stellafortunalogs | JANUARY MINGLE

January Mingle: A Ballad in Goblets
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
You open your eyes to an unfamiliar sight. A cool breeze flits through rustic buildings and sunny streets, carrying the smell of flowers and wine. The very air itself seems charged with mana, the warm pulse of the land palpable beneath your feet. This is a new world, a world where the elements compose all of reality. Before you is a bubbling fountain, and a key is entwined between your fingers. And that weight on your hip? A sparkling bauble that you've never seen before, yet it feels natural, as if it had always been there.

Asking around nets you the name of this world - Teyvat - and the name of this city - Mondstadt, blessed by the Anemo Archon, Barbatos. Your new home is accessible with the key placed in your hands, though this also brings to mind another question. How will you get money? Food isn't free, after all.

Luckily for you, there's plenty of jobs available for the enterprising Traveler. Be it taking requests from the Adventurers' Guild, or working part-time at one of Mondstadt's many food establishments, Mora is to be had when hard work is involved. The cuisine of Mondstadt is best paired with its wine, served at bars or enjoyed in private with a few friends.

And about that shining gem. locals will tell you that it is a Vision, a sign of favour from Teyvat's elemental gods. With the Vision on hand, you find yourself capable of commanding one of the seven elements. What will you do with this newfound blessing? Use it for good... or for evil?

Mondstadt's liveliness doesn't diminish when night falls. Bards sing through the wee hours of the night, and the lights of the city help keep most evildoers at bay. All seems peaceful, a pastoral idyll of a life that seems more at home in a storybook. Yet for those Travelers who venture out beyond the city's walls and into the ruins dotting the landscape, they may discover hints of a bloodier past now forgotten.

Glancing at any of the calendars in the city will tell you the current date. August 10th was the day you arrived. As soon as the last minute of August 16th slips away, the world around you changes. A blink, and time itself rewinds by seven days. Looking outside, the mown lawns have regrown, the windmill needs fixing again, and the well is once again full. Just what is happening here? It seems only you, Traveler, remembers the week that never was.

State of the World

For the first two weeks of the game, IC time will be looping from August 10th to August 16th. It's currently late summer in Mondstadt, and the trees are just beginning to turn out their autumn colours. The weather is cool and pleasant, with light showers on Tuesday (11th) and Friday (14th). It's also a good time to go out gathering berries and nature's bounty from Mondstadt's forests and valleys.

These two weeks will let us trial out our commissions and regains system and craft improvements for February onwards. There will be no activity requirements for January, so all threads started during this time period can be used for regains!

For all questions regarding January's mingle and events, please head over to our OOC post.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Zhongli nods, and off they go along the streets of Mondstadt. It's a comfortable sort of day, and the sunlight of early autumn is pleasant when coupled with the ever-present gentle breeze. Perfect weather for taking walks. ]

How do you find Mondstadt? [ He ventures a question to test the waters. ]

(He shrugs,)

It's not my first time being taken from where I am. (is that why he's asking? Is he worried? Save it!!) At least it's been interesting so far.

(He's in a good mood, even. He's rolling with things,)

The people are friendly and this world appears peaceful enough for now...

[ Not the first time, Tsurumaru says. That gets a slight raise of the eyebrow from Zhongli. ]

Do you miss home? Or would you rather be away from it?

[ He asks carefully, politely. Mondstadt is the most relaxed and idyllic city amongst the territories of the Seven, so perhaps it was fortunate that the outlanders arrived here instead of the complex intricacies of Liyue. Still, kidnapping people without their permission is not right. ]

It isn't important.

(He won't dwell on it. There's no need to explain, either.)

What's important is why we were brought here. (If they can find that out properly, he can direct his emotions at something more easily.) ... Would you happen to have any ideas?

[ A practical way of looking at things... a secretive way of looking at things, too. Zhongli notes that. ]

From what I am aware of, the ability to transcend worlds is held only by the gods. [ Not even the Archons, but those who take their seat in lofty Celestia. ] You could be called here to fulfil some purpose. Something that only travelers from other realms can accomplish.

[ As for what... Perhaps he could give Tsurumaru a clue, but he needs to judge the other man's response first. ]

Is that so...

(He sounds amused but doesn't bother to explain. How could he not? It's fitting that the gods would pull two swords associated with heavenly symbols. Was it easier? He wonders...)

Oh? And what do you think that purpose could be? (He turns to look at Zhongli,) Something like me is only good for one purpose, you know.

(Something. Not someone.)

[ Hah. Something. It's not a strange thought to Zhongli. He already adopted someone who thinks of themselves like that. ]

You are a stranger to this world. None know you nor of what deeds you may have done back home. A clean slate carries the most potential for change and the realization of hidden dreams.

[ He's just speaking broadly at this point - the same answer that he's given many other outlanders. ]

Something that only you can do. What would you call your purpose?

A surprise.

(That's what they are. Something that is unknown with unlimited potential... he calls that a surprise.)

Fighting. (He speaks lightly and holds up his sword just slightly for him to see.) It's why I am what I am~

(Physical, with a human form. But now he's just speaking vaguely i turn.)

There's no other reason for me to be brought like this.

[ That's a unique hint, one that most people might not recognize - but Zhongli does. Despite the black seal draining his power, his sharpness cannot be dulled. ]

To what will you turn your blade against?

[ Not quite matching Tsuru's vagueness, but he's following up with something that seems like comprehension. ]

...

(For that, Tsurumaru doesn't have an immediate answer. He has to think for a moment before he replies, lightly, airy, casually,)

To whatever I must fight.

(He might have a human form now. He might have a soul. But he is still the kami of a tool.)

[ Again, this isn't strange to him. Weapons without a purpose easily rust and fade away. For people who see themselves as tools, a goal is essential for them to survive. ]

I believe it will not be long before you find something to cut your steel against.

[ 'Whatever he must fight', though. ]

Do you fight for survival? For an idea? Or for entertainment?

Then I can't wait~ I wonder what it will be.

(Truly. He's excited at the idea of going up against something sooner than later.)

My... you're certainly curious. (Zhongli?) I suppose it can't be helped when we've just arrived, though.

(He doesn't mind. It won't make his answers any more specific.)

An idea, I suppose.

(Never his own. It's always the ideals of his master.)

[ Figuring out Tsurumaru's motivations is important. A weapon employed in the wrong hands can lead to a lot of problems. Zhongli is used to considering such factors.

He keeps his voice calm, even; nothing aggressive nor disapproving. ]

Better an idea than mindless bloodshed. [ Something positive to lend Tsuru some concept of why Zhongli is asking. That Cryo Vision on his belt suggests a hidden side to his story, too. ] The ideal of Mondstadt is that of Freedom. Naturally, its people have had to defend themselves against outside agents which seek to deprive them of that ideal.

[ Tsuru might get to fight Abyss Mages soon... or maybe, he will look up at Stormterror in the future and feel something different. ]

(It's interesting, really. He would have expected others to be concerned or nervous at this point. At the very least, he expects some confusion. But this man... gives him none of that. It's unexpected in a different sort of way than he was hoping.)

Even mindful bloodshed is still blood spilled. (Are they... getting philosophical.) Something will happen.

(Surely. Because peace never lasts.)

Something has already happened. (They've been brought here for some reason and that reason will have to make itself known in time.) I wonder what surprises will surely come~

[ Sometimes bloodshed is inevitable. Zhongli's own hands are stained with the blood of countless beasts and demon gods. It only matters that what he did was pragmatic and in the best interests of the people.

Regardless, he catches on to Tsurumaru's coyness quickly enough, and decides to change the subject. ]

Have you taken any trips outside of the city? Mondstadt's wilds are full of unexpected creatures.

[ Given Tsurumaru's admission of being a weapon, he should fare okay with the occasional hilichurl. ]

Not yet.

(Ah, but he lights up! He looks genuinely cheerful? Wow!)

Are there? I'll have to see for myself! (And he holds up a hand as if to stop Zhongli before he can say anything else,) Don't tell me. You'll ruin the surprise and I'll never forgive you.

Alright.

[ Zhongli's gaze is warm, a smile touching his austere expression. ]

Should you need a companion, I could recommend a few outlanders, or myself. I have plenty of time.

[ He sounds like a man who doesn't need to work. Or doesn't need to do a lot of stuff, really. His main objective is to get familiar with the outlanders as a whole. ]

JANUARY MINGLE

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