⇨ THE SUMMERLANDS

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 119 - Day 126
Where: The Summerlands
What: Ignatius and Gild portal everyone to the Summerlands, with hopes of appealing to the Summer Maiden for help. Meanwhile, the carnival gets the chance to relax in luxury as only tentatively welcome guests. Here is the location write up from the last time the carnival visited. Since then, of course, some things have changed.
Warnings: Nothing in particular.

THE SUN RISES↴ After taking the time to rest, Ignatius and Gild will be able to pool together their energy to portal the carnival (and the airship) to the Summerlands. Those still in Polaris will be left to their own devices for the moment as Gild intends to ask for the Summerlands aid in relocating them, hopefully as soon as possible. With the effort the carnival put into sorting things out in there, however, they should be fine on their own for a little while, at least. They will arrive in the flowery fields at the base of the mountains, and soon the Summer Fae will notice their presence. Since the last time they visited, however, the atmosphere has changed. ► YOUR ARRIVAL: As the Summer Fae discover the group's arrival, it will quickly become apparent that there is a tension present that wasn't there any of the other times the carnival has visited. The Summer Maiden comes to greet the group personally, with an entourage of armed Summer Fae. They are not at all aggressive unless provoked, but there is clearly a wariness that is new. They seem uncertain about Ignatius being here, and while Gild will be able to do a lot of the talking and smooth things over, the Summer Maiden will deflect having a serious conversation about affairs until the carnival has taken time to 'rest.' It's more likely that the Maiden needs a moment to think over this new information before dealing with it. ► SUMMER CITY: After the Summer Fae become aware of everyone's presence, and the initial uncertainties are accommodated, they will invite you into their city. There are stairs that lead up the sides of the mountains, but thankfully there are also magical means of getting up there as well. The Summer Fae will be willing to help workers with the injured as needed, offering herbal remedies and healing magic to those that want it. You'll also be invited to join them for dinner, but it feels like more of a formality, and no one is obligated to take them up on it. ► SUMMER PEOPLE: The fae here will do their best to entertain these new visitors - but it doesn't seem that much happens here besides day after day of peaceful meditation and relaxation. It is not uncommon to see Summer Fae spent days doing exactly the same thing, whether that be enjoying the weather, listening to music, or dancing - the day and night periods may be similar to earth, but when you don't need rest it can all blur together just the same. Some of the fae work on feats of agriculture or craftsmanship, and while there is no particularly need to work in this place, they take pride in the fact that they do. ► FAMILIAR FACES: One very different thing about the Summerlands this go around is that there appears to be a small settlement built at the base of the mountains, filled entirely with the former residents of the Manor. Alyss and Reyna will explain that they set up a place to live down there with the Summer Fae's help, and that the fae seems to be trying to remain hands off except when they are needed. The Manor folk overall seem to be doing well, though there is some tension regarding their place in the Summerlands - they are clearly seen as refugees, and while the Summer Fae do their best to help them, the arrival of the carnival and the request for even more help with refugee aid seems to be making things awkward. ► OF THINGS TO COME: The Summer Maiden will remain distant for the first few days, but according to Gild and based on personal observation, it will seem that the news that the Ringmaster has been taken and the idea that even more desperate mortals are requesting to come here are putting her at significant ill ease. She's not rude or dismissive, but she seems reluctant to address the situation head on, though she has said that she will hold a meeting with the carnival later in the week to discuss everything in more detail. None of them seem particularly angry or resentful, but they seem to regard the carnival as an ill portent of things to come.

Comments

[atouts]

"Lambert, you know it's not like that," Childermass scolds him anyway, even if he doesn't get started on Strange and his magical kissing. The next part, well, he does pause before deciding to add, "And I agreed to let him try again, later. He was very intent on removing the enchantment. I just... didn't think it was real."

[whattaprick]

“Do I know it’s not like that?”

Hm, didn’t come out right. Lambert makes a face that only gets sourer at the mention of more disenchantment, which undoubtedly means more kissing, before he clarifies: “I don’t know what’s going on in his head these days. So did the argument come before he tried kissing you, or the other around? And here I thought that was our thing.” It’s clearly an attempt at a joke, even if it’s not at its best. Under normal circumstances, Lambert would turn the whole thing into something to be laughed at.

[atouts]

"I am not planning on giving Mrs. Strange or yourself anything to worry about," Childermass answers dryly, though he sees the humor in it. Well, regardless of topic, he turns back to pulling his boots off and finishes with that.

"After. For a man obsessed with having everyone else respect him, he certainly refuses to lend as much to anyone else," he says with a huff, setting boots down on the floor and looking up again. "I have always been a difficult man to be friends with. That he assumes I will be friends with him on the same grounds as he is with you or Mr. Norrell just tells me he knows very little about me. You, you're his drinking buddy, a brother in arms in some odd, roundabout fashion. Mr. Norrell was his master and equal and found no issue with endlessly arguing over the pettiest of details. I am neither of those, Lambert. I cannot be."

[whattaprick]

Lambert uses a knuckle to idly scratch the side of his nose, thinking the words over. He certainly has had his own issues with Strange of late, and he’s not sure if Childermass is just looking to vent some steam.

“I don’t know what anymore,” Lambert admits, leading with that rather than a direct response to Childermass’s complaint. “He apologized to me for acting like an ass for the last few weeks, wishes things hadn’t turned out the way they did. But then he said he didn’t actually regret anything — becoming friends with Ignatius, or whatever he thought he was talking about. He wasn’t all that specific.”

He shifts to flop back on the bed, hands laced together on his chest and staring at the ceiling. If there’s any benefit to his new horns, it’s easier to do this.

“He wants to be friends, but ... I think that means something different to him than it does to me. Maybe that’s the problem.” He pauses. “Turns not telling him about us is the reason he decided he’d rather spend all his time with Ignatius instead to start with. Said he felt hurt he wasn’t the most important thing in my life, like he thought. But even before I’d decided I liked you, that wasn’t how I thought about him, so I don’t know what made him see it like that. I don’t seem that friendless and desperate, do I?”

[atouts]

"Does he realize I asked you not to or does that not matter to him at all?" Childermass grumbles that before getting up off of the bed.

He isn't about to nod off in the clothes he has from the Summerlands, though. It's all too heavy and embroidered to do that, even if it is all enchanted never to wrinkle or easily tear. He's back up and going to rifle through the dresser in the room, pulling out sleep pants and swapping into those. He won't bother with a shirt. He'll just sleep without, thanks, even if it does put the bolts the technicians added to his back on display.

"I imagine I won't be getting any sort of apology. He no doubt still considers himself in the right about everything, at all times. It's going to be a damn mess when he does return to England to upend any order we've managed to make of all the magicians."

Which may or may not be true, but the ire of how Strange carries on thinking he's the most important, at all times, is just rubbing more salt into the wounds here. Wanting privacy doesn't matter, wanting to be respected in turn doesn't matter, it's always Strange who's allowed anything and no one else, though those specific thoughts remain unsaid. It would only rile them both up further if he dragged that out.

[whattaprick]

“I told him it wasn’t about him. Didn’t seem to matter — he’s still pissed neither of us ever acknowledged we’d upset him keeping things hidden like that.”

The witcher sighs, long and under his breath, and absently turns his attention back to Childermass as he gets ready for bed. Propriety would probably demand he look away, but Lambert has never had very much of that, and anyway if he can’t touch Childermass without him flinching the very least he can enjoy looking at him. It’s certainly better than dwelling on any forthcoming apology (or lack thereof) from the other magician.

Though the topic he turns his mind to isn’t much better.

“And what about you?” he asks, quietly. “Do you still want to return to England?”

[atouts]

"It isn't really up to me, now is it?" Childermass answers that way, which isn't terribly inspiring, but whatever. He finishes changing and heads back to his bed, sitting down on the edge again so he can face Lambert as he talks. "I do need to help settle magic in England, no matter what my feelings or worries are... It's the entire reason I was ever in the carnival. Doing anything less would be giving up."

Although that said, he can't help but think back about Strange still being pissed. It makes him grimace but he can't help but wonder aloud, "I wonder if we do owe him an apology for that. You know, not thinking how upset he'd be, but he always makes it about himself."

[whattaprick]

“You’re welcome to try telling him so, if you think he’d listen, but an apology only works if it’s accepted.” That he’s not sure Strange would ... well, best not to dwell on that too much. Lambert’s lost a lot of people over the years to violence. Not to growing apart. It’s unexpectedly shitty.

What he says next doesn’t make him feel much better.

“It’s always up to you,” Lambert counters, seriously. “But if that’s what you need to do, then we’ll find a way to get you home. Just ... when you’ve done what you have to do, at least think about what else you want, all right? I know magic’s everything to you, but...”

Lambert trails off, unwilling or unable to finish the sentence. It doesn’t change a whole lot about his calculus for this. Whether Childermass wants to go to England or wander forever, Lambert will do whatever he can to see it come true.

[atouts]

"Knowing Strange, he'll use an apology to gloat," Childermass sighs, though there's always a chance. If he just finds the right time, if they can manage to fall to bickering yet again. He sets that aside again, though, and swings his legs up into bed, turning to sprawl out on the mattress.

"And I don't know. We'll find a way back to England no matter what but we're both going to live for a very long time, Lambert. I know they won't always need me there. We'll have time to think about what we want to do after."

[whattaprick]

There’s a big “if” to all that, of course: they’ll live a very long time if they live through this. If nothing else gets one of them, if Childermass doesn’t expire of sheer exasperation at English nobility. If, if, if. Lambert shuts them all out in favor of sitting up again, finding that a good segueway to closing the night.

“For now, maybe you can dream about it instead,” he teases, gently. “Give me the bag I gave you earlier and I might be able to help with that part.”

Once it’s retrieved from the shadow it was stored in, the witcher rolls it in one palm and gently uses his other hand to tug the drawstrings open. Fine, faintly glittering dust is inside, unmistakably magical. He stands by Childermass’s bedside, letting him peek in.

“It works on contact. Once I scatter this on you, you’re going to start feeling very sleepy all at once,” he warns. “I think it works best when you’re thinking about something good before you go under — but you’ll have good dreams either way. It should be strong enough to let you sleep for six hours or so, maybe less if the potency’s worn off. Ready?”

[atouts]

Childermass will do as asked, reaching into a shadow and retrieving the bag from his usual storage. Once it's handed off to Lambert, all that's left for him to do is give the dust a curious look. It's about what he expected it to look like, to be honest.

"I'll try and dredge up something kinder from my memories," he says, a half-hearted joke if anything. "But yes. I am ready. It's either sleep or we stay up even later wondering about what may or may not happen, isn't it?"

[whattaprick]

“Why wonder when we’re going to live it no matter what?” Lambert quips. Nonetheless, as sensitive as Childermass is to magic, he fully expects this to hit the magician like a brick.

“Good night, John.” He tips the bag enough to shake out a bit of dust over him, even as just having the stuff in the air makes him stifle a yawn himself. Still, he’ll stay and watch him a few minutes more, just to make sure the dust takes without ill effect, before he heads for bed himself, letting the magic chase him into slumber.