⇨ SHOW'S OVER

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone who DIDN’T get caught up in CY-Ren’s music, D13-D14.
When: D13-D15
Where: Wismuth, the Carnival
What: Recovering, taking stock, and trying to figure out where to go from here.
Warnings: ? ? ?

FALLEN STARS↴ ► AFTERMATH: After the culmination of the confrontation between Noa and CY-Ren — as much as it can be called one, since it ends with the Guardian being flung off the stage — the arena returns to darkness. After a few seconds of silence, the backup lighting sputters on, but instead of music a loudspeaker begins to blare loudly: ATTENTION, FANTASIA FESTIVAL ATTENDANTS. DUE TO AN EMERGENCY, WE WILL BE EVACUATING THE VENUE. PLEASE FOLLOW STAFF DIRECTIONS AND PROCEED TO THE NEAREST EXIT. THANK YOU. The pleasant, automated woman’s voice begins to play on loop as the concertgoers, snapped out of their trance, look at each other in confusion. The Void creatures that had come out at CY-Ren’s command are nowhere to be seen now, and neither is the singer herself. Wismuth police officers, though they look as uncertain and dazed as half the audience seems to be, break up the crowd and directing them to file out of the Fantasia Festival’s exits. It’s easy enough for Carnival members to slip away, though as they go through the crowd they’ll hear the festivalgoers discussing anything but the sight of Guardian and Harbinger in combat, much less people being dragged into shadows… “Right in the middle of CY-Ren’s set, too! Aren’t they supposed to check the wiring on these things?” “I paid to go to a concert, not a fire drill! I’d better get a refund!” “They didn’t have to shut the whole place down—" In the chaos and flow of people, it’ll be hard for Carnival workers to keep track of each other, but one thing is clear: they can’t stay here. ► HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN: The would-be saboteurs and those who’ve stayed behind have a chance to meet up again once they get back to the Carnival’s grounds. However, what exactly happened back there is unclear — and the one who might have answers is still unconscious from her brief altercation with the Harbinger. Still, there’s no shortage of things to do: after all, once they get back, it’s obvious there are more than a few missing faces. ► HEADLINES: Anyone who ventures to Wismuth in the days after the festival will find something peculiar: all news about the incident at the festival has been written off as a freak fire from some faulty wiring or a potential incendiary device, which reporters say police are ‘investigating the cause of’ and which some of the more sensational news sites are already having a field day with (based on rumors and hearsay the venue may have received a bomb threat). Most entertainment sites and social media coverage of the event only include blurry clips with captions like ‘tmw you fucked up the only vid you have of cy-ren’s concert 😭fml' and generally agree that it's a pity she never got past a second song.

Comments

REST IN PIECES

[npcarnival]

And that's the point the glowing ribbon Noa's holding pops back into Con, squinting at Gon dubiously (although he already looks like that).

Obviously, Con says, in his case he literally takes the form of Noa's weapon. But if he has a partner, he should also be able to help them understand their abilities and draw on the full power of their Spark! Does Gon already know what his partner's Spark is?

yes about yuuya, gon....it'll be yuzu instead rip

[betheman]

RIBBON STATE NOTED, CON...

As it is. He.

...Does not. He seems slightly shamed at the idea that he's jumped into asking advice Too Quickly, but he'd really rather not cause more of a burden than a help when he -finds- Yuuya at this point! (His friends are already sort of running about like headless chickens)

But what does Con mean when he says draw on their full power?

[npcarnival]

Con's not trying to be cryptic, he says, he literally just means the power imbued in them by Creation.

[soft_focus]

Gon feels he. Might need to clarify. He didn't think the other was cryptic at all! He's. Literally asking how that works.

There is potentially a pause as he wonders aloud whether or not the Ringmaster *might* have forgotten to do something. Or explain something. Or.

Well that'd be how she is, he acknowledges, so if the most there is is It Just Is, he supposes he'll havev to follow his gut.

[npcarnival]

Con's response is that it's impossible to give generic advice because the bond between a Guardian and their familiar is unique, just like a guardian's spark is unique. In the ordinary course of things, he doesn't think a familiar would be able to exist independently of a Guardian at all! (He doesn't outright say he kind of thinks this makes Gon weird, buuut it's implied.)

Noa will step in here though, sensing a conversation going nowhere fast. Does Gon remember what she said on the radio about familiars being like guides? she asks. Maybe it's easier if he thinks about it that way. A Spark reflects someone's passion, so a familiar will take whatever form or role their Guardian needs. In Con's case, he directly manifests as a weapon, but he's also helped her visualize new forms for him to take by calling out advice in battle before, things she already knew but wouldn't have occurred to her to use! He seems to sense what she's capable of even before she knows it herself, but that could also be unique to them.

Maybe he could try asking another Star Guardian, though. It seems like the Carnival's got a few of them now.

[betheman]

Impossible!? THAT'S NOT GOOD AT A-

And that's about the part in Gongenzaka's mental process where Noa steps in, thank Goodness. He crosses his arms, and nods-noting that it was part of why he'd assumed the Ringmaster's decision with regard to his request to help was 'this'; his magic lines up pretty well with...well. Guiding. But if the rest would happen after he actually found the one he was looking for...

Well! Very well then-he gives a steep and grateful bow, thanking Noa (and. Con, he supposes) for the help. Really, it's helped him more than he knows!!