you opened your eyes, spreading it wide

[promittere]

THIRD QUARTER ALLEGRO

While our newly-arrived wizards have been settling in, learning their magic, and getting to know one another, the sage and their mentor have been busy with a different kind of work behind the scenes—bureaucratic work. It hasn't been particularly exciting, but it has paid off.

Because now, the world is ready to receive them.

Put on your finest clothes, because Granvelle Castle invites you to a welcome ball in your honor.

Didn't bring any fine clothes with you? No need to worry—specially chosen tailors from Central Capital have been commissioned to take care of you, and they will be visiting the manor to get you gussied up in the fashion of your choice for the day (by this, we mean feel free to pick whatever fancy clothes you want for the ball).

As the sun sets on the designated day, all the residents of the manor make their way to the castle. Granvelle Castle stands proud in Central Capital, its lights a beacon in the darkening city, and its doors open to outsiders for the first time in weeks. Upon arrival they're greeted by brightly lit halls, welcoming staff, and a grand ballroom, windows flung open to let in the spring breeze and pale moonlight. Everyone and everything seems determined to make this a cheerful affair, despite the underlying sense of dread and tension.

Live music fills the air, played the greatest musicians in the world. There are some larger ensembles, solo acts; some pieces are of more traditional folk dances, while some are slower, and some are upbeat and avant-garde. Regardless, the floor is open for dancing—grab a buddy and dance the night away!

Lining one wall is a long banquet table, filled with plenty of food and drink, both alcoholic and non to sate the new arrivals. The hors d'oeuvres and small plates comprise an array of delicacies from around the world, with everything from savory lobster bites to the sweetest portions of tres leches you have ever tasted. It seems someone has also put in a specific request for Japanese food—a part of the banquet table has been set aside specifically for Japanese dishes, and this includes small portions of ramen. There also seems to be a plate on the far end of the table filled with lovingly stacked pieces of charcoal... Is that meant to be food?

You aren't the only ones in attendance tonight. Representatives and dignitaries from around the world are also present—they have quite a lot to say about the unusual situation, and they are most curious about these otherworldly individuals tasked with fending off the moon under their national banners. The most dignitaries are from Central, West, and East, while there do seem to be a few representatives from the less populated North and South. Those from Central, West, and South in general seem to be the most social, while the rest are more reserved. There are also a few of the castle staff that seem (begrudgingly) willing to speak with the new wizards. Most are here to chat and mingle—lend them an ear, you may learn something new...

For those tired of socializing, the ballroom opens out onto a breezy, spacious balcony. It looks out over the main thoroughfare leading to the main castle entrance, and the nighttime lights of the Central capital twinkle in the near distance. For those that would rather take a breather, there is a small patio table and a couple of chairs. Despite the waxing moon in the sky, it is a very nice evening.

If you would like to have a chat with an NPC, then please respond to this comment. NPCs will be assigned randomly if no preference is given. While everyone has something valuable to say, they're not giving potentially sensitive info out for free—let's hope your diplomatic skills are up to snuff. We're doing our best to give everyone meaningful conversations, so please bear with us!

JOB BOARD

Rejuvenation. Thanks to your Southern friends' hard work, the South has been saved from a potentially devastating crop failure, and these fledgling towns can continue to grow as they're meant to! Give them a pat on the back and a round of applause.

But the South is not without its scars. While the root cause has been taken care of, the damage has been done. A town's wheat field has been partially destroyed—help them tear out the blackened, dead wheat, till and fertilize the soil, and replant what can be replanted. The City of Clouds, the most prosperous of the Southern settlements, have also offered extra tools, hands, and seeds to help set the town back on the path to recovery. Transport these supplies to the town. Let's hope your broom skills are up to snuff too, because it's a long ride.

Shadows in the night. The residents of the Central capital have recently been reporting eerie sightings after sundown: shadowy figures lurking in corners, the constant feeling of being watched, and, in some extreme cases, these shadowy figures attacking when traveling alone at night. Many reports seem to indicate an odd concentration of these creepy figures lurking around the Granvelle Castle moat, as though trying to find a way into the castle. Residents are understandably frightened and unnerved and cannot go about their nightly business—beat back what shadows you find and make the streets safer for the Central capital residents.

While physical attacks don't seem to do much against them, they dissipate rather easily under magic. Try not to wear yourself to the bone, though—there are a lot of them.

Escorting nobility. The Eastern Blanchett noble family have called an important meeting, inviting nobles and others of import from across the Eastern Country. However, their castle lies beyond Sherwood Forest, a very large, dense, and deep wood—while a fine natural defense for the Blanchett family, it's a bit of trouble for those looking to visit. While the Blanchett's own forest guard is absent, it is your job to safely escort these nobles to the Blanchett abode, and back out. But be careful: lurking in the shadows amongst the trees are all sorts of territorial predators like bears and wolves, not to mention the magical beasts that sneak up on unsuspecting prey. You may come across a brigand or bandit or two, since the forest is a near perfect hiding place for illegal activity. And please—try not to get lost.

Typical of any Easterner, the nobles are reluctant to make much small talk and are a bit suspicious of the new wizards, but they are otherwise pleasant and will generally comply with most requests.

WANDERER TASKS

Can you go a week without ruining food or the pots and pans? Stop being so wasteful and learn how to cook or stop trying.

Learn how to use magic to repair things. Again, if you're going to keep ruining the kitchen at least learn how to put it back together.

TATARA ACTIVITIES

I need milk. I'm trying to perfect latte foam art, but I haven't really gotten the hang of it yet... I used up all the milk (oops, sorry!), so I need more. Actually, could you grab me other kinds of milk while you're at it? I want to experiment! I'm sure other markets in the farther reaches of the world will have weirder milk... Please!

We should start a veggie garden! Or an herb garden? Doesn't matter! I found a nice sunny patch of grass in the training forest—we could dig up that spot, right? Help me get it set up! I need people to dig, and till... Oh! We need seeds to plant, too! Please and thank you~

OOC NOTES

🌙 Welcome to your second event post! Get out your snazzy outfits. It's time to party.
🌙 As you grow into your magic, your character might start realizing they can differentiate between everyone's magic. Everyone has a unique signature, and you may be able to start sensing who cast what, where. Someone put a magical seal on the kitchen door? Smells like Shinjiro's magic. Akira had some of Solomon's sugar? You can sense that, too!
🌙 As you start getting past the basics, your character might realize they have a much easier time with certain kinds of magic over others. For North, this will be offensive and attack spells; for East, this will be intricate seals and curses; for West, this will be manipulative magic like illusions and transformation; for South, this will be healing, purification, and protection. Central? A little bit of everything. Read up on your country if you need a refresher!
🌙 It's been peaceful at home in the manor thus far, hasn't it? Do you think that will last?
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Remember to keep all wider plotting contained to the OOC post, since not everyone checks plurk or discord frequently.
🌙 Our next group to go on their mission is Central. Be ready, heroes...

» NAVIGATION

Comments

[revengier]

i. the ball;

[ Kurapika goes for simple when given the choice, so he shows up at the ball in a neatly tailored suit, accented with bright golden cufflinks and a tie that matches. He certainly isn't going all out like some other guests might, but he doesn't mind. After all, blending in is better and it makes it much easier to wallflower, standing on the outskirts of the dancefloor and people watching.

Can he be pulled into a dance too? It's worth a try. If he likes you enough, he just might agree to it.

Later on, however, Kurapika can be found out on the balcony, a flute of some kind of alcoholic drink in hand. When he hears someone else join him in the otherwise nearly silent space, he turns his head. ]

The fresh air is nice.

ii. rejuvenation;

[ The call of helping a town bring their crops back to life is one that Kurapika really can't ignore, which is why he's currently out in one of the fields, pulling the dead wheat from the soil. He takes a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow as he tosses the dead wheat into a container he brought, and he makes eye contact with whoever just arrived. ]

Feel free to start wherever you want. There's plenty to pull.

iii. shadows in the night;

[ Kurapika also can't ignore ensuring that the townspeople feel safe, which is why he finds himself out in the middle of one of the streets in the Central capital after sundown, waiting with whoever happened to join him on this task. ]

Hopefully we can get a good look at a few of those shadows here before we head over to the moat.

[ Attacking the heaviest concentration of the shadowy figures would make this a quick job, but he'd rather see what they're going up against first before diving head-on into that. This task doesn't have to be completed as quickly as possible, after all.

Though, of course, he'd like to solve this in one go. ]

iv. cooking attempts;

[ Wanderer's little task gave Kurapika the motivation he needed to start learning how to cook, which is why he can one day be found in the kitchen standing over a boiling pot of... something.

Soup, probably? Or stew. Who knows, really.

At least it doesn't smell bad. ]

v. wildcard;

[ Please come at me with one of the prompts I didn't cover! I'm open to any and all tasks! Or, we can come up with something custom. Feel free to reach out to me on the plotting post! ]

in the ball

[lighthaus]

[ good luck blending in when khun has an eye for not only surveillance in general but also one specifically for wallflowers, he knows the type. he approaches kurapika dressed in a stylish periwinkle suit, sash included. his hair has been pulled back in a low ponytail, stylized with a braid from his right part. ]

You know that for a flower to have beauty, it needs to be seen, right?

[revengier]

[ Kurapika gives Khun a onceover as he approaches, briefly thinking that the stylish, bold choice really isn't that much of a surprise. Khun seems like the type, honestly.

But that question? It makes him frown. ]

Does it really?

[ He doesn't know if he believes that, and refuses to acknowledge what Khun is implying here. ]

iv.

[jorunna]

[ We can believe whatever it is in kurapika's pot, it's smells a little interesting. They too wanted to practice some cooking, but it's going to be a pretty popular/easy task with a slim chance for an un-occupied kitchen. ]

What's that you're making?

[ Scooting over to the pantry to get some ideas for themself. ]

[revengier]

...Some kind of soup. I threw a few ingredients I thought might go well together into the pot.

[ He has no idea what he's doing, in other words. ]

Rejuvenation

[specialinquisitor]

[This scene makes Mòrag pause, because -- well, it doesn't make much sense.]

Are you not using your magic for a reason?

[revengier]

I don't want to waste energy. I was planning on using magic to till the earth and plant, so using physical labor in the beginning seemed to be the best use of my resources.

[ Yes, he's done the math for his own energy levels for this. ]

Rejuvenation

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

[Kiryu arrives with a box full of tools. It's pretty heavy, and he plops it at the edge of the field. When he hears Kurapika, he nods]

Give me a moment, I'll be there.

[He has to take some time to take a breather. This winded him out quite a bit -- it was a long trip with these tools]

[revengier]

Take your time.

[ In fact, Kurapika will make his own way over so he can help with carrying some of the tools. ]

I heard it was a long way to that city. I hope your magic didn't get exhausted from it.

[ He kneels down, picking out a few of the tools from the box to lighten the load. ]

cooking

[dadsandals]

[ Is this it? Is this the one field that Yamato has over Kurapika...? It doesn't smell bad, but also, what is that.

He'll clear his throat to announce his presence and approach with some caution. ]

What are you making?

[revengier]

[ He turns around, taking in Yamato's presence before turning back to his pot of boiling... things. ]

...Soup.

shadows in the night

[shortleash]

Recon first? That might be best.

( Mika, however, is not troubled by the casualties ... he's here to see what the underlying root of these issues are. )

If anything, observing them first should make fighting them a little easier.

( Understand their attack patterns et al. better. )

[revengier]

[ He nods. Honestly, Kurapika is of the same mind here, aside from one thing: ]

If they attack someone, I'll move in. Use that opportunity to observe their reactions to magic.

III

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya steps in line beside Kurapika to survey the alleys and corners with him.]

Or at least observe the ones gathering around the castle before engaging. There have been no reports of any attacks yet, have there?

[revengier]

Only a handful. They seem to mostly be watching people.

[ He crosses his arms. ]

I think it's only a matter of time before they begin to escalate, however.

the ball

[lustro]

[ Ginger's not exactly a wallflower, though he looks awkward if strangers tries to talk to him for too long. Past the minute mark? Too long. But if it's someone he knows and likes well enough, then he opens up completely.

That's why he heads straight over when he sees Kurapika. ]

Hey! You look great!

[ Ginger himself isn't dressed in anything too fancy, just fit enough for his tall frame. He even has his hair combed over to one side, a little neater, nothing wild. ]

[revengier]

[ Kurapika raises his eyebrows as he sees Ginger approach, surprised that he's being approached by anyone at all. But it's clear he doesn't mind it, even giving Ginger a little nod. ]

You look nice too. You clean up well, Ginger.

[ Not that Ginger looked bad before, but... you know. ]

ii. rejuvenation;

[foresightis2020]

[ Yeah...sometimes weeding things out has gotta be done. ]

You know what they say...

One hasn't experienced true work until they've been in the weeds.

[ Ba dum tish. Anyway, he begins to pick out a spot to pull out some weeds...this isn't going to un-weed itself. ]

[revengier]

[ He huffs, but whether it's out of amusement or not is hard to tell. ]

I think you should go back to the drawing board with that one.

Shadows in the night

[mirristry]

[Phil definitely doesn't seem like the most obvious choice of person for this particular task. He has the air of someone far more at home in a library, or at the very least on the back lines of battle rather than the front.

Yet he's perfectly calm as he surveys the surrounding street with mismatched eyes, searching for any sign of movement in the darkness.]

If we can identify whatever it is that is creating or luring them, it would likely be easier to find a way to cut them off at the source rather than try to fight them.

[revengier]

[ Two library guys out here... ]

I'm wondering the same, but...

[ He crosses his arms. This is where that line of thinking stops him. ]

What if there are countless shadows at the source?

at least it's not cooking assassination attempts (yet)

[shadowkin]

[The kitchen has been interesting since they started out, really -- minus the surprisingly ordinary initial selection of food when their dearest cult leader was hosting, anyway -- but this week it's basically turned into the most popular game of Russian Roulette known to man-and-other-kind.

Which absolutely means that Cid is dropping by to check it out whenever he's got the opportunity. One aspect of training your magic is being able to fortify your insides just as well as your outsides, after all.

Perhaps luckily, all he finds is the resident honor student presiding over a pot of mystery stew. Now... is this the part where he turns out to be a poison cook, or an honor student chef? Tiptoeing over for sniff recon.....]

Sure hope the ingredients aren't coming from down south. Who knows what they're doing to the crops down there at this point.

[He is lying. He would totally not mind human experimentation with dubiously edible Southern ingredients.]

yet.......

[revengier]

[ Oh, it's his favorite moocher. Kurapika regards him with a glance before turning back to his... pot of liquid. ]

They're some of the more tame ingredients. Carrots, potatoes, things like that.

[ He's not trying to die via food poisoning here. ]

shadows in the night

[positivize]

[Investigating these kinds of unusual rumors is certainly up her alley, so she finds herself tagging along with Kurapika. This time, she does have her two guns holstered at her hip, although she hasn't drawn them yet. ]

Think we might be able to subdue one first? It might be helpful for figuring out if they have a weakness.

the ball

[discomposer]

[ Don't wallflower, Pika! Well, he can, but pretty early on Leo spots him lingering at the wall and since he is a dedicated Kurapika Botherer (tm) he immediately comes over and sweeps an elaborate bow. He's dressed the part and holds out a hand like some knight out of a storybook because he is, in fact, a Knight. They're all just Like This. ]

Hey, Pika~! You look pretty today, but way too serious, so come dance with me! ♪