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

bruno buccellati | jjba | ota

[risorto]

i. arrival (harbor district)

[It's more the sensations of the place that strikes Bruno first rather than the simple fact he finds himself...wherever exactly this is. The darkness in his vision is simply a consequence of the time and the streetlights having a limited reach. When the wind off the water picks up, he can feel the familiar sting of the colder ocean breeze. And although the industrial smells of the factories are overwhelming even at this hour, he can still smell the salt in the air from that very same breeze. Still processing all of this, Bruno doesn't make much of an expression until he places his hand on his chest and feels the steady thrum of his heartbeat.]

[He lowers his hand back down to his side, finally choosing to take in his surroundings as a whole rather in piecemeal. It becomes very apparent to him quickly that only a quick glance is really sufficient as it seems that in any city, the signs of the importance of not appearing lost or out of place are plain as day. Granted, he can't help but stand out like a sore thumb among the people milling about regardless of their intent.]

[Still, standing here does him no favors. Bruno moves on, only glancing over his shoulder when he hears a second set of steps ghosting behind him.]

ii. goblin market

Excuse me. [A pause as he waits patiently to be acknowledged. When that doesn't occur, he clarifies.] Up here.

[Looking up, one will find that were Bruno not keeping a very firm hold on the edge of a roof, a lamppost, or the top of a tall fence, he would most certainly be floating away up into the sky with reckless abandon. Given that he is holding on to some object to keep himself there, this is not likely desired. As it turns out, it wasn't his choice. If one were to ask, he would likely explain how exactly it is this has happened. But for now, he's a little more focused on not being stuck holding on to this spot until the effect wears off.]

Would you mind assisting me in swinging over there?

[He nods his head in the direction of the next thing he can grab. It's just a little out of arm's reach for him. While he can work to get the lower half of his body back down, it takes a lot of effort.]

iii. wildcard

((ooc: none of these striking your fancy? hmu via pm and we can make some stuff up. i ain't overly fussed!))

2

[tothemetal]

Uh...

[well, that's a new one. but he's seen quite a lot of things he'd never have imagined happening in real life since...falling out of somebody else's mirror. the guy seems so nonchalant about it, though, that his own slow mind decides there's no need to panic despite the very real possibility that Bruno could lose his grip and just float off into the stratosphere forever.]

You sure you just don't wanna hang onto me until we can get you home or something?

[or at least somewhere with a much lower ceiling than outside. Styx certainly looks big and strong enough to support the offer he's making, at the very least.]

Re: 2

[risorto]

[Bruno shakes his head. Although Styx certainly seems capable enough of holding onto Bruno long enough to at least get somewhere with a ceiling he can stay on until the effects of the potion spilled on him wear off, Bruno would rather not inconvenience him that much.]

That's kind of you to offer, but I should be alright managing on my own.

[tothemetal]

Uh...you sure, man? Don't got nowhere to be today.

[or any day, really, for as long as he was in this new world. it would hardly be a bother to him when his plans for the rest of the afternoon were 'continue wandering aimlessly' and 'eat some more'. it was pretty nice being a simple-minded guy sometimes.

either way, he's holding a broad hand out for Bruno to take. even if the man denied his request a second time after the clarification, the least he could do was swing him over to his next spot. given what an awful fall it would be if he somehow stopped...whatever he was doing, after potentially losing his grip and floating up into the sky, though...well, he really hoped he said yes now.]

ii

[beaumains]

[ It took her a moment to realize what was going on, but by the time her gears had turned she was ready to go into ACTION! And Bruno might wind up regretting asking her help. At least a little bit. ]

H-hold on, sir! I'll get you some help, uh... Oh right! Grab this!

[ The lance she'd been holding, which was an odd sight in the market in general, didn't seem nearly as large at rest on her shoulder s it did when she actually held the whole thing up over her head, the tip extending well close enough for Bruno to cling to. ]

It's a knight's duty to help all those in need! [ Why... did she need to affirm that out loud? ]

[risorto]

[Her earnestness is perhaps a bit...much. Especially with that declaration of what a knight is supposed to do. But, like, when you have a teenager tug on his tiddy window and tell you he wants to be a gangstar does anything really faze you anymore when it comes to stating your creed or motivations? Probably not. But earnest or not, she is extending a lending hand as requested. So, ultimately, there isn't much complaining from Bruno to be had.]

[And because Bruno is a Polite Young Man (TM) and definitely nothing else before he grabs hold of her lance, he says,]

Thank you.

[Bruno grabs hold of the lance and once he's certain he has a firm enough grip, releases his hold on the edge of a roof.]

I think you can hold it a little lower if that's tiring on your arms.

[Because this is a very big lance??? And she does not seem particularly large herself. Even if Bruno's not adding much by weight at the moment, it's still likely a cumbersome thing to hold so high up.]

[beaumains]

Worry not, gentle ser! A knight's strength is an infinite well in the service of helping others!

[ Well, that, and her nature as a turnskin in this world left her with a level of strength she was more used to, able to lower Bruno back to the ground level a measure of strain, but hardly breaking of her arms. For being as small as she was, she definitely seemed to be living up to her words. ]

There we are, safe and sound!

[risorto]

[Bruno has certainly seen his fair share of strange things that most things don't surprise him. But he would be lying if he were to try and say he isn't surprised with her ability to pull him down so smoothly at her size. Bruno doesn't allow himself to be too distracted by it and uses some of the momentum from her bringing him back down to ground-level to get himself a little more upright despite the potion's effect.]

I'd advise being careful if you're headed that way, [Bruno says with a nod of his head in the direction he came from while he grabs onto the nearby lamppost.] They're not particularly careful with their merchandise.

[beaumains]

So they got you, I take it? [ The way she sighed sounded like she already knew what he was talking about, shaking her head. ]

I'm surprised the local constables allow that kind of thing, here! Especially with so many of us popping out of the mirrors like babes to this world! It's downright scoundrel of them to take advantage of newcomers like that, I say! Why, if I had the authority, I'd arrest the lot of them!

i

[digiorno]

[It would be difficult to mistake Bruno Buccellati for anyone else. Even from behind, even at night, even at a slight distance . . . it doesn't matter. He is who he is, unmistakable. In the light of the moon, his white suit shines like a thing pulled from a different plane entirely, something Giorno isn't meant to understand.]

[And he doesn't. He stares, he tries, but he doesn't understand. His heart clenches around nothing. He should say something, he knows, but for everything he's seen here already he doesn't know how to deal with this.]

[It could be a dream. It could be a trick. He needs to find out which, if either, it is — but then he's out of time, because his body is carrying him to Bruno's side. First at a walk and then at a run, only dragged down to near-human speed because if Bruno sees a blur coming towards him in the middle of the night he'll worry. Still so fast, though, with the distance between them closing infinitesimally, so much slower than it ought to, and then all of a sudden Bruno turns and he is seen and he—]

[Freezes. Eyes wide, pupils blown, panic grips him and holds him still. He doesn't have words. He doesn't have anything. He can't do this.]

I'm sorry, [is what comes out hoarse between dry lips scraped raw by too-sharp teeth. He feels like a child waiting for well-deserved punishment. What makes it worse is that there's a part of him that knows it's not going to come. That he will be forgiven, even though they both know what he's done. That he'd grit his teeth and do it again if he had a second chance. Probably. Probably he would.]

[risorto]

[In the space between seeing Giorno and when Giorno is able to speak, it occurs to Bruno that it should perhaps be of no surprise that Giorno is here. Wherever "here" is exactly doesn't really matter so much as it seems a habit of Giorno's to be in the middle of something like this. That if something is to be happening, he would be at its epicenter, a catalyst for a change or action of some kind.]

[At his apology though, Bruno does not have quite an immediate thought process. While true that he knows what Giorno is apologizing for, he sees the apology as an unnecessary thing. At least for himself, in any case. While it's true that his resurrection was not like so many other decisions that Bruno made for himself, knowing the risks involved, he holds no resentment towards Giorno over it. If anything, there is gratitude. His life should have ended that day in the dark without any certainty that it would have amounted to anything. But Giorno's intervention allowed him to continue, to see things through very nearly to the end. Not many could say they could let go of their lives with such knowledge and find peace in their final moments. Not in the violent and bloody sort of lives like the one Bruno led.]

[But that's not the way Giorno sees things, is it? He would not look so raw with emotion, uncertain of whether patient forgiveness or anger and resentment is worse to receive from Bruno, if he could see it from Bruno's perspective. And it is perhaps better, Bruno thinks, that he cannot. There may yet be a time where that's not the case, of course. If Giorno is not careful, the same ambitions and selfishness that consumed Diavolo could still consume him, and give him cause to throw away any considerations for the lives of others. But that isn't how Giorno is. Not now. He thinks what he's done was a terrible thing. That it would have been better to leave Bruno behind much as they would eventually have to leave Abbachio behind and it's likely that even that thought feels a terrible thing to think or feel. And so, he's trapped. Trapped between what he did and there being simply no ideal solution, and Bruno thinks that in a sense, it's good to see that reflected in Giorno's eyes. That there is still a semblance of idealism even if it's far more grounded in reality than some of the other members of what was once Bruno's team.]

[And so, what can he really say that would alleviate some of those feelings within Giorno? It's not so much that Bruno's forgiveness is meaningless, but it's not really Bruno that needs to forgive Giorno.]

[Bruno shakes his head after a moment.]

There is nothing for me to forgive, Giorno.

[digiorno]

( overflow this way ➠ )

iii. wildcard

[unholey]

[There's smoke in the air. It lingers, day and night, a hazy veil between the city and the sky. There's no getting away from it. And there's no getting away from the message Buccellati sent him. Let's have lunch, followed by an address and a time; no different than any of the other countless requests Buccellati made for his time over the three years they spent together, building his influence and expanding his territory.

As if nothing was wrong. As if nothing has changed between them.]

[Time passes. He fills the hours, somehow-- he doesn't really remember how, in this exact moment-- and arrives fifteen minutes early. He finds an empty table; orders a pot of tea and the house special without even looking at what it is. He has a book. It's a text of alchemical plants and their applications. He's read it before. But staring down at the page, waiting for Buccellati to arrive, it all seems unfamiliar. His heart hammers in his ears, drowning out the murmur of conversation around him, overfast; his nerves say to run, but he's already here. Anyway, he can't leave without paying.

He can't run from his own decision. It's already been made; can't be changed. He has to face it. Face Buccellati. If he ran away now, he could never forgive himself.]

[risorto]

[A direct approach, Bruno finds, always seems to work best with Fugo. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why since it could be as simple as his personal preference for more logical processes or as complicated as his underlying anxieties constantly twisting things up into more complex pictures than they strictly need to be. But whatever the reason may be, the direct approach has always been the most effective. And so, it stands to reason that this is the case in this matter as well in trying to address the parting of ways that to Bruno occurred not all that long ago.]

[Because it needs to be addressed. Bruno meant what he said, of course. The decision he presented to his team was not one that he could make for any member. Each had to arrive at his own conclusion and act, and Bruno could not nor would not hold it against any of them for whatever they decided. But such a decision is never quite so straightforward and simple, especially not when there never was meant to be any particular resolution to it. Not between the two of them, in any case.]

[Bruno is not surprised to see Fugo there already. While Fugo's always been one for punctuality, he is always certain to be early rather than simply on-time when he feels something is immensely important and his mind cannot settle. And Bruno suspects by how laser-focused Fugo is on his book that he's been mulling this meeting over in his head in the intervening time from Bruno's invitation to this present moment plenty even if it wasn't consciously. As he considers the tension in Fugo's shoulders, he thinks for a moment that perhaps he shouldn't have allowed so much time to pass. But as soon as he thinks it, Bruno dismisses it. Springing something on Fugo would have been worse. He needed time to gather himself.]

[He stops near the table.]

I hope I haven't kept you waiting long.

[unholey]

[Fugo isn't watching the rest of the shop. This is on purpose: if he watches for Buccellati, he really will just make himself sick. So he waits, filling his head with facts and figures he already knows; that he barely even cares about, that he's only thrown himself into because if he lets himself idle he will simply stop moving altogether.]

[When Buccellati addresses him, Fugo reaches out to stiffly close his book with a soft thump. He doesn't look up at him; not yet. Instead, he twists to stash the book in his bag.]

No. Not long. [He glances up. Despite his efforts to keep his expression calm and still, there's no hiding his nerves. He gestures, awkwardly, to the other seat, before straightening up in his own. His posture is pin-straight and uncomfortably perfect.] ... I told the server you would be arriving within 20 minutes.