⇨ 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

I'm still not awake but I couldn't resist

[dressedtothe]

9S had been previously silent, letting the others take the lead in the negotiations with the Scribe and Curator. He'd been rather incredulous about their choice in defense mechanisms but he couldn't quite keep his snort of laughter in check at Lambert and 'Lambert'.

[anti_nonsense]

So it's about the books? The spirits? Willpower? Experience? A combination of all of the above?

"You're a wordsmith, aren't you? Can't you explain this more clearly?" Rita scoffs at the Scribe. "You know, maybe for those of us who haven't had the experience of producing a flaming sword to defend the ones we love?"

Despite her frustration, Rita clearly went out of her way to reiterate those details. Suck it, Lambert.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya looks between Lambert and the Scribe's mimic of him, again and again. Hm, maybe another time he can ask about that.

Instead he looks to Rita. "Have to experienced any of the book's magic? It seems to forcibly entwine us in their stories... I assume that to use the defense of this place is to trap them within a story that we can energe victorious."

He sounds a bit dubious about that, though. "Of course, there is the matter of getting our captured in a position where we can retrieve them as well."

[npcarnival]

The Scribe relaxes their pose, letting the sword vanish. They still look like Portland Lambert, though, which is weird.

"I only write what I see," they say, lifting their hands helplessly. "You can only create what you feel. Tell the story as you want it to happen - invite the ghosts of the stories around you."

The Curator pointedly attempts to take attention away from the Scribe. They aren't sure how much you read of the Scribe's work, but it's all a bit flowery.

"What the Scribe means is that it is difficult to explain with words something that can only be felt. There is a certain frequency to our magic that you must be in tune with - the same that you would feel when cooperating with the specters. You must take that energy and do more with it than simply cooperate... you must lead."

[dressedtothe]

9S' hand goes to his chin as he thinks.

"So... we have to be the heroes of the stories? If we choose to act out a story where we, the gallant heroes, triumphantly rescue captives from the clutches of some henious villains..."

He glances over at Lamber-- the Scribe as if for confirmation.

"That would allow us to use this place's defences to our advantage, wouldn't it?"

[npcarnival]

"Yes!" the Scribe says, clapping their hands together in an expression of joy. "You've got it! You become the heroes, and you make sure it is the kind of story where the heroes win in the end!"

They look very pleased - which seems entirely inappropriate in Lambert's face.

[prazerbutterfly]

Tyki's mood has lifted significantly just from the Scribe using Lambert's body for devious expressions. He's grinning wide and trying to remain calm despite the fact he's now giggling and clapping his hands like some excited youth. "I've played far too many roles this week to properly deny this as a possibility." Last thing he wanted to do was cast himself as a hero again but if that was the only option they were going to give.

"I believe our Doctor did make a sword after Reira's prompt if I remember correctly?" One of his spells from the carnival did start from his own subconscious will. "With it, he sliced water. Something of an impossibility turned real."

[whattaprick]

In contrast to the Scribe's cheerful, distressingly boyish smiling, Lambert's expression is just perpetually shifting between various levels of 'kill me now' and 'I'm going to kill you.' It doesn't help that Portland's Lambert looks ten years younger and like an overworked graduate student (which he was) and overall looks like someone who's led a much easier life.

"But it has to be a story the fae won't catch onto easily, right?" he clarifies, trying not to look as bothered by his doppleganger as he is (he is very bothered). "Otherwise, they could use the story against us, too."

[npcarnival]

"Much like the spectres, if you push too hard against the flow of events, your attempt will be rejected," the Curator clarifies. "The actions that fit closest to the story but still result in your victory are the most effective."

"But the Faerie Folk won't be able to bend the story in the same way," the Scribe says. "The defense of the Athenaeum has been given to you. If you stray too far from the Fae's reality, they'll be more likely to break the spell. The events must be consistent, or the narrative will fall apart."

[dressedtothe]

So, in a way, the Scribe and Curator are on their side without actively getting involved? He doesn't want to press that further, so instead he asks, "The story we choose to use against the fae... does it need to follow something we've experienced?"

Because the closest experience he's had to their current situation resulted in all the captives dying.

"Or can it be one we make up? One that could theoretically give us, say, magic that we wouldn't otherwise have, or a," he gestures to the Scribe, "weapon with other effects?"

He's not creative himself, as evidenced by all his dealings with the book spectres, but if the Carnival could create a fictional advantage where they have none currently...

[prazerbutterfly]

It's a small comfort than the fae couldn't manipulate the story as they could. It gives him a little bit of an advantage in rescuing carnival members or putting a stop to this disaster. The quicker the got out the better in his opinion.

Tyki's a conman for the carnival. He could fit any role he had to but against Fae? That was a tricky idea. They seemed to enjoy servants and slaves more than anything else. It's not like it would be easy to just create a mutiny out of nowhere and stab them in the back. Fae didn't go down that easily from what he's heard. Lambert had a point but then so did 9S. "Nothing outrageous then."

[whattaprick]

"We fought them in Portland, at the ritual to break the Severing." Lambert looks at Rita, uneasily. Of this group, she's the only other one who was there, but the prospect of recreating that entire scenario ... the one the form the Scribe is wearing now ... is a little daunting. Also, that entire thing was for another purpose entirely.

"... What if we put together bits and pieces of other victories?" He pauses, pressing a hand to the bridge of his nose, as he tries to think. "Syrlya stabbed the Prince with the Blue Rose. I called on the Earth Spirit to interrupt the ritual. The Ringmaster defeated the Morningstar in hell... being Guardians of Creation?"

His voice sounds more doubtful as he goes on. Lambert doesn't know what crossover fanfiction is, but putting those all together sounds about as plausible.

[chronosynthesis]

Syrlya looks down at his hand--the one changes by the Blue Rose, hidden under his glove and sleeve--and his brows raise with realization.

"They are proven victories against the Fae as well. And don't they also involve the successful recovery of our people?" He smiles a bit, finding sense in Lambert's line of thinking. He looks aside to the others. "If the power of this defense is in our ability to act along with it, then they needn't be the real things."

It's the start of something, anyway, and that's more than what they had before.

[anti_nonsense]

"Our ability to act...?" Rita echoes uneasily, her arms folded. She looks around the group with a dubious expression. "Are any of us actually any good at that?"

This present company doesn't look too promising. Tyki seems to have a bit of a flair for the dramatic, so maybe he'd manage, but the rest of them? Hopeless, probably.

[whattaprick]

'What, no faith in your own skills?" Lambert grins at Rita. "I'm sure you could get some tips from performance."

The ideal person to get that sort of advice from would be Strange, actually. But he's not here right now ... and Lambert won't let himself dwell on it, turning to address the Curator and Scribe (he forces himself to meet his all too human doppelganger's eyes) again.

"There's one more thing. Two of the faeries were fighting over a book ... Frost and Nightshade. I heard it was destroyed. Do you know what was in it?" Might be something important, might not be, but he'd be remiss not to follow up on it.

[prazerbutterfly]

He holds up his hand gently in answer to Rita's question. "I am a conman. I will fit any role I have to play." But there are probably far better people willing to expend a lot more effort on this than he is.

His glamour changes rapidly right in front of their faces to that of a hobo with bottled glasses, baggy pants, a dirty appearance, and suspenders. He doesn't grin nearly as wide, looks quite messy in posture, and no longer reflects that of a cultured Victorian noble, "I could teach ya a few things. If ya need it. But this is less about being in a state of being and more of following along with a story. It's just gotta be a good one and anyone can do it."

Book? What destroyed book? He looks away from Rita to Lambert again for more answers without voicing the actual question.

[anti_nonsense]

"I don't need any tips!" Rita protests, her face taking on a slightly reddish hue as she shoots a quick glare at Lambert, then Tyki. She did sort of walk right into that, though.

That transformation of Tyki's catches her off guard, and her annoyed look turns to one of bewilderment. She refrains from comment, however, instead waiting to hear if those entities have anything to say about the mystery book.