⇨ 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

[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.

[npcarnival]

"It's been a mixture of both, yeah," Ignatius confirms, distantly.

[prazerbutterfly]

When the Ringmaster moves down, Tyki does as well to keep his hand there against her for comfort. Despite everything, he is there to support her but the news makes his brows furrow. Well, that was new.

"Hmm, that puts things into a greater perspective."

[periphrasing]

Yeah, Peridot's pretty overwhelmed by all this information now. The similarities between gems and the fae are becoming so numerous, it's hard not to feel like she's basically an expert on this already... and yet, she knows that she absolutely isn't? Clearly there's a lot that she still doesn't understand. And gems have never had the sheer reality warping, multi-verse spanning power that the fae have.

Suddenly, the court's reactions make a lot more sense. She stares at the Ringmaster. Stares at Ignatius.

"Hmmmmmmmmm... Aaaaaaaaaa... Hm."

Please excuse her while she bluescreens for a minute over this whole mess being even bigger than she already realized.

[npcarnival]

"That was the start of everything," Ignatius says, looking away from the group. It's almost like he's talking to himself. "Killing the Winter Queen... for all the posturing the Maidens had been doing, that was when it all really went to hell. And you, and the Summer Maiden... didn't even stick around to deal with the war you'd started."

He rubs his nose, sniffling out some leftover fluids from the egg experience, which he still isn't over yet. He spits on the ground.

"But, you got your lunatic in charge. I hope it made you happy."

[lordofthering]

The Ringmaster growls.

[worldlyafflictions]

It's good that Ignatius is taking things in despite himself, though Shima's not sure about letting the focus linger on the Ringmaster's wrong-doings. So he adjusts his prayer staff against his shoulder, subtly jangling the rings to redirect the groups attention with an idle shift of posture.

"Well, we can get inta more details 'n whether it was worth it or not later, maybe without Mr. Unwilling here, or with, if the Ringmaster wants him ta hear it." He looks back over at Ignatius, "But I think ya've got the idea by now that if the Carnival does anything about the Winter Queen it won't be outta vengeance. Sounds like if it happens at all it'll be because that's the only option ta set things where they need ta be."

"For now that ain't on the table even if we wanted to. We aren't practical for fighting, like ya said. Not ta say we aren't looking for a change. Something you'll be dealing with too, unless ya wanna leave all your firepower ta us and off yourself with those new claws, 'cause we're not gonna do it for ya."

[atouts]

And on that note—

"I believe that should bring our first meeting here to an end," Childermass speaks up again, gruff voice rising to be a little louder than usual. He glances around at the gathered group, then up towards the Ringmaster. "Ignatius will need time to recover and we, time to consider what's been said."

It's his second attempt to end this, though perhaps not prematurely this time. If the Ringmaster is growling, well, they don't need her to decide to bite Ignatius' head off after all.

[periphrasing]

Childermass speaking up brings Peridot back to attention again.

"Wait-- So we're just going to leave him up here like this?" Peridot says nervously, eyeballing Ignatius briefly. She knew that was the plan; it's not like this is unexpected. But now that the time for leaving approaches, there's something about this that still doesn't quite sit well with her.

[prazerbutterfly]

"Why not? We took effort to make this look cozy for him even if the Ringmaster was probably right that the cave was decent enough. May as well let him stay here and have time to think."

It's not trust he's extending but he kind of feels like a jerk unintentionally from earlier. "Chains would be cruel at this point for Ignatius and putting him back in her stomach would not be preferable for either of them." He glances at Ignatius and then the Ringmaster, "But I don't want to assume?"

[npcarnival]

Ignatius gets to his feet, actually steady enough to stand firm this time. He may have lost muscle mass in the transition, but he's still oppressively tall.

His red eyes settle on Shima dangerously, watching him until Peridot speaks. He glances to her uncertainly, and then looks away. He knows he has no say in this. He considers the idea of pleading with them, but abandons the notion quickly.

[lordofthering]

The Ringmaster looks around, and then back to Ignatius. She's unsure.

"I'm not sure what else to offer you, Ignatius. You know what's happened now, so you must understand why we can't let you go. Nothing I allow you besides you freedom is going to help much, it seems."

Despite growling a moment before, she still sounds sympathetic. Like it or not, she knows that allowing Winter to take over was a mistake.