⇨ EVERYTHING STAYS [CLOSED NOW]

[ringleaders]

Who: The Summer Maiden, the Ringmaster, and possibly you!
When: Day 146 - Day 152
Where: The Summer Maiden's garden, in the Summerlands.
What: Just some gals being pals. The perfect opportunity to both snoop and hassle some fae.
Warnings: Nothing specific.

THE SUMMER MAIDEN↴ The Ringmaster is reborn without much fanfare. One day her egg is resting in the egg tent, and the next she's out and around the carnival, back to normal - or mostly, at least. She takes the same humanoid shape as she did before Portland ever happened, but now instead of appearing totally human, she's retained a set of curved horns, and longer, sharper nails. She personally offers no explanation for it, without being asked. Otherwise, she does her very best to settling back into the old routine, acknowledging what they all just went through as little as possible. After the first few days of getting the carnival up and running again, she disappears off into the summer cities. People who were here for the last visit to the Summerlands probably have a pretty good idea of what she's doing. They are few restrictions as to where you can go, in the mountain top cities. One particularly majestic mountain supposedly contains the home of the Summer Maiden herself - a plant filled temple that would be considered unassuming by fae standards. There are no guards blocking the entrance, or locked gates keeping you out. Once you find it, you are free to explore. Free enough that you may stumble upon the sound of a familiar voice, and private discussions. Are you going to be polite, or are you going to listen in? [OOC: Tag in with your character entering the temple and heaving the Ringmaster talking to someone, or the sound of an unfamiliar voice singing. Each of my replies will be a bit different. I'll do my best to keep up with as many threads as possible, but priority will go on a first come first serve basis, in the event I get overloaded. Indicate whether you'd like to talk mostly to the Ringmaster or mostly to the Summer Maiden in your top level.]

Comments

[lordofthering]

"No!" the Ringmaster snaps, getting back up onto her rock and crossing her arms. "If you leave now, you're just going to tell everyone some gossipy nonsense without any context. Come sit. Now!"

The Ringmaster has closed her eyes into a determined pout, turning her head away from Yuya as she waits expectantly. The Summer Maiden looks at the Ringmaster, a small smile ghosting across her face. Then, she sits at the rock across from the other fae, straitening her dress.

"This is Yuya," the Ringmaster introduces, stiffly. "He's the one that got stabbed in the soul the other day."

"A pleasure to meet you, Yuya," the Summer Maiden says, obviously playing along at this point, entertaining the Ringmaster's tantrum.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya puffs his cheeks a little, but he doesn't even argue that point. She's asking him to stay, so he'll stay! Sulking or not.

He moves to sit on the grass between the two rocks, crossing his legs. He stares at the Summer Maiden just a minute longer, offering her a bold smile. If the Ringmaster was concerned about their sadness, he'd be as openly cheerful as he could.

"It's nice to meet you," he leans over slightly as he bows his head. "My soul is doing a lot better!"

[lordofthering]

The Summer Maiden's own smile brightens in return (somewhat literally) and she bows her head in recognition.

"That was a brave duty to take upon yourself," she says. "If you truly are the one responsible for freeing the Ringmaster and her carnival from that place... then I owe you my thanks, Yuya."

That last part is said with a certain air of gravity, that you can feel deep within your spring. The Ringmaster stands up immediately, putting her hands on her hips in pure offense.

"You knock that off this instant, Summer!" the Ringmaster snaps. "You'll spoil him! By the Void..."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya laughs and rubs the back of his hair. He didn't mean to soak up the attention but the Maiden is so strong about it, he's almost certain he feels it in his heart.

The Ringmaster shakes him back to reality, and he looks at her quizzically without comprehension for what the Summer Maiden just did. He ducks his head a bit, still smiling.

"I wasn't the only one! And my reasons were selfish too, but I'm glad we got everyone out of there."

He looks up to the Ringmaster. "And I'm glad you're back." And not dead or an egg.

[lordofthering]

The Ringmaster's face flushes as Yuya speaks, her skin turning much more red than usual. Or is that... orange? It's not totally clear, but her cheeks are changing colour at any rate.

She doesn't sit back down. Instead, she sticks her nose up, crossing her arms again.

"Actually, I'm leaving!" she declares. "I'll be back in a while." She starts striding away, off into the gardens. She turns back only for a moment, to quickly warn: "Be polite to your host!"

And then... yeah, she's gone.

[hippocarnival]

"Huh--?" The smile drops off his face for pure confusion. He meant that genuinely! He was worried!

"W-wait--!" But he can't actually stop her from leaving, so instead he turns to the Summer Maiden and knits his brow. "What's wrong with her?"

[npcarnival]

The Summer Maiden watches the Ringmaster leave, her expression becoming more neutral for a moment, before returning her gaze to Yuya.

"She was very emotional when you showed up," she explains. "I don't think she had the chance to calm down before engaging you. She will be fine, with time."

She runs a hand through her free-floating hair, like running one's fingers through beams of light.

[hippocarnival]

He purses his lips a moment. Yeah, he heard a piece of that... He doesn't say that, though. He just nods in response.

"Um, are you the Summer Maiden?" He's spent enough time with the Summer Fae to notice she's special, and the Ringmaster is close to the Summer Maiden.

"Can I ask what she was upset about?" He waves his hands. "I won't really gossip about it without context!"

[npcarnival]

"Yes," she says, and then tilts her head at him curiously. "Perhaps... But will you gossip about it with context?"

[hippocarnival]

He straights up with a very determined expression. "I won't talk about it to anyone if she doesn't want me to. I promise!"

He folds his hands in his lap. He probably owes a better explanation than that. "But maybe if I know I can help her? She's helped me a lot after all."

[npcarnival]

"Has she?" the Summer Maiden asks - not like she doubts him, but like she's genuinely interested to know, like it's a curiosity. She lifts a hand to her jawline, considering.

"...She was upset about what occurred in Portland, and by how significantly recent events have affected the carnival's morale. She never intended for things to become so severe, and with more trouble seemingly on your doorstep..."

She trails off, staring in the direction that the Ringmaster left.

"She is caught between two worlds, I think."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya nods. Sure, it was for his contract, but Yuya wasn't one to approach his alliances so coldly. He made friends out of connections.

Still, that will have to wait a moment as he leans forward to listen to the Summer Maiden. Caught between two worlds?

"I know, there's no way she would have put us in that willingly. But everyone forgot what was important to them and some of them are... they don't like who they were there." He shrugs a shoulder. There wasn't any hiding how significantly Portland shook everyone that experienced it. The Ringmaster probably explained it already, but...

"I think we're getting better, but those fae really hurt a lot of people... what do you mean caught between two worlds?"

[npcarnival]

"As you are well aware by now..." the Summer Maiden says, bowing her head slightly, "...the High Fae are not known for their reputable interactions with other species." She would have explained that more, but it sounds like Yuya already witnessed it for himself. "The pain inflicted by them in Portland was only the tiniest fraction of the damage we have done across the entire multiverse."

She sounds wistful as she speaks, her hands curling around each other.

"...Certain fae, like myself and the Ringmaster, have chosen to abstain from causing the same cruelties that our civilization accepts as standard. The trouble lies in how, for us, it is hard to imagine interacting with mortals in any other way."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya nods slowly, his expression growing more contemplative... and concerned, despite his attempt to not get roped back into the fear of what they can do.

"I heard it was for Arcadia, and--we don't have fae where I'm from, but they do for one of the other members of the carnival. I don't think they have a good relationship, either."

He looks up at the Summer Maiden, falling quiet for a moment. "There was a group called Academia that wad invading other dimensions like the fae, trying to takw them over... but I found they weren't all bad, either, and when we understood each other we were able to stop the violence."

He smiles. "If there are fae like you and the Ringmaster, I think we can reach the same end. We don't have to imagine seeing each other differently if we really try to understand each other."

[npcarnival]

She sighs, understanding his hopes but not buying them, even for a moment. Instead, the idea just makes her look sad.

"It isn't as if it hasn't been attempted, Yuya. In fact, the Ringmaster and I were both formative members of a similar attempt at rebellion, a long time ago. But... as you can see..."

She glances in the direction that the Ringmaster left, again.

"All that it amounted to was leaving us scattered to the winds. The best I can promise other species is to remain uninvolved with them."

[hippocarnival]

"Mm, I don't think rebellion is what I mean. I don't really like fighting." He scratches his cheek. "If we can change their minds about how they see us, so that they don't want to take our homes or hurt us... isn't that better?"

It's painfully idealistic, but it's also clear that he genuinely believes what he's saying.

But then he glances down. "I know that's not easy. But I don't want to be scared of fae all the time, just thinking about how to protect myself from them."

[npcarnival]

"And yet... there is no other option when the act of offering peace is an act of rebellion in of itself," she says. Her tone is more distant as she does. She doesn't meet his gaze again.

"You should be afraid of us," she says. "And you should seek to arm yourself against our kind. We have done nothing to earn your trust or your mercy."

[hippocarnival]

"That's not true," he looks back up at her. "The Ringmaster's protecting people who are important to me. And everyone here has been really kind, you're all helping us recover from what just happened. You're not all bad people."

He leans back on his hands, sitting more relaxed. "I'll protect my friends from anyone that tries to hurt them, not matter what. I know what happened in Portland was serious. But I want to believe there's another way. That's not bad, is it?"

[npcarnival]

"Not inherently, perhaps," she says, her tone still melancholy. "But you have much fewer years to make mistakes. Fewer chances. It is ill advised to ignore the wisdom of those before you... even if the truth isn't what you wanted to hear. Especially then."

As they speak, a small orange bird flutters down to land at the top of the rock pile that forms the nearby waterfall. The Summer Maiden glances up at it, with a small smile.

"Retain that hope, but do not do so blindly. There is much to fear in this world... but that only means that you must hold onto what light you can find."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya nods as the Summer Maiden finishes. "Yeah..." He follows her gaze to the bird, smiling at it as well. It really is nice here. Peaceful.

"I will. I'm really lucky, I have a lot of that," he says with a wider smile. "Thanks, by the way."

For her hospitality, advice, kindness... "Have you seen the carnival's shows? It's usually a lot more lively... so many people are happy when they come to watch us."