TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 12

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A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival  KERPLUNK, SPLASH!  You and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's waters. After plunging into the Bay, the rush of water fills your ears and soaks into every crevice of your body. You may find it hard to find a clear spot on the surface, as surrounding you are hundreds of fairy vallela, floating like tiny sailboats on the top of the water.  These vallela will surround you and begin to push up underneath, then slowly float you about three feet above the surface of the lake and carry you gently to shore... unless you thrash around or move too much, that is. Then they’ll drop you right back in the water, so be careful!
The Lady of the Lake seems busy this time around, having cast the spell to draw in the new arrivals and bailed, but the Rent-a-Ride at the top of the cliffs seems to be the only place around to go. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs or getting acquainted with their new familiars. There’s no railing, be careful! Should you fall, a mysterious sand hand will reach out of the side of the cliffs to catch you. The hand will pat you atop the head twice before retreating back into the wall. This is the Cliff Beast; despite the name, he is quite friendly.

---

B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot

Once everyone is wrangled atop 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,” referring to a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's inventory. It’s enchanted by Merlin to recover possessions and pets from the lake before they become waterlogged. Before Archimedes can give his usual spiel, a special voice message is sent to everyone’s brand new phones. ``Merlin here. Welcome to Avalon! I usually don't greet newcomers like this, but I wanted to make you aware of the situation we have here in Camelot. Refugees from places called Celliwig and Lestari are now living in Camelot, so we're a bit tight on space. It would be great if you could find yourself roommates when you get to Camelot. The Caravan ride is a great place to get to know to people. Built-in mini-bars to break the ice and all… I'm not asking you to make lifelong friends or lifelong roommates. Just until we get this situation sorted. If you do end up making lifelong friends? Great! All the better. Anyway, that's all from me. Catch you on Insta.``

The man leading the caravan rolls his eyes and just expresses “There you have it,” before getting everyone going in modernized carriages pulled by horses. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless. The carts have a smart thermostat, the promised mini-bar, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, @avalononline (AOL), to chat with others, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, including how to use the phone). Just be careful-- 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. Newcomers get free inn rooms for their one night stay on the way to Camelot, containing two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and movies.   Don't want to relax in the room? Take a dip in the communal hot spring. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out! The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there.

---

 

 

A ⦿ Sleeping Struggles
	True to Merlin's word, the inn of Camelot is a little crowded. There are efforts to fit the inn with new furniture to help out the smaller rooms by bolstering them with bunks, but it takes a while to make a sturdy bed without mass production facilities. One particularly creative mage from Lestari came up with and is teaching a special spell called Recipe: Magnetic Lull, a spell that can be used to magnetize objects for about 4 hours at a time. The idea is to use it on a spot on the floor and a sheet with the same polarity so that the sheet floats above the floor. It's a nifty little spell for people who don't move much in their sleep!
Unfortunately, for those who move about, it's a little unstable so getting too close to the edge could topple you to the floor. Heavy sleepers are just as apt to have problems since the timing is very precise-- don't wake up to renew your spell before the 4-hour mark and you'll end up slamming into the ground. Another tricky part of casting the spell is making sure you aim only for what you need... a little magnetism can go a long way when you can cast it on just about anything. (It is highly recommended you put any metal weapons in locked storage while using.) Be very careful or you may just find yourself or any other number of accidental objects magnetized!

---

B ⦿ Don't Break Me, Breakfast
For the less polarized people, the inn is offering upgraded breakfast to anyone willing to simply share a bed, the most cost-effective means of saving space. Though their usual continental breakfast is temporarily suspended due to a need to ration, they are delivering portioned breakfasts to each room at precisely 7:30am each morning. Those who don't share a bed will get a mystery muffin and an apple. Mystery muffins are the kitchen's attempt to make their ingredients go a little further and may contain odd flavors or magical effects that last about 30 minutes. The first week's features are: Cricket flour muffins - chirping a little tune is good first thing in the morning! Burple berry muffins - will make you burp your words Sorrow sap muffins - eating is such sweet sorry... you may find yourself crying about whatever you've been holding inside to anyone who asks.
Those who are willing to share a bed with another will receive the upgraded breakfast of scrambled eggs, mixed non-magic fruit, and go'oat milk. Yes, go'oat milk. It's a special blend of oats they've been magically preserving in their basement for emergencies. It'll give you energy for the whole day! Side effects may include jitteriness and slightly decreased inhibitions due to feeling like you're ready to GO!! But that's definitely better than the mystery muffins. ...Maybe you should check if Camelot's castle has any rooms left?

---

C ⦿ Not Quite a Puppy Parade
	Humans and faekind aren't the only refugees from Celliwig and Lestari. Blessedly, a large number of pets were rescued during Camelot's efforts… but unfortunately, that doesn't always mean that those pets made it out with their pet parents along with them. In the town square, there are fence posts put up with light magic to create little pens for a number of pets. It's a pet adoption fair hosted by some Celliwig animal lovers who wanted to do their part to help everyone find their new temporary (or hopefully forever) home. Popular pets from Celliwig include snow-white ferrets, owls, and small hamsters with tiny, useless wings. The hamsters were wild, but since they don't have their usual open roam space in Camelot, they're trying to find homes for these challenging-to-keep-cooped rodents. So much so that they will enlist random citizens to help catch hamsters that started wandering out of confinement throughout the fair.
Popular pets of Lestari include capybara, chickens, compsognathus, and a variety of fae frogs. The chickens seem to be going fast, with food shortages being a concern on a lot of peoples' minds right now with only Camelot's stores being available for three cities. Those who have the eggs have the money... but you couldn't ask for a better pet than the overly friendly capybara! The fae frogs are an excellent choice, however, as they tend to be capable of intelligent speech and though they tend to condescend, they're willing to help correct poor magic techniques to help you improve a little faster if you can get past the attitude problem. …And yes, we are going to glaze over the compies. They're considered an "advanced pet-owner" choice and don't seem to be very popular, but you’re welcome to try your hand with the tiny, hungry dinos if you don’t mind losing a finger or two. Take a look around, play with any of the pets that you want, and help catch any that run off. Maybe you'll find your new forever friend?

---

 

Stressed out about the close quarters and odd ongoings in the city? Not to worry, there are tasks at hand for those who want to get out in the wild as well. With the sudden loss of Celliwig and the barriers being taken down that were shielding the river from crossing specters, the Forest of the Felled needs to be cleaned up.

 

A ⦿ River Rapid Rumba
It's not a short journey from Camelot to the Forest of the Felled, particularly for everyone. Though there is an easy path at the Pure of Heart Bridge, it is a bridge that is quite clear about those who can cross it-- the pure of heart. Instead of risking half the party not being able to continue, a party is led by Glewlwyd, a strongman and one of the best-known guards of Celliwig. Being familiar with the area, he knows a special means to get past the white rapids of the river that are normally impassible by those not in the know: naiads. The naiads control the waters of the river, and there are more than a few present in this one. They are both a loving and a jealous folk, so the key to getting across with ease is to either seduce or befriend one.
Naiads love beautiful people, both inside and out, so show them an act of kindness and you will not need to do anything physical. They will value your friendship as beauty and will allow you to pass. If you are not the type, consider taking off your shirt or showing some dance talents that work the rear. If neither form of beauty befits your character, one who does have their affections may try to flirt with someone else on your behalf. A jealous naiad will redirect all the rapids around them in an attack and leave low water levels for those to sneak behind them whilst she is distracted. How the distraction team makes it out of that mess is on them.

---

 

B ⦿ Forest of the Fachan
	Past the rapids (if you made it), the forest itself is too quiet, and the wind is too loud, whistling through the trees and a myriad of wards and ties and tricks that were once used to seal the spirits into the Forest of the Felled. Empty of death now, the forest only seems to be home to bugs, squirrels, and other small creatures that help the trees propagate. The biggest landmark now is the sleeping stone giant that sits in a self-made clearing in the center of the forest. It is visible even from the southernmost point where the party enters and begins heading north-east, removing wards, candles, scraps of fabric, ropes and twine binding trees together, and all other manner of implements used to trap spirits. The trip itself is relatively quiet until the sun starts to set. Then, once in a while when you close your eyes, you feel like there's something staring back at you from within your own eyelids.
It chitters and laughs in your head loudly enough that you aren't sure if you heard it in your ears or your imagination, and then it's seemingly gone (to someone else). After the third time it happens, the voice will sing-song "No more dead, no more live, no more singing by my side. Break the quiet, make some noise," and then suddenly, in a deeper, more rugged voice "Ï̶͚̰̭̟̈́̆͝'̴̡̙͙͖͆͛l̸̻̾̈́̒l̶̗͈̔͊̒̀ ̸̭̉ͅb̴̮̍̓è̷̺͇̪̽̊̅ ̴̨̪̭͘b̵̪̞̉ṙ̸̭̳̼͓̊͠͝e̷̦͈̞͐̀͂a̵̙̟̘̾̀̀k̴̘̩͚͊̊̍i̴̳̥͒̚ͅň̷͈g̸̛̳̅̀ ̴̛͎m̴͈͆̇y̵͖̰͉͛̅̀͜͝ ̸͙̈́n̵͕̫̓͑̏̿e̷̬̤̎̌̈̈́w̴̛͎͛ ̵̫̘͑̄̈̈͜t̸͙̂ȍ̸͈́̄y̶̹̿̆̎͝s̷̯̀͜͠.̴̦͚̯͍̉͘" The sun, appropriately, is setting at this point, and the party seems to somehow start getting separated. A strange stench, like rotten flesh seems to fill the air. With only two or three people left in an area, the creature will finally appear, wielding a barbed flail, with rotten apples hanging off of each of the barbs. It has one leg, one arm, one eye, and its skin appears like potato skin save for a tuft of black hair atop its head. Its wide mouth bears bloody, pointed teeth. The faint of heart have been known to be frozen in fear or drop dead of a heart attack simply from seeing it. It laughs in your head before it swings its flail, launching an attack. It's time to fight the fachan, an unseelie fae who had adapted to feasting on the spirits of the Forest of the Felled and is now hungry and ready to devastate any living thing that wanders into the forest.

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C ⦿ Campfire Stories
	Someone is sure to defeat the fachan one way or the other, and once that is out of the way (or you were lucky enough to have someone slay it before it even found you), the forest is finally back to just the creepsome wind. Everyone left is able to find each other and set up a tight-knit camp at the foot of the stone giant and with wires wrapped around the area to alert them if any... non-dead residents of the forest come a'knocking. Unfortunately, it's discovered that during the attacks a lot of the supplies were lost. This would be as far as anyone would make it, so it would be best to head back to Camelot to restock for now. But that is for morning. It's far too late now, so pull up, get your ration of tater soup, and share your favorite spooky story to get in the mood for the season. The truly scary part of the evening is over, it's good to have a laugh at whatever kind of hokey nonsense everyone can come up with!

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• All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, as the events within are considered game canon. • This post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads and may start their own logs off-post, 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 usually present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. This month's has some changes based on current events, please read carefully. 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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Toph Beifong | Avatar the Last Airbender |undecided magic ATM

[looksgood]

A. Soaking in your Arrival

A small blind girl screams as she lands in the water, and looks very much like she's drowning and in need of help. The strange creatures that lift her up are obviously unseen, and her thrashing for traction in a strange new world means she's getting dropped right back into the water. It's scary, and she doesn't like it, and after going through this once, she's much more calm the next time she's floating above the water's surface.

She can't feel where she is, but hey... there's water? Hopefully there's land too?

THERE IS! There's even a badgermole that greets her and she's patting on the ground, damp and frowning. Nothing feels right! She can't see anything!

If she hears anyone nearby, she's going to be standing up and looking absolutely lost. No glancing around because that's not going to help. At all.

"Hey! I'm blind! Where am I?! I can't see anything!!"


B. The Caravan to Camelot

Her belongings are in the "Shit Box" and she's not even sure what all her belongings were. They're probably still on Appa! Toph is handed her phone and what... is it? She's not getting in the caravan, but someone is trying to usher her in. She holds up a hand.

"No wait. What is this?!" Toph turns the phone around in her hands and it starts to speak.

"Hey. Help me out. I need to change this so I can use it." She's holding her phone upside down towards you. Help her? Merlin is talking, and she's not listening closely because it sounds like he's in the box thing, and she didn't catch the start of his message. Toph will need that repeated, and everything going audio, please.


C. WILDCARD

Soaking on Your Arrival

[phoenixwiz]

There is one concerned man who happens to be not far from Toph’s cries and is very, very attentive to it that he decides to run up to her and answer them all while carrying towels and cloaks in his arms with a very intelligent owl and a ridiculously cute pink puffball by his side, or perching on his right shoulder and riding on his head respectively.

The young man speaks, “Hey, hi there. We’re in the Isle of Avalon in the middle of fall. Do you need some help in getting up?”

[looksgood]

Toph is coughing up some water, sniffling, and she spits onto the ground as she stands up, looking all kinds of wet and undignified.

"Who are you?"

She doesn't sound like she's enjoying anything about this place. She's not going to accept help from a stranger after being levitated by whatever those things were in the water.

[phoenixwiz]

Okay, so she doesn’t need help in getting up, which is okay; he is just checking after all. At least he doesn’t have to drop the towels and cloaks on a hurry.

He tries to compose himself from letting any sign of grief from hearing the news about the Fall Equinox disaster as he begins to introduce himself to her, “My name is Harry Potter, but you can call me Harry. I have been in Avalon for nearly a year since November of the previous year. And with me is Hedwig, an old owl friend from home, and my familiar Rose the Pygmy Puff.”

[looksgood]

"Woah woah woah." She waves her hands slowly.

"Slow down. What's Avalon? Why can't I bend?" She has so many questions. But... one at a time.

[phoenixwiz]

Knowing that this could a take a while to explain, he takes a deep breath and begins to answer the questions she is asking him right now very slowly, “Okay. Avalon is said to be the final resting place for King Arthur and a land of the Fae. Both humans and Fae co-exist in here most of the time. I originally thought that it was all myths and legends, until I arrived months ago.”

“For magic outside of it, it has been replaced by the magic of this world: we are told that we need to master and use it in order to save this world and time from being frozen forever.”

[looksgood]

"Is he in charge around here? Can't I just ask him for my bending back? I use it to see. Not the way you see, because it's not magic."

Toph takes a careful step away from the water lapping at the beach, and she may not be heading in the right direction, but she's careful, trying to find some real actual dirt that would help her see better.

[phoenixwiz]

“Why yes, he is the Once and Future King and he rules over Camelot,” Harry replies back, “As for the bending part, I’m not sure about that. You might want to ask Merlin about that: he’s Arthur’s advisor and a very powerful wizard too. Maybe he could restore your bending powers back.”

[all_the_aangles]

He keeps a weather eye on the people coming into Camelot, looking for friends - and wary of potential enemies. He walks with his staff, eager and wary in alternating amounts.

Perhaps predictably, though, he hears Toph long before he sees her. He moves around the side of the caravan, eyes widening and a smile coming to his face.

"Toph?!"

[looksgood]

"Aang?!"

She gives a great big sigh.

"Am I happy to see you, twinkle-toes!"

Toph walks towards what she hopes is him, in the general direction he came from. Without her bending, her vision is... not there like at all.

"I know this won't sound like a shock, but I can't see anything."

[all_the_aangles]

He moves quickly towards her, taking his staff and gently putting it in her hand, so she can use it for direction - he had thought this would be the case.

"I know, this place...changes us. You'll find you have new abilities here. Not that they'll necessarily make sense."

[looksgood]

She gives a small start, but then accepts the staff with a comforted little huff of breath and a smile.

"Thanks."

Toph looks a little bothered, but if Aang isn't sounding unhappy, there must be a way to overcome this. She's not just going to let her lack of sight get the best of her. Never let it before, and not going to start now.

"So, you can't bend either?"

She's tried, and nothing happened, and it was an odd feeling. But... if there's earth, she'll find a way in, around, and through it.

[all_the_aangles]

He's happy to see her - frankly, even without her powers, Toph had an inner strength and wisdom that was always valued.

"No, but I got magic of the elements, so it's really like just...learning to ride a sky bison again. Have you...felt anything else strange?"

A (and probably B too lol);

[rediscovering]

[ Since Azula and Iroh have disappeared from Avalon, Zuko's back on lookout at the shores, hoping for their return... just as he'd searched the shores every month for Iroh until he finally actually found him at the inn. This time, Zuko's not so lucky — but he's lucky enough to hear another familiar voice. And she sounds pissed. Alarmed and pissed.

He's been standing at the end of the staircase, scanning the faces of any newcomers that find their way there, but once he hears Toph's voice in the distance, he knows she's not gonna find her way to the staircase. He's searching with wide eyes until he finds her, and runs up quite quickly, calling her name only once he gets a bit closer. ]

Toph?! Toph!

[ Once he's beside her, he reaches a cautious hand out to touch her shoulder with kid gloves, just so she knows he's right in front of her. He already knows she doesn't have her seismic sense. He's uncomfortable, not sure how to treat her in this instance, who's always been so capable and proud, but wanting to help and knowing she needs it. Proceeding with caution... ]

it'll go how it goes

[looksgood]

[She might find her way to the staircase, but she's going to be even more unhappy if people just walk right by her and make it there, assuming she'll find her way. Also, if they think she's weak, she'll be legitimately pissed with a nice sprinkling of annoyed on top. Right now it's just a sudden change of how she's come to navigate her world. That rug has been pulled out from under her suddenly deafened feet. She can't see! It's like navigating with her feet burned, but... minus the burning.

Before Zuko makes it over, she's not standing, she's crouching, patting at the ground, digging her fingers into the sand and frowning. Oh no why is this a sandy beach?! She's going to just sort of keep crawling, like a soggy army-crawl. The sand will change into soil and then she'll have better "visibility" or whatever sense she can manage.

That voice? Not as recognizable as Aang's but still better than nothing! She'll take her chances! But she's not going to get up and start running to meet him. Instead she just keeps her hands on the dirt and feels, hoping for some vague vibration to tip off that he's running. There's a dull sort of thumping, but it is distant, foggy at best.]

Zuko?

Talk more I-

[She'll allow the hand.]

Zuko... What's happening?

[rediscovering]

[ Zuko sighs, not sure how to answer that question. ]

...C'mon. Stand up. I'll try to explain. Don't worry, we're safe — sort of.

[ "Sort of" safe?! What the hell does that mean?! He keeps his hand on her back until she moves to stand, giving her space. But once she is back on her feet, after a beat he'll place a guiding hand on her shoulder again, and turn together in the direction of the stairs, though he'll wait to head off until she's got her bearings. ]

You okay? I mean— you're not injured, right?

[ He's careful not to talk down to her, knowing her shock right now, losing her earthbending. He empathizes. But losing his firebending was nothing like Toph losing her earthbending. He hates to see it again, as much as he's happy to see her again, too. ]

[looksgood]

[Toph does as he suggests and stands, dealing with the hand on her shoulder. It's not the kind of coddling that used to irritate her, and even though she is loathe to admit it, she needs the help. But walking without seeing hardly feels right.]

Sort of?!

[She just keeps walking, stepping forward carefully, as if waiting for the ground to answer or echo or... something. It's annoying to have Zuko see her like this, or have anyone, really.]

I'm fine.

Tell me what's going on.

[The walk is going to take them a while. She may not be as bossy as Katara, but she'll be stubborn and press. Zuko knows something. She can tell.]

[rediscovering]

[ Zuko returns the guiding hand to her shoulder gingerly as they walk along at first, but eventually lets it drop. ]

Just go straight. There are stairs up ahead — I'll tell you when.

[ There's a heaviness to his voice. He doesn't like being the bearer of bad news here. ]

So— first of all— your earthbending is gone. So is my firebending. All our bending. You're not at home. We're somewhere else. It's hard to explain. But Aang, Sokka and Katara are here, too. Um— ...we've been spirited away. This is another world— another realm. There are guides at the top of the stairs who will explain it better than I can. But I'll try to answer your questions on the way?

[ He sounds tentative... This is a lot to deliver, knowing it's a lot to hear. ]

[looksgood]

[That's appreciated. She needs help, but doesn't want to look as blind as she now very much is.]

How many steps?

[Zuko has probably never counted, but whatever, she'll find out eventually.]

Well, at least now it sucks for everyone.

[They aren't making great pace.]

I bet Sokka feels cool for once.

[She gives a bit of a smirk]

b;

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto's being ushered in alongside Toph, looking a bit perturbed himself to be ushered at all, as the guide places a gentle hand on the boy's back, which Alberto thrashes away from, throwing his arms up with an exasperated 'psssh.' He's not even new. He knows where he's going. But these guides don't know that... He was just at the shores looking for Luca, Massimo, Giulia, even looking for Machiavelli the cat...! No one. He'd have stayed there all day and night waiting, but he didn't want to miss the caravans back, though. It was a pain. This was his second time searching for them, plus his own arrival, so his third trip. But being treated like a child amongst the crowds of newcomers again is even more irritating the third time around, now that he's not a newcomer himself. He'd received the same treatment last time he checked the shores... from the same guide, actually, now that he thinks of it! He rolls his eyes with a groan, and stops short when Toph offers the phone to him, his help being requested. ]

C'mon, c'mon, follow me, I'll show you... Just get in the thing. These guys won't let up bossing you around, trust me.

[ He's shooting an aggravated look at the poor guide who's just trying to get people in the caravans and do his job. The guide just gives an incredulous look and shakes his head, waving others along behind them, as Alberto takes Toph's wrist in his hand and goes to climb into the nearest caravan. He doesn't even realize she's blind yet. He was too busy sassing the guide for no reason.

He's just upset Luca and Massimo aren't here. Taking it out on any lawful adults who rub him the wrong way — literally. Another kid, though? No problem. ]

[looksgood]

The thing? Look, kid. I've got to get back to my friends.

[She's not going anywhere and no one can make her!

Toph stays where she is, listening and turning her head to face him, but she has no idea what thing he's trying to guide her into and when he grabs her wrist, she plants her feet.

And when the ground doesn't come up to meet her, it makes her cry out a soft, indignant noise. Who?! Why?!]

Let go of me-! I can't see where you're going!

[Can't see at all, actually.]

[prontissimo]

Okay, okay!

[ Alberto drops her hand, an insulted but baffled look on his face... until he realizes she can't see that look. She's blind. Whoops... ]

Here, here, here, give me that... Listen to it — there's a message. Probably from the stupid king or something, explaining stuff.

[ Why is the king stupid?! Rude, Alberto... He reaches his hand out for the phone, but then remembers... she can't see it... so he just snatches the phone from her hand, flips it over, hits speaker, then the restart button on the voicemail, and shoves it back into her hands as quickly as possible as it begins playing out loud. He's not trying to piss her off. He's trying to help, he is! ]

[looksgood]

Hel- oh?

[She looks so confused. She missed the name Merlin, but... there are a lot of questions. This doesn't answer any of them.]

What is Avalon? I have to have roommates?!

[What even is a Celliwig? Or a Lestari? Camelot? So much of this goes clean over her head. She's been moving the device, trying to find the best angle to hold it, but then it's facing away from her. At least the speaker is moved up, and the mic end down.]

Play it again.

[She tells the phone, not sure how to get the box to make more noise.]

Play it... [She grips at the buttons on the side, putting the volume down, frowning, then turning it back up. She can't figure out how to make it replay the message, and gives a groan before handing it back over to Alberto.]

[prontissimo]

[ At hearing "I have to have roommates?!" as a big takeaway from that, Alberto can't hide an endeared smirk— oh, wait. Yes, he can. So he doesn't bother trying to hide his smirk at all, as he reaches out and turns the volume all the way back up on her phone, and presses replay, handing it back to her the right direction. He does her one more, and cups both his hands around the speaker end of her phone, to amplify the sound. He'd figured that trick out by himself... Smitten with it. He lets it play again, listening quietly, paying closer attention himself. ]

[looksgood]

[She doesn't know where her friends are, and that's a much higher priority than anything else.]

Hey kid, have you seen a sky bison before?

[She's a kid, too. Alberto hasn't answered any of her questions. This one should be easy. There's more questions about the device in her hand, but first... gotta find her friends.]