⇨ EDEN PT. 2

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 86 - Day 88
Where: Eden
What: The Furies of Eden have been found and have agreed to ally with the carnival to achieve their mutual goals. Meanwhile, tensions in the city only get thicker. How much longer until everyone's cover is blown for good?
Warnings: Increasingly high chances of ritual sacrifices.

FRUIT OF KNOWLEDGE↴ Progresses has been made, but obstacles are approaching. As various characters fall under suspicion for their unusual natures the threat of backlash from the community of Honorables and Architects grows imminent. Several carnival members have fled to the Barrens, allying with the Furies of Eden, a rebel group bent on defying Lilith and taking Eden for themselves. Meanwhile, those still in the city are left with the aftermath. Information is still being cycled between the two groups, via various super powers and delivery methods. Sans has been freed from the control of his Architect and has left to find the rebels, but his delivery service is still being used to disperse information. You can assume to have been told about anything on this spreadsheet that's been addressed to the entire mailing list. ► TENSIONS GROW: As the days go on, the attitude of long term residents have only grown more suspicious and hostile. Several members of the new arrivals have gone missing, and it seems as if the locals are starting to suspect these absences are intentional rather than accidental. Some of the most ornery of them will say things that suggest that they think they've run off to join the heretics, but they will be hushed by those near them. However, no immediately violence is being imposed on people from the carnival's entry group. Not that you've seen, anyway. ► SAMYAZA'S INVITATION: Displeased by the atmosphere being created by all this distrust, Samyaza the Hare, Architect of Festivities and Music, has invited all of the remaining new arrivals to an exclusive garden party of hers. Everyone who is still in the city will be invited to attend, along with some choice members of the native population. The actual party will be happening on Day 88. Attendance is strongly recommended by the other Honorables. The nature of this even will depend on what occurs before it, and will be covered in more detail later in the log. The invitations go out on Day 86. ► HERESY UNVEILED: On the evening of Day 86, the city of Eden is alight with controversy - a band of Furies have been found! Hasma of Araqiel (the horse featured in Missing posters last week) has been caught within city borders, along with two Honorables of Eden who had been secretly colluding with her. The three condemned Furies have been bound and chained in cages in a public areas of the city, awaiting trial and punishment. It's a similar tone to criminals being locked in stockades for the civilians to mock, though the initial city mood seems more uncomfortable and nervous than angry. There is a horse, squirrel, and border collie currently imprisoned. ► RINGMASTER'S RETURN: On Day 87, the Ringmaster will be returning from her investigation. Specifically, she'll be arriving at the doorstep of the Furies in the Barrens, and will be entering to visit her associates within. Apparently, she's been spending all this time searching the barrens for entrances into the core of Eden, as well as trying to communicate with the Serpent. Neither have yielded major successes, however. Carnival members at the Furies base can ask interact with her through investigations.

Comments

[mirrortide]

Well, here's Jasper's chance to talk to Lapis, who is all on her lonesome, minding her own business and not around Peridot for a change? She does notice Jasper roaming around, and even lifts up her head to look at her, but she doesn't say anything to her, and she doesn't try and move away either.

Thankfully for Jasper, who doesn't have ham hands to grab her anyway.

She is, however, wearing a pretty wary expression. Or as much of one as a polar bear can pull off body language wise, anyway.

[stompadour]

Jasper has, for the most part, been keeping her distance from Lapis -- following Peridot's orders with regards to exactly how far away she should be hasn't always been possible since they came down here, but she's managing in her usual way: not approaching or engaging with Lapis, but still staring at her offputtingly whenever she thinks she can get away with it.

She doesn't notice her this time, though, until she almost bumps into her, and then she doesn't draw back far enough to be totally comfortable.

"...Lapis," she says, almost cautiously even though she's standing too close to her.

[mirrortide]

This! Is alarming! And Awkward! Lapis is absolutely thankful for the rules Peridot imposed on Jasper? But this is Jasper not following them, and quite frankly, running is the last thing Lapis has the capability of doing as a giant bear!

So, instead, she just. Doesn't move, and replies with a simple: "Jasper."

[stompadour]

A pause. She knows she isn't supposed to, but...

Jasper glances over her shoulder; then back to Lapis.

"Can I... talk to you."

[mirrortide]

"We're kind of talking. Right now." But also, Lapis saw Jasper look over her shoulder, and Lapis can't help but look over hers in reflex.

There isn't anyone around.

[stompadour]

"That's not what I meant, I want to... ask you about..." She huffs, frowns. "... Earth."

[mirrortide]

"I'm not exactly the best Gem to talk about Earth stuff, Jasper." Like, just so she's aware, because maybe she, somehow, didn't catch the memo.

[stompadour]

Jasper tosses her mane impatiently. "That's why I wanted to ask you."

[mirrortide]

Lapis gives her a funny look. A funny, suspicious, squinty eyed bear look.

"Okay? Then ask." She's definitely not the best Gem to answer, though.

[stompadour]

Jasper blinks, like she hadn't expected Lapis would agree. Now that she has the go-ahead to ask, she's not sure where to start.

"... You ... was it just for Steven, that you left?"

[mirrortide]

"... Which time?" Like, it's a fair question, Lapis has left a few times?

[stompadour]

"... That you decided to betray Homeworld," Jasper clarifies. "Was that why?"

[mirrortide]

"I stayed on Earth because Homeworld clearly didn't want me anymore. And besides that, I ruined my own chances of going back when I helped Steven. And after what I did to you." And she does, maybe surprisingly, sound apologetic about it, even if she doesn't outright say the words.

"Steven was willing to give me a home even after everything I did. The Diamond Authority would have gladly shattered me if I had gone back there again, and honestly, I didn't even think I deserved to stay on Earth to begin with."

[stompadour]

Jasper is quiet for a moment, considering this, and considering some other things.

"... If they let you come back," she says. "If they did want you. Would you go?"

[mirrortide]

It's Lapis' turn to be quiet at that, because she really, really has to think on it. About a lot of things, about what it would mean for Steven, for Peridot. Even for Pumpkin, and she definitely has a look of concentration on her face as she considers the question. Of what she'd do, of what she'd like to say she'd do.

Finally, she does speak up, but she sounds a little like she's trying to convince herself. "No. I wouldn't. Homeworld wouldn't ever want me back anyway. And... It's hard, living on Earth, but I think I enjoy it more. More than I ever did on Homeworld. There's more freedom on Earth."

[stompadour]

"Huh." Jasper sounds surprised, but, oddly, not judgemental? She pauses again, this time sort of... trying to muster up the words for her next question:

"... Do you think it's ... fair. That you can't go back."

[mirrortide]

"Sort of? I guess. But it's their fault I can't go back in the first place." Homeworld made that choice for her, if not the Diamond's themselves.

[stompadour]

"...Because of the mirror," says Jasper.

[mirrortide]

"Because they also sent me back to Earth. It's not just about the mirror." But like, that's a lot of it. "I know you seem to think that the Diamond's are flawless, but they aren't. If they were, they wouldn't have kept someone who had been loyal to Homeworld prisoner. They wouldn't have done what they did if they were."

[stompadour]

Jasper looks away, frowning. "I know they're not flawless. Peridot said the same thing, she thought telling me Yellow Diamond made a mistake would make me understand why she defected, I..." She kicks a hind hoof -- not hard or especially aggressively, but the way someone would scuff the dirt with their shoe. "I know they're not perfect, but... they're stronger than the rest of us, that's all that matters."

thanks canon

[mirrortide]

What Jasper says, actually makes Lapis pause for a moment. Like, when she thinks about it, are the Diamonds stronger then them? Again, she makes a face that looks really weird on a bear.

"Are they stronger than us? Rose Quartz managed to shatter Pink Diamond. If one of them can be shattered, then all of them can, can't they?"

[stompadour]

Jasper opens her mouth, and then, after a moment, closes her mouth.

"Nobody knows how that even happened," she says. "It was probably some kind of -- trick. Would you fight a Diamond?"

[mirrortide]

"Trick or not, Pink Diamond was still shattered." Lapis says, and almost instantly regrets saying such blasphemous things! It's bad. She's awful? Considering shattering other Gems, even if they're Diamonds.

She's not going to even bother giving a retort to Jasper, because quite frankly, she'd cowed the moment she saw Blue Diamond.

[stompadour]

Yeah, Jasper's eyes widen a little and she draws back.

"Yes," she concedes, "But not by Rose Quartz's natural abilities, there's no way. None of us can do the things the Diamonds can."

eventuall canon fucks over both of them its FINE

[mirrortide]

"It doesn't matter, because whatever she did, she shattered Pink Diamond. It still means that there's a way to shatter Diamonds. It means that they aren't all powerful." It doesn't matter how or why, Jasper! Just the fact it can clearly happen!