⇨ CONFLAGRATION

[ringleaders]

Who: The Ringmaster, Peridot, Amethyst, Shima, Tyki, Childermass and Ignatius.
When: Day 68
Where: THE CENTER OF THE (OTHER) MOON.
What: The Ringmaster has recruited the help of a not-so-elite group of carnival members to help her deal with the imprisoned Ignatius.
Warnings: Weird egg stuff.

THE FIERY ONE↴ When you meet up with the Ringmaster at the portal she's in her humanoid form, but that doesn't last long. After a brief period of waiting, she will take you back to the carnival grounds, still fresh and partially undefined from her rebuilding. It's familiar, but as if details have been left out - like a painting that's not finished yet. The sky isn't right, and and the forests are oddly barren. She'll assure you she simply isn't finished with it yet, but that this has taken precedence. Soon, she'll be turning into her dragon form and whisking you all away, up into the second moon. The flight happens almost instantaneously - first you see the carnival grounds, then the sandy oceans of the moon - then, you see nothing. It doesn't last for long, though. A ring of glowing stones light up the new space you're filling - a cavern carved out of the center of the moon itself. Unlike the moon with the Blue Rose, however, it isn't perfectly spherical, and gravity goes straight down. There is a rough, uneven floor you can walk on steadily, with boulders and rocks scattered about. The Ringmaster's current dragon form fills about half of it. In the center of the room there are two man-sized eggs. One glows brightly with an inner light, radiating heat. The other does as well, but less so. There's an impromptu nest of rocks around them, preventing them from falling over. The Ringmaster seems unsure of how to start. "So," she begins, uncertainly. She is till hunched over in dragon form. "This... is a bit complicated."

Comments

[worldlyafflictions]

Snaps his fingers and points at Peridot, well said! Then as Tyki offers his apology, Shima takes a moment to turn over Ignatius' words, and what it was the Ringmaster wanted to accomplish. She'd wanted him understand there's more to this. To meet others eventually.

Shima flaps his hand a little, sure that the last thing Ignatius cares about is trying to adjust. "Not that making sure ya didn't bite it was some accident, trauma or no. Ya seem like a 'better ta die' sort, so ya might not appreciate the reasons much, but hey, maybe ya being here will still indirectly benefit the Summer Court too, even if you're stuck."

He crouches, looking directly at Ignatius now, "Fear 'n instability.. the Carnival's feeling that too. Especially seeing as we're the preferred target." He tastes the 'we' there a little, and it doesn't quite come naturally, but he continues on, shifting into a hypothetical, "But so, the Courts hunt the Carnival down and take the Blue Rose," waves a hand, "find all the Miracles... Now their only targets are each other and they're thinking there's a means ta win. I don't know if that sounds like the stability the Courts are looking for?"

He stands again, wandering a little as if in thought. "Pointing out the Winter Queen's untrustworthiness... Really, it's a shame the Courts aren't too hot on ah... I think it's called truth 'n reconciliation? Whatever we represent, whatever the Ringmaster might be responsible for, if ya still care about the Summer Courts, ya might consider that what's going on here instead is the best option for making something good happen.

"Like she said, the Ringmaster isn't looking ta keep fighting. We want stability just as much, maybe more since we got some determined enemies that want us dead if we can't achieve it."

Phew.

[npcarnival]

Ignatius's gaze is lingering on Tyki hatefully - at least until Shima starts talking, with words that are hard to ignore. For what it's worth, he listens. He's not beyond reason, even if he has plenty of doubts. If anything, it feels like bending to what they want out of him would be a betrayal in itself, to be twisted so easily.

They can say whatever they want to him. It doesn't prove anything.

"Of course I care about the Summer Court," he snaps, as if that's a ludicrous thing to phrase as an 'if.' He leans forward onto his knees. "It's all I care about."

"What the Queen wants is for her ancestral heirloom to return home, and for the risk of a nation destroying revolution to finally be put to rest. She wants her progeny to return home. I'm not of the opinion that the Great Beast is interested in destroying the Summer Court - if she was going to do that, she could have gathered an assortment of followers that were far more practical to her cause."

Most of these people? Not warriors. Not even soldier material.

"...But I do believe she would strike at the Winter Court, out of vengeance. Even if it was never the plan, it's hard to see this quest of yours going in any other direction."

[periphrasing]

Stars she hates to keep drawing the comparison but Ignatius is sounding more like Jasper the more he talks. It would be wearying to listen to, if the stakes weren't so high. She literally just dealt with trying to talk someone down from this kind of entrenched loyalist mindset just the other day. It didn't go super well then, and she's not confident that it'll go super well now... But also, in a way, her failure with Jasper makes her even more determined to try and succeed here.

That last bit though... From her limited knowledge of the situation, what Ignatius is saying doesn't quite track.

"Vengeance?" she pipes up, frowning with confusion up at the dragon and then back at Ignatius. "Why would the Ringmaster want vengeance on the Winter Queen? I would think it would be the other way around."

[atouts]

Childermass is happy enough to stay quiet for a time, even if he does give Tyki a sharp look for his previous words. Peridot scolds first, however, and so he leaves it at that. Then, back to listening, considering. The Summer Court has its own problems, their goal from them obviously the Blue Rose, but as for Winter—

"She could not even bring herself to kill the man who went too far against her wishes," Childermass has to bring up, again Lambert becoming a point to make, that the Ringmaster could have easily killed him and forced him to return through an egg as well. "If we strike anyone," and yes, the we is important, "it won't be out of vengeance, for all that some amongst us may feel otherwise."

Then Peridot is speaking up again, asking that. It's something, maybe surprisingly, maybe not, that he can answer, though his will be vaguer than if it came from the source (who happens to be massive and nervously hovering over them right now).

"The Winter Queen betrayed the Ringmaster's trust, back when she was still the Maiden," he adds as an aside, turning to look back down at Peridot. "So it is a fair enough assumption to make..." Which brings him to looking up, up, way up towards the Ringmaster herself. "Whether you care to expand upon that or not, I leave it to you."

[npcarnival]

Ignatius look at Peridot, and then turns to pointedly meet the Ringmaster's gaze. His expression is flat but unyielding.

"Oh?" he says, with obvious insincerity. "How did she do that? Perhaps the distribution of blame was not exactly even..."

The demand for the Ringmaster to fill in the blank is clear.

[lordofthering]

It's hard to gauge the Ringmaster's reaction, but she does turn her head slightly away in hesitation. Is Ignatius really suggestion what she thinks he is?

"...The Winter Maiden participated in the Queen's murder, and then she blamed all of it on me," she says, her voice clipped with her lack of desire to say any of it. "We did it together... but she didn't want it remembered that way."

[prazerbutterfly]

Peridot's scolding ends and he can respect that didn't drag out. Her heart is in the right place and she seems to have more understanding of the situation than he does at the moment. His left ear cranes back gently. He can't see Childermass' sharp look but he's more attuned to the man at times than he likes to admit. He's sure it's there and his ear flicks once before he makes the decision to stand up. He meets Ignatius's gaze no longer as Shima takes over. Dusting his pants off, he steps back with the others to listen. He was here to help and the last thing he wants is to ruin this. Plus, information is now flowing and he's interested in that. It doesn't stop him from sitting somewhat to the right so he can listen clearly.

Shima is doing great, more than he realized he could. He's curious why he's not a conman and a thief instead. Ignatius also seems to have a level head despite the situation he's in. He nods along with their assessment, taking in ever word, "If.." he mimics, because that was a big if and the chances are it would be her ultimate wish, not theirs.

He still believes, even as she speaks now between the two of them, that her hands would have to be tied. "As no murderer would."

[npcarnival]

And then, Ignatius laughs. It isn't a happy kind of laugh - it's the kind that comes from a dark piece of humor, where you can only laugh or cry. He wipes something from his eye, though whether its an actual tear or he's just making a show is unclear.

"And to think," he says, with the same grim mirth, "that young fae died for that truth. And it was here, all along."

[periphrasing]

"...I can't tell if that means you actually believe us or not," Peridot says, staring blankly. There's a hell of a lot of information to process here.

[npcarnival]

"I do, actually," he chuckles. "It's what the Summer Queen has thought since the beginning."

[atouts]

"And is it also beneath her to ask or even believe a Wyld Fae? The Count of Crows certainly made it seem that way for Winter, though... perhaps those were simply the words of a loyal man, with no room to question."

[npcarnival]

"Bah," Ignatius says, swiping a hand dismissively. "His kind have nothing to gain from rocking the boat. I doubt he cares what the truth is, as long as his holds remain his own."

The Ringmaster speaks up again, reluctantly.

"...I didn't spend much time trying to convince the Summer Court, and the Winter Court wouldn't listen from the start. The Summer Maiden tried to speak for me, but was accused of defending me only out of personal interest. I don't think it really mattered, did it? Whether I did it myself or I did it with help, the fault was still mine."

"There is the truth you know," Ignatius says, his mirth fading, "and then the truth you say to maintain the balance. You were disposable. The Winter Maiden wasn't."

[periphrasing]

Peridot sits up a little straighter all of a sudden, looking at the Ringmaster indignantly. "What are you talking about? Of course it still matters!" she growls. "Why the heck should she get off free and clear when she's just as responsible for it as you are!?"

Continuing from that, she turns back to Ignatius, glowering fiercely. "If this 'balance' between the courts is so precarious, maybe you all need to reconsider your setup. It sounds like you have some serious structural integrity issues."

[prazerbutterfly]

"Because that is how high society works. It takes a lot more to overthrow or dispute any issue with a position like that even with cold hard facts," he chimes in out of nowhere. It may be different with fae culture to some degree but it seemed almost the same to him.

From all the stories, all the books he read, and the information shared, Wyld Fae hardly seemed to have any standing compared to others. No matter what position the Ringmaster might've held that was gone. She was the scapegoat now and they were hell bent on finding her.

No hierarchy was perfect. It never would be. "Even those willing to help rarely do in order to hold onto what is theirs." Betrayal and deceit at its finest.

[lordofthering]

Ignatius doesn't even get a chance to respond to Peridot's accusations, because as soon as Tyki finishes, it's actually the Ringmaster that rebukes her. Her massive body shifts behind the group, raising her body so that she looms over them.

"Because fighting for myself would only get other people hurt," she snarls, though its more hurt than angry. "Who do you think took the brunt of my crimes? The Courts? No, the Wyld Fae."

"Disrespect has nothing on being seen as an active threat - as the thing that could unbalance the Queens if directed by the right hands. That is my only legacy in this struggle, and it's the only thing I've done in this carnival, too."

[periphrasing]

Peridot shuts down, because honestly who wouldn't with the Ringmaster looming over them like that? Her ears droop visibly. She'd thought she was being helpful by being motivational or something, because she hates seeing the Ringmaster acting down like this.

"Well-- Then. Why did you do it in the first place? Kill the Winter Queen, I mean?" she asks a little defensively.

[lordofthering]

She isn't trying to be intimidating, really, she's just upset - and she doesn't think anyone here really gets what all of this is making her realize. Maybe it would be easier for people to see if she was in her humanoid form, but looking like a Court Fae has always made a lot of things easier.

"Because I thought it was the right thing to do," she says, her voice strained. "But it wasn't. It never is."

[drrdrrdrr]

A lot of this has been going right over Amethyst's head -- she isn't really up on her fae politics as in-depth as some people here, and it's giving her a little of the same feeling she gets when the gems start talking about serious stuff she wasn't around for. Like the grown-ups are talking and she isn't one of them.

"Oof," she murmurs under her breath. This is definitely familiar.

Except, well...

"Hey, uh, pretty sure it wasn't the wrong thing to do when you ate that Prince dude. Just saying. Or, y'know, with the vampires..."

[periphrasing]

"Yeah!" Peridot agrees, trying to back Amethyst up. "Stars please don't let yourself fall into one of those 'I can't do anything right' ruts. People do that all the time and it's always just so pointless, and it's never actually true."

"Though... Um..." She looks at Ignatius, though her next question isn't necessarily posed just to him. "What... DID the courts do to the Wyld Fae?"

[prazerbutterfly]

There's no reaction on his face when the Ringmaster stands up other than a lean on his part and a hand outwards to give himself space. She's looming over Peridot but his attention drags over towards Ignatius and his silence. Even if she doesn't mean to be intimating, she can be, but Tyki's gotten rather use to it. He follows orders and respects her. Plus, she wasn't that horrible.

It's why his hand is held there for a moment until it pats against her again similar to how he touched her earlier except this time with a soothing rub. It's a touchy subject but Amethyst thankfully has the proper words. Tyki was rather biased when it came to the Prince and he didn't like to talk about it. His voice is low and calm again, "I'm grateful, my Lady." He didn't have to worry about that anymore. Plus, everyone in that Manor who was free was likely grateful as well, if not mildly wary. Not that saving a group was every important to him.

He understands though. The Rose did end up bringing them trouble with that decision. Was it the right thing to do? Who knows. What was done was for the better in their case. She could've left them there.

[npcarnival]

There's a lot being discussed here, and Ignatius doesn't seem directly involved in a lot of it. He actually speaks with relative civility, however, when there is a question asked that he has an answer to.

"There was a lot of fighting. Casualties. It's what happens, in a war," he says. That isn't to dismiss the importance of them, but it seems obvious to him, that if you start a war that's what will come of it. "The Wyld Fae were following the Great Beast's lead."

[lordofthering]

The Ringmaster hunkers down again, being careful to avoid sitting on anyone. Apparently, the peak in hysteria has passed.

"Yes, well," she says, resting her head on her paws. "That was their mistake." It takes her a moment to go on. "A lot of people have been hurt because of this, with no end in sight."

[periphrasing]

"...Wait. Hold on."

This is a serious conversation, and Peridot's gonna let you guys finish but. She's piecing some things together.

"...You... were some kind of leader of a rebel army!?"

She's looking over at the Ringmaster again, with something that looks like dawning awe. Ignatius had mentioned revolution but...

[atouts]

Wait, hold on, that has Childermass frowning, brow furrowed.

"Does that mean the nation destroying revolution would be from the Wyld Fae, not the Summer Court?"

He had presumed Ignatius meant something more akin to the Summer Queen trying to hold sway with a missing Summer Maiden or the like, not that.

[lordofthering]

The Ringmaster looks at Peridot.

"Well, yes. All three of us were. That was the point of teaming up in the first place."

The Maidens could lead the rebels of their own courts, but leading the Wyld Fae was a different thing entirely.