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

[jokey]

No can do. Sorry.

[At least he has the courtesy to hear Bruno out. It's a shame he won't take his words to heart, or maybe it's that he can't. Will he ever be the boy that he was? The one that joked so casually, took all of life's hardships with a grain of salt?

He wasn't taking life seriously enough. His carelessness very nearly killed several of their friends. Akira won't make the same mistake twice.]

Why sit around and wait for Totsuka? I can get you out of here in a snap.

[...Oh, he gets it. Akira huffs, some soundless, incredulous laugh.]

Don't tell me you'd rather stay in here out of concern for that guy. Let him rot in here if that's what he wants, but I don't want to run the risk of you getting hurt.

[And he doesn't want to see Solomon get hurt either, but it's already been established that his words hold no sway over that man. There's no point in wasting his breath on him any longer.]

[impacter]

[It's concern after concern, quietly filtered and put away... and then hurt, hot and vibrant in the pit of his stomach.

He doesn't have any quip for that. He's just glad Akira has his back turned, because he can't quite hide how his entire expression fades at the statement.

But he'll look back at Bruno, before silently gesturing with a push of his fingers.

Go. It's okay.]

[fallingsand]

[ Akira may not see how Solomon's expression fades but Bruno can, with how his cell faces the other's directly. Okay, he's done with this. It may come as a shock at how fast Bruno can actually move since a hand snaps out like a shot and makes for Akira's face, meaning to pinch a cheek sharply between two fingers. ]

That is enough. Stop being a brat! You... the both of you going on about facing your own consequences, but I don't have to? Really? What, I don't get a say?

[ If he managed to get that cheek, he isn't letting go. Pinch, pinch, ya little shit. ]

They'll just... they'll look for me if I vanish and then what, huh? C'mon, you're both being estúpido. Stupid! Just say why you're upset already, 'cause that's why you're really here, right?

[jokey]

[He does in fact manage to catch Akira by the cheek! A thorough scolding was the last thing he was expecting from Bruno, so he's already floundering and pinwheeling his arms by the time he realizes what's happening. This was deserved, but—]

Ow. Ow. Oww!

[Please, Dad #3, have mercy...!]

So you're gonna risk getting roughed up in prison instead?! That's estúpido. Just- oww— let me get you out of here...!

[He didn't come here to fume and throw a tantrum, believe it or not. Submitting to Bruno's pinching fingers and settling down, Akira chances a glance over at Solomon. No, no, that isn't why he's here at all.]

I came to bail both of you out of here. Sure, the guards might go looking, but if you lay low, they're not going to chase a low-level criminal for long. Besides...

[Akira exhales a sigh. The anger's left him, and in its place, a much more plaintive tone.]

I know how jails treat people. I've been through it firsthand. I can't... I can't risk any more people getting hurt when I have the power to do something about it, so please come with me. I'm begging you.

[impacter]

[...

He lifts himself up from the bed into a sitting position, swinging his legs over onto the floor with a wince and a long exhale.

His voice, when it comes, is just a little colder, far more authoritative.]

We are Tatara and Lazuli's responsibility. Not yours.

[He knows Tatara would say as much. He remembers the look. He also knows he's being hypocritical.]

Bruno, I'll remind you that I was the one who told you to comply rather than keep running, right? You can choose what you'd like to do, but I instigated all parts, save for our initial escape. I do not think anyone will blame you, and I think you must be very careful in blaming yourself.

Akira, I managed two meetings with your little passenger. I can manage a couple days in prison for disturbing the peace. Have you considered that you taking this action could also hurt the ones you intend to help?

[fallingsand]

[ Bruno's heart was breaking over the pleading from Akira. Maybe it would be alright but... oh, but then Solomon has to open his mouth again. Funny how that works. Everything is fine right up until that last part, where he mentions that "little passenger".

Akira will find his cheek released from its hellish pinch and Bruno looks past him to stare directly at Solomon. ]

Wait, wait, two meetings? What do you mean two?

[jokey]

[Idiot. Stubborn jackass. Does he have any idea what he's doing, arguing to stay in confinement? They could both end up injured or worse, but more important to Solomon is rejecting Akira's every effort to help him. That's how it's always been. How it always will be.

If that's what Solomon wants — if that's what Bruno wants — then fine. It's not Akira's place to argue with people who don't want help. He's burned himself on that flame one too many times before. You have to let people make their own choices even if those choices kill them in the end.

Akira steps back, straightens up, and draws in a long, deep breath. No more anger, no more pleading, no more stretching himself further than he can reach. He'll answer Bruno's question and see himself out.]

I asked Solomon to stay with me the night I first realized something was wrong. At some point, I managed to break off on my own. I don't remember the details.

[He doesn't damn Solomon by telling Bruno the man had fallen asleep. Even if he wanted to, the whole truth stings too much.]

[impacter]

Mn. I can clear it up. I remember nearly everything else.

[He crosses one leg over the other, arms tightly folded as he addresses Bruno.]

I noticed Akira hadn't quite been himself the day that the Central wizards came back. So I confronted him, and attempted an exorcism on my own when it was obvious he'd been possessed by something. As you might have guessed, it didn't work. I'm surprised more people didn't come banging down the doors about the gunshot that went off.

That said, Akira is right in that he asked me to stay once he'd regained himself. Neither of us could tell if the situation had been resolved, and though I recommended waking Tatara, Akira was far more worried about being left alone for any length of time. So I confiscated his weapons, and watched over him, because he trusted me to step in if things escalated.

I'm aware I could have gone to the Sage regardless. But I didn't.

And unfortunately, because of my foolish thinking, I overdid myself in every aspect. Not only did I fall asleep, but my magic was still completely drained when the fires woke everyone in the morning. So I was not able to stop him when the ghost took back over, and was unable to intervene or heal when things escalated as Akira trusted me to do.

[A beat. He exhales slowly through the nose.]

Does that clear things up for you, Señor Bruno?

1/???

[fallingsand]

[ Bruno stares, just stares at Solomon, as he takes in what he has to say. There's a lot that goes through his mind right there and then. He's torn between reassuring Akira and immediately launching into a tirade against Solomon.

What should he... what can he...? ]

2/???

[fallingsand]

[ Does he yell at the guy? Does he wait? Does he— no, he has to be the rational adult here. Solomon clearly isn't that and Akira? Akira's a kid. Maybe he would hate that he's thinking of him that way but he is.

He reaches out to snag one of Akira's hands before he can make an exit. ]

Akira... You can still help us, okay? Go get Tatara. Bring him back here. They haven't hurt us, so... so they probably won't. Get us out of here the right way, yeah? Then there's. Then no one has to hide or lay low.

[ He'll crack a faint smile at Akira before adding, ]

I've spent the last ten years hiding. I don't, y'know. I don't want to do much of that anymore.

3/3 yeah i don't have the energy to go longer rip

[fallingsand]

...and Solomon, that's Señor Madrigal if you're gonna be calling me that.

[ Oh, he doesn't sound very happy saying that. Oops. He keeps ahold of Akira's hand even as he shifts his attention back to the cell across from him. ]

We're having some words about how you didn't tell the rest of us once we're outta here.

[jokey]

[Right. No point in trying to spare Bruno the gritty details when Solomon's going to tattle on himself anyway. As much as Akira would love to insist that he's the one at fault for not going directly to Totsuka as soon as he realized something was wrong, the time for assigning blame has passed.

It's fine if Bruno's treating him like a kid. He's probably had bags under his eyes for longer than Akira has been alive. For once, he'll allow it, relenting with a sigh.]

...Fine. I'll tell Totsuka. In the meantime, I need to know that you'll be alright in here. I have an idea, if you'll humor it.

[Solomon wouldn't. That's what Solomon leaves out of his thorough explanation— the attempt Akira made to forge a bond between their magics, a thread that would sever the moment one of them drew too far from the other, thus making it possible to stop this entire chain of events from going off long before it started. Solomon wouldn't allow it. Coward.]

[impacter]

Señor Madrigal, then.

[He doesn't interrupt otherwise. It takes the anger off of Akira, and puts the responsibility on him. He was the older, he was the more experienced, he was the one who should have corrected. He can shoulder it, can continue to be the demon, so that the bright can keep shining.

As it should be.

The master must stay accountable for the apprentice.]

[fallingsand]

[ Solomon, Solomon, please, Bruno was never angry at Akira. He would have never blamed him for something a long-dead wizard did. That Solomon had a chance to stop what happened, however...

There'll be words, that's for sure. Maybe more. Regardless, there's a scolding in Solomon's future, but for now, he focuses on Akira. ]

An idea...? Er, sure? If. If it'll help you feel better about this.

[jokey]

Let me tether my magic to yours. If something happens to you, I'll be able to tell right away.

[And Bruno can refuse, of course, but this is the best compromise Akira has come up with. It's either this or he leaves the two of them alone here for an indeterminable amount of time and deals with the anxiety of knowing he left them when it was in his power to help.]

It'll be temporary. We can break the connection as soon as you're out of here. That would help put my mind at ease.

[impacter]

Akira.

[It's a warning of a word, sharp.

But he doesn't move. It's Akira's choice to make. Not his.]

me tagging this anyway u can't stop me

[fallingsand]

[ That sharpness from Solomon causes Bruno to hesitate, peering uncertainly across to the sorcerer's cell as if some further explanation would be forthcoming. There isn't, though. So his attention shifts once more to Akira. ]

I mean, I guess? If that would make you feel better. Have... have you done this before?

[jokey]

[...Akira smiles. It's a decidedly mean smile.]

I've tried, but the other party rejected me before I could get that far. Something about not being able to bear the weight of a real human connection.

[Sorry not sorry, Solomon. Maybe you should've explained to Akira why magical tethering was potentially ill-advised.]

[impacter]

[damn... yeah he can see how this kid has two hundred thirty one demons stuffed inside him

good job kid

He just exhales, resting one hand to his forehead. Sure. Sure, he'll go with that reason. That's fine.]

[fallingsand]

...that could be so many people here.

[ Like, seriously.

Still, since Solomon is being Mr. Not Warning Other Old Men, Bruno can't help but offer Akira his hand. If it'll make him feel better about leaving them here, he'll do what he has to. The last thing he wants is for the kid to feel even worse than he already must be feeling. ]

Alright. Let's do this.

[jokey]

Thanks for taking the leap of faith.

[Unlike Solomon. Hmph!!

With their hands pressed palm to palm, Akira attempts a magical connection in the same way he had with Solomon before, extending his own magic into Bruno...

...When something hits him like an electric shock. In an instant, it shoots through him, a wellspring of magic coursing through his body from head to toe. Every nerve and synapse hums like a live wire, but this— it doesn't hurt at all, somehow. No, it's more like—]

...Bruno. I think we're soulmates.

[Platonically, of course. As it goes when you're Akira, taking a blind leap usually works out, but he couldn't have expected this. Remember how he mused about fate? Bruno better take everything he says super seriously from now on.]

[impacter]

[His eyes turn back up only as Bruno agrees, and he watches. Watches, and waits, and hopes that what he expects isn't what's bound to happen. But...

...

What a thing to say.

His gaze travels to Bruno instead. You okay over there, bud?]

[fallingsand]

[ Akira isn't alone in feeling that shock. It feels as though something lances through his very soul and his own magic rises to react in turn. It isn't common for his eyes to flare with a bright green light for a simple spell here and there, not since he first arrived here, but they do now, however briefly. He holds Akira's hand tightly as their magic connects, finding himself unable to let go right up until...

Ah, there we go. He jerks his hand back as he steps away quickly, shaking it. ]

Ay ay ay, eso picó...

[ Only no, it hadn't stung at all. He isn't sure how else to explain it, that being the first thought to come to mind and the words tumble out, though he knows Akira, at least, won't know what that means. Although, Akira's own claim draws an apprehensive look from Bruno himself.

Somehow, he knows it's true. ]

Soulmates? Wait. Is this what that weird fortune teller was going on about at the gates?! Oh no, that's. Geez, I'm sorry, if that's. If that's true, you're stuck with me.

[ Which, seeing how Bruno is, in fact, Bruno, and therefore considers that a bad thing. Akira deserved a much better soulmate. ]

[jokey]

That's where you're wrong.

[Oh, Bruno. How could you see this as anything but a blessing? (Rhetorical question, we know Bruno can't)

Akira smiles, shakes his head.]

Why are you apologizing? This is a good thing. Maybe you're not excited, but I'm grateful we can lend each other our strength.

[And Bruno is so, so much stronger than he gives himself credit for. Just to make a point, Akira turns and addresses Stinky Old Man Solomon.]

Don't you think so, Jii-chan?

[impacter]

[His face tightens visibly at the nickname. But he lets it smooth over, curling his arms tight to his chest as he nods towards Bruno.]

You're the one stuck with Akira. Not the other way around.

You have a great deal you can teach, and Akira has an incredible amount of potential so long as he stays patient and willing to learn. He could benefit from your caution and experience, and you from his bravery and persistence.

Don't apologize for the gift you've given.