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May. 12th, 2024 10:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
perfectpower[It's a sleepy planet in the far off reaches of space, one that doesn't even have an official designation yet due to its recent discovery. The people of that planet haven't even developed wide-use electricity yet, much less space travel, so until recently they had been largely ignorant of the politics of space. Aeons, paths, the different factions, it's all very new to the residents of this world. And given their own internal politics, many are reluctant to embrace the stars.
On its own, this planet is rather unassuming. One large continent broken up into 5 distinct countries, along with several chains of islands spread out in the water. There are a few small religions worshipping various gods, but most people just respect the spirits of nature and have a healthy fear of the magic-users that live among them. Thanks to all the magic, technological advancements are slower than usual. Why develop lighting systems when someone can just summon a ball of light? Of course, 'slower' doesn't mean 'stopped'. Eventually this planet would have developed into a more modern society, given a few more centuries. But the sudden appearance of the IPC is sure to jumpstart that.
Why are the IPC here? Well at first it was just a small task force making contact with a previously-dark planet. They do probes like this often, trying to find out if there's anything useful on the planet or if the people are worth bringing into the modern galaxy. It was pretty close to being a write-off, just a stamp of "wait a couple centuries and see what they do", and the planet would have been left alone entirely. But on the last day of evaluation, one of the members of the task force made a discovery that shook the team to its core.
Mana stones.
They didn't know where they came from. Any witch or wizard who they talked to wouldn't reveal their sources for these stones. But mana stones were used to boost the magical ability of a witch or wizard, and to a frightening degree.
One of the task force members put a mana stone the size of their thumb into their ship's energy source. It powered the entire ship for a month.
The promise of a new, compact energy source is too tempting. How could the IPC not jump at this chance? After all, the only ones even using the mana stones were witches and wizards, and they were outnumbered by humans a thousand to one. Powerful as they may be, it would be easy to get the people of this backwater planet to make a deal that would benefit the IPC greatly.
Which is why, at the current time, Aventurine has been sent to this planet. For diplomatic purposes, of course, these things go better if a contract is signed and people agree willingly. Who else would be better to sweet-talk the king and the wizard-prince into making this deal than the IPC's very own gambler?]
On its own, this planet is rather unassuming. One large continent broken up into 5 distinct countries, along with several chains of islands spread out in the water. There are a few small religions worshipping various gods, but most people just respect the spirits of nature and have a healthy fear of the magic-users that live among them. Thanks to all the magic, technological advancements are slower than usual. Why develop lighting systems when someone can just summon a ball of light? Of course, 'slower' doesn't mean 'stopped'. Eventually this planet would have developed into a more modern society, given a few more centuries. But the sudden appearance of the IPC is sure to jumpstart that.
Why are the IPC here? Well at first it was just a small task force making contact with a previously-dark planet. They do probes like this often, trying to find out if there's anything useful on the planet or if the people are worth bringing into the modern galaxy. It was pretty close to being a write-off, just a stamp of "wait a couple centuries and see what they do", and the planet would have been left alone entirely. But on the last day of evaluation, one of the members of the task force made a discovery that shook the team to its core.
Mana stones.
They didn't know where they came from. Any witch or wizard who they talked to wouldn't reveal their sources for these stones. But mana stones were used to boost the magical ability of a witch or wizard, and to a frightening degree.
One of the task force members put a mana stone the size of their thumb into their ship's energy source. It powered the entire ship for a month.
The promise of a new, compact energy source is too tempting. How could the IPC not jump at this chance? After all, the only ones even using the mana stones were witches and wizards, and they were outnumbered by humans a thousand to one. Powerful as they may be, it would be easy to get the people of this backwater planet to make a deal that would benefit the IPC greatly.
Which is why, at the current time, Aventurine has been sent to this planet. For diplomatic purposes, of course, these things go better if a contract is signed and people agree willingly. Who else would be better to sweet-talk the king and the wizard-prince into making this deal than the IPC's very own gambler?]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 03:17 pm (UTC)[Bradley pipes in here, adding a bit more context.]
Except for the tinies, they're all too young for the bottle. Could you imagine the Prince gettin' wasted in here?
[Shylock chuckles in response. It is indeed an amusing mental image.
After that, Bradley takes a sip of his drink and let's out a satisfied 'aaaah' afterwards. The drinks are always good, but after all the business today they're particularly satisfying.]
Tomorrow I'll show you a couple'a places that're important to this world. That should help you with that report of yours. But tonight, you can buy me another dozen drinks or so.
[His first drink is his usual, but who's to say what the next ones will be.]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 05:09 pm (UTC)And speaking of, Aventurine cants his head back towards Bradley, the corners of his smile gaining that sharp edge again that's ever so slightly predatory. Challenging. ] By all means, Mr. Bradley, I encourage you to use me to your advantage and drink to your heart's content tonight. [ It's time for a crash course in just how easy (or hard) it is to get a wizard drunk, it looks like. Luckily, Aventurine's got deep enough pockets to be certain he'll get an exact number before he's cleaned out. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 06:18 pm (UTC)[There is no visible mark on Shylock, but the way he speaks about the Sage's Wizards is a good sign that he is also one.
Grinning, Bradley tilts his glass towards Aventurine in a cheers motion.]
Let's see who lasts the longest then.
[There aren't many people present currently. A couple people are milling about, finishing a conversation before they decide what to drink. A couple more walk in, see Bradley sitting at the bar, and quickly move into a booth to avoid the man. But there is also a man with longer purple hair, sitting at a table and looking pleased with himself as he scribbles something on some paper. It might be a bit more difficult to see, but this man has one of those marks on his right palm.]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 06:42 pm (UTC)He can't help but make a face at that. It'll certainly make the IPC have reevaluate if this place is worth the hassle, although despite them calling it the 'Great Calamity', if they deal with it every year maybe there's a huge discrepancy in what these people consider both great and a calamity compared to what the IPC would?
Only time will tell. ]
How many of there are of you Sage's Wizards?
[ Aventurine tilts his glass in response to Bradley before taking a drink from with a very polite bitchslap of a side comment added for... fun. ] Mhm, but you're going to lose.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 10:09 pm (UTC)Twenty-one. There's twenty spots, which is four from each of the five countries, but we got a pair of twins takin' up one spot in the North. I'm from the North, and the Barkeep here is from the West. The Prince is a Central wizard too. You'll see 'em all around here, we've got a manor we stay in nearby.
There's a couple'a extra rooms, so you'll be able to stay there for now too. Just don't piss off the wrong guy, Or else you'll be a burn mark on the ground before you know it.
[He means the other Northern wizards there. Aventurine will soon find out just how violent they are. Bradley is pretty tame in comparison to them.
He will finish his drink in one long drink, and then set the glass down on the table somewhat roughly.]
Gimme somethin' special this time, got it?
"Of course."
[Shylock makes him some kind of red drink, which Bradley will take and sip on.]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 10:56 pm (UTC)What are you saying? Do I look like the type of guy who regularly pisses people off? I know I'm out of my league. [ he says, folding his arms in an overall bit of what looks like a mild pout, actually.
He gestures at Shylock. ] Why can't I stay with him, instead? I bruise easy, and I paid a lot for this coat, I don't know if I like the idea of staying with a bunch of people who get mad for no reason and have access to anything resembling fire magic.
[ He really doesn't want any of them knowing he's a pathstrider—it'd just complicate things. It's best they just think he's a useless pencil pusher, so the less chance of butting heads with other people the better.
Yeah, he'd like some sympathy for his plight here. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 11:12 pm (UTC)"Your out of luck there, sir. I also live in the manor."
[Bradley also chimes in there, leaning in close to fake-whisper to Aventurine:]
His boyfriend can be kinda scary too, best not get too close.
[At that, Shylock sighs and shakes his head, with a 'what can you do?' vibe.]
"Oh hush, Murr is perfectly nice and also not my boyfriend."
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 11:29 pm (UTC)Pushing his shoulder against Bradley, he sighs dramatically. ] Hey, on second thought, maybe you can't drink that much, afterall. I need you to make sure I don't get squashed by your friends on my first night here. Don't forget I gotta survive for a month!
[ It seems like it will be a rather run-of the-mill evening for this place, Aventurine concludes, judging by the state of things. That's fine and good he supposes, he has no need to rush things and even if he doesn't really care, it would be with at least getting to better understand what makes this planet's heart beat.
The only truly unfortunate thing here is he has to wait an entire month before he can do much of anything. A month is a long time, well enough to turn the tables against him if he's not careful as much as for him to stack the scales irrevocably in his favor. Finishing his drink, he nods before gently pushing his empty glass away. ]
Anyway, I might as well keep pace if I'm stuck with him all night—I'll have whatever you gave him, too.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-15 01:27 am (UTC)[The bartender makes Aventurine a whiskey on the rocks and the red drink Bradley currently has. He is still smiling politely. He absolutely did that on purpose.]
"Enjoy."
[Bradley, now leaning against Aventurine's shoulder, starts snickering. Good luck not drinking too much tonight.]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-15 03:01 am (UTC)w e l l
t h e n .
Aventurine supposes he walked right into that one and smirks almost helplessly. He did get exactly what he asked for, so no backing out. ]Touché. [ he says as he lifts the whiskey in a gentle cheers manner towards Shylock for his stunt before drinking it. While he's still sure his wallet is going to outlast even the both of them, he admittedly can't say he's so sure about his own sobriety is going to come even close.
...Oh well, it's time to fuck around and find out. Bottoms up and all that. What could possibly go wrong here. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-05-15 03:35 am (UTC)But no, they all taste great but they're just normal drinks with a normal alcohol content. No alcohol bombs meant to get him wasted quick. So if he can hold 3 normal alcoholic drinks he'll be fine.
Bradley is also finishing up his own drink while Aventurine drinks his own. He'll give the blond a cheers in return before drinking from it.]
There's an extra room on the 5th floor, directly opposite of mine. It's at the end of the hall so you'll only have one obnoxious neighbor. It should have a bed at least, dunno about anything else in it.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-15 07:57 am (UTC)Twelve or so might be a stretch if Bradley makes it there, though. If is a strong word currently, of course. There's still ten to go to get there for the wizard.
At least they taste nice. And as much as Aventurine likes high stakes, if he has to, he'll call off his drinking well before he reaches the indignity of getting sick. He knows how to pick his battles, especially having already picked up on that these individuals are way way older than he is. He can't pinpoint a number on either of them, exactly but he's putting them both well over the average human lifespan for starters. That's a lot of time to hone your drinking skills and alcohol tolerance.
( How lucky it is that Aventurine prefers older men. )
He hums for a moment, taking quick mental note. That's convenient for being a pain in Bradley's ass when he feels like it, at least. And he has every intention of making himself a pain in the ass when it suits him. A little less so if he wants to go snooping around on his own, but hey maybe his appointed chaperone won't care much if Aventurine pretends to keep his nose clean. He hasn't really been able to make a good judgement yet on what kind of person he's dealing with. ]
You sure know how to sell it, Mr. Bradley. Remind me not have your name listed as a contact for opinions on best local advertising pitches.
Are there any rules I should know about at this place? Curfews, restrictions, compliances, social obligations, unique etiquette—the usual basics.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-17 01:18 am (UTC)[Bradley swirls his drink around in his hand as he considers this. There's quite a lot of social obligations and etiquette, it's true, and Bradley knows them decently well. The primary reason why being that he often breaks social norms on purpose to get a reaction out of people. But it's hard to adequately describe them all on demand like that, he's sure he'll miss something important without realizing.
Still, he'll try, if only to keep the conversation going.]
The biggest restriction is gonna be on me. As we get closer to the Great Calamity, I gotta stay close to the others to be ready for a fight at a moment's notice. Beyond that, don't go tellin' people you're associatin' with wizards if you're not in the company of one. There's a whole lotta people who don't like wizards and who'll give you shit for stayin' with us. If I'm there I can protect you from it, but dependin' on the country they can be pretty awful.
[He takes a sip of his drink, and then he suddenly remembers:]
Oh yeah! I'm on work release so we gotta clear any travel plans with the Sage, since they're the one holdin' my leash until my time is served. Takin' off unannounced is just gonna get me thrown back behind bars.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-17 07:47 pm (UTC)Annndddd... you're a criminal! [ Aventurine says it with such a happy wonderous childelike understanding kind of tone, as if suddenly everything in the universe now makes sense. ] You're on some kind of community service probation, then?
no subject
Date: 2024-05-20 02:19 am (UTC)[He will not mention how many witches and wizards of the past have given the humans a very valid reason to be afraid of magic-users.
Speaking of which, he just sighs and waves off Aventurine's amusement.]
Yeah, yeah. 's not too exciting, some rich bastards just got upset when I took their riches from 'em. That's probably why they let me out on work release anyway.
[He can't imagine that he would have been released at all if he had been a mass-murderer or something. At least petty crimes like felony theft can be forgiven if you're the savior of a world.]