TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 11

[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 Atlantian Saury. Similar to Pacific Saury, these small fish don't have much lift power on their own... but contrary to their saltwater counterparts, Atlantian Saury are known for forming schools of thousands thick enough to lift a person right out of the water... as long as they aren't scared of a few fish flip-flopping out of the water and slapping them in the face with their tails. Animal mages will find they're very chatty, and very fast talkers, and very sensitive to each others' feelings. Insult one of them, and the whole school will start screaming and crying together. 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. In a deal with Camelot's farms, the drinks are honey-based-- mead, tea and honey, even healthy ginger shots with a dash of honey to take the edge off. (Naturally, virgin editions are available of any cocktails like the Bee's Knees 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: We return to Lestari to collect small creatures called fairy coins that look like stars, using a special bubble bar that allows flight but may have side effects such as truth-blurting or burping bubbles. Side quest: save some kids from some ancient giant bats. With the dangerous battle apparently waging on in the waters just off the coast of the island's west peninsula, the attempt to travel through Dinas Emrys is temporarily delayed. With Arthur back on his feet after a month of recovery, Merlin is working in the background on finding a way to get the travel party back on track. It's fine, since the autumn equinox is on the horizon anyway and there are a lot of preparations to be made. A ⦿ Fizzy Lifting Bar With the path to Lestari routed and still fresh, another caravan heads back up there, this time a group of Elphame Traders (sorry, they're sold out of goods, so you still can't buy again until the end of the month) who are assisting in the preparations. The Elphame Traders are paying anyone who makes the journey up there with them to head into a special place called a bubble bar that only opens up once a year, before the autumn solstice. At the bar, there are large tables with mideval-looking devices filled with vials of colorful liquids. The liquids are labeled with different flavors, like baked potato or bubblegum or something called gn'ooOOoo, which is reminisicent of the way that bumbleberry pie smells when you bake it but somehow doesn't taste like bumbleberry or pie. (It's a special kind of dwarven flavor.) It's no drug, don't worry-- it's magic. From the bottom of these wonderful flavors comes a tube and a replaceable mouthpiece (the traders will provide a disposable one for each person) and you're to take a deep breath in to feel the flavor overtake your whole being, then for about an hour afterward (you can refill as needed), you'll find yourself breathing out bubbles.. and flying. Have fun for a little while with this fizzy lifting bubble and get any hiccups (literal or figurative, as flavors can sometime change into something much weirder before changing back or can sometimes have the side effect of making you blurt out truths to the person you're talking to. The side effects will fade in time, even after multiple stops at the bar. B ⦿ Stars in Your Eyes Once you get past the initial side effects of the bubble bar, your temporary flight can be put to good use: gathering stars. More specifically, a special kind of living rock. They're about the size of a medium-length pinky finger nail and shaped like stars. Some people call them fairy coins, these tiny stars come in a variety of colors and fly around at the top of the caverns that contain Lestari. They do not glow and aren't visible from the ground, so you may not have even noticed them the first time you were there... especially since they're quick and tend to hibernate during the summer and wake up as fall approaches. Maybe try some of your magic out to catch them-- they're pretty indestructable, so you can use any magic at your disposal to try to catch them in jars to gather for the autumn equinox. Don't worry, they won't be harmed in the process! The Elphame Traders will explain they're kind of like magic batteries that have the ability to pass through veil and guide the dead from the underworld through Avalon and on to other worlds from the autumn equinox through the month of October. The variation in travel times is why so many cultures end up with their days of the dead passing near the world at similar, but not the exact same times. What they will emphasize is that there's a big gold prize for the person who catches the most of them.. so don't be lax in trying to compete to catch more than your neighbor! ..Just be careful not to catch them in your eyes, as they like to magically hide in reflective surfaces and can only be gotten out by telling a lie to someone you like.. a repulsive act that will scare them out of your eyes and make you a bit less, well, starry-eyed. C ⦿ Minor Side Quest Fairy coin eggs are laid deep within the rock, so don't worry about disrupting them-- they'll hatch for the next year once it cools down enough for winter and live through they life cycle uninterrupted by groundfolk interference. It's important to note because you will need to forage for something else while you're flying around up at the top of the cave. Well, not so much forage as get out of the rocks... it seems like during the first visit, someone brought their fairy chameleon familiar along with them and it crawled up into the ceiling to have a brood of baby chameleons. Unlike real chameleons, these magical reptiles will change colors to match literally anything they come in contact with, and as babies let out a rather pungent smell to scare away predators... And that happens to have woken up giant bats the size of people that have been flying around and scooping up pets and small children and taking them up into the rocks. While you've got that gift of flight, why don't you take a look around for some of the misplaced children and pets. The people of Lestari didn't even know those bats were up there, and they seem pretty primitive... even animal mages might find them speaking caveman-style and focused on nothing but base animal instincts. Oh, and they have 6-inch fangs and even bigger claws. Take a partner so you can fend off their captors while one of you takes care of the captive! SUMMARY:Those in Camelot help prep for the autumn equinox by gathering the ashes of the dead for a ritual to bind spirit guardians to characters via tattoo brands. Other volunteers act as personal genies for those willing to host guardians. Those close to Camelot will not be without preparations to make, whether they took the trip to Lestari and came back later or stayed the whole time. There are a couple of tasks that will take.. well, quite a few types of badasses. The first preparation involves the binding of ash to mages to create spirit guardians for the dead. While the fairy coins act like batteries for the magic that lets the dead pass through the veil, spirit guardians are needed to direct them to the correct worlds.. or in this case, to welcome them to Avalon and direct them back to the underworld safely. The universe outside of this is frozen in time and space, there's nowhere for them to go, and that means things could get dangerous when the solstice rolls by if things don't go as planned. Which means they need as many mages as possible to volunteer for this.. somewhat painful process. A ⦿ The Fighting Badass (CW: Undead creatures, destruction of remains) The first ingredient needed to raise spirit guardians is the ashes of the dead. Since they can't wait around for current ashes, a group of people will be sent out to the Land of Rot for monster-slaying. Capture an undead creature and bring back its remains to the giant cauldron roiling away all month in Camelot's town square. Be careful- undead creatures tend to pop back up even after you slay them more than once, and the trip takes more than a day, so you may have to spend all night waking up to make sure that your skeleton hasn't started crawling out of your backpack to gnaw on your arm. The remains will have to be burned in Camelot's crematorium until it turns to ash and can be placed in the cauldron, so you've got an arduous and tedious journey ahead of you. B ⦿ The Pain-Tolerant Badass (CW: Branding/tattoos) The next part of the preparation involves the removal of what appear to be pitch-black eggs that glow hot like coals from within the cauldron after it stirs in the ashes of the dead. Volunteers will be asked to act as hosts for the spirit guardians. Volunteers can lie face-down on special obsidian slabs that have been laid out around the cauldron. Others who are less brave are welcomed to use iron tongs to remove the eggs from the cauldron and place them on the backs of those who lay on the obsidian, then cast whatever magic they have on the eggs. This will cause them to crack and their insides to ooze out and sear a tattoo into the backs of the person they are placed upon. The designs are representative of some facet of the person they have bonded with. Though the process itself stings like only a burning hot tattoo can, after a couple of days, those who volunteered will find themselves immune to pain until the autumn equinox. C ⦿ The Caring Badass (CW: Consensual submission) The other two badasses have been through a lot, and no one can deny that the kind of person who can see someone go through things like that and be willing to be a shoulder to lean on is their own special level of badass. Anyone who isn't bearing a tattoo can volunteer to be a caretaker-- a special spellbound servant who is required to fulfill any need, like a personal genie, for a person with a tattoo for the duration of their shift (one day per person)! Those who take on this role are given special privileges for the rest of the month and can essentially get free meals from any restaurant in town for their sacrifice. It is voluntary to be spellbound for this position and none of the special priests around town are unclear about the terms-- anything needed means anything. Absolute refusal will result in the spell being broken to prevent non-consensual practices, but will unfortunately result in the person you are caretaking for losing their bond with the spirit guardian, resulting in return of pain reception and yield no reward in the equinox. This makes it important that guardian hosts don't push it to anything too abhorrent to their caretaker. Though you may not know each other to start, you'll undoubtedly come to trust each other by the end of the day and assure the spirit guardian it is in a place it belongs. 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.

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Asgore Dreemurr | Undertale

[journalname]

i. arrival

[Asgore can swim just fine. It's the water that's the problem.

When he arrives on the beach, he looks rather like an eight-foot-tall drowned rat. Water drips from his soaked beard and long floppy ears, tinging lightly on his metal breastplate. An attempt to pat some of the water out of his hair does, more or less, nothing.

Instinctively, he reaches for his fire magic to try himself...but nothing happens. Asgore stares down at his paws for a moment.]

Oh, dear...

[Magic is part of a monster's very soul. What on earth does it mean if his is gone, yet he is still here?

But there are no other monsters here to ask about it. There are, in a fact that's beginning to make him increasingly nervous, rather a lot of humans. For several reasons, standing on the beach contemplating such matters doesn't really appeal. So he drifts after the rest of the crowd, following everyone else's lead in ascending the stairs carved into the rock face. It's basically impossible to pass him, his bulk taking up easily the entire path, but at least he seems to be navigating it pretty quickly. He's gotten used to rocky paths, and his claws do help. If anyone nearby seems to be having trouble, he'll offer:]

Ah, excuse me - but would you like a hand?

ii. the red spring - training grounds

[After learning a little more about this place, Asgore decides that one of his first priorities should be working to understand the new form of his magic.

It's still strange that it's shifted - as if something within his very soul had altered. But there's no time to dwell on that. Monsters usually learn to control their magic while they are still young, and it is still developing. For an adult monster, especially a boss monster, to lack control...it could be a danger to those around him. He's got a lot of catch-up work to do.

He's really not feeling either target practice or an obstacle course right now, so he joins the meditation circle going on instead. It seems like...a nice practice. Calming, perhaps.

He closes his eyes and focuses on his breathing, thinking back to his long-ago first magic lessons. It is rather relaxing! After a while, small flowers start to bloom around where he's sitting, although with his eyes still closed he doesn't appear to have noticed.]

iii. caring badass

[Asgore doesn't much care to seek out combat, and he's pretty unsure about this entire egg phenomenon - for several reasons, really, isn't he still mostly made of magic?

This, though, is something he can do. It's actually rather a nice idea, helping to take care of someone for a little while.
He smiles as he goes to greet his new...partner? Ward? For the day, trying his best to make himself seem less large and potentially intimidating. That, at least, is something he tends to be good at.]

My name is Asgore. It is good to meet you. Is there anything you need?

ii

[letmewin]

( For the most part, Asriel doesn't attempt to greet any newcomers. There's always a chance, no matter how small, that someone from their world might end up here. No matter how much he wants to see them again, he knows better than to try to actively seek anyone out - for their sakes. The last thing he wants to do is hurt anyone or burden them with the knowledge that he's both alive and himself in this world.

At this point, practicing his magic isn't anything out of the ordinary. Much like Asgore, he isn't someone who looks to actively fight at all. Instead, his magic is something that he uses to protect - to help things like plants grow or keep others warm when it's cold. It's exactly why he's there when Asgore is, but it doesn't take long for Asriel to spot him at all.

He can feel the way his heart constricts before sinking - and there's a part of him that wants to call out for his dad, but there's a bigger part of him that's scared. He can't face him. There's no way. Not after everything he's done to him. At the least, Asgore seems focused on trying to use his magic. Much like he had attempted to do so with Sans, he's going to try to quietly try to leave before he's noticed. )

[journalname]

[Asgore is doing his best to concentrate on his magic, but a true meditative state is rather beyond him right now; he's still reasonably aware of his surroundings. Especially here, where everything is so unfamiliar. He's not afraid, really, just...a bit uncomfortable, after so many centuries closed up in the Underground, where he knew every inch of the place and everyone in it. He's sure he will feel better when he gets to know some people here.

So when he hears someone approaching, and quickly halting, he turns to look. He's been trying very hard not to seem threatening to people here - maybe inviting someone to practice magic with him will be a good way to make some friends?

He freezes, half-turned where he was sitting on the ground. The thing is...of course, he's wanted to see Asriel again for a long time. But he's under no illusion that he really deserves that. Is this even real? How could that even...? Though he's longed for nothing more than this, in the moment, the shock is so much that he can barely even choke out words:]

As...riel...?

cw death mention

[letmewin]

( His name is said so quietly, but it's still enough to make him stop in his steps. but he doesn't dare turn yet. He had hoped that he would have ran away before Asgore could take notice of him, but now that he has noticed him, he's torn. A part of him wants to just run, and another part him wants to deny that it's him, but he knows that that'd be silly. Running at this point might cause more hurt than good, as well.

So, he doesn't turn yet, seemingly frozen where he stands. Tears sting the corners of his eyes when he feels the way guilt makes his stomach twist. He can't help but think about how -- if Asgore knew the truth -- how much disdain he may have for him, how hurt he'd be because of Asriel. He was the one who helped Chara die, he was the one who had gone along with the plan that had not only only torn their family apart, but had been the cause of the death of other children. He was the one who had heartlessly hurt so many people like it was nothing.

Chara had already confronted him with what he had said some time ago. How could he not be scared now?

A light whimper escapes him, using the sleeves of his sweater to wipe away the tears that were falling. His shoulders shake a little as he takes in a breath. )

I... I'm--

( He isn't sure what to say. What can he say? )

sorry for the delay!

[journalname]

[Asgore wouldn't have been shocked if he had run. Hurt, yes, terribly so. But he's thought over the years that, if his children could somehow know what had transpired in their absence, they wouldn't want very much to do with him again even if he ever did manage to die. It's not as if he just realized - he's always known that dream of his is just a useless fantasy, in the end.

It's hard not to read this situation, too, through that same lens of self-loathing. Asriel hardly seems pleased to see him. Does he know, somehow? But that's still faint around the shock, and - and it doesn't matter if Asriel hates him, that wouldn't mean Asgore would just stop caring himself. Has he been all alone here this entire time? Has someone been taking care of him?

(Is this even really happening? He can't bring himself to examine that one too closely.)

Asgore manages to get to his feet, and takes a few uncertain steps forward. He wants to rush in and sweep him off the ground, but...well, he'd rather Asriel run from him than have to fight off an unwanted hug.]

Asriel? Is that...really you...? [yes obviously he's crying too that's basically a given]

no worries! <3

[letmewin]

( Asriel sniffles then. He doesn't want to cry. Chara always told him that he was a crybaby - that big kids didn't cry, but it feels impossible to stop the tears from falling.

He doesn't turn yet, not ready to face his father. If only he knew what he was thinking, he could tell Asgore that he could never hate him. In truth, he hadn't wanted to see him again, but not out of anything negative he felt for his parents, but because he didn't want to hurt them again.

But... maybe, just maybe he was being cowardly, too. It feels like it was so long ago when he had told Asgore about what had happened when he had first turned into a flower. But now, he knows he could never be the same child he once was before he had changed. He can't help but be afraid of what they'll do when they realize that - when they know the truth about what he's done. )

I... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. It's all my fault.

[journalname]

What? Asriel - no, no. [Asgore takes a step closer and almost unthinkingly drops to one knee behind Asriel.] Nothing that happened was your fault.

[Asgore, naturally, connects this to the last time he can recall speaking to his son - his final moments. Asriel didn't last long, after he returned to the garden. No healing magic his parents could produce was enough. But he'd held himself together long enough to tell them what had happened. He said he was sorry then, too.

(It was the humans' fault. But Asgore can't let himself go to that place again.)]

I am sorry. We should not have left you alone.

[It all happened because he had to watch Chara die alone. They all should have been there - for Asriel, and for Chara as well.]

[letmewin]

( Even if they hadn't, Asriel knows that that wouldn't have stopped them from going forward with the plan. After Chara's sacrifice, Asriel would have made sure that it wasn't in vain. Being himself here for so long had made him sure of that. Even though he knows now that he should have told Chara from the beginning that it was a bad idea. But... it too late for that now. He knows better than to have regrets about such things, especially when everything seemed to have worked out for everyone.

Either way, Asgore could never know the extent of everything that Asriel wanted to apologize for. It's not something he's ready to admit to his father -- not now, and perhaps not ever.

He turns his head a bit then, if only to shake his head. )

... Chara and I-- We... We just wanted to free everyone back then.

[journalname]

[Asgore blinks, but that's not...entirely surprising to hear, he supposes. He knows (he thinks) that Asriel went to the Surface to finally bring Chara to the flowers. But with the Barrier finally permeable to them, how could they not have dreamed of freeing the rest of monsterkind? They must have dreamed of so many things.]

It's alright. That was not your responsibility.

[It was his.

He wishes they'd said something before they went - but then, he's wished that a long time.]

[letmewin]

( Wasn't it, though? Back then, he was the future prince of monsters, but... in a way, he can't help but think that Chara had thought it was something that they were responsible for. They were the one who came up with the plan. Asriel... went along with it, if only because they believed so strongly in Chara back then. It was only at the last moment that Asriel had realized that it wasn't a good idea.

He has so many things to apologize for -- but, it hurts knowing that he can't talk about them. Asgore has no memory of meeting him as a flower in the first place. Even if he were to tell him... Asriel can't help but feel nothing but fear at the thought of being hated by him. )

... B-But, you shouldn't say sorry, either. ... Chara and I... We wanted it to be a secret from everyone.

ii

[corruptedsave]

[Chara wasn't usually one to come to the training grounds to practise their magic, mostly because of what their magic is. Dark and Blood aren't the most... Public friendly magics, but today they found themselves having gone to the red springs to do some training.

Of course, they weren't expecting it to be so busy, and they're almost going to leave when a certain fuzzy fellow stands out like a sore thumb. At first, they keep their distance and watch, and only approach when the flowers start sprouting up around Asgore.]

You're blooming, your majesty.

[They sound unsure, not really expecting Asgore to remember their voice so they have no idea how the Boss Monster will react to their interruption.]

[journalname]

[Yeah, uh...Asgore goes rigid immediately, the blooming stopping abruptly as his concentration breaks. Of course he remembers his child's voice.

But he's just as quick to assume that he must be mistaken. That's impossible, after all, and he's...certainly been foolish about things like that in the past. Mentally, he scolds himself a little for the response. Even if his own magic is currently undetermined, he knows that he himself can be quite intimidating to others, especially since there do not seem to be many other monsters of any sort here. He needs to remain calm and as unobtrusive as possible, and not...react strongly. Even if someone has a familiar-sounding voice.

He chuckles nervously, flashing a smile as he starts to turn.]

Oh, I'm very sorry! I was -

[And then he sees that...he wasn't.



Asgore.exe has crashed. And is maybe just immediately starting to cry, but don't worry about it.]

[corruptedsave]

[Oh, okay. Asgore does remember them, and is crying. Jeez, this is just a bit awkward. Seeing an adult cry. They shuffle their feet a little, as if they might just take off and leave the Monster to cry alone.

But they don't, they just clear their throat and hold out their arms and go;]

Tada, dad?

[They suck at this, completely.]

[journalname]

[Well, Asriel clearly got it from somewhere.

This does not appear to help a great deal. But at least it's nothing like what might have happened in one of his dreams, or nightmares. It's...awkward to the point where it nearly has to be real.

Of everyone he's lost, Chara is the one who Asgore has never really had hopes of seeing again. Part of it is just old tradition. He was alive when humans and monsters still shared the Surface, and prevailing opinion at that time was that the two would certainly never share an afterlife as well. The larger portion, though...

...well, he does not deserve to see them again. He does not deserve to see any of them again, but Chara most of all. And now, to see them looking so healthy, full of color again after his last memories of them in the throes of that awful sickness...]

Is it...really you?

[corruptedsave]

[Well Asriel certainly didn't get it from Toriel, that's for sure.

Chara does bite back that they're not Frisk, because after having to explain that to Asriel they most certainly don't want to explain everything to Asgore. That and they're sure their adopted father wouldn't believe them.

Instead they let their arms drop to their sides, and consider just how to answer that question. Sure Chara could take this seriously, but they're the kid that laughed about making Asgore sick so why would they be serious now?

They chuckle.]

Depends on which "you" you're talking about.

i;

[prontissimo]

[ There's only one person going down the steps... and it's a young boy, with sun-bleached golden brown curls and freckled tan skin, clearly no older than thirteen or fourteen, despite his gangly limbs and tall, svelte frame, made all the more exaggerated by his bare feet and casual, colorful, summer clothes. He's got two leather straps hanging around his neck: an old-fashioned Polaroid camera, dangling too long and low by his belly, and an over-sized pair of binoculars, held firmly in both hands and being carefully raised up and down, as he pauses every few steps down the staircase to peer out over the shores. He seems to be looking for something? Someone? There's an intense air of focus and intention about him. So much so that he almost smacks right into Asgore on his way down, not paying attention to where he's going, even on a treacherous staircase like this one... He doesn't seem bothered, though. Binoculars don't really help you see what's up close, huh...? ]

Ah—! Scusi, sig—...nor...

[ He mumbles a half-hearted excuse before he actually takes a look at who he nearly just collided with. This guy's huge! Even bigger than Massimo! And— very obviously not human! Alberto's not in the slightest polite, and just... stares up at Asgore... slackjawed and wide-eyed. He seems familiar somehow? But the sheer shock at the sight of him, the impact of his size, leaves Alberto speechless a moment, frozen there on the stairs before the monster, towering over the young boy even from a few steps below. It's rude to stare, Alberto, dai... ]

[journalname]

[Asgore, of course, had seen the boy coming; he's already halted, trying to determine the best way for them to pass each other, when it becomes clear that the boy hadn't immediately noticed him. Oops.

And then, well...it's not an unfamiliar sight. A human child staring up at him like that. Asgore swallows and tries to push it back, though his nervousness is clear. Could just be a fear of heights or something though, right?]

Golly, are you alright? Please, be careful.

[He half-reaches out, ready to catch at him if he looks like he might fall - things have been orderly enough so far that no one else has fallen, so he hasn't seen the Cliff Beast yet.]

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto raises his brows at the word "Golly." He's heard that before. Where has he heard that before? He shakes it off, a cockeyed smile tracing his lips for his own nervousness. He's surprised by how excited he gets to see non-humans; he likes knowing they're out there, maybe. Whatever this guy is. Biggest monster he's ever seen. Well, apart from the Cliff Beast, but he's only seen its hands — they're bros, though. If Alberto were to fall off the stairs right now... it'd probably be the first time he hadn't intentionally jumped off them. He's not in the mood. He doesn't want to hurt his beautiful Polaroid. And now, he's looking for someone. Funny, he is more serious today than he was the day of his own arrival... But he does remember he met lots of new arrivals that day. Maybe this guy has seen his friends. ]

Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Hey, signor, you just got here, right— I'm looking for some other newcomers. Have you seen a boy with brown wavy hair and big brown eyes, short, kinda shrimpy? Luca? Or—

[ He shifts the binoculars so that the strap is cross-body and the binoculars are hanging at his side under his arm, so that he can spread his arms out as far as he can to illustrate. ]

This huuuuge guy with a mustache and bushy eyebrows and only one arm? He's not as big as, uh, you— but he's probably, like, the biggest human ever? He has a sea monster tattoo on his arm. Massimo?

[ Cut straight to the chase. No "Welcome to Avalon." No mind to that they're probably blocking up the pathway some because of Alberto's poor choice in spots to host a conversation. Or that this guy is probably, uh, more concerned with his problems, having just been spirited away to a strange land, and looks clearly nervous... No, no, help Alberto. ]

[journalname]

I am very sorry, but I do not believe I have.

[Certainly he hasn't seen a one-armed man anywhere, and the other child...well, there were a few young humans about, but he's not sure any of them looked like that. He'd hate to say someone was here when they weren't.

Asgore does seem genuinely sorry to be saying so, though. Dealing with everyone else's problems to the exclusion of his own is pretty standard.]

I suppose there may be people on the beach I did not see. I have not...spoken with anyone particularly.

[prontissimo]

Oh! You haven't? Well, uh— Welcome to Avalon, hah...?

[ He looks taken aback, but forces a nervous smile, slightly sheepish to be the first person the man encountered... Alberto glances around him toward the shores, eyes scanning the water from afar, and a vague look of conflict flashes across his face, his brows knotting. The first person Alberto encountered who told him all about this place, on these same steps, had become a valued friend. And helped him look for Luca and Massimo right away. Surely this guy will have people he'd be looking for, too... His eyes sweep over the newcomers in the distance, the faces approaching up the staircase, but after a quick search, he makes up his mind and his look lightens up a bit, turning his gaze back onto Asgore. If Luca or Massimo arrived this month... well, they'd be stuck here, after all. They'll find each other soon if not the very first moment. It's not like he's quitting his search. If they are here— they'd both probably rather hear that Alberto wasn't the first to find them, if he was busy being the first to find someone else... They'd be happy to know he was helping someone. He likes helping people, anyway.

If this guy was just some human, he probably wouldn't bother, though, truth be told. But something draws him to him he can't pinpoint yet. With a soft sympathetic smile, he quirks his head back and turns around with a light wave of his hand, gesturing Asgore to follow him. ]

...I'll try to fill you in on the way up to the real guides, Signor, avanti.

[ ...taken under wing by a child like less than a third of his size or something. Che fortuna. ]

[journalname]

Thank you!

[Asgore beams. It's nice to be greeted! Especially since things are so weird - and, well, proof that a human child is not immediately terrified of him is sort of nice. He moves to follow Alberto up the stairs, though he does give him one last out:]

That is very kind of you. Though, it would be alright if you would rather search for your friends.

[prontissimo]

Heh— if Massimo and Luca are here... they're probably looking for me, too. I'll find them later. Besides, it's not like they're going anywhere, hah—

[ That blip of humor is too dark and draws a comically worried look on Alberto's face in a flash as he realizes he's supposed to break the bad news. And, uh, that. Wasn't the best way to do it. ]

Oh, uh. We're stuck here, by the way. This is another world. Aaand there's no way to go home until we save the world or something. Eheh. Sorry...

[ Izuku did a much better job welcoming Alberto. Whoops. ]

[journalname]

[Asgore blinks. On one hand, being tasked with large responsibilities is hardly new. And of course he would want to do something to help, if there was trouple. On the other - on a lot of others, really - he has no idea what is happening whatsoever?]

How are we supposed to do that?

[prontissimo]

Well, for one, you can use magic now—...~!

[ There's a light excitement trilling through Alberto's tone like a natural accent, as he shoots some showy fireworks-like illusions into the air in front of them as they walk up the steps, shooting each little blossom off like a shot from his finger-guns... But after a couple, it occurs to him, uh, maybe that's not so impressive to other people who maybe had all kinds of cool magical powers back in their own worlds anyway, quite unlike Alberto who had... no... cool... powerful anythings, let alone actual magic... So his face falls slightly, that cocky, excited smile faltering as quickly as it was painted on, another sheepish laugh following in spite of himself. ]

I-I mean, hah— Unless you had magic before, then, uh— maybe that's... not so cool... But! But! If you weren't un-magic before, then now you probably have cool new magic here, different from back home! And the more you use your magic, I dunno, it helps save the world or something!

[ He sticks both hands out dramatically, arms' length, palms splayed, to produce more fake, magical fireworks illusions with extra gusto now, even giving a little extra umph to it under his breath for effect with a half-wry, half-enthusiastic: ]

Ba-da-da-daaa...~?

[ Clearly, uh, A-Alberto's been... hard at work... saving the world... with his... magic... fake fireworks... ]

[journalname]

[Asgore does draw back a little, looking slightly surprised at the display of magic - but that's really more to do with where it's coming from.]

Golly. I have always had magic - all monsters do. But it has been quite a long time since I have heard of a human mage. That is quite impressive!

[And maybe makes him feel just a little anxious! Given his own personal history! But that is his own problem, and nothing to do with Alberto. Asgore does not want him to feel self-conscious. So he goes on, hoping it won't be noticeable.]

Magic has simply always been easier for monsters to use, since we are made of it already. It is tied to our souls...

[He lifts a paw as if intending for something to happen, and frowns down at it when nothing does.]

...so...that is very strange... [Disconcerting!]