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

Ah-

[He's been caught. He swallows a little]

...I guess I am, a little. [A lot] But I'd feel bad taking a lunch from you. Is there a way to pay you back?

I don't mind, I wouldn't have offered if I did.

[She gestures to the menu on the wall of Good Hunter.]

If there's something that strikes your fancy, please let me know.

[Welp, well if she insisted. Jun's making a mental note to find a way to pay her back]

...Thank you. You're very kind.

[He looks at the menu, his eyes immediately going for the cheaper menu items. The fisherman toast sounds intriguing...but ngh. Too expensive. He'll just have to try that when he has his own money.]

How about the skewers? Those sound good!

Not at all. It's a simple gesture for one still regaining their footing.

[Ah, yes. The skewers... Well, she'll be nice about it.]

Yes, they do seem popular. I've heard people speak their praises as they've walked by.

Maybe, but I'm still grateful.

[He'll find some way to pay her back. Look he has no idea she's a vegetarian ok.]

Yeah? Then I'll have that. [He moves to carefully sit in the chair across from her] Oh, I'm Jun Kohinata. What's your name?

Pass it along to someone else in need in the future, and I'd call us even.

[Really, that's all there is to it. She nods as he settles on his selection.]

Ganyu. It's nice to meet you. Did you arrive same as the rest of us?

[Pass it on huh? Well, he's never done that before...so hey, might as well give it a try]

Alright, I'll do that.

[He will take this task very seriously, just watch]

Yeah, I did. Still trying to adjust.

I'm glad to hear it.

[The contract has been sealed.]

Ah, it does take some time. I'm from the next country over, but for some reason, I'm unable to return home.

You are?

You mean they won't let you cross the border? Or...you're blocked from going at all?

Something prevents me from leaving Mondstadt-- this country. It's nothing I've encountered before, and I've seen a number of things in my time.

[Speak more like an old lady, Ganyu.]

[ !

For a moment, something crosses Jun's expression: recognition. It may be new for Ganyu, but it isn't for Jun.]

Hm...

[He goes quiet, thinking. He isn't one to immediately broadcasts his theories, especially to someone he just met. But still, it's plenty suspicious.]

[Ganyu's expression remains passive, though she does spot the change in his. If he isn't about to share, she isn't about to pry.

Instead, she reaches to take his order from the conveniently timed waitress appearing, thanking her and setting it in front of Jun.]

Well, I hope whatever is on your mind will be helped by these. Eat up.

[Ah- he zoned out didn't he? He's used to having more people around, so the conversation can continue without him being noticed. He shakes off the thoughts, deciding to put them aside for now]

Ah, sorry. I must've been hungrier than I thought if I checked out like that.

[That isn't the least bit true, but he's going to stick to it. He'll grab a skewer, biting into it with an "mmm" sound. Yep! It's really nice to have food.

Swallowing]

I hope you find a way home. It must be frustrating to have it so near but blocked off.

No worries, I know the feeling. It happens to me too, if I work for too long without a snack. Luckily there are usually people around to help remedy that.

[A chuckle escapes her as she watches him, not so bothered with him eating meat. It's simply not for her-- she won't begrudge it.]

It is, a little bit. However, that just mean there's something else for me to do here.

Haha, do you get that absorbed in your work often?

[He wonders what she does for a living. She can't be fully human, but who knows how this world works]

Mm, good point. Do you know what needs to be done here? I've been wondering that myself.

Yes, it does happen more than I'm told it should.

[Not that she necessarily disagrees, but her work is important! Also she doesn't want to seem that airheaded.]

No, not that the moment, but I plan to take this time to try and find that out.

[he gives an amused sound] Then I'm glad there's people looking out for you.

[He's not going to judge really. It's easy to get absorbed in things and lose track of time]

In that case, I'll tell you if I learn anything. I think all of us want to go home.

Ah, yes, there are. I try to do the same for them in return.

[Ganyu nods in understanding. Though hers is closer than most, it's still kept from her as well.]

And I'll share anything I find with you as well.

JANUARY MINGLE

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