Event #2

[aeternasmods]

Leading to a Crossroads

INTRODUCTION

Two days have passed since the bone dragon was defeated. An entire part of downtown is now closed off completely while scientists examine the remains and take samples from the ooze that had been used to terrorize the citizens of Mondstadt. The harpastum stadium lies in ruins, with the skeleton corpse unmoving while it’s inspected, and many people have lost their homes due to the rampage of the monster. For now, hilichurl and mitachurl sightings have ceased, and none seem to be making their way towards the city. Clean up begins, and though the people have been shaken by this turn of events, the city still stands strong and begins their recovery.

However, there is a restless unease that’s felt all around. No one understands what prompted this attack, where the dragon came from, or how it was defeated. Who defeated it? There’s no way of knowing unless someone claims to have been the one- and there’s no shortage of nutjobs who said they did it without any way of proving it. So the mystery seems unsolved for the moment.

However, a lot of people point to one person- a streamer. He’s the talk of the town, and if you didn’t know his name before, you do now. The biggest tabloid on the market, The Teyvat Enquirer, has a huge headline in its paper the very next day:

BENNY’S ADVENTURE TIME: HOW AN ONLINE DAREDEVIL BECAME THE SAVIOR OF MONDSTADT

It’s in every store. To small shops to grocery stores and bookstores, Bennett’s face is plastered all over with a deep dive, detailed history of what’s publicly available online to know about Bennett. And it’s selling like hotcakes. They’re claiming he took down the dragon all by himself, with the strange fire powers he had on display in his streams. Plus, it’s all over the internet too, with his VODs being clipped and reposted everywhere. There isn’t a person in all of Teyvat who doesn’t know who Bennett is.

The normal news is reporting on Bennett as well, but there’s also the search for a mysterious man who’s only identifier is the mop of ginger hair on his head. He hasn’t been seen since the incident, and people claim he was the one fighting the dragon alongside someone else who has also gone unidentified. There’s also news about all the missing harpastum players and other residents of Mondstadt that had gone missing during Ludi Harpastum- none have been found, but for the first time, they were able to be followed. The discovery of the domain has been located, but it will not let anyone go in. Scenes from Dawn Winery include the Knights roping the area off, and heavy security now sit in front of it, not allowing anyone to pass.

FARMER'S MARKET.

Due to classes closing for the next few weeks as Mondstadt recovers from the attack, the students of the university have decided to do charity drives to help those who had the unfortunate happening of losing their home, getting injured to help with medical bills, or, god forbid, lose loved ones. Throughout the next few weeks, a collegiate farmer’s market opens up on the university campus, and it has a variety of stalls to visit:

Bake Sale: Something a lot of students can get in on is showing off their baking and making various kinds of baked goods! Some students are great at it, some are not! Feel free to patronize them or perhaps get baking yourself!

Organic Stalls and Snack Stalls: Not just students have come to participate, as a lot of Mondstadt’s local farmers brought all sorts of different vegetables to sell to help raise money to rebuild. And, you can't go without all sorts of snacks, from cookies to popcorn to small food trucks that feature food from any other country except Mondstadt. Dig in!

Handmade Goods: It’s not a farmer’s market without all sorts of neat clothing, pottery, and other knick knacks. Feel free to discover any kind of stall selling cool things for your house!

Cook Off: For those who can, there is a cook off to make meals for those who’ve lost their homes. The competition is fierce, and all food made will be delivered by aid groups to those in need. Face off against your friends and neighbors, and see who can make the best dish!

Couple’s Painting: The art department of the university has donated a ton of supplies to the market, where two people can paint each other on a canvas for a fee. All proceeds go to charity, and the two people will end up with their stunning (or not so stunning) portraits of each other. Can you just sit still? We’re trying to do a Picasso over here!

The Alchemy Shop is also taking this opportunity to provide some classes to help people with the rebuild. They’re free during this time, so take advantage of what their crazy, local alchemist has offered. He’s going to talk and talk and talk with the passion of forty poli-sci professors who care way too much about NGO’s except it’s alchemy and a lot more useful. Be careful not to get stopped by him after class, you may not survive.

Potion Making Classes: With a focus on extending one’s stamina and helping people get a good night’s sleep, these classes will teach characters on how to make stamina and sleep potions. Be careful when creating them, and make sure you measure their potency to the correct amounts. 🙂 Characters will learn that these are not hard potions to make and the materials are easily found.

🔋 Stamina potions need one part iron ore, two parts matsukake, and one part fowl, mixed with water.

💤 Sleep potions need two parts dandelion seeds, one part raw meat, one part cecelia, mixed with water.

Transmutation 101: Make that old bike you weren’t using into wood instead! This is a class to help people create useful materials for everyday use, especially now when building materials are in high demand. But remember, students- to obtain, something of equal value must be lost. No cheating…

Local businesses have also opened their doors, at least the ones left standing. Volunteers are welcome at any business to get them back up on their feet. There’s also an auction happening at the Cat’s Tail, which is definitely going to make a certain employee of theirs so, so happy. Bid against your neighbors, friends, enemies, so you can win that piece of weird antique furniture for your house or office and help the Mondstadt relief fund!

TO HIDE IN SHADOWS.

During this time, the Knights are actively on the lookout for people who have marks like the one Bennett displayed in his VODs. Though the public might be convinced that Bennett is their hero, the Knights aren’t buying that he’s the only one, especially since there’s video evidence that more than one person is displaying what looks like elemental powers. It helps that they don’t know exactly what they’re looking for, so they’re mainly on the watch for people actually using the powers first, though they do know there could be a similar mark on people.

They are not hiding this fact. News outlets are putting out that there is a monetary reward for anyone who can give the Knights information on these persons of interest. They currently do not know who they are, but fear mongering among politicians has started to rise up, painting them as dangerous and a threat to society. Decarabia is offering refuge to these people, welcoming them to come and be free of Mondstadt’s oppressive, sinful atmosphere. The Knights are not letting people leave easily, and all flights out of the city are canceled. If your character does leave, it will be incredibly difficult (or your character was just very prepared in case of an emergency.)

If caught, the Knights will try to detain characters who display using their powers or if they can see the constellation mark. If you have your character detained by the Knights, please comment here. Feel free to fight the Knights if you’d like, escape from them, or avoid detection all together. All in all, it’s clearly not safe to stay in Mondstadt for much longer.

MISC

FOR ZHONGLI:

Life will go on as normal for him, except he’s starting to experience all sorts of bad luck. The bad luck can be anything you want, and will affect anyone he’s with too. 🙂 If Zhongli happens to be around Bennett, Ren (Hu Tao), or Venti please let me know ASAP for details. The trio from the Occult House are also available for Zhongli to do things with or be introduced to other characters. They can be NPC'd by anyone for threads if it comes up.

FOR BENNETT:

The Knights come for him, and will try to detain Bennett and bring him to the Knights HQ. Bennett can do a number of things here:

They can try to detain him anywhere you’d like, anytime you’d like, in any situation he may be in, whatever works best. He can absolutely participate in the rebuild of the city, this might even help him deal with the Knights.

Bennett can avoid being detained or he can willingly go with the Knights. If he tries to resist being taken away, there will be an active manhunt for him and he will be escalated to being considered dangerous and a wanted criminal. He can also go into hiding and just not be found at all- which will avoid any escalation and accumulation of stars like he’s a criminal in GTA.

If he goes with them, he will be interrogated about his new powers and then closely monitored. They sound like they're going to prepare for moving him to a science lab, which is not where anyone wants to be. During that time, social media will explode with half the people wanting him free and half the people wanting him locked away for their own safety. There will be protests outside of the Knight’s HQ demanding that Bennett be left alone to live his life like a normal person, and Decarabian diplomats will advocate for him to be taken to Decarabia, claiming he will be safe there and they will ensure Mondstadt’s well being by taking him. The Knights will do an investigation by asking his family questions- if you want to do more with that with his dads and the Knights, that’s a free for all for you to decide ;) Let me know what you ultimately decide to do with Bennett, as it will affect the story!

CLOSING

Exploration is currently not available for characters to go out and see the world. This is the fallout of the conflict with the dragon, and the start of a journey for our characters. There will be a poll among the group in a month or so for where everyone would like to go next within the country of Mondstadt, so be ready for that!

As it stands right now, the group has found these items so far, which no one has currently figured out what they do:

Zhongli: Old rotted lyre, necklace from Natlan.
Bennett: Trinket from the hilichurl domain where the missing people disappeared in.

The dragon itself was ultimately defeated by Ajax (Childe) and Zhongli.

This log is a little bit of a slice of life break after the heavy opening log, but there's some things in it that will help everyone prepare for the adventure ahead.

To Be Continued…

FULL NAV • BACK TO TOP

Comments

[niwabi]

[ Yoimiya's visage beams as bright as the sun the moment she hears a precious nickname that hasn't been spoken to her in so long; Yoi-chan. If she weren't carrying everything including the kitchen sink in her arms, she'd be jumping for joy from their happy reunion. That's definitely Heizou alright! She swears this slick talker practically oozes rizz every time he speaks.

He also comes complete with a funny lollipop poking out of his mouth. Her candy-loving heart needs to know where he got it from... but before she gets ahead of herself. ]

You're right! Silly me. I should have known that if anyone can make it out unscathed, it's you.

[ Wouldn't surprise her if Heizou has already investigated the matter and even has a few ideas on what happened. ]

Hehe, I'm definitely doing much better now that we've ran into each other! I still can't wrap my mind around everything that happened.

[book2thehead]

[He can't help but chuckle a little at the way Yoimiya beams at him. She's definitely the same bright, bubble person that he remembers from some years back. Though he also feels like he can sense something... distinctly different. He can't quite place his finger on it just yet.

In the meantime, he notices the way she's eyeing his lollipop. So without saying a word about it, he reaches into his little shopping bag and silently offers her one. Orange-flavored!]

It's been a lot, that's for sure! How did you even wind up in Mondstadt? Part of a promotional tour for Inazuma's brilliant and lovely idol~?

[niwabi]

[ For her?! Yoimiya lets out a gasp in amazement...! You're the best Heizou! How did he know??? Goodness, it's no wonder why he's so astute. nevermind this girl is practically an open book

She excitedly takes the candy, quickly popping it into her mouth. Yummy!!! It's even one of her favorite flavors— orange!!! Heizou truly is the best. ]

Hehehe, look at you! Quite the charmer as ever. No, I'm not doing any grand promotions or anything like that, I'm here on vacation! I was kind of feeling a bit lost about the direction I wanted to take my music. So, I thought that taking a break and visiting other countries in Teyvat will give me that inspiration I've been searching for.

[ And well, she certainly got more than she bargained for in Mondstadt... ]

What about you? What brings to here to Mondstadt?

[book2thehead]

[He doesn't even bother holding back a laugh at her reaction. Yoimiya truly is an open book, and it's not something Heizou takes for granted. It's actually nice to just know exactly what she wants without having to look too hard. ...Not that people are ever really that hard for him to figure out, generally speaking, but still.

Heizou just keeps on grinning around his lollipop, enjoying Yoimiya's infectious enthusiasm for what it is. It's nice.]

I get the feeling that all this excitement was a little more than you were expecting, though~

[A soft chuckle as he shakes his head, easily switching gears to answer her question.]

As for me, well... I thought I'd tag along with the soccer team I always play with. They had a game in the area, and then they wanted to come to the Ludi Harpastum, so...

[He trails off with a shrug. Maybe he also wanted to poke around a little bit about the players that had mysteriously gone missing, too. But he's not about to volunteer that information just yet.]

[niwabi]

[ Couldn't have said it any better herself, he's right on point. She hoped for a nice, relaxing vacation to take her mind off the stress that comes with being an idol. She swishes the lollipop around in her mouth, sucking on it in deep thought, while she definitely hoped for some form of excitement, the monsters, the mysterious marks, the missing players, the dragon... all of that was beyond her expectations.

Maybe she should take this as a lesson to be careful what you wish for. But more importantly, she's glad to see that Heizou is still playing soccer, she's always been impressed at his talent for it. ]

Oh, how fun! Since you're in the area, it would have been a waste not to take part in Ludi Harpastum. I hope y'all got a chance to experience... [ she pauses ] some of it.

[ Putting the whole dragon thing to the side, anyhow. Yoimiya inwardly sighs to herself but manages to keep her usual bright smile. ]

Is everyone on your team okay?

[book2thehead]

[Well, hopefully all the adventure has given her something to sing about one way or another!

He chuckles a bit, moving the candy from one side of his mouth to the other as he glances around them. Just to make sure that they're not standing in the way of anything or anyone while they chat and catch up. At least they're not in Inazuma, where Yoimiya could quickly get swarmed by fans the second someone recognized her.]

Everyone's fine, just a little shaken up. They've been smart about no one going off on their own and staying in small groups for the rest of the time we're stuck here. But we did enjoy what we got to see before everything exploded.

[Literally. And pay no mind to the fact that Heizou is definitely walking around the Farmer's Market by himself.]

[niwabi]

[ Thank goodness, hearing that everyone on his team is safe floods her heart with relief. A shame they couldn't enjoy their well-earned vacation after playing in their game but she has no doubt they're grateful to be alive after all that. ]

Oh, good, good. If there's anything I can do to help your pals get settled while the chaos subsides, let me know.

[ Any friend of Heizou's is a friend of hers. Speaking of that, she notices his eyes glancing around their surroundings, it finally dawns on her they might be blocking the path for other Farmer's Market attendees. ]

Before I stand here and talk your ear off, would you like to sit down somewhere and catch up over drinks and food? I think I saw a boba tea stand nearby.

[book2thehead]

[His eyes seem to light up with just the tiniest hint of mishief.]

Oh? If I tell them that Yoimiya herself is offering to help them out, I think some of them just might explode~

[More than a few of them are fans, clearly. He knows at least one of them has filled his bedroom with her posters and merch, and two more often argue about which one of them is a bigger and better fan. Heizou's never once told them that he and Yoimiya went to high school together.]

Man alive, it's like you read my mind! I was just about to ask if you were free right now to get a quick snack. I think I saw the boba stand you're talking about, but the stand I got the lollipops from is over that way- [He turns and gestures in the direction he saw that stand, somewhere behind him.] -if you want more.

[niwabi]

[ Ohohoho, birds of a feather flock together and this trouble-making lass swears she can smell mischief wafting from her old friend. The imagination of his teammates losing their minds over something as simple as her help draws chirpy giggles out of her, hopefully, they don't collectively pass out because of little ol' her. And she hopes Heizou doesn't get yelled at if they find out about their high school connection. ]

Hehehe, maybe I'm becoming an esper.

[ All jokes aside bc psychic Yoimiya would be bad for everyone— ]

Oh! Yes! I want to grab more lollipops for sure! I gotta try all the flavors and pick up a few for friends.

[With that, she scurries off like an excited kid at a candy shop. Yoimiya is already in line at the lollipop stand, ordering every flavor under the sun. She makes sure to get a couple for Ajax and his siblings, one for Kuni, one for Ren, one for Bennett, the list goes on. ]

[book2thehead]

[The idea of Yoimiya becoming psychic is, honestly, a little nerve-wracking. Not that he'd ever say she has bad intentions or anything of the sort, but she's already something of a force of nature as it is. Mind-reading abilities would only make it more impossible for people to deny her anything.

Still, Heizou joins her at his own pace as she hurries to the candy shop. And he grins a little around his lollipop as he listens to her order just an impossible amount of them.]

Man alive, I see you've been just as quick to make friends around here as ever!

[And just to take the tiniest advantage of the situation he turns to the cashier with a playfully flirty wink, popping the lollipop from his mouth and waving it a little so they can see.]

Could you throw in a few more of this flavor, too? I just can't seem to get enough~

[niwabi]

[ Now that he says it, oh dear... she's already lost count of the amount of candies she purchased. Yoimiya giggles at her silly self, finishing the lollipop with one last hearty CRONCH, she's certainly got a lot of treats for a lot of friends but she feels blessed to have met so many wonderful people.

Heizou included! She's very happy about their reunion, positively ecstatic even! She's happy to see that he's still the same cheery, witty, fun-loving guy that she knew him as. He's even managed to up the charm! The cashier behind the counter begins to furiously blush, completely taken in by his charisma. Yoimiya has to prevent any chuckles from slipping out by biting down on her bottom.

With a slow nod of their head (and most definitely sending passing glances Heizou's way), the cashier hands them their treats. Once they're out of earshot, she can no longer contain her giggles and immediately turns to Heizou. ]

Goodness, you're still the same ol' charmer! That cashier was totally blushing like crazy. Looks like you got yourself a fan.

[book2thehead]

[If Heizou decides to have a little fun by making eyes at the cashier and playfully suckling at his lollipop in deliberately seductive ways, well... That's entirely his business. He does it the entire time, too, enjoying the way they fluster under his gaze, and when they finally turn to leave he makes sure to thank them cheerfully with another little wink.

And once Yoimiya turns to him, giggling like that, he can't help but laugh as well. His lollipop is long gone by now, but he's still chewing on the stick just to keep his mouth occupied.]

Who, me? I really don't know what you mean, Yoi-chan. I was just being friendly~!

[niwabi]

[ Oh, Heizou... your seduction techniques are truly next level, Yoimiya swears the cashier will combust at this rate. Definitely taking notes on how he works that lollipop for her own future endeavors. Making people squirm is fun... ]

Hmmm, you're right! Silly me, I should have realized you were just being friendly. You're one of the most friendly guys I've had the pleasure of meeting.

[ She shoots him an all-knowing wink before skipping over to the boba tea stand with a pep in her step. ]

[book2thehead]

[He chuckles as he follows along, still feigning innocence as they line up.]

Oh, I've got nothing on you, Yoi-chan! You're such a wonderful, friendly person that you've practically gone and made a career out of it~

[Except Yoimiya is genuinely friendly, whereas Heizou's charms are primarily on the surface, just concealing the troll within. Playing is fun, flirting is a game... and it's the best way to get people to drop their guards. There are so many things Heizou has gotten away with and/or learned from others just by making bedroom eyes and dropping some well-placed compliments.

It also makes it easy to keep most people at arm's length. Heizou prefers things that way.]

[niwabi]

[ D'awww, he's sure got a way with words, it's no wonder why the cashier was utterly charmed by him. She doesn't think much about her sunny disposition since it just comes naturally to her but still, she appreciates the praise and is most definitely eating it up like candy. ]

Hehehe, at this rate, I think we're gonna compliment each other all day.

[ She gestures her head towards the boba stand. ]

Since you've been so sweet, let me treat you to a drink! It's the least I could do for that delicious lollipop.

[book2thehead]

Oh? After getting all those lollipops for your new friends, you've still got some cash to burn, hm~? I guess it'd be rude to refuse someone like you~

[Heizou's grin is broad as he teases playfully, turning to look over the menu for the boba stand. He isn't sure how he missed it earlier (or maybe he just hadn't gotten there yet, who knows), but he's glad to have someone like Yoimiya pointing it out to him. Besides, it's a great excuse to do a little catching up with a face from the past.]

So besides this little trip to Mondstadt, how've you been doing, Yoi-chan? Is the idol life everything it's rumored to be?

[niwabi]

[ She giggles at his silly grin, having already lost count of the amount of lollipops she purchased. Maybe she went a little overboard with snacks but she's got plenty of mora to burn. If Heizou wants ten boba teas, she'll happily buy them all for him. This time, it's Yoimiya's turn to be the walking wallet in this AU.

Once they make it to the stand, she briefly skims through the menu, pondering on what would be best for her lactose-intolerant self. After some intense decision-making (all the flavors sound so good sob), she settles on a brown sugar tea with coconut milk. ]

I've been doing well! My family's firework shop has been booming [ GET IT?? BOOMING??? LIKE A FIREWORK?? HAHAHA- ] ever since I became an idol and I couldn't be any happier for them. And of course, one of the best perks of the job is the opportunity to travel the world and meet new people.

[ Helping out her parents was her top priority and for the most part, she doesn't regret her career choice but there are times she misses freedom. Sometimes, putting on a pretty face and smile isn't all it's cracked up to be when the paparazzi is constantly up in her business. But she'll spare Heizou the less desirable details since she wants this to be a fun, happy reunion between old friends. ]

How about Hei-kun? Have you been enjoying life with the soccer team? With you on the team, I'm sure y'all have kicked lots of butt out there.