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]

[ Tatara grins; he knows he keeps leading people on by never really elaborating as to what a king really is. Akira (the wizard, not the last sage) got a taster of what one might be, but he never explained, in detail. That Jing Yuan goes straight for the kingdom assumption amuses him so much. The way he looks up shows that he finds something funny, but he definitely won't elaborate. ]

I don't think I've ever met someone who was so naturally majestic. Watching him was like seeing a lion stalk the narrow paths of a concrete jungle.

[ He closes his eyes, lends himself to Jing Yuan's lead, lets his mind's eye fill with the fading memories of Mikoto Suoh.

He sighs, softly, but he doesn't notice. ]

He naturally drew people to him.

[foresightis2020]

[ Jing Yuan can't quite gaze into the mind of another, unable to pinpoint why he finds amusement. It seems almost in juxtaposition to the nostalgia he himself had witnessed. But, even that joy can be connected; such things that seem so far apart are closer than apparent.

...A lion, though?

There is something about that description that conjures a lazy smile appearing on his lips. He draws the other even closer for a moment, hearing the sound of that melancholic (...?) and wistful sigh that fills his ears, before guiding them in a step back in a turn. It is almost like a reflection, but it's unfair in presuming others lost like he has, when they all have homes to return to. ]

It isn't always an easy feat for leaders to draw people to them, even if they have the right and power.

For you to compare him to a lion and with such reverence, it appears to me you two are...or rather, were close. Would I be wrong to presume you were in service to him? And if so, was it something you chose?

[1145pm]

[ Tatara lends himself to Jing Yuan's movements, relying on the titan to guide them in the dance. He loses himself in his memories, gaze distant, but grip still tight.

He gives a quiet, wry little chuckle at that. ]

I don't think he ever wanted the power or right to be king... [ There's a faint hint of regret in his tone. Sometimes, he still wonders if that's his fault.

But the more direct questions draw him back to the present, and he looks into Jing Yuan's eyes and remembers that Mikoto's were gold, too. ]

He was my favorite person. I knew he was king material before he was even chosen. [ He smiles. ] I like to think I was his vassal.

[foresightis2020]

[ Jing Yuan watches the distant gaze in the other's eyes, careful not to drag them into too much of a high-speed movement, or something far too over-the-top while Tatara reminisces, setting a tender, yet consistent pace. He feels the firm grip, just as much as his own remains as those words fall out.

"I don't think he ever wanted power or right to be king..."

Not many know what that is like. Though, Jing Yuan understands that sentiment heavily. But, the curiosity grows as he hears the shade of regretful in Tatara's tone, that seems to speak volumes to events he imagines he can't quite fathom, as of yet. Is it something that can be soothed? ]

I don't know him, so I can't say I know what he thought of you. But, leaders need others to support them. A man who drew in a loyal group of individuals isn't bound to think carelessly of those who have come to him. Enough to cherish those connections, and so the burden of leadership does not weigh him so heavily down.

[ Jing Yuan thinks that this is a logical train of thought, from his own perspective. But also with consideration as he gazes down onto the other man looking up at him. ]

...Tatara, do you believe you won't meet him again?

[1145pm]

[ A little warmth blossoms in his chest when Jing Yuan says that. Heat gathers in the corners of his eyes; if he was any use to him, if there was at least a moment in his life where Mikoto was proud of him, that is all he could have really asked for. ]

I...hope so. I never asked.

[ Tatara knows they had an unbreakable, unspoken bond of trust. One that Kusanagi also shared in. He could only hope that Mikoto understood the way he looked at him, and thought of him special in turn.

What he doesn't know, is that without Tatara, Mikoto breaks.

His heart hurts when Jing Yuan asks the question. He smiles, if only as an excuse to hide the tears he feels pricking the back of his eyes. ]

I'm...not going to see him again. I...

[ His voice is strained, and low. Weird, because he isn't sure how he's ended up spilling his life story to a near stranger. And weirder still, so soon. ]

I don't think I can go home...

[ He dips his head. ]

[foresightis2020]

[ Something keeps aching in the way that Tatara speaks, that keeps reaching deeper. He doesn't quite understand it himself, but seeing those shades of sadness that begin to peer through the mask of happiness makes him want to reach for it, so he can at least share the burden of that sorrow.

It is unwise, because Jing Yuan has consistently experienced it over and over again. The loss of people close to him, the loss of those who never will be, the unbearable, uncontrollable fate that destiny cruelly forces upon people. A helplessness that manifests as a weakness that can only be refuted by placing distance between people. But, he is...far too gentle for that.

He knows this, more keenly than ever, when he hears the other spill those words, and he stops their dance, letting go of the other's hand, and instead moves to encircle his arms boldly around Tatara gently, pulling him, as well as holding him close. The movements are slow and careful all the same, but not half-hearted; warm, open, and welcoming. ]

I can't say I understand why you believe so. But, whatever regrets, whatever sorrows you wish to unleash...

You do not have to face it alone.

[ Jing Yuan's words are spoken gently, rather than with simple rationality. The compassion that is always hidden behind that, spilling through like a river out to meet the sea. ]

[1145pm]

[ It's been a few weeks now. A bit more than a month. It's been so busy, and hectic; Tatara's had to relearn how his world works, relearn what his place is in it, and prepare for the inevitable day where things would go wrong and he would have to take charge.

Things did go wrong. He did have to take charge. His mind has been so full of the moment and his new role that he hasn't had time to sit and mourn and process.

Jing Yuan's offer, the quiet way he opens up and gives in, unlocks something he'd been shoving to the side for weeks now. Tatara crumples—not wholly, because he still knows where they are—and he leans into Jing Yuan's chest. Like a river meeting the sea, he melts into him, and he presses his face into his robes as the tears spill from his eyes.

He's not a loud crier. Jing Yuan's probably the only one in this room who knows he is. After a moment of hesitation, his arms lift, and wrap around him tightly in turn.

He's never going to see his family again. And he misses them so much. ]

[foresightis2020]

[ The burden of leadership and grand loss can be insurmountable, with no one there to share it, to not be there at all to acknowledge it, and reach out with an understanding warmth. Jing Yuan can only wonder for how long Tatara has held such feelings within his heart, smiling each and every day, meeting it as if it were like every other ordinary time. He can only begin to merely guess at the sorrow. Like everything was fine, like there was no weight in his heart; he doesn't need to wonder the how, because that method of approach is very familiar.

When Tatara fully gives into the embrace, melting into him, he not only extends his heartfelt care to him, but also with his size, he can easily shield most of the other man from sight, if it turns them just slightly, his back to most onlookers. Is it likely by the grace of all Aeons that he can manage such, and he doesn't let his grip falter even with the faint wetness dripping onto the front of his robes.

Any other words are, for once, not exactly forthcoming. Though, even the sound of whatever quiet cry that arises likely drowned out by the sounds of others in the room. Until Tatara's sorrow can be assuaged in the face of this warmth, even just a little, Jing Yuan will continue to hold him, and for as long as he wants. ]

[1145pm]

[ He is never, ever one to cling to the past. He just thought that, as he lay dying on the roof of the Arasaka Building, that he had said his goodbyes. That he was putting a bow on the short little life he'd lived, thinking about the people he loved. He was happy. He genuinely was. People may make faces at his circumstances, but he would never trade a single moment of it.

But now he has the chance to look back, empty handed, and he wishes he had his old camcorder. He wishes his phone still worked. He wishes he had one of Anna's marbles or a pack of Kusanagi's cigarettes or one of Mikoto's rings just to remember them by. Except all he has are proxies, fading memories, the faint tug of his heartstrings when he sees an exceptionally red sunset.

Jing Yuan is a little taller than Mikoto, but just as warm, and just as sturdy. In the rare moments he did cry, Mikoto did the same for him. He stayed with him, quietly, and waited, without judgment, for it to pass.

That's all he needed. And now, that's still all he really needs.

When he pulls his face back, eventually, he notices that Jing Yuan had turned them slightly, so the most powerful people in this foreign world don't notice how he loses composure in such an important meeting. He immediately brings up his hand to start wiping at his face; his shoulders shudder briefly, but that's from a quiet laugh, and not another sob.

He's too embarrassed to look at him. ]

...Thank you.

[ His voice cracks, is thick from his tears, and it's only loud enough for the both of them. ]

[foresightis2020]

[ Jing Yuan has no tinge of regret at all for what he did or for what he has done at all. If anything, it is rare that he has the opportunity to do this sort of thing for anyone...if at all. He truly can't remember the last time he held anyone in any sort of embrace for any reason.

All the same, there is still something about knowing the display of vulnerability in a place filled with important people would potentially be viewed as something less than ideal or with scorn. So, there is definitely intent in his actions, to not only assuage that hurt gently in Tatara's heart with gentle care, but also to protect him. He deserves that much.

Seeing that it affords the other man even more time to recover, to wipe away those tears, and even have the chance to laugh, just a little...it somehow in turn warms Jing Yuan's being, as foolish as that thought is, and that hinges on some sort of embarrassment in turn. Though, he embraces that too. No time for regrets, as...

He can't help but think that there is untold relief in Tatara, even if that depth of sorrow may remain in echoes. So, it is with this that Jing Yuan is able to offer Tatara a smile, even if the other feels too shy to look at him. ]

Ah...well. If it could help you, I'm glad to accept your appreciatiom.

...Truly. I would do it all over again as well. But, I would think you would prefer that not to be the case, even if I do give great hugs? Or I should hope, haha.

[ The words are awkward, but spoken with truth, sheepish but little smile clear on his lips as he decides to try to slip in something light-hearted as well. ]

[1145pm]

[ There is relief. He hasn't been allowed a moment to really mourn his past life, since he's been busy on his feet since getting here. Whatever happens, whatever short time he has left, he's always going to be grateful for Jing Yuan for allowing him the space to do so.

He doesn't know if he'll ever be able to fully let go, but the grief weighs on him a little less now.

The remark about hugs draws his eyes up, and he laughs again. Though his eyes and the tip of his nose are red, his smile cracks through the somberness in his expression, like rays of the sun peeking through the clouds. ]

You do.

[ ...

For a second, he thinks that maybe, he should step back and go back to business as normal. But he's already cried at the ball—he's already shown his weakness to another person, made a mess of his robes with his tears. And he does give good hugs...

So he steps in and wraps his arms around his middle again, but just briefly. He doesn't linger. ]

Let's finish this dance.

[foresightis2020]

[ ...Well, would you look at that?

Even though the other man had shed tears, even though his heart may still be feeling heavy, he can tell when the other laughs—when he smiles through that sadness, there's definitely something genuine to it. The warmth that it conjures spreads to his ears, thankfully hidden by his mane of hair.

Though, the words that follow conjure forth a little laugh of his own, with nothing but true mirth. As if to wordlessly say, 'well, good'! Because he feels it hardly needs to be. ]

...Yes, let's. The night is still young even for a veteran like me, after all.

And...it will be my honor.

[ A light, gentle pat against the other's back when he feels the brief return of those arms around him, when Jing Yuan still had his own remaining, and letting go when the other does.

After that, Jing Yuan will happily continue to guide Tatara along in the dance. Whatever else he will say happens to be smalltalk, but it will be about happy things, until the time where their feet will tire, and they can take a much needed rest. ]