TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 2

[avalonmods]

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary 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.

Comments

Cehd'ra oen Rowe - Final Fantasy XIV - Prismatica CRAU

[stabbersinyerfambles]

The Caravan to Camelot

[ Cehd'ra is not sitting politely in the carriage. He's crouching up on his seat with his tail curled around his ankles, slim phone in one hand as he hunches over it, pecking at the screen with one finger. Yet his frown only deepens and his ears only sink before, eventually, he lets his hand drop and the phone along with it.

On the floor before him is a rotund little creature, covered in black fur and sporting a single, massive eye.

Naturally, it's staring at him.

Cehd'ra's tail twitches. He deliberately looks away from the creature to his cabinmates. ]

Y'want a drink? 'Think there's something in one'f these bins...

[ Instead of waiting for an answer the miqo'te begins a search, before long finding a sliding door hiding a set of tiny bottles. He'd heard them clinking. Two are plucked up with little care as to what sort of liquor they contain, first choice being offered to his fellow new arrival.

The one-eyed creature does not have an expression that can be changed, but one could swear it's now staring harder. ]

Trial and Icy Errors

[ A night's rest and...Cehd'ra feels about as put out as he did at the start and now he's dealing with a little hangover to boot. But he is going to try.

He's bundled up against the cold and packing together a ball of snow, looking about the grounds. Struggling to keep up his familiar is having to hop from one of Cehd'ra's footprints to the next, the Foper's tiny legs and feet not exactly suited for snow of any meaningful depth. ]

Mph...

[ He's gone over every combination of mudra he can think of, hands forming the sharp gestures in rapid succession, but getting nothing out of it. Not even a rabbit medium to shame him for botching them. He looks over his shoulder and down. ]

You're meant t'help me with this, are y'not?

[ The familiar says nothing, craning their eye up at Cehd'ra. After a beat it tilts to one side, wavering on one leg before correcting themselves with another hop. ]

Can y'even talk?

[ Again, silence. The familiar instead puffs themselves up and slowly deflates, the exaggerated breaths falling into a pace Cehd'ra is surprised to find he recognizes. ]

Meditate. Right.

[ One deep inhale, slow, held for a single heartbeat and then released, a cloud of white billowing from Cehd'ra's lips. It takes time and even then, Cehd'ra doesn't really feel anything happening. A sense of calm settles into his chest and limbs as it's meant to, the miqo'te deliberately brushing aside each distracting thought that pops into his head, but he doesn't notice when they begin to travel further than that. Stray thoughts drift towards the minds of nearby trainees, fragmented and foreign. A city bathed in neon light or a white rabbit wearing a blue cloak and pointed hat...?

It could prove distracting. Or one might notice Cehd'ra simply standing there with his eyes closed and decide he's making for an easy target. ]

The Darkness in the White Cliffs

[ What sort of gift does one get for a cliff? It doesn't eat so food wouldn't do, nor would clothes or tools. The latter may even be insulting, not that Cehd'ra has the money for it to begin with. But he could just imagine the offense a stony cliff face would take at being presented with a chisel or hammer... ]

Here, d'you think this'd work?

[ Cehd'ra nudges a nearby new arrival with his elbow, presenting them with an abandoned yet sturdy bird's nest. ]

'Was thinking the Cliff Beast might appreciate the song if some birds use it come spring.

[ ...he's probably over thought it... ]

What'f you? Did you find something t'give?

Trial and Icy Errors

[betweentheseconds]

[ An easy target, indeed. Zenos might have overlooked the slight Miqo'te man and sought a target that promised to offer a greater physical challenge, but he'd found the oddest of intrusions creeping into his thoughts. And, being no stranger to having his thoughts intruded upon, he takes it in stride, resolves to find the source, and... well...

Cehd'ra will find a snowball being thrown dead on at his head very, very hard. This is a battlefield, in the most technical of senses, and Zenos intends to treat it as such. No quarter, no mercy. And perhaps he'll provoke the fellow with visions of sparkling cities and failed mudras in his head into doing something interesting. ]

[stabbersinyerfambles]

[ Cehd'ra was in no position to see the strike coming, his ears barely registering the faint zip of rushing air in the seconds before it lands. There's no Echo to warn him and his familiar certainly couldn't warn him--the most they can do is frantically hop out of the way as Cehd'ra is knocked directly over. He crashes down right where the Foper had been standing, dazed and...can snowballs bruise? That one felt like it had been flung hard enough it might. ]

--what swiving whoreson--?!

[ Rolling over the miqo'te gathers his bearings, sitting up and rubbing snow out of his hair and ears. The proto-spell he'd been forming hasn't quite broken yet, the nature of the magic more prone to running amok than petering out.

Which is why, when Cehd'ra finally focuses on the massive culprit, those fragmented images are shoved aside in place of a naked and terrible fear. ]

Nn...can't be...

[betweentheseconds]

[ How disappointing a reaction. How weak. No sense that anything was coming at all. But his recovery time is not entirely shameful, and so Zenos's attention remains upon the Miqo'te. Another snowball is snatched up, and he takes slow steps towards him, boots crunching in the snow and snowballs trailing after him. ]

This 'swiving whoreson' is-

[ That imperious retort is cut off abruptly, however. The backlash of empathetic magic hits his completely undefended mind, and all that he knows is fear. His hand clenches reflexively, destroying the snowball within its grip, and all of the others explode in a powdery shower of glittering snow. ]

Hhk-

[ He knows what fear is, knows it as a dim and distant thing that he'd once felt as a child. Knows it at something that went unaddressed, unanswered in a satisfactory fashion, and little by little simply ceased to be when the unfeeling banality of the world became fully known to him. And now, here it is, gut-clenching, heart-racing, unbridled terror, lighting up his mind like a palace on fire.

He does not retreat, but he has stopped short. And there's a sick expression upon his face, eyes wide and lips parted. He is disarmed and vulnerable, if but for the moment, and Cehd'ra might do well to take advantage of that. ]

[stabbersinyerfambles]

[ Oh piss. He heard me.

The thought doesn't quite make it through but the sharpened edge of panic that accompanies it just might. Zenos--Zenos yae Galvus--is beginning to advance, gripping another snowball as one might grip a man's skull he's about to crush, and the fact that he's armed with snow of all things does nothing to make him less intimidating.

Cehd'ra had only ever moved beneath the prince's notice and learned his face in passing alone, but the Garlean is unmistakable. The snowball bursts and Cehd'ra flinches, no longer feeling the cold as he begins to crawl back--

But Zenos stopped. And the look on his face...

Cehd'ra cannot believe what he's seeing...surely nothing exists that could inspire fear in the monstrous prince...but he isn't about to let the question slow him down. Flight kicks in and Cehd'ra turns, instinct reminding him to scoop up his familiar from the snow and bolt, tail doubled in size and trailing behind him. ]

[betweentheseconds]

[ Feelings are much rawer, simpler things than words, and the feeling of panic is indeed successfully transmitted to Zenos. It has his pupils narrowing to pinpricks, his heart suddenly racing, his body seized by the chemical reactions such potent emotions trigger. But that is shocking enough for him to suddenly wonder why. Why is he feeling this? And why is that speck of a Miqo'te retreating so desperately?

Fear and panic are no longer paralyzing him, no. They are, instead, driving him, setting him off in a run after the retreating man, teeth tightly clenched. There will be time to puzzle out reasons later. He must act, and act now, and with how fast Cehd'ra is retreating, he is loathe to delay and let him slip through his fingers.

Cehd'ra does have one advantage other than his head start. Zenos is far heavier, and thus sinks farther into the snow with each step. A pursuit that might have actually been terrifyingly fast is something perhaps more measured, as a result.

But it's still pursuit. And Zenos yae Galvus is a very determined pursuer. ]

[stabbersinyerfambles]

[ Cehd'ra can run faster but that's near the extent of what he can do. The aether won't respond as he's used to, keeping from vanishing from Zenos's line of sight in a burst of smoke or using any mudra to slow him even more.

Thus, without another option, Cehd'ra abandons the training field for the thick of the strange new city that surrounds it. He's had no time to explore it yet but there are certain things all cities share: little nooks and alleyways, shaded by tall buildings and carefully arranged trees--Camelot has enough of the latter to remind him of Gridania, if only a little.

Panting for breath Cehd'ra dives into the first such alley he finds, tucked between storefronts and tries to hide among the bins. He's squeezing his poor familiar hard enough the creature's lone eye is bulging with discomfort. ]

[betweentheseconds]

[ Now that the chase has begun, Zenos has no intention of abandoning it. Even if it leads off the 'battlefield', making this plainly no longer about the tossing of snowballs and the practicing of magic. The pursuit itself is even enough to elevate his pulse the slightest bit.

He has gained on Cehd'ra some, once on flat and shoveled ground. But the roads are still wet with melt, and such a frantic pursuit is liable to leave some trace behind.... he almost proceeds past the alleyway where Cehd'ra is desperately hiding himself but stops, looks, takes a moment to breathe... and then enters at a much more measured, menacing pace. ]

Should I find it flattering, that so many that have found their way here have reason to flee from me?

[ He says it lightly, or as lightly as he ever says anything. He sounds bored. He sounds as though he does not care.

He kicks away one of the bins, intent on exposing Cehd'ra's hiding place. ]

[stabbersinyerfambles]

[ There are better places he could have chosen to hide, including not hiding at all and just continuing to run down the narrow and littered alleyways. The latter especially feels like the better choice when Zenos's footsteps pause and grow closer rather than continue on. His familiar has begun to squirm in his arms but Cehd'ra's gone numb to the feeling, fear still gripping him tight. ]

...

[ He sounds bored. He'd kill people when he was bored.

Cehd'ra's ears flinch at the sudden clatter of a nearby bin being knocked away. Not the one he'd been hiding behind but close to it, too close. He can't stay where he is but if he darts out now...

None of Cehd'ra's usual magic will work but he has some physical training left to him. The shadow walker risks a peek, tense and still, and the moment Zenos turns his face away he'll dart out and try to dash past the man with as much stealth as he can manage.

It won't work. It must work. ]

[betweentheseconds]

[ Cehd'ra is small, and he is fast. It is for this reason that Zenos's first attempt to simply reach out and clothesline the fleeing Miqo'te fails, having misjudged his position by a hair. But he has been spotted, and Zenos's own reflexes are considerable and his steps are broad. He turns, lunges, reaches, and catches hold of Cehd'ra by a handful of his clothing near the scruff of his neck. ]

There.

[ His satisfaction in his voice is unmistakable, but there is no particular joy to be found on his face when he roughly lifts the man and turns him about, holding him up to eye level without a hint of strain. ]

I would know who you are, to be so fearful, and to have such memories and such feelings.

[ He is enormous, and he is selfish, but he is not stupid. He can swiftly draw some conclusions about this man's origin, and he would have them confirmed or denied. ]

[stabbersinyerfambles]

[ The rush of wind that would have been Zenos's arm crashing into his throat is just close enough to flick his ears further back. It triggers a reflexive duck as he rushes past...but neither that nor his own panic-fueled speed is enough to save him. ]

Gaah!

[ Cehd'ra's poor familiar goes flying, dropped and carried forward by momentum as the Miqo'te's hauled bodily off his feet. It's a scant miracle that Zenos doesn't have him by his actual neck. Instead his cloak bunches up with the shirt he wore underneath, stretching as he's left dangling, legs still pumping as if the ground isn't suddenly some few feet below him.

It would be comical if not for the obvious fear. Almost wild enough to keep him from hearing Zenos's demand. Almost. ]

M'nobody! No one, no one--please jus' let me go!

[betweentheseconds]

[ The sheer vigor with which he struggles feels like another hint towards the something-or-other that Zenos is seeking... but it's also a strain on his arm. He is still strong, yes, but quite as monstrously so. Which is why he reaches in with his other hand to grasp him by the collar instead, and then releases his grip on the scruff of his neck and shoves him up against the nearby wall. That should be a somewhat more comfortable position for interrogation. ]

I don't appreciate liars. Something that I am willing to assume that you already know.

[ His grip tightens the slightest bit, but his expression grows no more unamused than it already is. ]

You move like a Shadow Walker. Do I have the right of it?

[ He plainly thinks he has the right of it. ]

Were those your thoughts that I saw, Shadow Walker? Was that your fear?

[stabbersinyerfambles]

[ Cehd'ra lets out sharp sound as his back hits the wall, pinning him and putting an end to his wriggling. The Miqo'te grasps hold of Zenos's forearm instead, half-prying and half-holding himself up, lest the Garlean actually grab for his neck instead. And the questions he's asked...

That Zenos even noticed such a detail...well, of course he would. Zenos wouldn't be a fraction of the warrior he is if little things like the way a target moves eluded him. Especially if it should be something familiar.

None of that soothes Cehd'ra's fear in the least. ]

I...

[ Shadow Walkers were given very specific training in one very specific place. If Zenos learns he's right then there's really only one thing it could mean.

All the years spent in Doma, Cehd'ra got by keeping his head down. Even more so when the crown prince was given command of his legion. Zenos ever had more important things to focus on than some meager Shadow Walker among his troops and Cehd'ra knows that likely saved his life.

But now those empty blue eyes are looking at him. He's gone and captured the monster's attention... ]

--it was. 'Know who you are...I was in the XIIIth Legion...

[ There's no point in denying it, all Cehd'ra can do is try to get through this alive.

He won't die here. He can't, not after everything... ]

Trial and Icy Error

[seasoflight]

Felih hates the cold, and he hates the snow, and winter can go fuck off somewhere else. But, he's got work to do and that means going out and doing his tasks, and Merlin has also informed them that messing with the snow might help them practice their new forms of magic.

He blinks dubiously at the snowball he's holding in a gloved hand, wondering how healing magic could possibly even mix with a snowball fight... and spots a Miqo'te in the snow.

The dark fur makes Cehd'ra easy to spot, and Felih blinks before shrugging and lobbing a snowball at the man, tail wiggling mischievously behind him- though his ears are cozy in a hat to keep him warm.

[stabbersinyerfambles]

The calm that Cehd'ra had been cultivating breaks with the same ease as the snowball does, showering him and his familiar with a burst of icy cold--and getting an alarmed dance out of him when some falls down the neck of his cloak. Cehd'ra makes a squeak of a sound and ducks forward, shaking himself to knock the snow loose. His expression is fully affronted when he turns back to see who did the deed (even if he really was just standing there) and it promptly melts into a bright eyed smile of recognition.

"Felih! Y'cheeky arse!"

It had been snowing the first time he'd met Felih too, hadn't it? And the Seeker had greeted him with a surprise back then too. Though Cehd'ra's grateful he opted for a snowball instead of a full body tackle and embrace...

The memory comes back readily to him and it drifts in the wake of his broken concentration, brushing gently against Felih's mind with images of hot springs surrounded by snow-kissed evergreens. A luxurious and secluded place, bare skin and flirtateous tones...it had been a good first meeting.

"Did you just get here too?" Cehd'ra asks as he approaches, snow crunching under his boots and his familiar slowly hopping along behind him once more.

[seasoflight]

Felih blinks in confusion when the other Miqo'te calls his name. This man is a stranger- but he approaches him so familiarly? Before he can try to clear the confusion from his mind, he starts to feel memory tugging at the edge of his mind, recollections of something faint, faraway- they met at a hot spring, didn't they?

Yes, right- they did. And flirted- that definitely seems like something Felih would do, but...

"I... I've been here a short while," Felih says, hesitating, looking very confused. "I- er. I- have we met before? You're- familiar, and yet..." He tilts his head, looking absolutely lost. Was this some sort of fae prank?

[stabbersinyerfambles]

Felih hesitates and the smile begins to slip from Cehd'ra's face. He stops his approach, tail giving an anxious twitch behind him. There's little need for the magic to share Cehd'ra's confusion, he wears it plainly enough, but it still borders on palpable in the air between.

"We...we have, aye," he ventures, leaning slightly as he rubs at the back of his neck. Does Felih not remember? Or--suddenly Cehd'ra's ears snap upwards as he snaps his fingers with the realization: "S'the multiverse thing, is it not? They said there were other stars out there...'knew that already, now that I think on it.

"The 'you' I met...must'f been from another star."

[seasoflight]

"I... I know of other stars. But- but... 'tis certainly strange to imagine there is another me running about," he murmurs, tail twitching anxiously. "And yet, despite everything, I- you seem familiar, somehow... ugh. My mind feels confused and hazy... there are- wisps of memory, but I'm not even sure are mine?"

Still, he doesn't shy away from Cehd'ra, approaching him curiously- getting very close, looking at him carefully and circling him. "Your scent is new to me, but... something about a hotspring?"

[stabbersinyerfambles]

It is strange, Cehd'ra can only agree. He still remembers how baffling it was for Megumi to tell him about meeting him before, especially since the man she described sounded so different from who he really is. And here's he's done the same to poor Felih...but before he can beg the Seeker's forgiveness the man says something strange.

"Y'do remember," he marvels. "A-aye, first we met was in a hotspring."

He doesn't mind how close Felih's gotten, though that tempts him to reach out and touch the man even if only as a reassuring pat on his shoulder. But if Felih doesn't fully remember it feels safer to keep his hands to himself. No matter how strange it is to not be touching Felih right now, knowing how fond the man is of casual physicality.

Near their feet the foper trudges through overturned snow, hopping about and trying unsuccessfully to get their bonded's attention.

"What'f Lunatia? D'you remember the city? Or my name...?"

Cehd'ra remembers, of course. The spires of color and crystal, glittering lights that dance and paint the air with advertisements, technology unlike anything Eorzea was capable of. He hopes Felih can remember, a mutually familiar face would be wonderful to have. Even his own name dances about in his head, waiting eagerly if Felih will be able to 'remember' it.

[seasoflight]

"I don't- er, I've never heard of a city named Lunatia, but-" Why is his memory so hazy? There are memories suddenly in his head that very much feel correct, but at the same time, a part of him recognizes it's something foreign and tries to grip his own tenuous memories tight before they get further mixed up.

"...Cehd...ra...? But I- I don't... I don't know that- but I do-?"

Oh, hells. Oh, no no, this is getting worse, and it's distressing. It's not even a strong magic, but the way it blurs into his own memories is disorienting, and the thing to snap him out of it is the foper hopping around in the snow.

"Oh hells!" he squeaks, suddenly jumping back a fulm, startled. "Er- is that- is that your familiar? If it's tame, then..." He tries to calm himself. "It's not going to try and paralyze me, is it?"

[stabbersinyerfambles]

The foper's lone eye pivots from Cehd'ra to Felih at the Seeker's question. They do not blink, there is no brow to furrow, but the slight tip of their body radiates an affronted air.

"Eh?"

The haze of strange new memories evaporate as Cehd'ra's focus shifts to his familiar. His ears twist as he looks down at the creature. He doesn't really know what it is...he remembers seeing them from a distance during his brief time in the Fringes of Gyr Abania--but before those memories can start to floor poor Felih's mind, the familiar turns back on Cehd'ra and rams their head against his knee.

"Oy! Little bastard--aye, it's mine...s'posedly. Not once's it said a word t'me though, not even a name...sorry if it gave you a start."

[seasoflight]

"Ah... alright. It must be your familiar, then," Felih says, slowly calming himself down. "Mine's just a fox kit, I think, but he's a troublemaker and gets into everything."

"I... hm. We should probably try to find someplace warm to chat... it's freezing out here," he says, trying to beckon the other man with his tail as he turns and starts towards the nearby town. "I don't understand why my memories are acting so strangely. I- I know your name, but it... felt more as if... it had been placed in my memories, rather than formed."

"Does that make sense? Ah... this entire realm of fae is confusing."

[stabbersinyerfambles]

"A cute little kit would suit you," Cehd'ra remarks, "especially a mischievous one."

The inside of Cehd'ra's cloak is still damp thanks to Felih, after all. But he doesn't need any convincing to go with the other, leaving the disgruntled foper to follow after once again. They are still meant to be practicing. There can be hot drinks and treats after they're done!

But of course Cehd'ra cannot listen if he cannot hear so he continues along, pointing out a stout, nearby building that looks warm and smells like food as well.

"Mn, may be they were...somehow." Cehd'ra hasn't the first idea of how it could have happened, but he's experienced plenty of oddities back in Lunatia. Including at least one instance of memory sharing though it had been pretty obvious as to what was causing it back then. So maybe he was right the first time: this isn't 'his' Felih. Cehd'ra doesn't let his disappointment show. "'Heard of folk with the Echo but this sounds different. None'f your memories made it into my head..."

[seasoflight]

Felih perks up a little. Cehd'ra seems friendly enough, at least, and if he really did know some other version of him, it makes sense for him to be so familiar.

So he purrs and sidles up alongside the other Miqo'te as they make their way towards that food-scented building, all too happy to follow his nose and Cehd'ra's guidance.

"I know the fae here can influence folk in odd ways," Felih murmurs softly. "There's different kinds of magic here, too. It's quite odd, different from the schools I'm familiar with. But if we got along before- it feels like we did- then I'm all too happy to get to know you again. You'll be patient with me, won't you~?"

He purrs and leans against him as they approach the entrance.

[stabbersinyerfambles]

"'Course I will."

In spite of himself, the answer comes with a soft breath of relief as Felih leans close. So what if it means starting over, Cehd'ra has always been willing to take whatever blessings he can get. An arm comes to settle around Felih's shoulder, offering a bit of shared warmth as well as the affirmation.

"But aye, that Archimedes explained it some...t'be honest it was wholly grasp. Still is." The Prismals had done much the same, explaining how they hoped he'd help save their world, so Cehd'ra would think he'd be used to this. But the 'fae' here ask more than the Prismals did. It isn't one world in peril, it's all worlds, and saving it will take a lot more than Moonlacing...

Inside the building that smell has more than doubled in strength: savory broth and freshly baked bread come together to make Cehd'ra's ears flicker as his eyelids flutter. The crowd is thin so far, either he and Felih are early or most others are still dutifully practicing out in the cold snow.

Well, they'll practice more effectively once warmed up and fed, right? Right.

"Take the new magic y'mentioned for one," he adds, almost absently as he finds the end of the line to be served. "'Wasn't much of a scholar to begin with but I knew how to work aether a little and even I can tell it's naught t'do with how magic works here."