[Open]

[hippocarnival]

Who: Yuya and you!
When: S2:D28-32
Where: Carnival Grounds
What: Yuya wakes up with a couple new changes, and general carnival shenanigans
Warnings: Proooobably none?

[Balance Beams]

[Yuya woke on the 28th with no trace of Creation in him—just a little reminder on his face, of tiny stars around his cheeks and  eyes that shine in the light gold of his soul color (and his other fae mark looks lighter as well.

He has a new appendage.

He’s not exactly happy about it—a thin, lizard-like tail in iridescent orange scales that’s about as along as he is tall. His tail isn’t big, so it doesn’t shift his center of gravity too much. Still, it’s just enough that Yuya notices it when trying to practice for the upcoming performances. He’s left slightly off center, and that’s not going to do in front of an audience.

So he’s taken to long hours in the big top, using the only inches high balance beams with very thin widths to try and orient himself with his new tail. Sometimes it flails wildly or Yuya teeters one direction or the other with his face pinched in concentration. He makes it to the other side easily, but it’s not as smooth and refined as he’d like it to be. If you’re walking by, try not to get smacked in the face, the legs, the anything.]

[Magic "Practice"]

[Alternatively, now that he no longer has his Guardian abilities, Yuya’s back to fairly typical magic practice. He’s got his staff out by the training area, using the glowing crystal at the end to draw various patterns on the ground.

Smiley faces, that is.

This is absolutely practice. It’s rune drawing practice or. Something.

They don’t last more than a couple minutes, but there is a constantly moving pattern of smiley faces (smiley suns, smiley flowers) going across the open field.]

[Wildcard]

[Hit me]

Comments

[kingsroads]

It needs a mirror and something dead—just grasses or flowers would work. [ It is indeed structurally similar. ]

The problem here is that I know who my enemy is and we won't be able to spy on Nightshade while we're in the carnival. Different realms, and all that. Still, I can teach you the theory.

[ And considering that the barrier spell was basically theory + Yuya's own magic, teaching him the theory isn't a half bad idea. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya doesn't have any enemies in the carnival, either. When he thinks about it, this is probably a spell up Reiji's alley.

Yuya nods once.] I don't have a mirror... but there's one on your pendant, right?

[He taps his own pendulum for emphasis. It's not a lot of space to see, but if they're jusy learning the theory it doesn't matter that much, does it?] And, uh... I guess I can step on a flower.

[Kill dandelions in the name of education.]

[kingsroads]

That should work, [ Strange explains, with a nod. And, as Yuya commences with the flower murder, Strange takes the pendant off of his neck, yammering about magic and theory all the while. ]

I suppose I could rework the spell in a more useable way. A spell to discover what my loved one is doing, for example. Granted, I imagine it wouldn't work for me in the carnival, but depending on who the magic interprets as your loved ones, it could be more use for you.

[ Once he's got his necklace off, Strange starts taking his coat off as well. They're outside, might as well have a surface that isn't grass to set the pendant on. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya turns around, scanning the ground until he spots a lone dandelion, bright yellow and perky.

And then proceeds to crush it under the base of his staff, grinding it a little. Which makes it a sticky mess, but he plucks the flower from the stem and holds it out to Strange like one might hold out a smelly sock.]

That's a good idea. [That way they can actually see the spell work, right?] Yuzu and Gongenzaka are here... does that mean we'd have to cast the spell together, or should I try it on my own?

[kingsroads]

I'd need to write out the form of the spell first, [ Strange explains. ] But then, we'll try it together to start and I'll give it to you to practice afterwards.

[ He spreads his coat on the ground, places the pendant mirror side up on the coat, takes the smushed dandelion...and then tears it in half, putting the two halves on the either side of the pendant. Bending over the pendant, Strange makes a few circles and crossing motions with his index finger over the pendant. ]

Here, take a look. A spell to see what my enemy is doing: which again, would be more useful if Nightshade were in the carnival.

[ The mirror is showing a dark and cloudy image, the same sort of 'nope, this person's currently in a different realm' cloudy darkness that happens whenever Strange tries to scry for someone outside of the carnival's radius. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya drops to his knees at an angle, staying back while Strange completes the spell. He watches the motion of his hands more than anything else, and once the offer to look is there Yuya leans over immediately to squint at the pendant. Yeah, the dark clouds he recognizes--so it's always the same effect no matter what'd hiding them, right? It was like that in Portland, too.]

I'd rather it keep looking that way. [Nightshade in the carnival sounds like a Nightmare. He's not sure he totally understands the symbolism of the movement, but it may not mean anything more than Strange's usual, more complex and versatile scrying--it's just magic, magic is weird.]

I guess you wouldn't use a dead thing to find someone you like? [It would probably be a living flower, right?]

[kingsroads]

[ Strange nods. ] I'd probably reverse the direction of the circles as well. Clockwise instead of counter-clockwise, for example.

[ Moving over to the pendant, Strange waves his hand over it. A moment later, the image vanishes and it's reflecting Yuya and Strange again. Picking the necklace up, Strange slips it back on. ]

Like I said, I've got the theory. I'll just need to fine tune the spell a bit before giving it to you—that is, if you want to learn that spell. We can work through something else if you want.

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya's tail absently curls around the base of his feet as he considers that, looking up at Strange.] If you want to show me, I can at least try it, right?

[It might not be quite what he needs, but it's under Strange's expertise... and if it ends up not being suitable, then at least the time in between Yuya can come up with some better ideas where else to take his magic.

Although, actually--] Maybe I can find a way to do the things I could with my Spark? I wish I got to keep it...

[So much (mostly) effective magical power at his fingertips. All gone.]

[kingsroads]

What all could you do with your Spark? Most of what I saw were those bubbles.

[ And Strange knows there's got to be more to the bubbles than just...well, bubbles. The power of Creation was too great and too strong to be reduced to simple bubbles. ]

[hippocarnival]

Um, they were all bubbles. But I could make them different! Like the ones that gave you energy, but I could also make bubbles that calmed people down and turned into goo. [Among other things. He waves his hands for emphasis.] I didn't find anything I couldn't make them do...

[kingsroads]

Hmm. My magic is more elemental than mental...perhaps a spell of temperature regulation could be good for calming someone down? Otherwise, we can certainly find something with the consistency of goo.

[ This is going to be a challenge. But Strange is perfectly fine with the challenge. Despite the fact that he's frowning and tossing out suggestions, it's obvious that Strange is perfectly in his element here and now. ]

[hippocarnival]

You mean like when you have a warm blanket? [Yuya rubs his chin thoughtfully. The problem is that he's doing awful in science, and can't remember any chemistry for 'goo substance' off the top of his head.]

Can't it just be goo made of magic? [Yuya's Spark was basically strictly magic.] It was really good for stopping things in place. Or from scratching me.

[kingsroads]

[ And Strange's magic is more 'manipulate something else to help him out' not 'create something wholesale from the fundamental aspects of creation.' As such, he doesn't really know WHAT the theory behind magic goop would be in the first place. ]

In theory it can, [ Strange admits, with a little frown. ] But in practice, my magic isn't the sort of magic that could be useful for that. [ But who's WOULD... ] Perhaps Sans might help on the goo front? The Ringmaster said that his body, erm, dispenses ectoplasm, which is apparently a sort of a goo.

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya pauses for a moment, before his expression withers in mild disgust as he realizes what 'dispenses ectoplasm' probably means.]

Yeah, maybe. [But gross.

Yuya moves to stand up.] He hasn't... come back, has he? [Yuya's not sure if that's something he would announce, like the Ringmaster announced his departure.]

[kingsroads]

[ And Strange shakes his head. ] Not to my knowledge. I'm certain we'll hear of it when he does, either from the Ringmaster, Papyrus, or Sans himself.

[ Though Strange's money is on Papyrus. The skeleton seemed...excitable on a good day, he might most likely be the one to relay the good news. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya hums, looking down at the ground a moment. That's really the one piece of their Wismuth trip that he can't ease his heart on, although he doesn't really know Sans personally.

He looks up, suddenly remembering another worry that didn't have any closer.] I didn't see Nightshade at the second concert.

[Granted, he was also pretty busy when he arrived, which is why he's looking to Strange for confirmation.]

[kingsroads]

[ And Strange nods. ]

I didn't sense any trace of faerie magic there. [ which granted, he was busy as well, but if both of them missed her, it's likely that she wasn't there. Idly, Strange sticks his hands in his pockets before he continues talking. ]

I still have no damn clue why she was there in the first place or what she wanted. But if she found us there, she can find us again in another world.

[hippocarnival]

[They can take a few guesses what she wanted... Steven, or Strange. Still, he looks visibly relieved at the news that she wasn't around. Hopefully that meant she was off their trail at least for a little bit.

He also doesn't want to set off Strange's worry, so he decides to let the topic drop right there. No use bringing up the thought on his mind that she might be able to follow the carnival precisely.] Right... well, everything's mostly okay right now. I'm glad it wasn't like the worst we've had.

[kingsroads]

[ Strange can't help but laugh a little at that. Though it's a short, tired, 'can you believe this shit' sort of laugh over anything actively malicious. ]

It says a lot about the carnival when mass enthrallment and a death isn't the worst we've had.

[ welcome to the carnival, EVERYTHING KIND OF SUCKS. ]

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya's shoulders and tail fall slack immediately. He was trying to be optimistic, but phrased like that it just comes across horribly.] W-well, it's...


[He doesn't really have a rebutle, however.]

[kingsroads]

It's awful, [ Strange simply responds. Because it is. Can't really get around that.]

I feel sorry for the Ringmaster most of all, [ he admits. ] From what I gathered, nobody had any way of knowing that what happened in Wismuth could happen in the first place. And all this after people got themselves kidnapped in the manor...

[ It's Strange's turn to trail off as he shrugs. It sucks! Can't really say more than that! ]

[hippocarnival]

But... at least we did some good in Wismuth. We saved it and a lot of other worlds. [Maybe not ideally, but they saved CY-Ren and that world, didn't they? Technically they did in the manor, too, but it's harder for Yuya to look at that situation positively.

Right now, he doesn't want to think about how all it really is. He faces that reality enough lately.]

[kingsroads]

[ Wisely, Strange keeps his bitching and moaning to himself. It was a lot easier for some people to do good in Wismuth compared to others. ]

You're right, [ he admits, with a nod. And then, he smiles slightly, before continuing. ] And hopefully Creation's gotten a bit more experience so it'll know what to do should something like this ever happen again.

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya laughs sheepishly, scratching his nose.] I think we did okay! I didn't have a familiar, so it couldn't really speak to me... but I don't think it picked anyone without really believing they could help.

[He didn't work closely with every Star Guardian, but if Cole's memory theater ended up helping, he's sure it's the same for everyone.]

[kingsroads]

Creation can speak to you in ways that don't involve a familiar, [ says the person who only knows that because Creation went 'surprise, here's a favor'. But that's really not the point here and Strange knows it. ]

Anyway, I think you all did more than okay. Saving the world is always something to be proud of, but saving the world with minimum casualties? That's even better.

[ this despite the fact that literally five minutes earlier, Strange was grumbling about how things always end up terribly for the carnival. Yuya's optimism can be contagious. ]