escordvi | they say my hunger's a problem, they tell me to curb my appetite

Who: Azul Ashengrotto, and maybe even you?

Status: Open + Closed prompts

Where: Various!

What: No Rift Like Home: Azul might have made a mistake attempting a ritual that would allow people to return home. (Plus a potential catchall of sorts for May?)

Warnings: None yet but will add them if they come up

[Azul's been studying and gathering information for months on anything that has looked useful for finding a method that would allow people to willingly travel back and forth between this place, and their home. The most promising so far has been a book that he had acquired during the auction house raids that depicted several rituals from past rift farers in the last few years, including one that if performed correctly, would allow for transportation back to one's home, regardless of how many dimensional barriers there may be in the way.

It was however risky and would require quite the concentration and wealth of magic to attempt, so he had put it off... until his abduction mid March. Being subjected to such a humiliating experience, both the captivity and the recovery he had to undergo has significantly given him the motivation to risk trying that ritual now rather than putting it off any further. Sure, he was able to be rescued and recover quickly, but who's to say that something even more troubling isn't simply waiting around the corner? It would be better to return to Night Raven College as soon as possible. He'll do the ritual, and then he will call Leona over to come over so that he can use it too if the ritual works.

So he gathers the materials he needs, writes the formulas and symbols on an empty space of flooring in his workshop. Pour his magic into summoning a rift the way it's described in the book for the ritual, and it should create one as long as his focus is entirely on his destination for returning home to Twisted Wonderland... and if he's lucky, this will extend to anyone else in this place that is just as strong in their desires to return to their own homes as well.

There's a shift in the air. For a brief moment, an image ripples into existence, and he thinks he can see something. He can't see the school, but he does see something teal in color. Sharp teeth. Mismatched yellow eyes.

Jade and Floyd.

And then...]

A. The Outer Edge of Eltrut

[Water. Lots and lots of water suddenly rushing up to meet him as his body proceeds to drop right into the middle of the ocean.

It takes some time for him to swim back, even in merform before he switches back to human upon getting close enough to Eltrut to be able to do so. (Thank the sevens his transformation potion was still on his person here when he fell through that rift) However, even when he's back in human form and has managed to climb up and out of the water, he is absolutely drenched, clothes sticking to his person as he drips salt water around him. He takes a moment to remove his fancy hat, turning it over as more water and a fish fall out, expression rather flat and unreadable for someone like Azul.

But uh, hey, if you wanna try to approach the wet cat of a man that's standing here? Go for it. Can't promise that he's particularly cheery right now, though.]

B. Surasthana Cafe

[Okay. So... just because something has gone wrong with the ritual doesn't mean that it doesn't work at all. Maybe he misplaced a symbol among his formulas. Or at least that's the hope. So he returns to his workshop, rechecks his notes and formulas... and tries again. This time, focusing more on the buildings of Night Raven College. Octavinelle dorm. His room, or no, better yet, his office and cafe he's worked so hard on building and profiting off of, practically his second home away from home--

Only for the world to tilt sideways, and the next thing he knows, he's very suddenly no longer in his workshop and is instead dropped right in the middle of Surasthana Cafe. Hope there wasn't a table or something there for him to have broken in the process, but either way, he's gonna lie here for a hot minute to curse under his breath.]

C. Mostro Lounge

[Maybe you took one look at that Manta Board quest that showed up in regard to the rifts and figured out who was responsible just from the description alone. Or maybe you did do some more investigating around for details and managed to get ahold of info such as a man who had visited several libraries or places with records looking for information about rift farers and magic similar to teleportation. Maybe it's just the fact that Azul stopped wearing his stupid fancy hat for a little while (in fact he's been wearing other clothing instead of his usual Octavinelle dorm uniform) once he saw that quest on the board.

Maybe it has nothing to do with the quest and the rifts and you have your own motivations for seeking him.

Whatever reason you have to go looking for him, he's not at his apartment. You'll have to go looking for him at his business: a building with the sign "Mostro Lounge", but there's a second sign on the door that says [CLOSED] right now. However, there is the sound of movement inside, so someone is definitely here, and should you be insistent on knocking and getting attention, Azul will eventually look outside here, wearing a frown.]

Yes? Can I help you?

D. [WILDCARD]

[Not vibing with the above in some manner, but still want to thread something regarding the rifts and Azul? Have him somehow accidentally teleport to where you are, or vice versa? Or even something that has nothing to do with the rifts at all? Hit me up! I am not picky about what we thread here. You can find me at

wailords or ping me in the Discord game's server if you wanna plot something super specific.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Entertainers? Well, Joshua thinks of one fiery magician that he knows. Maybe he could pass along a word or two about the lounge...]

You are a jack-of-all-trades, it seems.

[Joshua politely nods his thanks and takes a seat. He'll wait here patiently!]

[Please do, Azul would appreciate that so much...]

You flatter me. I'm just doing what I can to provide for the needs of as many people as I can.

[Uh huh, sure you are Azul. Anyway, he steps out for a moment, and give or take about ten minutes at most, Azul returns with both a tea tray and a stack of papers under his arm. He places the tray down and pours a cup of tea for Joshua to place in front of him, before he then carefully places his papers down.]

These are the notes I took while I was studying the Thornbind disease, using samples that was provided to me from one of the victims of said illness. I documented the various reactions it had to different stimuli and attempts at cures I made as well before I finally found the right one that would allow the roots to wither and fall apart, rather than being able to continuously regrow inside of an infected person.

[Meanwhile, Joshua has also taken out some of his books and writings. He's taken a few notes on what Azul had noted on the network but ... he still has a few questions.

He starts writing a few things down.]

How many attempts did it take to find something effective? Did you work with multiple volunteers or just one?

I had one volunteer... well, calling them a "volunteer" might not be the right word for it: an associate of mine accidentally contracted the disease while we were speaking with one of the townspeople, and he allowed me to take enough samples of the thorns growing from him to test on.

[Azul moves a few of his pages here before finding the right ones and taps them]

I documented every attempt in my notes here, so you'll be able to see everything I tried in order to find a way to prevent the thorns from growing back.

I see... It must have been an aggressive take in order to keep the thorns at bay.

[Joshua writes a few lines down.]

And how long did it take for your cure to take effect and stop the growth?

It depends on how much growth there is: with the samples I had, it only took about fifteen seconds for the thorn samples I had to stop their growth and fall apart. I tested several times on a few samples, and waited a day or two to make sure that it did not grow back after the thorns were exposed to the cure.

Once I determined that it worked and that it would be safe for consumption, I then gave the cure to the person that I had gotten the samples from to begin with, and we were able to observe the thorns not only cease their growth, but fall apart from where they had been wrapped around the person's arm after a few minutes. They haven't grown back since.

Remarkable work.

[Joshua writes down all the observations that Azul made. Including some notes that he took from Azul's network post, this is coming along well. Fifteen seconds to reduce the growth and then to create a potion that's safe for consumption is just ... incredible!]

If you'll pardon my curiosity, may I ask ... How have you come by such incredible skill?

[The question seems to surprise Azul a little, earning a slight head tilt before he smiles.]

Well, I've been studying magic, alchemy, and potionology since I was a child... in fact, before I arrived here, I was attending Night Raven College, a prestigious school for mages like myself. So I suppose you could say that I gained my skills thanks to the opportunities I've had to further my education and become the best mage that I can be.

they say my hunger's a problem, they tell me to curb my appetite

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