⇨ DANGEROUS ENCOUNTERS

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone out in the library.
When: Day 59
Where: The Athenaeum
What: Towards the end of the visit, we are visited by a series of worrisome NPCs, who may or may not be illusions. There will be at least 5 NPC toplevels posted overall, all happening in a similar time period ICly (in rough chronological order), so not everyone needs to be in every thread.
Warnings: Possibility of very real danger to anyone who participates. Remember that Sans has told everyone to travel in groups, so if you aren't, you'll probably get a scolding later.

TURNING THE PAGE↴ As the carnival continues to explore the Athenaeum in the pursuit of more information about the legendary Miracles, the tension is thick with the knowledge that the Summer Court could be in pursuit any day now. On Day 59, a series of threatening encounters will begin manifesting - but are they real, or an illusion?

Comments

[kingsroads]

Jonathan Strange, man with a creepyass contract quill burning a hole in his pocket, an intense desire to not see anybody here hurt, and a long litany of bad decisions with regards to the fae, looks over at Ignatius and takes the offer of a diplomatic suggestion like someone just offered him a chance at a winning lottery ticket.

"I don't know about the rest, but I'm interested," he answers.

[moonfang]

Zangetsu, thankfully, still says nothing, but his posture does relax a bit and he cants his ears forward. Can't hurt to hear a suggestion, can it?

[stompadour]

A little way behind and to the left of Strange's shoulder, Jasper growls like a dog. Lapis is objectively a traitorous whelp, but she's not into hearing it from someone this flippant about the whole affair, especially considering what Herbert just said --

She lowers her head to mutter to him through gritted teeth, not taking her eyes off Ignatius -- how she's going to deal with him will depend on what this offer is. Her hand on Herbert's poor, unfortunate shoulder is like a vice.

"You mean she was destabilised?"

[scientificist]

It could be worse. She could be holding his right wing.

"I have no idea what that means," he mutters back. This fae had better be actually making a suggestion rather than "suggestion" being a fun metaphor for an attack.

[npcarnival]

Ignatius extends his arms, ignoring Jasper's interrogation of Herbert. He doesn't care about any of that at the moment. Maybe he will later.

"I have no interest in killing the weak," he says. That probably means all of you. "If one of you offers yourself to me now, without a fight, I will spare the rest." He crosses his arms, as if this is a hella good offer.

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

What kind of offer was this?! Honestly, though, there's a part of Yuzu who's willing to go through this, despite the fact that she'd get Yuya and the others up in arms over being put in danger.

But, she had to wait - she isn't sure what the others will do.

[moonfang]

"Ehhh..." Zangetsu says, tilting his head and almost appearing to give it some thought. "Naaaah. I like where I am and the deal I've got. 'Sides. Summer Court aesthetic isn't really my thing."

[anti_nonsense]

After the warnings issued a few days earlier, Rita started wearing her armor and sticking close to groups... but when she sees smoke, she ditches the group and charges toward it.

By the time she makes it, several others have gathered... but Rita pays no attention to them, even as she runs into their midst. Her gaze is fixed on Ignatius, her eyes widening, then sharpening as anger flares up inside her.

"You!" she cries.

She only caught the tail end of what’s been said here, but it’s already enough to get her blood boiling.

"Don’t be stupid!" she barks at him, her tone indignant (and perhaps just the tiniest bit scared). "If anyone’s going to die here, it’s you, and it’s been a long time coming!"

[kingsroads]

Strange is hemming and hawwing and looking intensely uncomfortable as he looks over at the rest of the crew...and then Rita shows up. Strange's expression just pales because he knows this isn't good and the situation's just gone from bad to worse.

So, desperately, Strange tries to keep these half-hearted negotations going, as he gives Rita that look of 'oh my god, please don't start shit.' "Are the terms of the deal negotiable? For instance, hypothetically, if one of us were to accept this offer, would we offer ourselves to you specifically or the entire Summer Court?"

[stompadour]

Jasper's about an incoherent third through trying to explain the process of a gem having her physical form temporarily destroyed when Ignatius makes it clear what he's offering.

Some offer.

"Without a fight?" She sneers, straightening up, her grip on Herbert's shoulder only just now starting to relax. "How about instead I pound you into rub--"

But that's about when Rita bursts onto the scene -- cut off, Jasper hisses through her weird Predator teeth and rolls her neck.

"You really want to take her up on this?" she says, looking skeptically at Strange. (Because nobody has actually referred to Ignatius as 'he' yet and this dude seems pretty powerful, therefore... )

[scientificist]

"Yes, and what exactly," Herbert interjects, again at a normal volume now that biology minute is over, "is happening to whomever offers themself?"

[npcarnival]

Ignatius plans of giving them all time to say their piece - at least until a certain girl runs into the fray. He steps forward, extending an arm to gently push Herbert and Strange out of the way, as if suggesting that they hush while he focuses on the person that matters the most, here.

"Girl!" he says, grinning. "You're more spirited than I remember."

A flicker of flame extends from his feet in lines that cut out a circle around the group, closing them in with a low-burning wall of fire. He eyes remain focused on Rita, though he's considering the words of the others, too.

"You know better than anyone that fighting isn't an option. I could raze you all to the ground if it served me, but I am offering a better way." Now, he looks around. His tone makes him sound so charitable. "Whoever comes forward will be sworn to my service... and I will make sure your sacrifice is remembered."

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

Yuzu thought this over... repressing the urge to smash Rita over the head with her fan. She was more than certain he was going to attack everyone and wreck everything if no one said anything...

"If one of us does this, do we have your word that you or anyone else will not attack us or this place?" Yuzu said.

[kingsroads]

The fact that Ignatius is focusing so intently on Rita is absolutely worrying to Strange. For all her bravery, he knows that she must be as terrified or as worried as he would be if they ran into Nightshade.

He zooms in one one word. Sacrifice. Ignatius could kill pretty much any of them if he wanted. And sworn to his service, not to the Court in general. Strange's mind is going a million miles a minute as he thinks.

"Of course they're going to attack this place," Strange grumbles, looking over at Yuzu. "We have what they want and they know it." The carnival has Steven, the Rose Queen won't stop until she gets him. No, what matters now is keeping everybody here safe. The words are out of his mouth before he realizes it.

"So unless anyone objects, I volunteer." Said with an expression that states he knows this isn't going to end well.

[stompadour]

"You cowards," snaps Jasper, finally letting go of Herbert altogether as she steps forward. "I could take this idiot. Let me fight her."

[moonfang]

And there's Rita, busting in with all the tact of a pissed off rhinoceros. Oops, there's also fire now. And now both Strange AND Yuzu are thinking of doing something very stupid. And then Jasper, too!

Zangetsu is starting to wish he hadn't learned to be cautious. ... Time to just let his instincts tell him what to do.

"You can't take him alone," he says, standing next to Jasper, sword brought to bear.

[scientificist]

"This is all very open ended!" Herbert is surrounded by fire and absolutely freaking out but doing a fairly good job not showing it due to his overall flat irritation. "What do you intend to DO with the one in your service --what do you mean by, sacrifice--"

And then Jasper and Zan step forward and Herbert immediately starts trying to work out how thick the fire is, if he'd survive a run through it. This can't end well for him otherwise.

[stompadour]

If Jasper was less disciplined and single-minded, that would have distracted her: him? How do all of these people tell?

[anti_nonsense]

Hearing the way Ignatius addresses her, Rita feels a chill. Even though it wasn’t her, she remember that tone, that look... and through the haze of distant memories that aren’t fully hers, she remembers a lot of worse things.

She can’t believe these idiots are considering something so stupid...

So when Strange opens his mouth and actually volunteers, he's answered promptly by Rita, throwing a punch at his jaw. "I object, you braindead moron! How can you even think about agreeing!? You of all people should know what this means!" After everything with Nightshade...

"Fighting's our best option," she insists, knowing well how unlikely their chances really are. But it has to be better than that.

[kingsroads]

And then Strange gets punched in the face.

He stumbles back a bit, rubbing his jaw, as he starts to yell at Rita in return. "And you of all people should know what happens if you tried to fight! The fae are more powerful than you can imagine." And he looks over towards Jasper as he says this, glaring at here, "and if any of you try to attack directly, you'll lose!"

This situation's getting more and more tense, so Strange just turns to Ignatius and yells, "Just take me already before these idiots do something stupid!"

[npcarnival]

Ignatius nods respectfully as Strange steps forward, paying more attention to that than the rest of the bickering. He isn't going to provide any stipulations, especially if he has offers without them being demanded.

Yet, it would seem that his old ward is the one fighting back the hardest. It's to be expected, he supposes. It's the type of spirit he would foster.

"Think carefully, little one," she says, coming forward and kneeling in front of Rita so that they are closer to eye level. "If you choose to fight and lose, their deaths will be on your hands. Are you prepared?"

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

This is... no, no, no... this is nuts! She has to do something and fast!

"WAIT! I'll go! No stipulations!" Yuzu shouted out. "This isn't a fight anyone's going to win and, besides, the only thing I have is my life! I'm just a normal girl and, frankly, I'd probably be more of a hindrance here."

Yuya and Gongenzaka's gonna kill her.

[stompadour]

Jasper bristles. Clearly these two have some kind of Thing going on, the specifics of which are doubtless very sordid and complex and which Jasper doesn't give a quarry about, but she absolutely cannot stand for Ignatius talking about this as if, were Rita defeated, there'd be nothing else to stand in his ('his') (????) way.

Eyes narrowed, she summons her helmet and steps forward, pointedly looming.

"If I'm destroyed it's on no one but me," she growls.

[moonfang]

Even with everything else going on -- Strange and Rita and Yuzu and Hebert trying to sneak away like an asshole -- it's Jasper's weapon that gets his attention.

"... Yer weapon is a damn yakuza punk-hair helmet?!"

[stompadour]

"A what?" snaps Jasper, supremely irritated at the distraction. Hair??? Punk?????