promittere: (Default)
lunae calamitas mods ([personal profile] promittere) wrote in [community profile] lunaecalamitas2024-04-18 11:41 pm

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...
lustro: (116)

[personal profile] lustro 2024-05-11 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ He sits, but… uh… honestly, ]

… I just don’t know how I’ll react.

[ Ginger’s the weird one.

Tail touching Mika? Fine, normal. Mika touching tail? Danger of becoming a kink highly likely, please mercy. ]


So… maybe later. [ How much later depends. He just hopes he doesn’t remember the request at an awkward time. ] Oh - this view is beautiful. Mika, when did you find this…?
shortleash: (pic#17103513)

[personal profile] shortleash 2024-05-11 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
( Forgot touch can be horny and now he feels inconsiderate for saying it... but he's glad he didn't act on his impulse, then. The lesson here is to never listen to your own desires, (no) )

Oh— That's fine. Um, it doesn't have to be ever, if you don't want.

( Like, don't push yourself on his account, he means... He can live his life without knowing what Ginger's wings and tail feel like, even though he's genuinely curious.

The question, though, earns a bit of awkwardness from Mika, himself. )


... Um... Do you remember when I left for a few days, the first week? ( The prelude to the Bitening... ) ... I basically walked in a straight line for as far as I could, and then I hit this fork.

( Sorta a fork. Most wouldn't consider a cliffside a viable path, but most are not vampires delirious with hunger. )

I was checking to see if I could just drop down over the edge, and while I thought I'd survive it... I also saw this ledge. ( He presses. his hands to the sides of his face. ) And I figured it'd be hard enough for me to get back up if I just dropped down here, so I didn't need to drop all the way to the bottom of the cliff... but...

( Well. clearly he got back up. He should've dropped all the way down................ (Jury's out on if this would've been fatal for him, though.) )
lustro: (044)

[personal profile] lustro 2024-05-11 08:47 am (UTC)(link)
Um… no, I - want you to have free rein… Later, maybe… when you drink.

[ Because at that point, it wouldn’t matter, right? Right?

Though soon he’s dismayed to hear about what Mika went through the first couple of days, fingers flexing as though he wants to catch past Mika. Even if the view is magical, Mika isn’t a thing that belongs in a cave, only ever watching the world’s beauty from afar. ]


It’s not fair that you can’t escape the thing you hate. But… I’m glad you found us and we found you.

[ Results obviously varied, but everyone’s still breathing. ]
shortleash: (pic#17103517)

[personal profile] shortleash 2024-05-11 09:21 am (UTC)(link)
( When he drinks... Mika seems a little unsure, but he won't argue. It makes logical sense, but that feels a little like taking advantage of Ginger's compromised state in some way he can't articulate, even though Ginger's the one who's suggesting it.

Not that he has any less complicated feelings about the rest of what Ginger says. If Mika had a choice - even knowing what he knows now - he thinks... it might have been better if he'd risked going off the cliff.

... But if he hadn't come back, he wouldn't have been able to protect Ginger's heart like he said he would, would he? He has to consider that. )


... You don't like part of what you are either, right?

( He pulls up his knees, a little like he's fortifying himself against his own feelings. Ginger's never said it outright, but Mika kind of gets the feeling. If anything, it doesn't sound like his angel half gives him trouble - nothing that Ginger complains about, anyway - but his demon half gives him some headache. )
lustro: (115)

[personal profile] lustro 2024-05-12 12:39 am (UTC)(link)
… I wish I could be one thing that someone loved - and not this hybrid of all the worst parts of being a demon and an angel. So… yeah, I do.

[ His tone is… light in the same way someone would talk about something they can’t change, something inevitable. Not nonchalant, and the bitter resentment he feels towards himself manages not to leak through. He’s careful about that. He doesn’t want his voice to wobble pitifully; he doesn’t want to cry. ]

You would think being able to pick one would solve the issue, but both parts are… still me. I’m too scared of tossing myself away, probably.
shortleash: (pic#17103573)

[personal profile] shortleash 2024-05-12 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
( Mika listens to him quietly, faced once again with the fact that - he really isn't one for solutions, but he knows how to stew, and that's all he can give Ginger's troubles in turn. He doesn't know if it's enough to hear that someone likes you as you are when you hate the thing that makes you up, that you wake up encased inside every morning.

But he does like Ginger as he is, so he puts out a hand for Ginger to hold, if he wants it. )


... Before you became a full vampire... There's a stage in between - where you're not human, but you're not really a vampire yet, either. When you drink human blood for the first time - that's when it kicks in.

( The nuances are lost on him, despite the fact that he lived it, and he doesn't think it's a 1:1 to Ginger's situation. Ginger was born this way, and Mika was forced into that limbo. Still... )

... It's not like there's a way around it, with vampirism. When Yuu-chan told me to just be a vampire, I kind of knew I didn't have a choice anyway. But...

( He trails off, not sure how to finish that thought. Obviously, he hates being a vampire with everything that he is - and he wouldn't want Ginger to have to pick one thing if, likewise, being one thing is something he'd hate even more. Maybe it is because it does feel like throwing yourself away, that - he doesn't think Ginger's fear is wholly unfounded. )

... I don't know. I guess what I mean is... I think if you feel like both sides are you, then you should stay that way. And... I'd miss whatever part of you you set aside.

( Because this Ginger is the Ginger he knows, and he doesn't want Ginger to change. )