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

Oh, yeah. Khun...obviously, he's not someone to take lightly. I got that impression of him when we first met, actually.

[ He just seemed like a guy who knows what he's doing, very much so, and that scares Yamato (lmao???). ]

Glad you've been taken care of, though. [ His expression betrays him and drops, ever so slightly. ] I saw everything. I got pretty worried.

Yeah...

[He just wonders why it happened. Khun usually seems so calm and collected? But it looked like he was the one who started things... Well, there's no real sense in thinking about it right now, he'll go talk to Khun later about it.]

Hey, you don't gotta worry 'bout me. I'm a vampire. We can take a lot. If it came down to it, I could take him.

[Ginger, he means. It'd be a tougher fight than he'd like, but Malice is confident he could do that much. As for whether or not he actually could... well, who knows. It's not like he even has any idea what Ginger is, after all.]

You were helpin' Mika out, yeah? How did that go? I was a little busy, as you know.

...Yeah. I was sure you could both take care of yourselves, there.

[ Well. Sort of. If he was, he wouldn't have been worried, but he's glad they're both not seriously hurt after all of that. ]

Went about as well as it could've, given he had a blood frenzy. He hurt Jing Yuan, but that guy's really tough. He nearly knocked Mika out in one hit. It was pretty cool.

Damn, guess I should've seen that comin' with how much blood he lost...

[But he jumped to deescalate the situation between Ginger and Khun instead, so now he just feels sort of... bothered by it. Like maybe he should've been able to do more to help.]

Glad to hear Jin was there to help out, though. Figured that guy'd be pretty tough! And I'm guessin' y'all got Mika's injuries handled, yeah?

[And yes, that is Jing Yuan's nickname, but this one was approved by the man himself!!]

He'll be fine. I put him to sleep forcibly [ what ] so the healers could get to work on him and Jing Yuan without issue.

[ Yeah! He did things!!! ]

That kid...he makes my head hurt.

You did? That one of those curses I've been hearin' 'bout?

[Whoa, look at you go, Yama!!!]

...Aw, c'mon, cut him some slack, he's doin' his best. An' he had his head nearly ripped off, so.

[in this house we stan the baby vampire]

I think so. ... What've you heard?

[ Just wondering. Asking for a friend.

But. ]

I know he is, but he's always trying to push people away – haha...then again, I can't say I don't get that, either. Maybe I'm just getting a taste of my own medicine.

[ Indeed, he is. ]

Just that some of us are better at usin' 'em than others. Haven't seen any in action, myself.

[But anyway... That gets a wry grin from Malice.]

I'd say you are, yeah. Mika's just doin' what he thinks he can for others; he's havin' a hard time acceptin' that there are people who wanna help him. An' he doesn't wanna hurt anyone, so I'm sure he'll be torn up 'bout tonight as well.

[He definitely needs to stop in and check on Mika too...]

Ah...yeah. I think that's supposed to be one of my specialties.

[ He's found his niche, and he was able to help. That is something that's keeping him a little happy, at least. But...

...

All of that? All of what Malice is saying about Mika? That scans for Yamato, too. Maybe he understands Mika better than he thinks. Maybe he should go to him, too. Soon. ]

You care about him a lot. It's good. He needs people like you.

[ And not someone who probably keeps causing him grief, like Yamato does. ]

Not to sound full of myself, but yeah, he does. He needs someone to share his experiences with, an' he's the sorta person who doesn't wanna inconvenience others. So that's what I'm here for, 'cause I can mostly understand where he's comin' from, as a vampire.

[Not all of it, certainly. Their worlds' vampires are very different at their cores. But he can understand the fear that comes with feeding on a human you like, the thought that maybe this time you won't be able to control yourself, the self-hatred that comes with having to hurt the people around you just to survive.

Things he wouldn't talk about with humans, because they wouldn't understand. Maybe it's not just Mika who needs another vampire to talk to about these sorts of things.]

Yeah. What the two of you've been through can't always be compared to what us mere humans experience. Two different sets of problems and all that.

[ He's very aware of this, just based on what he knows about Malice and Mika as individuals. ]

Thanks...for being there for him. [ And since Malice knows his deal by now: ] As someone who's been in his shoes on certain things, it probably means a lot, deep down.

Hey, don't sell yourself short! Y'all ain't "mere" humans. You're our friends!

[Well, maybe Mika would complain about calling them that but too late. Malice has decided it and so it is.]

But yeah, 'course. It's really important to have someone there for you, an' it's been good for me too. So I'm glad to look out for him.

[ Malice.... Yamato lets out a little chuckle. ]

Yeah, don't I know it.

[ Malice has called him a friend at least three times by now, so he gets it. He has accepted this. ]

Look at you, though, looking out for the group. This is what you've always wanted, right?

[good you better because he has 0 friends back home!! >:( ]

Yeah. A place to feel like I belong, where I can contribute somethin' that ain't just my combat prowess. It's real nice.

[It's more than that. It's set him at ease in a way he's never felt before. Were it not for tonight's events, he might even be tempted to call it more of a "home" than his own world ever has been. But he's also only been here for three weeks so you know. Things can change...??]

You've done more than just that.

[ ... ]

At least, I think so. Despite everything, there'll always be people who will look out for you here.

[ He's one of them. He hopes Malice knows that. ]

Like you, yeah?

[The teasing is lacking in the usual enthusiasm, but he can't resist saying it just the same, even after everything tonight's been.]

It means a lot to me. More than I can express, really. Y'all have only known me a short time, an' yet you've been real damn good to me. I appreciate it.

[ Since Malice isn't giving him shit for it... ]

Yeah. That should be obvious by now.

[ And if it isn't, he'll noogie Malice until he believes it...or something... ]

It takes a lot for me to open up to anyone. ... I'll just say that much.

An' yet here you are. I'd say this place's done some good for you too!

[Or maybe Malice just bullied Yamato into friendship...]

[ ... ]

Yeah, sure, I guess so. But it's not like I've told anyone else about my history, you know.

[ Ginger probably knows some of it, but he hasn't elaborated much beyond "my dad sucked" and the general surface of all of that. (Yet!) ]

So what you're sayin' is that I'm doin' some good for you.

[give him the praise he rightfully deserves(???)!!!]

Whoa, whoa, let's not get carried away!

[ Yes. Yes, Malice has, but he knows how Yamato is. Smh. ]

Don't worry, I won't tell anyone~

[tee hee]

Don't put words in my mouth.

[ Friend. PLEASE. (keep going) ]

Too late, you basically already admitted it anyway.

[you guys do remember you're in public, right—]

No, I didn't.

[ they probably forgot, lbr.... ]

I'd better hear it from you, then, if you're gonna be stubborn about it.

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