

He's pretty sure that's how other species feel. He knows there are important things the fae do, but none of it matters to him right now.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya's sure that's definitely how a lot of species (carnival members) feel. But he's not going to feed into that mindset.

"That's not true. You wouldn't say that about Torch, or Gild, or the Summer Queen, right?" Yuya shakes his head. "And I don't believe they'd say that about you, either. You can find something else to believe in--you can be something else, if you want. Look--"

He comes a little closer, waving his hands vaguely in the air. "I don't think you should make any decisions like that before you're back in one piece and have all of your soul! And emotions. Figuring that kind of thing out takes times, and I don't think staying in here the whole time is going to help, so--"

He presses his hands together and looks at Ignatius with anticipation. "Pleeeease come see the city with me? You shouldn't miss experiencing what they have here, who knows when you'll see it again."

Ignatius is super not in the state for epiphanies, but he also doesn't think having memories of spending a week brooding in a room is going to help him when he's in one piece again. He can at least brood around something mildly productive.

[npcarnival]

"The Torch can't say anything because she's dead," Ignatius snaps, turning on Yuuya with misty eyes. For the first time, he looks angry instead of melancholy. "Her life was sacrificed for the Court, just like mine should have been."

He makes a dismissive gesture, like he wants Yuuya to leave.

"There is nothing for me to celebrate. Leave me."

[hippocarnival]

Oh. Yuya's heart sinks, his hands lowering.

"I'm sorry," he says, expression raw with sympathy. It's agonizing to lose someone close, and Ignatius is surely still feeling it. He's regretful for the loss and pain, because it's terrible for anyone to go through that.

He does turn to go, chewing his lip with worry. But he stops when he reaches the doorway, hand against the edge as he pauses and turns a little to look back at Ignatius.

"Is... is Gild...?" Maybe he doesn't know, since they went their separate ways.

[npcarnival]

"The Gilded Mark has no interest in me anymore," Ignatius says, looking away from him. "I made sure of that."

Which does seem to confirm she's alive, just... estranged. He must have some way of knowing, because he doesn't seem to have any doubt.

[hippocarnival]

"Made..." Yuya furrows his brow, turning around. He would have left it at that, but honestly something sounds super sketch about that. Granted, it could just be Dark Iggy's fatalism. "What do you mean, you made sure of it?"

[npcarnival]

"I told her she wasn't wanted, and that she was a traitor," he says, bluntly. "I told her I would kill her if I had to. We did not part on fond terms."

[hippocarnival]

As someone very familiar with the pain of rejection and what emotional wounds words can cause, he falls quiet and squeezes the doorway for the second.

He doesn't deliberate as long this time, though, and while he doesn't cross all the way he does step enough back into the room that he can close the door to allow them privacy again. His brow furrows. "Is that... how you really feel about her? Would you really be okay with that?"

[npcarnival]

"No," he says, simply. "But it's what I said. At the time... maybe I did mean it."

It had been the most contentious part of their lives so far, and Gild had chosen to leave him and Torch behind. The idea of actually leaving had barely occurred to him - it didn't seem real, even once Gild was gone.

[hippocarnival]

Well, they did just have a conversation about mistakes and changing. Maybe he meant it at the time, but... "If you could, would you want to see her again? To talk?"

If they were that close... then maybe Gild hasn't moved on any more than Ignatius did. They made different choices, but they can also be different people, now.

It's also just sad, to him, that they've lost one friend and are now separated from each other. He can imagine himself in a similar enough situation that he's sure that would have broken him more than Ignatius.

[npcarnival]

"I don't know what I'd say," he says, still not making eye contact. "She left us behind, and... she wasn't there when we lost the Torch Bearer. I decided I never wanted to do what she did to our kin."

He already saw the pain caused by the Maiden and Gild's absence. Betraying his home was unthinkable. It still is, even now.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya shrugs a shoulder, and even if Ignatius won't look at him, he continues to look back at him.

"You don't have to know what you'd say, just if you want to say anything. It can't be right now, but if she's in the Summerlands we might be able to reach her? Maybe she wants to talk to you, too."

There's a part of him that wants to argue in Gild's place, that it probably wasn't that simple and easy for her, but he chokes in down and reminds himself that the best thing he can do is give them a forum than try to smooth this out in their stead.

He waves a hand quickly. "I'll help if it's what you want, but you don't have to consider it a favor or owe me anything!"