let the magic take control, it's there wherever you go

[promittere]

CADENZA DI FIRST QUARTER

On this bright and sunny morning, Sage Tatara and Mentor G'raha call a meeting. It's mandatory.

Once every wizard is gathered in the lounge, Tatara settles into one of the plush armchairs, clearly too big for him, but absent is any of his silly expressions that might make light of the difference in size here. Instead, with a serious hue in his coral eyes and neatly pressed lilac dress shirt, he looks like he means business.

"Now that the Western wizards are back, we need to share what we've learned with each other. I know some of you have been sharing information privately amongst yourselves, but I think it's time we put all the pieces we have together.

"Everyone encountered a moon stone on their missions, and I think the general consensus is that neutralizing these stones brings the old wizards back physically, somehow. But we haven't received any reports of any of them waking up yet."

That isn't to mention the sage, who still remains missing...ostensibly. They'll get to that in a second.

"If there's anything else you've learned that you think might be related to these things, or to our situation specifically, then speak up now."

For a summary of everything discussed in the meeting, please see this comment. Thank you Mauyn!

When the conversation dies down, Tatara raises his hand to get his attention back on him and G'raha again.

"For the second order of business, I have good news and bad news."

His tone and expression are lighter this time.

"The good news is that we've found a ritual that can send everyone back. There are details we can work out in the meanwhile, especially if you've decided not to go back to your home world, but for now, we need to talk about the ritual itself.

"In order for the ritual to work, we will need rare materials from all over the world. I'll be posting the materials on the job board so you know where to look."

G'raha adds, "We'll need these materials by next week, before the full moon. There's a reason for that, but we'll touch on that in a moment."

Tatara glances at him and nods.

"The ritual is far too powerful for any of us to perform, so we'll have to wait until the old wizards wake up. But...I have a feeling we might be able to do something about that."

When Tatara stands, G'raha follows suit.

"There's one last thing I need to show you."

With a silent gesture, Tatara makes for the door of the lounge and expects everyone to follow. Yes, everyone.

Sage and mentor then lead everyone down the winding corridors of the manor, past an indiscreet door into a wing of the building that has remained relatively untouched. The lights here are off, but the chandeliers and sconces quietly flick on as they make their way down the dust-laden corridors.

Soon, all will notice that the halls they walk through are a mirror image of the residential section of the manor, except it seems no one has lived here for quite a while.

You're led up the stairs, where Tatara and G'raha stop before a door that is a mirror location to Tatara's room on the second floor. A faint energy pulses from inside, one belonging to a person unfamiliar to all.

After an exchanged glance, Tatara pushes open the door and G'raha steps inside. He gestures to the sight at the center of the room: there, on his knees, is a young man. His face is frozen, twisted in panic—in fact, all of him is frozen, and his image practically see-through, just scarcely flickering on the razor-thin edge of existence. He holds his fist high above his head, as though clinging, with dear life, to five faint ethereal threads—yellow, purple, blue, pink, and green—that float in the air above his head. The threads are just as faint as he is, fading before they reach the walls.

"This is the previous sage," Tatara says. "He appeared here a little before the Western wizards returned from their mission. I'm guessing whatever they did to the last moon fragment is related."

G'raha nods. "The sage's soul seems incomplete. Putting him back together may be the key to waking him, and the rest of the wizards, up. However—" he pauses, reaching to gently run a finger over the purple thread. It flickers faintly. "The energy in these threads is too faint to see where they lead. They do seem to grow in strength as we get closer to the full moon, though. It's likely we'll see what lies at the end of them when the time comes, next week."

"Next week," Tatara repeats. G'raha steps out of the room, and Tatara closes the door behind him. "We'll wake him up next week.

"But before that, we have materials to collect."

JOB BOARD

An important note for these tasks is that they are time sensitive. At least one completed thread of each material must be submitted before 11:59 AM EDT, June 22 for the gathering of the materials to be considered successful. Now's the time to coordinate and work together.

Water from the Lost Oasis. Mesa was once a great city of commerce in the southern part of the Central country...the part of the country that is now a vast desert. The city was once lost to the sands, and though it is said to have recently emerged from its sandy grave, it is still rather difficult to find in the desert. It is very easy to get lost, even on broom, so be careful.

Either way, your task is to collect a bottle-ful of water from this barren oasis. Your only choices may be to commune with the spirits to have them to show you a phantasm of what the bustling city was like in its heyday, before it was destroyed, or to brute force dig your way to the ground water. Why here, when there are other oases in the desert? This is an ancient place of power, and the land is special.

The Central spirits here are very old and very picky—Northern wizards beware, as your presence may not be entirely welcome. Acting out may cause the spirits to lash out and cause sandstorms.

The Frozen Oz Root. Named after the world's most powerful wizard, the Oz flower is a brilliant crimson and deathly poisonous. It grows in the vast snowy plains of the North, but it is said to be exceedingly rare, despite how the color of the flower stands out so starkly against the white of the snow. Finding it will not be easy and you will need sharp, tireless eyes.

Despite how beautiful the flower is, that is not what we need. All of the flower's poison is housed in its roots, and we need the poison. However, the most important thing is that the roots remain frozen. Do not let it thaw. Once it thaws, the poison loses the quality we need for the ritual.

A Storm in a Bottle. It's the fickle quality of the spirits in the Valley of Storms that cause the eponymous storms. They're shy and sensitive, a lot like the Eastern wizards themselves, and don't require a lot of prodding to elicit any sort of reaction from them. Your job is to agitate the spirits in the valley just enough to cause a storm, and to catch that storm, lightning and thunder and rain and all, in a bottle for use in the ritual. Western wizards in particular will have an easy time stressing them out, but be careful not to push the sensitive spirits too far—the valley is also known as the Valley of the Lost for a reason (don't get trapped, please come home!).

In contrast, if you accidentally make the spirits happy, they might take the form of cats instead... Which is nice, but the manor isn't exactly aching for more cats. Just don't get too distracted playing with them if this happens, okay?

Blood of the Last Monster. The Western military and word on the street will tell you that all of the magical monsters in the West have been slain, their mana stones harvested. But is that true, when there has been no word of the death of the mythical tarasque? The legend of the tarasque tells of a large, ancient beast with six bear paws for legs and a massive turtle shell on its back, who slumbers in the depths of a remote ravine among the mountains on the Western Country's northern border. You are to collect a vial of this ancient creature's blood. Nothing more, nothing less.

Be careful not to wake it, and be careful not to kill it. If awakened, there's no telling if anyone would be able to stop a creature of that size and caliber. And if killed, its mana stones would attract all the wrong kind of attention. Besides, doesn't the West still deserve to keep some of its native fauna, magical or otherwise?

Pestilence Frog Mucus. Though once a plague-ridden bog, the Swamp of Pestilence is now home to a thriving, diverse, and healthy ecosystem. It's now also home to a very rare type of frog, its stunning green, yellow, and blue stripes eye-catching and attractive. However, this frog only emerges from the depths of the bog on a clear twilight after a day of rain in the rainy season...except the Southern rainy season isn't for another few months yet. You don't exactly have the time to wait until then, do you? You'll have to figure out a way to trick the frog into thinking it's the rainy season to lure it out, or dig it out by force... Either way, you'll need at least a vial's worth of this frog's mucus. Make sure the swamp water (or rain water, for that matter) doesn't contaminate it.

OOC NOTES

🌙 Welcome to your final final mingle! It's time to share info and get down to business.
🌙 How do you feel about the bonds you've forged thus far? Was it all worth it?
🌙 Pair guesses are now closed! Thank you and congratulations to all who found their pair!
🌙 A reminder that rewards close at 11:59 PM EDT, June 19, and that includes mission rewards. If you have not submitted rewards for your mission participation yet, then now's your last chance!
🌙 Speaking of time limits, if you missed it above, all materials must be submitted before the finale for the gathering to be considered a success. Plan your time and your threads wisely.
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here. Please note that this plotting post doubles as the sign-up for the finale and final encounter. Read it over carefully and fill out the form if you'd like to die play.
🌙 Speaking of, what do you think is happening next week...?

» NAVIGATION

Comments

[shortleash]

( Mika has been quiet this entire meeting, tucked up against a wall with his arms folded and listening in (with a fresh new sky blue-gemstone ring on his finger, for those who might notice). This whole topic, too, has been something he's been vaguely listening in on and not paying attention to (and not something he ought comment on, given much of his magic has been based in spending his blood - though he's been working on improving this, and finding more reasonable magic; it's come easier, lately).

However, as the details emerge, it's pretty hard for him to believe this is not the blue and yellow bracelet Ginger gave him, which Ginger had told Mika he'd made with Day.

Mika does not look at Day, since Mika's not placing Day's neck on the guillotine - yet. That honor, metaphorically(?), goes to Ginger.

Mika looks directly to Ginger, wherever he is in the room, and very flatly he says: )

Ginger.

( He doesn't raise his voice, because he knows Ginger is listening for him. )

/2

[lustro]

[ Well, fuck. ]

[lustro]

[ The more Day talks, the more Ginger stiffens as the hole to his grave gets deeper. Vaguely, he thinks they should sign up for a new fated pair because the slot is about to open - damnit, Day… One of them - or both of them are dead.

When Mika says his name, he doesn’t bother to look anything but puppy-contrite. He immediately goes to where he’s called and gets down on his knees for the person who owns his heart - honey, please. Have mercy.

He didn’t mean to do a bad and conveniently not mention it - it just kinda happened. But he absolutely means to beg for forgiveness in front of God and Oz’s comatose spirit and all twenty-odd other wizards. ]

… Yes, Mika…

[shortleash]

( Oh, Ginger... Mika approached this with hackles-up frustration, but a willingness to believe there is a vital, missing piece here - for example, a truth that makes this entirely Day's fault, and not Ginger's. He can't help but have a kneejerk reaction to the idea that Ginger put himself in danger - was put in danger? - and he had no idea for months.

But Ginger coming to him on his knees is in itself an admission of guilt, and that does not improve Mika's mood - rooted in his near-sickening worry for the person he adores most in this world. )

Did you spill your blood for me.

( Spill your blood, carry out blood magic - the nuance is all the same.

His arms are crossed. He looks down at Ginger firmly. He's upset with you!!! He loves you and that is why he is so upset with you!!!! But he's still willing to listen (always). Ginger still time to plead his case. If he's going to say only Day did something reckless, then now's his chance. )

I don't want to think you did, because you would have told me if you did something to hurt yourself. Especially if it was ostensibly to help me out. Right?

[leewards]

[

this is some interesting tea ngl]

[lustro]

[ It would absolutely be convenient to throw Day under the bus - but he doesn’t want that, not when he was there for what happened. And when he knows why.

And actively lying to Mika isn’t something he’s willing to do. Sometimes, he waits to say things - which, isn’t much different, he knows, but he always means to say the things. Eventually.

(There are just two truths he doesn’t want to say, ever.)

So slowly… ]

I did - not for the bracelet. [ Hence no smell of blood on it. ] But… a little blood for ritual to bless it. I made sure - outside of a promise - that there wasn’t any risk to myself, or Day, or you. It didn’t even hurt.

… But originally, I was willing to offer more and to do the entire thing with only my blood.

[ If it meant the next person who tried to behead Mika, to scar him permanently, would fail. This was before he knew how deep he’d fallen. ]

[shortleash]

( It's not the answer he wants to hear, but it is the answer he'd begun to suspect. Of course Ginger had, and of course he was willing to offer more. He hadn't wanted Ginger to lie to him - there is a greater part of him relieved Ginger has told him the truth.

But it took an accident for any of this to come out, and that leaves him anxious. He's someone who can spin a thousand worries with only half a spool of fact. Ginger would have done more for him - of course, because they are mirrors, and Mika would have done the same for him - and he would do more for him too, should another opportunity arise. Mika, too. Mika gets it. And that's why he can't help but be afraid. )

... A wizard's blood can be used against them, here. Did you know that? ( It's possible Ginger didn't, but it was still careless. ) Because right now, that bracelet's missing somewhere in the North, ( after Ahito "lost" it ) and now we're going to need to find it.

( It's not up for debate. Mika will look for that needle in the haystack alone if he must. Can it still be used against Ginger, even though the magic's potentially inactive now? Mika isn't sure. But he isn't going to take that chance. )

Why didn't you tell me? Where did you even get this idea? Was this his fantasy, or yours? I don't ever want you doing something like this again. Do you understand?

[lustro]

[ When he’s in trouble, his eyes tend to slide away - but never with Mika. Mika’s so beautiful to him, even now, the flame of his anger dazzling. Ginger couldn’t look away if he tried. ]

I understand. I know. I knew - that’s why -

[ But he can tell this is starting to spiral into something worse than anger - the candle’s tip flickering erratically against a strong wind that smells of anxiety, fear. They’re both always so weak to these things, so he knows - ]

Mika. [ He reaches out for his hand, the one wearing the ring, and doesn’t wait for permission. ] We don’t need to find it. We don’t. I would have told you, if that was a risk - and I wouldn’t have let you give it to Ahito.

The blood wasn’t for the bracelet. It doesn’t have my blood on it - it can’t be used against me.

[ Right now he has no right to ask for faith, but his expression still begs believe me, please. Believe him enough to know he didn’t go through with the original proposal because he knew if he had, Mika would be worse than upset. He’s willing, but he wouldn’t. ]

[shortleash]

( He softens when Ginger touches him, and he allows it. He doesn't mean to close himself from Ginger - but what else can he do when he can feel this welling up inside him, and he feels so strongly it's a concern he has to keep in, keep contained, handle himself?

He knows he's not supposed to operate that way anymore. He knows he's supposed to - wants to - lean on Ginger. But it's so scary to think that - that...

...

His arms come loose so he can take Ginger's hand in turn, less like a hold - more just a squeeze. He believes Ginger without hesitation. Just... )

... Don't do that again. ( Reiterated. The raw feeling, without the building upset. He doesn't want to have to say please. ) If something ever happens— if something happens, and I had no idea...

( Stumbling forward obliviously to the danger he was putting his loved ones in - remains his greatest fear. His heart's still going to be trapped in that hallway in Sanguiem for a long time, where Ferid had killed the orphans. He had trusted foolishly - obliviously, he had thought everything would be okay. How could he? How could he do that to Ginger? How could he live with himself living blithely, and then - Ginger one day doubles over, in pain - dying?

He still seems hesitant to believe it's okay to leave the bracelet in the North. There's conflict in his eyes. But he wants to believe Ginger, even with Ginger's lapse in truth, and that weighs a little more. )

... Tell me first, next time. Before you do anything.

[lustro]

I would never - Mika, I - [ … promised. He did, and the only reason another promise doesn’t fall from his lips right into Mika’s palm is because they had decided - together. Together or nothing.

(If they’re not together, he’s nothing.) ]

I’ll explain what happened, later - and why.

[ When they’re alone. If it takes reliving that nightmare night, fine. He’s not going to be able to hide how ugly and raw he still feels about it - how could he? The scar across Mika’s neck points straight and true to how that night could have ended.

When Day had spoken about the ritual, he had said: ‘I know Mika means the world to you.’

Yeah - and that was before - everything else. The rest of the fall.

He had found out that night that his world is always at risk of shattering. He can show Mika those vulnerable parts of him, but he doesn’t want anyone else to see. Not when they have a different calamity to face.

(Not when one of them was the one who held a knife to Mika’s neck and tried; not when another had held his wand there unyielding. He won’t risk Mika.) ]

… I’m sorry…

[ It’s heavy, knowing he will undoubtedly make more mistakes; he precipitates them, like an omen - and he thinks the only thing he’s ever done right is love Mika. He sits low because he feels low, but he won’t look away from Mika’s gaze. His stomach eats itself, guilt cannibalizing until what’s left is - a mangled sort of worry. Mika will blame himself, but it’s Ginger who is wrong.

Mika should be allowed to be as upset as he feels, and Ginger needs to - learn - and do better. He doesn’t - never - wants to lie to Mika, but he thinks… maybe he lies to himself more than he realizes. (He didn’t mean to do a bad and conveniently not mention it - he agreed to it, he chose not to mention it. Convenience… was an excuse made by him, wasn’t it?) ]

I am.

[shortleash]

( Seeing Ginger fold in on himself - infinitely, as a black hole - softens him, and while he doesn't regret his questions or his anger, he does release them with a gentle exhale. He isn't here to hurt Ginger. He's made his point. And if there were space for punishment, he thinks this has been punishment enough. When Ginger confesses to hiding this thing from him, Mika will consider, again, if he needs to underscore what he's said.

He releases Ginger's hand, and he kneels down before him, too - level with him - and he does as is instinctive for him to do: he takes his face in his hands, and he presses a kiss to his hair. He doesn't care who sees it; Ginger is the only thing he cares for.

Murmuring, for just the two of them to hear: )

I forgive you.

( Mika will still ask later, alone, to know Ginger's reasons, if Ginger doesn't suggest them himself - but he will trust that Ginger will, unprompted. But that is then. And even if Mika is upset with what he hears, he doesn't want Ginger to think he loves him any less, that he ought wring his hands over the chance that Mika might not forgive wherever he's erred. He has absolution already. Okay? So Mika just wants to know.

Because he had taken their promise in earnest - something to live and die by. It's not magic that's on the line, for him. )

Hold me?

( He says this for Ginger, more than anything. Don't be so sad (cute as your teary face is)... )

[troublereduction]

[ At this point, Day is pinching the bridge of his nose because whew. He feels bad letting Ginger take the heat for this too, since Day was the one who did most of the actual magic at the end of the day, and he's the one brought it up to begin with. ]

Wait, hold up. 'Fore you get ahead of yourself, we did things the way we did specifically so no one could use our blood against us. Not a drop on the charm, and what we used for the ritual has been carefully disposed of. No one should be able to get their hands on it, and considering it's been nearly two months and we're still sound and hale, we're safe on that front.

Two, can you tell me why you say that bracelet's lost in the North somewhere? 'Cause I think I know what happened to it. In any case ,if you're worried 'bout it bein' used against Ginger, it shouldn't be possible 'cause it's just a blessing attached to an object. And I'm the one who designed and cast the spell, not Ginger. 'Less you mean to say you know my magic better than I do?

[shortleash]

( While the logic seems sound enough, Mika still seems to feel suspect. He believes that Day might think the magic is secure, and he believes that Day's intention is that the magic cannot harm them - but intention does not affect the truth of the matter, nor that it was careless.

He'll concede to the fact that, if Ginger's blood was used for the intangible element of the bracelet - the blessing - that certainly puts him at less risk. But he's not at all happy about the rest - these are things he wanted to hear from Ginger, ideally before the fact; not months later, from someone else. )

I gave it to Ahito before his mission, and he didn't come back with it.

( Flatly - but an answer to Day's question, at least. )

If you "designed" the spell, are you saying this whole thing was your idea?

[troublereduction]

Then the bracelet prob'ly served its purpose.

[ It would explain Ahito's reaction, at least. ]

I was the one who suggested makin' the protection charm, yeah. Ain't gonna make somethin' on that level again. [ Because it was a Ride and a half and he gets the feeling he will not get through a second try unscathed. ]

[shortleash]

Yeah, don't.

( Very firmly!! He did feel like Ginger's first idea probably wouldn't have been a blood ritual, so it makes sense this was Day's handwork. That early on, people would fall back on what's familiar. )

I don't want you enabling him like that again. Whether it be blood or whatever else. I don't care how many precautions you think you took— there will always be some amount of risk, and I'm not okay with you having Ginger gamble on that.

( Because, like Mika himself, he knows Ginger is like to gamble on any risk if it means protecting one another. No need to feed into it.

However, he will tuck away that remark about the bracelet serving its purpose... since Ahito is going to approach him about it later, anyway. )

not here

[lighthaus]

[ there are absolutely zero tells that khun is listening to this whole conversation intensely aside from him in general glancing over when it starts; which, yeah that's probably most of the room at this point.

but noting here that he is!

it's fine nothing to worry about here, he didn't do anything he knew was a risk but apparently was more of a risk than he could gather at the time. as usual he'll keep this all to himself, smh. ]

[1145pm]

[ oh my god is ginger whipped? ]

[lustro]

[ ye to stiff peaks ]

[troublereduction]

[ And from where Day's standing, and hopefully not in Mika's line of sight, Day's expression is both apologetic and trying very hard to communicate without words, "just throw me under the carriage here, I'm ready to take full responsibility for this".

It's also a way of saying he's ready for there be murder attempts on him if that's what it comes down to, but that would just be returning to business as usual, as far as he's concerned. ]

[lustro]

[ You!!!!

He’s not that type of guy, okay - ]

[troublereduction]

[ He's gonna intervene if Mika does get upset, dwbi- ]

[lustro]

[ Uh. What was about intervening??? Seems to have been a Mistake. ]

[troublereduction]

[ It sure was. Ginger your taste sucks,

But it's fine Day is going to get emergency boyfriend hugs after all this is over. ]

[lustro]

[ holds up a mirror

But when the meeting is over, Ginger catches Day alone and tells him: ]

I think I have a solution. [ For... you know. ] Give me a couple of days. I'll let you know when.

[ He pats Day once on the shoulder and heads off to rejoin Mika. ]

[impacter]

[Just watching this from a distance - looks like they've got it under control, but stil, lolol.

Ah, the drama of the love of the young over a blood ritual. Tale as old as time etc etc.]