TEST DRIVE MEME #11

[expiationmods]

Test Drive Meme #11

Welcome to Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with elements of fantasy, science fiction, and some subtle horror.

THE STORY SO FAR (click to expand!)

Characters have arrived in Expiation, a seemingly idyllic fantasy world where they have been told they will be judged and sentenced for crimes they were charged with upon arrival.

Every two months, several characters are chosen for sentencing, where they’re brought to City Hall and told to perform a task related to their assigned crime.

Their only contact at City Hall is a mysterious and long-suffering man called Jerry.

Over time, characters have begun to realize that not all is as it seems in Expiation: as it turns out, the entire world is a simulation that seems to be run by an artificial intelligence.
This AI claims that its purpose, and thus the purpose of Expiation, is rehabilitating the Chosen after their crimes.

In March 2024, after the destruction of City Hall, the city of Aldrip was forced into an upgrade status. While this upgrade was being implemented, characters were pulled into a false reality where they believed they were natives to the city of Aldrip.

Aldrip has been a bit of a glitchy place for many, many months. However, in Summer 2024, these glitches became difficult to ignore, and pointed at evidence of a catastrophic systems failure. For several months, characters experienced chaotic effects as elements from their worlds and many others were thrown into the setting without warning, even going so far as to import a Gnosia infection.

The AI in charge of Expiation believed that performing a system reset might be the only way to stop the glitches before they could impact the world as a whole.

In September 2024, characters complied with the AI’s request and performed a reset. Although this set the AI back to a default state where it felt more neutral–rather than affectionate–toward the Chosen, several people created a system backup that they hope will return some of the data that has made the AI more sympathetic toward the Chosen.

When Aldrip was reset, City Hall became a Courthouse, and this is the new building where Chosen are now sent for sentencing.

TDM top-levels are open to all, whether you are already in-game or not. New characters, please put TDM in your subject header so we’ll know you’re trying things out! You can also put your top-level in the TDM DIRECTORY at the bottom of the post. New folks are welcome and encouraged to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Current players may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs.

October's TDM takes place on October 21st.

You can view our CALENDAR to keep important dates in mind. RESERVES open on October 21 and APPLICATIONS will open on October 24. After this, applications will next open in December 2024.

Full Navigation

Arrival

Spooky season has come to Aldrip in full force! City and outskirts gardens are full of pumpkins to harvest, trees begin turning red and orange, and there’s a chill in the air that’d have anyone reaching for a cozy sweater. The wind picks up occasionally, howling through the trees, especially near the forest… While the seasonal weather is welcoming, the locals are anything but: they send disapproving glances and keep a wide distance. Unfortunately, this may only be heightened by the new arrivals to the city…

Newcomers to Aldrip face a rude awakening this month. Strange iron cages have appeared on surfaces all over town, short and tall alike, and this is where new Chosen find themselves upon arrival. The cages themselves aren’t terribly hard to open, honestly; the latch is on the outside, and it’s a bit finicky, but it’s not locked or anything. That said, some of these cages are quite high up. They’re sometimes near ledges and windows, but not always, and some new Chosen might need a helping hand to get down.

Yeah. The optics aren’t great. No wonder the locals are a little nervous!

The fall carnival

On the morning of October 21st, a Fall carnival pops up, seemingly out of nowhere. It hasn’t been well-advertised–maybe a flyer or two around town–but luckily for the Chosen, those who work there don’t seem to have the same opinion of them as the locals do. Costumes are not required for the carnival, but they’re definitely encouraged! There is a large tent near the entrance with lots of costumes to choose from, and changing rooms as well, should the Chosen decide they’d like to give it a try. The tent workers will be so excited to help with this process–but they might find some very unexpected choices for the Chosen!

There are plenty of rides, games, and food stalls, so come on down! Some special attractions the Chosen may take note of include:

The Funhouse
Billed as a standard house of mirrors, the Chosen are encouraged to try to get through the maze as quickly as they can. Push your limits! Test yourself!

Inside the mirror maze, the Chosen will find more of a test than they might have expected, at first. As they go deeper into the maze, the mirror reflections seem to change. At first, it’s just little things: your reflection might look in a different direction, or move when you stand still. But deeper within the maze, these mirrors begin to show things about the Chosen that they might not be ready to admit just yet. Some reflections may try to confess to the character’s crime to anyone who may be in the funhouse, even going into detail about it. Some may even show the crime as it happened, or a warped version of that crime. Anyone present can see and hear these reflections.

The reflections will follow Chosen until they find their way out of the funhouse. Unfortunately, that could take quite a bit longer, since those reflections are so very vocal and distracting.

Pumpkin Pick-up
You know those duck games at a fair where you pick up a rubber duck and the bottom of the toy has a prize written on it? Well, we know better than to pick up a duck in a dungeon carnival here in Expiation, so for extra spooky flair, these are small pumpkins instead, with painted jack-o-lantern faces! Picking up a pumpkin should reveal a prize…but what’s this? It’s a challenge instead? Interesting.

Written on the underside of each pumpkin is a truth-or-dare style directive. Players are free to make up any challenge they want, here! If you’re looking for some ideas, we’ve provided some examples in the details cut below.

Click here for a list of example challenges!

Tell someone your biggest regret
Tell someone about the scariest moment you’ve ever had
Confess your deepest shame to a stranger
Take someone’s shoes
Attempt to pickpocket someone without them noticing
Find a stranger and show off a secret talent
Tell someone about the thing you hate most, deep down
Kiss or hug a stranger
Eat something that doesn’t look like food
Tell someone about the cruelest thing you have ever done
Start dancing in the middle of a crowd, but only if there’s no music playing
Tell a stranger about the worst lie you ever told
Ask a stranger out on a date
Set off a small firework without warning
Give away your shirt and do not replace it
Confess your greatest weakness
Put on an extra silly costume
Exchange clothes with a stranger

You get the idea! Feel free to use these as a jumping off point and make up your own–there are no limits to what the pumpkins might say. Once the task has been completed, Chosen may turn the pumpkins in at one of the prize booths for whatever prize they would like. There’s no visible indication on the pumpkin as to whether the task is done or not, so you’re welcome to try bluffing, if you don’t want to complete it…but somehow, the booth worker always seems to know.

Dueling Potions
One of the stalls is a game of chance: two identical potions sit before you on a table. The carnie claims that one is a luck potion, and that choosing that potion will give you excellent luck for the whole day…but how do you tell which is which? By drinking the potion, of course!

There’s a 50% chance of victory, here. One vial does indeed contain a good luck potion, and if you choose that vial, your luck will be incredible for the next 24 hours. Unfortunately, the other bottle contains a bad luck potion, and that will have the opposite effect: for 24 hours, you’ll be plagued by disaster, bad happenstance, and maybe even some extra clumsiness. Does it seem a bit like you need to have good luck to get good luck, here? What, is this a commentary on something? Hmm.

Fortune Teller
Want some woo in your spooky season? A midnight-blue tent covered in stars seems to invite you in. You’ll find a bonafide fortune teller within, complete with crystal ball and heady incense. How fun! They’ll give you a cursory reading, either by palm or with strange-looking cards. You get the feeling that this reading is fairly accurate, but strangely…it’s hard to recite details later, if you try to tell someone else about what they told you. How odd. Maybe it was the incense.

It’s not just a hazy fortune and a nose full of frankincense that Chosen leave this booth with: they also feel a compulsion to speak their minds more than they might otherwise. Whether this is telling secrets usually kept close to the vest, expressing their opinions more readily, readily admitting to crimes they’ve been charged with or other wrongdoings, or some other manifestation of this effect is up to players!

There are plenty of other games, rides, and booths to explore, many of which have perfectly standard fare for events like these. Characters can use these booths to win tickets and get prizes: many booths offer cute stuffies and kitschy toys, of course, but Chosen can also find useful items like weapons, food, clothing, accessories, and things like that.

Witch hunt

Last year’s Witch Hunt was metaphorical in nature–this year, it’s much more literal. A limited number of witch hats are placed on a table in front of the carnival. As soon as the clock strikes noon, the Chosen may grab one and try to keep it out of the hands of fellow competitors. These hats are first-come, first-served, but it really doesn’t matter who starts out with one–it’s who ends the hunt with one that counts!

It seems to be like a city-wide game of tag. The Chosen’s job is simple: obtain and keep a witch hat on their head until the clock strikes midnight. If a “witch” is caught by another Chosen (by way of being tagged), they must hand over their hat, or they’ll be disqualified.

There’s no official sign-up for the hunt, so characters can join in whenever they’d like, or may decide not to join at all. So, what’s this all for? Anyone who manages to have a witch hat on by the time the clock strikes midnight is guaranteed a prize! OOCly, this prize is any small non-magical item from home, either personal or not; ICly, Chosen will not know what this prize is before entering. How do you obtain this prize? There’s an RNG for those who would like a chance to sign up to win an item. Sign-up is optional, and TDMers are welcome to join in! New items will be delivered at the start of November, so any new applicants who win the hunt will be able to obtain their items as well.

Wildcard

Make your own fun! Just because it’s not in the prompts doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Have at it! Go crazy! Try not to break anything (too much)!

♡

Comments

Zekarion Altius | OC | TDM

[chimericalclaw]

⬬ Well, how did I get here? | arrival

[It would be hard to say anybody waking up a cage is having a good time, but there is a certain man who is definitely having a worse time.

The cage itself isn't any higher than most, really—four stories up, bolted into the side of a brick building. The door is on the opposite side from the wall, though, which isn't great. That's not the real cause of the bad time, though. No, what's more immediately obviously a problem is that this particular man's front and hands are covered in blood. He's also clearly tense, shoulders set in a defensive posture as he hurriedly glances about, one hand gripped tightly around a bar to help keep his balance.

The combination of the blood and the fact he's dressed like a typical businessman (minus jacket) might make one reasonably assume he's not prepared to climb out of and around a precariously positioned cage forty-plus feet off the ground—but he reaches through the wide opening of the bars for the latch anyway.

There's plenty of people around, but he's not shouting for help or attention or anything. How strange...]

⬬ How do I work this? | games & booths

[The situation has only marginally improved.

The presence of a carnival of all things seems so stupidly mundane given the rest of the situation—somehow in an unknown city, potentially an unknown world in another realm, or a simulation—that even as sharp as he usually is, he struggles to make sense of it. People simply appearing in the midst of whatever constitutes normal life for this place, and it's apparently treated as a nuisance at worst to those already here. It's remarkable what one can get used to... or it would be if he wasn't so wound up about it.

Either way, he needs information, and he hates standing out, so he manages to find somewhere to wash his hands and ends up trading his blood-soaked clothing for a stereotypical vampire costume. (The fangs are tossed away. There's only so much he can take.)

He can be found around the carnival, the serious expression on his face clearly marking him as not here for the fun of it. He thinks he can be forgiven. This is also currently the best place for him to avoid... suspicion? Disdain? At least the carnival workers don't seem like they're ready to shove him into another cage—not that he'd allow himself to remain in one, but there are too many unknowns to risk it. His magic doesn't seem to be working properly.

So he's working on solving those unknowns. He browses the games and booths without engaging with them, more interested in the people, so anyone might find a tall man in a cape and high collar approaching subtly, waiting for the right moment to ask:]

Have you been here long?

[... it barely sounds like a question, but that might be blamed on the fact that this man looks utterly exhausted, even if he's managing to keep his posture upright. He's also still managing to sound halfway casual, which is probably an accomplishment given how shaken he still is internally.]

⬬ Am I right? Am I wrong? | fortune teller

[At some point, he found himself aggressively encouraged by a carnival worker to go see the fortune teller—it'll help his mood improve, surely, or at least give him some clarity, right? Now that he's away from it, on the edge of the carnival grounds, he doesn't like that he can barely remember it. It's worse than unsettling, knowing his mind can be tampered with even further. So much for clarity.

By this point, he's at least managed to get dressed in something less ridiculous; a small point of normalcy in this utterly abnormal situation. He's still not convinced this isn't some sort of elaborate hallucination or illusion. The latter surely wouldn't be terribly difficult for his enemies to set up if they had a mind to do it, as much as he hates to admit it. The former—

The blood is gone but he still sees red.

Bringing a hand over his face doesn't help, nor does closing his eyes. The anchor of certainty that's kept him going all this time has come loose. Seeing his ward in front of him, still physically whole, might have been enough—but he can't even have that. Between that, these people torn between treating him like a guest or an invader, knowing the possibility of Chaos's borrowed magic corrupting his mind, that accusatory scrap of paper—

He laughs, shaky and unrestrained, heedless of anyone else who might be there to hear it. It's not pleasant to listen to, but it might fit in with the unsettling atmosphere of the season.]

⬬ My God! What have I done? | wildcard

[Any other ideas? Hit me up here or over here or PM! As a note: Zekarion cannot be sensed supernaturally, and any abilities trying to do so will react as if he doesn't exist. The more characters that notice this being Weird As Hell, the more fun I have. You can find more info on my profile page here!]

Games and Booths

[followyourstar]

[Dante startles upon being addressed, and even after the stranger's question registers, it takes them a moment to find their "voice."

This guy...

They know what humans feel like compared to things like Abnormalities, Distortions, and Bloodfiends. But it's like this guy isn't even here in front of them at all.

What is he?]

< ...For a couple months. Why do you ask? >

them pointing at each other like "what the hell are you"

[chimericalclaw]

[Although Altius could attribute that pause to any number of reasons, for one, he doesn't know enough about anything here to take a guess at it. For two, he's too busy himself being stricken by the... ticking? Of words? The odd head alone he could potentially attribute to some manner of (potentially magical?) costume, but there's a mental dissonance here he can't ignore.

If his gaze is a little sharper with interest nearing confusion after Dante speaks, he keeps it out of his tone.]

I just arrived myself.

[He hasn't noticed that he failed to scrub a faint speck of blood off his jaw. It's definitely just a part of the vampire costume though, yeah! Don't worry about it.]

I'm attempting to get an idea of the situation, I suppose.

the immediate suspicion

[followyourstar]

< Well, you're lucky enough to arrive at something that's pretty straightforward this time around. > [A pause.] < Mostly straightforward. I'm pretty sure everything but the Hall of Mirrors is just a normal fair. >

[The sharpness of that gaze leaves Dante shifting from one foot to the other.]

< You've got some blood... >

[They gesture to around where the spot would be if they had a normal head. Whether or not it's any help, they're not sure.

Nor are they sure they want to know why this guy would have blood there.]

[chimericalclaw]

Appearing in a different world wasn't eventful enough on its own?

[He allows a hint of bitterness into his tone, though the suggestion that he's lucky in any regard makes him want to curl his lip in anger. All that actually shows through his expression is a brief twitch of his eyebrow, however.

Then the stranger brings up the gap in his typically meticulous care of his appearance, and something almost stunned flashes across his face for a brief moment before he regains his composure.]

—Ah. [His hand reaches up to mirror the gesture, rubbing there until he can see the flakes of dark red coming off on his hand. Unpleasant.]

Thank you. [Rather than letting the obvious question remain unspoken, he offers a vague explanation as he returns his hand to his side—attempting to keep things relatively light, though there's a distinct weight to his words he can't hide, and a faint frown on his face.] The last moments I experienced before this place were... also eventful.

games n booths 👀

[manifestering]

[Thankfully Octavian is spared the indignity of having to wear a costume, if only because the locals seem uncertain if his spectral body could, like, hold one up? And so he's been given a politely wide berth by the costumers. It doesn't change the fact that he already looks like a local Halloween monster, being a ghost, just a bit wispy around the edges and not quite standing on the ground, but - at least he didn't have to put on a hat, or something.

Presently he is holding a long strip of prize tickets. How he acquired these is a complete mystery. How he is holding them is another mystery, although his grip on them does seem a little tight for how un-creased the paper tickets remain. Being a ghost is difficult.

He glances up when addressed, replying in his dusty, quiet voice,] Not particularly.

[......and then, with another glance up and down,] Your cape is crooked.

😏

[chimericalclaw]

[It wasn't quite so obvious, from afar, that this man wasn't entirely... solid. It could have easily been a trick of the light or some fog machine spewing nearby, but now that he's this close, there really is no denying it. His eyes go from Octavian's face to his hand to the distinct lack of feet on the ground and back, though his head remains still.

The fact that this semi-incorporeal being has played enough of these games to earn tickets is... almost too absurd to accept, but accept it he must.]

It was ill-fitting to begin with, [he says, his tone just above flat as he adjusts the thing.]

[He's not exactly vain, but... he still feels the need to save face in some aspect, if just to have some sort of control. The fact that he's speaking to an apparent ghost or apparition is not helping.]

You seem to be taking all of this lightly, then.

[manifestering]

It has been worse, [he offers, without further explanation. It sure has been worse, even in his brief handful of weeks here; someone made him get in a pond? Dreadful. A carnival is an outlier, as far as he can tell, from what he's learned.

Instead of saying any of this, though, he watches the stranger futz with the cape, mild. Amused? Hard to tell.

As for taking it lightly,] You dressed for the occasion. Seem to be taking it well.

[chimericalclaw]

[So... not as new as Altius initially assumed, then. Here long enough to accept some manner of the situation as 'normal'? That means long enough to get something useful out of this... person. One hopes.]

What I arrived in was less than pristine. The costumes are free.

[Speaking of less than pristine—the edge of a splatter of blood, barely visible, still remains on the side of his neck where he hasn't had the chance to look.]

Given the option, I'd rather not have a breakdown. [The power of suppression! And hey, regarding things he's trying not to have a breakdown over:] Was it the result of something "worse" here, that you're not quite touching the ground?

arrival

[erschlagen]

You're a quiet one.

[The salaryman does not appear to be the only one in a cage. Another cage, only a few feet away, belongs to a strange white-haired man with odd-colored eyes dressed quite flamboyantly in reds and blues. The man sits idly in his cage, his long legs dangling inbetween the bars. Despite his unusual circumstances, he doesn't appear to be bothered.

If anything, he looks a bit amused.]

Everyone else is screamin' their heads off for help, but you—[He turns to face him and gives him a slight smirk.] You seem to have nerves of steel.

[Either that or the salaryman doesn't know he's in danger yet.]

[chimericalclaw]

[Zekarion's gaze snaps to the white-haired stranger when he speaks, hand momentarily stilling over the stuck latch as he takes the man's measure. A threat? Too casual for someone waking up behind bars unexpectedly. There's a look in those mismatched eyes Altius doesn't like. (Funny, since it's a look he might have given someone else in another situation.)

It's only through an impressive amount of control that his tone is steady as he answers, though he doesn't even bother trying to disguise his intense expression or the darkness under his words. There's no hiding the fact that a quarter of his shirt is smeared with someone's blood, so what would be the point?]

Panicking helps no one.

[He returns to working with the door—it seems like some kind of trick latch, easy enough to open from the other end but requiring a bit more finesse from this side. Plus, now he has to split his attention between that and this other person, just so he's not caught off guard... he keeps his eyes on the task, and his ears and peripheral vision open for any movement.]

[erschlagen]

[Panicking helps no one, eh? That's true and all, but still, the salaryman could at least pretend to be scared. Spooky season has arrived, and no one seems to want to help them. Bummer. Rosen can't help but sigh a little in the inside. He has been in trickier situations in the past. Diving into people's nightmares is far more terrifying than being suspended in a cage forty or so feet off the ground. Perhaps not for the faint of heart, but for a arkana like him, this is mere child's play.

That's his excuse for being so relaxed right now.]

Maybe you're right, but how will you get down?

[He inquires with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. Rosen still refuses to open the door to his cage. He already knows it's unlocked, but he doesn't appear to be in a hurry to leave just yet. Something else is on his mind, and the guy cross from him currently has his full attention.]

Need help?

[chimericalclaw]

[A few more moments pass as his fingers slide the mechanisms out of place, the initial question going without an answer as there's a final clack of success. Altius swings the cage door open and wraps a hand around the gate's frame to lean forward an get a better vantage point.

Nothing in his posture changes as he peers down towards the ground, then up and around the cage's bars and the chain and building to which it's attached. Living in a penthouse with a balcony would likely have erased any fear of heights in him even without the more... unusual aspects of his life.

It's only then that he turns his gaze back to this apparently-smug stranger. He's suspicious, certainly—but that doesn't necessarily close off any options. Neither is he so proud as to refuse assistance... even if he technically doesn't need it. He prefers to keep his cards close to his chest, as it were.]

Are you offering?

[There's nothing light in his words; it's an entirely serious question. Something tells him that confidence isn't effected.]

fortune teller;

[laserguy]

[That sure is a dude cackling at the outskirts of this carnival. Normally, in a situation like this, one should slowly back away from the laughing person, because it's clear that they're having a day. What sort of idiot confronts someone like this?

This idiot, apparently.

Well, and maybe Scott's just a little worried. Yeah, it's likely that he'll just be told to buzz off or whatever, but he has to try at least once to reach out. If he's having some sort of breakdown, then... uh, probably best to be aware of it anyway?? Besides, based on what's happening around the carnival, it's easy to assume that he's a new Chosen. Maybe all this is just too overwhelming for him? It is pretty fucked if one thinks about it at all.

..So here he goes, walking up to the stranger with hands in the pockets of his jacket. With his more relaxed posture, Scott almost seem flippant, but there's trace of concern there too.]

Congratulations, you might just win the creepy laugh contest that's being hosted later.

[chimericalclaw]

[A laugh cuts off midway through, replaced with an intake of breath through his nose as his entire body shudders, any trace of a smile disappeared. The eye that goes to Scott between the man's fingers is wide, and he can't find the willpower to steady his shallow breaths. The smell of incense still clings to his shirt, his hair. He'd never let himself show something like this—but his self control is slipping through his fingers, no matter how hard he tries.

The words barely meet his awareness. The attempt at such a casual approach does, however, and that clashes hard against his own mental state.]

... How can you stand it? [There's a desperation in the words he can't hide, but something like offense, too. How can anyone here act like anything is normal?]

[laserguy]

[Should he reach for his glasses? Like come on, it's kind of unnerving to see that wide eye between the gaps of his fingers, especially after that laughing fit. However, Scott remains calm, his hands still positioned inside his pockets, even though he visibly twitched when Zekarion looked at him. Mostly, he doesn't think he's in danger and no matter how uncomfortable he may feel, he won't lose control and blast someone that might just be having a bad day.

If he's a new Chosen, it at least makes a lot of sense. Or maybe he's been around for a couple of months and Scott just hasn't bumped into him before and this is his reaction to everything being 'reset.']

...You're talking about being here? [Scott starts with that, head tilting slightly as he looks at him. He could admit that he kind of likes it for the most part, at least being with Kotone, his friends. He's never had all this before in his life. But...]

Better than high school still. [He just goes with that, even though he's not serious.] At least there's a carnival, unless you just hate clowns.

[chimericalclaw]

[There's something wild in his expression when Zekarion lowers his hand, though it doesn't return to his side, nor does he straighten up. The air almost seems charged around him—a thrum of power, maybe danger. He is teetering on the edge and looking down into the abyss.]

Our minds have been tampered with— [he says, barely above a whisper, though it's far from a gentle tone,] — and you complain about school?

games and booths

[nightwild]

[Fauna looks over the guy talking to her, her fox ears twitching. What's his deal...]

Since Bon. You new?

[... wait, would this guy know what Bon is? Eh, whatever, it's fine.]

[chimericalclaw]

[Altius keeps finding himself caught between wondering if these people with their unusual features are magically-augmented costumes or simply the usual forms of the unusual people brought here. ... this is probably just a girl with fox features, isn't it.

The only indication of this thought process is a momentary pause; his expression remains neutral but tired.]

As of a few hours ago.

[Bon could be any number of things... But most important to his current questions is the time aspect.]

When was Bon?

[nightwild]

Couple months ago. They managed a big festival while the city was falling apart.

[She seems so nonchalant about this...]

[chimericalclaw]

[Well... what he's seen of Aldrip so far he wouldn't call put together, but it seems stable enough. He glances towards the buildings outside of the carnival, then back to Fauna.]

Falling apart how?

[She's far from the only one who seems to be taking all of this calmly. It seems to be a trend in this place, for whatever reason.]

Fortune Teller

[digthefuzz]

[This fuzzy blue teen's going around dressed as a pirate, but he gets distracted from his exploration when he hears that unpleasant laugh. Kurt looks towards him uncertainly.]

Um, you okay there? [Is this one of those laughs villains are supposed to have? Are they gonna throw done?? Kurt just smirks.] Or am I supposed to join in with a 'Yo ho ho'?

[chimericalclaw]

[His laugh trails off with an unsteady exhale. Normally, he'd care about a witness to his instability. He may yet—but for now, he addresses the young man without even looking at him yet, eyes still shielded by his palm.]

No I am not okay.

[The sharp smile on his face slowly turns downwards, his jaw tense—along with the rest of him.]

I woke up in a cage covered in my ward's blood, [he continues, almost using the admission like a weapon as he lowers his hand to peer at the odd-looking costumed stranger with a wide-eyed gaze,] before you try to tell me everything will be fine.

[He's cleaned up now, of course; after his initial attempts missed a spot or two only to be noticed by the others he encountered, he'd doubled back to make sure his appearance was as close to spotless as he could get it, given the circumstances. He's ruining all that with his demeanor at the current moment, but that's what happens when you're ushered into a tent that has the power to strip away your facade.]

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt wishes he could say something along the lines of 'everything will be fine', but he does know very well that the sentiment doesn't always work. This stranger seems far beyond needing to hear those words, even if he didn't specifically say it. He gasps as the man mentions his ward's blood, as it immediately paints the image of a heartbreaking scenario. The good humor fades from Kurt's face as he looks at him.]

I- I'm sorry. I didn't know... [There's little he can do for him now, especially if said ward is no longer with them.]

That sounds awful. Maybe this... isn't the place to be right now. [The carnival must be extra uninviting for someone in this state.]

[chimericalclaw]

[Kurt's immediate sympathy is, at least, not a further detriment to his crumbling composure. His hand, still hovering close to his face, trembles with the unspoken emotions he's refused to acknowledge until this moment.]

Where do you suggest? [he asks, a cutting edge to his quiet tone that implies he might mock the idea of relocating, if he wasn't... on the verge of something else.] Where in this nightmare prison do you think would be better?

[Zekarion is... responding to the words being spoken. It's a low bar, but it's something. It could be worse.]