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

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

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

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[ oh, he blinks once at the hand now ontop of his and then smiles, soft. ]

I see. They have a distinct taste to wear sunglasses indoors, but the scarf isn't so bad. [ mostly he likes being able to pull tatara like this, even if he's been thoroughly disarmed in this attempt. ]

You should tell me more about them. [ his eyes dart back up to the other's, blue reflecting coral. ]

But before that, tell me your own birthday.

[ He probably wouldn't mind being pulled like this—

The way he smiles, the way his eyes soften just a touch is his way of saying yes. He'd love to reminisce, when the time comes. ]

Hm?

[ His own birthday? Tatara lifts his glass, but he can't very well take a sip, so it has to settle near his cheek. ]

I think you should guess. [ He grins, mischievous. ] Here's a hint: it's a holiday.

[ a holiday... there's an unique expression tatara can catch given their proximity, a genuine look of bewilderment. it doesn't last long and clears into a breezy smile, wide and guileless. ]

What's the price for a second hint?

[ A unique expression, just for Tatara? His eyes twinkle with delight, and he decides to give Khun another quick kiss. ]

Tell me your birthday.

[ pay up!! ]

[ twist his hand why don't you! he absolutely would've given his birthday as-is considering his absolute handicap in this category and therefore his need to get another hint to even stand a chance. the kiss is really just an extra bonus that khun's happy to indulge in and it shows in how smitten he looks after. ]

November 29th.

[ Oh, he's near Anna's birthday, too. That, plus the way he looks at him, has a silly little smile cross his lips, a brush of pink on his cheeks. ]

Hmm... November 29th. I like it.

[ He folds that away and tucks it into the Aguero pocket of his heart. ]

Your second hint: It's a holiday in February.

[ ahh he can't just ignore the smile and the color either and since he's indulging anyway, another kiss can't hurt. or two? ]

[ it would be easy to lose himself like this and really he would, except for the part of his brain that tells him that he has to fold here.

he lets go of the scarf and very dramatically holds his hands up in the air. ]

Should I start from the beginning or end of the month and guess from there? [ he almost looks embarrassed. ]

Tatara, "holiday" itself is an old world word...the only celebratory day we have is when the King of Zahard became ruler of the Tower. Though there's been talking about making another day in Undecimber...

[ Hehe. He's so cute. Is that a thought he can have? Can he just watch him make motions all the time as he commits it all to memory?

Either way, he takes the widening distance as his chance to down the rest of his drink, which is—still quite a lot. He tilts his head back and remembers how tipsy he feels. ]

Is that so. [ Did he think he could escape? He reaches out and hooks a finger into the collar of Khun's shirt, dragging him back for softer, slower kiss. ]

I'm really happy for King Zahard [ incorrect ] and Under-December, [ also incorrect ] but my birthday is February 14th.

[ An expectant look. Hello! Valentine's Day?! ]

[ oh.

it's not that he thought he could escape, his thoughts have just been occupied with trying to figure out any kind of angle he could use to actually make a guess, so he's been distracted in a different way than the usual when they're together. and now he's distracted in the usual way, so gg.

he relishes the kiss, the notes of the cocktail and the edge of smoke that still lingers. he should finish his too, which is what he does when they part again. he's fortunately(?) not a lightweight but he also has not had a real meal yet today, so there's a pleasant fuzziness cushioning his thoughts. ]

February 14th, I won't forget. [ and then tilts his head to the side because what's valentine's day? he knows that look has to be for something though so... ]

Your room or mine?

[ he also didn't need to say it like that because that's (probably?) not what he means but also, again, he talks this way. ]

[ This is a total non-sequitur in Tatara's mind, because he wanted Khun to guess Valentine's Day. And then he profess some gushy statement about how all he needs for his birthday is spending time with him (all theoretical, of course, he doubts he'll live long enough to see another birthday of his).

Instead he's. Hello??

A furious blush colors his cheeks, and he stares, wide-eyed and awed into Khun's eyes. He can hear his heart beating in his ears, and his lips part, just millimeters from the other's. ]

—Augero?

[ It's the same tone, same look on his face as in the moments before they shared their first kiss. He's suddenly all nerves, thought of birthdays and drinks and punishments and meetings all out the window. He doesn't quite know how to respond, but. but. ]

[ for the first few moments, khun doesn't really know what to make of the expression unfurling before him. his name always demands his attention and this time is no different, but the combination of the liquor and also doing some math in his head in regards to dates means he's a second or two behind.

he really is simply this right now:

]

[ whoa, he hasn't seen tatara blush like that in a while. he likes seeing it, of course he does, but he's definitely confused. ]

Tatara. [ but he answers back naturally, as usual. sleeping together in either one of their rooms is a pretty common occurrence for them by this point, even if it's not necessarily regular. so why would— ]

Edited (zzz) 2024-05-13 22:39 (UTC)

[ sleeping together, well more like napping but it's practically the same thing. and khun had figured with their drinks done, they'd move this conversation to somewhere more cozy soon enough. that made sense to him. so.

...sleeping. sleeping together.

oh. ]

[ so now it's his turn to flush, pinks and reds highlighting the blue of his eyes and his hair. ]

Napping. I meant— [ you know, the regular sleeping together.

but also it's not like he didn't not mean the other one? the khun line is strong after all, and even if the apple launched itself from the tree it's still an apple. from an apple tree. that metaphor is about the strength of his brain cells at the moment. ]

But I—the other one. I want to one day. [ not when they're drinking, after a proper night and date. tatara deserves that much and khun wants to give it to him. ]

[ Watching the way the red spreads to Khun's own face, across his cheeks, only amplifies the sound of his own heartbeat. His shoulders raise with his breath, and in the moments before Khun says anything, he does give it genuine thought. If Khun says now, would he go along with it? He doesn't see why not. He's been carried on the wind of this dance since they first met and hasn't regretted any of it, so, so—

When what he really meant comes out, Tatara gives a light laugh and a tilt of his head, some of his nerves leaving him. Whatever he can grab of Khun with his hand, he'll squeeze lightly. ]

That's what you meant. I was like, that was so sudden, I didn't really know what to think at first.

[ His expression cools a bit, most of the fluster leaving him, letting a fond smile settle on his face in its place. But not visible is the way his heart still thunders in his chest.

His voice drops low. ] But—me, too. One day.

[ He looks sheepish admitting it. Maybe he wants to give Khun everything he has. ]

Edited 2024-05-14 11:56 (UTC)

[ tatara's heart might not be visible but khun reaches for it regardless, reflexive after he sees and hears that bright laugh and those words. first with his lips and tongue, a long, deep kiss that's hungry, like he wants to devour all of what's been said, keep it all to himself. and then with his fingers, which hook into his collar underneath the scarf, though he doesn't let them rest there like he usually does, instead wiggling his fingers to undo the top button.

he separates their tongues only to say something equally as important. ]

...like after a date. When I've really had the chance to sweep you off your feet.

[ Tatara's heart is his to take; he lends himself to Aguero and his kisses, he repeats his wants to himself so that Aguero might drink them up himself. He's so absorbed in the way Aguero's lips feel on his that he scarcely notices him undoing his button. He just squeezes him.

He chuckles into his lips, voice low, scratched. ]

But you already have.

[ Slowly, with a drawn-out sigh and a flutter of his eyelids, he opens his eyes. Another bolt seizes his heart, and he loses his breath for a moment, because blue is the color of open skies and limitless possibilities, and how can he possibly hold that all in himself? ]

Tatara— [ this is all making it pretty difficult to stick to what he literally just said. not that he's really complaining much, but still.

he might have caught the loss of breath or maybe it's just everything presented before him, but he dips down again for another kiss, softer this time. ]

Mine or yours? [ maybe this is marginally better this time, but he's equally as distracted. and he still doesn't know what valentine's day is. ]

[ In that slower kiss, he relishes in the feeling of Aguero's lips on his and the way it makes him feel, the way his heart shudders, and he commits it to memory. This is never going to get old. ]

—Mine. [ He murmurs against him. This time, he doesn't even bother opening his eyes to talk. ] It's closer.

[ lol ]

Right. [ he's not going to argue with that, even if it wasn't a true. another kiss, to hold them both over, cloying and deep. ]

Let's go. [ someone else can deal with any mess they've let behind? that's why musashi exists or something; khun isn't thinking about it. the tug he gives their hands is insistent, keep up, stay with me, as he leads them out of the bar. ]

[ Someone else can deal. Or maybe Tatara will come back and clean up later. Who knows! These aren't things he's thinking about. Not when he's just been kissed like that.

Tatara lets himself be tugged along, but he quickly falls into pace alongside Khun; his fingers intertwine with his and he tugs him out of the bar, down the second floor hallway. Like he said, his room really isn't that far at all. A few paces and they're practically there.

Khun will be pleased (not) to see Tatara still doesn't lock his door; Tatara pushes the door open... ]

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

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/idk

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done

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