The Shadow Carnevale (RP)

Lille cocks her head at their words, a mix of confusion and curiosity plain on her face. Before she can reply, the call across the tents sparks a memory in her mind. "I doubt that’s any relation of yours, but I think I might know them." She turns to hurry away, but calls back over over her shoulder, "Have great sex!" Then she guides her steps quickly towards the loud voice. "Roald!" The sight of her new companion confirms the familiarity of the agitated man. Seeing him with a hand near his dagger, she drops her hand near her own knife, her posture defensive as she scans the area. "What is wrong?"

"Uhm.. Yeah.. Usually." Albert tells the man. "That's probably a good place to look. It doesn't need to be a mug. Use your hands if you have no other options. Come on, get to it! Do you want those horses calmed down or not?" His tone is now irritated. If this hostler has the nerve to be cheeky with him then that's what he'll get back in return.

While the guy figures out an answer, Albert tries to get a better look at Bronda the bear. It's not looking all there. "Don't worry, buddy. I'll get you somewhere safe." He holds out his hand to try and pet it. Somehow not afraid that the bear will tear his arm off.

All events that happened until now, even his father's face and words get pushed away to the back of his mind in the wink of an eye. At the sight of Lille, Roald gets teleported back to 'reality'. Though there is still a feeling of nausea in his stomach.
''Lile?? What are you doing here? I don't like this place, do you know how to get back?''

"I was on watch, and had to see if there was a threat here." Though she tries, Lille can’t help but let a little defensive note slip into her voice. "To go back we just go…" She looks around, seeming a little panicked that she can’t tell where they are. "We can’t be that far from the edge. What are you doing here? Is the group ok?"

''I passed some animal cages on my way here, if we go in that direction, we might get back to the camp.
Are you alright? You seem ... Not alright. Do you think I can hold a knive? I mean really hold a knive. This one feels heavy, try it. It feels heavy. I think I heard some horses whinny over there. We should go''

Roald is babbling along still subconsciously affected by the weird dream before, but not able to put his finger on it. It's somewhere in the back of his mind influencing his actions.

He sticks the dagger in Lille's general direction, point first. Not far enough to stab her, but it's not how you give a sharp object to someone.

"Yes, towards the animals," Lille murmurs, as she looks at Roald’s gaunt flesh. "I think YOU are the one who needs Ezme’s help. Yes, we need to go now." She frowns at him with concern.

As he thrusts the dagger at her, she jumps back instinctively, fully drawing her own knife before she realizes it. But her hand skews with the sudden unexpected weight, and Lille looks disbelievingly between it and her companion. "This is wrong, all of this is wrong," she says, not keeping the rising panic from her voice. "Come on, run!" Without waiting for a reply, she heads in the direction that he said the horses might be, though she does spare one wary glance to check that Roald is following, but not TOO closely.

Roald sticks the knive, no dagger back where it belongs and starts running after Lille. At some point he seems not capable of keeping up with her. He tries to shout, but there is hardly any sound coming from his mouth. Just as he thinks of giving up, she comes closer again only to enlarge the distance again afterwards. This 'game' goes on until they reach the cages.

Lille bounds along with deer-like strides, her long steps hardly moving her anywhere. She increases the speed of her leaps, but the tents and wagons still seem to crawl by. After hours of this, which is also only a few moments, she thinks to look back for Roald. He seems to shout, but when his mouth moves no words come out. His steps drag too, and she gives up waiting and starts her own slow progress again, trying to remember which way he said to go.

Albert stares at the bear. Looking into its sad eyes. He blinks and suddenly his world has changed. He's looking at ... himself. A man dressed just like him is standing in front of him. As if looking to a mirror. But there's something odd. To look at his own head, Albert needs to look up. This mirror image is taller than he is. He looks at the floor to figure out what's going on and to his surprise he sees that he is no longer Albert. He is now the bear. The sad bear, stuck in a cage. The Albert outside turns around and walks away. "Wait!!!" The bear shouts. He's not sure if it's coming out as words or as roars. To him it's understandable at least.

Albert tries to bull rush the cage, maybe he can force his way out. He hits the metal bars and they hurt his shoulder something fierce. "Wait! Don't leave me here! I don't feel well!" He needs help, but there is nobody to come and help him. Tears roll down his snout and he sniffs to keep the snot from dripping. A scent hits him.

Roald. I smell Roald. He thinks, his head looking up and around to see where that smell is coming from. He sniffs again trying to pinpoint its origin.

A sudden breeze rushes through the large cage. A warm, possibly summer wind. For a second it sound like a whisper in Albert's ear as it hits the bars. Raynor, Raynor... But Raynor seemed so far away right now. The bears sickness felt like a thick blanket on his mind. Raynor... Pray to Raynor.. Again, as if someone is trying to send him a message.

Then some movement catches his attention. "Roald!!!! Roald!!! Over here!" Albert shouts. What are they doing here? Goes through his mind. How long have I been here? Did I miss my watch switch? All very good questions, but so far he's gotten no answers to anything. Why not? What was keeping him from getting answers? He needed guidance.

Lille arrives at the animal cages after trekking across the whole carnival, but it is also right around the corner from where they started. And Roald got there first? But he was behind me? Then she sees the bear in the cage yell at Roald. When she looks again, Albert is in the cage. "Are they both the bear?" she asks Roald. She walks up to the bear outside the cage and uses Wildspeak to say, "Who are you? Who is Raynor?"

Lille's words cause Albert to pause for a moment before speaking. His mind is racing. Raynor, there's that word again. Must be someone I know. No time to dwell on that now.

"Lille. It's me, Albert." The bear says. "I think a witch must have made me switch places with this bear." He points to the lock of the cage with his snout. "Can you get me out?"

Just when Lille fades out of sight for the fifth time, Roald's attention is drawn by a loud noise. He stops running, or what should be running if it wasn't for this porridge his legs seem to made out of, and listens.
A deep growl is coming from his left side.
there it is again
He makes his way towards the origin of the sound. And the closer he gets the more certain he is he can hear his name hidden inside the growl.
It's a bear... In a cage... He's seen this bear before.
''Do you know me?'' he tries to say but his voice is not quite firm yet.

- are they both the bear?

Lille came out of nowhere and is standing next to him.
'' what do you mean? Both?'' Roald's throat feels dry.
''Is this the bear that ate the poisoned honey?''

It looks like Lille is communicating with the bear, but Roald strangely is able to make out a couple of words hidden inside the growling.