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

[Though she hailed from the forests of Bavaria... Sieglinde thinks she is doing quite well adapting to this place. She had heard much from Masamune, years ago, all about his land of Oushuu and Japan, and that knowledge now comes to bear. In fact, from a distance, she may can be mistaken for a young native girl, dark of hair and dressed proper, until closer inspection reveals a paler skin and brighter eye.

She's keeping her eyes peeled, trying to observe everything she can about the political climate, the local people, and her personal project, what sort of medical herbs they use... when she spots someone peculiar.

Curious, she abandons her search of apothecary mushrooms for now to follow the circular headed fellow she spotted, occasionally pausing to let him gain distance or to peak around corners...

She thinks she's being quite stealthy, but.

She... really isn't.]

[ It’s not like Simon’s a stranger to being pursued, but it’s generally him hiding and making attempts at stealth, and also, he can’t say he’s ever been chased by what appears to be a small child before. He’ll be eavesdropping on locals and spot this dark-haired little face peering around a corner, and it stops looking like a coincidence pretty... quickly...

By the time he actually addresses her he’s been letting this pattern continue for a while. Eventually he’s gotta know what the deal is, and stops from a distance and fixes his LED gaze on her, head tilted benignly; you know, curious, but also in a ‘dw I didn’t just lock on to your head to explode it with lasers it’s just my face’ sort of way. ] Hello...?

[ he generally tries avoid giving kids a good look at his freaky robot face, but if this one is going to be chased off by it it’s better if it’s here and not when her mom comes to collect her and sees her following a spooky robot around. ]

[In her two years and some with ALASTAIR, Sieglinde has learned how to do a lot of things. She's become a much better liar. She's learned spells she had never dreamed of. She's researched things she never thought she'd be able to. She's walked farther than she ever thought possible, coming as she had from a life of feet broken and bound into three inch points.

... and even after unbinding them best she was able, she still hasn't become quite the best at the physical.

Still, she does like to think she has improved, and so she's a little startled when her target turns about and reveals his glowing gaze, freezing up in surprise and half skittering behind a cart before she realizes he definitely did spot her, and there was no point in hiding now.]

Ah-

[She looks around to make sure no locals were paying particularly close attention in order to creep a bit closer.]

You are... with Hathaway, are you not?

[ Simon interprets her scurrying to cover as fear, and feels a bit bad, though it almost immediately gives way to bemusement. He steps a bit closer, ducking his head slightly, the electronics inside his helmet leaving direct sunlight; with a brain that essentially imposes phantom limb syndrome over his entire body, it’s usually easy to forget he’s kind of freaky-looking and doesn’t have a face — or it was in PATHOS-II, anyway — but here, he gets odd looks enough and has seen enough kids that it’s taking less prompting with each human encounter to remember to be cautious. ] Yeah. Sorry if I scared you, I thought you were a local kid.

[ She clearly isn’t — even if she hadn’t just namedropped Hathaway, she doesn’t look like a Hanabiran child, now that he looks a bit closer. And she doesn’t talk like one. She doesn’t talk like a child in general. Where does Hathaway even find these kids? ] I’m Simon. Were you, uh... following me?

[They found their children from ALASTAIR, in this case.

Sieglinde looks him over closer now that she can and he's stopped moving, blatant desire to knowovertaking her features now that she isn't concentrating on (badly) following this man. Thing?]

I meant to ask you-

[Well, she meant a lot of things, but.]

Can you not breathe the air here?

[She seems to have made the first guess that he is some sort of alien. She's seen illustrations of the space suits and such that humans invented beyond her time, and it seems similar enough... like he requires a different sort of air to breathe than she did.

And it has her curious.]

[ There’s a pause. That she was following him out of curiosity makes sense, but Simon wasn’t expecting such a scholarly-sounding question. Then: ] Oh. No, uh, I don’t breathe. [ that’s an awkward thing to hear yourself say ] The diving suit’s just... something I ended up in.

[ ... does she think he’s an alien... that’s kind of adorable (and given how many universes there apparently are, he technically is from her perspective, probably), but he’s sort of hoping that’s the end of it, because nothing about his situation lends itself to child-friendly explanations. It’s hard enough to wrap his own head around. ]

[Following a strange, suited figure down alleys and around slum corners to ask a strangely scientific question is the least of the questionable things that she's done for curiosity.]

You do not need to breathe, or you breathe through alternative methods?

[Without even fully processing the rest of his words she's already onto the next question. Normally, she liked to think she was polite enough to stop questions if her companion showed signs of discomfort, but...

It's hard to read a diving suit.]

Don’t need to breathe. I’m a robot. [ This isn’t an entirely accurate definition, but Simon doesn’t plan to disclose the thorny details to anyone on the team, much less a kid, even if she’s seriously talking like a scientist right now.

Get close enough and at certain angles it’s possible to catch, despite the dark tint of the faceplate, that there’s not much to breathe with, the eyes being set above a microphone-looking situation. He tilts his head, having been getting used to trying to hide his whole scene from kids on this mission and unsure what to do with this one. But it’s an innocent enough question...? ]

A robot...

[Breathed out without realizing she'd actually repeated him, perhaps as excited with that answer as she would have been to find out that he was a completely foreign alien species that couldn't breathe oxygen.

Looking around again a bit nervously to make sure they weren't being eavesdropped on, she has a bit of trouble containing her excitement. (Was it rude to be excited? Maybe it was flattering?)]

Would you mind if I interviewed you? Are you a very sentient robot?

[So far it has been rather simple answers, but...]

Uh, sure, but I can’t promise I’ll know all the answers. [ It is kind of flattering; he’s gotten varied reactions to his condition, but excited ‘interview’ is a first... okay, he can swing it. ]

I used to be human — my mind is a copy of my old one, like a simulation. So, yeah, I guess I’m pretty sentient. [ in truth, he doesn’t know if “used to be human” is simpler, or if he says it more for his own benefit. “I have memories of being human” is more technically accurate, and that’s hard to admit. To himself. ] The copy sat around for a hundred years, and... it pretty much felt like I went in to get my brain scanned and just woke up a second later, in the future.

[ Simon’s not sure how she’ll take all this. He’s already met enough people who aren’t even familiar with computers that that’s a possibility, but she did ask about his sentience. So she knows about robots, at least? ]

[She would take a pen to paper if she didn't have such a good memory, already hanging on to his answer, unable to cap her curiosity despite the fact that this sort of thing wasn't related at all to their current mission.]

A copy...

[There was a moment of worry, one moment, that she thinks mayhaps this topic is a bit too private to be prying into... but in the absence of facial cues and organic tones telling her to stop...]

The technology of your world is so advanced that they can contain an entire human existence as data?

I don’t know if it’s an entire human existence, [ his voice is full of ehhh for this qualifier, because boy he sure feels like he’s missing some of the human experience, to say the least ] but that’s the gist of it.

[ She’s... following along really well, by anybody’s standards of any age. Simon doesn’t even know what to make of this, but it seems pretty innocuous; so far, this is stuff he’s pretty much willing to tell people, although he doesn't always look forward to the process of trying to explain it coherently. ] So, uh, how old are you, exactly?

[ because

??? ]

[She's not too fond of things as vague as "the gist", but... she gets that a lot, she's no stranger to it.

She's... also no stranger to that question, either, so she answers as quickly and professionally as possible.]

I will be fourteen at the waning of this snow moon.

[Now if only she could see a human facial reaction, to judge whether he was from one of those worlds that believed people couldn't be trusted to do anything until they were eighteen...]

[ His eyes shift down and to the left; they’re no substitute for an actual face, the reactions of some of the people he’s encountered (and also him every day and the first time he saw it) have made that clear, but every twitch or shift you’d have to study a human’s eyes to notice is pretty well amplified.

He expected a low number, maybe even lower since she seems so small, so while it’s weird to hear her child-ness cemented, and contrasted against her disproportionally mature speech, his inner calculations are more along the lines of ‘the fuck is a waning of a snow moon ?¿?¿’. ]

The waning... [ trails off, doesn’t matter ] Okay. Anyway, I’m Simon Jarrett. You might need that for your writeup.

[ it’s kind of a joke. This is a pretty informal interview. He assumes?? ]

[So perhaps he was, perhaps not... but she could definitely tell he was from a world that preferred the solar to the lunar calendar.

That she could work with.

Jokes she maybe isn't the best at, and she takes his introduction fairly seriously, memorizing the name before she dips into a wobbly curtsy, for a brief second seeming liky she might topple to the left as a small bandaged foot half rolls to the side into the dirt, but she corrects it, giving a European curtsy even in Hanabiran dress.]

I am Sieglinde Sullivan, called the Green Witch. It is a pleasure.

Whoa, hey— [ Before he can even address the witch thing, she lurches like she’s about to fall on her face, and Simon starts forward with an outstretched hand. She rights herself just as quickly, but he catches a glimpse of a foot that looks sorta... not right, and not just because it’s bandaged and almost made her fall over.

Since she didn’t actually fall over, he doesn’t interrupt her introduction — I mean, she did a curtsy and everything — but as soon as she stops speaking: ] You too, Sieglinde — what happened? You shouldn’t be walking around on that.

[There's a moment where she looks at him as if she doesn't quite know what he's talking about, but realization dawns soon enough, replaced with a touch of chagrin. She had grown too used to working with ALASTAIR, mostly with people she had served with for several missions... and they had known already.

So she has to explain this sort of thing again...]

Ah-

[Emerald gaze drops down to her feet, oddly arched and bandaged carefully, lacking full sensation ever since they'd been bound, that truth unchanged even after she rebroke them to return them to a somewhat natural shape.]

It is fine, I am not in any pain...

[That was the answer to the actual question, yes?]

[ Simon follows her gaze, and though he doesn’t stare at them he crouches down just to her eye level, robotic eyes meeting hers for a moment; if he could wince he’d be doing it, holy shit yikes. ] How can you walk with both of them like that? Did that happen here?

[ It must have, she would have gotten it treated back at Headquarters if it hadn’t, right? This is the most stoic thirteen-year-old he’s ever met, but still. ]

[It's a more peculiar feeling than she thought, looking into the eyes of a robot. She's reflected... in the whole screen, somewhat, not just the eyes, and the lights don't give off that same sense of emotive connection...

How bizarre...

But that's a distraction, and she knows it, pulling herself back to the actual question.]

Not... really.

[If she were wearing her proper gowns she wouldn't have to show anyone, but the women here kept their hems about their ankles, wore sandals... troublesome.

She has another opportunity here to tell the truth... but in the end, she chooses the lie she had once believed.]

The witches of my line sacrifice their legs to the wolves of the wood, and I did as well... but it is largely cosmetic now, truly-

[Technically, she could remove the bandages... but with the nails she had lost along the way during the binding, and the crooked bend of her toes... it just seemed less grotesque to hide it.]

You’re a witch... and wolves ate your legs?

[ The horror is clear in Simon’s voice, at least. What the fuck? Some of the kids here have stories so bad that their being recruited was the happy ending. Of course, when it comes to appearances, Sieglinde’s feet wouldn’t even make his list in terms of grossness, much less occupy any prominent position there. He has Seen Some Shit.

Since she doesn’t want to talk about it, he tries for... gentle levity instead?? ] You’re pretty agile, though. Unless that’s just when you’re chasing a research subject.

[Sieglinde can't help but look both awkward about wanting to correct him and both guilty for wanting to just let him believe whatever he wishes in order to avoid explaining any more.]

Ah... it is a rather complicated issue, and rather exclusive to my world, I think, so there is no need to worry for it...

[Did that sound good enough?

Quickly, she tries to turn the conversation back to where she'd wanted it, on the far more interesting topic of the MAN IN A ROBOT SUIT THING.]

I am far more interested in learning more about yourself- do you eat? What about sleep? Or do you need charging like a "tablet"?

[If she asks enough questions...]

[ Simon pauses before answering. As if to say “I’ll comply with your diversion tactics but I have to hear about this witch stuff later”.

He still finds her story horrible, but there’s no point in stressing as much at the moment, when she’s... dealing with it. In a way no 13-year-old should ever have to deal with a thing, but what can he do? ]

Can’t eat, I can sleep sometimes but I don’t know if it, you know, does anything. I have a battery, but it’s fine. I think. I mean, only PATHOS-II had the infrastructure to charge it, but maybe I don’t actually need it.

[ he stops there; he doesn’t even know for sure where the battery is, except in his — Imogen’s — chest somewhere, or at least that’s what it looked like on the Compound Examiner screen. And they just got done talking about wolves that eat legs. He’s not about to go MORE OF A ZOMBIE CYBORG, ACTUALLY. And he’s still not even entirely sure how serious this interview is — she’s a kid, but clearly not... you know... a normal one. ]

[Oh, this interview is deadly serious.

But also... probably not one that should be continued right here in the street, admittedly. Even she could figure that social cue out.

If social cues applied to tiny witches and zombie cyborgs.]

Well, if you do not mind if I eat...

[She points back the way she had come, where there was a cafe that meant she could actually sit down while they spoke and she pumps him for as much information as she could pry out.

What- it's fun.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ▸ WELCOME TO HANABIRA

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if you wanna wrap this one, im cool with it! i didnt want to just drop it on you... ilu sieg

lets fade to black it then maybe? as she questions his head off

sure! i figured people prefer to wrap when a new logs up but id love for them to meet again sometime

of course! i'll fade us out then we can assume they prattle