+ 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

I

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji spots Ryuji trying to scoop that goldfish up and stops to watch. Not wanting to break his concentration, he doesn't say anything until the scoop breaks.]

How many tries have you had already?

[nomorules]

Damn it, not another one!

<sub>[He growls as his efforts are once again thwarted. Not even in Wonderland, where things are upside down and inside out, is he good at this game.

He tosses the ripped paper scoop aside where it joins a growing pile of them. Answer: a lot.]</sub>

Oh hey, Seta. Uh... more than one, less than a hundred? You'd think this would be easier in a world full of magic but it still sucks!

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji eyes the pile of torn scoops.]

...Are you sure it's less than a hundred?

[nomorules]

_{[Why are protags so savage.]}

Hey! _{[He lifts his head, looking offended.]} I'm not that bad!

_{[He is that bad. The only thing stopping him from reaching triple digits is that he's not as good as Futaba at squatting on the ground for infinite periods of time, eventually his legs get tired.]}

[eatsyourscience]

It's okay. [He smiles a little.] If you really want some fish, though, I can try to win some for you.

[It might be difficult to tell if he's trolling or serious.]

[nomorules]

_{[Don't pity him...! But in truth, he's not having much luck with his subpar fishing technique, and he sits back on his heels with a sigh. How's that saying go--the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again?]}

I'm tryin'a get a certain one. That fish.

_{[He points at a fat goldfish swimming lazy figure eights in the tank. He can always find it again because it's one of the chubbiest of the bunch with odd-looking stripes on its body.]}

I think it's too damn fat for the paper.

[eatsyourscience]

Hmm.

[Souji crouches down too, peering at the fish, his eyes following it as it swims.]

Maybe. Are you holding the scoop at an angle when you try? Maybe try holding it flat instead.

[He's not an expert at this, but he's a protagonist who is naturally good at almost everything got decent intuition.]

[nomorules]

You think?

_{[He's willing to trust protag intuition on this. Taking a fresh net in hand, he hunkers over the fish tank one more time.]}

Well, no harm in tryin'! Here we go, like a pancake flip...

<sub>[And for a second his technique looks promising. He dips the scoop underneath the fish, but startling it with a poke results in Shamu flopping around... right through the flimsy paper.

... Shamu. :(]</sub>

[eatsyourscience]

[Aw. :(

Souji smiles a little ruefully.]

Maybe it's not meant to be.

[Fish aren't for everyone.]

[nomorules]

I ain't givin' up!

_{[No, he won't be defeated by gravity! After watching Akira fish so many times, he should be a damn pro at this by now... At least a speck or two of those protag skills must have rubbed off...]}

One more time!

[eatsyourscience]

[He eyes the pile of broken scoops.]

Just one?

[You sure that's all it'll take?]

[nomorules]

It's definitely gonna be this one, just you watch... I gotta good feelin'... This time, for sure!

_{[See Ryuji. See Ryuji scoop. Scoop, Ryuji, scoop. See the fish casually tear the scoop clean through and continue to merrily swim around the tank with its brethren.]}

Oh man... _{[Frustrated, Ryuji picks up a fresh net and shoves it at Souji.]} All right, fine, you try! Maybe it won't see someone new comin'.

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji takes the net and looks at the fish Ryuji's been after. It sure is a fat thing. He keeps his eye on it for a moment before dipping the net in to snag it.

...

......

The scoop tears, but doesn't break completely. He struggles with the fish for a minute, because that is what happens when the controller vibrates you're fishing, but he manages to bag the little guy. With a small smile, he hands it over to Ryuji.]

[nomorules]

<sub>[Souji goes in methodically, which suits the older boy. A man of few words and surprising insights, etc., etc. At first Ryuji is content to cross his arms with a straight back and act like he's not invested, but that lasts for about a second a half before he's crumbling to lean over the tank and watch the epic battle between man vs. fish.

Who will win? Stay tuned to find out!]</sub>

Oh, shiii--

_{[The paper's tearing! It's tearing! It's going to fall! He can't take this suspense. Someone cover his eyes and tell him when it's over]}

You got it, you almost got it...!

_{[... The fish trembles on the verge of falling back into the water for a moment, but then it flops into the bowl and the day is won. Souji's getting a bonus in proficiency points for that for sure.]}

Hey, you won! You really did get it! _{[Grinning, Ryuji takes the bag and holds it above his eyes to view his chubby aquatic friend acquainting itself with its temporary plastic abode.]} Thanks, man. I'm gonna be so pissed if it disappears at the end of this like the rest of the carnival.

[eatsyourscience]

[Souji gladly hands the bag over to Ryuji with a small smile.]

It should stick around.

[In his experience, this kind of event usually leaves things behind.]

What are you going to name it?

[nomorules]

_{[He hopes so... after so much blood, sweat, and tears spent laboring over him, he's a bit attached to the little guy already... Look at him swim! Such beauty, such grace, such chubby contentedness.]}

I can't believe you won me a fish! I really owe you one now.

_{[What a sweet boyfriend. :')]}

Oh right, I guess I'll need one, won't I? Bubbles, maybe? Too obvious? Maybe Creamsicle... or Sumo 'cause it's a giant among fish! Dude, what else do fish need? I'm gonna need food... and a fishbowl... and those colored rocks that go in the bottom, everyone always has those...

_{[He's tangenting as the full weight of fish fatherhood descends on him.]}

[eatsyourscience]

[Yes. Fish definitely require a pretty big payback.]

Maybe a fake plant?

[And really...that's all he'll need.

He nods to the fish.]

I've heard they make great roommates.

[nomorules]

A fake plant? Don't sell yourself short. We can at least do a live plant, bare minimum. Like some lucky bamboo or somethin'.

_{[Hmm... guess it's true. He hadn't really thought this far ahead, but it would appear for all intents and purposes he has indeed acquired a pet-slash-roommate.]}

Don't tell Jean that. Wouldn't wanna make him jealous. I hope he likes fish...

[eatsyourscience]

A real plant will be messier.

[They can make the water slimy.]

I have a feeling that if something's going to bother Jean, it'll be something bigger than a fish.

[nomorules]

What're you gonna do with a fake plant?

_{[Is anything real here? Is their time here real? Are they real? Questions for the ages.]}

With luck, maybe he'll think it's a fake fish. I'll sneak it right past him.

[eatsyourscience]

Real or fake, it's up to you. Real plants mean you have to take care of the plant and the fish.

[Are you ready for that kind of responsibility, Ryuji?]

I think Jean's a little smarter than you're giving him credit for here.

[nomorules]

Why the hell would I be takin' care of your plant?

_{[You seem all right, bro, but he's definitely not ready for co-custody of flora or fauna with you.]}

... Is he? _{[Is he, though? Is he really?]} Guess we'll find out!

[eatsyourscience]

[Okay, the plant thing has gotten out of hand. Setting that aside.]

What will you do? Try to camouflage the bowl?

[nomorules]

<sub>[Sorry, bro, he still thinks you were talking about wanting a plant friend as a 'thank you' gift. Don't be surprised if you find a tomato plant or something outside your door one day.

As for the rest--he laughs. Trying to hide a fish in plain sight with a cloth pulled over the bowl is an amusing thought, if nothing else.]</sub>

Maybe! I could hide it behind a computer, or in a rice cooker. Anything hi-tech with a lot of buttons. He'd never go near it to look.

[eatsyourscience]

...Don't put it a rice cooker. You'll end up cooking it by accident.

[Delicious!]