1369

[animusmods]

Characters: Anyone coming to Zo's carnival
Setting: Cafeteria; please specify the date and location in the carnival in your subject header!
Format: Anything
Summary: Zo has set up a carnival for the residents, but it's not meant to last. Anyone wandering after the bombs go off might see things they never wanted to see...
Warnings: Psychological and body horror
Note: Characters entering the carnival from the 27th to the 30th will experience visions! Please refer to the info post for details and reply to this thread if your character enters the carnival during these days.

[The carnival has taken up the entirety of the cafeteria. A large roller coaster and ferris wheel tower over the residents, while a child-sized roller coaster, a merry-go-round, and spinning teacups project much less daunting silhouettes. Stands are set up with standard carnival foods available, from ice cream to cotton candy. These stands do not ask for anything as payment.

On the twenty-seventh, the carnival appearance changes. The machinery all appears rusted and broken down, as if weathered with decades of rain and snow. Plants grow up and around the rides, ruining them, and all the food is rotten.]

Comments

[terreifying]

No, it's alright.

[She smiles again. a little bitterly.]

I haven't...been thinking of them much lately. Do you think they'd be happy if they knew what I was doing here?

[lethechained]

[She tries to smile less bitterly, herself, more for Rei's sake than anything.]

I don't know. You'd know them better than I would. But... you've been doing well enough, haven't you?

[terreifying]

Yeah, and I've been helping out with the collar fluid research. I'd say I'm working for the greater good, right?

[lethechained]

Mm. [One would hope so.]

[And... that's the ride, looming up before them. Pardon her if she takes another moment to look at it from up close.]

[terreifying]

[The roller coaster car would be familiar to anyone who has ridden it before. It looks to be a simple box, shaped somewhat like a rocket. It has three rows of two seats each, and a big bar that lifts and comes down onto the seats. As soon as the bar is up and the current riders are off, Rei hops into one of the seats in the front row, scooting to allow Namine room in the other seat.]

[lethechained]

[She takes a deep breath before she does it, watching Rei settle a moment, then steps over to take her own seat, sliding very carefully into it with her hands hovering awkwardly. She's a little uncertain what she's supposed to be doing with them while the bar's up. Wow, these seats are uncomfortable.]

[terreifying]

Alright, are you settling in now? They're gonna put the bar down soon.

[Rei makes herself as comfortable as she can in the chair.]

[lethechained]

Yeah. Yeah, I-- I'm fine.

[It's a little high, but she does seem to be... more or less fine. She's kind of staring at the bar, though, if only for somewhere to put her eyes that isn't the track they're soon to be going down.]

feel free to handwave the ride itself!

[terreifying]

Great. Deep breath then. And make sure to scream as you go down!

[The rest of the car fills up, and the wheels of the car start creaking. A few second later, and they're off!]

Alrighty /o/

[lethechained]

[She does take a deep breath, but screaming is probably out of the question. (She keeps her mouth tightly shut and voice thoroughly in check the whole time, even half forgetting to breathe part of the time.)]

[She looks a little dazed when the ride finally slows to a stop back at the station, hands white-knuckled around the bar.]

Re: Alrighty /o/

[terreifying]

[Rei laughs and throws her arms up as the bar lifts.]

That was fun, wasn't it?

[lethechained]

[Naminé removes her hands in a much more careful sort of way, lets them fall into her lap.]

Y... yeah.

[She's kind of shaking, but it's not... an awful sort of thing?]

I-- wow.

[She's never had the chance to do anything like that before, okay.]

[terreifying]

So, you wanna take a break and then do it again?

[lethechained]

-- Again?

[Pardon her wide-eyed look.]

I-- well--....

....

... Yeah. Yeah, let's... go again in a bit.

[terreifying]

Mm, wanna play a game in the meantime? Like that one shooting game.

[lethechained]

[She needs a second to clamber out of the ride.]

Why not? I can't say whether I'll be any good at it, but sure.

[terreifying]

[Rei also steps out, watching Namine so she can catch her should the other girl fall.]

Don't worry. I'm not that good at it either. At least, I've never gotten any of the big prizes.

[lethechained]

[She does not need to be caught, it seems - she keeps her feet well enough, even though her legs feel a little like jelly.]

-- Oh, there are prizes, aren't there...! I was hardly even thinking about that. That makes it a little more fun, doesn't it?

[terreifying]

Yeah, it does. If you get a good prize, that is. I can only get breath mints.

[lethechained]

[Her brow knits.]

Breath mints? ... Is that the sort of thing they usually give as prizes for things?

[terreifying]

When you can't win anything else, yeah.

[lethechained]

Huh.

[Well.]

I... suppose they could be useful?

[For. Breath. Or something.]

[terreifying]

Do you want them? You can have them if you find a good use for them.

[lethechained]

Oh-- no, that's alright. They're yours. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll win some, too.

[terreifying]

[Rei nods, and then pulls Namine toward the nearest shooting game.]

See? You get to shoot at balloons with air gun rifles.