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

[whiteshroud]

Just a couple months now. I came to help a family member out.

[Well, that's not completely untrue, but it's definitely not the full picture at all. But he smiles and gestures at the table.]

Would you like to sit down? I can order you some lunch.

[bad_crowmance]

[ It's a straightforward enough answer, but all things considered he wouldn't be surprised if there was more to it. His gaze follows Jun's gesture towards the table and he nods, starting to walk that way. ]

Well if you're offering, who am I to refuse?

[whiteshroud]

Alright then.

[He doesn't mind covering his meal. Like any new arrival, he's sure this guy is broke. And while he hopes Crow has more sense than Trevor about selling off his weapons for quick cash and committing yourself to living on the streets instead of using a teapot, he probably shouldn't assume.

He'll wait before Crow's sitting before inquiring about food]

Any preferences? I know you, but not enough to know your eating habits.

[bad_crowmance]

[ Oh, there's no way in hell Crow would sell his weapons for a quick buck. Who knows when he'll need those, even if his orbal guns aren't working right now. More's the pity. ]

Hmmm... how about something with fish? I'm pretty new here, so I'm not entirely familiar with the cuisine yet.

[whiteshroud]

Haha, good choice. This restaurant's specialty is a fish stew.

[He'll wave down a waiter and order some stew for both of them. He waits until the waiter is out of earshot before he speaks again]

I can't answer all your questions, but I'm sure you have some. So ask away.

[bad_crowmance]

[ He glances in the general direction of the harbour. ]

I had a feeling it'd be something like that.

[ And then he focuses his gaze back on Jun. ]

I've got a few. Let's start with this one— just how many people aren't... from around "here"?

[whiteshroud]

[Well that's an easy enough question]

Hm...I'd say about 20 or so. But it fluctuates, so I don't have a precise number.

[bad_crowmance]

[ He nods. ]

A decent amount, but not too many... I'm guessing most of 'em don't usually make themselves so obvious.

[ Does he mean himself or Jun, who knows. ]

[whiteshroud]

[He pauses, thinking back on Trevor the smelly hobo by choice, Ana the winged "fite me" girl, Sooga the 8 foot tall guy that wears a mask, Tsuru "Surprise me Bro" ... ]

Haha...actually, I'm one of the more discreet ones.

[So. Yeah.]

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow can't help it, he grins at that. ]

Sounds like they're a pretty lively bunch, then. Can't wait to meet 'em!

[whiteshroud]

I'm sure you'll get along with them!

[Jun knows damn well Rean and Elliot is among the group and that maybe he should give Crow a heads up.

But.

Nah. He ain't getting involved in that drama. ]

[bad_crowmance]

[ That's incredibly evil, Jun. Not that Crow wouldn't do the exact same thing in his shoes but it's still evil. ]

I'm pretty good at getting along with most people.

[whiteshroud]

Yeah, I remember that.

[Crow does have a certain charm to him.]

Hey, did you happen to bring a Blade deck with you?

[bad_crowmance]

[ He visibly perks up at that. ]

A fellow Blade fan, huh?

[ But he shakes his head a moment later. ]

Unfortunately, I didn't have one on me when I ended up here.

[ Which is actually very telling if you know anything about Crow, but he can't get around that one. Oh well. ]

[whiteshroud]

Mm, I play it sometimes back home.

[There's a flicker of disappointment at that, but he supposes it can't be help. This guy did die, after all. It's to be expected he might lose some stuff]

That's too bad. I don't have mine with me either. It would've been nice to play a match, but it can't be helped I suppose.

[bad_crowmance]

[ It is disappointing, but now it's set Crow to thinking. ]

Hmmm... I wonder..... Maybe there's someone around who can be commissioned to make a deck....

[ It's worth looking into, once Crow has any money to do so at any rate. ]

[whiteshroud]

[An artist commission? Well that is an idea...]

I'm sure there is, but aren't you broke?

[bad_crowmance]

[ He waves a hand dismissively. ]

Yeah, but that's a temporary problem. I can work out ways to make money.

[whiteshroud]

True... the Adventurer's Guild does have paid commissions for people to do, if you don't mind odd jobs.

[Or you could do what Jun does and get Forneus to pay you. But eh. Crow's smart, might as well see how he figures this problem out himself.

At this point, the waiter comes bac with two bowls of fish stew. It smells good, and also spicy]

[bad_crowmance]

Oh, I've never had a problem with odd jobs.

[ He also has no problem with bribing a god to pay him, which just might end up happening when he gets a chance to chat with the guy. But we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, Crow takes a moment to breathe in the aroma as the stew arrives. ]

Now that smells amazing.

[whiteshroud]

[Jun smiles and thanks the waiter as they set down the bowl. ]

It tastes amazing too. There's fancier and more authentic restaurants in Liyue Harbor, but I'd say Wanmin Restaurant is one of the best in town.

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow thanks the waiter as well, then grins at that comment. ]

In my experience, "fancier" doesn't always mean "better."

[ But with that, he's going to take a taste of the stew— and it's clear by his expression he's enjoying what he's eating. ]

[whiteshroud]

Haha, true enough.

[He'll take his own taste of it, happy to have such good food full of flavor. ]

So, any other questions?

[bad_crowmance]

I've got several but let's go with this one— just how did we meet before, anyway?

[ It's bothering him and sometimes being direct is the only way to get an answer... even if it's not his preferred strategy. ]

[whiteshroud]

[Sadly directness really is the best way with Jun. He's not one to volunteer information without prompting.

But it's an easy enough question]

It was on another mission. Another world was dealing with a corruption curse. You and I were both brought in to help.