⇨ SAY UNCLE

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone who isn't in jail!
When: Day 175, 11:30PM onward.
Where: The Realm that used to contain Heartstone Manor.
What: Team carnival has gotten what they came for, but in the meantime they have lost what they came with. With his ace in the hole gone, the Prince is tearing apart the Heartstone Manor and reshaping it into an impregnable fortress to lock away his new most precious commodities - the Ringmaster's captured followers. Welcome to a hostage situation, this could take a while.
Warnings: Violence, and etc.

AFTER THE BALL↴ Around 11:30PM is when everything starts changing - and for most in Heartstone Manor, the triggers will have remained unseen. In the ongoing thunderstorm it was easy to miss, and the Prince losing control over his realm only occured before a small group of workers intent on saving the carnival from a terrible fate. An ancient High Fae artifact called the Blue Rose was stolen from the Prince, and in reaction he is being forced to abandon his plans of controlling the Ringmaster, instead trying to hide away in his realm for the purposes of saving his own skin. His main bartering chip? The workers that he's been capturing up to this point. He knows that, unlike himself, the Ringmaster cares about mortals, and especially about the ones who follow her. He's willing to bet that she won't allow them to die for the sake of her own convenience, and he's right. Now that the Blue Rose is the carnival's, she's intent to take back what was stolen from her, as well as the lives of all the servants that the Prince has been stealing away for eons. By whatever means necessary. ► SPLIT THE EARTH: Characters all across the Manor will be treated with initial tremours that will soon escalate into a full-fledged earthquake, capable of collapsing buildings and rending the earth. The cause of this is simple: the Prince is using his powers of elemental earth to reshape his realm into something more suited to protect him. Specifically, he is changing what was a manor house into a fortress meant to defend, and allowing the rest to collapse into ruin. The Manor is still nothing but a castle floating in a void - as the earth breaks apart, it will be nothing but an endless freefall between the floating chunks of debris. Over the next twelve house that earthen debris will be reshaping and solidifying into a new layout, but having to be there while it happens is one hell of a ride! ► BREAK THE ILLUSION: It's as the world starts shaking that the last of the Prince's spell over the minds of his guests will begin to fade away. However, it may wear off more slowly than is helpful in an emergency earthquake situation. The ballroom trance may linger even as lives are threatened, and it will take a pointed effort to make sure that everyone gets out of the Manor's collapse safely. At the same time, the illusionary guests will begin to fade and disappear. The ones that remain are the ones that are real, but it may be a bit painful to realize which ones were simply a lie to begin with. ► SAVE WHO YOU CAN: Despite being knocked out by a surprisingly massive blast from the Prince's magic crystal, the Ringmaster will manage to gather herself up eventually. When she does, the last of the storm will finally come to an end. She'll be doing what she can to try to gather up both servants of the Prince and all of her workers, but it'll be impossible to get to all of them first. A large portion of the servants have undoubtedly been stolen away by the Prince into his newly built fortress, but with the effort of carnival members new and old, they can still save as many as possible. Of course, those held in the Prince's most secure prisons will remain out of reach... for now. ► WAKE THE SUN: As the worst of the earthquakes stop and the new islands of floating land begin to settle, the clouds from the thunderstorm will finally pass, as the Ringmaster seems to summon up a sun to light the realm for the first time since the carnival's arrival. In reality it's sometime in the early, early morning by the Manor's schedule, but whatever! It's easier to not die when the sun is out, don't you think? The Prince's security and gargoyle soldiers are still out and about, and they're clearly interested in capturing as many hostages as possible. ► SIGN A CONTRACT: This is when the Ringmaster will be taking those that were summoned to the Prince's ball aside to offer them contracts in order to free them from the Prince's influence. She'll do her best to explain that the only way to wipe out his control is to take on a new 'master', but they can take some time to think about it if necessary. The truth is, of course, that until they officially sign onto the Ringmaster's camp, there will still be the chance that the Prince will be able to control them. ► WALK THE RUINS: One Day 176 things will have settled completely, with the land now forming a massive fortress on the far side of several large floating islands. The ruins of the old buildings will scatter those islands, forming towers that will swiftly gain small colonies of gargoyles, ready to swoop down and attack carnival members. Further complicating matters is the fact that the rending of the landscape has resulted in bursting open the underground prisons that the Prince had been keeping his most bestial servants, which mean all kinds of mortals long since twisted into the forms of giant spiders, scorpions, monstrous beasts, and other terrifying creatures will now be running amock on the islands, desperate for food. Try not to hold it against them - they didn't ask to be this way. ► REGROUP: While the Ringmaster doesn't want everyone to just run back home (if they do that, the Prince will undoubtedly make them unable to enter again, or at least take over the landscape more fully) she will manage to open a portal back to the carnival in the afternoon of Day 176, formed between two freshly grown trees. This means that carnival members will be able to fetch new clothing, supplies, weapons, and whatever they need to prepare for the battle ahead. Right now, the chaos is still unfolding, but the battle to save the Prince's captives is still ahead. [OOC: Gargoyles and transformed servants from the underbelly can be NPC'd from this point onward. Gargoyles are the Prince's most deadly servants made of extremely durable rock and bearing scorpion tails with venom that can turn bodies into stone. They want to grab anyone they can, trap them, and then fly them off to the Prince's dungeons as collateral. Don't let them! Transformed servants are the beasts who were freed from the underground prison they were left in to rot. They are servants that were transformed into monsters by the Prince, and most of them have been driven insane with bestial hunger from months and years of starvation and atmospheric poison. The Ringmaster is interested in helping them, to see if there is way they can be changed back, so if you have the heart nonlethal methods are most appreciated.]

Comments

REIRA AKABA

[soft_focus]

CLOSED (Subject To Edit) | Yuuya, Yuzu, Strange

[soft_focus]

After she's done with the Ringmaster-whether for a few seconds, or a number of minutes-Reira is quiet. She still wears her maid clothing-still has the stones, in particular, covering her face and skin in ways that even cause the appearance of small spikes at certain points. For some it could be ghastly familiar-for others it's merely a nasty reminder of what occurred, especially in tandem with the reality of it all. The venom is still present-only the fog of mental haze created could be removed at this point, and the strong illness she feels is more than enough to warn her of that herself. It's not nausea, particularly. But it's illness, and strong, weighing upon her enough to feel in some ways worse than when she had while at the meal-table with everyone.

It's not a 'sharp'. But it's as 'strong'.

Even that however, is not as strong as her own feelings, which leave her sitting in silence for a few moments. The others, after all, are no doubt going to be coming in to talk.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya gives them plenty of space for a while. He mills about listlessly as he watches the remains of the manor crumble in the distance, and the ground break into distant floating islands. He doesn't come close until the Ringmaster is already gone and Reira's left there, alone, waiting.

That's when he closes the distance between them, when he's sure her mind is herself again--she still looks awful and it makes his stomach twist. He may not have her empathy, but he can tell that this was all painful, so painful.

He stops right in front of her, still and silent for a moment before he slowly crouches down, one knee pressed to the dirt so that he can look her in the eyes.

"Reira."

[soft_focus]

Reira is breathing rather heavily, for someone who's only been sitting there the last few minutes. Perhaps it's the poison-but perhaps it's also something else, something that hasn't been allowed to properly eat at her until now. Her head is swimming-clear, yet swimming, and when Yuuya comes before her, she can barely find the strength to speak. "I...."

She manages, somehow. Trembling despite herself, and despite the fact that Yuuya's emotions aren't even so severe as to throw her off. "....I ruined....everything...."

[hippocarnival]

She's back. His heart aches in sympathy with hers, but just as much he's so relieved. He's so glad that she's herself again. That she's far away from the Prince and he can't, he won't let him take her back.

He doesn't speak to argue with her. Instead he only shakes his head, fervently, and moves to wrap his arms around her and pull her close and hold her securely.

"I'm--" His voice breaks a little, and he stops and swallows a breath before he tries again. "I'm glad you're safe."

[soft_focus]

"But....But th..." She can barely find her words, and all at once she finds herself breaking once she's in the other's embrace. She wants to be strong-she wants to stand firm, she should be able to stand firm, be able to do something to help, anything to help, even if she's not allowed to leave, there's always something-

"But they're not...! And.... I got others caught....not just when I was...but after that, and then at the dance....and even....Even when people tried to help...! I....I..."

SEEKING THE CROWD

[soft_focus]

[[OOC - To keep things in chronological order, prompts are going to be nested under here, relating to the main OTA one.]

OTA - WANDERING THE CARNIVAL | EARLY MORNING DAY 176

[soft_focus]

While she looks for those she needs to speak with, Reira wanders in pain and in illness. With only the mental effects of poisoned removed, the remainder are intense. A physical and even spiritual weakness that threatens to be on par with some of the worst things she's ever felt. Where emotions of such intensity would be accompanied by sharpness-by a gut 'strike' through the heart itself, the venom now feels like a weighted blanket of stone in the near literal sense. It sits and coats her, making magic difficult, and walking just as much so.

But Reira walks regardless. She forces herself to, in fact, even if it leaves her sitting at the side for a moment to get her bearings back. She can rest later-for now she just....needs to make sure people are okay. She can't go back out there, after all.

But she can't just let herself be useless.

GINKO

[soft_focus]

She was told to get rest-to go to her trailer, and lay down-but what loophole in the request can be found is being taken advantage of, if at least just for this one time. There are people she feels she must speak with after all. People that she needs to talk to, to apologize to, for everything. Everything. She wanders a little, but eventually decides that perhaps the most obvious place to find one in particular is.... ....the place he wasn't able to go the whole time.

Reira nervously approaches the main building for the menagerie keepers, her hair let down but her clothes otherwise the same uniform she was made to wear at the ball. "....G....Ginko..?" she calls out-and part of her wonders what she'll do if he's not there.

But also, it worries for if he is, lest she say the wrong words.

[dontpokethat]

Reira's instinct to check the menagerie was a good one; Ginko doesn't intend to linger here long, with so much to do elsewhere, but he does need to at least check in.

He's just passing through the barn, dropping off supplies, picking up new ones, when he hears the voice. He turns toward Reira, his ears flicking upward and his eye wide.

"--Reira?"

[soft_focus]

The girl's heart practically stops in her chest, when she hears the voice, and suddenly, Reira wonders what she was going to say. Sorry, sorry was one word. But as she turns, she finds her eyes welling up a little, as something clicks.

She's surprised she's still here, now that it hits. Making mistakes that bad....that generally means you're not coming back. That was what it felt like, before the Prince pulled them out. You're not coming back.

She almost didn't come back.

"I...." She can't think of other words, though. "....I'm s.... I'm sorry..." Just one or two others, but that's it. "....I'm back now."

[dontpokethat]

Ginko barely leans down enough to set his supplies down instead of just dropping them on the ground. He walks over to Reira, kneels down in front of her, and just... stays there, hands on his knees.

"...You don't have anything to apologize for. I'm just glad that you're back."

PSIIONIC

[soft_focus]

[Ginko has been found-and spoken to, for that matter. He was the first she sought out, but perhaps that was merely because she easily knew where he would be. She's spoken to the Psiionic, certainly. Met him, as well.

But she hasn't come to know him, not really, and she doesn't know where he would be either. It doesn't take long for her to temporarily give up on the matter either-she's tired, exhausted, and by all rights should be in bed. Ginko probably would have made her in the first place-she can't even recall if he said it at this point.

Her head swims, but the fact is before she can sulk back to her trailer for rest, she needs something to eat. Or at the very least, to drink.

Probably just drink, when she thinks of it.

But go figure-there he is, four arms and bee wings, right there.

....She....doesn't really feel like talking now...though....

(She doesn't feel like moving much either, to be fair)]

[dorkypantsuit]

[He doesn't really notice her at first, not until she tries to duck past him. The cafeteria, or whatever you want to call it, is empty right now. Most people are busy or worrying or sleeping or trying to help. Psi is just eating, or at least pretending to. He doesn't want to acknowledge what's happening, and that's what he has to do when he sees everyone else. It would be easy to say he's lost in his thoughts, but when Reira moves the sound of her feet on the floor catch his attention, and he turns to see whose there.

He is surprised when he sees her. In fact, that is an understatement.]

Reira?

[He asks, voice loud. He hardly knows what to think at the sight of her. She was here, she was safe, she could (maybe already was?) be alright. It's relief ultimately that floods through him. He's glad she's okay, and he ends up standing abruptly to rush to her side. The bench he's sitting on falls over in his haste and clatters to the floor.]

Are you still mad or brainwashed or whatever?

[soft_focus]

[She is ready to mutter something-mumble a greeting perhaps, maybe just ask about some hot tea, or similar. She needs something to just mindlessly drink at this point, until she can properly fall asleep. Unfortunately what was originally general gloom quickly blasts into sharp concern, a hastiness that manifests in the bench flying and Psi rushing over himself.

Also it's loud. Also it's a dumb question.

She looks a touch irritated, suffice to say.]

Nmmnnnnnn... [G od, why-]

.........I wasn't even mad before...

OTA | DAY 176 | REIRA & YUZU'S TRAILER

[soft_focus]

Eventually, she can't force herself to keep going. Whether because of various orders back to bed, or because of her own stubborn mind finally crumbling, she comes back to her trailer with a sigh and a swallow. The trailer wasn't quite 'customized' for herself yet. She and Yuzu were too new, barely here for a pair of weeks before they were wisked away to a whole new place after all. She opts not to lay on the bed for now, though. Instead she's on the couch-tea on a little box beside it, some sort of borrowed VHS playing on the tv.

(She has no idea what it is, or what is going on-but it's something about... Rainbows?? Teddybears???

They're firing lasers off their middles and she's not sure what's going on.)

There are better things to focus on, right now. She hates it after all, the whole matter of being stuck in her trailer, unable to actually do anything. She knows WHY it is-but it still upsets her. Being told to stay at the Carnival itself would have been fine. She could find a way to help from here. Find some way to do something, anything.

But she can't do anything here. Not at all.

She tries, in vain, to summon her Daemon. Maybe they can have some silent conversation-take some time to sort themselves, or decide what they can do 'next'. For the first few hours she's in there, she can't get anything however.

But occasionally, if she concentrates, she can get a flicker of that personal hallucination there, her Daemon rising just before her eyes, only for a moment.

Only a moment before she sighs, and it's gone.

The sound of sighing, perhaps, could lead someone in-through the door, unlocked, or even the window, or the walls. Perhaps instead it's coughing-she's still sick after all, and the venom does make it tricky to breathe occasionally, given how it feels through the stones along her body.

Or, more likely, someone overheard the ridiculous noises from the TV. There's nothing like coming back to recover for a battle with a control-freak of a fae only to hear 'CAREBEAR STAAAAAARE' after all.

[humanhope]

So after finally getting out of that place as it fell apart, it seemed now Morgana was going to be here for a while. It wasn't something he'd planned on, really, but it didn't seem so bad. After all, a Carnival that traveled between worlds and had all sorts of magic and transformation going on seemed like a great place to find a way to become human!

But he still had to get his bearings, and so after finding his trailer (with a little cat door, which he expressed his distaste for even as he used it anyway because it was so much more convenient than having to open the door with his paws), he ended up wandering around to see what else was around before heading back through the portal...

But it sounds like someone else is in the trailer next to his, something he clues into because of whatever that bear... staring? or whatever it is. Which means he should check it out, right? He doesn't actually have to, he's not really a cat so he really shouldn't be this curious about everything, but he just wants to see what's going on in there alright.

Which means that hey Reira guess what, there's a black cat jumping into your window to look around and see what's going on and maybe watch that TV too. A cat that definitely doesn't read like a cat to her empathy.

[soft_focus]

It may not have been planned, but things happen after all. Things like watching old VHS tapes that you especially don't recognize. A ping under the empathy absolutely catches her eye-before the cat is even in the window for that matter-but until he is at the window, she pays it no mind. Someone outside is being outside, that's all there is to it. Or at least that's how it felt.

Suddenly that someone was a lot closer though, and she turns almost immediately to frown.

At.....................a cat.

There is a bit of silence, as she squints from in her pile of blankets. "...................'r you a monster-cat, or a fairy-cat..?"

Duel monsters and fairies look like Things but feel like People (sometimes) right??? Yes.

[humanhope]

He was being so quiet, but somehow she noticed him. He's not really sure how, but he at least pretends to take it in stride, except -

"I'm not any kind of cat!" It takes a minute to get anything else other than that from him, the reaction immediate. Even though now he kind of is a cat, since this is his new body now, he still doesn't like being called a cat.

Even though it's true.

Still, after a moment he calms down and just looks her over before looking to the TV.

"I just thought I'd see what all the noise is, since everyone else is being so quiet."

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

Yuzu let out a soft sigh as she made her way back to the trailer. Despite trying to get back into things, she was still worried about Reira, especially with her trying to go out and about in her state. As she did, she opened the door, noticing Reira watching a cartoon of sorts.

“...hey, Reira. Feeling better?” She asked, concerned.

[soft_focus]

She isn't much of a fan of this cartoon, honestly. She might have been if she understood it more, of course-but frankly she is more lost than ever, so this isn't really working. Reira looks to Yuzu from the couch with what seems caught between a pout, and a miserable stare of agreement, before apparently mumbling something under her breath.

"....no," she mutters, sounding quite displeased indeed. "....still hurts a lot."

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

"...I know it does." Yuzu said, moving to join the younger girl. "I'm just glad you're safe now."

Gently, she tried to see if she wanted to be held.

[tacosgay]

Taako, well... he's actually on a personal mission when he goes to talk to Reira, even though he's only vaguely aware of who she even is. Foster doesn't ask Taako to do things often, so when he does, those requests are taken seriously, as weird as they may seem. Returning a bird to a little girl shouldn't be that hard, right?

He knocks at the door, calling out: "Hey, uh, Reira? Are you in there, darling?"

oh right do you want me to link her empathy info post-

[soft_focus]

She doesn't know this voice-but she's at the door when Taako arrives, and even opens it as soon as he's spoken. It spooks people if you open doors before they do 'something', she knows that much. She's probably opened it a bit too quickly, however.

The child doesn't look healthy, suffice to say-her stone changes, complete with green crystal roses at her left scalp, would possibly be fine on their own, but the bags under her eyes and the somehow more deathly pallor to her skin speak of illness. She's a long ways from recovery-but that's what being in the trailer is for, after all.

She doesn't really care about that right now though. What matters is...

"........................who are you..?"

OK COMMENTED IN THERE

[tacosgay]

... yeesh. Poor kid. Pity isn't a common thing for Taako to genuinely express, but he sure feels it right now as he looks down at her, something chilled sitting heavy in his gut when he realizes everyone trapped by the Prince must feel that way. What the hell was he doing to them?

"Uh. Hi, I'm Taako, and, uh-- Foster... I guess he knows you somehow, uh, he's my roommate, and he told me to bring you this?" Taako catches the bird from where it's been hanging out in his hair, and he bends down to offer it to Reira, smiling weakly.

She might notice a wild mix of emotions when he mention's Foster's name; he's got complicated feelings towards the man, it seems, though chief among them at this moment is actually concern. (Just beneath that, however? Exasperation.)