![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Carcosa, pt. 2
✖ Carcosa
Ⅰ. CARCOSA
You Are Still Here.
Another month, and you’re still in the city of Carcosa! Isn’t that just wonderful?
You still have access to the city’s temple and the High Temple.
The side effects you may have suffered from throughout the month of May are now at an end - if you had a pesky mask glued to your face the whole time it will now fall off. You might need a little moisturizer, but otherwise you’ll be just fine.
You could sit around inside the relative safety of the temples, of course, but why not get out there and explore the city some more? Come on, grumpypants!
Ⅱ. SPEAK EASY
CW: Optional alcohol consumption.
What kind of pet shop is filled with rambunctious yahoos and hot jazz music at 1 AM? That's right - the best damn pet shop in town! Sidle up to the back door of Curly's Pet Shop and a panel will open enough to reveal a pair of eyes. "What's the password?" you'll be asked. Whatever word first comes to your mind, well, that apparently is correct because you're let in at once.
The front of the building definitely does indeed house fish and birds and kittens, but the back room is definitely not a good place to find a new animal companion; you find yourself in a crowded little room with low lighting and a small bar crammed into one corner. There's seats and some tables, and most importantly there's a band playing jazz music across from the bar.
Why not take a seat and have a drink? It's probably not paint thinner. Probably. Maybe you'll spot some of your fellow Travelers and you can sit and have a chat. Make a new friend who can hold your hair back if you party too hard.
And you better hope that the place doesn’t get raided!
Ⅲ. EXPRESSIONISM YOURSELF
CW: Optional paranoia, hallucinations.
If you wander the streets at night, you may find yourself getting turned around. You'll find that the streets have lost their many lights, and the beautiful and delicate art deco architecture has given way to something much more stark and heavy. The buildings are block-like, but they curve in exaggerated ways that hurt the eye if looked at too long. All are in blacks and whites and greys. Nothing looks quite real, but you can walk along just fine. Probably better not to go off alone, though.
Periodically you will encounter that pesky sign of some sort painted on the walls. If you follow the sigils, you will eventually be led to a long staircase that winds down and down until it finally terminates in a large white room lit by a few electric lanterns. There's black paint there, with brushes. Maybe you're feeling creative?
Ⅳ. AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER, I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A GANGSTER
CW: Optional gun violence, injury.
Art? Theatre? Music? BAH! Boring!
Maybe your tastes are a little more on the dangerous side? Whatever this island may be, it seems to offer plenty of opportunities to get into the seedy underbelly. Maybe you feel the need to steal a car, rob a bank, transport some illegal hooch for a smiling fellow in a yellow fedora. Grab your tommy guns, kids, it's time to outrun the Feds!
Naturally, you could wind up injured having all of this fun, but surely you could get some help from your fellow Travelers, either directly or by having them haul you to some sort of underground doctor. These doctors do exist, although it might take a while to get referred to one by a local.
You might also find yourself under arrest and stuck in an old-timey jail cell for a month. What fun!
You still jamming to that Carcosa playlist?
You Are Still Here.
Another month, and you’re still in the city of Carcosa! Isn’t that just wonderful?
You still have access to the city’s temple and the High Temple.
The side effects you may have suffered from throughout the month of May are now at an end - if you had a pesky mask glued to your face the whole time it will now fall off. You might need a little moisturizer, but otherwise you’ll be just fine.
You could sit around inside the relative safety of the temples, of course, but why not get out there and explore the city some more? Come on, grumpypants!
Ⅱ. SPEAK EASY
CW: Optional alcohol consumption.
What kind of pet shop is filled with rambunctious yahoos and hot jazz music at 1 AM? That's right - the best damn pet shop in town! Sidle up to the back door of Curly's Pet Shop and a panel will open enough to reveal a pair of eyes. "What's the password?" you'll be asked. Whatever word first comes to your mind, well, that apparently is correct because you're let in at once.The front of the building definitely does indeed house fish and birds and kittens, but the back room is definitely not a good place to find a new animal companion; you find yourself in a crowded little room with low lighting and a small bar crammed into one corner. There's seats and some tables, and most importantly there's a band playing jazz music across from the bar.
Why not take a seat and have a drink? It's probably not paint thinner. Probably. Maybe you'll spot some of your fellow Travelers and you can sit and have a chat. Make a new friend who can hold your hair back if you party too hard.
And you better hope that the place doesn’t get raided!
Notes:
1. The drinks are all era-appropriate - you’re not getting Redbull with vodka here - and even if your character has non-human physiology they will work the same as they would on a baseline human. That’s right, your magic or your healing-factor or your vampire blood is no match for these Gin Rickeys!
2. If Curly’s does get raided while you’re there, you can run and hide or choose to engage with the police, who are armed and not too shy about opening fire if you go on the offensive. As with the rest of the regular residents of Carcosa, the officers are human and can be killed. Killing them may affect the colour grading of your Scrywatch depending on the situation. (Is it beneficial to personal growth to kill in order to save someone else, for example? You tell me!)
3. Did you want a pet from the front of the building? Well, just remember that baby turtles and alligators might SEEM like a good idea, but they grow up! Also any animal you take will not travel with you to the next island. So sorry.
Ⅲ. EXPRESSIONISM YOURSELF
CW: Optional paranoia, hallucinations.
If you wander the streets at night, you may find yourself getting turned around. You'll find that the streets have lost their many lights, and the beautiful and delicate art deco architecture has given way to something much more stark and heavy. The buildings are block-like, but they curve in exaggerated ways that hurt the eye if looked at too long. All are in blacks and whites and greys. Nothing looks quite real, but you can walk along just fine. Probably better not to go off alone, though.
Periodically you will encounter that pesky sign of some sort painted on the walls. If you follow the sigils, you will eventually be led to a long staircase that winds down and down until it finally terminates in a large white room lit by a few electric lanterns. There's black paint there, with brushes. Maybe you're feeling creative?
Notes:
1. You’re pretty sick of this stupid sigil, aren’t you? In fact, you consider yourself QUITE the detective and have been searching after its meaning! Or maybe you played Call of Cthulhu a lot in college, you nerd!
Painting the sigil on the wall will cause you to feel disoriented and paranoid until you leave the white room. From that point on you can discover a copy of a play entitled The King In Yellow anywhere in the city you choose. Reading the first act of the play has no effect on you, however if you choose to read beyond the first line of the second act you will spend the rest of the month suffering from periodic hallucinations, often of a tall man in a pallid mask.
2. While there is no compulsion to paint, choosing to work out any of your character’s issues through art therapy can be reflected in your Scrywatch colour if it is significant enough.
Ⅳ. AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER, I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A GANGSTER
CW: Optional gun violence, injury.
Art? Theatre? Music? BAH! Boring!
Maybe your tastes are a little more on the dangerous side? Whatever this island may be, it seems to offer plenty of opportunities to get into the seedy underbelly. Maybe you feel the need to steal a car, rob a bank, transport some illegal hooch for a smiling fellow in a yellow fedora. Grab your tommy guns, kids, it's time to outrun the Feds!Naturally, you could wind up injured having all of this fun, but surely you could get some help from your fellow Travelers, either directly or by having them haul you to some sort of underground doctor. These doctors do exist, although it might take a while to get referred to one by a local.
You might also find yourself under arrest and stuck in an old-timey jail cell for a month. What fun!
Notes:
1. As was stated in the first prompt, the regular residents of Carcosa are normal humans. Killing them is possible and may affect the colour grading of your Scrywatch depending on the situation. Any weapons you find are era-appropriate.
2. You can break out of jail if you’re resourceful enough.
3. The underground doctors aren’t working in a real hospital for a reason. In fact, some of them might be less doctors and more, well. Vets.
no subject
Once she's recovered, she can address Saxsice properly. )
That must have been an awful lot of work. It's very admirable of you. It must be exciting to have a place of your own. What's it called? And don't worry, I won't tell anyone about the... technicality regarding your age.
( Nodding slowly, Chloe taps the side of her nose. All secrets are very safe with her. )
no subject
You're givin' me way too much credit, Miss Chloe. It was less hard work and more bein' sneaky and clever and findin' shortcuts. [She takes a sip of her drink, expression shifting from bemused to something more pensive. Talking about home is dangerous, stirring up emotions that Saxsice does her damndest to keep buried.] "On The Rocks". It's close to the ocean and there's rocks there, plus it means "over ice" in drink-lingo.
[She laughs, shaking her head and actually blushing a little.] I thought I was so damn witty when I came up with that.
no subject
( Seeing the change in Saxsice's expression, Chloe stops just short of giving her a mock-stern finger wag. Reactions not as measured due to the alcohol, the look on her own face is a questioning one. She manages to avoid blurting out anything. For the moment, anyway. )
'On The Rocks.' I like it. I think everyone can appreciate a good pun, and I appreciate that one. And your wit.
( Where there could be sarcasm, there's only a sunny smile. It is a good name. Definitely not enough credit being given to herself all round. )
If you don't mind, could you lend me your expertise? What drink would you recommend we sample next?
( Even if the choices seem to be 'probably paint thinner', 'definitely paint thinner' and 'paint thinner with a mouldy twist'. )
no subject
Thanks. We're doin' pretty well for ourselves, not been closed down or gone bankrupt yet. I even got a little apartment above the bar. [Her expression gets dreamy, faraway, and she swirls the liquid in her glass.] It's a little too small these days, so I was thinkin' about findin' somewhere bigger. I mean, before... [She gestures at their surroundings.] All this.
Mmmm, my advice? [Saxsice tips up her glass, downing the last of the drink.] Definitely somethin' near as strong. Unless you're ready to wind down and go home, that is.
no subject
( She gestures around them with a smile. That, and it’s odd to have someone address her in that way. If anything, she should be the one calling her ‘Miss Saxsice.’
Should she start calling people ‘Mister’ and ‘Miss’? No, that would be weird now. And it isn’t terribly personable.
Watching the other woman, her smile fades from enthusiastic glowing to something softer. How lovely it is to have dreams like that. )
It sounds wonderful. We may have just met but I would fully encourage your efforts to expand. You could even own a whole chain of ‘On The Rocks’ one day. And all this could just be a wild tale to tell your patrons.
( Maybe that’s overly optimistic. But what’s wrong with that, really? Turning to the bartender, she requests another round for the two of them. )
Oh no, not yet. Why not make the most of the experience? Who knows if it’ll come around again? I’m actually having fun so… Let the fun continue.
( She finishes with a firm nod, ignoring any pangs at the mention of home. She knows Saxsice didn’t mean home home but it conjures the imagery nonetheless.
So she smiles even more. )
But don’t blame me if you have to carry me back to the Temple.
no subject
[An offered arm, and a cheeky wink, then Saxsice adds:] Unless it's the real good kinda poison. If I'm gonna be franchised, I'd better know the difference yeah?
[If her arm is taken -- and, let's be honest, even if it isn't -- Saxsice will begin steering Chloe back to the bar, chattering the whole way.] So! Where's home for ya, not-Miss?
no subject
( Chloe even gives her a little curtsey before she takes Saxsice's arm. If she's going to be directed into trouble, it at least seems like the good kind. Besides, she could be making a friend. And that's good too. So many of the people she's met so far are proving to be so nice. And that's just lovely. )
Oh, Detroit. What about you?
( There's the small matter of when might be considered home as well as where, given how scattered across time people seem to be, but those sorts of details can wait, as far as Chloe's concerned. It's fun to play at being A Normal Girl. )
no subject
[She releases the other blonde's arm, leaning on the bar instead and nodding seriously.] Detroit, huh? That's...Michigan, yeah? [She didn't exactly have geography classes growing up, okay.] I'm from Los Angeles. I mean, I was before this. I was born in Idaho, though. [She grimaces, reaching for the drinks as they're slid along the bar.] Don't recommend.
no subject
( It's not exactly a lie. Chloe is always ready with a complimentary word but rarely are they empty. She could be the poster child for I Mean Well.
There's thoughtful nodding at the sex-on-the-beach remark. )
They could possibly be more fun. No sand in awkward places or very unfortunate encounters with a crab's pincers.
( This would be Chloe's attempt at A Joke. Her success rate in this area, as determined by herself, is... not high. But she tries. Sometimes. )
Michigan, that's correct.
( She takes one of the glasses and takes the liberty of clinking it against Saxsice's. )
Really? What's not to like about Idaho?
no subject
[Then she laughs, flicking her head to get another wayward curl out of her face. They seem to not like being pinned up in anything other than a shapeless, messy mass, and are steadily escaping the neat chignon she'd had them in.] Doin' anythin' on the beach is a recipe for disaster, sugar. There's no way to do it that doesn't end all sandy and gross.
[At the last question, Saxsice goes quiet for a moment too long, covering it up by taking a long sip of her drink and swallowing slowly.] It's a whole lotta nothin', that's all. Lots of trees, lots of fields. I grew up there. [Contrary to her verbose nature thus far, she leaves it at that.] You always live in Detroit?
no subject
Oh, I love those little umbrellas! And when there's a slice of fruit on the glass. Why not have a colourful, jazzy drink?
( For a second she thinks of the well-worn routine of serving a man his whiskey as he contemplates the future of the world. The other blonde's laugh wipes it away, and Chloe smiles. )
You have such pretty hair.
( A comment that has nothing to do with anything. The observation just sort of slipped out. Oh well. Time for another sip of her drink. )
Hmm... Maybe if you were slightly in the water, where the waves lap at the shore... That might wash away some of the sand...
( A purely logistical thought. Trust Chloe to turn a few silly comments into a thesis.
Noting the apparent shift in Saxsice's demeanour, Chloe dials back her joviality. There's something there, it would seem, but the way the woman shuts it down is a clear signal not to pry further. Almost as an apology, Chloe gives something to serve as an explanation. )
In my... version of the world, the more rural areas are sought after locations. A lot are trying to get out of Los Angeles.
( So much for that whole 'not giving weird details' thing. )
But yes, I have. I've traveled some, but Detroit is home.
no subject
[Then she snorts, trying (and failing) to coax her curls back into the bun. Rather than cooperating, even more tumble loose.] You're sweet. I can't do nothin' with it, specially in island humidty, y'know? I should just let it do what it wants.
[Saxsice has plenty to say about sand and the way it interferes with plenty of fun beachy activities, but the comment about "my version of the world" catches her attention. She sits up straighter, eyes bright.] Your version, huh? You from the future or...maybe past? [She pauses, then shakes her head.] Nah, you didn't get the vapors or whatever at hearin' I live alone and own my business. Definitely not the past.
no subject
( Is that too presumptuous? Maybe it's too presumptuous. It's not like she's setting the offer in stone or anything. Though there's the strong possibility that should Chloe find said drinks she'll be bringing one straight to Saxsice. )
I bet it's lovely, all wild and free. But if you'd ever like any help taming it, I'd be happy to. Not that I'm saying it should be tamed. Just... you know.
( She finishes with a bit of an awkward shrug and a diverting sip of her drink. She does a quick double take at how interested Saxsice seems in her remark. Mostly because it's a little odd to see her own sort of curiosity mirrored back at her. Sure, she can indulge the curiosity some. It's not like she has to mention everything. )
It would depend on when the present is for you. For me, it's 2038.
no subject
[The year has her blinking a few times, trying to get accustomed to it. Not as far-off as she'd thought, but still out there.] Huh. It's 2021 where I'm from. So I guess in your time I'm...old and stuff. ["Old" being a relative term.] Wonder what else is different.
[Another sip, then she adds, almost as an afterthought:] You got werewolves?
no subject
Ah, I can picture it now. You sipping on the prettiest drink with the most embellishments anyone has ever managed to add to a glass while I do your hair...
( And she looks perfectly pleased about that too. Any further silliness, or her waving off Saxsice referring to herself as old by that point in time, is set aside because that's a question. One that she genuinely ponders for a moment. )
Not that I'm aware of. Do you have werewolves?
no subject
Then she leans back, arms spread out against the bar, the picture of casual indifference.] Yeah, you're lookin' at one. I don't think we're all that common. [Even less common is a werewolf who'll just out themselves like that, but maybe it's just the liquor talking.] At least, I haven't met any others here.
no subject
( She finishes with a decisive nod. With any luck, there will be something suitable at their next destination. Will she be able to consume things on the next island or might it be limited to here? A theory to test later because right now, she can keep on drinking.
Chloe's eyes widen and while she doesn't stare exactly (she wouldn't appreciate it herself and so tries to extend the same courtesy to others), she's obviously fascinated. )
How incredible. I'm so sorry, I don't want to be rude and ask you dozens of questions, many of them impolite, no doubt, but... I've certainly never met a werewolf before.
no subject
Except Chloe's reaction isn't bad -- it's sort of flattering actually. So Saxsice just grins toothily and takes another drink.] Yeah, we aren't super common. Feel free to ask away, though I don't know a lot of the science and stuff behind it. Just kinda happens and I roll with it.
no subject
Is being a werewolf passed down genetically?
( There are lots of things like that she could ask. Things that probably sound like she wants to cart Saxsice off to a lab somewhere and study her. It's all... far too cold to ask someone who seems as warm as Saxsice does.
She ponders a moment, frowning as a less detached question pops into her mind. )
...Does it hurt? When you change?
no subject
...she also might be a little drunk. But whatever! She nods cheerily, leaning against the bar.] Mmm-hm! Grew up with all my cousins and uncles and aunts and stuff in a kinda...hidden village, I guess. Out in the woods. Everyone was related and we could all change.
[Then she frowns, wiggling her hand side-to-side in a "so-so" motion.] A little? It's kinda like...getting cramps in all your muscles at once, then havin' them all stretch waaaay out. But you get used to it.
no subject
I'm not sure if that sounds lovely or a little claustrophobic... ( Or maybe she's making rude assumptions. ) Though I can understand, a little. Being out of society, I mean.
( It's a relief to hear and also kind of not. Theoretically, Chloe can understand a cramp's level of pain but the theoretical seems woefully lacking when it comes to something like pain. )
Do you get to decide when you change?
no subject
I can now. It takes practice, so when I was a kid it was kinda involuntary -- the moon makes it easier. [Saxsice gestures vaguely towards the sky.] Here, though, it's been much harder, moon or no moon. I hear that's pretty standard, though, people's powers bein' all screwy.
no subject
( All this new information is dutifully stored. Hopefully it's stored accurately and in its entirety. ) I think that's very impressive, to be able to harness your power like that... And that's this whole place really, isn't it? Pretty screwy, I mean.
no subject
[She flicks her loose hair out of her face, looking a bit smug.] Thank ya kindly. I worked real hard to get there. [Then, rolling her eyes, she adds:] That's a big understatement, Chlo. Still, least we're gettin' a little fun outta it, right?
no subject
( She gives the question some thought. ) Yes. ( And then some more thought. ) I think. I mean... I'm not really sure.
Oh, I can imagine. ( She has to laugh a little at the eyeroll. ) Okay, it's a lot screwy. But yes, some fun is definitely being had. Things could certainly be worse, at least. If you don't count the zombies and the delves into the psyche and the generally unsettling nature of being strangers in a strange land.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)