SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
Inserted tally
-
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Magical (A Quest of Vacations, or Starsigns, or Something Else)
- Thread starter SeekerofDreams
- Start date
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
...All right, someone's going to need to break the tie at some point. For now, I'm going back to Selphia. Or maybe Sharance or Alvarna... or Trampoli... Somewhere in Norad that isn't Kardia. I think I might have a problem...
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
...All right, I guess I'm going to have to make a decision myself.
Let's not look up the creatures that barely anyone knows exists. If only because, if their name is any indication, keeping as much about them unknown as is possible can only benefit the story.
-Vote Closed!-
Let's not look up the creatures that barely anyone knows exists. If only because, if their name is any indication, keeping as much about them unknown as is possible can only benefit the story.
A Singular Clue
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
There's one thing about this story that you recognize. One thing, in a swirling sea of mysteries that not even the spirits can reliably help you to navigate. "Ganache..." You sound out the name, slowly, carefully. "I think... that name's familiar to me, somehow."
And, suddenly, everyone's attention is on you. "Really?" Caramel asks. You aren't sure if he's trying to sound uninterested or not, but if he is, he's clearly failing at it. "Where?"
You think back. Where did you hear that name before? Or... you didn't hear it, did you? Not in conversation, at least.
"It... was in a book," You recall. "I don't know if it's the same person, but... Ganache Nighthawk was in Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO." Thinking about it, it's sort of surprising you forgot. He was sort of the only named member of the class, and he got a lot of mentions.
"It would make sense," Nutmeg admits, putting a lot of thought into it for someone who only stuck around out of spite. "The Nighthawk family has had connections to the Dark Spirits since time immemorial. One of them is even believed to be the most powerful wizard alive." That part, too, is familiar to you, because that's why Ganache was mentioned so often.
His sister was the incredibly powerful wizard mentioned. You're really starting to wonder how you could have forgotten about that, it's not like any of the books about Will-o-Wisp's early history failed to mention that kind of thing.
"The class of XOXEO..." Raspberry gains a look of incredibly concentration. "I would have to double-check, but I believe that was close to the year when Cider Rainbow graduated the academy, though I don't think anything ever mentioned his homeroom. It's... possible that the two of them could know each other."
"But should we really be looking into this?" Caramel sighs.
Bel nods. "This sounds like something the adults should be dealing with. And even if we were to hole up in the library until term starts... what could we possibly find that would explain things?"
"I'm sure there's something," Nutmeg declares, and if you didn't know better, you'd say there's literal fire burning in her eyes. But voxes aren't particularly known to have fire talents, and you've seen her messing about with the earth, so you put that thought out of mind. "Even if it's just more context for what Raspberry overheard, the information has to exist somewhere."
"Doesn't mean it's in the library," The felin points out with a swish of his tail. "Even if it does seem to have copies of every book that's legal to own, and maybe one or two that aren't." It can't, of course, or else you wouldn't have had to sort new books out after your arrival, but you get what he's trying to say.
"What, do you think the information we're missing is illegal?" You check. As far as you can tell, the things that usually end up being banned are books that hold powerful curses in their pages, or give step-by-step instruction on things like ritual sacrifice of sapient beings. Also a few books of prophecy, but you think that's mostly to avoid messing up the future. And those tend to end up in the hands of people who are willing to use them no matter what anyone does, so you're not sure why they bother.
"The principal asked if there was information that couldn't be told to the authorities." Caramel starts drumming his fingers on Raspberry's desk, much to her annoyance. "In that case, it could easily be something that regular people aren't allowed to know. But there's also a chance that it was something our new librarian didn't want to tell them."
Bel stands up. "I'm not taking any chances," He declares. "I'll see you around, Rasp. Cara. Rye." He strides out the door without acknowledging Nutmeg.
"...I'm going to look," The vox decides, glaring at the door that her nemesis just vanished out of. "I mean, I'll probably stop if an actual adult tells me it's not allowed, but... I just need a place to start."
[ ] Bel's right. This is something you probably shouldn't be messing with.
[ ] Maybe you should help Nutmeg...
-[ ] Start by looking up the Nighthawk family.
-[ ] Try to find a class list for Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO.
And, suddenly, everyone's attention is on you. "Really?" Caramel asks. You aren't sure if he's trying to sound uninterested or not, but if he is, he's clearly failing at it. "Where?"
You think back. Where did you hear that name before? Or... you didn't hear it, did you? Not in conversation, at least.
"It... was in a book," You recall. "I don't know if it's the same person, but... Ganache Nighthawk was in Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO." Thinking about it, it's sort of surprising you forgot. He was sort of the only named member of the class, and he got a lot of mentions.
"It would make sense," Nutmeg admits, putting a lot of thought into it for someone who only stuck around out of spite. "The Nighthawk family has had connections to the Dark Spirits since time immemorial. One of them is even believed to be the most powerful wizard alive." That part, too, is familiar to you, because that's why Ganache was mentioned so often.
His sister was the incredibly powerful wizard mentioned. You're really starting to wonder how you could have forgotten about that, it's not like any of the books about Will-o-Wisp's early history failed to mention that kind of thing.
"The class of XOXEO..." Raspberry gains a look of incredibly concentration. "I would have to double-check, but I believe that was close to the year when Cider Rainbow graduated the academy, though I don't think anything ever mentioned his homeroom. It's... possible that the two of them could know each other."
"But should we really be looking into this?" Caramel sighs.
Bel nods. "This sounds like something the adults should be dealing with. And even if we were to hole up in the library until term starts... what could we possibly find that would explain things?"
"I'm sure there's something," Nutmeg declares, and if you didn't know better, you'd say there's literal fire burning in her eyes. But voxes aren't particularly known to have fire talents, and you've seen her messing about with the earth, so you put that thought out of mind. "Even if it's just more context for what Raspberry overheard, the information has to exist somewhere."
"Doesn't mean it's in the library," The felin points out with a swish of his tail. "Even if it does seem to have copies of every book that's legal to own, and maybe one or two that aren't." It can't, of course, or else you wouldn't have had to sort new books out after your arrival, but you get what he's trying to say.
"What, do you think the information we're missing is illegal?" You check. As far as you can tell, the things that usually end up being banned are books that hold powerful curses in their pages, or give step-by-step instruction on things like ritual sacrifice of sapient beings. Also a few books of prophecy, but you think that's mostly to avoid messing up the future. And those tend to end up in the hands of people who are willing to use them no matter what anyone does, so you're not sure why they bother.
"The principal asked if there was information that couldn't be told to the authorities." Caramel starts drumming his fingers on Raspberry's desk, much to her annoyance. "In that case, it could easily be something that regular people aren't allowed to know. But there's also a chance that it was something our new librarian didn't want to tell them."
Bel stands up. "I'm not taking any chances," He declares. "I'll see you around, Rasp. Cara. Rye." He strides out the door without acknowledging Nutmeg.
"...I'm going to look," The vox decides, glaring at the door that her nemesis just vanished out of. "I mean, I'll probably stop if an actual adult tells me it's not allowed, but... I just need a place to start."
[ ] Bel's right. This is something you probably shouldn't be messing with.
[ ] Maybe you should help Nutmeg...
-[ ] Start by looking up the Nighthawk family.
-[ ] Try to find a class list for Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO.
- Location
- ?
[X] Maybe you should help Nutmeg...
-[X] Try to find a class list for Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO.
-[X] Try to find a class list for Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO.
- Location
- Argentina
[X] Maybe you should help Nutmeg...
-[X] Try to find a class list for Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO.
-[X] Try to find a class list for Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO.
Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Maybe you should help Nutmeg...
-[X] Try to find a class list for Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO.
-[X] Try to find a class list for Miss Madeleine's class of XOXEO.
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
Inserted tally
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
All right, continuing on...
At the very least, it'll be a good starting point for something. Just not necessarily what they wanted it to be for.
-Vote Closed!-
At the very least, it'll be a good starting point for something. Just not necessarily what they wanted it to be for.
Class List of XOXEO
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
You're not too worried about accidentally finding out something it's illegal to know. You think there's generally a good reason for it if something's been banned, so odds are you're not about to find huge troves of forbidden knowledge in a school library.
It'd be interesting if you did, but... if commonly available information was enough to tell you about things you're not supposed to know, then clearly it hasn't been hidden well enough. So long as you know when to stop, everything should be just fine.
"I'll help you," You tell Nutmeg, because it's not like you had anything else to do to begin with. "I think it's the class in particular that's important- they're supposed to have done something, a long time ago- so maybe an old class list? If we can find one, I mean." Homerooms are tricky. Students come and go, arriving at the school and then leaving again, and only the teacher remains constant from year to year. Graduation lists are simple enough to track down, but you'd probably need at least five years worth of lists to find all the students, and you still wouldn't be able to sort them out from the rest.
You know the information has to have been kept someplace, but that was centuries ago. Even if they're still around, you aren't sure where those records would have been kept. But this class was supposedly important, so maybe there's a chance?
"I think the library has a few old yearbooks," Caramel suggests. "I'm not sure if it has the year you'd be looking for, but it'd be a start."
He's right, that would be helpful. The school's big enough it'd have to sort out students by class or be completely useless. And even if you can't find the exact year, you might still be able to find a few names if it's within three or four years.
Of course, then you'd have to figure out when everyone graduated... but that's something to think about later.
Right now, you're just glad you've found something to do.
Thankfully, the hardest task is finding where the yearbooks are kept. There actually is a book from the correct year, sitting on a nearby table, bearing the marks of having been flipped through many, many times.
One section in particular seems to have gotten much more attention than the rest of it- corner folded down, both ways, looking for all the world like it's wanted to just fall off for a very long time now.
That page, conveniently enough, happens to be Miss Madeleine's class. Her picture has the Starsign of Night displayed next to it, beneath a stylized picture of a Light Spirit, leading to the question of how many people actually read the yearbooks, at least when it comes to classes not their own. The students, too, have images of their talents next to them, which makes it easy to read through.
Airsupply, Lemon- A felin next to a Lightning Spirit.
Ashpot, Kale- A human next to an Insect Spirit.
Cheaptrick, Cabernet- A puppet next to a Poison Spirit.
Cracks, Chocolat- You aren't sure what he is, but apparently he can talk to Stone Spirits?
Farmer, Peche- An Envoy of Love with a Love Spirit drawn next to her.
Lakeside, Blueberry- A human girl with a Water Spirit next to her. You're starting to notice a pattern...
Lumberyard, Cassis- A human who was apparently a disciple of the Blade Spirits.
Maplewood, Pistachio- You already knew what he looked like, but you aren't sure you realized he talked to the Wood Spirits before.
Mintblue, Candy- A female human next to a Wind Spirit... Or, rather, a Wind sticker.
Nighthawk, Ganache- The presence of a Dark Spirit comes as no surprise. It's what his family does, after all.
Pintail, Kirche- A human with a Fire Spirit next to his picture.
Rainbow, Cider- There is, of course, a Beauty Spirit there, as listening to Raspberry told you there would be.
Scorenote, Arancia- Given her name, the presence of a Sound Spirit next to her picture doesn't surprise you at all.
Tearclown, Olive- You aren't sure this human was actually old enough to go to school... but then, she could talk to the Beast Spirits, and maybe that's all that mattered.
Ketchup- There's no picture next to her, for some reason.
Mustard- He doesn't have a talent displayed, either.
Mokka- The Starsign of Erd, underneath a Machinery Spirit. Just as you knew there would be.
You sort of wonder why Mokka's the only one with a Starsign marked- Double Talents are incredibly rare, you weren't actually sure they existed outside of robots until you met Miss Madeleine, but seeing every kind of spirit and no Starsigns that would have been taught about... from a Double Talented teacher, that seems sort of strange.
But homerooms are voluntary, and so this tells you nothing about the class itself. Nutmeg seems to be trying to figure out if anything is worth taking notes about. You actually think you might have an idea where to start...
[ ] Didn't the name 'Kale' come up before?
[ ] Why does this book have a sticker in it?
[ ] Sir Mustard and Miss Ketchup don't have their talents listed... Could that mean something?
[ ] You've actually encountered a lot of people who were in this class.
[ ] ...Didn't Blueberry Lakeside go missing at one point?
It'd be interesting if you did, but... if commonly available information was enough to tell you about things you're not supposed to know, then clearly it hasn't been hidden well enough. So long as you know when to stop, everything should be just fine.
"I'll help you," You tell Nutmeg, because it's not like you had anything else to do to begin with. "I think it's the class in particular that's important- they're supposed to have done something, a long time ago- so maybe an old class list? If we can find one, I mean." Homerooms are tricky. Students come and go, arriving at the school and then leaving again, and only the teacher remains constant from year to year. Graduation lists are simple enough to track down, but you'd probably need at least five years worth of lists to find all the students, and you still wouldn't be able to sort them out from the rest.
You know the information has to have been kept someplace, but that was centuries ago. Even if they're still around, you aren't sure where those records would have been kept. But this class was supposedly important, so maybe there's a chance?
"I think the library has a few old yearbooks," Caramel suggests. "I'm not sure if it has the year you'd be looking for, but it'd be a start."
He's right, that would be helpful. The school's big enough it'd have to sort out students by class or be completely useless. And even if you can't find the exact year, you might still be able to find a few names if it's within three or four years.
Of course, then you'd have to figure out when everyone graduated... but that's something to think about later.
Right now, you're just glad you've found something to do.
Thankfully, the hardest task is finding where the yearbooks are kept. There actually is a book from the correct year, sitting on a nearby table, bearing the marks of having been flipped through many, many times.
One section in particular seems to have gotten much more attention than the rest of it- corner folded down, both ways, looking for all the world like it's wanted to just fall off for a very long time now.
That page, conveniently enough, happens to be Miss Madeleine's class. Her picture has the Starsign of Night displayed next to it, beneath a stylized picture of a Light Spirit, leading to the question of how many people actually read the yearbooks, at least when it comes to classes not their own. The students, too, have images of their talents next to them, which makes it easy to read through.
Airsupply, Lemon- A felin next to a Lightning Spirit.
Ashpot, Kale- A human next to an Insect Spirit.
Cheaptrick, Cabernet- A puppet next to a Poison Spirit.
Cracks, Chocolat- You aren't sure what he is, but apparently he can talk to Stone Spirits?
Farmer, Peche- An Envoy of Love with a Love Spirit drawn next to her.
Lakeside, Blueberry- A human girl with a Water Spirit next to her. You're starting to notice a pattern...
Lumberyard, Cassis- A human who was apparently a disciple of the Blade Spirits.
Maplewood, Pistachio- You already knew what he looked like, but you aren't sure you realized he talked to the Wood Spirits before.
Mintblue, Candy- A female human next to a Wind Spirit... Or, rather, a Wind sticker.
Nighthawk, Ganache- The presence of a Dark Spirit comes as no surprise. It's what his family does, after all.
Pintail, Kirche- A human with a Fire Spirit next to his picture.
Rainbow, Cider- There is, of course, a Beauty Spirit there, as listening to Raspberry told you there would be.
Scorenote, Arancia- Given her name, the presence of a Sound Spirit next to her picture doesn't surprise you at all.
Tearclown, Olive- You aren't sure this human was actually old enough to go to school... but then, she could talk to the Beast Spirits, and maybe that's all that mattered.
Ketchup- There's no picture next to her, for some reason.
Mustard- He doesn't have a talent displayed, either.
Mokka- The Starsign of Erd, underneath a Machinery Spirit. Just as you knew there would be.
You sort of wonder why Mokka's the only one with a Starsign marked- Double Talents are incredibly rare, you weren't actually sure they existed outside of robots until you met Miss Madeleine, but seeing every kind of spirit and no Starsigns that would have been taught about... from a Double Talented teacher, that seems sort of strange.
But homerooms are voluntary, and so this tells you nothing about the class itself. Nutmeg seems to be trying to figure out if anything is worth taking notes about. You actually think you might have an idea where to start...
[ ] Didn't the name 'Kale' come up before?
[ ] Why does this book have a sticker in it?
[ ] Sir Mustard and Miss Ketchup don't have their talents listed... Could that mean something?
[ ] You've actually encountered a lot of people who were in this class.
[ ] ...Didn't Blueberry Lakeside go missing at one point?
- Location
- Argentina
[X] Why does this book have a sticker in it?
- Location
- ?
[X] You've actually encountered a lot of people who were in this class.
Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Why does this book have a sticker in it?
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
Inserted tally
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
All right, let's continue on...
Yearbooks are the sort of thing that only ends up in the library's collection if someone ends up donating them. Years that the school has a large number of copies from are generally years where there was some sort of discord taking up multiple classes. And then there's this book.
-Vote Closed!-
Yearbooks are the sort of thing that only ends up in the library's collection if someone ends up donating them. Years that the school has a large number of copies from are generally years where there was some sort of discord taking up multiple classes. And then there's this book.
Nutmeg's Request
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
Your eyes are quick to fall on the most obviously strange thing. "Well... someone put a sticker here. Do you think that's important?" This page has obviously been well-loved, what with it being the only one that shows signs of having been turned to. You aren't sure why anyone would do anything to mess with a page they spend so much time looking at, let alone with something so valuable.
Then again, maybe you're just used to living with stickers and books both as commodities. You never had any books unless someone forgot theirs, and the only stickers you ever saw were the ones other people stuck to their bodies as protection from the elements. The ratfolk are very protective of their creations.
Nutmeg takes the book from you. "It looks like it's been here for a while," She comments. "Since this book was new, even." You aren't sure how she can tell that much, but the sticker does look rather faded. You wouldn't have even been able to tell it was a sticker if you hadn't been running your paws over the page, and felt where the paper became slightly uneven. "Stickers are valuable. I can't see why anyone would waste one like this."
"Maybe they were fixing a typo?" You suggest. You aren't sure there actually is anyone who goes around correcting their books, but... "But then they would have done something about the other two, wouldn't they?" Unless, of course, the magical talents of Ketchup and Mustard were just as much a mystery back then as they are now. But that's ridiculous, right?
"I would think so." The book is closed, and returned to its spot at the edge of the table. You aren't sure if it's in quite the same place as it was before, but you don't think anyone will mind. "Sadly, the name of Candy Mintblue is one I don't think I've ever heard before."
That is, of course, a problem. You can't figure out what's special about a person if you know nothing about that person to begin with.
"So we should try and figure out what happened to her next?" To you, it makes sense. You doubt anything about this wizard's childhood would tell you more about her than whatever she grew up to become. And of course she became something, if she was part of this class, where there has yet to be a member confirmed dead.
It takes a few moments for your future classmate to respond. "That... might help," She admits. "If I am careful about it, I might be able to bring up the subject with Mokka. But I'm not sure. He... sees a lot more than he lets on."
You don't disagree. The very fact that he figured out what she and Caramel had planned for the wall without being told is unnerving.
"It's still a place to start, right?"
Nutmeg nods. "I suppose it is. But... maybe you should talk to someone who was involved in this class, too. Mister Rainbow is here, of course, and Miss Madeleine taught them, but... there's actually a lot of them that you can ask, if you're careful about it."
The way she puts it, it suddenly seems a bit less like a good idea. There's things you're willing to get in trouble for, but you aren't sure this is one of them.
At the same time... how much trouble can it really be? You're just asking questions.
[ ] Accept Nutmeg's request.
-[ ] Talk to Miss Madeleine.
-[ ] Talk to Miss Ketchup.
-[ ] Talk to Sir Mustard.
-[ ] Talk to Professor Pistachio.
[ ] Decline Nutmeg's request.
Then again, maybe you're just used to living with stickers and books both as commodities. You never had any books unless someone forgot theirs, and the only stickers you ever saw were the ones other people stuck to their bodies as protection from the elements. The ratfolk are very protective of their creations.
Nutmeg takes the book from you. "It looks like it's been here for a while," She comments. "Since this book was new, even." You aren't sure how she can tell that much, but the sticker does look rather faded. You wouldn't have even been able to tell it was a sticker if you hadn't been running your paws over the page, and felt where the paper became slightly uneven. "Stickers are valuable. I can't see why anyone would waste one like this."
"Maybe they were fixing a typo?" You suggest. You aren't sure there actually is anyone who goes around correcting their books, but... "But then they would have done something about the other two, wouldn't they?" Unless, of course, the magical talents of Ketchup and Mustard were just as much a mystery back then as they are now. But that's ridiculous, right?
"I would think so." The book is closed, and returned to its spot at the edge of the table. You aren't sure if it's in quite the same place as it was before, but you don't think anyone will mind. "Sadly, the name of Candy Mintblue is one I don't think I've ever heard before."
That is, of course, a problem. You can't figure out what's special about a person if you know nothing about that person to begin with.
"So we should try and figure out what happened to her next?" To you, it makes sense. You doubt anything about this wizard's childhood would tell you more about her than whatever she grew up to become. And of course she became something, if she was part of this class, where there has yet to be a member confirmed dead.
It takes a few moments for your future classmate to respond. "That... might help," She admits. "If I am careful about it, I might be able to bring up the subject with Mokka. But I'm not sure. He... sees a lot more than he lets on."
You don't disagree. The very fact that he figured out what she and Caramel had planned for the wall without being told is unnerving.
"It's still a place to start, right?"
Nutmeg nods. "I suppose it is. But... maybe you should talk to someone who was involved in this class, too. Mister Rainbow is here, of course, and Miss Madeleine taught them, but... there's actually a lot of them that you can ask, if you're careful about it."
The way she puts it, it suddenly seems a bit less like a good idea. There's things you're willing to get in trouble for, but you aren't sure this is one of them.
At the same time... how much trouble can it really be? You're just asking questions.
[ ] Accept Nutmeg's request.
-[ ] Talk to Miss Madeleine.
-[ ] Talk to Miss Ketchup.
-[ ] Talk to Sir Mustard.
-[ ] Talk to Professor Pistachio.
[ ] Decline Nutmeg's request.
- Location
- Argentina
[X] Accept Nutmeg's request.
-[X] Talk to Miss Madeleine.
-[X] Talk to Miss Madeleine.
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
Inserted tally
SeekerofDreams
Aspiring Farmer
- Location
- Selphia
All right... should be a fun perspective.
She is probably the easiest authority figure to get information from that you really shouldn't have... though it might be at the cost of information that's supposed to be fairly common knowledge. It's hard to tell with her.
-Vote Closed!-
She is probably the easiest authority figure to get information from that you really shouldn't have... though it might be at the cost of information that's supposed to be fairly common knowledge. It's hard to tell with her.