video; un: laurea

[wearingguess]

[ thunder crashes. the wind howls. a blond youth wearing an enormous cable-knit sweater over a dress shirt with the collar popped places his palms flat on the counter of a starter-apartment kitchen and earnestly addresses the camera. ]

Hello! The current circumstances are less than ideal, but I can put this off no longer.

Whether you know me or not, I am Titus Alexius, formerly of the Reim empire. It is more or less accurate to say that I am sixteen years old. I have been conducting research with the Lunar Scientia for the past several months, and I have also had more than I can stand of living alone. Therefore, I have prepared a simple twenty-question survey!

Anyone and everyone is welcome to submit a response, and there is no need to answer every question. But to show my appreciation, I shall provide all those who complete at least the identifying information with a code redeemable for one free empanada from the stall by the fountain at the northern end of Greatmoon Groves. [ he pauses thoughtfully and then leans in further. ]

...And if you do not care for empanadas, let me know and I will arrange an alternative.

...Also, I am reasonably certain everything in that marketplace is currently closed due to the inclement weather and invisible tentacle attacks. And a number of the survey questions, too, posit situations or activities that are momentarily, if not impossible, then inadvisable. But, well. We must believe these hardships will be temporary, mustn't we?... [ he shrugs helplessly and grimaces! ]

Thank you for your attention!

[ and underneath the prismagram video is the survey in question, along with a few additional links. ]

Survey Form
Name: Moonblessing: Approximate length of tenure on Prismatica: 1. Are we friends?  —If yes, hello! —If no or unsure, would you like to be friends? 2. Are you satisfied with your current living situation? —If yes, might you also be satisfied with a different living situation? 3. Do you have any roommates? —If no, would you like one? —If yes, would you like another one? ——If yes, would your roommate(s) also like another one? 4. Would you like to live on Level 2 of Lunatia in a cottage with a small garden? —If yes, are you open to sharing a room? ——If yes, are you open to sharing a bed?  5. Do you like cats? —If yes, would you like to have a(nother) cat? ——If yes, would you like to have this cat (SEE SUPPLEMENT A)? 6. Do you have any aversions or preferences when it comes to fragrance (both in general, and with regard to Cordis pheromones)? —If yes, please elaborate: 7. Would you consider the recurring presence of Cordis pheromones in a shared living space to be a benefit, a drawback, or neither? 8. Are you comfortable with moths and butterflies of various sizes? 9. Do you have any strong feelings regarding magic or mages? —If yes, please elaborate: 10. Do you like to stay up late? 11. Can you fly? —If no, would you like to? 12.  Do you like to cook? —If yes, would you like to cook for me? ——If no, would you like me to cook for you? 13. Do you like to go out to eat? —If yes, would you like to go out to eat with me? ——For fried noodles? ——For waffles? ——For seafood curry? ——Other (please specify): 14. Do you like to go shopping? —If yes, would you like to go shopping with me? ——For snacks? ——For clothes? ——Other (please specify): 15. Do you wish to obtain more possessions? —If yes, would you like some of mine?  ——If yes, please visit my current home (SEE SUPPLEMENT B) to make your selections (the Lost Orrery and leatherbound treasury of Prismatican myth are off limits).  16. Do you like hugging? —If yes, would you like to hug me? 17. Do you like kissing? —If yes, would you like to kiss me? 18. Are you a member of the Lunar Scientia or the Moon Knights? —If yes, would you like to join me for lunch in one of the commissaries sometime? 19. Do you have any strong feelings regarding the Lunar Scientia or the Moon Knights? —If yes, please elaborate: 20. Would you like to register a grievance or complaint of any kind against the Lunar Scientia (e.g., for leadership's continued reckless rush to reawaken anything and everything, no matter how poorly understood and potentially cursed)? —If yes, please elaborate (indicate whether you wish your response to be anonymized):  ***Please submit this survey to receive your coupon code. For directions to the empanada stand, see supplement C.***

Supplemental Survey Materials
A. file: phix.image
B. location: apartmentL2U128.nav 
C. location: EmpanadaEmpusa.nav

Comments

[wearingguess]

Oh, you are? Well, that is all right, too...
It is just that a dear friend of mine from my own world smoked frequently. Smokes frequently. So I couldn't help getting a little excited, for nostalgic reasons.

[bakudan_bambino]

It is? I would think that having a potential roommate who smokes would be a problem. This is not an actual cigarette, though.

[wearingguess]

Why would it be a problem?
Though, for the record, Sphintus does not smoke "cigarette" either...

[bakudan_bambino]

Because smoke has a tendency to leave a smell behind, especially in fabrics. For the record, I avoid smoking indoors.

What did they smoke?

[wearingguess]

You appear to be smoking indoors at this very moment!
Sphintus had a sort of pipe. As for what he smoked out of it, I really don't know, but it was quite fragrant. Perhaps he chose that substance to mitigate the problems with smoking indoors...?

[bakudan_bambino]

I'm not smoking outside in the weather currently. It's exhausting, so I'm near an open window. [He angles the camera to show that he is sitting just under one open window, and it is absolutely pouring outside.]

Was there any fire? Maybe it was magic or some kind of vapor.

[wearingguess]

I see! But do be careful. The winds have been very strong, and it would be a shame if you opened the window to avoid getting a smoke smell on your fabrics only to have them ruined by the weather.

Sphintus is a mage of some ability, but I am fairly certain he lit the pipe using the normal type of fire.

[bakudan_bambino]

I haven't been smoking for very long when I do smoke. If it is a normal cigarette, there is only usually one in the morning like this. The rest is mostly vapor.

Maybe what he's smoking is magical, then and not the fire.

[wearingguess]

Well...
Maybe.
But I think it was just a normal pipe filled with a normal herbal substance.
Why do you suspect such a thing, though? Is yours magic?

[bakudan_bambino]

I guess that makes sense. Not everyone smokes tobacco.

I didn't think it could be anything other than tobacco initially, is all. My bad. Mine is not magic. It can be explained, but it also isn't normal, and sometimes it just depends on what I want of it. [Whatever he wills strong enough or spends the energy to produce.]

[wearingguess]

You know, it may have been tobacco!

So yours is not normal, but also isn't magic...
Could you tell me more about how it works?

[bakudan_bambino]

Most cigarettes I know of are made from tobacco. Maybe his doesn't have the same stuff I'm used to, though.

The device is an igniter that can change my will, which is super-condensed energy, into flames. I can also use it by inserting cartridges of juice that contain nicotine that then turn into vapor when I inhale. Though that is not its main purpose. It's mostly just meant to push out flames so I can ignite parts of my weapon system.

((ooc: it's not really explained in canon, so I'm just having him use it as a vape to ween himself off his nicotine addiction))

[wearingguess]

Oh, that is really interesting! I've never heard of a person's will being super-condensed energy...
How does your weapon system work?

[bakudan_bambino]

It's not common. There are a few people from my world who can channel their will like that.

It's very complicated. Easier to show than explain. Suffice to say there are a lot of explosives involved.

[wearingguess]

If there are that many explosives, then even if showing is easier, it might not actually be safer or more convenient, right?

Ah, but it is fun to throw caution entirely to the wind and just blow things up left and right. But situations where that is appropriate are surprisingly rare.

[bakudan_bambino]

I'm not sure I follow. [What is safety when you are constantly smuggling dynamite?]

Know any good places I could go to set off a bunch of bombs?

[wearingguess]

I don't! So you see, easier though showing may be... we might have to settle for explaining. Either that, or changing the subject.