[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

[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.

[atouts]

Doctor. [ Sup. ] Lambert would be correct. It left barely a mark at all.

[ That said... ]

Are you doing better yourself? I think I last remember you on the floor.

[ Laughing like a madman or something, but he'll be polite for now and leave that out. ]

[scientificist]

Yes I...formulated a regenerating cream, for my burns. I'll be well enough in time for these. Confrontations.

My staff will be there, of course, if you change your mind.

[atouts]

T'would be a waste of their time for this. They're like to have their hands full enough soon as it is.

[ Although, Herbert, being well enough for these confrontations? ]

But don't tell me you're planning on going back out there.

[scientificist]

Of course I am. Now that I'm aware we can use these, defenses to fight back I'll have no trouble--I can be very inventive when it's called for.

[whattaprick]

Good. You'd better not be.

[ But on that other topic, the witcher's scowl is audible. ]

It's nothing we didn't cover already and a lot more annoying. They knew we were fighting the fae the whole time.

[atouts]

And they did nothing. Not exactly the best hosts, are they? Still, part of me is simply curious about who they are exactly.

[ Don't make him have incomplete notes, Lambert. ]

[whattaprick]

Maybe you'll find it if you look in a book.

[ Grumble grumble. ]

The Count said they're known allies of the Ringmaster and she obviously knew how to find them, so she'd be the one to ask.

[ Like the Ringmaster can't just hear this. ]

[atouts]

Maybe I shouldn't be too surprised. Mr. Norrell liked to think only of his books as well and never people. Could be they're similar, just expecting us to figure it out ourselves.

[whattaprick]

[ That just gets an annoyed noise. ]

Their books are our lives. We aren't something they made up.

Though maybe they'd care more if they had.

[atouts]

A book is a book. It would be here even if we were not.

[ So, big shrug. ]

[worldlyafflictions]

Oh hey, you're conscious again! Ya doing okay?

[atouts]

Far better than I would have been otherwise, Mr. Shima.

[worldlyafflictions]

Good ta hear! Okumura-kun did something crazy and got ya pretty good, so I figured I'd ask. Getting some food 'n water in ya will probably help with the KO hangover if ya haven't already!

[atouts]

I'll see about getting something at the cookhouse. [ Since he's already meeting 9S there, may as well. ] But what was that, exactly, that Mr. Okumura hit me with?

[worldlyafflictions]

Haha, uuh..

[It's almost reflex to want to obfuscate here, but with what he's heard about of past Carnival adventures and everything else that just happened, it's not like the details will surprise anyone.]

Demon fire, basically! He borrowed the soul-burning aspect from my familiar 'n kinda doubled-down with his own it looked like. Wasn't totally necessary, technically, but he doesn't control his fire as well as actual full-time demons so makes sense ta have help.

[atouts]

Soul-burning... Is that why I woke up less burnt than one might expect? Physically, I mean.

[ He should probably ask about that whole soul-burning thing, though. That sounds... bad. ]

[worldlyafflictions]

[Offering an answer in advance since Childermass had repeated that with such measured concern.]

I wouldn't worry about the soul stuff. It leaves a smell but if you're awake already you'll recover! [As far as he knows, anyway.]

Though ya normally wouldn'ta had any physical injuries at all.

[dressedtothe]

[:3c]

Sure! Where are you right now? I'll come to you.

[If only to get out of Lambert's range. Which he's slowly inching away from.]

[atouts]

[ "Lambert's trailer" isn't a good answer, so. ]

I can meet you at the cookhouse.

[dressedtothe]

Roger that.

[Well, while Lambert's distracted by actually responding to people, 9S is ditching. He's still paying attention to the conversations; he's routed the radios through Pod 153 after all.

So there he is waiting at the cookhouse with Pod 153 streaming the radio conversation beside him.]

[atouts]

[ It's only a matter of minutes before Childermass arrives as well, having since swapped the shirt he "borrowed" from Lambert's trailer for one of his own. It's... considerably worse, considering, but one that's obviously his own, not the witcher's. It happens to be a purple Alolan (aka Hawaiian) shirt, with white flowers all over it. It has color and therefore is decidedly out of place on Childermass, of all people.

He's bound for whatever table 9S is at, nodding a greeting to the android as he joins him there. ]

I take it the search was uneventful beyond the Scribe and Curator?

[dressedtothe]

[That's... Uh. Wow? Is that really something Childermass bought/acquired on his own volition? It's not one of Lambert's stupid shirts, is it? It strikes him as one of Lambert's joke shirts.

A nod.]

No fae ambushes or anything!

[He gestures at Pod 153.]

Anyway, Pod 153 can play back my memory of our meeting with them. Better get somewhere darker so you can see the screen better.

[That and Lambert would probably murder him (more) if he showed this publicly.]

[atouts]

[ It seriously is his own shirt, although the number of current carnival workers who can vouch for that is limited. Alola wasn't friendly towards layers and layers of black cloth, okay? ]

Somewhere darker... [ He frowns slightly, looking around them. It's mid-day still, so the easiest options are-- ] I suppose we could head over to one of the smaller tents. Either that or I dump us into the shadows, but I find people aren't too fond of that.

[ Shadow prison becomes shadow movie theater, but at what cost? ]