aterat | Welcome to the Carnival

Entry tags:

Welcome to the Carnival

Who; EVERYONE!
What; The Traveling Carnival
Where; The Circus Complex and Green Northwest of the City
When; Mid-March
Warnings; None as of yet!

Welcome to the Carnival

A MULTI-DAY AND MULTI-NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT EXTRAVAGANZA!

That is precisely how the advertising banners draw the curious in to the circus complex outside the city, and they do not disappoint. Visitors will be welcomed and told to enjoy themselves, thanked for their patronage, and even given a welcome gift: a small, folding mirror in a box as a door prize. Along with the mirror is a hand-written note in silver ink, written in elegant script.

If you use me before sleep, you will certainly dream of what might have been!

Visitors to the grounds anytime of the day or night will be drawn in by the colorful lights and whimsical sounds of the carnival that dominates both the park and the Circus itself. There are fair rides on the midway. Yes, that's right. Actual, honest to goodness rides. Some are probably familiar, which others are completely alien. There is a Ferris wheel, a haunted house, a house of mirrors to name a few, as well as whatever you as players may want to dream up. If riding fair rides isn't your style, there is an entire shopping district of craftsman hawking wares, food galor to be found (ranging from exotic meals to typical carnival food) as well as enough alcohol to keep everyone well and truly intoxicated for their stay at the carnival.

There is an entire galley of carnival games as well, if winning that special someone an stuffed animal or new pet (think a brand new goldfish) is more your style. You can show off your skills in the shooting range, try to land rings around moving poles, try to guess the number of marbles in one very large jar, and anything else you're welcome to dream up! It seems the visiting clerks here like to change their games up, so now two trips to the galley of games will ever be the same!

The caller outside the sideshow might try to entice visitors in to his gallery of oddities and here things get very interesting. It seems something like a zoo, or a freak show if you want to call it that (and it may make some players and characters uncomfortable). There are creatures in residence from any number of worlds, be their your own or creatures (or races) pulled from other media. The features of the sideshow also seem to change every time it's visited. You may want to go back several times to see if you can share something you've seen with someone else. You might even be successful!

THE MAIN EVENT

Over the several days of the carnival, there are regularly scheduled showed, either in open-air stages or under Big Tops, and they range from magic shows (that use real magic), or stunt demonstrations (that even use motorcycles, which is odd. Has anyone ever seen a motorcyle around here?) to wild animal acts, acrobats, and even clown shows! The tend to change, any they're repeated regularly so you're sure to see something you came to see! There's no limit to the number of times a show can be seen, either, so bring your friends!

DON'T FORGET THE FOOD

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I can't recall ever seeing one coloured like the one that you're after." Ignis remarked. He wasn't going to pry, but he knew guys played games and things like that with prizes such as this with others in mind. It was none of his business and he wasn't going to ask, but he did find himself visually scouting about for a stuffed something or other for his own other half.

Someone came up to play the game Jagger was playing and so the advisor stepped back, not wishing to get in the new gentleman's way. And after a moment, he made his decision.

"Do you mind terribly if I stand back and observe?"

"They're rare as far as I can tell." He nodded, crossing his arm. He still wasn't sure he was going to participate, but that didn't mean he couldn't watch. It might give him an idea of just how rigged this particular game of popping balloons with a dart was.

"Long as you don't mind me hanging back with you, sure." He shrugged. "You have much experience with carnival games, mate?"

Ignis kept his gaze fixed on the man who'd stepped up to the game and he nodded at Jagger's words. But then he took a look at the bear again and the man who was attempting at the game.

"I've been to a festival or two back home in my time. The games are amusing to say the least."

Okay so it was a chocobo festival and an Assassin's Creed festival but he'd been there. They also did such things for Founder's Day as well.

Jagger nodded as the watched the man take his three darts, how much one ticket bought you, and carefully light up his shots.

"Are they rigged where you come from? In my world, carnies are notorious cheats."

"They can be." he replied cooly, continuing to watch the unknown person. He seemed like he must be a native to this place, or at least more so than Jagger or himself.

"In my experience, it sometimes takes a little while to figure out the system and then one can beat them at their own game so to speak."

Jagger couldn't say he shared that particular experience. Maybe meeting up with Ignis by chance here was going to go better than he'd expected.

"Have you ever pulled that off successfully?" One dart down for the poor bloke at the bench, just shy of a balloon.

"I've been known to do something such as that a time or two."

Ignis wasn't one to brag about anything but his cooking was his Achilles heel. However there wasn't anything about that in sight.

"And as I do believe, your opponent here leans too far to the right and thus loses accuracy."

"It wouldn't be too far, but sometimes, the flights on the darts are off intentionally." At least that was his understanding of how they cheated people.

"You want to give a bloke a hand?"

"If that's the usual game, I can certainly lend a hand and help out."

Ignis was very familiar with trajectories and how they worked. And even if crossbows were something he'd seen Noct use, he still knew of archers and their arrows. So this would prove to be fun.

And so he stepped up to the counter.

"It might be, but I don't know for sure." All he did know what not many people had won any games from this particular vendor.

He couldn't say he was going to object to Ignis stepping up first, though. He was a good shot, and not shabby at darts either, but it would give him the opportunity to watch how the darts fly without wasting turns.

Ignis nodded at Jagger's comment and was given a set of darts. He looked up at the teddy bear the other wished for and that would be the goal. No matter which one of them won, it was going to the darker haired man for certain.

Of course he was going to have to find something for Nida later.

So he looked them over and held each one up in turn for a visual inspection. He recalled looking at the ones Noct and Prompto threw at a dartboard from time to time as well.

And as he ran his hands over the feather he grimaced, noting the moisture. And he waited for the host to pay attention elsewhere when he spoke low so that only Jagger heard him. Ignis started picking up the other few and noting the same thing. "Well well. It seems these feathers carry moisture which won't help for flight."

Jagger cut his eyes in Ignis' direction, a subtle nod to state he'd heard. He hadn't worked with this man before, of course, so he had no way of knowing whether or not the other man would recognize the gesture for what it was. He stepped closer after that, leaning over the counter slightly to Ignis' left, moving his hand so the gloves tips of his fingers just brushed the flight of one of the darts, reaching his perception from his fingertips to the object.

If was never an exact science, searching through the psychic imprints on objects, and those that were frequently touched were even more complicated. This particular dart first told him someone was looking for a prize for someone special. At first he thought it to be an impression of his own, but that proved false. Also not surprising, as many failed attempts with this dart were tied to that desire. He pushed past it, and found his eyes drawn to a chest beneath the edge of the counter, partially obscured by a draped cloth. Something was secreted there, something someone who had recently touched this dart kept in mind, and thought of often when marks with sharper eyes bought a try at the toss. Ah ha.

"Hey, mate. Mind if we have a go with the fresh darts?" He didn't have a way of knowing if that was the specific thing hidden in the chest, but contextual clues suggested he was right.

Ignis saw the gesture and had used it with the lads back home so he was familiar with the nod he'd received. However, he had no idea what Jagger was doing with the darts. Perhaps he was examining them much the same as he had. And that of course couldn't hurt.

So he was patient and looked around the stall, at the man behind it and at the prize that he was going to help Jagger win. But the more Jagger remained in silence, the more Ignis wondered what the other was doing. Still, he wasn't about to ask questions and was more than happy to be patient and wait.

The advisor noticed a frown on the other's face as he walked over to them and listened to some grumbling as more darts were produced, coming out of the pocket in the man's apron.

And Ignis continued to wait, curious as to what game was afoot other than the obvious.

Jagger watched the man take the darts from his apron and was already shaking his head before they even hit the table.

"No, mate. Not those. The ones in the chest," he made a motion toward the box partially obscured by the edge of the counter and the man's expression darkened. His jaw clenched for a moment before he stopped to retrieve a case from the best there and Jagger smiled slightly.

"That's more like it, mate," and then to Ignis, he said, "your move."

"I will be asking you about the darts in the corner later." Ignis replied in a low tone after the man had gone to do Jagger's bidding. This was an interesting thing as to how his companion knew of them.

It piqued his scholarly curiousity.

But once the new darts were placed in front of him, the advisor picked one up, wishing he had Noct's or better yet Prompto's precision with them. Picking one up, he did manage to hit his mark and he smiled to Jagger.

"And now it is your turn."

The ghost of a smirk teased at the corner of Jagger's lips but it was the only indication he was amused by Ignis' curiosity. The other man wasn't the first who'd taken an academic curiosity in his abilities and he wouldn't be the last.

As far as an ability that wasn't related to anything supernatural, Jagger wasn't agile, strong, or graceful, but he could aim. He wasn't exactly a darts player, but actually mini golf. It was a long story, don't ask. But he watched Ignis intently, how he sized up the shot, and he did his best to replicate it. He missed his mark, but only barely.

He'd do better next time. "Your move, mate."

He stood back and watched Jagger with his toss and he attempted to study what the man was doing because sometimes frankly that's how he gathered intel back home with the lads, he observed.

Ignis' green eyes watched as the other missed and heard that it was his turn. Again he wished he had Prompto's aim or even Noct's. Or, he could've participated with them, but darts were really more of a sausage waving contest between them with bragging rights as the prize.

Speaking of prizes, he gazed up at the plush and nodded at Jagger, taking aim with his dart. It managed to land a little closer to the center this time but not by much. "Well, it's improved some."

"Some, yeah." Jagger nodded even as the attendant appeared more than a little annoyed. Jagger didn't care. He'd caught the man cheating and he intended to make the most of it. It would have been better if he was any good at darts, but he seemed to have an ally who at least partially made up for it. In the end, working together, they did end up winning that bear, too, and that left him even more satisfied. He only hoped she'd like it.

After they'd moved away from the stand, Jagger turned to his coincidental partner. "Thanks, mate. For the assist, I mean."

(OOC: I really have no idea how to play darts.....so I hope it's okay if I just summarize things. If not, shoot me a message and I can change it)

It was quite the feat to see the man have to reach up and pull that giant teddy bear down. And once it was placed on the counter, Ignis stepped back so that Jagger was the one that had to carry the huge thing. It looked pretty cumbersome, but the advisor wouldn't breathe one bad word about it, because that was the prize they'd been after.

Turning towards Jagger once he spoke, Ignis smiled with a nod. "I was quite happy to help out since I happened to be in the neighbourhood so to speak." But then he spotted a familiar beloved head of dark hair and he smiled. "I hope she enjoys it, and I bid you a good evening, as I see my own other half coming towards us."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Welcome to the Carnival

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