Intro Log: October 2020

[faileas]

Intro Log: October

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. "My goodness. In the middle of the month! We weren't expecting you, we weren't!" The woman smiles broadly, with her Bonded glancing over the newly arrived and those who may have followed them in to volunteer explanations and assistance to the newest addition of their Mirrorbound bunch. "Let's get through the introductions, shall we? This here's Mhairi Ainsley, ambassador to the Parliament, and of course, my Bonded. And I'm Nerissa Bell, Head Witch of the Coven -- but you can just call me Miss Nessie, you can," she adds with a wink. "I know you must all be tired and confused after all that. We're here to help get you settled, dearest. Let me just..." 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 -- namely, if they have magic potential or not -- 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 the trek to where you'll be staying. As you're leaving -- with Coven and/or Mirrobound escorts as guides -- you'll be given a peculiar-looking device. It's a very special watch, the native Witches explain, compliments of Parliament. These watches are passed around to all the new arrivals, who are given a quick rundown on their functions and encouraged 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, free of cost. 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 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. Much of the housing already has furnishing as well: standard items such as kitchenware, couches, beds, etc. were left behind by the relocated owners for those moving in. Though some are fairly newly-unoccupied, the dust on the floors of other houses suggests they were left long 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 them for -- so long as the legality isn't questionable, at least on the surface. To help with filling up the larger houses -- and even some of the smaller ones, or the shared rooms in the barracks -- the Coven put together a little roommate finding service, on a smaller scale from the grand opening of the Haven a while back. 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 simply reads the information you've offered up yourself -- or that someone might have written up for you, should that be their idea of fun.

Welcome to the intro log! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs if you prefer! 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 throughout the month 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 October's Quest Pickup thread on the Quest Board. Finally, if your character is getting into any Shenanigans or if you have any other questions, just let the mods know here!

Comments

[worldcleansing]

L was watching him before that, but their time together really is much shorter than most would think considering how connected they became. The two started off on opposite ends of a chest board: Light, with a mission to bring peace to the world and L, the only detective capable of stopping the murderer dubbed 'Kira'.

There are definitely sides to L that Light hasn't seen that Myr has been gifted. While he will know of the successors in the future and find himself fighting them as well, L kept them a secret for obvious reasons.

"We share an interest in justice, actually."

It's true, even if their vision for justice isn't quite the same. Gifted with the power of the Death Note, Light began to kill the worst kind of criminals, many of which managed to escape justice because of a technicality, mistake in the paperwork, or the kind of corruption money and power can bring. L, and some of the world, didn't agree with his plan.

Admittedly, it did become even worse when he began to kill law enforcement who came too close to catching him.

The cupboards in the kitchen close, and Light moves to the opening in the hall; he isn't sure how much Myr can sense, but he stands to the side, being sure not to block the space. You don't make the small, blind man comfortable by making him feel crowded.

"You're worried about him."

Myr's done a good job in keeping up with the conversation, but Light can tell when there's a side of interrogation in there as well. Considering how much Myr seems to have invested in L's welfare, that much isn't a surprise.

"I know he's run into some trouble while he's been here. I won't ask you to put trust in a man you've just met, but you can put trust in something you do know: the bonds. If he gets hurt, so do we. I wouldn't have bonded with him if I wanted to hurt him."

And without the Death Note, there's no reason to hurt L. Light didn't become a murderer for the sake of killing, but for a vision to create a world where the innocent don't have to look over their shoulders. It certainly shows he has the capacity in the right situation, but such a situation hasn't shown itself here.

[faithlikeaseed]

An interest in justice, was it. That went a long way to explaining the blood on Light's hands; so was every offensive war justified by those prosecuting it. Myr tucks that thought away alongside a fleeting one on how odd and incomplete L's own notions of justice were. How well had he aligned with Light in them?

"Something like how I got embroiled with him. He's a talent for that, it seems."

One of those long ears follows twitches toward the sound of footsteps as Light approaches the hall; the courtesy the younger man shows in not blocking it entirely is definitely noticed. As is the accuracy of Light's observation--one Myr's not at all surprised by, even as he feigns a grimace and presses a hand to his heart. Touché. "That obvious, huh?" he says, lightly, before dropping the pose and picking up another towel to find a place for.

"I am worried, serah; you're a new factor in our lives and we Fauns spend a lot of time tiptoeing around new things before we're sure of them." Not in the least bit a lie, even if it's not the truth entire.

"Though I'm heartened by your commitment to your Bond, believe me." He reaches out for another towel--doesn't find it, frowns--then feels over to locate it dangling from Crookytail's mouth. Ah, wormipedes. "Let that go," he mutters to the creature in an undertone.

Then, louder: "Though it's damned easy to do someone an unintentional hurt through them. He's told you about the instability of your particular arrangement, I assume, and the risk it puts you at."

[worldcleansing]

Their sense of justice, like most other things about them, is complicated. With the Death Note, Light's is definitely the more destructive. A trail of dead criminals and a growing number of law enforcement have all been sacrificed for his need to fix the rot in the world. It's easy to assume that anyone trying to stop him fits into a more traditional sense of justice, but aside from the unwillingness to kill himself, L isn't too far from Light. For both, ends justify the means, even if it means spying, captivity, and other methods outside of the law. The biggest similarity, however, comes in how much the two enjoy the engagement for reasons that have nothing to do with justice. For the first two time in their lives, Light and L found themselves uncertain if their plans will win, forced to be more clever and creative than anything else required, and both loved it.

The game is on pause.

"I know this world can be dangerous. I hope we can find a level of trust that makes sharing this space easier, but I don't expect you to trust a stranger right away.

I do know about the instability of two witches bonding. It might seem spontaneous, but it wasn't. Linden's stabilized through you, and I'm using too much magic while I learn for there to be a build-up. When I can find someone else I'm comfortable with, I'll find a bond with a monster, too."

Light smiles. Myr can't see it, but a smile can often be heard in a voice.

"I do have a question of my own: why Crookytail?"

[faithlikeaseed]

The damnable thing about all of this is Myr could very easily warm up to Light. He seems every inch a charming, considerate young man; under any other circumstance it would delight Myr to know L had such a friend at his side. Under any other circumstance, he'd gladly yield space for L and Light's Bond to grow into; he'd do whatever was in his power to ensure L had another stalwart companion against the world.

But that hypothetical was--literally--dead on arrival and Myr is left aching for it, because it's an ache that covers up the caustic bite of jealousy. He'll grow out of that in time, he's sure, but the vengeful wariness that comes from knowing what Light (had done/would do/could do again) to L, did the situation provoke it... Oh, that is going nowhere.

In light of that perhaps it's better to end this deceit sooner than late, but that's not a decision for him to make alone; not until he's consulted L, even if L had not consulted him in coming to this Bond. (Let it be, Myrobalan. Have the grace to let it be.)

"I'm sure that'll come with time, serah, as we get to know each other better. We'll find an equilibrium--for Linden's sake, if not our own." Light's awareness of the risks--and willingness to Bond a Monster--does get an approving nod from Myr. That's better than many Witches start out and he won't begrudge it.

And the question that follows that--well, that gets an answering smile out of Myr as he reaches down to rub the wormipede's head. "That one's a long story, if I give you the whole framing of it; the short," and somewhat inscrutable, "version's I wanted to be Garahel just as much as every other kid in the alienage, growing up. She's no griffon, but I couldn't think of a better name for a creature so loyal as I needed her to be."

She's his eyes, after all.

[worldcleansing]

Light works to try and piece together what he can of the explanation. Garahel's a title? Position? And sometimes had griffons? It seems like Crookytail, and possibly griffons, are like familiars in this world.

"If you're not in a rush, you can explain what a Garahel is over coffee or tea?"

The invitation is extended, and now it's Myr's choice on how to proceed. Light knows this was likely a calculated visit, a willingness to finally meet with him as well as a real need to restock L's home. It was a good reason to visit and size him up, and with it done, he can make an excuse to leave. The option to stay will be more a social call, an opportunity for two people who would be sharing a space to get to know one another.

Light is, fairly, seen as a threat. In the future, he will be the one to kill L. However, this world is not their own. While the capacity is certainly present, and the Death Note enabled Light to do things he never would have otherwise, their current situation calls for cooperation. It's why he can trust L well enough to sleep in the room across from him. It's why L can trust him with the same. However, Light doesn't know Myr. L's given a description, but it's very possible that here, Myr could be the bigger threat to Light than Light to Myr, at least this early into his studies. It's certainly true that Myr seems pleasant, and he's taken care of L in a very real, very solid way, but that doesn't mean the same sentiment will extend to Light. In fact, the willingness to look after L is what makes him a possible threat. Smiling, charming faces aren't always harmless.

[faithlikeaseed]

Myr considers, for a moment, declining the offer. He does have other things he needs to do today so it would be neither rude nor lying to say he's got to attend to them (though he is not strictly in a rush). This entire interaction is fraught with worry for him, the need to be careful with L's secrets in a way he would not be with most of his own.

But he and L and Light will be sharing this space often enough in days to come (since Myr will not let himself be pushed out of the cottage), and for L's sake--for L's hopes and his needs--Myr would do better to get along with his Witch's other Bonded. So after the moment it takes him to consider that, a moment he fills with putting the last of the linen away, he gives an amiable nod of his head. "Tea, I think. And I'd gladly hear more about your time with Linden in return, if you'd share it."

He shuts the closet door firmly, turning from it to make his careful way back in Light's direction--the direction of the kitchen. "You know where the kettle is?"

[worldcleansing]

"I've found it."

Light moves back to the kitchen and soon, there's the sound of cupboards opening and soon closing before there's running water.

"My time with Linden? It's always been interesting. Like I said before, we're both interested in law enforcement. I'm actually still in my first year of college, but when I finish, I plan on working for the NPA, which is a higher tier law enforcement in my country."

And L showed up at his orientation as a student, though he was probably too old, even then, to have been a first-year student fresh from high school. Light doesn't know how much of this story L has told so he's careful not to go into specifics.

"Sorry, I'm still learning about the different monsters and familiars here: what does Crookytail eat?"

If they're having tea, he can get something, too.

[faithlikeaseed]

No surprise Light knows his way around the kitchen, too. Myr will leave the younger man to that, closing up the closet and finding his way back to the kitchen table with Crookytail oozing alongside. He locates a chair, settling into and resting an elbow on the table so he can put his chin in his hand. While his face is pointed off out of the kitchen, his ears are trained in Light's direction.

"How old does that make you, then?" College, Myr's sure, probably connotes something different to folk of Light's world than it would on Thedas. "And what got you interested in justice in the first place?"

At the sound of her name, Crookytail pokes her head around one leg of the table, antennae waving sedately. Food? For her?

One corner of Myr's mouth crooks up in a smile at Light's consideration for the wormipede. "She'll eat most anything green. There's a wilted lettuce or two in the icebox if you want to give them to her."

[worldcleansing]

"I'm 18."

Younger than L, though the detective looks so young for his age that it's not immediately obvious. The two look to be roughly the same age as L really can blend in with the college crowd.

"Both of us got perfect scores on the entrance exam which meant we were both responsible for giving the welcoming speech to our class. That's the day we met."

All truth. Light hadn't seen L before that day even if their game was well underway by that point.

The sounds in the kitchen might paint an easy picture. Cupboards shut, liquid pours, the icebox opens, lettuce is shredded.

"And my dad's the reason I originally took an interest in justice, though it's become important to me now for reasons beyond it. He's in law enforcement, and I watched the difference he made in the world growing up. Japan's a more peaceful country than most, but there's still enough crime that the cops are never bored. I want to do my part to stop that.

How do you take your tea?"

[faithlikeaseed]

Younger than L. Harrowing age, Myr thinks, though had Light and L been born mages on Thedas he'd no doubt they would have gone to that line of division much earlier than most.

Frightening thought. Humbling thought, given he'd been older than Light is now when the templars dragged him out of bed. He'd always been a peculiar kind of slow at raw academics, though.

"Seems a happy coincidence, that," he burbles along, aloud. (Suspecting that it likely was no such thing, or maybe it was, in the same sense he suspects the Maker arranges coincidences to His convenience.) "Did you hit it off as friends then, or was that longer in coming?"

He knows his Bonded's--pecularities--when it comes to sociability.

"With honey, please. One spoon."

Crookytail leans a little further toward the lettuce, longingly, but stays where she's put like a good girl.