⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #4

[ringleaders]

WELCOME TO THE SHOW!↴ Or, more specifically, Lost Carnival's test drive meme! This is an opportunity to try out your characters in the setting before you apply, or to put together samples for characters you've never played before. There are going to be options for both new arrivals and veteran characters. Before we get started, let's lay down some details: You can read the full premise here. Reserves and Applications are both currently OPEN. You can apply as a newcomer or as a "veteran" character who has been in the carnival for up to three years. In the case of veteran characters, you will need to come up with an explanation of why they haven't been around the carnival recently. TDM threads can be used as game canon after the fact if both characters are accepted and the players agree to it. If you are interested in additional IC and OOC plot responsibilities, consider applying for a Supervisor position. Treasurer, Wardrobe Manager, and Acquisitioner are currently open. More roles that currently need filling are listed here! NEW RECRUITS↴ You gotta start somewhere, right? These prompts are for characters who are arriving in the carnival for the first time, and who are destined to sign a contract. How they go about that is up to you, but in the meantime they can enjoy the sights and sounds of something truly out of this world. Visitors to the carnival comes from many different worlds today, as the ringmaster casts out her recruitment lures. Will you become her most recent hire? ► ADMISSION FEES: After crossing into the carnival's realm and passing through the trees, most visitors will find themselves at the front gate - though not all choose to enter that way. If they enter legitimately, however, they will have to pass by a clerk who will trade admission and tickets for various attractions and rides in exchange for "anything of value." What is of value may seem highly subjective, and so some may struggle to produce payment at first, though in actuality the carnival will take anything from mundane currency to items of purely sentimental value. ► MIRROR MAZE: The mirror maze (pictured above) is a big attraction in the carnival, and stretches much further on the inside than it looks like it will on the outside. It's hard to get through, and what's more, after you've been in there for a while your reflections will start gaining a mind of their own - mostly in order to taunt and distract you with personal information. They don't know everything you know, but they know more than they should, and their mind games can be pretty hit or miss. ► GAMER'S CIRCLE: Almost all of the game booths are organized in a large ring around the Cookhouse, called Gamer's Circle. Your can play just about any carnival game you can imagine here, for a variety of prizes sometimes traditional, exotic, or outright magical. Dart tossing? Got it. That game with the water guns? Got it. Most of these booths are currently manned by humanoid spirits who look like they are made of smoke. If they can trick you into earning debt, they will. ► NOT YOUR WHEELHOUSE: Sometimes, even magical ferris wheels get stuck. The carnival's particular wheel is enchanted to create a particular out of this world experience - as you pass along the top, you feel as if they are so close to the sky that you can interact with the stars like baubles hanging above your head. Of course, the novelty probably wears off when the wheel is broken and you've been stuck enjoying the light show with some stranger for the last half hour. How are you going to pass the time? ► TRYING TO LEAF: No matter where you came from, you seemingly emerged from a forest. Obviously, to get back home you should be able to go back in the same direction, right? It turns out you can't. Worse, trying too hard to get through the wood will result in you getting lost, or turned back to the carnival. The trees here are not normal, and are varying levels of alien, including things like trees with glowing fruit or orange flowers that constantly burn like candles. ► WILD CARD: Anything else you can imagine in this setting! There are a lot of possibilities and you're free to explore them. Check out the rest of the game info or the locations page for additional inspiration. Want to make a starter with your character experiencing their first theoretical change? Go for it! VETERAN WORKERS↴ These prompts are tailored to the carnival's existing employees, the veterans. Odds are they've been here from somewhere between a few months and three years already, and know their way around the block. For them, this is just business as usual - and depending on their attitude towards their job, they may or may not contribute to a few people accidentally getting themselves a contract. Whatever you do, though, don't warn visitors away from the carnival - the ringmaster hates losing business like that. ► DO YOUR WORK: This one's pretty simple - just have your character doing whatever you'd like to have their job be! There is a big list of ideas over here, and you could use this to try things out with a character you intend to be a new arrival, as well. ► WILL O' WISPS: The ringmaster's will o' wisps have gotten free, and she's asked that everyone keep and eye out and help her reclaim them regardless of their official jobs. Wisps are small creatures that burn both hot and cold and comes in a few different variations of the same basic theme. Handling them physically (or psionically, or magically, for that matter) is difficult due to their near intangible nature. Touching and being around them can result in confusion and a sensation similar to being comfortably drunk. ► BREAK TIME: Whatever you were doing, it's break time! It's time for you to relax however you see fit. Do you enjoy some of the carnival attractions yourself, or is that old by now? Do you hang out in the Cookhouse to get a snack? Do you take a nap? Yolo, baby! ► RIDDLE GAME: For a bit of fun, the ringmaster has left a variety of locked chests around the worker areas of the carnival, each with instructions and a riddle written on their lids. The chest will accept three guesses from each worker before refusing to respond to them any further. If you guess the right answer, the chest will open and you will be rewarded with some manner of fun magical knick knack. If you've run out of guesses, maybe you can conspire with someone else and promise to split the prize? ► CAPTURE THE... EGG?: The Ringmaster likes to keep things exciting for her employees, and this time she's devices a game that mixes an Easter egg hunt with capture the flag. She's hidden various metallic "eggs" around the carnival that chime like bells when people get near, and divided participants into three teams (red, blue, yellow of course.) The carnival has been divided into three zones, and the objective is to gather as many eggs as possible for your team (three points for gold, two for silver, one for copper.) However, when you are in a zone that doesn't belong to your team, if they can snatch off your team flag they can take you to "jail" and confiscate any eggs you may be holding for their team. When in doubt, bullshit the rules! This is a prompt, after all. ► WILD CARD: Anything else you can imagine in this setting! There are a lot of possibilities and you're free to explore them. Check out the rest of the game info or the locations page for additional inspiration. Want to do a performance? Hang out in the Backyard? Choose whatever appeals!

Comments

lambert | the witcher

[whattaprick]

[ werq werq werq - talking up games]

[ Given Lambert kills monsters for a living, usually risking life and limb and the loss of various body parts and trying to squeeze a day's pay out of stubborn peasants, a year and a day working in an enchanted carnival with room and board provided sounds like a vacation. Sure, he still has to work, but it's better than getting covered in drowner guts. Vesemir would disapprove, but that's at least half the reason Lambert's enjoying it. ]

Rrright this way, ladies and gentlemen, step right up! Try your skill and you could bring home tonight's grand prize! [ He shouts by the gamer's circle, twirling a baton showily. After three months of this, Lambert's gotten better at the friendly, over-enthusiastic patter, the deep scars on his face mostly disguised by the floppy hat jauntily skewed on his head.

Blink, and you might miss it -- the occasional way he'll wave his fingers in front of a reluctant pathron's face, the hesitation dissolving as they relax and nod, absentmindedly heading towards the stall he directs them to. Watch long enough, and it almost looks like a conductor directing an orchestra, each nudge meant to keep stalls occupied and busy all night. ]

[ drunk o' the wisp ]

[ Lambert's supposed to be here to help figure out what happened to some nobleman's daughter who'd gotten herself literally spirited away. But so far, he hasn't seen hide or hair of lost heiress, and he can only hang around long enough hoping he'll gain enough of the ringmaster's trust to get a solid lead.

In the meantime, though -- the wisps need to be herded back into order. How they keep getting loose is beyond him, but by now he reckons he's developed a system that works, which mainly consists of walking around with a big glass jar and trapping them inside. He's already caught a few tonight, so there's a slight weave in his step as he sneaks around closed stalls and equipment. ]

C'mere, little wispies. Come to daddy. [ He sing-songs, snickering to himself, only to swear softly when he half-stumbles against something in the grass -- or maybe just his own feet. ] Hey, watch it!

[atouts]

[ Unfortunately for Lambert, someone didn't miss it. The next time he moves to wave his hand in someone's face, he'll find his wrist caught by Childermass, one of the carnival's magicians. One with a habit of appearing seemingly out of nowhere, at that, which is just what happened here. Whatever Lambert's been up to, he's about to find some interference.

While Childermass won't warn visitors off directly, he likes to think there's a difference between giving a warning and leveling the playing field. ]

Perhaps you should try your luck elsewhere tonight.

[ He hasn't even looked at Lambert since appearing, instead speaking to the hapless man he was about to... enchant? Childermass isn't quite sure yet, actually, but he can certainly make an educated guess. ]

[osteothropy]

[Nah, that's just Sans, lying in the grass for some inexplicable reason. It looks like he was sleeping - up until Lambert kicked him in the side.]

Sup?

[He salutes the man vaguely, sounding a bit foggy.]

drunk o' the wisp

[zireael]

[ Too new to quite understand this place, Ciri's been given the job of looking for wisps and corralling them back to their owner. She's never seen the like before - not the sort that are here - and it's rather difficult to get them to go anywhere she'd like. She tries spooking them, even cajoling them. Nothing really seems to work.

About ready to try to use her own powers, she nearly stumbles into someone else, two wisps floating at her head and making her dizzy. ]

Hey! I didn't--

[ Wait.

Blinking past the fog, Ciri stares owlishly at Lambert for a few moments, like she's seen a Leshen courting a dwarf. Of all the people to find, and with the way he looks... ]

Lambert!

errybody in the club got tipsy

[kingsroads]

[ Strange is also trying to catch wisps. Not for any sort of 'help out the Ringmaster' reason but because holy crap, they're magical and intangible and he's never dealt with them before and wants to see just what exactly they can do. Wisps had been mentioned in stories, of course, but this was the first time he's actually seen one: and he's going to observe it as closely as possible.

So that something Lambert stumbles on? It's actually a someone. Strange has been lying on the grass, watching a wisp as it dances a few feet from him, trying to observe it's nature. Obviously the thing burns but it doesn't burn the grass? How interesting! Obviously there's some sort of magical properties involved and yep, that's a foot connecting with his stomach, that really hurts. ]

Watch where you're going! [ Strange exclaims, as he stumbles to his feet, glaring at Lambert as if it's his fault that he stumbled over Strange in the first place, despite the fact that he was lying in the ground. He looks absolutely irritated, a fact that's lessened slightly by the sticks in his hair. Turning to look at the wisp, Strange finds that ah. It's not there. ] And there you go! You've ruined everything, I'll have to find another one to properly observe.

Betty // The Rat Queens

[thebigspoon]

[Gamers Circle]

Ooo this looks so cool!

[Darting from booth to booth Betty is admiring the prizes that each game has to offer, eager to try her luck but knowing she only has so much money to spend.]

Where to start where to start?

[The Smidgen girl has to go up on her tip toes to see over the counter at some of the booths due to her diminutive size, but she's not afraid of climbing ontop of said counters as you can see now as she hauls herself up onto a solid surface to get a better look at one of the games of skill and accuracy.]

Hmm...whattya think? Where should I start?

[I think she's talking to you.]

_____________________________________________

[Break time, old habits die hard]

[Betty may be gainfully employed now...more or less but a streak of mischief and roguishness wouldn't die which is why during her precious time off she's sneaking about the Carnival grounds trying to slip into other peoples sleeping areas and check out their stuff.

Being the good natured Smidgen she is, she wouldn't steal anything of obvious sentimental value...but candy is free game. And she does have a weakness for shiny things, alcohol, other items relating to vice and the more entertaining sins.

As luck would have it unfortunately for her, you've stumbled upon her in the midst of breaking and entering. She's grinning sheepishly clearly struggling for an excuse.]

Oh uh...this isn't the bathroom is it?

GAMES

[otoko]

M-Mmm?! You are asking me?! [The one Betty has questioned-whether intentionally or not, given that such comments are easily aimed at strangers you know are there rather than strangers you can see-freezes, his ears swiveling backward as he wonders how exactly he's meant to answer.

He is an odd looking one, certainly. His eyes shine in the dark of the Carnival's night sky, but despite the permanent shadow over them, they shine more with confusion than anything else.] Th-That is to say...

...I, the man Gongenzaka, do not actually play these very often...

BREAK TIME

[gobelyn_fair]

[Emeleth has an office somewhere. I mean, presumably she must...things don't just order themselves here...do they?

Well, regardless of the metaphysics of the existence of her office, she's clearly not there at the moment - since she's very obviously here at the moment.]

A-hem.

[She leans against the side of one of the trailers, a mildly amused look on her face. The look of someone who knows that she's watching someone dig themselves deeper - and who is perfectly willing to let them continue doing so.]

If you are looking for a bathroom out here...why not go back to your own place?

[She gestures vaguely in the direction of your assigned trailer, not that far away.]

Honey Lemon // Big Hero 6

[allaboutthatbasenoacid]

[Mirror Maze.]

[Carnivals were more fun when you were with friends, but unfortunately Honey had left her friends behind to come to this place. And so with a faint whim of giving herself time to think she wandered into the maze of mirrors and at first it was all amusing. Her tall slender figure warped and twisted into different shapes and sizes, short and fat, even thinner and more stretched out like taffy. Wobbly and even one with an hour glass figure!

But the deeper she went into the mazes the less she smiled, she couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. Being teased by those smiling faces. A nervous laugh slipped from her lips as she started moving faster keeping a hand against the mirrors hoping to use that method to find her way out eventually. However even her nervous laugh got twisted into mocking laughter by the mirrors.]

Let's be real, you should take one of these mirrors back to your room so you can have some curves for a change!

[Honey let out a yelp startled by the reflection teasing her and it was enough to make her stumble into another mirror which cackled.]

And you've had a creative block for weeks to boot so now you can't rely on your brains OR your looks Funny Honey!

[Honey took a breath and tried to compartmentalize her insecurities so she could sort this out planting a hand on the mirror again and starting her return trip.]

It's not real, they're just reflections. They can't hurt me.

[She was muttering to herself forcing a smile as she continued on trying to drown out the voices.]
_________________________________________________________

[A tailors work is never done]

[While making clothes had mostly been a hobby for her, Honey was good with a needle and thread and so offered to help with the costumes for the shows while she was here. What she didn't realize however was that some of the performers weren't...well entirely human.

This was surprising, fascinating and grounds for all sorts of new and fun designs blending the color of their skin or fur or...whatever with the fabrics, trying to find ways to make their expressions pop even from a distance. The makeup would help of course but the outfit would help draw in the eyes of the audience and keep them focused!

Hearing you lingering outside her "lab" she calls to you while fluttering about stitching as fast as her long dexterous fingers can.]

Come in come in! It's ok I'm just finishing up this patch, how can I help you?

mirrors!

[kingsroads]

[ She's not the only person in the maze. Strange had been in a dead end of the maze, trying to see if there was any way he could further figure out the specific enchantments used on the mirror. It's only when he hears Honey's startled yelp that he's jolted out of his work.

Ah. So she's discovered the...'perks' of the maze. Well, he can help a little, at least. And it's not like his attempts to figure this out were getting him anywhere. Strange walks towards Honey with the confidence of someone who's been in the mirror maze before. He starts talking before he comes into eyesight—after all, he didn't want to scare this poor girl. She seemed jumpy enough as is. ]

These mirrors are enchanted, [ he explains as if it's obvious, rapping his knuckles on one of the mirrors. By this point, he's reached Honey and given her a small smile. He's a little bit worrying at first glance: he certainly looks out of place, with his wild hair and his early 1800s attire. But his tone of voice certainly seems genuine enough. ] I can show you the way out, if you wish.

TAILORS WORK

[osteothropy]

[By now she probably knows about Sans, at least a little bit - maybe she's seen him sleeping in his lawn chair, or standing around looking ominous in the evening. He's not generally the most forward, though, so this could be the first time they're appearing. He shows up without much fanfare, and drops what remains of a hooded coat onto her work table. It looks like it's been both shredded and set on fire.]

Hey, buddy. I toasted my work coat so I need a new one.

[He's wearing a far less elegant replacement at the moment. It's best not to ask about it.]

You're one of the new tailors, right?

[A tailor's work is never done]

[thevictoriandetective]

[Sherlock, being Sherlock, had gotten into something or the other, and had a big tear in his precious belstaff coat. He was on patrol, and not a performer, so it wasn't like he needed to wear anything fancy for a physical job. Still he liked his designer clothes and his belstaff, though it had seen a lot, it was still his favorite item. He would rather get it professionally mended than try to botch it up himself.]

Hello, just...needed to see if you had room to fix a coat.

[Sherlock had unfortunately suffered from a high number of severe transformations early on. So despite his penchant for nice clothes, he was also covered completely in green scales. His large canines and forked tongue added to his snake-like visage.]

okumura rin | blue exorcist

[flashover]

ADMISSION FEES
Whaaaat? You have to have money to get in here? [a boy of no more than 15 years whines anxiously at the entrance gate. Apparently he didn’t hear the “anything of worth” and is focused on the “cash” aspect. The kid isn’t exactly normal looking. He has slightly pointed ears and small fangs. But most interestingly, he has a tail; long, black, and lion-esque, with a bronze-colored, intricate band at its base. It swishes back and forth in irritation. He looks at whomever happens to be standing nearby]

Heeeeey… Can you spot me? Pretty please? I promise I’ll pay you back! Just as soon as I can! Please!! PLEASE~? I’ll… I’ll win you a nice prize at the games!

[he smiles brightly and wags his tail a bit. How can you say no to that face?]

GAMER’S CIRCLE
[Rin is a fae’s dream. The ethereal carnies don’t even have to break a sweat to get him into serious debt. All they had to say was that he could play games and pay it off “later”. Rin, naive little creature that he is, can’t believe his luck!

He’s also pretty good at carnival games, and now he’s carrying an armload of stuffed animals and cheap toys.

Then, he sees it. The holy grail of carnival games. Test Your Strength. Rin always beat the shit out of these, given his supernatural strength. And there, sitting at the top, is no mere plush toy. No.

It’s a giant, chibified version of his beloved familiar, Kuro. There’s some slight differences… enough to keep Rin from realizing how creepy it is that they have something like that.]

Uaaaah!! I gotta have that!! Kuro would LOVE it! Omigosh.

[he sets down his other prizes and RUNS for the booth.

Possibly bumping into someone in the process]

Oops! Sorry, my bad!


WILDCARD
[have another idea? LETS GO]

admission fees

[perverses]

[ Shima's still trying to figure out if there was supposed to be a carnival in town at all or not when Rin turns to ask him that, which prompts him to break away from pondering that probably really important question. He looks between the shifty-looking admission taker and Rin, then back again. ]

Huh? [ Well, he probably has enough to, but more importantly— ] Yeah? Sure I can, but if you can't afford to get in in the first place, how are you gonna afford to play any of the games?

GAMER'S CIRCLE

[osteothropy]

[As it turns out, the person he runs into is a skeleton. Really, though, he just barely runs into him - the moment the two touch, Sans has already teleported around to the other side of Rin, looking slightly alarmed but mostly pretty unphased.]

Better slow down or you'll end up with a repairs bill.

[The meaning of that is ominously open ended.]

renzo shima | blue exorcist

[perverses]

mirror maze.

Man oh man, why did you have to go with pink? Pink looks awful on you! [ Okay, the maze has officially stopped being fun for Shima. Time to find the entrance! Somewhere, somewhere, he's sure if he keeps on going left— ] Look at me, I'm Renzo Shima, ~I'm so cool~.

[ Figures he'd get lost in a mirror maze haunted by assholes. He shouldn't be that surprised. He kind of figured there was something shady about the carnival in the first place and finding out it's likely full of demons or spirits or whatever sure isn't a shocker. Annoying, though! ]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you already used that one. If you're goin' to make me pay for this stuff, try to be original!

[ Which naturally gets a stretched out reflection of him on one of the funkier mirrors mockingly waving his arms about and shooting back, ]

Funny thing to say when you snuck into the maze!

[ An accusation to which Shima winces juuust a little bit. He laughs, though, and manages to sound sheepish about that part. It's not honest in the least, but, hey, he's good at this! ]

Ah... ha. You saw that, huh? [ Of course they did. ] Well if you don't want me in here, why not point the way out? C'mon, be nice!

trying to leaf.

[ ...if he thought the mirror maze was bad, the forest is worse, so much worse. The first attempt to pass back out of the carnival and head back to town, he ends up stepping through the brush and finding himself right back where he left from. The second attempt for the now steadily more worried teenager leads him a little further along through the forest and...

Right back where he started again.

Third try, hello again, gates!

The fourth try has him going sideways through the forest rather than trying to barge on straight through, this time at a run. Yeah, he's gone past the point of keeping his cool on this. Was this one of the Headmaster's jokes?! The entire carnival had felt like something that shady guy would let into town for shits and giggles, but what would the point of trapping him in it be?! ]

Trees, trees, trees, when did we get a forest like this outside of town?! [ All the weird plants and glowing flowers are better suited for the hellhole they had to go training in that one awful time, even if it doesn't have as many bugs— oh, wait, there we go. As if the forest had been waiting for that thought to cross the poor kid's mind, he runs straight through a giant spider web. Well, not quite through it, because it is giant, literally giant, as in 'big enough to trip a human up', which is exactly what it does! ] That's... a... w-w...

[ Yes, Shima, that's a spider web, a fact he's realizing now from the ground after getting his leg wrapped up and faceplanting right into the dirt. ]

WEB! [ Someone doesn't like spiders (or bugs at all, actually) and he's about the let the entire carnival know. ] OKAY, THIS ISN'T FUNNY, SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!

NO LEAFING EVER

[flashover]

[fwoosh! A lick of blue flames incinerates the spider web, freeing Shima from its sticky grasp without so much as scorching his pant leg. And there's Rin, with a variety of sticks and leaves stuck in his hair and his shirt and pants stained with dirt]

Shima? I thought you left hours ago!

[[ooc: hope you don't mind another thread, your shima is just great!!]]

Trying to Leaf

[empty_vessel]

Jimmy's cutting around the back of the Carnival, enjoying the quiet and walking back to his trailer to crawl into bed and die when he hears the yelling. He starts turning, trying to find the voice. "Hello?"

He's not sure where the voice is coming from, but he's calling and trying to find the guy.

mirror maze

[mewsic]

[ lmao Hummy has no clue what the fuck is going on. Granted, Hummy exists in a state of "having no clue what the fuck is going on" for a good 80% of her existence, this is nothing new.

But what she does know is going on is that the mirrors are insulting somebody (okay! that's a thing that happens!) and they think his pink hair isn't cool and this shall not stand ]

Don't listen to those mirrors! Your hair color looks great, nya! And there's nothing wrong with pink!

[ says the tiny little cute pink mascot character. ]

Snake | Kuroshitsuji (Again, sorry)

[ophidiarex]

Entry fees

"No, we don't work here..." says Goethe.

[It's not a hard mistake to make, admittedly, with the scales that dot his body and the snakes wrapped around it. It certainly stops the cashier from pestering him in that regard. Instead, the hazy spirit begins to ask for valuables, prompting a brief moment of panic to spread across Snake's face. All he has is his snakes, and giving those away... He steps back and begins to look through his pockets, but he seems to be coming up dry.]

Mirror Maze, Sorta

[Everyone who goes through the mirror maze experiences something different. For some, it's harmless, all in good fun. For others, it's traumatic. From the way he's curled up in a ball near the exit surrounded by his snakes, it was the latter for this young man. Talk to him?]

Not Your Wheelhouse

[This... almost makes up for the maze earlier, this ride. It's an amazing view, being among the stars at the top. Snake's been smuggling his companions in one by one, taking many rides, but this one, with Donne resting on his ear, is the first one where it's stopped so long. Nervously, Snake looks around, until the tiny snake hisses.]

... "Hello," says Donne.

Entry Fee

[dorkypantsuit]

[That sort of panic is a too common occurrence at the gates of the carnival and today it's Psi's turn to help people figure it out.]

Do you want to though?

[He asks, coming up from behind the snake riddled man. It's a little startling to suddenly be approached by a tall grey alien with bees wings, and four oddly colored eyes, but maybe Snake is less easily startled than most.]

Don't worry, you don't have to give 'em cash, just sind them a song or something like that.

Sophie Welman | OC | Veteran

[detonarrator]

((OOC: Sophie is being apped as a vet, but she left the carnival shortly after Demolition Derby. If your vet character arrived after that, they would not have had the chance to meet. If your character could have met her, hit me up on discord (Trik #8100), or through pm so we can work out their prior relationship. Her current changes are shown in the picture on the left in this image.))

Back Again

[It'd been years, almost a decade, since Sophie was here last. Or, at least it was for her. According to the RM it had only been about three years to them. Still a significant chunk, but after more than a full year, it's likely a lot of the people she'd known from last time would be gone. There's got to be a few hangarounds though, and Sophie decides to look through the trailer park for any familiar names.

In theory she should be looking for the new warden, get reassigned her old job, or a new one. But she didn't feel like doing that just yet. She'd get to it at some point, but for now she wanted to indulge in a little nostalgia.

So don't mind her if you find a slightly furry vampire poking around your trailer, and possibly just letting herself in.]

Riddle Game

[Sophie actually smiles when she sees the chest. Ah, these games. She was always crap at them. Her instinct to blurt out whatever her first thought was didn't help with the answer limits, and she'd never been particularly good at wordplay or riddles.

Still, the familiarity of something she hadn't seen in so long is comforting in a way. So she squats down and decides to give the thing a shot.]

Alright, spit it out.

The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?

[Oh my god this one seems so simple but she just knows she's gonna get it wrong. She's about to get fooled by a pompous jewelry box, and not for the first time.]

Ah, fuck I don't know. Uhhm. It's probably something cheap like 'nothing' or something right?

Nothing, nor Something, is the right answer.

HEY!! No fair, that was ONE GUESS!!

[Now she's standing up straight and kicking it to no effect.]

Doing her Job, Being a Bouncer

[So Sans was the new warden. She still hadn't quite wrapped her head around that, but whatever good for him she guesses. At least it made falling back into her old routine easier than she could have hoped for. He let her have her favorite position back and everything. Leaning on a booth in the games area, specifically stationed by the Most Heavily Rigged games possible.

She waits. Just let one idiot with a temper try something, she is ready to throw down. Ah, and there it is. Some chump who wants their money back. She steps in probably just a liiiittle earlier than she normally would have, but it feels good to be back. Good to have a job with no moral component hanging over her head day and night, and no political ramifications. Just good old roughing people up.]

Alright guy, back off, or things here could get nasty.

[It's a bold statement coming from somebody who at best is 5'3". But if it's a bluff, it's a pretty confident one.]

((OOC: Feel free to be 'the guy' for this prompt, or just a bystander/game operator/etc, we can npc them as needed.))

riddle game!

[kingsroads]

That's not going to work, [ Strange grumpily responds as he walks over towards Sophie. He gives the chest a little glare, as if frowning at the box would magically make it open. It doesn't. The box remains a box. ]

I tried to break mine open by tossing it from a tree and it still stayed firmly shut.

[ That certainly explains the leaves stuck in Strange's hair as well as the fact that he just seems generally annoyed at the whole concept of riddle boxes. Someone else was crap at the riddle games as well. ]

Annabelle Blishwick | OC

[forkedroad]

► ADMISSION FEES:
After running blindly for nearly to exhaustion, Annabelle is relieved to see the twinkling lights of the carnival. They flit and sparkle vaguely through the tall, dark and thin trees clustered all about, and her posture visibly sags with relief as she breathes out a sigh, which hangs heavily in the humid, cold air. She wipes her brow, heavily trodding forward.

Her feet hurt, and so do the muscles of her core and legs. She isn't very athletic, but she ran for what must have been thirty minutes, uninterested in looking back. Her skin is whipped pink from the cold, and her fingers, ears and nose sting. She hadn't ran with a specific destination in mind—she just took off, deciding she would stop once she found the nearest sign of civilization, away from her isolated home. Which, she knew, was stupid, but desperation had been a great motivator.

And look! Her efforts have paid off. She smiles, seeming to come alive with new fervor when she makes it to the gates. She's halted, however, and frowns. She asks what this place is, and stares with wonder past the gates when the clerk answers her. Distractedly, she asks about payment, and when she's told, she looks incredulous.

"Anything of value?" She supposes it's stupid she ran off without coin. She had an opportunity at a bad time, and took it. "Like what?"

"Anything of value," the clerk repeats. Annabelle stares for a long time, then shrugs off her oversized woolen jacket, worn over a large, loose cashmere sweater. She shoves it into the clerks arms.

They stare at each other, and the clerk steps aside. Raising her eyebrows, Annabelle keeps her eyes on the clerk, moving to step inside—not watching where she's going.

► NOT YOUR WHEELHOUSE:
Annabelle has been enjoying the various festivities essentially all day, and she's decompressing on the ferris wheel. She's never seen such wondrous machines, and finds it unforgivably criminal that this might be the type of world she's been locked away from. She's eating some ice cream, which is another strange, wonderful thing she's never encountered before, and it's dribbling down her arm. She's rolled up her sleeves, because it's warmer here than any place she's ever lived in before.

Her eyes widen when the wheel suddenly jolts to a stop. She's rather high up. She blinks, leaning forward, trying to see if it's supposed to do that. From the commotion of the other passengers, she decides it isn't. It's stuck.

"Well," she says, dropping her cone on the floor. She licks off her hand and arm, then wipes it on the side of her long skirt. She then wraps her bony hands around the metal bars of the side of the carriage, and begins climbing down. Look out below!

ADMISSION

[mylastchance]

And that's how she ends up running straight into Lauren. He's green now, thanks to their little Atlantis adventure, with leaves growing from his head like hair, his ears much longer and pointed than they were when he started here. He had simply been standing their, looking around the crowd when she'd run into him.

He steps back as her body slams against his and her tries to catch his balance. Somehow he doesn't fall. It's only after he catches himself that he notices the newcomer.

"Oh, sorry." He reaches a hand out to help her up if she needs it.

Castiel | Supernatural | Supervisor - Acquisitioner

[cellphoneangel]

[An Acquisitioner returns home]

[He moves easily among them, not bothered by anyone as he watches the swirling lights of the carnival with the open pleasure of a person untroubled by long or complex thoughts. Or driven mad by such. He's not much to look at in his shabby trench and cheap suit beneath it. There isn't anyone in particular he seems to be looking for until something few others can see tugs at the tail of his coat.]

Oh. Yes.

[How long had Castiel been gone? Damn if he knows. Time had turned into a tricky thing that he didn't bother to keep track of much. Sure, the Ringmaster would probably be miffed at him, but these things happened, and he would deal with it. Whatever the invisible thing is at his side, there's no fear in Castiel's face as he slips the ragged backpack off his shoulder and offers it to the creature.]

It wasn't where she said. Something else had found and taken what she wanted. It might come looking for it later. Losing that made it very upset. Even a candybar didn't make it happy.

[He nods to empty air, the backpack vanishing in a swirl of shadows along with the invisible messenger. That leaves him free to enjoy the carnival once again, of being home. Now all he has to do is remember which trailer he lives in. Oh well. He has all night for that. He passes by a popcorn vendor and a box of the sweet kettle corn is in his hands. Paying for it doesn't occur to him anymore than simply taking it did. He wanted it, so he had it.]

[He stops near the games, looking left and then right. This looks a little more familiar. His trailer had to be around here somewhere. After opening a few doors to see if it is, he wanders down the avenue of games to look for someone he knows... or far more likely, might know him. Memory isn't exactly one of Castiel's big points. Or so he says.]

[Location: The Big Top]

[A carnival where the inhabitants were, in some ways, prisoners of their own contracts may not have been where one expected to find an angel, but for Castiel, it is perfect. No demon, angel or Leviathan intent on tearing him apart would dare venture into a place where another being controlled all aspects of reality. There's the added bonus of him being able to go where others could not, to pick up forgotten items or things that the carnival needed. Few places were beyond Castiel's bounds when the order comes down that something is needed.]

[And on the flipside of matters, in his pacifist state, there are few conflicts he can run into. Being outcast, no one much is looking for him either except perhaps a pair of brother hunters. But even the Winchesters or Crowley showing themselves here is next to impossible. He doesn't spare many thoughts for Michael, Gabriel or Lucifer. His older brothers wouldn't bother themselves.]

[That's part of the reason that Castiel is comfortable and starry-eyed at the performances going on under the Big Top. This is home. He claps and laughs along with the rest of the audience as if he were some rube instead of one of the staff. It might help one of the others later for all Castiel knows. It isn't until someone calls him 'Jimmy' that he even thinks about it. Jimmy is a set of clothes he's worn for so long that he doesn't think about it. Jimmy himself fell silent and died as far as Castiel knows back when he holy Molotov cocktailed Michael and God brought him back after Lucifer killed him.]

That was wonderful. Did you see?

[Outside the Mirror Maze : Miscellaneous Right]

[The mirror maze is one of the places that Castiel avoids on general purpose. With the madness infecting his mind, truth from lie is hard enough to distinguish. Throwing in the added evil double bit isn't something he relishes. Today, he waits outside. More than a few stumble out upset or angry at what awaits them inside. His job is a simple one to comfort and reassure those who venture in that all they saw was inside their own mind.]

[Those wanting to stay or sign a contract? Well, that's another story and not for an angel to do. More than a few wait in the wings (pun intended) to scoop them up.]

Would you like a peanut? [Gently enough he asks, offering the bag of salted or honey roaster, whatever they desire, to anyone willing to listen to him.] Are you all right?

An Acquisitioner Returns Home

[osteothropy]

[Sans hadn't really put it together until the moment that he sees Castiel wander back into the carnival. He recognizes this guy - both as the old Acquisitioner and as someone bearing the same face as that nervous looking human from the cookhouse. Sans isn't completely sure he grasps the meaning of that, but it's probably something awkward. You don't tend to get face twins in a place like this without it meaning something.

He doesn't remember exactly when the angel left the carnival either, but it was probably before he became Warden. A lot of people left, several months back. It was hard to keep count.]

Hey.

[He calls after Castiel, real casual, his claws tucked into his pockets. No matter how much extra fae he's gotten into him, he's still a skeleton, and that's more notable than his tail or his feet.]

You remember this place?

mint aizawa | tokyo mew mew

[primadovea]

games
[ One of the good things about using a bow and arrow for your magical girl weapon is that it gives you pretty good aim. As such, Mint is 100% confident in her ability to win this pop the balloon with the dart game and win that absolutely adorable stuffed dog. It's purple! Just like Zakuro! She must have it.

So imagine her shock and horror when the dart bounces right off the balloon. The game jockey's telling her that no, she just didn't throw it hard enough. Obviously he's wrong and the game is rigged...so there's this tiny little thirteen year old just straight up in an argument with whatever game jockey and surprise passerby, you're getting dragged into this. ]

You! [ Mint says, pointing at some random person. ] Come here and help me prove my point: this game is terribly rigged and I deserve to have won my rightful prize!

not your wheelhouse
[ For the past fifteen minutes, Mint's been debating whether or not to just transform into her magical girl form and fly down from the ferris wheel. On the one hand, it feels like it's something she's not supposed to do. After all, they needed to keep their identities a secret and she's stuck here with some random person.

But on the other hand...Mint is bored out of her skull. So the possibility is all the more tempting. Once again, she looks outside of the window as if that'll somehow help her decide what the right thing to do is. ]

Do you have any idea how much longer we'll be up here? [ she asks her ferris wheel companion. ]

[burnsbright]

[Scout's only three years older and not so tiny. The jockey looks at her over Mint's head, and Scout shrugs and addresses the girl cheerfully.]

They're harder than they look, but I dunno about rigged. Gotta make money somehow. Maybe try a couple more times first? Get a sharper dart?

Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy (Scout)

[burnsbright]

[May be too late for anyone to see this, but I may as well! Scout was here a few years ago as a fourteen-year-old Jedi Padawan working off a contract to get stronger in the Force, leaving her with a Hoojib-style energy-feeding apparatus on her forehead. She was highly independent, sunny and kind, and surprisingly calculating and intense whenever fit hit the shan, the kind of person who spends hours every day exercising and training and who'd happily discuss the Jedi in glowing terms.

Now she's sixteen or so and dressed differently in a greatcoat and simpler shirts and trousers, with heavy muddy boots. That Jedi braid is gone, but there's a strangely curly lock of hair that's a little apart from the rest, and her face is more set as she takes things in.]

Doesn't look too different, huh. [Were you looking at her? Now she's looking at you.] Hey, where can I find the Ringmaster?

[OTHER OPTION: It's breaktime. Scout carries a box of darts, small balls, and miscellaneous small weighty probably not-valuable items up and sets it on a table, looking up with a wide, slightly forced smile. Totally not self-conscious or at all nervous here.]

Anyone want to help me with lightsaber practice? You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get a remote.