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

CW: WWII-era derogatory slang for Japanese soldiers

[angel_of_death]

[On the other side. The boy starts, stiffening, every muscle tensed and ready for a fight. But the fight doesn't come. No gun, nor blade, nor lash of arm to strike him.

Words. Words are what Walter receives. And in the context of someone having just been engaged in a fight to what was supposed to be the death, they make no goddamned sense.

He pulls back, putting just under an arm's distance between them — close enough to intercept if a weapon is pulled on him, yet far enough that one won't be easily brought against him without his notice.]

That doesn’t sound a damn thing like what the other side would say. And intelligence didn't say a thing about Japs being in the area.

[Nazis, yes. Poles, yes. Russians, yes; they were on the opposite side of the river. But no one from the far east. The report hadn't mentioned anyone at all from that corner of the world.

But something else is bothering him. The water… the water is suspiciously without current. This isn’t the Vistula. What the hell is going on here?]

You’re not Waffen-SS. [He can’t be. Not with those looks.] What are you, an envoy?

[shiliu]

[ He only caught about half of that; and the half he did catch, makes no sense whatsoever. He doesn't have the opportunity to puzzle over it, because he's facing another problem: despite his first-class martial arts and the warming liquid poured down his throat, the fact remains that he's wearing armor. Staying afloat is taking too much energy out of a body already exhausted by years of fighting a war on four fronts. Inevitably, he starts to sink. ]

What on earth...

[ ...which is when he feels something pushing beneath him. A moment later, his body is lifted up by an enormous object, encrusted with ice crystals. Water streams off the intercalated plates of black iron covering Gu Yun's body, and his wet hair hangs loose in long strands like seaweed.

He looks down at his "savior," finally betraying some consternation, before he hastily repairs his expression, and puts his smile back on. ]

A turtle.

[ He pats the back of the creature, as being rescued by a turtle is completely within his calculations, while thinking to himself, Jiangnan is warm, why would there be an ice-covered turtle here?

He then reaches into a compartment on his armor, and pulls out a circle of glass rimmed in gold. The monocle he'd been wearing on board was pierced by a stray bullet, but he always keeps spares. He clips it to his nose, and from his elevated position atop the huge tortoise, he can see to the water's edge. Just then, the mists part, revealing the expanse of white sand beaches and sheer cliffs rising above them.

He turns around, to look back at the water. They seem to be in a large bay. There's no signs of burning ships, nor hulking wrecks. All is calm.

After a long moment, he returns his attention to his companion, and says gently: ]

I think the war is over for both of us.

[ The reason he didn't feel the explosion must be that it killed him instantly. This must be Hell. ]

[angel_of_death]

[Walter hesitates as the man starts to sink. An enemy going to the bottom would be no problem for him, but he's still not certain who or what this man is, and...

Fortunately, he is spared having to wrestle with that moral dilemma, as the turtle steps in, swimming in to bolster the other man up and out of danger.

But it's a turtle with what looks to be an iceberg shell, which also makes no goddamned sense. Yet he swims back a little further, giving the creature space to move as it wishes, even as he continues to watch the man upon it warily. But the man brings out no weapons, nor does he speak any threats. He does not even snarl an insult.

But the words that do come, those gently-spoken words, do more damage than any threat or insult ever could.]

...What are you saying??

[For a brief moment, Walter looks like a confused boy. But the expression soon passes, hardening with resolve.]

No. No, I refuse to believe that!

[Whatever this is, whatever the Hell this is, he won't let it interfere with his mission. He won't.]

[shiliu]

Hm! I can't believe it either.

[ Its vast flippers slowly moving through the water, the turtle rotates in place, orienting its head towards the shore. Noticing this, Gu Yun crouches down, offering a hand to the young soldier still treading water. That hand is, like his body, covered in exquisite armor, down to his fingertips, though it doesn't restrict his movements at all. It must have been perfectly oiled and maintained; from these details, and the subtle gilding on some of the iron plates on his chest and shoulders, it's probably clear that he's no ordinary military man. ]

Couldn't they have sent us a boat?

[ He shakes his head, sighing theatrically. ]

Tsk, tsk! Military expenditure is inadequate, even in the Underworld.

I'm sorry. I'm stuck with a mid-mission canon point and he's an angry boy.

[angel_of_death]

[It is exquisite armour. It’s something like he would expect out of a story book or an old legend. Walter, in contrast, wears merely an ensemble of cloth and leather, clothing fastened by button and zipper, metallic clips on sleeve garters holding up sleeves that are too long for his arm. The only metal one might guess to have any significance for fighting were the rings around each finger, sturdy and unornamented in their design. It is not a military uniform at all, because he is, in fact, not of the military.

Of course, rather than take that hand, he’s stubbornly climbing up under his own power, because like Hell is he going to back down.]

You’re wrong. I’m not dead. If I were dead, I’d know it. That bastard would have come back to devour my soul and lord it over me!

[Perhaps later he would reflect on the sheer wrongness that his foremost evidence and comfort in this situation is that his own wayward partner would eat his soul and make fun of him for falling so easily.]

This is just one of their experiments. I’ve been caught up in some bloody mad science experiment and now I’m having an utterly pointless argument with a man who thinks we’re both dead.

[Yes, the absurdity of it has started to sink in.]

no worries!

[shiliu]

[ The fact that the boy is shouting at him is actually helpful, as he can hear more of what's being said to him (though it still doesn't make much sense). Besides, he's used to moody teenagers; well, a moody teenager, in particular.

A cloud passes over his brows, before he forces it away. ]

Who is arguing?

[ He grins. ]

Arguing with children, naturally I wouldn't bother with this.

[ Being so young and dying, of course the boy wouldn't accept it. Would he have accepted it, at that age? ]

[angel_of_death]

[And said child bristles most spectacularly at that statement. People are always discounting him because of his age, and it never stops being annoying.]

That's exactly why it's pointless, you arse! You're not arguing back!

[He should shove him. He should shove him right off the turtle and make him climb back on.]

[shiliu]

[ With difficulty, he manages not to burst out laughing. Instead, he reaches for a mechanism at his wrist and presses it. With a puff of white steam and the soft whir of a tiny mechanism, the armor covering his hand retracts, exposing his fingers. ]

Hm, I suppose I will quibble with you on one point. Who'd eat your soul? It's much too prickly.

[ And then he reaches up, to ruffle this child's hair. ]

[angel_of_death]

He likes them fiery, the rotten so--

[The word "sod" remains unfinished, caught in his throat as the hand reaches to make contact with his head. If ever there is a way to rile him up even more without invoking actual murderous rage, unsolicited contact is it.

...That, and trashing areas he considers to be his.]

--Just what the Hell do you think you're doing?! I did not give you permission to touch me!!

[His back is straight, shoulders square as he reaches up to forcefully remove that hand from him. That is his head and his hair. It's not for strangers to go ruffling!!]

[shiliu]

[ He's only human. A mere man can only resist so much. ]

Hahahaha!

[ He retracts his hand without an argument, replacing the armor covering his fingers. ]

No touching without permission, I got it. Aiyah, if only your people had applied that principle to Jiangnan, we might have got along better.

[ He smiles again, but the expression is more complicated this time. Ever since he'd crossed crossed behind enemy lines, and seen with his own eyes the wholesale civilian slaughter the Westerners had wreaked, Jiangnan, most of all, is the territory he absolutely must recapture. The other borders are a matter of national pride; Jiangnan, an absolute moral imperative.

Changing the subject: ]

Hmmm. Eating souls, eating souls. That kind of thing is just superstition, where I'm from. Is that your Pope's teaching, that spicy souls are the best? In that case, this food-obsessed person can pay a visit to Sichuan whenever he likes, there was never a need to invade in the first place.

CW: He's not a fan of the Catholic Church. Because WWII. And he's English. And it's Hellsing.

[angel_of_death]

[The choice of subject for levity unfortunately has the opposite effect. A change sweeps over the boy, benign belligerence washing away like a wave gone out to sea, only to be replaced by a sentiment that is truly malevolent. His stiff, flustered posture becomes haughty and unyielding, his head lifting to meet the other’s gaze firmly, and his upper lip curls in disgust.

The Pope and the Catholic Church are doing nothing to curb the Nazis’ threat, as far as he is concerned, content to let even their own flock be slaughtered. For what reason, he does not know. Continued existence? Preservation of their hierarchy? In the end it matters not. How many countries had they in the past set their armies against in order to maintain their hold on power, including his own? And now… now they choose to be cowards. Now he is the one to go into Europe, into their territories, to clean up messes they will not; messes to which they remain wilfully blind — or worse, accepting of. Warsaw, historically, is their territory. Poland is Catholic land. Yet the operation he was sent to destroy had been going on for some time, right underneath their noses.

The likelihood that they had heard nothing? Not bloody likely.]

He is not my Pope. [He utters the sentence in a low growl.] And the Pope can go hang himself for all I care.

[shiliu]

[ Making people angry is somewhat Gu Yun's specialty, so he doesn't really react to his companion's fury.

However... ]

If you don't follow the Pope, then why were you on his ships? Are you a spy? Or...

[ His expression, at first confused, now hardens. ]

...or were you enslaved?

[ Citizens of his country, he knows, the ones who weren't slaughtered, have been brutally enslaved and forced to work in their factories. This has been happening in the little countries and islands surrounding Great Liang (uniting these common enemies has been the centerpiece of Gu Yun's strategy to cut off the Pope's supply lines and reinforcements). Naturally, the Pope would also oppress countries close at hand, attacking and enslaving his fellow Westerners. ]

[angel_of_death]

...No. I was not enslaved. I'm a servant, but not his.

[And a willing servant, unlike his partner, who was brought under the organization's control by force. Granted, there was cause, but there is little use in thinking about it now.]

A willing servant, before you decide to get concerned on my behalf.

[He lifts a hand, palm and fingers turned up to the air, recalling.] But you're mistaken about one thing. I was not on a ship. I was on land.

[His head tilts to one side, telegraphing his curiosity.]

Were you on a ship?

[shiliu]

You could say that.

[ It was a ship, before it exploded. He clears his throat, as an idea begins to form. ]

Um... where on land were you?

[ The obvious answer is, on the southern shore of Chang Jiang (Eng: the Yangtze river). But if his initial idea is correct, and they're both dead, then the Underworld is a kind of crossroads. Theoretically, it could unite people from all different places. ]

[angel_of_death]

Poland. I was in Poland.

[All the way in Warsaw, through which runs the river Vistula, on which he saw no ships whatsoever on his way down from the air. He's definitely not invading whatever land this soldier is from, as much as the man seems to think otherwise.]

And you? Where were you?

[shiliu]

[ His brow furrows. "Poland," as far as he knows, is a territory loyal to the Pope. Is this boy some sort of rebel? Whatever the particulars, his theory seems to be correct, unless this boy is lying. But what reason would have for doing so? ]

Da Liang.

[ Which the magical universal translator here, that's allowing them to converse at all, might translate to "China." ]

We arrived here, it seems, from distant lands.

[ His face goes back to its baseline, that confident, sanguine smile, as if this were a casual observation, and not something quite unexpected and utterly out of his experience. ]

What's your name?

[angel_of_death]

[Da Liang. China. Curious, how he understands even though the words sound so different...

China. That would explain the man's features. So he's not Japanese after all.]

Are you sure you want to know? Most people I tell it to don't end up surviving the night. [He says, half-humorously. Most people who hear it are people he's been sent to kill.]

[shiliu]

[ I didn't, so you might as well tell me, is what he doesn't say, aware that this would probably set the boy off again. Instead, he puts on an expression of wide-eyed mock concern. ]

Oh dear. Well in that case, I'll think up a nickname for you instead.

[ He taps his chin, making a show of thinking. ]

Xiao Hu, Xiao Yu, Xiao Tang Yuan, Le Le, Mian Mian, Dai Tou...

[ The great blessing (or perhaps the curse) of the universal translator, might render these as little tiger, little gentleman, little dumpling, happy-happy, docile lamb, clumsy cute, and so on and so forth. ]

I struggled with the flicking format. I struggled hard.

[angel_of_death]

[Walter's face goes through an array of expressions; an arched brow at Xiao Hu and Xiao Yu, a dirty look at Xiao Ting Yuan, which colours with a deadpan stare at Le Le, coupled with an outright snort at Mian Mian.

As the last of the nicknames leave the Chinese man's lips, Walter is already reaching up, finger and thumb pressing together to deliver a flick directly to the centre of the man's forehead.]

Walter. My name is Walter.

[There is but the shortest of pauses before he resumes, each of his names, including the abbreviation, paired with a flick of its own.]

Walter. [Flick.]

C. [Flick.]

Dornez. [Flick.]

[shiliu]

[ Gu Yun, naturally, does not hold still to be repeatedly flicked. He leans back the instant the first flick lands, as if he's been knocked down by it, and then backflips right off the turtle, removing his monocle and putting it back into its compartment as he rights himself. He's not going to argue with a child, nor will he fight with one. Besides, they're nearly at the shore, and he can see to the bottom.

He lands on his feet, knee-deep in sea water, the gentle waves lapping at the back of his armored legs. He can't see a thing with his monocle off; but if a rogue wave hit him, he might lose it—and that would be a disaster, particularly in a new place. Fortunately the white cliffs are sufficiently stark and offer enough of a contrast that he can wade towards them without difficulty, saying as he goes: ]

Tsk, tsk, tsk! Truly, these Western children are unfilial!

[angel_of_death]

[Truthfully, Walter is surprised that the first even lands solidly, and entirely befuddled at the exaggerated reaction to the first, though it only shows through a mild tensing of his posture and the faintest of tilts to his head. It's when the soldier backflips away that his expression finally changes again — a flash of that same surprise and confusion, just as brief, lasting until the point the man hits the water.

His irritability rapidly drains away, pulling violently inward, leaving a void in its wake. His features relax into a stony stillness, gaze growing cold as the man wades towards the shore.

Walter does not respond to the comment about Western children. Instead, he comes to a stand, quietly jumping off the other side and into one of the freshwater segments of the bay that, unbeknownst to him, is a mixture of both.

The boy continues the rest of the way to the shore in silence, turning his thoughts back towards the situation in general, and the need for a proper vantage point from which to survey it.

The top of the cliffs will do.]

[shiliu]

[ Whether the boy yells at him or keeps silent, he has no way of knowing, as he makes his way toward the white blur before him. He lifts his iron-clad fingers and waves, without looking back. ]

Xiao Hu!

[ Why is he using a nickname? Is it to be irritating? Or is it simply that he has no way to properly lip read an English name he's never heard before. ]

Still on that turtle? Come along and —

[ Gu Yun has a reputation for possessing a "crow mouth": the things he worries about tend to come true. Thus a rogue wave does indeed catch him, crashing behind his back. He's encased in armor, which is enough to keep him from being swept away, but it does force him to one knee to stay balanced. As the wave recedes, he can feel a big tongue on his face. ]

Xiao Hu!?

[ The fuck is this kid doing? Retracting his armor from his fingers, he puts his hand out and touches...



Scales? ]

What kind of fish are you?

[ He can't make out what this blur actually is. Even if he could, he'd have a hard time believing his eyes: it is a qilin, a beast with the head of a dragon, a body covered in scales, cloven hooves, and a lion's tail. ]

[angel_of_death]

[Well on the other side of the turtle, Walter does not see the man wave for him. He does hear the soldier, however. Yet he doesn't understand — why is the man calling for him? And why use that ridiculous nickname? He never agreed to it.

Walter is entirely prepared to ignore him when he hears him call out a second time. This time, the name sounds different, as though warped by surprise or alarm. It's enough to get Walter to reluctantly turn, if only to make sure the man doesn't go into a panic and do something stupid.

The sight he's greeted when he rounds to the other side of the turtle is... different, to say the least. But whatever creature it is that has beset the soldier, it doesn't appear to intend any harm.]

...That's not a fish. [He corrects, his tone a combination of matter-of-factness, mild annoyance at being diverted in the first place, and the tiniest bit of curiosity.] Fish don't have legs and hooves.

[shiliu]

[ Whatever kind of not!fish it is, the thing takes his wrist in its mouth and gently leads him to shore. Once he's out of the water, it releases him. Gu Yun retrieves his monocle from its compartment and clips it to his nose. ]

What in the world...

[ Out of the water, gentle flames begin to rise from the creature's body, and its hooves are wreathed in cloud as it hovers slightly above the sand. Gu Yun naturally knows the mythology associated with this creature. It is said to be benevolent, embodying kindness and justice. On land, it floats rather than walks, unwilling to bend even a blade of grass nor harm so much as an insect. Seeing one is auspicious, because it's said to augur in a time of peace and prosperity, under an enlightened ruler.

He feels himself start to warm up and dry off, perhaps because of the magical flames. After a moment of marveling at the beast, he turns to look for his companion. Catching sight of him, he waves again. ]

Come over here, it's all right. A qilin isn't dangerous.

[angel_of_death]

[It is absolutely, totally, incredibly surreal to be told that it's alright to come close to something supernatural... partly because his work — the work he's spent years and will be spending his entire life doing — deals with supernatural threats, and partly because it presents the picture of an adult, however youthful in his features, telling an adolescent that something is alright, and that seems so... normal, in a way that Walter's life has long-since ceased to be.

This reflection over the circumstances, of course, leads to a significant pause. However, he eventually heeds the soldier's request and re-joins both him and his new companion.]

...I could tell it wasn't a danger to you. [That much was obvious, from Walter's perspective.] I would have intervened, if it was.