IC SUGGESTION BOX

[lordofthering]

A real suggestions box hanging outside of the Ringmaster's "office."
Slot takes paper letters and perhaps very small animals.

Comments

[atouts]

[ There's a short, awkward pause, inevitably followed by a, ]

No. [ What time is it, folks? Time to get yelled at for this again. ] That protection only extended to the other two. I thought myself beneath the interest of the Summer Court...

[lordofthering]

[She's not mad so much as she she is completely baffled.]

But... you...

[She makes a few confused gestures.]

You were the one who betrayed the Rose Queen directly - you were the one that let me into her realm to attack her! Have you no idea the level of offense she would have taken to someone putting her at risk like that? It's absolutely absurd...!

[atouts]

[ And what can he do for that apart from shrug? Which he does, as he does over plenty of other ordeals. ]

Yes, I realize that now. I was too focused on whether or not the Count would pursue me at the time... I did not think... [ A lot of things, actually. ] It was a mistake.

[lordofthering]

[Her incredulousness fades, faster than it would have if he'd tried to defend it. A mistake. Well. What can she say to that?]

...I understand.

[And she means it genuinely. She pulls back, looking like she's trying to figure out something instead, rather than focusing on hounding him about it.]

Well... if you didn't know, it seems obvious that the Rose Queen has cursed you.

[atouts]

[ It's a small relief that she's willing to accept his admission and move on, some tension leaving his shoulders, but hardly all of it. He frowns some. ]

Yes, that much I had assumed, but is there any way to know what kind of curse? Is it only a danger to myself? Or is it for the entire carnival?

[lordofthering]

That's... difficult to say.

[She's still looking him over, like she's trying to glean more specific information.]

A fae curse is like... placing a mark on someone you intend to victimize. Like, signing a contract promising to hurt someone. The fae in question is given power by that contract, in order to fulfill the deed. The end results vary.

It's not that whatever she wants is what will definitely happen, but she's dedicated herself to the attempt. It's the intention that has weight, and it means that the magic will conspire to aid her. It's a fate thing... like a geas, but inverted.

[atouts]

End results vary... [ May cause death. Of course. ] I see. So I can expect something terrible to befall me, in some form, but will the Starlight's protection hold for Mr. Strange and Steven? Will she be able to track me simply because she's cursed me?

[ Naturally, he'll only think of himself after he knows the answers to these, assuming the Ringmaster even has answers for them. ]

[lordofthering]

Tracking would be possible with any kind of magical bond... that's probably how Nightshade found you in the first place. You still had a contract with the Rose Queen, even if you betrayed it, and the circumstances were a bit dubious.

Maybe it will be easier for her now. I'm not sure. This whole time, I'd been thinking you were protected. [She pauses, trailing off...]

You're very concerned with those two, aren't you?

[It seems more that way, knowing that he made a deal on their behalf instead of just including them along with himself.]

[atouts]

I'm concerned about plenty of people. [ So he can be tracked. That confirms the absolute worst to him, putting the entire carnival in danger. Seeing how he already looks pretty grim, there can't be much said for looking any grimmer. ] But it was Mr. Strange's dilemma that moved me to search out such protection. If anything were to happen to him before he saw his purpose through in England, I would find myself very much out of time.

[ Or however that would work, he doesn't know and he won't have to know, now. ]

For Steven... I think too many take it as a kindness, but if the Rose Queen found him, it would only lead Nightshade back to Mr. Strange again.

[ In short, protecting Steven was convenient, though he did feel like he owed him regardless. ]

Only this brings us back to the new problem at hand. If I can be found, it may be better to leave me in Wismuth.

[lordofthering]

[Well, fine, be that way. Coldly practical as always. The Ringmaster seats herself on a nearby trunk, curved low to the ground.]

No.

[atouts]

[ It's very important to show he doesn't have a thousand emotions about things even though he actually does, ok? ]

Why?

[lordofthering]

Because, given that Nightshade is already on Wismuth, staying there without the ability to draw on the Void would be tantamount to suicide.

[She says it quite plainly.]

And, since you refuse to be sentimental yourself, I will say that it's because there are people here that care about you - and if you found a solution for Strange and Steven's problems, we can find a solution to yours. You're an excellent Acquisitioner besides that, and a good man.

You probably deserve better than the things you've been dealt... so far as a fae can judge anything about moral fiber.

[She winks.]

[atouts]

[ Well, she's not wrong. In any of that, actually, though he could dispute the 'good man' part. He can always dispute that one. He won't, though, so he'll just take a damn compliment for once and, slowly, offer her a weak smile in return. ]

I daresay you might lose a Nightrider and a magician as well if I remained behind anyway, now that I think of it. [ And he won't thank her, not directly. It's a disinclination that lingers from all the way back in Portland, the original root of this damnable problem. ] Very well. If you're willing to keep me on regardless, I suppose a traveling carnival is more like to turn up a fix to this than staying in one place.