Event Log: May

[moustre]

Event Log: May, Moving Day

I. GATHERING The morning of the 15th is heralded by the sing-song voice of The Coven's coimeadai sidhe Nerissa Bell ringing through the hallways, seemingly unimpeded by the heavy doors or any silencing spells that have been placed in rooms. She asks that all those who arrived at the beginning of the month - not the new inductees, the ones from The Looking-Glass House - gather in The Coven's main room; she has some exciting and important news to deliver. Once everyone is gathered, Nessie (very much a morning person, and sorry to the anyone who isn't) grins and lays a hand on her chest. "Thanks to a good bit of your lot, we've managed to get things ready in record time - aye, I should start out with what I'm talking about, aren't I? Well, well - with the Parliament's permission, thank goodness for my Mhairi's sharp wit, we've managed to get a space for all you to live in outside of The Coven. You can still come and attend classes or talk to all of us, 'course, but everyone's been getting a bit itchy with such suddenly crowded quarters, aye?" Aye aye, calls some poor, tired student from the second floor as they pass through, and Nessie pauses with a slow blink before she laughs, shaking her head. "Anyway, gather your things if you have any and follow me. Or us," she corrects herself, as a few other Witches seem to materialize from nowhere. "Can't be out without a couple of friends, I suppose." As soon as everyone's ready, Nessie and her entourage lead them out of the courtyard, aglow with fresh flowers and the soft light of dawn peeking between the clouds. The spot they've managed to get isn't too far from The Coven proper, and it doesn't look much different than the rest of the Aristocratic District that it resides in - the only thing that sets it apart is the sign Nessie takes a moment to conjure up and hang with balls of light between two streetlamps. The Haven. "Named so as a respite for all you refugees," she explains as she turns around; she sets her hands on her hips, gazing out at the crowd, and gives them a small smile. "I can't stay and chat right now - Mhairi's still with Parliament even with the hours, and I've got things to get in order at the Coven still - but if you have need of either of us, we'll be in contact. We've a little mailbox set up in front of the Coven just for you lot, so just drop us a letter or some such with one of our names or both, and we'll be right quick about answering, we will. Within reason," Nessie adds, laughing a little, "'course, within reason. Anyway, find some familiar faces and have a lovely time, will you?" With that, and a few more little goodbyes, Miss Nerissa Bell takes her leave; half of her Witches disappear with her, but the other half remain to help keep an eye on things as the day progresses and to help with directing people to either houses or the barracks set against the Wall. While there will be no NPC threads this time - sorry! - we have opened up an NPC Inbox! You can find it here. While they definitely prefer letters, they do both have watches now like cool moms and can be contacted through that as well, provided they aren't busy at the time.

II. 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 an 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. Some may be familiar with this portion of Aefenglom already, as they took on the task of helping to clean the area up. Surprise, one could say; they were preparing their own future homes, for their stay in the city. However, 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. Not everyone is so happy, however. A very vocal group of younger rich people are set on harassing and bullying those moving into The Haven, and they aren't afraid to use a little magic to do it. Levitation, fake fire, real fire, sudden weather shifts, and threats to do more if they don't find somewhere else to live are all present - these aristocrats don't care for the new people butting into their lives, especially anyone who looks distinctly non-human or already have signs of their Monster traits coming in. There are others, though, who are quite pleased to have new neighbors - many of them weren't so happy with their other ones - and have set up little stalls to peruse and tables to sit at to help foster them in. These have everything from food to flowers, to expensive-looking trinkets and jewelry on them - the people running them are quite amiable, especially closer to the Residential District proper, and don't mind handing these out for free... or mostly free. The only thing they'll ask of any characters wishing to procure something from their gifts is to perform a trick - sort of like a one-man talent show. They aren't picky, and as long as a character does their best, they'll give them a gift. (Or someone with quick fingers could just swipe them off, given how unprotected they are, but that person will find their hands turning red and leaving similarly-colored marks on everything they touch, as if dipped in paint.)

III. AND THEN THEY WERE ROOMMATES To help with filling up the larger houses - and even some of the smaller ones, and the shared rooms in the barracks - the Witches left over from Nessie's group have come together to set up a little roommate finding service that will run for the week. 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 similar kind of amplification magic that Miss Nessie used earlier in the morning for her own voice. It seems these Witches - or at least one of them - has a prankster nature... and unfortunately, it doesn't stop there. a. A LITTLE MISCHIEF While by and large the board will work as it should - a listing is filled out, put up, and read aloud for all to hear - for characters who aren't interested in doing some writing, or who can't for one reason or another, the board will take it upon itself to make one for them. It isn't going to be the most accurate at all, being either completely fictitious or based on a first impression from the board itself. This can range from "They have blue eyes, so you know they're a kind person!" to "How stand-offish, they must be a crook! A thief! A villain!" and anything in-between, including but not limited to: outrageous feats they may or may not have accomplished, poor hygiene habits, false accounts of incredibly embarrassing moments, and so on. b. A LITTLE HANDS-ON Not entirely content with just allowing people to write their preferences and call it a day, a few of the younger Witches have begun magicking small chocolates, hard candies, and bubble gum, and handing them out to new arrivals as a welcome treat. These aren't any ordinary treats though - they have one of three of effects: • Sticky fingers, meaning characters will stick to anyone or anything they touch. • Truthfulness, meaning characters will say whatever they're really thinking or feeling at the moment. • Desire for company, meaning characters will gravitate immediately to the first person they see, regardless of their feelings on them otherwise. Thankfully, none of these last long - only about ten minutes, and they can't be combined with each other; eating one candy with one effect will simply replace any other effects... Which might be for the better. The subthread for this can be found HERE, while any ones that are made up by the board itself can be simply written into your top levels or replies to other people. Have fun with it, and good luck finding some housemates!

Welcome to the midmonth event 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. As ever, 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

making me pull out all these good painful icons right out the gate, I see

[interlucere]

[ In many ways, coming here feels like she's been given a second chance to live the life she dreamed of for years. She could be accepted here; she wouldn't need to hide her light from anyone. But living so long in the shadow of obligation, and being treated a certain way due to her birthright, her reluctance isn't unfounded. Lux worries, and will likely continue to worry. For once, she wants her actions to speak for her—not a name or a title.

Because honestly? She's never experienced that before, and she wants to desperately.

She expects a shift in tone, so when he sighs, she presses her lips together in silent resignation. But instead of falling over himself to adapt to this new information, he says something very unexpected, and at first Lux isn't sure what to make of it. She turns toward him, listening as his story evolves and she quietly realizes—

It's the same. The details differ, but what he's explaining... it's the same sort of situation. Standing there in silence, she looks away as a quietly wistful smile tugs at the corners of her lips. ]

That must have been difficult for you.

[ She pauses, the dust settling on her words as she considers... ]

When my father was assigned a position in Demacia City, my mother and I stayed in High Silvermere. [ "She didn't want people knowing what I was." ] We would see him and my brother during Snowdown every year, but there was always something going on. Social obligations, meeting with diplomats, galas...

[ So much for keeping her status under wraps, but the cat was already out of the bag now. Lux sighs, looking up quietly. ]

Did you see them often? Your parents.

I'm a king at feels chicken

[socials]

[ Conversely, Aefenglom is... just another place for Souji, but one that he's going to face with the promise of never going back to the way things were before Inaba. He's always just been another person to come and go, one that was polite and well-mannered but distant, never really connecting with people. A mask for every occasion, a curt smile for anyone that tried to befriend him.

He doesn't have the shadow of obligation hanging over him, but he does have a void that threatens to open back up again after his time with his friends and family had helped to close it. Traveling from place to place, never staying somewhere too long... it's lonely.

That, that he understands. And Souji offers that understanding to Lux readily, offering a bond different from the ones that the Coven spoke of, but no less powerful. ]

It was, for a while. [ But he listens to her story, and a sadness pulls at the corners of his smile, reaching his eyes. The understanding doesn't leave. ] It's always something, isn't it?

[ And that leads into her question, and his subsequent answer. ]

No. [ The answer is immediate, and a little melancholy, but he still smiles. ] No, I didn't. When I arrived here, in the Looking-Glass House, I'd been leaving a small town that my uncle and cousin lived in, where I'd been staying with them for a year. My parents were going overseas. They couldn't take me. Seemed reasonable to stay with my mother's brother.

it's fine heck me up fam

[interlucere]

[ And that is where they differ vastly. Where Souji has the support of friends back home, this is something that Lux has always lacked. Keeping people at arm's length, adjusting to become what others need her to be, it's become something so natural that she doesn't need to think about it. So to see a look that she's no doubt worn herself mirrored back feels almost out-of-body to her. It's painful to witness first-hand. This is the first time she's met someone who might understand the shape of loneliness that molds her inner self, and that thought scares her a bit. But at the same time... she wonders if it would be all right to put that tired, porcelain smile away, just this once.

Lux listens intently, the corners her lips still pulled upward just so. It isn't fair, and she can't help but feel a budding sense of anger directed at people she would never meet. She knows why they would make that sort of arrangement for him. But to force someone who seemed so bright, so welcoming and warm to feel like he doesn't matter—and yes, in her eyes that is exactly what his parents were doing—makes her blood boil. If anyone would know what that feels like, how powerless and worthless one can come to believe they are because of that, it would be her. He might not come out and say it, but she can only assume that the reason he was leaving that small town was because his parents asked him to come back, and that he felt obligated to return.

Then this was just another transition. Another place where he would feel alone again... wasn't it? A place for smiles like the one that he wears now, and that thought breaks her heart.

Turning away from him briefly, she picks up the bag of tarts on the table before opening it. Quietly, she offers it out to him. These were meant to be shared, weren't they? And if they're already sharing... ]

Just because something is reasonable doesn't make it fair or right. I think it's easy to forget that sometimes.

[ Lux isn't one to believe in fate or destiny; she doesn't want to. But maybe there is a reason the both of them are here. Two souls who smile even when they want to cry (especially when they want to cry), who will never admit with words how terribly lonely and helpless they feel at times. ]

What would you have done, if you had the choice? Would you still be leaving?

HERE WE GOOO

[socials]

[ When he'd first gotten Izanagi, and then each and every subsequent Persona after as they'd fought to reach Yukiko, Souji found it a little funny. It was a sardonic humor, as he gained new masks to wear as the Wild Card, shuffling through cards as the situation dictated, a mask for every occasion. It was the same as the smiles and tightly secured masks he wore for people - new "friends" at school, the teachers who called him diligent and well-mannered, even his parents.

And then, at the end, he'd thrown away the final mask as he'd seen the truth as it was. Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko. Kanji, Rise, Naoto. Nanako, Dojima. Each and every single friend he'd made in Inaba had shaped him into who he was, the real person he was, and he would never forget that. A lonely child given the chance to be somebody, his own person, instead of what people expected, or what was easiest to move on after a year, half a year, a few months.

Looking back on it, he doesn't know who he was. If he was really even somebody beyond a mask. He doesn't really know his parents, either. Hardworking, certainly. And they do love him, in a distant way.

Souji thinks about it, and looks at Lux as she gives him the same melancholy back in her expression, that quiet hurt of loneliness that they try to hide, and... he knows that he'll do anything to prevent her from feeling that way while she's here, while he's here. It reminds him of himself, of his friends, his cousin turned sister - and he won't stand for it. Someone so obviously bright, so curious and friendly, truly deserves better than isolation.

When she offers him the pastries, he reaches in, taking out two. Yes, they're meant to be shared - he offers her one of them, his smile warmer at the corners. It reaches his eyes. ]

I think it's easy for anyone to forget that. To think that they have an obligation or duty to it as a norm, when they spend so long in that position, or one like it.

[ Souji believes that things happen with purpose, but also by chance. He wouldn't have shaken hands at the start of his journey only to find himself here if that weren't the case. ]

I would have stayed. My cousin became my sister, and my uncle treated me more like a son that I'd ever actually known. I wouldn't have been leaving my friends. [ His gaze drops to pick at his tart for a moment, contemplative. ] But I would have still come here, if it meant that I would be going back to Inaba afterwards.

[ His eyes flick up from under his fringe. ]

What would you choose? Would you have stayed, or left, if given the chance?

straps in

[interlucere]

[ This is how it's always been. Wanting desperately to shine for the sake of others, as a testament to her own existence. Bright like a lighthouse in the dark of night—warm and grounding, but distant and untouchable as well. That is how it's always been. After all, it's easy to hide loneliness behind a gentle smile and a helping hand. If she's lucky, she might even forget that the same people who willingly accept her aid would never accept her.

Because even beyond her upbringing, beyond the years of grooming and constant reminders of what her role in society is, Lux knows that she will never fit into that mold. Even the place she has desperately carved out for herself as a light for the people of Demacia, as transient as it is, still feels wrong most of the time.

A flickery smile pulls as the corners of her lips as she takes the tart, discarding the bag on the table next to them. This is the closest that Lux has come to feeling understood in any capacity, and while she isn't quite sure what to do with this, she doesn't want to get it wrong. Her mind is still working through ways to solve his problems. Hers shouldn't matter. They never matter to others.

Which is how Souji manages to catch her by surprise—even if it isn't immediately apparent. She stares at him, the edges of the quiet smile she frequently wears seeming to slip. For once, she doesn't have a poised answer practiced and ready. Because that question is much more precarious and difficult than he likely realizes.

Taking her turn to look down, Lux hesitates. They've only just met, and she can't ignore the similarities, but it would be dangerous to let her guard down. She could count the moments in her life when she did on one hand, and considering how that was met with an ultimatum rather than understanding... ]

...I don't get to make that decision.

[ It may seem like a non-answer, but is more of a confession than she would normally make. But that isn't enough, is it? Quietly plucking a piece of fruit from the top of her tart, she keeps her gaze fixed downward. ]

I wouldn't know what to do if I could. Where would I go if I left? And what would I do if I stayed? I don't know anything or anywhere else, except for what I've read about in books.

[ Looking up again, Lux makes another attempt at a smile. But it's worn, like something that has been put on hastily before and doesn't quite fit. ]

But I doubt I'll ever have the chance to find out. Miss Nerissa and the Coven will find a way to get us back to our respective worlds soon, I'm sure.

oof

[socials]

[ I don't get to make that decision.

A family that has responsibilities, that has put responsibilities on their daughter's shoulders. It sounds like they're a family that holds a high position - a staff, multiple homes, diplomats, galas - and he's certain that isolation was something that rested heavy on her shoulders as well because of it.

Souji's parents are business people, certainly, and not something like dignitaries or even maybe royalty, but he can see the similarities. The functions his parents went to, whether he could go or not. The constant moves. The lonely nights because they were held up with business, with some meeting, with a party they were invited to by the management of the building they were working out of at the time.

Her hesitation speaks enough to him than anything else could, coupled with the way her smile starts to fall at the edges. He knows the look, and the sensation that comes with it, the emotion that causes the floor to drop out from underneath you. It isn't guarded, but it is careful. It's better to protect yourself from the hurt that way, isn't it? ]

We'll be able to go home. They're working as best they can to at least find us an answer. [ He agrees, of course. Souji has a family to go back, to friends, the same as Lux certainly must. But - ]

But you get a chance, now, to explore a world like the ones in the books. Maybe we won't be staying here for long, and maybe we're all going to go back home to different worlds, but it's still... [ mm ] It's a chance you'd never have back home, to be able to choose what you want to do. Choose what you want to learn, to see, and who you want to spend your time with and get to know.

And I think that opportunity can be something that will change your life, all for the better. No matter what challenges we face, or what happens; it's something that will make us better people, and give us friendships that we'll never forget.

[interlucere]

[ If he wants to know her family's position in society, he need only look at their name. Crownguard—the crown's guard. For as long as the Lightshields have and will be in power, the Crownguard family will ensure their safety, and protect those under their rule. But where it will always be her father's (and eventually her brother's) duty to stand at the right hand of the throne, her role is much different. Lux has been able to carve out her own purpose, but it is a transient arrangement. Eventually she would be expected to take over running the estate; hers, or whoever she is to marry.

It isn't fair, but this is the world she was born into. A lonely world that would never fully accept her for what she is and wants to be, but she can't bring herself to leave behind. That isn't her decision to make. Existing in a world where she could be understood, where she could leave that impossible weight of duty and obligation behind, even if it is temporary... hurts. It reminds her of wishes she made as a child, in the bleak darkness of night.

Why couldn't I have been born somewhere else? Somewhere that I could be accepted and loved for who I am?

As Souji begins to answer, Lux nods politely, ready to steer their conversation away to something more mundane, something less personal. But he continues to speak, and the glimmer of a smile she's carefully constructed slowly starts to slip. He holds her captive with those heartfelt words, so simple but almost impossibly warm and bright that she doesn't dare move to look away. She doesn't know what to do but to listen, because honestly? His words feel more genuine and heartfelt than those she would hear back home. He hardly knows her, and there is a part of her that questions whether he would feel the same way if he could see who she really is. But for now... ]

You make it sound like we're in some sort of fairy tale.

[ It feels too impossible for her to believe, but she wants to so desperately. And a part of her wants to believe in him as well, to call him a friend and stand by his side while they're still here. Someone so impossibly warm and bright should never have to feel so lonely. Lux can't let that happen.

Lux pauses, before a small smile catches in her eyes, genuine and quietly incandescent. ]

But if it is, then I suppose neither of us need to hold ourselves back from trying to find what makes us happy while we're here.

[socials]

[ Souji dips his head with a laugh, almost sheepish but not entirely embarrassed by or ashamed of his words. Because it holds true - it barely took any time at all for him to realize that he had the chance to forge lasting bonds with the people of Inaba. Even if he never went back (impossible) (as if he could ever stay away from his found family) they would be an important part of who he was.

But he could've chosen isolation. It was just another year, after all, and then he would be leaving again. He could've kept his distance, could have just accepted that it would've been pointless to get to know anyone truly. It would've been the safer option, probably, where he'd just offered them a mask of himself, instead of the real thing. Obligation and ease, just going through the motions until his parents sent for him to join them again.

It's not the same as protecting a royal family. It's not the same as having this preordained fate just based on who he is, who he was born as, where he was born. But loneliness and obligation are the same weight, no matter the shape they take. ]

We were all Alice, coming through the looking glass.

[ From what little they know of each other, Souji has a feeling she won't know the reference. Still, he'd be happy to explain it, the same as he'd be happy to explain everything else she could ever ask. Especially if he could make her smile like this all the time - maybe even bigger and brighter than this, in a way that would truly make her light up. ]

I think what would make me happy, [ His words come easily, as he looks back up at her, smile causing his eyes to crinkle a little. It brightens his face, just as genuine in return. ] Would be the two of us becoming friends while we're here, Lux.

whistles

[interlucere]

[ If Lux had the same opportunity as him, to leave a year surrounded by people who wanted nothing more than to be around her, where she could feel comfortable to let that porcelain doll smile of hers fall away, she might feel the same way. Perhaps Souji is right—what if this was a chance for her to feel like a normal person, to let people in beyond arm's length and be herself? It feels too good to be true, and surely he won't blame her for doubting that that could ever be the case.

There are so many things he doesn't know. He wouldn't say all of that if he saw who she was. There was a smile for every occasion, meticulously picked and worn with grace, so for him to see what was truly behind that... Could she let him?

Would he still smile like that if he knew? It's disarming and warm, and as much as it draws her in, genuinely warm and disarming, Lux can't help but doubt herself. This is uncharted territory, and even without map to tell her what to expect, she knows she's at a crossroads. The first of many, no doubt.

He wants to be friends. He doesn't know the truth about her, but he wants to be friends. Can she, can they..? ]

You make it hard to say no.

[ Ah, that's too non-committal, and realizing that as soon as the words tumble out, her expression turns somewhat meek. Uncertain. She isn't used to wearing something like this out in the open. Instinct tells her to bury it; but she forces that feeling down.

It's a new world, a chance to decide things for herself, and she doesn't want to get it wrong. Looking back up at him, she still seems unsure, but there's a quiet resolve shining just under the surface. ]

But I think that would make me happy too.

[ She could ask about the analogy later. After all, they're friends. There would be plenty of opportunities to ask—about that, and so many other things. ]