avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

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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 chilly 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 paralyzingly cold for a few seconds before you're approached by the Lady of the Lake beneath the water's surface. She puts a vial of a vibrant, glowing red Everwarm* potion to your character's lips. The icy water doesn't feel so icy once consumed and you'll be able to move your limbs enough to swim to shore on your own. She can't stick around to explain, she's got to get this to all the new arrivals! Many of which you'll see plopping in around you.

If you can't swim, a handful of helpful ice turtles will scoop you up from beneath and drop you off at the shore. When not helping people, the turtles are going around and hitting the ice that keeps forming on the surface with their shells to keep the surface open for the falling arrivals or pushing personal items to the beach near the new arrivals they smell like (belong to). If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. If anyone with Animal Magic asks the turtles, they will give the full spiel, but very slowly, and they like to get off topic and gossip about other turtles you've never heard of. 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.

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, a pair of earbuds, and a winter cloak** to everyone before getting them settled in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and give 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 nip bottles. 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.

Everyone needs a little fun from time to time; the locals have put together the annual Snow Games. As with all things Avalonians plan, magic plays a part in the competition. There will be three separate tiers for characters to enter. Each Tier will have its predetermined track or ring, set up and ready to go.

A ⦿ Foot Races

three-legged race

B ⦿ Sled Races

magically driven sleds

C ⦿ Snow Chicken

Snow Chicken, Magic Vs Yeti Style... This competition will differ from the previous two; it is not a race to the finish line but instead a competition to be the last team standing! Participants will pair off and one person will climb on the shoulders of the other and try to wrestle their opponents off without getting knocked off themselves. The field is full of snow, with more coming from the sky. Your opponents will be Yeti. Try to stay on, Yeti are no slouches so teams will have to work together using their magic not only to stay put but to knock your big-footed opponents to the ground.

Just... be wary, these friendly yeti are surprisingly big on hugging as a form of congratulations. It's much more challenging to escape from a yeti's embrace than it is to knock one over.

Trumpets hail an announcement by the town crier in front of the castle. More than a few people pull out their phones to record it and post it to the AOL network for all to see.

"Hear ye, hear ye! Our noblest of lords, King Arthur of Camelot, will host a tournament on this January the 20th on castle grounds. All are welcome to participate in competitions to determine those most skilled in both the physical and magical arts. In preparation for the upcoming tournament, we are sending envoys to Celliwig. In Celliwig lies the Magic Mirror of the South, gifted to Camelot by the Fae, and a means to communicate with their royal court at will. It is a vastly important task in your journey to become magicians and to show your good will toward the fairies. Parts of the mirror's frame have been damaged. We will need those brave of soul and pure of heart to retrieve the crystals needed to repair the mirror. Those interested, the party leaves at dawn."

A ⦿ Brave of Soul

The first stop on the trip to restore Celliwig's Mirror is to a cave just north of Albion's White Cliffs. No longer a part of the cliffs themselves, this outcropping goes underground and to a dank, dark cave. It is the only place which a special prismatic crystal grows. The crystal itself is hidden deep in the cave, which can only be passed by passing into a zone in which magic cannot be used. Characters will enter the cave and must face an illusion of one of their greatest fears. Those frozen in fear will pass out and wake up outside of the cave with no crystal. Those who run will find themselves turned out of the cave as well. Only those who recognize and face that fear deep in their soul will find the path forward. The fear will turn into a small light spirit, which will smile and reveal to them the crystals they seek.

B ⦿ Pure of Heart

The second stop is past a shanty town and at the bridge north of it. The bridge itself is broken, only the ends in existence. The water itself is impassible, white rapids sweeping away anything that steps into it. Silver crystals are on the other side of the bridge, visible in an outcropping from where they are, but it appears there is no way around as magic does not work on the bridge. The only clue as to how to get across is a plaque in the dirt before the bridge.

"The pure of heart will form the bridge with a leap of faith."

Since everyone has gone as a group, it will be possible to see others walking over the water once one person figures it out. Though the clue may seem challenging, it is quite straight-forward. Characters who are pure of heart will find that if they believe in themselves, they will be able to step off the bridge and hardlight will form beneath their feet to allow them to step over the water. Those with ill intentions or those who are willing to harm others to get their way will slip into the rapid waters and may need to be saved by other characters. At least you're off the bridge, so magic will work to that end.

C ⦿ Celliwig, the Splendored Court

As the travelers leave the bridge, they turn toward the shanty town-- wood shacks and failing farms. Not a place anyone would want to visit. Those who try to run ahead will find that it disappears as if an illusion, and they will find nothing. Those who stick with the party will wait a fair distance away until the sun sets. Once the sun begins to fall beyond the horizon, the small town will begin to shimmer brilliant whites and colors-- a glamour hiding its true glory, a city made solely of crystals and glass: Celliwig, the Splendored Court. Though smaller than Camelot, every part of the city is beautiful and glistening. The population is small and it's very quiet and serene for a city. The people of the city don't seem keen on speaking to outsiders, and will typically scatter before anyone can really engage them. They seem humanoid in nature, but not entirely human. Even the animals around the city seem to be ethereal in nature, gliding more than walking.

The party is led to a hall at the center of the city-- the hall of mirrors. Those who have succeeded in obtaining crystals need to bring them and set them on a table placed before a mirror at the end of the hall, which appears to have a number of empty settings. It's unclear what happened to the mirror previously, but now it's necessary to restore it to garner the favor of the fae.

Once crystals have been delivered, people will be free to explore the quiet city, but it seems most of the city is closing shop while the visitors are around. There is a restaurant that will serve visitors food, though all of the dishes are of the molecular gastronomy variety. Alcoholic drinks seem to come in vapor form and flashes of light if ordered, but seem effective nonetheless. The local general store seems to be willing to sell supplies to weary travelers as well, but that's about it.

...That said the inn doesn't seem particularly keen on allowing visitors in strangely, so you're either going to be sleeping on the iridescent streets or camping just outside the city if you prefer the soft grass and the darkness of night. Just be aware, if you leave, you won't be able to get back into this mysterious city so easily.

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.
• Note that the third prompt in this TDM will have consequences on the game's progression. After the application round, a poll will be put up to see how many characters who are in the game, both new and old, are able to obtain the crystals from the Brave of Soul and Pure of Heart prompts.
• The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but may 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.

*This Everwarm does not count toward your potion collection for those who wish to take up potion brewing. You must obtain Everwarm from the Elphame Trader's to count.
**Jackets come in a variety of neutral colors, enchanted with a fit-adjustment spell that will adjust to your character's size.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( Potential for 5.4 spoilers here; please let me know if you'd prefer to steer clear!
I'm currently leaning toward dark magic, and a Voidwalker (Gaia is the armored figure being held by the one in the picture) for her familiar, somewhat smaller most of the time no doubt! )

1. Soaking

[ The cold of the water isn't the first thing that strikes Gaia as problematic. Even if it were, she'd never admit it. She is aligned with Darkness, after all; does not the cover of darkness come hand in hand with the chill of the evening? (Were he here, she supposes Urianger would argue with her, tell her that her darkness and the night's darkness are two entirely different concepts, and that the umbral element is an entirely separate part of the elemental system of which ice is a part. But his being here would require him being underwater, which—) No, the icy cold of the water is not the Oracle of Darkness's immediate problem.

The problem is that actually, Gaia has no idea if she actually knows how to swim.

It's a problem that's quickly taken from her, along with the cold that's sinking into her bones, by the arrival of the red-haired woman and the ice turtles that appear in the wake of her departure. Just like that, she's warm again, and on the shore, her hammer at her feet, staring in utter displeasure at the surrounding scenery. It's with that unimpressed expression that she seeks the attention of whomever is closest to her, her arms folding over her chest once she has it. ]

Tell me the name of this place.

[ It's asked(?) in her usual demanding, haughty tone, uncaring of whether the person whose attention she's sought is as drenched through as she is. She's forgetful, but she is positive that she would not cease to remember a place in its entirety, and that means that she's no longer home. That's her new problem, and she has decided that this person will be the one to help her solve it. ]

2. The Caravan

[ There's a special kind of anxiety in being told that one's home world - that all the other worlds - are frozen in time. Helping to fix things is apparently just part of what she does now, at least since meeting Ryne and her friends, but... Gaia is not particularly fond of the idea that apart from this, all of the worlds that exist and all of their peoples are left behind, frozen in time, like the city far below the surface of the ocean surrounding Eulmore.

If all the worlds are frozen in time, and all the people are a part of their own world, then... what of the others? What of Urianger and Thancred and all of the othes back on the Source? What of the rift-traveling Warrior of Darkness?

What of Ryne?

It's this last thought, most dreaded and pervasive of all, that has the usually-contact-averse young woman picking up the smart phone she was given and sending a message out to the network service: ]

I am seeking a young woman of approximately fifteen summers. Red hair, pink ribbon, white dress.
She answers to the name 'Ryne'.
Kindly inform me immediately if you are aware of her presence here.

[ She's trying to be polite. Really, she is. ]

3. Mirror, Mirror : Pure of Heart
( 5.4 spoilers! )

[ The first stop was hard enough. Gaia's hands, clenched white-knuckled on her hammer, are still trembling more than she'd like. The being in front of her in the cave had not really been Artemis, in much the same way it had not really been, in some way, herself, bereft of the memories she's made in this life. Her determination to face that fear head-on had seen it transformed into a spirit of light, a creature that helped her to complete her first quest before starting on the second. Hard enough, but it's done now.

However, its effects on her psyche are far from invisible. How can someone like her, with all the bloodstained selfishness of her past self, ever be pure of heart? In the name of bringing back those they lost, she and Artemis took the lives of so many others. Lives that her past self believed were worthless... lives such as the one she's living now, lives full of so many little joys, so many reasons to want to cling to. Not worthless. But also not pure. Her brush with her illusory past self and her protector reminded her of that much.

And so here she is. There are others around her, stepping off the bridge and over the water, seeming to magically form bridges through willpower alone, but Gaia stands in silence in front of the plaque, arms trembling with the effort of holding her hammer despite everything she's just been through, a pained look on her face. ]

4. Wildcard

( Nothing quite catches your fancy? Feel free to hit her with something random, or poke me at denouements if you want something specific! )

[Pure of heart seems like a tall ask, he thinks, as he looks at the bridge. It's not much of a comfort to see that he's the only one who's hesitating or uncertain, and he's seen a couple people fall into the water. Judging people for something where nobody knows the parameters seems incredibly unfair to him, but he can't say it's not something he's used to.

Still.

He glances to the woman, noting the trembling and the look on her face. He hesitates for a moment, before speaking up in a quiet voice.]

I don't think there's a punishment for failure. [...] But I know that probably isn't very reassuring.

[ The man is a stranger to her, so his quiet tone, words meant to reassure, are met with a glare from Gaia, her grip on her hammer tightening and her lips pursing with her displeasure. When she speaks, her voice taking on rather an arch tone: ]

It seems to me as if the "punishment" is the embarrassment of being caught in those rapids and being forced to rely on a savior. I would much prefer for my fate to not be entwined with that water.

[ Especially given her recent revelation regarding her ability - or inability - to swim, and her complete lack of memory on the matter. ]

As such, my goal is to solve this mystery before attempting to set foot on this broken bridge.

[Ah. He wasn't expecting such a cold response, and he blinks for a moment. He's... Not entirely used to people like this, but as he's slowly realizing, he's not very used to other people at all.]

If you don't want to risk falling into the water, don't step on the bridge?

[He chews his bottom lip.]

I don't think there's much mystery - it's just a test. The parameters of the test I can't say I know, but I don't think standing here is going to give you any more answers than stepping out over the river.

[He rubs at his arm, nervous. That is a very big hammer. What could you even use that hammer for besides hitting people?]

[ Her eyes narrow, and it takes everything she has to stop her from snapping at him. She knows that he is only trying to be helpful... and yet she can't help but think that he is not doing a particularly good job of it. ]

Are you not here for the same reason as I? We were tasked—

[ Gaia stops, closing her eyes in exasperation, although in some ways it is a frustration aimed more at herself than anyone else. ]

There has to be something that allows them— [ she gestures to the people walking out over the hardlight that seems to appear like magic under the very space into which they step ] —to create such a bridge beneath them. Something to do with the purity of their hearts...

[ Is there any chance at all that she has what she needs? ]

I know, but... Were you expecting this was what we were going to have to do?

[Being tested on bravery was bad enough, but it was easy enough to figure out the rules. This test on purity is... Much more vague.

But he thinks he gets it. It's a measure of their character, isn't it? What they're like as people.]

I think it's just a matter of taking that step and if you pass, you pass. If you don't...

[He looks to where some hapless soul has fallen into the river, getting helped out by someone who made it to the other side.]

I don't think there's a trick or anything they've done to convince the test.

[He hesitates for a moment, before sighing. He's not sure whether he would pass or fail - it's a test that seems perhaps too subject, and what can a bridge know about the quality of their hearts?]

[ She shakes her head. ]

I am entirely too new to this place. I was without expectations regarding what exactly would need to be done... only that it needed doing.

[ Another moment of silence, and Gaia takes a calming breath, considering the space in front of them for a moment or two. Of course, she could explain her reason for being so nervous, but she doesn't; she just sighs, taking a step closer to the once-bridge. When the man next to her sighs too, she glances back at him. It's not a trick of the light, either; there's a smirk playing at the corners of her lips. ]

You're nervous too.

[ And just a few moments ago, he was doing his best to reassure her... how ironic. ]

I will lead the way. If I fall, I would thank you to assist me.

[He presses his lips together, before shrugging.]

Of course I am. How am I supposed to know if I'm pure of heart when I've never been tested on that before? But... Maybe you are, and you'll be fine.

[It's easier to assume others are pure of heart then yourself, he supposes, but... He's well aware he's a failure in some respects. Who's to say his heart hasn't been corrupted in some way? This woman he knows nothing about, and he'd rather assume the best of people. He has no reason to assume she's done anything wrong or that she harbors any ill will or anything like that.

Still.

He sighs again, before nodding.]

Alright. I'll... Do my best.

[This is gonna suck.]

[ Gaia knows all too well that a person's appearance gives no clue as to what they harbor in their soul. Somehow, though, she's convinced that whatever doubt the man near her might have regarding his own actions, they simply cannot be as grievous as those that have led to her own concerns.

Still, she has to take the chance; after all, without it, where else is she possibly to go? Turning back is not an option, as far as she is concerned.

So, a deep breath in to steady herself before she takes the steps toward the broken ends of the bridge; another in before she steps out over the apparent nothingness—

—and a slow sigh of relief out when the hard light forms underneath her feet like magic, leaving her safe from the rushing waters below.

She twists back toward her companion, nodding. ]

[ There's another man wondering much the same thing after having faced his own demons in that cave. He has the river and the invisible bridge fixed with a contemplative look, moving forward with the crowd as others try their luck and either walk across on illuminated steps or plunge into the rapids below.

Eventually he casts his gaze around and spots her. Something about her silhouette seems...familiar somehow. So he breaks away from the rest and paces over to stand beside her. ]

Worried? Don't be. If you have time to worry about the goodness of your actions, you are halfway there.

[ The voice next to her is... familiar, but it's not until Gaia turns her head to see him does vague recognition give way to knowledge. The face is one she has not seen in her own lifetime, and yet his name is there, in the forefront of memories that, since her confrontation with Artemis have seemed scattered and overfull all at once. ]

Emet-Selch.

[ The title is out of her mouth before she can stop it, and in the next moment comes regret, a frustration borne from having not wanted to reveal herself so easily. But she refuses to show it, instead allowing a wry smile to curve her lips as she continues on: ]

What about you, then? Would you say your own actions come from a place of good?

[ He tips his head towards her, expression largely unchanging but curiosity piqued by that simple usage of his title. Should he know her...?

Her face does seem familiar now that he thinks about it. ]

There is only one way to see. Might I prevail upon you to pull me out should I fall?

[ Without waiting for her answer, he starts towards the bridge. ]

[ Her lips part, an arch, irritated refusal on the tip of her tongue, but the words never make it to the air - instead, Gaia is left to wordlessly sputter her frustration, left to hurry in his wake lest he plunge into the icy, quickly-moving water beneath the broken bridge.

And if he doesn't?

Surely, if Emet-Selch is able to cross, then so too will she be.

So she hurries behind him, pausing at the edge of the bridge, lifting her hammer briefly in his direction - hoping to catch his attention before he crosses. ]

If you fall, make sure you reach for my hammer. I will pull you from the rapids.

[ Internally, she sighs. Really, she should have just stuck to her initial plan to refuse him entirely... ]

[ If she is as good as she claims to be, her pulling him out was never in question. Smiling briefly her way, he turns back to gaze at the empty distance betwixt this shore and the next.

He thinks about all that he has done in Zodiark's name. The chaos, the deaths, the manipulation. No lies, oh no, but omission? Plenty. Freed now of His touch, he is left to ponder how far he would still go to see the star restored to what it once was. As far as need be? Or only as far as he can stomach?

Closing his eyes, his shoulders slump with a sigh. No use dithering. He braces himself to meet the icy cold plunge and steps out.

...

The fall he expects doesn't come. His descent, halted. Eyes flying open, he stares incredulously at the hard light beneath his foot. Though moments later, that shock becomes wrenching guilt and resignation, mixed with not a little bit of relief. ]

[ To be honest, Gaia is not entirely sure what she is expecting when Emet-Selch steps out over the empty space that makes up the place where the bridge should be. His glance back is not met with a smile in return, but she does move to stand close, hammer gripped tightly in hands that no longer tremble, the adrenaline having picked back up in her veins.

Should he fall, she'll be ready to help him out.

"Not entirely sure what she's expecting" was the initial claim in her own mind, but when the hard light forms under Emet-Selch's feet, Gaia realizes she did indeed have expectations - largely, for him to fall. The surprise writes itself over her face as clearly as the incredulity on his, visible only from the side as he is—

—and then the expression on his face changes to something different, something that seems to her almost pained.

Gaia frowns.

She has questions. They're almost, almost overpowered by her own desire to test the bridge for herself, to walk out into the empty-but-not space with naught but the hope she has chosen, but... ]

Does it make you unhappy, Emet-Selch? To know your heart is good at its core?

[ She finds it confusing, but not bad... ]

[ A strangled sound of incredulity. ]

You seem to know me, though I don't know you. Why don't you tell me? Surely you're familiar with my work.

[ Does the bridge falter if one loses faith in it? He cautiously shuffles one foot forward but the light remains. ]

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[ She's already helped Ryne out by now, so this message appearing makes her blink.

Friend or foe? They'll just have to find out. ]

That depends on who is asking.
What are you to Ryne?
Are you her friend or family?

[ This message sounds almost stalkery! ]

[ The response makes Gaia scowl.

For someone to be responding in such a manner surely means that Ryne is here. But...

Her scowl deepens, and it takes every little bit of willpower she has to remain civil. After all, if the person on the other end of the network connection knows where Ryne can be found, then Gaia needs to work with them, not against them, despite her personal feelings on the matter.

She sighs. ]

My name is Gaia.
Ryne is

[ family. a friend. someone I care about greatly. ]

my comrade.

[ ...Well. That's something of a greeting, Tifa supposes. A little strange but not unexpected, considering the company she usually keeps. She's busy drying off herself, fingers wringing out her skirt and hair, before she quickly scrubs the worried look off her face. There will be time for letting this all percolate inside her head later, and she doubts the young woman is looking for anyone to add to her troubles. ]

I am afraid I don't know more than you do at the moment. Waking up here had been something of a shock.

[ From a high-stakes escape to a free fall into a lake, and there had been a strange woman speaking to her about magic while giving her some sort of potion. Essentially, the whole transition had been too disorienting for her to make proper sense of. ]

I am not sure I am even awake right now. Of course, they usually say to test it with a pinch.

[ Granted, they usually say that to children, but she's still sorely tempted to test that hypothesis. This place is a lot. ]

[ Test it with a pinch? Honestly, it sounds like something Ryne would say. And even for her, Gaia's not entirely sure she would be inclined to follow through. And so the most the stranger gets in response to that is two raised brows and a haughty, exasperated expression. Clearly, she knows as little as Gaia herself does.

Which isn't much. ]

I do not think there's any chance that either of us is dreaming. The cold of the water would have been enough to shock us back awake, if that were the case.

[ Although she can certainly forgive the other woman for thinking as such. The turtles at her feet, continually nudging her hammer toward her as if she will somehow forget it if they don't, might make her think she were in a dream too, if she weren't from a world just as strange in its own way as this one seems to be. ]

Then I don't suppose you have seen a girl in white? A little shorter than I am, with red hair and pink ribbons.

[ It might be far too naive to think this all temporary and fleeting, something to escape the grim reality she'd left back in her world. Still, it's a nice thought to cling to, a dream world with a castle town in the distance, but there's a time to fantasize and a time to find answers. ]

I suppose you're right. It's been a long time since I've even seen a turtle outside of a coloring book.

[ Sector 7 hadn't exactly been teeming with them, so that alone should tell her she's very much nowhere near Midgar at the moment. As for, the girl in white... ]

Hmm. There is someone I know who loves ribbons, but her hair is more brown than red. I don't think it's the same person. What's your friend's name? Maybe we can search for her together.

[ It would certainly provide a much-needed distraction from the panic and worry already building at the edge of her stomach. Besides, if the two of them ended up here, who's to say their friends and comrades didn't as well? ]

[ Been a long time...? Coloring book...? Gaia frowns. The woman is saying a lot of words that don't really make a lot of sense to her. Why, just outside Mord Souq are the Tolba... They are of course incredibly different from the ice turtles, but they are similar enough that one should not have to draw on books... ]

Her name is Ryne. [ There's an awkward pause where Gaia reminds herself that if the woman has been polite enough to offer her assistance, it would be best returned, and then she shrugs, hefting the hammer into her hands, trying not to grimace too much at the slick wetness of the metal in her grip. ]

What of your friend, with the brown hair? To what does she answer? With any luck, we will be able to find them both.

Ryne... I'm afraid I haven't heard of anyone by that name. Yet.

[ She's only just arrived, after all. That hasn't given her much time to really speak with the locals and familiarize herself with the new environment. ]

I'll be sure to keep a look-out from here on out.

[ As for her own friend, well- ]

Her name is Aerith, a fellow fan of bows. She was dressed in pink and red last time we saw each other. There are others I'm searching for, but that might be too much to put on you at once.

[ They likely are more of a danger to their environment than vice-versa. She can't imagine Barrett reacting coolly to all of this. She also can't imagine him not sticking out as he is wont to do no matter where he goes. ]

I'm Tifa, by the way. If we're going to meet up and compare findings, we should make it easier to find one another later.

[ She holds her hand out with a soft smile, hoping to put the young woman at ease. However, she wouldn't blame her if she were to ignore it; it's easy to be a little unnerved and wary of strangers, especially after being spirited away to who knows where. ]

[ There's a moment of silence in response to the offered hand, Gaia looking at it with a growing sense of awkwardness. Just a short time ago, she would have flatly rejected the offer of a proper greeting, but a lot has changed—

—but also, she is holding an overlarge hammer in both hands, making it somewhat difficult to shake.

It takes a few moments, but Gaia manages to adjust her grip, planting the hammer in the sand and holding it firmly in one hand so that she can accept the handshake. Ryne would tell her it's the right thing to do, after all. ]

Tifa. [ She's still not really the best at smiles, but she tries one on for size anyway. ] Looking for Aerith. I would say to tell me of the others you seek, but I am afraid I have a notoriously bad memory...

[ And to think, she just started a journal, too. Even if it's somehow here, it's probably waterlogged beyond all repair... ]

My name is Gaia.

[ That hammer certainly is impressive, considering the size and weight of it, something that becomes even more evident when it hits the ground. Tifa has a lot of questions already stirring through her mind, but she'll save those for later, unsure Gaia wants to be bombarded with them seconds after meeting and exchanging names. ]

We'll take it slowly, don't worry. Aerith first, then the others. Of course, we might run into them while we search.

[ It's likely Cloud and the others would be searching for them in return, so there's a good chance they're all scattered about in the same general area. If they're all here at all... it's not a thought she wants to stomach right away, choosing to believe she didn't arrive in this new world all alone.

Better to focus on other things for now, as she'll figure out what to do if it comes to surviving by her lonesome. ]

So- is Ryne a good friend of yours?

[ A more relaxed topic, she hopes. ]

Gaia | Final Fantasy XIV

mirror;

I apologize whole-heartedly for her unpleasantness!!!

laughs, it's more than okay!! c:

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oh boy /rubs hands together HERE THERE BE SPOILERS

spoilers all the way

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the caravan

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soaking;

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