Intro Log: July

[faileas]

Intro Log: July

I. ARRIVAL 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. A moment later, you feel a tug, and you find yourself stumbling into a dark, musty room. Behind you, a mirror stands ornately decorated with reminders of home wrought in brass and wood: the faces of people you know, and symbols important to you; all things that send a pang through your chest with the desire to return to them. Touching the mirror's surface does nothing but leave the stain of your fingerprints. When you turn to survey the room, you find there are hundreds of other mirrors. None of them are as decorated as yours - they're plain and dusty, speckled with age. Then you realize a second thing: You're not alone. Distantly, the ringing bell of a clocktower can be heard. But no matter its distance, the time is clear to make out: it chimes three times, stark, resonating like a pulse of something in this mirrored hall that you and many others have found yourselves in. For those familiar with magic, they might feel the power of the witching hour upon them, though it will feel different from what they're used to - in fact, everything does. You're certainly not the only ones here, however. On the first floor, with the doors wide open behind them in the foyer, is a small group headed by two individuals. As people begin to arrive, to come from the higher floor, they're waiting - and they're waiting for you, and your questions. Explore the rest of the mirrored halls you've now found yourselves in, or proceed to the foyer? Leaving the Looking-Glass House makes it obvious that the clock striking three was for 3 AM - the night sky is faintly cloudy, but the stars are dim in the face of two moons, even so close to the new moon as it is. The Looking-Glass House is rather nondescript two-story cottage made of grey brick, sitting at the edge of The Coven's courtyard; stones which glow as you step on them mark the path to and from the two buildings. While fairly small and plain on the outside, the inside has been enchanted to be the size of a large library, with hundreds upon hundreds of mirrors hanging, standing, and resting inside its walls. Some are broken, some are cracked, and some seem completely uninjured - but all of them are just as plain as the cottage itself, showing age in the silver beneath their glass and in the greening of their metals... Well, all except a character's personal mirror; to characters, one mirror - the one they came through - will be decorated lavishly with metal-and-wood-wrought reminders of home, and the surface will be as clear as a brand-new mirror.

II. THE WELCOME PARTY Whether you've decided to find a way out of the building you've arrived in, or decided to explore the rest of the Looking-Glass House - and perhaps finding a few familiar faces among the crowd - you feel a pull towards the foyer of the first floor. It's like a firm suggestion, as if to take you by the hand and draw you to where it begins, and the source of it becomes quite apparent upon finding one's way to the front room: a tall, comfortably-dressed older woman and her even taller wolfish companion, along with those which feel to resemble yourselves in a world-traversing sense: Mirrorbound, they're called. "I think this is the most of you there's ever been at once! And all of you properly bound this time, it seems." The woman sets her hands on her hips, with her Bonded casting a glance at those looking confused - newly arrived - and those who may have followed them in to talk to the newest addition of their Mirrorbound bunch. "About time for introductions though- this here's Mhairi Ainsley, ambassador to the Parliament and my Bonded, and I'm Nerissa Bell, Head Witch of the Coven - but you can just call me Miss Nessie, you can," she adds, winking. "The lot of you must be as tired and confused as the last batch - hullo to those who've joined us, too! - so just a moment, dearests, I'll set all you right up—" With nothing more than a wave of her hand, rows of seats are summoned; despite their wooden nature, they're all sturdy and comfortable, filling the foyer and spreading out a ways into the lawn behind them, making room for all of the new arrivals as well as the previous batch. After all, they'll find this just as interesting. The Witches and Monsters that accompanied Nessie and Mhairi move to make room, and some disperse into the building itself to see if there's anyone who needs tending to. Mhairi steps forward as the chairs materialize. "Please, those who are able, join us for a moment. There are many questions that I'm sure you have - we will do our utmost best to answer them, and you may take any that we can't as a promise to find some sort of solution or answer." NOTE: If you wish to handwave interaction with Nessie and Mhairi, please comment here. All responses will be summarized answers rather than an IC thread. For those that'd like a more player-based interaction, Aefenglom has its own Welcome Wagon! These are players who've volunteered for the role, and those that didn't sign up may assist as well if they'd feel their character would -- have fun, and make friends. Additionally, those with notable injuries or sickness will be attended to ASAP by Coven-based witches, and should anyone be curious about what they are - if they have magic potential, or if they swing a different way - then this can be done during this and the general hour or so the new arrivals are within the Coven's grounds. There are ongoing classes on magic, monsters, and Bonding as well, though they take place more during the day than at night - feel free to have your characters attend them at any time!

III. THE HAVEN After an hour or two of general chaos, questions that the natives attempt to help with, and injuries tended to for those who arrive in poor condition, it's time to make a trek to where you'll be staying while Nessie and Mhairi continue to search for a solution to the situation. As you're leaving with a few Bonded for guides, peculiar-looking devices - watches, the native Witches explain, compliments of Parliament - are passed around to all the new arrivals; they're given a quick rundown on their functions and bid to test them out when they can. They can even do it as they make their way out of the Coven's courtyard and to the Haven. Formerly part of the Aristocratic District, The Haven is just as well-kept and brightly-lit as the district it hails from. The houses err on the tall and ornamental-side, large enough to fit several families (or, according to the upper class, their one family, several dozen servants, and guests), especially closest to the Aristocratic District. They become a little more modest and smaller as one gets away from the realm of high society and nearer to the Residential District proper. Newcomers are shuffled here and invited to find somewhere to live - the Coven is currently handling expenses for the houses themselves in a program implemented by the Parliament, though if your character wishes to have anything extra - like maids, chefs, and so on - they'll have to pay for them themselves with their own earned money. Much of the landscape and fixtures are the same as in the Aristocratic Districts, though it lacks formal emergency services due to its roots as part of a district that already did. Much of the housing already has furnishing due to the speed at which homeowners were relocated; they were given enough time to collect their valuables, but standard furniture such as kitchenware, couches, beds, etc. were left behind for those moving in. Other houses appear the same, but the dust on the floors suggest these houses were left before the new arrivals even showed up - a reminder that the Cwyld can strike just about anyone, regardless of standing. Another portion of this district has been opened up to the new arrivals: the barracks, the row of buildings pressed against the very edge of the Bright Wall. As the city's military force no longer has the same presence it previously did, the barracks have gone into disuse, and a cleanup effort has been in place since before the new arrivals came through the Looking-Glass House. For those who desire something a little less opulent, the barracks might just be the answer. The barracks can also be used for business, for a welcome center, a communal space, for anything that the residents of the Haven see fit to use it for - so long as the legality isn't questionable, on the surface. To help with filling up the larger houses - and even some of the smaller ones, and the shared rooms in the barracks - the Witches put together a little roommate finding service, on a smaller scale from the grand opening of the Haven. For those who aren't entirely sure who they want to shack up with, they have a small survey for them to fill out and post on the board they've magicked up in the center of The Haven. The board also very helpfully reads aloud each form for everyone to hear in a cheerful, monotone voice. It isn't able to be shut up, nor is it easy to ignore, being imbued with a kind of amplification magic. It reads simply the information you've offered up yourself, or that someone might have written up for you, should that be their idea of fun.

IV. THE CIRQUE MYSTIQUE (3rd-5th) It drifts into the Bright Bay early in the morning of the 2nd - a painted ship, garishly bright, with billowing night-sky sails that sends the Harbor District, and then most of the rest of the city, into a flurry of interested activity, putting the rumor mill into overdrive. Onlookers can witness a mess of equally ostentatious people - Witches dressed in brightly colored clothing, Monsters with fantastical coloring and embellishments the likes of which are rarely seen on Geardagas - deboarding with supplies. (Just a few curiously are what seem to be fox-like Monsters with multiple tails and mischievous expressions - they're also the least likely to want to bother talking.) Parliament offers the use of a little-visited park, temporarily enchanted to be somehow bigger than it should be, and the new people work quite quickly, setting up decorated pavilions and stands in a style quite different from Aefenglom's usual, utilizing many paper decorations and fluttering fabrics. Those who try to talk to the workers are often rebuffed - they're quite busy, don't you see? Despite being foreign, they speak in the common tongue of Geardagas with different degrees of fluency and accents. Many will pretend they don't speak the common tongue at all if they don't want to talk, however. They finish within the day. Enchanted fliers go out overnight proclaiming "The Cirque Mystique is Open!" Explained to be a traveling circus from a land far away (the name of said land not offered to "preserve the mystique") they proclaim to offer a unique experience to the people of Aefenglom. a. Come On Down All throughout the days, a mini marketplace is open, selling goods and foods from another land. Unlike the more western Victorian-style fare in Aefenglom, the treats boast new flavors and textures. Elaborate little cakes made with exotic fruits and teas, egg tarts, cold shaved ices with floral or fruit syrups, dumplings and mochi can all be found along with savory foods with new flavor profiles, and exciting new alcoholic drinks. The styles of clothing offered are more elaborate and made with fine embroidered fabrics; the cloth is available on bolts as well. Trinkets such as small enchanted figures of the performers, cheap jewelry, and souvenirs are available at every stand for likely inflated prices. Other stands run enchanted carnival games: ring-toss (where you always seem to miss), guess the number of candies in the jar (you're always wrong), a wheel of prizes (that always seems to land on the duds), bobbing for fruits (this one seems fine, but the prize for winning is the fruit that's already been in your mouth), and a game to knock over milk bottles (which seem firmly planted). Well, you know what they say about carnival games, right? It's fun to try, at least! Or maybe you quietly break their enchantments in order to win the toys and cheap jewelry they offer as prizes. Those running the games will grumble and grouse, but you'll get your due. The main draw, however, is the performances. Smaller ones happen periodically all day, in small staging areas around the newly set-up fairgrounds: knife-throwers, fire-eaters, tight-rope walkers, magicians, acrobats and contortionists displaying feats of strength and flexibility, jovial Monsters with painted faces telling jokes. The Cirque Mystique has it all. The most elaborate, put-together performances happen after the sun sets, though, an astonishing display with all of the above and music, woven through with storytelling and fireworks, and even more flashy magic. It's hard not to feel awed by it all at the end... b. The Lunar Eclipse The major performance on the night of the 5th coincides with the lunar eclipse, when the Sisters darken in the sky above. It goes as the other performances do. It's flashy and elaborate, inspiring plenty of awe. The Diviner Witches' predictions apparently come to pass, however, and the light enchantment placed over the audience at end of the performance to subtly better their moods and perception of the show reacts... unexpectedly to the surge in magic. All around the city, natives and Mirrorbound alike might find themselves feeling... good. Uninhibited. Brain-to-mouth filters fail and loosen lips, or they may find their fingers stickier, feeling inclined to simply take whatever items or foods please them at the time. It doesn't necessarily cause violent thoughts, but if a person is so inclined already, it isn't out of the realm of possibility. The backfired spell simply makes one seek whatever delights they might desire, even if they haven't admitted those desires to themselves. It's quite possible to resist the spell still, and many do, just not enough - no doubt there will be some joyous chaos to contend with as excitement and revelry spread through the streets. Luckily it wears off by sunrise, or before in some cases, probably leaving many embarrassed about their uninhibited behavior. After the night of the eclipse, the Cirque packs up with practiced efficiency, and by the afternoon on the 6th, their ship has departed, heading on to their next location, leaving most of Parliament quite irritated at having to clean up after the mishap. A traveling circus like this, sailors from the Harbor District explain, never stays long. They stay as long as the cash flows and then they head on to the next city or the next continent. The rogues conveniently timed their departure to miss any potential fines from Parliament.

Welcome to the intro log! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs; take the prompts offered and go wild, go crazy, go stupid, have fun. The network system is free to use once characters have their watches as well; information on that can be found at the bottom of the Setting page, while any extra questions about it can be found in the FAQ index. Quests can be picked up now as well! While new characters will have to get settled in, you can go ahead and put your name on some by replying to the July's Quest Pickup thread on the Quest Board. Finally, if your character is getting into any Shenanigans, let the mods know and if you have any questions about the log, ask them here!

Comments

[gekijou]

[Extremely Serious or not, they're Re:vale, so yes, he is in fact going to poke his index finger on the point of one of those delightful little fangs and feign being pricked by it. A couple of "ow ow ow"s and a wink later, and he settles a hand near the back of Momo's neck, just wanting more contact, more closeness. He feels oddly much younger again, like the first time they met, or maybe the first time he realized that the way he looked at Momo wasn't as just a business partner, or a friend.

But somewhere in the soft laughter now, he finds Momo's eyes with his own.]

Okay, I'm convinced. I just hope people are ready for us to be more affectionate. They've only had five days or something to get used to the regular amount.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo almost mimes biting his finger properly, but Yuki seems to be doing quite a good job of that on his own, so he pokes his tongue out a bit at the wink instead. While even the hand at the back of his neck is enough to almost make him tense momentarily with the newness of it, it's something that feels natural, considering how they are already.

Which is why Yuki's remark on adjusting to their regular level of closeness gets a bit of a sheepish grin.] Maybe not everyone has had that little time. I kind of kept doing the act one-sidedly while I was here, so a few people I've talked about you to...pretty much took it at face value even if I tried to explain it to them.

[Considering how often Momo talks about Yuki, while it's not a large proportion of the people here, it's a fair few of the people Momo knows.]

[gekijou]

[He loves that playfulness, how ridiculous they are together. How they can read the little things and miss the big things is uniquely them. He's completely taken in by that grin, too...

Yep, something definitely got them. He doesn't know a thing about weird enchantments, but he sure will after tonight.]

How many's "a few"? Should I be worried I have a reputation to live up to? [Oh. Wait.] ...Do people think we're...? [Laughing.] They definitely do. That's normal for us.

i7 part 2 spoilers for any lurking anime-only people out there...

[yesdoubt]

Not that many! [But. A few. He's sure Yuki will figure it out if he meets anyone Momo knows.] The biggest misunderstanding was absolutely when someone saw me talking to you about Ban-san in one of my memories, though, I almost died when they thought all three of us were some kind of complicated item...

[Momo hides his face in Yuki's side for a moment at that, because if there's one guaranteed way to still absolutely murder him, it's via Banri. Yuki he at least had time to adjust to feeling a certain kind of way about, whereas Banri never had the general star factor wear off. Momo's getting slightly more used to it, but he'd still scream if Banri tried to get him to call him without honourifics again.]

marking spoilers is a good call.... orz

[gekijou]

[Yuki's wondering if there's going to be some slight explaining to do, when he hears that bit and...]

All... three...

[You know what he's rejecting that thought process entirely, he's just electing not to think about that, especially when a love confession just happened! He is neither entertaining those peoples' misunderstanding nor allowing Banri to be involved in this moment, because this is special time and Banri is Not Here, and if he was things would be Really Awkward Going Forward for the sheer fact that Yuki knows in his soul that Banri wouldn't let him live down having a relationship with another idol. Even if it's Momo. Especially if it's Momo. In fact, this is like saying the name of the beast and thereby conjuring it, so Yuki looks around like Banri's going to jump out at any freaking second with a "gotcha" and a party horn or something.

God.

Look, things are just... That triangle in his life is complicated. No wonder people misunderstood. Yuki's own heart struggled with it in its own way for long enough.]

I'm glad I wasn't here to be part of it. [Just think of the Major Betrayal Yuki's brain would appear to have pulled.] Imagine me talking my way out of that.

[yesdoubt]

Honestly, I can't imagine you not trying to kick anyone out of your memories as soon as they got in... [Momo says it in a joking way, very much obvious he finds the idea more hilarious than anything, but Yuki is a rather private person. Momo was bad enough about his own, but half the time he didn't even have an immediate mirror to try and sling people back through, so he just had to suffer through it.]

You got kinda lucky with that month you were here before, though, things were pretty quiet besides, y'know, everyone showing up at once like that and then disappearing.

[Even the Wilde Hunt thing hadn't even been that big a deal compared to the usual shenanigans that go on here month-to-month.]

[gekijou]

That too.

[Because knowing his vaguely cursed luck, he'd end up showing off some real shit that he does not need to relive, nor does he need anyone to see. Yeah, he's glad he passed on that altogether. Hopefully not too many people will equate Momo's memories with him, but... Well, isn't there a possibility they were good memories, too? Ah, wouldn't that be nice...]

...Me disappearing like that probably made you really worried. Sorry.

[yesdoubt]

[Momo showed off plenty of real shit himself, so he's plenty happy Yuki didn't have to go through the same experience. When Bloody Eve is one of the better memories he relived that night despite his continued embarrassment about going feral and getting roasted for it to this day, the bar isn't being set particularly high.

Momo's grip tightens a bit when Yuki mentions the disappearance.] Well, we did kind of know it wasn't going to be permanent...I worried at the start, but I was happy to know you were safely back home when I figured out all the arrivals from that month had gone.

[He goes on more quietly, as if even with the lowering of his self-control he knows that Yuki probably isn't going to like what he says next.] I didn't want you to be stuck in a dangerous world like this one, even if it hurt to be away from you for so long.

[And now Yuki is stuck here, for however long that ends up being the case, so he's probably going to be more worried in the long run even if he's also happy to be reunited.]

[gekijou]

[Maybe on some level he knows he shouldn't say this. That he should let Momo worry and leave it at that, maybe try to deflect or something. Isn't that what he's supposed to do? Perhaps reassure him? But Yuki, impulse control gone, looks at Momo like he's completely off base.]

I don't want to be anywhere that you aren't. Or for you to be anywhere without me.

[He risks sounding weirdly possessive with the latter bit of that, but he really doesn't care. Not right now.]

We're partners, Momo. That means even in the worst times. Or dangerous ones. [He thinks for a moment.] Do I need to learn to fight or something, though?

[yesdoubt]

[Momo absolutely does not mind Yuki being weirdly possessive over him, because it's not like he isn't frequently weirdly possessive about Yuki in return and it makes him feel a little bit better about that. He gives a sort of sad, vaguely assenting hum to what Yuki says about the dangerous times - he doesn't ever like Yuki being in danger, but now that he's here he can't exactly just lock him in the house and hope nothing ever happens that comes into the city.]

It'd probably be useful, yeah. Within the city isn't too bad, but if you're ever outside of it there's a lot of risks, and we've had some bad stuff happen inside cities once or twice as well. Some Monsters are stronger than humans normally, but I don't actually know where merrow stand on that... [Not one of the things he picked up with the little bit of Monster research he's done.] I've got a bat at home you can use? I stopped using it once I got a weapon that was easier to hide.

[Important things to establish early in the relationship: who uses what weapon.]

[gekijou]

I've used weapons for movies and dramas. It's no big deal if they actually work right, is it?

[That's a reach, intended to comfort Momo. He even smiles on the tail end, that faint ghost of a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.]

Tomorrow... I'll see if I can find some people who know more about merrow. [He'll even talk to people. As much a he does not want to! He will!] I won't make things hard on you again, Momo. I promise.

[Well, if that isn't a little telling... Yuki had gotten used to being marginally capable at least in certain areas of life, and now he's worried he's back to being little more than a burden on Momo. Still, he doesn't want to be anywhere else. This is the only place he feels at home: At Momo's side.]

[yesdoubt]

[It is very telling, and Momo's grip on Yuki tenses a bit as he says it.] You've never made things hard on me. Anything I did for you back when we were struggling, I was happy to do. I just wanted to see you smile again.

[His tone is quite insistent, as if he doesn't at all want Yuki to get the impression that it was his fault. Honestly, Momo was the one who decided the relationship at that time should be that of king and knight rather than equals, and nothing Yuki could've said back then would've convinced him otherwise. He probably would've been more bitter if Yuki had to work because he couldn't do enough.]

If you want to reach out on your own, I...won't stop you. [It's almost hard to say, given how much he tends to take the option out of Yuki's hands when it comes to doing things he doesn't want to do.] But I won't stop supporting you, either. So don't feel like you're troubling me.

[gekijou]

[With a small, indignant sound, Yuki rests his head against Momo's.]

It's not like I want to, but don't you have your hands full with Witch things? And... working, and things like that?

[He hates being dead weight on Momo. He's pretty sure he's going to be just that fairly often, and it's demoralizing and mortifying.]

Anyway, what's there to support? I'm just a house... octopus, for now, I guess. Maybe I can teach myself to play the guitar with all my legs. [He wiggles his fingers like tentacles of sorts in front of Momo's face.]

[yesdoubt]

[Having to keep his eyes on the path means Momo's a bit limited in what he can do in response to that, but he does nuzzle his head up against Yuki's in an attempt to be reassuring.]

Not nearly as full as they would've been back home. Even with work and study, I have more time to myself than I'm used to having.

[Their schedule was kind of crushing a lot of the time, so even though he misses work, he's appreciated that to some degree.

The idea of Yuki playing the guitar with his legs just makes him giggle.] You can play plenty of instruments, though, so why not just try to play a bunch at once with all your legs instead? That sounds more fun than putting all eight on a guitar...or all ten, if we count your hands too.

[Just leave the guitar in his hands and play a bunch of other things with his legs.]

[gekijou]

[He's not looking forward to the extra free time, because it might put him in a fugue where he can't write, just the same as excessive pressure sometimes does. There's a happy medium he'll have to find here. And so, decisively:]

More time to spend with me, then.

[Looking at Momo thoughtfully, he hums like he's having a real time with this extra legs business.]

Right. Percussion's probably the only thing that really translates directly here... And would make sense if I can get better control. I'll think about it. Call it a project.

[yesdoubt]

If you let me spend it with you this time. [A gentle sort of scolding, because honestly part of Yuki's last stay was Momo trying to track his tentacles down in the Wilde Hunt area (and failing) and he is not about that happening again. He wants Yuki close by and not running off to hide himself.]

Most of the instruments aren't super different...the biggest problem is anything electric, I saw someone put it that we've got a bunch of musicians here but no instrument designers. But I've definitely seen a lot of normal instruments being taught, violin and trumpet and stuff too. And they have orchestras.

[Any instrument that was decently established before 100 years ago isn't that hard to find here, in Momo's experience. They'll just have to go analog and possibly get more into the habit of hiring orchestral backing.]

[gekijou]

[Continued here!]