august mingle

[stellafortunamods]

August Mingle
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
Happy new year....! In Teyvat, that is. It is now January ingame, and Liyue's people go about their disaster recovery efforts with more vigour than before. After all, Liyue's biggest festival is slated to occur in the latter half of the month - the Lantern Rite!

The Rite of Parting - Rex Lapis' funeral - passes without much incident, and Liyue collectively breathes a sigh of relief. With the Fatui being chased out of the yard, it seems that peace will finally return to the harbour city as they rebuild from the storm. You'll also get to watch three million Mora's worth of incense go up in smoke, so there's that.

Eager to focus on the future, Liyue folk have begun discussing the upcoming festival. The Lantern Rite commemorates hope for a new beginning and continued prosperity, and the construction of the festival centerpiece is currently underway. This year's Mingxiao Lantern will soar into the sky amidst thousands of smaller lanterns, and it will take the shape of a fallen Adeptus to commemorate the Adepti's contribution to Liyue's lasting peace.

Unfortunately, you're not quite out of the frying pan yet. With the Fatui gone from Liyue, the Ministry of Civil Affairs turn their attention to solving another issue that has cropped up after Osial's revival and subsequent defeat. Quite a few miners have gone missing from the Chasm, and the likelihood of finding them will only grow slimmer as the days go by. Both the Millelith and the Adventurers' Guild have pitched in to search for the kidnapped people. All clues lead to Nantianmen - and it's just your luck that Geovishaps and their hatchlings have come out of hibernation at around the same time. These lizard-like beings have shells of solid rock, and they seem especially agitated at having their territory invaded. Solving the mystery of the missing miners will take more than just a day's work.

State of the World

With the Lantern Rite set to open on January 21st, all of Liyue have come to visit the harbour to set up their stalls and pitch in to craft the Mingxiao Lantern. Hopefully the miners are found before the festival begins - the Lantern Rite is a festival of reunions, after all. Not to mention the Geovishaps' increased activity will inadvertently lead to them burrowing around in the rocky mountains. There's a small, but non-zero chance of them hitting an ancient seal somewhere and unleashing a buried threat.

Unless... that was their intention all along?

Please direct all questions to August's OOC post!

Comments

TREVOR BELMONT | CASTLEVANIA | PYRO ota

[killtwice]

1.

[Trevor's grown accustomed to using visions and magic. Unfortunately, he's not good at blending in with his surroundings and he just happens to be very good at causing trouble wherever he goes. The locals appear to be minding their own business, living their lives every day. ]

It's too fucking quiet. I hate it, thanks.

[If you don't look like a local he'll pull you aside for a second. Do keep in mind that Trevor smells awful and most people would probably want to take a step back and not forward. ]

Something around here smells and it's not me. We shouldn't let our guard down just yet.


2.

[Today Trevor's decided that he at least wants to try and do something productive. He's just sticking posters up for the missing people and doing what he can within reason. Maybe he's feeling a little restless from doing errands like this. He's not even doing his job right. Trevor plasters a missing person poster on your back. ]

Would you look at that? My hand slipped.

[It sounds like he's not very serious with the way he speaks in a casual tone.]





COMMISSIONS CLOSED TO YU


[Now's the time to move and be productive again. Trevor's wasted more than enough days just sitting around and trying to figure out what his next action is. He's agreed to do heavy-duty clean-up in order to help with repairs and other damages. ]

I didn't think I would come all the way here just to carry rocks, but alright. You could go over there and arrange the tiles?


Making things look symmetrical is too much work for me. I'll carry a few fucking rocks.

..

[ feel free to wild card or contact me at springbloom thanks! ]

1

[whiteshroud]

[Jun knows exactly who Trevor is, thanks to their encounter last month. Unfortunately, Jun never came forward with the information that he was that shrouded figure on the roof that night.

And don't think that's going to change, he's going to play dumb as he gets pulled aside]

Gah-

[Lord this man smells. Has he been living on the streets and not bathing this whole time??]

W-What're you talking about? Sir, if it's money you're looking for...

[killtwice]

[ It's true that he hasn't bathed in a few weeks. At the very least, Trevor has changed his clothes frequently. The stench from him is somewhat alarming to the regular person. He's gotten used to his own smell so that's unfortunate. ]

I'm not looking for money. I'm looking for something else.


....

Breakfast.

[ That's a clear enough answer. ]

Where can I find an affordable breakfast??? I'm not wealthy and I certainly can't burn three million's worth of mora.

[whiteshroud]

Breakfast...?

[That's what he pulled him aside for? Well. Whatever]

Wanmin Restaurant is probably your best bet for that. They even have outdoor seating ... which would probably be best for you.

[killtwice]

Breakfast!!!!! Some days I go without it but those days end up being the worst. Just the fucking worst.

[ They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. ]

A restaurant with outdoor seating? That's even better. Where do you usually eat? Indoors?

[whiteshroud]

If you say so...

[Like many things in life, Jun is ambivalent to the concept of breakfast. ]

I don't have a preference. But with how much you smell, I'd imagine the other patrons wouldn't appreciate you sitting in a closed room with them.

tfw you wanna rock out but it's the other kind

[crimsonpoppy]

[Oh god. Ohhhh g o d. Yu had made it a point to not stay inside for most of the time as to not rouse anyone's suspicions. Cleanup crew? Shouldn't be too bad, she thought.

Alas, that naive thought is dashed out the window. Buuut on the other hand, no need to buy the supplies on their own as it was provided by the Ministry! Part of her-
well, a really tiny part- is grateful for it. The task they have to do? Not so much.]

I don't know much about fixing roofs either...!

[Despite currently trying to climb up on one of the houses affected by the recent events.]

Ugh, just throw me the tool when I ask for it. You can do that much, right??

Oops

[killtwice]

[ Trevor seems too preoccupied with a bunch of rocks and clearing rubble to respond to her immediately so there's some delay to his reply. ]

I could literally throw them at you or I could walk over and hand them to you like a normal person.

[ not this. Why's he gotta be like this. Trevor has always been somewhat difficult to deal with in some ways. He can cooperate with others except....behaving this way. It's too much to expect him to be normal. ]

[crimsonpoppy]

[s q u i n t s omg trevor why!! Is she ever gonna get used to him... spoilers: eventually]

I'm about half-way there, you might as well before I'm well and truly up.

[old grandma harrumph because she can]

[killtwice]

Alright, I'm just going to toss the damn thing and if it lands on your head just scream.

[ He's chucking some tools over to Yu's general direction. Trevor has a good throw but you know she could always miss or accidents might happen. ]

Here you go.

[crimsonpoppy]

Wha-

[She doesn't get a chance to finish as she manages to barely catch the first one...and then manages to miss the others, save for one other. All while the ladder kind of shakes too.

Oops.]

Ugh, never mind! I take that back, let's just do it the normal way next time.

[Anyway, just gonna. Continue upwards until she's actually on the roof; once she spots some of the damaged tiles, she'll chuck them down at Trevor.]

Here- catch!

2, 1/2

[sufferean]

[Rean was just out here trying to mind his own business (for once) when he feels a poster get slapped on his back.]

Gah—!

[It's not like it hurts or anything, he's just startled. At least warn a guy before you put a "kick me" sign on their back! (That isn't how it works at all, but don't tell Rean that.)

Rean turns around, looking wholly unimpressed.]

...Uh-huh. I'm sure it did.

[Maybe using teacher-voice on a guy built like Trevor isn't Rean's best idea, but here he is. With a sigh, he reaches behind him to tug the poster off, pulling it around to his front to take a look at it.]

2, 2/2

[sufferean]

He looks at the poster, at Trevor, the poster, and back again.]

...Do I really scream "gofer" so loudly these days you think I'd work as a billboard...?

[Come on, at least pay him for that sort of thing!]

[killtwice]

You could have fooled me. Now that you've got the poster my job is done.

[ Trevor sounds a little too proud of himself there! This is so unfortunate. Sorry, Rean. ]

I think you work well as a billboard. Who are you supposed to be actually?

[ Some guy that Trevor's unfamiliar with. He never cared much for details but he keeps encountering strange people lately. What's Rean doing here in the first place?]

[sufferean]

[Rean just sighs. Sadly, this is pretty far from the weirdest or rudest thing that anyone's ever done to him, so he's just going to roll with it.

And find a good place for this poster later.]

My name's Rean Schwarzer. I'm part of the big group of travelers here in Liyue.

[Just like Trevor, he's guessing. Most people in Liyue don't look a thing like this guy. But Rean knows well what people say about assuming.]

So, sorry to say, I'm a pretty bad billboard choice. I'm just stocking up before I head out to try to help with the search effort for this, myself.

And you are?

[killtwice]

Trevor Belmont from the house of Belmont. I'm a vampire killer with no vampires to kill.

[ There are monsters to take out sometimes so he's not out of business. It's just different down here. ]

You might be familiar with the one they call Forneus. How long have you been traveling, Rean?

[ He's slightly curious but at the same time, Trevor doesn't like small talk. This is just business to him. ]

2

[beatnest]

[ Byakuya isn't paying much attention so it takes him a second or two to realize that he's now got something stuck on his back. Brings back memories honestly, but it's OK because he's new and improved since then!

Eight "claws" sprout forth from his back, shredding the poster into jagged strips. ]

Oops, my legs slipped!

[killtwice]

Okay, no what the fuck was that. Some kind of sorcery?

[ Trevor is immediately suspicious of Byakuya!! Those claws look a little demonic to him but he might not know anything about it. This is an entirely new world after all. ]

I would like to know if I'm dealing with something dangerous. Those menacing claws tell a tale of their own.

[beatnest]

Hahaha, nope. It's just me!

[ Valid to be suspicious, Byakuya is just inappropriately cheerful. He wiggles a blade for emphasis, though it's more like pointing with a particularly sharp looking object. ]

But people have called me dangerous, yeah. I'm Byakuya, it's nice to meet you.

[killtwice]

I didn't exactly ask for your name but, alright. Maybe we can exchange pleasantries after you stop sounding so happy.

[Trevor's seen real danger in his life and he's been through many difficult battles. He doesn't know what to think of Byakuya at first but ultimately decides that he's ready for anything. So he's not scared of a few claws or danger.]

I'm Trevor.

[Normally he would stick his last name in there, state his family name and his job. With everything that's been going on he thinks it might be more wise to keep his vampire killing history to himself.]

[cranelike]

(Tsurumaru trips, skipping to catch his balance when someone pats him on the back. Pats him on the back? Clearly he's being pat on the back and he turns around to see who could possibly be appreciating him right now.

He looks completely oblivious and speaks like he has no idea what just happened,)

Did it? (He sighs! Disappointed,) My... I thought you were trying to get my attention.

Well, you have it now. (He looks Trevor up and down and then crosses his arm like he's... waiting for something?) What will you do?

(He doesn't acknowledge people often! Consider yourself lucky.)

Come on, do something interesting.

(Let's go. Chop, chop.)

[killtwice]

I'm not here to fucking entertain you, alright. Would you cooperate with me for two seconds?

[ Trevor looks so terribly unamused by all of this. He doesn't want to do something interesting if it will humor Tsurumaru. Instead, his voice gets serious. ]

I have an inquiry. Do you know anything about people disappearing from these parts?

[cranelike]

(How disappointing. He's just going to start stretching??? Or rather, reaching behind him to try and grab whatever's on his back because this feels related. All the while, he'll keep talking casually,)

Missing people? Do you mean the miners?

(And he manages to get the paper! So he'll look it over,)

It sounded like they were spirited away. (Sure is blaming spirits.) Unless... you have other ideas...

[killtwice]

[ On Tsurumaru's back is more information related to the inquiry and who to report to when missing people are found.]

For God's sakes I don't think they were spirited away. People can't just disappear into thin air unless darker sorcery is involved. It's a possibility but that's all it is. Just a possibility.

We might as well try going on foot and looking for them before we assume they've been spirited away.

[cranelike]

(Just. Watches.

He's one of those serious, no-nonsense types, huh? Well, it's nothing he hasn't handled before. It's a little bittersweet given the timing but instead of dwelling on it, he just considers it another surprise and rolls with it. )

So grounded. (He sounds thoughtful and amused,) How human...

(And as if realizing he's spoken out loud, he moves along with the conversation, changing the subject because he's a slippery gremlin of a spirit,)

Well then, is this your elaborate way of asking me to join you for your next walk? You could have just said so.