nysalogs | january open post + catch-all

Entry tags:

january open post + catch-all

Who: Yona (

cutefaced) & you!
What: A catch-all for January with OTA prompts and closed starter toplevels.
When: Throughout January
Where: Mainly in and around Olympia; some visits to Wyver, too.
Warning(s): Nothing yet, but I'll edit if that changes.

olympia proper;

one - getting reacquainted;
[Before taking ill, Yona had spent much of her time in the market district - mainly because she's always been easily distracted by interesting things. As a result, she hadn't been completely familiar with other parts of the city before then, though she did make a few forays into the theater district.

No more. Now that she's back, she has every intention of learning her way around the city she and her friens have returned to.

Her wandering takes her almost everywhere - and as a result, she ends up hopelessly, uselessly lost. Maybe you'll catch her looking at her surroundings with a puzzled expression.]

...wait, was I supposed to turn right at the last street, or the next one?

[Help.]

two - weapons galore;
[You must never touch weapons, Yona.

Her father's words are fresh in her mind as she stands outside the weapons shop. Of course - she's already disobeyed him once, when practicing throwing daggers. But she can only keep "borrowing" from Jae-Ha and sneaking them back to him for so long, and they're his weapons, in the end; she needs to find something that suits her.

Sooner or later, she was always going to have to look out for herself.

So in she goes, although she nearly immediately looks a bit overwhelmed at all the different choices. Oh boy.]

There's so many of them...

three - order up;
[She can't just rely on other people to buy her things forever (although to be truthful, it's worked for her so far).

So, not long after they return to Olympia, Yona starts looking for work. Her problem is there aren't a lot of things she already knows how to do well - but part-time work serving food at a cafe seems simple enough, and she's managed to get a job as a waitress at the Wyvernest, which suits her just fine. One of the most interesting things about Wyver was the dragons, after all.

Now she's sort of got the best of both worlds - she can see the baby dragons while she's working, and can learn about them as she does. (The owner doesn't rebuff her when she asks for employment as some others have, but maybe that's because they remember she wore a Wyver pin at the gala. Maybe they think she knows more about dragons than she actually does.)

But at the moment? It's time to serve some customers! Yona looks up when she hears the door open and fixes the person who's just entered with a smile.]

Welcome to the Wyvernest! How many would you like a table for today?

the outskirts;

one - neutrality problems;
[The first time she borrows a mount to go exploring, she runs into some of the people who have left the city.

...up until that moment, she hadn't realized just how bad things had gotten. Sure, there were people who were vocal about wanting to keep themselves separate from the people of Wyver, and people who were talking about fighting with them... but she'd believed it was just talk. After all, when she'd gotten sick, the medicine that had cured her had only existed because they'd cooperated with them.

But, no. Apparently it is that bad. And when she hears that people on both sides have been refused help from the Sanctuary and the Altar of Volkkra...

Well, she can't take it. She really can't take it.

So, from time to time, she ventures out from the city on a mount for a "picnic," though what she's got packed is more along the lines of simple food for traveling, cloth cut into bandages, and other things she's managed to purchase with her earnings from the Wyvernest cafe. Some days, when she's gotten especially good tips, she has a little more.

Some days, when business has been slow, she's got a little less.

Either way, she's trying. And she could probably use a little help... be it with passing things out to people who need them, or actually providing effective medical assistance, or not getting mugged or attacked by wild animals or something.]

two - edrathe ruins;
[Is it foolish to be out here? Probably. Is that going to stop her from looking around? Probably not.

...except it really should have, because enough time has passed that Yona's borrowed mount has decided to head back to the stables and has definitely left her behind. She's wandering around near the entrance now, unsure if she's actually where she left it or if she's just gotten terribly turned around.]

Hello?

[...there's that strange rumbling noise; she jolts, then glances over her shoulder.]

Is someone here...?

a visit to wyver;

one - dragonwatching;
[No amount of tension is going to keep Yona out of Wyver - for the time being, anyway. But even she's not that stupid; when she does take off for the hotter country, about midway through the month, she at least has the sense to change the style of clothing she's wearing and smooth down her hair. It's perhaps not the most effective disguise she could have gone with, but at least when her hair reverts back to its usual frizzy state, she can use that as an excuse -

It couldn't have been me you saw! Do you really think I could get my hair to look like that?

Et cetera, et cetera.

Anyway, now that she's back in Wyver, she's going to be visiting some friends - but she's also going to be taking the time to go observe some fully-grown dragons. ...from a distance, of course; she doesn't want to be eaten. Still.

There's no small amount of admiration in her eyes as she watches them.]

They really are amazing...!

two - lagoons;
[Before she goes back to Olympia, she has to stop at the lagoons. Has to. There's no two ways about it. They're one of the things she enjoyed most about the jungle country, and she doesn't know when she'll get the chance to bathe in them again.

The public bathhouses in Olympia are perhaps a little more elegant, but the lagoon has its charm, too.

For now, Yona lounges in one of the public pools, her hair fanning out across the surface of the water and preserving her modesty. But ultimately, a bath is a bath. There's a time and a place for being naked; this is one of them.

So she doesn't really think twice about it when she catches sight of someone's feet at the water's edge - she waves them over with a smile.]

Come in, the water's great!

wildcard;

[If none of the above works for you, just hit me with whatever! I just ask that you let me know when and where it's happening; I can come up with a justification for Yona to be wherever you'd like. Alternatively, hit me up by PM or at hungriest and I'll be glad to write a personalized starter for you.]

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[She's so suspicious of him wow??? But okay, maybe avoiding the guards all together is best.]

Ah, now there's an idea! Particularly given how tense things are in the city right now, I imagine their offices are likely to be less busy with more guards on the street.

[He takes a step out into the street, little tail wagging.]

Naturally, we won't need to worry about finding an unlocked and unattended door... as long as we can find a window and see that a room is empty, I can take us inside easily.

Okay, then... let's get looking.

[It's easy enough to justify strolling past the building, at least. Mephisto is a dog, dogs need their exercise, and she's making sure he's getting it. As they make their way down the street, the very picture of a girl and a dog out for a walk, Yona nods in the direction of a window.

She's not like, right up against it or anything, but she can't see anyone through it.]

That should work...?

[Yes, just a girl and her dog, blatantly disobeying the leash law... is there a leash law?? Hopefully not.]

Hmm... let me check to be sure. If it's clear, I'll bring you inside as well.

[Which meeeans he's gonna take a quick glance around before disappearing in a poof!]

[If the room is empty, he'll be poofing Yona in similarly only seconds later -- and without much warning, so hopefully she's preparing herself to feel a little disoriented.]

[hopefully not because i am not asking the mods something that minor tbh. but who knows, maybe yona's secretly been a criminal all along.]

—eh?!

[And Yona is indeed whisked inside just a few seconds later, because the coast is clear. Somehow, foolishly, she had thought that he would give her some kind of warning. She staggers and throws her hand out to catch herself against a wall, a little dizzy.]

...okay... we made it inside...

[Her voice is hushed. And a good thing, too - there are footsteps in the hall on the other side of the door, across the room from them.]

[He gave her the warning before he vanished, obviously!! ...he probably could have gestured through the window though. But, ya know, #justdemonthings]

[He won't say anything when he hears the footsteps, but will silently trot on over towards the door, standing at the side of it. Were the footsteps headed this way, or just passing through? He can carve a small peep hole through the door with his powers if he has to, low to the ground to be unnoticed, but he's rather avoid leaving any trace that they were here if he can avoid it.]

[A peep hole won't be necessary - low to the ground as Mephisto is, he'll be able to make out the shadows the guard is casting through the gap between the door and the floor.

Since they're both being quiet, nothing attracts the guard's attention, and they keep walking. The shadow vanishes from sight; the footsteps fade until they're out of earshot.

From the sound of things, the hallway is clear.]

...it seems the coast is clear.

[Likewise, he's keeping his voice soft. Even if there's no one around, there's no sense in risking being overheard by being too loud.]

Shall we get started? I was unable to find a good map of the building here, so we might have to explore a bit if we hope to find the office we're looking for.

[--of the random NPC guard they're being asked to investigate, of course. Assuming they even have an office -- but even their locker would suffice.]

That's fine. We'll just be careful and try to avoid people until we find what we're looking for.

[Yona inches toward the door and slowly eases it open, peering out first to make sure the coast really is clear. There's no one in her immediate field of vision, so it's probably fine.

They can go either right or left. The footsteps from before had come from the left and continued down onto the right - she looks to Mephisto to see which way he plans on going.]

[Well then, why don't they see where that man was coming from? Maybe they'll get lucky and he was headed out for the day. They'll need to watch and make sure no more people are coming this way, but as long as Mephisto stays up front, he should be able to handle a good enough distraction for Yona to hide!]

[...or just float her up to the ceiling and hold her there. That'd probably be funny, actually. Especially if she's wearing a dress today... #priorities]

Keep your eyes and ears open for someone coming behind us. If I see someone coming, I'll run ahead to grab their attention before they can see you. Though if we're lucky, it won't come to that.

[mephisto, please don't be gross, they're on a mission]

Okay... I'll keep watch.

[And watching things is something that Yona is pretty good at, actually! So they start to make their way down the hall. So far, so good - but eventually, they start to approach an intersection where they can either keep going straight ahead, turn back the way they came, or turn right. There are two doors along the wall on their left - one a few feet before the right turn, and one a few feet after it.

Further down the hall, they'll hear footsteps and voices. It sounds like two of them, approaching from a turn at the left at the far end where the hall ends.

What to do, demon dog?]

[Well, they came here to investigate right? So, what's behind door number one?]

[He'll basically let it seemingly open itself, of course -- spooky demon powers and all. Is there anyone in there, or can they hop inside and hopefully miss the people coming down the hall?]

[Solid choice.

Nobody is in the room, and they're able to dart in there quite easily. Yona pulls the door shut behind them, and the guards coming down the hall just miss it as they round the corner.

The footsteps get closer and closer... but then they stop without getting further away. A peek at the gap between the door and the ground will reveal two sets of shadows on the other side.]

"What's the problem? You got what you needed, yeah?"

"I was going to practice with my daggers today... I should go swap 'em out."

[In this room, there's what looks like a storage closet, a desk, a bookshelf, and a table with some chairs in the center of the room. On the table? There's a set of daggers.]

"Shouldn't take more than a second. Wait up for me."

[The footsteps are getting closer...! What will you do, Mephisto?]

[Well for starters, he's gonna be rude to his hime friend.]

[Because that closet door is being opened and she's gonna get a little nudge to head in that direction -- and if she doesn't hurry, she'll be poofed into it! Hopefully there's nothing too weird being stored in there with her.]

[But Mephisto will stay outside! And... and turn himself into a cockroach. Gross. But at least this way he can harmlessly climb up one of the table legs unseen and try to get a glance at the person entering? And maybe poke around if they take their sweet time.]

[...he has a little tophat and bowtie by the way. This part is important to mention.]

—eh?!

[She doesn't move quite quickly enough, and Mephisto poofs her right into the closet. She has to clap a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping out in surprise. As it is, the noise is just slightly muffled.

Ohh, she hopes nobody heard that.

The guardsman stepping into the room doesn't seem entirely oblivious; he frowns and gives the room a quick look. But, since Mephisto poofed her into the closet rather than opening it and closing it, there's nothing about the door to suggest that it's been opened, as there might have been had Yona opened it on her own. With a shrug, the guard grabs his daggers from the table, turns on his heel, and strides out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Yona, who can't see that the coast is clear, stays absolutely still. What does the tophatted cockroach do next?]

[Well for starters he's gonna sit there and look dapper as fuck.]

[But okay, once the coast is clear and the foot steps are gone, he changes back into himself this time -- walking over to the closet and speaking quietly before even moving to open the door, lest she think he's one of the guards instead.]

Sorry about that. I couldn't risk either one of us getting caught so soon.

[Aaand opening the closet! Slowly. In case Yona comes literally tumbling out of it (which may very well happen anyway).]

[come on mephistroach we've got stuff to find

But no, it's okay. She's bracing herself against the back of the closet, so she doesn't come tumbling out. Instead, when he opens the door, she finally pushes away from the wall and slips outside.]

That's okay. Um... [She glances around the room, her gaze lingering on the shelf and the desk.] Maybe we should take a look through those while we have the chance?

Did you think I was going to leave you locked up in there while I looked around?

[It was a little tempting.]

[But that said, he's going straight for the desk, eyes quickly skimming whatever papers might catch his eye, opening a few drawers to search their contents -- mostly looking for some clue as to who's room this is. So far, he's not seeing anything with their guy's name... but that would just be too easy.]

...you know, you surprised me with this. I didn't think you were to sort to enjoy sneaking around where you shouldn't be.

[She gives him a look, because yeah, she sort of did.

While he occupies himself with the desk, she crosses over to look at the bookshelf. There are only a couple of books here, the titles of which she doesn't really recognize - mostly, the space is taken up by various knickknacks of little consequence.

Mephisto, on the other hand, has a little more luck. This room apparently belongs to a patron of the arts - because tucked in between some generic-looking documents, he'll find a pair of tickets to a show at a small theater in the entertainment district.

The tickets aren't held for any name in particular, but the seats seem like they'll be pretty nice.]

Um, well... [She hesitates.] There's a lot of things I don't know about this place. So I thought... instead of sitting and waiting around for someone to explain it to me, I should do something myself to try and understand what's going on.

[Documents, documents... he spies the pair of tickets and only really takes them out for a passing glance, to see if he can't catch a name off of them. When he doesn't see one, he sets them out on top of the desk with the other paper's he's looking through, not really giving them much thought.]

That's rather admirable. Most people wouldn't be so proactive in seeking out the answers to the questions they have on their own terms. But I think it's better to see things with your own eyes than depend only on the explanations of others-- ah, here we are!

[SOMETHING WITH A NAME and not the right one. Well, that would be too easy, right?vHe starts shuffling the papers back into place.]

It seems this office belongs to someone in the same unit, but they're not the man we're meant to seek out... which is for the best really. These files are so disorganized, it would take hours to look through it all properly! There's even a pair of theater tickets in here covered in dust for how long they've been neglected.

...a pair of theater tickets?

[Do guardsmen go to the theater often, Yona wonders? Apparently this guardsman doesn't. But, now that she thinks about it... seeing plays is fun. It's a good place to relax. People tend to let their guards down when they're relaxed.

If other guards go, then...]

Can I see them?

--oh, what's this? Thinking of turning to a life of crime and thievery already?

[He says as he hands her the tickets anyway...]

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january open post + catch-all

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