Day 61, Late Evening: Public Channel

[anti_nonsense]

This is Rita, here with Syrlya. We've got some things to report about a recent rescue mission, so listen up.

Starting with the [there's a pause and an awkward intonation when she says] good news... We got Strange back, but he's dead. [Said news is delivered perhaps a bit too flippantly.] He had a revival spell, which has been activated. He'll be back to annoying the hell out of all of us before long, I'm pretty sure.

We… also gathered some information from Ignatius. [He’s not going to say how.] It isn’t much, but apparently the Summer Court had actually been following the Winter Court’s trail of us into the Athenaeum. They have had a spy of theirs following the carnival for a few years now. We also know that the Summer Court has determined the Ringmaster as an enemy for the same reason as the Winter Court--the death of the Winter Queen.

[... That’s the good news! There’s no extra, unknown charges added to the Ringmaster’s criminal record! Just the known ones.]

After the questioning, the Ringmaster came and ate Ignatius. [Again, Rita’s tone sounds almost too casual. She’s too tired to worry about breaking any of this news gently right now.] He isn’t dead, though. He's... well, don't ask me. We'll have to wait until the Ringmaster feels like talking about it.

Lambert is… currently recovering, so until he is in a state to return to his duties I will be acting in his stead. If you have anything you wish to reach the Nightrider or Nightrunners for, you may speak to me.

Comments

[lordofthering]

Oh, don't be shy. You can certainly explain what you did to put me in this situation, can't you?

[WHY DON'T YOU SHARE WITH THE CLASS, KIDS?]

[anti_nonsense]

...

[There's silence from Rita's end of the radio, then the sound of a reluctant sigh.]

We restrained him, impaled him, and used mind control to make him talk.

[lordofthering]

I'm surprised you weren't proud enough of yourself to advertise that part from the beginning. I thought you were justified?

Nevermind the inconvenience it causes me and the danger it has put the rest of the carnival in.

[fourthscribe]

You tortured him.

[atouts]

[ Overall, he doesn't actually care about one of the High Fae being tormented, but— ]

Rita... How much of that plan was from Lambert?

[hippocarnival]

Rita... [He sounds a little sick at that reveal, but he's not as quick at jumping on her, because...]

Was it after Ignatius pushed Mr. Strange into dying?

[He's still angry about that.]

[flashover]

What?! You... you mind controlled a fae?! Why?!

[scientificist]

[.....maybe the dragon antacid will come in handy someday. As is...]

You have a living fae in you...well. Iiii'd suggest staying hydrated? Be sure to drink water along with sitting in it--I'll bring you something better than lake water.

[he's bringing her basically dragon gatorade]

[lordofthering]

I'm not sure he'll find being drowned again very soothing.

[moonfang]

Just ta be perfectly clear, I was there, and I had nothin' to do with this decision to hold Ignatius prisoner. I did call on an ocean to keep him from nuking us, though.

As for Strange's death, we were unable to narrate away Ignatius' hold on him and he was tryin' his best ta kill us. Lambert came close to dyin' of asphyxiation. I made the call to kill Strange, knowing he had a way to get back.

[IT'S NOT MY FAULT I DIDN'T DO IT THIS TIME]

[atouts]

[ Zangetsu, please. Childermass isn't letting him take the fall for that. ]

It was on my request that Zangetsu went along to retrieve Mr. Strange, even if it meant killing him. His actions are supported.

[lordofthering]

How exactly was it that you could bind a High Fae, but you couldn't bind Mr Strange? I fail to see the reasoning, here.

[mirrortide]

So you pissed off more Fae, and made us even more of a target. Thanks for that. Really appreciative over here.

And how come the Ringmaster can eat a fae and be fine but when I do it we get drowned? [That's bullshit? That's bullshit.]

[moonfang]

It's completely not fair.

[anti_nonsense]

Look, I-- [Rita's sick of arguing, but damn it, it looks like she's going to argue some more, until...]

Wait... you what?

[sunflowerfields]

Oh, Mr. Strange...

[Why can't you guys just stop dying sheesh]

[anti_nonsense]

... Sorry.

[For all her abrasiveness about the Ignatius situation, Rita actually does feel kind of bad for the stupid magician.]

We were prepared for it, but we didn’t really want to do it that way, either.

[spaghettimonster]

[Well, it's been a whole lot of not-so-great words describing even-less-great actions, in this radio chatter so far. But there's a couple questions still up in the air.]

So, that Winter spy... Were they following us? Or, were they tagging along, hiding out here...?

[anti_nonsense]

According to Ignatius... he somehow latched on to the realm and was riding it around the multiverse.

I don’t think he was in the Carnival, but it looks like he’s always been somewhere close by.

[bananaspeedrider]

I'm all for kicking somebody's ass if they had it coming! ...But I don't think I can get behind what you guys did after doing that.

[The initially forceful line is tempered by something close to disgust. Probably because the mention of mind control is helping to fuel it.]

[anti_nonsense]

You don't have to like it.

[insidescoop]

[Carly, for her part, manages to do a pretty good job of listening and not speaking. It helps that she's focused on both keeping tabs with some in the medical tent, over arguing on a radio.

It leaves her somewhat quiet- plenty have already said what she'd have ordinarily bit in with immediately, but in the end...]

...Do you regret it? [She finally asks quietly.] ...Any of it? [She adds, sounding somewhat on the verge of personal breakdown.]

[anti_nonsense]

It doesn't matter. What's done is done.

[Sorry Carly, Rita doesn't know you well enough to talk about her regrets.]

[worldlyafflictions]

[Despite having been deposited in his trailer after wandering around the Carnival half-conscious, Shima still hasn't quite been able to pass out yet despite his tiredness. He'd been blinking in and out of wakefulness, feeling mostly like he'd only been able to rest his eyes, which is frustrating at this point, but it turns out to be lucky for him when the radio crackles to life with Rita's message since he's been trying to keep up with everything going on.

Rolling onto his stomach, sounding slightly muffled and sleepy when he speaks up.]

You guys sure got things done, huh.

[yawn] Ya think ya managed ta get him before he got back ta those Summer fae with whatever he figured out from Strange? They seemed ta think they had enough ta track down the Miracles first with everybody they took...

[Well, maybe the Carnival isn't that lucky, but it's a nice thought.]

[anti_nonsense]

[There's a hesitant pause, and then...]

...We should probably assume the worst. Strange was gone for two days, which was plenty of time for Ignatius to extract information and relay it to the Rose Queen.