look at me, i'm the wound you tried to hide

[promittere]

ANDANTE ALLA WANING CRESCENT

Another day dawns for the Sage's wizards. It's been a month, now, since arriving in this world and being given a task nobody seems to fully understand—though after the jobs the Southern and Central wizards have taken on, it seems like it might just be possible after all.

And it seems like there's another task for the wizards, from the Eastern nation. However, unlike the other requests the Sage has been fielding, this task is far too big for five wizards alone. This is a task everyone will need to help tackle, whether they like it or not. Those that aren't particularly altruistic will still be whisked together by Tatara and Lazuli both, and they may still find the journey...illuminating. Answers to what happened to the original wizards may be just within reach.

Traveling via the elevator at the manor is familiar to some of you, at least, Lazuli setting a mana stone into the control not a surprise in a the slightest. The fact all of you can, somehow, fit in the elevator comfortably may be a surprise, but it's best not to dwell on it too much. You'll be staying at the City of Rain, Lazuli tells you with the air of someone reading you a court sentence, but you've been tasked with clearing up the site of some sort of disaster. He doesn't have much information beyond that—a fact that seems to greatly annoy him—and he warns you not to break any of the City of Rain's laws well before you're out of the elevator.

Which that shouldn't be too difficult, right? Right...?

Perhaps not, as the rules of the city are extreme. There are certain areas which forbid socialization and talking entirely, some areas where only talking to strangers is forbidden, only a handful of businesses allow chatter of any sort, and the list goes on. The most pressing law of all, though, is very simple: no use of any sort of magic within city limits. Do your best to follow the rules because breaking them will result in an arrest, and do you really want Lazuli and Tatara bailing you out? With the rules laid out and lodging sorted, Lazuli ushers you to the site you're tasked with dealing with. You will have downtime to explore the city, though, as it's expected to take several days to clear things up.

The site is a terrible, terrible mess. In what must have once been a peaceful patch of wilderness, there now sits a terrible gouge in the earth, several meters deep and twice as wide across, hollowed by what must have been a powerful force. The dirt is gray and sandy, dead in the manner the Southern wizards will recognize. Plants on the edges of the crater are dry and withered and splintered and broken. Permeating the air is a lingering dread, one both Southern and Central wizards will immediately recognize...

But it is clear now, now that your magic is considerably stronger, that the spirits are agitated by the disturbance in the fabric of magic. Dark clouds hang low over the site, and low thunder rumbles in the constant threat of a storm that will never come. The spirits' agitation, coupled with the dread hanging in the air, will feel uncomfortable, and perhaps leave the more sensitive of the bunch feeling on edge. This is not something that can will resolve on its own, so your most important task is to calm the spirits. That means doing the things they like: playing music, dancing, praying, telling stories, wearing fanciful and whimsical clothes to soothe their temperaments.

Your second most important task is to clear out monsters. The unusual energy in the air is attractive to beasts magical in nature—they slink out of their hiding places in the deep wilderness to the area, and their presence is threatening the humans who regularly use the nearby routes for trade and to commute. Kill them, take their mana stones for yourself. Win-win.

The third task is general clean-up. Remove the dead plants from the earth, remove the broken trees and any natural debris that might prove to be a hindrance. Characters are more than welcome to search inside the crater for any hint or clue as to what might have caused this strange explosion, but they'll find the site picked clean, earth having fallen into cavities where there might have been larger objects present at one point...like someone was here to clear out any evidence.

JOB BOARD

Reinforcement. Peace in Granvelle Castle has been restored. A liveliness and energy has returned to the castle and the surrounding parts of the city that hasn't been seen in nearly a month. Thank your Central friends for their hard work!

Their issues aren't quite resolved, however. The castle is asking for help in creating and then reinforcing a magical barrier around the castle. The barrier is a bit bigger than what one wizard alone is capable of at this point, so band together to create and reinforce what parts you can. Perhaps it's not a bad idea to use your own hair or blood as a conduit.

The type of barrier is specific, however—they want one that masks magical signatures. If you step inside, you'll feel a faint, but powerful presence within... What are they guarding?

Recycling. The Eastern country is known for its expertise in all things mechanical, particularly when it comes to clockwork. While not as bombastic or flashy as Western technology, the use of magic and mana stones being deeply frowned upon and rejected, Eastern artisans can create truly fantastical things just with gears and cogs and a bit of know-how... But, of course, sometimes it's better to scrap something and create something new than let the old items waste away, so some Eastern craftsman have asked for help gathering clockwork automatons and other creations in order to melt it all back down. Some of them seem a bit nervous and harried, but it's an easy enough job to scrap automatons and cart junk around.

Monster hunting. The few settlements in the North have been sending in frantic request after frantic request. There has been a disturbing increase in monster activity in the North, and the native Northern wizards are as unreliable as ever. They need your help in thinning the numbers, and that's all they really ask for—you can keep all the mana stones you earn.

For those of you who haven't been to the North yet, the weather is harsh, no matter the season. Protection on oneself to survive the negative degrees is crucial; make sure your magic is up to snuff enough to keep yourself at least room temperature. And using your magic to battle on top of that? This isn't going to be an easy job, not at your level. Be cautious, and good luck.

Mana areas & amulets. You've been here for a month now, and living in an unfamiliar place, alongside unfamiliar people, using unfamiliar magic must be wearing you down. Isn't it? In that case, it's time for the last piece of your wizardhood puzzle: your mana area.

Mana areas are spots where wizards feel most at peace with themselves, most whole, and a place where they can refill on the emotional load they've been chipping away at for their magic. It can be a specific location, or a conditional circumstance. Find more detail on the magic page. Your task—given to you by your sage and your mentor—is to traverse the continent, find your mana area, and recharge your batteries, so to speak. While there, make an amulet to take back with you, like a portable battery.

WANDERER TASKS

Listen to the spirits.

You've been here long enough that it's time to see if you can actually communicate with the spirits who've laid claim on you and have been empowering your spells. Try your listen and see if you can hear what they have to say to you.

OOC Note: For those attempting this task, ping one of the mods and roll a dice! Based on the dice roll, your character will get a little tidbit from the spirits... Or they might not hear anything yet, but they can always dedicate themselves to their studies and try again after leveling up!

TATARA ACTIVITIES

Don't make promises.

If you've made a promise, don't break it.

If you break a promise, you'll lose your magic. And I don't know if I can help you anymore or send you home if that happens. I'm sorry this is so late. But please...be careful.

OOC NOTES

🌙 Welcome to your third event! Everyone's lasted a month, congratulations! Keep working on your magic, keep forging those bonds.
🌙 As your characters settle into the world, they might find themselves irresistibly drawn to crowds, to music, to dancing. It's hard to resist the allure of a gathering, and it's hard to keep yourself from swaying to music when it fills your ears, no matter what sort of person you used to be. You're changing...
🌙 As we enter the second month, we are announcing a deadline for finding your pairs. This will be Friday, June 14 at 11:59 PM EDT. Remember, you may submit a guess at any time, and there is no penalty for getting a guess wrong, so long as you have a thread to back up your guess and consent from your partner. The pair page is here.
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Remember to keep all wider plotting on this post, as not everyone checks plurk or discord frequently.
🌙 Next up for missions is East. Let's hope they don't have to talk to anyone for this one.

» NAVIGATION

Comments

BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMBS, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

[jokey]

[Morning is met with the acrid and pungent stench of burning embers. On the day before the wizards depart on their next venture, a great fire roars in the courtyard, a stake built upon logs waiting eagerly to be fed. If the smell of impending death on the wind doesn’t rouse you from your sleep, perhaps the cacophony of noise coming from the courtyard will.

Specifically, Ahito is trapped in a chokehold as he’s dragged along, betrayed once again by a body made frail from sacrifice after sacrifice for the sake of magical research that turned out to be no more than another failed experiment. It’s strained, but his voice can still be heard over the blaze.]

-the hell are you?!

I owe you no name. Cease your struggling and accept your fate.

Like hell I will!

[Bold words from someone who clearly doesn’t have the strength to escape, but if there was ever a time to fight to the last, now is surely it.

First on the scene is the Sage himself, but it isn’t long before a crowd begins to form behind him.]

Ahito-kun, are you okay?! Akira-san, please, you don't have to do this—!

[Welcome, wizards, to your grand and untimely funeral. The voice that booms from Akira is that of an embittered old soul, nothing at all like the sharp-tongued and witty boy you used to know. Something, evidently, has gone very, very awry.

In one hand, Akira clutches a butcher’s knife, bringing it to rest against Ahito’s neck. The other manacles his wrists behind his back.]

Wait your turn, vile wizards. There is but one stake on which to burn you all, but I’ve all the time in the world.

(Welcome to whatever fresh bullshit is going down this time. “Akira” is holding Ahito hostage and is liable to hurt him, so think carefully before reacting with immediate violence. Dani’s been to the graveyard once, don’t send her back by pissing off whatever thing is currently possessing Akira.)

[foresightis2020]

[ Jing Yuan isn't expecting that there was something to happen in the middle of a gods damned courtyard because this is where he usually is, actually! It's so funny because he was already heading this way and things are like this, so the noise only hurried his steps out of necessity.

Ahito?!

He acknowledges Tatara is here before they are out of the corner of his eyes as he is careful not to make sudden steps, looking at how Ahito is restrained. ]

Why are you doing this?

[ This is an exceedingly dangerous situation. One in which they have to act carefully. Yet, Jing Yuan speaks up quickly, in hopes of thinking of a solution, or to bide time so someone else might. ]

[jokey]

Why else? To rid this world of scum like you.

[The knife grazes Ahito's neck. Beads of slick red blood bubble to the surface.]

Are you volunteering to go next?

[annihilator]

[Ughhhh who causes chaos in the morning, this is when all sane people sleep(?)!! Malice rises even before the noise starts up; that smell is what's attracted him more than anything else, though he is hardly the first on the scene when he arrives.]

The hell—

[Oh. Well. This is bad. What on earth is going on here? Ahito's caught by Akira, who... really doesn't sound like Akira at all, actually? But this should probably be approached with caution. Even at his speed, he's not sure he could get there before Ahito's bleeding everywhere and possibly dying or dead, so it's better to try to talk Akira down, right? Wait for an opening that someone can take advantage of, whether that's him or one of the others.

So Malice steps forward, holding his hands out as if to say he's not a threat. Of course, one of them is the clawed prosthetic that looks dangerous at even the best of times.]

You mind tellin' us why you wanna spill our blood? Think we've gotta right to know, yeah?

[He's going to keep moving forward as well - a butcher's knife won't do much damage to him, so he can take the attack just fine if "Akira" turns his attention on Malice instead.]

[jokey]

[Oh, Akira is more than happy to provide Malice with an answer. There’s a bit of a shuffle, the blade of the butcher knife pressed shallowly to Ahito’s throat while he releases his hold on the other’s wrists to withdraw something from his back pocket.]

You lot are a sickness! An ailment which must be purged! I will not cease until every last one of you have been expunged!

[In Akira’s left hand is a gun, the very gun that belongs to Ahito. Without another word, Akira takes aim directly at Malice. Thank you for preloading your gun, Ahito! That’s not safe at all, but Akira appreciates you for it.]

[chronosynthesis]

[He had smelled fire, still awake, and rushed out with the expectation of danger.]

Akira? [Syrlya hears him before he sees him, moving until he's got the scene ahead in view. Taking it in, he wishes it had actually been the fire that was the danger.]

Wait, wait-[Syrlya takes just one step forward, hands raised in a placating gesture. Is this Akira?

Well, there's one possibility if it's not.] You--were you in the castle?

[dyingtohealyou]

One of the ghosts you guys failed to deal with, maybe?

[Angry, exasperated - gee, I wonder why he would sound like that, keeping his head back even as he feels the light touch of metal against his neck.]

[jokey]

[The creature chuckles, shaking his head.]

Where do you suppose I came from? You brought me "home".

[positivize]

[Well, that reaction certainly catches her attention.]

Do you know who this imposter is?

[fellheart]

[ pitched to carry from his perch: ]

So you carried an unquiet soul back ... And are there others that we'll have to soon mind?

[fellheart]

[ he will not be part of the crowd amassing behind the sage, but he is there nonetheless. the fell dragon finds himself perched on some convenient roof or balcony overlooking the scene, watching the goings on from above and letting the others have their say first.

how pedestrian a scene. how pathetic. some petty being nursing delusions of grandeur thinks to declare itself an arbiter of fate? it'd be almost funny if he weren't so insulted.

there is but one end that is meant for all, and it won't be something grima meets today. not from a creature such as this, that must borrow and puppet another's body to be able to affect anything. ]

[shadowkin]

Uhh, I know this is supposed to be some kind of ominous ritual or something...

[Cid pops up on the roof/balcony situation, because you couldn't pay him to go swim in whatever is happening down there, and also people getting stabbed or otherwise bloodletted seems to be becoming a regular feature of the manor. Now, he knows that they have multiple vampires on the premises, but still.

Just going to plop down to watch from on high. That's his favorite type of vantage point, anyway, even if he isn't used to sharing it. More's the pity.

Just sort of, one hand on the sword at his waist and squinting.]

But doesn't that guy have way too many weapons??

1/2

[serenesinker]

[Yodarha is one of the first to arrive to the scene. Both of his hands tightly grip the hilt of his swords as he surveys the scene with a stoic expression.]

This clearly isn't you, laddie. Drop the knife and we can talk about this civilly.

[He goes to take a step forward from his current position-

[fallingsand]

[ Why does this keep happening? Bruno's out the door along with the rest rushing outside and he can already feel panic closing in on him from the very second he lays his eyes on what's happening. ]

Akira?! Wh-what are you doing?! [ Is that even Akira?! It didn't sound like him! ] Let Ahito go! He's just a kid!

[impacter]

[He smells the smoke before his eyes even open, drained and dry and stressed from the whiplash of the evening. Still in Akira's room, his eyes drift over, trying to see if the boy has made it through the night--

--His abandoned coat is answer enough.

Solomon doesn't even bother fetching it. His attention is to his wand and his wand alone, throwing open the window to Akira's room to hoist himself out into the courtyard. That's Ahito's voice, Tatara's, and--

...

He stays at a distance. But he looks incredibly, incredibly cold.]

[revengier]

[ Of all things, this isn't what Kurapika had expected.

It's why he can't do anything, can't even reach for his own gun in his pocket as he takes in the scene.

What does he do what does he do what does he do— ]

...Akira. You're still in there somewhere, aren't you?

[shortleash]

( —eyes narrowed, voice cold. )

How lucky do you feel, creature?

( He's not going to make a single move before he's absolutely certain of its outcome, and he's calculating his odds. But he absolutely seems keen enough to kill, without regard for the creature's vessel.

Not that he cares or anything (Ahito take note). )

[dyingtohealyou]

[Well, seeing as he can't really do anything but hang out here hostage and distract himself from the blood on his neck.........]

What's your master plan here, anyway? Order them to walk into the fire or else?

The second you kill me is the second you lose any hold over them, you know.

[His voice is still strained with - anger and frustration, both at himself and the creature behind it. But He keeps his tone remarkably level nonetheless, trying to calm his thoughts.]

1/2

[meanspirited]

[Can't have a day of peace in this place, can you?

He thought it was bad enough when it was just him, staring down at the bleeding human at his feet, barely clinging to life, but the rest of the mortals and immortals alike summoned to this world have proven to be beyond frustrating. No matter where they're from, they're all the same. Reckless, stupid, easily influenced.]

Unbelievable.

[Muttered under his breath as he pushes his way through the crowd, gaze on what used to be Akira. He's confident in his ability, and he calls his focus to him. The green gem floats lazily next to him, and he raises his hand to point at Akira—]

[positivize]

[It isn't a day at wizard manor without some kind of violence happening, apparently!!

Either way, it's plenty apparent that something is very, very wrong this morning. Maya keeps a wide berth from the fire as she approaches to get a closer look at this entire situation, and what's visible is... well, clearly not good! She won't draw her guns given the whole hostage situation, but she'll still shoot a glare at whatever it is that's possessing Akira.]

What are you trying to accomplish by holding him hostage?

[troublereduction]

[ Day...has had a very long night. And he was hoping that come morning he'd be able to figure out some way to get all the internal screaming to calm down, but that's not happening. Instead, he smells fire, and he ends up heading down despite a lack of sleep because duty calls.

He dully finds himself wishing they could have at least 1 (one) day since their last crisis again. That'd be nice. At least this feels like home.

He won't be trying to talk to whatever has possessed Akira, because he knows he can't negotiate a hostage situation in his current state, but he will watching and helping people in the background. ]

[mirristry]

[Phil knows far better than to make any sort of move that might set Akira(? He's fairly sure that this isn't in fact Akira after all) off. Instead, he just stands there and looks as non-threatening as possible - fortunately that tends to be his default state of being - as he pushes his monocle up as though this were merely a casual conversation.]

"Burn you all"? That seems rather extreme. Might I ask what we've done to deserve such a fate?

[fullspbar]

[ In the midst of all this, the blood and fire and rancid smell of gunpowder, something lurches out of the manor. A person, more specifically, looking worse for wear. There's a wobble of unsteady feet, the ghastly pallor of his face, and the obvious stain of dried blood that soaks the bottom of his shirt to accentuate the tear in the fabric. He hasn't even changed in the hours that've passed.

Shinjiro probably shouldn't be here. No, he definitely shouldn't be here, but he's here regardless. And despite his gait, there's a hefty axe resting on his shoulders, glinting in the firelight.

He's quiet, notably; more quiet than anything. He offers no words, nothing more than a pained grimace as he steps onto the grass proper. But the grip he has on the weapon is, expectantly, tight. Whether or not he'll be able to swing it proper in this state is a problem for a future Shinjiro.

He's trying to piece together the chaos, but the dizziness is making it hard. Still, he's here! And about to step right into the fray, god permitting. ]

[lustro]

[ There's no way this is Akira - just no way. Instead of stealing hearts, it feels like someone has stolen his heart. ]

Hey, you - where's Akira?

[ He's tense, uncertain of whether he can jump in without putting Kkokio Ahito in danger. But his wings are out, and he's ready to unseal his demon form if need. Properly... this time. ]

BREAD AFTERPARTY LETS GO

[shadowkin]

[It is still morning, but a much saner time of the morning; the courtyard is still kind of bloody, but that's got nothing to do with the current activities in it. Besides, next to the still-roaring bonfire -- still complete with stake and awaiting who-knows-what at this point -- most impurities and messes have already been blown away by the hot wind or burned away by stray sparks and cinders.

And so, here in this holy-or-unholy circle that has lost its witch-wizard-witch, we set our scene: three little manor dwellers wizzing about, but with much less energy than that, putting together some kind of... bread spread?? That's probably the easiest way to describe it??

There's a row of chairs set out, covered in what looks like bakery sheet paper; atop these there are all manner of delicate confectioneries, cakes, pies, cookies, name a sweet and you've got it. Also some that you might not recognize at all. There's also two large baskets of bread tucked by the chairs, loaves, baguettes, round crackly bread, some haphazardly packaged toast. Some of the bread looks suspiciously too small (think hand-sized or smaller) and some of it looks a bit oversized (why is the pita bread bigger than your head). Some of the bread is also unusual colors or polka-dotted, but let's ignore that for now.

The pride of place goes to....... uh, so there's this croissant that's as long as a canoe and is just sort of sitting on top of a sheet on the ground. Atop the croissant-table there's some jams and butters, biscuits, and overflow from the chairs and baskets.

Nearer to the bonfire, you'll come upon what looks like a very messily put-together hot chocolate station, which quite frankly consists of a few mugs stacked on chairs, a good supply of chocolate powder, chocolate and marshmallows, and an obscene number of biscuits and biscuit-adjacent things. Cid yawns slightly to himself as he tries to toast a marshmallow and warm a mug of hot chocolate at the same time and succeeds at evenly warming neither.]

Told you to leave the croissant table alone already, it's not goin' to be a problem as long as nobody's doing cannonballs on it.

It’s your fault if that awful excuse for a table breaks.

[That's from a certain blond fellow whose name rhymes with Pikachu, looking somewhat the worse for the wear.]

Why the croissant, again, when you had any number of less precarious or delicate options to choose from?

[But their third party(?) member(??) will leave his exasperated criticism at that, letting the oversized croissantable go otherwise undisturbed. If anyone ends up falling through it let it be on them.

Robin will take no responsibility for if anything breaks. You're lucky he brought back sweets for everyone.]

........

[Cid grumbles something that sounds suspiciously like wasn't a choice before he goes right back to double-fisting the essence of hot chocolate, thanks.]

[OOC: Feel free to gather, mingle! Hit up one of the three bakery buffoons (Cid, Kurapika, Robin) or just toss up your own sublevel, bread spread is here for everyone. Bread spread is always with you. ☆]