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

[escardos]

[ something that kirei says manages to catch flat's attention, similar to a cat that has spotted its prey from far away.

all living things have a purpose.

there was no better way to put it. for a second, flat wonders if the man can see something similar to him, or if his world view has also been distorted to something that "normal humans" cannot comprehend.

he grins. ]

Aha! Like the Japanese word for "beautiful", right? [ well, maybe someone would consider him to be beautiful. flat supposes that it could make a good nickname or two, if he's given enough time.

he gives a rather dramatic bow, mostly for the sake of exaggerating. ] My name's Flat-- Flat Escardos. And just in case, Flat is kind of like a nickname. Ah, but I have a question, mister Kirei-- why keep the potion? I wasn't lying when I said it was ineffective. Or are you looking to recycle it? If that's the case, then it's probably better as poison, or perhaps as condiments for a sauce.

[livingimpaired]

That's right. It was my father's wish that I be "pure" and "beautiful." It is a wish and expectation that he tied to my name, as well. [ This, too, is an old story. He lived up to his father's expectations; he did everything that his father desired. He damned his soul by his father's wish and his father died believing that Kirei had lived up to his name.

Hilarious. ]

Good day to you, Flat Escardos. [ He inclines his head a little as he starts to walk. He makes a slight gesture with his hand that the young man should follow, but he has the impression that Flat would come along even if he made no gesture at all. It is because he did see the way the young man seemed to shine a little brighter at hearing his words about how all living things have a purpose. ]

Mister Kirei, huh? I'm a priest... though, a fake one, but still it feels odd to be called Mister Kirei. [ He comments on that point first. ] I'm afraid that eating it might end up causing you a bit of discomfort. But if you would like to have it, I have no qualms with giving it over to you.

It was my intention to keep it and perhaps bring it back to my world to refine it. [ Indeed, his thoughts were refining the poison to further corrupt. He would give it to Shirou Emiya or Sakura Matou. Perhaps, he would even give it to Rin Tohsaka. He would explain that it is an unrefined potion meant to be of assistance through extreme pain, and to only use it if there is no other option.

Then, he would see what tragedy happens next.

But there is no guarantee that he would cross over with what he has acquired, so that is why he has no issue with giving Flat the potion. ]

[escardos]

Names are always a lot more fun when you choose them yourself anyways.

[ while he doesn't have mind reading powers, there's something that tells flat that the man in front of him really isn't as pure as his name says.

or, perhaps he is, but not in the way that most people would think. and that's fine too. ]

A fake priest... hmm... I've met a priest as well, and he had some assistants with him, but I think he was a real one? Ah, he was a cyborg, though! You're not one of those, though, are you? Where are you from?

[livingimpaired]

There is obligation to any name that is given to us, Flat. In many cases, the name chosen for us is a prayer for our future. We can either accept those prayers, or choose our own fate. [ His steps sound heavy even in the crowded market. ] It has less to do with fun and more to do with ... what we want for ourselves.

[ He turns his head slightly to look down at the young man. ] Hoh? I'm afraid that I'm not a cyborg. Or rather, should I say I'm lucky that I am not one? [ Though, he supposes that he's often felt like a machine. He wanted very much to be human; he wanted very much to experience life as a human, and yet he never was able to achieve that wish for himself. ]

I am from Fuyuki, Japan. [ He decides to clear up a matter. ] When I say I am a fake priest, it is because I am also a mage. The church which I am connected to ... it considers mages to be abominations against God. [ A mage that is a priest is, indeed, a fake priest, because he has learned forbidden knowledge and spit in the face of God. No amount of apologies will save his soul, and Kirei is fine with that, because he was damned as soon as he realized what he was. ]

Anyway, where are you from?

[escardos]

[ the brightness of flat’s expression dims slightly as kirei’s words make him pause, looking up at the man the same way he would look at something incomprehensible. talk of prayers for the future... well, his parents hadn’t had any for him, right?

aside from being two meters underground, that is. but that one didn’t bear any fruit either.

what a strange thought process...but he’s okay with it. ]

I see...so there’s this man I once met, Mister Shishigo. He said “Shishi” was lion and obviously “go” is from “Let’s go”! So clearly his parents wanted him to have a lion in his house!

[ he’s back to beaming again, like a very bright star. ]

Ahhh, but Fuyuki, I’ve heard of that! That’s the city where the Holy Grail War happened a bunch of times, yes? And if you’re a priest that knows about mages, then does that mean that you were an Observer? Hmm... I guess that would put us on kind of opposite sides then, since I’m a mage but... it’s fine, isn’t it? There’s no Grail War here anyways. And you do seem like a weird kind of priest in the first place, so yeah it’s probably fine!

[livingimpaired]

If you meet him, again, I think you should keep that opinion to yourself about his name.

[ It's the only advice he can give. ]

You are partially correct. I am the Overseer of the Holy Grail War. [ Kirei could get into the fact that he only was "grandfathered" into the position thanks to the death of his father. Otherwise, it is doubtful what would have become of him after the Fourth Holy Grail War. ]

But... indeed. I cannot judge you for being a mage, Flat Escardos. And, while the Holy Church and the Clocktower have always been something like oil and water with one another... there are times when individuals from each body have cooperated with one another, too. For the greater good.

[ He breathes out a partial laugh, as it sounds like he is just saying in a round-about way: "Yes, you're correct and here's some more examples on how you are correct." But true to form, he presses a point to him. ]

Even if there is no Holy Grail War, there is also no greater good either. So, I ask you... where does that leave us?

[escardos]

Well, even if you were from the Church, that doesn't mean that I don't think we could be great friends!

[ he says this with a certainty that is almost absolute, beaming up at the older man as if the words that came from him were heavy and, perhaps to others, a bit confusing.

to flat, they just rolled off his back with little more than a smile. ]

The Overseer in the War I was in--the cyborg I was talking to you about--was also my friend! That said there were times that he couldn't help me...something about being impartial and what not, you know? But that doesn't mean that he wasn't a cool guy! And my professor has worked with people from the Church as well, so that clearly means that you guys are way better than what the people in the Clock Tower think.

1/2

[livingimpaired]

Friends?

[ The sincere manner in which Flat proclaims that they could be friends is difficult for him to accept. There is no one that believes they are friends with Kirei. Even Gilgamesh has said with great conviction that he has only one friend, and that friend is not Kirei Kotomine.

Everyone can feel there is a distance that he puts between himself and others. Even if they feel warm and friendly towards him, they instinctively know that he is not their "friend." Even Tokiomi did not think that, but then again, the man was a mage. He doesn't think that way--

His thought cuts as as he realizes that he is speaking to a mage. A mage that honestly believes that those from the Church and those of Clock Tower can be friendly with one another; that there could actually be a connection that is not just simply born out of necessity or compromise. ]

[livingimpaired]

[ How is it that there is a mage that thinks this way?

He cannot help but think it is a little disturbing, to say the least. The way that Flat thinks is just like an average person might think. But there is something about the brightness that the other speaks; there is something about the way the young man's eyes shine when he looks at him.

There is something in those things that makes Kirei hesitate. The hesitation lasts just for a second before he speaks: ]

I think that you misunderstand the relationships that you see around you, Flat Escardos. There is no friendship with mages. There is no friendship with the Clock Tower and the Holy Church. There is only give-and-take. There is only a mutual benefit to be had. [ A beat. ] Do not mistake amicable relations to be friendship.

Or I fear that you will end up dead sooner rather than later.

[escardos]

Oh, well, that's not a problem. After all, I'm already dead.

[ the laugh that follows that sentence is clear and candid, his eyes never losing that sparkle and shine that is so characteristic of flat escardos. he cannot feel kirei's growing apprehension and, even if he could, it's likely that he will have a hard time understanding it.

he turns around, smiling with the same innocence that a child may have before lighting a line of ants on fire with a magnifying glass. ]

But it wasn't the priest. Really, I'm not sure what happened to him after the battle with the Dead Apostle guy. I'm sure he'll be fine, however. When seventy percent of your body is metal, it's probably gonna be hard to destroy, right?

[ another laugh, followed by a wry smile ] It was, hm...soldiers? I'm guessing there must be a mage that's working with soldiers or something like that, but that's not really my specialty.

[ he claps his hands together, as if cutting that topic short. ] And besides, you seem like a really cool guy! All dark and mysterious like that, there's no way that I wouldn't want to be your friend!

[livingimpaired]

And yet you learned nothing.

[ It is Kirei's first sharp comment about Flat not comprehending how foolish that he is. Yet even so, he feels the back of his scalp start to prickle. This is the same feeling that he would get when he was an Executor and about to charge forward into battle. The anticipation that he might die if he takes one wrong step, if he responds just a few seconds too late.

His eyebrow twitches at the words "Dead Apostle." Involuntarily, his fist clenches at his side. As one from the Church, he has a great disdain for such creatures. Of course, the feelings that he has for them will never rival the absolute hatred that he has for Zouken Matou, nor his feelings toward Kiritsugu Emiya. One could say that "Dead Apostles" were in the top three things that actually incites a negative reaction from him, though. ]

Hn. [ He says instead before he starts piecing some information together. Seventy percent metal. Could it be Hansa Cervantes? Kirei dismisses the thought as simply because there is no guarantee that the world that Flat comes from truly mirrors his own. It is why when Flat first started talking about a cyborg priest that he did not immediately think of Hansa Cervantes. Yet hearing him go on, that Executor is one of the few that could stand to battle a Dead Apostle by himself. ]

Of course, of course. [ His tone was almost absent-minded, like he was just humoring Flat. But still the prickling feeling on the back of his scalp did not go away. Something is wrong. It is the feeling like his life is in danger, like he should make an escape. But the two of us are merely talking. Yet his training as an Executor told him that it would be wise to run. Why.

What was subconsciously being keyed? What was being triggered inside of him? What?

It isn't pride that keeps him from leaving. It isn't pride that tells him that he should remain. It's confusion and worry; he has become someone that is very aware of himself. He's aware of his reasoning and his reactions. To come across an irrational reaction, it makes him want to discover the reason why. I'm not being threatened. So... why? Something is wrong.

He repeats himself but that does not help him come up with an answer as to what is wrong. ]

There are plenty of reasons why you shouldn't want to be my friend. For one, I don't consider ... [ Again, he hesitates. Kirei had originally wanted to say that he would not consider Flat a friend -- that he would never consider Flat a friend. There is no one that he considers a friend of his. Not even other Executors. Not even Gilgamesh. There is no one that he feels such a connection towards.

Yet... somehow, the prickling feeling intensifies and he decides to change what he is saying: ] ... I don't believe we're compatible for friendship.

[ Kirei feels like if he admits his own emptiness that something will happen. Something that he doesn't want to have happen. He's never been afraid or worried about telling others about how empty he feels. He finds it a joke most of the time. A cruel joke that he lives every day. Yet somehow, he doesn't want this boy to know about it.

Why. ]

[escardos]

Ahaha, this would be a new experience, though!

[ flat laughs again, walking just a few steps ahead of kirei. his grin is lighthearted at first glance, but now there's actually a slight prickle of apprehension at the mention of his own murder and the possibility of a repeat.

something inside him squirms uncomfortably, but he makes no mention of it. instead, he continues to walk ahead, though close enough to stay at earshot of kirei. ]

Aw... [ the disappointment in flat's voice is obvious and yet, like everything else about him, innocent. he sounds more like a child that was told they were not allowed to have a cookie than someone that may just be receiving a warning.

he turns back towards kirei, but always a few steps ahead. ] Alright then, how about... allies, then? Would that be good enough for you, Father?

[livingimpaired]

It would, but I can't say it...

[ Again, he wants to say that he doesn't think that it would be "beneficial" to him. Friendship has never felt that way. Kirei again thinks of how no one really felt that they were his friend; they were amicable towards him; they felt like they knew him, but they also knew that they could never get close enough to be considered "a friend."

It isn't necessarily that there is no benefit to them to be friends with him. But, he feels no benefit from it. He doesn't want to connect to anyone. He can exist as himself without anyone being part of that existence. And it is because of her that I realized this about myself. His wife that loved him, that cared for him, that forgave him for everything, that honestly wished for his happiness. Yet he could only be happy in her suffering and tears and pain.

Yes, that is what it is. His morals tell him that he should not befriend anyone, because he will not mean it. Because he will not do anything but destroy them. It may be the only bit of goodness that is in him. It may be the only bit of goodness that his wife left him. It may be like he always believes that human beings are truly good creations, because they can choose whether to commit evil or not. ]

... I can't say that I want to experience it. [ And the statement, itself, is true. ]

There is no reason to ally yourself with anyone, Flat. [ The prickling feeling has not gone away. ] You have your own bond with someone, so why seek out allies? Why seek out friendship? There is no reason to hold onto those things, and so it will not be good enough for me.

[ His mouth feels dry. It feels like no matter how much he swallows, it will remain dry. The prickling feeling runs itself down his back. It feels like it is on fire. And yet, no matter how much he hesitates, he continues: ]

I am not so free a person as to want to be friends or allies with you. [ There? It's that feeling in the pit of his stomach. It's the feeling like he stepped on something that he should not; like he did not anticipate an action and will end up with a broken limb for his poor decision.

It's the feeling of making a mistake and the uncertainty as to why that abruptly eats at him. ]