May Event and Intro Log

[magicademymods]

May Event and Intro Log DAWN OF THE FIRST DAY May I Have This Dance? Though Diatu Magicademy has its share of social events, few capture the attention of the student body quite like the Twilight Ball -- that magical once-a-year dance that crosses the change of day into night and is given over entirely to the dance itself. The focus is not on political visitors, rival schools, local government, or hitting up alumni for money; it is entirely about the pleasure that comes from accompanying a charming and attractive person onto the dance floor and cutting the proverbial rug. It is entirely possible the Twilight Ball is beloved because the general student body is aggressively amorous, but no one admits that out loud. With the dance on the horizon, the mission of the day becomes finding a partner -- or asking the prettiest or nicest or most tsundere to the ball before anyone else does. The Sundered are particularly popular by virtue of being new, so students may find themselves fending off invitations or even crowds of people interested in being seen on their arms. Even the younger Sundered have a few people in their age group who'd like to pretend they're just as adult as the older students. To avoid the mob, one strategy is to find someone else in dire straits and agree to be their date, thus giving both of you protection now and then. Another, stranger, vastly more unorthodox strategy is to actually ask someone out legitimately... if you've got the guts. (The third strategy is to go with Headmaster Birony, who has been occasionally heard to bemoan loudly and publicly that she has nobody, HINT HINT. But who could possibly be THAT desperate?) Love Is In The Water Love potions are absolutely, positively, one hundred percent forbidden, on the grounds they tread far too close to the supremely black Curriculum of Dictation. This ultimate and unforgiving ban is every bit as effective as Anastara's rules limiting the speed of carts in the street to a horse's walk. So, yes, there's love potion in the water. Someone spilled an entire bucket in the river. These things happen. Luckily, as diluted as it is, the potion doesn't reach the levels of obsessive compulsion that the worst of them can; a person drinking a unfortunate draught instead simply finds themselves attracted in a weird and sharp sort of way to the first person they lay their eyes on, for a period of about thirty minutes. Diatu Magicademy is an inclusive and progressive institution, and consequently these potions affect and can target all manner of beings, from ducks and wolf-shifters to robots and dragons. They are pretty convenient about failing to bring about really skeevy pairings, though, so don't worry about being Hot For Professor. Special Delivery (aka the Least Embarrassing Prompt, which is a sad state of affairs) A quick, easy, profitable way to make some money this time of year is by delivering messages, packages, parcels, and treats to students who've caught the eye of another. Whether anonymous or gloriously identified, small token of esteem or bristling bundles of roses and chocolates, the population of the Magicademy takes particular delight in letting others know their feelings. Not always positive feelings, either -- glitter-bomb rejections have only recently begun to diminish in popularity, being replaced by Pie-To-The-Face spells. An enterprising student who adds their own spin to this hallowed ceremony of delivery can make bank; singing and performance are popular ways to enhance a message among Valhudor students, and a recent trend finds quartets delivering acapella harmonies to the recipients of love notes. But simple note hauling can still be worth your while... so long as you don't find yourself delivering a creepy confession from a weirdo to one of your dear friends. What are the odds of that happening, though? Research On the Sundered With the arrival of the Sundered come those wizards engaged in research on their presence here, now set to investigate what brought them here and how to get them home. All newly-arrived Sundered students are asked to meet with representatives of the research team, to introduce themselves and relate what they will of their homes. In addition, the team requests samples of blood, hair, and skin -- carefully magically collected, and the researchers will sign in the presence of the Sundered a Glyphed contract that forbids them from using the samples for a purpose they know will be harmful. (They quite understand your reasons to be suspicious of this collection! And they will not compel anyone who refuses even given these conditions.) This month, however, the research team informs its applicants that there is no magic being performed. Instead, they ask you to participate in partnered interviews, in which two Sundered compare their worlds and ask each other questions while the researchers take notes. They explain that they wish to find commonalities and differences between worlds, in the hopes that this will help them identify a larger pattern in how the Sundered were brought here. How is this bad enough to merit earning a reward this month? As it happens, the researchers who sit with the pair have an Intimation Crystal, which shines red every time someone speaks to deceive in its presence. Lie or omit information or cover with half-truths and the interviewer will ask you to go back and try again -- and they encourage you to speak on everything you can. You might end up venturing into dark or unpleasant territory in these interviews... DAWN OF THE SECOND DAY Welp, This Happened A quiet weekend morning is abruptly quiet no longer. With a tumultuous shuddering and an eerie, whistling roar, the first tendril of a far mightier being surges out of a wall on campus, venturing into the cloud-shadowed outdoors for the first time in its existence in this plane. Then, like a cloak shrugged off, the outbuilding it emerged from rises up only to crash to the ground as the Sundered creature rises up to claim it glory. It is a nightmare, a horror. A terrible, indescribable thing as large as a small building —a shapeless agglutination of protoplasmic bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes forming and un-forming as pustules of light. For some inexplicable reason, it is colored in bands of purple, black, and gold, and several parts of it sprout white feathers. That's the bad news. The bad news is that this existential threat to reality does not go unnoticed, nor unchallenged. Mere moment after the Sundered creature makes it presence known, a cold wind begins to blow. The temperature abruptly drops thirty degrees, leaving those around in a clammy and miserable chill that feels like they've passed their whole body through one of the ghosts of Makerion Keep. This estimation is not too far wrong, for the pale off-white dragon that emerges from the clouds above is translucent and ethereal, save for the shining eyes of coldest blue that fix on the beast like pinpoints of fire. What a ghost dragon is doing here is anyone's guess, but when it opens its jaw to unleash a withering cone of necrotic energy at the Sundered creature, it demonstrates plainly that it will not brook this interloper on its domain. In other words, Diatu Magicademy is now home to a kaiju fight. That's the bad news. The BAD news is that both these creatures are, by their very nature, incredibly resistant to magic. So even as the professors spill out and split duties of getting students to safety and fending them off, the two beasts barely notice the arcane energy flashing through the air as they begin vigorously brawling. Thank goodness this is a weekend, or else you'd all have some serious trouble getting to class on time. Wonders Await? Diatu Magicademy is open to you in all its glory. But maybe you should deal with that mess first? We're just saying.

Comments

[bearshermark]

[He nods. The students here do seem to be aeound their age or a little older for the most part.

A hand goes up to touch the pommel of his sword. He's worn it almost everywhere since arrivig and it's never far from his reach. He's even needed it under a few different circumstances]

..I guess, if it isn't allowed. It's just that unexpected things happen here a lot. But I'm getting faster, thanks to you, so maybe it will be all right for a night.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

I don't know, you could always bring it and hide it somewhere, I guess...but I'd be worried that someone else would take it. [Which would be...really bad. No, Isabel doesn't want to think of that.]

I mean, I'll still have my bracelet, but I'm kind of hoping it'd be a quiet night...as these things go, you know?

[But considering where they are, she doubts it.]

[bearshermark]

[He shrugs, because he doesn't know, and glances to her wrist]

Between that and the bit of defensive magic I know, I think we'll be all right. [He smiles suddenly, a bit wry] I don't think Hendrik will be happy if he doesn't have anything to defend me with should something happen.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

[Isabel clicked her tongue against her cheek, then shook her head.] Papa HenHen ought to remember that I am a weapon, not even bragging. He might've gotten me when we sparred, but I expected that, he's got years of training on me!

[Otherwise she might be feeling just a bit of shame, there. But now she isn't.]

Anyway, it's not like I haven't been learning to shorten my dresses since I was little, so I could fight in them, but my plan was to wear a dress short enough that I wouldn't need to worry about that. And sensible shoes!

[bearshermark]

[Eleven stared. Papa HenHen? He wasn't sure if he was more mortified or amused by the chosen nickname. He wondered what Hendrik would think of it if he heard it, though part of him hoped he never heard]

It's not that I want anyone's protection, but he takes his role pretty seriously. He'll probably cause a fuss if he isn't allowed a weapon.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

[Isabel just sort of grinned, then. She partly did it for the shock value. She probably wouldn't call Hendrik 'Papa' to his face...but the HenHen is assured, inevitable as a glacier's grind to the sea.]

Oh, I know. I hope he does get to come to the dance, besides just keeping an eye on you. He could use a chance to lighten up. And I mean that nicely. I know he thinks you're his full time job and school's just a hobby.

[bearshermark]

[His smile complicates a bit at that. It's starting to feel a little dishonest after spending so much time together and now agreeing to be her date to the ball that he's keeping so much from her. It's one reason he hasn't asked many questions about her life yet.

He wonders what she thinks he is, to have a knight sworn to his service.]

Yes, I hope so as well. It hasn't been easy on him lately. I hope he finds someone to go with. ..I almost wish I could order him to have fun sometimes.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Would he listen?? [Isabel laughs at that. She hasn't thought about it too much, really. That sort of thing isn't incredibly common where she's from, but even Isabel has had a bodyguard or two on Earth when she visits--simply because she's a minor celebrity.]

I mean, he's so damn serious. I get that whatever's going on between you guys is probably important, and I don't really wanna pry, but...

[She shakes her head at that.] Just makes me wonder if you're in some kind of trouble, I guess.

[bearshermark]

[His eyes drop to the floor, weight shifting a bit]

I'm not, here, but it's just important that I live to return to my world so he's a little... insistent.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

...so you are back home, huh? [Isabel frowns a little at that.]

You don't have to tell me about it...especially not now, but I mean...[This is awkward, damn it. That might explain a couple things she's noticed about him, though.]

If you can, or want to sometime, I'll listen. [She shrugs. It's gotta be big to him, even if it means nothing to her. Other than being a shoulder to lean on, that is. That means something to her, at least.]

[bearshermark]

[Eleven stares at her, heart thrumming in his throat. His nerves keep him from smiling, but his expression softens]

Thank you. I-It's not that I want to hide things, it's just that.. it's a lot and.. well, I'm not proud of it.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

[Isabel stared back at him for a moment, one brow twitching slightly. Then she giggled, just a bit.]

That was like...the last thing I'd ever think of you, Eleven! You, hiding things? Pffft!

[But then she waves a hand, because he's serious about all of it, and she doesn't want him to think she's blowing all that off, or worse, trying to make a joke out of it.]

Yeah, I think I understand. So don't worry about it. We've all done shit we'd rather not talk about at some time or another. Just saying that if you ever feel up to it, you can tell me. If that's "never", that's okay too.

[bearshermark]

[He nods and wonders if he really seems to be an honest person. He supposes he is, it's just that now there's a part of himself he doesn't want to talk about.]

I appreciate it. I hope there's a day I can talk about it easily. ..Did you still want to go look for outfits?

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Sure, if you feel up to it, and it won't exhaust you if HenHen comes after you later? I'm game.

[You might not be so flippant and quick with that nickname if the man were here, Isabel.]

Somehow I don't think darker colors are meant for you. I mean, you can pull them off, but they just don't seem...right. Am I making any sense?

[bearshermark]

Eleven glanced down at himself, but his robes were in shades of blue. He did wear a dark shirt for running and training. Belatedly, it occured to him that she was talking about the sort of colors they should consider wearing.

"Oh," he said, head tipping. "..I think it does." Mordegon wore dark colors. Eleven winced, banishing the demon from his mind. "...Light colors, then?"

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Yeah. Well, blue suits both of us, so we could just pick that, or go shopping and see if anything jumps out at us."

Isabel hadn't always worn designer clothes at home, but there was a part of her that despaired, just a little, at what they might find in the stalls of Anastara's merchant district. She wasn't that handy with a needle, and she didn't practice Modification magic...

"Okay, this might be selfish, but I just want us to look good, okay?" But she was laughing at her own pride, there.

[bearshermark]

Eleven nodded over a humored smile and spent a moment trying to envision her robes matching his own. She'd look a little softer in that color, perhaps. Not that the brighter, louder colors of Valhudor didn't suit her as well.

"Then I'll look for something blue to wear. I think I know someone I can ask to make sure I end up looking as nice as I can."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"I trust you!" Isabel laughed. He'd looked just fine every other time she'd seen him, after all. If he hadn't, Eleven probably would have stuck out like a sore thumb, and it hadn't been that that had made her notice him.

Well, it had been a pack of bullies, but that was beside the point. Isabel felt they would have run into each other eventually, even if it was just because they were both Sundered.

[bearshermark]

"Okay." He didn't really know how else to answer that, her trust feeling a touch misplaced.

His Mum and later Gemma had always made clothes for him, and he wore them without complaint. It was their hard work, after all. He guessed they had a good eye for things, but he'd never really developed a sense for it himself. He knew a few of his companions held a great dislike for his boots.

"S-so, I'll.. see you in the morning, then. Unless you're coming to spar with me and Hendrik today?"

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"It'll be fine. I'm less looking to be perfectly matched, and just be sort of color coded. I'd rather go and have fun, then hold you up to some impossible standard that I don't even actually have, you know?" Isabel couldn't help but chuckle at that.

But then she shook her head. "Can't tonight, I should study. I have a Physics exam tomorrow. I'm not too worried about it, but a little extra review can't go wrong. Maybe after classes tomorrow?"

Plus she sort of wanted to give Eleven room to breathe, after all this.

[bearshermark]

Eleven's smile stretched a little. Though he would be happy to have her along, there was a small part of him that was relieved.

"Okay. We'll see you tomorrow, then. Good luck with your exam."

It was still difficult to believe that he had a date, and he didn't have any idea what that meant.