lostcarnival | ⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

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⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 47 - Day 58 ish
Where: The Athenaeum
What: The carnival arrives at book world. First week, they'll be performing for magical manifestations of book characters. Second week, it's time to hunt (for books, in the library.) Around Day 58 some stuff will occur.
Warnings: Reading is mandatory.

FAERIE TALES↴

Though the carnival will be performing for its guests in the first week, they are welcome to search the Athenaeum while they are off duty during that time. The manifestations of story characters will be out in full force during performance week, with animals, people, objects, and even locations growing out from various tales. Most are distracting at worst, and will be curious to check out the carnival. Some, however, can be as dangerous as they were in their stories of origin. You know what to do.

► IT'S TIME TO ROLEPLAY: The best way to deal with book ghosts is to follow their narrative to its logical conclusion - turn the tables, work the story so it ends in your favour! Naturalistic and narratively satisfying plotting will have the manifestations following your lead. However, push too hard and introduce too many plot holes, inconsistencies, or illogical plot twists, and they will reject your reality utterly, becoming quite aggressive in the process. You can also use your natural abilities and powers to fight them in a traditional sense, but in the Ringmaster's experience, it's best to fight reality benders by bending reality right back at them. If you aren't careful, it's possible to be dragged fully into a story's reality, and then things get really messed up.

► IT'S ALSO TIME TO READ: The carnival came here for a purpose, and that purpose is to research. Specifically, the Ringmaster is looking for information on the Queen's Miracles - the set of ancient fae artifacts that the Blue Rose is one of. The carnival needs these artifacts to defend itself, but nobody knows where they've been for thousands of years. That's what the books are for. However, nothing is stopping you from pursuing knowledge for personal reasons. The halls are open to your perusal, and only your heart can guide you to the book you truly seek. Check the plot post to see what's allowed, and sign up to find plot info or other important game information below.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That gets his attention pretty quickly.

"There aren't any female witchers," Lambert says firmly, already frowning. "No girl's ever been put through the trials. Are you sure you're remembering that right?"

Normally, he'd say that teasingly, but he seems genuinely troubled. Up to this point, he's been lucky enough not to run into any stories from his own world, but... he runs a hand through his hair, distracted. "Where'd you find the book?"

"Where do you find anything in here?" Rita retorts, flatly. It's not exactly organized, and it sure isn't easy to find something again after locating it once. But...

"It might still be with some of the books I have out." Yeah, Rita's got a pile just sitting somewhere around here. She raises an eyebrow at him, wondering at that reaction. If the existence of a female witcher was simple nonsense, or even a rare novelty, he wouldn't look so serious, would he? "Wanna take a look?"

With luck, the keepers of the library haven't tried reshelving her stash just yet.

"I'm not getting anywhere, so might as well. Lead on." Who decided to make a library where you had to find things based on your feelings and intuition, anyway? Now that it's on his mind, perhaps Lambert will end up finding more and more stories about witchers and princesses, but for now, at least, he'll have to depend on Rita.

Though he'll find it privately amusing, himself, if her stack ends up being comprised of books about cats, too...

Gesturing for him to follow, Rita turns and walks, taking a turn down one of the connecting aisles and leading him to a few piles of books on the floor. There's just enough space between the stacks for Rita to sit.

Among the books are several titles relating to fae, magic, and even a few about blastia and other world-specific things. Rita crouches down, knocks a few books away, and holds up the book in question.

"Here's the one. The Tale of Princess Cirilla. Ever heard of her?"

The book's simple enough, plain and without any illustrations despite the whimsical tone it takes. Automatically, Lambert reaches out to take it from Rita, touching fingers to the embossed letters of the title and looking ... wistful, for lack of a better word.

"Yeah," he says, after a moment, then smirking. Sentimental nostalgia has never been much like him, now or ever, and he looks up, shaking his head. "But we called her Ciri."

Rita's eyes widen. Ciri? A nickname. That sounds like...

"Wait... then the witchers' hold mentioned in the story is...?"

A moment ago, she was thinking the story seemed like it had to be embellished, if not made up. Could it actually be true? And not only that, but something Lambert took part in?

Not having actually read the book, Lambert isn't sure exactly what sort of details it contains, so Rita's reaction earns her a wary look.

"Yeah, it was a real place." He frowns at the book, but he can't quite find it in himself to put it down... or open it, not yet. "How much did it say about it?"

"Not a whole lot," Rita clarifies with a shrug. "Just that she went there and learned to fight. And the name of the place..." She pauses, unsure if she remembers it right, or if she'll pronounce it correctly. "Kaer Morhen?" She pronounces it just fine, it turns out.

"That's the place." Lambert's never been the type to feel homesick, not that Kaer Morhen is much of a home, but maybe after being farther away from it than he's ever been in his life, it can't help but make him feel nostalgic, hearing that name again.

Even if the memories aren't all pleasant ones. He turns his attention back to the book, cracking it open at random as curiosity overrides his caution.

It's a mistake. The scent of greenery hits his nose first, but the whole world doesn't rush out around them like some of the other more aggressive books in the library -- just a series of wooden poles, to start, and then slowly a shadowy figure resolves, stepping and spinning from pole to pole.

"H-hey, watch out, it's gonna...!" Seeing the book's magic stretching out into reality, Rita stammers out about half a warning, then stops as it does. So some of these book spirits do have some restraint. Well, good.

She relaxes, just slightly, though her arms remain raised in a defensive stance. But all she sees are those poles, and... a person?

"What's that? Some kind of training?" It looks like a dance, but considering the content of the book this image came from, that's probably less likely.

"The pendulum. We used it to train at Kaer Morhen, to drill footwork," Lambert answers, distractedly, watching the figure come into focus along with Rita. It's easy to see now that it's a child dressed in poorly-sewn clothes that don't fit very well. The girl's ash-colored hair is raggedly cut and pulled away from her face, making it easy to see she's wearing a blindfold. Despite that, she moves with fluid ease, weaving around and log that swings back and forth and threatening to knock her off with only a little fumbling.

And then the specter missteps, hesitates a fraction too much. With a surprisingly meaty-sounding thud and a cry of dismay, she gets knocked right off the poles and onto the ground, which flickers with the image of dusty stone for a moment before resolving back into the library's real floor. For whatever reason, this isn't as insistent as some of the other book ghosts, but Lambert's already moving forward, reaching out a hand to pull her back to her feet.

"I thought I told you to watch your left side," he says, tone automatically scolding. In response, they stick out their tongue.

"I can't watch anything if I can't see anything, can I?"

That girl in the rags is the princess from the story...? She doesn't quite look like what Rita imagined.

Seeing Lambert lend the specter a hand, Rita folds her arms and raises her eyebrows in mild surprise. "Huh. Seems like I'm seeing a new side of you every day."

Taking care of a princess, giving sappy romantic monologues to the Acquisitioner... Lambert's got a few layers Rita never would have suspected were there.

As Rita speaks, the ghost’s attention snaps to her instead. The vision of Ciri cocks her head — not bound in a narrative, she isn’t so easily dismissed.

“Who’re you?” She asks, curiously, more focused on Rita than the witcher now. “Are you going to be a witcher too?”

At first, Rita's caught off guard. For some reason, she didn't think the specter would have anything to say to her.

"A witcher? Me?" She scoffs. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm..." Rita stops and gives Lambert a glance as she considers her answer. The book spirits don't appreciate inconsistencies with their narratives... so it's best to avoid saying anything that would sound strange in Lambert's world.

"...Rita. I'm a sorceress," she decides to say, opting to use the term she recalls Lambert using when telling her about his home.

The little girl blinks. "You're really small for a sorceress," she says, seriously. "But Uncle Vesemir says I shouldn't judge things by appearances. I'm Ciri." She manages a clumsy little motion that looks a bit like she's forgotten if she was trying to go for a curtsy or a bow.

Lambert gapes, but doesn't quite get a hand up in time to muffle the snort of laughter at Rita's expense. Small for a sorceress indeed!

Edited 2018-05-04 05:34 (UTC)

Did this book-spirit just...!?

"Y... you're one to talk, pipsqueak!" Rita retorts angrily. "You're really small for a witcher, aren't you!?" Says the girl who's only ever seen one witcher before.

"And you!" she snaps at Lambert. "Keep your mouth shut!"

"I didn't say anything!" Lambert defends, raising his hands in a conciliatory gesture entirely fucking ruined by his shit-eating grin. Ciri, meanwhile, blushes and then puffs up proudly.

"I'm still in training! But Lambert says I'm the best student he's ever had, so I'm going to be a witcher soon!" her gaze cuts over to Lambert, pleading for backup, which she is, naturally, not about to receive, as the witcher switches that cocky smirk to her, though it's a little wistful.

He knows how this story goes. She's never going to be a witcher. It's not even something she should be looking forward to.

"I said the best girl," he says, with emphasis. "Which isn't saying much, because you're the only one I've ever taught."

Lambert just told Rita that there were no female witchers. Does that mean she never really finishes her training? Besides that, Lambert also once said he was one of the last witchers made. It doesn't seem like this girl's been mutated, as far as Rita can tell...

So what is this? Just a kid and her guardians playing pretend? Those moves sure seemed real, though.

"Why would you want to be one in the first place? Doesn't being a witcher, you know... kind of suck?" Rita folds her arms and gives Lambert a glance as she insincerely adds, "No offense."

"None taken," Lambert assures Rita, though he grimaces a bit. Teaching Ciri was only ever meant as a distraction and a way to occupy her time

Book-Ciri's eyes fall on Rita as she regards her, speaking with childish solemnity, looking far older than herself for just the briefest moment.

"If I become a witcher, then I can fight." Even with the story's sparse details, Rita doesn't need much imagination to recall the rest of that bloody tale. "Then I won't have to run away."

Rita's quiet for a few seconds as she gives the girl an appraising look. That's right... in events she read, this little pipsqueak was followed by enemies and violence wherever she went.

"Guess you've got some sense, then," she settles on saying, clearly approving despite the backhanded way of saying it. "Girls like us can't always count on other people to protect us. I learned offensive magic for the same reason."

It's only after the words are out of Rita's mouth that she questions why she's even saying these things to some fake illusion girl. For a moment, she felt like she could believe this was a real person, someone she could perhaps even relate to in some way.

At that, the girl's expression lights up. "Triss said the same thing too! Have you met her yet? I can't use magic, but she's been teaching me a lot of other things too!"

That, at least, lets Lambert know about when this version of 'Ciri' is from. As they've been speaking, though, acknowledging the specter for longer, more of the area around them is coming into focus: a bright azure sky lined with snow-capped mountains, worn stone underfoot, like it's trying harder to draw them into its story.

Lambert realizes they probably need to disengage even as Ciri's ghost darts forward to grab Rita's hand, trying to tug her along with her. "Come on, I'll introduce you!"

Triss...? A magic-user?

A tinge of pink creeps into Rita's complexion when the girl takes her hand. Why is it so hard for her to say no to princesses like this...?

But even as Rita becomes aware of the scenery expanding, growing seemingly more real, she considers the offer. She's only ever heard Lambert talk about sorceresses, and often wondered what she could learn from actually meeting one. Maybe this could be an opportunity...

"Sure. Why not?" she mumbles as the girl pulls her forward.

As much as Lambert's curious to know just how much of his world this book has reflected, he hasn't forgotten about the dangers of this place. As such, when the book-specter, no matter how convincing she is, succeeds in tugging Rita forward, he'll take that as his cue to intervene.

"Not today," he says, firmly, clapping a hand on Rita's shoulder like that'll work to keep her in place. "Rita's still got some work to do. And so do you, don't you? Did you run off from Vesemir again?"

The witcher raises his brows, and Ciri's cheeks pinken a little, though she does let Rita's hand go so she can cross her arms and huff at Lambert. "You run off from Uncle Vesemir all the time!"

"Yeah, but he's already given me up as a lost cause." Lambert snorts, dropping a hand on Ciri's head and ruffling her hair to her squawk of protest. "Go on, get."

Edited 2018-05-12 22:27 (UTC)

Rita shoots Lambert a sour look. "Jerk," she mutters. Now how is she supposed to learn about his world's magic!?

But it probably isn't wise to get too wrapped up in an illusion, so she folds her arms and grudgingly says, "Fine. Another time, then. See you around, Ciri." It's a lie, of course. She'll probably never see this girl again, and certainly not the way she is now.

It seems to be good enough for the girl, who flashes Rita a shy, bright smile and waves before turning and running off into... the bookshelves, and as she disappears so does the rest of the illusion with it. Lambert exhales sharply.

"Well," he drawls, after a pause. "That was something."

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