[OPEN] we were strangers on a crazy adventure

[whattaprick]

Who: Lambert and YOU
When: In the time the Ringmaster gives them to make up their minds.
Where: In the newly-reformed Carnival.
What: Bother him about recent events and about the choices ahead.
Warnings: Lambert's potty mouth, references to past violence, etc.

The Carnival has really seen better days.

That's Lambert's first thought, at least, surveying what's left of his material possessions. Now that it isn't stuffed away in drawers or hidden in boxes, it mostly amounts to a not-inconsiderable amount of jewelry and various novelty clothing, as well as some of the Solstice presents he received with less military applications. Pig and Butcher have been left free to wander around as they please in the stripped-down Carnival while Lambert lazily flicks through his belongings -- a book here, a necklace there -- and sorts through it all. Perhaps surprisingly, for the amount of time they've been with the Carnival, there isn't too much.

When he hears someone else come up to him, he speaks without looking over his shoulder, the flat joke varying:

"What do you think the chances are of her bringing back the springs right now?"

"Seems like a good time for a nap, doesn't it?"

"So, you made up your mind about becoming a god or not yet?"

Comments

[soft_focus]

Reira for her part didn't have a lot of stuff to begin with. Technically she still has a bed? Thanks cloud bed. Driving around on her ridiculous noah bike to see what is and isn't around has been a very strange experience, and she's rather glad they only have to spend maybe one night in all of this.

The bike slows when she hears Lambert though.

"Mmnh. ...Tanyuu and Ginko said it was a bad idea," she says after a moment. She sounds maybe a bit disappointed, but in about the vein of anyone left out of the 'fun'. "...The Ringmaster said so too." She did at least say she could still come along to talk sense into the Winter Queen (in not quite the same words), but it does mean Reira's sort of just.

Floating around and watching.

[whattaprick]

"They're probably right," Lambert answers, shrugging. "With how these things work, you'd either end up being stuck the same age forever, or find yourself looking twenty years older."

Not really ideal, in either direction, though he doubts it means much to a kid. Being told a reasonable reason not to want a thing never stopped him at that age, either. The witcher straightens, brushing himself off.

"What about them? Are either of them taking her up on that?"

[soft_focus]

Uh.

"...I...don't think that's how it would work..." Somehow she just has Doubts. But regardless. "...Tanyuu is," she says after a moment. "...I don't have to stay here when everyone leaves either, so I don't have to be alone I guess."

It's still been very, very odd however- watching everyone power up like this.

[whattaprick]

"Could be risky, tagging along," Lambert offers, but there's no real censure in his voice -- it's just a statement of the facts. He'll leave off rummaging through things to glance over at her.

"But this really isn't much of a place to be stuck in, either."

[atouts]

"Well, she did bring back the grass," Childermass says, stopping to stand right next to Lambert and tucking his hands away into his pockets. He'll look over the bits and pieces of jewelry and junk and ridiculous clothing dumped unceremoniously across the ground. His own collection isn't too far away, having been left with it is for now.

He looks up from that after a moment, glancing over at the witcher as he carries on with, "So I'd see no harm in asking. Either her or someone who picks to fool around with a miracle, anyhow. I imagine they could manage something similar."

[whattaprick]

Honestly, considering the state of Lambert's trailer by the time they got back, some of Childermass's stuff may very likely be mixed in among the witcher's things, too. Not that Lambert is going to point that out.

The witcher touches a hand to his neck, sighs when his fingers come away with grime. He's arguably been through worse, but after being in the Carnival and the Summerlands, he's gotten damn spoiled and too used by far to the comforts of the good life.

"Now there's an idea," he muses. "Wood and Rot sounds like it would get me messier, not less, and I don't think the mirror separates clean from dirty... maybe we can get someone to melt some ice with their fire. That'd do the trick."

[atouts]

"Considering Lilith created all of Eden with the Mirror's power, I might place my best bet on that one doing the job of making something as simple as a hot spring," Childermass disagrees after a second or two of thought, considering such a pointless puzzle. It really would be nice to clean up after their trek through the Wyldlands, but who has the time and energy for it?

It's with a quiet sigh that he turns back to looking over the pile of random crap in front of them. Yes, he knows a few things of his own are amongst them. He isn't going to bother picking them out.

"I could just shove all of this into my shadow, you know. I plan on doing that with my own..."

[whattaprick]

The pointlessness of it is at least part of the appeal, certainly. Its nice to have low stakes to worry about for a change, after everything. He’ll leave off his rummaging then and stretch.

“That settles that then. I’m taking the Mirror’s power for bath magic, just like I’ve always wanted.” He glances at Childermass, faintly amused.

“And I suppose you could do that, as long as you’re not planning on shoving anyone else in there anytime soon. Wouldn’t want anyone taking my things.”

[hippocarnival]

Being asked that way, if he's decided, is a little jarring. Being a god, is that really accurate? It probably doesn't matter, because it's almost just as much power.

"Um." Yuya pauses, whatever mood he was in when he approached going dull. "I... decided not to do it."

He watches Lambert's expression, to see what the judgement is about his decision.

[whattaprick]

There isn't much of a reaction, really. It's not as though Lambert hasn't got his misgivings about godhood himself, and when he thinks about what he knows about Yuya, it's not all that surprising.

Instead, he asks a question that he can probably already guess Yuya's answer to, grunting as he prises open a chest of drawers to go poking about inside.

"Are you coming to the Winter Court?"

[hippocarnival]

Yuya nods with more conviction at that. "I am. The Ringmaster said there's a way... I'm not going to be a burden."

He puts his hand to his chest. "But I am going to see this through, with everybody."

[whattaprick]

“Well, you haven’t exactly been dead weight this whole time, so I don’t see that being a problem,” Lambert offers with a snort. There are a few people he can think of more deserving of that. He looks away from what he’s doing, absently dusting off his hands.

“That mean Gongenzaka isn’t taking it either?”

[anti_nonsense]

Rita pauses in her advance, standing with her arms folded and her cat stopping at her side. She's not surprised Lambert noticed her approach without looking, nor is she surprised he'd ask about the major decision they're all facing.

"Didn't take much deliberation," she says simply. "I'm tired of relying on godlike beings to help me solve all my problems. I'd rather do it myself."

Slowly, she takes a few steps to walk around Lambert and face him properly before turning the question around on him. "What about you?"

[whattaprick]

"Figured as much." That, and Rita was already effectively immortal and this gives her as much magic as she can mess around with for an eternity, so it's pretty obvious what she'd pick.

Lambert glances up at Rita, raising his brows at her when she comes around, then smirks.

"Same for me," he affirms. More sappily, it gives him all the time in the world to be with Childermass, but ... he'll leave that part out for the sake of Rita's delicate sensibilities, being allergic to emotion and all.

[anti_nonsense]

Rita crouches down by the piles of possessions, giving them a curious look. Was Lambert this much of a jewelry fan...? She doesn't exactly see him wearing this kind of stuff. Francis, also checking out the goods, appears quite interested in the valuable-looking items, despite most of them having little use for a cat (one would think).

"Hmph..." She gives a short scoff, like he just told a mildly funny joke. "I guess I'm not too surprised, as disturbing as it is to picture you as some high and mighty godlike being." Knowing Lambert, whatever power he ends up receiving, he'll probably find some way to use it for jackassery, at least once in a while.

[whattaprick]

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lambert says, mockingly. “Are you saying I’d be a bad one? What about you? You’re probably going to use any powers you get to make your cat able to talk again. Not exactly godlike, is it?”

Don’t even pretend that wouldn’t cross your mind, Rita!

[periphrasing]

Peridot is just sort of automatically close at hand by virtue of the fact that both of their respective piles of belongings are laying on the ground in what used to be the supervisor's grove. Contrast to Lambert, Peridot has a QUITE a lot of stuff piled up, a fact which can probably be attributed to a number of factors, including (but not limited to) her just having worked here for a longer period of time.

She's having a hard time seeing all of her stuff like this, though. This is the first chance she's had to come back to her trailer since fighting with Lapis and sending her away, so there's a definite air of extra melancholy about the gem as she sorts through her belongings. Noodle and Stumpy with her still at least, both pokemon out and resting nearby while she works. Stumpy is napping between Noodle's coils, and Noodle is watching as Butcher gambols about nearby.

The Engineer herself is standing out by what used to be her front yard, a few yards from Lambert, staring down at the mermaid skeleton that was once pinned against the side of her trailer. Lambert's question is a welcome interruption from her from her distracted thoughts. She snorts. "What's there to think about? If it'll put me on the same power level as a fae, of course I'm going to do it. I'm sick of getting kicked around by those clods."

[whattaprick]

Really, at this point, Lambert's stopped poking through his own relatively meager possessions to just stare at Peridot's pile of crap with mild amusement. He can sort of maybe tell what isn't hers on account of not being nearly junky enough, but mostly it's a reminder of just how long Peridot has been here herself.

"Just thought you might be worried about going back to your world-colonizing ways, that's all."

[periphrasing]

"Don't be ridiculous," Peridot scoffs, turning to face him, one hand on her hip "If anything this will put me in a better position to stop colonization efforts. I could to home and kick all of the Diamond's asses!"

Actually now that she thinks about it... That isn't a terrible idea. 'Peridot, liberator of Homeworld' has a pretty appealing ring to it.

[spaghettimonster]

"For once... I guess it does seem like a nap time," Papyrus admits as he approaches. "We could all use the focus when we get going... and I don't think it can rain or snow, like this."

Coolbone is trotting close by, baffled by Papyrus' metallic new coat, only to notice Lambert's new skeletal situation. The pokemon dashes over to investigate, and prod Lambert's tail with a bone.

Papyrus watches indulgently, too happy with the reunion to interfere with Coolbone being a pest. At least not until he's gotten too pesty and somebody complains. There's other things on his mind. "Plus, maybe then I'll wake up knowing what to do..."

[whattaprick]

“Could use a real bed instead of all this grass, though,” Lambert muses, only to be interrupted by a Pokémon playing with his tail. Well, he can play right back. The tail whips around to give Coolbone a sharp rap right in the middle of its bony noggin.

“You all worried about it? What the Ringmaster’s asking? Didn’t think you’d be the type.”

[spaghettimonster]

Coolbone startles at the speed of Lambert's retaliation, and dashes a few steps away to stare at him from a safe distance. Having confirmed that yes, the skeletal tail's very attached to someone not very skeletal, the pokemon starts chattering complaints and glaring at Papyrus like he has any answers.

"The type to take her offer?" Papyrus asks with a glance Lambert's way. There's a lot to be worried about, enough he'd need to ask his daemon what's foremost on his mind. But that's the big, immediate question. "Well, I'm thinking about it. I'm already not going home for keeps. And living a long time could be nice..."

There's more to the offer than those details, though, and that's the sticking point. Once, he would have jumped at the opportunity for that kind of attention and responsibility. Nowadays... He knows what it's like, when it's focused on the Ringmaster and he's just swept along with it.

[moonfang]

Zangetsu is casual as he walks up to see Lambert sorting through his stuff. He was just doing the same thing himself, but after finding that he was counting the same gems over and over... well, a little walk in low-resolution land might do him some good and clear his mind.

His winged cat is on his head, and his hands are in his pockets, and he hums thoughtfully at the question.

"I feel like it would be more ironic and cool if a boy and his sword managed to kill a god-like being without godly powers of our own but... I'm a realist. I ain't gonna hedge my bets on this one. We need to win. So that's all there is to it."

He tilts his head, and Kaguya shifts to his shoulder instead.

"What about you?"

[whattaprick]

"Ah, but having godly powers could make it look like you killed a god-like being without any godly powers," Lambert points out, with flagrant disregard for the construction of non-repetitive sentences or logic, for that matter.

"I'm going for it. Might as well not half-ass it, right? We've already gotten this far."

[moonfang]

Zangetsu chuckles and gives Lambert a sarcastic pointing gesture. "Well, yer right about that one. I can sure make it look like we're still the underdog!"

There were lots of "god" words in that sentence, Lambert. But he catches your meaning.

"I definitely think we've earned it after all the hard work we've put inta this shit. I hate ta make it sound like I just wanna take my prize and go home but... that's kinda what I wanna do."