diatu | Let The Games Begin

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Let The Games Begin

February Event and Intro Log

Orientation Week/Magic Mayhem

The campus of Diatu Magicademy stretches out before you, confused and chaotic and surging with energy. Where are you headed? To your dorm or suite, to get settled? Maybe you need some food now? Wherever you head off to as your first stop, you have to deal with the snow. Helpful or proud students are passing out various magical remedies to get you where you need to be -- umbrellas with a nasty tendency to dump snow directly onto other people nearby, an iron tube that projects fire but appears to have no off switch, snowshoes that keep you slightly too high off the snow and thus provide no friction for stopping...

Familiar Follies

Familiars do not harass or harm each other as a rule -- but that doesn't mean they have no pecking order, and the week of Orientation finds them all jockeying for status and position as suits them. This can take the form of pranks, displays, competitions, or simple physical assertiveness towards each other. The goal is simply to be seen as superior by the student body. New wizards especially may find themselves surprised at this behavior of their familiars...

Research On the Sundered

Wonders Await

Diatu Magicademy is open to you in all its glory. Have fun!

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I know, Kaiba. [ he smiles too, because that's the joke. it's slow to fade, but it doesn't last. ] ... [ he acknowledges kaiba with a nod, but he doesn't verbalize a response, because lying isn't his forte. the rainbow of colors flashing before his eyes is enough to make him sick, so he screws them shut and forces a smile to his lips. ] I think I'm just tired, that's all. It's... It's been a long day, y'know.

Then maybe you should get back to the dorms.

[He squints at the uniform.]

Aer et Calculum, right? Come on.

[Yes, that is indeed one Seto Kaiba offering to walk Yugi back to his dorm. He definitely suspects something. He'll remain at Yugi's side, watching his movements out of the corner of his eye.]

Huh, no, Kaiba, it's fine, r- really. I still wanted to look around.

[ he's going to step back in an attempt to evade kaiba's helping hand. ] I'm not going back to the dorm. It's still early. How about we look around instead. [ offers him a smile. ] We can catch up besides. [ so he'll walk alongside him, but he's not going to the dorms! ]

[ his steps are slow and deliberate, because if he moves too fast the world around him starts to blur. it's all really dizzying, and as a result his head has started throbbing. ] I never had a chance to thank you for the duel disk, Kaiba, and... the help...

Fine.

[Oh, Kaiba would go along with this game for a little while, but he knew by now that Yugi was definitely sick. He'd have to say he told him so. But for now Kaiba walked at Yugi's side, close enough to step in at a moment's notice if needed.

He takes a deep breath, unsure what to say, until Yugi's words bring him back to his last memories in Domino. The duel. Standing at his side, as he was now. His desperate choice.

He considers pushing back with a snarky response, but it would be counterproductive in this situation.]

I only help the worthy. And you proved yourself to me beyond doubt.

[He didn't give compliments easily, but maybe...just maybe he could get Yugi to trust him here.]

[ ~~motion sick~~. but his concerns are misplaced. he's fiiiine. if kaiba rubs this in his face later it'll be well deserved. he shouldn't have let them experiment on him. the effects last no more than a day, but he's not sure he's going to make it through the next hour. ]

We did it. [ he says under his breath as he stops dead in his tracks. they had saved the world, though it'd been just like kaiba said... atem returned. ] ... [ he opens his eyes and looks up at kaiba, a smile turning up the corners of his lips. it's a catch22 though. he's glad to have finally been able to prove himself to kaiba, but it had taken this long? meanwhile, atem had done so in an instant. he bites back a sigh and just nods. ] I'm glad I was able. I think we make a great team.

We are.

[He was still suspicious, but...he almost smiled back. The corners of his mouth were pointing just slightly up.]

Before all this nonsense altered our plans, I'd hoped to offer you a place at my company, in game development.

... [ he looks stunned for a moment. ] I take it you heard about Persephone... [ why else would kaiba want him there. ] If I'm able I can see about recreating it here. I'm sure it's possible with a little magic. [ laughs. ] It just might take some time. I did want to show you... [ he feels himself sway, so he leans the other way to compensate, but he ends up overcompensating. oops. he drops to his knees, doubling over and splaying a hand out as he shakes his head. ] It's more than my hair. [ but he already knew that, right? ]

I hear about everything. And I can't wait to challenge you...

[Ah, but there it is. Kaiba swiftly crouches beside him, hesitating for a moment before placing a steadying hand on his shoulder.

His voice is a low hiss. Those 'researchers' are going to hear from him again.]

What else did they do?

Heh, of course, I should have known. [ not that it matters how he heard. as yugi said he’d planning on sharing his game concept with kaiba as soon as he had a working prototype. he could talk out his ass all the wanted, but few could say they took those words and made them into something special. ]

[ he keeps his eyes shut, afraid to open them for fear of getting sick. ]

It’s just another side effect. Like my hair, the colors... [ he takes his face in hand. ] they’re all I see and they’re constantly changing. The world is different hues of blue and red and... they said the effects would last a day. [ so at least thy weren’t permanent ? ]

Sounds like a hex to me, but they're so incompetent it might not have been meant maliciously. Which makes it worse.

[Ugh. They're definitely going to hear about this. No one recklessly endangers Seto Kaiba's rivals on his watch. He stretches his arm over Yugi's back to support his weight.]

Can you stand?

Yeah... [ ok, fine, he'll relent. ] Probably. I didn't think it would be this bad though. I- I mean they were asking for student volunteers, so you'd think they wouldn't try anything too crazy. [ and maybe this isn't that bad, but it's really messing with his head and it's making him feel nauseous. ]

I don't think it was malicious. I don't really think they knew what they were doing though. [ well obviously! ] H- Heh...

Kaiba, wait, just... I need a minute. [ because, no, he can't stand. ] My head is spinning.

It's mindblowing. Truly mindblowing, how they entrusted such an apparently important task to fools.

[He continues to grumble about this nonsense, but remains where he is, looking over Yugi for further signs of illness.]

Is it easier if you keep your eyes closed?

It's an accident. I... should have known better. [ but he had kind of sort of hoped they'd find a miraculous breakthrough that'd help all the sundered get home. ]

[ he reaches out to grab a hold of kaiba's arm as he shuts his eyes and nods. ] Yeah, it's not as bad. This is now how I thought our next meeting would go, h- hah.

Believe me, this is not what I planned for today.

[Kaiba's meaning there was probably different from Yugi's. But the concern was just the same. He waits until Yugi's hold on his arm is steady, then bends it to support his back.]

All right. There's a couch about a minute away if we take it slowly. You up for it?

. . .

[ thought kaiba might not have intended for his words to sting yugi still feels bad for having dragged him into this. he sighs, looking aside as his grip on his arm tightens. ]

It's fine, Kaiba, really. You've gone plenty for me already. [ and he probably had plenty else to do. ]

I'm not leaving you like this. If I let you get hurt, how will I ever duel you again?

[Because that's clearly the only thing that matters to him...not.

He's surprisingly gentle as he half-carries Yugi to the couch.]

We'll rest. I don't have any other pressing engagements today. I wouldn't trust one of their healers as far as I could throw them, but there might be someone with enough sense in their heads to suggest a practical remedy. Might.

[ this is how kaiba shows he cares, he reminds himself. ] A duel, yeah, that's... that's it. [ and then with a halfhearted smile, ] You'll get your duel, Kaiba, not to worry. I know how important our rematch is to you.

[ he wants to protest, but by the time he's got half a mind to do so kaiba's already carried him over to the couch. ] If you say so. [ though, he's got no reason to doubt kaiba. not on something like responsibilities and obligations. ] Might. Heh. I think I'm just going to have to wait it out. It's not big deal. [ he's just going to feel like shit until then. ] Thank you, Kaiba, for helping me. Even if it's just to ensure I can duel you later on, thank you.

It is a big deal. I'm lodging a complaint with the research team. Testing on human subjects has to be held to a much higher standard---a mess like this would never have been acceptable at my company.

[He nods to reluctantly acknowledge the thanks, but remembering that Yugi's eyes are closed, he briefly squeezes his arm instead.]

Your roommates. Have you met them yet?

… [ he’s not interested in arguing. kaiba’s not wrong besides. they really shouldn’t have been testing spells on students. ] Let me come with you. [ so he doesn’t tear them too new of an asshole. ] I stopped by the dorm and met a few of them, but I didn’t stick around. I wanted to explore and then this… happened… [ he trails off, his grip tightening on kaiba as he leans into him. ] Have you met yours? Which house are you in?

[It's strange. He hasn't let anyone but Mokuba this far into his personal space...well, ever, really. But Yugi is ill and needs protecting, so he'll allow it.]

Purifeul. Apparently we're supposed to be the mathematically inclined among wizards, but so far I haven't been impressed. We have to solve equations to get anywhere within the dormitories, so they'll need to step it up.

[ he might have been more concerned about ticking kaiba off with the contact if he wasn't kind of, well, scared. he was told this was temporary, but can he really trust that? they didn't know the side effects of the spell cast, so how can they really be sure of this? and of anything. ]

Well, it's certainly hard to impress you, Kaiba. But that sounds like the perfect house for you. [ yugi is so glad he didn't get sorted into that house. he'd never get anywhere having to solve math equations all the time. ] Maybe you could show me sometime and, conversely, I can show you my dorm. It's hard to put to words, but if I had to call it anything I'd say enchanting.

...of course it'd be magical.

[He snorts, but it's soft, mindful of Yugi's headache. It's...actually not so bad, like this.]

Do you want me to take you to the head researcher now? So they can see the proof of what they've done?

Heh, well we are in a magical school. [ he gives a laugh, though it's quick to taper. ]

[ tightening his grip on kaiba's arm he frowns. ] I don't really think that's necessary, Kaiba. They know what they did. [ though they, perhaps, hadn't expected his situation to get worse. ] If you'd like to go though, then we can. [ but he's not sure what it's going to accomplish besides kaiba getting to vent on the poor bastard for messing up so badly. ]

[ yugi opens his eyes and finally moves away from kaiba, leaving the bench as he tries to get used to seeing a rainbow of moving colors. ]

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Let The Games Begin

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