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

[1145pm]

> dance the night away.

[ Tatara's here at the ball! He, quite literally, has no choice. He's only dressed in a simple suit, but it's much nicer than anything he's worn at the manor. He's no wall flower, though—throughout the night he'll be taking part in everything the party has to offer. You may catch him initially speaking with the native nobles in attendance, wearing a degree of seriousness on his face that very few have seen thus far. Afterwards, he'll be hovering around the food and drink table, mostly picking at the Japanese food. He seems to be sticking to juice and water, but perhaps he can be convinced to have some alcohol.

Afterwards, he'll be dragging anyone he finds onto the dance floor with him, even the wallflowers. Especially the wallflowers! And especially anyone who makes eye contact then looks away. Do you think you can escape him? You live with him—

Towards the end of the night, he'll be out on the balcony, staring at the night scenery. Seems like a good chance for a little chat... ]

> a new kind of art.

[ Tatara's spending a lot of time in the kitchen, using up the regular sugar and the milk and the coffee.

Drop by, and he'll offer an apologetic smile and a...cup of coffee? ]

Sorry! It didn't really turn out the way I wanted. [ Sheepish laugh. There's a...lump of foam atop this latte. It's hard to tell what it's supposed to be. ] Do you want this one? I'll just make another one.

[ Back to the grind... ]

> working.

[ Have you seen Tatara actually working yet? Doing sage things?

That's usually because he's holed away in his room when he works. But when spring comes into full force, it's very hard to ignore just how nice it is outside...

So lately, you'll be finding him outside much more often. He's camped outside on one of the manor's many lawns, books strewn around himself, papers seemingly haphazardly tucked away between pages. One book sits open on his lap, and he reads with his pen firmly squished between his upper lip and nose.

Come bother him? ]

Working!

[serenesinker]

[The pitter-patter of small feet treading across lawn grass fills the air as Yodarha approaches.]

That's a lotta study material you got there! Need any help organizing it? Can't say I'm any good at it, but this whole journey feels like pickin' up new skills will prove to be useful in the long run!

[1145pm]

Oh! Hey, Yodarha!

[ It takes a moment for Tatara to look up after he hears the approaching footsteps, and his expression goes from serious to smiley when he sees who it is. He waves. ]

It's pretty organized already. [ Says the one who's made a mess. ] But can you read Chinese?

Working

[dyingtohealyou]

[What do you mean Tatara works.

He's so incredulous, he actually does approach, watching for a beat to see if Tatara even notices he's around.]

[1145pm]

[ Tatara is, in fact, so absorbed in what he's doing that he almost doesn't notice Ahito at first. He does eventually sense someone milling around his general vicinity, and he lifts his head...to see the grouchy boy.

He offers a small smile as he draws himself out of his concentration. ]

Heya. Did you need something?

a new kind of art

[jokey]

Don't mind if I... don't.

[Akira's so excited to try Tatara's delicious coffee creation until he sees the miserable lump of foam floating atop it. Look, everybody's got to start somewhere, but what the fuck is that?]

Kindly, no thank you. Why don't we practice together? I know a thing or two about coffee.

[1145pm]

Aww, too bad.

[ Akira won't take it! That's so sad. Tatara takes a sip instead. ]

But sure! What do you know about foam art? You must have a pointer or two.

new kind of art

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

When you say it didn't turn out the way you wanted does that refer to the foam or to the taste?

[Just making sure here? You sure don't want to hear 'oops that wasn't according to plan' when it comes to food or drinks!]

[1145pm]

The foam!

[ Tatara sets the strange cup of lumpy foam aside and gestures to the coffee maker behind him. There's handmade drip coffee in there, and it looks and smells fine. ]

There's regular coffee without the milk if you want it.

dance floor

[shortleash]

( Poor Mika. (Dressed as such. But with symmetrical thighboots. Very important.) He was both wallflowering, as well as someone who made eye contact with Tatara who looked away - he almost seemed about ready to evacuate to the balcony after doing so, in fact. But as Tatara drags him, he digs his heels in— )

Hey— What do you think you're doing?

( Not indignant so much as startled. He's a cat with his claws into the couch, refusing to be picked up. )

[1145pm]

[ Mika, you can't just ferally bite a guy's neck and expect to get away with it.

At least Tatara's all healthy and recovered now. He feels the resistance as he tries to pull Mika towards the dance floor and he looks back curiously. ]

We're gonna dance.

[ Hello? we're at a ball... ]

art

[lighthaus]

[ khun wanders in most likely to grab caffeine of some sort, the kitchen isn't his forte which is exactly why he outsourced his meals to someone else. it's a bit of a surprise to see tatara there, maybe even more so to hear the offer.

he almost looks hurt? (he is not at all). ]

So you're giving me the defective one?

[1145pm]

[ Tatara isn't expecting Khun either, but to be fair, he really isn't expecting anyone to show up and take his weird coffee art.

He puts his hand on his chest in fake offense, before laughing out loud. ]

So mean! I put my heart and soul into that!

[ If it wasn't clear he was joking already, he punctuates his sentence with a little giggle. ]

I think that's the best one I've made yet, actually.

Working

[troublereduction]

[ It feels kind of weird to see Tatara surrounded by books, not going to lie. ]

You got paperwork?

[1145pm]

[ Tatara would 100% agree. ]

Mm, not exactly. [ The paperwork was last week. He holds up one of the books. ] Research, actually.

workinggg

[positivize]

[Oh hey, just the person she was looking for! There's a small wave as she approaches and while she isn't nosy enough to lean over his shoulder to check out what he's reading, she will still scan their covers to see what exactly he's trying to figure out.]

Ciao, Tatara-san! Are you in the middle of something?

[1145pm]

[ A lot of the books are unlabeled and handwritten—some of them probably look familiar to Maya if she's stepped into the library. They're all past sage tomes, and it seems he's brought an armful outside. ]

Oh, hey Amano-san! Not really. [ He returns her wave with a little smile, and he shuts the book on his lap. ] What's up?

art

[meanspirited]

[Why is this happening to him...]

Why don't you try practicing in a way that's not so wasteful?

[He does NOT want the coffee, thank you!!!!]

[1145pm]

[ Why is his little brother so mean :(

Tatara just stares at Lazuli for a second, his frown growing comically exaggerated as time passes. ]

You don't like it...?

[ :(((((? ]

dance the night away - balcony

[lustro]

[ Ginger's already out on the balcony, sitting on the balustrade, taking in the view of the night sky. He's trying to spot the differences, wondering if he can see the Heavens from here. Does every night sky, spanning all the words, have their own quiet touch, just like this?

He doesn't look when Tatara joins him, but he says, after a moment: ]

If you fall, I'm not catching you.

[ Of course, he will. ]

[1145pm]

Whaaat, you're not? I'm heartbroken, Ginger...

[ Here comes Tatara to disturb Ginger's contemplative peace. There's a theatrical tone to his voice, accompanied only by the heavy breathing from dancing too much, and he plops into one of the chairs. It's clear he only says this for show, and that his trust in Ginger doesn't come from his words.

He leans over the back of the chair, and sighs. ]

Ahh, it's nice and cool out here...

> dance the night away, dance floor;

[foresightis2020]

[ Tatara doesn't need to drag him onto the dance floor, though it would be certainly funny if he did it while people were attempting to crowd him.

Or were about to. ]

Oh? Someone is rather energetic, aren't they?

Even with the night being so long, you haven't been feeling a bit of weariness at all?

[ Jing Yuan will settle into the leading position easily enough, however. ]

[1145pm]

[ Tatara's watched enough and danced enough at this point that he kind of gets where his hands are supposed to go, so he settles into the follow position. ]

Not at all! Wait, should I?

[ He grins. It's been a few hours, but he's still buzzing about the whole thing. ]

I've never been to anything like this before—it's really exciting! Have you, Jing Yuan?

dance the shadow(s) away...?

[shadowkin]

Mmmfff. What was that for? Now we're goin' to have to figure this out one-handed.

[Cid doesn't sound as put out as you'd expect put out to sound, probably because he has half a mouthful of riceball with the other half in his hand; which also accounts for the fact that they're going to have A Time trying to do the dancing thing, but that's just part and parcel of accosting Cid Kagenou at this point in time.

He definitely looks way too dressed up (sans mask) to be scrounging for konbini food but sometimes you grab what you can get in an isekai situation. Also he's been using the excuse of munchies to dodge any dancing requests when he's feeling lazy and unmotivated to schmooze, which is very much about 70% of the time.

As shown by present company, though, ambushes will still get him about 50% of the time. He is just a li'l old provincial student who prefers to watch the big leagues entertain each other while stubbornly eating his riceball as slowly as possible.]

[1145pm]

[ Tatara tugs on Cid's hand, trying to pry him from his spot, despite the rice ball. The rice ball would be a welcome third party, if anything. ]

What's so bad about that? We don't need to copy them, [ he waves his hands at the dancing nobles ] or try and figure out how to dance existing dances.

[ He tugs harder! C'mooon! ]

We'll make something up! One handed!