vallo

[Private Message to Lee Thompkins]

I saw the notifications. How are you doing?

For those keeping track, this odd switching of alternate selves does indeed seem to be temporary as I have been informed that my bruised face is due to having been a different version of myself for several days.

Ongoing, of course, but temporary.

BLUE

I apologize for abandoning you. How are you holding up?

Hello. I am Céleste, of the Carribbean islands. I have been told I may communicate through this device. If it is true that more gold can be acquired by "pay", how does one go about obtaining appropriate work? I am very good at fishing and also capturing ships, although Mr Laurence says that is not ethical unless the ship is an enemy.

Has anyone who's suffered memory loss woken up with things restored as of yet? It seems I need a timeline of how long before this might be fixed, and when Vallo will right itself.

[FILTERED AWAY FROM GLADIOLUS & PROMPTO]
I am on vacation for the next two weeks starting tomorrow. We are getting married in exactly 5 days, Thursday is our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. I am finalizing the menu with the caterer today, and the headcounts. Our wedding attire is at least finished with its final fittings.

Prompto and Gladio have both been hit with whatever this is. I don't have details yet, because Prompto spent twenty minutes hiding in the bathroom until Noctis just barged in and then he finally came out for breakfast. Gladio clarified a bit, but the best I've determined is that things are a far cry from our usual relationship.

I haven't the faintest if they've written their vows. Or if they'll be turned back by Saturday. Or if they'll remember any of this.

Vallo once again proves that it is nigh impossible to plan things and that all future engagements should be of the utmost chaos and done without previous planning. We should have eloped.

If you made it this far into my stress rants, please feel free to send alcohol.

( Read more... )

Temeraire

Will you be home for dinner this evening? I received something today that I should like to show you.


Messages sent later to Lan Xichen and Emily

There's something wrong with Temeraire. I believe he's been affected by... whatever nonsense Vallo is throwing at us this time, but he does not know me. I'm going to fetch him home.

I really do hate demons especially.

Ásynja Meadery will go on. Torunn worked too hard on it for us to shutter its doors. The Palace is gone, however. We did transplant a lot of the fruit bearing trees to the winery with help from Freya months ago, so some of the garden lives on.

We do need more help though. Bartenders, one more bar manager, an event planner, and brewers. Someone that likes numbers would be great as well. I'm told keeping profits in gold bars is a bad idea and I have something called taxes?

Thank you to those that reached out. I'm sorry I wasn't very responsive, it was just a lot at once.

This is an official communication on behalf of the Department of Outlander Affairs:

I am dismayed to report that the Amulet of Ashurbanipal, the magical item which allowed him to move between worlds and attack our library, has been stolen from the custody of Prigany Coven. The coven has submitted to outside investigation, and the Vallo police department currently believes that the members of Prigany are victims of a crime, not perpetrators of one.

The amulet is a quite large golden locket, oval-shaped and set with a iridescent green gemstone at its center. It was badly damaged in the fight with the necromancer king, but should it be repaired it will once again be a very powerful magical artifact.

The thief is as yet unknown, and attempts to magically track the location of the amulet have failed. Anyone with information that could lead to the recovery of the amulet and the apprehension of the thief should report that information to the Vallo police department.

Thank you,
Lan Xichen
DOA Coven Liaison

[Team D (+ the Dragon Covert)]

Team D,

I was sorry to hear of the loss of Adam. I did not know him well, but he seemed kind and affable, and I'm sure that losing him was not easy.

I know how difficult it can be to accept new leadership, especially when it comes from an outside source. I regret that I do not know any of you as well as I might like to.

I should like to change that, by having you all for dinner tomorrow night at 18:00, so that I might become better acquainted with all of you before our first patrol shift.

Please let me know whether or not you're able to attend.

Yr obt svt,
Wm. Laurence

I am Harrow the First, the Reverend Daughter of Drearburh, Ninth Saint to serve the King Undying, you cannot keep me in a b I am Harrowhark Nonagesimus of the Ninth House. I appreciate the bed but I shall not need it any longer as I am recovered from my [...] previous ailment.

Just how many of you are dead? This place reeks of it and the thanergenic levels are higher than I would have expected with how much thalergy is here as well.

Is it always this bright?

Yesterday I celebrated my third birthday here in Vallo, and was lucky enough to spend the evening in the company of my family. It was a far cry from how I spent my first birthday, a mere month after I'd arrived here.

It surprises me sometimes that I've already spent two years of my life in Vallo, and equally surprising that it has only been two years. So much has changed from those first early weeks, not least of all that I now spend my evenings with my kind, thoughtful husband and can watch Temeraire excel at his studies (even as I regret that I can provide him with very little instrumental help). I've made a good many friends, to whom I'm very grateful, and whom I hope I will never learn to take for granted. And while Vallo's whims have removed a great many people from my life as well, I am glad, very glad, to have known them.

I am not often so sentimental, and I hope you'll none of you hold my sudden loquaciousness against me. I just mean to say that I am filled with gratitude, to the bottom of my heart, that I am fortunate enough to spend my fortieth year here with all of you.

Many of our working artists and students at Art of Expression have begun producing art that they say is for "spooky season." This embrace of darkness has been very interesting to see! I find some take it very seriously, while others take a very cheerful approach. Our working gallery is filling up with bats, cats, vampires, skeletons, haunted forests, and abandoned houses. If you delight in the holiday called Halloween, visit us for an early taste of it.

Also, today marks the fortieth birthday of my husband, William Laurence. Should you see him today, wish him happiness.

[Filtered to Loch Laggen]
I have arranged for a traditional English dinner to be delivered this evening so we may celebrate (including a roasted cow for Ah-Xiang, of course). The weather is nice enough that we may dine comfortably in the pavilion, I believe.
[/filter]

WHO: Lan Xichen and William Laurence
WHAT: Lan Xichen feels icky for the first time in his life and Laurence provides comfort
WHEN: First day of the Magic Pollution plot
WHERE: Loch Laggen, their bedroom
WARNINGS: N/A

( Lan robes never wrinkled, nor did they stain; they were woven with magic that kept them pristine no matter the circumstances. Apparently that wasn’t working at the moment. )

I wish to publicly express my gratitude to the Covens and Department of Outlander Affairs for their swift and effective response to the flood. While Cloud Recesses is on high ground and was largely untouched, the Art of Expression Vallo City location suffered greatly from water damage. Most of our photography and electronic art equipment was there, and we feared that it would be unsalvageable. While there are yet items that cannot be replaced, the majority of our computers and shared photography equipment will yet rise from the ashes thanks to the aid of science, magic, and dedicated volunteers.

My eternal thanks to all who assisted.

[Filtered to Will Laurence]
I believe I may actually return home at a reasonable hour this evening. Dare I hope the same may be said of you?

[Filtered to Defense Team B, sent early morning]

How is everyone feeling today?

I know that with this magical pollution affecting people, along with the trouble with the elementals, it would be selfish in the extreme to take the day for personal reasons, but if we're not short-staffed then I would beg leave to stay home today.

If, however, you're feeling poorly, please stay home to rest.

After a few delays and false starts, I finally went through with it and bought a houseboat! I’ll be slowly moving my things from my apartment onto the boat over the next few days. I’ve missed living on the water so much!

Now I just need a name. I was thinking “Remember Yesterday” or “Still Waters”

I don’t know, though. I’m not very good at naming things.

Private Message to Edwin Courcey

If you are up for it, I would like to have you over for dinner on my new boat.

Private Message to Briar Moss

Hello, Briar! Would you like to come see my new boat?

I'm down to five boxes of sticky notes from the twenty "Ella" ordered and I'm ready to give them away. Who needs to adhere their lives to every surface around them? They'll come with bonus glitter pens!

It looks like I have returned to Vallo, after a year away. What have I missed?

Captain, Temeraire, Abi, Lan Xichen are you still present here?

Okay, so! Things I have figured out being here so far:

✨ Emojis. Maybe I should say this phone but I feel like emojis are sort of a crowning achievement for me.

✨ Car doors. Way more complicated than they look. Worse than those circle doors that only turn one way. If you pull on the handle at the wrong time they don't unlock. But also sometimes they just unlock or lock whenever. I didn't even see the driver push the button, but he looked really annoyed when I asked so I just sort of stopped. But I think I got it now.

✨ Microwaves. Not a fan. Does anyone else feel like they're kind of yelling at you if you don't pull out your food in time? Also they're not very good cooks.


Things I am still trying to get a handle on:

✨ Washing machines. I feel like the bathtub works for now, you know?

✨ A job. Right, so I'm a really good cook and if someone would like to enlist my services, I would be really grateful.

✨ Friends. Where do people "hang out"? Is that weird to put "hang out" in quotes? It's just I haven't really had friends until I went on this quest but there's like... I'm also good not questing you know? So


I'm feeling really good about this. Like really good.