Chickens? So is that statue even a real boy or just a statue made to look like one? Johnathan looks over the circus. He can’t quite make up his mind about them. Did they even have the unicorn? Anyone could have an empty cage labelled unicorn. He looks over to Kerwyn, Are you alright, you left the tent there. Is something wrong? As he says those words he notices Delphinium acting strange as well. Delphinium, why are you moving weirdly. Did that monster do something to you? Johnathan gives a look around and locks eyes with the “Harpy”. Is this monster casting a spell on Delphinium? He inspects the creatures behaviour to see if he can gather anymore insight into its intentions, especially towards Delphinium. 

Insight: 21

As Johnathan stares into the monsters eyes and to Delphinium he notices something is wrong. He senses a change, a change in Delphinium. Johnathan pulls Aoe and Kerwyn (the only other members in the crowd away from Delphinium) to the side, Something isn’t right here, Delphinium is acting strange. More so than usual. I don’t know what has happened but it started when he looked at the “Harpy”. We need to talk to Delphinium. Johnathan will walk up to Delphinium with Shavaris, Delphinium, what’s going on?

Delphinium doesn't get a response from the harpy.  It just continues to stare around menacingly and maybe it didn't even notice Delph.  The tiny fairy however starts bobbing and swerving in the air.  They see the lion lady twirl their whip but that was the right color to twirl!  Delph moves away from the harpy though as it doesn't seem to have noticed the fairy or maybe they only speak in animal?  Delph kind of curses themselves for not paying more attention to their mother's lessons.  The dizzy looking fairy keeps looking around and darts left, then right, then up, then in little circles like they are dancing with something.  They seem completely unable to focus on anything at this time.  They even miss ward coming to talk tot he Harpy in their place as their eyes seem to dart around randomly at this time.

Luckily, Sharavis began to wave their hands and Delph could see them.  It takes Delph a moment but they seem to remember that Sharavis has their snack.  It was so yummy to the fairy so they definitely want some more.  The little one makes their way over to their pointy eared friend and plops on their shoulder.  They laugh and say "You're a funny color!  Oh!  How did you do that?  You vanished now you're back and have pretty green stripes dancing around you!  Much better then the silent pretend harpy.  I don't think it can speak non-animal.  Can I have my snack back please?"  Suddenly Delphinium seems distracted again and says  "Oh!  Johnathan has purple polka dots!"  They leap from Shavaris's shoulder to Johnathan's as the man asks what's going on.  Delphinium replies with completely dilatated pupils "I'm chasing purple polka dots!"  they giggle as they seem to be trying to catch something in the air that isn't there.  

Ward will walk over and join the rest of the group.

"The ape is an illusion, they are really just chilling there, not actually doing the whole yelling. They seem friendly. The Harpy is some Draconic Harpy, I don't remember anything other than that but it seems real and extremely dangerous, so I told it that we would let it out as long as when we do it only maybe kills the ringmaster. How is everyone else doing?" Ward says, dropping invisibility as he comes up next to the rest of the group

Shavaris leans over to Johnathan, "That stone child?  yeah, that was just a statue.  That's at least good news."  As Delph flies around and talks about color, she gets concerned.  Has something happened or is this just what happens when a fairy reaches its overload of stimuli?  She honestly doesn't know, but it starts trying to catch something out of the air, she asks "What are you after, Delph?"

When Ward reappears, and drops the information at their feet, while processing "Ward, can you give Delph one of those berry things you have?  I wonder if that will help?  Or do you know what might be wrong with him?"  she pauses as she works over the words Ward said, "So you've promised to release the extremely dangerous harpy.  Can I ask why?"  she looks to the rest of them, "Is that what we're thinking here?  are we here to release these beings or are we moving on?"

"The harpy I think will be less dangerous doing what it usually does, than being here. Considering the fate of this person's predecessor, I worry that an incident like that would be more dangerous than letting the Harpy be in a more natural habitat, and it will owe us a favor. It did seem to be mostly trustworthy, at least in that it won't start massacring those here now. I am releasing the ape though, he seems extremely friendly. I could give Delph one of the berries but they are less for healing and more for nutrition but it can't hurt to try." Ward says, handing one of the berries over to Delph

Johnathan gives a deep sigh as Delphinium starts swiping at the air. Great, just great. Delphinium lost it. As she starts playing around Johnathan near his shoulder he gets visibly uncomfortable. He doesn’t like people invading his space. He considers walking away but knows that they aren’t meaning harm, at least not yet. As Johnathan hears Ward talk about releasing creatures. I’m ok with it dealing with the ringmaster, but how do we know people that it won’t just start killing everything? If the ape is calm then yes that can be freed, also the Satyr might know something. Johnathan pauses for a moment. You spoke to the Harpy, what will it do if it is freed? How can we trust it? Also if we are gonna free these things we need a plan. Are we freeing them all?

Delphinium dashes around int he air trying to grab things that apparently only they can see their eyes completely wide eyed and open.  They seem to be listening to the others though as they reply to Ward "Wait?  Kill, no.  No kill.  Isn't that why the harpy is in there?  It killed people?  I'm not looking to hurt anyone.  We can totally free the rest though!  I'm also relieved that the boy is a statue and not a real boy.  Good that it's only an illusion."  They continue to dash around erratically as they do this.  They land on the top of Ward's head at one point and seem to be poking the top of their head "Ward... why do you have green and yellow lady bugs on your head?"  Delphinium seems very curious.  As his attention is brought to Shavaris with their question Delph seems to think about it and says "All kinds of things!  Oh!  Like those right now!  Can you hand me one of those butterflies in your hair?  They are very pretty and match your stripes!"  Delphinium starts zooming around Shavaris like they are chasing something flying around them.  At the offer of a good berry Delphinium says "No thank you!  Shavaris has my food!  Can I have my nectarine back?  It was super yummy!  I want to eat some more of it!"

"I trust that the Harpy won't kill those here, it seems to want to just get away from this mess. It will likely kill like harpies regularly do when it gets to wherever it decides to nest, but I feel releasing it now in a controlled manner might prevent any death from it eventually breaking out, seeing as it has already managed to do that to the previous ringmaster. It's a risk, but at very least we will be here and I think we can at least make it leave should we need to. The Satyr seems almost indifferent, but we can talk to it later if it needs somewhere to go. The ape doesn't seem harmful, the ape you see shaking the bars isn't him, it's an illusion. In terms of plan, I was just thinking one of us goes invisible for the Harpy and lets it out. The ringmaster likely will not be too focused on us freeing the rest of them if I had to guess." Ward says, then turning to Delph "Oh they just like to hang out, I like to think they appreciate the greenery buffet I provide." Ward chuckles as he moves one to rest on his hand.

The Ringmaster keeps her charade up, snapping her whip, calling out the various creatures in the menagerie.  At one point she calls for the wagon full of Cockatrices and covers her mouth in feigned surprise at the 'petrified child'.  Oh how silly, but she had forgotten about that!  The Kobolds scramble to spirit the poor petrified kid away as she promises that the carnivals designated wizard will attempt to save them.  

"Are the parents in the house?"  She calls out, looking concerned.  She calls again, and waits a second, letting the crowd buy the performance, then grins.  "Oh, but the show must go on!"

The next cart comes out, a small army of Kobolds pushing it out into center stage...and there, in the midst of a huge trailer full of dirt, is a tree.  

"Our next guest was created by nonother than Schmendrick the Blue!'  She announces proudly as she walks around the tree.  Her eyes stay on the crowd even while her hand flourishes at the tree.  "Meet Beatrice!  Creatures of night, brought to light!"

The tree moved.  Not the same way one of the wandering trees of Hylia moves, oh no.  The trunk twisted around and looked at the crowd with a more-or-less humanoid face.  She smiled, her billowy branches falling around her head while her considerable...endowment...shifted in the faces of the whole crowd who, by that time, were starting to reach out for things in front of them that simply weren't there.  

"Ooooh....helllooo there."  Beatrice said in her sultriest voice.  She looked out over the crowd while the lioness made a show of having her army of Kobolds bring out several watering cans and splash them...over...her bosom...

"She needs frequent vigorous watering in that cart!"  Mommy Baba says.  

The Harpy watches from behind cold, malicious eyes.  If it could look contemptuous over a tree, it would.  

Kerwyn steps in at this point and says “No, Delph I think you’ve had quite enough nectarine.  I don’t know what they put in it but you are flitting about like you have been snorting pixie dust.  Oh, wait, I’m sorry…”. Kerwyn flushes with embarrassment.   “Something was in that Cornlizard.  Haven’t moved like that since I took some cod liver oil when I was a young boy.  Watch the snacks here fellas.  We may be dealing with a Circus Snack Terrorist.”

Kerwyn looks around the circus suspiciously and looks for the next event.  He sees the strange well endowed tree, saying “What the hell is that!” a broad grin on his face in spite of himself.  

Johnathan turns his attention to the rest of the show. He is starting to suspect that everything that the circus has said has been lies, including the unicorn story. He then hears a name he recognised. Schmendrick? Shmendrick? Wasn’t that the name of some wizard that had info on the mare Ward? He then watches in disbelief as they water the tree in an… interesting way. He doesn’t react in the same way as Kerwyn, if anything he almost reflects the Harpy, with a cold and serious look. This is all a scam. I doubt the unicorn was here but I still feel like we need to save the animals. This circus is out of control.

"Yes, that is the name of the wizard." Ward says with a slight sigh. "I feel it is my responsibility to talk to the tree, as I am the druid. I resent this fact, as all the ways that this conversation may go seem like it will be, unenjoyable. Let me go talk to the tree, then we will figure out how to go about freeing everyone." Ward says before beginning to walk over towards the tree.

"Hello there Beatrice, I am Ward." He will say, then switching into Druidic.

"Is this ringmaster correct that you were created by a Schmendrick The Blue?" Ward asks

"What do you mean, I can't have any more Kerwyn?  I can assure you I can eat more and have not had enough.  Its very sweet and yummy and gives me a fuzzy feeling!"  Delph looks to Ward at their declariation of being a druid " Oh!  Ward is a druid?  I wonder if they can also.... oh look at that!"  They point at something not there and giggle then fly over to rest on Shavaris' shoulder as they wait for their nectarine to be given to them.  They seem to still be super distracted.  "So, freeing the animals?  I like this plan!  We can just smash open the cages then make a dash for it!  Maybe the flying colors, stripes, and dots will help us?  They made a big face over there!"  Delph continues to have a fit of giggles "They are making a funny face at the lion lady.  That's not nice.  She went to a lot of work to make all these illusions!"  Delph in all their looking around like they are enjoying a show only they can see.  Apparently content to watch from Shavaris' shoulder... at least until their get their snack back.

“Yes, things are definitely not what they seem at this place, and apparently neither is the food.  Delph, why don’t you just relax on my shoulder until we let you know when we’re ready to free the others.  We need you.”

Being completely disturbed by the tree that is brought out, she is relieved when Ward volunteers to go talk to her.  She hopes something comes out of it, in the meantime they need to plan. Looking at Kerwyn she sees he is half into the illusions and probably won’t be any help in planning, so she leans over to Aoe and Johnathan, “What should we start out with on the cages?  Ward seems intent on the gorilla, and that kind of creature would be a good ally.  The chickens would create a good distraction I hope, as would the Harpy.  The satyr, might just sit there even after we unlock their cage.”  She looks at her friends with intent, “But we’re doing this, right?  If anyone disagrees, now is the time to speak up.”

Ward will slink away from the tree that is now crying leaves and go back to the group. "The tree does not know where our wizard is, and quite frankly it is another one of our duties to make sure it stays that way. She was definitely created by him however, that much is clear." Ward says with a sigh. "Anyway, as long as everyone has finished their business, and no more traumatized trees decide to show up, I think we are ready to take our ape friend, let out a dangerous draconic harpy, and make our exit if we want to begin planning that." Ward says

Delph settles down on Shavaris' shoulder as they say "Relaxing sounds nice.  Where's my necta.... Oh! Wait, you need me?  I'm here to help!  Just say the word and I'll do it.  I think we should steal their keys while they put on the show.  Then let the animals out after.  Lets ask orange to help.  That color seems to be a go getter and it likes hanging about the gorilla."  Delph seems both aware of what's going on and completely distracted at the same time.  They kind of lay down on their back on Shavaris' shoulder and giggle as they poke Shavaris's ear "Hee hee, your ears are shiny."  The poor fairy is still seeing things and hallucinating.  They seem to remember something then ask "Oh!  Ward!  Is Beatrice a traumatized tree?  Should we help them too?"

The lioness seems very confused as the tree begins to cry; not tears, but huge racking sobs that shakes her ample body while a cascade of leaves begin to fall to the ground.  The lioness approaches the tree, and the two converse in hushed voices, though the arborial being has to force words out between crying gasps.  The hair on the back of Mommy Baba's neck stands on end as she looks around.  

"I have noticed that tonight's audience is very...interactive...with the show."  The lioness says.  The Kobold horde reemerges and pushes the tree's cart back out and away from the center stage of the the Midnight Carnival.  The tree wails and produces a trail of fallen leaves as they go.  "Unfortunately, Beatrice will be unable to perform her sensual serenade tonight...  I think that anyone else who wants to interrupt a performance may be thrown to the Cockatrice flock."  

The crowd boos at first, and then someone woops when it's suggested that the Cockatrices be let out like it's a good idea.  Mommy Baba continues looking annoyed.  

Kerwyn leans in to the conversation, shakes his head and gets focused on the plan.  “I personally think that we should just leave this place, I know you are intent on setting these creatures free, but I would not let the Harpy loose, I think it is truly dangerous and could kill a good many of these innocent observers (and also us.). But the others, fine.  I’m not the stealthiest but I can help in whatever manner you wish, create a distraction, hold open a section of the tent for them to escape, or whathaveyou.”

Kerwyn gives back a questioning look, keeping an eye on the ringmaster.

As Kerwyn is looking around the circus tent, he notices a wizard standing behind a screen at a podium working magic from a book.  “Hey, you guys.  Check out that wizard!  I bet all of these are illusions.  Is that the Smegdick guy?  Why don’t you handle him and all of these illusions will fall to the ground!”  Kerwyn points him out to the others.