lostcarnival | ⇨ THE SUMMER COURT

Entry tags:

⇨ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Steven can't help but flinch when the Rose Queen comes at him, fear bubbling over when it sounds like she might try to take control of him again - but, it doesn't happen. The Summer Queen stops her and for what feels like the first time in his life, there is an opportunity where he could speak - to squeeze in a precious few words that she can't just immediately choke out of him.

His fists clench, and Amethyst will feel his shoulders tense. Though they were never far away, tears begin to prickle his eyes again.

"You know what?" Steven says, as loudly as he can bear. "I wanted to know you! The whole time I was growing up, I remember asking dad about you, about what you were like - wondering... wondering if I'd get to meet you someday! But ever since I did, everything has been worse."

"All you had to do was be nice to us and you could have had everything you wanted! Why don't you get that?" The tears start to break free, and he looks away from her, trying to keep himself under control. "All I wanted was to have a mom."

Yuya doesn't swoop in to comfort Steven mostly because he's already crowded. It's a little weird to here that explanation when he has a harder time remembering Portland before that month (but that just might be too many memories and pre-existing soul damage jumbling around). Still, his expression slips into raw sympathy as he weeps for what he wanted to have, too.

Yuya bites his lip, moving to step a little more in front of the Rose Queen--not enough to block her view of Steven or Childermass like that time, but at least enough to make him more obvious when he speaks to her again.

"Haven't you ever wondered what Steven wanted? He's not like the Rose. He's not a possession, and you can't own him. He's a person! And--" His face twists briefly in frustration. "And doesn't mean anything to you that... that you hurt him so much that meeting you did make everything worse?"

It's funny how reflective that is of the Fae's relationship to everything--everyone else. Doesn't it mean anything that after meeting, everything got worse? To look at the path in front of you and realize how much you're destroying, hurtling on the same entitled selfishness?

Perhaps, there, the Rose Queen isn't so wrong after all.

There’s something distinctly uncomfortable about the Rose Queen’s behavior that takes Lambert a long moment to put his finger on — desperation stripped naked of artifice, too raw to care about attempting to conceal it. She’s almost as feral as the the Rose she was meant to guard and protect, and he wonders if it was the duty that came first and the similarity after, or if it’s part of the nature of her domain.

But domains can be changed. He looks to Ignatius again, wondering what he makes of all this spectacle, and the way the Summer Queen seems to be handling things.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” he says loudly, adding his voice onto Yuya’s. “Scared that if you let him go, if you don’t control everything he does, that you’ll lose him, or he’ll change. But that’s not how it works. Things aren’t meant to stay the same forever. I mean,” he frowns, pursing his lips. He’s really reaching out on a limb here, not being either a philosopher or sufficiently intoxicated, but he’ll give it a shot anyway, his fingers tightening on Childermass’s hand. “Just look at the Courts, right? Summer and Winter, wood and rot, light and shadow ... even Maidens become Queens and Crones. Even the fae can change.”

There's a lot of projecting here, from all sides. Strange can't help but look a little confused at Lambert's 'afraid of change' remark. Sure that might be it. Or maybe she's just possessive? Isn't that the simple answer?

"There is a way for the two of you to get to know each other better and work through this," Strange idly remarks, as he looks over at Steven. He turns his attention back to the Rose Queen. "If you come with us, there will be plenty of time to talk in the Wyldlands."

And instantly after he says this, Strange just mentally prepares himself for the rest of the carnival to try and shoot him down. But he's not looking in their direction: his attention is focused squarely on the Rose Queen.

Everyone trying to reason with the Rose Queen, it makes no sense to Childermass.

"And invite her to abuse Steven further?" He can't help but wrinkle his nose in disdain as he looks between all the various speakers. "You may as well go back in time and invite the Prince along as well if you all really want to offer third or fourth chances to monsters."

This has been building for a long time, but Steven was trying to avoid having it turn into something. In the past, he'd managed to make reparations with Strange - or at least he thought he had. The last time it came up, Steven had refrained from saying anything about it all, simply letting Strange talk about him like he was a tool or a piece of bait, unwilling to put the emotional effort into trying to stop him.

Even someone like Steven has a breaking point, though.

"Can you stop talking for me?!" he shouts, turning around to face to Strange with a look of complete indignation and hurt. "I'm so... so sick of you treating me like this! I wanted to be your friend, too! But all you do is talk about me like I'm an object you can build your plans around! Do you even care how I feel?"

He's angry, but he's also pleading. He doesn't understand what he ever did to deserve Strange treating him like this.

"It's like you want to be as bad as her! Leave me ALONE!"

Lambert sighs, nudging an elbow into Childermass’s side and using Steven’s outburst to mutter to the magician.

“We came here for a reason,” he reminds the magician, quietly. “To get them to listen. If you think I’m not doing a good job reminding anyone else what it is, why don’t you give it a go?”

"I'd be breaking the Elysium to do it," Childermass sighs in reply, also under his breath. "Dragging Strange kicking and screaming out would certainly count as assault..." Though he looks towards where the Summer Queen and the Maiden stand. "They may be able to, however."

So when Childermass raises his voice, it's to address them. Not the Rose Queen, not Strange, not Steven, but the people actually in charge here.

"Your Majesty, if I may be so bold... I believe this may be wandering off from the original reason for this Elysium. This was to be a conversation between yourself and the Summer Maiden, not a pack of mortals having a long argument with one of your courtiers."

This is only making their cause look worse and worse. Strange looks over at Steven before, hissing almost under his breath, "You have the spell. You would control when she talked to you."

But thank God for Childermass, bringing this back to where it belongs. After the other magician speaks, Strange remains quiet, waiting for the Court to weigh in on the matter.

Syrlya's pretty much done the equivalent of watching a trainswreck, arms crossed and silent as those with significantly more bone to pick start to argue. He's not worried about their altercation damaging negotiations as long as nobody tries actually fight the Rose Queen, but she is a huge distraction, given her mere presence upsets quite a few people with them. He can't see taking her along on the mission as doing any good.

Which, he gives Strange a sidelong look. "It is not your place to negotiate to bring the Rose Queen specifically in rescuing the Ringmaster above the desires of the rest of the carnival."

Rin keeps near Steven, listening to everything going on.

Man, Strange really wants to somehow make an ally of the Rose Queen, huh?

"Yyyyyeah.... I think uh... we probably don't... need the Rose Queen with us..."

You know. Just like, his opinion, man.

Though she is watching, the Summer Queen doesn't seem particularly stressed by this discussion - hence her not having any particular eagerness to force it to an end. She exchanges glances with the Maiden, however, and the Maiden seems to be growing impatient with this. And so, she speaks.

"It would not be the Rose Queen's place to aid in a mission like this... and I don't appreciate your attempts to recruit from my Court with prizes that are not yours to offer," she looks at Strange, and there is a calm but cutting disapproval in her eyes. "It sounds as if you do not speak for your kin, just as the Rose Queen cannot speak for the Summer Court."

"We can discuss recruitment once the rest of this has been settled. You have already met some of the best we have to offer in Ignatius," she says, carefully. "Hopefully you can find yourself satisfied with more of his kind, if this treatise is agreed upon."

Ignatius looks surprised to be referenced - and even more so that it's in a positive light. His face and shoulders glow with additional brightness, and he inclines his head in acknowledgment.

The Rose Queen has been looking at Steven, stunned, since he spoke - even more baffled after Strange speaks and Steven shuts him down. There is a wild longing there that may never go away, but she's at least caught off guard enough to be quiet.

"That in mind," the Summer Queen says, "my discussion with the Maiden is near concluded. After that, I would like to hear from others in the Court, and in the Maiden's care. There is much I do not know about your kind, and about the events you have witnessed."

All the rage Gongenzaka was quietly controlling and holding in is able to simply be let go, when the Summer Queen speaks again. It is not only calming, but reassuring, to hear what she has to say. The authority is clear but more than that, the fact that she wishes to speak to the others there properly, and even the fact that she is handling the entire matter with such steady control, has Gongenzaka's tension fade quite noticably. His daemon's anxious tail lashing ceases, and both of them face the Summer Queen with a small smile.

For all that they have their expectations of the Fae, things are without a doubt looking up. Gongenzaka glances toward Yuuya- and then still smiling, simply gives a nodding bow of sorts to the Queen...a motion mirrored by Marishi.

"Understood," she replies.

"Aaauh. I, the man Gongenzaka, am willing to speak, should you ask." The 'should' is a bit key, he feels. He is not among the creation touched, nor is he even among those who was changed by the Mother of Invention. While he has no doubt witnessed some things...he understands, if the others there would be considered stronger witnesses.

It is the polite way for them to say they will cooperate, without demanding the right to be the ones sharing what they know, they hope.

Edited 2019-01-07 01:53 (UTC)

As positive as all that sounds, Lambert’s mind fixes on that “if.” It’s a reminder this is no done deal by any means, and his expression is briefly pensive before he straightens and inclines his head.

“Then if there isn’t anything else you need us for until then,” he says, cutting a look at the other members of the Carnival. Asking permission to walk away feels unnatural, but given how easily she reined the Rose Queen’s power in, he’s not excited to see if that compulsion can be extended to him.

“May we take our leave? I think some of us have discussions of our own to have.”

It's one thing having people in the carnival disapprove of your actions. It's one thing to have the Summer Queen herself disapprove of your actions. Strange really wants nothing more to slink away and not deal with this, but he stands his ground, looking very much like the kid who just got called out in the middle of class.

He probably should stay quiet. But there's something about this that he wants to point out. Though he's keeping his voice a carefully controlled neutral, his other changes are giving the game away: the flames on his hair creep further up as they blaze with annoyance.

"Negotiations can fail. My 'kin' do not realize that if they go into the Wyldlands with no or minimal aid, they will die." Though he doesn't make an airquotes hand gesture, the tone is obvious in his voice. Kin? That's laughable. "I want to keep that from happening, no matter the consequences. Still, I shall leave the matter be."

Rita's just been watching on with a perpetual frown on her face and a sharpness in her eyes as she looks between Strange and the Rose Queen warily.

But as the Summer Queen speaks, Rita looks to Ignatius in surprise, a look of sudden hope in her eyes. "That should suit us just fine," she says after a moment, trying to contain her elation. It doesn't quite work, and her face betrays a response that goes quite a bit beyond fine.

Of course, Rita doesn't speak for the group any more than Strange does, and there's a pause after that as she glances around to see if anyone's raising objections.

"And... for my part, I don't mind sharing what I've experienced," she goes on to add, her tone coming out a bit calmer. "It's been a hell of a journey." Especially for someone like Rita, to go from despising the Summer Court as much as she once did, to being able to find its Queen as agreeable as she seems to be at this moment.

Yuya's shoulders release their tension all at once. Even though his gaze doesn't turn from the Rose Queen, he hears what everyone is saying. The Summer Queen assures that the Rose Queen won't be joining, and his trust isn't misplaced that from here on, Steven will be safe from her.

He's a little sorry Steven didn't get the chance to resolve more in this moment. He sounded like he had things he needed to say, too. Yuya turns back to him, before his attention drifts over to Strange. He doesn't say anything, but there's an agonized disappointment that he's struggling to keep off his face.

But he only gives him his attention for a second, before forcing himself to look away again to quell his own emotions. He lets out a shaky sigh before granting the Summer Queen a bow as way.

"I'm sorry. We don't want to interrupt the rest of your discussion, it's just..." He glances sideways to the Rose Queen, trying to draw the shakiness out of his voice. "We haven't had a good relationship. Um, I've been really glad to have Ignatius with us, though, so--it'd be an honor to have the help of others like him."

He's kind of winging the diplomacy thing, so he hopes that's respectful enough.

Sooo... Hitchhiking on Steven has made for a pretty wild ride. Peridot came out here fully prepared to put her all into giving the Rose Queen the stink eye; imagine her surprise when Jonathan Strange turns out to be equally deserving of her ire.

She's relieved, of course, when the Summer Queen finally puts an end to the squabbling, but it doesn't take her eyes off the magician. It's hard to read her face at the moment because 1) she's a bat and 2) her mouth is kind of obscured by Steven's hair, but... Her gaze appears sad. She keeps wanting to give the man the benefit of the doubt, no matter how many rude and insensitive things he says, but this... She's not really sure what she's feeling about him right now.

It's when Yuya commends Ignatius that she finally stops looking at Strange, glancing back over at the queen. "Uhh... I'm the one responsible for Ignatius's creation aligned metamorphosis, for the record," she adds awkwardly, waving a thumb claw. "I don't really know if I should be apologizing for that or not? All I wanted to do was heal him." Peridot pauses. "Because. He's been really good and helpful to us."

She gets the sense that maybe this isn't the right time to bring this up but uhh. The words are out of her mouth before she has time to think twice about them.

"Normally I would consider it traditional to keep plotting against your host to private conversations," the Summer Queen says to Strange, her tone dry. She doesn't seem threatening, but she seems vastly unimpressed. "I would ask you to refrain from making assertions and offers that don't align with the will of your companions. It is a waste of time to have you argue among yourself over simple matters, particularly when you are obviously outnumbered."

The Summer Queen moves on after that, paying no more heed to Strange. Instead, she seems to be listening to Yuya and Peridot, though her expression is incredibly hard to read. Is Ignatius being this friendly with fugitives a good or bad thing? It's impossible to tell what the Queen thinks, and as a result Ignatius's pride in the matter turns to uncertainty and embarrassment, like a child receiving the wrong kind of compliments from their peers.

He's not going to argue with them, because it's true. But hell if he isn't afraid of losing whatever esteem she still has for him, even if it's to the detriment of his rationality.

"I see," she says, measured. "Take this remaining time to consider what you will say before the Court... and try to come to a united opinion before you start. If another argument breaks out with the entirety of both sides involved, I fear I may never hear the end of it."

"Before that, however..." She looks at Childermass and Steven... and then to the Rose Queen. "These two are not to be harmed by you, Rose Queen. Inside or outside of Elysium... until the moment I tell you otherwise, no matter how long that may be." She narrows her eyes at Childermass in particular, and waves her hand. "On that note..."

A beam of light breaks free from nowhere, shining all around Childermass. It's a peculiar feeling, but if he has to put a name to it... it would be the feeling of the curse the Rose Queen laid upon him shattering and dissolving into light itself.

"Now, go," she says, nodding to the Summer Maiden. "We will only take a short while longer."

Steven does seem like there is something still wound up inside him as the conversation comes towards an end. Even as the Summer Queen forbids the Rose Queen from harming him again, something that previously would have been his most fanciful dream, it feels bittersweet. Like there's something missing that will never be returned to him, or fully resolved.

His whole body is shaking, which Peridot and Amethyst will easily feel. Before he turns to leave, though, he looks at the Rose Queen one last time. His claws dig into his palms.

"If... If you ever want to prove to me that... that you're someone I'd ever want to know," he says, his voice quiet but charged, "...then don't hurt my dad or any of my friends ever again. Don't... Don't hurt anybody that you don't have to. I know you probably think everyone deserves what you do to them for some reason, but... it's not right. Until you understand that, I never want to see you again."

And then he starts walking towards the backside of the Throne Room, not looking at her for a second longer.

Strange honestly has no idea what the light shining around Childermass is, but it's obviously good. He can't help but sigh a little sigh of relief as it happens. At least there's one silver lining on this giant trainwreck.

As for her final statement, the Summer Queen didn't have to tell him twice. Without even waiting to see what the others say or do, Strange turns around and starts to head out towards the courtyard, away from everybody else.

The Rose Queen has been quiet for the last bit of conversation, mostly because she's been too cowed by being completely overruled to think of anything to yell at people. When Steven speaks to her and leaves, though, she snaps out of her daze and begins to panic again.

"Steven - wait!" she calls after him, walking forward and into the barrier once again. She pounds it with her fists. "Steven! Come back! Steven! I command... I... please! Don't leave me! Steven!"

She'll keep calling him for a while, even if no one responds to her. Eventually, though, her protestations will grow weak, and she will fall silent, slumping down to her knees.

Edited 2019-01-07 03:07 (UTC)

That's... unexpected, to be honest! Childermass hadn't even considered that the Summer Queen might help him with that, although that the Rose Queen's tantrums has more to do with it happening than simple kindness makes it a very enjoyable irony.

He won't waste the Summer Queen's time with more words and instead just offers her a short bow before tugging on Lambert's arm to direct him back towards... well, wherever most of the carnival happens to be clustering up.

Lambert inhales sharply, looking at Childermass questioningly — but with the group dispersing, there’s one quick thing he has to say.

“If anyone from the Carnival wants to keep talking privately, I’ll be in that corner with a bottle of ale,” he calls. God, does he need that drink. “That includes you, Strange!”

Though with the magician already heading away to obviously sulk, and his last words — Lambert isn’t sure he’s in any mood to speak with them further anyway. With that, he’ll let Childermass tug him away.

It's kind of sad, actually -- how much the Rose Queen is begging. But her hold over Steven no longer mattered, and Childermass was free from his curse. Rin doesn't see why Strange is so mad about all this, everything seems to be coming up Carnival!

Seems like it might be time for a huddle, though, so Rin makes his way over to the side of the throne room as well.

(no subject)

drrdrrdrr - 2019-01-07 05:56 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only