lights out

[equi_nox]

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. 

 

 

Comments

option 3

[equi_nox]

The Nox lurk nearby, but there is no attack, for now. It’s whispering. They’re whispering. It’s hard to tell how many voices there are.

[unrecovered]

It's not the stupidest thing Wash has ever done, but it's pretty far up there.

The shadows - the Nox - have taken over the amusement park. It's not hard to miss. On one hand, his primary weapon is running low on ammunition, these fuckers are somehow resistant to bullets anyway, and he still hasn't figured out what his so-called gift is supposed to be, because why explore something new when he can barely keep a hold on the oh-so-familiar downward spiral threatening to play itself out inside his head? On the other hand, his armor still functions, there could be people worse off than him in here that need help, and, well, they've all been brought here for a reason, haven't they?

(...haven't they? He feels like he should know the answer to that, and he doesn't.)

He's very much in the thick of things - there's too much darkness, too many shadows around, for him to be anywhere else - but nothing is happening. There's just whispers, voices that it's all too easy to write off as wind whistling through the stilled rides and abandoned midway games. (He's had practice writing off whispers. Epsilon doesn't go silent for long, especially when he hasn't slept in a while.)

So he continues on, keeping one eye on his all-but-useless motion trackers and the other out for any sign of trouble, never mind that it's essentially surrounded him already.

[Whether Wash makes a shadow deal will depend entirely on how this thread goes down; that said, I am up for it.]

[equi_nox]

Strings of decorative flags are hooked between stalls, concession stands, rides. They rustle in the wind. Those could be it as well, right?

Except there's a shadowy thing standing in his way the next time he turns a corner. An elephant the size of a horse, a carousel pole sticking out of its back at an angle.

It stares.

It speaks.

Ag-ent.

[unrecovered]

He tenses almost immediately upon rounding the corner, pulling his knife from its sheath. Nox in front of him and probably around the sides, but his exit is still clear. Given that beating a retreat is a high possibility, that exit is something he needs to keep an eye on.

And then the thing talks, and something at the base of his skull freezes. Well, he sure won't be forgetting this anytime soon. His grip on his knife tightens, but he doesn't go in for an attack, opting instead to keep an eye on his surroundings. This could be a trick, some tactic to get him off his guard so the rest could ambush him.

"What."

[equi_nox]

The Nox seems to glance at Wash's knife, though it's hard to tell. Its eyes are empty and white. Unreadable.

Are you here- to fight?

[unrecovered]

They're either sentient or just fucking with him. Either is equally likely at this point.

"Only if you are." They're monsters, they're hostile, and he's not about to believe that he'll be able to just walk out of here in one piece.

[equi_nox]

The Nox is silent. Considering.

We don't have to

But we can

Its outline goes hazy. It doesn't move.

We fight any-one

Work-ing for Lux

There's a palpable hatred in that word, Lux, and the Nox's outline goes even hazier before reforming back into its initial, elephantine shape.

Who do you work for, Ag-ent?

[unrecovered]

Well that's reassuring. Wash shifts his grip on the knife, more for intimidation purposes than anything else.

"That's a good question." There's a hard, sarcastic edge to his voice; it's frustration born of sleep deprivation and too many drastic changes too quickly, and he pushes that edge. "See, he pulled me here without warning, but you attacked me on sight. I don't really like either of you right now."

[equi_nox]

Don't say

The Nox's head lolls disturbingly far to the side, in an exaggerated gesture of incredulity.

You don't wish to be in-volved?

Lux won't like that!

But the Ag-ent looks

So tired.

[unriddling]

Riddler notices, of course. He'd situated himself inside a warehouse since the incident with Eridan's weapon, and the gleam of the Carnival is normally one of the first things he sees whenever he peers outside.

He normally would wait and observe, but his patience is wearing thin. His powers are new, he quite enjoys them, but there's no Batman of Gorman or...or Julie to go after here. The enemies he's made in this place can't keep his full attention for long.

His words to the Batman not too long ago at the bottom of Gotham Bay come to mind again--what do i have to lose?--and he creeps into Glitter Carnival's darkness. Riddler tells himself he won't go in too deep.

[equi_nox]

The darkness welcomes Riddler with silence and solitude.

Stopped rides and abandoned booths are clustered wherever he looks, the air still smelling faintly of ash from the fire earlier that week.

Riddler may tell himself he won't go in too deep, but once he turns around, that's when he'll see it.

The Nox.

A seahorse, of sorts- the front half is that of a horse but the back is a fish tail, and it balances on the ground with its two front hooves and the pole impaled through its torso. Its tail swishes as it watches Riddler.

Good

eve-ning.

[unriddling]

Riddler tenses, but stands his ground. So they can speak. He can still feel something in the rides, in the wires, even though something is keeping the lights from flickering on. He can handle this. Probably.

"Interesting, perhaps." he says, surreptitiously looking it over. His mask is enough to hide his gaze, he's sure. "Good might be a stretch."

He hasn't really dealt with the Nox before. No need to risk his neck for idiots, after all, and this is the first time their invasion has actually posed a potential problem. He'd rather not have to relocate again so soon.

[equi_nox]

And the Nox stands its ground as well, although it seems more relaxed than Riddler.

You're not enjoy-ing

the Carni-val, Ridd-ler?

[unriddling]

Unexpected memories well up from his time just before University, working the booths, tricking the contestants out of their money without needing to cheat. Riddler shoves them down quickly, as was habit with anything involving the past.

"As you seem to know, I'm not Joker," he replies. "I prefer dark tech aesthetic over grungy abandoned amusement parks."

[equi_nox]

Its ears perk up, ever so slightly.

We've nev-er heard

of Jok-er.

Are they a friend of yours?

[unriddling]

"Hardly," he scoffs. "I don't ally myself with dull, goalless lunatics."

Riddler doesn't touch the word friend. Nothing like that exists for villains, after all.

"How do you know me?" Not that he expects a proper answer, but there might be clues.

[equi_nox]

It shrugs, an odd gesture on a carousel merhorse.

We pay atten-tion

to Lux's ag-ents.

Know-ledge is power.

A pause, as if to think.

You don't seem to have a-ny allies

or friends

Ridd-ler.

How strange.

[exuviiated]

Ditching his companion had been hard, but not impossible. Hopefully, he'll be safe in the Hall of Mirrors until this... all, stops.

Like an adult, Aaron goes around the tacky stalls and tries to catch onto the whispers without actually engaging where they're coming from.

[equi_nox]

The whispers will soon be joined by another sound: the bright chiming of bells.

It won't be difficult for Aaron to discern the source, as it soon comes walking out from between the stalls.

It's a carousel horse, walking around on all fours. Its head turns, and it gazes at Aaron with the impassive eyes of a Nox.

Aar-on?

[exuviiated]

He really should have expected that he isn't as sneaky as he likes to think he is. The bells are passed off as yet another mind trick, until--

That's a big horse, and he stands as perfectly still as possible in the hopes he can slink away unnoticed.

No such luck. At least he can learn more about them? (And tell McCoy, perhaps. He still feels bad for leaving him.)

"That's me."

[equi_nox]

It turns and steps towards him, shadowy bells chiming on a shadowy harness.

It stops at a respectful distance away from Aaron.

And what brings

You

To the Carni-val?

[exuviiated]

Classic. A shadow monster had more respect for personal space than most people he knew.

(Not that he wasn't grateful.)

"I-- the lights went off. And I thought I would see if," a hesitant inhale. "Something was happening."

[equi_nox]

We turned the lights off

Nox pref-er the dark.

Are you here to turn the lights on?

[exuviiated]

"Well, yes. If I could find a way."

That sounded wrong.

"But there doesn't seem to be one."

[equi_nox]

We would ra-ther

you didn't.

It hurts.