TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 9

[avalonmods]

✨ Greet new players on the OOC intro while apps are processed HERE! ✨

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ SUMMARY: New arrivals drop into the lake and have to climb up a cliff to the Rent a Ride, where they are given their device and some headphones and can retrieve their personal materials. There is a small earthquake during this (shaking, some things may fall off of shelves, but no structural damage) that upsets the normal arrival creatures, limiting cliff-falling rescues and sliming the water. They travel to Camelot, which is a multiple day journey, so they stop at the Red Springs along the way and stay at an inn there. A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival KERPLUNK, SPLASH! Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, helping to rescue any wayward travelers who look like they're struggling in the water. This month's helpers are giant pillow jellies, a species of jellyfish that is capable of ballooning itself at the surface to create bouncy pads for characters to hop across to the shore, should they choose or not be able to swim. They come in a variety of bioluminescent colors, but do not seem to be very talkative even to animal magic users. Those who try may find themselves being ignored, even if they hear the jellies talking amongst themselves about this and that. In the middle of the new arrivals, there is a small earthquake that shakes the island and makes the waters choppy. The jellyfish are startled and release a glow-in-the-dark slime that may dye your characters' hair and skin until they can get a proper bath. The Lady of the Lake seems disquieted by the earthquake, but there isn't much to be done about it where they are now besides make sure that everyone is outside of the water as quickly as possible. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, as the earthquake has scared the cliff beast into hiding, meaning for July's arrivals, there is no safety net. They may need some serious help if a fall occurs! *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones, sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses, and a pair of ear buds and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with nip bottles. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk. C ⦿ The Red Spring The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies. If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out! The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there. SUMMARY: Camelot throws a carnival to combat the warming up weather featuring "cool" foods and contests, Queen Elphame sent gifts of aquatic mounts to practice in gratitude for the offering and peacemaking with Celliwig, and the clean-up for the carnival goes haywire as cleaning implements magically seek to clean everything. Thankfully, not every minute of Avalon is adventure and trials and rituals. There are moments of respite, and moments to have fun. This July, for example, locals have decided to invite everyone to what they're calling the "Cool Down Carnival"! A ⦿ Cool Carnival, Bruh Vendors of all kinds have taken to selling cooling goods throughout the carnival grounds. Shaved ice, frozen yogurt, gelato, ice cream, iced tea and boba drinks are everywhere, and each and every vendor is vying for the attention of customers. Whether it's coupons for free snacks if they fill out a punch card for all three days of the carnival, or trying out their new, more magical recipes of frozen slush that make you temporarily behave like a penguin and try belly-sliding down a slip-n-slide that's been set up to occupy the unfortunate victims of that slush (It wears off, don't worry.) Perhaps most notably is the Margaritaville Pair Challenge. If you and an acquaintance can down a giant schooner of frozen margarita in less than a minute together, you'll both get a free happy hour item once a day for the next month from the restaurant and they'll do you a solid and teach you (Recipe) Hangover Moveover, a recipe that instantly cures hangovers. The brain freeze caused by downing that much frozen drink is yours to deal with, unfortunately... B ⦿ Surf New Turf In the evening, the fae folk of the carnival crew lead the way to uproot the party off toward the docks near Camelot. The Elphame Traders came back this past month with good tidings from Queen Elphame, who was impressed both with the gift of a ship and the winning over of Celliwig's people. To this end, a second ship was sent with the Elphame Traders to provide a means of transportation to the faery Kingdom of Elphame without passing through the Forest of the Felled: aquatic mounts. However, they aren't exactly easy for anyone who isn't an animal mage and will require practice before anyone can set out. You'll need at least one person to steer and one person to act as a combatant, as the lake north of the arrival point is more than a little treacherous but that will be a journey for another day. (Maybe the 20th? Stuff seems to coincidentally always happen around then, huh... Weird.) For now, the fae who stayed behind from the Elphame Traders this month are sticking around to help you find a partner and an aquatic mount that gets along with the two of you. Most of the creatures who have agreed to be mounts are hanging out alongside he beach near the old docks, so you can go around and check out the different kinds of available mounts: Alpacapies: Cousin to the much more violent water horse fae the Kelpies, Alpacapies have been mistaken for baby loch ness monsters on more than one occasion given their penchant for sitting with just their hump and long neck above the waterline. They can be ridden in the water and tend to bond with people who are polite to them upon greeting. They will assist in combat by spitting water at their enemies or kicking with front legs, but they may shake you off if they need to deep dive to gain speed for an attack. They do not have back legs, only a dolphin-like fin. For some reason, they're really impossible to take photographs of. Mossatees: You're familiar with the mossatee already. A special breed of manatee that grows flowers and moss on its back like a miniature garden. They blossom in the spring, and their backs can be very comfortable. They're a little clumsy and tend to run into things, both accidentally and on purpose, so it may be a bit of a derpy ride if you and your partner choose a mossatee. They also just had a lot of children, so part of riding with them will mean protecting their young on the journey. They're not good in combat and will prioritize defense. Deinosuchus: A Cretaceous crocodile that gets up to about 10 meters long. It's huge and carnivorous and very well could eat you if you piss it off. It is fast, but has to take a lot of breaks. It will also terrorize in a fight. The fae recommend bringing it a goat or some other similarly sized meal to get it on your side if you want to go for this one. This pack is the only one left, transported by fairies to Avalon long, long ago, so you'd better not let them down. Once you've found a mount that seems right, try to practice balancing on its back. They don't much like saddles so that may be a challenge, but if you hold onto your partner it might be easier! Once you're settled, try racing against another pair or going through a Survivor-esque obstacle course with your mounts. C ⦿ Clean Up Chaos As people head out for the second day of practice with their mounts or recover from a crazy carnival experience, things around town... seem a little off. It seems like someone tried some experimental magic after competing in the Margaritaville challenge feeling particularly benevolent. All around Camelot, cleaning utensils have taken on a life of their own. Brooms are sweeping customers right out of restaurants, sponges are scrubbing up dishes and chasing down patrons for the most public sponge baths of their life, and the local woodland creatures are assisting in picking up and taking away anything that touches the floor that ought not to be there. Some are even hopping up on residents to do their hair! Whatever the source is, the only solution is to either destroy or scare the cleaning supplies off to the woods before they take over the whole town! A little magic should help, so why not test out the magic you've been working on since arriving in Avalon? SUMMARY: The earthquake busted some of the Land of Rot wards and zombies are attacking Camelot's farmland. Save the farm, restore the wards, fight a giant worm, and then find a mysterious marsh before getting transported back home just as mysteriously. The earthquake on arrival day was a little frightening, but ultimately didn't seem to cause too much trouble around New Camelot. That is, until a few days later when the farmlands seem to be under attack.. by the undead!? It seems like the wards surrounding the Lands of Rot were disrupted by the earthquake near Camelot's northeast farmland. ' A ⦿ The Farming Dead Step one is to fight the hoard of zombies spilling out into the farm and stop them before they contaminate Camelot's food source. Use whatever means you can to dispense of the undead, keeping the following in mind: death mages are going to be the most effective combatants against the undead, but anyone can follow the basic rules of zombies to clear a path. Loud noises attract their attention, they shamble during the day and can move more quickly during the night, they don't feel pain so if you hurt the they won't be deterred-- you have to kill them, and always double-tap if you aren't sure. Just be careful not to set them on fire. Flaming zombies can spread fires to buildings and other surroundings and are just generally worse than regular zombies! Once the zombies are cleared out, farmworkers will bring out gifts of fresh lemonade and some extra mixed herb seeds they gathered throughout the year. They're still good, please take them as a thanks for helping save the farm! B ⦿ Of Wards and Worms After searching the perimeter of the Land of Rot, sources have found that the wards were damaged on the west side, so the zombies haven't fully penetrated any areas but the farm. Pair up with another person to draw the attention of the zombies away from wards while the other person resets the wards. While doing this, you'll find the earth is rumbling again-- a little heavier this time since you're much closer than back in the Bay of Avalon. Rather suddenly, a huge sinkhole opens up in the desert landscape of the Land of Rot nearby... and out leaps a thousand-toothed worm, flying through the air and diving back toward the ground teeth-first... with your character right in its target location! Maybe you're lucky and get out of the way only to get knocked down by another huge tremor, or maybe you've just been swallowed whole by a giant worm and really, really need to find a way out for you and your partner! Maybe you'll find something interesting while you think... Is that a broken boat in here? Hopefully you find your way out (or.. if you don't, you find someone to resurrect you, but that would really suck if you just arrived!) C ⦿ Wake Me Up Before You're Go-Gone First zombies, then a giant worm... today's been exhausting! And now you're.. somewhere in the middle of the Land of Rot and you seem to have run into some kind of marsh that you don't remember passing on your way in. The water itself is murky and the only creatures around seem to be bugs, bats, snakes, and frogs. Everything seems sickly, rotting, and is pretty awfully stinky. But none of it is quite as terrifying as when you and whoever you wandered into the Land with stumble upon what appears to be some kind of old hag. What happens next? Who knows. She screams and both you and whoever you're with pass out and wake up snuggling in an inn room. You were definitely in that marsh though, because your pants are still sopping from trudging through it... Well, enjoy the panic, maybe interrogate your neighbors, and try to find out where in the Land of Rot you were! It sure doesn't seem to be on the map... What a mystery! MOD NOTES: • All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post. • If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities. •If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt. • The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly. • Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.

Comments

Lorenz Hellman Gloucester | FE:3H | Light/Green

[silky_bearing]

I.Arrival

[His unceremonious arrival is nothing short of disastrous. Taken from the field and dumped straight into a lake still in steel armor is absolutely not helpful. Which means that the Lady of the Lake is the only reason he doesn't drown immediately. Well her and these jellyfish which are absolutely preposterous creatures so far as he's concerned. When others demonstrate this... hopping that is required to travel from one to another Lorenz... well...

He takes a moment to sit on one such jelly and be petulant. Bouncing off of these odd animals is absurd and undignified and- certainly not the worst thing he's had to do but absolutely the most embarrassing in a long while. Even moreso after he loses his footing during the quake and ends up trudging the last stretch to shore with his glorious violet hair streaked with a fluorescent blue that also swirls in strange patterns over his skin.

Still he manages to keep his composure, taking the discomfort of wet armor in stride, even. Until someone mentions he is meant to collect his things from the "Shit Box" and he finally breaks.]

I beg your pardon?! Precisely what manner of business is this that would find such- ugh! Such!! Vulgar terminology acceptable! And then to imply my belongings are in any way meant to be-

[You get the idea. The rant goes on for quite awhile, really. Someone save Archimedes and/or anyone else in the area from an outraged nobleman going full Karen.]

II. Fun in the Sun

[Lorenz isn't one to eat much in the first place and when he does he's exceptionally picky about it. The idea of all of these fair foods and things meant to be eaten with ones hands is truly distressing. If he's eating anything it is likely some bright fruity gelato, peach or strawberry perhaps. But even then he makes a point of sitting down at a table somewhere instead of standing around shoving it in his face like some sort of heathen.

While he's still a bit upset about the arrival fiasco he can't resist investigating all the buzz down by the docks, though, and very quickly he will be waist deep in the water handling mossatee calves just as one would a foal. All the worst quirks of his nobility set aside for the sake of these sweet, gentle beasts of burden. Mobile gardens! He might be far more accustomed to handling horses but horses don't grow roses. Does he want one? Absolutely. Does he care about finding a partner? Not really, he's just eager to help the little ones figure out where their flippers are.

There is also a gorgeous black mare of a decidedly no longer warhorse stature on the banks watching this with a dramatic flick of her ears and huffs, stomping a foot now and then to punctuate her displeasure. She's absolutely the jealous sort.]

Darby, hush. You'll have your turn.

III. Land of.... Ew?!?

[Everything seemed like a nice little fairytale. He should have known it was too good to be true. Still he is a noble and a knight and he will do his duty to ensure the commonfolk are safe! Especially when it is something as important as agriculture that is under threat by these things. Really, as far as appearances go, they're not terribly different than Agarthans are they? Ah well.

There's certainly a moment where he tries to dodge, finds no wind magic to come to his aid, and nearly goes toppling. Another where he throws a hand out, clearly expecting something to happen and.... goodness it's a pity none of his magic seems to work. Not... not that he didn't believe everyone but it is such deeply ingrained responses now that it is difficult to deter himself before hand. Thankfully he is just as handy with a sword as with magic.]

((OOC: Hullo! Lorenz is from VW, post-game. Post dramatic return of a certain Duke turned King actually. Hit me up! draconicseraphim Cuyler#7666 @ Discord))

[noblestandard]

[Ferdinand hauled himself up on the shore, being met there by a small horse that seemed to be waiting for him. He stands, reaching up to wring out his long hair, before making his way away from the water. He stops and takes a seat, so he can pour some of the water out of his greaves.

As he's doing so, he pauses, because he hears a familiar voice. One that he shouldn't be hearing. Lorenz wasn't... he couldn't. Standing again, he immediately turned and went towards the voice, finding him yelling at the box holding their things.]

Lorenz?

[silky_bearing]

[He's so caught up in his tirade about this "shit box" that it takes a moment to even register that someone has said his name. A dismissive glance over his shoulder, a beat, and then he whirls around, violet eyes wide.]

F-Ferdinand...? [One hand rises to cover his mouth, to hide the shocked expression he cannot prevent. The other, without him even realizing he's done it, drops to Begalta's hilt at his hip.]

This... You- [But the words hitch in his throat and there is a sheen to his eyes that has nothing to do with the lake water. Something he swiftly blinks away lest he make more of a fool of himself than he already has today.]

[noblestandard]

[He pauses. He didn't see Lorenz the entire war. His letters went unanswered. He heard rumors he'd been sick, or even died. And the silence went more to drive that point in.

But apparently, he'd been wrong.]

You're alive?

Fun in the Sun

[dottedline]

[Azul is very pointedly avoiding getting anywhere near the water, but he is close enough to watch this itty bitty foal(?) huff and stomp and be a nuisance on the shore.]

Jealous, I take it?

[silky_bearing]

[Lorenz laughs at the comment, rustling his fingers through the soft grass sproutlings on one of the calves he'd been working with before moving back toward the shore.]

She absolutely is. She always is when there's a foal around and she's been exceptionally disgruntled over the- ah... size adjustments made when we arrived.

[dottedline]

...size adjustment?

[What.]

I

[leicesters]

[Claude being the nosy sort that he is, it's not uncommon for him to get wind of new arrivals and head out to the bay to see them in the hours that follow. He's met some colourful characters in his previous efforts, along with some familiar faces... and, well! This time around, the nobleman on a tirade with bright streaks in his hair (?????) qualifies for both familiar and colourful, doesn't he?

Claude eavesdrops only briefly before he sidles up unannounced, hands on his hips and a look of mock outrage on his face.]

Lorenz is absolutely right! Why, I daren't utter such vulgar words as "Shit Box"! Such a phrase will never tarnish my lips! Now retrieve his belongings from the Shit Box so that he needn't dirty his hands with such foul affairs!

[He's... not even trying to keep a straight face, honestly.]

[silky_bearing]

[It takes a moment for Claude's teasing to cut through his tirade enough to even register. Even longer for him to realize it's Claude (or, well- King Khalid now, isn't it?) In, probably, any other circumstance his anger and hurt would simply be cool polite distance and a few petty jabs. But he's already confused and upset and now he's mid-rant and terribly riled. He finally registers Claude's voice and whirls on him instead.]

You-!

[To just stroll up to him and tease like no time at all has passed and- The audacity!! How dare he!?

Lorenz' hand is moving before his brain has really given it permission, aiming to slap the other man across the face, Kingship be damned.]

[leicesters]

[The move catches Claude by surprise enough that the slap connects before he's even realised what happened. He brings a hand to his stinging cheek, staring at him, aghast.]

Wow. Bit of an overreaction, don't you think?

[His tone is flat. Please explain, my dude.]

ii

[hegemonwings]

[ byleth, at present, has a cup of gelato in one hand and some boba in the other. she glances between both in slight consternation, trying to figure out how to tackle this—

and then she spots a familiar mane of purple hair at a nearby table.

byleth approaches, smiling but a little wary. it's entirely likely that this isn't the lorenz she remembers. her hair and eyes are the same blue they'd once been, and the sword of seiros hangs from her hip. ]

May I join you, Lorenz?

[silky_bearing]

Ah! [He brightens immediately, gesturing graciously to the seat across from him and, as is only proper, standing until the lady has been seated.]

Of course, Your Grace. It is a pleasure to...[Ah... huh... b...lue?] see you....?

I'm about to be terribly confused again, aren't I?

[hegemonwings]

[ byleth takes a seat, even as her expression briefly darkens at being called your grace. there are a number of things that could mean about the world lorenz came from, and she isn't sure that she likes any of them. still, she manages an only slightly tight smile as lorenz realizes the gap in their experiences. ]

That seems likely. And it's High General, actually, if you insist on titles.

II. Fun in the Sun

[sereneadherent]

[Marianne finds the familiar, if now diminuative, warhorse fussing on the shoreline and makes a beeline for her. She's unbothered by the change in size, more surprised by her very presence than anything. (And at least Darby is taller than poor Dorte, who's smaller now than even a pony.)]

Darby? When did you get here? Does that mean Lorenz is here, too?

[The mare huffs again, and Marianne turns out toward the water to find him handling one of the mossatee calves in the shallows. Her face brightens at the sight, and she waves.]

Hello!

[silky_bearing]

[She would certainly qualify as a pony at this size but she is not miniature exactly. She is also thrilled to see Marianne. Marianne is a lady of taste and will give her the affection her father is so cruelly denying her!

In case there was any doubt that she is just as dramatic as Lorenz she makes a huffy little stomp before trotting over to Marianne, head held high and tail raised. Only to immediately nibble at Marianne's sleeve. Yes. Love her. This is only proper.

Lorenz turned to Marianne as soon as she spoke, smiling and lifting a hand to her in return but his words catch on the tip of his tongue when he realizes what Darby is doing.]

I believe she thinks this is going to make me jealous... [But he steps out of the water, climbing up onto the bank and moving towards her. Aaaand stopping himself from taking her hand, his gloves discarded with much of his armor and it would hardly be appropriate to touch her bare handed.] It is a pleasure to see you, Marianne. I trust you are in good health?

[sereneadherent]

[Marianne is happy to love on Darby, even though she's sure she's rewarding bad behavior by doing so. Just this once is okay, given the circumstances.]

She's always much nicer to me when she's upset with you, I've noticed. [Not that Lorenz's horse is ever mean to her. But... well, mare's current behavior is part of pattern that's no different from back home.

In lieu of Lorenz taking her hand, Marianne bows her head a little in greeting as he gets close. Everything is always formal with Lorenz, but it's something about him she doesn't mind.] It's a pleasure to see you too, Lorenz. I've been doing well.

When did you arrive here?

[It must have been recently--she hasn't seen him around before today.]

Fun in the Sun

[lastexit]

[The table happens to have a shady spot for Maya to sit at, her outfit meant for the beach but the rashguard means her arms are protected from the sun. Her legs, however, are on display till she sits down and tucks them under the table for shade. She's fair skinned, fair haired, but her expression is cold and rather- unfitting, for the beach.]

[She studies Lorenz, his gelato, his hair. For a moment or so, then goes back to eating her ice cream. It's on a cone and she has zero issue with her hands being wet or sticky from what's started to melt. As if he doesn't exist.]

[silky_bearing]

[Well. If she's determined to proceed as though he is not here he will do his best to let her keep her privacy. Or at least try to. She is likely, however, to notice that the longer she sits there eating her cone, licking and sticky fingered the more.... disturbed he seems to get.

To the point that after a few moments he pushes his gelato away and even turns slightly away from her.

This is the sort of thing he wouldn't even deign to come into the dining hall for. Far too filthy for a man of his delicate sensibilities.]

[lastexit]

[She tries her best to ignore him too. Which was easier before he started acting like she'd suddenly turned into a monster while she's just trying to enjoy some ice cream.]

[Eventually, well, she has to say something. She's not sure if it's her, or if it's him. So she'll play it careful for now.]

Are you okay?

I!

[notcethleann]

[Flayn likes to come down to see new people splash into the lake. She gets to meet so many new friends that way! Help them acclimate, perhaps aid them in escaping the lake if they are not good swimmers, heal any cuts and bruises they may have sustained in their fall.

So here she is, just about to head down that long staircase, when she hears a familiar voice ranting in an unfortunately familiar way. Oh, no. This will not do at all. She marches over there and folds her arms, fixing Lorenz with a stern look; he may be surprised to find that her hair is much shorter than he'd remember it, curls bouncing at her chin, and it exposes her pointed ears.]

This lovely gentleman is offering to bring you to the city--no haggling necessary, I might add!--and you are giving him a terrible tongue-lashing for quite the ridiculous reason! You are the one who is acting inappropriately, Lorenz. Now apologize to Sir Archimedes this instant.

[silky_bearing]

[He is more caught up in her words, busy as he is glowering at Archimedes, than her appearance initially. Unsurprisingly his tongue starts before his brain has fully had a chance to catch up.]

I've no intention of going anywhere with a man of such poor character that he would be so vulgar with those that are meant to be his customers!

[And then he blinks, startled.]

Flayn... your hair! When in the world did you have time- Not that it isn't quite becoming but I daresay your father would be rather disapproving.

[notcethleann]

Well, then I suppose you may walk all the way to Camelot. I believe it takes several days.

[Flayn lifts her chin a bit.]

I daresay he would as well. Fortunately, he is not here, and I may do as I wish.

[Wait--]

Ah, so you know that the man you know as Seteth is my father. May I ask how you came to this conclusion? Did Claude perhaps tell you?

Shit Box

[flame_emperor]

"Really, Lorenz. Is that any way for a noble to behave? I thought you always held yourself to a higher standard."

Now that's a voice Lorenz probably wasn't expecting to hear ever again. Edelgard came out on the off-chance any more Fódlan inhabitants, Black Eagles especially, might have arrived. And while Lorenz is here, she doubts it's the one sworn to Imperial service. No, this is likely another of Claude's. Avalon really does appear to favour the Golden Deer, she thinks ruefully.

Edelgard's armour and crown have been traded for lighter, more modern clothes and side-tail in place of the more severe-looking buns Lorenz remembers.

"I understand the stress of the situation you're in, but taking it out on this fellow isn't helpful, would you not agree?"

I'm so sorry for this dramatic bitch

[silky_bearing]

In such simple and unfamiliar clothing Lorenz would honestly have difficulty recognizing her. That voice is, however, unmistakable and he bristles immediately. He's already riled up and abruptly being face to face with.... possibly the worst person to have to address is...... definitely not going to help him calm down.

"Stress?!?!? I- you-" It's really a good thing that none of his magic works here because he absolutely lifts his hand as though he means to fling a spell at her. "More of your Masters' foul magics?"

he wouldn't be LORENZ HELLMAN GLOUCESTER if he wasn't!

[flame_emperor]

Well, if she needed any confirmation this was not her world's Black Eagle, he's done more than enough to provide it, moving to attack her, or at least he would if Fódlan magic worked here, which it does not. As a result, Edelgard doesn't react to his anger, or the hand gesture. But what he spits at her does get her attention.

"I think you are mistaken, Lorenz." She says, keeping her voice calm, but her stare has become noticeably harder. She knows who he means and she resents the implication utterly, even though she knows from his perspective it makes sense. "I am subservient to no one. And I would advise you keep silent before speaking of things you know nothing about. I am not who you think I am."

A pause. "Would you put your hand down, please?" Edelgard asks with a hint of irritability. She's gotten too used to working with her own world's version of the Gloucester heir, and had forgotten how he could be when he didn't work for her. "I am not here to fight you, and you already know your magic is useless here. I was called here the same as you, a few months back."