paradisalogs | Darkest Night (Someting Wicked Final Day)

Entry tags:

plot: something wicked

Darkest Night (Someting Wicked Final Day)

Who: Everyone
What: The carnival will leave tomorrow. Those left must save the ones Mr. Dark has ensnared, or lose them to the carnival forever.
When: Thursday, October 30th
Where: The grounds outside the castle.
Rating: pg-13 for creepiness

It's the final night, and Mr. Dark stands in the freakshow tent with a satisfied expression on his face. Stripped to the waist, there are new figures joining the ones covering his skin. A man enveloped in green flame on his shoulder. A crane-like woman on his side. A tattooed girl twisted into a knot between his shoulder-blades. He's been terribly successful, just like he had in Fairfield.

Around him, the other freaks wait for the show, clustered in groups in the darkness. All his. All loving and fearing him at the same time. Just one one more and he'll move on.

Outside, the merry-go-round is lurching to life again. Calling. A card dances between his magician's fingers.

((ooc:Mr. Dark must be defeated. He is allergic to love and positive feelings. Sticking him on the merry-go-round may also work. Running it forwards makes a person age but it can also be run backward. In addition, destroying the merry-go-round will also break the spell.))

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In an odd way, it's almost normal. The nightgaunt tosses juggling balls at the Collector from the tent heights. The invisible man sits and reads, only the book and his head visible. The seer draws spirals in the dirt. The fire-eater and the bearded lady play dice.

What do you mean, you haven't always been a part of this little family?

[Even when the patrons are gone, and there's nothing left to do but relax in the downtime with the others, Rise craves attention. The tattooed girl with the doll-like face, unconcerned with modesty and wearing what to all appearances is merely pretty lace-trimmed lingerie, is therefore sitting in the center of the tent for all the others to see.

Of course, she's not sitting in any conventional sense. Her chest rests on the ground, hands folded under her chin. Her torso is arched and bent backwards to where her legs rest on either side of her head, feet flat on the ground as if this is totally normal. She glances around, dramatically pouting and looking utterly bored.

Occasionally, she'll pick up her legs, and move and stretch them lazily in the air as if halfheartedly practicing some of her routines, or just aimlessly fidgeting. But what she really wants is someone, anyone, to come talk to her. Or just look at her for a while. It doesn't make any difference either way.]

Danny wanders in idly. He very rarely had any idea of what to do with himself when there was no work to be done. Just that nagging distracting feeling that there was something else he should be doing.

The man tosses an idle handwave at the contortionist.

"Yo, Rise. Have a good crowd today?"

Rise turns to glance at the familiar not-so-young man as he waves to her. Holding her position, as if it's the most natural thing in the world, she merely blinks and gives a dismissive shrug of her shoulders in response.

The crowd was okay, but it could have been better. She doesn't seem dissatisfied with how many people showed up, but she always feels she could have drawn in more.

He sighs.

"You never talk much. Its kind of a pain talking to myself all the time, you know."

Oh, but Danny, isn't she so much more interesting to look at? Who needs boring old words when you can appreciate the beauty of a living work of art?

That certainly seems to be what she intends to communicate now. Between her coquettish smirk, toying with the strap of her top, and gazing up at him through half-lidded eyes. Never mind that she's still settled in such a strange position, encouraging more attention is never a bad thing.

Besides, she may not talk, but she's perfectly willing to listen! So he's not talking to himself at all.

He returns the gaze with an unimpressed expression. Did they have to do this every time?

That's all the reaction she's getting? How disappointing...

Lifting herself up on her hands, she manages to uncurl herself a little until she's on all fours, and then flowing back up to her feet. She makes a show of stretching and yawning, as if she'd just gotten out of bed.

It's then that she fixes the most predatory look her doll-like eyes make possible on him, slinking forward and slipping her tattooed arm around his. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she innocently bats her eyes up at him.

She doesn't really have any particular ulterior motive here. Just fishing for as much attention as she can get.

[Equally bored, the mostly disembodied fellow known as the invisible man to outsiders but known here as Bright Night, floats over to bother her. He starts by running an invisible hand down her leg in a teasing fashion,hoping to startle her. It's one of his favorite pastimes with the others.]

[Startle her he does, but if he expected anything more than a glare, he'll be disappointed! Lifting her chin up off the ground, she suddenly twists to look up the floating head - should torsos be able to bend that way? - and narrows her eyes at him. Even with the venom in her glare, it's hard to see her blinking as anything but batting her prominent eyelashes.

... Which fits a little more as her glare shifts from angry to sly, a smirk tracing over her painted lips. She can be annoyed and appreciate the attention at the same time. It's almost like she's defying him to try something else.]

[Let's not talk about probably around the floating head. He doesn't really question it. His existence is about as plausible as hers.

His head moves down to be more on the level with hers, but who knows where his body really is at the moment, and smirks right back at her]

Do you ever stop practicing?

[She settles back down into her original position as his head lowers down to her level. Who knows where the rest of his body is indeed, but that's of no concern to Rise right now.

In fact, she keeps her glare fixed on him, teasing smirk and all. Meanwhile, she picks up her feet and steadily straightens her legs out, pointing straight up. And then spreads them out in a perfect split.

The answer, interpreted from how she continues to look at him, is probably no. She doesn't stop practicing, as long as there are others to look and appreciate.

[He sighs, somewhat dramatically]

Our blessing and our curse, I suppose.

[As her legs return to a more relaxed (?) position, Rise gives her own dramatic sigh of agreement. Pouting and tilting her head a little, she wistfully gazes off into space.

It's so boring just being here like this, isn't it? There must be something they could do to keep things interesting.]

[London had been a little distraught as none of the mirrors in the hall of mirrors are tall enough to capture her whole body. However, she has consoled herself by walking steady catwalk circles around the tent, looking down at her 'shoes.' Any attention gained is positive attention to London, although she's apparently oblivious to the fact that the stares are more in horror at white leather fused into her ankles than in awe of the beauty and height of her fabulous shoes.]

Edited 2014-11-03 03:04 (UTC)

[Rise rather enjoyed some of the mirrors herself, and could certainly empathize with London's desire for attention. They were very alike in a lot of ways... even if Rise considered herself just a little more beautiful and worthy of attention than the stiltwalking girl.

It's partially out of genuine empathy, and with maybe a tiny twinge of pity, that she uncurls, rolling herself into an upright position while keeping her feet firmly planted on the ground. Pulling up alongside London, she reaches out and gives a gentle, delicate stroke of her fingertips against the leather strap of London's shoes. The way she's smiling, and batting her unnaturally doe-like eyes up at the 'taller' girl, it seems she's communicating an appreciation for the beauty of London's shoes. Not a lot of girls can pull off four-foot heels...]

[London peers down at the contortionist and smiles a charmed and satisfied smile. In addition to looking at herself, she adores when others look at her as well. She gives a grin in thanks, taking the silent exchange at the face value of a compliment.]

You should get shoes like mine. Well, not exactly like mine.

[Rise draws back a little, pursing her lips and stroking her chin in an exaggerated gesture of thought. Then, as if she's reached some conclusion, she smiles.

Looking back up at London, she carefully balances on one foot, and slowly draws her other leg up behind her back. Then, she wiggles the foot dangling near her face, gesturing with her hand as if showcasing the freedom of movement. Finally, she punctuates with a shrug and a begrudgingly accepting expression.

As much as she'd love to try shoes like that, it might interfere with her act a little. And we can't have that, can we?]

Good point. I guess it would be hard to do that while wearing these, wouldn't it?

[She tries to do what Rise had just done, in spite of the fact that she's not very flexible, and she's wearing 4 foot heels. It isn't long before she's toppling to the ground.]

[Congratulations, London, you're about to be the first since their transformation to witness evidence that Rise does, in fact, still have a voice. She giggles quietly, and politely. The tone is sweet and musical, possibly even inhumanly so.

And it's not mean-spirited, either. Once she's back on both feet, she simply slides down into a split and leans forward on her hands, smiling knowingly and playfully at the other girl.

She couldn't have done much better in those shoes, herself.]

[London manages to scramble to her feet with the aid of a sturdy curtain, and once she's firmly on her stilts again, she gives a nervous giggle before pretending that whole thing hadn't happened.]

It's almost deserted out here, and the calliopes rings in the near silence.

(Comment here to sabotage the carousel)

Mr. Dark is waiting.

(Comment here to confront him or have him attempt to ensnare you)

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Darkest Night (Someting Wicked Final Day)

Ensnared Character Mingle Section

For all your tattooed contortionist needs~

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The grounds

The tent