lostcarnival | ⇨ THE SUMMER COURT

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⇨ THE SUMMER COURT

Who: Everyone in the Summer Maiden's entourage.
When: Day 129 - Day 131 (Subjectively experienced as only one day.)
Where: The Summer Court
What: The Summer Maiden returns to the Summer Court for the first time in eons, leading a posse of carnival workers and Summer Fae. The Summer Queen has initiated a peaceful Elysium for discussions to take place, with dozens of the Court in attendance, but the true tone of the negotiations has yet to be unearthed.
Warnings: Fae being bitches.

SUNSET OF AN ERA↴

The phase shift takes few minutes to complete, when it's time. The Summer Maiden gathers everyone together - her guard of Summerland Fae, and her carnival wards - and activates the spell to bring them to the Summer Court. It's been planned with the Summer Queen, she says, and they should have her cooperation. Nothing has been settled in terms of negotiations, but at the very least, the Queen was not willing to shut down the opportunity to see her daughter for the first time eons, along with her lesser children, Ignatius and Gild.

The Summer Maiden has recommended that everyone dress formally and conduct themselves with respect, but she is not forcing anyone to do so. It simply seems like the best way to make an impression.

When they arrive in the Summer Court, they are in a courtyard. The Maiden's light magic fades and they will see themselves in a garden of alien trees, with golden towers rising up around them in all directions. Two Summer Court fae are waiting for them at an ornate gate, but it isn't until the Summer Maiden has claimed her role as an adjudicator or the present Elysium that she breaks the barrier surrounding her party. She tells everyone that it is safe to go forth but to be cautious. There is no way of knowing what direction negotiations will take.

The guard leads them in, and they will find themselves in a spacious and life-filled throne room, with massive trees that function and supporting pillars and the throne itself. A variety of True Fae that the carnival has never seen before are scattered around the room, waiting with a thick air of tension. As the Summer Maiden leads them in, she will announce herself to the Queen, and claim all those present as under her protection.

The introductions are brief, and after the Maiden is done, the Queen will ask to speak with her privately. There is a clear nervousness beneath the Queen's veneer of control. As the Maiden joins her at the throne to speak about personal matters, everyone else is free to explore the throne room and mingle - if they dare.

► STICKING OUT: There are some notable reactions going on as the Maiden's entourage arrives. In general, the Court Fae respond strongly to Ignatius's presence - both the fact that he's turned up as an ally to the Maiden, and his curious magical transformation. Ignatius, for his part, holds back and tries to keep to himself, looking like he's trying to hide a significant amount of stress. To the Gilded Mark, there is a particular note of resentment, which she mostly seems to ignore and focuses on staying close to the carnival folk. The Starlight, the Whirling Rainbow, and a few other Summerland Fae have come along, and they all hold back as the Summer Maiden discusses things with the Queen privately. In general, the Court Fae eye the carnival with a mixture of curiousity and disgust.

► TOUGH CROWD: There are dozens of Summer Court Fae here that no one will have seen before. They mill about the room as if this is an uncomfortable formal engagement, eyeing up the Maiden's entourage an gossiping with one another. The opinions they hold of the situation vary wildly - some seem more of the attitude that the Court would be better off if the Summer Maiden were to die and be replaced, where others are openly optimistic and excited about the potential of reparations being made. You are free to make up/NPC any of these fae as long as they aren't doing anything radical, like trying to break the Elysium. Some of them will treat the visitors as threats, while others may even attempt to ask them questions about the situation.

► ACCOMMODATIONS: There is food and drink provided while negotiations endure. Normally you may want to be cautious about accepting this kind of thing, but given that it's part of Elysium, they are obligated to not harm any of those present. So, if you want, you will be able to enjoy faerie ales and other luxury foods that have the capability of being distractingly tantalizing to mortals with low self control. If you need some space, you are free to go back out to the courtyard where you arrived. There are few fae out there, but it is still covered by the Elysium. Take some time to settle in - this could take a while, and there's sure to be drama before it's over. Later on, there will be public discussion.

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Yuya isn't explicitly avoiding Strange, but since their last conversation he's been very generous about space. He has his own thoughts to sort out, too, but the palatable awkwardness in the air makes the silence too overbearing to break.

So it takes him a minute to realize that, while he's been dully perusing the tables of food right next to him out of some sort of distraction to his nervous energy, Strange says something.

"Huh?" He blinks with vapid, wide eyes. "Oh... um, I guess."

"You guess?" Strange responds, not even bothering to hide the incredulousness in his voice. He brings his glass to his lips, taking the world's tiniest sip, before he continues.

"Yuya, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We should be taking advantage of it as much as possible."

Says the person who's spent all of his time hob-nobbing in the throne room. Strange's wants are completely different from his reality, and he's almost accepted the fact that he'll be here, not leaving and not exploring for as long as the meeting goes.

Yuya looks sideways, worrying over his lip briefly. "They're not exactly welcoming us here."

Yuya has no intention of trying to explore, because he's seen enough of the way they're regarding all of them--even Ignatius. Curiosity at best, distrust and disgust at worst. He underestimated the hatred they might have for the carnival.

"They aren't," Strange agrees, because it's pretty obvious that the carnival isn't welcome. "But we're still guests. There's a sense of propriety to these sorts of things. They could at least offer to show the Gilded Mark or any of the other Summerlands fae around just to gloat at how things have changed."

And when they get shown around, Strange would be right by their side. This is spoken with the confidence of someone who's been to a lot of fancy dinner parties in his life and has a vague idea of how these things should go.

Yuya doesn't look terribly convinced. "Maybe it's not proper for their culture."

His expression twists in frustration as he rakes his fingers through his hair. "Or--maybe they are really being hostile because they don't want us here. I don't know!"

Yuya's a lot more frustrated about all of this than Strange is. He can't help but raise an eyebrow, watching the kid's frustration with a little frown.

"If they don't want us here, then they'll have to simply suck it up," Strange says, with a little shrug. "After all, it's not like they can turn away the Summer Maiden." If it was just Ignatius or the Gilded Mark? Then maybe they could. But the Summer Maiden was too important and too powerful to outright ignore.

"Like I was trying to tell her, there's no running from this," said with a vague little hand gesture to the Summer Court as a whole.

Yuya frowns at the food display. "She's too important, and... hiding wasn't fixing anything."

But he underestimated how unwanted they were. He hopes the Summer Queen isn't going to be as openly hostile.

He continues his stare-off with the food for a moment before he lifts his attention back t ok Strange. There's an uncertainty to his gaze.

There is very obviously an elephant in the room that they need to address. And Strange isn't an idiot: he knows what the problem is. In all likelihood, Yuya is still disappointed and hurt about Strange's admission that he would ditch the carnival if he knew he could go back home. They should at least attempt to talk about it while everyone's (relatively) calm and stable.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you," Strange admits, as he looks over at Yuya. Because he did. Strange knows that he straight up disappointed Yuya, there's no way around that. But...now what? It's not like he's going to apologize for his choices. What would he say, I'm sorry that Arabella means more to me than any of you do? That would go terribly.

So, he pauses for a moment, before awkwardly continuing again. "Still, I suppose that's par for the course for magicians. I was disappointed by my mentor as well. We made up in the end, though."

Yuya furrows his brow, not having a response at first. Of course he knows what Strange is getting to... well, but he's probably missed the mark with the apology.

"Did you misunderstand your friendship?"

Strange shakes his head. "I know how much you, Lambert, and some of the others mean to me. I can honestly say that you are some of my closest friends here. But...I don't think I was as open as I thought I was about how much Arabella means to me."

He'd pick her. He'd always pick her. Strange thought it was something that everybody knew but apparently it wasn't.

"No... I understood that."

He understands it better than he knows how to explain. Yuya shifts on his feet, glancing sideways.

"The Wyldlands are going to be dangerous. You... don't have to risk yourself if you don't want to."

For the Ringmaster, or them.

That certainly catches Strange by surprise. He looks a little shocked before his expression shifts and he gives Yuya a smile. When he speaks again, he's carefully choosing his words.

"Thank you," he says first, with a nod. Based on his smile, this obviously has some sort of meaning to Strange.

"If I may be honest? A large part of me doesn't want to go at all. Depending on how this Elysium goes, going to the Wyldlands might be a suicide mission." Something that Strange honestly isn't sure most carnival members have realized. There is always the chance that they will fail. What matters is how you work off of that...and he isn't sure that certain people have even considered that possibility.

"But at least for the moment, I am with the carnival. Until that changes, I should act like it. And, if I may be blunt, you lot will need all the help you can get." And who better to help than the carnival's most powerful magician?

Yuya tries to force up a smile at the thanks, but it falls obviously flat. It would be wrong to say there wasn't a sense of love behind his suggestion--because he can't simply turn on caring about Strange. But mostly, it came from a sense of fear if Strange continued to follow them. If that resentment would grow. If he'd make the choice when they were dying and Yuya's memories of him would end with abandonment.

He looks back at the table, gaze downcast. "What's the difference between deciding you're not part of the carnival now or later?"

Besides, Yuya thinks, that it might hurt so much more later.

Edited 2018-12-30 04:34 (UTC)

"The main difference is that I haven't yet pieced out how to travel between worlds. At the moment? I have no choice in my allegiance. But if I get the option or the power...well, I'll just have to see what I do then."

He knows what he wants to do: learn the magic or get the means of transport, let Rita study it so she can learn the magic as well, say goodbye to Yuya and Ignatius and then leave. But it would be silly to think that everything would go according to Strange's hopes and wants.

Yuya's spent days dwelling on it. Piecing out what Strange said, the way it recolors their interactions. He thought he was prepared to face it again, to talk to Strange with the realization that he was less important, that the things Strange had said weren't as genuine as he'd taken them. He thought he could accept that.

But then something burns in his chest when the wound is torn open again. 'I'll just have to see'. 'I have no choice in my allegiance'. Yuya isn't so willing to give the way Strange phrases things any more benefit of the doubt. There's a point behind them.

Yuya's fist slams against the table as he whips back around to Strange, his expression pulled tight. "Like you haven't already decided what you're going to do?! Am I supposed to feel better, like saying you're part of the carnival means anything when it's only because you think you're forced?!"

As Yuya's fist slams against the table, Strange's attention instantly turns towards everyone else. There are a few fae staring and gossiping, but nobody seems like they're going to try and chastise them just yet.

One thing is certain: Strange isn't gonna let Yuya do that again. "Remember where we are," he briefly scolds. But, Yuya does have a point so might as well try to explain his reasoning.

"I do care for you. If I can protect you or keep you safe then of course I will do so. But I care for Arabella most of all. We have no idea what will happen in the next few days! We could fail at retrieving the Ringmaster, we could all die in the Wyldlands, or everything could go wonderfully well and we'd leave without a trace. We just don't know. The only certainty is that if there is a way to go back to England, I'll take it."

Yuya bristles, digging his nails into his palm. Trying to lower his voice just causes the anger to crack into sorrow, and his vision blurs with tears.

"Even if you say that... you'd leave even if we needed you. I--I can't believe it's true when I'm left wondering when you'll turn your back because you decide being with us is just getting in the way of seeing your wife!"

He doesn't want things to end like that. It's a foreboding future that hangs over them, and he can't hope against everything that Strange won't have to make that decision.

He shakes his head, giving Yuya a small smile. "But you don't need me. None of you in the carnival do. And I'm alright with that! I'm still here because I like being with you. If I didn't, I would have made a contract with a fae in the Summerlands and left already."

Granted, it's equal parts that and Strange's determination to not fuck this up and to make certain his way back home is solid and secure. He doesn't want to bet everything on some fae he barely knows. It should be either under his own power or by a method or person he trusts.

Yuya sniffs, not even holding back the tears this time.

"That's not really it, is it?" He presses the heel of his palm to his eye, trying to clear his face. "I've told you--I've tried to tell you, but you won't listen when I say how much you mean to me. So isn't it really that we're the ones you don't need?"

Yuya's beginning to realize that how much he loves Strange, how important he is to him, it doesn't matter. It's a slap in the face to have Strange buckle down on how unneeded he is when Yuya has tried to desperately impressed again and again how important he is. How far Yuya would go for him, too.

"You don't need me, and you don't want me as much and--it's not fair to say you care when all I have to look forward to is if you're going to abandon us to something like Polaris."

He can't help but scowl a little as Yuya says that he doesn't want him as much. It's technically true: he does want to be with Arabella most of all. But it still hurts.

"What do you want me to say?" he snaps, finally failing at keeping his cool. "That I'd abandon my wife for the carnival? That I would forsake the person who I've done everything for, who I've loved my whole life in exchange for people that I've barely known for a year?" He laughs a little, putting his hand to his head as if to stave off a headache.

"God, how I wish I could do that so you would stop thinking of how heartless I am and I wouldn't have to make this choice in the first place. But I can't."

"I wish you'd stop saying you care when you keep insisting we don't!" Yuya snaps right back, but his expression is filled with despair rather than anger. "I wish you actually did care enough to listen. Even to yourself! Don't you think acting like it wouldn't come to that is only going to make it hurt more when it does?"

"I know you care! I never said you didn't!"

Strange pauses for a moment to try and regain his composure. He's being looked at and whispered about. And he is not going to be the person to ruin negotiations by flying off the handle. When he speaks again, it's through gritted teeth.

"I care about you, just as I care about Rita and Ignatius. And you're right. It will hurt if I have to leave all of you in a terrible situation. But whatever situation the carnival is in, I have faith that you'll escape it and come through, with or without me."

"You keep saying you're not needed or not a priority even if I say otherwise," Yuya points out glumly. It's hard to believe that he cares when it seems like nothing Yuya says it heard, when nothing he feels is given credit.

He sucks in a sharp breath, trying to steady himself. "What I mean is... if that's your decision, then why let it get that far? Do you want the last time we see each other to be something like that?"

Yuya won't ask him to stay. He's made his place clear. What he doesn't understand is how Strange can be all right with letting it reach the breaking point when he's already decided where his investment in the rest of them ends. They both know the impending dangers and consequences. Hoping things won't get that bad is, by this point, naive even for Yuya.

Strange takes another few deep breaths as he continues to try and steady himself.

"Needing is different than caring-something I just realized a few days ago. I am not needed. This is not like England: there is nothing I can do for the carnival that only I can do. Hell, half the time the carnival is better off without me. And I am not needed by any of you. I choose to be with you because I care."

He's not going to argue that point about priorities. Because in Strange's mind, he isn't one. There's a few people Yuya would choose over him. But that's okay? Or at least, he needs to accept that it's okay otherwise he'll drive himself mad again.

"As for your last point, I have no idea how far or not it would go. All I know is that if I'm given a choice that I'm certain will work, I'd be a fool not to take it."

Yuya's shoulders slack as he looks at Strange. He could point out the ways Strange has done things for him no one else could. Could point out that Yuya's priorities aren't and were never a tier, and Strange has always been among them. But the will to do so is dying when he's faced with the same future of waiting and fearing when Strange's 'care' is going to reach his limit.

He takes a step back, a tremble running through him. "Then I can't really believe in it, right? Because if I rely on you and that's when you leave, I don't..."

He's not sure he can bear how much that'd hurt. He can't pretend things are the same, that the fear they'll reach that unknown point before Yuya even sees it coming. He's never had a friendship break, and to shatter over a rejection is terrifying.

⇨ THE SUMMER COURT

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