[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

[testified]

[ Oh, a text! Exciting! Celica isn't completely helpless with this, at least, and has been taught how to reply to someone. Thankfully, she recognizes the name that appears on her screen! ]

dear jusis

i hope this message finds you well. i am currently at the market and trying to learn as much as i can about our situation. as you can see, i have also purchased this "cell" to blend in better with the populace. it looks like you have done the same, so communication between us should be a lot more convenient. how are you?

furthermore, have you tried bubblegum before?

sincerely, celica

[ Have another accidental selfie of her making a weird face as she's struggling with all these phone features. ]

[allbroea]

[ he is slightly dumbfounded as he waits for all of the parts of this text to come in. this is ... a disaster. a charming disaster, but a disaster. ]

Communication is vital to strategy, so I'm pleased to see you acquired your own phone. I am less pleased to inform you you appear to constantly be using the phone's camera function and transmitting photos taken to others.

[ he can't just leave her questions hanging, though, and adds before sending: ]

I am as well as could be expected. I have never had the pleasure of trying bubblegum.

[testified]

[ Jusis... why do you torture yourself with her... ]

dear jusis

on the matter of bubblegums, it's important that i warn you not to swallow any. i only found out when i quickly returned to the merchant for another one.

now what is this about "photos"? are you saying i may have accidentally sent you those still images of myself?

if so, can you return them?

sincerely, celica

[allbroea]

[ she's kind! respectable! he's realizing this is a bit much to take onto his plate, but he already signed up for it.

he has to take a moment to remind himself not to start formatting texts like letters. it's contagious ... ]

I'm sorry to hear about your bubblegum incident. I would recommend asking merchants about food safety when you purchase the item.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Unfortunately, I can't "return" them. Would it be troublesome to meet up?

[ it's probably easier to show her the actual functions on her phone than it is to explain them to someone who thinks he can ... return data ... ]

[testified]

dear jusis

we may not have known each other long, but your company and assitance is appreciated. perhaps it would be a lot easier for us to help each other if we could speak in person, as i find myself having to sit down every time i write to you.

as i mentioned before, i am at the town market. look for the really big one. the people here refer to it as "mall".

sincerely, celica

[ Good luck finding her at the mall! She'll await patiently, and even text him more clues should he need them. ]

[allbroea]

[ just reading i find myself having to sit down every time i write to you makes him feel tired, but it's fine. finding the mall itself is not difficult, given its size and the number of shehui citizens about, but within the mall ... the cities in erebonia admittedly tend to have plenty of shops, but nothing quite on this scale. he expected a handful of shops, each dedicated to something or another, and finds many more shops, many of them dedicated to the same thing.

he does not want to spend all day combing this mall. ]

You failed to mention how large the "town market" was.

Where, exactly, are you?

[testified]

[ SIGHS. She sits down at a bench again! ]

dear jusis

please follow my directions to the letter. if you are at the entrance, there should be a store with the name "stop n' shop". do not stop, but instead turn to the left. now, you must keep walking until you see a store that goes by the name of "TBK", where you will turn right and take roughly 54 steps until you see a large raccoon. do not fear, it's not a real raccoon, but a "mascot". i will explain later. take the first left and follow the signs to a cheesecake shop, then take 1 or 2 lefts after a small sign that reads "bubblegum & sweets". at this point, you will slow down and turn right, where you should find me sitting on a public bench.

this is as clear as i can make it, jusis. i look forward to our reunion.

sincerely, celica

[allbroea]

[ .... left, right at tbk, left at the raccoon, and ... a couple more lefts and a right after that. how did she ... roughly 54 steps?

before he embarks on this journey, he offers: ]

Just the name of the shop would have been sufficient.

[ a second text before she types another short essay: ]

There is no need to explain mascots to me. I'll be there soon, so don't feel pressured to reply. [ please ... he can only handle so many 10 part texts ... he is going to spend the entirety of his mall walk making a list of the things he needs to discuss about phones. and texting etiquette. it is a long, long list.

still, it is hard to be upset with celica when she's clearly ... trying her best ... he looks relieved when he rounds the corner and finds celica exactly where she said she'd be, at least. ]

[testified]

Jusis!

[ When she sees him, her well-trained facial expressions betray her as she looks just as relieved to see him. For some reason she thinks he's just as hopeless as she is, but it could be just because they're both new here.

She stands up and almost runs up to him, but manages to slow down and turn it into a graceful walk by the time she reaches him. She must remember her manners! ]

You found me. ... Have you run into any trouble?

[allbroea]

[ that is a very warm reception that he did not prepare himself for in the least. it honestly makes him feel kind of confused—he doesn't feel he's done anything exceptional to be treated this way, and the naturally-friendly types have always kind of caught him off-guard. (he tries not to think about what it reminds him of, at least.)

nonetheless, he makes a mighty effort with his own well-trained composure to avoid looking either puzzled or touched. ]

After the ... incredibly thorough directions you sent me, it would be impossible to miss you. [ he still sounds exasperated; this function of jusis' speech basically never changes. he folds his arms. ] As for trouble, I'm certain I should be the one asking you that. Do you have any idea how many messages I've received?

[testified]

You and everyone else, I imagine.

[ She's got a few more replies in the time she waited for him to show up. She frowns again, feeling quite regretful and fully accepting the consequences of her actions. ]

I assure you, most of them were unintentional. Perhaps it's best I stick to written letters in the meantime...

[allbroea]

[ he was somewhat hopeful that he had been the only recipient, but ...

a sigh. but not of defeat!! ]

Even in a city like this, the amount of time a written letter would take to get to the recipient is unwieldy. I came here intending to teach you how to use your phone properly, and I still intend to do so.

[ in retrospect, it is kind of ridiculous for him to trek across the city ... but it's as much to remove a nuisance from his life as it is to better celica's. completely justified. ]

[testified]

You came all this way to teach me? And here I thought I knew what I was doing this whole time.

[ She laughs a little, even while knowing she shouldn't. There's a kindness in him that he's not willing to admit so much in words, but it's his actions that Celica is judging him for.

Having said that, she's ready to learn the heck out of this! She's not dumb, after all, just a little out of her element. ]

Very well, how would you like to begin these lessons?

[allbroea]

[ all this way ... ]

I was already in the area. I hardly went out of my way. [ DAMAGE CONTROL, and moving right along— ]

Let's have a seat first. [ no reason to stand when there's a perfectly good bench. he has been nonstop walking for a while now, so it's a nice opportunity for him to rest, and he starts making his way towards it. ]

Secondly, are you comfortable with showing me your phone?

[ he is not a phone expert, and he knows there are ... a lot of models ... on the market from when he bought his own. still, as long as it's functionally simple, it should be fine. ]

[testified]

[ She follows readily, at an even pace. She even prepares to hand him over the phone, until he asks her about it-- ]

Well, yes. Is there a reason I should not be?

[ She... takes her phone back slowly...... ]

I suppose it does still contain a lot of images of me. Is that alright?

[allbroea]

[ celica, please. his pace slows momentarily while he considers his answer. ]

... Obviously, I'm not interested in looking through your messages or photos. I've seen enough of them to last me a lifetime. [ really. celica is lovely, but he can only handle so many selfies. ] That said, I wouldn't give my phone [ he says phone, but he thinks ARCUS ] to someone I don't trust. It would be easier to explain if I could look at it, but if you'd prefer to hold onto it, it would be rude of me to impose.

[testified]

This phone you speak of, it means nothing to me. I never even knew it existed until today.

[ Now she hands it over properly, this time with no hesitation. ]

This is not a matter of trust for me, even if you have shown me kindness every step of the way. I am simply not afraid of discomfort - or whatever else may result from this action.

[ what totally dramatic way of declaring she trusts him with her phone ]

...
My password is 5555.

[allbroea]

[ where does he start in response to that. "i am simply not afraid of discomfort" ...

okay, okay, he laughs. he takes her phone, but he lets out a short-lived laugh, and then touches the knuckle of his free hand to his mouth as if it'll wipe the smirk off his face. which, it kind of does; he clears his throat after and composes himself. ]

Sorry, I just ... Goddess, I don't know whether to chastise you for being so careless with your belongings or commend you for being so bold. [ this is the third route, where he pokes fun at her grandiose statements. ] You'd think you were walking into Gehenna and not handing over a communications device.

[testified]

[ She does carry a sword, which may seem odd to someone else's definition of a priestess. NO FEAR -- but also low self-worth, oops. She smiles a little when he laughs, but shows restraint otherwise. ]

Leaving something in your care is not the same as carelessness. I trust you will return what belongs to me.

[ Or she can take it back herself. huff huff >:( ]

Ah, I... what's Gehenna, if I may ask?

[allbroea]

[ he takes a seat on the bench and turns his attention to the phone. what a secure password ... ]

Allegedly, the fiery realm demons hail from. [ he is not exactly a diehard practitioner of the faith, but his tone takes a more serious dip. ] It's a land of untold suffering.

[ jusis bought himself a flip phone to save on his already limited credits ... and also partially because the orbal revolution still has a ways to go before modern tech, so the touchscreen is a little overwhelming, even for him. he's pretty quiet while he tries to adjust, but it makes enough sense ... ]

[testified]

A land that harbours demons and suffering? Why would anyone wish to go there...

[ It's a rhetorical question, not one she expects an answer to. Besides, the more he plays with her phone, her focus seems to shift on learning what exactly he's doing (unaware that he is also quickly learning the functions). ]

Mine doesn't look like yours. Is it... broken?

[allbroea]

[ ah—she breaks his focus, but he shouldn't have been ignoring her anyway, so he doesn't mind. ]

Not as far as I can tell. They're different models, but should be functionally the same. [ ... in every way that matters to him. ] I ... think I removed Redmolar as your default sharing option for photos, which should make it harder to accidentally send them. Is there anything else you were having trouble with?

[ he'll get to General Etiquette after he deals with strictly technical problems. ]

[testified]

[ She doesn't really know about the phone's other features to ask about them yet, but Jusis should prepare himself for questions about ringtones and emojis in the near future. ]

By Mila, is there nothing you cannot do? But as long as you solved that problem, I believe everything should be in order.

[ She wants to talk, though, so she won't dismiss him just yet. ]

May I offer you a bubblegum?

[allbroea]

[ if he knew what a ringtone or emoji was, the warning bells would already be ringing ... alas.

in that case, he offers the phone back to her. ]

I don't typically indulge in sweets, but I can make an exception. I will say I hardly deserve such high praise, though. With exposure, I think you'll find most technology marketed to consumers is fairly simple.

[ they don't have rogue iphone autocorrect in erebonia yet. ]

[testified]

Thank you, Jusis, I won't let these lessons go to waste.

[ She waits for him to accept the gum and open it up, and then she says very sternly out of nowhere-- ]

Once again, let me remind you not to swallow it! It may be tempting, but the true enjoyment comes from chewing the sweet candy until you no longer feel the flavour.