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

[wolfhunted]

Lead with me head...?

[That's a lot of slightly confusing instructions, but Robyn does her best to follow them. She soon finds herself diving deeper into the water after Alberto, perhaps not with the same degree of finesse, but at least she's getting the hang of it.]

The Change? What do you mean? Is that somethin' that happens often here? [Robyn isn't surprised that there'd be people living underwater in this world, but she doesn't know much about them.]

[prontissimo]

Yeah, yeah, y'know— I mean... I guess you don't know, considering you're still half-human, but it's fine, you'll get the hang of it eventually.

[ Alberto really has no idea what's going on, himself. But he sure acts like he does. ]

Let's go to the village. But follow my lead— they may be afraid of land monsters. Or— half-land monsters. Whatever you are. Just don't freak them out, okay?

[ Why is this on her?! But at least he's looking out for her at the same time?! ]

[wolfhunted]

Land monster? I'm not a land monster.

[Well, okay, maybe whoever lives in the village might view people who live up on land as monsters. So Alberto may have a point about trying not to make too much of a fuss while they're down here.]

And I thought turnin' into a wolf was all I had to deal with...

[prontissimo]

[ He waves a dismissive hand back at her, his tone light, and just as dismissive... ]

Human, land monster, same difference.

[ Is all this to imply... he's not an otherworlder who's been transformed, like she is? Not a human, just a local merperson? Does this kid live down here? Somehow it doesn't seem like that, either. He looks so different than the other creatures rescuing their human peers from the surface. He's more than a bit perplexing the way he's talking about all this, surely, in regards to his own position in this predicament. He really doesn't seem all that bothered.

As they keep swimming down though, well before they get to the village which is in sight but a ways off, he does want to raise a question after skipping a short beat in silence. ]

Uh... ...What's a wolf?

[wolfhunted]

[At this point, Robyn is starting to get the impression that Alberto thinks she's...whatever species he is. He doesn't only have a tail like she does, and he has a lot more scales...and it doesn't seem like he lives down here, either. Maybe he was brought here like she was.]

Oh, well, a wolf is...like a dog? But they're bigger, and they don't live with people. They live in the forest. [She's had to explain what wolves are to people before, so that question doesn't throw her off as much as it would have.]

uhigrs i keep forgetting to use his sea monster icons in this thread, excuse me ;c pretend i did lol

[prontissimo]

Oh. A big dog. I know all about dogs. I mean— [ He stops himself before he's caught in his own net. ] I've never actually met one. But! But! My friend's friend's mom has a dog, and he's sent me photos of it!

[ He says with full confidence, scrambling to keep it intact. ]

A big dog that lives alone in the woods sounds cool, though.

[ This appeals to him for personal reasons. He makes a mental note to find some wolves someday. Whatever they look like... ]

it's fine!

[wolfhunted]

Photos are pretty amazin', aren't they? [Robyn is from long before photos were invented, so she only learned about them after she came here. It's especially amazing how you can use your phone to take a photo and send it to someone else right away.]

Wolves don't live alone, though. They live in groups called packs, and they hunt for food together.

[prontissimo]

Oh. Nevermind, then.

[ What?! He's turned off from the idea of wolves now just because of that?! He loves photos, too, but they can talk about that later. He's segueing. He swims forward a little faster, wiggling as he'd instructed her to do, waving his hand to usher her along. ]

C'mon. We're almost there. They probably have some food down there we can hunt for together. You hungry?

[ So unfazed still... Food is probably the farthest thing from Robyn's mind! They just made a grueling mission and got struck by a tidal wave in a wild storm and nearly drowned and then got turned into sea creatures...! Well, actually, putting it that way, maybe something like that can work up an appetite! ]

[wolfhunted]

Er. A little bit, I guess...?

[Robyn is a bit confused by how Alberto suddenly lost interest in the subject like that. If they ever get back to the surface, she'll have to show him a thing or two about wolves.]

I've never hunted underwater before. [Hunting is something she has experience with, having been taught by her father and taking regular hunting trips in the forest outside Camelot, but now she feels even more out of her element than ever. She doesn't have Merlyn with her, or even her crossbow.]

[prontissimo]

Hunting? Oh, no, no. I was kidding. I mean— we can, if you want, but I bet the local fish farmers wouldn't appreciate that.

[ Fish farmers?! At least Alberto's respectful of that. They don't have anything comparable to money under the sea in his world, but he can appreciate fair trade. They put a lot of work into it, after all! Even if half of it is just... sitting around watching while the fish eat... making sure they don't get eaten... ]

We can probably find some sea cucumbers or something around somewhere. A light snack.

[ Just before they reach the village, he slows down, just to make this comment to her face, side-by-side. ]

Man, you really are human, aren't you? Listen— just follow my lead.

[ Somehow, "just follow my lead" always end up being somewhat... foreboding words. At least when spoken by Alberto, that is. The smug smirk he says it with doesn't necessarily inspire confidence, either. Does he actually know what he's doing here...? ]

[wolfhunted]

But you just said--oh, never mind.

[This guy is making Robyn more confused by the minute. She can't tell if he really knows what he's doing or not, and that's becoming more foreboding the closer they get to the village. She just hopes he won't get them both in trouble.]

It's not like I've been a mermaid very long...but fine, I'll follow your lead.

[prontissimo]

Ugh, I was joking — y'know, about the wolves? Nevermind...

[ Right back atcha, Robyn. Alberto rolls his eyes, and they swim on. ]

Okay, look. There's a kelp garden. I recognize that. [ Wait, that's the first lapse in his expertise, he merely recognizes it?! ] I bet they have other stuff growing just beyond. You keep watch and I'll—

Hey! Who's over there!

[ A strangely accented voice interrupts them as they linger suspended by the edge of the tall kelp leaves, not hidden well enough, clearly. A merperson is swimming toward them rapidly. Alberto shoots Robyn a worried glance at first, inadvertently, then smooths that expression over into a smug smirk, ever-confident, waving both hands at her as if to say calm down, then darts into the kelp to hide, waving her along.

They're, like, literally immediately in trouble. ]

[wolfhunted]

[Well, so much for not drawing too much attention. Robyn dives into the kelp after Alberto, hopefully out of the angry merperson's sight, though she's still breathing hard. She's sneaked out of town back home more than once, but going into a town were you may not even be welcome is another thing entirely. She'd rather not get accused of theft on her first day here.]

We'll get caught like this! [Robyn says this in a whisper, but there's still some frustration there.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto's not concerned even slightly about the concept of theft — especially if he's thieving vegetation. It'll just... grow back. What's the big deal? They do well to keep hidden by the kelp leaves, though, the giant seaweeds swaying giving them glimpses of the merperson who'd called to them, swimming right by... Alberto turns and grins at Robyn as the merman passes, then ushers her along silently, swimming very deftly around each bunch of kelp so as not to cause much movement in the greens. Now he's having her do loops and figure-eights hidden in an obstacle course of a garden after just giving her basic swimming tips... Talk about getting thrown into the deep end.

He lingers at the edge of the other side of the kelp garden, waiting for Robyn to catch up, peeking through the brush. There are more merpeople, just beyond, tending other undersea garden patches... They all look rather different. Some have the bottoms of a cecaelia, many tentacled, or some more snakelike nagas, not just the fishtailed merpeople like Robyn's own look... Alberto's looking on with dazzled eyes at first, but Robyn may catch a split second vague look of disappointment, melancholy, fear, something more disheartened than the reckless confidence she's seen so far, when he watches several other sea monsters pass by but realizes... no one looks like him... But when he sees her by his side, he turns to her quickly, shaking that forlorn thought off like water off a duck's back. ]

Look at all these different sea monsters!

[ He whispers excitedly, eyes practically glowing with glee. Little in life thrills Alberto more than sheer novelty. If it's new and he doesn't understand it... he's into it. Poor Robyn? Just got loped in on that joy ride... ]

[wolfhunted]

[Robyn does her best to keep up with Alberto, but his swimming maneuvers are a bit more complicated than she's used to, especially when there's all this kelp to navigate around. She thought she did a pretty good job of keeping up with Mebh in the forest back home, but being underwater is certainly a different experience.

Once she catches up, for a moment she's just as entranced as Alberto is when she lays eyes on all the merpeople working on their gardens. She never thought a whole other society lived in the ocean here...it really does feel like something out of a story.]

There are a lot of them...do you think any of them can tell us what's goin' on?

wanna write one of the npc merpeople?

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto takes a moment's pause to consider this suggestion, glancing at Robyn with a dubious look, biting his bottom lip in thought. He's normally not one to ask for help. Even arriving in Avalon at all, on his very first day, he pretended to pretty much everyone as if he were unfazed by being spirited away — even as if he knew where he was. Even lied saying he'd been here before — on vacation! His need for a sense of self-sufficiency is out of control.

He chews on the idea a second longer, then gives the girl a nod. ]

Yeah— let's talk to them. But play it cool. I bet we can get the information out of them without even asking.

[ Why is he like this. Why is his energy just pure manipulative chaos.

He swims forward out of the cover of kelp, waving her along, and shows himself at last. He swims up to the nearest person, a naga-type floating by another kelp garden, feeding some weird-looking crabs crowded together in the sand below. Not far off is another cecaelian type, cutting down kelp leaves with something like a scythe. Farmers indeed. A society indeed. Alberto isn't in awe at this at all, it seems. He's friendly and casual as can be when he approaches the naga person. ]

Excuse me, Signor — can you help us...? We're looking for a boy named Luca. He's green with blue scales. Like twelve, kinda shrimpy. Have you seen him?

[ Alberto runs a hand over his own purple scaly "hair" demonstratively. This is his opening? That has nothing to do with their situation! ]

(( The mods said this when I asked them about the merpeople's village. ))

sure!

[wolfhunted]

[Robyn's no stranger to farming, since she lived in a rural area before moving to Ireland with her father, but it's certainly interesting to see how these seadwelling people go about it. Too bad there are other priorities at hand.

...and this missing boy is not what she expected Alberto to bring up to the nearest person who could help them. Though the naga doesn't seem too perturbed.]

I have not. I don't believe I've seen you two around here before, either. Would you happen to be from the surface?

[Robyn cuts in as soon as she sees an opening.] Yes! Well, I mean...at least, I am. I turned into a mermaid when I went underwater. Do you know what's happenin'?

Indeed. I'm afraid you've been cursed.

[The naga says that rather coolly, but it still doesn't sit well with Robyn.] Cursed...?!

[prontissimo]

No, no, no, no. I'm not cursed. She's cursed. I'm normal. I'm fine.

[ He's fine. He's always fine. How's that?

Way to throw Robyn under the bus, though.

It's at this point the tentacled person's ears (or lack thereof) perk up, twisting her head around to look at the two. The girl... looks fine. The boy? The old cecaelian woman has never seen anyone like him. She sets her scythe down and swims the short distance over. ]

You're looking for someone, child? But you're from the surface? You need to leave!

[ Alberto can't help but throw a pout her way, then glancing at Robyn, a flash of clear uncertainty across his face, before replacing it with his usual confident smirk. ]

Hahaha, why? We're just trying to find our friend! How'd curses get into it?!

[ Both sea monsters look at each other, like... what's with this weird kid who doesn't look like any other sea monsters but is clearly a sea monster. Why ain't he bothered. They're serious. There's a curse. These children gotta go. The old octopus woman looks to the naga like... what now. ]

[wolfhunted]

The very fact that you are here curses you. You were pulled here so you would be saved from drowning, but if you stay for too long you will stay in our town permanently. You must leave for the surface as soon as possible!

Permanently? [Well, that's no good. It's nice that everyone was prevented from drowning, but if that could potentially lead to becoming merpeople forever...well, Robyn wouldn't mind visiting this place again, but she'd rather not be stuck here.]

So if we just leave for the surface as soon as we can, we'll be alright?

[She shoots an apologetic look at Alberto. As frustrated as she's been with him, she can understand wanting to look for someone and make sure they're alright. But if they stay for too long...]

[prontissimo]

[ With somehow both a thickness and a bite in his tone, and a dejected, annoyed pout replacing the smirk that had been frozen on his face all this time, Alberto’s response is quite quick. ]

Okay. Bye.

[ Wh-what…? It was that easy to dissuade him?!

Like hell is he getting trapped in some alien sea monster town, though. He didn’t even live in his own sea monster town back home…! It’s not that he resents being a sea monster, but… he much prefers life on the surface. He’s not risking that. Not for another second.

And so he waves to the merpeople limply, dismissively, as he immediately turns his back to them and shoots off upwards. He doesn’t acknowledge Robyn at first, barely looked her in the eye when she shot him that apologetic look — he just leaves…! And he’s a fast swimmer, even for a sea monster, wow; far faster than he’d been when moseying along with Robyn, whom he seems to have all but abandoned.

But after a second, floating a ways above her and the two very confused and concerned (and mildly offended?) merpeople, Alberto looks back to Robyn and calls to her, still just seeming… strangely annoyed. ]

C’mon!

[wolfhunted]

Wait...!

[Robyn quickly thanks the merpeople and swims after Alberto, which is more difficult for her now that he's going a lot faster than he did earlier. She doesn't know what to make of his reaction--isn't he a merperson, too? Maybe his friend is on the surface, if he isn't here?]

Maybe your friend made to the surface alread--ah!

[It's at this moment that Robyn spots something: her crossbow, which has somehow ended up in a bed of kelp just below them. That's something she can't leave behind, so she dives down to grab it.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto's impatiently waiting for her to catch up, when suddenly she descends instead. He groans and rolls his eyes, unseen and unheard by her at least, and turns around to meet her again, swimming back down after her. For as strangely terse yet playful as this guy's been, he's apparently feeling chummy enough to stick around her, like they'd partnered off. For someone who makes himself seem so self-sufficient, buddying up sure does seem in his interest, even if he's not acting much like a good buddy. Frankly he's a bit rude. But still, for what it's worth — not only does he wait for her, but even turns around to be sure she's okay.

He notices the crossbow, too, as his eyes follow her down. He has a well-trained eye for looking for human stuff at the bottom of the sea. But... he doesn't know what a crossbow is or what it does, nor does he realize it's hers. It's in no time at all he's caught up with her already, but he hovers a ways away, still within earshot, but is giving her space for... whatever it is she's doing. ]

Gee. Priorities: escape the weird cursed sea monster village to avoid becoming a weird cursed fish person forever, ooor... grab a souvenir. Hm. Tough call.

[ Alberto, your needling isn't needed. ]

[wolfhunted]

[Luckily, Robyn is able to grab the crossbow before whoever owns the kelp bed sees her and thinks she's trying to take some. Though she still heard Alberto's comment, which causes her to huff in annoyance.]

It's not a souvenir, it's me crossbow. It's one of the only things I have from home, so I don't want to lose it.

[Not only that, it's the one thing she has here that reminds her of her father--how he taught her how to use it, and how they would hunt for food together before he had to work for the Lord Protector and things changed between them.]

Let's keep goin', then.

[prontissimo]

[ Hearing that softens his reaction some, drawing a far more empathetic stare than he'd given her so far, but he doesn't say anything for a second. Just waits for her to ascend again, and once they're level, he slowly starts swimming faster bit-by-bit, as if to silently urge her to keep up, like a casual challenge. After a beat once they fall into "stride" again, Alberto speaks up, his tone a little lighter, less sarcastic, less smug, his cockeyed subtle smile seeming friendlier at last. ]

...I dunno what that thing is, but I've got stuff from home here, too — stuff I wouldn't wanna lose, either. Like my drawings, my hat, my camera...

[ Drawings and hats and cameras are definitely human things from the surface that don't exist underwater, surely. So is he or is he not really a merperson?! What's the deal here?! ]

[wolfhunted]

[Robyn catches up to Alberto while picking bits of kelp out of her crossbow. She hopes the metal parts don't get too rusty from being down here...]

It's for huntin'. Me father's a hunter, and he taught me how to use it. It isn't much good without arrows, but I know how to make more.

[Alberto's mention of various human items doesn't go unnoticed, though the camera does intrigue her.]

You have a camera? I've heard them mentioned here, but I've never seen one. We don't have them at all where I'm from.