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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, to give the bonehead credit... that food smells really good right now.

Detecting the guilt in his voice, Rita scoffs. "Serves him right. Wish we'd snagged his whole collection while we were at it." Come to think of it... are the books still there, with the earth elemental? Did they fall into the void surrounding the realm? Rita's not sure how that works. She'd be running out to search if there were any magic books among them, but last she checked there weren't, so it's probably not worth the effort...

She gives a narrow-eyed glance at the book in his hands. "Jekyll and Hyde... Are those the authors' names?" Rita, unsurprisingly, is completely unfamiliar with the book.

"I don't think so?" Papyrus has read through it the once, and recently, but there was a blur of other books to go with it. He looks the book over again, checking for the author mention, and concludes, "no, this is a science mystery thing! Those are major character...s."

It's not really his kind of book, the ending is ambiguous and rather more unhappy than he likes. But it worked as a bad mood book. Maybe that'll be fine.

"And anyway! I'm still hoping to get that collection. Heart of Stone's alive, and paper must itch... I'm going to ask if maybe we could trade."

Science mystery...? So it's fiction. Rita shouldn't be surprised... it's pretty much in line with the kinds of books Papyrus was reading during those late-night radio broadcasts.

... Not that she tuned in, or anything.

Just once or twice.

"Bartering with an earth elemental? Wish I could see that." There's a slight hint of humor in Rita's expression, even if it is a bit on the derisive side. "Can't say I've got any idea what someone like him would want. If we're lucky, he'll just be sick enough of the Prince's crap that he'll be happy to get rid of it." That's the most realistic way for Papyrus's request to succeed, as far as she's concerned.

His faithful listeners don't need to be shy... but if they are shy, that's okay! The most important thing is enjoying listening. The only real downside to being quiet is, how can they make requests without talking about it?

Susan spoke up, emphatically encouraging adventure books, and they were a good idea: way more riveting than the magical texts he's read at really late parts of the night.

"I thought the very same thing! Keeping those things around, as terrible reminders of a terrible time... who would want that? But, getting rid of it and giving it to somebody are different things. Who knows where fae trash goes..." It's not as though leaving things behind in a dump would stop people from taking them, but they might get soaked and squishy and covered in mysterious magical slimes. Fine for some things, but books are fragile. "But, being an earth elemental... maybe more earthy stuff would be good! Like cool crystals, and sand sculptures, and stuff."

"Earthy stuff?" Rita makes a bit of a face. "Isn't he just... made of that stuff, though? Seems like a weird thing to offer." Almost as weird as a skeleton using bones as a gift... oh, wait.

Sorry, Papyrus, Rita's not much for encouragement.

Come to think of it... She might not have much advice for the elemental, but since he's here, maybe she can ask about some of the things she's been wondering about for a while.

"Say, uh... that other skeleton weirdo... the Warden." She's pretty sure his name was Sans, now that she recalls, but she doesn't bother correcting herself. "How are you two related?" She's guessed that they are related, based on the two of them being the only freaky skeleton monsters she's ever seen, but Rita never really talked to either of them much until just recently.

Being made of stone is part of why Papyrus is so sure that Heart of Stone would appreciate the sculptures, just as a skeleton would appreciate a gift of bone. A survey of local skeletons confirms, at least than 50% of skeletons would love it - as long as tall skeletons count more.

"The Warden... You mean Sans?" Papyrus lets the weirdo comment float away, because... well, she doesn't seem to mean anything bad by it. It's probably just more of her boggling at skeleton monsters generally.

"We're related in the brotherly way. Sans is my older brother." So soon after those days of namelessness, it's uncomfortable to use titles and nicknames for his brother. He's going to be using it when it's not needed, even in place of pronouns, for a day or two. "I'm amazed you guessed! People didn't used to."

"Didn't necessarily think it was a blood relation," Rita says with a shrug, adding in a mutter, "considering you don't even seem to have blood..."

She really wants to know how the hell their bodies work. But at least she got a straight answer, and that seems to clarify a few things. Maybe. Actually, hang on.

"What's the deal with you monsters, anyway? If you're not undead, then... what? You weren't always skeletons, were you?" He said before that he wasn't a zombie. Was that to say he isn't an animated corpse? But... what else would a skeleton be?

"But I was!" Excluding Portland, of course. He sidesteps that brief exception by saying, "even in my youngest memories, I was a skeleton...!"

A lifetime of being Sans' younger brother... Thus why skeleton and bone puns are so very, very aggravating; he's heard every possible one. At least, without branching into other languages. Years of them.

"But, really, the important part is monster. I think we monsters are more like each other, regardless of form, than like anybody else... Doctor Alphys might have more sciencey-answers for you; she's a scientist."

How can someone be a skeleton their whole life? That doesn't make sense. And unfortunately, it doesn't look like Papyrus is the guy to make it make sense for her.

"A monster scientist...?" Wait... that reminds her of someone. "Do you mean that lizardwoman with the lab coat? She's from the same place as you?" She said something about being a monster, from underground... At the time, Rita didn't think of monster as a particularly specific classification, but it looks like it may have had a distinct meaning after all.

Between his general disinterest in scientific pursuits, and the gaps in his memory related to a scientist/parent, Papyrus really isn't the guy to clarify this.

"Yeah! A couple areas over, in Hotland of all places..." There are not many places, but that one's definitely the worst. "I know she was studying humans, she was always posting about it online... but she might know about monsters too." Since she is one, and that'd be the basis she's starting from.

"Monsters studying humans... I don't think anyone back home would believe me if I told them," Rita murmurs, her gaze drifting as she tries to picture it.

"So... Hotland." Rita wrinkles her nose slightly. That's a dumb name for a place. "That's... part of the underground? We're talking literally underground, right?" How big could these areas be?

"Yeah! Literally underground. In... it might have been a volcano; Hotland's the part with all the lava." It's a very silly name, and something of an understatement. Thank goodness for magic making it a little less lethally smokey than it could have been. "It's the worst area! I'll be glad if I never go through there again."

"Interesting..." Rita cups her chin. An underground civilization that extends to the molten depths of a volcano... It's certainly fascinating, but probably not exactly safe.

"I actually grew up in an underground city, myself. No volcanic activity in the vicinity, though. It was always nice and cool." There's a hint of fondness in her tone.

"None at all? Then... how did you power anything??" Everybody knows the Core provides electricity through the underground, and has... something to do with the lava. The details evade him.

But then, she's definitely human, and their underground lives were probably pretty different. "Were you able to go on the surface, and get it from up there?"

So his society used geothermal power. That makes sense, Rita supposes.

"We used blastia... technology powered by magic. Aspio isn't just a city, it's also a research facility for mages. But yes, we could also go out and get supplies from outside whenever we needed." His asking if she was able to suggests that... "You couldn't?"

"Not at all!" Papyrus shakes his head. "There was a magic barrier, trapping us all in the mountain. We couldn't get through, without... a lot of power. Of a specific kind you couldn't just make."

Surely they couldn't just make it, and electrical magic was different than soul power. Or else a whole lot of monsters went through a whole lot of needless heartache, and Papyrus' reason for being here is... kinda silly. Rather than dwell on that, or souls and their acquisition, Papyrus crouches down beside the box and starts pulling food things out.

"But we used other magic, getting by. Like... fire magic for cooking. Except I don't have that." He pokes at the covered food container, and shrugs. "Do you mind cool food? I don't know how hot it is, anymore."

A magic barrier, used to trap monsters...? "Hmm..."

Oh right, he just asked her about food... "It's fine. I'm not picky." Not about that, anyway. And she's definitely not going to complain about food after going three days without any... unless it's onions. She still has the strength to refuse those.

"Can you tell me more about that barrier?" she asks after a pause.

Papyrus nods and brings two containers over to a better surface than the floor by the door. There might be homefries, of diced potatoes and onions and spices together (somehow, there have been a lot of those going through the messhall). But most of it's non-oniony fare.

"The barrier? Hmm. It's a magic seal, surrounding the whole cave system... And anything could pass through, in one direction!" Thank goodness for that, too. Whatever river system carried detritus from some human dump was essential for so much of their way of life. Some perfectly good things, some recyclable materials, and most of all: things that inspired monsters to make their own versions.

"But, just going out takes a powerful soul, more powerful than any monster's... and breaking it would take so much more!" And he knows exactly how much; seven human souls, harvested and held and used against their will. "It's been up... hundreds of years."

Rita straightens herself, sitting upright and reaching for one of the food containers. The potatoes smell good, even if they've cooled a little. She starts digging in right away, nodding to show that she's listening as he continues.

"So people can get in, but nobody gets out..." she murmurs. And it's been like that for centuries...? Rita was quite happy to live underground, but she probably wouldn't stand it if she didn't get a choice in the matter. "Coming to the carnival... Was that your first time outside of there?"

"The very first!" he confirms with a few nods. Even with the time he spent in the castle, being the ruler... The barrier was strangely opaque, in a way that let light in but didn't let them really see out. "Seeing the sky, just like that... It was pretty. And a pretty big surprise."

He hopes his brother managed to enjoy his first sight of the stars, for all that Sans had been mourning Papyrus at the time. That was a longtime, semi-secret sort of dream, after all.

Rita remembers the first time she stood under the sky. It was only a few years ago, but... well, she can kind of understand what it's like.

Maybe she should tell him why she's so interested in this... it might sound bad, but if it does, then so be it.

"Truth is, I specialize in that sort of thing. Magic barriers that repel monsters... I've done a lot of work with them before." She's not saying this to antagonize him, though. "Not monsters like you, exactly... but the theory behind it could be similar."

Even if she were, it's very hard to antagonize Papyrus; he deliberately misunderstands things to keep from feeling antagonized.

"Oh? I see! Barriers like that must be very popular among humans..."

No wonder she was so surprised to see him. Lambert was too, and he professionally fights (and kills) the violently unsociable monsters from his own world. It would be like if Papyrus... uh... Well, there's no parallel for Papyrus. But it would be like if Undyne had come out here, and met a human without warning. Fear, alarm, and very aggressively defending themselves and others.

"We always used puzzles and traps, instead...? Maybe it takes human magic to power them. Or we really did want them to visit, and the puzzles were just a convoluted welcome mat."

"Until now, I thought it was just my world." After all, she's visited several human-populated worlds now, and met people from several more, and none of them rely on barriers like the people of Terca Lumireis do.

"Puzzles and traps... against humans?" Rita's raising an eyebrow. That's a weird tactic. "And... wait, why would humans bother going through the barrier in the first place?"

"Well... That is..." Papyrus frowns, absently tapping fingers on his hip. Clack, clack, clack. Why would humans go in the barrier? If it was on purpose, it'd be a little like... risking getting caught in a Hotland trap for the rest of their life? Nobody would do that.

"I don't know! I think it must have been on accident. But, a few of them did. Over a few centuries."

"By accident? I guess that would make more sense than any alternative..." Surely no one would intentionally throw themselves in a potentially-inescapable cave full of monsters. Then again... idiots might, and there's no shortage of those in any world...

"Anyway," she begins with a wave of her hand, trying to sound aloof, "I brought up my experience because... I mean, if you wanted to try dispelling the barrier, I might be able to help." Rita, of course, knows nothing of Papyrus's contract.

⇨ THE PRINCE IS DEAD

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