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

[ He'd meant to fire a warning shot, not obliterate his target. Hastily he signs: ]

You don't lose your senses, not in the years that I've known you.

[ He steps forwards, reaching for Chang Geng's shoulders, and speaks quietly. Unfortunately, like this, Gu Yun's voice is low and intimate, his peach-blossom eyes gazing into Chang Geng's, full of emotion. ]

I just wish you'd told me. About Xiu Niang, about how she treated you, about the Bone of Impurity. You've suffered. Don't suffer alone anymore.

[His hands don't shake but his expression is carefully blank.]

Haven't lost my senses and yet you know? [This was a secret he knew he intended to take to his grave. His fingers tremble for a moment.

He started to sign Did I hurt you but the motion wasn't completed yet when Gu Yun stepped forward and his thoughts screeched to a halt.]

[Oh.

They're so close right now.

His heart skipped a beat and he's abruptly reminded of the moment when he realized he had to leave.

His face flushed at their proximity, unable to break eye contact, almost entranced by the look in those eyes. Being looked at and spoken to like that as if they were...were...

And those words--those words!--the care in them when he'd always worried about being hated, that if Gu Yun knew the truth he'd surely turn his back on him.]

[He tried to take another step back.]

Is this...another dream? You being here...

[But if this were a dream then it should quickly turn to a nightmare, surely?]

[ At this distance, of course he can see Chang Geng blush. He doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Even with so much foreknowledge, isn't he still doing this all wrong?

So when Chang Geng steps back, out of his grasp, he doesn't resist. ]

[ Instead, he makes a flicking movement with his fingers, and a flurry of snow sweeps up from the ground, aimed at Chang Geng's face. ]

Wake up!

[ Magnanimously waiting until Chang Geng has wiped whatever amount of snow from his eyes, he signs: ]

Heading to the Northwest, we encountered a band of bandits. One of them possessed a knife that once belonged to Xiu Niang. From there, the whole story came out. Only after I knew almost everything, did Miss Chen then fill in the details for me.

[The snow hits him in the face and he sputters at the same time the pixu at his side arches her back in a growl.

He swipes most of the snow off his face, frowning.]

You--!

[But even as he said it, even as he opened his mouth to scold and ask, how old are you? to vent he felt calmer. It wasn't the grey near emotionless state he'd forced himself to maintain in the last four years but like the time they'd spent in Yanhui Town when he felt exasperated but unbearably fond of this person.

It wasn't a simple emotion but it was a lot less to deal with than the chaos of before.

Somehow, compared to when this person only knew how to buy gifts to attempt to appease him, he really is much better at handling Chang Geng's moods.

He placed a hand on the pixiu's head briefly, waiting for it to calm back down before brushing the snow from his face, taking care to wipe them from his lashes.

A bandit from back then...so one of them survived.

He sighed. This...really hadn't how he hoped their reunion would go. He signed.]

It's in the past.

[But also.]

We should go somewhere warmer. I still want to take your pulse.

[ Gu Yun qilin doesn't react to the pixiu's growling. A qilin, by nature, will not punish the just and only attacks the wicked. Thus it can be concluded that the wicked person in this exchange is none other than his own master.

This wicked person is invulnerable to Chang Geng's scolding. Indeed, it only makes him smile.

But when he detects where Chang Geng is going with his signed remarks, he lets his monocle fall from his eye, catches it in one hand, and makes a show of cleaning it with the edge of his sleeve. ]

Hmm? What? You want to go in for a hot drink? All right, that's fine with me.

[ He perches the monocle back on his nose and starts looking about for somewhere suitable. ]

You--!

[...this person!

Chang Geng felt his heart hurt for this person at the same time that he felt like he was being angered to death!

When they were in Yanhui Town, Gu Yun did this all the time so his only surprise was that this person seems to have not grown at all since then!

He considers just taking Gu Yun's hand without asking but it seemed...too bold so he refrained.

Instead he pressed his hand to his forehead with a sigh. When Gu Yun starts looking around he says under his breath, soft enough he's sure Gu Yun won't hear, and moves his mouth less in case he turns back around. His shoulders don't slump, but there's a hollow look in his eyes.]

Telling me not to suffer alone and yet won't tell me anything...am I that unreliable even in the future?

[Could it be that, even four years from now he hadn't become someone who could be confided in? Couldn't become someone who could protect this person.]

[ In his perusal of the street, he notes a bustling ice bar with a warmed outdoor seating area; guests are given heavy fur cloaks so that they can stay warm despite the elements. Next door is a warm and cosy tea house.

...

If he were here on his own, he'd pick the tea house; but wouldn't Chang Geng become (even more) suspicious? No, he'll choose the bar, that's clearly the best option. Perhaps they'll have warmed wine or something.

He turns. ]

Let's go over —

[ He doesn't catch Chang Geng's words, but he definitely notices that hollow look. His heart squeezes. ]

Hm? What't the matter?

[His eyes slid shut for a moment, when he opened them again, the inscrutable mask he'd worn, the one that came with the unflappable calm he'd tried his best to cultivate over the last four years, was on again.]

It's nothing. [But he had learned a thing or two about going on the offensive himself.] I was just thinking...I don't know how long it has been for you but it's been four years for me and I'm glad to meet you here.

[Also, he sees you looking between the bar and the teahouse...and he's thoroughly prepared to argue in favour of the teahouse.]

[ His long brows draw together. Chang Geng's preternaturally "calm" face, back then Gu Yun had attributed it to his spending too much time with a certain unwashed bald donkey. Now he knows, of course, that this was how the boy fought against the Bone of Impurity—and his own feelings.

Gu Yun parts his lips, though at the moment he doesn't know what to say. ]

[ ...which leaves him vulnerable to that direct hit. ]

[ His body moves on his own, reaching to catch Chang Geng in his arms. He'd thrown a bunch of snow in Chang Geng's face, for thinking this was a dream, but now he realizes helplessly: isn't he the same way?

Being able to see Chang Geng again, even for a moment, is beyond his imagining. The reality of this chance hasn't really set in.

He exhales softly, and says words that, when he was younger, would have stuck in his throat: ]

Back then, I missed you too.

[He had expected to make a direct hit, but he also knows Gu Yun enough to know it would soften the man but that he wouldn't say anything outright. After all, saying something like 'I missed you' or 'I'm glad to see you to' no matter how roundabout just wasn't something Gu Yun did. He was a man who would show his feelings through vague (to others) action and then cover them up with nonsense.

So being pulled into an embrace like this was outside his expectations, he hadn't even figured out whether it was all right for him to return the embrace, to wrap his arms around this person in return (he wanted to. He wanted to so badly he wasn't sure how he ever convinced himself to stay away) when he hears the sigh, immediately hyper-focusing on it.

Then the words came and he felt his face heat.

He knew, logically, that Gu Yun missed him but to hear it said out loud like this...

He floundered for a moment before he, tentatively put his hands on Gu Yun's waist...though in truth, his finger tips barely grazed him before he dropped his hands out of embarrassment.

This was dangerous, wasn't it?]

...weren't we going to go somewhere to warm up?

[ He doesn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Chang Geng's feather-light touch on his waist, wasn't that how the boy had touched him a long time ago, when he was pretending to be a fragrance master? He hadn't known what to make of it at the time, but he clearly knows now, that was a manifestation of Chang Geng's repressed desire.

For his own part, it's painful to let go of Chang Geng, and he lingers in the embrace.
But it's inevitable; just another separation to endure. If the wide universe is restored, and everything goes back to the way it should, he'll be separated forever from Chang Geng—in this life, at least.

He stifles another sigh and releases Chang Geng. ]

Yes, that's right. That place looks fun, I'm sure they have all manner of warm drinks, let's go.

[ Subconsciously unwilling to completely let go, he seizes Chang Geng's wrist to drag him over to the ice bar. ]

[He wondered if Gu Yun can feel how fast his heart is beating like this.

He's relieved but also disappointed to be released. So he didn't argue when Gu Yun drags him by the wrist.

And, of course, they were headed for the bar. He sighed.]

Alcohol is bad for the body.

[ He's abstained for long enough that the idea of alcohol seems.... actually a really good one, come to think of it. He's dead anyway, what's the matter with having a little tipple?

The lady behind the bar, with long blonde braids on either side of her head, clad in armor that.... doesn't look all that useful, actually, as it leaves critical parts of her body bare. Er, not that he's looking. Anyway! She winks at him and nods at a couple of stools left empty at the ice bar. An attendant stands ready with a couple of fur cloaks to drape over them.

In this state of distraction, he mindlessly teases: ]

As for my body, aren't you—

[ Ahhhhhhh...........

He clears his throat. ]

Um... when I'm old, I'll consult you for health tips. For now, where's the harm in it? Come on, let's sit down.

[He frowned, seeing Gu Yun's interaction with the lady behind the bar...

...before he mentally slaps himself.

Who was he to feel jealous? Who did he think he was to Gu Yun that he could feel thus?

He does sit down but he's also not pleased with that answer because 1, isn't he...what, exactly? Was he the one taking care of Gu Yun four years later? Did he learn enough from Miss Chen to do that?

But 2, and most importantly, what's the harm in it? Ugh.]

If you don't take care of your body in youth it will cause many problems when you're older that cannot be easily remidied.

[ His eyes drift away from Helga, the bar lady with impractical armor (which, quite honestly, bothers him. what's the point?) back to Chang Geng, who is far easier on the eyes.

...it doesn't take him long to figure out that Chang Geng is pouting, or why that's the case.

With difficulty, he holds back a laugh. Choking down so much vinegar, and you begrudge me drinking wine. ]

If I have the chance to "get older" I will already count myself as fortunate.

[ An attendant settles a fur cloak around his shoulders. As the comforting warmth envelops him, he realizes that he'd been holding back a shiver. In his youth, he'd run about the capital clad only in a single layer, even in the dead of winter. Now he can hardly bear standing outside for a little while.

His qilin stretches out in the snow behind his bar stool. Magical flames rise from its body, its warmth augmenting the effect of the cloak.

Gu Yun's teasing smile fades. After a while, he says quietly: ]

These years, Great Liang has been at war.

[ Cheng Geng will eventually manage to grab his wrist, of this he's convinced. Better that he has some idea of what he'll find, rather than have it come as a complete surprise. ]

[He frowned but when he spoke his voice is still soft and calm...even though his heart was troubled.]

Don't say such inauspicious things.

[He expected Gu Yun to deny needing the cloak so when he lets the attendant place it on his shoulder, when he doesn't try to tease the qilin's efforts he's immediately on edge.

The news he gives only makes him worry more.

Great Liang at war...]

The Drumming Order would be retracted then...assuming it had the chance to be implemented at all. [After all, while it was a policy that made sense in peacetime it wasn't helpful if the country were actively at war.]

Dong Ying to the East, the Eighteen Tribes to the North...both of them have made bold moves against Great Liang previously. [Wei Wang's rebellion, the attack at Yanhui Town...no. It wasn't a surprise at all that Great Liang was at war, yet at the same time...]

But Dong Ying isn't the sort to make a move openly on their own, the Eighteen Tribes had that set back from before...and the Emperor doesn't seem as if he would declare war against either of them without reason.

[After all, the treasury was all but empty and fighting a war on foreign soil is expensive.

That Great Liang was at war wasn't the surprise though how it came to be like this wasn't something he could figure out.]

[ The bar lady asks if they'd like anything to drink. Gu Yun answers without thinking... ]

Tea.

[ ...because his mind is focused on Chang Geng and what he's saying. He recalls, just then, that day they'd walked together in the snow, Chang Geng holding an umbrella over him, and letting the snow pile on his own shoulder, while he leisurely and expertly assessed Great Liang's political situation. He'd been a prodigy back then, and is displaying the same acumen right now. ]

That's correct. We were attacked simultaneously on multiple fronts, from the eastern sea, the north, and the western countries. The Pope's forces were behind it all.

[ He reaches for one of the two cups Helga sets down on the bar. It's insulated so it doesn't melt the ice, but inside the tea is steaming hot. He takes a sip and looks up from beneath his lashes at Chang Geng. ]

As for retracting the Drumming Order, that was your doing.

[Chang Geng was absolutely ready to come up with ways to get Gu Yun not to drink wine tonight.

So hearing the man order tea immediately throw him off guard.

Since when did Gu Yun pass on the chance to drink wine?

And all that other information...

An attack on multiple fronts...who else could lead if not the Marquis of Order? But to put such strain on this person...

He closed his eyes and tried to gather himself for a moment. He gave himself a few seconds before he sighed and opened his eyes again.]

I see.

[He said finally, there's an eerie calm to his expression but lurking beneath the surface of that were tumultuous feelings of fear and inadequacy.]

Then I suppose I must have remained in the capital then, if I am taking up the sort of position to allow me to do such a thing.

[And he's left Gu Yun to go to the borders alone.

All he had put in to become useful, all that he'd sacrificed to be able to support this person...was it all for naught then?]

[ Chang Geng's eerie calm is something he instantly recognizes as being unnatural and evidence of the boy's inner tumult. ]

Mm, that's right. You used your lofty position...

[ He leans forwards, thinking he'll tease Chang Geng out of his bad mood. ]

...to imitate my handwriting. Truly, a good use of all those years on your own, to learn forgery.

[ He takes a sip of tea, and as it warms his insides, realizes his error. He pulls a face; then downs his cup and glances over to the bar lady: ]

Ah, can we have a pot of wine also? Something hot for a cold day?

[ We have spiced wine, the lady says with a smile. ]

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