[WORLD ONE | SEPTEMBER INTRO LOG]

[spellbindmods]

Who: The new coven members, old blood & Palai people
Where: In and around the city land of Aimintas
When: Day 61
Open/Closed: Open to All

The initial setting information found here should be utilized for threads here.

There's no official OOC account for the Palai people. You're free to roleplay their actions and reactions on your own, as in depth as you want -- asking questions, hand-waved interactions, becoming best friends. The new world is your oyster!

All characters are told briefly what their powers are by Genette -- no extemporaneous details. For instance, if your character has the ability to detect lies, they'll be told as such -- no warning about limitations, repurcussions or the like. They'll also be given a variant of this letter so they aren't totally ignorant of the situation -- though of course adapt this letter to the current setting and surroundings of the game.

This setting may be familiar to you -- maybe you caught a glimpse of it when you first visited. Maybe this is your first time experiencing this weird world and the panic is setting in. If you're totally lost, a tall human woman with a long scroll of paper will stop by to give you the run down. She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date. (Maybe someone else can fill in some gaps for you). What you may not know is that this world recently experienced something of a tragedy. You wouldn't be able to guess this based on the festive energy in the air. The main marketplace where you've shown up finished reconstruction last night, and after grief comes joy to the Palai -- those lizard creatures you see wandering around. They're now hosting a festival to celebrate their success and the lives of those both still present and those lost. It's also a chance for them to host one of those big celebrations like they'd previously seen in human books. However, their resources are limited -- don't blame them if things are a little cut-and-paste! A ▢ One of the preferred methods for masking grief in the Palai world is playing games. Because the Palai are still on their shrimp kick (the old blood characters are probably sick of them at this point), the shrimp are being used as part of a few festival games: Shrimp Scoop: Live prawns have been placed in a tank of water. Instead of paper scoops, players are handed small scraps of cloth which they may then dive into the six-foot tall tank to try and grab the prawns with -- no hands! And no magic or your prawn will be revoked. For extra incentive, sacks of golden coins have been tied to the prawns. These coins can be exchanged for goods and prizes, though what your character receives for their coin -- no matter how bland or wacky -- is up to your character. Shrimp Shock: Dead shrimp have been placed in a wading pool. Your character and another character enter the pool while Elto shock the shrimp out of the water. With about 20 shrimp in the water, the character with the most shrimps caught out of the air wins an allotment of coins. Whack-a-Shrimp: Eltos have powered six large, stuffed shrimp dolls (made with cloth), that will pop out of cut holes in a large game board. Hit the shrimp as many times as you can in 30 seconds, and your number will amount to the coins you receive. Shrimp Fest: Is your character a big eater? Your character is given a plate of cooked jumbo prawns. If they can eat all 50 jumbo prawns in 30 seconds, they win 100 coins. B ▢ What good is a festival if there's no face painting? Don't worry, you have more options than shrimp. Palai have an assortment of paints and are making colourful designs on both their kin and coven members -- your request may not look exactly as you want it to since they have bumpy hands and claws that get in the way.

This is all pretty juvenile, but fear not! For the mature sort and adults of Aimintas, there's a more quiet part set up that may cater to your older interests. A softer atmosphere, away from the excitement of things. If you want to wind down from the thrill of being magicked away to a new world, this is probably the best way for it. C ▢ Fans of alcohol will find that the Palai have broken out their best spirits for themselves and the coven. Some of these aged spirits are decades old and have aged accordingly, giving them a bitter flavor with a nasty bite of alcohol. Others are more recently distilled or imbued with magic for an extra buzz. Accordingly, some drinks can get you inebriated pretty quickly. Some drinks are essentially giddy truth serums. Others may have an effect on magic or telepathy. Pick your poison! D ▢ The environment in this more secluded area of the marketplace is supposed to be more relaxed, but it's also the best place to sit if you want a front row seat to the fireworks exhibit the remaining Eltos are putting on. Through balls of dye and their electrical powers, they're quickly blowing up the sky with arcs of color that rain down in the form of bright pieces of glitter once the spectacle is over. They also have a special service they're offering -- the Eltos have a grasp on electrical magic, which means they can draw certain things in the sky with these dye balls. If you have a request for a written message or a drawing of some sort, they'd be happy to comply with your wish! For the real adult experience, however, you may want to check out the large rolling cart that Palai are pushing around the marketplace, landing it in the fireworks area. This cart is filled with all of the eggs that were a product of their mating season, and this part of Aimintas is the warmest. E ▢ For newbies and those who missed the egg train, your character can instead be Egg Parent for a Night. The Palai are holding their eggs to warm them for the evening, but (like most parents with new babies) they're certainly trying to show off their creations. Hold them, pass them around -- or maybe even act a fool and fend off a fiercely angry Palai parent.

Finally, the Palai are getting used to the standard familiar faces, so they aren't unaware that there are quite a few new faces in the mix. Based on how familiar your character is, they'll receive a nice little gift from the Palai. Older coven members will receive a scrolled parchment that lists them as honorary citizens of Aimintas and a handmade, harden clay sculpture of their likeness. It may not look a lot like them, but they tried. F ▢ What about new members? Well, they get the Aimintas Starter Kit: an unmarked vial containing Palai mating pheromones (makes your character affectionate, etc), a bag of cooked shrimp, a collection of their baked goods and energy drinks (containing Elto magic that makes magical abilities hard to handle), and a harmless paper flower. Your character likely isn't used to the dangers of some of these items, so maybe someone can help them...or is it too late? G ▢ Because the Palai recognize new faces, these new coven members will be dragged to other coven members who they do recognize. In an effort to help make introductions, the Palai are trying to connect new members with old members in order to foster friendships. Say hi to a new, awkwardly introduced covenmate...? H ▢ Wildcard! How will your character interact with this new and unusual world?

Comments

e............. (spoilers)

[actus]

[ there's a lot of jarring things about what he's seeing right now. one, that is unquestionably one goro akechi. two, that is goro akechi holding a palai egg. three, that is goro akechi here, in the coven, while the rest of the phantom thieves aren't. there's a bitterness that rises up though akira, ugly and pulsing, and he pushes it down quickly. that won't solve anything. so he just stands there, watching, rooted to the spot.

there's a lot of unknown variables at play. after chatting with haru, it's clear that people's memories aren't always quite right. there's a chance that akechi doesn't remember anything. there's a chance he doesn't even know who he is beyond the messy-haired sort-of barista at leblanc that lives upstairs. there's a chance he's suspicious of him but doesn't have anything concrete. there's a chance he's crow. and then there's a chance he's ... from december. but that's impossible. dead people don't come back to life.

he needs to hedge. he needs to not tip his hand on the off-chance that akechi is volatile and ready to snap. the palai egg is far too valuable to just drop. duh. ]

Congratulations. Should I buy you a World's Best Dad shirt?

[ low fucking blow and he knows it, but akira's a salt mine right now and even if december happened, there's still a lot of unsettled anger. a lot of irritation and frustration. so... that's his introduction as he heads over, hands in his pockets. he's left his egg for a few hours back in the place he's staying, wrapped in many blankets. ]

p5 spoilers intensify

[secondadvent]

[ Kurusu is here. Akechi's attention snaps from the egg clutched between his gloved hands to the frizzy-haired boy like an elastic band. It's not enough to be physically noticeable, but his fingers tense ever so slightly against the eggshell as his brain starts running through its processes.

He was supposed to put a bullet in dear Joker's skull a little over twenty-four hours from now. That was the plan, until his sudden interdimensional kidnapping threw a wrench into it. A plan that he now needs to send back to the drawing board for a massive revision. He can't decide on whether Kurusu being here is a good or bad thing yet, though. He'll need more time to think things over, to figure out what steps he should take next.

Until then, he'll settle back into the familiar role of detective prince he presents on television and compose his face, plastering on the charming wholesome smile everyone adores. ]

Ah, I'm far too young for parenthood, I'm afraid. It would be unbefitting of my image as a family-friendly detective.

[actus]

[ so that cancels out december, then. now there's just the question of what month akechi's actually from. not that it matters too much at this point, but... but he'd rather be safe than sorry. there's really no pulling punches with this detective. ]

I dunno. Girls love babies. [ or so he's heard. or witnessed. his shoulders roll into a shrug and he regards the eggs with a slight twitch of a smile. his gaze is much more serious when it lifts to akechi's. god, it's staring into the eyes of a deadman. he's doing such a great job suppressing the shivers. is there such a thing as a second chance? a re-do? time travel? ]

Who knows, it might put a spark in your life. [ and just a dash more of low-key passive-aggressive for good measure! not like akechi would catch on. dead jokes, so funny. ]

[secondadvent]

[ and theeeeere goes the PA, right over Akechi's head. ]

I would be a poor role model for the girls if I became a father at seventeen, Kurusu-kun.

[ Of course, he'd be a poor role model for them for a slew of unrelated reasons. Please don't be like Akechi.

He readjusts his grip on the egg a little, trying to figure out exactly what he's supposed to do with it - should he keep it closer to his body for warmth? It doesn't look like he's going to drop it, at least. That's a good thing. ]

Are the others here as well?

[actus]

[ no one should strive to be like akechi to be honest.

the others. so logic suggest that he's from that time. akira's gut drops without his permission and he somehow manages to keep his expression completely indifferent. ]

Ann and Haru are, yeah. [ he doesn't supply their code-names, doesn't trust himself with what he knows. ]

I'm sure they're dying to see a familiar face. [ just one more death joke and he'll stop. there's a lot of pent up anger that he never got to sort out. no closure, no validation, nothing. he's certain it's worse for haru and futaba back home, but damnit, everything that had happened hadn't been fair at all. if akechi had just stopped for two god damn seconds maybe - ]

... Figure out your power yet?

[secondadvent]

Ah, I see. I suppose it's good to have a few familiar faces around.

[ He nods and takes in this information, processing it. So it's only them, Noir and Panther. That's strange, he thinks - why not bring the rest of the group here as well? He considers he possibility that they were picked entirely randomly, but rules it out immediately. There are approximately six billion people on Earth, it's astronomically improbable for it to be pure chance. ]

Genette-san told me I've been given the power to expel cotton balls from my wrist. I haven't figured out how to use it yet.

[ Who has two thumbs and isn't going tell him he can now break the laws of physics? This asshole. ]

[actus]

Ah.

[ sounds fake but okay. it's not like everyone has super useful powers. lenka makes fridges appear. cotton balls are within the realm of possibility, he supposes. ]

Maybe you should open up your own business. People get injured around here enough to be profitable.

[ it sounds almost bitter, almost sullen. it's the sound of a boy who's lost two fights in a row and is suffering a bruised ego and the realization that he can't save everyone. he still isn't sure if he wants to even bother trying to save the guy in front of him. he turns on his heel, then, without a word, looking as if he's about to walk away. ]

[secondadvent]

[ There's something off about this, Akechi can tell that much, he just can't tell exactly what's off here or why. ]

Wait, where are you going, Kurusu-kun?

[ ...is the ground under Akira's feet suddenly kind of slippery? The answer is yes. ]

[actus]

[ you little shit -- ! except akira is none the wiser.

he almost trips, barely able to catch himself before he smashes into the ground. that was awkward. blame it on the freak showers lately and the leaky barrier. clearly that's what happened. that's the only thing that makes logical sense. that, or he's dizzier than he thought after seeing an actual ghost.

... tuuuuuuurning back around, trying to play that off by cupping the back of his neck. ]

Back to where I'm staying. I'm tired. [ utter. deadpan. ]

[secondadvent]

[ Akechi can feel a sense of schadenfreude swell in his chest for a moment when he watches Akira nearly faceplant into the ground. It's stupidly petty and he knows it, but he can't help the amusement stirring within him at the sight.

Heh. Kurusu absolutely deserved it, he tells himself.He considers doing it again, and this time make sure he actually slips and falls, but it's better if he shows some restraint here even if trolling Akira would be hilarious. ]

Are you all right? [ He asks, concealing his delight with well-practiced fake concern. ] Perhaps you should go to bed.

[actus]

[ the words are dripping with sarcasm and it almost makes akira gag upon hearing them. ]

You aren't Morgana.

[ all right, it sounds a bit more snappish than he wanted it to, but it's easy to play off as stress getting to him. he's stuck roaming around in a coven with very little information and half his friends. of course he'd be a little testy. ]

The Palai are letting us all stay in a few buildings near the market. There's plenty of empty rooms.

[ so please don't follow him. ]

[secondadvent]

[ But Akira, he's really just concerned about your wellbeing. Totally. ]

How kind of them. They're a rather hospitable sort, aren't they? [ He wonders if there's some catch here, because he's naturally inclined to be suspicious. On the other hand, the Palai do come across as rather genuine... and with an almost sickening fixation on relationships, from what he's observed so far. Bonds are nothing but garbage, why are they like this.

But at least he won't have to worry about where he's supposed to sleep tonight. ]

Thank you; that's good to know. [ a pause. ] ...What else can you tell me about this place?

[ Be a good boy and dispense deets, phantom thief. ]

[actus]

[ does he look like the human embodiment of a welcome pamphlet? does he? ]

There's a lot of shrimp.

[ thanks, akira. that's so insightful. really, most of the topics were covered in the letter, and whatever unique qualities aimintas had, it was easier to find out via experience than being told. there truly were no words to describe this place. it was... definitely something.

still, akira cants his head to the side and back over his shoulder at akechi. said flatly, ]

That, and they tie people to chairs and force them to participate in speed-dating. [ be scared. ]

[secondadvent]

[ don't you want to be a human welcome pamphlet to your favorite detective, akira? ]

That sounds troublesome. [ he raises an eyebrow because really, that's absolutely disgusting. what is wrong with the palai. why haven't they learned that relationships are nothing but garbage. ]

Well, I'm not going to pester you with questions any longer - hurry back and get some rest. I'll contact you in a few days.

[ SORRY AKIRA THE GOOD DETECTIVE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU ALONE. ]