[PUBLIC CHANNEL] RINGMASTER'S EIGHTH ADDRESS (D30)

[lordofthering]

[Around the start of the new performance week, the Ringmaster will light up everyone's radios with an important message. Or, rather, some important musing.]

Hello, this is the Ringmaster speaking. I say that for the benefit of any new arrivals - everyone else surely recognizes my voice, by now. The rest of this may leave you in the dust as it will be touching on some carnival history, but you can may questions if you want to get up to date.

So, I spent a lot of time thinking when the lot of you were busy with that Pillar drama. As most are aware, a couple months ago we went on a mission to retrieve an extremely powerful artifact called the Blue Rose, which we have been using to defend the carnival from faerie threats. Which, seems successful so far, given that Nightshade didn't dare enter the grounds the entire time we were there! A victory, indeed.

It got me thinking, though... the Blue Rose actually comes as a set. As I've explained to a few of you, the Blue Rose is an organism created by the first Queens of Arcadia. Only three artifacts of its kind exist, as far as I know, and I fairly sure that none of them are actually in faerie hands.

So, I thought... what if we were somehow able to get the other two? Not only would that be enough to ward off the Courts completely, it would go a long way to defending us against any of the other nonsense we come across! Perhaps we could even go back to business as usual, for a while...

Anyway, in an attempt to be more forthcoming, I am presenting this idea to you for general 'work shopping' purposes. I know that the Blue Rose was a big hassle to get, but we know so much more now than we did then! I think it's worth a second look.

Comments

[lordofthering]

Not... specifically...

[She's trying to think, but it's admittedly not her realm of expertise.]

You remember what it was like being an angel, don't you? Portland's Heaven was a fairly close reflection of the Highest, I think. It couldn't have been many steps off.

Heaven is big on things like order, and maintaining a balance in the multiverse. Generally, angels are pretty helpful creatures, but they play by their rules 'religiously'.

[pipers_son]

Ah.

[Well, he did suggest it and mention himself and others being angels once upon a time...]

Think maybe me and the others who got that sort of thing should have a little chat and see if we can recall anythin' useful...? Speakin' of, when's Sans gonna stop bein' dead?

[lordofthering]

Soon, I hope! I'll feel much better about all of this once he's back... it could be any day now. It's past the minimum threshold.

Who were the others? Yugo, I think... Julien?

[pipers_son]

Yeah, me and Julien have talked angels before. There's also... Zan, wasn't that right? I remember him at a meeting for that lot.

[lordofthering]

Possibly. Regrettably, I didn't pay much attention to any of those business until afterwards.

I haven't sensed any angelic nature from Zangetsu, though. With you, Sans, Yugo, and Julien, however, the influence is obvious.

[pipers_son]

Is that because one of my wings turned white afterwards....

[lordofthering]

No, it's a bit more metaphysical than that. You are genuinely part angel, which is mostly a spiritual thing, in this case.

[pipers_son]

Well ain't that an unfunny joke...

I guess it might work out in our favor if we went investigatin' Heaven 'tho, right?

[espigeon]

[This news isn't hugely surprising to Julien, but despite highly mixed feelings he's kind of happy to hear it.]

There was that nephilim on the moon who saw me and immediately thought I was another nephilim. I'm sure there are Heavens where that's a bad thing, you know, the mortal and the divine mingling, some major divide transgression. But this stuff happens whether or not it's forbidden. Probably the part-angel communities at least would be willing to listen.

[pipers_son]

They should look on the bright side- at least we weren't made this way be two folks trin' ta, ha, get quite biblical with one another.

[Reality just crashed and merged and fucked up and here they are]

[lordofthering]

That whole interbreeding story isn't true for the most part, anyway. Nephilim are by no means encouraged, but... the major point of contention is that nephilim are able to do things that a regular angel couldn't. Angels are bound by rules and hierarchies that halfblood children aren't.

So, less powerful, but more of a wild card in the long run. Sometimes they are seen as intermediaries between Heaven and Earth, other times as unnecessary troublemakers.

It's against angelic nature to exterminate outliers, though, so you wouldn't have to worry about that.

[pipers_son]

Well, that's a positive, then. [So long as they don't piss off any divine bodies...]

So I guess it's just a matter of findin' a good way ta spin our interest in askin' about fae artifccts then, innit? Even just for the information, not even if they actually have it or not.

[Get information, gauge the risks, and decide if they want to act, all that.]

[espigeon]

[Dryly:] I feel like it'd be kind of on the nose to say 'oh thank God' to that.

I seem to remember that some mortals could be lifted up to be angels, I was - the other me knew more about that process. So I guess there's some boundary-crossing anyway...

They might not want to help but they might also take a warning about someone else going for whatever they have.

[pipers_son]

I've been tryin' ta avoid evokin' the Lord's name in vain for the same reason~.

[Ha ha.]

But yeah, that's a good point. We could play this as us bein' concerned about other parties attackin' them, or similar. I mean, we've already had bad run ins with them... Heaven's adversary in particular.

[Fuck Hell, in particular.]

Lead onta us bein' a good neutral party better suited ta protectin' it, too.

[espigeon]

As long as this doesn't lead into deciding to steal whatever-it-is anyway, because that's a good way to get a whole nother faction of enemies and even with two artifacts that seems pretty iffy.

If the carnival's enemies blunt their teeth on Heaven or Hell - I mean, I guess Hell could be warned too, preferably from a good distance - and make enemies there that's. Probably okay?

[pipers_son]

[Joker is half a second away from repeating his refrain of never dealing with Hell, when something suddenly hits him.]

....Do ya think we could spread false rumors? Like- Heaven and Hell go at it so much, one or the other would probably know if the other party had somethin' powerful on their side, right? So if Heaven maybe was able ta confirm for us for sure that Hell doesn't have anythin'... We could spread a rumor ta Hell does, and have whoever would be a problem go fling themselves at Hell instead?

That make sense, Jules?

[espigeon]

Uh. Hm. It makes sense but that'd be lying and I'm not confident on people not being able to tell. Also Hell might find out and be mad at us, but from what I hear they're already unfriendly in our direction soooo maybe that's not that big a deal.

I guess like anything else whether it's a good idea or even really possible can't really be determined without knowing more.

Also this is conjuring vivid pictures of going to Heaven to chat and then demons show up to be awful.

[pipers_son]

Well, I'll plainly admit that I already hate Hell, so, you've got me there.

[Salt Hell, is what he's saying.]

But ya have a point. As things are now, all we can do is muse over 'maybe's. And hey, Jules, mind if I get ya on a private channel really quick?

[espigeon]

I... yeah, I can't say I go as far as that but the idea of dealing directly with it is kinda viscerally unpleasant, so let's please not!

Sure, sure. You can imagine I'm making a joke about getting me alone here. Oops. Guess it doesn't take that much imagination.

[And, privately:]

What's up?

[pipers_son]

['Private' channels are kind of a joke, because technically anyone can listen in on them, but Joker takes what he can get. Besides, presumably everyone will be too distracted listening to the Ringmaster's deal to care what they're talking about.]

...Not sure about any of this?

[espigeon]

[They kind of are. Switching to speaking in Angelic would help, but this doesn't really feel like something that needs to be secret, not yet.]

You or me? Because, 'yes'.

Wow is it weird to say I want to go to Heaven, thank you certain people back home for tainting that phrase, but also, fuck 'em because from what I remember Heaven wouldn't care about most of that stuff aaaand I'm rambling.

I do and I don't, I'm a lot firmer on not wanting to be enemies with them and also not wanting to go beard the Adversary.

[pipers_son]

[Yeah, it's a little bit of rambling, but Joker won't call him out on it. He does let out a breath that's audible through the radio, however.]

Ya don't have ta get involved. Just wanted ta make that clear. I mean, I know I'm not yer supervisor, but the point remains. I'm gonna be here for a long while if things go the best case scenario, so, well, I'm interested in havin' less disaster like this previous year...

But, ha... I know most people don't settle in for as long as I plan ta. Ya can just finish up yer first contract, and be done with it. No one would blame ya.

[espigeon]

I know. I'm not sure what I want for the future, but it's not indefinite time here. There are people I love that I will get back to. I'm here for them, but even if I just went on extended vacation today and never filled my contract, that's not a death sentence for them.

But I'd blame me. While I'm here I want to help. There's a lot I can't do or not well but there's also a lot I can, and there's ways in which I'm risking less than other people. I mean, dying sucked not going to lie, but Champions die all the-

[He realizes what he's saying and makes an exasperated noise.] I mean, multi-bodied Champions get used to losing one or several, that's half the point in being like this.

[pipers_son]

[Sounds like a long story... Joker will do him a favor and not bring it up on the radio. Instead, he gives a quiet laugh that doesn't have much energy in it.]

Ha... Yer a good one, Jules.

[espigeon]

[Julien laughs more emphatically.]

I'm full of hot air and overconfidence! In an attempt to counteract my own seeds of cynicism I fill myself with the belief that it'll all turn out right in the end if this and that happen! If that looks like good, well, cool, but it's purely self-centered I assure you.

[Whenever he's not optimistic or can't climb back to that point, whenever he really and truly crashes, it's bad. There are people back home who'll haul him out of that, Julien's had enough experience with them to believe in it, but they aren't here. If the going gets too rough here people aren't going to be there for him like those would, and why would they?]

So that's my opinion.