[ After the Ringmaster's finished kicking everyone out and the tent arrangements are more or less settled... ]

So, I'm up. [ Short and to the point. ] Heard people were yelling at my nightrunners. You wanna yell about it some more, you can come yell at me.

[ That's it, that's the post. ]

[At first, there's a soft clicking noise occasionally accompanied by small bursts of static and shuffling. In particular, it's the sound of the dial of Yuusei's radio being turned on and off while tuned to the public frequency. The sound of a man who clearly doesn't talk to people enough to be comfortable with asking an entire entourage of folks about some thing he found in a book. It's a lot of hesitation, but eventually the clicking at least stops as he brings the radio closer to him.]

I meant to ask earlier, but there was all of that excitement in the Athenaeum, and I never got the chance...

[There's some movement and what sounds like paper shuffling.]

Does anyone know what the word 'aetheric' means? It's an adjective describing a form of interaction with airship machinery, and while airships admittedly aren't my area of expertise, it's still not a word I've ever heard before. Any ideas?

[Silence, for a few seconds, as though someone is holding down the talk button without saying anything. It goes away for only a moment, only for the Psionic's voice to spring out the next second, at only about half of his usually positive tone.]

Well, normally this is when I'd make the labor department check-in... But, since some of you may be incapacitated in some way. I'm going to be seeking you all out individually so we can have a good long talk face to face.

Since you already know there's no escape you might as well make this easy for all of us and tell me where you are now.


If you aren't in labor... I'd still like a chance to check in with you, in person or otherwise, but I can't make you if you don't work under me.
Just know that I can be very persistent.

[Ask anyone. Really.]

[ rhys is usually pretty good with electronics but it takes him a little bit of time to figure out how to work this thing. it used to be so much easier. hyperion was a lot of things but technologically deficient it was not. ]

So, I gather things are still going on. Or maybe they're winding down? I can't tell because I've been stuck here the whole time.

[ he was still hanging out at the carnival, staying out of things because this was all a little too much for a guy who still considered him new. ]

Anyone need anything from back here? Laundry? Food? Hugs and kisses?

[ there would be no guarantee that he'd give anything that he offered. hey, he wanted to look good, not work too much. ]

I've got calluses on my hands from all the sweeping I've been doing because there's really nothing else to be done. That's how bored I am.

[ so, come back soon, ya'll. ]

Hey, do I get to give myself a promotion if ya'll are too busy? I've been doing super good work!

[ quit while you're ahead, rhys. ]

[The Ringmaster is here to give you some information.]

It seems useful for everyone to know that the Blue Rose is currently trying to escape its container. It's not succeeding... but it is certainly trying. I'm keeping an eye on it for now, but my current assumption is that our assailants are somehow responsible.

[This message goes out sometime in the evening, after Amethyst has made her PSA about Malachite and Team Scribe has reported back in.]

I'm going to get Lapis back. Jasper too.

[Straight to business. Normally she'd start out with an unnecessary introduction but she is super not in the mood right now.]

I don't know exactly when, and I don't really know how to find the fae that took them yet, but I have a way to defeat Malachite, and an idea for getting them both out of there.

[She pauses.]

If anyone wants to help... Great. I could use some help keeping their captor at bay. But I'm going in either way.

[ 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. ]

[Amethyst is attempting to affect a casual air but she definitely sounds anxious as hell.]

Yo, so this is supposed to be for everyone in Security and the Nightrider crew but I couldn't work out how to do that 'cause I dunno how the radio works, yeah I've been here for years, don't talk to me, anyway it's not like a bunch of the rest of you aren't gonna be fighting too anyway, right? Duh. Okay, so, Peridot told me one of the fae took Jasper and Lapis, right? If that means she can, like, control them and stuff, whenever we try busting back in there we probably oughtta be keeping an eye out for if they fuse? They have -- wait, okay, fusion is... they're both gems so they can just kind of merge into a new gem who's like way bigger and tougher than either of them and I ain't explaining it any better than that.

Anyway so they got this really big mean fusion called Malachite, she's got six arms and she's really strong and she can control water, and ice, and she can fly, and she's uhhh... bigger than a house, so... watch out for that, I guess, 'cause if I was a fae and I'd just kidnapped some gems who could do that I'd definitely make them do that. I fought her one time and it sucked. Probably your best bet is to stick something big 'n pointy through her but that's tough because, like I said, bigger than a house, six arms, right? But when we took her down we did it with a giant arrow and that worked pretty good. Okay, that's all I got, don't ask me about how fusion works. Cool. Bye.

(Not many will have their voice accompanied by mouse squeaks. Hades is special.)

Do not fear the Darkness. All begin within it and all reenter it upon death.

(Is this in bad taste? If only he cared about such mortal conventions.)

Therein lies my domain and thus... (He shifts his mouse friend to his other hand.) I would know it best.

(Then there is a sudden shift in subject.)

Who is Papyrus?