[OPEN]

[anti_nonsense]

Who: Rita, Francis, and you!
When: During the day or so the Ringmaster allows for everyone to consider their choice.
Where: The carnival, or what's left of it.
What: Rita reunites with her cat, returns to what remains of her temporary home in the carnival, maybe gets sappy over her boyfriend, maybe gets talking about the decisions they all have in front of them.


At long last, they made it back. The carnival doesn't look anything like Rita remembers it, but there's a vague sense of familiarity in the air. Once their immediate business is concluded and the Ringmaster has left them all with time to deliberate their future as mortals (or not), Rita takes the time to wander out into the empty, grassy space of what used to be the trailer park. It doesn't take long for Francis to find her, and together with her cat, she locates the space that seems to vaguely coincide with the home she shared with 9S.

Littered on the ground in several haphazard piles are books, papers, clothes, electronic devices, and all sorts of knickknacks collected from various worlds. Rita sits on the grass next to one of these such piles, pulling out an item one at a time, examining it, and setting it aside. A magic textbook here, a tacky t-shirt there... Everything, with some kind of story behind it.

"Nyaa?" Francis seems to ask her, tilting his head.

Rita shakes her head, as if comprehending and responding to his question. "No... he isn't here. But we'll all be back together soon. I promise."

Despite the wide open space, she's so engrossed in what she's doing that she may not notice someone approach while she attempts to sincerely reassure her cat.

Comments

[alphudo]

There are... a number of people Yuusei has wanted to talk to over the past while. So much has happened, so much has changed, but there's always been some big thing or other that's been going on, that's held everyone's immediate attention. There's been so much going and going... It's exhausting. It's all been exhausting.

Finally, though, everyone's efforts have culminated into a victory, a success conjured by their own collective hands. Finally, they can settle down and breathe, if only for a day.

They'll be going to the Winter Court tomorrow, but for now, they have today.

Yuusei's gait is no longer the nervous, unsteady wobble he had entered the carnival with upon receiving his new body, so approaching Rita while she surveys her belongings and speaks with her cat is a thoughtless task. One arm folded behind his back, he absentmindedly adjusts his shirt (still wearing his Summerlands outfit in all its clownery) as he comes up beside her.

He greets her with a soft smile. "You'll never guess what I found laying around."

[anti_nonsense]

Rita looks up from her conversation with her cat to give Yuusei a somewhat confused look. He's not the first person she expected to approach her here, and with a line like that...

"What?" she asks, her brow scrunched with uncertainty.

[alphudo]

His smile broadens as he sits down and brings his folded arm around. In his hand is a very familiar tool, the very one he had been using when he first spoke to Rita in the carnival.

"I found your wrench."

[atouts]

"Talking about 9S?"

The question is posed by a tired, gravelly voice most often attached to Childermass and, unsurprisingly, this time it's the same. He had been on his way to his own trailer — or where what had been in it should still be — when he wandered on up behind her, pausing to listen in on her talking to her cat. It's not different than him chatting away at Baker, so he hardly finds that odd.

[anti_nonsense]

Rita winces briefly at the realization that someone's been listening, but she doesn't bother dwelling on it for all that long. Once she's had a moment to get over the embarrassment, she takes a breath, sighs, and admits, "Yeah."

She puts the book in her hand aside, stacking it atop several others, then reaches into the junk pile to retrieve another.

"You know, it feels weird to think... This was our place. We talked about everything here, ate our meals together, stayed up late watching video recordings... but now it's just gone. It's not like this was where we planned to stay for the long term or anything, but..."

[anti_nonsense]

Slowly, Rita's eyes widen in recognition. "You're kidding," she murmurs. "Of all the things to survive to this point... hah. I can't believe it."

[hippocarnival]

Yuya crouches down near Rita while she's sorting through her things, taking off his pendulum and swinging it in Francis' sight in an attempt to distract him. It was fun last time, wasn't it?

He hasn't approached his own pile of things, yet, even though he knows where it is. Looking at the state of everything else, it's a little harrowing, and he's not quite ready for the personal punch of seeing his trailer gone and his things so carelessly scattered.

"I guess a lot's changed."

[alphudo]

"Funny, isn't it?" He tosses the wrench up in the air (away from Rita) a couple times before simply placing it on the ground. A silence falls over him.

Physically, Rita doesn't seem to have changed much compared to their first encounter. Were her legs already like that? He can't recall. He remembers she disliked these changes, however, at least at first. He wonders if that's still the case.

His lips purse.

"...I... kind of can't believe we survived to this point. It feels like we should've..." Mm, maybe don't take it so pessimistically. "I don't know. I'm just surprised we're still here."

He knows not everyone stayed the whole time. He knows many of them had disappeared suddenly, even before he'd shown up.

[atouts]

"But it was still your place, just for the two of you," Childermass finishes for her. He understands it, even if he and Lambert maintained an ultimately foolish image by keeping their own separate places. "And right now all you're left with are your memories. Missing it is perfectly reasonable, Ms. Mordio."

[anti_nonsense]

Francis tries to act disinterested in the pendulum, but that lasts for all of ten seconds before he stalks over to it and starts batting at it with his paws.

"...Yeah," Rita murmurs in response. "Both this place, and us. I'll bet Nines is in for a surprise..." Her gaze wanders to a yet-untouched stack of belongings, one largely composed of his things. Will he even come back here again? Rita's not so sure.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya swings the pendulum side to side.

"I guess it depends what we're all going to do... since we still have contracts. But I don't know if the Ringmaster will make it a carnival anytime soon." He looks up to Rita. "Especially if we're going to change even more about the Courts."

[anti_nonsense]

"I'm surprised for you, maybe," Rita quips, "but I knew I'd make it."

It's easy to say that now, but it's probably not entirely true. There were a few moments when Rita genuinely thought all was lost. But now that she's past that point, she can just pretend those doubts never existed.

Looking back over the piles of belongings around her, she adds after a moment of reflection, "...Should've been more of us who made it here."

[anti_nonsense]

Rita looks up at the magician, seems to consider whether there's anything she can argue in there... and, finding nothing to disagree with, simply replies with, "Hmph." She doesn't want to say so, but he more or less has her figured out.

Francis slinks over closer to her, rubbing his body against her legs as he passes by, then giving Childermass a curious look.

"Well, don't think you'll see me moping around here for long. I know what I have to do. And... it won't be long until we can make a new place. One that's even better than this one was."

[anti_nonsense]

"Are those contracts even valid, after everything that happened? I have to wonder..." Rita mutters with a frown. After all, if their contracts were transferred to the Mother of Invention, and then she died...

"Not that I'm worried or anything. It's the Ringmaster who came up with those stupid rules for this place. What was it... 'always pay your dues'? She'll... probably come through." There's a brief moment of hesitation as Rita admits she actually has something resembling faith in the Ringmaster. "...Have you decided what you're going to do, about her offer?"

[hippocarnival]

Yuya really has no idea, he's just been assuming. It could be they're all totally contract free except for the claims of Ignatius and Gilded Mark.

"She'll do what she can to make it right." He speaks with a little more confidence. At her question, he turns back to Francis. "I don't think I'm going to take it. I still have to talk to Gongenzaka, but it doesn't really seem right for me."

So much power, responsibility, longevity he doesn't think he's suited for at all. "What about you?"

[anti_nonsense]

Francis, seemingly delighted by the pendulum's movement, has taking to rolling around on his back while swinging up at it excitedly.

"I'm taking it," Rita says without hesitating. "I'm tired of relying on the Ringmaster, or Ignatius, or whoever else for protection. I want to be able to take matters into my own hands."

He said he'll talk to Gongenzaka about it? So he and the big guy really are... no, more importantly...

"Why don't you think it'd suit you?" she goes on to ask, looking genuinely curious.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya can't help but smile. Cats really make everything better.

He shrugs a shoulder. "It just seems like a lot to take on. 'Changing our place in the multiverse'... I was just planning to go home and not have stuff happening for once."

His expression twists wryly. "Besides, I think I'm better off without having that much power."

Because Zarc. Twice. He had reasons to not put stock in his ability to not go totally crazy with jt.

[anti_nonsense]

"Well... I can't blame you if you want to spare your world from this kind of nonsense," Rita says, gesturing vaguely. It's a worry that she has herself, on some level. Now that her world's been opened up to the multiverse at large... what might happen to them as a result? Maybe taking the Ringmaster's offer will attract even more trouble, but maybe it'll give Rita the power to protect her world if the unthinkable happens.

"... But if you ask me, I think you'd handle excessive power a lot better than most of the idiots who actually possess it do," she adds with a shrug.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya smiles wryly, scratching his cheek. "Eh, but maybe I still shouldn't add another idiot to it... but you'll do great with it."

Rita's among those that, if he really thought about it, would do just fine with the power of a Fae. She has her heart in all the right places, and... probably wouldn't go too wild with her temper knowing what destruction it could cause.

[alphudo]

Yuusei snorts but otherwise says nothing in the way of snarking back. He about expected that kind of attitude, though he doesn't find himself particularly bothered by it. It reminds him of Jack in a way.

His eyes shift to the pile as well, taking a moment to identify some objects for curiosity's sake. He feels like he recognises some of them, but he can't place it immediately. He never got to know too many folks, but several of those he did...

He nods. "...yeah." It's impossible to tell what all of their fates were. He hopes the majority were simply whisked back home. "I'm sure... they're at least happy, those who couldn't be here."

[anti_nonsense]

Rita's face reddens slightly at that. He won't trust himself with that power, but he'll trust her? "It's not like I'm an especially good person, or anything..." she mumbles. "You're the one putting all your effort into learning protective spells."

As opposed to Rita, who keeps going for bigger and better explosions.

[hippocarnival]

"No, I think you're a great person. Because it's really how you use the power you have, right?"

And Yuya's certain for all Rita's gruff that her heart's in exactly the right place for that. So he offers her an encouraging, genuine smile.

"Maybe it'll make helping the blastia easier for you, too."

[anti_nonsense]

Rita scoffs, shaking her head. There's a pause before she bothers vocalizing the cause for that reaction.

"...9S got left behind in Shabon, when we were all captured. Sure, that means he didn't have to go through everything that happened in Polaris, but... he's probably still stuck there, with no idea where we are or if we're okay..."

It's frustrating, not being able to just go there, to tell him she's all right, to bring him back with her...

[atouts]

"So you've figured out a way to track him down, have you?" Childermass asks, though his attention has moved on to the Litten eyeing him right back. He's never really had a chance to get a closer look at Francis, especially with how often Baker tends to be out and about in the carnival, but in the dog's absence...

Well, of course he's going to crouch down and offer a hand out towards the cat, wiggling fingers at him (though thankfully not making any ridiculous 'here, kitty' sounds).

[anti_nonsense]

Rita doesn't know how to respond to being told she's a great person. She doesn't consider herself some altruistic hero type, nor does she think she's all that terrible, either. She's just a person with her own goals and desires, same as anyone else.

But if someone looks at her and sees someone who's doing 'good', well... that's not so bad, either.

She perks up at the mention of blastia, her hand instinctively moving to touch the gem on her neck. "...Yeah, you're right. With everything I'll gain, I won't need to rely on the blastia anymore. So... it should be easier to let go, when they all become spirits." Her expression softens at the thought. It always seemed like something that would happen in the distant future, but it won't be long now, will it? "...I hope this one won't be mad, considering I've been asking too much of her for all this time."