lostcarnival | ⇨ THE SUMMERLANDS

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⇨ THE SUMMERLANDS

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.

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"I'm busy," he says, correcting her. Not so busy that he's going to skip a meal, because there isn't a rush to do anything and there aren't deadlines or assignments and he isn't in charge of all the injured people in the area.

"You may not have noticed, but the weather is always nice here." Which means it's always too nice to be cooped up inside.

"You're always busy, worryin' about this or that." That was just the State of Yukio. That's why he needed someone to drag him out and play around. It'd be better if he could just get a girlfriend or something like that, but that wasn't likely to happen while he was stuck with the carnival, so she had to step in.

She won't argue with him about the weather, focusing instead on finding her way to a certain residence and murmuring to herself as they make their way into the city proper. "Mm, this way. I think it was down this way."

"Someone has to, and you and my brother certainly won't." West doesn't worry about enough things either, and don't get Yukio started on the Ringmaster. He's got a lot of stress for what he considers a lot of valid reasons.

But he doesn't complain too much as he follows her through the city. Even Yukio can admit (privately, to himself) that Shura's good for some things, and trying out different food options is one of them. Yukio doesn't have much experience with anything that isn't his brother's cooking or convenience store bento.

"Where are we going?"

Shura knows that she worries just enough. She also knows that Yukio doesn't want hear that he's the main thing she worries about, so she won't comment.

"A place I had dinner at a couple days ago. Wasn't much to it, but it was good." It'd be nice if she could just bother Rin into making something to eat, but he didn't have guaranteed access to a kitchen anymore.

It'll be another turn or two before Shura stops, motioning for Yukio to follow her in. After that, it's a matter of wheedling and putting on her sweetest voice to apologize for imposing, but it was getting late in the afternoon, and could they spare something to eat? It's a nuisance, having to ask for food like this, but at least the fae have been obliging enough. Shura and Yukio will be sent away with a basket full of goodies, bread and fruit and some things to smear on the bread. And something to drink, though the bottle is buried under the other items and covered by some iridescent cloth. Shura won't stop to take a look yet, but the basket is heavy. Good thing she had a strapping young man to carry it for her! She'll wait to comment until they're a ways away.

"I don't know if we should be accepting so much from them, but can't look a gift horse in the mouth~"

Yukio stands in the background, quiet and polite and smiling, even after Shura hands him a heavy basket to haul around.

"It doesn't seem like they want to trick us into staying." Which is the main concern with accepting things from the fae, whether in stories or in Yukio's experience since joining the Carnival.

"Besides, I'm hungry," he admits, distracted as he looks inside the basket as he walks. His tongue flicks out, catching the scents of the baked goods.

Mild Yukio is good backup for Shura as she tries to walk a fine line between deferential and simpering.

"We're too much trouble to be worth keeping at this point." Even the quieter ones were likely to cause issues at this point. It possibly spoke to the Ringmaster's tastes in mortals, but it was just as much who was stubborn enough to hang around by this point.

'I'm hungry', though. Was that another one of his strange new admissions, or was he just in a decent enough mood? "I got a place in mind, it's not too far." A nice, sunny spot with a rock to lounge on. It's a great spot for a picnic.

It's a good spot, because of course Shura's scoped out all the best picnic spots already, and Yukio sets the basket down and pulls out crusty loaves of bread and ripe fruit and soft cheese and a bottle of something probably-alcoholic. He doesn't lounge on the rock, but he does settle in on a comfortable, sun-warmed spot with a little sigh. It can't hurt to wait a few seconds before asking Shura why she called him out.

Consider this, Yukio: Shura might just want your company. But whatever the reason, Shura is quick to investigate the bottle. She recognizes it, pops open the top and takes a sniff to confirm.

"Nyeheh, they gave us good stuff. Even a kid can drink this stuff without flinchin'~" She's more excited to get a crack at the booze than the rest of the food, digging out the petite glasses that were included. A full glass for herself, half for Yukio, just to start.

Yukio tears a piece of bread off his loaf, because there is something kind of childishly satisfying about the way his claws break through the golden crust, and then takes the glass from Shura. He sniffs at it, tongue flicking against the surface of the liquid.

"If it's the good stuff, why are you sharing it?"

"Cause it's more fun this way." Something in her tone implies that that's a silly question. Duh. But he's not entirely off the mark; Shura wasn't going to share a drink with just anyone if it wasn't required. "Kampai~" And with that cheers, Shura will merrily down most of her glass. She'll get to the fruit after she finishes this glass, but first things first.

The first sip of his drink goes down a lot more easily than any other faerie alcohol he's had, and the bread is good, and the sun is warm, and Yukio can already feel himself getting caught up in the relaxed mood of the Summerlands. He can't let that happen, no matter how tempting it is.

"What do you need, Shura-san?" Time to deal with whatever has to be felt with.

“What do I need?” A massage would be nice, but that’s not what he’s asking about. It wasn’t that weird to haul him out some place! But it’s true that Shura wanted to talk to him about something, no reason to hide it. She tries to settle in, the alcohol warming her blood, but it’s not enough to make her forget the way her metal legs feel under her when she crosses her legs.

“I wanted to talk to you ‘bout something, but that isn’t why I called you out.” She was hungry and in a good mood, that was all. She reaches for a tangerine, begins to work on the peel with her hands.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" His suspicions confirmed, Yukio can't just eat a meal and relax. There's something wrong, and now it's going to bother him until it's fixed.

It wasn’t an immediate emergency; Shura wanted to enjoy the food before possibly wrecking the mood.

“Got a question for you first. What do you like better, Moriyama’s face or her butt?” Shura asks so very casually. The answer is unimportant, she just wants to prove a point.

"What!?" The mood is ruined and Yukio is bristling in indignation, knocking his cup over as he turns to stare at Shura. "I'm not answering that!"

Okay, that was kinda funny.

“Mm, why not? The answer doesn’t really matter to me.” Shura sets aside the half-peeled tangerine, reaches for Yukio’s overturned cup. “What’s important is that you’d tell me the truth if I pressed you. Even somethin’ like this, you couldn’t lie about it, could you?”

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asks, annoyed now. "I'm not my brother, I don't always tell you everything."

She’ll pour his cup half-full, handing it to him without a second glance. She didn’t expect him to react well to being confronted, so it’s easy to take it all in stride.

“Rin’s an honest kid,” she replies with that same casual tone. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Just go ahead, try to answer. You don’t even have to tell me the truth. Just try sayin’ you don’t think Moriyama’s cute. If you can lie straight to my face, then I’ll eat my words.”

He puts the cup down on the ground, more annoyed by whatever Shura's trying to get at than he expected. This is why she's being obnoxious, some kind of interrogation about Shiemi and lying? (Pointed questions about something Yukio's been only vaguely aware of, that he can't admit to himself.)

"I don't have to do anything, Shura-san. You're just being obnoxious."

Shura’s always obnoxious, what’s new about that.

“You’re dodging the question. Just try to do it. If you can lie to me, say that you don’t think she’s all that cute, then I’ll do whatever you want for the rest of the day.”

But maybe that was a little too intense for him. She jerks her hand up, pointing towards the sky. “If you can’t get that out, then try this. What color is the sky? Don’t give me the honest answer, just give me some crappy lie.”

He opens his mouth for a snappy retort, shuts it again when he doesn't come up with anything to say.

He doesn't want to go along with whatever she's trying to prove, but underneath his annoyance is a cold pressure in his chest, around his throat, a rising sense of anxiety because he knows exactly what she's talking about. He just hasn't been able to admit it to himself before.

"This is stupid." She's right. His tongue flicks out nervously, he shifts his posture and looks away and can't bring himself to lie. It should be easy, he should be able to just open his mouth and go along with her request and get this whole thing over with. But he can't do it.

“I asked that first question to see if you could lie without thinking about it.” Shura returns to the tangerine, pulling off the last bit of peel before tearing the fruit in half. She nudges one half into Yukio’s hand before tearing off a wedge from her half.

“But you can’t do it even if you try, can you?” The fruit doesn’t taste as good as it should. Shura frowns, but swallows it down anyway. This was trouble, but he couldn’t be completely oblivious to what was going on. Shura wanted him to be honest with himself, but this wasn’t what she meant.

He should be able to lie. It's easy, he's done it before. But he can't, he can't force himself to say something that isn't true, the idea is abhorrent, like Shura just told him to eat a live cockroach just to see if he could do it.

He doesn't really notice the tangerine half being pressed into his palm until his claws poke holes through the segments and juice starts running down his hand.

"I just don't want to." He says, but that's a weak description for how the idea of lying makes him feel.

"No?"

Shura considers him for a moment, letting out and soft exhale.

"Eat it before you make a mess of it," is what she finally says, shoving another wedge in her mouth. She's made her point, and Yukio has to choose how he wants to handle it.

"I can't eat right now," is what he says, because he feels queasy from the stress, and it must be true because he can't lie. He drops the mangled piece of fruit on the ground, wipes the juice off his hand on the blades of grass, and tries to think of his next move.

"It's worth it," he says, after a few moments of combing the fur on his tail back into order with his claws. "All this... It has to be worth it."

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