⇨ 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

[reflash]

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.

[exaomori]

“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.

[reflash]

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.

[exaomori]

"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.

[reflash]

"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."

[exaomori]

"You said you were hungry a bit ago." And they just established he can't lie, so there. Shura picks up the cup he set aside, presses it towards him.

"Drink. I can't tell you not to worry, but if this like your other changes, then it'll fade away when we go back." Well, except his eye. Shura wasn't sure how that was going to go. "Finish that and eat a little bit. No point in wasting everythin' they gave us."

Worth it or not, they'd find out later. Shura focuses on the present for now. He'd start picking his fur out if he kept playing with his tail like that.

[reflash]

This is a terrible idea, as many of Shura's are, but he drains his glass anyway, then takes a bite of his bread. It probably tastes just fine, but it's a struggle to swallow it.

He doesn't let go of his tail, but at least he isn't pulling the fur out, he's just petting it.

"I still have to deal with all of this while I'm here."

[exaomori]

She'll refill his cup out of habit, not waiting for him to ask or for him to refuse. He can have another moment with his tail, but she isn't afraid of batting it out of his hands.

"Yeah, you do. But you gotta just think of ways to be indirect if it's important. You've heard demons talk before, just remember how everythin' they promise tends to be superficially true." Time to down her glass, trying to keep her head from getting too heavy too fast.

[reflash]

"I know, I just don't want to have to work around it." There it is, a truth spilling out as he complains and takes another drink.

She's going to have to take his tail out of his hands, but she might get clawed a little bit if she tries.

[exaomori]

It just looks weird, Yukio playing with his tail. Sure, his tail probably wasn't the same as Rin's, but that didn't change things. She'll try to offer him one of the last wedges of her tangerine, hoping he'll drop his tail to take the bite from her.

"It's gonna be a pain, no way around that." But it was better to have it out in the open so he could work with it instead of getting screwed over later.

[reflash]

One hand takes the fruit, the other keeps petting the fluffy (and bladed) end of his tail. Get your head out of the gutter, Shura.

"Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?" It's enough, but there's always the possibility of more.

[exaomori]

She can't help that she's a worldly woman!! She'd rather not be thinking of Yukio in that context in any shape or form, but he's just sitting there, playing with his tail!

"Mm, I was wantin' to talk to you about that since we were in Shabon." But he was split in half, and then they were stuck in Polaris.

[reflash]

"... from when I split?" That long ago. She'd known, or had suspicions, that entire time.

And now he's thinking about the split again, the feeling of being two different people. He refills his cup, takes another drink, and keeps talking.

"I'm sorry about that." He has to apologize, because it was humiliating.

[exaomori]

"I wasn't confident until you were back in one piece, and by that time..." Shura shrugs. They were in Polaris by that point, and they had bigger things to worry about. She reaches for the bottle when he's done to refill her glass.

"But that?" What exactly as he apologizing for? It wasn't as if she hadn't seen him as a crybaby before. Sure, he was probably embarrassed, but he he would have to forgive himself for that. "It worked out in the end, I guess. I'm glad you're back in one piece."

[flashover]

"Ahhh! Here you guys are!"

What do you call an interrupting Rin?

He waves with his normal hand and also the weird wing-hand on the same side, then comes jogging over. Kuro is asleep on his head.

"Are you guys havin' a picnic?"

[reflash]

Rin cannot know his younger brother has consumed an alcohol. That's the most important thing here, or at least Yukio's letting it become the most important thing as he quickly tries to hide his glass.

"Yes." Yukio says, before taking a bite of bread.

[exaomori]

“Ah, Rin.” Shura raises her hand in a sort of half-assed salute. She sees Yukio doing something, but doesn’t pay much mind. “You hungry? There’s plenty, but you gotta get another bottle if you wanna drink.” Actually, she should just make him get more booze anyway. Does she care about Yukio’s possible discomfort? Of course not.

[flashover]

"Ah, Shura?! You finished off a whole bottle of that stuff by yourself?!"

Because surely, SURELY, Yukio didn't drink any. That would just be silly.

"Kuro!"

The cait sidhe opens his eyes and yawns before jumping down from Rin's head.

"You wanna go get some more of that stuff for us? And whatever you want to eat, too."

That last part seems to make Kuro happy, and he takes off to find some more fae food. Rin himself takes a seat.

[exaomori]

“Eh?” Wait, hold on a second! It was entirely fair to assume she had downed it all, but it wasn’t just her this time! She whips around to look at Yukio, realizing that his cup was no longer in sight. The little shit—

Well. There was plenty of time for vengeance.

[reflash]

Yukio wants to retort, but he's painfully aware that whatever he says will end up being the truth. It's not like refusing to say anything means he's lying, and Rin is distractible enough that he probably won't press the issue.

"What were you and Kuro doing today?" Yukio can feel the heat in his face, from embarrassment as much as the alcohol.

[flashover]

"Oh, you know... just kind of hanging out... We took a nap out in the sun, we watched this one fae who was really good at making fruit art and stuff like I did in Eden...! I'm trying to decide if I want to sit in on the discussions with the Summer Maiden..."

He shrugs, grabbing some bread and cheese for himself.

"What are you guys up to?"

[exaomori]

Guess what, Yukio gets to answer that question. Shura’s going to make herself busy, pouring the last of the ale into her cup and drinking that. She’ll ask Rin about his intentions on his intentions about going to those discussions later if Yukio doesn’t
.

[reflash]

"Shura was interrogating me about my changes," he says, reaching for his glass and then thinking better of it. He has a lot of visible changes to talk about.

[flashover]

"Hehehe! You mean like how your moles look even more like a sky full of stars now? Nyahahah! Maybe we can find the big dipper, huh?"

It's just a good natured ribbing though, because Rin is quick to deprecate himself -- "Just when I thought I was all done with that stuff, they stripped all the pretty stuff off my wings... Now I just look super weird..."

He shrugs and sighs.

"But it's alright!"

Nope. Still hasn't noticed anything weird about this little gathering!

[exaomori]

Do you see this face, Yukio? This is the face of someone who isn't going to let that bullshit go.

"Mm, Spotty Four eyes seems to be gettin' used to his changes pretty quick, aren't you?" Shura says with that sweet, knowing tone. Bitch I see you twisting the truth. "But did you drop somethin'? You can't be leavin' stuff all over when you're a guest!"