lostcarnival | ⇨ SHABONDAMASHII

Entry tags:

⇨ SHABONDAMASHII

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 92 - Day 99
Where: Shabondamashii Bathhouse
What: With the Silver Mirror claimed and the animals of Eden relocated, it's time for the carnival to kick back and enjoy an interdimensional bathhouse and the surrounding festival city. Meanwhile, the scattered shards of the Mirror have an unexpected effect.
Warnings: Dark/Light halves acting weird.

THE BIG CLEANSE↴

As the carnival recovers, the Ringmaster has brought it to the gates of a famous interdimensional bathhouse to rest. She won't be joining you for most of it, though she will be checking in frequently and available by radio. She's fixed a large portion of the Silver Mirror after it shattered, but it seems like pieces are missing. She doesn't want to rest until the missing shards are dealt with, and the Mirror itself is locked away safely.

► YOUR OTHER HALF: The shards missing from the Silver Mirror didn't just disappear - after breaking apart in Eden, fragments of the object embedded themselves in the spirits of those not already touched by its powers, and those that had been the most fae-touched. That means, your characters. The effect of this, explained in more detail on the plotting post, is that some characters will be splitting into two versions of themselves: the Light, and the Dark. This doesn't mean good and evil, of course, it's far more complicated than that.

Splits can start happening at any time after arriving in Shabon, and initially characters won't know how to rejoin with their twins. Later on, it will become apparent that they need to reconnect via the shard of the Mirror they share... of course, in order to rejoin, you have to have both halves, and not all twins will be as eager to go back to the way things were before. This plot point is optional.

► SPA DAY: When you're not engaging in metaphysical division, you are free to enjoy the many luxuries that Shabon offers. Things will mostly have an east-Asian bend, like what you would see in the movie Spirited Away, but as long as it doesn't affect the setting much, you can honestly have whatever spa-type services available that you want. Food is served both in restaurants and 'buffet' style. There are also well paid sex workers here, if that is your thing, but make sure to tip well.

► FESTIVAL TOWN: The city surrounding Shabondamashii is largely meant to catch the business of interdimensional tourists. There are frequent parades and other events held, and the architecture is very closely packed. It's easy to get lost if you leave the bathhouse, but it's definitely worth it if you like party. You can pick out a few outfits for yourself and some fun nick nacks, but nothing that would normally require mod approval.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"The majority of the fae in the multiverse are underlings," Strange bluntly explains, looking over at Rita with a frown. "Common soldiers, who probably care more about surviving a fight or finding where their next meal comes from instead of grand ideals or personal vendettas. They're the Frosts and Nightshades of the world, doing things because they are told."

He's been at war before. He knows what he's talking about. Strange is entirely secure in his convictions and entirely certain that he's right. He's met plenty of soldiers who fought for England, who supported England's ideals, and who praised the country...but at the end of the day, ideals and praise won't fix the roads or patch the hole in their boots.

"As for Ignatius, he also tried to rescue me from the Twelve. More than anything else, I consider him a friend."

"You think anything would be different if Frost or Nightshade were in charge? They're every bit as bad as their masters. Even underlings in the fae world can't pass up a chance to screw with people's lives!"

So much for relaxing. Rita's just getting more and more agitated.

"And I shouldn't have to tell you this, but for the last time, he's not your friend!" The workers flinch as her voice rises in volume.

Strange is trying really hard to keep his temper down. Partly because he doesn't want to make a scene, partly because there's still wet fingernail polish being applied and he really doesn't want to mess up his manicure.

When he speaks, it's with a measured calmness to his voice. "He is my friend. He said so himself."

Rita looks at him with disgust, then shakes her head. "Don't be stupid. He can't be..."

She can't stand it. How can he be so chummy with someone who treated her so horribly!? Who treated Strange horribly!? Even Ignatius seemed to realize what he did was unforgivable. Even he... but...

"Screw it." Rita rises to her feet, forcing the worker to scoot away. "I'm done trying to talk sense into you. Go ahead and pretend that monster's your friend. I don't care anymore." She finds her sandals and puts them on, showing no consideration for the wet nail polish she's probably smudging.

But as she moves to leave, a second Rita remains in the chair, her arms wrapped around herself uncomfortably. "Why can't you understand? Why..." Her voice is tense, but not aggressive. On the contrary, she sounds like she's on the verge of tears.

Needless to say, neither Strange nor the bathhouse staff were expecting Rita to split in two like this. He looks from sitting Rita to standing Rita, trying to figure out what sort of magic could cause this (because of course it's magic.) The person tending to Strange gives him a 'what the hell is going on' sort of look. And almost instantly, Strange decides that he's got to take charge and figure this out. Or, at least, stop the other Rita from crying.

"Finish up your work," he quietly instructs the staff, not at all realizing that he's being kind of rude at the moment (you get used to bossing people around a bit when you've got servants.) He hesitates for a moment before reaching over to try and put a reassuring hand on Rita's shoulder.

"You know you can always talk to me. What do you think I don't understand?"

Maybe if they worked through this nonsense then they could have a conversation about Ignatius that wouldn't end with the two of them yelling at each other.

The touch of Strange's hand makes the cowering Rita shudder slightly, turning her head away from him to try and hide the emotion in her face.

"I'm scared," she admits in a low voice, scarcely above a whisper. "I've always been scared of him. First, it was fear of what would happen if I disobeyed him. Then I got away and had to worry about whether he'd come and take me back there. Then he took you, and I thought we were going to lose you forever... but you act like it's no big deal, like I should just get over it. It's like... it's like you don't even care!"

Sorry spa ladies, if the splitting wasn't awkward enough, here she is spilling her guts in front of them.

The other Rita, in the meantime, is on her way out the door. She pauses in the doorway just to shoot a glare back at her counterpart. "You're wasting your breath," she sneers, then departs.

Ignatius told him to direct his will, to focus on acting with his head over his heart. Strange is acutely aware that this is the sort of situation where if he said the wrong thing, it would all go pear-shaped so quickly. So, he's taking this situation very delicately, doing his best to think with his head and not get into yet another dumb argument.

"There's a vast difference between our experiences. Ignatius treated me as a soldier, not as a child." He pauses for a brief moment to think things over as he rubs Rita's shoulder in what he hopes is a comforting gesture.

"And I do care," Strange tries to explain, keeping his voice as steady and gentle as he can. "You're a fellow magician and a dear friend. Of course I care about your feelings."

Rita looks over with a brief hopeful look, misty-eyed and blinking rapidly. She quickly turns away again.

"Then why are you always making excuses for him?" she asks, her voice strained. "You should have some idea of what I went through... so why do you keep taking his side? Why can't you ever be on my side?"

The workers finish with the polish and gently suggest that Rita and Strange take a few minutes to let it dry... which gives them an opportunity to step away from this mess for a while.

He knows what he wants to say: because you all tortured Ignatius, because he doesn't deserve this, because he's not the monster that Rita desperately wants him to be, because he still thinks that it's his fault that Ignatius is here in the first place. Thankfully, Strange keeps those reasons to himself and gives a different one instead.

"Because I've been in his situation," Strange explains, trying to keep his voice calm. "When we were in Portland, I was trapped in Nightshade's realm for about a week. The experience was...harrowing," there was so much torture, "but even just one person on my side would have made it infinitely better."

"I know," Rita says quietly. While she never got the full story, she heard enough to have a good idea of what he went through.

She stares down at her knees. There are a number of things she could say, and if it were under normal circumstances, she'd angrily protest the idea that Ignatius deserves any better treatment than his own prisoners got. But this time, she just can't muster up the anger.

Instead, she asks, "Do you really think what we're doing is as bad as Nightshade?"

Strange still tries to keep his hand on Rita's shoulder. He'll give it a reassuring squeeze if he can.

"You cannot change the fact that the Carnival's magically mutilated Ignatius, we're keeping him here against his will, and there's no schedule or even hint of conditions for his release. That being said, no. What we're doing isn't as bad as Nightshade."

But it's still pretty bad. There's no getting around it, it's not a good sign when the main thing that separates you from someone else is a lack of torture.

"We don't have a choice. He's too dangerous." And for once, Rita isn't able to mask that fear with hatred. She doesn't look back at Strange, but her body remains tense, her gaze focused downward, as if she doesn't dare look anywhere else. "Even... even he understands that."

It feels weird to acknowledge it, but Ignatius doesn't have any illusions about the situation he's in, or why he's in it.

They don't have a choice only because Rita, Lambert, and Syrlya brought this choice upon them, Strange bites back the urge to point out. Because they don't have a choice? Bullshit.

"We do have a choice. We can always return his heart and let him go." Strange sighs a little, sitting back in the chair with a frown. "Though I know I'm the only person in the carnival who considers that a valid option to begin with."

Rita looks horrified at that suggestion. She thought that was what he was getting at... but the idea seems so preposterous, a part of her didn't quite believe he would just come out and say it as plainly as he just did.

She stares at him, mouth hanging open for several seconds, then manages to speak. "Wh... what do you think he'd do, if we did that?"

Because Rita happens to think he'd do something terrible.

"I think he'll go back to the Summer Court," Strange simply responds. He's still trying to choose his words deliberately and carefully. As he talks, though, he doesn't look at Rita: instead, he just kind of vaguely stares downwards at his feet. He moves his hand away from her shoulder and idly twists a strand of hair around it.

"As much as I wish otherwise, I don't think he'll change. I've met men like him when I served in the peninsula: men who put their duty and loyalty above everything else. I doubt anything we say or do can change that. But if he leaves here with the realization that we can do better, that we aren't the royalty murdering, feral beasts that the Courts think the Ringmaster and our lot are, then that's good enough for me."

"How is that good enough?" she blurts out, her voice trembling. "If he won't change, then what's the point? We'd just go back to having one more enemy to deal with... one who'll bring all kinds of information about us back to the Summer Court. The Rose Queen will use that and come back for Steven, and the Rose, and..." She trails off as the possibilities only get her more worked up and anxious.

"And that's only if he goes straight back without turning around and incinerating the whole carnival first!"

"I have faith he won't incinerate us. Too many people have been kind to him already—I don't think he expected that."

When they first talked, Ignatius believed that his position was deserved, that it was only fair the carnival responded in kind to how the Summer Court treated them. Well, considering that he was allowed to go to Eden, that Yuya agreed to advocate for him, and while they were in Eden, carnival members rescued him from near dying, Strange has faith that when he gets his heart back, Ignatius won't flash-fry everyone on sight.

"What would you rather we do? Keep him like this forever? The longer he remains here, the angrier the Summer Court gets. Or perhaps you think we should kill him."

He's deliberately keeping his voice level, but the tenseness in Strange's tone is unmistakable.

Edited 2018-09-10 03:22 (UTC)

"I don't know! I know we won't keep him here forever. But there's got to be more options between now and forever." Rita's hands curl up into tightened fists and she tries to steady her breath.

"I don't... want to kill him," she admits through gritted teeth. "Not as much as I used to, anyway. But I can't have faith in him like that. That's just stupid."

"Then I guess that makes me an idiot," he says, without any real bite. If anything, Strange's tone is tired. He doesn't need to reiterate that he's got faith in Ignatius and he trusts the fae: in Strange's mind, it's pretty obvious.

Strange makes one more attempt to try and explain himself. Though he's keeping his words level, he's not hiding his tone of voice: he doesn't think this will accomplish much.

"I'm certain there are more options between now and forever. But I'm also certain that the carnival will run into even more trouble before we find those options. Ignatius almost died in Eden. I saw his wounds from the iron, I was watching when West operated—" Strange cuts himself off there to take a breath, knowing full well that if he keeps continuing on, he's more likely to get emotional. When he speaks again, he's looking over, trying to make eye contact with Rita. "I don't want that to happen to him again."

Edited 2018-09-11 17:31 (UTC)

Rita shakes her head. Even in this overly emotional half of herself, there isn't a single part of Rita that's particularly bothered about Ignatius getting hurt. "He shouldn't have been there in the first place. And he wouldn't have been, if you weren't making deals with him behind our backs. Which..." Her breath catches in her throat. This is where she'd normally get worked up and angry, but she continues without raising her voice, though it sounds increasingly strained. "Even though I was afraid you'd do something like that... I wanted to trust you."

That's why she asked him to record his meeting; to give him a chance to prove he could be trusted around Ignatius. As far as Rita's concerned, he ended up proving the opposite.

"I told Ignatius that I'd ask the Ringmaster, but I honestly didn't think she'd agree to bring him along in the first place." If he knew that the Ringmaster would say yes to Ignatius coming along, would he have done all of this differently? Strange doesn't really know.

Rita's comment about trusting him causes Strange to look back away from her, vaguely out in the middle of nowhere again.

"I thought that none of you trusted me to begin with," Strange admits. He still kind of thinks that, but that's not the point. "Even if no one in the carnival trusted me, if I went to Ignatius and talked to him by myself, without cameras or the Ringmaster or anyone else around, then maybe he would."

Edited 2018-09-11 21:55 (UTC)

"So you thought earning his trust was more important than keeping ours." As accusatory as the statement is, there's no bite in her tone. Rita sounds disappointed, more than anything.

"I did trust you, you know. I didn't always agree with you, but I was sure you'd come through for me when it counted. I still want to think that, even though..." Even though she already feels betrayed.

"You have a funny way of showing you trust me." Strange isn't even bothering to hide the bitterness in his voice as he talks.

"I'll always come through for you." He's more resigned to that than anything else. He'll try and help Rita and work with her, even though a part of Strange worries she won't do the same for him.

"But as far as I could tell, I lost the trust of most of the carnival the moment I suggested that Ignatius wasn't the monster everyone wanted him to be."

Rita stiffens slightly at being told he'll come through for her. She wants to believe him... and in most cases, she's sure he would. But what if her needs were at odds with Ignatius's?

"I know he isn't everything I thought he is," she admits. "But everything I experienced, everything I saw him do to others... it still happened. But it feels like you don't care about that. Like this whole other childhood I lived is just an outlier, an inconvenient fact to be dismissed before drawing a conclusion."

"I do care about it. But considering what the other Jonathan Strange did, I can't throw stones. You all do not judge me by my actions in Portland. The least I can do is offer him the same courtesy."

Strange is still a little bit baffled that a lot of the carnival is perfectly fine overlooking his stint of forcing people into binding contracts and also attempted child kidnapping.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject