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

[mirristry]

WIZARD PROM (cw: alcohol)

[Phil is no stranger to having to be social-- it's just a part of his job as the Biqe back at home, and though he's not a fan, he at least knows how to conduct himself properly and make smalltalk for as long as needed. He's even dressed the part of a socially adept gentleman, his hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail rather than his usual loose side braid.

Still, he can only take so much interaction at a time, and after a while he'll slide off to the side to just wallflower for a bit and attempt to recharge his social battery. Being an introvert in a situation like this is exhausting...

He may also have a couple of glasses of champagne to attempt to calm his nerves, except there's one drawback to that: this man is a terrible lightweight, and it's not long before he is decidedly buzzed. He at least has enough good sense left to be aware of his inebriation, however, and so eventually he'll be making his unsteady way out to the balcony for some fresh air, where he can be found leaning against the railing and just looking up at the moon.]

It's hard to believe something so beautiful could lead to the destruction of this world, isn't it...

Shadows in the night

[Phil hardly seems someone suited to combat or, honestly, anything that involves any sort of physical activity at all. And yet here he is, out here in the darkness, looking decidedly not frightened by the group of shadows advancing on him.

Closer and closer they come, but Phil makes no move either to attack or run away. The reason why will become quite clear in a moment when one shadow creature's next step forward triggers a brilliant flash... when the light fades, the shadows have dissipated, dissolved by the glowing seal on the cobblestones beneath where the one had just stepped.

Phil pushes his monocle up slightly, clearly pleased.]

That was more effective than I'd expected.

Wanderer tasks - Repair

[One morning finds Phil in the kitchen, a pile of damaged pots and pans and various kitchen utensils in front of him on a table. One at a time, he'll take one, hover a hand over it, and murmur "Spectemur agendo"; as he does so, the damage to the utensil almost seems as though it's rewinding, slowly disappearing until the item looks brand new. He then sets it aside and grabs the next one to repeat the same process all over again.

He is, by all accounts, doing extremely well at this. So then why does he look so unsatisfied...?]

For Floor 2, post-Mikagate mk. 2

[To say that Phil is rattled by the entire thing is putting it mildly. No sooner has he made sure that everyone involved is being taken care of and doesn't need any further assistance of any sort than he's fleeing the scene, heading upstairs for his room in the hopes of being able to ground himself a little bit after that. Those who see him on the way there will notice that he seems unusually pale and shaky in a way that can't just be attributed to stress or adrenaline alone... he also pauses several times to take a shuddering breath and reach up to scrub at his non-monocled eye with his sleeve. Hmm.

He's fine. Everything's fine...]

[Wildcard!]

[Hit me up if there's something else you would like to do!]

wallflowering

[leewards]

[Why would anyone want to wallflower in a place like this? Ithaqua has ideas-- humans are exhausting, after all. Some of them can't even take a hint... so when he spots a human coming for a fellow wizard, he snatches a plate of creme caramel pudding and two spoons and heads that way, making good time with the strides his stilts afford him.

Then he offers it to the man with a grin wide enough to bare his fangs.]

Pudding? Heheh.

[mirristry]

[Phil had already begun to tense up when he spotted the other guest making their way towards him, undoubtedly with the desire to make conversation with a wizard. Unfortunately, this wizard is tired and burned out on smalltalk and looks not unlike a deer in the headlights until Ithaqua's very timely interruption, which is apparently enough to send the guest turning on his heel to go find someone else who isn't occupied.]

Huh? Oh... thank you very much.

[Both for the pudding, and for saving him from the awkwardness of more conversation that he still feels ill-equipped to truly navigate, as this isn't his own world where he knows the ins and outs of politics and the world situation in general.

He takes a spoon and scoops himself a small bite of the pudding, heaving a quiet sigh of relief.]

I suppose it was too much to hope for that I wouldn't be obligated to do this sort of thing here...

[leewards]

We are in a position of power, it was inevitable. [Even as he says that, his tone is commiserating. He may be having fun... but that's because he's been doing so on his own terms, which drives the humans away. And even then, some of them still try.

Hence why he approached his fellow wizard with a distraction. Shield himself, and in the process shield another from advances.]

I can only be glad that we were not introduced to the populace immediately.

[It may have been a bloodbath, frankly.]

[mirristry]

[At that, Phil pauses, his spoon halfway lowered back towards the plate. While he isn't a fan of socializing either, it isn't because he dislikes people, but rather because he can't shake the feeling that most other people dislike him (an illogical thought and he knows it; who here even has any awareness of the things he is responsible for?).]

... it really isn't all that different, even in another world. They want to know what we'll be able to do for them.

[Like, you know, stop the Calamity from occurring.]

It would be rude not to try to reassure them as much as we can.

[leewards]

[Of course they want to know what the wizards will be able to do for them-- but Ithaqua doubts that they're looking for reassurance. He hums as he takes a small spoonful of dessert for himself.]

This is not the venue for it, you know. Those sorts of questions are best asked out on the street, or in meetings. Not a festive gathering.

[mirristry]

Yes, but that's how people are.

[He got that sort of thing all the time at gatherings back in Sellund, before... well. People always wanted the chance to speak to the Biqe, if only for bragging rights.]

Anyway, it's understandable, at least. We're undoubtedly something of a novelty for them, coming from other worlds as we did.

[leewards]

Oh, no I was not making a commentary on their audacity. [Ithaqua leans over and points directly at his fellow wizard... though he has enough courtesy not to point in his face. More like near his chin.]

I already know how shameless some can be. I was making a point about you. You should tell them that you shan't entertain their questions because this is not the venue for such things. Heheh.

[Be more firm, he means.]

[mirristry]

[Itha does this man look like he has a spine in social situations--

Or, more precisely, he's so used to not being able to run away from such things due to his position that it simply hasn't even occurred to him that such a thing might be possible here.]

Y-yes, but... but they threw this ball to introduce us to the people, so...

[So he feels obligated, whether he really wants to or not.]

[leewards]

Only introductions should be made, then. That would only be your name and the country you're representing, yes?

[Meanwhile, Ithaqua has all the spine, because he's been collecting human spines and corpses so so long.]

[mirristry]

[... please don't tell him that, he knows someone else who does that and they're. They sure exist.]

Ah... I suppose so, yes. That and... well, no, talking about the weather wouldn't exactly work either. Maybe the food? It is a rather impressive spread.

[This is already exhausting.]

[leewards]

Heheh.

See? You've already made ideas. All you need to do is put those ideas of yours into practice. [He's just pushing him, egging him on verbally, to see what he'd do. Because really, the man strikes him as too soft by half, so he might break or be pummeled into submission.

Ithaqua though, he just wants to see if he can be bullied.]

[mirristry]

The other option would simply be to stay over here and hope no one else decides to approach me with questions.

[Avoidance is a perfectly acceptable tactic to use here and no one can tell him otherwise. In other words, that's a "yes, he absolutely can be bullied."]

It isn't as though I'm the only wizard here for them to talk to, and many of the others are far more talkative to begin with. It would only be natural to go to one of them instead.

Balcony

[troublereduction]

[ Day's just stepped out into the balcony for fresh air himself when he sees Phil there, and recognises him as one of his neighbours on the second floor. Phil is probably familiar with Day's music at least since he practises the erhu every other day or so. ]

Guess it's easier to believe if you believe the moon's s'pposed to be capricious.

[ ...Though here, it's an annual event that comes, causing chaos, then leaves, apparently? ]

[mirristry]

[Ah-- Phil does indeed recognize his neighbor, though as the kind of person who tends to keep to himself, he's never had a reason to speak with Day just yet. Still, he greets him with a soft smile, a genuine one rather than the perfunctory kind that he's been putting on for the benefit of the other guests all evening.]

Is that what they say about the moon in your world?

[He's genuinely curious! One of his favorite things about getting to speak with all of the nexuses at home was learning all about the different worlds they hailed from.]

Thinking about it, it does make sense with how it waxes and wanes. [He turns his head to look back up at the moon.] But to me... it always seemed more shy than anything else.

[troublereduction]

[ It's good to see a smile like that, especially in a party that verges on being as stuffy and fraught as this one. Day walks on over to settle next to Phil, since he may as well while they're talking. He follows Phil's gaze at the moon. ]

Heh, I don't think anyone would ever call Luna "shy" back home. Coy, maybe. That how the moon's like where you're from?

[mirristry]

Luna?

[Well, that definitely gets his attention. So Day is from a world where the spirits exist too? This calls for some follow-up questions later...]

I can't claim to ever have met her myself, though I've heard about her from some of the people I've met. They told me that she wouldn't form a pact without her partner, Aska, although I'm not quite sure of the specifics as to why...

[troublereduction]

[ If Day knew what a nerd actually was, he'd be thinking that of Phil. As it stands though he just reminds him of a couple of his colleagues from the Division of Secrets, the ones who are less taciturn and would never stop talking if they could. ]

Huh, so you guys got a Luna too? I've never met mine either, but they've got a rep for bein' kind of... [ His voice trails off as he's trying to find the right word to use here. ] Slippery, I guess. It's hard to imagine them agreein' to any kind of pact 'cept the most exceptional one.

[mirristry]

That does seem to hold true for most - if not all - of the spirits. Granted, our versions of them are somewhat unique, but even so, they seem to tend to be on the capricious side.

[It's funny, almost, the way Phil's demeanor has shifted with the conversation topic. He seems quite talkative now, a far cry from earlier... RIP Day.]

Not that I've ever made a pact with one myself, that is.

[troublereduction]

[ It's fine, Day would consider this an improvement. It's always better to see people liven up with joy and interest. ]

Have you ever wanted to?

[mirristry]

[Perks up!]

Oh, yes. I'm not a summoner like Klarth or Sheena, though, so I'm not sure how willing they would be to listen to me... but there are some things that research alone simply can't cover.

I'm afraid Marcus might have a few objections to the idea, though...

[troublereduction]

I've heard stuff like people makin' pacts with elementals back home, but usually, it's a rigmarole gettin' one to agree to that sorta thing. [ Also it takes some serious stones to approach any kind of spirit for a pact, depending on who's being asked. ]

Why'd he object, though?

[mirristry]

[Phil: a man who has more intellectual curiosity than sense, alas...]

Ah, well... he's something of the jealous sort. I don't think he would take too well to the idea of having to share me with anything or anyone else.

[He doesn't even realize that he's giving off the completely wrong impression here but shhhhh.]

[troublereduction]

[ ...Hm? Hmmm? Is he reading this right? HMMMM??? ]

It's just a pact, ain't it?

[mirristry]

[The irony: he absolutely is but even Phil hasn't realized it yet.]

Well, yes, but it means forming another bond. Mirrites exist connected to their masters, so I imagine for them it would feel like something of an intrusion to have another connection there.