Let The Games Begin

[magicademymods]

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 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 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.) Furthermore, they request to perform a few spells on you for testing purposes. It is, quite regrettably, possible that if you consent to this testing, you will come away with a temporary side effect -- a slight change of hair color, traveling two steps for every one you take, one hand moving about a second behind the arm it should be attached to, or being ridden by a penguin. No need to worry, these changes won't last more than a day! Wonders Await Diatu Magicademy is open to you in all its glory. Have fun!

Comments

[burningbrighter]

Sunset was shaken out of her trance by the voice. He definitely seemed used to commanding attention. Yet he offered her kindness, even at the cost of...oh. He had to be freezing!

She leapt down from her perch, biting her lip. "But you're even worse off. I couldn't."

It at least spurred her into moving, pushing herself to his side with a tired expression. "But I'll go with you. Can't let you freeze either."

[king_of_egypt]

There was a good reason for that, considering the hand he'd been dealt metaphorically in life and in his afterlife. "Trust me, it wasn't doing me much good as it was." Despite his attempts not to shiver from the elements it was virtually impossible. Since she didn't make a motion to take it, Atem reattached his cape folding his arms tightly across his chest afterward to hold on to any warmth that was left within him. "I've been observing the others for a while, I think the clearest shot we have to the door is going diagonal from our current position. We should be able to avoid most of the trouble."

[burningbrighter]

"That looks about right. Keep low and the wind won't be so bad...can't do anything about the snow, though," she lamented. "Ready?"

She huddles closer than would otherwise be polite, just in case. This pretty much qualifies as a weather emergency, in her opinion.

[king_of_egypt]

"Mm," With a quick nod, "Ready when you are."

Atem made no comment about how close she drew to him, his focus was on seeing her inside. Having never really experienced the snow like this, he's kind of fascinated by it. Does this really qualify as an emergency though? That he's not sure of, just that he's overstayed his welcome out here.

Exchanging a nonverbal cue he followed her advice to hunch over against the wind and aimed for the entrance.

[burningbrighter]

It was a tough walk, but made easier when she had the motivation of another student beside her. They'd have to make it together.

When they did, she breathed a sigh of relief and took to the nearest wall. She was still shaking, but the cold it didn't bite quite as much.

"Thanks. Hey...how are you holding up?"

[king_of_egypt]

The distance didn't seem as great as it was in actuality, made more complicated by the conditions but yes they would make it there.

The warmth that greeted them when they stepped inside was welcome, but but would take a few minutes for it to really register. What Atem wouldn't have given to have had another change of clothes waiting for him to change into.

"It was nothing," He tried to dismiss her thanks since she likely would have made her own arrangements had he not encouraged her to do so when he did. Besides, they had completed the task together. "As well as can be expected under the circumstances." Said while still shivering himself. "This is a significant improvement either way."

[burningbrighter]

"You can say that again," Sunset laughed, leaning over the side and trying to squeeze some melting ice out of her hair. Ugh, it got so heavy like this.

"There's gotta be a spell to deal with this...but given what I've seen so far, I'm afraid to ask the upperclassmen."

[king_of_egypt]

"I'm afraid we might have to settle for the old-fashioned method this time." Though he didn't enjoy the prospect of waiting the time to air dry. "At the very least perhaps the school might be able to provide some towels."

[burningbrighter]

"I sure hope so. Hey...ah, excuse me?"

She lifts a sheepish hand to ask an upperclassman just that, and sure enough, some very large towels are dropped on their heads.

"Wow! Sadly...the way things have gone, I'm easily impressed when things don't go wrong," she adds in a whisper, squeezing the mess out of her hair.

[king_of_egypt]

"That... was quicker than expected." Atem had presumed that they would have been told a direction to head in but these upperclassmen had removed all the additional legwork. He reached up to grab the towel and issues his thanks before they were left to their own devices again.

Using both of his hands he began a similar process of trying to dry off.

"Come again...?" Stopping for a moment to look towards her. If he hadn't been standing as close as he had been he would have completely missed what she said. "I'm sorry to hear that.." Who would wish misfortune on others? "If it isn't too personal a question, just what had been transpiring in your life to have warranted that sort of outlook?"

[burningbrighter]

Sunset peeked through the towel at him, looking a little sheepish.

"Well, okay, maybe my luck isn't that bad. And a lot of the problems were my own fault, especially at first. But...to make a long story short?"

She sighed.

"Accidents are pretty common with magic. Like the storm when we first got here...things like that happened all the time where I'm from. And worse, sometimes it's not an accident. Power can make people greedy for more, and overconfident...and suddenly they're up to their necks in magic they don't understand, and it's unleashed and threatening to take everyone under its spell."

She paused a moment before continuing, the towel now wrapped around her shoulders.

"I should know, I was a bitter, power-hungry she-demon once. I try to help others when they fall that far, but the scary thing is...when you're lost and upset, letting yourself be consumed by magic is so tempting."