[center][h3]Carnival Town - Minigame Roulette[/h3]
Level 13 Ms Fortune (166/130) Level 8 Goldlewis (96/80) Level 7 Sandalphon (57/70)
Roland, Sectonia, and the Robot Girls’ [@Archmage MC], Midna and the Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Geralt and Zenkichi’s [@Multi_Media_Man], Pit and the Octopath Travelers’ [@Yankee], Roxas and Ganondorf’s [@Double], Juri’s [@Zoey Boey]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1604[/center]

As the seekers sussed out the hiders one by one, the lantern-orange numbers plastered on the sky ticked inexorably downward, getting closer and closer to zero. The hunters ignored the timer in order to focus on the quarry, but their prey didn’t make it easy for them, with the vast majority running once found in order to try and waste time–some much more successfully than others. Both the seconds and the number of hiders dwindled fast, and in the end it came down to Blazermate’s aerial chase. Even with her cheeky resourceful and airborne maneuverability, however, the seekers’ speed boosts made any pursuit a foregone conclusion. Finally, with just under thirty seconds left out of the original three hundred and sixty, Rika and Kamek pulled out all the stops to take the medabot out and win the game for their team.

Before Blazermate’s confetti even settled atop the cobblestones, the Morgenstund wonderworld collapsed, crumpling into nothingness like the display on a CRT television set. Just like before, the process kicked everyone back to the lobby, that giant roulette table that acted as the liminal space between manic minigames. With all of the spectators -and several of the hunters- focused on the outcome of the game rather than the timer, then abruptly deposited throughout the lobby, not everyone could tell who won right away. Whether excitement, disappointment, annoyance, or confusion, emotions were high, and while several people started talking at once, others just looked around in search of answers.

“Maaan, I thought I did such a good job hiding!” Nadia pointed, trying and failing to be angry with Geralt for spoiling her carefully-laid schemes with such ruthless pragmatism. “Why you gotta be all smart and stuff? How’d you know I was there to begin with?” While the two had been companions all across the Deep Blue Seaside, from the sparkling waters of Heaven’s Edge to the eldritch depths of Carcass Isle, the feral and the Witcher hadn’t gotten very close. She’d been more chummy with Sakura, Mirage, and especially Ace. From Geralt’s stunt with the Helmaroc King over Blackwater Bay, and her general fighting prowess Nadia had known the Witcher was good, but sniffing her out in the Botanist’s House was downright scary.

Goldlewis rubbed the back of his head as he squinted at Kamek. Due to his remarkable dimensions he’d been up the creek without a paddle from moment one, so it didn’t come as a surprise that someone managed to suss him out pretty quickly. After all, Witch One was ultimately a magical derivative of a game for children, enjoyed by those for whom the households and items of the world were large, rather than small. And it had been a very, very long time since the veteran’s childhood. “Good huntin, partner,” Goldlewis told the Magikoopa in the spirit of good sportsmanship.

Conversely, Sandalphon said nothing to the person who found her, in part because her discovery had been an unfortunate accident perpetrated in ignorance. Though this might have frustrated the average hider, Sandalphon seldom felt strongly about much of anything, and this outcome was no exception. Given that her contingency plan ultimately came down to luck, failure in some form was to be expected. Could she have done better? Almost certainly, and in any other circumstance, abject failure would have been excruciating. This, however, was just a game. The stakes were low, and she didn’t need to spend her mental energy on a masterstroke plan. If anything, being able to fail and have it not matter came as something of a relief. If anyone glanced Sandalphon’s way after the fourth game’s conclusion, they would find her pupils in the shape of cheerful carets. “This was fun,” she remarked.

In short order, Ballyhoo arrived to sort things out. “Wow-wee! What a stupendous six minutes of hiding and seeking! Witch One usually favors the hiders, especially when the seekers don’t know the map, but you four sure flipped the script, ‘cause you four overcame some serious odds to seize victory! Congratulations on a JOB WELL DONE! Here’s a token of my appreciation–or more accurately, five tokens! APIECE!” Ballyhoo snapped his fingers, and in the distant sky behind him, four brilliant stars sparkled. The next second, five-token stakes shot down like blazing golden comets into Geralt, Rika, Kamek, and Pit, ragdolling them comedically.

Then the gamemaster doffed his hat, giving the rest of the players a bow. “But don’t feel bad, hiders! Your clever hiding spots and tenacity for survival sure were something! I appreciate you too–just eighty percent LESS!” With that he hurled his hat into the sky, which exploded into a red-and-gold fireworks display of Ballyhoo’s own face. More rift tokens rained down onto the remaining sixteen people, one each. “Now, who’s hungry for ANOTHER ROUND? You ready, Balan? Let’s spin. The. Whee-!”

“That won’t be necessary,” Sandalphon cut in, bringing the butt of her Aether Lance down against the roulette table’s center with a loud [i]clack[/i]. “We’re done for the time being.”

Nadia crossed her arms as she sent an indignant look the archangel’s way, complete with raised brow. “Huh, why? We’re still havin’ a good time, right guys? Can’t roulette out just yet!”

Sandalphon’s pupils became inverted triangles. “Starting now, they intend to charge us all per game and present the grand total at the end.”

“Oh.” In an instant Nadia’s attitude changed, and the catgirl turned her narrowed eyes toward Ballyhoo, who’d donned his most innocent expression. “Yeah, forget that! Get meowtta here, chief!“

While Ballyhoo moped, Balan shrugged and created a white rift at the edge of the roulette table, which he guided the guests over to with a grin. Once the Seekers stepped in, they found themselves pushing out of the curtains and back into the spacious checker-floored foyer of the Big Top in reality. As soon as he set foot on solid group, Goldlewis let out a breath he’d been subconsciously holding, a hand on his slightly queasy stomach. The end of the minigame roulette came at a good time for him; he’d definitely had his fill of spatial distortions and whimsical illusions for a while. As the weight in his pocket could attest, though, the rift tokens that he and the others received were very real, and now that the gift exchange lay before them, everyone could put their hard-earned rewards to use.

As everyone stepped away from the curtains, a forlorn Ballyhoo waved a handkerchief. “I hope you all enjoyed yourselves! Please come again sooooon!” he called after them. Still smiling beside him, Balan tipped his hat, and like streams of paint washing down a drain the bizarre pair spiraled back into the surreal realm of whimsical wonderworlds just behind the curtain.

Given her tendency to scan her surroundings, it didn’t take Sandalphon long to notice the presence of someone else in the Big Top’s foyer. Having just obtained a fantastical [url=https://i.imgur.com/11qPzlJ.png]Hundred Layer Sundae (Zero Calories)[/url] from the Big Top’s snack bar, a familiar thirty-something woman wearing black, white, and a good-natured smile made her way toward the gaggle of heroes and villains fresh from their minigame extravaganza. “Hey everyone!” Dawn greeted them. “How’s it going? You guys have fun in there?”

Sandalphon nodded. She couldn’t speak for everyone, and a couple of them certainly seemed to be in a rather foul mood, but the archangel had experienced something that would reasonably fall within the standard definition of ‘fun’. “Yes. However, further engagement would incur payments, so we declined to continue.” she told Dawn. “May I ask why you’re here? Has something occurred with the Avenger?”

“Straight to the point, huh?” Dawn chuckled before downing a big spoonful of ephemeral ice cream. “Well, nothing just yet. Our long-distance scanners picked up movement down near Zurvan Amp Station though. That’s Consul H’s territory, and he’s got a serious ace up his sleeve. Some of our poor Alcamoth survivors know it firsthand: a gigantic carrier ship, packing more soldiers and military vehicles than you could shake a stick at. Probably headed toward Midgar, but to get there it might fly right over Carnival Town, and we don’t want it anywhere near the Avenger. After a little scrying, that Mona girl said we shouldn’t risk it.” She took a big bite from one of the chocolate bars, then shrugged. “So, I figured I oughta come down and round everyone up. No big rush, but no dilly-dallying, okay? Grab a snack, some clothes, spirits, whatever you want, and let’s Fulton outta here.”

As Dawn spoke, Goldlewis listened in rapt attention. Even if he hadn’t witnessed the ship for himself, he knew firsthand just how much of a military powerhouse anything called a ‘carrier’ could be. “Got it. We’ll wrap up here ASAP.” He turned to the others. “Y’all heard the lady. Let’s grab whatever we can and extract on the double.”

Sandalphon nodded once more. Her expression had relaxed somewhat over the course of the minigames, but she looked totally serious now. “Let’s save usage of the spirits until we’re aboard, as well.” With that, she made a beeline toward the Orb Machine, ready to extract her allotment of spirits. Though her solitary victory and three consolation prizes in the minigame roulette had awarded her a total of eight rift tokens, she only planned to spend three on spirits, enough to reach ‘pity’ once. The rest she planned to spend on clothes, since outfits that could be quickly equipped or unequipped offered a lot of utility, and there was no telling where this journey would take the Seekers next.