[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 She'll also give you a letter, which may give you more questions than answers since the information is a wee out of date.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

[allconsumed]

( A )

[If Velvet has to appear without warning in a strange place she doesn't recognize – with equally strange inhabitants who immediately take an interest in her – it would be nice to have clothes. She'd like to have her gauntlet blade, too, but at least she has the weapon that matters more: her cursed arm, still swelling with its familiar power.

Velvet isn't cold, but she accepts a blanket from a generous Palai. She borrows a knife and cuts out a few holes, modifying it into a brown, ill-fitting robe. It's better than being naked, especially once she realizes that there are humans around and not just alien lizard people. She's also able to track down bandages for her arm.

Fortunately the festival games offer an opportunity to make a little money so that she can pay the Palai back; maybe she can win enough to buy a real outfit, too. Velvet's reflexes are as sharp as ever, and she's wracking up a great score playing Whack-a-Shrimp – until she brings the toy hammer down too hard and splits the game board in two.]

… Dammit.

[Call her the Lord of Collateral Damage. Sorry to those who are lined up to play the game after her. Sill, Velvet looks more annoyed than apologetic, and she's ready to stomp off without another word.]

( D )

[Still brooding and distracted by her own thoughts, Velvet doesn't notice the fireworks ending directly above her before it's too late. Now until she tracks down a new change of clothes, she's stuck in her loose brown blanket-robes now covered in big, bright pieces of glitter.

It's hard not to stare, but naturally Velvet has plenty of venom for anybody that does while she looks for somewhere to clean up. The glitter is in her hair and on her face and everywhere.]

What? Something to say?

[This has been a great day so far. Not obnoxious or humiliating at all, nope.]

( H )

[Anything you can think of! Feel free to shoot me a PM or hit me up at phindin.]

d

[secrowtary]

[ Oh, he doesn't mind the venom at all. Not when it's accompanied with an excessive amount of glitter, at least. ]

On your cheek.

[ Hibiki rubs his own left cheek to give her a better idea where the glitter is. ]

And on your left ear, too.

[allconsumed]

[Yeah she probably doesn't look too intimidating right now despite her best efforts. Also because she's annoyed and stubborn, it's tempting to ignore him and move along, but he's… trying to be helpful? Maybe.

Velvet shows him her hands, which are also covered with sparkles back and front. It's a complete glitter crisis.]

I need a wet rag or something. Got one?

[secrowtary]

Even better. I suppose it's your lucky day.

[ One look at Velvet should be enough to realize that today's anything but lucky, but he's ready to face the possible consequences.

At the very least he offers her a clean handkerchief. Getting some water shouldn't pose too much of a problem, though. ]

[allconsumed]

I don't think so.

[Brusquely, she grabs the handkerchief from him. This clearly isn't enough for her to de-glitter her "clothes" but it should suffice for her face. Even without water, it works fine once she rubs hard enough.

His handkerchief is a lot more colorful now, anyway.]

Want it back?

d.

[apatheia]

Are you wounded?

[2B asks while also covered in glitter. Her dress being black means that it stands out a lot, but it doesn't particularly bother her. She's never seen fireworks like these before.

What does concern her is Velvet's bandaged arm. The woman seems to be moving around fine, but given how far the bandage extends, she's a little concerned.]

[allconsumed]

[Fair question. Interestingly it's not one people often ask despite the fact that she's always wearing the bandages. Most folks have a tendency to mind their own business when Velvet is around – but again, it's a fair question. Nice that a stranger is concerned.

Velvet has just enough tact left not to ask first thing how 2B can see with that stuff over her eyes.]

I'm fine. [She could leave it at that, but what's the harm in elaborating a little?] It's an old wound. Doesn't hurt anymore, it's just ugly.

[apatheia]

[One of these days 2B will keep in mind how weird her blindfold is given how many people ask about it. One of these days.]

I see. [It sounds reasonable to her. The healing process for androids is pretty quick and rarely leaves scars, but she vaguely knows that it's different for humans. (Although she's not entirely sure Velvet's human either from what her sensors indicate, but that's not really important right now.)] Is there no way to fix its appearance?

[allconsumed]

I doubt it.

[Honestly, it's not something she's thought about. Elaborating a little is fine, but Velvet isn't going to straight up spill what the "wound" really is: that it's more like a cursed weapon, and that after using it for more than three years it feels as much a part of her as the rest of her body.]

I don't want anybody messing with it, either. [That is 100% honest.]

A

[teratias]

[Waver was trying to escape the shrimp theme of all of the games. Trying very hard, but the area was packed and oh God there was so much shrimp everywhere why??? That meant that at the very same time Velvet's hammer goes down on the game board, Waver got smacked by some stray shrimp and board material.]

What the--?!

[Waver whipped around to try and find the source of the sudden shrimp shower. And then he saw the broken board, and the person standing over it.]

How hard did you hit that thing?!

[allconsumed]

[That's what he gets for standing too close.

… No, of course Velvet is the one at fault here, but she's too pissed off to acknowledge that. And since Waver is in fact the nearest one to her, he's the guy that she rounds on in her frustration. The toy hammer somehow survived the impact, and she raises it threateningly.]

Want me to show you?

[You don't deserve this, buddy, sorry.]

[teratias]

You already got me covered in shrimp and wood! What more can you possibly add with that thing that isn't just overkill?!

[Waver, being annoyed that now he's got to go wash shrimp out of his sweater, is more full of a desire to argue than actual sense.]

[allconsumed]

[She… admires his guts? Sort of. It is a toy, but c'mon, he just saw what she did with it. The hammer stays raised and poised to strike.]

I could break your face. Doesn't seem like overkill to me to get you to shut up.

D

[transcutation]

[Wow, Cagliostro wasn't sure you could make those clothes look worse but somehow glitter does the trick. This lady's obviously pretty pissed about it too, so she does what anyone would do...

Go over and harass her about it by looking as cute and innocent as possible]

Wow, you're so sparkly! Were you trying to look as cute as Cagliostro? But glitter alone won't be enough, tee hee!

[allconsumed]

[Velvet makes looking sour an art form, and she offers Cagliostro some of best work. Cute and innocent as she looks, Miss Grumpyface is obviously not in the mood.]

No. [Her delivery is equally sour.]

Who's Cagliostro? They sound annoying.

[transcutation]

Geez, Cagliostro is the cutest girl in all the sky, that's who! [Cue adorable posing, complete with wink.] You should really smile more or you'll ruin your looks!

D

[needmetoo]

[Xion looks away very quickly, like someone caught staring. And also feeling slightly bad for smiling at the picture a few seconds before. Because it was kind of funny! But that was probably still mean though.]

I-I- Um...

[Okay no.]

I'm sorry.

[allconsumed]

[If there's anybody who gets a pass, it's a nervous kid who is immediately willing apologize. Velvet stomps over towards him, still with a stony expression on her face. Seconds pass.]

It's alright.

You seen any towels around? [If that's what she needs to get this stuff off. It'd at least be a start?]

[needmetoo]

[Ah. Xion's shoulders sag slightly with relief when it's clear she's not in too much trouble. Still, she does feel like she should make it up.]

Well... I know some shops, but they're probably closed right now. There's probably some back at the coven's house.

[If nothing else she could probably repurpose like... her bedsheets or something, and wash them.]

I can't resist the d either

[probablynoteren]

[... Yeah, Lenka is definitely staring, mostly in surprise because he'd been so fascinated with the glitter fireworks he hadn't given a thought to where the glitter would go afterwards. And in fact he's also covered in a generous dusting of it, that he seems to suddenly become aware of when Velvet grumps at him -- a few hasty brushes prove totally futile, it just... moves the glitter around.

Now he's staring at himself, so they're stuck in silence for a couple of moments while the crowd chatters and mills happily (and sparklingly) around them.]

Yes. How do you get this off...?

[He wouldn't have put it past the Palai to use magical glitter to make everyone more festive-looking?! (No, it's just ordinary glitter. Unfortunately.)

filthy

[allconsumed]

[The fact that somebody else got rained on by the glitter offers Velvet little consolation. She glares at Lenka, but it's a good question. He's already proven that using their hands isn't going to work so she doesn't duplicate his attempt.]

Who knows. We might have to jump in a lake.

[She probably would have already if there were any around.]

sparkles wholesomely

[probablynoteren]

[Luckily(?), he's pretty used to getting the evil eye from intimidating women, so Lenka goes with the other concern -- right, water might help with this. In fact, now that Velvet mentions it...]

Well. There's a lake. [it might be a bit of a walk...] ... And the shrimp pool.

[Do they have the spare dignity to lose by bedazzling a festive pool of dead shrimp.

He's not sure about this.]

d

[talim]

[ jude had opened his mouth to point out the glitter stuck to her nose and cheeks, but he closes it as soon as velvet speaks. talk about intimidating... ]

N... No, nothing at all!

[ except when jude looks at her, really looks at her, he asks himself an important question: just why is he intimidated by a woman covered head to toe in glitter?

he can't help it; he brings a hand up to his mouth to try to stifle it, but something between a laugh and a snort bubbles up and escapes him. ]

[allconsumed]

Are you…?

[Yep, he's laughing. Velvet quickly closes the distance between them, each step heavy. She's ready to do… something to him, but once she's close enough, Velvet gains recollection. This guy? What was his name again?

Eh.]

You're that talking pengyon.

[talim]

[ needless to say, jude's giggle fit has promptly ended. a talking what. ]

... Pardon?

[ should he be offended? is she just out of her right mind? maybe she's just confused. ]