⇨ THE SUMMER COURT

[ringleaders]

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.

Comments

[periphrasing]

"Why would they want to show off for a bunch of changelings?" Peridot replies with a snort. "You only put the effort into showing off for people that you actually care about impressing. Us? We're nothing to them. Less than nothing, actually, since I'm pretty sure they'd vastly prefer our absence to the alternative."

[kingsroads]

"All the more reason for them to show off!" Strange sighs. Obviously, he's got different ideas about this matter than Peridot as he continues talking. "What better way to show that we're nothing to them than to rub it in our faces about how better they are than us?"

[periphrasing]

Peridot shakes her head. "No no. You're not getting it. We're not even worth antagonizing in that way. That's how little we matter to them. We're like pennies, remember?"

[kingsroads]

"They keep staring at me," Strange grumbles, looking over at some random fae with a little frown. He's used to being the center of attention, but after a solid week or so of being the center of attention, it's getting a little old. "And they keep staring at Steven and Rita as well. Even if it's just as curiosities, we matter more than they want to admit."

He thought that it was just because of his and Rita's visible connection to Ignatius. But the way they stare at Steven as well and the fact that both of them got that same kind of staring treatment in the Summerlands...it's got to be the Miracles. Right? Maybe?

[periphrasing]

"They're staring at all of us, in case you haven't noticed," Peridot points out. "Granted, they may be looking at you three a bit more closely, and for different reasons..."

She rolls her shoulders, shifting uncomfortably.

"I just hope the Maiden and the Queen can come to some sort of agreement. Make all this trouble worth it. Rescuing the Ringmaster is going to be considerable more difficult a task if they don't."

[kingsroads]

"If they don't come to an agreement, you can always ask individual fae for help yourself. Some of them might be willing to push back against the Queen and join the mission on their own."

And Strange places his hands in front of him, as if to stave off the inevitable 'yes, but' or Peridot pointing out the obvious. "I know that you'll say something about how little we matter, but it's at least doing something. It's always best to at least make an effort."

[periphrasing]

Peridot does start to open her mouth to say something, but it's not what Strange assumes. "Actually, I'm much more worried about getting them to agree to such an endeavor without having to sign several dozen new contracts with a bunch of potentially untrustworthy fae," she huffs.

[kingsroads]

"Well so am I," Strange points out, like it's obvious. "But it should be easier to convince one person than an entire Court system. And, if I may be frank, the carnival will die the moment it steps into the Wyldlands if not supported by fae allies."

He remembers Shabon. He remembers how the Huntsman could have easily killed everyone there.

[periphrasing]

Yeesh. Peridot makes a grimace that seems to indicate that the frankness is not particularly appreciated, even if he's probably right.

"We do have two fae allies already," Peridot points out, although... now that she says it, are Gild and Ignatius actually on board with this, if they don't manage to get the Queen or the Maiden's support? Shit. "You also have to factor in that they got the drop on us the last time, during a moment of particular vulnerability. Things probably wouldn't have gone quite so badly if the Ringmaster hadn't been in such a state."

[kingsroads]

"If I may be blunt," says the person who's spent this whole conversation being blunt, "I think whatever that thing the Huntsman used would have killed the Ringmaster no matter what state she was in. Likewise, his forces were swarming with other fae. Even at peak power, the Ringmaster couldn't take out an army by herself. We'd simply have ran."

There's nothing condemnatory or accusing in Strange's tone as he describes running—hell, he's still debating whether or not he should run from this next fight or not. But unlike a large portion of the carnival, Strange's faith in the Ringmaster has been wavering ever since the Athenaeum. Even if she was in one piece, he doubts she knew what she would be doing.

[periphrasing]

"Um. I said that things wouldn't have gone as horribly as they did. I wasn't trying to imply that the Ringmaster would have won," Peridot counters. "If she'd been in better condition, she probably could have organized a proper evacuation or something. And even if that wasn't the case, being split certainly didn't help matters any."

[kingsroads]

"It didn't," Strange agrees, sighing slightly under his breath. There's a moment where he frowns, slightly sulking about the whole mess, before he very tentatively asks,

"I might have missed this, what with being dead and all, but...did the Ringmaster ever apologize for the fact that she didn't tell us about all this fae nonsense?" said with a vague hand gesture to the Summer Court itself. "I doubt many of us would sign up if we knew we would be throwing our lot in with a fugitive."

[periphrasing]

It's sort of an odd question to bring up now of all times, but... Peridot's expression darkens, gaze growing distant while she consults her memories.

"Not that I'm aware of, no," she admits after a moment, and she doesn't seem especially happy to reflect on that knowledge. She's been so worried about the Ringmaster that she'd sort of forgotten that she's still kind of mad about that. "If my contract had been up for renewal closer to when we finally discovered that information, I almost certainly wouldn't have stayed."

[kingsroads]

"That's why I have less faith in her than others," Strange explains. That's why he's spent this whole conversation about the Ringmaster with hesitancies and doubts, just naysaying and 'I don't know'ing Peridot's feelings about her at every opportunity.

"She doesn't know what she's doing—hell, it's possible she never knew what she was doing. So you can't expect her to be any help if you do manage to find her in the Wyldlands."

[periphrasing]

The gem looks puzzled at that, cocking her head and giving Strange an odd look. "That statement is... Confusing," she announces blandly. "Please clarify. I can't expect her to be of any help with... What, exactly?"

[kingsroads]

Strange frowns a little, trying to sort all his thoughts in order before he speaks.

"Say you find and rescue the Ringmaster. That's wonderful! But you still will need to escape the Wyldlands and deal with the Huntsman, the Winter Court will still want to kill her and possibly us, and depending on how negotiations go, the Summer Court might not be of any use. She won't know what to do about that."

She won't know what to do about any of that, Strange can't help but bitterly think. The Ringmaster only knows how to react to things.

[periphrasing]

Peridot can't help but notice Strange's usage of 'you' in this scenario instead of 'we', but she leaves off on commenting on that for now.

"You're talking about her like you think she's completely impotent or something," Peridot says, snorting incredulously. Anyone talking about any fae like they're a powerless fuck-up is a bit weird to hear. "Anyway. Even if that's all somewhat true, I don't really see what the alternative is. The Ringmaster is our friend. We can't just leave her to some grim fate in the Huntsman's clutches."

[kingsroads]

"If she really was our friend, she would have told us about the Courts earlier," Strange points out. "And I know it was her right to do so and I know that it's a well-established fact by now that I do not do well with secrecy, but we wouldn't have been in this mess if we knew from the beginning."

Granted, they would be in an entirely different mess. But maybe it would be a mess with less kidnapping and blunt mental trauma. If they knew that everyone viewed the Ringmaster as a traitor to the point of outright kidnapping her, how different would all this be?

Also granted, this might be Strange's big ol'issues with people keeping secrets at the wheel.

"You're right, though. There isn't an alternative to getting her back."

[periphrasing]

"She may have just convinced herself somehow that it was the right thing to do at the time. Or that the information just wasn't relevant to share," Peridot suggests somewhat sadly. "Honestly, for a while? It really wasn't. I've been with the carnival a lot longer than you have. My whole first year working for her, we didn't run into a single other fae! Maybe she just got so used to keeping it a secret, she didn't know how to handle things, once it became clear the truth needed to come out."

Peridot pauses to exhale, pursing her lips in thought. She shrugs. "I don't know. I just think people can still be your friends, even if they lie to you. I don't know about you, but she's done a lot for me. I never would have learned all this magic, or met you or Lambert, or seen all the incredible things that I've seen out there in the multiverse, if it hadn't been for her."

[kingsroads]

"I suppose we should just overlook all the torture?" It's a joke! Not a very good one, but based on Strange's weak smile, it is obviously a joke.

"I think she's done more for you than for me," Strange admits. After all, aside from her breaking his curse, his contract has been a total bust. Sure, he's leaving this place with new magic and new experiences, but he's also leaving it after being touched by a Miracle and with mirrors for arm bones...neither of which, Strange is just now realizing, were technically her fault.

Shit. He might have to rethink some things.

"Still, you're right: I wouldn't have met you without her. So that has to count for something." And Strange reaches over to try and give Peridot an embarrassing pat on the head.

[periphrasing]

The joke definitely goes right over her head, because she's having a hard time recalling the Ringmaster ever having deliberately tortured someone? But the conversation moves on, so she just kind of cocks her head in confusion before deciding to just let it go.

Besides, Strange is reaching over now and-- oh stars, what the hell is he doing?

Peridot doesn't try to duck the hand, but her ears twitch down out of the way and she makes some sort of horrible disgruntled noise as Strange pats her, like a cat that's kind of just barely tolerating being touched.

"Why do people always do that to me?" she complains once he's done. "Is it because of my height? Nobody ever touched my head like that when I still wore limb enhancers!"

Of course, she didn't have. Friends? At any point when she was still wearing limb enhancers? But whatever. She feels like if she did, she still wouldn't have gotten weird head pats from anyone.

[kingsroads]

"It's definitely because of your height," Strange explains, in a matter of fact tone. "People find short things endearing and, as you may have noticed, you're rather short."

And, though he's not pointing out the obvious, people might not be able to reach her head if she's wearing limb enhancers...whatever the hell those things are.

[periphrasing]

"I am not short," Peridot growls defensively. "I am exactly the height that I was designed to be to maintain the perfect ratio between the amount of resources used in my creation and my ability to perform my assigned function back on Homeworld."

She pauses.

"...Plus the extra inch that I gained when my legs changed after we came back from Eden," she adds, standing on one foot to lift up the other and frown at it thoughtfully.

[kingsroads]

"That exact height might be perfect for Homeworld but, unfortunately for you, you're stuck here with a bunch of humans." There's a pause while Strange stops his teasing and amends, "Or at least, a bunch of people who used to be humans."

Strange honestly has no idea if some of them count as human anymore, what with Miracles, the Void, Creation, and all these other fae things shoved into them.

[periphrasing]

"'Short' implies some kind of deficiency in height," Peridot argues stubbornly, crossing her arms. "I am not short. I am exactly the height that I need to be."