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lights out
Warnings: Potential violence and psychological fuckery.
Location: Glitter Carnival
Characters: The Nox and you.
When: June 23rd through June 30th
Summary: There's trouble stirring up in the Glitter Carnival.
Despite its usual state of near-emptiness, Glitter Carnival’s name has been apt long before even the first arrivals were dropped into Freesia; the lights on the rides and stalls twinkle and glitter day and night, a cheery beacon from afar.
Until now.
Unceremoniously and unanimously, every light flickers and dies. The cheery carnival music continues over the rides’ speakers, but the rides themselves are perfectly still. None of Freesia’s citizens stick around, and not solely because of the uncomfortable ambiance.
The Nox have made a move, figuratively and literally. Larger than the ones scuttling through the rest of the city, they’re walking between the games and rides without a care. Some of their murky silhouettes are roughly shaped like clowns, some like every animal on the carousel…and, rarely, an oversized and certainly grotesque mix of both. And they’re whispering.
Glitter Carnival is Nox territory.
Anyone nearby is likely to get into trouble--or maybe that’s what they want. Give those Nox the good old one-two. Or maybe try and realize they can’t and flee. They certainly have options:
1. The Hall of Mirrors always seemed a bit more uncomfortable and frustrating than fun, but it looks like a good bolthole for someone panicking. Alas, only two steps in is the maze...and in the maze, some of the shadows have eyes. Good luck choosing the right ones, or the glass will be nearly as much of a hazard as the creatures themselves.
2. The rides are nonfunctional--or so it seems. If you look close, the inner components of most have a sticky black coating of ooze. Thing is, if you’re close enough to see that, you’re close enough for the Nox to spring into action and try to take you out. Enjoy dodging bumper cars and the like going at near-fatal collision speeds.
3. There's nobody around, but there are still voices, tempting or terrifying or both. The Nox would like to have a word with you.
4. Surely there are other things to do. It's a carnival! Ignore the Nox or try something else, go wild.
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It hadn't been fifteen minutes when the nox decided to come nibbling on him and that was probably his fault for not being as careful as possible but stealth had never really been his strong suit and like hell he was gonna wander around without some kind of light.
As much as it repelled them, it called them to his position. Had them trying to get a bite out of him and a swing with a bat can only do so much.
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Someone else! Aaron snuck past a Nox goat... thing... carousel animal behind a popcorn cart, and past a strength testing attraction, until he was within whispering but beyond hitting distance to the stranger.
"Hey? Are you-- lost, too?"
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He twisted with the next swing of his bat, cracking the Nox across the jaw and earning him enough room to get the hell out of the alcove where he'd been cornered. "Beginning to think com'n out here was a bad idea."
aaron has experience in dealing with them now. sort of.
Well, then. At least Aaron had known it was a bad decision from the start. "Do you know what magic you have? The Nox don't like that."
To demonstrate, the next time the Nox lunged at them Aaron grabbed one black leg-- even though his face, posture, was tight with fear. The Nox squealed and jerked back as pinkish-white magic flared up on his palms.
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What the hell.
"I don't have magic."
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He only let go when the Nox was thrashing loudly enough to draw attention-- a moment too late. Drat.
"Do you-- just-- I don't know, think? Think of magic."
How did he figure it out for himself?
"--let's get out of here."
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He pulled his newfound friend(?) behind a cotton candy stand, hiding from the creatures going past. "That's how it happened for me."
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He was getting better with using his own magic, but the bone-deep exhaustion from overusing it was still there. Endurance? Had to be built.
"Apparently that's the deal-- I just, you know, guess that things work differently here."
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"Sure. You-- you probably have magic, too, you know."
He pointed towards the entrance of the carnival. "Want to make a run for it?
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That didn't make sense. Healing was healing- did that mean the Nox were all some kinda sick?
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Before realizing, oh, this guy probably didn't have games. Or play them.
"It's.. like, it's like the reverse effect on them."
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Aaron cursed, before looking at his companion with mixed concern and abashedness.
"That's... without your magic, too, we can't get past that. Do you want to find another way out?"
Or. (And his heart pounded fearfully at the thought.) "Or do you want to split up and see if we can get past individually?"
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His magic. What the hell was it?
"Not gonna leave you to wander on your own in this mess, you'll get killed. Not gonna wander in my own- I'll get killed. I figure we find another way and I see if I can't- I dunno, tap into somth'n useful." He would freak out and deny this shit later. Right now he had to get this kid to saftey.
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He looked to the mirror funhouse. "Do you want to go in there and wait it out? My magic can light it up. Unless you have a flashlight, or something."
If he could even make it come out and play again.
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