⇨ 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

[tacosgay]

"... no, I'm pretty sure it's still their fault," Taako says, and he sounds pretty damned certain. "Like, I have no idea what Sans's job is besides to vaguely threaten me on occasion, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that 'definitely throw yourself into fae hell if Reira disappears' isn't anywhere in his contract."

Taako doesn't know anything about Sans, besides that he's Papyrus's brother and that he doesn't like it when Taako implies he might break a rule somehow, and he arguably knows even less about what the Warden's job is, but he does know that Sans is a person-- skeleton?-- with the ability to choose what he does, for the most part.

"Besides, it's not like you got caught on purpose."

[soft_focus]

"....His job is to keep people safe, and help if people are in danger." She knows this because Yuuya Told Her. "...And I still did the wrong thing."

Anyway. "...I left on purpose. That's definitely breaking a rule on purpose." It's exactly why she's not leaving the carnival, given she's been told Not to do that, suffice to say.

She pauses...and finds herself adding... "....I'm not... ...sad, about it, I guess. ...About being the reason, I mean. ....I don't like that I did it, and it happened, but I'm not going to be sad if someone says that to me," she clarifies, chewing her lip. It feels like, after so many have run the round of 'no, you aren't the one at fault', that there just might be a reason that track keeps being run.

[tacosgay]

"... huh." Well. That's interesting, and clearly puzzles Taako for a beat. A long ear quirks up. "Yeah, I mean, fair enough, but, like... it's still objectively not your fault? Maybe Sans, okay, sure, if it makes you feel any better, for some reason, we can call that one your fault, but, uh, anybody else just kind of fell in of their own accord, know what I'm saying?"

He ends up just sitting down on her doorstep, a much more comfortable position to chat in; it seems like he might be here for a while, and she hasn't exactly invited him in. Not that he's upset that a child hasn't invited a strange, grown elf into her house-- that makes perfect sense, honestly, and good on her for it.

[soft_focus]

"...The one I got caught with did," she notes, frowning. "...The things after it happened because of what happened though. It's like how one move in a duel changes all the other moves." She stares as the other sits, glancing back inside, and then to Taako. For her...she didn't invite him in because moving hadn't really come to mind. She's sort of used to just standing in places and talking.

She supposes she should go inside, in this case though. "....do you want to sit on a pillow instead of the stairs?"

[tacosgay]

"The one you got caught with?" Taako echoes her words in clear confusion, shifting a bit where he's sitting. "What do you mean?"

... a duel? That's... what kind of duel is she talking about? And how would a little kid know anything about duels in the first place? But Taako doesn't have long enough to be properly concerned about that before she's asking him a question.

"Uh. Yeah, actually, that's... not a bad idea," he responds, giggling a bit sheepishly.

[soft_focus]

"...We used a portal to go to the stables, so I could sleep there. ...Since they were with me, they got caught," she adds. She...could explain that technically they had two bodies and WERE the portal, but....

...that probably makes it obvious who it was, and she would really rather they not be blamed for things. As it is, she goes back inside to find a pillow, letting him come inside. Taako seems...pretty confused at least. Or briefly confused.

So she'll explain. "...Duel monsters. ....You use cards."

[tacosgay]

Taako hesitates for a beat, glancing in; so she's letting a stranger inside after all?

... then again, if she's an empath, she would know if he were some kind of creeper, so there's that. He shrugs his shoulders, and climbs to his feet, strolling inside and stretching his legs a bit.

"Oh, so it's a card game, huh?" He breaks into a smirk. "That's a pretty melodramatic name for a card game, I gotta say. Duel monsters."

As for her former statement about who else she got into trouble... well, he pretty much already knows, now that he thinks about it. Reira was with Julien in the rooms, as far as he can remember-- he was told to go check on their shared room, after all, and that's where he found Julien's comatose human body. So that means...

... well. He still doesn't really blame her, she's just a kid. He might have a talk with Julien after all this is said and done, though, because what kind of goofy idea is sending a kid off by herself to the stables in some weird fae manor?

[soft_focus]

"....Melodramatic..?" She frowns, and squints a little. Errr...she's not really sure what to make of that. "...It's because the cards have monsters..." And you know. You're dueling with them. It made plenty of sense.

Also that's exactly what she was trying to prevent Taako, stop that-stop getting weird thoughts she can't completely judge. All she can do is squint and frown thanks to that-it isn't, after all, far from what the last person who found out about Julien's involvement was feeling...

As it is. She holds out the pillow. "....The chairs are too hard otherwise."

[tacosgay]

"Oh. Huh. So it's one of those nerd card games where you collect all these fancy themed cards, then, that's..." He hums a bit, thinking on that; and then he shrugs, smirking lightly at her. "I mean, hey, if that's what you're into. We've all gotta have hobbies, I guess."

He accepts that pillow, glances at it... and then gives another half-shrug, and goes to place it on the seat of a chair nearby, carefully sinking down onto it to make sure it doesn't just slide out from under him. That would definitely ruin the whole tone of this visit, maybe. Or, hell, maybe it would liven this poor kid's day up a little. Then again, she doesn't seem like the type who's into slapstick.

"So, uh... can I ask what your plan was? With the whole... sneaking out at night thing? Because, like, they were pretty clear on how bad an idea that was." It's not really judgemental, given the fact that she's a little kid and they all pretty equally hated obeying the Prince's demands; hell, he's a grownass elf and he also disobeyed that particular order. Still, it'd been made abundantly obvious that breaking rules could put their very lives in danger. She had to know.

[soft_focus]

....What on earth is a nerd? She frowns a little. "....it's for a war..." she starts off, but eventually decides not to explain any further than that. Instead she just stares at the floor.

".......................We were going to sleep in the stable." It was that simple. "....In the bedroom...even from the other one there, it was just worry, and fear, and some people were even angry, or hating..." It is... "....If I tried... ....I could have ignored it, I think, but..."

"....Even if it's not the most it's hurt, it still hurt enough to make going seem okay, when we thought no one would get caught."

[tacosgay]

It takes him a few seconds to sort out all the knots in that explanation, to fill out the holes enough that he can figure out exactly what the hell she means-- but when he does, he frowns, inclining his head a little.

"... so, hold on... you don't really, like, control your-- whatever it is in there, your brain thing?" He shudders theatrically, grimacing. "Yeah, I bet staying in the manor was pretty miserable in that case, huh..."

Given he, too, is capable of sensing emotions and thoughts, though in a much more limited capacity, he's pretty sure he can imagine what it must've been like, or at least understand what a mess it was; having everyone in the manor's constant fear, worry, anger,and sadness raining down on her must have been hard. She must have told Julien that, and he tried to help her get some relief...

God, as if this whole thing hasn't been tragic enough. Julien was kidnapped and brainwashed and tortured because he tried to comfort a little girl. This fucking Prince guy just keeps getting more and more of a piece of shit--

Taako catches himself getting lost in negativity, and remembers that she can feel it, and that it apparently hurts her; he coughs, clearing his throat and attempting to clear his head of it.

"Hey-- so what's up with that card game anyway?" This kid's had a hard enough time. He figures they should talk about something less immediately horrible, at least passingly.

[soft_focus]

"....No..." That...brings her own frown. "....People can do that..?" It would have made things so much easier, it feels like. If she could have even turned the pain off, nothing would have happened, nothing would have even come close to it, she's certain. It wasn't even something she had realized, until recently, could cause that sort of worry and grief. ...Not until Julien had figured it out and, well.

Started feeling really uncomfortable about the matter.

Fortunately for Taako, the progression of emotions being gradual doesn't net too strong a response-by the end of it, she has her fists balled at her side, certainly. Her lip bit down upon, and her eyes shut-but along with the cleared throat and attempt to clear his mind, there comes a slight, soundless sigh.

...The Card game. Well. "...Mmm.... ...I don't have my duel disk right now," she admits. Hopefully someone steals it back. "...And my cards are with it, but.... ....with Duel monsters, when you play a card, a solid vision hologram appears-so duelists can ride their monsters, and move around the field, while they try to win."

[tacosgay]

Taako has seen similar things done with magic before, but the term "hologram" kind of implies something a bit more sciencey, so that still manages to impress him, at least a little bit; he rests his chin in his palm, looking down at her intently as she explains.

"Huh. That sounds dope as hell." And he's not even just saying that to please her; it does sound pretty dope. "So, uh, how do you win?"

[soft_focus]

"Each player has 4000 lifepoints, normally," normally being the key term, but- "...So the goal is to make the other duelist lose those first! Once that happens, they lose."

[tacosgay]

"Huh, okay... sounds simple enough. I assume you use those monsters to knock off life points?" He's suddenly realizing that having a child explain the rules of some card game from another world to him isn't going to be the most entertaining way he could possibly spend an evening, but, well. It sure beats spending the evening in that empty trailer, or hanging out with the crazy bullshit that's happening outside.

He realizes how rude that's going to sound if she hears that way too late to shove it aside, but he tries anyway.

[soft_focus]

Fortunately, Reira is an empath, not a mind reader-she merely stares quizzically at the other before eventually answering. "Mm, or spells, or traps. You have to think about things-because the other duelist will be trying to fight back, and defend, too."

[tacosgay]

... yeah, no, nevermind, scratch that simplicity thing.

"Uh... huh. I'll be honest, that all sounds super interesting, but I'm, well, a little on the slow side, so, uh. I mean, for one thing, color me impressed that you can even play it, you know, considering."

Considering the fact that he's pretty sure you're, like, five or something, and most kids that age have trouble consistently making it to a potty.

[soft_focus]

Reira is Beaming with Pride-

"Ah.... ....I practiced hard," she murmurs quietly. Programming direct-to-brain only goes so far, after all. "...People normally go to 'after school schools' for it, like the one niisama runs, so... ...It can be hard, especially to learn how to summon powerful monsters properly."

[tacosgay]

"... that's a pretty intense following for a card game," Taako says, increasingly getting the idea that, uh, maybe it means more than just a recreational hobby over in her world after all. In which case, it's becoming increasingly inappropriate for a kid her age to get pulled into it, but he has no idea what childhood is supposed to be like in the first place, so he doesn't comment on that.

[soft_focus]

"....It's a sport and also used for war, so....it needs a lot of people." That's really not how it works but, you know. Whatever.

Believe this, Taako, it's a hair better than what she grew up into.

"....I'm explaining it okay...right?" she adds, not quite catching the reason for whatever Taako is feeling.

[tacosgay]

"Yeah, no, uh, I get the rules and all, it's just, like. You guys use a card game for all that?" Holy shit. Well, that's cranked up his mild alarm to... well, from a one to maybe one and a half. Still, he raises his eyebrows a bit, clearly puzzled. "And they let kids get involved? Like-- eeeehhhhhhh, admittedly, I have no idea what being a kid is like, it's been a long time, okay, but that seems kind of..."

He breaks off with a long, pensive sound that drops low in his throat.

[soft_focus]

".....Solid vision can't be destroyed by normal weapons-so the Fusion dimension decided to use it to attack other dimensions," she explains, swallowing as she explains.

"And.... ....I'm....the only one my age, who fights with the Lancers. ....that was why my mom got me. To fight for 'Standard' Dimension."

[tacosgay]

Everything she just said gives Taako an enormous amount of pause. For a long beat, all he does is just... look at her; he glances off, and then back at her, and he sits back, pursing his lips.

"... uh. Okay. So, like. I have no idea what anything you just said to me means." And then he furrows his brow. "Wait, your mom got you?"

CW: CHILD SOLDIERS....and possibly abuse depending on how far this goes...

[soft_focus]

"Mm." She stares for a moment-no doubt gauging the waters when it comes to mood-but eventually deems it 'safe'. "....She took me from the soldiers in the place I used to live.... ....because she wanted to use me for that war instead of theirs. Because I was good at listening-no matter what they said, I could do that."

[tacosgay]

"... shit." It's murmured under his breath, but the tone is stripped of all of his usual smug apathy. "That's... uh. What happened to your, uh, original parents?"

This seems like a question that might be way too upsetting to actually ask, but here he is, asking it.