avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 2

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 2

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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 chilly 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 paralyzingly cold for a few seconds before you're approached by the Lady of the Lake beneath the water's surface. She puts a vial of a vibrant, glowing red Everwarm* potion to your character's lips. The icy water doesn't feel so icy once consumed and you'll be able to move your limbs enough to swim to shore on your own. She can't stick around to explain, she's got to get this to all the new arrivals! Many of which you'll see plopping in around you.

If you can't swim, a handful of helpful ice turtles will scoop you up from beneath and drop you off at the shore. When not helping people, the turtles are going around and hitting the ice that keeps forming on the surface with their shells to keep the surface open for the falling arrivals or pushing personal items to the beach near the new arrivals they smell like (belong to). If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. If anyone with Animal Magic asks the turtles, they will give the full spiel, but very slowly, and they like to get off topic and gossip about other turtles you've never heard of. 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, but if you do fall, be prepared for a mysterious sand hand to reach out of the side of the cliffs to catch you. The hand will pat you atop the head twice before retreating back into the wall. This is the Cliff Beast; despite the name, he is quite friendly.

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, a pair of earbuds, and a winter cloak** to everyone before getting them settled in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and give them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: 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.

A ⦿ Trial and Icy Errors

Winter has arrived in Avalon, and with it has come to a change in the weather. Puffs of breath precede sentences when outside, small fires fill braziers to allow people to stop and get warm for a moment between where they come from and where they are going. Snow has begun to fall; at first, it is the same, fluffy, white flakes many adventurers will have seen. However, as the day progresses, the snow begins to shimmer; it’s like a prismatic effect, a magical light catching against every little crystal and illuminating sparkling flakes, so vibrant it’s clear someone has enchanted the snow.

Shortly after the change, there will be a text alert to all devices:

Tired of the same old routine with your magic? Ready for a little something new? Come on out and have an old fashioned snowball fight with a magical twist. Be sure to practice your new powers and have fun! 😉 -Merlin

Those who come outside to find the rainbow snow already being packed into neat balls by Camelot's citizens; go ahead and grab a basket full but remember, don’t just toss them. Let’s get magic with it!

Different types of magic will have different effects on the enchanted snow:

Use kinetic magic to toss three at once. Nevermind if they suddenly balloon inside and burst into a snow shower over your opponent, throw a couple more; some are bound to hit, right?

Throw a little animal magic in there and morph a few into a bear or some other animal of your intent; sorry about his random dance attack, at least your opponent will be laughing too hard to throw a snowball at you.

Try hiding them in a shield or cast an illusion with some light magic; better apologize when that goes sideways and the snow hardens, bursting into rainbow crystals at your opponent's feet.

Team up with someone who has cognitive magic; they can telegraph you the plan without your opponents being any the wiser... except the snow seems to be picking up on it and sending those thoughts right to your opponent! Perhaps use this as an opportunity to learn control!

Maybe you want to try using a little wind magic if you’re of the elemental class; watch out for the rainbow snow squall your perfectly lobbed snowballs will become.

Healing magic is one you might not see coming-- enchanting a snowball with healing magic can result in positive mood enhancements. Give your enemies a blast of zen to lower their guard and make them an easy target!

A dark magic user might think to add a little hex to their snowball; give themselves an edge... too bad, without practice, that hex might be a little too heavy and burst over the maker before it even leaves their hand! Hope you know how to fix it.

Alchemists are welcome to change the shape of those snowballs. Maybe try and craft them into something a little more stealthy or projectile. Too bad that snow seems to want to turn into a batch of butterflies and be free... magic sure is tricky! But hey, they sure are pretty.

In the end, it seems while adventurers will be able to get plenty of practice in, some of that practice is going to come from trying to stop the side effects of mixing their powers with the magic snow; welcome to your first lesson in control. If one is going to use magic in conjunction with already magically imbued things, they ought to know the right amount, seems Merlin wants you all to learn in a trial by snowball error.

Those who practice their magic and participate in the snowball fight will be given hot chocolate, warm soup, fresh baked goods, or other treats to warm them up after their training is done. But don’t slack off! You’re like to find your hot chocolate spiced with pickle flavor, that warm treat suddenly turns to ice cream in your mouth. Avalonians want that practice to happen, and are willing to add some incentive... whether that means the carrot or the icicle.

All throughout the City of Camelot is a buzz of excitement about the oncoming winter solstice on the 21st. Citizens will tell you of the winter solstice's importance in cleansing the flow of Avalon's magic each year and absorbing sunlight to increase its potency. In other words, the winter solstice generates a significant amount of magic if the proper ritual is followed, so the visitors from other worlds really should head on over to Albion's White Cliffs.

A ⦿ The Darkness in the White Cliffs

The first task that you'll experience during the ritual is asking the Cliff Beast's permission to enter the cliffs. Though they look wholly solid on the outside, these cliffs contain a veritable labyrinth of magical caves that weave in and out of the chalky cliffs. As there is danger within these walls, it is recommended no one go alone. The Cliff Beast will only open a door to the caves for parties of two or more who present him with a gift. The gift doesn't need to be something significant, just a show of courtesy-- a lovely rock or a seashell will do, placed at the base of the cliff. The only gifts he will outright reject are precious gems and metals. Honestly, they make him a little nauseous-- and you don't want to see a cliff beast nauseous. In fact, if you try it, the Cliff Beast will suddenly burst into a rockslide right near where the gem was left. Watch out!

Once you gain entrance, you will find there is no light within the caves and the door seems to close behind you. Non-magical lights won't illuminate anything within these caves, so you will need to either navigate through the darkness or find a magical means to light your path. Be wary-- traveling in the dark will be a much safer journey if you can find your way through the caves and keep track of your companions. The reason there is no light are the bat-like creatures that eat energy like fire and electricity. With the magical light attracting them and nothing to consume, they'll be very aggressive and swarm anything emitting heat.. like an unsuspecting traveler. Make too much noise, and the Cliff Beast will spit you out back onto the sand and you'll have to start over.

B ⦿ "For a greedy man, even his tomb is too small."

Those who persist within the caves will eventually come upon a room whose ceiling glistens with bioluminiscent microbes that are too small for the bats to eat. These little glowing creatures create reflections in the room that show just what it contains-- glimmerings of precious gems, gold, and other treasure cover the walls and floor, save for a large flat stone altar in the center. There are many hand-crafted clay cups filled with what appears to be water. The side of the alter has a very simple message: "TAKE ONE CUP TO THE SPRING, LEAVE THE REST. SPILL NO DROP." Sure enough, this matches with the instructions you were given about the ritual: Take a cup of waters harvested by the Asrai, a fairy that lives within the walls of the cliffs that cultivates it every year to bring to the Red Springs for the Winter Solstice.

There is no clear warning about what will happen if you take anything besides your one cup. However, characters who disobey this instruction and take any of the riches within the cave will initially experience severe symptoms such as magical blockage, an endless common cold, and food turning to ash in their mouth. They will experience dreams in which they are urged to return the treasure and a day later, advanced symptoms if it goes on for too long have been known to result in vomiting frogs and snakes, insomnia, speaking in tongues despite the translation spell, bleeding from the ears, and eventually death.

C ⦿ Drink Up

Those who listen and take the Asrai's cups to the Red Springs will notice while carrying the cups, all creatures and threats will leave you in peace. Neither rain nor snow will touch you, parting from your path in both the sky and on the ground. The effects will only last as long as you don't spill a single drop. The ritual can still be completed, but the protections only work if you don't spill-- otherwise you'll be fighting off weather, creatures, other people, and whatever else you encounter as the effects of a spilled cup will cause those around you to try to steal your cup without thought for your safety, even if they might not even think to do normally.

Upon arriving at the Red Springs, a party of people there to guide those who have made the ritual's journey to a particular pool within the vicinity of the springs. Characters will be directed to take a sip, then pour the rest into the Spring alongside your peers, finally throwing the clay cup itself into the spring. Throughout the day, you will begin to feel strangely giddy, but it will pass. Nothing much will seem like it happens otherwise, but the guides assure you that you will understand on the night of the winter solstice when the ritual is complete and your body becomes a conduit to purify and rejuvenate Avalon's magic.

For now, as thanks, the guides offer you one of the celebratory gifts they have to offer-- free drinks (this time of the age-appropriate alcoholic or sugary variety), a free night's stay at the Red Springs, a yule log, an escort, a Recipe: Snow Dance. (Effect: Snow Dance will cause small flurries to pick up where the spell is cast, resulting in decreased visibility. Only works if snow is already present, as it cannot generate elements.) The choice is yours. Pick one.

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 may 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.

*This Everwarm does not count toward your potion collection for those who wish to take up potion brewing. You must obtain Everwarm from the Elphame Trader's to count.
**Jackets come in a variety of neutral colors, enchanted with a fit-adjustment spell that will adjust to your character's size.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The rock idea isn't bad but that's really small stuff. Good pranks have to stick with you throughout the day. However...]

Oh, would you use your magic to set people up? [He grins and puts a hand to his mouth.] Who knew Taichi was so ecchi? Are you going to ask me to lift up girls' skirts next too?

[He doesn't think Taichi would but it's fun to just make Taichi react.]

[ Look it's not bad for 2 seconds of thought about it. ]

What--?! [ He's blushing bad and he waves his hands back and forth like no no ] Impossible! Just like, blow someone's umbrella away so they have to share with someone else to make a cute story!

[Taichi is easy to rile up. Even if Hikaru feels like he can't be too mean to him, it's still fun to make him blush.]

Make a girl get all wet? So her shirt is soaked? Taichi...[The grin still on his face gives away the fact he isn't serious at all.

And really it's Hikaru who is coming up with these ideas.]

No! The guy can! His shirt can soak through and show off his sculpted pecs and six pack dripping with water! We believe in women's rights!

[ He's just screaming this now. ]

[Hikaru didn't even have to set that one up. Taichi fell right into it.

Hikaru bursts out laughing and has to lean on Taichi for support.]

I can't believe you! You just...[He can't finish his sentence because he's laughing so hard.]

[ Taichi holds him up as if he wasn't the reason he was laughing, shouting in defeat. ]

I stand by it!

[Hikaru's still laughing for a good bit until he sighs and then takes a deep breath, sighing as he calms down.

But when he looks at Taichi, he has one question because now that he isn't distracted:]

Hey, Taichi? Why are you dressed like some Halloween reject?

Huh? Oh, it was the zombiefied version of my Roy costume before I got thrown in the ocean. We just finished closing night.

[ He opens the jacket Hikaru have him for his birthday he's got over it and shows him the shirt, obvious where squibs had gone off still but faded from being set in the ocean and worn for a few days now, even if he tried to wash it in the inn bathtub in between. ]

I promise it looked better before. I don't have any money to buy new clothes.

[He had been happy to see that Taichi still had his jacket. Not that Taichi probably had had much of a choice. Hikaru definitely had not chosen what items he'd brought with him because if he had then Taichi's gloves would have come with him.

Time shenanigans are still confusing, though.]

Is that your last memory before coming here?

Yeah! Kind of? It's fresh but so is...

[ Taichi wiggles slightly where he's standing, like he's a cross between excited and embarrassed. Now that things have calmed down, it's sinking in that they have more time. Time is literally stopped, apparently.]

You know.

[Hikaru would gladly boast that he was honest. He didn't mince words and that was true. But he's also the type to overreact in a new situation. To fumble because he doesn't understand emotions at all so what is he supposed to do here? His face goes red when Taichi mentions their last moment together.]

Ah, yeah. Yeah. [He looks off to the side but then quickly meets Taichi's eyes again. He won't back down no matter how embarrassing this is. But he definitely hadn't been ready to confess then and right now, with everything going on because they've literally gone to a new world, he isn't ready now either. He'd already confessed, though. That cat was out of the bag. Kaoru's voice is in his head, calling him an idiot because Kaoru had said it wasn't a good idea to confess too quickly. Not when things were so confusing and back in Prismatica, Hikaru had been so sure it was just some trick of the place. To make moonlacing happen easier and more quickly.

But all of those feelings are still here. Is it a lingering hold on him? Was it the place? Maybe he does just like Taichi...? There are too many thoughts whirling in his mind. About Taichi, not knowing anything about this place, needing money, needing Kaoru...

What's the right thing to do in this situation?!]

I don't know if I want to talk about that right now? [He tries and wait, that sounds bad.] Not that I don't want to but I don't...don't...ugh, there's just a lot going on! I want to talk about it but I don't want to say the wrong thing and...and...do you know what I mean? We were in someplace that turned us into animals but perverted? Like what if Lunatia was manipulating us? What if it was all some stupid alien crap and what if it wasn't? And now we're in some weird RPG world! Ahh! I don't know! [So much for not talking and not putting his foot in his mouth. This is why he needs Kaoru because his emotional control is just shot without his twin.]

[ Taichi picks up on Hikaru's hesitance before he even says anything and the wiggling stops. Then Hikaru speaks and Taichi just nods, for a second. Of course. He'd let himself get all worked up, and it was just.. because of Prismatica?

Taichi had known people had done things with others, but he'd never heard of anyone having feelings for someone because of the place. Attraction and liking someone were different, to Taichi. And so when Hikaru says it was just Lunatia manipulating them, Taichi finds his throat closing up for just a moment. He's pretty sure he wouldn't feel like he'd just been punched in the gut if that was the case. ]

O-Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. Heh, forget I said anything, I'm just glad we get to hang out more.

[ If Hikaru doesn't want to talk about it, Taichi finds himself very much not wanting to talk about it. That's the only way Hikaru would actually like him like that, huh? ]

It's getting cold out here, we should go find some hot cocoa or tea!

[Almost immediately, Hikaru realizes he messed up. He hadn't wanted to talk and say the wrong thing but he had. Which was just like him and he feels like shit. He wants to go off and scream into something because after the moment they had had before, anybody would be hurt by being told that maybe they didn't actually like you after all. Hikaru had hurt him and had acted only on emotion. By confessing to Taichi when he was still confused about his feelings and now as he had vented all of his confusion and frustration about everything. Tamaki had yelled at him before and told him to think about other people. That had been months ago, long before Prismatica, but here he was. Still making the same mistakes.

So what does he do now? Logically he knows he has to apologize but Taichi does not want to stay on this topic. Who can blame him? Hikaru nods because yes, they should go find something warm. Or at least a warmer place. He mentions he thought he saw some place up ahead, they should go there.

But as they walk, Hikaru only keeps thinking. He feels absolutely humiliated for doing this and that's selfish, too. But what if he hurts Taichi more? What if he says something that completely wrecks this friendship? He needs to say something, do anything.]

Wait, Taichi! [He grabs his hand without thinking at all and immediately regrets it when that same feeling rushes through him, that shock that he always feels with Taichi when they touch. Letting go, he struggles with talking.]

Y-your pants. [He blurts out because there's a hole in them.] Those aren't good for the winter. Um, um. Fabric from before came with me. I-I might have a needle and some thread so I can patch the hole? I know this is a costume but if this is all you have...

[Why is he continuously talking when he should just shut up?]

[ Taichi would happily accept an apology and an explanation compared to thinking Hikaru really does think that it's more likely that a planet made him gay than it is possible to have feelings for Taichi. He could've easily rolled with it if Hikaru had said no matter what, it was going to end up with them separated so it's better not to get invested and to just stay friends, or even said that they needed to think about each other and have a discussion because circumstances have changed since they last saw each other.

But what ended up coming out of Hikaru's mouth was something that genuinely hurt, because it wasn't about circumstances or anything external-- without chroma involved, Hikaru didn't feel that way about Taichi. Taichi himself wasn't enough, again. Story of his life. He wanted to talk to Omi. He doesn't think he ever missed home this badly or felt quite so alone back in Prismatica, and so he's focused on the cocoa until Hikaru grabs him, then lets him go. They can't even hold hands normally anymore? ]

Huh? Ah.. don't mind it!

[ He holds his hands up, shaking them back and forth in front of him in a 'stop' gesture. He needs to focus on being positive, he can't let the negative thoughts in right now. He doesn't know what to do with them if he can't talk to anyone he's close to. ]

It's cold now, but once we get inside I'll warm them up. I want to keep them for a bit, Misumi-san from Summer Troupe is here so I can get him to do a street act with me and we can do some kind of zombie chase if the costume's still in tact... I'll get new pants with the tips, don't worry. You should save your fabric for something important.

Oh, is somebody from your world here...? [Immediately Hikaru feels this flair of jealousy rise up. Taichi has somebody else he can depend on and won't spend as much time with Hikaru, then. Hikaru won't be nearly as important. Ugh, that's annoying and Hikaru feels agitated by that thought and he feels stupid for it. The last time Hikaru let his jealousy get the better of him, he had been slapped and yelled at.

And right now, Hikaru's pretty sure he's on thin ice with Taichi. He keeps thinking about what he said, replaying it in his mind and there's a million different ways he could have voiced all of that. No, he had been childish and stupid and just blurted everything without a thought at all. Classic Hikaru.

He needs to not think about this. Change the subject and carry on. He speaks again quickly before Taichi can say anything else.]

That's good but seriously, let me help. I'd just make you pants but the fabric isn't good for pants and it'd take me ages without a sewing machine. You should use the money for food and stuff, right? [He...thinks? What even is budgeting? Hikaru and Kaoru never figured that out. Not when they had a constant source of chroma.] Or...or something? I don't want you freezing or getting sick. That's important.

You could probably sell otherworldly fabric for a lot more than you could get fixing my pants, Hikaru. You need to eat too. Hehe, I'm not such a bad actor I can't get enough for pants and food!

[ Getting on stage again will be another matter since getting people to give him a chance is a pretty big hurdle, but he can do street acts!! Ah, that's what he needs to do. Talk about acting. Acting makes him happy, and that way he's not making Hikaru feel uncomfortable at all. ]

Oh! You act when you host, right? [ Isn't this how actors work things out sometimes? They act out a scenario to deal with their emotions without actually talking about it. ] We should try something. We can split the money, that way you can eat tonight too.

[Crap. Had he accidentally implied that Taichi wasn't talented enough that he couldn't get enough money...?] I know you can. But I...[Wanted you to be able to save up more money, is what he wants to say but he doesn't know how to word that and maybe he needs to think before he talks? That might help him not accidentally hurt Taichi's feelings anymore than he already has.

But thinking before he talks doesn't help him actually speak because Taichi comes up with an idea and Hikaru wonders how to tell him no, that won't work.] I do act when I host but it's not the kind of acting you do. It's like a version of myself? [How does one explain his brotherly love act?]

Even when we dress up, like samurai or pirates, it's kind of like us acting like we're roleplaying? Does that even make sense? I'm always just playing myself. [An exaggerated version but you know.] I don't think I could do what you do. Put myself into somebody else's shoes like that.

[Empathy is hard.]

[ He's trying, and luckily with that, Taichi isn't offended. He's simply trying to reassure Hikaru that he doesn't need to worry about him, and to give him a chance to put up a little bit of a wall between them. He was relying on Hikaru too much because he thought that there was something between them, but in case that's not true on Hikaru's end... it's better to show that he would be okay, even if part of him had hoped when he'd said Hikaru should spend his money on something important, he'd hoped he'd say "you are." But that was more daydream romance fantasy than realistic, and Taichi knows it. ]

I get it. It's like an "AU" version. I've never seen you host, so I wasn't really sure. Maybe I should, if you decide you don't...

[ Want him. It would be a good way to help himself visualize Hikaru with other people and snap him out of it. He doesn't think he'd be the jealous type-- after all, he wants to be popular himself and he trusts Hikaru.. but he thinks he could lie to himself enough if he was trying and had a visual of him with someone else to help. Maybe.

Either way, Taichi orders them two hot cocoas and pays for it with some money he got from helping someone out with some errands earlier. It's not much and he doesn't have much, but he's paying more for the excuse out of a conversation than the cocoa itself and that's worth it. It doesn't take more than a few seconds to prep them, thankfully. ]

[If you don't...? Hikaru doesn't know what Taichi could mean and he doesn't know if he does want to know what he meant. He's being a coward and hypocritical of himself. Hasn't he always been proud of being able to say what he wanted? He isn't doing that here and it's only hurting Taichi but he's terrified and that makes him feel worse and this is a downwards spiral.

Plus there's something embarrassing about how Taichi buys him cocoa. Hikaru can't buy himself anything nor can he pay Taichi back over something as small as this and once he has it, mumbling a thank you to the other boy, he suggests they sit and warm up. He doesn't blow on the drink before taking a sip and hissing as he sets it down. That's embarrassing because who does that? A child does and if Hikaru's honest, he feels like a dumb kid right now.]

Remind me I owe you a cocoa. [He is going to avoid the embarrassing fact that he burnt his tongue.]

It's a gift, you don't owe me anything.

[ He grins and waves it off, happy to get away from his previous train of thought, even if somewhere in the back of his mind he wonders if it would be better. ]

Anyway, um.. [ He trails off. He doesn't really know what to do. He wants an excuse to leave, but he also doesn't want to leave. Ever. They're lost on another world and Hikaru doesn't have anyone but him, he definitely can't just leave him here. He's terrified if he loses sight of him, he's going to disappear again for good.

And yet, being near him and constantly thinking about how Hikaru doesn't even think it's possible to want him how he thought he had, that seems like an impossible situation. ]

Do you still want me to call you?

[ He wants to do that, even if Hikaru doesn't want him. He knows asking that right now is selfish. ]

[Things have never been awkward around them. This is a first and Hikaru can't stand it. Part of him also wants space but he's afraid if he puts space between them then it can never be filled again. What if they were sent to some other place? What if one of them was sent home?

But then Taichi asks him that and Hikaru is immediate in his answer:] Yes. I want to know about your day and I want to hear you and...[There's Kaoru's voice in his head, telling him he has to reach out so he takes a breath and sighs before looking to Taichi.] You're important to me. Here, Lunatia, my world, yours, or whatever other frickin' worlds there are out there. You're always going to be important to me. No matter where we are.

[His heart is rapidly beating and it feels like he can't make it stop. This feels like he's confessing again but he isn't, is he? He just cares about Taichi. He's known that for a while and part of him wishes he could take back what he said before.]

[ Taichi genuinely wasn't sure where Hikaru was going with that, but he's happy to find it's a place that makes him feel.. relief, if incomplete. Being important to someone isn't the same as being someone's special someone, but it makes him happy just the same. He isn't being discarded, and that's more than he can ask for.

Taichi smiles, genuinely and warmly. ]

You're always going to be important to me, Hikaru. You're my best friend no matter what happens.

[ Taichi isn't sure if this is what friendzoning is, since he doesn't think that excludes them from becoming more, but he's just really hoping it means they won't become less after Hikaru finally figures out that Taichi isn't crush material.

In fact, he holds his fist out for a fist bump as if to solidify it. ]

Edited (redundant fix) 2021-01-01 09:14 (UTC)

No matter what happens.

[Hikaru meets Taichi's fist with his own and he is relieved. His biggest fear had been that somehow, these feelings he had for Taichi would somehow ruin their friendship. Either the other boy wouldn't share them and it would be awkward or they'd try and break up and the friendship completely ruined.

But really, now that they've talked about this then it feels ridiculous to still let that fear control him like this? If they did somehow break up, if their feelings didn't stay then surely they could work through it. Taichi just said he would be his best friend no matter what happened. That included breaking up, didn't it?

Still, right now, Hikaru doesn't want to potentially find that out and so he puts that thought out of his mind for the moment as he finishes up his drink.]

I should go. See if I can find anybody else or figure out what else is going on. You have things to do, right? [He'd invite Taichi along but they probably both need space right now, he assumes.]

Right! Enjoy your cocoa.

[ He probably had things to do, like Hikaru said, but right now he thinks he might just go back to the inn room for now and feel sorry for himself. It feels a little bit easier to breathe thinking about not being right here, right now though. Taichi kind of hates that. ]

I'm gonna finish my cocoa here, I'll call you tomorrow!

If you don't call me then I'll be angry. Definitely.

[It's said playfully but he'd already said he wanted Taichi to call him. Saying it twice felt like a lot? And right now, he thought, it was better to keep things light but still assure him he wanted Taichi in his life as much as possible.

He gives a wave before leaving and he knows if he doesn't find anybody else he knows then he'll probably be feeling sorry for himself, too.]

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