abraxaslogs | Open Log + Closed Prompt

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Open Log + Closed Prompt

Who: Nadine + Open
When: August
Where: Horizon, Nadine's Domain
What: It's a carnival!

Nadine rarely changes much in her domain, save to shift it from season to season or decorate for major holidays. But every now and again she has cause for something a touch more dramatic.

On the last month of summer, she makes one of those changes. In the town square that is the centerpiece of her little patch of the Horizon, the shops and town hall and church and open green park have been replaced with a small town style carnival. The sort she remembers from her childhood in New Hampshire.

The towering Ferris wheel dominates the space, surrounded by a variety of rides such as bumper cars and a Gravitron, a Viking swinging ship and flying scooters, a freefall tower and even a small roller coaster with a fanciful dragon theme to it. Besides those are the tamer rides - a 'haunted' house that's not at all scary but more silly, a tunnel of love, and of course the skeletal carousal that's always there. But for this month it's in bright carnival colors, blues and pinks and yellows.

The horses are still skeletons, though.

And the other trappings are there, game booths and food stalls and vendor booths along the midway. There's even a stage from which a spectral, unseen band seems to be playing classic rock, and a little wooden dance floor in front. Nadine hasn't made any staff for the carnival, as whenever she tries to make people in the horizon they just come out as shadows. Not the vibe she's going for here. But the rides and games function as though manned, and the food stalls have all variety of fair goodies on display for the taking.

There's a sign by the entrance booth that reads 'WELCOME - PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL' - for anyone who may wander in when Nadine isn't there, or simply without warning.

While Nadine is happy for anyone to come and enjoy the little summer fair, she does have some specific purpose for the place.

She doubts Geralt and Jaskier have anything like this in their world, and she imagines another touch of good old fashioned American summer fun would probably do Julie some good. She knows it will do her some good. What better way to enjoy themselves than all four spend a day at the fair?

Considering the amount of time they all spend with one another in various groupings and pairs already, it just makes sense do something as a foursome. It's like a double date, though she doubts Julie or Geralt would describe what's between them as dating. Nadine wouldn't, either, but they're still something of a pair. Just a different kind than her and Jaskier.

She'd extended the invitation and it had been accepted, and she's finding herself rather excited about the whole thing. Life's probably going to go straight to hell again before too much longer, it always does, but for now...she's going to enjoy a day out with her lover and her closest friends.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Don't threaten me with a good time, Geralt. Besides, when you put it that way, it sounds rather exciting.

[And then, to Julie: a wide smile. He knows, vaguely, the concept of movies. Sort of. Nadine has shown him some, but all he sort of sees them as is sort of like... magic pictures. And if he's honest with himself, they're strange. Uncomfortable, sometimes, even if they are only stories. But he wouldn't mind, he thinks, seeing more of Las Vegas. More than a picture can really show.] I would love that. I'm pretty sure, at least. And this Elvis -- I think Dean has mentioned him once?

[That really doesn't put it into perspective. But he knows the sorts of people his friends anticipate he enjoys: entertainers. Musicians.

(And they're not wrong.)

However, his smile is growing a bit smaller as they approach the -- the ride? The ship? They climb on and there is this rather startling cold, heavy bar across their laps. He does not truly catch on, until the ship begins to move, that the bar is meant to keep him in place.]

This seems... unsafe. Excessively so, actually.

[His fingers wrap around the bar, and as he turns around, he sees the ship is swinging. (Of course it is. He watched it do it.) But it's. It's different. To be on it. To see the ground, and then suddenly see a patch of blue sky.] It's going to stop going higher, isn't it?

[ The bar, Geralt suspects, is meant to make one feel safe, which he supposes if you're human, it should. For him, he prefers the option of diving off the side if need be. It's fine. He's snugly inside this odd ship next to Julie. Which beings to swing—not as quickly as he might've thought.

The reality of Jaskier's good time appears to catch up with him in steady increments, akin to a man on a raft watching a dolphin approach that he is quickly realizing is a shark.

Geralt is not really paying attention to the swinging ship. Perhaps he should; it does go fairly fucking high, but aside from a drop in his stomach that reminds him of sliding down steep mountain cliffs, the risk of tumbling out actually feels. Minimal. Now that he's in it.

No, his eyes are on Jaskier: partly entertained, partly concerned. So far, entertained is winning over. This might change as Jaskier grows paler, heart beating faster. Is he going to vomit? Pass out? Can one die of fright inside the Horizon? They might learn the answer in the next five minutes. ]

[ For Julie, it's a pretty familiar feeling; the plummeting sensation gives her the same rush as it had in real life. The fact that they are in the safest place she can possibly fathom doesn't take away from the thrill. The music, the smells, the grinding sound of the machinery running the ride -- it's all right, pitch perfect even, and she almost expects to be able to look over the side of the ship and see cornfields swaying in the wind.

But Jaskier's reaction is... concerning. Julie knows this is new for him but she realize he would be quite so sensitive to it. She reaches a hand toward him. ]

Honey, this is one of the most common rides in our world. It's okay, ain't no one ever died on one of these things. [ This is a lie. She knows damn well that people have died on these things, probably a lot of them. It just seems like a good thing to lie about at the moment. ] Besides, it's the Horizon. If you can't take it, you can just blink out.

[ God, she hopes Nadine didn't make this ship to be one of the ones that goes in a full circle. ]

[Nadine is also sliding her hand along the bar to cover Jaskier's, giving it a reassuring squeeze and pressing against him in comfort. She hadn't imagined a relatively tame carnival ride would cause this sort of response. Sure, it's something entirely new, but it's contained and within the Horizon.

And it's always been nothing but pure fun to her. There's something so very nostalgic and free feeling, experiencing it again after so many years. But these kinds of rides aren't for everyone.]

I promise it's completely safe. This is my domain, Jaskier. I'm in control of everything here and I would never make anything that could actually hurt anyone. Especially anyone I care about, which includes everyone sitting right here.

[She's also not about to argue with lying about the real-world safety of these kinds of rides. That doesn't matter anyway, this isn't the real world. This is their world. Hell, she could slow and stop the thing right now if he'd prefer. She does make sure it doesn't go any higher than the point it's at now, before it reaches that maximum height where it's almost vertical.

She's not certain Jaskier could handle that. Thank god they hadn't tried the roller coaster first....]

Me and Julie have tons of experience here, we've got you.

There's more than one of these things?

[A little gasp comes out of him as the ship swings down. He isn't quite sure how everyone else is handling this, other than it is not the first time he's seen Geralt launched through the air (by something attempting to kill him, usually.) That feeling of something akin to a solid ball in his chest suddenly dropping down to his ass as the boat swings is --

It's increasingly becoming concerning. Half of him loves it. The other half? Is getting rather dizzy. And there's a sort of dim ringing in his ear...]

I'm fine! I promise! It's very -- very exciting! [Except the death grip he now has on one of Julie's hands AND one of Nadine's hands may say otherwise. Except it isn't fear. It's -- well, adrenaline, perhaps; the feeling he first felt when he saw that devil with its large eyes, curling horns; the excitement that ran through every limb at the hunt of a devil, of a large Witcher with a larger sword, and the promise of adventure and/or bloodshed --

His head hits Nadine's shoulder once his vision blacks out.

And then he opens his eyes to see a wide berth of blue sky --

Passing out a second time. Then waking as the ship sails down, then yelling as it picks up momentum and he's sure, so sure, it's going to go in a full circle and he'll fall out ---

It might be hard to tell if he's enjoying this or not, and if the loss of blood in his brain could catch up with him, it would definitely agree this is badass.]

[ In an effort to save Julie's fingers from that crushing grip, Geralt reaches over to take one of Jaskier's hands instead. Nadine is on her own on the other side. It is not the first time he's been launched through the air, no. More than that, he's been on a motorbike and in a car. Unlike Jaskier, who's never travelled at any speed faster than a gallop.

Until now. ]

Ah, fuck. [ There he goes. Geralt stares at Jaskier, who wakes up only long enough to unleash a piercing shriek. Perhaps a less thrilling ride to start with would've better suited. ] We should—

[ —mm. Put this ship down. Before Jaskier passes out several more times. Look, Jaskier isn't dying—Geralt can hear his heart—but he'd still prefer his friend...not do that. If possible. It's disconcerting. More so than if he simply stayed unconscious. Fortunately, the ship has been losing momentum inch by inch; soon, it comes to one final gentle swooping stop.

With a silent sigh, Geralt frees himself and climbs off the ship. Then he sort of reaches back in to haul out the dead weight of a bard. Slings him over one shoulder. He'll come to in a moment. ]

He's fine. [ Truthfully, Geralt can't say who might've had the more alarming experience: Julie and Nadine, in witnessing Jaskier faint multiple times. Or Jaskier, for being catapulted into the air. ]

[ Geralt extricates her hand and Julie shakes it a little, trying to get feeling back. Her fingers are white from how tightly Jaskier was gripping them. She looks to Geralt with blatant confusion -- this is all happening very quickly and also unexpectedly. She has seen plenty of people not like rides, get sick on them, be afraid, but never has she seen someone fucking pass out for a moment.

Jaskier's abrupt shriek makes her jump in her seat. The whole time, the ship continues to swing before it finally slows back down to a stop. Well, that was... a thing. ]

Uh, you sure about that? [ Julie absently offers Nadine a hand as they climb out, watches Jaskier just sort of flop against Geralt's back as they go back down the steps to the ground. She lets Geralt take a step in front of her, so that she can bend slightly, peering at Jaskier's still very pale face. With a fingertip, she very delicately pushes up one eyelid to make sure his eyes haven't rolled back entirely. ] I've seen eight year olds handle this better.

[As soon as Nadine realizes what's happening, she exerts the will to begin slowing the ride - stopping it outright at this speed would only make things worse.

While she'd expected Jaskier might be a bit nervous and unsure of carnival rides, she hadn't in a million years imagined he'd pass out. Repeatedly. This is not the outing she'd intended.

At least it's the horizon....

When the ride's stopped, she takes Julie's hand with a thankful nod and hauls herself out after the others. And promptly takes Jaskier's wrist to check his heartrate. She really isn't sure if you can die in the horizon, but she doesn't want to test that. Even if it wasn't real, it was sure to be traumatic.

And Jaskier really doesn't look good.]

He's not having a heart attack, at least. But he might have had a panic attack...we should lay him down and get him some water.

[ Outings with Jaskier are never as intended. Last time he took the bard on a simple trip to Aquila, he ended up on a fucking chase after a wayward pet gryphon. Comes with the territory, being friends with Jaskier. He's learned that lesson early on.

At least no one fell out of the damn boat.

He stands patiently while Nadine and Julie poke and prod at Jaskier. When they're satisfied Jaskier is not dead, Geralt carries him to the nearest outdoor table and sets him down. One bejewelled hand flops over the edge.

He leans over the bard. Pats him on the chest, like he's waking him up from a nap. ] Jaskier.

[ At worst, he can leave the Horizon and shake Jaskier awake in the real world. ]

[Jaskier wakes with a gasp.]

Whoa! Oh. Ooooh. [He holds his head with one hand, and his heart with the other. The world wavers around him as he sits up.] Gods, that was -- oh, hello, Gerald. Geralt. [He blinks. The world is wavering, but it is not swinging back and forth.]

Wait. Where's the ship? What happened? Don't tell me you stopped it! We were just getting to the good bit!

[ Julie takes a step back when Jaskier wakes so suddenly, as if he might lash out in confusion. She doesn't believe he will, but it's automatic to simply give him more space. Looking between Nadine and Jaskier, her brows knit. ]

Well, yeah. You passed out, hon. Like, a couple times. We didn't want you to have an aneurysm or a heart attack. [ Which, honestly, still seems entirely possible. ] Maybe we stick to the b-- tamer rides for you?

[ Yes, she did have to stop herself from calling them baby rides. ]

Jaskier, you looked like you might die. Of course I stopped it. I don't think you'd be able to handle the full height.

[Nadine stays at his side, concern knitted clear across her brow. The good part? He couldn't even handle the medium level speed and height of the ride. Julie's right, Jaskier needs to start with slower, easier carnival attractions.

What, she's not entirely sure, but they'll find something.

Thank god they hadn't eaten beforehand.]

Your heart rate's up, just try and relax for a few minutes.

[ There he is.

Geralt leans slightly to the side so Jaskier's head doesn't smash into his nose upon waking. Somehow, he's not surprised Jaskier's concern is getting back on the ride. Unfortunately for the bard, Geralt, too, has zero inclination to getting back on that swinging ship. He isn't spending the rest of their time here watching his friend pass out on and off while Nadine frets herself to death.

He does not miss Julie catching herself. He tries not to let his amusement show. ]

We can all use something less exciting. [ He glances over his shoulder. ] And stationary.

[ Isn't there a juggler or a flame swallower around they can watch? What else do they have at carnivals in Nadine's world? ]

[Jaskier first blinks at Julie, as if he's processing that he's actually startled her. And then he huffs.] My heart is perfectly fine! You're all treating me like a child. And I know you were not going to say "tamer," don't lie to me.

[He blows them all a raspberry because the lack of oxygen to his brain has obviously done a bit of damage in the moment, smoothing his shirt down and fixing the collar to where it's meant to be. And then brushing his hair out of his face, fixing the wayward strands.]

I'm not going to die, you know. Not in here. I've done much worse. [He sniffs.] Though now you mention it, [no one actually did] I am rather hungry. What about something sweet? That's a specialty of this sort of place, isn't it?

[Yes. He's clearly unbothered by the idea he passed out multiple times. Who wouldn't? It was exhilirating!]

I mean, I never saw a kid pass out on a ride either, so. [ Her brows lift. Jaskier can pout all he wants, it doesn't change the fact that she is now pretty sure he won't be able to handle anything more intense than the merry-go-round. ] We got lots of carnival games. Should be easy to keep everyone on their feet durin' skee-ball.

[ Julie doubts Nadine even attempted to create sideshow acts, or things like a dunk tank, so they are relegated to the kinds of things that can run more or less on their own. Fuck, she really hopes Nadine made a target practice booth. And whack-a-mole.

Glancing over at Jaskier, Julie starts ticking off various foods on her fingers. ] Oh, sure. We got funnel cakes, elephant ears, fried Oreos, sno-cones, cotton candy, candy apples, churros, chocolate bananas... basically, if it's bad for you, we eat it at carnivals.

[ She bumps her shoulder to Geralt's arm. ] And I know exactly what you should have.

[Nadine has not made any actual people. For reasons she doesn't quite understand - her own subconscious preventing her - she can't make people that can pass as actual people. Even her animals seem a little....off, on close inspection.

But there are plenty of games, that all work as though manned. Mechanisms reset themselves, bottles restack, targets return to their starting position. And all offer prizes, released if the game is won. It's the same with the food, each stall with freshly made fair food sitting out and ready to be claimed, and the scent of more cooking despite a lack of cooks.

Even the 'live' music seems to be coming from nowhere specific, just the general area of the empty stage.

But food sounds like a good, safe activity. And the games will probably be a good distraction for Jaskier to calm down with, too. Geralt might even enjoy them.]

Yeah, I don't want to test what the experience of dying in here does to a person. Let's hit the midway, that's where all the food and games are. We'll get you a corndog and funnel cake to start, they're carnival staples. Corndogs aren't sweet but they're delicious garbage food. And you have to eat at least one food on a stick while at the fair.

[ It is, Geralt thinks but does not point out, because Jaskier seemingly has the constitution of a child where these aggressive rides are concerned. He keeps it to himself, not out of courtesy but because there's plenty of time later to give Jaskier shit for the incident. He's patient. He can pace himself.

His brows wrinkle a hint over elephant ears. ] You eat only the ears?

[ He's never...encountered an elephant in person. He's only seen drawings, from the faraway lands of Ofir. He doesn't linger on it long—between stick corn and elephants, he's willing to accept without too many questions whatever it is they hand him—and follows Julie towards the meal she has deemed ideal for him to try.

He does keep one eye on Jaskier. Just in case the bard has another delayed fainting spell within him. ]

Yes, well, I've never seen a child sing the trousers off a Redanian duke in less than ten minutes, either. Thank you very much.

[He sniffs. And gives Julie an annoyed little squint, because he's fairly sure she is specifically listing words that have absolutely no meaning to him -- ah, she tossed "apple" and "banana" in there to throw him off.

He makes no effort to pick one, considering he trusts Nadine enough to know what he'd like, and he -- he has no idea what most of those are supposed to be. To her, he remarks:] A bit similar to what an orgasm would, I imagine. [Speaking from experience.] Wait, your people were eating dogs and elephants? In the same place? I mean, I'll try anything once, but I don't know what the stick adds to these... particular foods.

Edited 2022-09-13 05:17 (UTC)

Jaskier, please explain how bein' a slut has anythin' to do with not passin' out on carnival rides.

[ She does not say this judgmentally. She just doesn't see the correlation. Nor does she understand how any of the foods she listed are confusing -- at most, there are two words in the entire list that they wouldn't know (Oreos and churros). Everything else is pretty self-explanatory, in her eyes.

Which she rolls. ] We don't eat dogs or elephants. They're just names, jesus. And the stick makes it easier to eat while walkin'. This is not that complicated, I swear y'all are just hellbent on makin' anythin' past the dark ages seem impossible to understand no matter how straightforward it is.

[ Honestly, she sometimes finds it frustrating. She is totally willing to explain all kinds of modern insanity, but not every single thing should require a detailed discussion of how it works. Julie is one hundred percent sure that the Continent has the concept of context clues.

But whatever minor irritation she has disappears as they pass the various food stands, and with a soft, "Ooh, tornado potatoes," she jogs away from the group for several moments.

When she comes back with a potato in hand, she offers Geralt a comically huge turkey leg wrapped in bacon. ]

A corn dog is a hotdog in batter. A hotdog is a kind of sausage, the meat is pork and beef. And the stick is just fun, we don't normally walk around eating food. But that's what we do at carnivals, so there's a lot of food on sticks to make it easy.

[Nadine, at least, is very used to explaining things an average adult already knows. That was half of teaching elementary school kids. She just takes the same approach when it comes to explaining things to Jaskier and Geralt. Usually Jaskier. Geralt tended to ask far fewer questions.

But it's easiest to just show him, in the case. Nadine diverts to a different stall, grabbing two cardboard sleeves with freshly fried corndogs nestled in checkered paper. She offers one to Jaskier.]

Oh! I know what else you should try....a slushy. It's a cold sweet drink thing, we can split a big one.

[And in a matter of moments, Nadine has the promised slushy drink in hand - cherry flavored.]

[ While Julie vanishes, Geralt peers at the so-called fried oreos. Easily identified seeing as there are signs and images labelling damn near everything.

They're squat and round. Looks like a doughnut to him. Perhaps the filling is different. It's not as though they belong a merchant—so curiosity getting the better of him, he takes one. He's chewing through it when she returns carrying a leg on a stick that's damn near bigger than her head.

Which. That's certainly something. He huffs a quiet laugh, and takes the thing from her. It's absurd.

Yeah. He just starts eating it, really; not much needs to be said about it when one's hands are...full of meat.

Though he does tip the turkey leg towards Julie for a bite if she wants one. ]

[Jaskier gasps at such a term being applied to him.] Excuse you. I will not stand here and be slandered!

[Yeah, he will.]

Perhaps you should take it up with those who deal with your world's nomenclature. When we name a food, it is what it is. We don't roast a chicken and call it a bloody duck. And get annoyed all you like, but I will not cease to ask questions.

[He huffs at Julie and focuses on Nadine, patting her hand, because at least someone is patient at recognizing that different spheres mean this is bound to happen. Besides, why invite them to a piece of their world if they don't wish to explain it?

Especially because Nadine is much more immediate with her explanations. A food on a stick is placed in his hand and given a name. He sniffs it, curious, brows raising.] Oh. It's a sweet batter. [See? He knows what a bloody batter is. And whatever way this thing is created -- which appears to be dipped in a vat of boiling oil, if the pictures on the awning above indicate anything -- it steams heartily, and smells heavenly.

He takes a bite, chewing it with an enthusiastic chorus of "mmm"s and "oooh", which continues with a drink of the slushy -- which he understands to be a name from "slush," thank you, which is a fair enough name.]

Oh. That's a rather... I don't believe that drink has ever touched a cherry, actually. [He spies Geralt's own stash, though, hopping forward to peel a bit of turkey away. He licks the grease from his fingers.] Oooh. Lovely! This is all very... very rich, honestly. I can see why it's a special occasion.

It's not slander. You did pass out on the ride. [ It's hard to tell if she's being intentionally obtuse just to poke at him (she is). But, in her defense, she fully supports sluts' rights either way, so it's fine.

She does roll her eyes at him fawning over Nadine explaining corndogs, but other than muttering under her breath about how fawning over a grade school teacher's explanations does nothing to dispel the comparison to children, she lets it go. Instead, she looks around at the various foodstuffs available -- it's interesting because not all of these are things Julie knows to associate with fairs. Sure, the classics are all available, but she knows that fairs tend toward super regional foods as well. ]

Nadine, did y'all have bierocks? They're like, crazy popular where I'm from, every fair I ever remember had 'em, but I think they might be a Kansas thing.

[ She takes a bite of turkey, offering Geralt some of the potato she's holding at the same time. As they walk, she pauses to grab an extremely large plastic cup that's labeled cherry limeade. It is not given to Jaskier as a drink that is made of actual cherries. ] Yeah, this is somethin' we do once or twice a year. Back home, we had way more festivals and fairs -- sometimes in the summer, I'd go to a different one every other week -- but only the big state fairs and carnivals have all the real goodie.

[The corn dog is, as hoped, a hit.]

No, that has never been near an actual cherry, it's full of fake cherry flavor that's way sweeter than the real thing. It's garbage but that's what makes it so good.

[Which goes for all of the carnival food, really. Which is certainly distracting from the events on the swinging ship. Jaskier does seem to be perfectly fine, and his appetite hasn't been hindered any.

That's a good sign.]

Bierocks? No, I've never even heard of those. We had a bunch of regionally flavored things that were really popular. Like pumpkin whoopie pies, those were huge. And creamees.

[She doesn't ask Julie to explain, assuming she will. It's not something she'd ever really thought about, how carnival food could differ from region to region. But it makes sense. It's funny to think that despite coming from the same country in the same world at the same time, she and Julie have had such different cultural experiences.

A thought occurs to her as she looks about the midway, to where the food stalls give way to other booths entirely.]

Oh, we should check out the games next.

[That's something Geralt might actually genuinely enjoy.]

[ It is not slander if it's technically the truth. Only one of them has roughly four or five concurrent paramours.

Geralt continues to quietly eat, as he's wont to do. He takes a bite of what Julie gives him, offers little by way of commentary on the taste of the foods (rich, buttery, occasionally either too sweet or too salty, but none of it is unpleasant and some even familiar), and allows Jaskier to steal pieces. It is, in other words, a good thing he is in the company of three because the silence from him on his own would've been deafening.

He is enjoying the excursion. Just hard to tell unless one knows him.

At some point, Geralt hands the remaining hunk of leg to Jaskier and reaches for a beer from somewhere behind a market stall. Was it always there or did he subtly manifest it himself? Doesn't matter; he's used to drinking almost always, and certainly when there's an outing. So that's what he has. It is bottled in glass, in the style he's come to know from too many visits between Sam and Julie and Dean, and he pops the cap easily with his thumb.

When they draw up towards the games Nadine speaks of, he doesn't see the games at first. Instead, what confronts him are multiple walls lined with colourful stuffed toys. Hm.

With some consideration, Geralt reaches up and squeezes one upon its fuzzy yellow belly where it says press. It gives a distant, tinny squawk. ]

Open Log + Closed Prompt

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supplies a link because i don't think they have a name

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