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

arrival

[supersoldier]

[Sephiroth's returning from his stint at the Barrack's training grounds, on the path "home" — or, at least, what passes for it in this world. Masamune glints in the moonlight, held vertically behind him as to avoid undue collision with someone thoughtless enough to draw too near, but the street is relatively quiet this late, emptied of people. That's fine, of course. He prefers the peaceable silence when it's afforded to him, something so rare on this strange and foreign planet.

But these are the kind of thoughts that tempt fate, and that same quiet is utterly shattered by a ruckus blooming in a passing shop. He pauses, turning his head to look through the glass, but it's a moot point; the door's already ajar, as if someone had recently entered (exited?), and Sephiroth stands there for a whole three seconds, deciding if he wants any part of what's happening within. A magical alarm shrieks and fills his ears all the while.]

…

[Another loud clattering of pots and jars, louder than anything so far, seems to make his decision for him. Sephiroth opens the door wider with his free hand, stepping closer just enough to fill the doorframe and catch a glimpse of the goings-on within. A girl, confused, disoriented, and agitated. Just beyond her, the spiderwebbing glimmer of cracked glass, a broken mirror.

What the hell is this place?! she says, and it's immediately apparent that she's one of the many newcomers drawn in… unceremoniously to this world. Sephiroth speaks up. His voice somehow carries despite the chaos, and his eyes are slightly aglow in the dark.]

You're making a scene. Step outside and calm down.

[shithogs]

[Kainé has never been the type to give a stranger the benefit of the doubt, and here in the dark, disoriented and without anything familiar to serve as some kind of landmark, it's as true as it ever was. She turns sharply towards the entrance at the sound of another voice under the alarm, drawing one of her swords in one fluid motion to force distance to remain between herself and its owner.]

Don't tell me to calm down!

[There's nothing about any of this that tells her she should be calm, even if panicking rarely helps anything. Anger gets the better of her more often than she'd like to admit.]

Unless you have answers or plan on being fucking helpful, I'm not interested!

[supersoldier]

[She’s all furor and heat, illustrated by a drawn blade flashing in his direction. But Sephiroth remains steadily unimpressed, and it’s more her unwieldy attitude that makes his brow cinch rather than the threat of violence. His grip around Masamune does not so much as tighten.]

I may be more helpful if you decide to be more cooperative. Or would you prefer for me to walk away?

[Surely someone will react to this blaring alarm still sounding — the owner, maybe, will make an appearance, and likely stir her into more agitation when they find someone making a mess in their shop. She would do well to remain calm and focused despite herself; but already, she’s baring her proverbial fangs at him, and maybe she’s lucky that Sephiroth is not the sort to be so easily provoked.]

Sheath your sword. It won’t accomplish anything.

[shithogs]

[The fact that he himself doesn't appear poised to attack is enough for her to lower her swordarm, though she doesn't go so far as to put her weapon away entirely. That would be careless, and she's never been in the habit of doing anything against her better judgment just because someone else said so, least of all a stranger.

She snorts, equally unimpressed with his ice-cold demeanor.]

And leave myself unarmed? No thanks.

[But her stance has relaxed slightly despite the alarm's continued shriek, and that's something.]

This is 'cooperative.'

[By her standards, anyway.]

[supersoldier]

[Then her standards aren’t very high when it come to cooperation, especially to a man military born-and-bred, where discipline and order always superseded impulse and stubborn emotion.

He sword arm might be lowered, but that defiant fire is still there, as if any attempt to calm it only stokes it further.]

So you’ll remain in here with your sword drawn, simply because I’m requesting for you to step out?

[It’s a small call out, but surely not an inaccurate assessment of what he’s looking at now.]

[shithogs]

[One might say she has a pretty loose definition of the word. She clenches her jaw, because his assessment isn't wrong, but she doesn't particularly enjoy being called out— her temper flares further, even though her swordarm remains lowered.

What an asshole.]

Take a few steps back, and I'll come out.

[Notice she didn't answer the question.]

[supersoldier]

[She definitely did not, though maybe Sephiroth can chalk that up to an affirmation all the same.

Still. There isn’t much that really agitates him, that really gets under his skin — and for what it’s worth, even her attitude now isn’t quite enough to send impatience lancing through him. But there is a part of Sephiroth, nestled in the more unflattering parts of him, that is harder to ignore: his pride.

For all her distrust and anger in the face of his attempts to help, he finds that he’s willing to extend his generosity only so far. Her command is not much of an acquiescence, not when spoken in such a way, and so his only reply—

...is to turn around and step out. But he doesn’t wait for her. His gait implies that he’s just going to leave her twisting in the wind, about to abandon her there for all her obstinance.]

[shithogs]

[There should be no part of her that's surprised that he just turns and prepares to walk away. She'd shown him nothing but anger and suspicion, and if she's being honest with herself, it's probably exactly what she would have done were their situations reversed. All the same, her pride falters just enough for her to manage to be offended, just for a moment, and that in itself pisses her off.]

Useless bastard...

[There's no graceful defeat to be found here, even as she lets her sword come to rest on her back alongside its twin, hands balled into tight fists as she stomps out of the shopfront after him— but not, she will insist if asked, in pursuit.]

Can you at least tell me how to make this goddamn siren stop?!

[It's not asking for help if she curses, right.]

I’m CRYING

[supersoldier]

[She’ll be greeted with the sight of long, silver hair swaying with each step... as he continues to walk away, back to her. She is of course free to “not pursue”, because otherwise Sephiroth truly does intend to leave her there. Someone else can deal with the alarm going off, and that someone else can indeed be her. She’ll have to quell that coarse attitude if she wants to garner any answers — better sooner than later.

Without looking back—]

You may ask whatever security arrives to investigate the needless racket.

[A beat.]

And the alarm.

wheezes at you

[shithogs]

[Oh, this goddamn bullshit son of a bitch—]

What the hell did you just say?!

[As if it needs to be repeated. She lets out a sound that might be a growl of frustration, loud enough that it manages to break through the alarm. She could just cut and run, but for all of her complaints about it being inconvenient to give a shit about other people, it would be a pretty crappy thing to do to the shop owner— she'd at least like to cut the alarm and get the place locked up again, maybe leave a note regarding paying for the mirror.

She follows him a few steps before stopping short, frustrated. She exhales, and though her tone is still harsh, as it so often is, she makes an effort to make it less combative.]

Look. I could... use a hand.

[She guesses. Don't make her say please.]

[supersoldier]

[He has a hidden propensity to be petty (another one of his faults), but it isn’t so unwavering (this time) to ignore her completely. Maybe he should, and none would blame him — but her slight accedence is just enough for him to reconsider.

So he stops, turning. Considers her request for a moment, and then, his demeanor still unchanged from before, begins walking back.]

...Then next time, ask for it.

[He’ll be generous enough to spare her the embarrassment of a constantly blaring alarm, if they can find a way to shut it off.]

[shithogs]

[What a condescending piece of shit.

For once, she manages not to say what she's thinking out loud. She hates censoring herself, but she can tell him exactly what she thinks of him once the alarm is shut down, however they're going to manage to do that. Either that, or the authorities will turn up before they can manage, and then she'll have much bigger problems than this smug son of a bitch.]

Fine.

[Said through clenched teeth. She's as embarrassed as she is angry, but she doesn't intend on letting the former show beyond the waver of the tightly-clenched fist at her side. She waits until he passes to turn back towards the store, drawing in a deep breath before she scans for any sign of a mechanism. It's hard enough considering the incredibly late hour, only made worse by the fact that she's never even seen one.]

What are we looking for? I've never run into one of these before.

[supersoldier]

[He slips past her and into the shop, oddly quiet for a man of his stature. It would make sense to leave his rather oversized katana at the door, but to leave Masamune unattended would be like asking to sever a limb, so he carries it in with him, regardless.]

I don’t know. I haven’t set off an alarm in one of these places before.

[And if it’s a security system running solely on magic, there may be no discernible way to switch it off without someone more familiar with its machinations present.

Still, he casts about the darkened shop for a source, his vision clear even in the lacking light — another trait of a harpy, though less obvious to anyone other than himself. He doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary, at first. Just immeasurable bottles of potions and oddly-filled jars lining the shelving above their heads, slightly dusty countertops with arcane-looking odds and ends, and the smashed mirror reflecting their forms back at them times a hundred.]

How familiar are you with magic?

[Though any innate talent from her world would be deadened here, there’s nothing to say she might not sense something out of place, where the naked eye would not normally catch it.]

[shithogs]

[Way to rub it in.]

For the record, I didn't exactly choose to get dumped here and set it off.

[Just in case there was any question about whether she'd been breaking in or out. She isn't able to see much in the dark— living in a place where the sun never sets means her night vision leaves something to be desired, especially when compared to a harpy. Her gaze falls on the broken mirror, and she feels a brief pang of guilt. It would have been easier to ignore if she knew for a fact that the shopkeeper was some kind of asshole.

She huffs softly, turning her back to him as she tries to get a better look at the area over the door, hoping to spot something useful there. The alarm had started when she'd opened it, she knows that much.]

More than most— but I don't feel anything out of place.

[Maybe if she focuses.]

Give me a minute.

[She closes her eyes for a moment to help herself concentrate, hand once again a tight fist as she tries to dig deep and draw from the power that she's depended on for so many years now— only to find that she comes up lacking.]

What...?

[supersoldier]

[Sephiroth could warn her that she might be in for an unkind surprise, no matter how hard she focuses. His own functioning magic had been stifled, and that had been in regards to materia, not an innate part of oneself now suddenly severed.

But he deigns not to interrupt, instead waiting to see if she senses anything helpful, anyhow — if she’s here, that means that she’s a witch or a monster. And both are considered magical in their own right; one brimming with it, the other a representation of it made physical, in a way. But with the look of surprise now dawning on her face, he assumes that she’s reached inward, only to find a void where none had been before.

No doubt a jarring revelation. His lips thin a little.]

Your magic went missing? That’s normal for this world.

[Before she starts yelling again.]

Innate, magical abilities are replaced by what this planet has to offer us, instead. But it might be too early for it to be useful for you.

[After all, she did just… literally arrive here. It was worth a try.]

[shithogs]

You might've mentioned that beforehand.

[She snorts lightly, irate, but leaves it at that for the time being. There's a whole hell of a lot going on here— this is just one more thing to worry about. Either way, worth some inward self-examination later on to see if she can sort it out. Fortunately, she's even handier with her swords than she is with magic. Being without it won't leave her at much of a disadvantage, even if she's pissed about coming up empty.]

You're telling me this is a regular thing?

[Oh for fuck's sake.]

Great. This just keeps getting better and better...

[supersoldier]

I thought you might’ve been the exception to the rule, but that was giving you too much credit. [This girl, honestly.] A witch might be able to sense something amiss, setting off this [very annoying] alarm, regardless.

[But again, she's just arrived. None of this means anything to her, so it's pointless to explain further.]

But yes. It is a ‘regular thing’. We can have that discussion once this alarm’s been silenced. Keep looking for anything out of the ordinary.

[And so he leaves it at that, also having the same idea to trail his eyes near or around the door, but there doesn’t seem to be much there. Sephiroth brings his attentions elsewhere, then, closer to the shattered mirror, leaving Kainé to her own devices for now.

And though it is dark, if she pays close attention to a row of potions near where she stands, she might note a faint glimmer of… something present. An etching of a circular rune carved into the wall, hidden behind a glossy flask, and pulsing with faint light in-time with the alarm blaring in their ears.]

[shithogs]

[Surprise, surprise, he continues to be an asshole.]

Fine.

[Her tone is sharp, even with the alarm blaring overhead, but he's right— this really isn't the time for discussion. Arguments. Whatever. She resumes her search for anything that stands out, still hoping that if it is magical in nature, something in her will still sense it even with her usual abilities dulled. It's a glimmer of light that catches her attention instead, and she frowns as she makes her way over to the shelf, seeing the light bend through the contents of the bottle in front of the rune that's pulsing softly along with the alarm.

No way that's a coincidence.]

Got it!

[Hopefully, anyway. She's quick to lift the bottle that stands in her way, reaching out to press her fingers against the rune itself. It pulses brighter for a brief moment, and she feels a quick surge of unfamiliar magic move through her before the alarm itself quiets, silent at last.

... huh.]

... think that did it.

[supersoldier]

[When the alarm ceases, the silence left in its wake is nearly deafening in its own right. Her voice almost sounds too loud in the sudden quietude of the shop, though Sephiroth certainly prefers it to the constant noise.

He moves again to where she stands, noting the rune etched into the wall behind the shelf. Its glow fades, but he can still make out the complicated line work before it goes completely dull — certainly not anything he recognizes, but her touch had silenced it all the same, no doubt reacting to the magic now inherent in her body.]

...Good.

[Good job, or “good” that it’s finally silenced? Hard to say, because he doesn’t offer more than that.]

The owner of this place will probably come by to investigate what’s happened. It’d be best to leave them some kind of explanation before we leave.

[Because, you know, that’s what a decent person would do.]

[shithogs]

[Whichever he means, it doesn't seem to matter.]

Wasn't looking for your approval, but thanks.

[Not a particularly genuine 'thanks,' but he had helped her out. There's some sincerity there, if only a little. She steps away from the rune and turns her gloved hand over to examine it, as if she might see some evidence of why she'd been able to silence the alarm with only a touch, but it looks the same as always. The pulse of magic she had felt, however, was distinctly new, and that bears investigation.

Later. She'd rather not be here when the authorities arrive.]

Anyway... yeah. [She hates to admit that he's right, but she'd been thinking the same thing. She looks behind the front counter for anything she can write with, and thankfully, she doesn't have to rummage much before coming up with a pencil and some blank parchment. Should do the trick.]

I'll pay for the mirror, too.

[supersoldier]

[Her not-exactly-thankful thanks rolls off of him like water, and Sephiroth’s already turning to head back towards the door left ajar. This time, however, he does wait for her to finish.

But not without errant commentary— or rather, what he would consider a rational question.]

With what?

[She’s only just arrived; what money does she have to her name? Unless she means to pay it off in the future, which is admittedly is a bold admission, given that she knows nothing about this world to begin with.]

[shithogs]

I'll find a way.

[Her answer is almost immediate, even as she quickly writes out the note. Of course, there's no way for the people who own this place to contact her, and all they have is her word— but in the past, that's typically been enough. She follows through with what she intends to do, and doesn't make promises she has no interest in keeping.]

I repay my debts— I'm not an asshole.

[Well. Not completely. Admittedly, she likes to avoid having debts to repay in the first place, but there hadn't been a lot of foresight involved when she took her frustrations out on that mirror. Leaving the pencil atop the note on the counter, she rights a fallen stool as she passes it on her way to the door.]

I'll figure something out. Always do.

[supersoldier]

[Not an asshole, is it? While that certainly leaves an opening for a snide remark, Sephiroth is also not that big of an asshole to take the shot — and so he doesn’t, merely waiting patiently. There’s no argument to be made on his end, and in fact, once she’s through, he follows her out into the cool night air, offering a mote of advice.]

Then you’ll need to find work. The Coven will be kind enough to provide you with free housing, but the rest you’ll have to manage on your own.

[And there’s plenty to do month to month, though the jobs range from practical to ridiculous to boring to dangerous.]

I assume those swords are not just for show?

[shithogs]

['Free housing' sounds too generous to possibly be true, and even as she steps out into the night, she shakes her head.]

What the hell is a 'coven?'

[Or Coven with a capital 'C', in this case— either way, unfamiliar as the term may be, sounds like they're in some position of authority here.]

I don't need charity.

[Better than foraging, too. She's not used to opportunities for honest work.]

And no, they're not for show. Assuming there are things here that need hunting, I'll be just fine.

[supersoldier]

The Coven is a prominent organization of Witches in the city. Beyond their role of the study of magic, they’ve provided protection and guidance for the Mirrorbound — likely in part because it’s difficult to know what to do with us, otherwise.

[Perhaps that’s a bit of his skepticism shining through, though even Sephiroth cannot deny that their aid is integral in allowing newcomers to find their footing on this planet. Even he took advantage of the free housing, waiting for the “catch” to come — but it never did.]

You might not want charity, but you do need it. Stubbornness will land you without a place to stay, no matter how well you put those swords to use.

[He’s turning to walk, now, and she may follow if she wishes.]

I can lead you to the Coven, but I won’t try to convince you a second time.