[Day 60, Afternoon]

[whattaprick]

[ By the time the radio turns on it’s about an hour after Lambert’s group has returned and reported their findings to the Ringmaster. Now it’s just a matter of letting everyone else know. It’s Syrlya who speaks first. ]

As most of you are aware, the Summer and Winter Courts have pursued the carnival into the Athenaeum and taken some of our people hostage.

[ “Hostage" is a nice way to say permanent enslavement.] According to the Scribe and Curator, the lifelike and antagonistic nature of the books found here is the library’s defense against intruders, and it is under our control.

And has been under our control this entire time. [Tyki’s voice chimes in, at this point. To which he’s not bitter at all about it. This entire mess could’ve possibly been avoided.] Our will has been controlling the stories to a certain victory each time we have been swallowed up by one. It should be comforting to know that they cannot use the stories against us. They have not been given these defenses.

If we cast the Fae into our own narrative, the magic should be strong enough to combat them. We will be bound to the same story, so we cannot allow them to turn its favor or-- [And this he sounds less certain about.] --break the confines of the story ourselves.

It should be noted as well that the story cannot be entirely unbelievable. To play the part, it must seem plausible. One cannot just snap their fingers and a fae is weakened, for example. Something like that will allow them to break the story. The narrative must be consistent and convincing.

[ The Nightrider finally speaks. There’s an edge of tension to his voice, but otherwise, he’s pretty composed. ]

The good news is, this means you don't have to be a fighter to help. Bad news is, we still have to figure out how we're going to do it, who's going or staying, and if we're dealing with the Courts together or one at at time. We need to come up with something fast -- I don’t want them to give time to figure out their own plans. Catching them by surprise is the best chance we’ve got, so working together in groups makes the most sense.

If you have any useful ideas, now’s the time to share them.

[ And 9S chimes in: ] If anyone wants to hear the exact exchange we had with the Scribe and Curator, I can provide a recording for your viewing.

I said useful ideas.

[ ooc: this is mainly an ic planning post! ooc plotting post to follow to organize things more formally, but feel free to threadjack each other, form up groups of your own, all that good stuff to work out where your character will be. ]

Comments

[soft_focus]

....Wait...so...

[IT!! WORKED???]

Then when I told Doctor Herbert to make a sword, and when he cut the water...

Everyone just has to do things like that?!

[scientificist]

We were right.

[periphrasing]

Wait.

You're telling me... this whole time. We could have just been IMAGINING ourselves winning?!

[SHE IS FUCKING OUTRAGED.]

[prazerbutterfly]

Yes, they seemed to praise us while being disappointed at the same time for not keeping up our efforts in enabling the defenses. Without actually telling us we were doing it.

[anti_nonsense]

I'm going, obviously.

[Rita's here with the Scribe group, but only now chimes in over the radio. Acting sure as heck isn't her strong suit, but she can't sit this one out.]

I've got a score to settle with Ignatius. And pretty much the whole damn Summer Court, at this point. [So if it comes to dividing their forces, she knows where she wants to go.]

[periphrasing]

[Mad as she is, Peridot has to admire Rita's focus and conviction.]

I've got a 'score' to settle with both. If you think of any way I can help, I'd be more than happy to assist.

[lordofthering]

...Seriously.

That is what they meant when they said the Athenaeum would be defended?

[The Ringmaster can't believe it either, apparently.]

[prazerbutterfly]

Apparently... I believe their words were "You were doing so well but then you stopped."

[whattaprick]

You need better friends.

[wild_magic]

I'm no good at stories... But I need to go, to find Lauren. [Whether he's alive or not is a different story. He's not especially hopeful right now but he still has to do it.]

[insidescoop]

Susan.

After what we talked about... [off screen]

You need to trust the others to do that this time, alright?

[whattaprick]

Well, which one got him?

[betheman]

[Sounds of muffled coughing are on the other end, before this clears up-]

MNH- Y-

You mean to say that, this entire time, had we treated our situations akin to a situation with the books...

All that has happened now, could have been prevented..!? [HE IS FEELING THAT GUILT OH BOY]

[prazerbutterfly]

Mmhmm. Pretty much.

[dressedtothe]

[But it was useful, grumble grumble.]

I could go, but I'm not sure how useful I would be. Androids aren't exactly built with a vivid imagination, you know.

[Also he hates this fake fakey business with the defences! It's not real.]

You're gonna need to add something in the story, liiike... 'and our heroes escaped through the maze of bookshelves but their enemies couldn't figure it out.' Something that will let us get away without being easily followed.

[whattaprick]

My guess is one or both Courts are going to try to get at the Carnival whether we go after them or not.

That's not a bad suggestion. We should figure out some defenses for the entrance to the Carnival, anyway, in case they think to attack it directly to get at the Rose. Maybe ... 'the door to the Beast's kingdom was protected by a labyrinth filled with monsters, that only her true followers were allowed to pass'?

[periphrasing]

[Now that she's had a moment to calm down a bit, Peridot chimes in again with something actually constructive. She is trying to look at this from a more practical standpoint.]

Hrrmm... If the key is in crafting a narrative... We may actually be in a surprisingly good position for turning things around. Some of the best stories I've read tend to have things go horribly wrong before everything starts to go right, as improbable as that may sound.

[textsfromhotland]

Those are always the best ones!

[hippocarnival]

[Chalk Yuya up for someone else surprised that the solution was to act all along. But he processes that in silence with the radio off before he speaks up.]

I'm coming. [He says it with finality.

And then he switches the feed to Lambert's private radio, which... may not be very private depending on who Lambert's still standing around.]

[Private]

Steven spoke to me in a dream. [Does that sound crazy? That probably sounds crazy but he can try to explain it after.] And he had a message from Mr. Strange. He wanted to tell you to... remember to do what he needs you to do.

[ private channel ... but audible to anyone still around lambert ]

[whattaprick]

[ Yeah, it's not very private here right now, Yuya ... nonetheless, Lambert picks up. ]

Yeah, he did something like that in the manor too. [ He'd forgotten he could do that, actually. Though he'll get right to the point. ]

Did he seem like himself?

[textsfromhotland]

[All that fanfic writing has finally paid off!]

I, uh, I have some experience in writing stories!

[SHE'S GONNA MAKE 'EM KISS]

[whattaprick]

But are they stories that make sense?

[ Lambert has no idea what the fae are in for, but Alphys does have some relevant-ish experience. ]

You were a Guardian back in Wismuth, right? You could use some of the Athenaeum's power to call on some of that, apprarently.

[sunflowerfields]

We could resolve this without violence?

[She sounds hopeful. Nobody squash her dreams!]

Our story could involve a fancy dinner, and they eat so much of the food that they become sleepy.

[whattaprick]

Do the fae even really need to eat?

Putting them to sleep, though. Now there's an idea.

[ Not a permanent solution, but feasible! ]

[pipers_son]

[Doll is going to hate him for this, buuuuuuuuuut-]

Well, if it's story tellin' that we need, then I think as the head of the Performance department that I'm more than qualified~.

[Also, thanks, Scribe, Curator, that. That was real helpful. Could have known that sooner.]

[prazerbutterfly]

Qualified to stay back and give helpful tips...

[atouts]

I would be interested in seeing that recording, 9S. [ If only to figure out what the Curator and the Scribe actually look like... ] Though as far as grand ideas to summon out in the library, I'm not sure I'd be much help.

I do not intend on leaving the carnival grounds again.

[scientificist]

Childermass, how are you doing? Still in no need of the Medical Team? Lambert assured me it looked worse than it was--I was preoccupied.

[chronosynthesis]

We have numbers, so if it is possible to separate the Fae and prevent them from working with each other, that would be ideal. That way we can tailor each story to their weaknesses.

And perhaps we should retrieve some books ahead of time to use against them.

[whattaprick]

Right. Which is why we don't want to give them time to think about that.

[ Lambert pauses. ]

Practicing using powers has got to be part of some kind of story, right? I don't want to find out it doesn't work at the last minute.

[moonfang]

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDIN' ME?! We coulda STORYTIME'D our way outta this the WHOLE TIME?!

[whattaprick]

With the right story? Looks that way.

[ YEAH, ZAN, THIS SUCKS!!! ]

You're coming with me, right?

[worldlyafflictions]

Maybe people who're better with story ideas than running around trying ta avoid getting killed by Fae could partner up with somebody and do like... remote narration.

[whattaprick]

That's not actually a bad plan. Could be a little easier to concentrate on actually fighting when you're not the one who has to come up with things at the same time, too.

[drrdrrdrr]

Ugh... this sounds way too complicated. I don't got any suggestions or anything, but whoever's going after Steven, I'm in. Just don't make me fight that jerk Nightshade.

[whattaprick]

If she’s around Steven, you probably won’t have a choice.

[ Them’s the breaks, Amethyst. ]