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

Love Is In The Water

[king_of_egypt]

"Oh- Eleven." Recognizing him from that last unfortunate bit of sundered research fallout. Atem was a bit relieved by the end of it, that the incident had been easily smoothed over. Eleven was a reasonable person who had calmly taken time to assess the situation. A lot of people could learn from that example, you know, if Atem was planning on sharing the tale which he wasn't.

"Afternoon." Nodding his greeting.

[bearshermark]

Eleven returned his nod with a shyer one of his own. He remembered meeting Atem- it was impossible not to. He'd also caught glimpses of him around the campus and between classes, but something about this encounter was different. He looked more toned, eyes brighter somehow. ..And maybe it was the light, but his skin looked warm.

He cleared his throat and shifted his weight, casting about for something to say. "How are your classes going?"

[king_of_egypt]

Their introduction certainly had been an unconventional one, Atem would have been surprised if it had been forgotten so swiftly. Conversely, this encounter seemed rather ordinary on the surface, so when Eleven started to act a little peculiarly it didn't go unnoticed. Was he always this nervous? It hadn't seemed so before. Perhaps, it was just because this was the first time they had spoken since then.

"Fine. No complaints so far, what about yours?" Trying to engage in the small talk. Maybe then the other boy would ease up and relax.

[bearshermark]

Did he always have such a nice voice, too? ..Yggdrasil above, but why was his heart fluttering like this?

"W-well, I think. Except in Discovery and Language. ..But I'm really making progress in Forging, and I finally learned a healing spell."

[king_of_egypt]

Little did he know the affect his voice was having on the other.

"Understandable. Both classes are similar in a way, and are likely the most foreign." His lips parted for to emit a light chuckle," Believe me- I have some experience with learning foreign languages, it can be difficult." It was more or less a requirement for his previous occupation in order to engage in diplomacy with neighboring nations. "Forging, hm?" Sounding genuinely impressed. It wasn't a subject he was taking but it sounded like a useful and practical skill to acquire. "If I ever find myself injured I know who to look for."

"I've been looking into Glyphics," Mentioned only because it's temporary effects could be similar to Forging so it might be a common subject they could share in.

[bearshermark]

One part of his brain was torn between admiring the cadence of his voice and finding other things attractive about Atem, while the other half panicked about it.

Suffice to say, Eleven was only hearing about every other word. But Glyphics caught his attention, if only because he often heard about it from students bemoaning their forging homework.

"That's temporary enchantment, right? More practical if you only need something to activate once.."

[king_of_egypt]

That was an understandable reaction for everything that Eleven was feeling, especially considered that he hadn't ever considered these attributes before. The fact that he was missing half of the conversation wasn't yet noticeable as Atem mercifully though accidentally chose a topic of mutual interest to settle on.

"Mm that's right." Debating whether to attempt describing the appeal that subject held for him. It was still strange being in a world without card games to easily reference. There was Fantastic Foils sure, but it didn't hold the widespread influence of Duel Monsters back in Domino. "I can see some strategic advantages involved in both subjects."

"So dies this mean, that perhaps you had occasion to craft items in your own world? Since this topic seems to come more easily to you than the others?"

[bearshermark]

Eleven warmed to the subject, doing his level best to focus on it, but prolonged eye contact proved particularly difficult for him to maintain.

"Yes.. I had a portable forge back home I worked on whenever we made camp to make new or improved armor and weapons for my companions. ...So I was excited to take it as a class here."

[king_of_egypt]

That was a fact that hadn't gone entirely unnoticed, but Atem made no comment about it.

"I had a feeling," Nodding to the admission. "That's certainly a great skill to have. Ha... I can't boast to be capable of something like that." Feeling a little sheepish when he thought about it. Every weapon he'd ever held, or armor he donned had been made for him so he didn't have that personal connection to the equipment. Sure, there were other tasks that he needed to attend to in his position but it was still something to be impressed with. "Perhaps, sometime you might show me what you are able to create here."

[bearshermark]

There were those flutters again, and he'd just managed to regain control over his face, too.

"...I'm working to finish two pieces now if you'd like to see them before I give them to their intended owners. And I think I'll start taking requests soon for practice if there's anything you'd like."

[king_of_egypt]

Atem wasn't trying to make this difficult for Eleven but it was happening unintentionally so.

"You have been using your time well," Adding some glowing praise into the mix. "It's only been... about 3 full months now and you've already started taking commissions. That is to be commended." Reaching out to give Eleven a friendly clap on the shoulder. "If it is not too much trouble, I would like to see them."

Eleven then as now seemed like a kind and gentle person- so why there might be an item or two Atem wouldn't mind acquiring for his own protection and the protection of his friends he certainly didn't wish to take advantage of Eleven's kindness. "When you do start taking requests, let me know and perhaps we can come up with something. I want to ensure that you will be paid a fair price for your work even if it's for practice." Plus it would give Atem time to think about what might be most needed here.

So millenium puzzle y/y

[bearshermark]

His brain short-circuited a moment, tongue freezing over a nod. His hand was warm, after all. The praise warms him from the inside out.

"..Okay," he managed to say after a moment. He cleared his throat, deciding that rambling was better than awkward silence. "Well uh, they're back at my dorm if you have the time. One is nearly done and just needs a touch more magic. It's not very decorative, but it'll be useful.."

It's totally a good time to spot it when they head to the dorm

[king_of_egypt]

There was an odd delay from Eleven, but again nothing that required mentioning. Perhaps he was just of a shier nature and the earlier conversation had only seemed easier because Atem's own nerves had been on edge then.

"Mm, I do. My next class isn't for a while yet." He looked in the direction of Eleven's dorm. "I am fairly certain that I still remember the way." Though with Eleven here it's not as if he needed to. "Is there anything you needed to do before we go?"

Casually moves it out of the way oh this idk

[bearshermark]

His heart beat a little faster and Eleven felt his ears burn, but he shook his head and lead the way back to the Eiather tower. He passed through the common room with a wave to a few other students, finding it a little easier to talk and keep a straight face as long as he wasn't looking at Atem directly.

"One of them was a request made a month or two ago that I'm finally just about finished with and the other is a gift I was inspired to make. I don't know how I'm going to explain it to him actually.."

He opened the door to his dorm, relieved to find his roommate wasn't in. In the daylight, Eleven's half of the room was neat and simplistic. He bent at the edge of his bed and pulled out a box from underneath it. From within it, he withdrew an odd gold pyramid on a chain and set it aside on his bedside stand without ceremony. Papers shuffled- roughly drawn designs if Atem peered closely- and two smaller, more slender boxes emerged onto the bed itself.

"It's just a katana and a dagger so far. I want to make armor too, but I haven't tried to make a piece yet.."

Lol! This strange object that appeared out of nothingness?

[king_of_egypt]

Atem followed along beside him, not realizing how uncomfortable it might have been for Eleven to invite him back to his room today. Spotting the other students in the common area, he also greeted them silently but politely recognizing some of them from shared classes, as he continued on.

"When the time comes, I'm sure you will find the right words." Trying to be encouraging. "Besides, there might not be much cause to explain it to a friend."

Once they were inside the room, Atem closed the door behind him. Not for any other reason than he had been the last to enter. Moving to the center of the room, he waited patiently for Eleven to retrieve the items. There was no way he could have predicted the shock that was in store for him. The first item that Eleven drew out was instantly recognizable as he discarded it on the side table with such ease. Atem's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped as it felt almost as if a bolt of lightning struck him. Muscles tensing and eyes trained on the puzzle, the papers and Eleven's projects were momentarily forgotten. "Where- did you get that?" While there were other Millennium Items that could produce more disastrous effects, the puzzle shouldn't be taken lightly. It's powers were still dark in nature and should be kept in the right hands. Not that he thought that Eleven had any ill intentions.

That puzzle should have returned to it's resting place with the other items. It should be laying it's dark past to rest- just as Atem should be carrying out his afterlife. The fact that it was here was alarming in a multitude of ways.

Shaking himself free of his stupor, he finally looked to the plans and items Eleven had forged. ".. I ... uh... I... " What were words at this point? ".. Everyone... has to start... some... where.." Eyes darting back to the puzzle. It's presence could only mean one thing, there was something the two of them were meant to accomplish in this world. Sorry, Eleven. Give him a few more moments to calm his nerves, and he will inspect your work closer.

Does it mean something? Idk idk

[bearshermark]

Atem's tone shifted Eleven's focus to his shocked expression and wide eyes. If it weren't just on the edge of alarming, he might have found it amusing (or quite possibly endearing?). He followed his fellow student's gaze to the golden object on his bedside stand and shrugged.

This time, he did find his stammering somewhat cute. What was wrong with him? A question for later, really.

"Oh, that? I don't know, actually. It appeared suddenly a few days ago. I think it's a magical artifact of some kind but I haven't had time to research it or ask around yet. ..Do you recognize it?"

It does to Atem anyway XD

[king_of_egypt]

The absence of concern in Eleven's responses indicated to Atem that perhaps it wasn't too late to secure the puzzle before anything could come of it. His words further solidified the assumption.

"Just appeared...?" Just like those night vision goggles that found their way into Atem's possession. "You.... could say that." Swallowing hard, and trying to compose himself. "I do." It was important to explain this properly, so he would be able to convince the other to just hand this ancient artifact over. Atem moved closer, to stand beside Eleven. He folded his arms tightly to his chest, before forcing himself to relax and dropping his arms to his sides.

"That artifact is called the Millennium Puzzle. It's from my world and yes it does possess magical properties." With his free hand he reached forward to cup Eleven's shoulder gazing a bit too intently into his eyes. "We have a long history together, and I hope you will understand that it's important that I am reunited with it. So, please may I have it back? I can answer any questions you may have."

Crying laughing and almost sorry but not

[bearshermark]

Eleven stared, almost transfixed. His heartbeat echoed through his ears.

We have a long history together.

But they didn't, his brain slowly corrected until it finally snapped to the right meaning. The artifact. He had a long history with the artifact, not him. By the Goddess.

He flushed scarlet, stammering. "I- I- if it's important to you. Sorry, I didn't- I mean, I don't need it for anything. So it's fine, you can.."

Ha ha well I will feel bad for Eleven- marginally -because it is amusing

[king_of_egypt]

The only possible way that Atem could have made this worse was if he had clasp Eleven's hand instead of his shoulder. As it was, it was still sending the wrong signals.

This time it was impossible to miss the change that swept over the other boy, his cheeks taking on a hue of red that was a sharp contrast against his skin. "It is. Thank you for being so understanding yet again." Features relaxing a bit, as he drew in an easy breath.

"I don't think you really had a choice in the matter. This phenomenon is not unique." Pulling his hand away, he glanced between the puzzle and Eleven. "Are- you alright?" Finally addressing the elephant in the room. "I.... hope you're not coming down with anything." What other explanation could there be for the flushed cheeks.

It is greatly amusing

[bearshermark]

Eleven stepped back, self-conscious hands touching briefly at his face.

"Sorry, I'm not usually.." Well all right, he was some degree of shy but not usually to this extreme. He didn't usually find people suddenly attractive either. "I don't think I'm sick."

Catching Atem's eyes, he reached for the artifact- the name of it already forgotten, as with many things- and held it out to him.

"I don't really like it, anyway." Woops that probably wasn't the best thing to say. "..I mean, it probably suits you better."

For sure!

[king_of_egypt]

Atem didn't mean to make the other more uncomfortable, but he was genuinely concerned.

He waited for Eleven to finish the thought but he never did. "Well- that's a relief." Perhaps he shouldn't press the issue. Issuing his thanks for a second time, he accepted the puzzle, grasping in one hand by the chain, and cupping the pyramid with the other.

Actually, Atem smiled at that, slightly amused by it. To most the object must look a bit gaudy but he had a feeling the aversion could be stemming from the dark aura it tended to cast about it. "You needn't try to soften that statement, I'm sure it's not to everyone's liking." Regarding the puzzle one more time, he then looped the chain over his head and let it fall freely against him.

"Now- about those projects of yours. I think we've let this puzzle distract us from them for too long."

[bearshermark]

It did suit him though, now more certain than before. Maybe there was a reason for their initial meeting after all.

"Oh, yes." He blinked and reached for the longer box, opening it to reveal a rather plain-looking katana. His expression sobers, though a tinge of red remains.

"..It's meant to be used so I didn't want to decorate it much. Hendrik needs to make sure it's balanced for me before we give it to Yotsuyu, but if the spell I used works right, it should give her an advantage in combat.. It's really just a basic thing I forged from Yotsuyu's design and the first weapon I've made here, so.."

[king_of_egypt]

It was beginning to look as if there was a purpose behind that meeting, there was no arguing with that now.

As things started to return to a sense of normalcy, it was easier to focus on what they had come here for in the first place. Still, there would be questions needling Atem later about the presence of the puzzle but he put that aside for now. He peered over at the box's contents eyes settling on the sword.

"That makes perfect sense to me, it's practical." Decorative swords were more for show, or special occasions. They were more like status symbols. "What sort of spell was it?" Eleven seemed a little hesitant about his work as if the simplicity of it would somehow detract from it. "It looks like you're off to a fine start to me."

[bearshermark]

"It's an intimation spell to anticipate movements. Also a bit rudimentary, but I'm not very skilled with magic yet, and it still seemed like a good enchantment for a melee weapon.. Any small advantage in combat is valuable, I think."

At least the bit of encouragement managed to straighten the line of his shoulders.

"The other one is the opposite of this," he said, setting the box down to gingerly reach for the smaller one. "It's not terribly useful and its very decorative, but its purpose is to help its wielder reconnect with something he lost. ..I just felt like that was important."

It was a dagger shaped like a crescent moon and decorated to match. His thumb brushed over an opalescent stone laid in its hilt. "He had a connection to the moon. ..I'm still working on the spell, but I hope it allows him to sense moonlight wherever he goes. ..I've even been leaving it out at night in patches of it to try to help it along, but I'm not completely sure it's going to work. I'm still just a novice, after all."

[king_of_egypt]

Atem nodded to that, seeing the merit in the concept. "I don't think anyone is expecting you to be a master in any of the magic available here as of yet, but any additional boost would be to the wielder's advantage, yes and the sword itself will provide some defense even if the spell does not."

Growing silent once more he allowed Eleven time to explain the next weapon. "That seems fairly important to me." Given the fact that he had also once needed to reconnect with something he had lost- namely his past.

Looking at the dagger, he took in the delicate details. "I don't think your friend could be disappointed with this." Offering a sincere smile to go with it. "The craftsmanship is remarkable." The spell that was to be placed on this one was unique and unexpected. "I hope you manage to iron out the kinks." Perhaps the professors might be able to offer some guidance on that score.