+ Somewhere a Grandiose Carnival Was Going on in the Sky +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: Everyone!
Where: The grounds of the Mansion
When: March 9-16
Rating: PG-13 (warn if you go higher)
Summary: The Red Queen has thrown a carnival for everyone!
The Story:


From Friday, March 9, through Friday, March 16, the gardens and grounds of the Mansion will be a sprawling a carnival. The masked, unspeaking vendors will be selling trinkets and running free game booths. Carnival rides, exhibits, and foods represent all of the various cultures of those currently residing in the Mansion.


Of particular note, and perhaps incongruously, everything is decorated with red hearts.

Use this log for any and all of your carnival needs!

Comments

[mucked]

It's certainly tempting.

[ peg admits. ]

But I suppose I should at least make an attempt to avoid spilling dessert fillings everywhere.

[ such attempts never last long. ]

[noreason]

That's no fun.

[He's just teasing as he says that, smiling over at her.]

The mess is part of the experience.

[mucked]

Yes. Well. [ she gestures to a peach-coloured blouse, not yet smeared or marred by anything. ] There are parts of the experience I'm still aiming to avoid.

[ and then -- with a tilt a of her head. ]

Truth be told, the smarter option would likely be to avoid the food altogether. [ and yet here she is, folding a point of crepe between two fingers and taking a spirited bite. ]

[noreason]

[Naoki continues to smile as he orders one himself. It has strawberries in it, whatever flavor it is.]

There'd almost be no point in coming if you didn't eat the food.

[mucked]

Yes, but after those biscuits at Christmas?

[ a low whistle. ]

We're rather brave, you and I. Chancing a snack.

[noreason]

[He can't help laughing at that.]

I hadn't even thought about that. Tells you how much I think through my decisions. I'm less brave and more just oblivious.

[mucked]

-- I suppose oblivious is easy to be with smells like these wafting through the fair grounds.

[ a cue, then, to help herself to another bite of her crepe. in reality, peggy hadn't dared to order a single thing until she'd spent a good few hours watching everyone else put things in their mouths.

she wasn't looking for a repeat of christmas's embarrassments. ]

[noreason]

[He nods in agreement, taking a bite of his own crepe as well. He licks a little cream off of his thumb before speaking again.]

You be the smart one in the room and I'll be the strong one.

[He's plenty smart--he has to solve stupid puzzles all the time at home--but he's much more inclined to act than to think about it.]

[mucked]

Must we divvy the roles up so cleanly?

[ she cleans powdered sugar off the edge of her thumb, then smiles. ]

I'd rather be the smart one and the strong one. Preferably in the company of someone who is also both.

[noreason]

That's probably a better situation. Strength just happens to be my specialty these days.

[Of course, they haven't talked enough for him to actually show her. And a carnival isn't a good place to do so, really.]

...Not saying I'm stupid, though.

[mucked]

Of course not. [ peg smiles -- however, the expression doesn't touch her eyes. ] We all have our peaks and valleys. One doesn't have to be the smartest to be smart.

[ a beat. ]

Nor the strongest to be strong. Heaven knows, I've known plenty who outstrip me in both categories.

[noreason]

[He catches that slight shift in her expression, and his own smile is gentler now.]

Same here. But there's not much point in assessing it. We can just be what we are. Especially right now!

[mucked]

-- Provided we don't both of us turn into what we're not once we finish our crepes.

[ it's cheekily said. after all, she's rather convinced they won't. and she doesn't feel that funny compelling urge in her gut like she did over the christmas bookies. ]

[noreason]

As long as I don't turn into a bear or something, I'm good with it.

[mucked]

[ a beat. a pause, before: ]

Speaking from experience, I take it?

[noreason]

I was a polar bear for a little while during Christmas.

[mucked]

Good Lord. [ a beat. she polishes off her crepe, gathering her thoughts. ] See, I avoided those biscuits. Small bloody mercies.

[ -- though she does now think back to a curious incident with an arctic fox. had that been another resident all along? ]

A bear, however. I imagine that was a rather unwieldy existence.

[noreason]

A little.

[The power of the form had been the same, but not having opposable thumbs had been a challenge.]

It could have been worse, though. I could have had huge antlers or something.

[Though with everything being made out of gingerbread, it would have been easy to break through doorways or other obstacles.

He also shoves the rest of his crepe into his face, a little less graceful about it than her.]

Anyway, I think we've proven that the crepes, at least, are fine.

[mucked]

More than fine, I daresay.

[ oh! she smiles. bright and real and honest. it doesn't happen readily, but it seems the crepe might have deserved it. ]

Good God. I'm going to leave here, today, with a stomachache. I already know it.

[ so much good food! too much even for her constitution. ]

[noreason]

[He can't help smiling in response.]

And just think. It'll still be here tomorrow, too.

[mucked]

Are you so certain? [ peggy suspects he's right; the grounds will stay like this for at least three or four days, she suspects.

but peggy wouldn't be peggy if she also wasn't just a little bit difficult. ] The whole thing arrived in the blink of an eye. Why shouldn't it leave similarly, and soon?

[noreason]

It could. But in my experience, this stuff usually lasts about a week, like it did at Christmas.

[He feels like Wonderland isn't the type to break its patterns too often, even if some aspects of the place can be unpredictable.]

[mucked]

Annoying, isn't it? That our bouts of unpredictability should be so predictably -- scheduled, almost. Yet another paradox fitting of the place's fictional heritage.

[noreason]

Kind of like events happening every two or three weeks. We have no idea what will happen, but it almost always happens on time.