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

[prontissimo]

Oh, good.

[ That's exactly what Alberto was thinking. So he grabs her wrist in his hand again, just as when they'd first descended, but this time drags her upwards, finally a bit of sun shining through the surface in the distance, enough to see its rays dance on the ripples away in the shallows. It's still a swim yet, but a sight Alberto is always happy to see. ]

Then you're not allowed to be freaked out, then.

[ Wait what does that mean, uh

But he Just Keeps Swimming... ]

[wolfhunted]

What do you mean by that?

[Though Robyn is momentarily distracted from getting an answer when she sees that they're getting closer to the surface. She feels relief at that; at this point, she's pretty sure that curse will be broken once they break the surface of the water, like the merfolk said. She wouldn't mind going back to their town to see more, but she'd rather not be stuck in the ocean permanently.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto doesn't give her an answer. Just keeps on moving forward, his comfortable smirk back in place.

It occurs to him, only after his vague instinctual warning, that maybe he doesn’t even need to warn her… That if the curse is lifted when they break surface, like the other sea people said, it’ll just look like he’d been cursed too when they both make the Change. And that sly realization puts him more at ease suddenly. He feels particularly lucky. ]

Nothing. Nevermind.

[ He says with an airy voice and a dismissive wave over his shoulder, picking up speed a little again. Cryptic, annoying. ]

C’mon, let’s hurry. I just wanna get out of here.

[wolfhunted]

Alright.

[Robyn wonders if this boy will ever give her a completely straight answer about anything. He seems pretty evasive about some things...maybe once they get to the surface and they're clear of this curse, they can talk more later on.]

I hope it's not too far to the shore from here...

[prontissimo]

Hehe, yeah, it can't be far! C'mon! Go as fast as you can!

[ He takes her in tow once more, this time hand-in-hand, rather than his hand on her wrist as the other two times before, and starts shooting off and up. His mood shifts are hard to keep up with, in itself, as if he can just disguise anything with a burst of energy and bravery. The ultimate distraction. Like a switch he's learned to flip on and off.

He's grinning, rather than smirking, as they dash upwards. At least he's more encouraging of her, the closer they get to the surface, his eyes lighting up as he sees more and more sunshine. He's ready to go back up. He doesn't want anything to do with some curse that might trap him in the sea again. He glances back at Robyn over his shoulder again, holding her hand tight between his webbed fingers, observing her swimming as he helps tug her along, whether she needs it or not. He shoots her a toothy grin with his sharp sea monster teeth, letting out an amused chuckle. ]

Ha! Yeah, that's it!

[ She's made progress in how to wiggle her fish-butt right since he first tugged her down! ]

[wolfhunted]

[Robyn's swimming has steadily improved throughout this whole ordeal, and the motivation to get to the surface helps to make her swim faster. And to be fair to Alberto, his encouragement is also helping.

She takes a deep breath before her head breaks the surface of the water, but she finds she's able to let it go once she's in the open air. She lifts the hand that isn't holding Alberto's...and sure enough, it's not webbed anymore.]

Ha! We did it!

[Of course, she hasn't noticed whether or not it's worked for Alberto yet.]

[prontissimo]

[ They can feed off each other's energy. He breaks the surface first, and yet... remains a sea monster, his head bobbing above water as she comes to, even as her hand transforms back to normal. He doesn't let go of her other one as he peers around them, then points with his free hand as soon as he spots land. ]

There!

[ Then... surprisingly, perhaps, tugs them both back underwater, knowing he's able to swim faster when submerged, but shoots horizontally off in the direction of shore. Grin still in place, though, he spins around and finally releases her hand again. ]

Hey— check this out!

[ And dives a short zip deeper, just to gain speed and distance to shoot out of the water at a greater height, leaping through the air above. Through the ripples he causes, there is a vague... change, as he'd alluded to, as he's flying splayed out overhead, but it's hard to see clearly, and when he crashes back into the water, he's a sea monster just as he's been all along. But he's laughing. ]

C'mon, you try it! Jump! We're almost to the shore!

[ As in— this is your last chance to play around as a sea monster! Him? Not so much. He seems fine... But hasn't he acted as much this whole time? ]

[wolfhunted]

[Robyn is about to protest when Alberto tugs her back underwater, just when the curse is broken, but seeing him jump out of the water like that enthralls her. She's immediately reminded of the night she first became a Wolfwalker and Mebh showed her how high she could jump as a wolf, and how thrilling it had been try that for herself.

She does still have her mermaid tail...it wouldn't hurt to try it again.]

Wait for me! [She swims a little deeper to get some momentum, and then moves faster towards the surface to launch herself out of the water. She doesn't get as high up as Alberto did, but it's still enough for her to let out a whoop of excitement. Though her tail does turn back into legs in the process, and she has to hold her breath before she goes back underwater again, she's still laughing once she breaks the surface again.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto's visibly delighted to see Robyn play along, and that condescension from before starts to dissolve into just... genuine fun-loving-ness. He does a more gymnastic zig-zag through the water to gain momentum, and on his way back up, grabs her by the hand once more, this time tugging her out of the water at the same time with him, releasing her once they're up. And just as her fishtail had disappeared before when she leapt out of the water... after a moment, Alberto's fins and gills do, too — and his scales — and his tail — and his... well... everything. He becomes slowly-yet-quickly— human. Her first clear glimpse of him as a human.

But that's to be expected, right?

He splays his arms and legs wide out as they can go, beaming at the girl he'd tugged up above with him, suspended in midair together before crashing back down into the water with a large splash. He's laughing outright this time, just— having fun. He's barely gone swimming since arriving here, for... many reasons. It's only natural there's something refreshing about it. ]

Yeah-hah! Avanti!

[ And erring away from the theatrics, upon their crash back down, Alberto shoots off straight ahead, not quite as fast as he can go, but pretty dang fast, just... excited. Ready to go back. Ready to have a cover to play with someone as a sea monster and not be scared or paranoid. But the shore is fast approaching, and he's frankly always low-key excited to get out of the water nowadays. Just now— high-key.

Even if he's much faster than her — even than most other sea monsters — he darts in a figure-eight or two for fun to kill time waiting for her to catch up as they reach the shallows. They're in this together now, seemingly; however dismissive of her he's been all along, he's also been... strangely loyal? ]

[wolfhunted]

[It feels easier for Robyn to be around Alberto now that they're just playing around in the water like this and not worrying about a curse. It's even more exciting when he takes her hand and jumps out of the water with her. While she does see Alberto's transformation, despite it happening so quickly, she doesn't think much of it; after all, the same thing happened to her. And she can't say much about it when he lets go of her hand and she falls back down into the water again.

It takes some time for her to catch up to Alberto after that, since she doesn't have a tail anymore. Once she gets to the shallows, she stands up and starts walking, wringing the water out of her hair.]

At least we got here before anythin' happened.

[prontissimo]

[ Meantime, Alberto’s shaken himself dry, which Robyn might have caught the tail end of (no pun intended) as she surfaced and walked up from the shallows. He’s standing fully human on the shore now, contraposto with his hands on his hips, glancing around with that characteristic vague smirk on his face again, much more becoming as a human now, and eventually gazing at the slowly setting sun with narrowed eyes. Stop staring at the sun, Alberto, who does that… But he’s just glad to see it after that, uh, little hiccup they just escaped. When she speaks to him, he does at least turn to her, acting unfazed. ]

Yeah, hah— Hey, you weren’t half bad swimming, for your first time…!

[ A compliment from Alberto isn’t exactly rare, but somehow it’s always a bit nonchalant and offhand… ]

[wolfhunted]

I can swim just fine normally. I'm just not used to swimmin' with a tail.

[Robyn wades up to the shore and sits down so she can take off her boots to get the water out of them. Noticing Alberto looking at the sun, she looks at it too, though she makes sure to shade her eyes.]

It's nice to see the sun again, after all that. [With all that talk about a curse, who knew if either of them ever would.]

[prontissimo]

Ha, yeah, no— I'm not about to let some weirdo sea-people take the sun away from me.

[ Not like it's his, of course... He waves an emphatic arm at it, shooting Robyn a wry smirk. ]

Life on land is way better, right~ They don't know what they're missing out on down there. Heh, bet those guys don't even know anything about the sun!

[ Alberto... Neither do you... You thought the moon was a fish... ]

[wolfhunted]

The sea was pretty nice...but I'd hate to be stuck down there.

[Honestly, Robyn would hate to be stuck anywhere, even somewhere as interesting as the merfolk town in the ocean. She values her personal freedom too much for that, and she already knows what it's like to be forced to stay put in one place.]

I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't ever go back to the woods again whenever I wanted.

[prontissimo]

Exactly! No, thanks. As soon as they said that, I was like, N-no-no-no-no-no...!

[ He waves his hands dismissively, animated, shaking his head along as he theatrically declines, but he's grinning wider than before, a wetter humor in his voice (no pun intended) — leaning on this experience they've just shared, although it's not as if he needs to recount any of it to her! He's just emphasizing. He's Italian. ]

[wolfhunted]

[Robyn just laughs at that. Although...]

I think I'd like to go back and visit sometime, though. Just as long as I don't get cursed again. I didn't even know there were merpeople livin' in the ocean here.

[She's heard plenty of stories about mermaids and selkies back home, of course. And after meeting Mebh and becoming a Wolfwalker, she's not so surprised that such things can be real.]

[prontissimo]

[ He takes a seat on the sand with a soft sigh of relief, rolling his eyes a bit at the comment as he does. ]

Yeah, I might go visit them again, as long as they don't try to curse me— ...uh, again.

[ A shifty look toward her as he catches himself. And swiftly moves on, throwing himself onto his back in the sand a little dramatically for good measure, before lying splayed out and staring up at the sky. The sun isn't high enough to bother his eyes from this angle, so he can just appreciate the clouds and colors — and more important, he's a good enough ways up onto the shore that he doesn't worry about the tides coming and tickling at exposing his convenient cover-up here. He rolls his head over to one side to look at her again, playing it all very casual. ]

So— there aren't any merpeople or sea monsters or anything like that where you're from?

[wolfhunted]

I don't really know. I've heard stories about mermaids and selkies and things, and most people probably don't think they're real, but...maybe they could be.

[She did find out Wolfwalkers were real, after all, even if her father just dismissed them as made up when she tried to tell him about helping Mebh. And then there was the whole issue of becoming one herself.]

I've always liked hearin' stories even if adults think they're just tall tales, but I think there has to be somethin' true in them.

[prontissimo]

Sel-kies...?

[ He leans up a little, propping himself up on his elbows and arching his brow at her. Alberto's from Italy, there ain't no selkies. He's interested in all the other kinds of sea monsters now, though, after seeing those weird-looking people down there. He'd had no idea. It's a little unnerving, but... still fascinating. ]

[wolfhunted]

They're seal people. Normally they're seals, but they can take their sealskins off and become humans. I heard stories about them after Father and I moved to Ireland.

[Robyn doesn't mind talking about this stuff. She's always had a fondness for hearing and telling stories.]

Mostly they're about a lady selkie havin' to marry a human man because he stole her sealskin. But later on she takes her sealskin back and goes back to the sea.

[She's honestly not sure why the selkies are so willing to put up with that kind of coercion.]

[prontissimo]

Woah, so they can make the Change— I mean... kinda what we just did...— but they need a— second skin...? That can come off and on? Like clothes? Seal clothes?

[ He looks a little amused by this, but also a little dazzled. Sounds like a right predicament having someone steal your skin, though. Better to just have your body change itself. He feels suddenly a little lucky to be the kind of sea monster that he is. ]

[wolfhunted]

I guess so? They look like seals when they have their skin on, but when they take it off they're human underneath. At least, that's what they say in the stories.

...I think there might be selkies livin' here, too. I wonder if they're any different from the stories...

[Robyn's pretty sure she heard something about a selkie causing trouble a few months ago.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto looks at her quietly, an odd expression on his face, then lies back down in the sand with his hands behind his head, gazing skyward once more. Selkies, merpeople, cecaelians, nagas... All these other sea monsters here. None of them looked like him. Not that he was necessarily looking for anyone like himself — even here... he has no interest in living undersea. But it's still a little disheartening hearing about so much variety and still being just as alone as he was back home, if not even more so. ]

...Do you like being human?

[ What kind of question is that? He doesn't look back to her, talks while watching the clouds, but there's a strange ruminative element to his voice that's not been present until now, that cannot be disguised. ]

I mean— you were a sea monster just now. If you didn't have to be human, would you wanna be anything else? Like— how the selkies can take off and put on their seal clothes? I mean—

[ He glances back to her, smirking a little again this time, but not the smug smirk he's worn so well. Just a lighthearted look. ]

Provided no one traps you or anything.

[wolfhunted]

I don't mind bein' human. It's what I was born as.

[Of course, Robyn never thought she'd be anything else before she accidentally became a Wolfwalker. She isn't so sure she's like Mebh, who prefers being a wolf and even acts pretty wolflike as a human...she wasn't born as a Wolfwalker like Mebh was, after all. But that first night as a wolf still changed everything for her.]

Before I came here, though...I did get a chance to be somethin' else. And...now I guess I'm just as much that somethin' else as I am human. They're both part of who I am.

[prontissimo]

...Something else? You're a human but you did the Change into— ...not-a-human?

[ She's caught his attention and his eye again with this cryptic comment. ]