⇨ 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?

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ALSO LATER ON | CLOSED TO JASPER & LAPIS

[npcarnival]

When Jasper and Lapis reform, they'll be alone together.

The location is unclear. From all either will be able to see, it's some sort of underground cavern, about ten meters across and filled with three feet of water. The water seems filled with a strange bioluminescence that casts wavering light against the ceiling. Various water weeds decorate the outer rim of the pool, but otherwise its nothing but smooth stone down below.

Perhaps more notably, they'll also find themselves absent of any appearance modifiers. When they form, they will be only their base physical shapes with no uniforms or dresses to accentuate them.

For the moment, it's just the two of them.

[mirrortide]

Lapis is the first to reform, possibly because she's the one who's been ready for the longest, and when her form does take shape, it's quickly punctuated with a sharp wheeze of an inhale, due to how she was destabilized to begin with. She's hardly cognizant of the fact that she's lacking her crop top or skirt, or that her changes are showing in the presence of Jasper.

In fact, she's hardly cognizant of the fact that Jasper is with her at all, too busy inhaling despite the fact that Gems don't even breathe. She's been aware most things for awhile now,on a dull, surface level. Like she was in the mirror, but once she's done catching the breath she doesn't actually need, that's when she looks around, and spots Jasper.

Fearful, she takes a step back, eyes wide.

"Jasper?"

[stompadour]

Jasper is looking around wildly, hair whipping around her as her head turns, but when Lapis says her name she whirls towards her, yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness of the cavern.

"What--" Her eyes widen. She's never seen the changes Lapis has accrued since she arrived at the Carnival before now, because Lapis has always hidden them, and so she instinctively looks down at herself, as well, only to find nothing out of the ordinary except for the fact that her uniform is gone, and thus parts of her body are exposed that she has probably never actually even seen before? Like, her knees?

She curses in confusion and looks back at Lapis.

"What is this??"

[mirrortide]

"What's going on? Why are you here?" If she sounds accusatory, that's because she absolutely is. She's already panicking, but she's not trapped anymore, at least, not physically, and the range of movement is something she's grateful for.

And the water... Lapis is quick to grab hold of it, though she's not actually sure what she means to do. Both of them... Their forms are off and wrong, and there's not really a reason for it, as far as Lapis is aware, considering she'd had more than enough time to come back with her form perfected.

[stompadour]

"I don't know! I tried to take you from that fae and -- rrgh, why do you look like that??"

What she's really frustrated by isn't Lapis's appearance so much as that she can, like, feel stuff on her feet. She can feel the water lapping at her legs without the default buffer of her appearance modifiers and it's weird and she doesn't like it? But it's WAY easier to yell at other people about what's going on with them.

[mirrortide]

Guess what, Jasper! Lapis is always barefoot! This is nothing new to her! Stop being Weak!

It is pretty weird, though Lapis very Visibly Takes Offense when Jasper calls her out on her carnival changes. Or is it the weird nudity? Who knows. The point is, Lapis is suddenly sizing Jasper up, because it gives her something to focus on besides the panic that's filling her system.

"You did what? You should have left me!" She doesn't want to be rescued by Jasper of all Gems!

[stompadour]

"What?? Why? No!" She bristles damply and extremely indignantly. "She was wearing you like a necklace!"

[mirrortide]

"Because I don't need you to rescue me!" Even if there's a small jolt of terror up her non-existant spine at being worn like a thing.

[stompadour]

Jasper scowls. "What, you wanted to just stay trapped like that?"

[mirrortide]

"Better than being rescued by you!"

[stompadour]

"You--" Jasper's face twists into an indignant snarl, which is extra bad considering her mouth situation. "I was trying to get you out of there!"

[mirrortide]

"Well obviously you didn't do too great at that, did you!?" Just look around them! The water swishes with Lapis' hand motion, but it doesn't do anything in particular to lash out.

[stompadour]

Jasper straightens up, clenching her fists.

"Well -- this is still better than being destabilised," she huffs.

[mirrortide]

"Not if you're here it isn't!" There's definitely a lot of shouting between them, but it's still mostly bluster on Lapis' end.

[stompadour]

Jasper starts to wade angrily towards her. "You ungrateful brat--"

[mirrortide]

Lapis backs up about half a step.

And then her wings flare out and she outright lunges at Jasper, water snapping upwards to bind Jasper in place. A hopefully effective restraint.

[stompadour]

It is absolutely effective. Jasper struggles, teeth bared, muscles straining against the water holding her in place, but here's enough water in this cavern to give Lapis all the upper hands she needs to restrain her.

"Ngh--" she growls, "you're right, I should have left you with that disgusting fae--"

[mirrortide]

"If it wasn't for you, someone else probably could have saved me!" A chain of water snaps around Jaspers' neck, and Lapis grabs it with her powers and yanks downwards hard. There's enough force that Jasper will feel her teeth clack when she hits the floor.

"And now we're both stuck wherever here is!" Because Jasper ruined it. Lapis doesn't know how, but there's nowhere to run away too, and there's no better target.

[stompadour]

Jasper tries to bellow an angry response, but all that results is a stream of bubbles, and so she diverts her efforts to struggling against the bindings Lapis is using to keep her under. Her mane of pale hair swirls in the water as she thrashes as much as she's able.

[mirrortide]

Lapis holds Jasper under tighter. She can't drown, Lapis isn't that same Fae who could make her drown, but it makes her feel better all the same to see Jasper struggle under the water in the same way that Lapis couldn't get her captor too.

She's a Lapis Lazuli.

There's no reason for her to not have control over water. There's no reason for her to be unable to control it with absolute precision. Taking these frustrations out on Jasper makes her feel better, and she lifts her foot, putting it on the top of Jaspers' head in a clear motion of superiority.

She'll keep Jasper under for as long as she likes.

[npcarnival]

A soft giggle emanates through the cavern, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The water that Lapis is controlling shifts, changes and takes on the form of the Lady herself. She fits between the ground and Jasper, using her arms and hair to hold her instead of the water.

She looks up past Jasper shoulder, meeting Lapis's eyes. She smiles.

"Keep going," she will say without moving her lips, both of them able to hear it regardless. Like the turn of a switch, Jasper will begin to drown.

[stompadour]

Jasper's eyes go round.

In all her time held prisoner by Lapis, submerged, struggling to free herself from Lapis's chains and haul herself above water, she has never felt anything like this. She had been desperate, yes, but a purely ideological desperation -- for control, for power, for escape. This is an undeniable, physical need on a level Jasper has never experienced before. She gasps, chokes on a throatful of water, thrashes and kicks and cries out in a frantic, wordless gargle.

[mirrortide]

It's probably real unfortunate for The Lady that her sudden appearance has broken Lapis' anger with surprise and fear. Unless she herself continues to hold on, the water in Lapis' hold will drop as she, quite frantically backs up.

Jasper, quite quickly, has been forgotten.

[npcarnival]

The Lady doesn't let go. Whether or not Lapis helps, she wants to see where this goes. She doesn't want to spoil Jasper's first drowning with a premature ending, after all.

Still, as Lapis panics and backs away, the Lady will keep watching her. She speaks again.

"Hold her down, or I'll hold you down longer."

[mirrortide]

It's a good threat. Lapis stops mid-backstep, ripples forming underneath her as she fights internally on what she should do. There's no escape here. It's a closed room. It's a closed room with a fae in it that has more control over water than she does, and the ability to drown them both with it.

She doesn't like Jasper. She wants to hurt Jasper, but not on someone elses orders.

Water rises up again, but it doesn't shoot towards Jasper, but instead the Fae herself. Maybe if she takes her by surprise, it'll be different.