lostcarnival | ⇨ INVASION!

Who: Everyone! But especially HARBINGERS!
When: S2:D16-22
Where: All over Wismuth!
What: As the Harbingers reveal themselves, those among the carnival that Creation has chosen will start to discover new powers within themselves. It's because they're magical girls, yo.
Warnings: Harbingers being assholes.

HARBINGERS OF VOID↴

On Day 16, the Harbingers begin revealing their new selves... in the form of wreaking havoc on the city! CY-Ren isn't looking for mass panic or serious structural damage - instead she wants constant annoyances and distractions, of the sort that will keep those that might be on her tail distracted from her true plans. However, when Creation is faced with the threat of twelve new Harbingers, it will have to fight in kind...

► HARBINGERS: Your job is to use your powers to create messes for other people to clean up! CY-Ren gives no specific instructions outside of a general framework... flex your powers! See what you can do. Don't destroy the city or anything, but give Creation a run for its money. She needs these civilians alive for her later plans.

► STAR GUARDIANS: Twelve members of the carnival have been chosen by Creation to fight in its name, even if they don't realize it yet. When confronted by the Harbinger's chaos, their Sparks will make themselves known in whatever form is appropriate to the character - and they will be asked if they are willing to use the power of their soul to fight the darkness. How this scene plays out can be flexible, but essentially they will find themselves faced with the question: are they willing to fight for the preservation of life? If they say yes, their Spark will emerge, and they will be able to trigger a magical girl transformation, as you do.

► CHARITY CONCERT: While everyone else is busy with the sudden rise of the Harbingers, CY-Ren's PR team is releasing a statement -- they will say that new information has revealed that there had been bomb threats made against the canceled concert, which are now being blamed for the damages. CY-Ren will make a personal statement, saying that in order to apologize for the failure of her previous performances, a new free to attend event is being planned for the near future - people who had tickets to the previous event and had to go home early get top priority!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Yeah," is all he can say, voice strained with tears as he starts to get sniffly from his emotional panic. "I didn't get it before, but... now I do. I can't keep doing this, please."

It's a good thing he doesn't feel physically threatened by Joker, because it's a lot of what is keeping him from lashing out more violently.

It hurts, to hear that from a kid... but it's not as if Joker isn't familiar with the same sort of feelings, and from around the same age, too. So he takes another breath, focusing on that, and comes all the closer.

"Ya don't have ta," he says, reassuring. "It'll stop soon enough, won't it? Things always do. So why don't we sit on the grass, huh? Everythin' always comes ta an end whether we want it ta or not. S'what the Void is all about, isn't it? S'why it's the better thing."

Steven is too distracted to keep pulling away, at the moment, lost in his thoughts instead. His arms are still wrapped around his body defensively, giving Joker a pitiful look, before turning his gaze to the ground.

"I don't want to keep having endings. I just want it to end once," he says, still miserable, but calmer now. At least he isn't shrieking and panicking quite as much. He wonders what he should do now. What would CY-Ren want him to do?

It is almost embarrassing how relieved he is when Steven speaks again, miserable but not so worked up. So long as things can stay calm, then, well. He's not sure, but it's the better option out of other ones. Close enough now, Joker gingerly tries to find a place to put his hand on Steven's shoulder.

"That one'll happen too," he promises, which isn't exactly a lie, probably. That sort of theology is one he's never really cared to learn, although a part of him still sort of knows, he thinks. "But ya gotta be patient sometimes, right? When it's worth somethin', ya learn ta be patient."

"No!" Steven insists again. He lets Joker touch him, but his body tenses again - it isn't what he wants to hear. That kind of patience is something he doesn't have anymore, and there's no mediating around that. "I've always been patient!"

It's only now that he takes another step back.

"I won't be patient anymore."

Joker steps with Steven, not wanting him to go too far- although he supposes that might mean he's liable to get a thorn through the hand. That's fine, he'll heal... probably. Instead, he just keeps focusing on the boy.

"Can ya make everythin' end on yer own?" he asks simply, knowing what the answer is. Even for all the power that is in the hands of the one's who've been taken, he really doubts any of them could end everything. That's what CY-Ren is for, probably.

....Well. Maybe Tanyuu, he realizes belatedly, and feels considerably more worried that he or Ginko haven't found her yet.

"No..." Steven admits quietly, looking up at Joker with a totally lost expression on his face. He doesn't know why he hasn't left yet. He really should have taught Joker a lesson, or... something.

He just doesn't want to. Even if everything is going to be over, he doesn't want someone like Joker to spend that time in pain. He has to figure out something else to do.

He really didn't want to spend this time in pain, either.

Alright. Good. They're calm, Joker thinks, or at least as calm as anyone is going to get in the current situation with him unable to break spells or mind control as Strange probably could.

...So. Now what.

"Ya don't have yer radio on ya, do ya?" he asks after a moment, bullshitting on the go. It's an artform, really. "So, how about the two of us go steal a couple of phones, eh? I wager we can make 'em last until someone gets 'em turned off somehow."

"I did, but it stopped working, so I left it at the penthouse..." he says, hesitantly. He's super unsure about the idea, because it sounds like conspiring with the enemy. Still, though... he kind of wants to.

He's felt kind of alone.

"We could just take some temporary ones. The ones that have those time cards, and stuff?" Those are less likely to get shut off. He doesn't know how it works in Wismuth, but it's probably a similar thing.

"There are ones that can do that?" he asks, genuinely impressed. Technology has always sort of escaped him, really, which doesn't help considering where and when he's from. Cell phones are truly a mystery. "Well, let's do that, then!"

Ah, but he should explain... "I'm thinkin' if we get some phones, then the Ringmaster-" And CY-Ren, ideally, although he's not sure if Steven will snitch or not. "-won't be able ta know when we're talkin'. And if ya ever need help bringin' about the end, or ta stop bein' chased by someone, or are just bored, ya can just call me~." There's a pause as he quickly goes through his knowledge of cell phones. "Ah, or text? Right, that's a thing..."

Steven nods in vague acknowledgement of the plan, though he's mostly lost in though. Being able to talk to someone outside of all of this would be nice, especially if Joker is being honest about his willingness to help him. There's something else on his mind, though.

"Could you..." he starts, like he's not sure if he should ask. He crosses his arms over his belly again. "Could you bring me my Pokemon? Bud? She's probably scared without me, and... I don't want her to worry..."

That's the pink, mantis looking one that hangs out around Steven's trailer.

Yeah, Joker is a little bit familiar with the funny little pink mantis. There's a brief pause before he decides... "Yeah, I can do that." It can't hurt, at least. Steven is still Steven in the end, no matter how 'bad' he's become. That much has been shown with how he healed up the Peppurr.

It sounds like he's made a step closer to things, however, so Joker finally slips his hand away from Steven's shoulder and instead offers it to the boy with a smile. "I'll even send ya a picture when I go get her. Although-" He laughs a little bit, shrugging. "You'll have ta show me how. Yer a lot more clever than me with these kind of gadgets!"

Steven very tentatively takes Joker's hand, daring to smile a little.

"They're not so bad, once you get used to them," he says, practically by accident. The positivity comes out reflexively, and it leaves him flushing at the cheeks. He's not sure if he's allowed to be like that, anymore. Won't it just end up being fake?

All the same, provided Joker follows through on his promises, he'll have tentatively earned some of Steven's trust.

There they go. Joker grins to Steven as he guides him along, out from the market. It's a nice little city; he has no doubt they'll find a store soon enough.

"Well, that's true for a lot of skills, I suppose," he says, rolling with things. Feathers hops off of the picnic table, following after them with a literal bounce. "Well, we'll manage. Ya can tell me about CY-Ren and all that while we're lookin' for a store. Been eatin' well while yer with her?"

The trick, he thinks, is to keep it to practical mattes. Besides, it's true that he's worried on how well Steven has been taking care of himself.

⇨ INVASION!

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