⇨ THE PRINCE IS DEAD

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 178 - B1: Day 6
Where: The Carnival and sometimes on top of the Heart of Stone.
What: Now that the Prince is dead and gone, there's a lot left to sort out. As the remaining servants are liberated and those captured by the Prince are tended to, it's time for recovery and goodbyes.
Warnings: Nothing in particular.

HOME GROUND↴ At long last, it is over. The Prince is dead, and all of his stolen Names have been restored - all that's left to do is treat the wounds and move on. For the first day or two, the Ringmaster will be arranging passage for the servants that are left, all of which have remembered their names for the first time in years. The earth elemental that had been trapped and forced to serve as the Prince's manor, the Heart of Stone, is happy to help for the moment. It appreciates the Ringmaster's mercy, and is free after untold eons of imprisonment. Yet, there are plenty of aspects that are far from simple. There are still servants left mad and transformed into beasts, with no easy way to change them back. The Prince's spells outlive him, and those bearing his poison and his curses will have a difficult road ahead of them. Though most of the bestial servants have been rounded up, and a large number that had been reduced to unmoving statues returned, even the Ringmaster can't return them to normal so simply. The next week is for rest and for settling remaining affairs. If you want to bid farewell to any particular NPCs, or assure care is given where it's needed, now is the time to do it. ► A CURE: The Ringmaster will tell everyone simply - there is no simple way to undo another fae's magic. The Prince's powers were essentially on par with hers, which means that those who have been transformed to stone and those that were cursed into beasts and driven insane are not something she can trivially fix. It will take the work of the carnival and a couple weeks of treatment to shed the curse of stone, and the maddened servants are an entirely separate matter. She will do what she can, but for the most part she is arranging for the Prince's servants to be cared for elsewhere. At least for now, the Ringmaster will be animating the stone portions of people's bodies with magic, though those portions will still be a bit clumsy and numb feeling. ► THE NEW HEARTSTONE: In the absence of the prince, the Heart of Stone will be taking over the remains of the Prince's realm and preventing it from collapsing into void. As it turns out, the manor had been an earth elemental all along - a form of Wyld Fae almost on par to the Prince and Ringmaster themselves. How the Heart of Stone was enslaved is a long story presumably, but the Ringmaster considers it to be a sign of the Prince's own depravity. The Heart will be allowing visitors for the first couple days of this period through the portal, but keep in mind you are essentially just walking around on its body. At least the realm has a floor, now, instead an endless abyss surrounding it.

Comments

Big Tent Sleepover - D2 and onward

[pipers_son]

[Around..... noonish of the second day, anyone who still has their radios on them will find them crackling to life.]

Ah.... Joker here. If anyone is tired of sleepin' on their own, I got some things set up in the main performance tent. Just drop by.

[Boy, does he sound exhausted as all shit. Wait, wasn't he one of the hunted? Wasn't he in the medical tent just yesterday? The man has an entire stone leg right now, how the hell did he sneak out- ]

[Regardless of the many questions that arise from Joker's questionable life choices, the big tent is set up for anyone to come join what is basically just an enormous sleep over. There are a lot of reasons someone might not care to sleep in their own trailers. Who knows? Perhaps sleeping in small space with an assigned roommate seems too much like the Prince's rigid schedule. Regardless, the floor and seats in the main tent have found themselves scattered with various blankets and pillows. It's sure not enough to cover the entire floor, let alone all of the seats.... but someone has given it the good old college try.]

[Feel free to curl up just about anywhere, or bring just about anything, including food or more blankets and pillows. Either would certainly be appreciated.]

joker - ota

[pipers_son]

Day 2

As for the stage manager who's set all of this up? Well, to find him.... Just look up.

For the acrobats and daredevils of the Carnival, there's usually no reason to spread out a net. Magic safety measures are well in place, considering that, on a normal day, the performers are some of the most important individuals around. It' not a carnival without a show, after all. Yet they still have one, because a traveling interdimensional carnival can never have too much shit lying around, apparently. It's that massive net which is currently strung up high in the air within the big top. Even more blankets have been draped across it, making it impossible to see what's laying on top of them.

At least, not unless someone clambers up there, or has the ability to fly. Then, it'll be fairly easy to find Joker. The stage manager is draped across the blanket covered net, a few pillows strewn here and there. One in particular is pressed against his face. Presumably he's sleeping and, thankfully, he seems to be dressed now. Certainly, any visitors will get the sight of Feathers the Dartrix puffing up at them in warning, with the Pokemon looking about as ruffled as his owner.

If you have anything to say, make it quick. This bird is determined to not let Joker do anything else.

Nighttime

....Or, at least, it's as good as night time when the figure up in the big tent net finally makes his way down.

It's a careful, slow descent that's made up mostly of gliding instead of the usual dives or flying that Joker is known for. Feathers follows right behind him, making quiet and worried coos. They only intensify as Joker lands, stumbling, and he has to raise a hand up to hush the Pokemon. Anyone around who's awake and watching will get an almost sheepish smile. "Ah, sorry. Wake ya?"

Pay no mind to how he looks absolutely ragged. Probably just the lack of makeup.

Still, he has some people he wants to check up on... And, if they're not in the big tent, that means having to leave it. That's how, still accompanied by Feathers, Joker can be found wandering about the Carnival. With his leg completely turned to stone, it's somewhat slow going, something that can be told by the stiff way he has to walk. Occasionally, he sinks down to sit, taking a breath, and Feathers is immediately on hand to fuss over him.

It's good luck that he's not worse than he already is... Unlike some of the others, like Lambert. Any broken limbs were fixed, even if the poison is weighing him down almost as much as his leg. Still.... He smiles wearily down at Feathers. "We're a mess, ain't we...?"

Joker's Wild

[As usual, if you want to do anything else with Joker that the prompts don't cover, just go for it. He'll mostly be sticking to the schedule of sleeping (??) in the daytime and wandering about at night, because a screwed up sleeping schedule is what he needs.]

Night

[dontpokethat]

Ginko... slept for a few hours, anyway. It was more than he has been getting, at least.

But, one reason he's always skimped on sleep so much in times like this - a reason that he tends to find somewhat difficult to explain when people start pestering him about it - is that he simply can't. With everything going on, everything to worry about, it was about all he could do to force his mind to slow down enough to sleep for a few hours. More than that might not be possible at all.

He didn't leave right away when he woke up. Instead, he stayed where he was, tucked into a less crowded area of the tent, away from the others. Waiting.

When he hears Joker land on the ground, he looks up, his ears pricking forward. "...Hey. 'S alright; wasn't asleep, anyway."

[pipers_son]

Just the man he wanted to see.

...Well. One out of a lot, Joker has to admit. Still, even knowing that, it doesn't make it any easier, and Joker wastes some time by regaining his balance once again. It's a truly disconcerting change in his body. It's been years, now, since he first became so flexible, able to contort into all sorts of shapes... and yet now his is stiff, utterly numb.

There's only so much time that can be spent on that, however, before it becomes far too obvious what he's doing. So Joker finally looks over to Ginko, taking in his appearance.

"...Ya look like shit, mate."

...But it's kind of attractive. Damn. What a lucky bastard that Psi is.

[dontpokethat]

Ginko pushes himself to his feet, grimacing as he stretches out his back. "Mm. You're one to talk."

And yet Joker still manages to be stupidly pretty despite it. Unbelievable.

Even once he's upright, Ginko hesitates for a moment, his gaze drifting away to some corner of the tent as he considers what to even say here. At least Joker doesn't seem scared of him - he's not sure he could've handled that. Even if it was... almost what he was expecting, if he's honest. It wouldn't have been a surprise, that's for sure.

Ginko takes a deep breath, then looks to Joker again.

"...How are you doing? And I want the truth."

Don't bother pretending to be better off than you are, Joker.

[destiny_key]

Joker had put out a call to come to the big tent, so Sora went. True, the call hadn't been for him specifically, but he wanted to go. It sounded like, perhaps, Joker needed someone.

And anyway, he'd been discharged from the medical tent this morning. Physically, he was perfectly fine now, but they'd kept him for observation, and then he hadn't wanted to leave. He didn't want to face everyone quite yet, so he'd hid under the blankets of the cot he'd been sleeping on and didn't leave, because he was scared.

This was the second time something like this had happened here. It was so unlike him to hide like that, though, and he's almost angry at himself for acting like that. He's supposed to be the hero, right? He shouldn't be leaving everything to everyone else, he's supposed to be out there on the front lines, but the lethargy and fear had taken over his body, and the thought of going out and trying to be brave was incredibly unappealing. He didn't know that he could do that right now.

But he's also tired of being alone. And it sounds like Joker is too. Sora's not sure if he'd be okay enough to go out and fight, but he can be okay enough to go and be there for someone he cares about.

Walking into the big tent, though, he's starting to lose his confidence again. Joker's not here, that he can see, but he can't go back to the medical tent either. And he's not sure he's ready to face Rin in their trailer. So, he does the only thing he can think of, and plops himself into the closest pile of pillows to wait. He summons Rohan to curl up with him, but neither of them say a word.

[pipers_son]

For a while, there's nothing else happening in the big tent that gives a hint as to where Joker could be. There's just the noise of whatever is happening outside. Eventually, however...

Talons, scraping along cloth, and rope. Wings, flapping. From up above, in the rafters of the big top, Feathers starts to glide down from the safety net. At first, he doesn't seem to be noticing anything, but Sora's form down in the pile of pillows soon as the Dartrix perk up. Slowing down to a flap, he lands besides the teenager and plucks at his shirt curiously.

[destiny_key]

Rohan is roused from his doze first, stretching and looking curiously at Feathers as he lands. He stretches out his nose to sniff curiously at the pokemon, and then shifts from a cat into a tiny bird to match Feathers.

Between the plucking and the tiny feet jumping on him, though, Sora doesn't take long to open his eyes and look around tiredly at the commotion. He shifts slightly, flipping from his side to his back to see the pair of birds better.

"What's up?" he asks Feathers quietly, reaching out a hand to pet his head.

Night - Water Tank

[prazerbutterfly]

He had heard Joker's little call out but hadn't really made his way over towards the Big Tent with any real urgency. Occasionally during the day after he had gotten up he might've wandered in while Joker was sleeping just to check in on him but he hadn't made any effort to wake him whenever he caught him sleeping. Chances are Feathers had noticed him more than anyone else.

Joker's probably gotten use to seeing one of his butterflies around the carnival whenever he was present somewhere. Over a long period of time in staying in one spot they would gravitate towards him. This night in particular one is perched on top of the long towering water tank with its wings methodically and somewhat mesmerizingly opening and closing in silence. They are increasingly use to Joker's presence. The curtain that he sometimes uses for performances is drawn over it from top to bottom and inside is one Tyki Mikk tucked into the bottom. It's filled with water as it usually always is whenever he's around it. It takes only a peek to see that he's fine deep within tucked into a sit with his knees up and sleeping. It's quiet, peaceful and drowns out all other noises. He's been there almost every night in complete isolation. Despite the wandering around the carnival and the fitful sleep he's gotten due to any noise waking him up with an extreme wariness... he's been hard to find. It's hard to get his mind to just stop and let him relax.

[pipers_son]

Feathers does see all.

That's only slightly a joke. Dartrix do have extraordinary perception, anxiety prone as they are. There's perhaps a reason they're so alike to regular owls. Every time Tyki or his butterflies has been within the big tent, the Pokemon has shuffled to the edge of the net nest and peered down to watch him.

Thus, when Joker is properly awake and moving about, Feathers is the first to go search out Tyki, and his trainer trails after him. In a way, it's only maybe a fourth of a surprise to see how Tyki has decided to rest for the night. Joker glances up at the butterfly for only a moment before he limps closer. It's hard to tell, through the distortion of the water, and he presses his hand against the glass as he leans closer. It looks like he's breathing and nothing drowning... So he'll have to trust that the other man doesn't accidentally kill himself.

Still. Joker has to wonder how long the other man has gone without food. That's a thing in the carnival- not taking care of yourself. (Joker would know.) So, taking a breath, he pushes himself away from the tank and looks down at Feathers. "Alright, stay here and don't let him wander off if he wakes up. Come find me if he does, yeah?"

There's an affirmative coo from the Dartrix and, with that, Joker starts to limp off. Don't go anywhere, Tyki.

[prazerbutterfly]

He really ever allows himself to get wet in this water tank he's come to favor for performances when the grand reveal is necessary. It's for authentic reasons and a trick of wet clothes signifying that it wasn't just smoke and mirrors. There is timing and renewed anticipation that is necessary.

So even while he sleeps deep at the bottom of the tank not a single bit of it is touching around his body. The way the water flows and the air compresses around him his Power to Choose keeps him safe. The only way that would fail was if his powers just stopped working. The shock of drowning would at least startle him awake.

Still, it's a fitful sleep and he's rousing awake a little while later at the slightest noise or heavy vibration from his Tease waking him after a certain amount of ticks of its wings. He takes a look at his surroundings from the way the water flows to the curtain drawn over. He shifts to sit up more properly so he can get his hands somewhere and force himself up. He never realized how much he needed his back to stand, lean over, and bend until now.

He steps out of the water tank and winces at the pain shooting down his spine. The Ringmaster has allowed them to move those stone inflicted parts but it still hurts.

Day 2

[steadydollypegs]

Look who has the ability to climb up there-- who's done it literally hundreds of times.

At first she's just curious to see who's made a bed in the safety net, since it seems like a pretty brilliant plan. As she scales up the rungs though, she spots Feathers and pauses. Ah. So it's Joker up there. She hasn't said anything to him yet, either, choosing to let the medics take care of Joker while she just... stayed out of the way. That seemed like the best place to be, just away. Maybe it's still better to be away. What does he need Doll for, anyway?

She perches herself on one of the platforms her ropes are usually strung across and watches him sleep in the net. She wants to go down there, she slept by herself last night and hated it, but just wondering if he even wants to see her hurts-- and she can't move.

[pipers_son]

Here's the joke: he's not sleeping at all.

He knows that he should be, that he's supposed to. Even his body is telling him that he's exhausted and at the end of his rope. Even ignoring whatever the hell it was that happened to him, he's still spent a good few days in a prison, forced into the same position that left his limbs numb even if they weren't turned to stone.

Yet the very idea turns Joker's stomach. Sleep isn't an escape for him. There aren't any good dreams waiting, only anxiety and darkness. Yet he knows that he's probably going to be scolded for leaving the medical tent so early. The least he can do is pretend that he's sleeping, so that anyone looking can be fooled at least a little bit.

All he's really doing is just staring into fabric, very very closely. Feathers can tell, he knows, because Feathers is a lot more observant than some give him credit for, and probably doesn't approve. Still, as long as Joker's not pecked at, things are fine.

So he's perfectly awake when he hears the way wood and rope creaks. It could be anyone. That's what he tells himself. He tells himself it all the way up until Feathers starts to coo in that particular way of his, whenever there's someone with a familiar face. He wants to heave out a sigh, too tired to deal with people for once, but...

He can only think of one person who'd climb up so casually, and then either not bother him or not go back down.

Sluggishly, he tugs at the pillow just enough to move it away from his mouth, so that he's clear. "Are ya gonna stay up there all day, then...?"

Wildnight

[espigeon]

Julien wants to join the sleepover, but he really doesn't feel like he should. People in there probably hate him now. He hangs around outside of the tent for a bit after dark, then has to stop and slump on a bench when vertigo hits him and everything starts tilting and revolving. This body, his human body, is physically okay, but somehow the poison affects it, too, if less severely than the one that saw the underbelly and had to drink and breath its noxious awfulness. The sickness is in him, not just the bird or the human.

Waiting for the sense of movement to calm the hell down, he watches the stars until he becomes aware that there's someone nearby. Julien forms and opens some spectral eyes. Ah. A bit unsteadily, he turns his head and tries a smile, holding his palps still at the sides of his head like his sideburns decided to bloom into absurdity.

"...So, are we still doing the singing thing, or do you wanna retire that now? 'Cause I've sort of got one, but like... well, maybe you're just passing through."

[pipers_son]

Sometimes, Joker supposes he's a bit lucky.

Oh, by all means is he absolutely fucked up right now. One of his legs is currently stone, from toes to being far too close to his hip to be comfortable. Sometimes his arm feels sore, and he has the distinct feeling that he broke it, somehow. Poison still weighs heavily on his mind and his body, draining him of energy and desire. More than once had he wanted to just curl up in a ball somewhere even as he'd been trying to prepare the whole little slumber party in the big tent. He can't sleep- or rather, he doesn't want to sleep, so he's kind of inclined to not.

But Julien isn't far from the tent itself after he exits. That's something. A very small sort of something, but Joker has learned to keep his standards low and be thankful for the little things.

At the mention of their little duet, Joker can't help the weary smile that crosses his face. "Wouldn't be much of a stage manager if I wasn't interested in performances," he says, trying not to sound as exhausted as he is. "I'm all ears if yer offerin'."

D2

[puddingemote]

Getting up to the net is hardly an issue for Tamaki, and he's curious as to who's up there. He isn't surprised at who he finds, once he shimmies up a pole to take a look.

Looking over at Feathers, Tamaki pulls a Pokeball out of his pocket and then Riori is there, cooing happily at first before she catches the atmosphere. She flutters across the net to Feathers, trying to soothe the other bird, while Tamaki makes his approach.

He sits down on the blanket, and, believing Joker to be asleep, stays quiet, content for now to just be nearby.

[pipers_son]

Even being quiet as possible can be quite a difficulty when ropes creak under new weight and blankets ruffle at being disrupted. Even without that... Well. A change in weight is all Joker needs to know that he's now no longer alone.

There are only a few people who'd not hesitate in getting so close to him, and he adjusts the pillow just enough to peer out from it. Ah. Being the responsible and reassuring adult is a tiring thing, but he knew what would happen when he took this post.

"'lo, Tamaki." From where he'd been leaning closer to Riori, Feathers perks up at the sound of his trainer speaking. "Up ta somethin'?"

Night

[sunflowerfields]

No one has a good sleep schedule right now it seems.

Hinawa has visited the big tent several times already to deliver food and beverages, but she was really keeping an eye out for Joker. She was unable to find him each time, and couldn't stick around as she had other deliveries to make, and more food to prepare. She was starting to get discouraged as the sun went down.

It's late, and she has to return this tea cart to the cookhouse, but she stops dead when she finally spots him in the darkness. She doesn't say anything, she just approaches him and wraps her arms around him.

[pipers_son]

Truth be told, Hinawa isn't one of those that he'd been thinking about visiting tonight. But then again, he has no idea of what's been going on in his absence, or the sort of things that were talked about over the radios. So when he sees her start to approach, he fixes on the best smile he's capable of and raises a hand.

A good thing, in hindsight. It means it's free when she suddenly draws in for a hug, and he wavers a bit from surprise before steadying himself with a slight flap of his wings. Gently, his hand goes to rest on her back.

"Hey now," he says softly. "Didn't think I'd gone and captured yer heart and didn't even know it." A bit of teasing, to try and lighten the gloom.

Day 2

[spaghettimonster]

Finding Rita was easy; she was in her own trailer, having gotten cleared to escape the medical tent. Joker, though, didn't seem to have wandered back to his official home. And between various chores, and a bit of networking, and a teensy bit of avoidance, Papyrus found himself all the way to after breakfast - the second day all this was done - before he began asking around.

And those questions led him here, in the big performance tent, climbing up to the giant safety net... That seems an awful lot less see-through than it's supposed to be. Given it's a safety net, and not a safety quilt.]

Uh... Hello, Joker? Are you up in here? It's Papyrus! I come lacking books, because this is too far for them to fall.

[pipers_son]

[Out of all the people that could come up here... Joker has to admit that he's actually glad that it's Papyrus who's found him. Slowly, he drags a pillow away from his face and struggles to sit up properly.]

[It takes even more work to smile, but the habit is too strong for him to stop.]

Ya could've just radio'd. I wouldn't have minded much.

[stillwinningthehardway]

[Scout's been working in the medical tent, as someone who knows something about medicine and can stop bleeding and numb pain. She sounds vaguely irritable over the radio.]

Joker, just... don't strain yourself, okay? Call me if you hurt. I mean it.

[pipers_son]

[Fuck, it's the police- I mean. Joker makes an effort to not sound as exhausted, to try and alleviate some of the worry he knows is there.]

It'd be a tad hypocritical if I didn't arrange this little get together and not rest myself, wouldn't it? [spoilers he is a huge hypocrite] I promise I'll get all the rest I woulda got in the medical tent.

[stillwinningthehardway]

Why are you arranging it yourself at all? You're a supervisor, you can delegate. Find someone to point at and tell them to figure out, I don't know, pillows.

I'm going to come by and you'd better not have pulled anything.

five / ota

[brightspot]

pre-sleep

Five has been fiddling with her radio on and off since she got it, of course, and when she hears this message from Joker (admittedly, not a voice she recognizes), she doesn't answer but gives the invitation some consideration anyway. It doesn't take long for her to decide to check it out, because she wants to make friends and fit in, to make connections. This should be one way to do that, right?

She drags along her own blankets and pillow from her trailer, keeps her knife with her tucked into her boot as a precaution. This is actually her first time in the main performance tent, and it's a pretty glaring reminder that what she's just done is join a circus, of all things, when she's never even seen one before.

Dropping her stuff into a pile any old place, she wanders the tent. Climbs, explores, and it could be considered dangerous, maybe, since she's not exactly an acrobat, even if she does have plenty of experience climbing into, crawling around in, and dropping from air vents. Not quite the same thing as the heights involved here, though.

"Woah. This is pretty high up." Case in point. Yet it's said more in awe than in fear.

[ooc: idk, she's on a thing, doesn't matter what thing? prose or brackets, I'll match whatever!]

post-sleep

We'll call this a nightmare, for simplicity's sake, though it's really a memory in the form of a dream. Not her own. Someone else's. And it's not the first time it's happened, not the first time that frightening memories from the minds of her former crew mates (her friends and pseudo-family back home) have left her tossing in her sleep, heart racing from the images.

She jolts awake in her pile of blankets, breathing heavily and close to tears. But as soon as she's conscious again, the images are slipping from her grasp, everything's hazy. Yet the feeling, the fear, remains. Like she was being chased. Hunted like an animal.

Five shivers, and wraps her arms around herself, attempting to calm herself down though she's pretty sure she's not going to be able to fall back asleep any time soon.