[JANUARY INTRO LOG | WORLD TWO]

[spellbindmods]

Who: All coven members, especially new folk!
Where: In and around the new world’s apartment building where the coven is staying, as well as the rest of Shehui
When: Day 160
Open/Closed: Open to All
IMPORTANT: While some prompts are newbie exclusive, all characters can tag this intro log!

How did you get into this building? This apartment room? What the fuck is going on? Let's refer back to this page for a semi in-depth, wow so detailed, explanation of your current situation. You'll also have a letter slipped under your door with some explanation about your whole coven situation, as well as info that explains you have magic now! And yet what kind of magic is conveniently left out. Are you up to speed? Great. Now, here's the question of the hour: what are you going to do about all this? A ▢ If you're the sensible sort and want to explore your new digs before slinking around Shehui, you're in luck! You've got easy access to your apartment, and it's luckily not on lockdown right now. Feel free to check out your room, raid the fridge -- oh, and saying hello to your roommates should also be on your to-do list. B ▢ Let's say that hanging out with these people is a little overwhelming...that's fine! There are plenty of things to do in the apartment building without interacting with roomies! There are vending machines to prop up, a leisure floor that contains a totally vacant air hockey table and a nice garden to relax in. C ▢ But ah, there's also venturing outside! Out front is the job board, which is a nice place to hit up if you're looking to add to your currently fat but depleting credit account. The problem is that the jobs are currently disappearing quickly, and those around you aren't giving you such nice looks. This apartment building is a known problem area at this point, and your signet doesn't do anything to settle their fears.

D ▢ With new year's week coming to an end, the residents of Shehui are feeling more celebratory than somber now. A lot of businesses are closed in order to enjoy themselves and ring in the new year the right way. A lot of restaurants and bars are currently offering specials, from free drinks to cheap food in order to pull in the holiday crowd. If you're looking to meet people and socialize in Shehui, this is the best way to do it. E ▢ Also because it's the post holiday season, stores are trying to push out the rest of their overstock merch. One item of note that's being peddled quite often is a cell phone. From tiny flip phones to the latest Orange product, cellphones are a necessity in this modern society. Get yours right now and begin texting right away! There are a few social apps that are installed, so you might be lucky enough to connect with another coven member! They also have Redmolar capability, which will automatically allow you to text those with phones in the area. Maybe send some mysterious stranger texts? F ▢ While you're hustling around Shehui, you may realize that the telepathic messages get stronger -- perhaps the new coven members are near? In general, you may be subject to telepathic messages about current Shehui goings on, random thoughts or requests to meet up at so-and-so location. A.K.A. let's utilize that telepathy...it may not last forever! G ▢ Because the week of remembrance is still going on, flowers are littering the streets, though most of them are dead. Bunches of flowers are being sold, and flower fortunes are a popular activity during this part of the holiday. There are fortune tellers on the street who will give you your flower of the year, but it's more fun to have them read with one another! There are digital cards that you can buy that will allow you to read fortunes on the go -- simply tap the screen of the card and your flower will be decided. Not happy with your choice? Too bad! It won't randomize to something different, no matter how hard you try. H ▢ While a lot of Shehui citizens are trying to avoid the coven members like the plague, a small alien child isn't so much concerned with who helps her, just as long as someone does. She accidentally left her house's door open and her five new kittens are suddenly missing! Where are they? Who knows! But she'd certainly like some help looking for them. I ▢ As the day winds down, snow falls on Shehui for the last time this season. The government is getting rid of their supplies that create the festive weather. This is old hat for older coven members, but for newbies? You better enjoy the snow while you can. After an hour or so, it piles up enough to truly be utilized for merriment...this also means that it's pretty easy to get snowed in if you happen to be in a building during the snow fall, which also creates some interactive opportunities. J ▢ Wildcard! How will your character interact with this new and unusual world?

Comments

[skiouros]

[ in retrospect, perhaps that was too vague. all right. eizen returns the look. ]

A hedonistic nightmare, was it? Don't worry; the festivities should end soon.

[allbroea]

[ it takes him a moment. the words sound immediately familiar, but it clicks a second later that he was just thinking that and this strange man came up to him and told him he could hear him and recited them back to him—

he briefly looks uncharacteristically spooked before narrowing his eyes defensively and lowering his own voice. curtly: ]

How?

[ telepathy is so weird and he hates it already. ]

[skiouros]

[ that's an answer that eizen is not equipped to give. telepathy works in strange ways that are beyond his understanding. but there's one thing that this establishes. ]

I knew it. You must be new to the coven.

[ he crosses his arms. it's fortunate that everyone's too busy with their own affairs to listen in on this conversation. ]

It happens, sometimes. A stray thought gets ahead of you, and suddenly everyone knows what you're thinking. For some reason, these thoughts seem more prevalent today.

[allbroea]

[ he's so out of his element, and he hates that. but he's good at listening, so he listens and shuts his eyes like it'll shut out his frustration.

where does he start ... ? ]

Thank you. [ at least projecting his thoughts to people accidentally isn't as big of a deal as he feels like it is. he takes a glance around—he's seen the posters, and his reception out of the apartment wasn't exactly friendly. ] I ... would like some of your time, but I'm not sure this is the right place to discuss it.

[skiouros]

[ it isn't, and the boy is wise to think so. ]

We can move indoors. How does a bar sound?

[ with all the background chatter, a bar is one ideal place for conversation without resorting to personal spaces like the apartment rooms. these establishments are especially packed these days with the festivities going around. ]

[allbroea]

[ he doesn't particularly want to trek back to the apartments, and eizen is clearly more experienced here than he is. bars aren't his usual scene, but he knows they have their merits. ]

Not ideal, but fine. I don't suppose you have somewhere in mind?

[skiouros]

[ eizen's visited a few, and one isn't too far off from here. it's for all ages, too. ]

Follow me.

[allbroea]

[ even if it weren't, he's technically old enough to drink in shehui, but jusis will appreciate the gesture anyway. ]

Lead the way.

[skiouros]

[ getting tipsy on the first day is not a good idea, jusis. that being said, eizen leads the way as indicated. luckily, the free drink special lets him get away with a freebie—it's too early for a drink, and carrying a glass means the patrons can't kick them out.

inside, with his free drink in hand, eizen slides into one of the seats at a vacant table by the corner. ]

[allbroea]

[ not speaking from experience, are you, eizen ...

would you look at that? something nice actually came out of all of the celebrations. jusis will slide into the seat across from eizen, but he takes some time to take in his surroundings before getting right to business. it looks like a respectable enough establishment, which makes him feel better about following a (friendly) stranger into a bar ... ]

I admit I expected something ... shadier.

[ being part of a coven of all things makes him feel like this is the kind of discussion he has in the shadows of a worn-down pub. ]

[skiouros]

[ he didn't get intoxicated, and that's what counts.

at any rate, this one speaks like a true green thumb. eizen doesn't begrudge him for it. ]

That would just draw unnecessary suspicion. In cases like this, a reputable establishment is ideal.

[allbroea]

[ he's a straight-and-narrow noble, for the most part. teach him your criminal ways, eizen.

'cases like this' ... he debates asking for a moment, and then decides he doesn't want to go down that rabbithole just yet. ]

I see. [ logic checks out. he folds his hands in front of him; it's stuffy and formal and he doesn't hang out in bars talking to strangers about taboo magic often. ] My name is Jusis. As you've correctly surmised, I only recently arrived here. And you are ... ?

[skiouros]

[ only if jusis respects beetles.

eizen leans farther back against the chair he's claimed, the drink currently going untouched. it's free, but not necessarily to his taste. ]

Eizen. I haven't been here very long, myself—it's been about a month since I arrived. But there's a considerable number of us on the same boat.

[allbroea]

[ they're just beetles ... maybe if he thought there was anything respectable about them.

jusis takes note of the untouched drink. eizen's first impression is relatively solid: helpful, street-smart, not prone to indulging needlessly in alcohol like some adults he knows of.

for about a month ... that is not very reassuring, but he'll address a point that's more useful than i don't want to be here for a month. ]

Have things always been this ... tense? [ is it constant? should he be worried about things getting worse? he clarifies: ] It usually takes some aggravation to get such a warm reception for mere affiliation.

[skiouros]

[ that can apply to a lot of things right now. eizen realizes that with shehui, there's never a dull period for long; between the celebrations and disturbances, it's been an odd place of late. ]

If you mean the distance between us and the locals, they've been making it a habit since the apartment lockdown a few days ago. Shehui isn't receptive to the practice of magic, and they discovered that the coven is affiliated with practitioners.

That alone doesn't mean anything. So long as you don't use your power in front of them, the locals won't care.

[ much. ]

[allbroea]

[ that reminds him—he has no idea what his qri-given gift is, but the mention of a lockdown feels like a more pressing matter than his power. ]

What was the lockdown for?

[ sounds like a good enough precedent for all the bad vibes as any, provided there's a decent reason for it. ]

[skiouros]

[ he hadn't liked being questioned by the monitor—not that he'd done much besides provide dismissive answers. ]

Most likely, to confirm the nature of the coven's members. They did, and what you're experiencing now is the result.

[allbroea]

[ ah ... reassuring. his expression sours. ]

This seems unnecessary for a group that allegedly doesn't care if magic isn't actually used. You can't have missed the posters.

[ he only just got here and he couldn't miss the posters. then again, eizen only mentioned the locals. ]

[skiouros]

Of course not.

[ they remind him of the signet implanted in his body without his consent, and he seethes every time. ]

They're just being wary. We can conform all we'd like to their rules, but they'll never fully let go of their apprehension.

[ it's a good thing that eizen doesn't really care about what they think. ]

[allbroea]

[ jusis wouldn't care what they thought if he didn't anticipate it as a threat to his well-being. the atmosphere reads too close to a literal witch hunt for his comfort, but maybe he's not as easygoing as eizen is. ]

True enough. [ then they'll switch gears. ] That's all well and good, but I don't even know what my power is. [ not orbment related, which makes him uncomfortable. ] I don't suppose you have any advice on that front.

[skiouros]

[ eizen nods, his lips downturned. there's not much he can do to help with that. ]

Unless you're willing to test what it is in secret, you'll have to go without knowing. The witch, Qri, isn't around to tell newcomers what their new powers are.

[allbroea]

[ uhhh

he can't help but to lean over the table intently. ]

... Our gracious benefactor is missing? [ oh, does the sarcasm drip off the words. ]

[skiouros]

[ ever unimpressed by the witch's antics, eizen remains in place. ]

That was a month ago. I haven't heard news saying otherwise.

[allbroea]

[ for a month ... ]

And yet she still deigned to drag new members into the fray. Unbelievable. [ not like he had a lot of faith in someone who kidnapped and bodymodded him, but the sheer gall required to do that while not even being present to explain is ...

—hold on. ]

Doubtless, we are expected to find her for our mutual benefit.

[ if a witch brought him to no-magic city, only a witch can send him back, right. ]

[skiouros]

[ eizen gives an affirmative hum. ]

There's no way around it. We can't leave this world without her power.

[ worse, they don't even know how to harvest the energy she requires. everything is being done blindly, and this is irksome as a forced volunteer. ]