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

[fallingsand]

You sure? You don't gotta but, hey, I can't make ya stay, either.

[ He isn't in charge of you, Akira, and he doesn't mind being slowed down, either. S'all good. ]

[jokey]

[Akira's already wobbling upright, all clammy and pale, but he'll be fine. Not being passed out on the ground is already a marked improvement from earlier. Akira tips his chin towards the door.]

I'd feel bad making you run an errand for me. Let's go.

[fallingsand]

Akira, someone offering to help you when your sick isn't an errand. It's just... just what people should do!

[ Then again, could be Bruno's just a nice guy. Anyway, that wobbling worries him. ]

Er, just. Be sure to lean on me if you feel faint from walking.

[ Welp, off they go, back to the door and then out into the hall. He'll lead the way to the kitchen, although he makes sure to never be more than a step away from Akira. ]

[jokey]

[Oh Bruno... You're so lucky Akira is in no condition to relentlessly tease. He smiles, more and more appreciative of Bruno's compassion. He's a surprisingly good guy, isn't he?]

Still, you're doing me a favor. I want you to know I'm grateful.

[Akira totters along beside Bruno as they make their way into the kitchen. The fact that Bruno remains close by his side isn't lost on Akira... but what are the chances he'll deflect if he pays him a compliment? Eh, he'll build up to that.

Akira slides onto an unoccupied chair.]

So. Enchanted tea, eh? Is that something you learned to make here?

[fallingsand]

Oh, well, no? But I've figured out the process is more or less the same? When you want something to do something specific, you just... push those wants into the spell? And it works out?

[ Bruno has no idea if that makes sense but it doesn't stop him from going to get a kettle started on the stove. ]

[jokey]

[Akira cants his head to one side. He's just as uncertain as you, Bruno.]

Is that how it works?

[Push those wants into a spell, and it works out... huh. He gets it, kinda.]

Actions speak louder than words, right? I'll watch you.

[Hopefully Bruno doesn't get performance anxiety.]

[fallingsand]

Sure thing.

[ Shockingly, no, it won't. A cup of tea has nothing on what happened down south. He goes searching the cupboards until he finds a tin labeled 'chamomile' while the water heats up along with a teapot and cups to go with it. ]

Let me just get this set up...

[ Tea goes into the pot, hot water goes in after once the kettle whistles, and that's when Bruno will do a bit of magic. ]

Su futuro espera.

[ He waves a hand over the teapot as it brews away, reciting his incantation and putting hopes of health and settling upset, both physical and mental, into it. Gentle green light settles over the teapot briefly, then fades away. ]

There we go.

[ He'll pour out a cup of tea for Akira after, sliding it over to him. ]

1/2

[jokey]

[Oooooh, Spanish. Sexy. Akira watches Bruno do his thing with his chin propped on the heart of his palm. Sure, he can't confirm or deny that magical glowing green bullshit is real bona fide magic at work, but he believes in Bruno. All that tender love(?) and care(??) he's putting into brewing him the perfect cup of tea? That's its own form of magic. Friendship is magic.

...All of that is to say that Akira's perfectly prepared to placebo himself out of his achy tummy. When the tea's been poured and slid his way, Akira curls his fingers around the warm ceramic. It certainly smells magical.]

Thanks.

[Blowing away the billowing steam, Akira brings the cup to his lips, and...!]

[jokey]

[He feels it. Not only does relief wash over his stomach like a warm blanket, but his mind's put at ease too. Gone are the painful flashbacks of falling to his knees in a walmart on the ballroom floor. There's no placebo effect here. Bruno's magic is the real deal.]

Whoa. You weren't kidding. I feel all warm and cuddly inside.

[fallingsand]

[ Oh good, it worked. Bruno was mostly sure that it would and yet... uh... anyway! ]

See? I dunno if it's just 'cause my sister makes magical food, so I can, like, imagine that easiest, but it feels pretty simple for me. That and fixing stuff.

[ He'll pour a cup of tea for himself and take a sip. Ahh, relaxing. This definitely takes out whatever remaining nervousness he felt from the ball and then chasing Akira's corpse-but-not-really down. ]

[jokey]

You're a lot better at this stuff than you give yourself credit for.

[Sounds like magic clearly runs in the family too. Who knew Bruno had such talent?

Tippy-tapping his fingers against the side of the cup, Akira smiles, warm and bright. The color's returned to his cheeks and he's straightened out of his slump, both clear signs that he's feeling better already.]

Don't get all fussy and shut me down, but you're a nice guy. You could've confirmed I wasn't dead and went on your merry way, but you went to all this trouble for some random kid instead. That says a lot about you.

[fallingsand]

[ Oh, he has a talent alright, and it's dreadful. The worst. No good and terrible. Not like this magic, here, where he can do, well, whatever! ]

I mean, I had to do something. I'm not sure anyone was checking? Or even could? The castle staff whisked you away so fast and then no one else bothered to follow? Like, how could no one else be worried?

[ That bothered Bruno a bit, actually. Why was he the only one chasing a sick kid down as strangers made off with him? Huh? ]

[jokey]

[Hey, at least one of them is flabbergasted that so few people cared enough to check on him or, you know, try and help. Akira's answer is a simple flippant shrug, but after another sip of tea, he elaborates with words.]

They call that the bystander effect. The more people are standing around in shock, the fewer people break from the crowd to do something. It's to be expected.

[Which is why people like Bruno and Ahito stand out as genuinely good people in Akira's eyes. That's not to say the others are unkind or indifferent, but it takes something special to stand up and make some noise when everyone else is sitting in silence.]

So I wouldn't be so quick to discount what I'm saying. It's alright to pat yourself on the back for doing the right thing. Don't be so hard on yourself.

[fallingsand]

Oh. Then I... huh... well, I'm usually not a. Not a part of the crowd s-so.

[ He's typically outside of it! Still, Akira continuing to try and give Bruno credit where credit is due is, as always with everyone here who keeps trying to do that, weird. It's an odd feeling to be, what? Is the word appreciated?

He could carry on trying to dodge well-earned self-backpats but it's beginning to feel like a pointless endeavor. ]

Mm, if you say so.

[ There. He will begrudgingly agree and hide his uncomfortable expression behind sipping tea. ]

[jokey]

[Look, he'll take Bruno grudgingly accepting his praise over brushing him off any time. That's progress in the right direction.

Akira drinks from his cup in small sips, savoring every bit of flavor, every thoughtful word steeped into it.]

Why so anxious, anyway? I'm not criticizing you or anything. Just curious.

[fallingsand]

I mean, I wasn't kidding before. That I'm bad luck or... or at least, enough people believe it, too. Or did, back where I'm from? It's been weird to be around folks who don't think that.

[ Yeah, people treating him normally instead of like a cursed object are the weird ones. Sure, Bruno. ]

[jokey]

If that's the case, then you're not the problem.

[If Bruno was, traveling to a new world wouldn't solve the issue of being thought of as bad luck by the people around him, right?]

The problem is the people who've slapped you with labels and judged you for no good reason. How well do those people even understand you?

[Actually, hold on. That brings an important question to mind.]

Why would anyone think you're bad luck?

[fallingsand]

[ The problem is the people. Oh, if only Bruno could disagree. He doesn't want to blame his family, although the people in the village are somewhat less immune to his disdain, what little of it there is. ]

It's... because of what I can do, or could do. I. I haven't tried it here. Maybe it's just gone forever. [ Good thing the tea is full of good feelings, meaning he isn't going to balk quite as much over this conversation. ] I can see the future. It was, y'know, fine when everything I saw was good but as I got older, the visions were mostly, well.

Bad.

And no one likes hearing about a bad future for themselves.

[jokey]

[Seeing into the future... That would explain why people reacted so poorly to hearing of a future that didn't work out in their favor.

Akira's sigh is a thin, whistling thing. He gets it, understanding human nature on a fundamental level. Of course. People fear the unknown, but what they fear even more so is the certainty of an ill omen.]

No, they don't, but giving you grief over it won't solve their problems. Sorry you had to go through that.

[Still... Something's nagging at Akira. Something just isn't sitting right. He hums, tapping his nails against the side of his cup.]

Fate isn't set in stone. No matter what the future looks like now, it can always be changed. I think people lose sight of that.

[fallingsand]

Depends on the fate. Some are, others aren't. If I tell you that you're doomed to go bald, not much you can do, right? Or... or if a relationship won't work out, 'cause the other person wants to end it. Can't really force them to do otherwise, y'know?

[ Still, Bruno lets out a sigh of his own and drinks some more tea before going on. ]

Others? Sure, but I can't tell ya the way to fix it or change it. Sometimes you have choices to make or work to do. Folks aren't keen on that, either.

[jokey]

It shouldn't be your job to tell people how to fix their lives anyway.

[And anyone who thinks otherwise can kiss his boney twink ass.]

You can't fix going bald, but you can fix how you deal with the fallout. The... hair falling out. See where I'm going with this?

[If you're Akira, you can literally change people from the inside out, but that's neither here nor there. Mementos, as far as he knows, doesn't exist in a place like this.]

At the end of the day, the only thing people can control is themselves. If anyone gives you shit here for your badass power, I'll deal with them.

[fallingsand]

Ha, yeah, that's... hm... wonder if Father Flores would have taken it better if I'd lightened it up with a joke like that?

[ The answer is no, Bruno, no, he would not have. Anyway, yeah, he told a literal priest about how bald he was going to be in the future. ]

I dunno. I know it isn't my job but, well, that's what my family does. We fix everyone else's problems, only all I've done is cause them since I got my gift. I figure everyone was relieved when I pulled a runner... and I bet they won't miss me, either, if I end up stuck here.

[jokey]

[Sounds like that priest should've had a frank conversation with God regarding his future baldness, but that's neither here nor there. In either case, that doesn't change Akira's opinion any.]

They don't deserve you. Simple as that.

[Akira leans back and straightens up, arms crossed firmly over his chest.]

And no matter what your family is known for, you're your own person. You can use your powers however you want.

[And he hopes Bruno can take that to heart... or at least give it some thought. Unwinding his arms, Akira's hand settles on Bruno's.]

I know how this sounds, but I bet you were brought here for a reason. This is a new lease on life for you— for all of us. You're not going in under the pretense of "fixing" anyone's problems. You're just Bruno, the guy with the luscious hair and eyes into the future.

[fallingsand]

[ That's the second time Akira's said that about his hair, why... but at least he doesn't take it as mocking him this time around. Apparently, this is just how the kid is, and Bruno just has to accept it. ]

It's... not really a new lease. I mean, I say all those things, but, well, maybe if it were only the rest of the folks back home, but I do still love my family. I don't. I can't stay here.

[ And he's incredibly worried about Tatara's ability to find a way for them to go home after this mess, but he won't share that. ]

Uh, though, you do realize we were brought here to fix problems, right? That's. That's kind of the entire thing, y'know?

[jokey]

[Akira nods— they were here to fix other people's problems, but that doesn't mean they have to go about their task while encumbered with all the problems they face in their own worlds. Akira's answer is as effortless as always, undaunted by Bruno's ifs ands and buts.]

But that doesn't mean you have to approach problems in the same way you did back home. People here have been kind to you, right? More than they were back home.

[And even Akira, now knowing what Bruno's powers are, has no intention of treating him any differently.]

No one expects anything from you here. While we're stuck here, try to look at yourself in a different light. A more favorable one. Your self-perception's more important than what anyone else sees.