lostcarnival | ⇨ 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

Yuya's a little surprised to hear it cuts off... but with the state of some of these stories, maybe the Scribe gets distracted. Absently, he reaches into his pocket. If it wasn't for the carnival changing Yugo so much, Rita probably would have already figured it out.

"They didn't die there." He doesn't say it, but it's probably obvious that the story would have continued about what happens to the demon and the daughter, after. Yuya's hand shakes a little as he pulls a card from his pocket, opposite the side of Rita, and stares down at it. It feels like forever, the way he becomes rigid and stiff. The tension gordin his chest almost makes it hard to breath. He doesn't want to say it.

So he doesn't. He crosses his arms over his knees, and between his fingers holds Odd-Eyes' card in view for her to see. He doesn't look back at her.

Rita's eyes widen with realization. Though the thought crossed her mind just now, she still didn't think it was possible. After all, Yuya is... Yuya. But there's only one thing he could be saying with that card right now.

"It's you," she concludes in a hushed voice.

A demon that menaced a kingdom and threatened an entire world...

"I can't believe it..."

He expected that it wouldn't feel any better to get out... and it doesn't. Ever since that part was pulled out of him, it's been mostly easy to put it behind him. To be Yuya, to be better and make up for all the damage he caused not once, but twice over. The few who knew certainly wouldn't turn on him about it.

Everyone else, he's less sure of.

The silence hangs between them, heavy. Yuya still won't look up. It takes him a moment to decide what to say: more of an explanation, an apology, or to let Rita break the tension first. Finally he draws Odd-Eyes close to his chest and slowly straightens his back against the bookshelf.

"I'm not--I won't do that anymore." He offers it a bit too quickly, glancing quickly her direction. "I won't be like that now."

Their eyes meet for a moment, and Rita looks away with a sigh, leaning her wings back against the bookshelf.

"I know," she says simply. "If you still had the capacity for that sort of thing in you, I would've seen it already." Either in Portland, when they were defeated by the Rose Queen's forces, or when they struggled against the Winter Court... or during the Hunt, when Rita nearly killed Yuya, or after it, when he was barely holding it together, seeing how much his friends had suffered...

"I know exactly what kind of idiot you are, and it sure as hell isn't that kind."

Yuya tries to smile, though it comes out sadly despite his intentions. There is still some part of him capable of it, and it makes him sick. But he can't give into thinking about it. Maybe that's the way it went the first time... he tried to accept it as normal even when he hated it, until it was him. He won't make that mistake again.

He ducks his head and rubs his eyes when he feels tears coming, trying to stay at least a little composed. But there's still a waver in his voice he can't quite control. "Okay, and what kind of idiot am I now?"

"Hmm..."

Rita seems to study him for a few seconds before answering, though not without a hint of mocking in her tone. "The kind that's dumb enough to think I wouldn't figure most of this out? Or maybe the kind that was actually worried I might think you're a bad person?"

"You--" Yuya's gaze flickers up, stunned for a moment. Then he shudders, choking on a sound as he starts... laughing?

It comes out almost like a sob at first, when he can't hold back his tears anymore. But he's grinning, laughing hard until it starts dissolving into hiccups. "I--I was scared, because what I did was..." Awful. Undeniably unforgivable. Yuya doesn't believe he can live to make up for it. "I thought, maybe you wouldn't... think the same of me, anymore."

Unspoken, that she'd think worse of him. Because of course it's going to change something. Yuya isn't so fake anymore, but being a reincarnation and once-evil puts a different sort of perspective who Yuya is, now.

"Yeah, well... I happen to be a good judge of character," Rita says with a self-important shrug. Never mind how much Yuya frankly sucks at deceiving people, if his earlier attempt at deflection is anything to go off of. There's no way he's been hiding some sinister true nature from her all this time.

Looking at Yuya choking out laughter through his tears, Rita feels an emotion welling up inside her, too... but she tries not to show it.

"Besides, the person who did it... he was more than just you." Technically, Yuya's only one-fourth of him, so he can't exactly carry the full blame for those actions. "And you're more than just him, too."

Yuya wipes at his face, trying to clear the tears, but he gives up after a moment and in a surge of emotion leans forward and tries to throw his arms around Rita in a hug. He's just so happy that she's not angry about it.

"... Zarc. My name was Zarc." It doesn't sound like the story named him, but it's weird to hear 'that person'. Rita should at least know his name if she knows what happened. "But I'm Yuya now."

All the tension leaves him, then, his shoulders relaxing. "Thanks, Rita."

Maybe... he doesn't want to tell everyone this but maybe as he doesn't have to hide it as much from the friends who know as he thought. He owes some of them an explanation.

"H... hey!" Rita cries in protest at the hug, her shoulders tensing. "Don't be such a sap! You're embarrassing me." But she doesn't shove him away. Not immediately, anyway.

The hug is interrupted, however, by Rita shoving something against Yuya's chest, pushing him away. It's the book she's had on her lap for the past while: The Scholar and the Princess.

"Here," she says with some reluctance. "Read it if you want. I don't care."

Yuya makes a sound when the book is pushed against his chest, but it is successful in getting him to release the hug and lean back to look between Rita and the book in bewilderment. His face is wet with tears, but they aren't flowing as heavily now.

Then he smiles warmly, curling his fingers around the book... and then gently nudging it back to Rita with a shake of his head. "It's okay. I'd rather have you tell me about yourself than read it in a book."

Even if it's not a dark secret, it feels more right to talk about it, like friends. It'll take a lot longer, but that's fine. They don't have to feel as forced to bear everything, even if it's okay after the fact.

Rita pauses, looking confused when he rejects it... but his explanation makes sense. It's very Yuya, anyway.

"Fine," she says, not sounding particularly disappointed as she pulls the book closer to herself, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "Maybe I will sometime."

Yuya moves to wipe his face dry, nodding with an affirmative hum. He's so relieved right now, and a little more confident. Not so that he wants to reveal himself to everyone, but... there's one more person who read the story, and he owes Strange at least an explanation too.

⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

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okay to end it here?

Sounds good o7