⇨ 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

[scientificist]

Herbert immediately turns to look at Jasper and Peridot, face leaning sideways into his left hand propped on his knee.

[bananaspeedrider]

Yugo certainly stares for a tense moment. And despite being a teenage boy with interests he is not into what he's seeing.

[worldlyafflictions]

Ditto.

[lordofthering]

The Ringmaster puts a hand to her face, exhaling a gentle stream of fire. Alright. Focus.

"...Could you go ahead and bring in the Rose Queen, now?" she says, as weary as she is annoyed. "We all know it's going to happen."

[flashover]

Ditto... trio?? It's really, really hard not to stare. And for other things.

[stompadour]

Jasper has been listening in silence like she was told to, albeit with mounting impatience and irritation for this whole affair --

And then this new fae arrives, with Lapis Lazuli around her neck like a pendant.

She bristles like an angry tiger; her hair actively puffs up as her lower jaw begins to part to bare her sharp tusks.

"You," she snarls, stepping forward with fire in her eyes.

[scientificist]

"Jaaasper, crows will eat your nose," Herbert points out, projecting from the floor.

[whattaprick]

Lambert’s out of his depth here, and he really can’t see a way out. But as soon as the woman materializes with a blue jewel around her neck, he makes a grab for Peridot’s arm again, more forcefully this time. Not that he can stop her if she really tries to get away, though.

“What’s the point of all this?” he snaps, addressing the Count again. “You don’t actually want to cut a deal for the Rose, do you?”

Because if that’s all he wanted to do, all he had to do was bring in the Carnival workers and the fae of the Winter Court. This is just a farce.

[npcarnival]

"Oh, I would love to cut a deal for the Rose," he says. "Which has no bearing on my attempt's probability of being successful. You refuse to change sides from the Ringmaster. The Ringmaster refuses to cooperate with us. The Summer Court refuses to negotiate."

He leans back even more disinterestedly than before.

"This is the world I am accustomed to, but yet, when it is over I cannot be faulted for any lack of due diligence."

[npcarnival]

"We will not negotiate," a new arrival says, "because the Blue Rose is rightfully ours."

The Rose Queen enters from the far side of the room, her pace slow but unyielding. Tiny vines sprout up around her feet as she walks, stone turning into soil. She is calmer, now. Her work is not done, but there is an end in sight.

"It was from our holds that it was stolen in the first place... by yet another of the Wyld Fae's ilk. How much longer must we be expected to tolerate this indignity?"

[periphrasing]

Any sort of level-headed facade that Peridot was trying to maintain under questioning immediately goes flying out the window the second she sees who this newcomer is wearing around her neck.

"LAPIS!" It's a strangled, desperate cry; she tries to rush forward but fortunately, Lambert manages to stop her from getting too far. The relief she feels from finally laying eyes on her missing friend is fleeting, quickly overtaken by a blood boiling white-hot fury. That faerie is wearing her. Like she's nothing more than an inanimate object. Peridot's chest hurts knowing how terrified Lapis must be, if she's at all conscious and aware of her situation. The Engineer isn't exactly known for her cool-headed attitude, but even to those who have seen her in a rage before now, this is something on an entirely different level.

Self preservation is the only thing that keeps her from trying to wrench her arm out of Lambert's grip. Even still, she's... Barely holding back. She's literally radiating heat, and the floor beneath her claws starting to smoke a bit. When the Rose Queen enters, she only gets even angrier, and her horns look like they're starting to glow, too, which to anyone who has seen her transform before, is pretty obviously not a good sign.

[osteothropy]

Sans pushes himself up onto his haunches, a low rumbling growl going through his throat. It's his instinctive scolding of what he sees Peridot clearly working up to doing. Starting an attack is simply not an option.

Not if Peridot wants to get out of this alive.

[atouts]

Whereas Childermass suddenly has a much different worry. Sure, Peridot freaking out would suck, but Lambert has her. The arrival of the Rose Queen, however, has the magician stepping back to stand much closer to the Ringmaster now. He's already cursed, so she may not even care that he's there, but until he's sure, he'll just be... over here.

[npcarnival]

Childermass moving only seems to draw the Rose Queen's attention, as her red eyes cut towards him the moment he steps closer to his master. Her lip curls, exposing perfect teeth.

"And these... These creatures would be guilty even without their master's crimes. They have betrayed their oaths. They have broken into my home, and threatened my life. The Great Beast is a killer of fae, and she will kill again. Now, it seems clear her followers will happily aid her."

She gestures at Childermass with a hand, and looks to the Count.

"I have put my mark on this one. I will have it respected."

[stompadour]

Jasper doesn't care about the crows. Jasper doesn't care about any of this. Jasper just cares about the fact that Lapis is right over there and everyone is just talking about roses and deals --

She's been looking for Lapis for hours now, and the ongoing frustration of it has ground that goal down into single-minded furious obsession; almost as bad as when she tracked her down to the boat.

The conversation around her is all but meaningless to her. When Peridot cries out and is restrained, her frustration boils over. She bares all her teeth, lets out a shout that's closer to a roar than anything else, and lunges for the nude faerie's necklace.

[whattaprick]

At first, Lambert’s confused when he heard a roar he swore he didn’t make himself, before he realizes it is coming from somewhere else. He steps towards Childermass, attempting to pull Peridot with him, if only to reassure himself he’ll be in arm’s reach of both of them whatever happens next.

He could argue with the Rose Queen that fae have lived for millennia they’re clearly not using for anything productive like looking in books for their own fae artifacts, but what the fuck. Why waste his breath on a crazy bitch?

[osteothropy]

Sans had just been getting ready to go for Peridot if she went on the attack, so he's ready and waiting when Jasper loses patience. The trouble, though, is in how boldly she went for it. There was so little hesitation, he barely has a moment to make a call.

He lunges forward, jaw open, to try to clamp down on Jasper and pull her back - restrain her, poof her, he doesn't care. Whatever will keep her from unleashing hell on everyone else.

He's just not fast enough.

[npcarnival]

The surprising thing is that Jasper actually manages to get her hand around the gem on the fae's neck, as gets halfway through tearing it off before being stopped. The rest of what happens isn't surprising at all.

A crow launches out of the darkness, moving so quickly that it becomes a sharp spear of darkness. In the same moment that Jasper is pulling Lapis free, the blade pierces her body. It sticks in her body for a painful few moments, before her physical form will give way.

Her orange gem falls to the floor, side by side with the lapis lazuli.

"Well, I never," the Lady gasps.

[scientificist]

Oh, so that's what destabilisation is. Jasper was very bad at explaining it.

[flashover]

"Oh my god!!"

THAT WAS VERY FAST AND ALSO SCARY!

[bananaspeedrider]

He doesn't rev it up, but Yugo keeps his grip around the throttle of his D-Wheel. Because this looks really bad now.

"Aw damn. This already sucks."

[periphrasing]

As if she has just been doused with a bucket of ice cold water, Peridot. Abruptly stops putting up a fuss.

[worldlyafflictions]

Pretty much has been taking his cue from the others. Black fire flickers around the head of his K'rik, a summoning chant on his tongue, but he only remains tensed for further attack.

[atouts]

And that, for all Childermass knows, marks the end of them being non-violent. This has gone on long enough. They have their people. Most importantly, they have Strange and he hasn't said anything towards that so far but that doesn't mean it isn't on his mind.

While he won't stray from the Ringmaster's side, he will finally call out, "I know where the Silver Mirror is!" That should get their attention and, if not, he'll repeat, "I know where the Silver Mirror is," quieter and looking directly at the Count again, "And I am willing to trade the information."

[whattaprick]

Jasper goes, Jasper gets curbstomped. Lambert feels Peridot go slack under his hand, and his gaze turns to the Ringmaster. They’re in no position to make demands, at this point, but it’s a good reminder that the Count of Crows is pretty much the boss of this realm within a realm while they’re here.

On the one hand, they definitely brought this on themselves getting that stupid Rose. On the other, they went through hell to get that stupid Rose.

And then Childermass speaks up and Lambert’s gaze whips around to him instead in surprise. Well, he wasn’t expecting that.

“Seriously?” he groans. Do your own library work, you scrubs!