STORY

STORY

A CIRCUS LOOP
[Dark Cloud 2/Dark Chronicle - Carnival Night InGame]

Dr. Odessa leads the group around all of Circe's puzzles, and helps the team ignore even more balloon snakes that use their siren call to lure them to a never ending doom.

It is then that they approach the center.

The tent of Circe.
There senators are gathered around, feasting to their heart's delight. From the rafters above, vultures hee and caw at the newcomers, already eying them as meals.

Center of them all is Circe, who is teaching a rabbit to jump through hoops when she spots you.

"What's up folks!? Oooooooh you don't normally come in!"
"Yes, usually I lead others here."
"Thanks for this crowd! Are you hoping to join in the action too?"
"I........"

She doesn't know how to say...she already wants to leave.
"She's here looking for a friend. =)"
Chitter is silent, and lets the others speak. They offer support to Odessa, warily watching Circe.
"You got this! We are here for you." She reassures her.
Charlie is nervous (as usual. He hit his head pretty hard during the fall and it undid all of his confidence training apparently.) But he's offering his support.
Willow
2024-12-14 14:49:40
Willow Profile
Posted by ID #99
Last edit: 2025-11-17 23:33:15
"Oink oink!!" Willow greets the new people, honking at Strawberry and rubbing her snout against her leg
"Uh....yes. I'm looking for my friend......"
Venus nods his head and smiles! He is here! and is not going anywhere!
"Haha!!!!"
"You always ask that question."
"Wh-..."
Circe's rabbit jumps through the hoop.

"And you never like the answer I give you!"
Venus tenses up…He does not like the vibe of this..This doesn't feel right.
"It's worth answering again. =)"
Strawberry is already standing defensively.
Chitter moves closer to Gunner. They're on edge, and holding tight to their mallon. They don't have good feelings about this.
Charlie curls his tail in and holds it.. inching away from the senators and closer to the group.
"Sure! I can give it again! And again! I'll tell you the truth!~"
"Your friend, she came to this planet with so much troubles. She asked me, please, let me be free from these woes."
"So I said, Of course! Of course!!!! I can save everyone!"
"She was so much happier, and she found love!~"
"And then one day, you came asking, "Where is she" and I told you what I just said. And you said-"
"I can't believe this, how could I go on knowing this!?"
"You were so sad, I thought you were going to do something bad! So I made sure you would forget about it! But you told me."
"I don't want to forget about her."
"I told you, it was a bad idea!"
Circe
2024-12-14 15:05:16
Circe Profile
Posted by ID #70
Last edit: 2024-12-14 15:05:26
"But you wouldn't change your mind. So you took the deal as is, and when you came to, you wandered off again."
Circe
2024-12-14 15:06:09
Circe Profile
Posted by ID #99
Last edit: 2025-11-17 23:34:43
"Before me, you had no purpose in life! But now, you're a clown historian, and ain't that cool! Now I know what you're going to say, you'll note it on cue!"
"...................................................................."
"I want to forget this ever happened."
"In record time!"
"No, you can't! This will just keep repeating if you do! :w:"
"T-That isn't going to help! M-miss Odessa please! <:)"
"W-wait! Hold on now! We- do you know where her friend isth? Right now? Th-the thcycle needsth to be broken at thsome point!"
"Don't come closer. You're not forgetting this time, miss."
"I- I wanted to forget so much about everything too before-"
"But if I did- I wouldn't learn a thing and get hurt again! >:')"
"Miss...Odessa- I know what you are dealing with is a tremendous loss. To know again that. You don't have someone. But you can't keep coming back to this point. The cycle, the endless nothing that fills the blanks between the starts and the ends. You have so much pain, and forgetting will only grant you ignorance over bliss. You have so much to find, so much to see, and so much to strive for in the name of what you still can remember. You don't need to lose it all to continue. =)"
"We can't let you hurt yourself by denying this again and again. By forgetting and reliving this endless search, will you ever get her back? =)"
"You need to live through the loss. I know it's hard and it hurts but in time…"
"You'll heal. I promise you will. It's hard to do it on your own I know But thats why we're here <:)"
"But I have nothing else to live for."
"I've spent years on this planet on this one goal."
"You're only going to spend more by forgetting! You've got people right around you who want you to be happy. You're not going to be alone. :w:"
"That'sth not true! There'sth.. there'sth an entire universthe out there! ...There'sth thso much left for you, even when thisth isth done, regardlessth of how it endsth!"
"It doesn't help that you were literally going in circles too.You got alot more worth than you think!"
"You think you have nothing else to live for.
Tell me, have you ever devoted a night to staring at the stars.
Have you ever taken a quiet moment to let yourself rest against a chair with no other purpose but to be.

Have you... Have you ever tried to live in honor of someone, doing what you can to be the best person they would see you as?

I know it is nothing. I know my existence, in this situation, is nothing compared to the loss you have. But I have a life, nothing special, that I want to try to spend a little bit off. That can be a purpose. Nothing grand, just something. =)"
"Look, I understand but, I've only known you people for a few days......you've only known me for a few days. I gave up everything, even before......this ringleader got to me-"
"I'm Circe!"
"-I....don't have anything.......I rather...."
"What would I even do?"
"You could do anything. You could be a historian, you could study the cosmos, you could just take a break. You don't need to devote yourself to a fruitless reward you make yourself forget... forget isn't here anymore. =)"
"So,,, if I may ask.What really happened to Miss Odessa's friend?"
"Live for you. There's more to life than goals and ambition. You can still find things that make life worth enjoying. :w:"
"I-I'm thsorry uhm.. M-missth tthhCircth- excusthe me, Thcirce, but.. are you telling usth the full thstory? By chancthe there'sth more to it than justh.."
"..................Is it even possible to restart a life?"
"Yeah! I can-"
"Not that way."
"Woops!!!!"
"I assure you I'm telling you the whole and real truth. If you want to know more, just ask me! I'll tell you so so much more!"
Chitter
2024-12-14 15:36:37
Chitter Profile
Posted by ID #99
Last edit: 2025-11-17 23:39:34
"I didn't, but my parents did!!! They were (no offense, Gunner-) part of the union, and really didn't like how things were running. So they left, and then after joining some support groups, and found people like them! Obviously, that's a lot easier said than done, but they're both proof it's possible. :w:"
"You can always do something new. No matter how far along you are, the only thing that inhibits your ability to change is your idea that you no longer can. You can be so much, beyond the life you've lived up until this point.

You are deserving of as many chances as you need, with the understanding to use your experience to help yourself up. If you need help along the way, I am sure that me and my....
I am sure that I would be there to show you a life that is completely outside yours. Maybe mundane, but something new. A capture creature, an adventure, anything is possible when you have something vague enough to reach for and never STOP reaching for. =)"
"It is- I thought my life was over the moment I was born, Blind and weak. I kept thinking I'd die at any moment in the woods after I lost Sunshine. She was the one thing that kept me going until she got taken away-"
"But then I was found by some other kids. They helped me through the woods despite me being a burden. I lived through it because of them, My friends! And I thought I'd never find another reason to keep going <:')"
"I know I'll never see Sunshine again, Both literally and metaphorically and it still hurts to think about her. <:')"
"I know that Sunshine shaped hole in my heart will never get filled but I've accepted she's probably happy somewhere else. Helping another kid in the woods out…<:')"
Strawberry doesnt know what to say but shes very good in giving emotional background support!
"Maybe......maybe you're all right, some of you have dealt with problems just as big as mine, and, while it hurts, I don't know if I can take the easy way out anymore. How many times have I forgotten? How many days, weeks, months, washed away."
"It'sth no way to live.."
"I..........want to know what happened to her, alot, but I must ask my own question first." Dr. Odessa looks at Circe.
"We're here for you. =)"
"..................."
"............................................"
"Did she......."
"sigh....want to forget about me, as well?"
"ZZZZzzzzzzztI don't want to tell you!!!!"
"Why?"
"Y-Y-Y-You'll be mad at me!"
"Look at me."
"................................................"
Circe
2024-12-14 18:37:05
Circe Profile
Posted by ID #70
Last edit: 2024-12-14 18:37:13
"I don't wantzzzzzz you to be sad! B-Bec-cause-"
"Just say it."
"She did want to forget about you. And that's not a lie."
"The military, the constant fights. She...she said she wanted to forget it all! She wanted a new life. She tried just running away, but it all kept following her, and she came to me. She said she wanted it all gone! All of it!"
"If she didn't!!!!!! She said that if she didn't do this, they'd likely send you and the rest of her troop to hunt her down for deserting!"
"And then, woop-e-dee-doo, you came here just a few months later, seeking her out!!!!! And I kept telling you "Just forget her!""
"But you refused!"
"I'm sorry, please don't be ang-"
"I DESERVE IT I SH-"
"Anyway that's the whooooooole story! Anything else you want to know?"
"... I guess Odessa isn't the only one who's been going in circles. =)"
".................................................."
"Thisth.. isth a really, really bad thsituation... erk, I thsupposthe that'sth an underthstatment.."
Chitter stays by their friends, slowly looking between the two.

"I. I don't think all of this is something we can fix... :w:"
"Yeah,, this isn't exactly great."
"Odessa.. Your friend is gone, but. This is the only thing that this place can offer you now. That closure, knowing in some sense she felt forced to forget you. And the ability to move forward. Wherever you go, whether it be seeking new stories with new friends or understanding old ones. We are here to support you. I am here to support you. =)
Willow
2024-12-14 18:52:58
Willow Profile
Posted by ID #99
Last edit: 2025-11-17 23:45:54
Willow growls, her tail swiping side to side dangerously. That wand is no good news. Willow tries to take it away from Circe!!
Willow rolls a 20 sided die. A 19 is rolled.

Willow steals the wand from Circe. The few doves raise their heads in excitement, but then the vultures swoop down.

Circe controls too much.
The vultures peck and claw until they steal the wand back and deliver it to her.

The doves return to sulking in the grooves of the circus.

"I....thank you."
"I don't know if I'll make it out there, but knowing that it's possible to deal with this sort of pain.....I felt a horrible pit when I heard she didn't want to remember me."
"But knowing that she felt forced into this, I don't want to say, "it makes feel better", that's not the correct wording, but, I feel a chain being lifted off of me."
"I.........I walked into this prison, and without even realizing it. I became one of its inmates."
"I think, a lot of people have."
"Then there is still work to do here. =)"
"I think, I'm ready to let go- no. I'm ready to start the process of letting go."
"And thats as much as anyone could ever ask of you. =)"
"We'll all be there to help you get there, eventually. :w:"
"Yeah! <:)"
"In a world of dreams and endless entertainment, it's odd but-"
"I think this is the happiest I've ever been. Just to know you're all here with me. I hope, I never travel to this center ever again. Lets go."
G-8471
2024-12-14 19:06:34
G-8471 Profile
Posted by ID #99
Last edit: 2025-11-17 23:47:01
Gunner Approaches Odessa as they head out to a greater clearing.
His friends weren't lying when they said he was a good thornhead tamer. He wouldn't encourage them at the time, but it was something he took pride in. now, let's let it bring some joy.
"I think i have something for you. I know starting out this... new chapter of your life may seem insurmountable but. Some company might help, and i think i know a creature that would suit the kind of journey you're looking to take =)"

"Older than most, this thornhead has a heritage with scholars - warriors of the mind. It knows what is best for both it and its herd, and though it may not see battle often, it isn't afraid to show hardship what it's learned over the years."

"I think it may have some struggles it can share with you. And I hope it can take you where you need to go. =)"
G-8471
2024-12-14 19:13:37
G-8471 Profile
Posted by ID #70
Last edit: 2024-12-14 19:13:47
"I hope it can help you as my own thornhead helped me. Giving you some motivation in a time of confusion.

It is a pleasure to know you, Odessa, and I'm sure it will continue to be. =)"
2024-12-14 19:14:47
Profile
Posted by ID #99
Last edit: 2025-11-17 23:48:37

Gunner takes her by the hand.
And just.
Enjoys a nice moment.


No one is typing.