⇨ 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

[kingsroads]

Nope! That one smells like water. It's the second one from the right that has a faint smell of alcohol to the drink.

Strange is still watching, paying attention to what Childermass is doing as well as formulating strategies for drunk contest round 2.

[atouts]

He's... not doing a whole lot that would give him away, as he is still Childermass and, like Childermass, can summon up his unreadable poker face at will. He sets the glass of water down and moves on the test the other glasses similarly, one by one. In the end, after he's set all of them down.

"I believe I know which it is," Childermass says once he's done, looking at Strange expectedly to see what he'll do next.

[kingsroads]

Strange picks up the glasses himself, puts each to his nose...and then wrinkles his nose slightly when he gets to the one that smells like alcohol.

He probably should have come up with a better test. This is kind of easy.

"Shall we point to which one we think is the correct one? On three, perhaps?"

when ur account expires and all u got is 3 crows, a sister icon, and art

[atouts]

"As you say," Childermass agrees and holds up three fingers. He counts down, one, two, and— "That one."

On three he points at the second one from the right.

lmaoooooo

[kingsroads]

Strange points at the second one from the right as well. He frowns a little, before simply saying,

"Damn. We need a better test."

[atouts]

"Could be there is no decent test for this," Childermass suggests. "Unless you know of a drink that doesn't give off the exact smell of alcohol..."

[kingsroads]

"I'm certain there's one somewhere," Strange responds, with a shrug. It's a big multiverse and all that. "I just don't know where we'd find one or if it's here in the first place."

[atouts]

Childermass shrugs. That's likely true, somewhere, out there, but as they've no idea what that might be, he'll just say, "We could just carry on as planned and split a larger bottle of wine."

Which is to say, they could drink. A lot.

wanna montage it until they're good and drunk?

[kingsroads]

There's a pause where Strange frowns...and thinks...and mulls it over...and then almost instantly decides that yep, alcoholism is more fun than half-assed drinking games.

"Any particular preference on the wine?" he asks, as he gets up to go to the bar and purchase said larger bottle of wine.

up until strange realizes he's a cheater at least

[atouts]

Childermass will point out a wine at random, not even putting an iota of thought into it. Thankfully, it's affordable, and so they spend quite a bit of time trying to polish that off. Only, the more the drink, it becomes readily apparent Childermass isn't actually getting drunk. Strange is, certainly, so it can't be the wine itself...

He's just as friendly though, happy to help pour Strange another glass whenever his is empty and listen to whatever the man has to ramble on about without, for once, any judgment. That said, it probably doesn't seem fair, how much the shadowy magician seems to be putting away without so much as a slurred word.

so much sulking when that's the case.

[kingsroads]

It's at some point, where Strange is pleasantly hammered and Childermass is still annoyingly sober that he realizes this is happening again. Childermass is doing his...thing. That 'not getting drunk' thing.

"Stop that," Strange scolds Childermass as he vaguely waves a hand in Childermass's face. "You're doing that 'not getting drunk' thing again. We're supposed to be having fun so stop that."

[atouts]

To that, Childermass can only laugh and laugh a lot. Sorry, Strange, he's grinning at your expense.

"I'd wondered how many drinks it would take you to figure that out," he says, setting his own glass aside. "I could do this all night long if I felt like it."

[kingsroads]

Strange looks comically put out, like a small child realizing that they aren't getting a pony and mom's just teasing them.

"Well stop that," he simply remarks. "Or I'll disenchant you myself."

[atouts]

Childermass just laughs again because the only real response he can come up with that (still being the far less uptight half of the whole and all) is, "Oh? Are you going to kiss me as well? Should I worry?"

[kingsroads]

Strange gives Childermass a small, slightly worrying smile...before he leans across the table and straight up attempts to kiss-disenchant Childermass then and there.

Think fast!

[atouts]

Which is something he was already anticipating a drunk Strange to try, seeing how he's quick to raise a hand and catch Strange by the shoulder before he gets the chance to kiss him.

"You'd have to kiss my necklace," he says, still laughing, "Not me. I'd prefer you didn't, though. It can't be replaced."

[kingsroads]

As Childermass catches Strange, Strange can't help but give Childermass a little frown. Rude. The frown stays until Childermass actually explains the method to how he's able to stay sober.

His necklace...well, that explains that. And, in drunk Strange's mind, that makes the solution to the problem even easier!

"Take off the necklace then," he says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "You need to get drunk as well."

[atouts]

"Shall I take my shirt off as well or is it still only Lambert that you're interested in?" It's a joke, certainly, considering they already went over that ridiculous question when Childermass first showed up to yell at him. Still, he'll set about loosening his collar and pulling out the necklace in question. It's an old one made of jade beads and pendant, intricately designed in a way that a man like Childermass would surely not wear it unless it had an actual use.

Such as cheating at drinking games, for example.

He lifts it up and over his head, taking it off.

"There."

[kingsroads]

"I was interested in Mister Mykk as well," Strange admits. He's a little too drunk to care right now: might as well own up to the fact that half of him was unbearably needy and desperate for attention. Besides, Strange has a sneaky suspicion that Tyki's going to tease him about this later.

Childermass taking off the necklace is met with a wicked grin on Strange's end. He pushes the bottle over towards Childermass with a triumphant little smile.

"If you have any other tricks up your sleeve, I won't hesitate to break them." Just, you know, breaking them with his mouth. Hmm, maybe he should have phrased that better. "Now, have a drink!"

[atouts]

Childermass pockets the necklace for safekeeping and takes the bottle, pouring himself another glass with the intent to do just that.

"I do still have to get back and check on Lambert sometime, you know," he points out. Maybe he never even mentioned that before. Oh well. The entire 'Mister Mikk' thing has his attention and he's absolutely mocking Strange here and now over it. "Mr. Mikk, hmm? Not the worst choice if you're going for looks alone, I suppose. I think he would only end up breaking your heart, though."

[kingsroads]

"He would," Strange admits, perfectly content to gossip about Tyki. His wicked grin softens to a more gentle one as a very drunk Strange gets a little sappy. "Mister Mikk is not the sort of man to keep himself tied to one person the way that I am. Likewise, he is not the sort of man to seek out new dangers and thrills the way I am. And that is why we would make a terrible couple but wonderful friends."

Does this logic make sense? Strange isn't certain it makes sense, but it does in his mind. There's a pause before Strange admits, "Though he is a very attractive man. I'd have always ended up with her in the end, but it's a pity I didn't realize how attractive men could be before I courted Arabella."

[atouts]

The effort to not mock Strange about Ignatius all over again is immense but Childermass can and will overcome that particular urge. The fire fae is a source of endless argument and he's trying to enjoy a drink here, so instead, he'll just shake his head.

"Better you hadn't. You would have only found yourself in more trouble along the way, considering you have the subtlety of a rock through a window, Mr. Strange."

And then he'll drink, properly, without magic tricks this time.

[kingsroads]

"Perhaps that would be best," Strange responds, with a little shrug. "At least then, people wouldn't be surprised when I did things like go mad or disparage Norrell's book."

He knows it wouldn't be for the best. Flirting with men back home is a whole different kettle of fish than a petty book review (Strange honestly isn't sure where going mad fits in the scale.) Still, he doesn't mind dreaming or musing about what-ifs.

[atouts]

"I imagine they would expect madness from a magician regardless," Childermass says with his own shrug. "The pettiness, well, you are an English gentleman. Petty letter-writing is in your blood."

As much as he would have preferred they skip the whole 'runs off and goes mad' part, he supposes, in the end, he shouldn't have been that surprised. Magicians are prone to doing more or less whatever they wanted to.

"Although, if you had to end up with a man..." Because he's the part of Childermass with a sense of humor, he feels pretty free to ask this. "Which would you pick?"

[kingsroads]

And because Strange is drunk enough to not really care, he takes Childermass's question seriously. He frowns a little, thinking, before he answers.

"Does the man have to be human?"