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

so done

[themogget]

[Mogget is not, in fact, at all concerned about being eaten. He's already figured out what he is here, and Mikasa is definitely the least of his worries.]

Hmm.

[The cat says, and then he does deign to jump down from the stall. He winds around Mikasa's legs, flicking his tail against her shins.]

Having some trouble with what you are?

[themogget]

You might say that.

[Removing it does nothing. There's no sudden release, no swelling of locked-up energy and magic. His neck does itch, though, so he scratches it while still remaining daintily poised on Momo's shoulder.]

Being here must have altered me more than I first realised. How vexing.

[But... ah, well. There is more than one way to gain power.]

The Charter was created to restrain and control the presence of Free Magic. [Pausing in his scratching, he lets out a brief but very satisfied-sounding noise.] In the beginning, the beacons of Charter magic were bloodlines, but that was many years ago.

[He looks at the collar, and the bell attached to it.]

The collar was infused with Charter magic. You shouldn't have been able to remove it.

[stopfen]

[The antenna flicker. They'd be useful if she knew how to use them to pinpoint scents and the other things they sensed. But for better or for worse, the sensitive sensors weren't as simple as a nose to get used to. They just hung out, catching everything, making it very difficult for a new fae to make sense of what she'd detected. The sickeningly sweet smell of infection was there, but...]

Isn't that from over there?

[She rolls her shoulders, indicating a path away from them.]

[thevanguard]

It could also be a hell of a lot better!

[ He feels like this is a valid argument to point out. ]

Like home!

[partnerinheels]

"It's that perspective in which I try and focus my thoughts," she agrees, though her voice remains heavy on the matter. She misses him, and she misses Bucky. But that is the past and she's made a promise to herself to continue moving forward.

And while she's selfishly very glad to see him again, it's in that thread that she feels guilty for having joy at seeing him. "I am sorry you are here."

At his mention of it being a trick, Sheva glances over at him, at the changes, resisting the urge to reach out and touch them as mild proof to his new reality. "It is probably foreshadowing. The choice has been made by this place and its magic."

Thankfully, his question has a simple enough answer, and she grins slightly over at him. "We get you showered and fed. Then a more comprehensive debriefing."

[monkeyblue]

It's not home, so why are you complaining about it so much? It won't get us back home.

[brushworkmother]

[Maybe Sen has the smartest move there, having not exhausted himself.

For her part, Amaterasu flops down onto the ground alongside Momo. Her tail's still wagging, though- that was a good run! Though perhaps she ought to test herself a little more while she's here…

She makes a little sound of agreement, rolling over too look at Momo- and then makes a curious sound, leaning up to try and get a better look at his teeth. That's odd for most people, isn't it?]

[brushworkmother]

[Definitely somewhere she thinks Itegami would visit. She goes still for a moment, then sneezes and shakes herself, trotting in with her tail waving. No cold's going to get the best of her, especially when there are flavours to investigate! She gets up for a better look, tail wagging, and takes a good sniff, trying to work out which is the salted caramel.]

[devilyouknew]

[Takizawa's attention is drawn away from the food as he watches Kaneki apologize. Is this really how the boy was before everything happened? He's so timid. It's a little ridiculous. True, it makes him easier to work with, but he's not sure he prefers that.

Thankfully, before they can get into a circular argument where he tells the kid to stop apologizing, he gets asked about where he came from.]

Yeah, I'm from Tokyo. [Doesn't he look Japanese? Is it the hair?]

I would say it's probably as different as yours was, given how you're taking it.

[He's not willing to come right out and say that they're from the same place. Mostly because he's still on the fence about Kaneki being who he says he is.]

[judgementor]

[Red Wine is ever the gentleman with young women and is very careful to not put his hands anywhere that they would not be wanted. He guides her to the seat and lowers her into it, then sits down a respectable distance away with his hands folded in his lap.]

A hazard of this market. [He replies wryly.]

What you buy rarely does what they tell you it will.

dorothea arnault | fe3h | witch | late to the party but open

[crescendoed]

iii. goblin market

[if you know dorothea, you know she's acting much stranger than usual. she's keeping to herself, guarded and wary, as she traverses through the stalls, as if preparing to be attacked at any moment. her posture is closed off, so different from the confident woman who held her head up high to prove that commoners, too, can shine bright.

but alas, she can only hide herself so much, decked out in bright colors, as was the usual in Brigid fashion, as she is. and as she knows from years upon years of experience - being beautiful means you don't get ignored for long.

she's hoping, at least, she can hold off any unwanted attention for as long as possible with a good ol fashioned Resting Bitch Face.]

wildcard

[open to anything, surprise me.]

[OOC: IMPORTANT NOTE while she is post-CF, she immediately fucked off to Brigid with Petra and canonically wants very little to do with Fodlan. While her paired ending with Petra is romantic, I will not push or even mention the shipping unless okay'd by Petra-mun.]

[ranyaulf]

( wet and clammy? yes. very. not great for the fur, not great for the clothes, but he's already been soaked at least two or three times within a span of what feels like seconds. what makes it bearable (and honestly more than that) is the fact that it's... the embrace of a close and trusted friend. it might not have been reciprocated the same way in tellius, but at least there was mutual respect, and from that anything could grow. he learned that from ike. )

Ha! You're right. ( what a horrible way to go, caught in the embrace of a somewhat moist scaly. a familiar one, whose weight is comforting and not crushing. ) But... I could get used to it.

( it may take longer for his pride to adjust. )

Could you?

[kingofunification]

[Another trip to the market, another day of gathering rumors, and more miracle potions to be dissected later. He had gotten a good amount of both in his days returning to this place, but Claude was always hungry for more knowledge. He couldn't resist the siren's call of finding out one more key to how this place ticked.

And sometimes, these trips allowed him to meet old friends.]

Well, here's a sight! [At first, he though he had run into Petra in all her Brigid finery--but the hair color was wrong. Even though, it was too familiar for him to pass up getting a better look.]

[And upon getting closer, he was pleasantly surprised to see the face of a familiar songstress. He's come up to her side, a smile on his face and hands on his hips.] Fancy meeting the star of the Mittlefrank Opera so far from her stage.

[crescendoed]

[there is no mistaking that voice, and she turns to look at him with wide, surprised eyes.

he's-- here?

oh she's hasn't -- she hasn't seen him in so long. and the last time she did--]

Claude! [her eyes soften, becoming... sad, probably unlike the happiness claude expected from an old friend.] It's... been so long. What are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you, of course, I just didn't think... well, let's just say I wasn't expecting to see you.

[kingofunification]

[It was not the reaction he expected from his former peer. She had become more subdued after 5 years, but she had always been a performer at heart. To not even offer a smile...it had him feeling a bit off kilter.]

You sure can make a man feel self-conscious with a response like that. [He tries to play it off with a laugh, rubbing his chin as he offers her a wink.] Does my face truly look that hideous that you wouldn't want to see it again?

[cultivatingrabbits]

Since yesterday... I believe.

[ he doesn't quite have grasp of time through his grief that's now been put on an edge he's not sure which way to tip it.

though he does know this isn't the same brother from his timeline...? dimension? it's all still very strange to wrap his head around it. ]

I am not the brother you know. From here.

[crescendoed]

Oh, Claude, you know just as well as I do that that's certainly not it. [she offers a small smile, finally, then looks around their surroundings.]

I don't believe this is the best place for a heartwarming reunion, don't you think?

[a hint of a suggestion in her voice, as if she wants claude to lead them somewhere quiet. :)]

[stopfen]

Ah- [Mogget why? The fae was still for all of a second, then she's crouching, she doesn't reach out to touch him though. Even if it's tempting. Even if he'd said he wasn't a human, she'd be caught out by that too many times to risk it.

So instead she just squats there, peering at him circle her legs. Not answering for a moment. Just watching.]

Most people here do. But I shouldn't have them much longer.

[Or the moments where she acted out wouldn't be as large. A bond would help, even if it was just a monster/monster one.]

[kingofunification]

[He laughs, playing along with her lead. It was certainly a facade of ease, but there was no need to break character until she felt more comfortable to share whatever was on her mind.]

The yelling of vendors does harm the mood, doesn't it?

[He holds out his arm for her, giving a small bow.] I can escort you to someplace quiet, if the lady so wishes. [A wink.] There's a forest on the outskirts of this market that I like to sit and gather my thoughts in.

a similar key of energy... a duo too powerful for Aef, probably

[glitzandglamour]

Oh, how Hythlodaeus wouldn't have a single clue that Hades said a similar thing months prior. He was the first person he'd admitted the sheer extent he'd been without, after all. They're completely different people, the situation and intent different as well, but the words are much the same. He still remembers it. It was before they'd label their feelings as love or affection, just after Mettaton realized he'd landed himself in a Bond with someone who turns his nose up at the humanity he adores — still a subject they disagree upon.

But it was also when Mettaton explained why he needed a Bond with him, that nobody else had met his standards. Of course there's catching up to do. An impossible amount.

Nonetheless, the phrasing brings a nostalgic smile to his lips.

"I'm working on it." A beat, as he shrugs with his arms. "With plenty of help. So much to experience! Even if I 'caught up'... It would never be enough for me."

[crescendoed]

I would most appreciate it, my good sir. This atmosphere is quite heavy on my delicate ears, you know. [she allows herself a giggle despite all the guilt and regret weighing her heart down. her arm loops with his, allowing him to lead her to this quiet place of his.]

First, if you could be so kind as to explain what in the world is happening here?

[kingofunification]

[Claude is quiet for a moment, gathering the jumble of his thoughts. He was known as a man who had a silver tongue, who could charm a crowd of hungry nobles into a allies of a rebellion...but this wasn't a place for charm. Byleth needed comfort, not empty appeasements.]

Perhaps your actions had a hand in it, but I don't believe that you could've changed things even if you were aware of the consequences. [Both of his hands move to grip Byleth's elbows, leaning down to try to catch his eyes--to make sure he knew the sincerity of his words.] I'm not a religious man, as you know--but I do believe that sometimes there are things that are...outside of our control. Fated, perhaps.

[There's a small smile on his lips, even if Byleth can't see it.] I believe that we were fated to meet--that we were fated to reconnect even after you vanished for five years. These...timelines seem like it was just the nature of things. Perhaps predetermined at the moment Rhea did something to your heart to make it stop beating.

[He gives the arms in his hands a gentle squeeze.] You can't punish yourself for something that was set in motion before you were born.

[unsacrificing]

[byleth glances up, seeing nothing but warmth and kindness, and relaxes in the other's hold. some may think claude says nothing but what the listener wants to hear, but byleth knows better. he knows that's just the persona claude exudes, a tactic that he uses to various degrees to keep others guessing and fog his words.

but byleth knows better.]

Thank you... I don't regret doing whatever it took to save each and every one of you. [a lil smile.] I only wish I could have stopped the entire war, to stop the needless deaths of so many innocent people.

[byleth has a lot of quiet guilt]

[kingofunification]

[He chuckles as he begins to lead her down the streets, the forest already visible at the edge of the road.] Well, unfortunately I'm no expert on this place--as I only arrived a few weeks ago. The gist that I've come to understand, that people from different worlds have been brought here--to what means, no one knows for certain. The locals believe it's to help with a blight that is encroaching upon the city, but everything is just a theory for now.

[It's a short time before they're already to the trees, the bustle of the busy street becoming more muted which each step.] I've seen a few others from our world here as well. For a moment, I thought I had run into Petra again when I only saw your garb.

[kingofunification]

Again, this war seemed fated no matter what path you or any other version of you seemed to choose. [Dimitri and his tragedies, Edelgard and her resolve, Claude and his ambitions. They always would clash against each other for what they believed would be the best for the continent.] I believe you can do amazing things, but you still are only human, my friend. Even if you've been given some great powers by a goddess.

[He straightens, letting his hands slide down Byleth's arms until he gripped his hands, giving them a strong squeeze.] Maybe it's not an ideal outcome, but everyone else is responsible for the choices they made. You can't control the actions of others, you can only control you're own actions, and what you try to accomplish with the power you have.

But I am very grateful for the timeline I've been granted with you at my side. [The smile on his face is a small thing--a hesitant show of vulnerability.] I don't regret the things we've been able to accomplish together in the time we've been given.