The Watchers of Night ([personal profile] thewatchers) wrote in [community profile] daybreakacademy2021-01-01 11:49 am

[Open Log] The Turning of the Year


The Turning of the Year
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New year, new you, same old world. Assuming you manage to keep it intact, at least. But hey, your track record’s been pretty good so far. That’s the nice thing about having preventing the apocalypse as your mission statement: as long as the world is still around to complain, you can tell them you did your job just fine.

A. Sweeping Out The Old
Like any old institution, Daybreak has accumulated a great deal of random clutter in its massive storage rooms.

Unlike any old institution, a lot of that clutter is cursed as fuck.

You know, to use the technical terminology.

As per tradition, the last day of the year is generally spent going through the stockpile and carefully dispelling, re-binding, exorcising, or outright destroying anything that needs to be dealt with- all the better to start off the new year by not leaving the future you some alarmingly malevolent artifact to deal with.

More advanced students and faculty are recruited to handle the legitimately dangerous items, whereas less experienced students are given the more obnoxious but less threatening ones to practice with. You never know when you might need to break a curse, after all...

B. In With The New
Of course, it’s not all work- under the circumstances, Soleil is celebrating the New Year with the kind of vigor that only comes from having made it through something you weren’t entirely sure you were going to survive. The students are permitted to come down to the town and join the festivities as they please, although the Academy will have some stern words if you cause any trouble.

...well, too much trouble.

More trouble than they were expecting you to do, at least.

C. Minutes To Midnight
Still, in the end, some people are a little more solemn about it all. And that’s fine, too. Daybreak’s pointedly non-denominational chapel has been carefully swept out for the New Year, and many people are taking the opportunity to use one of their quiet, empty rooms for some quiet contemplation and inward reflection. Meditate on the absolute chaos that is their daily lives.

...At least one of them is probably just here to nap away from their partying roommates. Please try to ignore the snoring.
stavros: Kokoro eating takoyaki. ([c] everyone needs to eat)

[personal profile] stavros 2021-01-01 06:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[a]

[You'd think that since half her weapons are religious artifacts, Kokoro would do pretty well with the curses. Well, mostly. She's currently grumbling and consulting a textbook as she copies the directions to undo an array as a book struggles in its chains and growls at her.]

You stop that.

[b]

[She does have some time to herself, though, and can be found wandering the town, debating pastries in a shop window.]

I know the New Year's feasting in France is particularly large, so perhaps I shouldn't get anything now... do you think we'll have goose in the dining hall this year?

[c]

[And of course, you can find her in the chapel as well, though she just seems to be wandering it rather than going into any of the private rooms or confessionals... or the nap corner.]

Did we do well?
bxbxbxbx: (🅑ⒷⒷⒷ)

A

[personal profile] bxbxbxbx 2021-01-01 08:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Simply telling it to stop isn't going to make it stop.

[It's not clear when, exactly, Katida happened upon the scene, but she's here now and the chained book has started growling at her too.]

You need to make it clear that bad things will happen to it if it doesn't.

[She mouths a brief incantation to herself while a small orb of reddish light builds up in one hand, which she then lifts up and aims toward the book in an obvious threat that she'll be doing something to it if it doesn't behave. Judging by the heat that the orb is giving off, the threat is probably one of incineration, which what Kokoro's trying to do would probably be preferable over that.]
Edited 2021-01-01 20:21 (UTC)
stavros: Kokoro ready to fight. ([a] beside you)

[personal profile] stavros 2021-01-01 08:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[The book struggles further, and Kokoro works more furiously at copying the array down onto looseleaf.]

Perhaps, but the option must be there -- you are making a nuisance. Why do we keep these things for so long?
bxbxbxbx: (🅧ⓍⓍⓍ🅑ⓎⓍⒶⒷ)

[personal profile] bxbxbxbx 2021-01-01 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[Katida could follow through with her threat since the book is evidently not calming down, but there's too much of a risk of collateral and she doesn't need to start drawing the wrong kinds of attention while she's here at the academy. The ball of red light flickers, becoming visibly unstable for a moment before it pops into a series of smaller white lights that harmlessly drop to the floor and then vanish.]

Good question. [It's a question with multiple possible answers; there's the thought that some of them might eventually become useful, but it's also possible that somebody might have simply been taking up a collection of sorts, among various other possibilities.]
silksoul: (⚔ do you walk in the shadow of men)

b

[personal profile] silksoul 2021-01-02 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hornet, never one to debate on when and where she should eat, has a fruit tart glazed with honey in hand as she steps out of the shop, the bell jingling obviously to signal her presence. She's still somewhat furtive about her sweet tooth, but not furtive enough to hide it from Kokoro, so she only pauses for a moment before stepping over to aid her with her apparent dilemma. ]

I don't know. [ She doesn't know enough about traditions here to say. ] But if you want something to eat, you should get it.
stavros: Indignant. ([a] could you not)

[personal profile] stavros 2021-01-02 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
[Kokoro finishes the array and sticks it on the book, struggling to hold it down until it collapses. She nearly does as well.]

Ugh... I do appreciate the practice, however. I've sorely needed to get good at these.
stavros: Kokoro turning. ([c] hi there)

[personal profile] stavros 2021-01-02 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, well met, Hornet. You do have a point. That looks good! Have you been here a lot?
silksoul: (⚔ rising with the morning sun)

[personal profile] silksoul 2021-01-02 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ She pauses for a brief moment. ] Yes. [ Often enough that they know her face, at least...which is probably embarrassing. ] They have good pastries.

[ .... ]
I can recommend some. If you'd like.
bxbxbxbx: (🅨Ⓐ)

[personal profile] bxbxbxbx 2021-01-02 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
Exorcisms or cursebreakers? [Honestly, with seemingly-possessed tomes, it could go either way, and it's hard to tell at just a casual glance which was the case here.

She is familiar with a way to handle the former, but that way is... It's something and would probably turn a few heads if she did it to anything (or anyone) here, which again, she'd rather not draw the attention. She's considering learning some alternatives simply to have some more-acceptable options available, but she's not sure who to go to about that.]
lifeforced: (intent)

[personal profile] lifeforced 2021-01-02 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
A:
[Rebecca's not handling any of the variety of Problem Objects that were kept in storage herself, but she has been lingering somewhere relatively close by to one of the storage rooms at least partly in case of any incidents caused by said Problem Objects while other students or faculty members deal with them; she's ready to call or text Ekkehardt at a moment's notice if anything goes awry, and if things get particularly bad and need an immediate response while she's here, she'll try to do her thing, brand on her hand be damned.]

B:
[She does wander down to Soleil for a bit when the celebrations start, but Becky doesn't stay there terribly long before coming back to the campus; big gatherings still aren't her thing.

So, if she's not spotted in the brief time that she spends in the town, she can be found back in Lumière.]
stavros: Kokoro saying it's fine. ([c] trying to look competent)

[personal profile] stavros 2021-01-02 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
Constructing charms and countercharms. I usually make use of countermeasures made for daemons, such as crosses and holy water. But I found in the past year that there are some times one has to play by these rules.
stavros: Kokoro smiling, embarrassed but confident. ([c] might be a competition)

[personal profile] stavros 2021-01-02 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
In that case, you have my gratitude! What do you usually get here? I see some of these look themed to the holiday.
bxbxbxbx: (🅨ⓎⓎⓎ🅨ⒷⓍⒷⒶⒷ)

[personal profile] bxbxbxbx 2021-01-02 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
[So she was a bit off the mark, though cursebreakers do come a bit close... Actually, she's not sure why she hadn't considered that particular possibility, considering she's seen (and used) charms before. Not ones that she made herself, but still.]

It would be good to be prepared for anything, I suppose. [That's another thing she might want to look into for herself.]
stavros: Kokoro beside Strarf. ([a] in a new dream)

[personal profile] stavros 2021-01-02 05:40 am (UTC)(link)
Come to think of it, needing to do things differently from usual is a good learning practice for anybody. Just in case, right?
stavros: Kokoro beside Strarf. ([a] in a new dream)

b

[personal profile] stavros 2021-01-02 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
[Kokoro returns to Lumière in last Halloween's costume, waving sheepishly when she spots Becky.]

It would seem New Year's costume parties are as lively a tradition as ever. I hope there's still enough time to get to the dining hall tonight?
awooligan: (1556)

cw underage drinking/smoking in second prompt

[personal profile] awooligan 2021-01-03 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ a - kicking it around. ]

[What's a better way to start off the year than making a bad decision like playing hacky sack with a cursed item? Don't ask Cliff, because he's dedicated to this and won't be inclined to try something else unless it sounds super cool and fun. Now, he isn't being a complete dumbass about it -- he's taken something sturdy enough to bounce around, done a cursory inspection of it to ensure its effect, should it break or activate, isn't going to do a ton of damage, and most importantly, he's got the confidence and skills of a teenage boy with better than average reflexes that grew up in a boring podunk little town literally called Podunk, where hacky sack is a unit in elementary school phys ed. He's got this.]

[ b - cw: underage drinking and smoking. ]

[The cool thing about New Years is that it's a day (night) where people drinking alcohol isn't exactly something out of the ordinary. A couple years of shoplifting from local gas stations and shops, Cliff's gotten pretty good at swiping things without being obvious (unless, of course, he wants to be extremely obvious so that his friends can steal even more stuff while he's getting chased by someone not paid enough to deal with his shit even if they're the owner. As had been the case since he caught the werewolf bug of outrunning small town street cars.)

Anyway, the point is that Cliff, two years shy of France's legal drinking age, is swiping whatever he can with a cigarette already in his mouth as a confident bluff. He's totally allowed these things!!]


Oh, ugh. Seriously, this is champagne? Why the hell do people drink this at celebrations?

[whine whine, now he's gotta hunt down beer, which he likes even more now that it isn't the shitty American stuff... Like, he'll still drink this in the meantime between puffs of smoke, but he won't be happy about it.]

[ wc - wildcard. ]

[You know what to do.]
silksoul: (⚔ with the devil right beside me)

[personal profile] silksoul 2021-01-03 02:43 pm (UTC)(link)
...I usually get something with honey. [ It's said almost defensively. ] If you want something celebratory, the cakes are usually better than the rest.
silksoul: (⚔ with the devil right beside me)

a

[personal profile] silksoul 2021-01-03 02:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Hornet is doing her part to help clean, which is mostly listening out for any screams of distress and proceeding to threaten something potentially valuable with extreme violence. It seems to be working so far.

This, however, is completely new to her, and she stops to watch.
]

What are you doing? [ She has never seen this before. ]
awooligan: (1311)

[personal profile] awooligan 2021-01-03 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ah, it's that weird girl that didn't know how to have fun but didn't seem entirely uptight. It's that curiosity, flat as she wore it, that saved her from Cliff dismissing her completely. Besides, he should probably make some friends that were less...human. Even as a bird, Tobias doesn't feel supernatural when compared to Hornet.

Rather than risk missing a beat, he carefully rolls the item so it loses momentum and he's able to balance it.]


Are you asking in a judgmental way or because you don't know? Hard to tell with you.
silksoul: (⚔ who sold their lives to a dream?)

[personal profile] silksoul 2021-01-03 03:14 pm (UTC)(link)
If I was judging you, I would feel no need to ask. [ Blunt as ever.

She doesn't seem bothered by being called potentially judgemental. It's simply how it is; what other people think of her is no real problem of hers.
]

I have never seen someone playing this game before. What is it?
spelleton: (☀ grows when it is dark)

C

[personal profile] spelleton 2021-01-03 03:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Ekkehardt, for once, is not at his usual post in the infirmary. He can, in fact, be found in the chapel on this very serious and solemn day, playing some complicated tune on the organ on the last day of the old year - to ring in the new year, or so he says.

When the chapel is left silent in contemplation in the last hours of the old year, however, he's noticeably absent from everywhere he usually is.

One of the empty rooms there is, however, occupied. The door is ajar enough to reveal that someone has dragged a casket of all things in there, for reasons unknown. It could be a prank. It could be a wayward spirit. It could be something even stranger.

Those brave enough to investigate and crack open the lid will be greeted with the rare sight of Ekkehardt actually asleep in it.

Jostling or disturbing him (or just the casket) enough will wake him, however; anyone who dares will suffer the consequences.*

*Judgemental staring, probably.
]
awooligan: (214)

[personal profile] awooligan 2021-01-03 03:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[He grins over, feeling a little smug that he'd given her the benefit of the doubt enough to ask and was apparently right.]

I guess hacky sack isn't really popular.

[It's a little embarrassing he's doing it, thinking in the context of being a small town southern boy being dismissed as a dumb hick or something, but it wasn't like Hornet has the same stupid biases. He kicks the artifact up again to resume bouncing it back and forth on either side of his foot, now that he knows he's not in trouble.]

The point's to keep it off the ground as long as possible. [Pass it off to the other foot...] Some people get real fancy with it, but it's just to pass the time. Want to try?
silksoul: (⚔ with the devil right beside me)

[personal profile] silksoul 2021-01-03 03:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Is it not? [ Popular, she means. ] It looks like a test of reflexes and dexterity. That alone should be engrossing enough.

And yes. I would like to. [ She sheathes her needle, stretching her arms out a little. ] Are there any other rules, or will keeping it off the ground suffice?
lifeforced: (um)

[personal profile] lifeforced 2021-01-03 03:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[Becky turns in her seat to take a look at the clock hanging on the wall. Hm. It's late, but maybe not too late.]

I dunno how much longer they're gonna be going, so you might wanna hurry. If you're just looking for something to snack on, though, I've got a bunch of the usual things sitting on the counter over there.
stavros: Kokoro about to use her whip. ([a] ready to go)

[personal profile] stavros 2021-01-04 12:26 am (UTC)(link)
Hm... perhaps. [pause] Is something wrong? I hope I haven't offended you.

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