lunaecalamitas | you opened your eyes, spreading it wide

you opened your eyes, spreading it wide

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[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]

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. ]

It's fine. I'm not used to this, that's all.

[He totally got exhausted, both physically and magically. He thought magic would compensate his diminished physical stamina, but it seems it doesn't compensate as much as he hoped it would]

What do you need done?

[He didn't come all the way here to give up, yup! He's going to try to power through and do his part of the job around here. Bringing a whole lot of tools wasn't enough, in his eyes -- yeah, he's the kind of person who insists in pushing himself forward]

[ Ah, so it's a matter of being old. Nothing to worry about, then. Kurapika figures he'll adjust to this level of activity at some point. ]

We need to finish pulling up the rest of the dead wheat, till the earth, fertilize the soil, and then plant new seeds. I figure the easiest way to go about this would be to use a mixture of magic and physical labor so that we don't wear ourselves out.

[ ...Even if it seems like Kiryu already has on some level. ]

[🙃]

Not a bad plan. Come on, there's plenty still yet to do.

[Welp, the day isn't getting any younger! Let's see if this can be done before sunset]

Isn't magic supposed to make everything convenient? There's got a way to do this easier.

[ That's a good question, because this work is starting to feel a little bit endless here. ]

Hm.

[ Give him a moment to think...

Muttering his incantation, Kurapika summons up a gust of wind strong enough to pull out a fair amount of the dead wheat from the soil. ]

I can't do that too many more times without getting exhausted, but that should make a dent in our progress.

[Kiryu finally finishes taking a breather, stepping to the edge of the field. With his hands on his hips, he gazes at it all, before nodding to himself]

How about making the earth push upwards?

[It might make everything pop out from the soil, probably without damaging the healthy wheat. It'd still have to be done several times, but perhaps it'd work too?]

Focusing all of our magic into putting one specific part of the earth up?

[ Hm... ]

If you give a shot, I'll do it with you.

[ They can cover more ground that way, and for each other's mistakes, should they even arise. ]

Don't follow along if it turns out to be a major mistake.

[Let's see...Kiryu extends a hand and pushes upwards in a somewhat more dramatic move than it warranted, and a plume of soil bursts to the upside. Thankfully, the wheat didn't do that, instead it toppled over, intact. Both the dead and the alive.

Kiryu frowns]

I'm starting to think I have trouble controlling the strength of some things.

[First sugar bursts around when he tries to make it, now this. It's taking a bit to get a grip on how strongly magic must happen]

[ It's a good thing Kurapika follows his advice and waits just a few seconds before following suit, because that's long enough to see that soil burst up into the air. ]

...Well, we were able to do what we wanted.

[ Though he glances at Kiryu. ]

Try putting less energy into it next time.

Hm. I'm not using to holding back...

[A tad sheepish! Much to his detriment, he finds it hard not to try hard. He knows he should! But it's difficult when he's so used to using strength when it comes to focusing his energy]

...Holding back is harder than it looks.

[ So he gets it. ]

When you're about to put a certain amount of power into something, immediately dial it down. That should get you closer to where you need to be.

Worth a try.

[It's going to have to be far more of a conscious effort instead of an instinctual thing. The movement Kiryu makes now is far less dramatic, probably because he's trying to moderate himself. The earth moves upwards, any remaining wheat on this part of the field now gently emerging until the roots are out, far gentler than his last move.

Holding back makes him slower, but hey, he's being more careful, that's what counts]

Not bad.

[ He picks up one of the pieces of dead wheat that Kiryu dislodged and throws it into one of its designated containers. ]

You'll get used to it the more you do it.

I'd like chances to practice with less...collateral damage.

[Without having to risk someone's property, or a task to do]

[ He moves to go grab a few more pieces of dead wheat, gathering them up in his arms. ]

Would you be opposed to sparring every so often?

[ Kiryu is a lot taller than him and older too, so Kurapika will understand if he denies the offer, but hey. Might as well put that out there. ]

[...were this a possibility to spar physically, the usual was Kiryu does, he'd immediately say no. He's no stranger to friendly bouts, but, well, even those can get rough.

But these are magically-based things. Best for trying to get a grasp on magic, and he'd be against someone who, despite age, already has far more experience with anything magical than Kiryu ever will. Even if there's some kind of physical fighting component, Kurapika probably can use magic effectively to keep himself protected. In the end, this all will rely on how well he thinks Kurapika will be able to stay safe.

He nods, picking up dead wheat]

Sure. As long as you can stay safe.

[The point is to learn to hold back effectively, but still, better be frank about how Kurapika's safety is his main concern there]

I'll be fine.

[ Though, honestly, he appreciates the concern despite his frank words.

Ah, but his kindness reminds him of something Akira brought up—that he suspects that Kiryu is in the yakuza. Kurapika watches him pick up dead wheat for a moment, contemplating something. ]

I'm used to all styles of fighting in my profession, so you don't need to worry about hurting me.

[Kiryu's yakuza vibes truly are eternal even though technically he left that career ages ago, haha. It's his fate to never be able to hide it]

Hm. I'll be frank with you: I accepted this only because this involves magic.

[He glances at Kurapika]

If it wasn't for that, I'd have flat out told you no. Last I want is to accidentally harm you.

[And really, all it takes is for one to see Kiryu fighting to understand why he'd be concerned, hah]

[ Alas!! He'll never leave it.

Unfortunately for Kiryu, his warning just makes Kurapika curious. ]

...I'd like to see you fight in the way you're used to. It doesn't have to be against me, but I'd like to see it.

[ Kurapika doesn't even like fighting all that much, but there's much to learn from watching others in their element, he's found. Everyone thinks differently, and he'd like to see the way Kiryu thinks when in battle. ]

That probably can be arranged. I thought being in another world meant I wouldn't have to as often, but I'm not that lucky.

[The dice determined in another thread he did get attacked by random people, hah. Blame it on Central not liking wizards]

[ RIP.... ]

No? Do you attract fights?

[ Because with the way Kiryu phrased that, it sure sounds like it. ]

I can't walk from point A to point B without it happening.

[Game mechanics, they are unforgiving, haha]

[ help ]

That's almost as impressive as it is sad.

That's just how it is. I'm used to it, it's fine.

[Thirty years of it happening gets you used to constant fighting, be sure of that]

Rejuvenation

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