Intro Log: November & Event: Nothing to Be Drone About It

[faileas]

Intro Log: November & Event: Nothing to Be Drone About It

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 others have found yourselves in, along with... several items, perhaps even creatures scattered across the floor around other mirrors? 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. 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. "Just a few of you this month, hm? Don't mind the junk across the floor where you came out, someone is sorting that!" 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 interact with Nessie and Mhairi, please comment here for a handwaved, summarized answer to your character's burning questions. 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. Nothing to Be Drone About It While a handful of mirrors in the Looking Glass House at 3 am on the 15th spat out people - new Mirrorbound or perhaps returned Mirrorbound - many other mirrors poured forth items or small creatures, all on their own. The night cleaner resigns himself to a long night as he has to deal with mess and confused folk, but he isn't terribly surprised. It was around this time last year that something similar happened with the mirrors. They may not understand it, but it looks like it may be a pattern, relics of the Mirrorbound's lives reaching out to them from home as gift or curse. The night cleaner fetches Miss Nessie to handle the arrival of a handful of new Mirrorbound, and then returns to start tidying up everything else. Luckily, she assigns him some help in the form of a young Witch named Emmelie, eager to prove herself. Not wanting to crowd the Looking Glass House, in the ensuing hours, she turns to an invention of hers to sort out the stuff littering the room with the mirrors. The goal, of course, is to get each item back to its rightful owner, and she firmly believes in better living through magic innovation! Unfortunately, it becomes clear fairly soon that Emmelie's brass flying saucers, which she had hoped would effortlessly deliver each item based on magical signature matching, could use a little... fine-tuning. The big saucers complete with six segmented mechanical 'arms' to hold the cargo in place are persistent as they zip around the city, often trying to take the shortest path to their programmed destination - whether it means they bump endlessly into barriers such as walls, get stuck on rooftops or in the River Temese, or knock over people, natives and Mirrorbound alike, who happen to be in their flight path. Some of them end up at the wrong Mirrorbound, and bump incessantly into them until they take the offered item, uncaring if they're who it belongs to or not. Of course, some deliveries go smoothly, exactly as they are intended to, but... they're in the minority. By the early afternoon, Emmelie is sending out a voice message that can be heard by Mirrorbound anywhere in the city, her young voice panicked as she explains what happened with her inventions and your mementos of home, adding at the end: "Ahh, it's such a mess! Look, you've got to help me, and please don't tell Miss Nessie, she'll never trust me with anything important ever again! I'll owe all of you so much if you'll just help find and return everything to where it needs to go!"

Welcome to November's combo Intro Log and event! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs. 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 as well right over here at November's Quest Pickup thread. 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!

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Historia Reiss | Attack on Titan | Harpy

[selffound]

ARRIVAL.

[ Historia doesn’t understand what’s going on.

One moment, she’d been reaching towards her own reflection in the surface of the water… and the next she’d been pulled inside without warning, ending up... here.

It’s been more than a few minutes since, so she’s over the initial panic and bewilderment at something so seemingly impossible happening. But those feelings have just been replaced with a sense of dread - a sinking feeling in her stomach that only seems to get worse with each passing minute.

Because she doesn’t know how to get home. Back to Paradis, where the people she cares about are waiting. They still need her, she still needs them, and she’s there’s so much more that she wants to do, there!

Of course, she’d tried to go back through the mirror, but had no success. Her next thought had been to break it, but she’d eventually decided against that – after all, if the mirror was really how she’d entered this place, destroying it might mean destroying her only shot at going home. The other mirrors were just as solid, so that left…

Well. Wandering around, trying to figure out just what this place exactly was. So that’s what she’s doing now.

She hadn’t been ready to bump into someone else so soon, though. She whirls around with a surprised expression on her face- ]

Ah!

THE WELCOME PARTY!

So that’s it, then?

Historia’s just – what, meant to accept all of that? There’s so much information she’s learnt in such a short time it makes her head spin. And more than anything… she feels alone.

It’s funny. Ever since becoming the Queen, she’s had less and less opportunities to spend time with her friends… yet she’s never felt quite as lonely as she does now. She supposes it’s because usually, at least she knew that they were still there. This time, she doesn’t know if she’ll get to see them again.

It’s a thought that makes her shiver. …So she tries not to imagine the worst-case scenario.

There’s a part of her, honestly, that’s fascinated by all of this. So that’s the part she tries to focus on, as she looks around the sea of unfamiliar faces and people looking just as confused as she is. At least she isn’t the only one. There’s a lot she has to catch up on… ]

I can’t believe they’re expecting us to just accept it, though…

[ she mutters to herself, unaware that there’s someone listening. ]

WILDCARD

[ Feel free to throw something at me if you'd like! You can PM me or get in touch with me at Rivenix if you'd like to plot anything, too! ]

wildcard? slight AoT spoilers

[stopfen]

[Okay, Mikasa wasn't much of a reader. She preferred to keep moving. That reading the strange letters of this place when they weren't enchanted to translate hadn't been a priority. Not when so many locals couldn't read themselves.

Then she'd brought those seeds, planted them into the community gardens. And those veggies had literally grown legs and ran off.

Which was why she was currently running with a horrible thing. A giant pumpkin that she'd had to wrap her arms around as it wiggled it's round body, the cat part of the creature making it as much of a pain in the butt as possible. Because it lunges, trying to rub it's head against the fae. Except it's skin was a lot harder than a cat's. It earns a grunt from the fae as she moved to hold it at arms length. Excuse me cat-kin?

Then she blinks spotting an oddly familiar girl behind the leaves and Mikasa stills. Black eyes narrowing to squint, was that? ]

Huh?

[That 100% looked like Historia. But from...awhile back. But Jean had mentioned being from a different time hadn't he? And there was the captain who was a lot less dead than she'd expected. That doesn't stop the fae from questioning it, and wondering if she could be recognised anymore? ]

[selffound]

[ As Mikasa’s gaze meets hers, Historia has to do a double take at the strange sight before her. After all, the person standing there doesn’t look human at all, in a way that Historia’s never seen before. And for some reason they’re just… staring at her? To be honest, it’s quite unnerving. What’s in the stranger’s arms is even stranger – some kind of cat… pumpkin? A cat in a pumpkin? A pumpkin shaped like a cat? Historia can’t tell at all, but it only makes the situation more absurd. ]

Umm…

[ Historia doesn’t know what to say – this almost doesn’t quite feel real, but then again, nothing about this place really does. There’s something nagging at her, though. Even though she’s never seen the stranger standing in front of her before, there’s something- familiar? About her. Is it her face? It almost looks like…

Mikasa? Historia’s eyes widen a little as she makes the connection. But that can’t be right, right? Mikasa is a human being, and she’s back home at Paradis. It’s just… someone who looks like her, surely? ]

Is… something wrong?

[stopfen]

[The silence grows, as did the fae's eyes. Too large for a human. But the only indicator of her identity was the scar cutting through fae dust under her eye.

The cat pumpkin squirmed in her arms as she tensed, giving it a slight squeeze. Being a plant it did care. While it wiggled, Mikasa took a breath.]

... No. Nothings wrong. [That was true? For the time being at least. It was one thing talking to Eren about what was happening. And awkwardly hovering around Levi like nothing was wrong and he might not be dying. As for Historia...

She was in a very different state.

But finally, the pumpkat wiggled enough for Mikasa to sigh and loosen her grip.]

Historia? [She wasn't sure what else to do, maybe hope she was mistaken. But wasn't this place better than home?]

[selffound]

Huh?

[ This person knows her name?

Historia thinks once more about Mikasa. She recalls what she looks like, and brings an image of her to mind, comparing it with the figure of the familiar stranger in front of her. They look so different, and yet… when she spoke just now, her voice - it sounded like Mikasa speaking to her. And the scar is the same, too!

Historia doesn’t know what to say. She’s just… dumbfounded. ]

Mikasa? Is that… really you?

[stopfen]

[The scar was the same, highlighted even by the fairy dust around it. While there was a faint shimmer of the pattern on the left side of her face, that pattern had a clear cut around the scar on her right. Showing the difference in skin from where it had been torn.]

Yeah. It's me... I've been here a while. [She reached out lightly. Not to grab, but to show that chitin covered hand. With all it's easy to spot joints. Then her arm fell as she shrugged.]

Nine-Ten months now, but time is weird here. It's hard to explain. [Which is why she'd not mentioned it to Levi, unsure of how to tell him why she was older than he'd last seen her. Or bring up the topic of what was happening. There was so much, and it was complicated to the point that she couldn't find the words.] Did the people at the mirror house explain it to you?

[selffound]

That's-

[ Nine-Ten months? Surely Mikasa can't have been here that long? After all, if that was the case, she would've gone missing a long time ago, and Historia definitely would've noticed.

But Mikasa had just told her that time works weirdly here - whatever that means. And it makes just about as much sense as the rest of this place... ]

They did, but I wasn't sure how much to believe them. [ She's still a little worried that this is all some kind of incredibly bizarre kidnapping... But just as she says that, for the first time, Historia finally smiles. ]

Mikasa- it's so good to see you! I thought I was all alone here... What happened to you? Why do you look- like that?

[stopfen]

[Yeahhhh, Mikasa just silently left her to think it through. For the words to sink in. She'd been there. When she'd spoken to Eren and learnt he'd been here a year, when Jean had told her that he'd been from a few hours later than her and she'd not been missing.

But people didn't turn in house-sized lizards or grow extra limbs normally. Even the titans back home weren't that strange. There was also Levi, who was a lot more alive than Mikasa had expected given what Floch had said. Maybe it was a lie on Floch's part, or maybe time was just that strange.

But she took one more look, eyes scanning, antenna giving a flick at Historia. There was a difference. She was too thin for someone who was supposedly several months off giving birth...

Historia's smile isn't returned, only getting a slight tilt of the head.]

That's just another part of this place... I'm a monster.

[Because those lovely witches at the coven would have checked. As long as Historia didn't run off. But they'd have said if they could detect the magic that made a witch.]

wildcard!

[usurpers]

[ adapting to his punishment was almost an odd one— after destroying half a district over a sword (and a dangerous quarrel with another dragon), eren would have the pleasures of hosting a power draining cuff around his ankle. said cuff removed everything magical of him: his breath, his shift, and his strength, rendering him close to human for the next two months.

close only by ability, it seemed, because eren too had changed so much, the probability of immediately identifying him was a challenge, if you’re unused to scales and plenty of new appendages from top to bottom. the dragon is paying his debt: rebuilding the wreckage he’s caused, alone, by setting up housing frames with brand new wood slabs instead of the horridly splintered ones. he’s busy taking apart the damage, specifically, and leaving the designated space clean to truly start working.

it’s not until a wandering blond catches his eye, and absently he looks— until he double takes, three broken logs of wood in his arms as he did. ]

Re: wildcard!

[selffound]

[ Historia draws back in surprise at Eren’s sudden reaction, suddenly feeling a rush of embarrassment run through her. Had he noticed that she’d been staring?

She couldn’t help it… she’s never seen someone with scales and a tail before - it was only natural to stare a little. But now that he’s turned to face her fully… there’s something that looks awfully familiar about him. It’s hard to say why, though. ]

Are you okay?

[ She finds herself asking out of instinct, somewhat nervous. ]

[usurpers]

[ the startled flash across his eyes is hard to soothe now that they were here, face to face with eren more than a foot taller than the height she possibly last saw him at. he sees the burn of embarrassment on her ears and the lack of full realization, well . . . there’s something deep down that stung, but something else that was far more understanding. ]

Historia, [ he says, in a voice that matched the blue of his eyes, ] it’s me.

[selffound]

[ Even as she hears his voice, it’s still hard to recognize him for a moment. But when she does, Historia’s eyes widen in shock as it clicks in her mind.

But that can’t be, right? If Eren was brought to this place with her, then… why does he look so different? Yet his features are so familiar, and deep down... Historia knows without a doubt that it’s him. ]

Eren?

[usurpers]

[ oh, it’s been. so damn long. it’s been long since he last saw her, since he left, since he arrived here and grew and changed for more than his physical features could show. he didn’t know when historia had come from, but the bubbling in his chest only strained into a sting when he held back.

he’s learned not to do that so much; so eren kneels to her height, still so disastrously tall even crouched, leaves behind community service in a blink to embrace her. he hasn’t done this with any of them, but eren knows he has the chance to, here. he’ll take it. ]

[selffound]

[ For a moment, Historia's still stunned. But then, she returns the embrace, holding onto him tightly, and allowing a slight smile to sneak it's way onto her face.

It's so good to see him. She's missed Eren so much. Even before she arrived here, she hadn't been able to see him much after becoming Queen, and he's her closest friend - so just being able to see him like this makes her happy. She'd just been worrying that she'd never see him again, but... now they can figure this all out together.

She hugs him for a moment longer - drinking it in as much as she can. For Historia, all through her life, affection like this has been just out of reach, so is it any wonder that she'd cling onto it so strongly?

Eventually, she pulls back, and smiles. ]

I'm so glad to see you, Eren.

this is SO LATE i'm sorry i'm a hack (arrival!)

[dirtdevil]

[ if there's one thing that will usually catch him off-guard when he's just walking down the street, it's bumping into someone shorter than him. sure, actual children exist, but they're usually with their (much taller) parents, and thus still easy enough to avoid. naturally, his first reaction when someone does bump into him is irritation, but he does have some manners—at least to the extent that he'll spare a glance back over his shoulder and a half-assed muttered apology to whatever wayward child he just—

...oh. that's not a child at all, is it? holy shit. after a brief moment of mild surprise, he nods at Historia in deference. ]

Your Majesty.

[ with his usual level of enthusiasm, which is... admittedly low. don't take it personally. ]

no worries!! here's my super late reply otl ^^;;

[selffound]

C-Captain Levi?

[ There's a shocked expression on Historia's face as she looks up at Levi. It's not like she has to call him Captain anymore, but it's an old habit that's not likely to go away any time soon. ]

What are you doing here? How long have you been here?

[ After all, she hadn't seen him among the new arrivals at all... ]