Day 54

[worldlyafflictions]

[Having kept an idle ear on the public channel for the last week and gotten a better idea of what to actually look for, Shima chimes in again today after coming across a rolled up scrap of scroll among the Scribe's writings.]

Hey guys, more news for ya. Maybe bad news? Unless RM-san's got some kind of amnesia thing going on and just doesn't remember being the last piece, [--that's a joke, mostly--] sounds like our last Miracle can run from us.

"The third, a Beast with a coat and blood of Red, with thoughts and dreams to match its will. As a being of Birth and Decay, its life was its own. It could not be held by the hands of its creator, and fled to the wild, seeking the freedom it was denied."

Looks like it escaped on its own.

Comments

[betheman]

[.................]

....You...say that Beast was capitalized?

[Hmm.] There were a great many of things mentioning 'Beasts' in other's findings, as well...

[lordofthering]

"Beast" is a term that can be used to apply to any Wyld Fae... or any animal, for that matter. "The Great Beast" is simply a title given to whichever Wyld Fae is deemed to be the most powerful at the time.

[worldlyafflictions]

Haha, I guess it woulda been too convenient if you were just in disguise.

[lordofthering]

I'm not nearly so old as that. As fae go, I'm actually quite the spring chicken.

[betheman]

Hmm! Then what we seek is certainly some form of animal...

Though, I, the man Gongenzaka, did not know that about the title Great Beast..!

How fitting in your case, then~ [Chimes in Marishi herself.] What caught our eye however is what was being discussed not long ago.

Namely the matter of 'Beasts' with a capital, and the location of the Silver Mirror!

Though it would be quite a hope indeed to have both artifacts so close, wouldn't it~

[worldlyafflictions]

Guess we don't have anything that says the Red Beast here couldn't have run off there, even if it came before Eden should've existed.

[betheman]

It is good at the least however, to know that it is a Beast however!

I do enjoy this 'temporary name' of Red Beast however, I must say- [Shush Marishi.]

With the knowledge of what they are, we can presumably unearth more information, with far more ease after all...

[worldlyafflictions]

Blue Rose, Silver Mirror, Red Beast--it seemed ta fit the theme.

[betheman]

It does~ One almost hopes it's their true name~

Mmm, though if it is a Beast, one wonders if we could perhaps directly communicate with them for that matter...

[chronosynthesis]

And was that you? [Since she's confirming that's not related to a miracle. And there was one little detail in the story that matched what she told Strange.]

Because I did find something about The Great Beast.

[lordofthering]

H-Hah! [It bubbles out, an uncertain mixture of amusement and... uncomfortable surprise?] I shouldn't be surprised that there would be tales about me... considering...

It was what I was called when I still lived in Arcadia, yes. The only ones that call me that now are the tiresome Court fae that have decided to chase us.

[chronosynthesis]

[Oho.]

It seems not even you are safe from embarrassing stories of your youth. [He says it lightly. It's pretty humorous, all things considered.]

I still have it. Something about a Maiden of the Winter and Summer Courts coming to you for aid, and you would only relent in a competition.

[lordofthering]

Oh... yes, that would do it. How nostalgic.

That would be the same Maiden we've met in the Summerlands. It's how we met.

[chronosynthesis]

It did sound like it. [Syrlya was briefly around for the Summerlands, but he never met the Maiden there. She's the one who took in the Manor servants, though, so he has a positive impression of her.] They were both trying to bring a 'new era' to the Fae, and didn't care much for their infighting and violence... what became of that?

[He assumes it wasn't terribly successful, given the still fighting.]

[lordofthering]

[Listen as the Ringmaster sounds increasingly awkward.]

Our plans ultimately ceased to be effective. It all turned out to be much more complicated than I'd imagined.

[chronosynthesis]

And you do not wish to talk about it. [He presumes, when she takes the vaguest possible answer to his question.

Still, if not about the actual attempt to change the Courts, there's another detail he's curious about.] We know where the Summer Maiden is, but what happened to the Winter Maiden?

[lordofthering]

[A long pause.]

I believe... she is going by the Winter Queen, now.

[chronosynthesis]

... Ah. [Well. That's unfortunate.]

[spaghettimonster]

A free spirit, living life on the edge... We should try hiring it on! Put out advertisements. 'Now hiring Red Beasts'

...Maybe after we find that mirror. [By which point, they'd have two of the three anyway.]

[worldlyafflictions]

Haha, not sure how we'd wanna put out ads, what with how everybody's sure we're being followed.

[spaghettimonster]

Well! We're already being followed. What do we have to lose?

[worldlyafflictions]

That probably depends if those guys following us know we're looking for a Beast now.

[spaghettimonster]

That is still a mystery... Then our course is clear! We wait until after the mirror. But, keep our ears open for beasts as we go.

[soft_focus]

...If they're a 'beast', maybe we can say 'hello', or tell them something bad is trying to catch them.

If they're at the Carnival, they could go to lots of places, but if someone else took them, they probably wouldn't get to see anything at all...

[She has the Carnival viewed in a rather grand light, see.]

[spaghettimonster]

[Honestly, even after everything, same. Papyrus has a generally high opinion of the Ringmaster and the Carnival still.]

Yeah! Better the roaming life with friends, than the roaming life alone. And we could all protect each other!

The trick is finding them, and talking to them...

[soft_focus]

Do you think they would have a favorite food? Maybe they found one by now, since they're free.

[worldlyafflictions]

Might be a problem if their favorite food is little kids.

[says the mean big kid]

[soft_focus]

No, because if their favorite food is 'kids', that means it's people, and that means going to the easier people to eat.

And that won't be me.

[Take that. No one likes to eat ROCKS, Shima!]

[worldlyafflictions]

Planning ta feed it someone else seems pretty harsh!

[soft_focus]

That just means if it's their favorite food, we have to say no, then, [she determines.]

And if they fight, we'll fight back, because now we know it's trying to eat everyone.

[It just makes sense, see.]

[worldlyafflictions]

Haha, I wonder if it understands self-defense.

Taking it fighting seems like a bad idea even if it is a people eater, if the goal is ta keep these things around for a long time.

Well, maybe you guys'll have good luck and it won't come ta that.

[soft_focus]

Mnhhh.... [Well she's taking him Just As Seriously as before, which is always a good sign. ...At least when it comes to points that actually make sense.] ...Y...yeah.... ....if they have to like us...

[wait]

..........You're not coming?

[but shiiiiiiiiiiimaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-]

[worldlyafflictions]

Ain't I the sort who's "just scared of things"?

[Is he still salty about that??]

[soft_focus]

[....Oh, she did say that, didn't she. But then....to be fair...]

Oh. Ummmm....Being scared to get in trouble isn't the same as getting scared of beasts, I don't think.

Being scared of getting in trouble is because...you don't like things, or because people will get mad, not because you'll be dead, I think... [...But, uh. Well.]

...you didn't say you weren't actually scared before, though... [Translation: PROVE HER WRONG BUDDY]

[worldlyafflictions]

Jeez, your scale of things ta be afraid of is a little broken, huh.

[DEAD IS WORSE THAN JUST IN TROUBLE, REIRA...]

'when u pal around w a necromancer and an undead sparrow'

[soft_focus]

[Wat-] ....It is?

[Wat???] ............But I'm not scared of being in trouble.............

[She just feels these are Totally Different Fear Feelings, see!!]

Um! ...Being dead isn't the scary part either I don't think though, since sometimes, you can come back from that. It's what makes you dead, that's scary.

[OKAY NOW THE SCALE IS BROKEN....]

[whattaprick]

So the Miracles are a beast, a mirror, and a rose.

Guess we are chasing after fairy tales, after all.

[sunflowerfields]

It's a good thing fairy tales have happy endings!

[She only sound a little strained.]

[whattaprick]

Do they?

Must not have been reading the right ones.