TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 10

[avalonmods]

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ SUMMARY: New arrivals drop into the lake and have to climb up a cliff to the Rent a Ride, where they are given their device and some headphones and can retrieve their personal materials. They travel to Camelot, which is a multiple day journey, so they stop at the Red Springs along the way and stay at an inn there. A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival KERPLUNK, SPLASH! Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, helping to rescue any wayward travelers who look like they're struggling in the water. This month's helpers are giant pillow jellies, a species of jellyfish that is capable of ballooning itself at the surface to create bouncy pads for characters to hop across to the shore, should they choose or not be able to swim. They come in a variety of bioluminescent colors, but do not seem to be very talkative even to animal magic users. Those who try may find themselves being ignored, even if they hear the jellies talking amongst themselves about this and that. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, 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. (Though.. given how hot and muggy the weather is this first week, maybe you might want to ask him to toss you right back into the lake where the waters are still cool.) *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones and a pair of ear buds and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with whole coconuts filled with tropical drinks and topped with tiny umbrellas. Strawberry daiquiris, pina coladas, margaritas, mai tais, and more... all frosty and in the spirit of keeping you cool during the sunny month of August. (Naturally, virgin editions are available for the underaged.) Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk. C ⦿ The Red Spring The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies. If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out! The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there. SUMMARY: The first attempt at using the mounts to travel en-masse up to fae territory is filled with problems: mandrake sprouts caused by recent murders drumming up requests to dig them up, two titanic creatures face off in the lake and catch characters in a maelstrom, and a mysterious underwater town with a strange curse being good neighbors with a last minute save... at a slight risk: becoming a merperson, naga, or cecaelian for a little while. With communications with Elphame in Celliwig disrupted by specters and Arthur temporarily decommissioned, the Hall of Mirrors is temporarily off limits for cleansing rituals. Celliwig has encouraged people to return to Camelot for the time being, which is just as well with all the newcomers flooding in. Last month's new arrivals through the old guard got an introduction to the new aquatic mounts and there are now plenty of people versed in how to handle and work with the magical alpacapies, mossatees, and deinosuchus. As scout parties head out further, there are a few problems that they've run into that need a helping hand from Camelot's otherworldly population. A ⦿ A Mandraconian Task Just as volunteers are asked to bring supplies for the journey to fae territory, a series of grisly murders involving strung up corpses appears around town (see this month's quest, "Not-So-Good Morning" for more details), and the dripping blood and fluids of these corpses seeps into the ground to give birth to strange, leafy plants that sprout leaves in all directions at once. They're small, and the locals seem weary of them, but ultimately they're breaking up pathways and making them into trip hazards... the locals recognize these plants as mandrake root, which is known in different cultures for... very different things. The mandrake root is a cursed plant that screams in a way that curdles blood enough to kill small creatures if they're too close and make a grown person go deaf. The reason anyone would pull them up however... well, their magical properties are astounding. It is said that Joan of Arc carried one in her possession to give her the power to take control of her own fate. Some religions claim that it has the ability to restore a person's fertility, and before clever manufacturers started using the name for tomatoes, Islamic tradition called the "apples of the jinn" and cause strong bouts of lust. Needless to say, a good many people are cautious about pulling them up, but more than willing to offer a fair sum of money to a newcomer who can get them out of the ground. The cause of their sprouting may be tragic, but there's no way that you're going to make it through town center with trip supplies without getting pulled aside and asked to help harvest the mandrake roots for a pretty penny... or maybe you're interested yourself. Either way, it may behoove you to practice a little magic with a friend to try to get them up. B ⦿ Clash of the Titans Finally everyone has gotten going and a mixture of brave Camelot citizens, Celliwigians, and otherworlders have headed back to Albion's White Cliffs to take off with their mounts (and partners... you're going to have to ride with someone, there aren't enough mounts for everyone to get their own!) and things are going well. It's about two days into the waters of Lake Avalon that things start to send a chill down your spine. Back on land, even for the first two days there, the weather had been hot and sunny, a beautiful summery start to August, but as the party starts to approach the southern banks of Dinas Emrys, they see a gargantuan beast run at bewildering speeds off the land and straight across the surface of the lake. The creature appears to be some kind of centipede formed of black clouds and lightning that illuminates its exoskeleton from inside of its body in deep purple and blue hues. Each of its legs kicks up a titanic wave headed straight for the party of explorers as it charges towards its target, what appears to be a tsunami wave containing a dark, shadowy figure emerging at least twenty stories above the water. The only part of it that isn't black are the blank, soulless eyes. As the lightning bug monster charges what some may recognize as an umibozu, it crashes into the tsunami wave and all three fall asunder... which is bad news for the traveling party, as the waters are now extremely choppy and lighting up with charges of the centipede's lightning. The result? As the two monsters dive down below the water, a maelstrom forms in their path and starts sucking everyone down! C ⦿ Fresh Waters Anyone who manages to escape the maelstrom will find that their mounts aren't moving forward this time around and are heading back where they came from, even with lost supplies. You may find yourself having to switch mounts with others nearby or talking to a strange beachball on the back of the alpacapie that's carrying your ass back to the White Cliffs... Or if you weren't so lucky, you may find yourself waking up on a slightly different shore. An underwater shore. An underwater town, in fact. After the initial panic of realizing that you're not drowning when you wake up settles in, you'll realize that you seem to be able to breathe underwater just fine. In fact, the real panic is probably about to start when you realize that like the fine people of this town that saved you, you've been temporarily gifted gills and a bottom lower half of either a merperson, a naga, or a cecaelia. Your caretaker, a nurse of the local town, offers the explanation that the only way to save everyone from drowning was to pull them into their territory, which is cursed to turn them all into sea monsters. Not to worry though, as long as you leave before the sun sets on the third day, you'll turn back to normal just fine. ...Though, they're not really sure when that was or if they battle is over, so you should probably find your friends and any possessions you had with you and start heading toward the surface. Not too much time to explore this strange, underwater town... especially since you don't have much practice not having legs to get you up to the surface. Don't worry, if you don't make it out in time, the Lady of the Lake will come fetch you... though perhaps not in time, so you may need to spend some time back in Camelot seeking out someone to break a curse. SUMMARY:After the recent event, people need to recover and heal. So Camelot's castle opens its doors for an open house, a swap meet and poetry battle auction, and a healing circle ritual. Arthur is injured and recovering, and news has spread on social media about it. There are lots of well-wishers and gifts being sent to the castle... enough that there's just too much for Arthur to do anything with it. He needs time to recover and rest and not be bothered, and as such declares that all those who need it shall share in the wealth and generosity of those wishing him well. The abundance (Especially from guilty Celliwigians who didn't realize what was happening right under their own noses) results in a few things happening... A ⦿ Open House Camelot's castle halls open up to all those who would like to come. Invitations are sent and a feast is prepared. A huge table with all manner of foods from different cultures is prepared. The only thing they ask is that you stay out of the wing of the castle that Arthur is resting in, as he is not available right now. Try new foods made from recipes from all around the different worlds or invite yourself to use the castle's royal public baths, remodeled from more ancient styles to include cool things like old architecture mixing with jacuzzi jets and waterfall shower rooms. There's even a water slide. It's more a water park than anything... Explore the library (except for the forbidden section, which has a very powerful magical barrier preventing entry-- even trying to tamper with it could result in your character glowing colors by their mood as punishment for messing with the magic). Those are dangerous texts in there! There's even a live show with a magician! Which sounds lame, but he's more or less showing off his skills in tricks, knife skills, and has a mean comedy routine to go with it. He's even willing to teach lucky volunteers how to escape death-defying stunts... hopefully. You may want to bring a buddy for backup. Or perhaps you're more interested in heading out to explore the rose gardens or finding a place to stay for the evening... don't worry, if you've had too much to drink or simply tired yourself out, you're welcome to stay in one of the guest rooms during this open house celebration. B ⦿ Swap Meet Not interested in exploring the castle? Well perhaps you'll enjoy the open-market bazaar that seems to have set up in the courtyard. All kinds of oddities are being exchanged in the castle courtyard and you may just find something rare.. or maybe it's a piece of crap. It's hard to tell, and the chances of getting swindled are just as high as the chances of getting an antique masterpiece. There is an auction for those willing to pay more for authenticity, but auctions in Camelot go a little bit differently... to win art, you must first prove yourself worthy of art-- all bid submissions must be performed in stanza. Haikus, rap, short poems-- all are valid, as long as they follow the rules of your chosen form of poetry and express why your bid deserves the win. The last person to falter wins their right to pay their bid, with at least 10,000G upped with each poetic rebuttal. C ⦿ Healing Circle After Party It's good to take care of yourself with a little fun, but if you're still stressed, hurt, traumatized, mildly upset, hung over, or just want to feel better about yourself, consider joining in some of the local witches and wizards in a meditative healing ritual. Step one: Gather herbs from the castle gardens. They've got all kinds, but you're looking for things like yarrow, apple blossoms, cinnamon, and lemon balm. Once you've gathered your herbs, join in the silent meditation circle with an available partner. Anyone is fine, but once you've entered the circle with someone, it's very important that you do not make any noise. Silence is important, and as you burn each of your herbs with your partner, you'll find that the smoke forms a barrier that surrounds the two of you. Put your hands together, and focus on the source of your pain. You will share your emotions with the person you're performing the spell with. They will feel everything you feel in that moment, and be able to share the burden without having to speak of or share what caused this pain. With the pain lightened, you will find that the smoke lights up and dissipates up at the top. Whether or not you choose to share with your newfound partner... well, that's up to you, but they sure are going to know how you're feeling right now, and that definitely wasn't warned about when you were asked to join the healing circle. MOD NOTES: • All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post. • If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities. •If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt. • The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly. • Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.

Comments

Lina Inverse | The Slayers | Plant and ?????

[dragon_slaaaaaaave]

IA. Arrival

Falling through the air with a cry of surprise, Lina sees the water fast approaching. Okay so someone's messing with her, she'll figure out who to blast about that later. The important thing is to stop her fall. Sticking her arms out in front of you, she prepares a quick casting to save herself from getting soaked.

"Ray Wing!" Okay now that the fall's been taken care of wait no it hasn't she's still falling, the water is getting awfully close now.

"Ray Wing! Ray Wing! Uh, Levitation! Damn it! Levitationlevitationlevitatioooooh CRA-"

She hits the water and disappears. A long few moments pass before she emerges onto the shore, soaking wet, and looking more than a little annoyed. Or she would be if not for the fish caught between her teeth. Well, at the very least she won't go hungry.

"Hrrrrgh!" She points an accusing finger at the nearest person, stomping up to them. "WHTTHLLYTHNKYRDNGUGTANIDAWHTYRDLLNGWTHHRRRE?!" She...demands? The fish is still flopping between her teeth.

IB. Ruby-Eyes

Lina is trudging up the cliffs, still pretty annoyed about this whole thing (even a freshly-cooked fish dinner on the beach hasn't really helped, and she's still hungry to boot). The loss of her magic is one thing, but Gourry's not here either, or if he is, the tapioca-head wandered off somewhere so Lina's gonna have to go take care of that before he gets into trouble and she's already thinking how done she is with this place when she reaches the top of the cliffs, looks up, and stops dead in her tracks.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." She half snarls, half sobs. Of course, why should she even be surprised.

Ruby-Eyed Shabranigdo, Lord of the Monster Race and Source of All Evil draws himself up to his full height. "Look in fear upon my visage mortal, for I have summoned you for a glorious purpose. You shall be my tool in—"

"What?" Lina asks curiously. There's a pause, and Shabranigdo tries again.

"—You have been chosen to be the tool by which I shall wreak my glorious vengeance upon—"

"What?" Lina repeats louder. "Hang on, I gotta kneel down here." She takes a moment, fluffing out her still fairly damp cape behind her so she can properly kneel and address the...very, very tiny Dark Lord. "The other shard of you was a lot bigger. What's going on?"

"As I am trying to explain, impudent mortal, I have summoned you here as my tool—"

"HEY WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" Okay, that's the last straw. At least this shard of ol' Ruby-Eyes is small enough she can skip the long arduous battle and just drop-kick him off the side of the cliff.

When you reach the top of the cliff, Lina is struggling with a small demon in her hands that she appears to be trying to throw off the White Cliffs.

"OKAY! WAIT! I CAN EXPLAIN JUST DON'T THROW ME OFF THE CLIFF!"

Red Spring

The training grounds are there, and having lost her prodigious magical power, and apparently plants are her thing now so that's something she'll have to deal with, Gourry's not here at all it seems like, and it also sounds like for the time being she actually does in fact have to put up with Tiny Shabranigdo, and if there's one thing any sorcerer worth their salt knows you never, ever, ever do...is practice magic on an empty stomach, and that fish was like two hours ago and practically a guppy and there's a restaurant off the training yards so Lina knows where she'sheaded first. And it appears she's picked up some company, so great. Lina hates eating alone.

"Okay! Light bit of lunch and then we'll head over to the yard." She takes the menu and opens it. "All right, let's see what we've got here. Okay!" The menu almost immediately snaps shut, and she's waving the nearest waitress over. Lina hands her the waitress. "Thanks, this all looks good. Double portions, please!"

Leaning back in her chair she looks over at her company. "What are you gettin'?" She asks while the waitress blinks in confusion.

Open House

So this Arthur guy has a castle, he's not feeling well...and he just decided to let everyone come in and walk around? Well, don't mind Lina if she does! Because castles invariably have treasure vaults, loaded with riches and probably the odd artifact or two, and if there's one thing Lina is running incredibly low on right now, it's riches and magical artifacts.

Needless to say she's nowhere near the baths or rose garden when you stumble on her. "Oh! Uh, hey. What's up?" The way Lina jumps to attention and tries to lean casually against the wall doesn't work when she misjudges her position and almost falls sideways into a hallway, not the wall next to it. "Uhhhh, I'm just, y'know, getting my bearings having a...looksee..." She looks around at nothing in particular, and clicks her tongue a few times as she does so.

"Well, this has been great, but I gotta run. No need to follow me, I know where I'm going!"

ARRIVAL

[forgeabettertomorrow]

You know, Darin's been here for months now and the sight of people making splashdown in the bay never gets any less ridiculous. He's taken to bringing some extra towels with him when he goes fishing nowadays.

This newcomer seemed to hit particularly hard. Maybe she had some sort of flight ability? She was clearly trying to do something on the way down with the way she was shrieking.

When she trudges out and thrusts an accusing finger Darin's way, fish in mouth, a whole slew of comments goes through his mind. Should he mention the unique way of fishing? Nah, too obvious. Wait, no he's got it.

"I'm gonna have to give that dive a four out of ten. Good form, really. I mean, most people don't come down screaming. But far too much of a splash on entry."

[dragon_slaaaaaaave]

The jape manages to disarm Lina and for a moment she just stares at him. "Whrgh? Argh." Finally, she spits the fish out, where it flops awkwardly on the sand. "Oh, a wise guy is it?" She asks, eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "I was gonna give you the opportunity to come clean but now I think we'll skip the soft option."

She holds her hands up again. Just for that, he's gonna get the full incantation so he knows how screwed he is. "Oh, source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson, let thy power gather in my hand. FIIIRE...BAAAAALL!"

She thrusts her hands forward towards Darin...and nothing happens.

"...Fireball! Fireball! FIREBALL! Aaaaaaagh DAMN IT!" Lina runs her hands through her hair in frustration. "What the hell is going on?! That usually works!"

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Darin watched, bemused at the fiery display. He even leans forward with his chin in his palm.

...Then it dawns on him.

"Wait a second! Were you trying to fireball me?! The hell is the matter with you?! Is that how you greet someone?!"

[dragon_slaaaaaaave]

"That was the idea but my magic's not cooperating!" Lina snarls in frustration. "I thought a few second-degree burns might get you talking! I don't take kindly to weirdos kidnapping me, y'know! And for that matter, why are you trying to kidnap me?" Lina sighs angrily and rubs the bridge of her nose. "There's not another bounty on me is there? What did I even do this time?!"

[forgeabettertomorrow]

"Why the hell would I kidnap a kid?! I was fishing!"

Darin points emphatically at his fishing pole. Right next to a stack of fluffy towels.

"And if you think I'm giving you a towel now you've got another think coming!"

[dragon_slaaaaaaave]

"What'd you just call me?!" Lina demands. "I'm not a kid, pal! Don't pretend you don't know who I am!" She strikes a pose, because it's important this guy knows who he's dealing with (the fishing rod and towels are a nice try, but come on, she's not supposed to be suspicious that some weirdo is camping out with towels right as she gets thrown into the water?)

"I'm the stunningly beautiful, dashing and gallant, incredibly talented, and immensely powerful sorcery genius! The scourge of bandits, evil-doers, and monsters everywhere! My deeds are legendary across the land! Where monsters rampage, I'm there to take them down! If treasure glitters, I'm there to claim it! If an enemy rises to face me, victory will be mine! I'm Lina Inverse!" She jabs a finger in Darin's chest. "And don't pretend you didn't know that! What, were the towels supposed to be a way to gain my trust? Did you really think I'd be stupid enough to fall for that?"

That said she is pretty soaked, and doing her best to ignore the slight chill it brings on despite the sunny day. A towel would be helpful, actually.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Darin, without missing a beat, leans down from his normal 6'3" height to get right in her face.

"No, the towels aren't here to gain your trust. They're for me to either cram in my ears to drown you out or jam in your mouth to shut you up! I don't know who you are! And I don't care! All I know is you're loud!"

Honestly, Darin is just as loud.

"So riddle me this, "sorcery genius!" If I were trying to kidnap you, why the hell would I dump you in a bay with no precautions against your supposedly super powerful spells?! And if you're such a hero, why do you have a bounty?!"

Open House

[patchricide]

You know, it's entirely possible that Lina's mistaken Allura for someone who belongs here. Not Arthur himself, for obvious reasons, but given the literal princess gown she's wearing? And her jewelry, including what appears to be a literal crown? Everything about her screams 'royalty'. It's reasonable to assume she would call this home, too.

But in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, that's part of the reason why she took notice of Lina and approached her. Which is why she responds...

"Do you? Perhaps you can help me out, then. I took a wrong turn somewhere, and... I think I might be lost."

[dragon_slaaaaaaave]

That's more or less exactly what Lina settles on, based on...just like, everything about her. Aw crap, is this the princess? The...queen? Does this Arthur guy even have a family? Lina can't remember, she just heard he was bedridden and the doors to the castle were gonna be thrown open and then all she could hear was the sound of coins clinking. But this lady has "princess" at the very least written all over her, even moreso than Amelia.

Which is why her question is so...surprising. "...Really?" Lina asks, incredulously. Damn it, why can't she be rich enough to own a castle big enough for her to get lost in? It's unfair! Some people have all the luck. But she catches herself quickly in an attempt to extricate herself from Princess Classic, here.

"Ohhhh, uhhhh I think we're not really headed the same way, but party's back that way, your, um, grace." Lina says quickly pointing back down the hallway behind Allura, immediately slipping into a confident, easy demeanour. "I was just headed to the kitchens. Someone messed up the hors d'eourves and someone's gotta go see what's up, and guess who drew the short straw, huh?" She laughs convincingly easy, continuing to back away. Are the kitchens this way? Lina has no idea. Does this lady know? Clearly not. Just gotta get around the corner and she can book it. The treasure vault's gotta be down here somewhere!

[patchricide]

"What a coincidence! I was looking for the kitchens as well! I had some questions about one of the dishes they were serving... I thought it would be a quick thing to look into, but that was before I lost my way!"

Well, Allura's whole mood has brightened up, and she looks ready to follow Lina anywhere she might be going. What's the plan, Lina? Do you want to try digging this hole deeper?

[dragon_slaaaaaaave]

Ah damn it. "Oh there's no reason for you to bother with it, your grace!" Lina replies suddenly, holding her hands up in a placating gesture. "I'll be coming back up to the party soon anyway, so I can ask the kitchen staff any questions you might have and bring the answers back to you later!"

Feeling pretty good about her, hunch, she leans forward and finger-guns Allura. "After all, it really wouldn't do for the princess to have to go all the way to the kitchen just to ask a few questions, now would it?"

Goawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoaway

[patchricide]

There's a puzzled look on Allura's face. 'The princess'? But she's not... oh. Oh. Okay. She gets where the confusion's coming from.

"Really, you have nothing to worry about. I might be a princess, but I'm as much an outsider to this realm as everyone else." And then, with a smile of sweet, pure, princess-y goodness, she gives a proper introduction: "I'm Allura, Princess of the Planet Altea."

"At any rate, even if I had any sort of authority here, I couldn't ask you to do anything like that for me. So..." She gestures in the direction Lina wanted to go. "Shall we?"

Open House

[heartlessswordsman]

Naturally, Zel is fully cloaked while out in public, and he's even wearing something slightly different than his usual attire, so it's not surprising that Lina wouldn't recognize him right away. As for Zelgadis, he's certainly surprised to see Lina, but not so surprised that she's helping herself to someone else's riches. Y'know, just Lina things.

He doesn't try to stop her, but he does lower his hood.

"Uh huh, sure you do. You sure you've been here long enough to know your way around?"

[OOC: I am super pumped to see Lina but my replies are going to be on the slow side for a while. I'm having a weird medical thing ugh.]

[dragon_slaaaaaaave]

[Damn it, tell your weird medical thing for once in its life to be cool! /jk, take your time. XD]

"That's quite the get-up but I gotta say I've seen it done a lot better in my ohmygoshZEL?!" The squeal of delight Lina gives at finally—finally—finding a familiar face (Tiny Shabranigdo doesn't count) will surely be counterproductive to her goals but doesn't stop her from throwing her arms around her old friend in delight. "Uuuuugh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one of us here! They took my magic, Zel! They took my magic it's not faaaaaaaaair~! I have to use plants now! This whole thing has been a complete nightmare so far I'm so glad I'm not suffering alone!"

[heartlessswordsman]

(Oh I am, I'm telling it to be cool as hard as I can.)

Zel isn't much of a hugger, like at all, but finally running into a familiar face is enough of a relief that he'll make an exception. He gives Lina a quick squeeze before stepping back and motioning for her to follow him. He's sure she just snagged some expensive junk, might as well make sure she doesn't get caught.

"They took my magic as well, along with any actual perks that this body gave me. Ability-wise, I'm no different from any other human."

But he still looks like this. Needless to say, Zelgadis is not pleased. But, he can and most likely will complain about that later.

"Sounds like you ended up with green magic." That's kind of hilarious, but he values his life too much to say so. "I have elemental, myself, and death magic. You kind of get used to it, though I will admit that not having access to my most powerful spells has been a real pain."

arrival

[peacewithouttyranny]

Given that Soundwave stands out like a sore thumb here, an eight foot tall mech with a glowing red visor. That just makes him an easy target for someone's ire, or even think he might be responsible for the kidnapping, somehow. But in actuality, he was just someone standing around near the shore, waiting (as per usual monthly) and hoping to see familiar faces emerging out of the water, minding his own business when a girl suddenly stands before him and points an accusing finger at him.

Huh....

He doesn't say anything. His expression is impossible to tell given the faceplate he's wearing. He's just staring at her in complete silence, as he tries to make out whatever it is she's trying to say with her mouth full of a fish.

[dragon_slaaaaaaave]

Lina stares up annoyed at the...Golem? Staring down at her. Not a Rock Golem, that's for sure. Too shiny for that. In fact this thing definitely looked more mechanical than magical. Some kind of weird new innovation from the New World? Magic had always been scarce on that side of the barrier. At the very least it doesn't appear to be aggressive. After a moment, she pulls the fish out of her teeth, but keeps ahold of it as it flops ever-weaker in her grip. That's gonna be her snack later.

"...All right, maybe you're not the one in charge, but I bet you work for whoever is." She says after a moment, jabbing a finger into Soundwave's chassis. "So you go tell whatever Monster, two-bit tyrant or jumped-up sorcerous wannabe overlord who made you that they've bitten off waaaaaaaaaay more than they can possibly hope to chew and they are going to rue the day they crossed Lina Inverse, got it?!"

[peacewithouttyranny]

At least she got the fish out by herself. There's something to be said also about her boldly stepping towards him and jabbing a finger into his chassis, but that's not something he feels offended about. He's used to misunderstandings and threats at this point, and he's ready to settle this misunderstanding. However, what she had to say makes him... slightly annoyed.

He leans forward, stares down at her, and his mechanical voice takes a low, threatening tone.

"I am not made," Out of all the things she said there, that one in particular he takes offense at. Then, he leans away and his vents huff air, just like that. "I do not work for anyone here. I am summoned here, like you and everyone else."

[dragon_slaaaaaaave]

Lina does step back when the Golem...or not? Rebukes her. Okay, wasn't expecting that. Golems don't talk, so therefore...he was telling the truth. Not made, then. Okay.

"Uh, sorry." She blinks in surprise. "So...what's your deal then? That a suit of armour? Hey! What's the big idea talkin' to me with your helmet on?" It's a good thing Soundwave leaned away out of reach or she might just try to pull his "helmet" off herself. "It's rude to do that to a lady! Didn't anyone teach you manners?"

Anyway, they're getting off-topic. Onto the real questions. "What are you talking about, summoned? I just got dropped out of the air!" She takes a moment to finally look around and take stock of the situation, and sees other people climbing out of the sea like she just did. "Where is this place anyway? We near Seyruun?"

[peacewithouttyranny]

There's something always satisfying about stunning someone briefly into silence and watches the surprise on their faces. He can't help but be amused by her expression, but that doesn't last very long when she started to throw questions at him. What's with the rapid fire questions? Sure, he manages to catch all of them, but he doesn't even have a chance to get a word in edge-wise until she finishes.

"It's not a helmet."

It's his head, thank you very much. Now that that part is out of the way, while Soundwave would address her accusing him of being rude, they would get off topic over the actual important questions here.

"Like everyone else is. That is how we all are summoned to this land... via dropping out of the air and into the lake." It wasn't a fun experience for most, but that's just how it is over the past months. As for the other important question...

"I have not heard of... Seyruun, but you are currently on an island called Avalon."

IB

[aciddemonstrator]

oh my gods I'm hearing the old dub in my head reading this and I'm eating it up all over again ahem.

A distant panting might have faintly been heard during the argument had the commotion not been so loud, the girl behind them catching her breath as she finished climbing the stairway. Not that she could register what was going on at first either, her mind even farther behind. It was like bungee jumping on vacation in Umbala. Just ... without the bungee cord, a way higher diving point, and not a clue where she is or how she got here.

Her breath slowing, she manages to focus her attention forward just in time to see the girl in front of her about to skip rocks with some ultimate embodiment of evil, but hearing it speak struck her dumbfounded, right before her growing excitement spoke out, "Is that a new kind of talking homunculus!?"

The seemingly-lifeless being on top of her head, what looks like some sort of small goat kid, stirred alert and now has its attention fixated on the also-small red being. Its narrowed eyes are not necessarily welcoming or leering at the moment, but unblinking and persistent in focus.

[dragon_slaaaaaaave]

Precisely the vibe I'm going for! I love that old dub. XD

"Stop...struggling, damn it!" Lina grunts angrily as she attempts to lift the small Shabranigdo shard over her head, as it attempts to swipe at her with its claws. But then the excited question catches them both off-guard, and they stop, slowly turning to look at the newcomer.

"Homunculus?! I am no mere construct, foolish girl. I am Ruby-Eyed Shabranigdo, Lord of the Monster Race, and—"

"Hey! The other you didn't talk so damn much and it's pissin' me off!" Lina snaps. "Are you tryin' to compensate for how tiny you are or what?!"

"I can tell you why you have been summoned here! Just...do not throw me off the cliff!"

Lina still looks unconvinced, but she glances over to Alashandra, and nods at her to come over. She might as well hear this too. Looks like she's got some kinda thingy too. Weird. Is that common here? A question for later. "All right, talk. But any funny business, you go over the edge, you hear me? I've flattened bigger Shabranigdos in my day than you."

Well, technically just the one, but it came back. Stupid Hellmaster and his stupid Jars...

[aciddemonstrator]

Alashandra's form deflates with Shabranigdo's retort, perplexed as to the creature's capability. This demon definitely wasn't anything she had seen before, and, not for nothing, but most of the monster lords she's aware of (mythical or real) are usually several times its size, or any Norman for that matter. She softly sighs her disappointment that this wasn't the scientific breakthrough she thought it'd be, her gaze skeptical.

Meanwhile, the goat kid mimics the sound with a dismissive snort before settling back in comfort. "Ami, don't get spoiled on me now, come on..." She grabs the baby Amistr with both hands, lifting it off her head and hugging it gently. Though it was more to avoid it getting in her way, it had enough rest while she climbed the staircase - the supposed homunculus doesn't object, for now at least.

Distracted while Lina and the demon continued their back-and-forth, she at least manages to catch the tail end to understand what the former's beckoning was for. A tentative apprehension stalls the girl, but seconds later her composure reforms, pushing herself onward knowing she couldn't figure all this out on her own.

This sudden shift in her emotions doesn't get by the Amistr, either, and it observes the new entities in the meantime. Depending on circumstances, it might attempt to wriggle free to get a closer look or sniff at either of them, with Alashandra being sure enough that it won't do anything else, probably...

[OOC: Checking in on how you feel about Alashandra's Amistr figuratively/literally butting heads with ol' Shabby? Or perhaps even getting fond of the Demon King? I can keep it on a leash if preferred, but otherwise feel free to make use of it if it helps the tag along!]

IB

[pissoffbook]

Kainé had been trudging up the cliffs herself when she heard the pompous voice and bristled. It reminded her of a certain book. When she reaches the top of the cliff she glances over at the other woman with the struggling demon in hand.

"I'd toss his ass over too." she comments bluntly once she sees where the origin of the voice was, too much like Weiss for her own comfort.