B1, Day 2 [public channel]

[whattaprick]

[ There are a lot of things people need to do right now: help the Prince's servants get resettled, get started on figuring out who can work on a cure for the petrification, deal with the trauma of dying in a hopefully healthy and non-self-destructive way, show the new people the ropes of what the Carnival has to work with.

Instead, in the morning of the second day since the Prince was defeated, anyone on the radio gets this: ]

So, I've been wondering.

[ The Nightrider's voice, for those who recognize it, has definitely been better. It's a low, hoarse rasp, and the pause at the end is not just for effect, but to actually catch his breath. ]

Just how old is everyone here, anyway? Here, I'll start. I'm ... pretty sure I'm almost sixty. [ A beat. ] ... Maybe.

[ Why did anyone let this man have his radio back again? ]

[ ooc; Lambert's flat on his back in the medical tent for this, feel free to bug him in person and threadjack each other at will. ]

Comments

[hippocarnival]

Are you bored...? [He's probably bored. Yuya definitely remembers being bored when he was stuck on bedrest.

Yuya sounds like he's seen better days himself, but in honesty it's a relief to here Lambert on the radio sounding, well... alive. And like himself. Like if he can ask a stupid question, he hasn't been so hurt by what happened that he won't recover.]

I'm fourteen.

[whattaprick]

[ Yuya's probably more right than he knows, both about Lambert's motivations for asking and how this is as much proving he's alive to himself as other people, but it's not something the Nightrider would ever take kindly to having pointed out. Meaning what that question will get is an evasive: ]

It's as good a way to pass the time as any, isn't it? [ A pause for consideration... ] So you're the same age as Gongenzaka.

[ Yuya is absolutely not imagining the slight skepticism in her voice there. ]

[betheman]

We're still telling the truuUUUUUuUUUUTH~

[HELLO RADIO IT'S MARISHI TIME-

Evidently Gongenzaka isn't quite up to speech despite being up to daemon summoning.]

[whattaprick]

We're in a magic carnival! Can't take anything for granted!

[otoko]

Perhaps not, but you could at least take our word for truth! Why on earth would we claim to be that young! We're not even old enough to drive!

[Good thing Portland happened, or 'driving' would be an interesting topic of questioning. As it is- a little bit later, when more has been explained by Yuuya,
Marishi pipes in again.]

Mmm....our mother is rather tall and broad, I suppose. Incredibly strong! That would have made up for our father being smaller than Yuuya, no doubt. Beyond that he's quite correct-physical training is part of both dueling practice, but also a practice of remaining a steadfast shield for those who need it. We must be able to take anything that may come our way.

[hippocarnival]

Hi... [Huh, he did never did learn if she called herself anything. Still, she deserves a greeting.

That question is pretty telling, and Marishi's defense only confirms it. Yuya snorts. ]

Yeah, we're the same age. We go to the same school, so I definitely know how old he is.

[whattaprick]

But you said you don't have magic in your world...

[hippocarnival]

He doesn't really look like that! [A pause.] Well, I guess he does now, but without all the fae magic he really is human.

[He still doesn't look his age, however.]

[whattaprick]

It sounded like he was still pretty tall before the carnival changed him. Is he big, or are you just short?

[hippocarnival]

I'm not that short... [He's a little short for his age.] Gongenzaka's always been big and tall, and his training means he works out a lot. But it's not that weird, we're growing up!

[whattaprick]

If you say so...

[ It's still weird though. ]

We thought it might be something he eats, but he said it wasn't that. Just genetics, then.

[hippocarnival]

Well, his training is really serious, so that's part of why he's so strong... but it's mostly genetics.

It's definitely not eating something weird.

[whattaprick]

What did he need to train so hard for, anyway?

[hippocarnival]

Well, we're all duelists so we got to stay in shape for that! [A pause.] It's a sport-game where I'm from.

[Although Gongenzaka's training goes way beyond that, and he realizes that.] I think it's also a discipline thing? And since he's so strong, he always protects people who are weaker.

[whattaprick]

Well, he certainly looks strong enough for that ... but you said you're both duelists? [ Not that duels aren't a known concept where Celandine's from, there's just a gap in the explanation that isn't making sense to her (or Lambert). ]

We've never seen you use a weapon. [ Archery at the manor and an iron poker in Portland don't count. Even back then, Yugo was the one using the sword. Yuya just seems too much of a pacifist. ]

[hippocarnival]

Not like that! [He laughs.] We play a game called duel monsters. It's really popular back home, and people who play are called duelists! Usually you play on big, solid hologram fields, running around with your monsters to get special action cards.

[whattaprick]

Solid holograms ... is that like hard light? [ This is not actually a concept they're really sure of. It's just something Peridot brought up, once. ]

Are the monsters real?

[hippocarnival]

Yeah, exactly! [It's actually strikingly similar to how the gem's bodies function.

That second question gets a long, uncomfortable pause from Yuya, however. When he speaks again, his voice is softer and more hesitant--as if that would prevent people from hearing him over it or not.]

Um... most people would say no, but... [He scrambles quickly for a better explanation for that sentence.] But good duelists always really treasure their cards like they are.

[whattaprick]

[ Oh booy, the long pause. Celandine waits, patiently, for Yuya to speak, but unfortunately the concept still doesn't make a whole lot of sense to them (because, primarily, they have no clue what a duel monster acts or looks like). Fortunately, there's a good extant example of this sort of thing at hand: ]

Like Rita and her blastia?

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya also pauses for a moment, and Lambert's lucky he's actually talked to her about her blastia (but who hasn't Rita talked about her blastia to) and he keys in on how important that is to her. Something that was more important than other people for a lot of her life, and maybe still is.]

Yeah, it's... a lot like that. [Except he knows they really have spirits, and he's not just humanizing a card. He's less sure about the blastia, but... the way that she treasures it is exactly the same.]