WEEKS 5 & 6

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WEEKS 5 & 6

THE CALM BEFORE...

The city has more or less bounced back after the disastrous Go-Kart race. While there are still some people recovering, no one’s hospitalized and there were thankfully no casualties - although there were more injuries than might have been expected, on accounts of some brawls that broke out among the competitors and the audience.

In spite of that, the Shopping District is feeling distinctly friendlier these days. Shopkeepers will take notice of repeat customers and be openly happy to see the better-behaved ones. They may even cut characters a discount on the sly for their patronship!

Perhaps as a result, the Nekyia Shopping District has become clear of haze much like the Nekyia dormitory started. While Shadows still lurk there, they are much fewer in number. Should characters choose to explore some more, they will find that the haze has become thinner in the Nekyia Entertainment District, allowing them to work on cleaning out the various Shadows that reside in that area.

WHAT THE FLUFF.

Meanwhile, back at the dormitory…

…trouble is amiss, but the fun kind of trouble.

On Sunday, September 1st, it seems like there's an event for pets being hosted at the parks near the dorm! That's fine and dandy, but the trouble comes from owners being careless and letting their animals run loose. That's right, some of them have been given free rein to explore, and a number of them have taken a liking to the dormitory!

You might be able to blame Dawn – that cat from the Nekyia who also appears to give you strange items! – because she's got bowls of cat food around her that she's feasting on. It's attracted some pet cats and strays alike. As for the dogs, well, they like people. Enough said.

Why not treat yourself to some animal therapy while you can? And if not, wrangling any animals that manage to get free works too!

SUMMER DAYS.

As summer break draws to a close, the Arcade is desperate to not only redeem its reputation, but also squeeze the last bit of pocket change out of people while they’re still on vacation. As a result, there is an ongoing discount on point cards allowing people to play competitive arcade games - Classics like Mirmo Kart and Street Slayer, as well as shinier rhythm games like Dancerun Stardom and LaiLai Universe Plus!

Of course, the hope is that characters drawn in by the arcade games will stick around for the other offerings - karaoke, bowling, ufo catchers, and even a bar (for those 21+!) And if none of these attractions are enough to catch a character’s eye, there’s plenty of other activities to be found in Carnation Court. Besides the restaurants and bars, there are many themed pop-up cafés and events, and even a few empty buildings with a very reasonable lease fee, should someone want to run an event of their own...

While the mood isn’t as open and friendly as the shopping district, it’s still worth a visit to relax and unwind a bit, preferably alongside Braphine’s other chosen. After all, there are Shadows looming on the horizon...

MESSAGE FROM YOUR RA!

Huh...? That's weird. It looks like a really big Shadow took up residence in the Nekyia. Hold on, I'll set things up so the app will give you the coordinates! Could you please check it out?

COMMISSIONS

NEKYIA COMMISSIONS

FETCH QUEST

I messed up…Mom's gonna be so mad at me for losing track of her dog at that event…

There's a shadow in the Nekyia that's taken the form of a Level 25 Nue. It seems to be growling in despair, and echoing the thoughts of this commissioner. Apparently this person lost his mother's dog at the event and hasn't made an effort to find it yet. Fight the Nue and try to knock some sense into this guy, either by shaking some sense into him or by defeating him; they've got a dog to find, after all.

YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE TOXIC

Leave, Braphine. Leave this world to the people. We don't need anyone. We've only got ourselves.

Seems like someone who might be involved with the vandalism incident might have a shadow here, too, in the form of a Level 24 Mokoi. She sounds like she's going to do something more extreme to the place if she isn't stopped. However, be careful… characters hit with Dazzler from this particular Shadow cannot be cured with magic, and must instead be healed by another person’s touch. It’s time to get cozy with your companions.

GET HEE OUTTA HERE

A powerful Shadow has appeared in the Nekyia and needs to be eliminated asap! Black Frost is a tenacious (if cute?) little guy, and can only be fought after taking down three Level 28 Jack Frosts beforehand. Make sure you ration out your spiritual energy and healing spells, this little Shadow can pack a real punch, being at Level 30! That said, for those who manage to defeat him, he should drop a mascot trading card. Turn this in to the priest or priestess at the temple to unlock a bonus new skill for your Persona!

(OOC: Please turn in your threads for this commission on the rewards page to unlock the new skill, which is separate from your leveling skillset! You may select one elemental skill for light damage to apply permanently to your character's persona. When turning in the skill will be effective immediately once rewarded.)

REAL WORLD COMMISSIONS

FINE DINING

Various restaurants, from fast food and fast casual grub to the fine dining establishments in Carnation Court are trying to outdo each other in terms of promotion, and as such are on the prowl for any free hands to help entice potential customers with free samples and food challenges galore. Grab a buddy and help hawk some bite-sized treats! Or maybe try to beat the record for the biggest burger ever eaten, if you dare.

ALL HANDS ON STAGE

A number of performers were involved in the Go-Kart incident and have yet to fully recover enough to do their parts for the show! For the next two weeks, the Sunset Grand Theater is looking for understudies for roles, as well as stage hands who are willing to ninja around and maneuver props and sets for the actors. The production is a fanciful tale of starcrossed lovers, evil stepmothers, political feuds, and for some reason, a dragon.

PREPARE THE PETS

The pet store in Vermillion Village is looking for some volunteers to help socialize the pets through playtime, as well as feed some of the more persnickety ones. Those who want to pet some adorable balls of fluff and energy can work with the kittens, puppies, and bunny rabbits, while those who are brave enough can try their hand at feeding the reptiles their meals of live crickets and frozen rats.

OOC

READ ME!!!!

Welcome to your log for Weeks 5 and 6! Feel free to use this log for any developments that happen during the next two weeks. There will be no log next week, but we will still be posting a small mini-event on Saturday.
For plotting, please feel free to head over to this post on the OOC comm to post your plotting top levels.
For Nekyia commissions, you can assume that the Shadows will respawn until they've been beaten enough times to go back to normal.
Palaces start this week! Please refer to the Palace schedule here and sign ups for this week's capped Palace here

ic comm | inboxes | ooc comm | full nav

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Comments

[oinkoink]

What the Fluff

[Sally hasn't done a particularly great job with socializing in her time here. Most of her walks around the dorm she keeps her head tucked in and tries to avoid eye contact. She's at least coming to terms with the fact that this really is what it's billed as, but that doesn't make it any easier for her to reach out to other people.

Dogs and cats, though? Well, when her little stroll is interrupted by a friendly cat circling her legs and meowing, how can she resist?]

Aw, cutie. What are you doing here?

Fetch Quest

[None of what happens in the Nekyia makes Sally feel at all confident in herself. Just because her persona seems ready to fight doesn't mean she is. But, well, she has to do this, right? At some point she needs to figure out how this all works. So here she is, facing down the groaning Nue.]

So go look for the damn dog, then!

[Lady Pigatha sends a blast of wind toward the creature with a karate chop as if following a command that Sally had given, though Sally herself seems almost baffled that she managed to do some kind of attack in the first place. Certainly, she's not going to get much farther in the battle if she just stands there looking confused.

[She crouches down to pet it, smiling for probably the first time since arriving here.]

Fine Dining

No, really, I'm not interested.

[A particularly pushy worker is trying to encourage Sally to try to the Biggest Burger challenge--and she knows exactly why. Like, they're not being all that subtle. You look hungry, I bet you could do it! Because, you know, she's such a pig and all. All she really wanted was to help, not to get roped into one of the promotions. Ugh, that was what she got for being so meek.]

Can I just...

[Yeah, she's totally cornered. Someone please give her an excuse to get out of this.]

Wildcard

[Feel free to plot with me here and we can come up with something different!]

Fine Dining

[kandata]

[It doesn't take a genius to see Sally is uncomfortable with how insistent they are about getting her to indulge. Well, better intervene, see how to get Sally away. Kirumi approaches, hands folded primly, and says to her a little louder than usual, bowing]

Miss, your presence is needed your right now. Please come along -- I was asked not to return without you.

[A very indirect way to tell the worker that Sally has to leave immediately]

[oinkoink]

Yep! That's me--gotta go!

[She sees the excuse and is jumping on it, sliding as fast as she can past the over-aggressive worker and over to her savior, where she can be shuffled away. Sally hugs herself, as embarrassed as she is appreciative. As soon as they're out of ear-shot she mumbles out a hurried:]

Um, thanks. Thank you.

[kandata]

Do not worry -- I did it gladly. You should remember from here on, though: being forceful is the only way to face somebody who cannot take a polite no for an answer.

[She says that just in case Sally felt constrained by the need to be polite even when accosted like that! A lot of people are like that, after all]

[oinkoink]

Yeah...forceful isn't exactly easy for me.

[In her head, maybe. She can think of all sorts of colorful ways to talk to a person. But actually saying those things out loud? No, no way. Mortifying.]

But I guess that's pretty obvious...

[kandata]

It is not easy. Would you like some practice? I could give you some advice.

[Kirumi sure isn't lacking in confidence nor assertiveness! Really, the only thing holding her back from saying to anybody she dislikes what she thinks, is her professionalism]

Fetch Quest;

[beautifulknight]

[ The Nue gets hit but is apparently so destitute with itself in the real world for now that miraculously doesn't seem to anger it for now. Either way, Argenti so happens to be making his approach when he sees this going on, because hmm... ]

Greetings, my fellow friend!

It appears that you may be having some difficulty...?

[ Well, he arrived mid-pets so he is not entirely sure, but he's asking anyways. ]

[oinkoink]

Oh--um, hello?

[Sally altogether flinches. It was the Knight guy. Okay, cool. He knew how to kill things.]

Yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing.

[She hasn't even remotely mastered using her persona--it feels so unnatural.]

[beautifulknight]

[ Argenti sure does! And while he could absolutely kill the monster here by himself, he thinks that kind of isn't exactly going to necessarily help Sally.

...What would help is teaching her how to kill it. ]

The skills you receive with your Persona lie deep inside of your mind. If you concentrate, the name of them should be known to you, and so should the commands to give to your Persona.

[ Maybe this advice should help, he thinks. ]

Take a moment to ponder of them and direct an attack towards that enemy.

[oinkoink]

[Skills? Names? Sally blinks slowly, looking down at herself as if they're going to be somehow written on her body. That wasn't really out of the realm of possibility, was it? After all, the Persona, like, ejected itself from her body in the first place.

Maybe it's that she feels so ridiculous, so unsure of herself, that nothing seems to come immediately to mind. Maybe she just can't focus, with everything going on around her.]

C-Could you give me an example?

[beautifulknight]

I am uncertain if we are the same element.

[ Argenti does toss out a psionic rose, captured within his hands, before delivering the blow right on the enemy who still is not motivated to do much of anything. Every Rose Has Its Thorns connects right away, encasing it within a cage of roses, those thorns piercing through it.

Either way, they would have to defeat the shadow, and it is a monster - clearing it away will erase those dark feelings of hesitation. ]

...But it should be more intuitive. If you cannot think up a name, you can start with asking your Persona to attack. Whether aloud or in your mind.

At the very least, it will follow your command. Do you wish to make an attempt?

fine dining

[strawsandals]

[ Oh, look at these slimy assholes bullying someone he recognizes as one of his dorm mates. That won't do.

Yoon enters the conversation with a bright, poised smile on his face. ]

Hey, hey! There you are! Boss was looking for us, and you know he'd be pretty pissed if we were late for our shifts, yeah?

[ There may be a small death glare in there meant for the pushy worker...anyway he's completely improving here, so. ]

Let's go.

[oinkoink]

Right--my shift!

[Sally isn't a good actress. Her voice is way too high, her movements jerky...but she's taking the out before anyone can think too hard about it, and she shuffles quickly over to Yoon's side, avoiding as much eye contact as she possibly can with the worker that was harassing her. Under her breath, she murmurs a hurried:]

Thanks.

[strawsandals]

[ He'll be brisk about leaving with her, and thankfully, the employee doesn't give chase. He breathes a sigh of relief before he turns to look at her. ]

Some people just don't know when to calm down.

[ Shame on them, to be honest. ]

...Are you okay?

[oinkoink]

[Sally shrugs, her own stance awkward as she avoids direct eye contact with the kind boy who came to her rescue.]

I'm fine. It's not the first time I've been treated like that.

[And she doesn't expect it'll be the last. She was practically a walking "kick me" sign.]

[strawsandals]

[ That doesn't sit well with him at all. He frowns deeper. ]

That's wrong. Nobody should treat someone so poorly.

[ Especially a stranger, but then again, a lot of the locals aren't exactly nice. Still, inexcusable. ]

Let's go do something fun, then -- ah, isn't there that place with a bunch of games?

[ The arcade. ]

Fine Dining

[imperiosity]

[Aaron might not have talked to Sally before, but when they've been living in the same building for the past month, it's almost inevitable that he'd see her around at some point, even if only in passing. So when he spots her being hounded by the worker, he's a little more inclined to step in once she starts floundering. Apparently, this means striding right up to the worker, and--]

Damn, with a sales pitch that shitty, no wonder you need the extra help. [Turning to Sally:] You really sure you wanna work in a dump like this? I just saw another place down the street that's hiring. Way classier than this joint, too.

[oinkoink]

Uh--

[Well that was one way to fluster the service worker from their overly aggressive tactics. They mutter something before scuttering off to catch someone else's eye, and Sally blinks, momentarily forgetting that she'd just been rescued and that was likely the only reason for the suggestion.]

I mean, I don't know that "classy" really suits me.

[imperiosity]

[Aaron sees the worker leave out of the corner of his eye, so it's mission accomplished as far as he's concerned. And with them out of the picture, he simply shrugs at Sally's response.]

Your call if you wanna keep hanging around here. But if another one of 'em starts getting all up in your face about helping, you're on your own.

[oinkoink]

No, no, I definitely don't.

[She inches closer despite herself, not willing to go back to being by herself and effectively useless.]

Are you also looking to earn some commission?

[imperiosity]

[With that confirmation, he's going to start walking away from the fast food place, expecting Sally to follow along. They can walk and talk here, it's fine.]

If any of these places look interesting enough, then maybe. Barker's never been on my list of potential career choices, though.

[Turning to look at her.]

Why, you wanna partner up?

Fine Dining

[moodwrecker]

[Oh hey there's her roommate. Sally probably noticed her missing for the majority of saturday and more or less sleeping all of sunday. It's fine. Don't worry about it.

But what should be a worry is perhaps the glare she shoots the people harassing Sally.]

Hey. She just said she wasn't interested.

[oinkoink]

[Sally definitely missed Aubrey over the weekend--and for the first time, missed that horrifying glare that she was so good at. It's enough to make the worker shrink and apologize before backing off to find a different target, leaving the two girls alone. Sally lets out a breath.]

Thank you.

[She wishes she could pull of a move like that, really.]

That was really cool of you.

[moodwrecker]

Hmph. They should've left you alone when you told them off the first time.

[But hey, she didn't even have to drag out the nail bat so that's a plus!!]

Are you okay?

[oinkoink]

It's alright--I mean, I'm used to it.

[Not that it ever got easier or more fun. Sally hugs herself.]

What about you, though? I mean, have you been sick?