lostcarnival | ⇨ INTERLUDE: BACK TO THE MOON

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⇨ INTERLUDE: BACK TO THE MOON

Who: Steven, the Ringmaster, Lambert, and everyone he invited to the party.
When: Day 8?
Where: THE CENTER OF THE MOON.
What: In an effort to determine the meaning of The Starlight's prophecy, Steven is going to try talking to the Blue Rose. Also, a bunch of other guys are here to watch.
Warnings: Some possibly dangerous weirdness.

THE BLUE ROSE↴
Once Lambert has assembled the group, it's just a matter of picking a time and date. When the time arrives, the Ringmaster will meet them in a clearing similar to the portal that lead them to the moon's surface, only a bit different in execution and tone: this one is more secretive and intricate by far. She'll gather everyone around, telling them she is going to take them to the Rose.

And then she does.

One instant, the group is in the forest - the next, they have appeared within a large, orb-shaped room carved from stone. There are no entrances and no exist, there is only the smooth rocky exterior with empty air inside of it. The gravity pulls outward, meaning that you can walk the stone 'floor' in circles, gazing towards the center of the empty space from all angles.

Any further away from the floor, and gravity will lose its grip entirely, like a space of zero gravity in the center of a cavern-sized globe. Which makes sense, because this is the carved out center of the moon.

In the center of the orb, there is only one thing: the Blue Rose, floating in place, with a tangle of glass-like thorns surrounding it. The air is thick with a feeling of simultaneously hot and cold, like a flame on a cold night, or a winter's breeze on an overheated body. The Rose casts an eerie blue light over it all, the only light to be found.

"This is it!" the Ringmaster declares once she's verified that everyone has teleported in safely. "If you jump high enough, you'll end up in the float zone... though, if you aren't participating in the actual discussion with the Rose, I'd recommend you stay grounded for now."

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The fact that they moved almost instantaneously throws Strange for a bit of a loop. He looks around, taking in the surroundings as the Ringmaster explains what's what. And float zone? Strange has no idea what that is, but he's going to try and find out. Naturally, Strange is taking that opportunity to jump. He jumps up and down in place a bit which thankfully, isn't high enough to send him floating off to who knows where and fortunately for everybody else, makes him look a bit silly.

"Do make certain to tell the rest of us down here on ground support what the conversation was," Strange teases slightly. As he's not a plant person, a court changeling, or the Ringmaster, he's got a feeling he's going to be stuck down on ground support, trying to help if anything goes terribly wrong. Which, Strange doesn't mind. He's been practicing spellbreaking, after all. But that doesn't change the fact that he's nosy as hell and intensely wants to know what's going on.

Yes, yes, jumping and looking silly until Childermass steps up next to him and makes an effort to try and grab the back of Strange's shirt, to keep him from trying again, almost like some tired and extremely resigned parent. Hell, that's kind of how it feels sometimes. How did Mrs. Strange manage this? Was she a literal saint? She must've been. Perhaps one day he'll know.

"If all goes well, I am sure they will," he says, sounding a little grimmer than usual. Only a little. It's basically hard to even tell, let's be honest here. Overall, he's far less curious about their new location than the other magician. If anything, one could guess he'd prefer being nowhere near the Blue Rose again so soon to begin with.

Steven is extremely nervous, and it's taking all he's got to keep that emotion from funneling itself through his empathic aura and projecting onto everyone around him. It's felt harder to control this aspect of himself, as of late, as if the breadth of his ability has widened beyond his usual ability to reel it back.

He feels other people so easily these days, and when his feelings are strong, it can be hard not to let them pollute the air like smoke. More and more, his emotions feel like a physical force that he has to fight to keep inside of him.

Which... is just perfect for this whole situation, isn't it? Just a secret, possibly super dangerous mission, where he has to use this fae magic he barely understands to do something freaky in front of a whole group of people. His muscles tense, his ears folding back. He feels a bit sick.

But... he asked for this. If he could find some way to make use of what happened to him, then maybe...

He shakes his head and extends his wings, flapping once or twice and lifting himself enough that he escapes the confines of gravity. He turns around to face the group once he's floating, perfectly accustomed to the feeling.

"I'm ready to go whenever you guys are," he says, managing to keep his tone light, though it shakes a little with his increasing levels of anxiety. This is starting to feel like it did when he and Peridot went to meet the cluster... the same feeling of a force greater than himself closing in around him. Like an overwhelming presence is seeping into his awareness. Inside of another planet, no less.

"I guess I'll just get a bit closer and see if I can feel anything, right?"

The whole business has Lambert uneasy, unsurprisingly, but for once it only shows in the slight twitch of his tail, the alert way he holds himself. He's armed, wearing the masterwork sword on his hip, but he's also wearing a hoodie because... well, its comfortable and easy to move in. And it provides a convenient grip for certain other members of the party.

Then Steven speaks, and his attention turns to him instead.

"Steven," he says quietly, reaching out to touch him lightly on the shoulder. "It's all right. I've got you. Just focus on the Rose." Whether he's successful or not at reassuring him, he doesn't know, and truth be told he's less confident of what he can do if things go sideways. But right now there isn't room for being angry or nervous, and he tries to impress that on Steven as best as he can.

Speaking of Peridot... Yup, she's here too, although presently she has taken on her bat guise and is taking advantage of that extra grip Lambert's hoodie provides, perched up on his shoulder. Part of her feels like it's important, somehow, to remain easily visible to Steven. That's the conscious reasoning behind it at least... Truthfully, there's also an aspect of her being very uneasy about this whole business herself, and if she can't be near Steven... well, being close to Lambert is a good alternative.

The cluster similarities certainly aren't lost on her either, which, while that's definitely adding to her nerves, it also means she and Steven are pretty much on the same page. She twitches an ear and puffs up a little, trying to look confident for her friend's sake. "Look at it this way: At least this thing has a significantly lower chance of exploding and wiping out billions and billions of innocent lifeforms," she jokes helpfully.

Rita's here too, wearing the circular amulet the Ringmaster gave her around her neck. She might not get to interact directly with the Blue Rose, but she came hoping to get a look at it... or even at the energy emanating from it.

As Lambert and Peridot take a moment to reassure Steven (or so she assumes the intent is, despite Peridot's very questionable choice of words), Rita takes a few steps away from the group, eyes wide with awe and wonder as she looks over the space they're in. "Incredible... What is this place? Are we still at the carnival?" While some of the others are visibly tense, Rita's more curious than she is worried.

Syrlya doesn't offer any verbal encouragement when they arrive on the moon, but he does still offer Steven a reassuring smile. He's explained his own experience with the Blue Rose, and promised to be attentive in case there's anything he should interfere with, but for now his place is to stay back and let Steven handle this. And it's probably better not to crowd him.

"It's the center of the moon that we were just visiting," the Ringmaster explains easily, holding back and letting the workers do their thing for the most part. "Keeping the Rose up here allows for certain strategic opportunities."

Then, she speaks more generally.

"The Blue Rose is a creation of the most primal and powerful magical energies in Arcadia. It doesn't get much closer to the source than this." A shrug of the shoulder. "All the same, I don't expect it to have much of an inner life. It's a tool, not a being."

Strange doesn't even look sheepish at the fact that ~~mom~~ Childermass is yanking him down and trying to keep him from launching himself into the float zone. He also doesn't even hide the trace of excitement on his face, in comparison to everybody else who's a little more wary or reassuring. They're in a place filled with magic about to watch someone attempt to talk with an intensely powerful fae artifact. Why wouldn't he be excited?

Granted, Strange knows about the potential for things to go southward but if they do, then the rest of them and the Ringmaster will step in to fix everything. Perfectly easy!

That being said, Strange is giving the Ringmaster full attention when she talks. "I imagine it's also harder to break into this place than any of your carnival storage," he muses. What with it being the center of the moon and all that. "A perfect place to store something quite dangerous."

Steven's focus is on Lambert and Peridot, as they offer their reassurances. As Lambert touches his shoulder, his posture actually seems to become a bit more bold, as if the Witcher's compassionate words actually go a long way to boost his confidence. There's something about their rarity that makes them special, and it makes him feel like he's doing the right thing.

He nods respectfully to Lambert, and then laughs softly at Peridot's comment, because he actually agrees.

"Yeah," he says. "If we could fix that situation, then this should be no problem!" On that note, it's about time to get going. "Here I go!"

With a mixture of his natural floating abilities and his wings, it isn't hard for Steven to boost himself up into the 'float zone', getting in close enough to the Blue Rose that its light casts his shadow onto the far walls. The swirling feeling of hot and cold is stronger here, and it almost feels like it should burn him, but it doesn't. As he gets closer, his finds his attention fully drawn into the Rose's presence. It is so much to take in that he doesn't have any space to consider anything else going on in the room.

As he brings himself close enough to touch it, the brightness of the illumination intensifies, the vines shifting slowly in the air. Steven brings his hands to the sides of the blossom, opening himself up to its empathic waves, and pushing gently at the core of its magical spirit to see if there is any response. He remembers doing this so many times before. Enough that it almost feels natural.

Steven's expression goes blank, staring so intensely at the Blue Rose that all that can be registered is vacant awe. His wings, made of leaves and rose petal feathers, extend out into the air around him, as if sheltering the Rose in their span.

Finally, gradually, the vines begin to shift more extremely, like tendrils of moving ice. They begin rapidly growing, responding to Steven's touch, twisting in the air and winding loosely in delicate arcs around itself and Steven's body, and then extending out into the space around them. It's almost like roots, reaching for the earth.

Steven doesn't say anything.

Oooh, Peridot does not like the look of that. She tenses, gripping Lambert's shoulder a little tighter and shifting her wings uneasily. The other benefit of being in her bat form from the get-go is that she's pretty much ready to fling herself up there at a moment's notice, should something go wrong. She's on a hair trigger in that regard, watching closely for any sign of threat to Steven.

"What the heck is it doing!?" she hisses urgently at the Ringmaster, because it's not like anyone else is likely to have an answer to that question.

"Why do people keep asking me?" the Ringmaster hisses back, her arms crossed stiffly and a similar look of consternation on her face. "I'm not even the one who wanted to do this!"

Of course, after her initial harrumph, she attempts to make a guess. It's honestly hard to tell which entity is in control at the moment.

"I can only assume that he's enabling it to grow. It's a Summer Court thing."

The engineer grimaces. So the thing that there's an ominous prophecy about, which they're currently trying to investigate, is growing. She doesn't particularly like the sound of that! And she doesn't like the weird vacant look on her friend's face, either!

Her attention returns to Steven, and she calls out to him in an urgent tone: "Steven! Is everything okay up there?"

Rita's head snaps around to stare at the Ringmaster in disbelief. "You don't know!?"

Part of Rita's confidence in this venture was the assumption that the Ringmaster knew what she was doing... but no, it was stupid of her to think that. As always, Rita's best option is to rely on her own eyes and instincts.

Eyes narrowed, Rita turns her gaze back to the Rose, its outstretched vines, and Steven, and holds up her amulet in front of one eye to use as a looking glass. If she can get a good read on this energy, then perhaps she'll be able to tell if there's danger or malice in the Rose's reaction.

"Why would she know in the first place?" Strange pipes up, defending the Ringmaster even though really, she can do it by herself. He doesn't take his eyes off of Steven as he talks, squinting slightly to try and examine that magic as much as possible with his third eye.

"The Prince had the Rose for who knows how long. It's not like anyone could study it or try to figure out it's effects before it was retrieved."

Syrlya's attention is focused on the Rose and Steven entirely. Seeing it start to grow isn't surprising, both from his own experience with the Rose and with shaping plant life in general. Plants grow, it's their natural state, and the easiest thing to influence in them.

He's just not sure if Steven's purposefully influencing it that much, or if he's being overwhelmed by the magical power of it. His brow knits, a little worried. He can't sense magical irregularities, but he can at least sense if the Rose has a sudden development or shift in intention.

"Thank you," the Ringmaster says to Strange, apparently satisfied with that explanation. She's keeping her distance for now.

Meanwhile, the situation with Steven and the Rose is continuing to accelerate.

Those with refined magical sight will see the energy of the Blue Rose circling and 'feeling' out Steven's body, as if it's probing for information. Steven's magic, meanwhile, seems to serve more as a funnel for the Rose's magic than anything else - he's empathic receptiveness seems to have opened a spiritual door between him and the magical entity. Steven's 'aura' is becoming increasingly mingled with the Blue Rose's energies, the longer the two of them remain tide-locked.

Rita's enhanced view will notice additional magical activity within the gems that freckle Steven's body, and the larger one his navel. The roses in his hair and the plant-based wings on his back seem to be reacting as well, though in what direction is not yet clear. The vines keep growing, creating an increasingly labyrinthine web of crystal thorns around the two of them.

It's only at Peridot's call that Steven seems to clue in to any of the things happening around him.

He doesn't manage to look away from the Rose, but a certain awareness returns to his face - and with that awareness, comes the nervousness and fear that was so prominent before. He flinches, as if waking up a dream, and for the first time he tries to pull away. It's then that the thorns around him contract, their tendrils shifting into his flesh bloodlessly, like roots.

He cries out, his breath accelerating, his hands reflectively clutching the stem of the Blue Rose as he tries to pull it away from him. Yet, the tangle of crystal vines around his arms make it impossible to dislodge.

There's the sound of Peridot sucking in an alarmed breath, and then the bat is launching itself off Lambert's shoulder without warning, racing to flutter frantically next to Steven while calling his name.

Turns out, flying in zero gravity is a lot more complicated than anticipated! The second she enters the Float Zone, she starts kind of flapping around haphazardly and spinning nose over tail, trying to correct and then over-correcting, all while trying desperately to figure out what she can do to help. Without really thinking, she takes on her much larger dragon form, fiery claws heating in anticipation of slashing at the thorns directly.

Edited 2018-01-19 19:33 (UTC)

It's hard to say if it's a good thing or a bad thing that Peridot distracted Steven's focus, but there's nothing for it but to respond to whatever's happening. And there's really only one person he knows with that kind of experience, and he turns to him now, hands lacing together to form a makeshift step as he crouches down.

"Syrlya. Go," he says, shortly, nodding down at his hands. Hopefully, he gets the picture -- as soon as he steps into Lambert's hands, the witcher is going to boost him up towards the Rose and Steven, launching him straight up with as much force as he dares. He can't tell what's going on magically, but what seems obvious Steven could use some help being talked through this by someone who's at least successfully used the Rose before.

"This needs to stop," Syrlya just about hisses when Steven cries out. It's... anchoring, or something, and it's obvious Steven's losing control of the situation.

He turns to Lambert as soon as he hears his name, and the Nightrider is one step ahead of him. He nods once to him before rushing over.

"I'll separate them." And with that presses his foot to Lambert's hand and lets himself be thrust forward into the floating zone. He is... not used to moving without the ground under him, but his aim is to get straight to the Rose itself.

When Steven starts to struggle, Rita drops the amulet and allows it to dangle over her tunic, then... freezes in surprise for a moment when Peridot takes off and turns into a big honking dragon. That's new.

--Right, she has to focus.

"Be careful!" she calls to Syrlya and Peridot. "There's some kind of mingling of energy going on... It's like it's trying to influence something in him. Separating them won't be easy." It seems like Syrlya has some notion of what to do, though, so she'll hang back and let him take a stab at it before interfering.

Looks like Peridot and Syrlya are making the call - the Ringmaster didn't really think it was her call since it wasn't her plan, but she'll take their actions to mean this trial is over. She's not sure if this is something that Steven could have turned around with patience, but it's probably not worth the risk.

She's not going to rush into the middle, though - not when there's already two other bodies joining Steven in the struggle. The Rose could respond violently to her magic, so she needs to aid them more carefully.

The air shift in the float zone as she starts working her own magic, guiding Peridot and Syr towards their goal.

Edited 2018-01-19 23:16 (UTC)

Despite his attempts to free himself, the Blue Rose has succeeded in binding itself to his hands and arms, its hold on his body getting tighter as the thorns coil around him, their tips sinking into his body like ghostly tendrils. Steven's gems have gone from shining their normal pink to shining mostly blue, and the expression of awareness fades from his face again as he starts to fall limp.

Peridot and Syrlya will have no problem getting close, as the vines don't seem to be aggressive - instead, they just keep growing, winding in layers around Steven like a protective cage. The thorns don't seem to hurt Steven or be able to wound his flesh, but that doesn't go for anyone else what comes in contact with them.

The thorns cut the skin of other easily, and the scratches they leave burn viciously with cold. Of course, when they aren't making any moves to attack, it's possible to tear them away with relative ease. Slashing at the vines results in them breaking apart and shattering like glass, shards showering through the air like slow moving fractals.

Slashing and tugging is the method Peridot is taking at first. "Let-- go of him-- you-- stupid--
VINES!" She's aiming to try and get to Steven so she can tug him out, and she scrabbles at the cage of vines with her front paws, ripping chunks of them away with each swipe.

The problem here is that, unlike with regular gem shapeshifting, her transformation spells basically temporarily turn her organic. That means there's actual flesh there for the thorns to prick, and she recoils with a hiss as they pierce between her scales and start to burn.

With touching out of the question then, the next best option is to blast it with a fireball. Which, she does. Spitefully.

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⇨ INTERLUDE: BACK TO THE MOON

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