day 64 - midmorning

[flashover]

So uhhhhh…! I guess we’re camping! I’ve been camping before a few times, so if anyone needs help setting up a tent or building a fire, you can always ask me!

Umm… what else…. [there’s a shuffling of papers. In has a bunch of stuff he wanted to go over, so he made notes!] Oh! As for food and supplies, I took what I could from the cookhouse and brought it with me. I set up a tent that’s just for food and cookware and stuff. You can borrow pans and pots and utensils or whatever, but be sure to bring them back! We have some little charcoal grills and some grill pans for over the fires, but no ovens or toasters or anything. Nosh will be around to keep an eye on the food — she’s a little intimidating, but she won’t hurt anyone!

… Ah, and unless someone in the carnival has some ice magic, we’re gonna be eating a lot of canned food, dried stuff, and wild berries. Maybe those horned rabbits? Kuro said he saw some in the woods. If someone can make us some ice, great! Otherwise… we’re gonna have a big barbecue tonight to use these hotdogs I brought!

Last thing! I brought all the Hellbats with me so they wouldn’t be in the Ringmaster’s way! I thought it might be nice to let people uh… “borrow” them. They do what I tell them to, and they are great for starting fires or, like, being little heaters. So if you want one or two for your campsite, ask me that too! There’s more than enough of them for everyone. [he whispers conspiratorially into the walkie] I think they’re breeding, actually… It seems like every week there’s one or two more… And even I’M not that bad at math.

Comments

[mylastchance]

Are they... Evil?

[flashover]

Evil? No! Definitely not... they're just animals. Well.... demons, but not smart ones. Definitely more like animals.

[mylastchance]

[He thinks about that for a moment.]

Can they control whether they set things on fire or not?

[flashover]

Hmmm... some of them, yeah! Some of them are proving harder to train... If you want one that has really good control, I can make sure you get it! What do you have in mind?

[mylastchance]

...I just didn't want it to catch any of the others on fire.

[AKA he doesn't have a plan.]

[flashover]

That's fine! I have the perfect one for you to borrow. He's purple.

[whattaprick]

Can’t you geld them?

[ Lambert has zero knowledge how non-actually-a-vampire bat anatomy works but. This feels like it could be a thing ... ?]

[flashover]

Ummmmmmm...





... I don't know what that means.

[he may know the word "neuter", or "fix", but GELD? Nope. Too old school for this kid]

[whattaprick]

Cut their balls off.

[ There, clear enough? ]

That should take care of any breeding problems, unless they’re making more of them some other way. Like eggs.

[flashover]

Ohhhh!

[... Oh. Oh. Oh.....]

... They don't have any!!

[haides]

May I borrow one? (How can he say no to a Hellbat?)

[flashover]

Of course! You can come pick whichever one you want!

Oh... You don't sound familiar. My name's Rin!

[haides]

What do they eat? (He wants to care for them right.) I am Hades.

(No, really. He is.)

[flashover]

Anything that burns. They like food scraps and dry wood best! They told me they used to only have dead vampires and soul bits to eat, and they like apple cores a lot more.

[if Rin had any idea who 'Hades' was... sorry, he's not the brightest bulb in the box, and Greek mythology is something he definitely tuned out of] Ok! Hades. Nice to meet you! Did you just arrive in the Carnival?

[haides]

Tis a pity; I would offer them bits of souls if I had them. (But he is fresh out at the moment.) Refuse seems the best place to start. I shall gather what they gravitate towards.

(Hey it's a nice change? Maybe?) I have been here a week.

[flashover]

Ahaha... d-don't feed any souls. If you come across any soul bits, just uh... let them go, huh? But yeah! They're how I get rid of most of my garbage at the cookhouse. Turns out they're a lot more useful than I ever thought.

A week! How are you liking things?

[haides]

I'm not in the habit of releasing them. (On instinct he would draw them towards him.) All life has a use; it only takes some time to discover.

(He seems remarkably calm.)

She did not lie. I will stay for some time yet.

[flashover]

Well... just be nice to soul bits, ok? You never know, they might be someone's mom. Or like, pieces of someone's mom. But I'm glad they found their place, here. I was worried about them!

[he makes an affirmative noise] Ah, I don't know if she CAN lie... Maybe twist the truth? But Ringmaster-san is pretty reliable!

[haides]

T'would never occur to me to be rough with them. Who knows the value of life better than its opposing force?

(He rumbles his approval, the sound deep like the shifting of tectonic plates.)

There would be no amusement in strictly telling the truth.

[flashover]

[HMMMMMM.] So... wait. Who... did you say you were, again?

[haides]

Hades. (Does it ring a bell? Hm? Hm?) Brother of Zeus and Poseidon.

[flashover]

Uhhhhhhh.... Uh.... Hm... I think... isn't that some sort of god or something?

[THE GEARS TURN.... SORT OF]

[haides]

Yes. We are the first gods. (The first three - with Hades being the eldest.)

[flashover]

Ahhhhaaughh!! I knew it!!

.... I don't remember what you're the god of, though.

[haides]

Death. The Earth. All that lies beneath or beyond the sky's focus belongs to me unless it resides in the sea. Then again, there is no sea without a bottom.

[flashover]

Ohh... I see. ... I guess that makes the "soul" comments make more sense, then.

[haides]

A soul without a body belongs with me. (He likes them, truthfully. His realm is not so bad if someone wants peace.)

[flashover]

Cause they'd be, like, dead then, right?

[haides]

In the mortal sense. Souls never die.

[atouts]

If you ever want to give Nosh a break, I am more than willing to set Baker about guarding the food. He'd have no problem raising the whole camp if anything untoward made its way over there.

[ Because he's a big dog and big dogs have really big barks. As for bats, though— ]

Can't think of much to do with the bats aside from culling them, though. How many made it out of Hell, to begin with?

[flashover]

Oh! That would be great! She'll work herself to passing out if I let her. She takes her job very seriously... But if another Pokémon were watching, she'd probably let herself rest. Thanks, Childermass-san!

[THE BIG BORF!!]

I don't want to kill any of them... that seems cruel. [he pauses, thinking] I think 13, maybe 14? Now there's 20 or so. Maybe there's a way to magically neuter them?

[atouts]

It's the least I can do.

[ Not the greatest 'thanks for saving me' out there but it does involve a huge dog, so close enough. ]

And if culling is out of the question... Well, they did lose their home. Perhaps the Ringmaster could find another world suitable for them, if only so she isn't drowning in burning bats.

[flashover]

[oh, that's right!] Ah... by the way... I meant to ask you sooner, but I haven't had the chance. There weren't any bad side effects from what I did to you with my fire, right? You didn't get really burned or anything?

That's not a bad idea! I'm sure there's somewhere they could live in peace, besides the Carnival. Somewhere where there's predators that can eat them or something to keep their numbers in check? ... I know I said I didn't want to kill them, but I feel like nature being nature would be different.

[atouts]

Nothing that sleep couldn't heal, Mr. Okumura. It barely burned me at all.

[ rip his shirt, though, but that was all due to overzealous people making sure he wasn't dead or dying. ]

Hm. Another Hell, perhaps... though I'm loathe to visit another one of those. There has to be worlds made of fire, though, or maybe an elemental plane.

[flashover]

Yes!! I'm so glad! [he sounds pleased with himself! But then...] I wonder how much of that was the magic of that library, though... Maaa~ I'll have to see if I can get Shima to let me train with Yamantaka.

[RIP shirt. But at least it was just that and not all your flesh!]

Mmm... Well, we wouldn't have to be there long, just long enough to drop them off... I wonder if they could live peacefully in the Summerlands?

[atouts]

Preferably on something, not someone.

[ Yeah, he barely has an idea of what's going on with that demons stuff over there. He's just glad it happened to help him out this time. ]

And that? That would depend on whether or not the Summer Maiden likes bats, I imagine. That they're colorful might be a point in their favor...

[flashover]

Ahhh... well... It's like.. a soul-burning flame? That pretty much takes care of energy? ... I might be able to practice on animals...

[but he definitely did need to practice. Burning away too much of someone's soul, their life energy, would... be a problem. For reasons obvious to even someone like this Okumura boy]

They are colorful! And they're really good at getting rid of garbage. She seems like the type to like kind of scary but cute things. [a pause] I mean, she IS dating Ringmaster-san.

[atouts]

Is she?

[ Hang on, Childermass has to think about that for a moment. Those two did spend a lot of time together in the Summerlands... ]

Ah. I suppose she is. Well, in that case, you may be able to convince her, assuming we ever visit the Summerlands again.

[flashover]

Well... I don't know for sure. But have you seen how they look at each other?! It's just like in one of my favorite manga, Doki-Doki ~ Daring Desire! The sparkles in their eyes... the tension! I totally ship it.

[Rin.]

I'm sure we will. It's almost like home base, right?

[reflash]

[NIISAN WHY ARE YOU HUMILATING HIM LIKE THIS]

[flashover]

[BUT BRO YOU LOVE DOKIDOKI DARING DESIRE!!]

[reflash]

[YOU CANT JUST TALK ABOUT DOKIDOKI DARING DESIRE IN PUBLIC]

[flashover]

[WHY NOT :C]

[atouts]

[ There is just... so much there. So much that Childermass doesn't understand. Rin, why. ]

I... don't believe boats figure into it, Mr. Okumura. [ No, seriously, he has no idea. ] But the Summerlands isn't the Ringmaster's home. Her own realm is, as it is with any of the fae. It is a safe harbor, however, I will give it that much.

[flashover]

Boats....? I didn't say anything about-- oh!! Ship!! Shipping! It's not like a boat, it's like... aaaahhh... when you're, like, watching a show, or reading a book, and there's two characters who you think should be together because they'd be super cute! And if they DO get together, then that ship is "canon"!

Haha, though... safe harbor. More boat talk!

[atouts]

[ Here's a long pause, a long, long pause, then— ]

I've never thought that about anything I've read. [ Probably because he isn't big on fiction... ] So I will have to take your word on it.