[Oh this is going to be good. Addressing the department now, is Gongenzaka-whose voice is presently small, squeaky, and more appropriately 'familiar-themed' for his present size. He's accompanied by his Daemon-who sounds far less amusing-which is fortunate, given their message is anything but.]

Greetings, fellows within the Security department, [Gongenzaka announces grimly.] ...As many of you have no doubt heard from the Ringmaster herself, it would seem Sans, the Warden, was recently killed.

Naturally, if you heard this from the Ringmaster's announcement, you also heard that this is a fortunately temporary state-however, it does bring up the matter of the department's state of management in the meantime.

While not officially announced prior this moment, Sans and myself entered a decision not long ago-as of a short time before our arrival within Wismuth, I, the man Gongenzaka, have accepted the role of 'Deputy' to the Warden...

Admittedly, we were...unsure of when the best time to announce this would be... [Though there is an edge to Marishi's tone that implies Gongenzaka was perhaps putting it off, punctuated by a slightly embarassed squeak in the background.] ...However it seems the time is 'now'; we've notified the Ringmaster, naturally. As such...the responsibilities of the Warden will be managed by Noboru and myself, until the time Sans recovers and hatches from his egg.

With any luck, this should not take long-until then, I, the man Gongenzaka, ask that we do our best to continue our duties to the greatest of our ability..!

[With what is probably hilariously ironic timing after Yuya's radio conversation about using friendship to win, the radios will light up green with a message from the Ringmaster. She sounds... a bit disturbed, but playing it cool.]

Hmm. So... public announcement. In case this comes out later. Some of you may not know, but I offer reincarnation services for certain members of the carnival, which... mostly means I will bring them back from death, under certain circumstances.

As it turns out. Sans has managed to to trigger his rebirth ritual... which is to say, he's died somehow. I'm not sure how or precisely when, I have just visited the place where I keep such things, and his candle is lit.

I'm sure he'll fill us all in when he's reborn a while from now! In the meantime, be aware. There's no way of knowing who or what caught up with him. My focus is on defending the carnival, so if you are concerned for your safety, please remain within its grounds.

That is all.

[ The first one to speak is the Ringmaster, sounding a bit guarded and reluctant, like she's not sure if she wants to deliver this message or not. ]

We have... a visitor at the carnival today, who is asking us for assistance. She comes from a group called the Star Guardians, who I've aided in the past, which is why I'm been sought out this time. They have this entire 'saving the universe' style gig going on.

It can be an enormous hassle, however, and I feel like we've had a few too many disasters as of late. So... I'm going to leave this up to you. You can help her as she asks, or you can stay in the safety of the carnival. I won't force your hand, either way. Just know that whatever she asks you to do will be dangerous, even if it's for a good cause.

Here. I'll let her explain herself.

[ The public channel of the radio clicks off and then on again, but there’s a few seconds' pause before anyone starts speaking. The young woman’s voice that comes across the radio won’t be familiar to anyone at the Carnival, but her voice is clear, with only the barest hint of a waver to it. ]

My name is Noa Minette. I’m from this world — from Wismuth — and I’m speaking to you now because I have something to ask you.

[ She takes a breath. ]

Wismuth needs your help. ...I need your help. [ She makes the more honest correction half a beat later, sounding a little more subdued, before she finds the strength in her voice again. ]

I’m a Star Guardian. The Ringmaster said she hadn’t met one in quite a while, and we usually come as a team, but here, it’s just me.

If you’ve seen the posters around the city, you know that CY-Ren is going to be holding a concert. No matter what happens, I have to stop that concert from happening. If not… [ She hesitates. ] I don’t think it’s going to be something this world can recover from. I don’t know exactly what she has planned, but I know it’s something Void's never tried before.

I can’t face CY-Ren, not on my own. I don’t expect people to help without knowing what they’re getting into, so I’ll try to answer what I can.

Hi. This is Sans speaking. For you newbies, that your boss, The Warden, in case you forgot.

We've got some intel coming in regarding potential threats from the Summer Court. Remember all those pretty folks from the Summerlands? It's like them, but a bunch of jerks.

We made enemies of a couple of them a few stops ago, in a place called Portland. So... watch out for any mysterious plants, or faerie dust. There's a few carnival members who they have unfinished business with.

Hey guys! This is Steven!

So I keep hearing people talking about different holidays, and I realized that my Earth doesn't actually share most of them! Which is kind of cool and weird! We have New Years, but we don't have a lot of this other stuff.

I think it's really cool that we can all celebrate something together, though, so... do you think you could tell me about some of the things you do at home for winter holidays? Like, traditions, or food, or games! Anything you can think of!

I know for New Years we always go out and watch fireworks, and try to make as much noise as possible. Does anybody else do that?

This is Peridot: Your engineer and number-one gem speaking, interrupting your usual afternoon radio chatter with an urgent matter of utmost importance. SO LISTEN UP!

[She’ll pause briefly to give people more time to actually turn their radios up and listen properly, because she is actually dedicated to making sure that the whole carnival is on the same page with this.]

A-hem. Thank you. Now as some of you may already know, a small group of dedicated carnival members-- including yours truly—have been coordinating an effort to try and create a possible antidote to the venom of a certain detestable fae. You know the one. The clod that we were all EXTREMELY glad to see get his comeuppance at the hands of our great and wonderful Ringmaster.

Anyway. The Prince may be gone now, but unfortunately, his cruddy venom is still affecting a large percentage of the carnival staff. Worse yet-- through no fault of any of its founding members-- the original antidote team has made very little progress on manufacturing a cure. [Muttering:] Personally, I blame the fact that most of the people who would have been better suited to this work were also counted among those that were missing, but I digress! We did what we could with what we had, okay?!

[Mari is only kind of interrupting this time, but she’s a little more forceful than usual--and a little more animated than this really warrants. She’s just excited about having a new project.]

We've identified the basic problem: that the venom is affecting the soul of its victims and not just their bodies. Physical cures alone aren't going to cut it. We're gonna need magic, medicine, and metaphysical prowess, especially when it comes to souls and soul energy.

And while we can't make you do anything, not helping would be kind of an asshole thing to do right now.

The kind of asshole thing we’ll definitely remember.

[Somewhere off in the background, you can hear Peridot muttering:] Nyeh?

[Promise, threat, same thing.]

The good news is, we do have a new doctor to introduce! He's kind of our only doctor, really. But no one's died under his care yet, sooooo that's probably a good sign.

...take it away, doctor.

[There is a pause because Herbert is giving Mari an incredibly unimpressed look. But, like, fair, he guesses.]

My name is Herbert West, this… carnival’s new medic and as someone previously held captive by this ‘Prince’ I’ve only recently had the opportunity to begin my research into this unique affliction. I have education and previous experience in various forms of medicine and chemistry, especially in regards to specific aspects of pathology—however, I have never encountered… [He’s so reluctant. He is the MOST reluctant.] …what is referred to here as magic. Therefore, any help from those knowledgeable in that particular field and how it might interact with biomedical science, as well as any individuals who may have encountered artificially induced fossilisation in any form previously would be ideal.

Additionally, if you have been affected by the venom and you have yet to visit the medical tent I must insist you do so as soon as possible! My--our development of the cure depends upon data, and we cannot be aware of all the variables without access to each patient. As long as everyone cooperates we should be able to solve this in fairly short order.

Right, so. There you have it. We’ll turn the ‘floor’ over to the other workers who will be heading up some of the other research teams now, but the bottom line here is: We’re all gonna work together, come up with a cure to fix everyone, and it’s GONNA BE GREAT!

[ There are a lot of things people need to do right now: help the Prince's servants get resettled, get started on figuring out who can work on a cure for the petrification, deal with the trauma of dying in a hopefully healthy and non-self-destructive way, show the new people the ropes of what the Carnival has to work with.

Instead, in the morning of the second day since the Prince was defeated, anyone on the radio gets this: ]

So, I've been wondering.

[ The Nightrider's voice, for those who recognize it, has definitely been better. It's a low, hoarse rasp, and the pause at the end is not just for effect, but to actually catch his breath. ]

Just how old is everyone here, anyway? Here, I'll start. I'm ... pretty sure I'm almost sixty. [ A beat. ] ... Maybe.

[ Why did anyone let this man have his radio back again? ]

[ ooc; Lambert's flat on his back in the medical tent for this, feel free to bug him in person and threadjack each other at will. ]

[Sans is blue.]
[Lambert is dark red.]

( [ Supervisors’ Channel ] )

[ Public Channel ]

[ Lambert’s voice is terse, and irritable: ]

Our next stop’s called Heartstone Manor. We’re going to go over some ground rules to make everyone's life, especially mine, a lot easier.

[Sans is also here.]

The RM has already covered a lot of this in her announcement, but it is officially our jobs to make sure that it sinks in. Dealt with True Fae before? Then you know this isn’t a joke. Yes, your fashion sense and table etiquette are now a matter of life and death. This is me, Sans, telling you to take this seriously. Hopefully that means something to you.

To summarize the gist of what was said, here are some basic RULES. The Nightrider and I will be watching. So, even if the Prince doesn’t catch you, we will.

[Sans recites “The Rules” like he’s just whipped out a pair of reading glasses and is quoting them from an official document:]

DO:

• Follow the daily schedule
• Follow dress code
• Be polite to The Prince and his servants
• Keep your radio on you

DON’T:

• Whine about everything
• Seed rebellion or talk about rules breaking on the network
• Make any deals or promises to other fae servants
• Lay any hard disses on The Prince, ever, under any circumstances
• Don’t sweat the small stuff: this is gunna grate on a lot of us, so just focus on the end goal… which is not dying

Don’t mess it up.

That, too.

[Scout is not entirely sure how to address the carnival like this, so there's a self-conscious sense to her voice.]

They're breeding, so we should probably get this done. If you brought an animal home from Alola, come share what it is so we know if there's any likelihood of it pairing off. Pokemon aren't speciated like normal animals. There are these broad categories they fit into where they can interbreed. This will result in an egg that will be like its mother, not a hybrid or something new.

I'm Scout, I have a togetic named Thranta. She'd be in two breeding groups, "flying" and "fairy", so she's compatible with anything in either of those if the sexes match. Right now I don't think she's that interested, but if I let her progress into her next instar maybe that'd change?

I can't tell you don't go out and encourage them, but you really should be careful and consider if you can handle a second or third animal. This isn't Alola and you can't just release them if you're tired of them.

[ The radio comes on to the sound of creaking wood and a familiar voice that is, for once, not sounding all that agitated, though it’s a little distant. ]

“--just burn us out of this.”

“Then you’re just going to burn us with it!” [Yuya’s tone, comparatively, sounds snappish.] “Don’t--don’t do anything, I’m going to get us help--”

[The radio clicks off. And then immediately clicks back on.] “Hello?”

[The anger’s been smoothed out of his voice, and instead Yuya is sounding fairly composed.] “Is there anyone available right now who doesn’t mind coming to the Summerlands? We’re, uh--we’re stuck.”

“In a tree.” [ Lambert contributes helpfully. That’s not super specific or anything, and that’s is why burning things would help! There’s another creak of wood, something shifting and shuddering, and his tone doesn’t change a jot as he continues. ] “Which may or may not be trying to hug us to death.”

[Yuya is just going to ignore Lambert’s fatalism.] “We don’t really know where we are, but we were drifting… east of the city? Do these things have GPS?” [Does half the carnival even know what GPS is?]

“We’re going to get out of the tree!” [He pipes up confidently, despite it.] “But help would be appreciated.”


((Red = Yuya, Green = Lambert. Replies are separate, threadjacking is free and wild. These boys are dumb.))