Closed | D15

[hippocarnival]

Who: Yuya and Strange
When: D15
Where: The carnival
What: Post-Portland Paranoia
Warnings: Discussions of trauma, kidnap, torture likely. The usual.

Nightshade was at the concert.

Gongenzaka told him, because he was worried too. He was part of the patrol, so he'd take that information to every important source, probably. Yuya's less worried about what she wants with the carnival, or Wismuth, and more what she wants with one specific person.

So he goes to look in the morning, skipping breakfast to show up at Strange's trailer door with his staff in hand. He's not as harried as when they escaped the manor, but it's hard to completely smooth out the worry in his brow.

He knocks rapidly. "Mr. Strange? Are you in there?"

He really hopes he is.

Comments

[kingsroads]

"Of course I'll teach you," Strange responds, with a little smile, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. As always, talking about magic relaxes and distracts Strange from pretty much everything he was worrying about before. And talking with someone who's opinion he values only makes things better.

"You're my apprentice and my friend. Aside from that, you've progressed admirably on that barrier. I'm confident you'll be able to learn whatever you wish."

Especially while they're still here in faerie. If Yuya's able to cast that magic when he returns home...well, Strange has theories about that. But that's a worry he's keeping to himself.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya laughs and grins wide, soaking up the praise. Even if it's just because of a distraction, Yuya's glad to see Strange relax a little. It's eaier to think clearly and be confident in the face of a smile. He's definitely not going to just let his other friends be stolen away.

"Well, I've been practicing almost every day now." He leans back in his chair. "I know it's going to be a while, but I don't want to lose the friends I made here, even if they're a hundred dimensions away!"

[kingsroads]

"If anyone can manage to hold onto friendships across time and space, it's going to be you."

It's slightly teasing, slightly pointing out the obvious. Yuya is just this unstoppable force of determination, optimism, and friendliness. Of course he's going to be the one to help work on any communication magic that crosses worlds for the sole purpose of keeping up with others, who else would it be?

"On a different note," Strange starts, shifting the conversation slightly. "Did I ever tell you how grateful I am for the swim lessons? Because I am, just so you know. They came in handy yesterday." Though considering how they came in handy was 'Strange kept himself afloat after the Ringmaster dunked him in the lake', he's just going to keep that part to himself right now.

[hippocarnival]

"Eh? See, I told you it's good to know how to swim!" Yuya picks up his cup, pleased with himself for his judgement being right. And, of course, for helping Strange with a valuable life skill. He takes a long sip before looking at Strange with curiosity.

"So what happened?" Because obviously, with a lead up like that he's going to ask.

[kingsroads]

But he doesn't want to talk about what happened. Strange just wanted to thank Yuya and now is a bit put out that Yuya's doing things like 'being a decent friend' and 'showing interest in Strange's life.' He eats a few chips, crunching them slightly while mulling over how to answer the question.

"There was a situation where I ended up in the middle of the lake," he says, knowing full well that it's vague and Yuya might ask more questions about it. "So, I was able to swim out."

[hippocarnival]

"So it's embarrassing." Yuya reaches for the chips once Strange pulls away, his expression clearly amused despite not hearing the full story. Because it's unlikely Strange would pass up the chance to talk about himself unless it's because it makes him look bad.

"Well," he pops the chips in his mouth one at a time, crunching audibly. "I'm glad you didn't drown."

[kingsroads]

"It's a bit embarrassing," Strange admits, as his frown and cagey expression slowly get replaced by a sheepish smile. "Still, I was being an ass so I might have deserved it."

But just might. Maybe. A sliver deserved it. After all, he didn't ENTIRELY deserve to be dunked in the lake and given a come to jesus talk by the Ringmaster, that's what Strange believes and that's what he's sticking to.

"I'm glad I didn't drown either. Maybe when all of this is over and we've rescued our friends, you could teach me a few more swimming patterns." The word he's looking for is strokes.

[hippocarnival]

"Maybe I can teach you diving." Yuya wiggles his hand for emphasis. "When we'd go to the beach, sometimes I'd swim to the bottom and find cool shells and things. But I never kept them."

The novelty of broken sea debris loses its appeal pretty quickly, it turns out. But for an adventure, Yuya found it a lot of fun.

He pauses, and then his face drops into a heavy pout. "Aw, this would have been the perfect place for that. I didn't even end up going with Yuzu and Gongenzaka..."

[kingsroads]

At Yuya's pout, Strange slips right back into optimism. After all, though Yuzu and Gongenzaka weren't kidnapped, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for Yuya to think about those who are kidnapped and we're not gonna go back to that conversation.

"We do have a lake," Strange points out. "Maybe if I or the Ringmaster build a pier, then that could take us out to water deep enough to dive in."

[hippocarnival]

He can't forget about the missing carnival members entirely--certainly not when some of them are his friends. But Strange's optimistic focus keeps him from recursively going over it, at least, if only for the sake of keeping his mood up for his company.

Yuya raises a brow. "You'd build one with magic?" Asking the Ringmaster seems like the obvious solution, so Yuya's a little surprised to hear Strange offer to do it. And he can't see him taking a hammer and nails to a major construction project like that.

"We should probably get the Ringmaster's permission first... but it'd be fun to have other things to do at the lake."

[kingsroads]

"It's only a pier, Yuya," Strange remarks, with a little shrug. "Of course I can build one with magic!"

Strange has zero clue how things like 'structural integrity' and 'architecture' work. He might be able to build a pier with magic, but it would be shit. Not that Captain Arrogance has realized that yet, he's still riding high on the certainty that he can build a pier.

"But you're right, we definitely should get the Ringmaster's permission—and when we do, you should ask her." Though this means that Yuya's going to ask and Strange is going to have to fudge details again and urgh, maybe he should just go ahead and tell Yuya. "She's the one who threw me in the lake in the first place."

[hippocarnival]

That pier is going to crumble.

"You got in a fight with the Ringmaster?" Not impossible, but it does make him curious just how much of an ass Strange was being to get himself dumped in the lake as a result.

"I guess it was a pretty bad one?" He pauses. "Did you apologize?"

[kingsroads]

......he straight up forgot to apologize.

Strange's expression shifts from grinning and good-natured to something that clearly reads as 'oh FUCK' as a brief expression of disbelief flits across his face. No, he hasn't apologized and urrrgh, he really should apologize. And he's smart enough to realize that his various half-assed explanations during their argument didn't really count as apologies.

Once again, Strange is thankful for friends that can point out obvious things like 'apologize, you asshole.'

"Oh damn," he mutters, more to himself than to Yuya. "I'll need to write her a letter." Again.

[hippocarnival]

Strange's expression is very telling. Yuya picks up his tea cup again, but he doesn't take a sip yet.

"Shouldn't you apologize in person? Unless your worried she'll throw you in the lake again..." Did Strange deserve a second dunking? Only he would know, but Yuya's sure the Ringmaster will be amiable when she's had time to calm down. And if it's a genuine apology.

[kingsroads]

"She's probably busy," Strange remarks, frowning slightly. "Besides, the last time I did something ill-advised, I wrote her a letter. I doubt she'd mind if I did it again."

Though even Strange realizes that the fact that his sentence contains the phrase 'the last time I did something ill-advised' isn't good. He frowns, a quizzical little frown as he takes another sip of his tea. Now that he thinks about it, he's spent way too much of his time here apologizing to people. Maybe he should at least try to listen more and think before he acts just so he can spend that time he would spend apologizing on something else.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya goes back to drinking his tea while Strange has an internal epiphany, swallowing it all down in a few heavy sips. It probably looks like he's mulling over a response, but really he's just assumed it's to do with one of his other fae-summoning incidents.

He still thinks a letter is a little impersonal for an argument that resulted in lake-dunking, but maybe it's not as bad as it seems? "What did you fight about?"

[kingsroads]

There's a small pause before Strange decides fuck it, might as well tell Yuya. "I wanted her to help me kill Nightshade. She wasn't fond of that suggestion."

Strange isn't ashamed of what he's saying: a part of him still wants to straight up murder Nightshade despite the very valid points the Ringmaster made. Likewise, he's not ashamed for wanting to do a murder in the first place. But he's already readying himself for a 'don't murder' talk from Yuya and is already getting prepared to defend himself as needed.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya goes quiet, frowning to himself as he thinks that over. Given the Ringmaster has absolutely used murder as a solution for their problems (including fae problems) before, it's probably not a moral quandary. And Nightshade does pose a real danger to them.

But Nightshade's also part of the Courts, which the Ringmaster has a tenuous relationship with. But despite that history, they're not exactly flocking to take her out. As if there's a delicate truce in place--as long as the Ringmaster doesn't interfere with their goals.

"If... she didn't think that was the right solution, maybe it's because trying to kill her would actually put everyone in more danger?" Let alone succeeding. Was she worried it would open for the courts to retaliate against her?

[kingsroads]

Strange nods. "She's not like the Prince, where he was considered an outcast without any court ties. Nightshade is still within the Summer Court structure. Murdering her has the potential to bring the Court down on the Ringmaster's head."

Which, if he was given the choice, Strange might do it himself anyway. But he knows there's absolutely no way he could murder a faerie unless he had help. He couldn't do it alone at home, he can't do it alone here. He can't hide the fact that he's intensely annoyed about all this, however.

"I suppose we simply have to wait for the Ringmaster to gain enough power to challenge the courts or Nightshade to overstay her welcome and obtain the ire of the courts."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya purses his lips, folding his hands under his chin as he stares critically at the table. "Not just the Ringmaster, right? All of us."

Because why would the Courts care about sparing her charges? The Ringmaster is effectively what protects them from the other fae by this point, and if she couldn't release them in time to save them...

No, Yuya looks a little sick thinking about the resulting carnage of getting into a fight directly with Arcadia. He saw what they could do in Portland, and his friends are here. He won't agree to anything that might put them in direct risk, or in risk of retaliation. "There has to be other ways to make her leave you alone for good. We just need to find it."

[kingsroads]

Strange nods at Yuya's assessment. Probably all of them. After all, why would the fae care about a bunch of changelings? Everything Strange has heard says that the Ringmaster was an anomaly just because she treated them decently.

Though at Yuya's statement, Strange gives him a little frown. He just said that he wanted to kill Nightshade, he's not going to settle for 'leave him alone.'

"I don't want her to just leave me alone," Strange remarks, a little irritated. "She hurt other people in Portland and will inevitably hurt other people that aren't at the Carnival. She's a horrid little sadist and I want her dead."

[hippocarnival]

"I know, but..." He sinks his head further into his hands, squishing his cheeks a little in his grip as he looks back at Strange. Strange's dramatics are just enough that he doesn't take 'I really want her dead' as seriously as he could be. "It's not just her, it's Arcadia. They have to change, they have to be stopped from invading anyone's homes, or hurting people. But it's not as easy as saying it, is it?"

Yuya didn't really meet Nightshade personally. He just knows what he saw at the ritual, and what she did to Strange. Still, awful as she is, it's not as simple as just taking her out of the picture. Even when he dealt with Academia, he couldn't just turn around the hearts of every solider--those in charge had to change. Or be taken out.

"More fae... and others who are as strong as them have to stand against it."

[kingsroads]

It isn't that easy. How does one change an entire civilization? A drastic action that nobody could overlook. Strange did that when he broke the mirrors of England, opening up magic to the rest of the world. Well, can't really do anything of that level here, not to the faeries. Eroding it over time. But how long would it take for that to happen in the first place?

Strange sighs, obviously a bit more annoyed with himself than with Yuya, as he leans back into a childish pout. "I hate this sitting around and talking about things," he grumbles. (Who's surprised, absolutely nobody.) "I thought I knew what to do but apparently all my plans are 'idiotic' and 'might destabilize all of creation.'"

He's physically making the air quotes as he says that...but alright, even Strange can see a bit of humor in a plan so dumb it might have destroyed literally everything. The pout lessens, as he smiles slightly.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya smiles, just a little ruefully. He feels the same way about talking instead of acting. But what can they do? Yuya doesn't have any better plans.

"Yeah," he sighs dramatically, reaching for another potato chip. He stops before he reaches the bag, however, something weighing more on his mind.

"But if you ever want to talk about something..." He takes a single chip, pressing it between his fingers until he hears a small, satisfying snap. "It's a lot easier to bear, I think. After you tell someone else."

[kingsroads]

The offer of someone to talk with makes Strange smile slightly. He reaches over to the chips before just straight up taking a handful.

"Only if you do the same," Strange adds in, with a little nod. Popping a chip into his mouth, he starts talking with his mouth full. "We've all gone through so much nonsense here, after all. And I know it's hard to talk about some of it with certain people."

Example A: the small list of things Strange knows he won't tell Childermass.