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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[It's a medium lie at most, not a genuine Big lie - not one that he admits is a lie. Cleaning at night and making assumptions, he thought it was all a bunch of boring static stuff. But now, in the sunlight, with him actually bothering to look at it closely? The mechanisms reveal themselves.]

Something like that! But I won't be closing my eyes. More like... adding weights to myself?

More importantly, that 'Death march' you mention. I'm not familiar with it! It sounds... [Like Undyne-style training. Like... Lambert-style training, too? Marching until near dead of exhaustion...] Ideal! Where does it go when it's on Death March?

It's a lot of lasers! [She answers, pausing at the bottom of the Final Terrace. It's a bit easy to take a breather in this particular spot, she finds.] ...And a lot more fire... ...I didn't go on it though, because it's already sort of hard for one of my duel monsters to help with this one....

....also, even though I think some Action Cards could help, I still wouldn't know where the right ones are on the 'field'...

[There might be one near Papyrus, actually-'Crossover' sort of scatters them everywhere. Regardless! She must get this hill over with...

Which means running up, jumping off in a 'dive', and..!

Rolling! ....and then sort of laying flat on her back for a moment because she didn't quite do the roll right. She doesn't look hurt at least, though?]

[Papyrus follows along on foot, the better to see her coming to a stop. No blood everywhere, which is a very important sign of injury with a lot of other people, he's discovered. But it's strange for her to just lay there, without continuing to push the time limit, unless...]

Oho! So this is the end. [He grins, and full of a sense of his own cleverness, adds] You were on a roll there!

But, what were those Cards you mentioned?

[Are they visible on the course...? Are they even shaped like cards? Though, if she didn't know where they were, maybe they're hidden after all.]

[THEY SURE ARE! Scattered randomly, there are brown backed cards with a large 'A' on them. Flipped over, they'll be titled such things as 'Miracle' or 'Evasion', with simple images related to it, and descriptions on...some sort of card game instruction.

Reira for her part is momentarily distracted by the pun, as she somehow isn't used to those yet.] .... [She sits up.] Ah.... ...But I didn't roll right..!! I even did exactly what I saw other people roll like, and...

[She looks around, spotting a card and moving toward it so she can show Papyrus, in any case.] It's one of these-I made a 'field' with my duel disk, [She explains, the device in question still on her left arm,] So it made a bunch of these everywhere.

They do things if I put them in the disk.

[Papyrus can only shrug at the critique of her own rolling; being bare bones, as he is, changes the logistics of some bodily movements. Rolling is definitely among them; no shoulder cushions, no butt, and so on. Reira would be best asking another fleshy person.

Instead he nods slowly at the sight of the card, at the shapes of similar color around them. It's a little strange, to use cards for things... but he vaguely remembers human magic working through various mediums, like wands and crystals. Why not cards?]

Actiony things, as they're action cards?

Sort of! [SORT OF???]

They're called action cards because you have to find them.... ...Other cards go in your deck, and you use them to duel. [She points to her disk, and after turning it off-therefore scattering the field, and its cards, into light-pulls the deck out]

...See? ....This is my duel monsters deck. It has spells, and traps, and monsters.

Acting to find them, on the field... of battle? Wait.

[Papyrus startles as the cards around the field flare out and vanish, and stares at the remaining deck askance.]

There are monsters... in your cards?

[After all that shouting about gems in mirrors for thousands of years... That's an odd prospect.]

[She shakes her head.] .....They are the cards. [Very different.]

....Normally, they can't have bodies, but.... ....Solid vision gives them bodies, and then they can have fun fights-ones that are just to make a show, so people can smile, not ones where people get hurt, [she adds, realizing that 'fight' might need a bit of....clarification.]

....Even without bodies though, they're still here, [She adds, pulling out an odd looking 'eye' card.] I can feel their feelings, even right now.

[Fun, friendly fights, where the object is more about showing off than hurting anybody... That sounds familiar. So familiar that his mounting concern makes way for relief.]

Oh! They're just oddly shaped monsters. What a difficult life, being cards...

[Papyrus crouches down a little to get closer to the card, doing his best to make eye contact despite the general eye shortage between them, and waves.]

Hello there!

Yeah!

[.....................] ...........C/C One-Eyed Past Eye can't talk, but... [Well none of the duel monsters ever really talk except to the few who can actually comprehend them, but anyway-]

...I could turn my duel disk back on and summon them, so you can meet them?

[Life as cards really is difficult, imagine not being able to shout at passersby... But, if that's their life, they must be used to it? At least they can talk through fighting, if they really want to.]

Well... I wouldn't want to interrupt meeting you. [That'd be rude! He came over to say hi and compliment, before taking his own spin at the obstacle course.

But refusing the offer is also rude... A conundrum. There's only one solution:] But, if you want to introduce us, that's fine too. Do as you think is best! [Shove the choice on the striped-shirt child.]

[CHOICES?! OHHHHH NOOOOO-

Well, it is probably weird to meet a monster that can't talk, especially since it's not a duel. What if the cards end up bored!] Hmnn...maybe....

...I can probably wait until a duel. Then you can meet more of them, all at the same time. [Perfect!] .....Aren't you the one from the radio though? [Speaking of meeting people and all.]

[It would be nearly as one-sided a conversation as talking to the cards themselves, unless they use some verbose body language. So waiting is fine.]

The classic nightly novel... reading? Wait, no, narration! [There we go, alliterative as can be.] That's me! Papyrus.

....I didn't know you were doing readings. [That's because you were in a Hole, Reira.]

...I meant...after I guess? ...We talked about things, like presents for people.

[She. Should probably give a name though.] UM! I'm Reira..! ...so....I guess now we actually know who we are.

[Small as she is, she probably has an early bed time... He read back in the manor, sure enough, but he's still going now. But it's just an hour or two as many of the sleep-inclined people head to bed, instead of all night long.]

I already knew who I was... But you're right! I didn't remember who you are. You're the one... who I meant to give this to!

[Out of thin air, or maybe just a magical pocket, Papyrus pulls out: a bone with a fancy ribbone tied around its center.

The edges of the ribbon look like the ends of even tinier bones.]

[She's about to say that's not what she meant at all! But then he's talking about giving her...something?

....And oh. Oh. Reira gasps a little as the bone appears, looking at the ribbone, the ribbon...]

....it's for me..? [She finds herself asking, even though he just told her it was. It's just a very strange experience, getting a. Present. Her hands are shaking a little as she reaches for it, as if afraid she'll break it.]

That it is! The earlier a demonstration, the more effective it is.

[He presents it to her, held before him where she can easily get ahold of it.

It's a particularly sturdy, well-formed bone. One he put time and care into making. It won't be disappearing any time soon... so long as Papyrus is alive.]

And this is an anytime sort of friendliness. It can't even be cheating, unless... somehow you get in a 'best bone' competition? [Those might be things?]

[.....It's strange. When she received her bird from Foster after all, it was so different from this-that was something she'd shown interest in, something she liked already, that he'd decided to let her keep.

She didn't know what was coming, this time, she didn't know something was coming at all, and-] ....It's nice, [she eventually says, smiling and holding it close.] Umn....

...Why would it be cheating ever, though? If I was in a contest, I'd have to make something myself, right?

Would it? [He's surprised and genuinely confused by the idea.] Hmmm... I guess so!

Because, why would you have a competition for collected bones, that gives an unfair advantage to dogs. But bone-creating gives the advantage to skeletons...

[Bone competitions all around seem a little too complicated to be viable. But something about the idea just seemed sensible. Aren't most people feeling the need to just... collect things, keeping the best ones around to admire? Not that Papyrus has started thinking of it in these words, but there's some good things in the world to hoard.]

Mnnnhhh.... [....Dogs in a lot of monster cards do seem preoccupied by eating bones, she supposes. But now that just brings even more questions to mind.] ....If all skeletons can make bones.... ....That definitely makes it easier for a skeleton, then..!

...but.... ....What about a skeleton dog?

[She may be getting side tracked.] ....What do you make bones for, anyway..?

Skeleton dogs... [His eyesockets narrow. Sans' dogs haven't been around as much, but they still exist. And they've never yet gone for any of his bones... so it's like they're skeletons who are dog-shaped, rather than dogs who happen to be boney.] I think they're fine! They already have bones. Maybe they can even make bones for themselves...

But, anyway, I make bones for lots of things. Like gifts, but most of all: as attacks! They're for fighting with.

....Oh! [Woah!!! Attacks?! Here she had been nodding with serious understanding of this information about Skeleton Dogs, but now there's talk of attacks? Fighting?

Attacks and fighting for her??] ...........You're giving me a bone....to keep me safe? [She interprets, apparently more awestruck than even before.]

Huh??? [Wait what? He blinks and hesitates a second, surprised and confused. For him, it'd been more of a crafting project than anything. But it is a bullet, technically, so she's not wrong how it could be used.] It... can help with that! If you can use bones? It's not very magical on its own, it's just a bone right now.

But... swinging one of these around is one way to fight. [A good enough way for the Hunt. He tries, very hard, not to think about that. It was bad.

Y-You said it was something you used for attacks.... [She looks...a little more worried if anything, so it definitely wasn't her first though.] Um. ....I just want to make sure that I use a 'present' right, because... ....I've never gotten one, like this?

...I didn't think I was going to get something, and then you came and gave me something, [She explains, trying to at least quell any confusion from the other.] So...

...It feels really important, to make sure it's right!

Ohhh. I do use them for attacks! That's how my magic is, because, I'm a skeleton. [It might be hard to tell under the distracting scattering of orange crystals, and she might not be familiar with them, who knows.]

But, presents... I think the best thing is, use it how you want to use it. Just knowing you appreciate it is right enough for me!

If that means attacks, I could... show you some tips and tricks for wielding a bone! If that means saving it as a high-grade, Papyrus Collectors' Item, we could... find a shelf to display it on?

Really, there's so many options, I'm making myself dizzy with them.

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