spellbinders | [JANUARY INTRO LOG

[JANUARY INTRO LOG | WORLD TWO]

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?

your flower will be decided

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[He gives a short nod. Even though they had apparently appeared here in a staggered manner, with the others having been here for weeks longer, they were still in a delicate position and their decision-making would be imperative. To do too much would be too dangerous... and it's possible doing too little, making themselves seem too vulnerable, could be dangerous as well.

It was a needle one had to thread, made even more difficult because there were so many other unknowns.

In short: a headache.]

It's definitely not something they'd keep hidden, that's for sure. [They might even be able to ask, but the overall social atmosphere would make that a little tricky. So it went right back to just keeping an ear out, then.]

In my experience, so-called "peaceful" societies do a hell of a lot more than people would expect to keep themselves that way. [He's silent a moment, considering.] No matter what we do, we're in a precarious spot, here. It'd do all of us well to remain wary as well as observant.

They certainly do -- and some of the things they do, as we I suspect we both know, wouldn't exactly be considered to be in line with people's expectations of "peaceful", among other things.

[ At that, Siegfried is going to allow himself a wry smile as his gaze flickered back to the other man. He knows there may be many reasons for that, and sometimes those reasons could be in line with something noble. But, he doubts this city would be going for something like that...judging by the way they're handling things.

... Well, he figures one thing at a time. ]

Well, given that we've both decided to approach this situation wisely, I think it might be our benefit if we happened to know each other a little more -- and we can start with introductions.

You can call me Siegfried, and despite our situation being somewhat dubious, I believe there are worse places we could've met.

You've got that right.

[This is coming from someone who had been chased from one end of the solar system to another by an interplanetary "peacekeeping" force, bent on murdering a teenage girl. Perhaps these organizations were formed with good intentions, and perhaps there were valiant members among their rank still willing to do something decent, but for the most part anything that enforces those who are already in power is destined to grow corrupt and rot from the inside out. At least, that's what he'd thought of Gjallarhorn, little enough he'd seen and heard of it.

Orga's met quite a few of the coven since he wound up here, but this guy seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders. They seem to be in mostly the same page.]

Right.

I'm Orga. Nice to meet you, Siegfried. And, [here he breaks into a short laugh,] yeah, from my experiences, that's true. This could be a hell of a lot worse.

[Could be better, though. A vacation resort, maybe... one where the entire population wasn't keeping a wary eye on them.]

This sort of thing doesn't seem to faze you much, Siegfried. Got experience under pressure?

[He'd said they should get to know one another... Orga likes to know what kind of personnel they have at their disposal.]

Well met, Orga.

[ Siegfried has been well-versed in travel himself, even if it's been mostly just centered on his own world until this whole situation with being whisked away to happened. So, he's certainly had his own experiences with governments putting up fronts. ]

I've got enough to last me a lifetime. After you've dealt with some things -- such as being run out from the country due to extenuating circumstances, many other situations tend to seem not as bothersome. Or at least, not so surprising to say the least.

[ Though it's not a very pleasant memory, he's not actually unwilling to speak about it -- mostly because he did indeed encourage for them to familiarize themselves with each other. ]

What about you? You seem like you have some experiences of your own.

["Well met," huh? Fancy guy.

When he answers, Orga believes him; he certainly has that wear around his edges that speaks to experience, and he's lightly surprised to find that a lot of those things were decently similar to what he'd been through as well. Not really chased from one country to another, but their position on Mars had certainly become treacherous, what with Gjallarhorn hunting down Kudelia. They'd chased them half-way across the solar system, opposing them until their final victory in Arbrau. It'd only made the victory sweeter, though — but that's just Orga's opinion.]

Sounds rough. My own crew spent a while on the run, though it was all worth it in the end.

[Legitimacy. The surprising story that a mercenary company full of upstart kids and teenagers from the slums of Mars could become a major player in interplanetary politics, acting as military adviser for one of the economic blocs that governed Earth. It causes a smile to tug at the corner of Orga's mouth, proud.]

Yeah. Never had much of anything, and I always wanted more. It took a lot of fighting, but we made it. So I'm not really a stranger to the feeling of being a part of the dangerous new unknown variable in town, though... I certainly don't enjoy the feeling.

[The notoriety? That was fun. It was the target painted on their back he could do without.]

[ Siegfried is surprised himself that they seemed to have went through similar situations -- he has a feeling that they're entirely different scenarios that lead up to them, however. Especially since the man mentions that he has a crew -- and at that Siegfried does muse a bit that the man gave off an impression of sorts to being a leader or someone who would have qualities that'd make for a good one. So, he can easily imagine that being so. ]

But, it's good that it managed to work out for the both of us and others that I'm sure benefited from our efforts. My own ensured that those taking advantage of the situation in the kingdom I'm from ended up regretting it.

[ But, Siegfried wouldn't want anyone to go through what he did; he can figure that it must have also been difficult for the man and his crew. There are many like Consul Isabella out there, after all -- selfish and always willing to sacrifice those for their own gain. ]

Heh. I doubt anyone from the coven is going to want to come here again if they can avoid it -- it definitely isn't something I'd consider a top spot for a vacation.

Edited 2018-02-15 02:01 (UTC)

[It's something Orga can't really separate from his core personality by this point. As far back as he cares to remember, he'd been with Mika, and as soon as he and Mika had started working together to survive, he'd guided them. It's a leadership that had extended once they'd joined the CGS, quietly asserting himself to a position of makeshift figurehead and spokesperson for the Third Group (regardless of how much Eugene might complain, saying he would've done a good job as well). Here, things are different. He doesn't have his crew (his family, more like), though he does still have Mika. It means he's not quite disarmed, but he feels quite at a disadvantage.

Not enough to completely set aside such authoritative predispositions, however.]

Good. [is all he has to say at first to his comment, a small smirk on his face. He's always happy to hear of people taking advantage of things getting their just desserts. Makes him think about how he hopes to see all of those corrupt systems keeping a stranglehold on Mars one day get theirs, and how he might finally be there to help things take a turn for the better.] We have the experience, then. Now all there is is just applying it here.

[Easier said than done.

And it might not even be part of what they were assigned to do. They weren't here to wrest away control or power, just to figure out this whole ordeal with the witch. Or something. He's still playing it by ear.]

Vacation... [He thinks it musingly, expression growing slightly vacant. Pursing avenues of thought a little less oppressive than the scenario they found themselves in currently.] That a hypothetical, or are vacations really on the table here?

[Inquiring minds want to know...]

[ Indeed, the situation called for more observation rather than much of doing and being subtle about things -- as much as they could, anyway. As they discuss experience and he recalls of things that have passed, Siegfried does reminisce a bit at the memory of being a Captain once. It was such a long time ago, granted, but it's something he'd never forget. However, he doesn't see himself as being in such an official leadership role again. ]

Hypothetical -- unfortunately I haven't heard of any vacations being offered from the one who whisked us away from our homes. But, that's not to say it wouldn't be nice to have a bit of a vacation while we're on this journey.

[ Siegfried himself is honestly a bit iffy on this whole business as a whole with Qri and all as well, and he wouldn't fault anyone for being the same. It wasn't like he distrusted her immensely or anything...it was just something he'd never imagined could happen. But, he could easily go along with it for now and it wasn't like he sensed an underlying, sinister plot for their spirited away in the first place. ]

We could even ask about it if we get the chance.

[ Ask Qri, that is. Siegfried himself doesn't exactly know the meaning of taking vacations, but it'd be interesting to know how she felt about it. ]

[Well, regardless of what title or role he held back home (and it was actually quite a few, all slightly different hats), it wasn't applicable here. He wasn't just about to go roaming into a new group (many of which had been here quite a bit longer than he had) and try to instate himself as some upstart usurper, especially when so little information on their situation was forthcoming. Who he had been to Tekkadan had been based upon his relationship to the rest of his crew - his family - and what he'd needed to be in order to lead them all towards a brighter future.

He's got no fuckin' clue who he "needs" to be here. Probably just a cog in a machine. It kinda ground at him a little bit, abrasive on edges that hadn't really been smoothed out by wear and time, but hey, he'd adjust.]

Bummer. [He sighs, looking down.] If they're gonna force us into helping them out like this, they might as well pay us back decently.

[Had anyone asked about that? Because he sure as hell doesn't work for free. Whenever this whole thing gets settled, he's going to have to tabulate the bill and make sure the witch pays up.]

Yeah? [To be honest, he didn't even know that was an option.] I hadn't heard about that. The powers that be didn't seem very great about clarity or specificity. They also don't seem to be very... around.

[ It honestly would be nice to be rewarded; it's not like Siegfried hasn't thought about it. Though, when the reward comes in, he'd also prefer it'd go back to Feendrache, his country. He doesn't have much use for anything given to him personally -- and because of his duty to his land that is probably why he's actually going to agree with the other man on that. It's not like he hasn't assisted for free with no expecting of payment before, but... all of this was different. The man was sure that it's even bigger than rescuing a kingdom from someone's evil designs, due to the scale of this...quest. ]

Hm. It would be nice if they did.

[ ... Honestly, even though Siegfried himself isn't the picture of communication, it really is jarring how bad they seem to be about it. ]

I didn't necessarily hear about it from anyone either, but I figured asking questions was always something that was on the table. I also imagine if we wanted to know about something like this in particular, we'd need to know it from them. Though, considering their lack of presence, it'd likely be later as opposed to sooner.

[Orga only works for some sort of payment. It wasn't out of avarice or self-absorption; it was necessity. Back home, Tekkadan had been a fledgling mercenary company, torn from the hands of the men who had abused them throughout their childhood. As much as he thought Kudelia's quest for Martian independence was noble, he'd also been careful to negotiate a fair rate - and make sure that all of the spoils of war, ships and mobile suits, and then the renown with the economic blocs all fell to them, where they were deserved.

In the end, it'd been a very lucrative job, albeit one that'd cost them quite a lot in life and materiel. But that's just how things are.

So, no, he's not really expecting to do all of this work for free, especially since it takes him away from Tekkadan and everything important to him for so long.]

Shocking to me it's not a bit more of a pressing issue around here. The rest of the coven a bunch'a philanthropists?

[He's mostly being sardonic. It's not really a good thing to ask, given their small amount of leverage with the entities that brought them here and told them what to do. In the end, it all just frustrates him.

He sighs through their mental link.]

I'll be sure to formulate an itemized list by the next time they're actually available, then.

Think we even have much room to bargain, though? Seems to me like we're kind of at their mercy, considering we're stuck here without their help.

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[JANUARY INTRO LOG | WORLD TWO]

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