stellafortunalogs | august mingle

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Louis had been watching Jun out of the corner of his eye while he was talking to one of the festival organizers. It's pretty obvious that the youth is having some trouble, so after he gets his answers, he'll walk over to the alchemy stand so that they can talk properly. It's his first day in Teyvat and the sheer number of humans around is a little disorienting. At least he's able to identify some of the other travelers from Forneus' descriptions of them. His own (noticeably smaller) Vision hangs around his neck in place of his old pendant. ]

Which part are you stuck on?

[ There's a lot of broken sticks. It seems to him that Jun is using too much force. ]

[He glances over at the guy who approached him. It's not someone he recognizes, nor does he look like a Liyue local. Another traveler Forneus recruited, or simply someone from another nation.

He'll figure it out eventually. Right now, he goes back to focusing on his lantern]

Trying to get the frame to curve and cover the fabric. It keeps breaking on me.

[ He gives the lantern's remains a closer look. He noticed how thin the supports were before. It would probably require a lot of delicacy to assemble. ]

Maybe you're forcing it too quickly? Doing it gently and slowly might work.

[ A child having incredible strength, though... maybe it's just a Vision user thing? ]

[he considers]

Hm...maybe. I have been working with geo element, so maybe I've gotten too used to being forceful...

[Because you know, there is very little delicate about rocks]

[ Forceful, huh... he wonders what effects his own Vision would have. He hasn't used it yet. ]

Try and take it slow, avoid sudden movements. [ If Jun doesn't immediately start another attempt, he'll offer to demonstrate it. ]

Alright...

[He'll move to try it again. He tries to go slower this time, noticeably slow. His focus is entirely on the lantern.

Snap.

There's a good chance he focused too hard]

[ Honestly? This is very relatable. ]

I'll try?

[ He takes another wood stick and tries to match the shape of the sample lanterns. He has better luck with this due to his work back home requiring him to conduct delicate experiments.

Jun might notice him stop breathing for quite a while as he focuses. ]

[he sighs and passes the materials over]

Go ahead.

[He'll watch, seeing what he does differently. He does notice the lack of breathing, but it doesn't immediately give away him as anything other than a guy good at holding his breath.

But it does seem like he's having more luck...]

[ He manages to bend the frame to an appropriately curved shape, and slot the various sticks into a conformation that locks them into place. It's not perfect, but at least it looks like how a lantern should look. ]

Maybe something like this?

[ Can Jun adapt to delicate work? ]

[He watches the man work, observing. But oh, something seems to click]

Oh! So that's how you're bending them! I was doing it the other way!

[Don't bend wood against the grain! Lesson learned!]

[ Oh. That kind of made sense - wood has a particular structure, though this is a tidbit of knowledge that he only remembers now that he thinks about it. He's been out of touch with the pristine world for too long. ]

Yeah. It should be easier for you now.

[ His tone becomes lighter - glad to have helped, even if it's in a small way. ]

[he did help! Jun gives a little nod, moving to grab another stick to try again]

Yeah, here's hoping.

[He starts doing it once more - this time slower and being more mindful of how to bend the wood-- and what do you know? Looks like he's having more success this time! ]

[ Louis looks on in relief. ]

That's good.

[ He wonders if he should leave the teen to his own devices, but: ]

By the way, are you from here?

[ This could be interpreted as asking whether he's from Liyue, or perhaps from this world as a whole. ]

Hm?

[Ah yes, that question]

No, I'm only visiting for a little while. Why do you ask?

I'm looking for a few visitors to this city, commissioned by my patron.

[ Does that give away too much? He hopes it's ambiguous enough. ]

I only recently arrived and am unfamiliar with many things.

Your patron...?

[Jun knows what this guy is probably is looking for. He clearly isn't from these parts, meaning he was probably another person hired by Forneus.

But.

Jun? Sharing information willingly???]

Oh! Are you here to perform for the festival? That's really cool!

[ ...................

........................................................ ]

No, his name is Forneus, [ he says carefully, keeping the exasperation from his tone. ]

Haha, oh! That guy! He was my second guess.

[Was he Jun? Was he?]

Yeah, I know him!

[ 💧

He supposes kids tend to be like this. It can't be helped. ]

You do? [ That's good, he supposes. Maybe that explains the trolling. ] Have you been here long then?

[He nods]

Mm. I'd say it's been over 6 months now.

[ Over six months... somehow, that's a reassurance to him. So there's already been success and he didn't sign himself off to some impossible task doomed to failure.

Not that he wouldn't take great odds if Forneus was able to fulfil his promise. Louis would do anything for the sake of his companion back home. ]

Has it been difficult?

[ Jun's probably quite resilient, though he expects a few of their comrades to habitually look out for the teen. ]

august mingle

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