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

You didn't seem worried about them.

[ And if he was? Well... Kurapika wouldn't feel all that bad about it anyway.

The fact that they're moving to a more open spot on the floor doesn't pass him by, however. ]

Are you going to teach me a new dance?

[ he tips his head in acknowledgement, thin smile on his lips. ]

You didn't think that's all there was to the Waltz, did you?

[ ...Well, yes. Yes, he did. But do you think he's doing to admit that in front of someone like Khun? Hell no. ]

Then show me the rest.

[ hehe. ]

This is a two part move. First, we'll spin— [ have mercy on me and assume he explains how to do a spin with the same clear and concise directions as he has so far. ]

[ Oh, a spin—

Part of him feels like it's too early to be introducing moves like this, but he manages to land it anyway. ]

And what's next?

Then, we— [ sorry, kurapika gets absolutely no warning for this. usually a dip is initiated in part by the follow, but here, khun just uses his leverage and strength (and he is strong, stronger than he has any right to be even with his athleticism but that's just the benefit of his good genes) to make kurapika tip towards the floor. he doesn't drop him of course, and he follows for the first and only time in this dance.

their faces are close, closer than they need to be even for a move like this. ]

—dip.

[ Ah, Khun really is strong, and it makes Kurapika wonder what he might be like in a fight, here or back home. Suddenly they're moving and he's tipped towards the floor. It's a brief lapse of control, and Kurapika fights not to wrench it right back from Khun and instead go with the flow.

So he does, maintaining eye contact with Khun even though he's well aware that Khun is purposefully closer than he has any reason to be. ]

No one likes a show off, Khun.

[ given the contact between them, khun can feel the tension even as kurapika goes along with the dip. the corners of his eyes crinkle in amusement at the words, a glint in the deep blue of his eyes that's sharp. ]

No?

In that case, I better make sure I actually show off then. [ maybe that counts as a little warning compared to last time, and this is far from the ideal position to transition into a lift but that's never stopped him before. he needs to let go of the careful way he's been holding kurapika's hand through all of this, to attempt to lift him into some seblance of this pose. there's other ones he'd rather do but that require buy-in, so this will work in a pinch. ]

[ And what does Khun get for his efforts? A successful lift of Kurapika, who is actually relatively light, but he's met with a glare the moment his feet lift off the ground. ]

Really?

[ He hops out of Khun's grasp, landing back on his feet. ]

No more tricks like that if you want to keep dancing.

[ honestly he was mostly expecting to be kicked so reality's kinder to him. as usual he's not dissuaded, though there's not the grin or smirk kurapika might expect in response. instead there's just the slightest curve to his lips.

hmmm. it's not a pause, nor a proper moment of contemplation but something else. ]

Do you want to keep dancing? [ he's aware this is a deflection, but there's an earnest quality to it unlike before. ]

[ He would have said no if it weren't for that earnestness, but that's what wins out in the end. ]

We can keep dancing until this song is over.

[ That he doesn't want to be lifted again can go unsaid, he thinks. ]

Then let's continue. [ he holds out his hand for kurapika's, very gentlemanly. ]

Part of dancing is showing off, you know.

[ He takes it, less hesitantly this time. ]

Here I was, thinking it was about enjoying moving to music.

[ he positions them much like he did before, though now there's more of a flow to it, both in beat to the music and with each other. ]

Well if that's what you think, what would further your enjoyment?

[ This is nicer—there's a flow, one he doesn't really mind going with. ]

...How should I know? I don't dance.

[ But he's dancing now, isn't he? Though that isn't exactly the problem here, not really. How is one supposed to know what they would enjoy when they don't think about that in general? ]

Unfortunately, you can't dance and read at the same time. [ cheekily, since he knows kurapika does like reading at least. ]

All the same, you're dancing right now, aren't you? It's often compared to the flow of battle too.

[ maybe that analogy is more helpful, given kurapika's experience. ]

[ Wow??? He didn't come here to be bullied, thanks! The glare that he aims at Khun for that little comment should make his feelings obvious enough. ]

A give and take, right? One move, and then your partner's move.

[ And if he were more experienced, he might try to wrestle the lead from Khun right here, but he doesn't know the steps well enough to do that. ]

Or... is it about power?

That depends on the type of dancer you are. [ "battler" too, but khun knows kurapika will catch the double meaning here. ]

For me, it's not about either of those. [ khun obviously isn't a give and take guy unless we're talking pure transactions here, but maybe the power bit is mildly surprising. he values power yes, but that's never been the be all and all for him. if power is all he cared about, he'd just be mirroring his father. ]

I favor control. [ using his weight, he signals to kurapika that they're going to do a spin in another step, a courtesy he didn't give him before. ] It means I get to be greedy, but that's just a simple trait of my bloodline.

[ twirl! but it also means that sometimes it involves giving too, and that's exactly what khun does at the end of flourish, inviting kurapika to decide on their direction as they pick up the cadence again. ]

[ It is surprising, actually. He raises his brows just a bit, but then... hm. He's not surprised that control is what Khun seeks out.

The signal is nice this time, and he has no trouble going with the flow, pleasantly surprised that Khun is giving him this much now. ]

Greedy? So you give all kinds of orders, don't you?

[ Ah—a twirl. He'll allow it, and easily decides their direction the moment he's given the chance.

Greediness doesn't surprise him, only because this could be considered greedy too, couldn't it? The little tests of control Khun has given him, going so far as to lift him up into the air. At least, that's how Kurapika sees it, and he'll be damned if he lets Khun have that control. That much is evident in the way he looks at his dance partner. ]

Of course. It's the role of a lightbringer to command, but I've always been good at it.

[ you might expect him to push for that control here, particularly with the expression kurapika makes at him, but he doesn't. instead he lets the central wizard dictate more of their melody.

it's something he wouldn't have allowed months ago, and a realization stained with stubbornness, blood, and maybe even a little bit of modesty. but it's something he's also perhaps known all along. having control doesn't mean he needs to be an absolute tyrant, something he will prove one day. ]

Shocking.

[ Except, not at all. Someone like Khun is naturally good at things, in a similar way to Kurapika, though he isn't sure if Khun obsesses over tasks and abilities until he's able to master them. ]

Give me an example of a command.

[ And as he does, he'll use the control Khun is handing over to him to place the other boy's hand on his shoulder and his own hand at the small of Khun's back, effectively changing the lead to himself. ]

[ his eyebrows raise at the switch though he does adjust himself accordingly, even if his posture is still controlled though not rigid. it's no longer his responsibility to watch out for the rest of the dance floor, and so the deep blue of his eyes meet amber wholly. ]

That's a command in itself, isn't it? [ though it also begs, what kind of command. one in battle? one in dance? one here? well he was already quite generous, so he's not going to make this easy. ]

But sure, have it your way. Show me a good time.

[ His focus shifts a bit, onto the floor and their surroundings, careful not to bump against any of their fellow dancers. Yet his eyes drift back to Khun’s every so often, his gaze assessing and focused solely on him. ]

I guess it is.

[ Two can play at the command game, can’t they? But Khun obliges his request anyway, and Kurapika can’t exactly back down. His fingers twitch against his back, slight hesitation evident, before he pulls Khun closer. ]

Haven’t you been having a good time already?

[ There's a blink at the call out even if it isn't a particularly hard one. ]

How presumptuous of you. [ wrestling control back would be losing, but he can't just let that slide either. if he's getting pulled in, then he can make that more so, squeezing their joined hands. ]

I'm greedy, remember? I could be having a better one.

[ His hand tenses with that squeeze, but he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he funnels his energy into twisting Khun into a dip, as low as he can comfortably go. ]

Do you already miss showing off?

[ His lips curl up, ever so slightly, into a smile. ]

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