A Heavy Burden, A Heavy Subject (2 days after the Lunar Harvest)

[arcadianvampire]

Class Time

[Following the immediate aftermath of the night of the Hunt, Valvatorez knew there would be... questions. A great many questions. There wasn't much time to rest, and after the first day of introduction had been completed, the second day of class would be used to make a statement about the Lunar Harvest. He anticipated this would not be an easy class, but he stood ready to teach it.

Fortunately, a couple of days was enough time for Valvatorez to pull himself together and look like his usual self.]

All right, class. I understand there is still considerable tension in the wake of what happened a couple of nights ago. I shall now endeavor to explain what it was, who caused it, what effects it had on people, and what can be done in the future. Rest assured, the danger is passed, and we are back to operating as normal. Further steps are being discussed to prevent this unprecedented incident from occurring again.

The Lunar Harvest is a phenomena of Fae origin, led by a powerful fae-creature called the Lord of the Hunt. ...Some of you may have witnessed him. A vicious looking humanoid with one glowing eye, a horned antler helmet, clad in bloodied furs and hides, riding a dark shade of a horse. His "Call" is an extremely potent mind-affecting magic that appeals directly to one's instinctual self; and it can have many varying levels of effect on any sentient being, living or dead. It calls those to whom it reaches to throw themselves into their baser, wilder nature that is often predatory. Sometimes it fails, and inspires the fear of being a prey animal in others. Other times, it just simply gives an individual a feeling of foreboding, and looming dread.

It can cause massive shifts in personalities and world views. Even the most durable of individuals can find this particular fae-charm difficult to resist, to the point that wards against it have to be specifically designed.

You may be asking then, why was the campus not warded against it?

Simply put, the Lunar Harvest has never been this overt. Usually, as many Hunters will tell you, it strikes in rural areas, away from the eye of most individuals. Stories of this great hunt are usually made into local legends, usually expanding no further than villages, or perhaps a small towns. This is the first time that we are aware of that such an event struck this close to larger population centers. To call this a more high profile escalation of the event is perhaps understating just how unprecedented it is. Going forward, you can expect Daybreak's security to be even further bolstered. The staff will be meeting about it with proposals very soon, and action will be taken following that.

We have not yet discovered what emboldened the Lord of the Hunt to be this aggressive. There are only theories and conjecture at this time. But I do not believe any of you here are stupid; and I believe the obvious hypothesis is the one closest to the truth. Knowing that, it will be all the more imperative that the material in this class be digested and internalized.

As such, I will be adding malicious fae to the list of things we will be studying here. Lessons will likely be accelerated in their intensity from here on. I will be handing out updated syllabi for the new course load on Monday. For now, follow what I handed out, and given this class will get more intense, I encourage all of you to make use of office hours if you need them. Additionally, I will be providing more in-depth study guides to help you along. I understand I already push the lot of you a great deal... so I do not believe it to be fair to put more pressure on you without also trying to alleviate the worst of it.

Do not slack off, however. Study guides will only help you if you put in the time to make good use of them. They will not give you all the answers. Make sure you follow through and put in the effort.

[Valvatorez will then spend the rest of the period discussing the specifics of the Lunar Harvest, and will open the floor to questions afterward.]

Office Hours

[As usual, Valvatorez's office is open for people to visit him after class. The hours seem to have been expanded too, allowing for more time. However, what's different this time is that Valvatorez's office is decidedly much more bare than normal. A replacement temporary desk, chairs, and bookcases are in his room, and his beloved fish tank has one of its panels completely removed. The tank is empty and lifeless. Most of the bookcases are currently empty, but some of the most essential works still remain. It actually looks... lifeless, compared to Valvatorez's normally extra looking abode. The one thing that still appears normal, though... is that singing bass, still hanging on the wall as if nothing happened.]

Network Post, Locked to Faculty

Once matters surrounding upgrading Daybreak's security are settled, I propose a night out. Or in. The lot of us need more teambuilding after what happened.

[Read: We all need to get together, have a good time, and optionally get drunk.]

Comments

office;

[unlogic]

[With his knowing a majority of the details surrounding her, and also knowing what her feelings on all of that were, Desidera is very likely one of the first students that Valvatorez expected to pay him a visit, and possibly one of the few he would be telling to come see him if she didn't do so on her own.

She enters the office with just a quick knock to announce that he has a visitor, walking into the room fully without waiting on a response—she knows by now that unless the door's locked, he's only going to say to come in, anyway—and immediately taking note of just how drastically it's all changed, but not giving it any particular reaction yet.]

Professor. [It sounds like she has a statement to make, rather than any questions to ask.]

Office Hours

[improbablenotimpossible]

[After spending the first day post-hunt avoiding everyone, he forced himself to resume duties, and while Valvatorez's class isn't usually on his list, the man was here to deliver the printed copies syllabi to be handed out in between his other classes, busying his mind on other matters so it won't turn inward.

He pauses, taking a long, slow look over the room. He didn't need to ask to understand what happened, then his eyes settled on the bass he heard so much about]

...To think that survived.

[arcadianvampire]

[Valvatorez's sharp red eyes turned up to the singing bass, which seemed to react to being talked about. It began singing some popular song from a couple of decades ago in response, only occasionally slipping into a garbled mess.]

It has proven quite resilient over the years. And also quite mysterious. I am very positive it has a mind of its own.

[arcadianvampire]

[Valvatorez turns his eyes up from his papers when he heard the door knock; he was already hard at work at making sure the study guides would be ready and complete on time. Reference material sat open on his desk, too. But it lost his attention the moment Desidera entered his office.]

Ah, Desidera. ...I had a strong feeling you would be coming in today.

[He hesitates for but a moment, for the door to close. It's not hard to figure what she's here about at all.]

...Are you holding up all right?

Class

[yokeye]

[Toki is attempting to be more focused on classes this quarter, and to do better in them. He manages not to interrupt the class at all, quietly listening and taking extensive notes. Occasionally with a small burst of superspeed to transcribe entire sentences and chunks of information he doesn't understand, so he can go over them later. Once the time for questions arrives, he raises his hand and waits to be called on.]

Are there any other uhh... like, legend things or whatever that aren't usually in populated areas that maybe we should know about?

[He hesitates to to continue, and he ultimately makes it a question, because he doesn't want it to be automatically taken as a delusional claim based on coincidence.]

I had a vision like a month ago, about a cyclops. He didn't look like the fey lord guy, but like... it could have represented him and if I knew about the existence of the Hunt, I could have put that together with the hounds from another vision and figured it out in time?

[unlogic]

It took me a day, but I'm feeling better now. [She takes one of the extra chairs.] Between...that, and a near-miss I had earlier in the month, though, I'm not sure if the sessions I've been putting myself through in the Cage will be enough.

[Though, if Valvatorez can recall, among those who had gotten fully caught-up in the hunt, nobody whose description was a match for Desidera had been there, which would tell him that she had somehow managed to keep herself out of it. Though she did have some assistance, it probably says something about how much of an effort she's been putting toward staying in control.]

Class-ish, but on the Iris Network

[bolderfell]

[Therion doesn't want to ask his questions in class, or even during office hours. Why should he have to hear himself sound stupid? Nah, he just goes to the course's online discussion board. That's what it's for, right?]

UN: tealeaf22

So that "obvious hypothesis" you mentioned in class is that the Fae have turned against this world, right? At least enough of them to matter.

[When in doubt, assume the worst.]

[arcadianvampire]

A very good question, but I do not think you will find my answer terribly reassuring.

[He's just going to be as honest about it as possible.]

The truth of it is, there are a great many legends and tales that have some bearing of truth to being supernatural. The problem there is assessing accurately the threats each of these smaller tales may pose. Some of them are just stories, some of them are real, and the ones that are may or may not be a threat anymore.

So yes, there are many more stories that you all should learn about. The problems are prioritization and time, along with any magic used potentially interfering with each other. Logistical questions with no easy answers.

[He shook his head, knowing the answer is inadequate. Sitting on one's hands because the problem is difficult is not appropriate.]

As for your visions in seeing it before it came, I do believe it to be possible. If you would like, I will raise the idea that known Seers with visions at Daybreak be better familiarized with known credible legends at the faculty meeting. In truth, I believe that is an excellent, and rather astute idea.

[arcadianvampire]

UN: LordVal

Not exactly. There are types of fae that are typically "harmful" of humanity or generally malevolent. These sorts already act in a manner that is usually detrimental to humankind's interests, though usually for their own reasons.

I was more referring to the idea that with Nightfall looming, these sorts of fae are becoming more willfully aggressive, daring, and willing to take risks. They see a chance to have what they consider fun, and they take it.

[arcadianvampire]

[He nods, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands. Instead of the more looming, gaudy chair with vampire wings, it's... more of a typical high-back office computer chair.]

Understandable. The sort of mental attack the Lord of the Hunt can produce is extremely potent and can be painfully exhausting. Much like the adrenal crash following a "flight or fight" instinct. ...Intentional, I am certain.

[Still, he raised an eyebrow at the thought that her training might not be enough.]

So you're concerned you could be doing more, or you want me to increase the intensity of our sessions? I would advise against pushing too hard, even if you are in a hurry. Mastery takes time, not just hard work.

[yokeye]

[It makes sense, with so many folklore accounts being twisted until they were so convoluted they had no similarities to the events they were based on. As well as imagined stories re-told so many times they were thought to be real. It's not an answer he likes, but it's the reality they deal with. His response is slower and the words spoken clearly; something he has learned to do to make sure the other person knows he's paying attention and his thoughts are presented in full.]

I understand the time constraints and the need to prioritize what is more valuable. Thank you for taking my concerns into consideration, Professor. I would ask, do you have any recommendations for literature if I wanted to study these legends in detail on my own time?

[With his powers, he can basically make his own time. Spending hours, from his perspective, looking over texts on legends while only minutes have passed. He's also prepared to forgo sleep to fit this in. It's important.]

[bolderfell]

Got it. I just figured, they'd only be that brazen about it if they really weren't worried about consequences. If they were keeping a low profile before, I guess they feel they have enough strength now not to bother. ...It made sense in my head, if more of their kind joined up with them.

[improbablenotimpossible]

I heard in Japanese lore that long-lived items can gain a soul of their own... it makes one wonder what the soul of a plastic fish would be like.

[But it really wasn't the fish he was examining, though he had to comment on it's choice]

Bad Moon Rising, really? Your fish has a twisted sense of humor, Valvatorez.

[unlogic]

Pushing too hard can lead to making mistakes, I know. That's already almost happened once. [Almost.] But maybe there's more I could be trying to do, not just making sure my magic stays under control.

Mental exercises of some kind, maybe? [This might delve just slightly into personal stuff, but since it's relevant, maybe he'll allow the question to be asked.] Maybe it won't apply to me, or maybe just not entirely, but what sort of things do you do to stop yourself from slipping when you feel yourself start to?

[arcadianvampire]

It certainly does. And it always has. Part of why I keep it around.

[At that, the vampire can only chuckle a bit, his dark sense of humor on plain display.]

Though in truth, I could not say. All I know about it is that while it is mysterious, it has been quite harmless. Frankly, it feels stranger not having it around, at this point.

[arcadianvampire]

Perhaps ironically, the Lunar Harvest becoming this high profile might be a call to a larger hunt in the long run. Not unlike a harbinger. However, I suspect that it needed to be more successful than that to stir more fae from their hiding.

Moreover... I do not believe the Harvest will go unanswered. A few talented Hunters might be able to put some of the more unruly fae back into line.

Too early to tell for sure yet, however.

[bolderfell]

...Will the school be able to protect itself against another hunt, if the wards have to be so specific?

[improbablenotimpossible]

It's not something I can innately see.

[He sounds almost... frustrated? There's an element that's beyond even his enhanced senses, which he's now using on the Professor, peering - perhaps signs of the hunt, or other influences - the state of the room gave him some suggestions]

I suppose we all have our little familiar touches...

[arcadianvampire]

[Valvatorez is quiet for a moment, just... observing his student's expression and demeanor. He knows she's just being genuine and asking a real question, and that it would be wrong to get frustrated, but....]

I think the answer to that is... quite overt.

[Referring to his office being but a shadow of its former self. Still, the vampire shakes his head and slowly blinks, as he gives a more appropriate answer.]

Though the events of the Lunar Harvest are... an anomaly. In most circumstances, I consume sardines, and either put my mind to work on something productive, or think back to the reason why I stopped drinking human blood in the first place.

Relief, or at the very least, resolve, often comes from those things.

[arcadianvampire]

Yes, we damn well will. Knowing the school has become a target for that sort of thing... incidental accident or not, we will make a way for it to work. It will take time. But it will get done.

[bolderfell]

What about those black monsters from last month? They got on school grounds, too.

[unlogic]

[For a moment, she's sure that her question has proven to be one that didn't actually need asking, but then he indicates that what she sees here is an exception to the rule, and not the rule itself.

It sounds like there's a story to tell with that last part of his answer, but it's nothing she'll be asking about.]

Ah. So, finding other things to focus on to try to push back against it. That's part of what I had tried to do, actually. It was...quite difficult, at times. [The talk with Gunvolt, the exchange with Héctor over the network, both had been deliberate attempts to keep herself distracted.

It seems that maybe she's already had the right idea.]

[arcadianvampire]

That was a training exercise. The black beasts were allowed past the wards at the Seers' call, for the student body to get practical combat practice.

And yes, I am aware that sounds like nonsense. I couldn't make this up if I tried.

[bolderfell]

[There's a long pause before the next response.]

A girl got her arm ripped off.

office

[fireindreams]

[After Ekkehardt put his life on the line to pull Grimm out of the Hunt, he had holed up in the infirmary until he was well and then promptly locked himself up in his room for even longer. There was...a lot to think of. What Grimm is now aware he has done by losing control.

It also allowed him to read the text messages properly. He had sent them out as a warning but had not expected an answer. Grimm owes a lot of people apologizes. So he will start.

He knows Valvatorez's office hours and chooses a time when he feels the man isn't busy. But just in case he did not wish to speak to Grimm after that mess, he knocks first.]

Hello Valvatorez. May I come in?