02 - week two

[afflictionmods]

WEEK TWO

When the glitter settles and everyone returns to their dorms - or wherever they intend to sleep for the night, if you’re planning on sleeping at all - your first week of school officially ends. Perhaps it was better than you expected, perhaps it was worse.

Hopefully you learned a bit more about teamwork and school spirit.

Still, this course is going to run for longer than a full week, and come Sunday morning you’re still exactly as you were when you settled down for the night. Still in Estelline, still with that mark on your wrist, still connected to your partner. There are some changes, though. The bookstore has received quite a few books, and those of you who added to the bulletin board and pep rally tasks in the first week will find an envelope taped to their dorm door (or themselves, if they spent the night elsewhere). Inside of the envelope is some kind of voucher! Furthermore, the common area is covered in a bunch of glitter.

Also, there are a ton of eggs in the kitchen – at least 10 dozens.

Florence or Lorelei are still available, should you wish to speak to them.

Finally, you've got some new locations to explore.


SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

TASK LIST

CLUMSINESS AFFECT DETAILS (BEGINS TUESDAY ICLY)

W2 CYOA SIGNUPS
CYOA Signups for Week 2 close Sunday, May 29th at 6pm EST.

THREAD SURVEY
Google form for partner threads, due by Friday, June 3rd at 6pm EST. Optional.

W3 CYOA SIGNUPS
CYOA Signups for Week 3 close Friday, June 3rd at 6pm EST.

OOC NOTE

OOC: Anyone who performed in the Pep Rally (Sabo, Madara, Riku, Shizuku, Herlock, Idia, Flat, Miach) task will be able to redeem a voucher for a prize with one of the NPCs. This can be handwaved, and the prize selection is below.

-Single-serve coffee machine wither a selection of creamer. Comes with packs of coffee beans.
-Popcorn maker and kernels.
-High-quality tea kettle with a selection of just as high-quality tea.
-Carbonation machine (think Sodastream, etc) with flavored syrup.

Any coffee, tea, popcorn, etc. will last characters up to two weeks.

Anyone who participated in the Bulletin Board task will receive a voucher for your choice of two pairs colorful socks with cute animal designs. (Worry frog design available.)

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Comments

[sicklysweet]

I don't know.

[He rolls his eyes.]

And I don't really care right now.

[Is it because he's been pacified with cookies that he's not needling Fai... Him already finishing his fifth and taking another are probably signs pointing to "yes".]

It could be anything. All I'm saying is there's nothing to learn about me that people don't already know.

[Even if only one person has gotten the full and complete Lore Dump.]

[partymagician]

Do you regret sharing that information?

[ That's what it sounds like, if he doesn't want Fai to spill some of his secrets to him right now. ]

[sicklysweet]

No.

[He’s bothered by sharing information, but it’s not because he’s bothered over sharing that information in the first place. Even if he only told Hien so much as an exchange for learning things about Hien… he still could have decided not to play along.

He looks contemplative for a moment before reaching for a seventh cookie. How is he still hungry.]


None of that information changes anything. Why would I regret sharing any of it?

[partymagician]

[ He wishes he had an attitude like that towards his past. It frustrates him that he doesn't.

And he hopes Owen doesn't get a stomachache from all those cookies. ]

That makes sense. Some things really don't make that much of a difference if you share them.

[ But for Fai? He knows deep, deep, deep down that his past makes him a bad person, and despite all of his efforts to not care, he doesn't want people to dislike him. ]

[sicklysweet]

[Well, there's the problem. It's easier to accept your past and be open about it if you don't care if people dislike you!

Well.

And if you don't care that you're a bad person. Owen knows that he's bad, but that's something that he enjoys. He didn't get the reputation he has back home on accident.]

Yeah. So why bother hiding anything? If you're afraid of the truth getting out, if that's what eating you up inside...

[Eating this many cookies is probably a bad idea, but at least he's not saying anything weird about them.]

It's just going to be worse when you can't hide it anymore.

[partymagician]

[ Well. It isn’t as if Owen has no point.

Fai watches him continue to eat cookies, a thoughtful look in his eyes. ]

You know… I’m cursed. I will kill the first person I come across that has more magic than me.

[ This is something he’s already told Hien, so it’s easier to say to someone else too. ]

[sicklysweet]

[The look Owen gives Fai is very easy to understand. It's a look that just says "are you stupid?"]

How is that a curse? That sounds great, honestly.

[If he had a "curse" like that he wouldn't have had to deal with Mithra or Oz for all these centuries, and getting rid of just one of them would have made his life so much easier... And so much less painful...]

[partymagician]

It’s a curse because it was put upon me.

[ Also. He doesn’t really want to kill?? But that’s beside the point. ]

You told me to let out some of the truth, right? That’s why I’m telling you.

[ He laughs softly. ]

It’s a little hard to get rid of it, since my magic grows with each use.

[sicklysweet]

Good things get put on people too.

[Not that Owen is in the business of, like, protection spells or anything.

Owen tilts his head, considering Fai. He does seem like the sort that wouldn't resort to violence the way a Northern wizard would, but there's something that makes him feel like he wouldn't just lay down and die, either.]

Okay. So you're always getting stronger.

[...]

Why not keep using it, then? If the curse is just that you'll kill whoever has stronger magic... Why not just make your magic the strongest it can be? There has to be a point where no one will ever be able to come close to you.

[partymagician]

Hmmm... well, that is something you'll have to wait to find out.

[ Owen's social link isn't high enough just yet! While Fai thinks it might be easier to explain all of it to Owen over many of the other people here thanks to his familiarity with magic, it's still a touchy subject. ]

[sicklysweet]

[He takes Another Cookie. Fai has cracked the code.]

I’m not in any rush.

[Is that because he doesn’t care about finding out, or because he’s actually willing to let Fai decide when he’s ready to talk…

It’s a mystery.]

[partymagician]

[ It sure is a mystery! ]

You're an interesting guy, Owen.

[ Fai does mean it as a compliment, but it may or may not sound like one. ]

[sicklysweet]

What does that mean?

[And it’s a genuine question! He doesn’t sound insulted, just… confused.

He’s been called a lot of things in his life, but not something as open to interpretation as “interesting”.]

[partymagician]

[ He laughs. ]

I've never met a guy like you before, and I never know what you're going to say or think.

[ Would a lot of people consider those bad things? Yeah, but Fai has been around long enough that he doesn't get bothered so easily. ]

So, you're interesting.

[sicklysweet]

[That still doesn't answer if that's a good or bad thing! At least in Owen's mind.]

...You're very strange.

[Pot, kettle, etc.]

[partymagician]

[ He laughs, genuinely amused by that. ]

Aren't all wizards a little bit strange? I think it comes with the territory of using magic.

[sicklysweet]

[...

Shit.

He's right.]

I think some wizards are stranger than others.

[He could name a few that are exceptionally bizarre.]

But most of the wizards I knew wouldn't talk to me like this unless they were very, very strange.

[partymagician]

[ Fai tilts his head. ]

Why is that?

[ Is Owen threatening when he has magic? Or is it that his past and reputation precede him with other wizards? ]

[sicklysweet]

[Yes.]

I'm a Northern wizard and the guardian of the Forest of Dreams. That's reason enough, for most people.

[Even though those things don't... mean much to Fai.]

Even people who don't know who I am would get scared once they see the emblem on my hat.

[partymagician]

What does it mean?

[ He’s genuinely curious, and while the names of locations mean nothing to Fai, it’s telling that people would be weary just knowing that was where he was from. ]

[sicklysweet]

Before you get too excited, it’s just the emblem for the Northern country.

[So everyone will know where he’s from. There’s no hiding that. It’s a source of pride for Owen…

But he’s well aware of how people think of Northern wizards specifically.]

[partymagician]

[ He laughs softly. ]

Ah, I see. So, what does it mean to be someone from the Northern country?

[sicklysweet]

[Why does he keep ending up having to do lore dumps...

He sighs.]

Wizards will take on traits depending on the country they're from, which tends to mean they'll have different specialties... but each country also has a different way wizards are treated. That's why a Western or Central wizard would be very different from a Northern one like me.

[And he is not going to go through all the exposition of what each country is like, ever, because it doesn't matter..]

But Northern wizards are the strongest. It's a very harsh country, after all, and if you're not powerful someone will just come along and kill you to take your mana stone... so all of us are always trying to improve ourselves. Get stronger, get more territory, things like that, but everyone knows Northern wizards are more powerful than any other wizard could be.

[He laughs to himself.]

It means people are afraid of me as soon as they realize what I am, more than they would be if I was a Southern wizard.

[partymagician]

I see.

[ It sounds like Owen is from a very unforgiving world. Honestly? That explains a lot about him. ]

You must be constantly practicing your magic, with the stakes being as high as they are.

[sicklysweet]

[And Fai hasn’t even heard about the hallucinogenic poison forests! Or the temperatures low enough to kill a human in seconds!]

Of course. Just because I can’t die doesn’t mean I want to lose.

[And who even knows when he’ll stop coming back?]