diatuooc | Test Drive #1

Test Drive #1

The Airship There

By carriage or coach, spellwagon or ship, perhaps even on the wings of magic, the Sundered heed the call to gather at the Tenzin High Dock of Vulbaria. On this, the appointed day, a great passenger airship sits in the dock, the seals of the six Houses fluttering from flagpoles along her length and her wooden planks atremble as if it is eager to be off. At last, the gangplank descends, and the Hand of Diatu opens her doors to the Sundered so they can take their first step on the path towards protection and salvation.

Inside, you may choose from long comfortable couches, broad circular tables surrounded by straight-backed, cushioned chairs, or viewing seats at the glass front of the ship. Sundered who need special accommodations are quickly provided for, ensuring everyone travels in comfort. Trays drift through the air periodically, offering snacks and drinks to the passengers.

This may be the first chance you've had to truly relax since being swept to this strange world. Certainly it is the first chance you've had to meet your fellow Sundered. As the airship lifts gracefully off from the High Dock, your journey to Diatu begins. Excited? Nervous? Simply angry? Or perhaps searching among the crowd here for a familiar face or some sign of hope?

Rain, Rain...

Welcome to Diatu Magicademy. It's raining.

Seriously raining. One of those downpours that feels like a curtain has dropped on you, that soaks to the bone within a second of stepping into it. Obviously, this won't do, and a civic-minded cluster of Purifeul students has taken it upon themselves to solve this problem. No sooner do you step through the gates then you practically run into a giant and complex runic diagram being drawn out with long staffs by several students, all of them speaking seeming nonsense about derivatives, limits, and equations. Magic! In action right before your eyes!

And yet, just as their mathemagics wind towards the center of the diagram and they all make their final stroke -- one student slashes his line off on a weird tangent, speaking an equation that sounds nothing at all like what his fellows utter. The spell completes... weirdly, as the students look in horror at each other. The temperature abruptly drops seventy degrees, and a cold wind begins to blow.

Welcome to Diatu Magicademy. Please get out of the blizzard before you freeze.

Thaumaturgy 101

After some fifteen minutes of grumbling from Professor Loshakle, followed by half an hour of theory and basics, the grouchy old man finally gets to drawing a magical symbol on the board. "This is straight out of Fundamental Principles of Wizarding," he says, writing Sense Magic next to the symbol. "As is everything you'll learn here. I'll emphasize yet again, you MUST know the name of the spell and the proper gestures. You can't simply wave your wand in any old pattern and say any old words. That isn't how it works," he says, glaring around the class as if daring someone to question him.

But he gives no one the opportunity, instead producing a wand and making the gesture to trace the symbol he'd drawn in midair. "Sense Magic," he intones, and the air and his wand both shimmer.

"Now. You all try." Just like that. What the Professor doesn't mention is that this spell can produce some very interesting results if the symbol is off, or the timing...

Bala-inlota Practice

Bala-inlota is the main interaction the Magicademies have with each other -- the sport of wizards! Two teams take the field, with the goal of heaving a ball through their opponent's hoop. The rules primarily revolve around not inflicting lethal injury, because bala-inlota is a free-for-all at best, where each team relies on both physical and magical might to win the day.

You kind of wish someone had told you this BEFORE you got hauled onto the field so the coach could see if you've got what it takes.

Now half a dozen players are charging down the field at your ragtag group of semi-willing recruits, while another half-dozen are preparing spells that you've been absolutely assured aren't as nasty as the ones deployed in actual play. On your side: the ball, your wits, your physical ability, and maybe three classes's worth of magical education.

On the upside, magic is pretty good at healing.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Tenn narrows his eyes. Something he's missing, indeed. A time discrepancy? A Japan different than his own? Information Age does imply current century.

He lowers his glass to give her an attentive audience. Her presentation is studied and creates intrigue; he listens with care to construct a meaning. In the back of his mind, Tenn runs what sounds like a quoted line through his knowledge of current media.

"A coastal town, then." Japan is full of those. That does not help him. "The passage is unfamiliar." Either her tastes run obscure, or his guess is correct. "And if you are not aware of social media platforms, I presume you are not from the same Japan I was."

Ah... At the comment about her awareness, it does seem like something within her crumbles. Though her face only looks slightly insecure, the feeling of devastation on her part is so thick, one could cut through it with a knife. Her eyes slowly avert their gaze from his as she hesitantly provided an admission.

"... It is a tad embarrassing, but I am somewhat ignorant of things compared to my colleagues," she fidgets slightly, rubbing the rim of her glass with her thumbs. "I had not returned to Tokyo until a few years ago, and much before that I had been rarely exposed to the outside world. Recently, Ritsuko had bought a 'smartphone' and it is... mystifying. Everything seems to keep evolving, yet I've just recently mastered the art of 'texting,' myself..."

She sighs lightly.

"Our Producer did say once that it felt as if I 'fell from a time slip'... Do I truly appear so anachronistic, good sir?"

A lie he considered and theatrics he expected, but the discomfiture following his assumption makes him blink in surprise. Blunt as he can be when getting to the point, Tenn didn’t intend it as a barb. He responds to her hesitancy by relaxing his posture, leaning back against the seat.

"Your producer's observation is astute." He agrees. But then, it is the producer’s job to note such things, even when the report is unflattering. It's how one improves, after all. (Wait. Producer? No, seeing as she has speech training, she may be talent.) As to why she is like this... he won't press. It's not his business. He listens without further judgment, as he often finds himself doing in this career. It’s not the first… interesting… story he’s heard.

To put her at ease, he offers a bit of his history. "I was born in Japan, but I spent my middle school years studying abroad. I returned to Tokyo two years ago to work in the entertainment industry." Following another sip of the not-a-cream-float, he adds, "It’s a lively place and things do move quickly. Even if you are behind in technology, you are well-versed on the food. I don’t think it’s unusual to focus on what one most enjoys."

Takane doesn't take any offense to him agreeing with the Producer's comment. After all; she was incredibly aware that she was inexperienced and ignorant of many things, and it is never forgetting that fact that she will be able to address her limits and further them. However, what really affects her is when he volunteers to tell a little bit about himself. As planned, while she is taken aback slightly at first for the sheer amount of similarity to her own history, it does put her at ease, the gentle smile returning to her face.

"Food is the center of culture; it is a fact that everyone is aware of. You are able to learn much about the history, society, and values of an area by sampling their cuisine," she stares down at her reflection in the amber liquid, taking another sip before continuing. "... I must say, it appears to be the mischief of fate that has allowed me to meet such a kindred spirit. It would seem that our purposes for returning are one and the same."

Tenn swirls his drink; the bubbles on the top have begun to collapse and dissipate as they eventually do. It’s always a little disappointing. Some things never change. "Yes. This world has its own culture and cuisine to explore, as well. We should stay alert and learn quickly to make the most of it." His smile takes on an amused twist. "You may need to start a new notebook."

Fate, hm? Thinking back to when he stepped out of his dressing room and onto a street corner in a city unlike anything he’d ever seen, he’d entertained the possibility that it was a localized phenomenon. To have it confirmed… he’s not sure ‘fate’ is the word he favors for it. But mischief? Definitely.

"As no one arrived with me at that time, I did not expect anyone else came from Japan. It is strange." His smile slips, as he does not find this a good thing. His presence will be sorely missed. He can only hope this young woman is a cadet yet to debut, to spare her company and fans what his are likely going through in his absence.

"Indeed. I am somewhat puzzled that I arrived alone, myself," she admits, pausing a moment to take another sip of her drink. It would be a shame if she let it go flat before she finished it, even in the midst of engaged conversation. "I had at least thirteen others with me..."

Yes, that arena Live was one of the most ambitious projects 765Pro has taken on, one of the rare occasions where all of the idols from that agency can perform as one unit. There was also that one new recruit that seemed to be having trouble as well, but she is sure that it would solve itself soon enough... Even putting the potential of missing days of the training camp, as well as the Live itself... Right after that, it would be the last time they would be able to see the Producer in a while. Though Takane Shijou believed in the idiom haste makes waste, the many impending milestones that she had been pulled away from was... mildly concerning.

"It is most unfortunate, but time is of the essence of my situation back in our world, and I do hope that my absence does not cause distress..." Takane tucks a lock of silver hair behind her ear as her gaze rises to the skyline outside the large glass window. "Or at the very least, that there is some magic available here that can allow me to address it."

Test Drive #1

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject