epidemiology | EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

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EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

LAND OF CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS

Following guild Ophelia's first mission, after which the temporal shard was found and safely disposed of back on Headquarters, Guild Master Imogen informs them they've received a contract to help ease tensions in a land known as Hanabira, on an unnamed planet designated as Hathaway-484. However, the contract is from a third party and the Hanabirans themselves do not know about interdimensional travel, she explains, so it'll be best to announce Ophelia as visitors from a foreign land. Any strange appearances or abilities will be able to be brushed off as magic, as the Hanabirans are no strangers to things such as ogres and imps. They're given five days to look over the dossier, and then it's through the rift they go.

Those who are new to rift travel may find themselves a bit dizzy on the way out, but overall, everything seems to have gone according to plan. Upon arrival, their magitek projects words in front of their eyes that only they can see:

Location reached: HANABIRA.

No events scheduled. You may wish to survey the surrounding area.

» LAND OF CELESTIAL MOUNTAINS
A militaristic society that values strength. Main sources of income: mining, foresting, hunting, blacksmithing. Heavy matriarchal ideals. Empress NAMA resides at the HEAVENLY SUMMIT.

Those who attempt to reach the Heavenly Summit, which turns out to be the name of a castle situated on the tallest mountain peak, will not make it very far. Empress Nama's guards have no time for foreign strangers attempting to enter the castle without an audience, and there are plenty of them. It looks like that plan of action is going to take some time to rethink.

There's still much more to look at, though. In the Merchant's District, you can stock up on everything you'll need to blend in. A cursory look at all the clothing and it's clear that the Mountain Clan style focuses on a more powerful look, with broad shoulder accents and thick fabrics. Both men and women wear kimonos, but it seems men's fashion changes depending on their age and marital status. Time to figure out those backstories! There are several more items for sale as well, as long as you're willing to pay -- or if you're particularly good at sleight of hand.

The Commoner's District, derogatorily called the Slums by some, is where many of the lower class Mountain Clan work and live. Those who don't have the coin to buy a space in the Merchant's District sell their wares here; they are at a lower price, but often of lower quality as well, unless you're particularly lucky. This is the most densely populated area of the Celestial Mountains, and also the most egalitarian. Here, both men and women must do the same work to provide for their families. However, you will still find that the prevailing cultural attitude supports the matriarchy.

On the other side of town is the Noble's District, which is patrolled by guards on regular routes. Men on their own will arouse suspicion in this area, as will anyone in any garb but the noble disguise. Troublemakers will be asked to leave and unceremoniously escorted out. Those who manage to stay will be able to find conversation with the nobility, many of whom are high-ranking military leaders.

The rest of the town belongs to the lower to upper middle class, who are friendliest to women or groups with at least one woman in them. Women's reactions to sole men may range from dismissive to awkward, although men alone are not in any danger of angry or violent reactions (as long as they don't provoke anyone).

▸ SPRING FESTIVAL

After a bit of time for exploring, a new message flashes in front of recruits' eyes.

New event scheduled: MOUNTAIN CLAN FESTIVAL.

» INFORMATION: Analysis of all mentions of 'festival' since the arrival of OPHELIA suggests heavy HANABIRAN presence at this time, during which guild members may wish to gather intel.

It appears as though Ophelia has arrived just in time for the Spring Festival, a yearly celebration in honor of the changing of seasons. Plum and cherry trees throughout the Celestial Mountains flower in white and pink blossoms, creating a cheerful atmosphere as the population goes about their daily business during the day. Workers view the flowers during their lunch and tea times, and nobles can be found strolling through gardens in the Noble's District at all times.

In the early afternoon, food stalls begin to appear in the Merchant's District, and by the late afternoon, the festival is in full swing: dumplings, noodles, persimmons, and skewered meat are available at various stalls, as well as plenty of sake. Other stalls sell beautifully designed kites, fans, and kimonos, and as the sun begins to sink down, some stalls begin to sell incense-stick fireworks.

There are also games to take part in, from the light-hearted collaborative ball game kemari, to an archery competition, the winners of which are rewarded with plums and sake. An old man near the archery competition invites any passersby to join him in a game of Go, and he'll even offer to teach foreigners the rules of the game. There is also a falconry competition for the nobles, but unless you have a disguise, you'll just have to content yourself with watching.

With so many people milling around, it's a good time to ask questions and try to get a feel for the political opinions of the people of the mountain clan. They are all in favor of their empress ruling Hanabira, supporting the spread of their traditional culture over the more lax culture of the sea clan. If asked their opinions on how to ensure there is no war, suggestions will range from preemptively killing the sea empress and her army, to banishing them across the sea. It should be noted that the mountain clan is not especially known for their expertise in diplomacy.

As the sky darkens, fireworks light up the sky. It's very beautiful, but also very distracting -- the perfect time for something to go wrong.

▸ AN AMBUSH

The fireworks are loud, and everyone -- even guards milling around -- are looking skyward toward the display. No one notices the danger until it's too late.

A scream pierces the air, and everything after that happens quick and sudden: people are running in all directions, panicked, trying to escape. Stands are knocked over and food goes flying through the air. A merchant struggles to reach her wife, caught across the fearful throng of festivalgoers. It's chaos.

As the panicked crowd begins to thin, those of Ophelia who stay behind to help will see the cause -- women wearing clothes of the sea clan and masks covering their faces are laying waste to the festival ground. They begin to set stalls ablaze, and though they aren't targeting any civilians, a handful lay dead or injured, crushed by the panicked stampede.

Guards rush in to stop the women, and they could probably use help; they will be trying to capture them, but if your character is killing an ambusher instead, please let the mods know with a link to the thread.

For those who aren't the fighting type, there are plenty of other things to do -- direct traffic, try to rescue civilians from the stampede, or go find someplace to hide yourself. Once the immediate trouble is dealt with, the festival unceremoniously ended, the civilians drift back to their homes to begin a restless sleep. If your character hasn't found lodgings for the night yet, they'd better get that matter settled soon.

The morning after the ambush, there is tension and unease in the air. The people of the mountain clan mutter about taking revenge or continuing peaceably; the ambush and its effect on their relations with the sea clan is the topic of the day. Was this an attack sanctioned by the Empress of the Crashing Wave? Were these sea people acting of their own volition? Does it matter?

The festival grounds could use cleaning up, and tending to the injured can be a good way to ingratiate foreigners (that's you) to the mountain clan. Otherwise, the forests of the Celestial Mountains are open for exploration, or the Flowerlands and its farms below.

▸ OOC NOTES

Welcome to the first mission of the season! Apps are now closed and will remain closed until the mission is over. If you have questions about this log or the overall mission, please ask them on the dossier. Questions about Futurology in general should be directed to the FAQ.

▸ The festival and ambush lasts one IC day, after which characters may continue to explore. Areas currently open are the Land of Celestial Mountains or the Flowerlands. The Empire of the Crashing Wave will be introduced in the next log on 3 February.

▸ The Bounty Board is now live, as well as an items page. The February calendar will go live in late January.

▸ January AC will go up on 1 February. You will only need to supply one proof. February AC will require full activity.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ogre fighting isn't exactly Maya's forte. She's waaay more suited for the schmoozing and eating food and kimono-wearing. Still, she can't exactly turn her back on cute little goats, or farms who need their animals. Or teammates who may or may not be outmatched by said Shreks.]

[Case in point: there's this white haired furry struggling against a pack of ogres. Maya isn't sure whether to intervene at first, since he seems to have some moves and she's more trying to herd goats --- literally, using Charming Words to try to sooth them, but he's clearly getting his ass kicked and she can't stand by. Just as he's about to get his face clubbed in, Maya throws herself in between him and the ogres, her magatama glowing as a psychic shield manifests around them and the clubs bounce off harmlessly]

Hey! Pick on someone your own size, you big lumpy jerks!

[this may or may not end well for her, but hey, she's trying]

[The thing about ogres: they're slow and stupid, but they hit hard when they hit.

Inuyasha is fast, but he's having a difficult time because Tessaiga won't transform. He's helping goats, not humans, and without that catalyst, Tessaiga decided it would rather remain a busted up katana than anything else.

So he's left to claw and punch with his fist, occasionally, delivering a few paper cuts with Tessaiga. He tries duping them into hitting each other, and manages to get at least one down for the count. But that only works so well, and finally, their swinging pays off.

He takes a wallop in the chest and gets cratered into the ground, losing his breath and, momentarily, his vision. He's pretty sure he's gonna get stomped, or lifted and eaten--

--only for nothing to befall him at all.

He cracks open an eye, spotting Maya, spotting--feeling the shield that raises the hair on the back of his neck.] Hey! [Great. It's a GIRL. Tessaiga... he needs to get it.]

What are you doing, stupid?! Get out of here! They're going to crush you!

[That's..... about what she expected, yeah. At least he can't forcibly dispel the shield somehow, that would leave them both in an extremely awkward position. Maya frowns over her shoulder at him, maintaining the shield while the ogres get progressively more flustered, and, well, angrier, slamming at it with their clubs and fists and all. So far, they all bounce off harmlessly, but she does look a little strained.]

Hey! You were gonna be crushed! Yell at me later, I'm getting you out of ogre town!

[Or she's sure gonna try, she backs up into him and nudges him with the back of her foot, since she's mainly concentrating on keeping the shield up, lest they both become pancakes]

I was fine! Some dumb, slow ogres aren't going to be able to touch me! [Okay, look, he's stupid, but he's not an idiot. He can tell that Maya isn't going to be able to hold the shield long enough for them to get away. Besides--]

If you think I'm running, you've got another thing coming! [He reaches out, then partially rolls over to grab Tessaiga from the dirt. It's on. Maya's involved, and that means he gets just what he needs.

Motivation. He's revitalized, standing up with a growing fervor. Tessaiga transforms: glows, extends, looking nothing like the katana.] Stay out of the way, I'll take care of them!

[The first ogre is close enough to be easy. He comes up off the ground swinging, blistering the ogre's front to send it flying back. The other two just get angrier. One swings wildly at him with a club, but he's too fast and agile, leaping up off its shoulders.] Heh. Let's see if you can swing when you don't have an arm! [Tessaiga comes down, splitting the club-holding arm from the ogre's body. Its howl is enough to puff Inuyasha's pride, but the other ogre--]

Hey! Watch out! [It ditched Inuyasha to go for Maya, using its fists and its rage to break through the shield. The ground shreds as the ogre smashes it directly beside Maya, flinging her up, and the ogre tries to catch her like a fly.] I don't think so!

[A glow shines at the crown of the ogre's head, then spills lightning fast down to the groin. The ogre pauses, shocked, and then it folds in half at the middle into two seperate pieces. Inuyasha comes through the middle, brandishing Tessaiga with both hands, an indication of the ogre's fate.

He grabs Maya with one arm before she can fall, landing a yard or so away on the ground. Sorry for, uh, the bloodshed...]

[It's great that he's getting his shounen second wind and all, but Maya's here struggling to stop an onslaught of ogres from smashing them into next week and---]

[Holy crap, did his sword just transform? She's momentarily distracted enough that one of the ogres does manage to break through the shield, leaving Maya a little dazed like she's a super smash brothers character. Without fancy magic or someone to defend with her life, she too is a sitting duck and can't stop herself from being thrown up into the air]

---AAAAH!

[Inuyasha's taking care of business in the meantime, though, and he's moving fast -- wow, looks like he can put his money where his mouth is after all. It's happening too quickly for her to keep track of it all, but next thing she knows she's being held by this anime Santa Claus as he leaps away from sliced up ogres and lands a little away from the mess]

W-What just happened?!

[that was so anime]

[plays in the background]

They had it coming. [He deposits Maya on the ground, then turns enough to look back at his own carnage--he's actually checking to make sure the armless ogre and the one he knocked away aren't racing for their revenge.

Nope, they're good.] They attacked me first when I was trying to get those stupid goats. But they're not demons. They don't smell like them. [He looks back at Maya.] Why did you run in there like that anyway?! You could have gotten killed! I had it under control!

[He blows an irritable breath up toward his fringe, almost like a sigh, and his ears plane to each side briefly.] Are you okay?

[stop trying to attack me with nostalgia]

[Maya bites her lip at the carnage, but doesn't say anything. They're mindless beasts and they were attacking goats and farms and whatnot, so it had to be done. She gets that. She just doesn't particularly want to look at it, though. So she looks at this weirdo furry Santa guy instead]

No, they're ogres..... I'm pretty sure. Or big ugly guys with clubs. [She rolls her eyes a little at his scolding, but she's still too startled to properly tell him off] Are you kidding me? You were gonna get flattened and probably eaten!

[She does nod in response to the question, though] .... Thanks. Are you okay?

Tch. Of course I'm okay. I was fine! [He can't look at her because then he'll just be soft and lose all his Demon Points. Tessaiga, lacking the intense battle of human protection, transforms back into the dinky blade, and he sheaths it. Then he crosses his arms.] Next time, don't be stupid and run into the middle of a battle like that! You could have gotten hurt.

What if it had been someone else who couldn't--

[Very suddenly, he's thrown forward without any warning. He misses Maya by inches, but doesn't miss the ground when he lands directly on his face after giving a surprised yell.

The culprit: one of the likely teenaged goats has rammed him right in the ass with its horns. It gives a coy blaaa and then practically summersaults down the hill, leaping over some of the other goats on the way.

Never fear, he's quick to leap right back up, steaming.] WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?! YOU DAMN GOATS! I'M GOING TO TURN ALL OF YOU INTO FOOD!

[how does that sword even work..... it's pretty cool, but she has to wonder how he's triggering the transformations. And why he didn't just do that in the first place]

[Now that her energy's regained a little, she's about to tell him off for real, but apparently another teenage kid (wink) has already gotten the idea. And gives this guy a well-deserved kick to the ass]

[Maya doesn't bother to pretend she isn't laughing when it happens, cracking up in the middle of the scene like a rude ass.] PFFT!!! He got you good!

[But then he's back on his feet and yelling, his apparent natural state of being, and Maya busts out the charming words again, this time to try to soothe Inuyasha's pain... both to his ego and his literal butthurt, so he doesn't hurt the goats]

Alright, alright. Let's just settle down, okay? We're supposed to protect these guys, remember?

[He'll start to feel a little better. Physically, at least]

Shut up! [THE FREAKING... goats... are...

The strange fuzz that settles over him almost makes him drowsy. He calms down at least? He's calm. Has he ever been this calm in his life?] Nevermind. [As if it had been his idea all along not to bother with the goats.

But then he realizes she's mumbling.] Hey, what're you doing?! Cut that out! [Like an actual dog, he gives himself one big shake all over, trying to toss off the weight of the charm.] I wasn't--!

Whatever, let's just take them back before they try to kill us!

[Wow, it worked better than expected. Even on this hothead]

You're really lively, aren't you?

[She's just ignoring the ogre corpses and recovering..... it's hard not to forget about it when this dog guy is being a moron, it's very distracting]

They're just little kids, you know. They can't really hurt you.... they probably just got mad 'cause you were really loud.

[Look who's talking, Maya]

I'm not really loud! [He yells, yelling.

He ~~starts~~ stomps down the hill, after the goats. He is a dog. They all make a decent scurry to stay that much a head of him.] Come on.

[One or two of the more bull-headed ones try to escape off to the side, and he has the weirdest instinct to just dart after he can't control.] Come here, you little--! [He has to play a game of feint, and when he leaps for the kid, it bucks into the air. He misses. Lands on his face, cursing. The kid bounces on his back victoriously, but he rolls over and grabs it, continuing to his feet.] Gotcha! [It gets tucked under his arm.]

It's as bad as babysitting Shippo. [He wanders back over to Maya and the rest of the herd so they could keep going.] Are you some kinda priestess or something?

You know you yelled that, right? [This new guy is hilarious, chasing after the goats just like a dog!! Maybe he really is a dog person. Maya, on the other hand, doesn't need to chase them, she just uses Charming Words again -- to call out to them, and most of them start to flock around her, baaaaing and sniffing her intensely to see if she has food or something. One looks like it wants to chew on her hair]

Who's Shippo? [She asks, once he's back with his stray kids. Another animal? She brightens a little when he asks, even though priestess isn't the same thing as spirit medium... well, close enough] I'm a spirit medium, actually. ... In training. What about you? You're new to the team, aren't you?

[And he seems like he kind of fits in this kind of mission, aside from being a dude. And she's really curious about the ears, she wants to touch them]

A dumb little fox brat that's traveling with us to find the Jewel shards. [For a while, the goat seems okay with being carted back, but then it gets antsy.] Cut it out, would you?! We'd get there faster if you'd just--be--still--! [It starts wiggling in his arms, and he has no choice but to let it bounce away back to the herd.]

A spirit medium? [She earns a strange look. Kikyo wasn't exactly a spirit medium, but she did something like it.] You got beads around your neck, is all. [Funnily enough, her necklace is somewhat similar to his own.] What of it? That doesn't mean I can't do anything...

[As if to prove a point, he yells, "HEY!" at one of the straying goats, spooking it back into the herd.] What do you do, talk to spirits or something?

Jewel... shards? [Consider her interest piqued. She'd love some jewels, thanks, she wants money. Thankfully for Inuyasha's ego, Maya's too preoccupied with pushing goat faces away from her hair and clothing to laugh at him (again), so instead she's protesting and yanking herself away. He's going to have to continue barking at the strays until they come back to the herd, because she is surrounded by kids]

[Also, gosh, she's curious about him, she didn't mean it like that]

Weeeell, no, but, I haven't seen you before! Are you in training too? You've got beads! And, um, that hunter outfit. [She doesn't remember what it's called, it's pretty old-school.]

Kiiiinda. I channel them, so they can---- cut that out! [she has to pause to push another goat face away.... rest in pepperoni, Maya] -- um, anyway, I can kinda let them borrow my body for a little so they can talk! To you guys. Pretty neat, huh?

[do u wanna see Kikyo, Inuyasha]

[NOT THOSE KINDA JEWELS, MAYA.] You let them what? [NO, he does NOT want to SEE KIKYO!!! HELLO!!

This sounds all kinds of fucked up!] Why would you let a spirit borrow your body?! What if it takes it, and you can't get it back?!

[Give her jewels :/ :/ also admit you want to see Kikyo, Inuyasha]

It doesn't work like that. [Figures he'd complain, though. She's known this guy for like ten minutes and he's done pretty much like that] It's meant to be temporary, it's based off of our spiritual power! So even if they wanna hang on, they can't. Once I'm spent, I'm spent. And the spirit goes back!

[The spirits she's channeled so far have all pretty much been at peace with their deaths, so that's part of it. She is pre-Dahlia] Besides, I'm not gonna channel crazed spirits who just want to live again no matter what. That's too scary, even for me.

[That doesn't make any sense. All he can think about is when the hag stole Kikyo's remains and reanimated her by trying to steal Kagome's soul.] How do you know they're not evil spirits? They could be without you knowing!

Or worse, some kind of demon! [He would literally die. Girl, don't be messing with spirits. They're crazy!] Or--you don't know. Don't be stupid about that kinda stuff. If the spirit died angry, it could still be angry enough to want to live and get revenge.

[That's not how spirit channeling works]

We have precautions for that kind of thing, anyway! [Also: she has mostly channeled her sister and maybe like two people she knows, not that she's going to mention that bit]

[but, uh, yeah, it's crossed her mind] And I know what I'm doing! [Sort of]

[Look, he's still thinking about Kikyo being raised from the dead. It sucked. It sucked for like a bazillion seasons before they could finally help her rest.] All right already. [Regardless: not gonna argue the entire way back with a bunch of screaming goats.

Speaking of goats, he has to go chase a few more of the wandering kids. Why can't they act like the adults? Why don't they know how to swarm with the herd in the right direction? He spends most of his energy rounding them up than he does directing the mass that seems to already have an idea of what to do.

When he comes back, he's apparently given up. There's two young goats under each arm, squalling. One of them tries to munch the edge of Maya's clothes, so he is forced to walk--well, behind. Maya is getting herded, too.

He doesn't even wait for the goats to get into the wooden fence; instead climbs right up over it with only his feet and deposits the babies inside. He's not taking his chances.

And not letting his robes get nibbled either; he jumps from the ground back to the top rung of the wooden corral with strangely good balance.] If these guys want goats, they need to get a dog.

[Says the dog. Standing in the middle of the returned goats.]

[It's kind of cute that he's worried, honestly. She can tell this is the kind of guy who talks a lot of trash but has a secretly soft interior. Though she's definitely not used to hearing these kind of concerns. Apparently, Inuyasha has more common sense than most people in AA. When he lets it go, she bounces back to normal]

[Maya swats at the goat trying to eat her clothing -- these poor clothes are going through the ringer with these kids -- but basically has no choice but to walk ahead with the flock, since they're now all interested in her and Inuyasha is herding her.]

Weeellll....

[She grins at him. Don't say it, Maya!] They kinda already have one, don't they? Too bad these farmers can't hire you full time.

[Now she's in for it]

What...? [WHAT?! He wouldn't have even got the joke if she hadn't clarified right after.] HEY! What's that supposed to mean?!

I'M NOT THAT KINDA DOG!

[The goats scatter at the noise, bunched up near the other side of the fence. Oh. He opens his mouth, but the farmer is already coming out to see what the ruckus is about.]

[Maya openly laughs, taking the opportunity to try to touch his ears once and for all]

Really? But you've got these cute little ears!

[And this is exactly the scene the farmers walk into, the goats hiding while Inuyasha yells and Maya tries to pet his ears. They stare openly, but as their animals are all accounted for, they can't be too upset.]

What the-- [He freezes, dumbstruck by the fact she was bold enough to just--to just reach up and grab his ears like that!! EXCUSE???

There's a conundrum. He wants to flip his lid, but she's a girl, and that just seems incredibly wrong, and yet, she can't just get away with doing something so brazen to his person. His Great and Honorable, Powerful Dog Demon person.] HEY!

LET GO OF THOSE! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?! [She gets maybe one or two good pets. With a quick zip, they snatch themselves out of her fingers by folding down and back against his head.] You can't just touch people without asking them first!

You would have said no if I asked you! [She cackles, pretty clearly pleased with herself. Even though he's yelling at her. She adopts her most innocent face, hiding her hands behind her back. Also so he can't grab them in return. The farmers are really not sure what to make of this display (one of them looks like she wants to laugh but is afraid of offending him)]

I don't see why you're so mad about it, though! What's wrong with getting a little attention from a cute girl?

[how shameless smh]

EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

WILDCARD

he's embarrassed

he should be

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[lying cat emote]

anna what are you doing

seducing you

why are you so thirsty Anna

if he tried to kiss kikyo in her body would that still count

why would he do that

why not

bc........ he'd still be kissing mayo......

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

why are you like this

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