lostcarnival | ⇨ THE PRINCE IS DEAD

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⇨ THE PRINCE IS DEAD

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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Watch in amazement as Strange tries his hardest to ignore that massively unimpressed look. If they talk about something else, then Childermass would forget the confrontation, right? Right.

"Shadow magic should work," Strange admits, with a shrug. "There is a physical component to breaking the spell, but I've fiddled with it enough that a verbal incantation should suffice."

To Strange's credit, he realized that there are some things one shouldn't put their mouth on and other things that he can't put his mouth on in the first place.

Childermass doesn't forget, he only waits.

But in this case, waiting involves some magic, so he supposes he ought to get on with it. He'll wave a hand towards the same tree Strange is standing next to, but he won't lower it again once it's up there, pointing towards it. Instead, he focuses. Faerie magic is based more on instinct and control rather than muttering spells and throwing items around, provided it isn't some sort of ritual or another. His shadows aren't, so it's really just a matter of concentration before the tree's own shadow begins creeping up the bark, shifting from solid black to vine-like shapes and filling out into actual, tangible-seeming shapes.

So, yeah, literally that, vines made of shadow, although them being 'solid' is more illusion than reality. They aren't difficult to break apart if Strange chose to swat them away physically instead of dispelling them magically. He's going to wrap the entire tree up with them and then drop his hand again, taking a step back.

"There," he says with only the tiniest amount of triumph. "Try those."

"Impressive magic," Strange has to admit, as he looks over the shadow vines with a little nod. Because it is impressive and they do look amazingly solid and well-formed.

Walking over to the tree, Strange places his hands behind his back as he mutters an incantation. The magicians can feel the magic straining and can feel something about to happen, but it doesn't. Strange pauses, again looking at the tree with a frown. "This is going to be terribly undignified," he admits, more to himself than to Childermass (though it's certainly audible).

Once again, Strange mutters the spell. And with a mental reassurance that he's done worse things in the quest to understand magic, Strange leans in to kiss those shadow vines. As his lips brush past the shadows, the spell snaps: the shadow vines vanish as the tree's shadow returns to it's proper place.

He's also blushing bright red now, so enjoy that while it lasts.

All of this just leaves Childermass... standing there... not quite staring, but wow, he sure is giving Strange one massive side-eye. Like, what? He just kissed the tree? That did it?

"For maximum efficiency, the spell required a physical trigger," Strange grumbles, blushing even redder under Childermass's side-eye. "I believe the form of the spell has attuned itself to when I first cast it in Lost Hope to remove an enchantment from Arabella. If I play with it and rework it enough, it should be able to bypass the trigger entirely but, ah, as for now..."

Holy cow, how can one man just glower at him so much, Strange suddenly feels immensely awkward as his stammering and half-hearted attempts at explaining himself die off. "Well, the magic worked and that's what matters! Besides, we both know I have done worse things in the pursuit of knowledge."

"Ah, right," Childermass slowly shifts away from side-eyeing the hell out of Strange at the mention of rescuing his wife. Say, now that that's been brought up, this is undoubtedly an awful time to drag them back to the original reason he's here, but when that opportunity strikes—

"I have always wondered about that, actually," he says, idly folding his arms across his chest and leaning his weight back on one heel. While he had at least seemed terribly interested in the breaking of the spell — feeling it simply fall apart, magic evaporated by a kiss, of all things — he's now gone back to looking and sounding entirely indifferent. "Why didn't she just save herself? She was there long enough for it, wasn't she? Bit of a bother now, isn't it, now that you've gotten yourself cursed in her stead."

Strange is far too oblivious for the sort of references Childermass is trying to make. Eventually he'll connect the dots that oh, Childermass is trying to make him think about what he said to Lapis, but that isn't happening just yet. As it is, he's taking Childermass's question at face value.

"Did I not tell you? She was under a spell. I do not know the details, but that faerie had changed her memory somehow and made her not want to leave. She didn't recognize me."

Luckily, he's a patient man, and so Strange's answer only has him raising his eyebrows a bit and looking altogether disbelieving of it all.

"Is that all? I suspect she could have at least tried harder not to be enchanted, though. She didn't even have to worry about going mad or any of that nonsense you went through, Mr. Strange."

Strange opens his mouth, about to say something...but then he connects the dots and goddamnit, Childermass has come to berate him about last night! Tried harder not to be enchanted, they both know that's not how it works! Did he even want to talk about magic in the first place? Strange closes his mouth but gives the other magician a slight scowl.

"If you've come to lecture me about my response to Miss Lazuli then do so."

Suffice to say, that relatively nice mood Strange was in earlier is straight up gone.

"Lecture you about your response to Miss Lazuli? Oh, no, perish the thought," Childermass carries on, "Didn't I make it clear that I was here to tell you that your wife isn't at all good at magic? Especially now that you've gone and put how being captured against one's will into perspective. She's really made a mess of things for all of us."

This is the lecture, Strange. This is it. Only it contains less moralizing and much more revisiting a similar amount of cruelty upon the other man that he so openly visited upon the gems the night before.

This lecture sucks.

Without even thinking about it, Strange clenches his fists, claws digging into the base of his hand as that scowl deepens. He has a feeling he knows what Childermass is doing. But Strange isn't entirely certain how long he can take Childermass parroting his words back at him, especially if they involve Arabella. Can't he try to make his point in a different manner entirely?

"You can chastise me without bringing Arabella into this. Kindly do so."

Because there is no other manner that will actually get through to him. It's underhanded to drag Strange's wife into this, but she is the one and only example that will make any sense to the man.

"Doubtful," Childermass scoffs. "If I started out any other way, you would have barely heard me and you know it. You very nearly broke yourself trying to bring her back." Or maybe he even did, in some ways, but that is not for him to decide. "Do not assume everyone who falls into the same ordeal has someone looking for them or more magic than they know what to do with at their disposal. You could have said the exact same thing to the woman you and Lambert rescued. To any of the Prince's servants. You could ask them why they didn't just save themselves, as well, but would you?"

"Of course not," Strange answers, without a moment's hesitation. "Their problems were fae. You and I both know that even for a magician of my caliber, matters of the fae are harder to deal with than others."

Though he hates the fact that Childermass can read him so easily. Because the other man is right. If this lecture had started out any other way, Strange would have stubbornly refused to listen and dug his heels in even further.

"Comparing Lazuli's plight to that of the servants is apples and oranges. They barely had any options. She must have had more."

"I think it was made very clear to you that there was not," Childermass refutes such a ridiculous notion. "Or weren't you paying attention to all the people yelling at you that you were wrong?"

But fine. If he's sticking with that claim, he'll look back off towards the carnival.

"Her problem was being turned into something she was not, wasn't it? Why, that can't be too much different from what everyone in the medical tent is recovering from. Perhaps we should go get their opinion?" He asks that, cool, unwavering gaze turning back to Strange as he does. "Do you want to do that? Question Ms. Mordio why she didn't fix herself? Or Lambert? Or is fae magic really the only power you can fathom not being able to overcome?"

Childermass hits the nail on the head with that one. Because yes. Strange is arrogant enough to believe that, certain forms of fae magic excepted, he can do whatever he sets his mind to. But he's also smart enough to know that he really shouldn't tell Childermass that.

So instead, he resumes sulking, moving his arms in front of his chest and crossing them like a petulant child. "I don't know what her problem was," Strange admits, with a frown. "I thought she was simply trapped like I am, but apparently it's more than that. And when I asked for specifications, I received conflicting answers."

Granted, part of those conflicting answers were because Jasper doesn't know how humans work but still. Point stands.

There he goes, sulking. Well, Childermass had expected that no matter how this went, so he just sighs and shakes his head a little. He'll uncross his own arms and settle his hands on his hips instead, shift his weight to his other leg for a bit.

"Likely because you had already upset her," he points out. Her and the rest and lord knows Lambert wasn't helping settle that damn argument. Asshole. "Whatever it was, it wasn't something she could change, just as your wife couldn't help her own situation."

But more than that, he also has to wonder...

"Though why you even kept trying to argue with them... I would expect that from Mr. Norrell..." Assuming he didn't retreat in terror, anyway. "But you?"

"Like I said, I thought she was simply trapped. To allow yourself to remain so for a thousand years seems astonishingly foolish." He puts particular emphasis on those words. Because it's not the fact that Lapis was trapped that aggravates him. He's in a similar situation himself. It's the fact that she was trapped for so long that continues to baffle Strange and makes him think that really, she must not have been trying hard enough to free herself.

As for Childermass's question, Strange gives him a look that says in no certain terms that he thinks Childermass is a moron.

"I have been through a week that frankly, was quite horrible and you wonder why I am a bit high-strung? Why I'm on edge? Really Childermass, don't be an idiot."

See, that argument isn't valid and Childermass only gives him a slightly offended — yes, only slightly, because it's actually fairly normal for people to forget he, like, also has feelings, so — look at that answer.

"Funny. I remember going through the exact same week and have yet to pick any fights over the radios because of it."

"You didn't lose your wife again!" Strange snaps, venom in his voice, as he glares at Childermass.

And once again, like most of Strange's boneheaded decisions, this comes back to Arabella.

"You mean the illusion of your wife? Because from what I can tell, she faded with most the rest of the Prince's guests," Childermass doesn't quite snap back, but he's definitely reaching the end of his own patience here. "She's safe back home, Strange. You already know that! You rescued her yourself!"

"I was enchanted. I only remembered that Arabella was safe as I watched her form fade away in front of me. Not all of us were as lucky as you were."

Although, come to think of it...why was Childermass so lucky? He obviously managed to remember some things, as he came up with that plan to obtain the Blue Rose. But how on earth could he have done that in the first place?

"Tell me how you remained yourself," he orders. Though there's a pause before Strange adds on, "If you don't mind, that is."

Even with the addition, after the fact, it barely lightens the blow that here Strange is, issuing a command again. It smacks of Portland and Childermass's reaction to it is about as negative as could be expected. His jaw tightens at it, teeth gritting together, and it's an unconscious action that his hands curl into fists.

He is not exactly a violent man. He does what's necessary, of course, but within reason. There's an immediate desire to walk over and lay Strange out for that. He won't do it, though. It won't help anything (apart from making him feel better for, what, all of a minute).

"As it so happens, I do mind," he answers, what had only been mild irritation in his voice gone awfully cold now. "But since you're such a great magician, why don't you go ahead and figure it out yourself?"

Had he asked any other way, any other way, he would have told him. It's the necklace he picked up back in Atlantis, useful, removing toxins from food and drink, one that's finally paid off for how often he's worn it for no reason at all. Asking that way instead, though? All Strange gets is a big fat no, some mockery, and then his fellow magician turning into a damn crow and taking off without another word.

It's only at Childermass's reaction, at how angry the man looks that Strange realized just how horrid his choice of words were. How stupid of him to say something like that. Portland was not so far gone in everyone's minds that Strange could get away with being so harsh.

"Childermass—" Strange starts, voice more apologetic than annoyed but nope, there he goes, turning into a crow and flying off.

Well, shit. Here's another mess that's his own damn fault and that Strange knows he'll have to sort out at some point.

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⇨ THE PRINCE IS DEAD

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