limacharlie | [Day 60, Afternoon]

[ 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. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Right. About that. ]

He wanted to touch it, and we let him.

[ Lambert sounds annoyed about that, but it's mostly at himself ... ]

It was a bad call. You heard Peridot's radio post, right? It's how they knew the Rose wasn't with the Beast anymore.

[Oh, hm. Yuya had a suspicion of the second part, but hearing it confirmed...]

Steven said The Rose Queen's making what it did to him worse. His arms are become crystals and--and there's roots and vines sticking out of him. She told him it was a good thing and she needed it.

So I think she's trying to use him to get the Blue Rose. [There's still a lot of 'hows' in there, but it makes her possession of Steven a lot more dangerous than just wanting her fake son.]

Hah. Maybe she's trying to turn him into the Blue Rose.

[ Not that it should be even possible -- a changeling's no substitute for a fae artifact -- but it does make Lambert frown. ]

The Rose is supposed to be formed from the power of both courts, not just Summer's.

[There's a distinct whine coming through the radio. That's not funny at all!]

But anyone can use it, right? Maybe she knows how to. [Maybe she's used it before, but Steven understandably hasn't been in a position to ask her those questions for them.]

She is called the Rose Queen, Yuya. Fae tend to be literal.

I know that. [Which thank god, because that makes getting an idea what they can do a little easier.

Just a little.] So... she probably has an advantage because the Courts made it a rose instead of something else.

[It's probably nothing to do with its origins, if that's the real story.]

Exactly. ...Though most roses aren't made of crystal. That's probably just Steven.

[ Lambert pauses, considering. ]

Maybe you can use that.

Use... you mean Steven's gem part? [He sounds confused, not quite following where Lsmbert's going with that.] How?

Pretty sure he didn't get his dreamwalking or healing people with kisses from his human or his fae side.

[ So, by process of elimination... ]

If she knew he could do this, do you think she would've let him?

... No. [So she doesn't know what he's capable of. If he can just get Steven to believe he can fight back... and they can use the storyto empower him.]

I get it! Thanks, Lambert.

You can thank me if it actually works.

She or Nightshade shouldn’t have been able to find him in the first place.

[There is a. Long pause at that.] She couldn't tell where he was until he was right in front of her. Just the rest of us.

[So, in theory it worked. Lambert can probably take a couple guesses what happened.]

[ An exhale. ]

Guess Childermass will be glad to know his protection worked. [ Less happy that Steven obviously undermined it in some way. ]

[Day 60, Afternoon]

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