Jub opened his mouth but no sound came out. After a moment, he just closed his mouth and just sat in his chair, pulling his knees up to his chin and trying to look as small as possible. He obviously was a little embarrassed, however he had stopped attempting to retrieve his cloak from his bag.

Gabriel opened his mouth to make a witty remark about being more memorable to the bugbear however the shift in the little goblin's body language made him pause, it was a posture he recognized all too well. "Well." his gaze shifted back to Brutrumukk, then he shrugged "We're together now and that's what matters." with that he seated himself next to Jub whose shoulder the half-elf gave a gentle squeeze "Hey, don't be too hard on yourself we all got our reasons to hide who we are."

From the belt pouch at his side Gabriel fished a velvet sack tied with a string, leaning over and placing it in the goblin's tiny hands "Here, take it I don't need it anyways. Call it a gift, if you sell it though your buying me a drink. Got it?" he gave the goblin a warm smile and laughed giving Jub one last squeeze before sitting up and taking a look around at the crowd packed into the Big Top.

Jub blinked slightly and gingerly took the bag from Gabriel. He didn't open it right away, just taking a moment to look at the half-elf almost in awe. After a moment, he seemed to remember himself and, with a small mumble of "Thanks", looked back down at his hands. He very carefully opened the bag to see the contents and, recognizing as the pixie dust that had enabled them to fly earlier, his eyes lit up. He closed the bag and delicately put it with his other belongings. He recalled Brutrumukk's words earlier about escape plans should they retrieve the Mr Witch's watch, and this would definitely be good option to have should they need it. He sat up a little bit in his chair, looking slightly less uncomfortable than he had a moment before.

The approach to the tent was an agonizing affair. Zavakri pulled her hood up- decided that was too much of a bother, it'd ruin her hair if she wasn't careful, so she lowered it back down and meticulously distracted herself on the walk with fixing her hair back to perfection. It'd muss up the instant she got a smidge too emotional, but a gel could try to maintain some semblance of present-ability, couldn't she? It didn't help that the fear was only just now, after Ellywick's assistance, beginning to fully fade from the front of her mind...

Enough that her anxiety at being in this crowd to begin with could set in. She took deep, calming, breaths. This probably made her look like an idiot of some kind, or perhaps a fish gasping in air as it flounders for water, but it had the intended effect; she was able to feel calm. Feel like she had more breathing room. It helped that those immediately around her had certainly pressed away from the oddly presenting woman.

And soon she found herself shuffled into a seat- and she gasped.

"Oi, how come whenever I'm having a mild panic attack and finally calm meself down, it's always you lot I find nearby? At least I know where I stand with you guys; in the back, safe and forgotten. Big personalities, you lot. You lot could hide a giant behind your conversations. Honestly, that's right where I want to be right now; behind a giant, behind you lot, forgotten for a few minutes. Oh, be still my beating heart! This place was pure chaos!"

Jub had just started to relax when they were joined by that peculiar human woman from earlier, the one who had expressed her frustration the carnival and seemed to be able to take up a whole conversation just on her own. It seemed she hadn't really change much in the few hours since they had last spoken.

The goblin shifted awkwardly in his seat. "Errrrrr...." he said, genuinely not sure how to respond to that. He glanced over at Brutrumukk, conveying all his confusion and bafflement in a single expression and hoping the bugbear had some kind of retort to this situation, because he was currently drawing a blank here.

"Humans can be weird like that sometimes." Brutrumukk said in goblin when Jub looked to him for word on the subject of Zavakri. "Either way, don't worry about 'er. We got bigger things to focus on right now. You got enough booyagh left in ya fer what we're about to pull off?"

Jub nodded, and motioned to his bag. "Gabriel just gave me that bag of pixie dust that he won at the pixie kingdom," he responded in goblin. "So if I end up being crowned Witchlight Monarch, we have a way that you can gain flight if we need to make a quick getaway." He paused, thinking for a moment and glanced towards Gabriel and then Zavakri. "Though I think there's only enough for one use so if neither of us get it, I'm not sure what we'll do." He spoke up again, this time switching to common and addressed the two non-goblins in the group. "Erm... do you either of you guys have a plan when it comes to this whole... watch stealing business?" He paused again before adding, "We're all on the same page about this, right? I'm sorry, I'm starting to feel we might not be on the same page."

"Thank you?" the half-elf looking a bit perturbed said in reply to Zavakiri's compliment (if it could be classified as such), then he looked between the pair of goblinoid as if for some kind of explanation "Oh? Plan? What for?" now he was quite confused, what was this plan?

"Erm... do you either of you guys have a plan when it comes to this whole... watch ste-" This was all Jub would have time to say before Brutrumukk clamped a hand over the goblin's mouth.

"Mind what you say, you little idiot." Brutrumukk hissed in goblin before inclining his head towards a nearby Witchlight Hand. "The carnies catch wind o' what we're up to an' we ain't gettin nowhere near that watch."

"Oh? Plan? What for?" Brutrumukk then heard Gabriel ask, causing the bugbear to turn to regard the man with a cautioning look.

"We's jus' plannin' what we're gonna do after this, is all." Brutrumukk said in common as he pulled his hand away from Jub's mouth. "Still a few places we 'aven't seen yet an' all that."

"HMPH!" Jub really hadn't expected Brutrumukk to cover his mouth and, after taking in what his bugbear companion was saying, shoved away his claw before turning towards him. "I'm just making sure we're all on the same page here!" he hissed back in goblin. "Which clearly we aren't!" He waved towards Gabriel as he spoke. "I thought it was important we had a back-up plan in case neither me or you are crowned. But pardon me for being tactical!" It was clear from his expression and tone of voice he was more than a little upset about being interrupted... and told off... and called an idiot.

Aurora

Rory made her way into the big top, pausing briefly to look for Gabriel and the other she had met earlier in the day. It didn't take long to spot the bugbear and gnome, wait was that a gnome? The garb that the being wore looked much like Jub's from what she could recall. She walked up to the four gathered keeping mostly quiet, a feat not to difficult with all the noise and commotion.

"So how did everyone else fair. Miizel, Tsak, and I found something interesting in the Hall of Illusions." She stated after walking up behind Gabe. The elven woman leaned in closer after checking to see who might be paying attention and whispered so that only the other four gathered might hear. "Also the owners would like to meet with us after the Crowning. They are trying to keep it on the quiet. Something or someone is causing them worry that whatever it is might catch word of what we are up to. It does have to do with what we found in the Hall of Illusions. What was discussed with Burly may not need to happen now."

Brutrumukk was about to respond to Jub's words when Aurora arrived and greeted the rest of the group. When she mentioned that stealing the watch was no longer necessary, Brutrumukk visibly deflated at her words. "We... We don't need to do that no more?" Brutrumukk said. "Oh... Well that's upsettin'. I was lookin' forward to doin' that." With that said, Brutrumukk slumped forward in his seat, now looking incredibly glum.

---

Tsak would hang around the group, still a bit wary of the gnome she had been around and the bugbear. Realizing what time it was, the fairy would fly off to get her uniform on before returning to meet up with the staff to help prep for the Carnival Crowning.

As spectators take their seats, the party may or may not notice Dirlagraun escorting Mister Witch into the Big Top. The both of them move to stand next to Candlefoot.

---

Meanwhile, one of the other Witchlight Hands, one of the three clowns to perform, speaks to Tsak, "Hey, Tsak! It's your turn to hold the hatbox! Come on, hurry!" Tsak knows that the hatbox holds the crown, used for crowning the Witchlight Monarch, and Mister Witch is going to take the crown of gold butterflies out during the ceremony and place it on the lucky reveler.

---

Back in the Big Top, Mister Light appears once again, and Palasha is in her clamshell once again ready to sing. He calls out to the crowd,

"Good Morning, Everyone! I trust you all had a delightful time?"

He lifts a hand up to his ear and he gets a cheerful roar from the crowd in response,

After getting said response, he cheerfully continues his speech,

"Wonderful! But before we say our Goodbyes, it is time for the grand finale of the Witchlight Carnival! For this hour, we shall see who is the Witchlight Monarch! Are you ready, folks?!"

The crowd gives a loud cheer in response. Once the crowd quiets down in anticipation, and Mister Light raises his vane. He gives a poetic call,

"Our festivities are almost done this night.
But there is one more task before daylight!
Let the light of joy truly spark!
Reveal to us our Monarch!"

The vane spins rapidly at the rhyme and a thread of golden light appear. The crowd lets out "Ooh"s and "Aah"s at the golden thread as it weaves and moves about on its own. It moves throughout the crowd, as though searching for the Monarch.

Eventually, the golden thread makes it's way...to the party.

It first weaves past Miizel, and then past Aurora.

Then it makes its way to Zavakri, only to move past her and towards Brutrumukk.

Unfortunately, the thread moves past him as well.

It heads towards Gabriel, before finally...

It finally circles around Jub!

After the thread circles around the small goblin, he gives off a golden aura.



The crowd roars cheerfully and applauds Jub. The Witchlight Hands would come to escort Jub, if he doesn't follow their gesture to come to the center of the Big Top ring.

When Jub was declared the Witchlight Monarch, none cheered louder than Brutrumukk. Despite being disheartened at the fact that stealing the watch was no longer necessary, he was happy to see that their efforts to be crowned had paid off at least.

"You did it, booyagh! You won!" Brutrumukk exclaimed as he hoisted Jub onto his shoulder once more. "Now let's go get yer crown, yeah? MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY FER THE KING!" With that said, Brutrumukk carried Jub down to the ring to get the goblin crowned.

---

Tsak was surprised at first as she had forgotten it was her turn to hold the hatbox. Luckily, with years of all this, the fey knew exactly what to do. While half- heartedly paying attention, she stood there with the box in had, more eager to get this over so they may speak to the misters, rather then the Crowning it's self. Once the gold thread stopped though on the little goblin with the bugbear, she perked up, paying more attention.

“Oh thank the Gods; I lost.” She sighs, relief flooding her body. This reverie is not long for this world however, as the instant the Bugbear and Goblin duo rise up and Jub is held aloft; aglow; triumphant..

Dread and frustration set in.

“Wait. I lost to them?”

Her brow furrows, watching as the goblinoids ascend to claim victory. She wags a finger and looks sternly at the stage, metaphorically imposing the world upon it. Soon an abacus glows spectrally before her, formulae manifesting in the air as she began rapidly shuffling the device with her hands.

“…I lost by Two?!. Oh, bother.”

Flinging her hands, she dispelled the spectral mathematica and crosses her arms in a sulk. Don’t worry; soon enough existential dread at her failed foiling of the bad plan will set back in, and she’ll begin to chew her nails- but for now, sulking it is.

Jub had been slumped over in his chair, still sulking over being told off by Brutrumukk when his name was called and for a moment, all he could do was raise his head and blink up at the thread as his brain processed what was happening. Thankfully, he wasn't stuck there slack-jawed for too long before Brutrumukk hoisted him up on his shoulder and brought him down to the ring. Any hurt feelings he had about the bugbear from moments ago completely disappeared as he watched his friend loudly cheer for him and telling the crowd to make way. That, combined with how everyone was cheering for him and showing no implication of distaste at a goblin being crowned the Witchlight Monarch made Jub give a big, if somewhat befuddled, grin as Brutrumukk brought him over to the ring.

A sense of dread, and maybe a little excitement fell over the half-elf tensed in his seat. He didn't know wether he wanted or deserved the crown, yet Gabriel felt a twang of disappointment as the golden thread passed him by. In the end however, the title had no significance to him and he was simply elated that Jub was getting the positive attention he needed.

Gabriel followed alongside Brutrumukk as he carried the comically surprised Jub on his shoulders "Don't look like you just ate a bad egg, look royal for the commonfolk." the half-elf japed to his little friend.

Tsak notices, despite the crowd's loud roar, as soon as the thread of light chooses Jub to be the Witchlight Monarch, music begins. Palasha begins singing. This song starts slow. Tsak recognizes it as a song that Palasha originally wrote for Candlefoot after he lost his voice (there was no denying that those two were in love with each other). Strangely enough...it also seemed to sympathize and resonate with the Witchlight Monarch of the hour. The song itself seemed to understand the source of his sadness, while trying to express hope and joy in the future in just the feeling.

And yet...it also feels like a call to action:
To bring those who are lost, back home...

The slow and heartfelt ethereal song continues as Jub is brought down to receive his crown. Once Tsak opens the hatbox, Mister Witch takes the crown of golden butterflies out of it gingerly with both of his hands. Mister Light makes it clear to Brutrumukk that he needs to lower Jub to ground, and Jub needs to kneel in order to receive the crown.

Once Jub does kneel, Mister Witch gently places the crown on his head. He moves to the side and lets Mister Light, tap each of Jub's shoulders gently with the vane, as though knighting the goblin. While this happens, the sound of singing can be heard from the crowd in "Laaalalala"s



After a trio of clowns shower Jub, Mister Light, and Mister Witch in glitter, the music picks up in a joyful and jubilant song.

Now was the moment where the Withlight Monarch is paraded around the Carnival. Palasha sings happily, beckoning others to join in the song and the parade. Jub is raised high once again for all to see with the crown on his head.

As the parade continues throughout the Carnival grounds, colorful fireworks explode in the sky as though to punctuate the fact that this is the finale to the Witchlight Carnival.