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

[cryptsleeper]

I did the same to someone else once. In this market, come to think of it.

[Geralt is long since gone, and his responses were always gruffer, but it feels correct to repay the favor to someone else entirely.]

And if it was not already done to me once, it'd be an expected kindness all the same.

[cryptsleeper]

[You know what? Alucard's gonna take all the energy he can not to laugh and just:]

Oh, there's a host of research elsewhere. Good luck making sense of it.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard is all set to respond to the comment about philosophy, but the air between himself and the young woman changes in an instant. He can only think of barometers dropping, and he isn't sure why. All he knows is that it happens and the result is no where near what he'd ever expect.

His eyes meet hers, but there's no glimmer of recognition there. Instead his head tilts slightly, more wolf like than man, confused.]

I'm sorry?

[arturiarex]

Likewise, Maria.

[ Another nod. She pauses to glance up at the trees and the sky. Maria's right. She was feeling cooped up and anxious and even her bond with Byleth hadn't seemed to help too much. Absent-mindedly, she reaches out through said bond. An idle, curious thought - and then her attention is back on Maria. ]

Something like that, yes. Even if the house I share is large, the city itself was beginning to feel too confining for some reason. Getting out here has had a calming effect. Helped me center myself.

[ She frowns. ]

I am not used to experiencing such a loss of control.

I'm laughing at picturing her swinging Mikasa around

[stopfen]

[Mikasa was one of the bigger fae, if not the largest. At 5'8(She wasn't bitter at losing an inch, not at all!) and 70+kg there was quite a bit to move.

She craned her neck to watch the girl swerve around. Arms still raised to grab, but she didn't sense any threat from the girl, but why was she going there? For what reason? A small birdlike chirp slipping out. Too confused to really react to the being nabbed. Though Rena would find that the fae was...very solid. Parts of her body covered in smooth chitin, muscle in the uncovered areas.

But could the girl lift her?]

it comes with the territory

[weiward]

[it stings when he pulls away from him, a pain that travels through his chest and makes his eyes burn. wei wuxian tries not to show it beyond a few quick blinks. it's not his fault, but it's so much like the old lan zhan, always so bashful when it came to anything intimate. the progress that they've made here, together, has slipped away, but it's still not his biggest worry right now.

wei wuxian can still feel him. the distinction is clearer now, even as their emotions blend. this heaviness in him isn't his, but his mouth suddenly tastes bitter just the same. there's an edge to what he's feeling, not unlike bichen's blade, just waiting to strike at anyone who would cross a certain line with the puca. ...or is it aimed at him? there's only the two of them there, no one else.

then who?

a wave of dizziness hits next, and his assumptions leap instantly to blood loss before he notices the shadow in the door. wei wuxian holds the side of his head with his hand, waiting for everything to just go still, waiting for his vision to clear. and he keeps waiting, because there is simply no way that lan zhan can be standing in the doorway when he can still feel him underneath his hand.

but then he pulls that hand away as if it was being held to the fire, attempting to stand so quickly that he stumbles and ends up on his ass again.]

Lan Zhan.

[which one is he talking to? his eyes go between them before rolling back like he might pass out. his bonded's emotions are too much. there are so many people who wouldn't believe just how much lan wangji feels and loves, and when called for - hates.]

Lan Zhan, what's happening?

[freecshow]

[Aqua's catching on quick. Gon is certainly disoriented and a bit frazzled, but he's...notoriously unflappable where one should, um, certainly be flapped.]

Really???

[Gon's eyebrows raise along with his voice as his eyebrows raise, rolling onto the balls of his feet. his hair, limp and heavy, still drips... but Gon's now gathered his bearings enough to not rudely shake off on Aqua again. he wrings out a handful of it...]

Where are you from?? I'm from Whale Island.

[Gon expects that Aqua is from his world—but he still knows they can't be from the same place exactly. Gon knew everyone on Whale Island, after all...]

I am so sorry Deidara, my god

[eyeforaneye]

[ It hasn't been five minutes.

It's been, in fact, four minutes and three seconds when the front door is suddenly thrown open – unlocked, he notes, likely to prepare for his arrival but it won't stop him lecturing the house's occupants the moment he gets a chance to – and in strides yet another ninja with a whip of a dark cloak. He doesn't need to go far to confirm that the very specific description Jonas gave him does in fact match up with the figure conjured by his mind's eye. Deidara. Of all the people–

Instantaneously Sasuke's chokuto is unsheathed, a distinct threat paired with a particularly disdainful expression as he rounds the couch to look him in the eye. ]

So. You fainted. [ Oh yes, Jonas told him. Jonas, who he notes with a cursory glance is sporting new marks about his throat which have yet to darken to bruises. Dark eyes return to Deidara in cold assessment, trying to measure the worth of a man he hardly knows. A man who had still given his life to try to extinguish his own. Shouldn't that say all anyone should need to know? ]

... I'm finding it difficult to come up with reasons why I shouldn't kill you.

[bitterfrost]

"I know we will." And the area they enter does seem more clean, something he definitely appreciates when they enter one of the houses. The size doesn't matter, but the fact he actually steps inside?

Says a lot. The furnishings are strange though, Zichen stopping to look around.

just another day of The Untamed

[cultivatingrabbits]

[ being on the outside of the kind of bond they share, he can only see the reaction Wei Ying has to the sudden new presence in the room, and even through his hazy vision, he can see... himself. no. something is wrong, just as much wrong as something is wrong with the vision of Wei Wuxian in front of him. and even though he's had a hard time sitting up, a hard time keeping his balance, he still freezes, because surely his fever dream could not have gotten more bizarre.

except it has, and he doesn't know what to feel beyond the pain still thrumming on his back, and the sudden electric tension in the air, the way his other self is staring with a look of utter horror on his face. is it him? is it some well crafted impostor? but he knows nothing of this place, has no idea what's going on. and Wei Ying seems affected, connected, somehow, to the other him.

it was already overwhelming, is even more so now and he's not sure what it's like to breathe right now, breath hitching, vision foggy around the edges, getting worse. through it, there's a knife sharp feeling of not belonging. not even in his own dream he's being given reprieve. he's still shakily holding his robes closed from his reaction to Wei Ying reaching for him, but now his hand drops, sliding down to his lap as he stares back, eyes wide. ]

[quintessent]

[She’s perplexed enough by the conversation – and through no fault of Kolivan’s, his general presence is just a little but overbearing - that she just naturally shifts off to the side making room for him to leave. At least she can agree that they shouldn’t fight in closed quarters and- wait-]

An ally?

[Kolivan, nevertheless, will have a Small Altean following him around talking loudly. Good morning Paladins.]

It has been ten-thousand years since the Galra and Alteans have worked together on anything.

[blankpieces]

[Look, some people just have a few extra limbs. Let’s not judge them for it.

Near has no eyelids, but his eyes have widened visibly nonetheless as he keeps them boned on the rabbit. He’s no hunter, at least not in the physical sense of seeking out one’s prey and closing in for the kill. He’d been a detective - he provided proof of guilt. Someone else typically did the capturing. This place, though. This horrible place has brought out urges in him his weak little body can’t even follow through on. It’s very troubling.

And it doesn’t help that there are people turning into partial prey animals all around him. Then there’s this girl, who was apparently one to begin with. Near can feel his fangs wanting to spring free, but he won’t allow that. Using them requires opening his mouth embarrassingly wide anyway, something he refuses to do even though he’s capable of it.]

Do you at least have some idea of why you’re here?

[It’s foolish to talk to her. It would be easier on both of them if he let her go, but the predator within him doesn’t want her out of his sight. He has to work on that.]

u mean "get wrekt deidara"

[detonatability]

[ Despite the comedy of errors that's landed him in this position, when Jonas explains there is a calculating look in his eye as he assimilates the information. His explosive personality could argue that Deidara is stupid and reckless, and he's definitely shown that behaviour in front of every Uchiha he's (knowingly) met, but it isn't the whole spectrum of his personality.

If he was that unreliable, he wouldn't have been a member of the Akatsuki. after all.

Whatever retort he has never makes it to his mouth, though, because Sasuke strides into the room — and Deidara's whole demeanor changes in an instant. Sasuke draws his weapon in the same heartbeat that Deidara surges to his feet, before he can curb the defensive reflex. It doesn't put them eye to eye — because Sasuke is taller than him, now, and also because Deidara doesn't quite look him in the eye despite glaring into his face.

He isn't stupid, and knowing he doesn't have chakra doesn't wipe out years of self conditioning not to meet an Uchiha's gaze directly.

He flushes, but it could be anger as much as embarrassment. At least Sasuke didn't witness him faint — though it doesn't change the fact he's sure he'll never hear the end of it. Assuming of course, Sasuke doesn't try to put that chokuto through his ribs. Deidara tenses, clearly ready to react. He bares his teeth, its more a hateful grimace than a grin. ]

You didn't succeed last time, nn.

[knowledgeordeath]

You remember your history.

[The tone is so dry as he looks around the location they're in. A house. Not one he's familiar with when it comes to style but the layout is simple enough to determine which direction to take for departing.

Even if he does have the Altean Princess chasing after him.]

[knowledgeordeath]

[The bow actually makes his stoic expression shift briefly into mild surprise. Then he stops walking to look down at her.

Assistance. Hmmm... He's not sure yet if she's reliable.]

You are offering information on this place.

[hopticulture]

[...the coat isn't really much of an improvement, and she can't hide her exasperated look as she watches him tie it around the bag and the final product being...only slight less suspicious.]

We're going to have to find somewhere to dry you off too... [She's fussing over him a little, and she's aware of it. But it's been so long since she's seen him, it feels, or even heard from him, so she really just...wants to reach out to him and care for him in any way that she could, now that they're together.

There's still a part of her that's annoyed with him. For the very reason of him being so hard to reach as of late.]

I've been wandering around this place for over an hour, I think. [She's leading him...somewhere. Maybe to a bar that's still open at this hour, whatever time it might be. It's not like she knows where she's going...but she can tell that there's got to be some sort of bar open this late at night and that they'll stumble onto it.] I was actually on my way to see you before I wound up here.

[boneofsword]

[Archer inclines his head. In both timelines that he knows of Kirei Kotomine is dead. It is possible that in alternate timeline he survives. There may even be a timeline where he wins the war.]

As you wish. [he turns his head slightly to glance at the display of various potions and ingredients. This gesture shows something until now hidden in the cowl of his cloak; a pair of earrings, one eerily familiar and the other shaped from some kind of blue crystal.] After all, Fate will always secure the desired outcome.

[taciturnly]

( lan zhan. it’s him. it isn’t. before lan wangji can reconcile his mind with whatever reality he’s facing, there’s wei wuxian, on his ass now, and it’s an instinctive response; despite his daze and inner turmoil, he rushes to him, crouching close with a gentle hand on his side, as if he was in any real danger. lan wangji has watched him fall once; it’s an automatism now, to shield him from everything that might cause him any sort of pain, however mild.

like this guy.

wei wuxian is many things, but cruel doesn’t define his untamed heart. the unwelcome pang of jealousy that cracked open his rib cage, it comes from himself, where he still feels unworthy. wei wuxian deserves everything and more, and it’s a fear that never completely left him; sometimes, he still wonders why and how wei wuxian fell for him when he messed up so badly, when he stood there helpless and let him die. it’s guilt mostly, resentment towards himself, and when he cranes his neck to look at the other, ready to gouge… the sight of him sobers him up instantly.

it is him. how could it be otherwise? no one’s ever seen him in that particular state. no one could possibly replicate the grief he exuded after his beating, so painfully accurate, coiling sour in the pit of his own stomach even now as he remembers. who are you, he wants to ask, even though he knows with clear certainty, however strange the notion. he reaches for him, swift and measured, fingers twisted in the fabric of his robes to uncover the triangular shape on his chest he knows he’ll find there, freshly burned, and it’s like a punch in his guts, knocking the air right out of his lungs.

he jerks back, wide-eyed as an old shadow of anguish consumes him whole. how. )

LET'S ALL BE CIVIL HERE

[coherer]

(a glance back as the door is pushed open, sasuke's appearance a relief in the wake of a stressful afternoon. the drawing of a sword, however, isn't and jonas is moving back towards the fireplace to stand more conservatively aside.)

Oh, no, no– no killing! (blurted with a raise of his arms, bat lifted with them.) I did not ask you to come over for something like that.

(not only would witnessing that likely scar him for life, but that level of punishment for an intrusion and mild bodily harm is excessive in jonas' mind; the raw lines on his neck will heal. the witch considers deidara a bit of a loose canon, and he doesn't seem trustworthy—still not a good reason to off him. he ashes his cigarette, too stressed to worry about smoking up the room.)

Of course, I didn't expect you two to know each other... you're seriously from the same place?

[kindlymeant]

[ The information is, at once, relieving and overwhelming. Her expression is still as she listens, considers, calculates. His assertation that he believes these accounts draws a studious glance; he clearly trusts his own judgement. After a moment's thought, Alayne is inclined to do the same. From the little they've spoken, he's demonstrated a careful, thorough sort of mind. ]

You are well informed. [ No time. That is a kindness. However conflicted she feels about being here, the idea of returning after past time has been frightening, simply put. What might have transpired in her absence? Would Harrold Hardyng have moved on? Would her lord father?

At least she need not worry about that, now. ]

And you are kind, to share it with me. I am glad to meet you. [ She dips in a curtsey. ] Alayne Stone.

[kindlymeant]

Dragonscale? [ It is out before she can stop it, though she manages not to stare this time. It is less the dragonscale itself, however, and more the dragon. The coincidence is too great. Silvery hair, violet eyes, dragons? This place possesses a twisted kind of humour.

But Daenerys said magic was rare. That cannot, surely, be the world Alayne knows. Oh, there are stories of magic, especially beyond the sea - magicians and warlocks and all manner of tales. But those are stories and tales, and Alayne knows better than to believe such things. ]

I am sorry. It's just that - dragons are all gone, where I hail from. [ She shakes her head. ] It matters not. I'm sure I'll eventually cease being surprised by such things.

[ So she tries to tell herself, anyway. ]

You are right, to speak so. Though I... suppose a change might be empowering, in itself.

[stopfen]

It is...Some people have been here almost a year. [And the vendor is being blanked completely as Mikasa shook her head.]

No. I arrived in the Looking Glass house. It's were all the mirrors are... The witches were doing something. [She honestly had no idea there. Magic was complicated. She just shrugs.] Instead of arriving there everyone just turned up in other places this time. There wasn't any warning either... [She huffs under her breath.]

I'm guessing you're a monster if you're interested in what they're selling. [Just waves at the stall.]

[redload]

[all he can offer at the friendly punch is an unamused look—just as quickly replaced with a broadening grin and a lazy shrug of his shoulders. she has way too much enthusiasm for someone who has just been chucked into a fountain into a world that is, as far as he can tell, not their own.]

[he waves his hand at the mention of him being a legend.]

That's what they call me.

[the question is in the air though, of how exactly did he back from the underworld at all — without vergil and without his sword or any powers he claims as his own. that's what his underlying indifference stems from, for the most part, as he tries to put some sense into being locked out of his demonic legacy.]

[this is probably not what nico wants to hear:] You don't know what's going on too, I'd bet.

[kindlymeant]

[ Of everyone she's spoken to, this woman is so far the most accepting, or at least less self-conscious, of the changes forced upon her. Alayne wonders at that, but knows the speculation is foolish. She does not know enough to inform any guess.

That doesn't dull her curiosity, though. The woman appears to be but human, though pale. The thing that most stands out about her is the red. ]

I was. [ For some reason. Grateful as she is not to be contending with a monstrous transformation, the placement still bewilders her. ] I am told that bonding is still an eventual necessity, though. To... control our magic. Ground it, perhaps. [ She looks uncertain. ] My knowledge is yet lacking.

[oathkeeper]

Huh?

[Sora's bright golden eyes blink. He's still reaching out to her just in case she needs a hand to steady herself should she need it.]

If you're hurt we can go get you patched up at the coven?

[He is a little concerned that the woman might have smacked her head a little bit too. They better find a witch that can heal!]