IC CONTACT for lostcarnival

[whattaprick]

✆CHANNEL FREQUENCY: 843.77425 (personal);
DESCRIPTION: Half the time he forgets this thing even exists, or how to turn it on and off.

✉MAIL BOX LOCATION: Next to trailer steps.
DESCRIPTION: The concept of a mailbox is rather foreign to Lambert, who's not exactly what you'd call big on personal correspondence. But there's a wooden crate you can probably drop shit into ???

BUG LAMBERT TO MAKE YOU SHIT: Given time and the right ingredients (which he'll usually ask people to provide) he can make potions (with potential side effects), oils, and bombs. You can bother him more about that in person.

Comments

[kingsroads]

[ one creepy scrying session later... ]

Melt some snow near you. I can't travel through snow, only water or ice.

[whattaprick]

[ There's a siiigh (stop being creepy!) and a soft whumpf as Lambert breathes flame onto a snowdrift, melting a circle into a puddle. ]

There. Happy?

[ When Strange steps out, he'll find Lambert bundled up in winter gear beside Pig, arms crossed. It isn't properly on the other side of the moon yet-- about halfway there, really -- but it's far enough the cabins and caravan are out of sight. ]

[kingsroads]

[ And then poof, Strange appears in the puddle, giving Lambert a big ol'slightly shithead smile. Lambert can see that Strange is wearing his dumb peninsula sweater under a thick winter coat. ]

That worked perfectly, as you could probably tell. Hello there Pig.

[ And reaching over, he tries to give the horse a little pet on her snout. ]

[whattaprick]

[ Pig minces back from the attempt to pet her, which sends the ground shuddering underfoot, though Lambert's quick to steady her with a hand on her neck. ]

She doesn't like her face being touched. [ He says, with the automaticness of someone who's said this more times than he cares to remember, but he does smile oddly at the sight of Strange actually using that stupid sweater. Still, Strange did call him for a particular reason, so he's quick to wave a hand, summoning Celandine. She manifests on Pig's saddle, of course, unwilling to brave the cold, and squints at Strange. ]

Hello, Strange. What have you got for me?

[kingsroads]

[ Reaching into his pocket, Strange pulls out a cape. It's wide enough to cover Celandine's back and her sides, but the cape stops just short of her rear and back legs. The front of the cape and the ribbon to tie it around her neck are a very dignified rose gold color, while the inside of the cape is lined with rabbit fur.

Strange is just grinning like an idiot, perfectly happy with this present. ]

Happy Christmas, Celandine. Shall I tie this around your neck or do you want Lambert to?

[whattaprick]

How many holidays are we celebrating? [ Celandine wonders out loud, but her happy tone of voice and the fact that she scoots closer to Strange says enough. It takes her a beat or two to figure out what it's meant to be, but when she does, her demeanor visibly brightens. It's a uniquely silly present -- she can't take it with her when she vanishes, of course-- but it's sweet of him to think of her at all. ]

Have Lambert put it on! [ She hops around Pig's saddle and the bundled-up cloth strapped on behind it (which Strange may recognize as the blanket Childermass gave Lambert) excitedly, and Lambert sighs and holds a hand out to Strange, not very successful at looking out-upon. ]

So now you're spoiling my soul?

[kingsroads]

Someone's got to!

[ Strange brightly responds, with a grin, as he offers Lambert the tiny cape. Well go on, Celandine said to put it on, you tie it around her neck, Lambert! ]

[whattaprick]

[ And on the cape goes, with a lot of quiet bickering between daemon and witcher as he does so. But eventually the cape does get fastened on, and Celandine scampers out on Lambert's extended arm to primp and preen at something close to eye level than Pig's back. ]

Well? How do I look?

[kingsroads]

[ Strange is just grinning like an idiot as Lambert and Celandine do their little back and forth. This really is kind of funny and adorable and now Strange is absolutely certain he made the right decision. Any sort of weird questions about spoiling one's soul are ignored because tiny weasel in tiny cape.

As Celandine primps and preens, Strange gives the polecat a small nod. ]

You look lovely. That color fits your fur perfectly.

[whattaprick]

You're an odd one, Strange. But odd isn't bad. Thank you.

[ For how solemnly she says it, one gets the sense it's not really a thank you for the cape. ]

[kingsroads]

[ Strange can't help but smile, a wry grin on his face. He can tell from the tone of her voice that this conversion is more than just the cape. And really, he's never going to get this from Lambert. So the sincerity is certainly appreciated. ]

Better odd than other things, [ he mused. Better odd than mad. He takes a few steps towards Celandine in order to get a better look at her in the cape. There's a pause before Strange continues, ] I suppose I'll let the two of you continue on. I only wanted to drop off the present, after all.

[whattaprick]

You can stay if you like. [ Celandine says before Lambert can get a word in. He snorts, but he doesn't contradict her, shrugging at the magician. ]

Unless you've got somewhere else to be. More presents to give.

[kingsroads]

Yours was the last one I had to give, [ Strange admits. Though hell, if Celandine wants him to stay (and Lambert doesn't even bother to act like he thinks differently) then they're stuck with him. ]

I'll stick around, but where were you going anyway?

[whattaprick]

[ Lambert likes having company more than he can ever be pressed to admit. Having Celandine along is nice, but he's still all too aware he's talking to himself most of the time. Another living being is something different. ]

There's a spot a few minutes' ride away that makes a good place to practice. [ Lambert pauses for the briefest of moments. He doesn't like talking about this, but ... ] Practice turning into a dragon, that is.

[kingsroads]

[ Oh yes, Lambert could do that now. There's a pause before Strange nods. ]

I'll help you out, of course, but if the space is large enough to hold a dragon, then it should be open enough for me to practice my smoke.

[ What little time he's practiced helped Strange figure out that while he's got turning into smoke quickly down pat, being smoke for thirty seconds or more still makes Strange come over a little funny. With a shrug, he continues, ]

Lead the way.

[whattaprick]

[ Lambert snorts. ]

Why do you think I asked you to come along in the first place? I don't need help with the spell itself. I figured that out with Sans a while ago.

[ But it becomes difficult to hang on to his mind, to hold it for long enough to matter. That's the problem. He swings himself up into Pig's saddle, Celandine scrambling to sit in front of him, and he offers a hand to the magician to hoist him up behind him if he's willing. ]

[kingsroads]

So which is it? [ Strange asks, as he gets himself on the back of Pig, trying not to smush Celandine as he gets on the horse. ]

Did you ask me to come along to sedate you or because you want my magical expertise?

[whattaprick]

How about "I wanted to be the one who gets to show off for once"? [ Lambert smirks, looking over his shoulder. ]

Hold on to me. [ And Pig's off, racing through the snow in a way she can't really afford to anywhere else. The reason is immediately obvious: the ground shudders and bucks underfoot with every strike of her hooves, leaving a trail of devastation in her wake. If there was a road beneath them, it would be shattered to pieces. ]

[kingsroads]

Point taken, [ Strange laughs.

As Lambert tells him to hold on, Strange does. And wow is he glad he does. Strange holds on for dear life as Pig thunders across the snow. This is the second time this month he's gotten stuck on a Pokemon running through the snow. Man he misses horses.

If Lambert looks back at him, he'll see that Strange is just holding on for dear life and looking slightly terrified. ]

[whattaprick]

[ Lambert doesn't, but Strange can easily hear Celandine's own reaction -- joyous, unbridled laughter as they race across the snow. It's thrilling, traveling this way. Strange is only lucky Pig has an actual saddle now, sturdy leatherwork from the Summerlands. After a few minutes, Lambert clicks his tongue and Pig slows down, bringing them to the top of the low hill Lambert's been practicing on.

He waits for Strange to get down first before he follows, taking the blanket off the back of Pig as he does so and laying it down on a rock clear of snow. And then ...

Well, then he starts undressing. ]

[kingsroads]

[ It's a bit awkward as Strange gets off the horse: he certainly knows how to disembark from horses, but the horses he's used to are at least a food smaller. Still, once he's on the ground, Strange brushes some imaginary horse hair off his trousers, turns around to look at Lambert, and then instantly turns back around because someone's getting naked. ]

I can help you find a way to change your clothes with you, if you want.

[whattaprick]

[ Even unseen, Lambert sounds dubious, over the sound of rustling cloth. ]

Even Sans doesn't know how to do that, and he's had a lot more time to practice. It might just be the way the spell's made.

[ And this is how Lambert ends up being able to transform with his jewelry and only his jewelry. ]

[kingsroads]

[ Strange bites back a nasty comment about how Lambert shouldn't be surprised that Sans doesn't know how to do it, the skeleton doesn't really seem to know much outside his magical specialty. As such, there's a brief awkward pause before he continues, ]

If it's made oddly, then change it. Copy it and add your revisions—that's what I do whenever I come across something that doesn't work properly.

[ the success rate is variable. ]

[whattaprick]

[ Lambert makes a small, amused noise at the back of his throat. ]

I can't. I'm not a real mage, Strange. [ He states it plain, matter of fact. ] I can learn a spell if it's given to me, but I can't change it. I can't even change witcher signs on my own, and I know those like the back of my hand. You think I'm gonna fuck with something that changes my shape?

[ The rustling of cloth stops, replaced by the crunch of snow underfoot as Lambert sends Pig walking away. And then, amused -- ]

Are you planning to face away all afternoon?

[kingsroads]

You're naked, [ Strange responds, with a little hmmph. Yeah, he's still turned away, not gonna look at Lambert's penis. ] I'll turn back around when you've actually changed form.

[ Though, there's an awkward pause before, ] And you could be a real mage if you want. The carnival's full of people who can help you develop your talent.