Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

[faileas]

Event Log: May, An Inauspicious Arrival

I. Boaltinn (1st - 3rd) Boaltinn comes around again. A handful of Mirrorbound will remember the holiday from last year, but for others, it will be brand new. In both Residential Districts, bonfires burn in central locations through the night, frequented by the residents celebrating another summer come to Aefenglom. Curiously, while last year the bonfires seemed quite segregated by human or Monster, this year, there is more of a noticeable mix at each, and Mirrorbound are invited to join the games and festivities quite happily. Characters are invited to try and jump through the bonfire's flames to burn away any poor relationship experiences, be it romantic or platonic, past or present; to aid them in this, those at the Eastern Bonfire will give those participating rune-etched accessories to protect them from the fire. The city has quite a bit to offer for this holiday: shared rose baths at public bathhouses and pleasure establishments that increase feelings of friendliness and talkativeness, poles draped in ribbons meant to be danced around, wrapping a ribbon around the pole to bring good luck for the summer, food stalls whose offerings are meant to be shared, and fortune-telling set up by Divination students of the Coven, who can tell your day is going to go. To see last year's Boaltinn prompts, you can take a glance right here! Much of it, including the bonfires, baths, and entertainments will be similar this year, so feel free to use those in your top levels.

II. An Unusual Arrival (3rd on) A full year from the arrival of the first group of Mirrorbound, the 1st passes quietly, with no one showing up in the mirror-lined halls of the Looking-Glass House. Dates and times are important in most kinds of magic, and this is strange enough that some Witches of the Coven get together on the night of the 3rd to try a probing ritual, attempting to gather some kind of clues that could be useful in prying out the cottage's secrets. Boaltinn is the best time for such things, when the boundaries are thinner, and magic is stronger. Those who are awake that night at 3 am might notice a pulse of harmless silvery light that spreads like ripples on water throughout the whole city, originating at the Looking-Glass House, but nothing further happens, and the Coven receives no answers. Well, nothing happens in the Looking-Glass House. Before long, the reports start coming in: people are emerging from mirrors, regular old mundane mirrors, all over the city. Anything with a particularly reflective surface could be an entry point for someone from another world! Inhabited homes, businesses closed and locked for the night, pools of still water in fountains or the river, these unorthodox Mirrorbound pop up anywhere and everywhere, causing chaos for the City Guard (folks aren't happy to find strangers in their bathrooms at 3 in the morning) and the Coven both. Out of nowhere, a glint of light catches your eye; your heart thunders in your ears as your body moves on its own, your mind consumed with inspecting the source. Your reflection stares back at you, just as curious from the surface - a mirror, a pool of water, your most trusted sword, something fleeting that your mind can barely remember - then ripples at your touch. If you are one of these unfortunate arrivals, it's likely a rude awakening for you, to find yourself somewhere inconvenient, somewhere other than where you've been. It only makes sense to be confused. Hopefully someone finds you and explains to you what's happened to you. Resident Mirrorbound will hear a message from Miss Nessie shortly after it begins, a call to arms: "Dears, I'm quite sorry to disturb you, but it seems your fellows are arriving elsewhere than the Looking-Glass House this month! We're trying to track them all down for the usual welcome, but we could use a hand or several! If you could just bring them by the Coven, the usual spot, that would be lovely." She'll give her usual orientation and pass out Watches, but no doubt the Mirrorbound will be more helpful in this regard, with so many arriving.

III. The Goblin Market (All Month) Life goes on in Aefenglom, despite the addition of so many new residents. With the City Guard decidedly busy dealing with the sudden flood of break-ins (or, more accurately, break-outs?), the vendors of the Goblin Market find opportunity to set up their stalls more openly than they have since the crack-downs some months ago. They pop up all over the city, but clustered more often in the Residential Districts and the Harbor District, where there are even fewer law enforcement agents out and about to run them off. These sellers, while not as devoid of morals as those major players of the Black Market, still have very few compunctions when it comes to lying, cheating, fencing stolen goods, and misrepresenting their wares to unsuspecting buyers. It's also the place to find those things that are- not quite legal, shall we say. They won't say a word if you don't. If confronted, they are quick to pack up their things and slip away, however; they know this city and its hiding places a lot better than you do. With a brand new batch of what the natives assume are Mirrorbound, many undergoing rapid transformations into their Monster forms, many of the wares on display are potions: supposed cure-alls for aches and itches, calming draughts for the full moon restlessness, some even claim their brews can halt changes entirely! Some concoctions are meant to increase a Witch's magical ability, or decrease it, or provide them a finer control. They offer potions that they say will eliminate the need for a Bond, or temporary Bonding potions of their own that they claim are more pure, stronger, than the ones offered by the Coven. Claims are only claims, though. A few remedies for the pain of changing or some regular temporary Bonding potions can be found here and there, but for every potion that works, there are twenty more that have less than pleasant side effects. A brew that will cause everything you touch to turn to solid gold for up to an hour; a potion that will invert your sense of direction - trying to turn right will make you turn left, trying to go forward will cause you to walk backward; a potion that will remove all traction from your feet, causing you to slide around as if cobblestone are the slickest ice. Worse, some shadier vendors sell things more sinister, including a potion that gives you the appearance of being moderately to heavily infected by the Cwyld. Even if you don't drink any, the vendors are not at all careful where they're sloshing those bottles around, trying to show them off, and they all activate on skin contact.

IV. A Wilde Hunt (7th - 22nd) All Mirrorbound, temporary or not, are likely to feel it. Monsters are always affected by the full moons, but this month, it is more. Stronger. Instincts rise to the surface as the Sisters emerge full and visible in the night sky, and for many Mirrorbound, they are undergoing rapid transformations into whatever type of Monster they are meant to be. Curiously, the natives get along like they usually do, noticing nothing out of the norm, other than the increased agitation and restlessness from Mirrorbound Monsters. Monsters' aggression fades when the Sisters start to wane, but as the new moons approach on the 22nd, Mirrorbound Witches will notice their magical reserves overfilling, and will find themselves stricken with the overwhelming urge to use it, until casting spells, pushing one's magical limits, is almost a compulsion. Those who are not in proper Witch-Monster Bonds will feel it even stronger, with no stabilizing magic to consume (for Monsters) or avenues to expend magic (for Witches) other than casting spells. (For those who are interested, the Coven does offer temporary Bonding potions which can be used to help alleviate the effects somewhat.) The Coven Witches notice the signs, and they take decisive action on the morning of the 6th, the day before the full moons. So many Mirrorbound, likely to be so heavily affected by the lunar cycle this month, many of them coming into new features and abilities at a breakneck pace, only spells danger for the city. They barricade off a massive chunk of Wilde outside Aefenglom, largely free of Cwyld and totally bereft of farms, homes, and Wilder outposts. They invite anyone who feels the effects of the moons too strongly to control to come out for a Hunt. The hunting grounds will be open nightly to anyone who needs to work off restless energy or overflowing magic; all participants will be warned that their safety cannot be guaranteed from others, but they won't be able to harm bystanders out here. The woods are thick, with the river cutting through them, and full of wildlife. There is room to run and chase prey, or room to play with your developing magic. Play cat and mouse with your friends or Bondmates, or stalk a stranger. If playing games isn't your thing, there is something else to hunt out here as well. With the deep Wilde entering into Winter, this patch of land so close to the city is much warmer, and fearsome Shades have emerged to search for prey. These were once living beings, Monsters, Witches, or animals, who have been overtaken by Cwyld infection long ago, leaving them dead but for the infection, white-eyed and seeking out sources of magic to consume and infect. Anything could become a Shade, but the most common out right now are the ferocious remains of bears, wolves, and nomadic Arachne and Turnskins. If not killed, these Shades threaten the people of the Outer City, when they inevitably escape the barricade. Careful to limit your contact, though; anyone infected upon their return to the gates will be escorted straight to the infirmary.

Welcome to May's Fourth Wall event, An Inauspicious Arrival! The comms are now open to comments from all registered users and will be until June 1st. Current players, if you don't want fourth wall characters tagging your posts, just say so in your text. Fourth wall characters can use this post for their own network top-levels, or this post for log top levels. This event is game canon; threads from this fourth wall can be used as application samples later and current players may use these threads for AC. As always, be courteous to each other! Let the mod team know if there are any problems and we will handle things.

As always, please direct your questions to this thread!

Comments

[gale_arc]

[ Hisui glares at Kor for a few moments more, long enough for him to get a good look at those feline eyes of his (although that isn't really his intent). He looks like he's about ready to chew him out...but after that moment passes, he backs off. ]

Good.

[ Kor may not have his blessing, no. And he's still not really sure he likes the guy (but he'll admit, he ain't terrible). But he knows how serious Kor is about helping Kohaku. He's heard the kid mumbling about it in his sleep, after all. If Kor says she's safe, then she's safe.

Not that he's going to outright admit to any of that. Of course not.

It's been one hell of a day, and Hisui is still intent on pressing for answers. The knowledge that his sister is safe, though, is more than welcome news to him. Even if it's coming from this guy. ]

Alright, kid, from the top. What's all this about some Creed guy destroying the world? You wanna tell me how we got roped into that?

[marmoron]

[Keith's practically ready to throw himself at his cat to get her out of harm's way, blood turning to ice in his veins when the two get into the weirdest staring match. There's a lot he'll put up with, but he's not ready to watch his friend get stabbed by an annoyed Galra. But then the guy bends down and ... actually acts with some degree of civility? Keith's eyebrows practically disappear into his hair for a moment before he starts scowling. It's too early to be relaxing though considering his cat doesn't exactly have a track record of being friendly, but the day is apparently just full of surprises.

Kitty responds by taking a tentative sniff at Kolivan's hand, then paws at it with an inquisitive mraow? Her teeny ears twitch, tail flicking behind her ... perhaps in greeting before she jumps into his open palm and proceeds to bat a paw at his braid.]

She's just a baby. You better not hurt her.

[confectionerie]

[ She's never been to school? But then again, if Sae is really from the year she says she is...well, back then, educating women wasn't really the thing, was it?

It's still a lot to wrap her mind around, that she's talking to someone from the past, but Sae is in the same boat, talking to someone from the future.

But their current ordeal is more pressing, so she can worry about that more later. For now, she nods, brows lifting. ]

Now that you mention it, I didn't try to go back through the mirror I came through...do you think any old mirror would work?

[ Because she's not so excited about the idea of trying to get back into the apartment she just fled from. ]

[confectionerie]

[ Well, so long as she's comfortable with it, Ann has no further concerns. And even if someone gives them the wrong kind of look...well, she kind of gets the impression that this girl is also someone who can take care of people like that. ]

Then...let's see if we can find someone who might know what's going on here. By the way, I'm Ann.

[ She kind of forgot to introduce herself while they were fleeing from the popo...but in spite of their situation, she offers a bright smile. Maybe they just met, but Ann would much rather be going through this with someone else than by herself. ]

[redmare]

[ Chinatsu stomps her hoof against the ground. ]

It's your fault for sca--

[ Nope, she's not outing herself. ]

Will you stop yelling back!

[plasticasshole]

It can be. Some people seem to stick around for mere months, others have been here since the mirrors started bringing people in. There's nothing linking the people who come and go, either.

[Which troubles him, because if it's completely random... he won't know to expect it if Hank leaves. He'll just realise when the Bond breaks, the same way he did with Justine and the SQUIP.]

Cruel is a good way to put it.

[Still. He doesn't want to bring the mood down.]

Is there any particular field of magic you're interested in? I don't know much about it, admittedly... I only know that my Bonded can make flaming middle fingers, and that he's overjoyed about it. I wonder what class of magic that falls under.

[Amused, he folds his arms.]

[redmare]

What are you saying, huh? You saying I look like one of those freaks?

[ You're not helping your case, dude.


As soon as he moves off her, Chiantsu rises back onto her hooves---sort of. She's still wobbly, which probably makes the glare she's shooting him less threatening. ]

And aren't you supposed to, like, not touch them?

[knowledgeordeath]

[Such bravery. He admires the small creature. Nodding his approval, he lifts her up to set her in his shoulder. Flipping his braid around so she can reach out before returning to looking at the door frame again.

Too easy to break. Requires more support. There rest of the doors have been this way too.]

Your security is terrible.

[And with that he goes to walk past Keith with his new tiny companion.]

[exsoldier]

[ Even if people might be staring, that doesn't mean that Zack is deterred from his task. Bizarre as the situation might be, the stranger seems kind enough. He doesn't think that he'll regret having stopped to help him. ]

It's that bad, huh? [ If he'd been considering buying one of the questionable potions sold around here just to relieve the itching, then it's clearly not just an intermittent problem. Zack wonders what the cause of the itching might be. (Don't say fleas.) ]

You got a rash or something? Maybe you should find a doctor, if it's to the point that you can't ignore it.

[ Are there doctors for Monsters around? There has to be, right? ]

[evanescent]

[It will occur to her that she should find him somewhere where he won't catch cold, though for now she seems a little shellshocked as the joy and surprise over seeing him fades into a strange dreaminess, old memories clashing with the new. She lets him take her hands, studies his face.

She had seen him, true, in the Lifestream. Their reunion there had not been like this — not so settled in reality. His apology to her makes her smile — she's happy to hear it, and a little sad, too.]

I know. I... [She can't tell him what she'd felt, when his life had flickered out on the edge of Midgar, in that vast wasteland. Instead she makes her smile go a little wider.] I know you tried your best to get back.

You were trying to save someone, weren't you? I—I didn't see all of it, but...

[a pause. Her gaze flickers away.]

There's a lot we need to catch up on. But you know, he's here too. Cloud. He's gotten a lot better.

[exsoldier]

[ As Zack draws closer to the woman, he can see the scales on her face that mark her as a Monster of some sort. He hasn't memorized all the possibilities, if he's honest, but when she talks of looking for a dragon, it's hard for the idea not to then pop into his head.

Dragons exist on Gaia, but they're not exactly common, usually hidden away in remote caves. There's the summon Bahamut as well, though he's more of a mythical being than anything else. Since she talks of bringing this dragon home, it sounds like she's got a bond with the creature. Is it... a pet? Kind of hard to imagine, but Zack's curiosity is definitely piqued.

At her question, he sighs and shakes his head. ]

Can't say I have. If he's black, then I'm guessing he's going to blend in pretty well. [ He taps his foot, humming in thought to himself for just a moment before redirecting his gaze onto the woman. ] Want me to help you look for him?

II

[spirialink]

[The sudden influx of people in the town this month sure made it harder than usual to go about your business. Usually those guys at the Coven have things so organized when it came to new people showing up, but this time everything felt so... packed in town, with so many people running around.

When the stampede happens, Kor gets caught up in it, a massive horde of people madly rushing to get away from the scene before he can even register what's going. Thankfully, a timely intervention by Jude saves him from what would have been certain doom. Or at least mild pain.]

Phew, you really saved me--YOW!

[He feels the sudden pinch of Jude's claws digging into his arm, wincing from it.]

[gale_arc]

[ Well, the good news is the dog appears to understand him. So...there's that. Unfortunately, it looks like only one of them can talk, and it sure ain't the dog. ]

What, me? [ ...is that what it's trying to say? He's just gonna go with it for now. ] Nah, I ain't buyin' anything from these crooks. I saw some guy get splashed with that stuff and now his hair's turned pink. I doubt any of this stuff's as good as they say.

[ It was supposed to be a fur removal potion. Hisui's no genius, but he doesn't need to be to know that it wasn't exactly working as advertised. He'll pass; he likes his hair just the way it is, thanks. ]

What's your deal, huh? You get turned into a dog and can't change back or somethin'?

[arturiarex]

Unfortunately, yes. However, it will also bind you to the other - emotionally, as well as via your memories. They can be shared between you, along with sensations and other thoughts. It is... strange.

[ Her expression flattens. ]

Better than losing one's mind, however.

i

[loverboi]

Petra?

[ girl...why are you shouting. lance runs over to her, because she sure is scaring that poor merchant (though he will soon learn that the merchant probably deserves it). he then stands between her and the merchant, waving his hands to try to calm her down. ]

Hey, calm down! What happened?

[gale_arc]

I'm sayin' you shouldn't sneak up on me like that! That sound coulda been anything!

[ He was in hunting mode, he heard a noise, he had to pounce, okay? Besides, there's only so much he can see from where he was hiding in the bushes. (Granted, he could've been a bit more careful either way, but still)

Hisui's cat-like ears lay flat against his skull in frustration, his tail twitching. Geez, he didn't come here to have arguments with random strangers. ]

Better than letting any of them get the jump on me. Ain't they supposed to be tough?

[ Granted, he'd probably still prefer to take them out with his Soma...if it still worked here. Alas, crossbows or no, he's still not about to let any shade get past him. ]

[exsoldier]

[ Not like the ones back home, huh? Zack wonders at exactly what Cloud means by that. There's the monsters that anyone will come across when traveling from town to town on Gaia, but there's also the monsters that Shinra created. Cloud could really be talking about either, given what they'd both been through.

So, Cloud's a werewolf. Zack's trying to imagine what it must look like, but he gets the feeling he'll find out sooner rather than later. His guess is that Cloud can't actually transfer back and forth at will, but... ]

Me? [ Zack jabs a thumb toward his own chest. ] Pretty sure I'm a monster. I think I'd feel something if I had magic in me, or... however that works. But not sure what kind. I think I've gotta head to that Coven place to find out.

[ It is important that he knows, but he can't help but feel a little uncertain about it all the same. It's not so easy being told that your body is going to warp into something else. ]

[islandhuntress]

[Keeping her one arm propped behind her head, she stretches the other out above her head for a moment, stifling a content yawn. Far from feeling sleepy, the warmth from the sun is invigorating her, slowly waking her up.]

Yes, maybe... half an hour before?

[Opening her eyes, she sits up slightly, propping herself up on an elbow so she can better face Bernie.]

Were you finding some flowers? Or can I be helping you? ... After more sun. [She laughs softly because Bernie is right, it is nice up here.]

[timenace]

[ There's definitely an irony to being chided about burns on your hands on a guy that went to fight a dangerous creature that wants him dead, but Sougo either isn't catching onto that irony or seems to be letting it slide right by him with only a passing nod. Instead he just grins sheepishly as he continues to move carefully, keeping some distance while still staying close by to charge in if need be.

Or whenever Momo decides he's done and wants this guy gone. Sougo didn't get these burns all over his hands not to be able to cast some decent fire based magic! ]

Ah, you saw it? They're not that bad though!

[ So far at least he's gotten the kind of burns someone might get from touching a hot stove for a few seconds. The problem is it's like someone kept touching that hot stove repeatedly, and now their hand is covered with small burns. ]

[anotherstep]

[ That was close — too close for comfort. A few ilms closer, and those claws could have sliced right into her arm. He swears under his breath, leveling another swing of his axe at the Shade's foreleg in attempt to regain its full attention. Hold aggro, Ardbert!! ]

Then I'm all ears, if you've any ideas.

[ He's admittedly not the ideas guy, even if he's good at putting plans into action. He casts as quick of a look as he can spare at the forest around them, looking for something that might lend itself well to a trap. ]

The underbrush — if we can get it deep enough in, it might tangle itself up.

[ Hardly foolproof, but it's all he's got right now. ]

[exsoldier]

[ Despite her insistence, Zack will still try to figure out some way to make this up to her. Even if he didn't do anything to get his memories wiped, it can't be easy on her either. And maybe a kind gesture will be the right step to get them back to where they'd been before.

Man, this is weird. But he shakes it off as best he can, picking up his pace to walk at her side rather than having to stare at her back. Feels a little better that way. ]

Wouldn't say no to a drink, gotta say. I, uhh... [ He glances down, then pats both of the pockets on his pants. ] Don't have any money on me, though. [ Which means he's going to owe her for that, too. Oh man... ]

So... can I get your name?

[ It feels weird that she must know at least a thing or two about him, while she's a mystery to him. The sooner he can balance that out, the better. ]

[killuwatt]

[ It feels like old times, almost. Enough to make Killua's chest ache, enough to make him never want to stop. He follows Gon as his friend leads him around, earnest and eager as always, explaining what he's learned of the city from the eyes of its residents and the observations he's made that Killua would have glossed over or dismissed as unimportant: the sorts of things that give a place vigor and life, the things that matter to the people who walk its streets. Gon's always been like that. People open up to him.

Killua, as always, gets caught up in him the same way he's been trying to avoid for nearly a year. It's remarkably easy. Deep down, it scares him just a tiny bit.

But that's something to examine later, alone in the dark when Gon's gone back to his own bed.

Now, he follows and listens, making comments and asking questions, watching the sea wide-eyed from the docks and then following Gon back toward the inner city once more. The night here is bustling despite the time, songs spilling out from taverns, drunken sailors giving way to drunken workmen and women and Monsters off their shifts in their own shops and having a drink on the town. The lights are sparkling out here, a shower of stars in different colors and settings, unlike the quieter, darker residential areas from before. ]

Looks like more bars and stuff... [ The sound of music drifts over on the breeze. ]

Or maybe other stuff's going on? Wanna go check it out?

[freecshow]

—Ah, yeah, it's mostly that.

[Gon laughs a little, wondering if he should tell Killua. it's naughty, but it's kind of a fun idea to just keep it to himself, to see how Killua reacts if he realizes. and if he doesn't, who cares? it's just more of an excuse to hang out with Killua...

until he's back to his own bed, alone and in the dark.]

But yeah, let's go! What else do we really have to do, right?

[Gon can't help it; he knows he should better, and maybe have a bit more self control after everything that's happened, but Killua really does want to be around him, right?—so Gon snags the fabric around Killua's wrist, tugging him towards the destination of those rowdy, glimmering lights.]

[detonatability]

[ It opens up a whole new well of questions that Deidara feels bubble up in him, curiousity warring with frustration and confusion over this entire situation. It's annoying, that Itachi is the one that's here. Even more frustrating, that Deidara can recognize he takes some measure of comfort in this bastard being something familiar in an impossible situation.

He did find me. What does that even mean? If Itachi is dead, did Sasuke kill him, too, since it's clear he didn't die from Deidara's final act?

Questions for later; right now, he's yanked back in by this new information. ]

What? What kind of monster?

[ Clearly.... the most important part of that infodump. ]

[detonatability]

[ Deidara looks at him quizzically, an expression that verges almost on offended. ]

That's not at all what it's like.

[ He doesn't feel sentimental over the things he destroys, the very idea is peculiar to him. It's the sort of thing he believes would've aligned with his former partner's beliefs, that desire to be something everlasting and permanent. Immortality through something fixed and material.

But he also isn't really surprised that this layman wouldn't understand so complex a concept. He lets it go, for the time being, but it will undoubtedly come up again. ]

Because, it would make more sense, nn. The other bastard I know in this place died, too.