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

Orihime Inoue | Bleach | Merrow | OTA

[lastcomfort]

TWO ✽ An Unusual Arrival

[ It wouldn't be the first time she's come flying down from the sky, but usually she knows what's causing it. The last thing that she remembers was catching her reflection and feeling a strange sense of dizziness. It had been disorienting, like she was losing sense of focus and footing. If she'd hit her head on something, she would have come to on the ground. But--

Well.

Right now she's suddenly popped out the shine on a third story window, which makes it a very unfortunate portal when the person incidentally traversing it isn't expecting there to suddenly not be ground under their feet. ]

Ahhh!

[ If there's someone passing underneath, maybe they can help? Or maybe they're just the unfortunate landing point as she flails and then crashes butt first onto the unsuspecting bystander. ]

THREE ✽ The Goblin Market

[ The market is an absolutely fascinating place. To be fair, most of the city is a fascinating place, it makes her feel like she's fallen into some sort of fairy tale...if poorly timed and unwarranted. But there's not much she can do about that for the moment, not without a better understanding of all these magicks and portals and...it's a lot. It's quite a lot.

The market is a lot as well, but it's impossible not to get caught up in the energy of the place. People shout across the crowded aisles, half of the sales pitches getting lost in their neighbors. Orihime tries to peek over the shoulders of others perusing the stalls. ]

Why not try this wonderful concoction. Miss!

[ Orihime perks up, looking back and forth as a vendor points at her. ]

Me?

Yes! I can tell by the look on your face that you are just the one this potion was made for!

[ She tilts her head to the side and takes a step closer as he holds out a bottle that has some suspicious looking tentacles fermenting inside of it. ]

Just one drop of this and you'll feel better than you have in ages! Full of energy, inspiration, and no need for sleep! With minimal side effects. All for the very low price of 10,000 cunes!

[ That...sounds suspect. Even to her. ]

Erm...

[ She laughs a little awkwardly before turning her attention to someone conveniently standing near her. ]

Is...that a lot?

[ It sounds like a lot! And is easily 10x the value of the actual item. ]

FOUR ✽ A Wilde Hunt

[ She had been feeling anxious since she woke that day, sensing that there's something just over the horizon waiting. Unable to put a name to it or the source, she continues on as one might. That is until as the night drew closer, the more parched she started to feel. Downing several liters of water has done nothing to alleviate her thirst or the itchiness to her skin.

If only that were the extent of her problems. They only just began.

Now Orihime finds herself standing at the apex of the sectioned off Wilde, iridescent scales lining her cheeks with a large bandage on one side of her face were some had grown in. Her ears have grown long and webbed, fin-like in appearance. She looks down at her shaking hands, watching her nails extend further bit by bit.

She isn't the only one seeing this, right?

There are several others around her, perhaps also instructed to the same place. ]

Th-They said to come here...but...where is here?

WILDCARD ✽ Playing it fast and loose

[ Anything you don't see above! Hit me up here or plot on PLURK at doggystyle ]

Three

[whomthebelltolls]

Yes. [That's it, that's the reply. Okay, so maybe Maria's not paying too much attention, because Maria is very distracted - the aftermath of last month's little mirror-induced dream was horrible for her, for a wide variety of reasons - and she's instead poking through for some other hidden ingredients. She needs stuff for spells... and to help her distill the roses she has. Anything to distract her from... from where her mind wants to go.]

You'd probably have to work for a couple months, at least, to pay that off. [There, that's a better explanation. She takes stock of Orihime, then, as though just realizing she's probably talking to someone else that's fairly out of place in Aefenglom.] Have you even been here that long?

[lastcomfort]

[ So her suspicions weren't off. Orihime hums thoughtfully as she taps her chin. Would it be worth it? She doesn't have...much if anything to begin with. It's probably better to be frugal. Her eyes widen when the woman elaborates further. ]

A couple of months?!

...Now, now, it's really worth the investment!

[ The vendor sends Maria a glare--gullible newbies make the best customers, after all. Something that Maria seems to have picked up on as well. ]

I've been here for...three days!

--And in those three days, I'm sure you must have been exhausted. With this you'll never need to worry about that again!

[whomthebelltolls]

It could, unless you truly want to work yourself hard enough you may need an exhaustion remedy. [Maria's attention is brought back to the hawker, swiftly, and wearily. Honestly, Maria has not slept well for at least the last couple of weeks. The way she looks at the merchant is rather indicative of how much patience she has for whatever it is he's saying, and selling.

Maria suffers from that disease that means her neutral expression makes her look like an angry serial killer. Conveniently, because she is an angry serial killer, especially as someone who isn't sleeping well of late.]

... Just drink some tea, or coffee, or actually sleep. It'll have the same effect. Most of the things in this place aren't worth your time or money.

[lastcomfort]

[ Angry Serial Killer look is unsurprisingly very effective against the merchant. The auburn-haired girl may look gullible, but if this lady isn't going to play ball, it's best to pull back before things escalate. ]

Or...yes, that's an option. But you know where to find me if you change your mind!

Oh, yes...thank you.

[ The merchant pulls back to his place behind his stall, while Orihime gives a nod to the tall woman beside her as well. ]

And thank you for the advice. I didn't want to be rude...

[whomthebelltolls]

The people here... you have to be firm with. You don't have to be rude, but you do have to be consistent in turning them down, or they'll just keep at you, like crows at a corpse.

[Well, that's a morbid simile to make, but it's there and she can't take it back.]

What are you here searching for?

[lastcomfort]

[ Crows to a corpse? Morbid indeed, even it all Orihime can do is give a slightly awkward laugh in return. She can be firm on occasion--when she really needs to be, she's gotten considerably better at that--but she definitely feels like the interloper here. Who is she to put her foot down if someone is just trying to make a sale?

Granted, she wouldn't be able to afford that any time soon... ]

I'll remember that.

[ And she will, at the very least. ]

Mm...nothing in particular. I just heard a few people talking about how exciting these markets could be and thought it might be fun? It reminds me a bit of the stalls during festivals.

[whomthebelltolls]

Hm, perhaps with twice the counterfeit goods. [Then again, her idea of fairs and stalls are a little weird, anyway.] This is a place to buy things you may not otherwise be able to acquire legally - and potions that no normal store would sell. It's not quite like a festival.

two

[thisisamazing]

[Hiccup is only out at this hour because he heard the news of people showing up in mundane mirrors, fountains, anywhere with a reflection. Miss Nessie had seemed confused but cheerful, and so he hadn't been terribly alarmed... But still, it didn't hurt to head out. Every new group of arrivals could be the group of arrivals that includes someone from Berk, someone he misses dearly. Or it could just include people who need help.

So, he'd dragged himself out of bed and kissed his boyfriend good (very early) morning, gotten dressed, and headed out with Toothless, the black shape of him hardly discernible against the starry night sky. He's always had a better perspective of the city from up here, in flight, rather than down on the ground, traversing narrow cobblestone streets and slim back alleys.

It's entirely by chance that they spot a girl popping out of a third story window. With practically no urging from Hiccup, Toothless shifts his wings and shoots toward her across three blocks like a bullet, and catches her up in surprisingly gentle talons, 'smiling' down a gummy smile as if to soften the shock it might cause, being snatched out of midair.]

Woah! Hey, are you- are you okay?

[lastcomfort]

[ One second she is falling towards cobblestone and the next she's in the arms--no, claws of a wide-faced dragon. A dragon?! Orihime has seen a lot of things that should really have only existed in her imagination, but this specific scenario isn't something that she's come up with just yet.

Never mind that the shock of succumbing to gravity and then suddenly going sideways makes her stomach feel like it lurched in all the wrong directions.

There's a lot to process in the last ten seconds.

Orihime stares wide-eyed and a little dizzy up at the equally wide-mouthed grinning dragon. She really can't see the person riding him...so she assumes the voice came from the dragon. ]

...I--I think so? ...Thank you, kind dragon!

[ Assuming this isn't just a sky dragon jumping down and scooping up what is about to be dinner. Nice dragons wouldn't ask if you were okay, right? And it doesn't have teeth to bite her, though being gummed to death sounds so much worse. ]

[thisisamazing]

[Toothless lets out a pleased, rumbling 'mrr' of approval, swooping down and letting go once she's only a handful of inches off the ground instead of several feet. He lands smoothly a few yards down the street, practically preening over a rescue well-done.]

That- that would have been some fall! Did you just- did you come out of the window glass? [The nasally voice sure does belong to the young man sliding out of the saddle rather than the dragon, but it was a good guess, considering dragons are people here. Just... not this one.]

[lastcomfort]

[ As he should be! Although as relieved as Orihime is to be on her feet again--not sure how she got off of them in the first place--the sudden rescue by a dragon is only further confounded by the fact that there was, apparently, someone else on it.

Orihime does a double take between the dragon and the young man once, then twice (two double takes...four?). ]

What? Window?

[ Her look of confusion turns into a frown. ]

Oh no, it's happening again...

[ And punctuates that with one very strong pinch to her own cheek. ]

Ouch!

[ She gasps, eyes wide as she stares at the pair, cheek growing red almost instantly. ]

Does that mean this isn't a dream?

[thisisamazing]

Again...? [He blinks, confused for a moment. But oh- then she pinches herself, and he starts to get it. Maybe.] Oh, no! No, this isn't- this isn't a dream! [...That does happen here, quite often, and it's wild, but this, he's pretty sure, is not a dream since Toothless doesn't usually appear in those.]

This is- welcome to Aefenglom. We uh, we do have shared dreams a lot, but this isn't one of them. This is just the city. Though usually people don't appear like that...

[lastcomfort]

Aefenglom?

[ It's a strange word on her tongue, but she manages it. Foreign as it is, it draws in the fact that the world around her is not familiar. Orihime turns slowly to get a pan of the area--buildings and stone that definitely don't belong, not even to the altered Soul Society she'd witnessed.

When she completes the circle, her gaze falls on her savior. ]

I...where is this? Where is Aefenglom?

[thisisamazing]

It's on a continent called Geardagas. That's- about all I know though. I think they call their world Talam? But Aefenglom is just one city, there's also Dorchacht farther north.

[And that was probably a lot of information.]

It's- probably nowhere you're familiar with, though. We're brought here from our own worlds by some kind of magic. But, don't- don't worry, they're working on a way to send everyone back-! Eventually...

Two

[digthefuzz]

[Kurt's pretty much just arrived himself and is a bit disoriented while trying to make heads or tails of this situation.

But it quickly catches his attention when he hears something and looks up to see a girl falling straight towards him.]

H-hang on, I've got you!

[It should be an easy, basic rescue operation. He'll teleport up, grab her in midair, and then teleport safely down to the ground. Easy peasy!

Except as he focuses, nothing happens. No teleportation.]

What the-

[But there's no time to dwell on that, because now she's landing right on him! He falls right over onto his back. At least he makes for a particularly cushy landing pad?!]

[lastcomfort]

[ It's the thought that counts, doesn't it? At least that's what she would be saying if she had any idea of his altruistic intentions, magical mutant powers or not. But she's unaware of his presence entirely until she actually lands on him, which is decidedly better than the cobblestone. ]

Oof!

[ The impact is still a bit of a shock. She feels a little dizzy, looking up towards an unfamiliar sky. Where did she even fall from? ]

Ow ow ow...

[ But when she looks where she landed, Orihime tries to scramble up and away. ]

Wh-what?! I'm so sorry! Are you okay!?

[digthefuzz]

[Here likes Kurt, squashed by a girl falling from the sky...

Sprawled on his back, he doesn't feel like moving anytime soon. He does make some muffled noises from beneath Orihime, both buried and flustered, until she starts moving.]

I- I'm fine...! [He says meekly while trying to regain his senses, and not moving from his resting spot.] Just... tried to catch, sorry... [He doesn't try to mention the whole teleportation thing right now.]

...You... okay?

[lastcomfort]

[ Oh, he was trying to help? Goodness, now she feels worse for squashing him--

--wait, who is this guy? Where did he come from? This is decidedly not Soul Society...at least not any Soul Society she's familiar with--which, recently, has been very much the opposite of what she knows. Maybe he's a Quincy? Did she fall on her way up to the Soul King's Palace?

Orihime shakes her head to clear her thoughts, only to realize it probably looks like she's saying she's injured. ]

I-I'm okay! Are you sure you're not hurt? I have kind of a hard head...

[ She landed with her butt but, you know, same difference. ]

[digthefuzz]

[Just your average friendly fuzzy blue vaguely devil-looking guy here! He wishes he could disguise himself with his image inducer, but his arrival through a fountain's made it not work right. At least this girl doesn't seem to have a bad initial reaction to him.]

Th-then it's a good thing that your head missed me! [But what he got hit with was still quite powerful. Is this why some video game characters have butt-slam attacks?]

It... hurt a bit, but nothing that chilling on the ground here for a while won't fix! [He weakly chuckles.] I'm glad you're alright!

[lastcomfort]

[ He definitely doesn't look human, but she also knows that the Captain of the 7th Division is a giant puppy who used to wear a bucket on his head. So, Orihime really isn't in the position to be judging anyone in that regard. ]

A-are you sure? Let me see!

[ Which means she's going to call out the magical faeries in her hairpins, but--

--all she ends up doing is standing there kind fo staring. The suddenly looking down at the hairpins on her lapel. ]

W...what? Ayame? Shun'o? Where did they go!?

[digthefuzz]

...Huh? [He blinks groggily while looking up towards her, and confused at what she's referring to.]

Who are you talking about? Either I'm really out of it, or I haven't seen anyone other than you nearby this whole time!

Four

[princessascended]

It's... sort of a hunting ground, I guess.

[Poor girl. She's just shown up and already her body's warping so much faster than they usually do and she's being hustled off to who-knows-where on the coven's say-so. Kairi knows how she feels... well, sort of. She's a witch, herself, so the body-changing thing is out of her experience, but the rest strikes a chord.]

Don't worry, though. You're not being hunted.

[Well, she could be if she wanted to play a hunting game, but let's not confuse the poor girl any more than she already is, Kairi figures.]

I'm Kairi. New? [Not really a question, more of an icebreaker.]

[lastcomfort]

[ She isn't sure what she was expecting to hear, but hunting ground definitely wasn't it. Her eyes widen a little at that. Should she be surprised? Perhaps not, her arrival to Aefenglom has been a long string of surprises, but it definitely doesn't make her feel...good. ]

A hunting ground...?

[ Is this where they ship the people who are becoming a problem? Is this...the best way to deal with her?

The other girl seems to pick up on this without Orihime needing to say anything--perhaps her anxiety is palpable--and the reassurance does help a little.

Orihime nods, swallowing as she moves to hold onto her own upper arms, the feeling a little foreign with her claws. ]

Yes...um. I'm Orihime Inoue.

[ Whole name, because it seems proper, but lacking the usual warmth she gives when meeting new people who are showing her kindness. Her eyes are uncertain, locked on the land in front of them. ]

If I'm not being hunted, then...?

[ Who is? ]

[princessascended]

[Right, that probably wasn't the most comforting thing in the world to be told even with her quick reassurance. No matter, she can explain! She hopes.]

Nice to meet you, um... Miss Inoue.

[Yeah. She'll just go with that for the foreseeable future. Or until she's asked to call her something else. No big deal to her either way.

More importantly, it's time to clear up some misconceptions. As quickly as possible, preferably, since the poor girl is clearly spooked.]

We're supposed to do the hunting, actually. Except actually going that far is kind of optional. We mostly just need to burn off energy, specifically magic energy, because apparently we're all getting way more of it than usual.

[A bit of an oversimplification, but basically right as far as she can figure from what the coven said in their message.]

If you don't want to go hunt horrible dark beasties, and frankly I can't blame you if you don't, you can just let loose around here. How, exactly... well that kinda depends on you. Just go with your instincts, I guess!