⇨ 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.

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Junko Enoshima | OTA

[disjunct]

D3 - Morning

[disjunct]

[ She is... sitting outside with all the makeup she could carry, that she discerned with her taste as the Ultimate Fashionista to be high-quality, along with some childish looking ones. There's also a bowl with a wet rag and some makeup remover nearby. ]

Hey! Hey you! [ She doesn't care if you're human or monster, you're getting the ta-ta wave and then the 'come over' gesture, and should you follow it, she'll beam at you menacingly cheerily. ]

So I have to do some facepainting and I'm rrrreeaaally out of practice. And if we have all different kinds of guests, I have to learn how to paint on all kinds of faces. Would you step up for a really simple design? I got stuff to wash it off with.

[ It's a simple enough request. Do you trust her? ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya stops and turns to her, and with so little changes to his face it's very human. If also very exhausted and pale.]

Oh, hi. You're part of the make-up crew? [She looks new, because he doesn't recognize her. So he walks right up to her little arrangement, stuffing his hands in his pockets.] That's fine! I'm one of the acrobats anyway, so we'll probably be working together.

[disjunct]

Nice to hear. [ Her smile is just dripping with cheeriness... fake, but completely undetectably so. She's a great actor. ] I'm hoping to work with a daredevil, so put in a good word for me, okay?

-- so, would you like to help me out with my experiment?

[hippocarnival]

I can help. [He moves to sit across from her with a nod.]

Yugo's a daredevil. [He might be their only daredevil?] Uh, but he's not feeling well right now. I'll let him know you want to help with his make up when he's better, okay?

My name's Yuya, by the way.

[disjunct]

Yuya, huh? Yuya... with the kanji I'm guessing, that means you must have a very playful name!

[ She rolls her sleeves up. ]

Playful it is! Got it! One second, and...

[ Junko's hands move flawlessly and too fast. One hand holding his eyelid down, he can feel brushes quickly rotate over his eye, eyeliner, a fake eyelash and then some, before she goes to the other side and does the same. She's moving at an inhuman speed. The whole ordeal is done in about... 22 seconds.

She holds up a mirror and... tada! Pretend the pink is more red. ]

You're an acrobat, so you absolutely, 100% have to go out there looking flashy. People often look at expressions while people do stunts, to see if you have any fear, or are totally confident. Eye makeup is a great way to do that! They look for your colors! And it's in fashion for everyone now!

[hippocarnival]

You got it! [He grins, winking comically.

He closes his eyes and holds perfectly still, relaxed. Theatre make up is something he's very used to now, so it doesn't bother him to wear it.

But he does notice how fast she is. If she's experienced, that's great, because it's one less thing he has to worry about every performance.

When she finishes he takes the mirror to look over the design, leaning closer. Then he turns up to her with a thumb's up.] It looks great! And that's pretty insightful... have you done this before?

[disjunct]

I have! I'm... well, I don't mean to brag, but back in my world, I'm the Ultimate Fashionista. Or model, I guess. I know how to apply makeup like lightning, I know how to tailor on a second's notice, I know how to do all that stuff-- because you can't always rely on your team to do it for you, and being an Ultimate means being invulnerable to crashing and burning.

[ She contours his face a little bit. Good thing he has thick eyelashes, that'll make his face pop out more, even doing tricks above the stage. ]

Next time you wanna do an acrobatics show, come to me. I'll be on the job.

... do you want me to finish the look?

[hippocarnival]

That's really cool. [Ultimate Fashionista? It does sound like bragging without the context, but not in a prideful way. It's like duelists who are dedicated to their playstyle and prove themselves in the arena.

He nods.] Sure! I can't perform for a while either, but that doesn't mean I should stop thinking about it. If we finish it, maybe I can use it next time.

D3 afternoon - D4

[disjunct]

[ A girl's gotta entertain herself, right? She got in right after the big shebang and is feeling pretty left out so she's going to spend some time in meditation.

On the swing ride. With her arms crossed and dutifully experiencing some of the worst nightmares of her life, Junko pretty much has nothing to say during the entire experience. No screams, no agony, nothing. What's more, the ride is going pretty fast, too... it's hard to tell it's her up there.

Through the experience, she's meditating on the Carnival itself. What it could possibly be, what lines of reasoning can be traced back to her analysis. There's not a whole lot to go on but that's what makes it fun. She even cracks open a grin every now and then, especially when her nightmares and her analysis cross-sect into something dreadful.

But the ride eventually slows down to let her off. ]

Jeez-- I thought I could just keep riding for free forever! I did so much work this morning!

D5 - 6

[disjunct]

[ Keeping up the act means keeping up the good faith of her peers, especially her boss.

In return for her super-necessary delivery favor on the first, Junko taught herself how to sew by hand into something beautiful-- like this, but in her favorite colors, as far as Junko can guess-- if she can't, it's just rainbow and big enough to be bed sized!

You might see her stitching a blanket made from scraps of fleece that were no longer usable when they went into costumes, and she stitches as quickly and recklessly as a super-powered sewing machine, as if this blanket will be done in a mere ten minutes. Two are already folded beside her, this one seems to be the last one-- they're all pretty and well coordinated, too. ]

If you want one, ask Carly. [ Cheerily, but firmly. She's doing this for her boss, after all. ]

D5

[sarcaskick]

[ Yeah no he ain't going to no Carly ]

Are any of these for the new bed arrangement you went ahead and whipped up for us?

[ So yes, he's seen what she's done with the place. His tone is blunt, so it's hard to tell if he's amused or annoyed by it. ]

[disjunct]

Oh, you noticed!

[ Feigning ignorance, of course he fucking noticed that their beds are now both on the floor in the little bedroom, pushed as far apart as possible, with Junko reclaiming her absolutely gorgeous pink leopard print linens. Mercury could have the rest. ]

And hell no, they're for my boss.

[ She looks like she's going to poke a hole in her hand, but of course, it never happens. ]

[sarcaskick]

Yeah... is this going to be some kind of "watching me while I sleep" deal? I don't actually mind or anything, but I just like to know these things.

[ The more he talks the clearer it becomes that, big surprise!!, he doesn't really give a shit. A bed's a bed, it's still better than the floor. ]

Your boss? What are you, the carnival seamstress?

[disjunct]

You're not saying fun things or kicking down shit in our trailer while you're asleep. Why would I care about looking at you then, of all times?

[ Really matter of factly. His next barb pushes her to go even faster with the blanket. ]

I'm a makeup artist, actually. But I'm afraid I'm just too good at what I do to have one job, so I'm climbing ranks.

[ junko

you just got here this week

there aren't even guests

junko ]

What about you?

[sarcaskick]

Not yet, anyway. Maybe I just haven't had any vivid dreams yet. Stay tuned!

[ At her remarks he smirks a little wider, lifting his hands a bit from his sides in a "welp" sort of gesture. ]

I guess we're both too good for keeping our skills confined to just one job. Mercenary-slash-daredevil, at your service.

[disjunct]

Eeeergh, I'm so fucking jealous! I'd be a perfect daredevil!

[ She's mouthed off about her powers a million times now, she knows the schtick. ]

If you want vivid nightmares, try out that swing ride. Ten out of ten, relived my worst memories but somehow more powerlessly.

[ But she changes the topic, as she do, as well as her face. ]


I'd say we need ground rules for the trailer, but we'd just break them to piss each other off. So whatever-- we can keep it fresh. Have you noticed the people here have undergone... changes?

[sarcaskick]

I'd rather experience my nightmares organically, thanks.

... Changes? [ His lips quirk a bit to one side, a frown touching his brow. ] I barely know anyone here, how would I know that they've changed?

D6

[insidescoop]

[Carly doesn't hear Junko saying anything of course-it'd be rather silly to say that to. Well. Her. But she does come in holding a note, and...

....Looking ready to cry????? What???] J-J-Junko....

Did you really make me that blanket..!? [She starts, the various bits of light on her body thankfully a rather positive hue.] With all those colours, and scraps, and...

[disjunct]

What, like it's hard? I know I couldn't steal anything, so I had to work with tiny leftover pieces to put it together. As long as it was just big enough, it worked like a charm. Pretty great, right? Oh, and the insulation I had to get clever with, but it'll keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

[ She knows it's impressive, but altogether she says it in a moderate voice, like she knows it is and doesn't need to make big deal out of it. ]

[insidescoop]

I-It's not a matter of difficulty..! It's just...

[Yep, waterworks.] N-No one's ever done anything like that, just over fabric trading..!! I-It's my job and everything, so I'm really surprised, and you made it so fast but it's so well made and-

[And she gasps, looking at the note again.] And you said there's more on top of that..!?! How did you have time for anything!? Especially for yourself you know, that's really important..!!

1/2

[disjunct]

Oh, the blanket I made in about a day. Wasn't feeling social, y'know, indentured servitude and all that. Also, I've got a stipulation about favors I get from other people.

[ The final stitch is made and appropriately sewn into the last fleece blanket. She folds it and puts it on the stack, handing them all to Carly. ]

These are yours to give out. If it gets cold soon, some newbies won't be comfortable with the standard stuff, right? People from all over must mean some get colder... or you can just give them to your favorite people!

[disjunct]

Make-up is suuuuper easy for me... I did make-up for everyone who dropped by while i was practicing, and I could always do it in under a few minutes... I was so bummed... I'm the Ultimate Model back home, so it's not exactly hard...

[fortuneglass]

That fast.... [And erp-she flinches.] I-I know it seems bad, the contract, but trust me it's a really great time here, and you won't miss any time at all at home, so-

[So....] Hahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....s-seriously, more blankets..? [Who does she give these to....OR DOES SHE KEEP THEM??? Hmmmmm...]

Ah, right, I saw on the papers that you were going to be in make up......... [Hmm. She wonders, though.] But....if you were able to do this, what sort of experience do you have for other things...?

[disjunct]

[ She gives her a couple of pictures from another thread. ] ]

Tea-El-Dee-Rrrrr, in my homeworld there's a grading system for someone who's the best of everyone else in the entire world at a specific talent -- there's a school for that, and I was invited in as the Ultimate Model... or Fashionista, or whatever. When you're an ultimate, you can't rely on anyone or anything to do your craft for you. I was handy with a needle and thread because I couldn't count on my help to stitch it right, or I designed last minute clothing because I could tell the outfit they made would be received as a disaster and my rep would be ruined.

As the Ultimate Model, I'm flawless at everything that has to do with modeling.

[ She bounces back to her 'usual' personality. ]


And that's the Junko promise!