test drive meme ⚔️️ 22

[avalonmods]

	QUICK NAV: ⚔️️ Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary
⚔️️ View Top-Levels Only ⚔️ IMPORTANT NOTE: The sun and moon have returned to normal, but the Calamity is still visible in the sky.
DATES: 1st half of the month Prompt Summaries: A. Soaring in Your Arrival: Dolphins kidnap new arrivals. Do your best to escape or help others do so, and maybe tap into your magic instinctively in the process. B. MagiCamp: The Red Springs is preparing for a special training, so it's unavailable. Instead, the caravan is lead toward a special once-every-decade event: the eruption of the chocolate geyser. C. Joust the Tip: Learn to fight hand-to-hand, joust, and more-- a great way to self-defend and learn to use your magic combatively!  D. Ubercooked: Soup kitchens are popping up around town, but the enchantment for these pop-ups is unstable, making for a wild cooking experience. E. Avalon is Flat: Pirates force otherworlders to go treasure hunting for them at the edge of Avalon, which is essentially water falling off into space. Cool-ass views, scary ass death awaiting anyone who falls. F. The Heart of the Sea-- Er, Lake: The ships seem to have hearts, and can be reasoned with to sail passengers back to Camelot. You have to handle the pirates, though. Messages in a bottle appear from an old ally to let you know they'll be ready to help you get to Dinas Emrys mid-month.

A ⦿ Soaring in Your Arrival EEEEEEEE! 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. But there is no plunge today. There are loud screeches and vibrant, neon flashes of color that may have you wondering "What in the Lisa Frank?" as multicolored dolphins expertly snatch new arrivals out of the air above their plunge and kidnap them. It seems this was not an expected development, as the Lady of the Lake is below, surrounded by a bunch of mossatee families (their lovely babies following them about and rolling around on the beach) and shouting after the new arrivals and dolphins alike. The dolphins seem to have decided that the new arrivals are playthings and are swimming and jumping off in all directions to take them off who knows where! Work together to escape the dolphins and swim
to shore-- as it turns out, adrenaline and panic are a great way to discover what kind of magic you have, so you may find the best way to escape your new captors is to instinctively find the magic within.

---

B ⦿ MagiCamp

Once everyone is finally 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. From there, Archimedes tells everyone that their normal destination is currently closed to prepare for a special training fair that everyone will be invited to. They should see far more of the

otherworlders who have been here for long to gain wisdom and direction from. In the meantime, it's late, so they're going to head south of the Red Springs into the selkies' land. Each person is loaded up onto the back of a horse, not the regular carriages, and gives them their 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. The horses seem to know where they're going, so 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). It's not long before everyone arrives at a camping site set up within viewing distance of a geyser that seems to be going off. But there is something a little different about this geyser, and the smell of the air about the entire site. It smells distinctively of chocolate, and when the geyser bursts into the air, it's clear why: the geyser is an opening to a special chocolate aquifer that runs underground in Avalon. Some say it's a magical shortcut to the sweets fairy kingdom.. but that's frozen in time as well, so visitors will not be permitted. You can still enjoy the best chocolate you've ever tasted and get a good night's rest in two-person tents-- each assigned randomly, so if you want to room with someone specific, you may need to argue it out. Especially since some of the tents have mistakenly been given two-person sleeping bags instead of two single-person sleeping bags... oops! The campsite is also very popular right now, as the news is reporting the chocolate geyser as a once-in-a-decade sight to see, brought early by the mix up with the summer solstice issues. Otherworlders both current and new are encouraged to head to the campsite to see this amazing chocolate geyser! Oh-- but make sure you watch out for the selkies. Selkies are very attractive fae who are capable of shapeshifting between human and seal form by removing their skins. Male selkies are known to be extremely handsome and have almost incubus-like seductive abilities toward women and gay men, especially those who are already in relationships. It is much rarer to interact with female selkies nowadays, given the protectiveness of their tribes after a long history of forced marriage by human men. They're very protective of their coats, so if they see you eying them, they may try to drown you... but if not, you probably only have to worry about their seductive nature.

---

C ⦿ Joust the Tip

Some Camelot natives have taken it upon themselves to offer basic training for swordplay and archery, noticing that there appear to be many people who don’t know how to fight or defend themselves! The flyers for instruction go up around a week before, posted in windows and underneath doors (sometimes more than once, whoops), and alongside the offers for weapons training from some natives is an additional opportunity - jousting. ‘A great way to practice aiming on horseback!’ is the tagline, though some might disagree with how true that is. There is some transport being offered to the Red Springs, where the training is taking place, but the carriages from Camelot are only once every few

hours and with limited space so if there are no more seats you’ll have to wait… or hang on the back of the carriage for dear life the whole way there. Otherwise, it’s a case of making your own way by whatever means you’re able to. At the Red Springs themselves a good chunk of the available training grounds have been taken up with organized arenas for archery, swordplay, and the entire upper end of the grounds is barriered off to make room for the jousting. There are a few horses available if you didn’t come with your own, and once the newcomers at the bay have been dealt with Archimedes himself makes an appearance to ensure that his charges are being treated well in their temporary assignment. When it comes to archery and swordplay, the setup and rules are simple. Anyone interested can take up a beginner’s bow or a sword and take instruction from one of the native tutors. They don’t seem to mind stepping aside for experienced off-worlders if they have the skills to teach others, but they do sometimes meddle if it looks like those people are doing it wrong. The jousting is a more thorough affair. To be eligible for it you must first know how to ride a horse, and be able to support the lance and shield without help. Anyone who fulfills both of those conditions is kitted out with protective equipment and set against an opponent! Since it’s beginners only, the instructors aren’t making things too complicated and the rules are simple - knock the other person off their horse, and you win. They’re trusting that no one is going to do something silly like try to stab somebody, or use kinetic magic to lift the lances… because why would anyone do that? Those who show good progress or proficiency in either of the three offered disciplines will be given the opportunity to learn a method to apply their magic to their weapons, regardless of what that magic type is! Generous, right?

 

---

 

D ⦿ Ubercooked
	Due to the quests lately requiring large amounts of supplies, the Camelot kitchens have put out a call for some extra help prepping easy to store, and easy to cook food for long journeys and have opened pop-up kitchens that anyone can volunteer to help out in. Just be careful! The enchantment that is supporting these kitchens was put together in a rush and is somewhat unstable, so at least two people are needed in each location
at all times to collect ingredients, trade across moving countertops, and to chop and cook the occasionally-enchanted ingredients at a rapid pace. In such a hectic environment, people are going to need eyes in the backs of their heads to make sure that what they’re chopping and preparing doesn’t go to the wrong place (or doesn’t just end up on the floor), and watch out for your fingers on those shifting countertops if you’re using sharp knives! All of the ingredients are headed for a variety of soups which will be put into enchanted cans (bigger on the inside!) far heavier than they look before they are transported to the coast and loaded onto some waiting ships. Anyone curious enough to ask where these ships might be going will get a shrug from those loading them up, but persistence is key, and questioning the right people will bring out the fact that there is an expedition heading out to Dinas Emrys, to locate the legendary item known as the Lapis Exilis.

---

 

PRELUDE: Sugar and Tea and Rum There has been a lead on Lapis Exilis, a precious stone considered to be in the heart of a Phoenix that renews their youth. This stone is said to grant immortality and eternal youth to those who use it, as long as it is used carefully. Unskilled magicians have been known to reset their whole lives and perish as babies in the woods with a Lapis Exilis in hand.  It's in Dinas Emrys, beyond the elemental giants. It's time to head out and battle them to get past them, but for that you need ships. Luckily there are some natives that have generously offered to sail towards the Dinas Emrys with the otherworlders. Once the preparations are complete, it's time to set sail! However, once the ships are far enough from the shore the ships change their flags to ones that are black and have skulls on them. That's right, you have been tricked into pirate ships!

 

E ⦿ Avalon is Flat
The pirates will do their all to restrain all of the otherworlders and send them down to the ship's brig. All of them have various weapons: muskets, pistols, cutlasses, and even stun grenades. They're not afraid of hurting anyone they fight. Anyone who gets caught is either knocked out or thrown directly into the cargo hold.  The pirates also have animals that are as vicious as them. Be careful of the shark parrots with their sharp teeth and sharp fin-like feathers (and a foul mouth that will insult anyone and everyone), the undead monkeys that won't die no matter what you do (death mages are able to exorcise them) or the cute but vicious venom cats that can inflict poison with their claws. But unless you've got experience using magic to pilot their pirate
ships, mutiny is probably a bad idea unless you want to be floating in the lake for the rest of your life. Try it and you're more likely to walk the plank and be lost to the lake's magical creatures. If no one stops the pirates, the ships are going to the edge of the map where the water floats into space. That's right, Avalon is, in fact, flat. Why did they come to the edge of the map anyway? To find some treasure of course! There are some rare chests right by the edge of the map where the water starts going down to space. They want otherworlders to swim for the treasures because they're not crazy enough to attempt it themselves. Attached to a rope, you get to go diving right on the edge of the map. There are various expensive jewelry found from the water that they want you to bring back. If you try to blindside them they'll cut the rope when you least expect it and you’ll fall into frozen time. The only way to get you out? A dark mage known as the Avalon Reaper who sails the edge of the lake and curses those who fall off the map to a quick death-- it's honestly the easiest way to get you back, so better be careful. There are also vicious predatory jellyfish in the waters that will attack anyone who will get too close to their favorite treasure. Luckily the pirates have a solution: a jar of dirt! The jellyfish are afraid of the land and anything related to it so they will definitely swim away when you see you have some dirt with you. Makes carrying treasure a bit hard, but better safe than sorry!

 

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F ⦿ The Heart of the Sea-- Er, Lake
Once you're done treasure-diving, it's back to the brig with ye! Within the brig, otherworlder prisoners may have noticed something a little odd. The walls within the pirates' ships seem to be a little warmer than one would expect of wood, particularly toward the center of the room. In fact, if you're near the center of the ship, you may notice that the ship has a heartbeat... and while the pirates rule the ship with fear and aggression, the ship itself.. seems to have a bit of a soft spot-- and a soul. Try speaking to the ship and pleading your case, and you may find yourself with a ship taking you where you want to go. Piss the ship off, and you may find it's happy to drive you straight through the battle of the Elemental Giants to drown you right off its back. So be nice- or don't. The choice is up to you. But once you've discovered this, you're safe to mutiny and try to take the ship back
yourself and head to your destination... Or so you may have thought. It turns out that rations were not designed for a pirate excursion, but for a straight trip to Dinas Emrys. You don't have enough to make it, so the best case scenario is to head back to Camelot. As you do, you may notice a number of bottles popping out of the lake's wakes with messages in them: an old ally, the cursed underwater town, have another way to Dinas Emrys. They'll be ready for you mid-month, prepare yourselves.

 

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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 as long as the characters are currently in or join the game during the application period. If new players do not want their TDM to be considered canon, they should state as much on the OOC intro once accepted. • Both current members and potential new characters can post to this TDM log. Anyone may reply to any threads or start top-levels. Whichever you prefer! •If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt. • This month's arrival prompts vary from normal, so make sure you read through! • Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.

Comments

Questions

[avalonmods]

[currysseur]

but can we adopt the cute venom cats as pets

Walter C. Dornez | Hellsing: The Dawn | current character | OTA

[angel_of_death]

1. MagiCamp
Having heard word of the chocolate geyser, Walter makes the trip out to the camp to verify the — even for him — outlandish claim, though less for his own sake, and more for the potential entertainment of the child that had ended up living in his household.

However, once there, he quickly spots the selkies. So it is that one dark-haired teen spends an awful lot of time not staring with incredulous awe at an enormous natural chocolate fountain, but engaged in discourse with the charismatic seal-people, a young, purple-hued dragon at his side.

Oddly enough, for how much talking he engages in, there's not a lot of flirting going on from his end.

Those who venture close enough to hear a conversation may catch a fragment or two before being noticed. For the first, until such time as he finds his answer, he is keen on inquiring about the health of a one particular selkie — one he identifies with feminine pronouns. He's also rather curious about what their ideal accommodations are; though he is a lord now in Camelot, he has not yet chosen his lands, and he wants them to feel welcome there when he does so.

2. Oh, bogger... (COMBAT QUEST)
On the scale of fighting, this rates more as a minor pest problem for Walter. However, a task is a task, and he hasn't had too much to deal with this month as of yet. Having done his preliminary research — the library in the city is decent and the Archivist is but a burned totem away for him — he has his equipment; a bag of sea salt and a cast iron strongbox.

He heads out a little earlier than his usual hour, wanting to catch the merchant before said merchant turns in for the night. But, as it turns out, he may not be alone in pursing this small matter after all. Encountering another at the merchant's house outside the city, the teen pauses, brow arching as he inclines his head to one side, mildly curious.

"Are you here for the boggart?"

3. Don't AshenBURY milord (ASSISTANCE/COMBAT QUEST)
Though thoroughly unamused with Lord Ashenbury's idiotically pretentious attitude, Walter is a noble here, and a random assassination of a lord probably wouldn't go over to well for King Arthur, so he dons his best clothes, puts on a stoic face, and goes.

The posturing at the party is something he, having heard stories from his master in his own world, finds both typical, and boring. But he stays nonetheless.

At least there seems to be some sort of charitable aim for the party.

4. Sugar and Tea and Rum
Walter had originally boarded the ship not on a quest for the legendary Lapis Exilis, but with a mind to perhaps intervene with the expedition to acquire it. If the stone was within the heart of a phoenix, and the phoenix had done no harm to invite slaughter, he saw no reason other than greed and a lust for eternal life that a person should seek out a phoenix to potentially slaughter.

So, it comes as little surprise that the expedition turns out to be run by unsavoury persons, though for a different reason than originally advertised. Still, as the pirates turn on them and attempt to round the outsiders up, Walter doesn't shrink back. Shoulders squaring, his upper lip curls in disdain, the Black Dog at his side growling in a menacing manner.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you all."

5. WILDCARD
(Have a prompt you'd like to engage with Walter on? Ask away!)

4

[emet_sulk]

There's a low, bestial snarl off to Walter's side. Several men shout. Should the boy turn, he'll see Emet-Selch and his familiar lunging at some of the pirates with his sword - one already bleeds out on the deck. However, the pirates have the advantage of numbers and very quickly manage to disarm and subdue him by pinning him down. Nyx has the advantage of flight, however, and wings about out of their reach. She's infuriated by her partner's capture and violet fire flickers between her sharp teeth. She's not able to set the ship alight, but she could probably put a few holes in the sails.

4

[unknowntodeath]

Archer would like to argue that they need people to sail the ship which is why killing the pirates seems unnecessary and would only harm their chances of going home.

Then again he's also not very pleased at their current predicament.

"Surely you pirates have better things to do than kidnap a bunch of otherworlders that have various types of magic."

2

[mamowavin]

That's an incredibly fair question to ask such a small child who, if not for the bunny motif axe she carries (and even a little with it), seems entirely out of place here. But Mamori meets the curious head tilt with a nod of confidence.

"Yes!" She'd done her research as well, and is just as prepared! ... though she had to get her familiar to carry her box, since it otherwise would've been too much on her own.

And speaking of doing things on her own... as prepared as she feels, she also would prefer not to fight alone. So she's not at all hesitant to ask: "Would it be okay if we worked together?"

2

[itsmypower]

So Walter's here, too?

"Yeah..." Dryly, without his usual, half-dimmed "excitement", leaving his answering hollow. This one too, clutching his own iron lockbox, peeking over at him. His tone's a whisper.

"I thought about it a while, and really there's nothing I'm that afraid of. I didn't think it'd be much of a challenge this time... so I'll just fight it the way I normally would." Just the usual plans in place here. "It's not that thing with the wooden mask from before." Though even if, there's not one chance he's leaving this mess for the other boy. It is—in fact—greatly thanks in part to Walter he isn't shedding his ice like paint-chips, and instead, the worst sort of terror when faced with anything. He isn't afraid of these "ghosts".

He's going as back-up.

"Did you... bring sea salt or something?" Blinking sleepily at him. "I wouldn't mind doing things your way, you know."

3

[hor]

Walter will be surprised to find that Horus has taken on such a quest on his own and is already at the party, sitting in what has been made to a bed of pillows and silks. He is explaining how he is a prince in his world and how in his time pillows had not yet been invented, but had they been, he would have surely had pillows and silks as fine as Lord Ashenbury's. Despite how he normally acts, he has been taught how he's supposed to act at court, and put his own spin on it to create a corner where he and a handful of nobles have taken to what is effectively a high-end pillow fort.

He waves Walter over when he spots him.

"Come, join us!"

3

[cantgetanyworse]

This is the kind of thing that Jane is good at. Or, at least, something she is good at when she is doing her very best to hide the fact she is an eccentric zoologist. As it is, she is very good at doing that, and isn't looking very out of place when she sidles up next to Walter and leans down a little to mutter a quiet greeting.

"It's terribly dull, isn't it," she says, barely hiding a smile when his attention turns to her. "I used to have to attend these kinds of things all the time with daddy. He stopped making me go when I insulted a few too many people with unflattering caricatures."

phoenix wright 🚽 ace attorney 🚽 cognitive/elemental | golden pheasant

[wrighting]

— runaway dolphins.

( All Phoenix Wright wanted to do today was clean the office and hope a new client comes through the doors. Nothing crazy, nothing that warranted him being plunged straight into water.

Suit and all. Which is just what he needs on top of the rest of his life: a dry cleaning bill. But there's no time to contemplate the costs of dry cleaning a suit after a plunge into unfamiliar waters, because a flurry of bright colours makes their way to Phoenix before he has a chance to so much as start treading water, dolphins chattering and clicking as they sweep him away. )

Wh-whoa—!

( Adrenaline and panic might be a great way to unlock newfound magic, but how helpful is said magic really when the only thing that happens is the nearest person hearing your voice, echoing in their head, asking the incredibly important question of; )

( Do I look like a bouncy ball...? )

— joust the tip.

( Somehow, though who knows how, Phoenix Wright survives the dolphins, which is another feather in an overloaded cap of stories of near misses and bizarre luck.

And the trainers here are at least kind enough to offer a box of archery appropriate clothes for him to pick through before the archery lesson. Apparently turning up in a suit and tie trying to use weapons is ridiculous and needs to be fixed.

So, here he is, plucking out pieces of clothing and holding them against his body to try and estimate whether they'll fit. He's rather indiscriminate about this, so, eventually of course, Phoenix pays for it... by holding a mini-skirt up to his hips.

Uh. ) ... Is this supposed to be in here?

( It seems odd. Do archers wear mini-skirts? Or is this a sign of some greater mystery? (Okay, he's really been low on cases these last few months. He's beginning to see cases everywhere.) )

— the heart of the sea.

( ... What is that?

Phoenix's fingers trail along the walls of the brig. There's an unusual warmth to them, a thudding underneath that almost reminds him of too much bass in a song. But it's not like pirates bring drumsets to sea, right?

He frowns, following the noise step by step to where the vibrations grow more intense, the noise louder. )

You... hear that, right?

( Yes, you, stranger there! Or perhaps not-stranger. Whatever the case may be, the nearest face to him. )

— wildcard.

( i am so rusty but hit me with anything! just messing about here / trying to get my Phoenix brain back tbh. Canon-point is... uh, let's say post JFA? )

Joust

[saxsongs]

Hmm...

[Ren looks at the mini skirt Phoenix is wearing.]

It might be a tradition. I haven't really used a bow before so I'm not completely certain... But Scottish people use skirts don't they? Might be completely normal for archers too.

[He eyes Phoenix up and down.]

Would probably suit you. You seem to have long legs.

The Heart of the Sea

[mayoninofukucho]

[Hijikata put up quite the fight against the pirates before they took him out and tossed him in here, but despite looking a little worse for the wear he manages to crack a wry grin.]

Well, I'm glad it's not just in my head.

[He gets up from the floorboards with a groan and follows Phoenix, likewise touching the wall as they slowly move along.]

It's probably a demon or some shit. Or else some rare creature they're smuggling, because hey, can't live on making abductees dive for treasure alone in this economy, right?

the heart of the sea

[themogget]

[The person that Phoenix looks at may not be interested in talking, or maybe they just didn't hear him, so the man will find himself being observed very intently by a small white cat with vividly green eyes. His ears are flicking subtly each time the noise pulses through the ship.]

I wish I couldn't. [The cat says dryly. It's been bothering him for hours and he just wants to try and nap until this latest ridiculous escapade is over. How does he keep ending up getting himself in these positions, anyway? Too willing to be made a fool of, is what.]

Imagine how loud it must be for me.

[But perhaps a talking cat would provide adequate distraction.]

Harry Potter | Harry Potter | current character

[phoenixwiz]

Don’t AshenBURY milord (Quest)
As much as Harry is not amused by Lord Ashenbury’s snobbery, the thought of him getting killed in his own party is not something he (and King Arthur) didn’t want to happen. He knows that there has to be a way to ensure his safety and keep Ashenbury’s enemies at arm’s length, so he dresses in his best formal clothes and attends the party undercover and goes to the party.

As soon as he arrives, he begins to scan around for any signs of danger, not wanting to miss a single thing. Having experience of having to deal with people wanting him gone for good, he knows how tense it can get.

Joust the Tip (Sword)
Harry has been wanting to use a sword for a long while ever since he knows that just magic is not going to be enough in Avalon. After all, he did used a sword to slay a Basilisk once, but that was years ago. So when he hears about the natives offering sword lessons, he definitely jumps into the opportunity.

The trainer in charge is impressed by his eagerness to learn something new. She then hands him a training sword before she could teach him the basics and start the lessons.

“Okay, what are the things I need to know in using a sword? It has been a long time since I used one,” he speaks to the trainer in question.

(I can match your style of tagging, prose or brackets.)

joust the tip

[blossomsword]

He does like it when people are interested in the same things he's into, so Xiao Yin is more than happy to teach Harry the basics.

Xiao Yin's smile is a bit warmer than usual. He likes kids, he likes teenagers. They have energy and curiosity, even if they try and pretend they don't. Harry's honesty is refreshing.

"The most important thing, in my opinion, is to be calm. This is why you train. Your body remembers the techniques, and your mind doesn't have to think about them in the heat of combat."

He swings his sword in a slow, smooth arc toward the ground, then rests the tip by his feet.

"How long ago did you used to train in swordsmanship?"

century egg 🥚 food fantasy 🥚 current character

[fellsound]

— helping to joust.

( it is hardly uncommon for Century Egg to stumble into something going on here in Avalon, and that could never be more true than when a walk through the wilderness outside Camelot brings him to the Red Springs (yes, it takes over a day, no this is not the first time he's done this) just at the right time for lessons to start.

An overly enthusiastic Camelot native bundles him into the training area without question. Surely this man is one of the newbies, look at his spacey expression!

But Century Egg does not need training in weapons, his claw serves him just fine. Instead, he scans each section of the grounds, following the arcs of swords as they slice through the air, stopping at the archery targets as pieces of long forgotten memories loosen themselves. How many performances was he made to sit through, silent at his Master's side, while experts loosed arrows and performed increasingly intricate trick shots from the backs of horses.

He nods at any archer who catches his eye, but this is not his skill set, and nor is it something he feels the need to learn. So on he goes, with simply that wordless encouragement.

It's when he gets to the horses, the jousting, that something goes alive in his eyes. Not for the competition itself, but the animals. And, more specifically, the sight of someone mounting in a completely incorrect manner. His appearance at their side is nearly instantaneous, there in a blink, a hand resting firmly on their shoulder. )

That... will cause an injury.

— quest: don't ashenbury milord.

( The style of party in Camelot may be aesthetically different from those Century Egg knew, in his life long before, but the actual content is no different:

Rich people, dressed to the nines, socialising and backstabbing.

To that end, Century Egg has managed to fit in, dressed smartly in an outfit which marries his more comfortable daily wear with a modern style suit. With his hair in an elaborate braid instead of its usual ponytail, and a glass of sparkling water in hand, he slinks around the edges of the party, less interested in rubbing shoulders with the elite and more interested in the actual mission which brought him here.

Protecting the host. The man is frustratingly hard to find, though, never in one place or with the same person for more than a few minutes, overly involved in everything from the dancefloor to the kitchens. A frown briefly flickers over Century Egg's face as he comes within inches of Ashenbury just to have several partygoers walk right in his path as the man is led away by a beautiful woman.

Great.

And to make matters worse, Century Egg's dogged pursuit of the target he's meant to protect has caught the eye of a member of security. )

Oi. You. The shifty one—

( Ah, shit. )

— wildcard.

( you know what this is! )

jousting

[blossomsword]

[ Xiao Yin quickly turns to face the person stopping him, giving the man a faint smile. ]

Thank you. I'm new to equestrian pursuits.

[ Let him speak fancy and book-smart for a bit. He doesn't get much chance to do so in Greywater. ]

Truth be told... I'd rather learn to use a lance on foot first. Or to ride without weapons. Yes, to ride. There's so much of Avalon I've never seen, being that I only just got here.

[ His little azure dragon familiar, wound loosely around his neck, flicks its tail casually. There's not an ounce of distress or tension in either of them. ]

For the quest!

[angel_of_death]

[Century Egg might have a different hairstyle and a slightly different manner of dress, but his appearance is distinctive enough that Walter is able to recognize him when the boy catches sight of him in the crowd. Remembering him from the time they had exchanged pepper for mushroom, Walter reasons that there's a reasonable chance that he isn't there to cause Lord Ashenbury any harm.

That aside, the security team doesn't appear to have the same experience to draw on.]

Are you still trying to catch Lord Ashenbury's attention? You poor fellow.

[He speaks loudly enough for the security team to hear, turning to address them more directly after his initial interjection, casually motioning to Century Egg with an open hand as he draws on his limited knowledge of the person to allow him a way of explaining his presence.]

My acquaintance here has developed a rather strong interest in gardening as of late. He's managed to grow some truly astounding specimens.

[He glances once more to Century Egg.]

Were you thinking of making a donation of your prized work? Well, if Lord Ashenbury is not wise enough to take you up on it, I know another lord who might appreciate your idea.

wilcard :V

[judgementor]

[Though Red Wine ended up here under different circumstances to Century Egg, the end result is the same - they're both here, facing one another across a training field, Red Wine with his sword in his hand and Century Egg with his own particular choice in weaponry.]

Remember. [Red Wine says as he weights his sword lightly in his hand.] This is practice, Century Egg. I would never harm you. We don't need to use our full strength.

[He's sure that by this point the other Food Soul trusts him enough to believe that, but he also knows how easily Century Egg can lose himself to his past. There's a potential for this to go terribly wrong, but... Red Wine is confident.]

So. Are you ready? [Though he doesn't move quite yet, the way he's holding himself and the centre of his gravity shifts subtly.] I'll let you take the first move.

kumon hyodo | a3! | new character...?!

[kyutemon]

( 1. MagiCamp )

[ Camping's fun and all, and a chocolate geyser is even more-so, however this child running about certainly doesn't sound to be having a good time. ]

Chacha, no! Chocolate's bad for dogs! You'll die!! [ You'd think that a corgi couldn't outrun a person with those little legs, but considering this is a hainu, its wings are just the thing to compensate for that lack of height and speed. Kumon is racing after his familiar which seems to be making a soaring dash toward the chocolate fountain, either for a refreshing dip or a drink, which are both very bad ideas for a dog. Please help him before he immediately loses his familiar to the hazards of chocolate! ]

( 2. Joust the Tip )

[ As thrilling as the thought of learning to use a sword is, Kumon knows he should probably start off small as a beginner (he doesn't even use knives in his own house!), as much as it disappoints him that he can't attempt to be a cool knight like the ones in those fantasy anime and manga he started checking out after The Floral Prince. But a bow and arrow aren't as dangerous to hold, right? Kumon turns the bow and arrow this and that in his grip, clearly fascinated as he tries to get used to the hold of it. ]

So cool... so, you get it like this, right? And then you do this...

[ He holds it up just as he'd been instructed, pulling the arrow back. But it seems his excitement gets the best of him and he loses his grip of the pulled back string, the arrow shooting off straight in a random direction. ]

Aah!! S-sorry, I'm sorry!

[ Hopefully that arrow doesn't hit anyone.

Hopefully... ]

( 3. Quest - Cake or Fake? )

Woow... [ Kumon stares in awe at the interior of the house. ] A bunch of this is cake? But it looks normal! Real magic is so amazing.

[ He didn't think you could even use magic for this sort of thing! Then again he's still new to the entire concept of actual magic to begin with. Well, none of this cake is around just to be stared at. It is time to begin investigating! And possibly eating, if you're that into cake. ]

Joust

[unknowntodeath]

[Luckily, Archer catches the arrow before it can hit anyone. He happens to be around and his eyesight is sharp and reflexes fast enough to do it. Then again it's not like the arrow was shot at full strength so it was easier.]

Your form looked okay for a beginner. Just hold your shoulders back a little more and make sure to have a better grib on the arrow next time.

1;

[sleepybitch]

[He's interrupted from his nap (if you can call near constant sleep a nap) by a familiar - distressed - voice, which is enough to get him to actually react instead of rolling over and trying to fall back asleep. Why is Kumon here? Why is the dog not listening to him? He doesn't know.

Catching the familiar is easy, at least, because Hisoka has always been fast. (He thinks he's even faster now, but that might be this whole... magic is real and he has it now thing.)]

...

[...]

...You should get a leash.

rosho tsutsujimori | hypnosis microphone | new/returning character

[glossophobia]

( 1 ▮ magicamp )

[ Well this is different. Usually you're taken to the inn right after your arrival but it seems this time around people are being taken out on a camping trip. Hopefully nothing bad happened to the inn. Is this really necessary though? Rosho had been hoping to be given a quick detour to his old home but Archimedes (not his familiar Archimedes) had insisted this was a one-way trip. How rude. And there's no way he can make his way there from here, considering he has no idea where this camping location even is. Maybe if he were to find some sort of animal nearby he could ask for directions back to the city. If he wasn't trying to catch up to his old memories and familiarity with magic he could at least turn into an owl and fly home. ]

(a) [ Rosho steps away from the tent to get a better look at his surroundings, but he pauses when a familiar smell reaches his nose. He hadn't paid any attention to it until now. I mean, the color was bizarre for a lake but he already knows things in Avalon can be... odd. But this is beyond odd. He turns to whoever is nearby. ]

Is that... that's real, isn't it? [ He points outward to the geyser. ] The whole thing, that's. That's chocolate?

[ There might be something like a glimmer in his eye. Something like excitement. ]

Can we drink it?

(b) [ Unfortunately before Rosho can even dip his fingers into this delicious literal sweets fountain before him he stumbles upon a strange lump near the edge. Doesn't that look like a seal? Ah, but it's not moving. Maybe it's asleep? But this is the opportunity he was looking for, an animal he can communicate with! Rosho crouches down nearby. ]

Excuse me, I... ah, I hope my animal talking isn't rusty. Sorry, but can you understand me? I'd like to ask you something.

[ All of a sudden what was very much a seal has become... a man.

A very naked man. Oh. Rosho startles, but before he can scramble off something about this man seems a bit intriguing and he finds his voice caught in his throat as he just stares.

This is probably not good, and Rosho has no familiarity with selkies or how dangerous they can be. ]

( 2 ▮ quest: so mysterious )

[ Man, imagine being the kind of gullible person that would look at a complete stranger that has just stopped them on a street corner as they inquire them upon their interest about a "mysterious box" that has become all the rage nowadays. Imagine being stupid enough to hear them try to sell you this "mysterious box" that seems a bit scuffed up, is taped closed all over as if it has already been opened and sealed up again for some odd reason. Imagine being the sort of idiot that doesn't even know about the existence of the dark web or what it means and just thinks its some kind of website with curious but interesting items. I mean, if you're going to approach people and try to sell them things, surely you can trust what they're saying, right?

This gullible, stupid idiot is Rosho. ]

I don't know... I don't have any money on me, ya see? I just got back here. I haven't even been able to get back to my house.

[ "Oh, don't worry about it," the stranger says cheerily, "I can just follow you home!"

Dear god please stop him he's really bad about this sort of thing. ]

2 lol

[groundzeroes]

Ah? What's this? Looks fun.

[A familiar hand rests on Rosho's shoulder, and a familiar slimy presence looms over him, grinning at the aspiring scammer.]

You wanna fill me in?

[Despite the friendly(?) lilt to his tone, Rei's expression is not inviting. FUCK OUTTA HERE BOZO]

hisoka mikage | a3! | new character?!

[sleepybitch]

chocolate fountain;
[Is it possible to have a staring contest with a geyser? Because that’s what it seems like Hisoka is doing, sitting and staring at the chocolate with an unparalleled intensity.]

…

[…]

It’s okay if we use that chocolate, right?

[He needs it. For reasons.]

joust the tip;
[Sword fights are different then fight choreography, it’s true, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at how Hisoka moves. He forgoes the classical, knightly longswords for things that are a bit smaller - he favors speed over power.

He’s doing well, even if it seems like he’s gotten a bit too absorbed in it. Walking behind him will get him tensing and spinning, blade raised with what seems like a very real intent to strike… But he holds himself back, and eventually his shoulders droop and he sighs.]

…You should be more careful.

[He’s not the one at fault here, obviously.]

heart of the sea;
[Pirates? In his Arthurian fantasy? Well, stranger things have happened. His attempts at escape have not gone well, mostly thanks to an unfortunate use of magic he barely understands, but he manages to wriggle his way out of the brig and down into the depths of the ship.

It’s warm down here. Cozy. Alive, apparently, but he just bobs his head at the ship instead of trying to make a deal. He’s just going to curl up where it’s comfortable and nap - though “comfortable” means in the middle of the floor, so anyone trying to bargain with the ship’s consciousness has a tripping hazard to contend with.]

wildcard;
[Wanna do quests with Hisoka? Or do something else? Lay it on me! Or hit me up to hash things out beforehand, anything goes.]

chocolate fountain

[tsumtsuki]

[ A chocolate geyser is, indeed, a sight to behold. But the familiar figure standing nearby catches Tsumugi's attention more than the once-in-a-decade phenomenon. He saw him (or a version of him, to get incredibly meta and beyond info he'd really grasp) a few months ago in Mab's Cavern, but... he can't put his finger on why this feels different, but it does.

Despite how excitedly his heart beats in his chest, his approach is casual. ] I don't see why not! [ His smile, though, is much too warm for someone who'd seen him within the last few days. Even by Tsumugi's soft standards. ] Do you want to give it a try, Hisoka-kun?

Toshirou Hijikata | Gintama (Primatica CRAU) | Current Character

[mayoninofukucho]

A ⦿ Soaring in Your Arrival

Seriously?!

[Hijikata didn't see this coming when he headed out to the bay for the monthly arrival of newcomers. Where the hell did these weirdly colourful dolphins come from?! Well, doesn't matter. He swings himself on the back of the archaeopteryx that carried him here and flies to the rescue of anyone who may need it!

Only that he... never did something like this before. So while he envisioned himself simply soaring past and whisking the first unfortunate new arrival out of their predicament, what actually happens is that a jumping dolphin collides with his mount, making it lose balance and drop its rider. Before Hijikata can hit the water he quickly sends some ice magic downwards, creating himself a nice solid ice floe to land on. He reorients himself and calls out to the poor person being bounced around between the overeager creatures.]

Hang in there!

[Easier said than done, isn't it?]

B ⦿ MagiCamp

[Honestly, Hijikata wasn't really enticed by the chocolate geysir. He doesn't have a sweet tooth at all. He mainly came here to see if he might find the selkie woman he helped get out of her unwanted marriage to a human last year, but she's nowhere to be seen - no surprise, given how reclusive selkie women are because of experiences exactly like that. But upon overhearing people talk about the double sleeping bag issue in some of the tents he can offer a solution!]

I can make you an air bed. It'll disappear after seven-and-a-half hours, though.

C ⦿ Joust the Tip

[Hijikata has learned how to ride here on Avalon, and he can certainly get a handle on the lance and shield. He's already fought on horseback using his sword and his magic, but this should be useful too! Nothing like skewering mid-sized monsters in full gallop! (At least in his imagination... maybe there's a pattern here, given how the rescue attempt from the dolphins worked out.) If nothing else he's cutting a dashing enough figure on his black stallion, knight cloak billowing behind him and equipment in hand.]

Who wants to be my opponent?

D ⦿ Ubercooked

[Sadly not everyone on Avalon knows about Hijikata's idea of "cooking", so somehow he was allowed to enter a cooking station, where he has made it his mission to fill mayonnaise from his bottomless mug into each can on top of the soup (he poured less soup in to leave space for the condiment... honestly, the soup/mayonnaise ratio is something like 60/40). Someone please stop this man.]

E ⦿ Avalon is Flat

[Dinas Emrys, then... it's been a year since they last attempted an expedition there, only to be shipwrecked by those two gargantuan creatures starting a fight out at sea. As far as Hijikata knows no one has tried to head back out there since. As a knight he'll definitely go along - if those giants are still out there it's bound to be dangerous.

Alas, the danger turns out to have been onboard from the outset. He's very pissed off about the betrayal, and the pirates are finding a tough adversary in him. Right now some of them are trying to put out the mast he set on fire while he makes a board plank snap upright to catch a bullet meant for him and exorcises a zombie monkey with the other hand. He's had time to hone his elemental- and death magic!]

Surrender, you sea rats, then you'll get to see another day!!

[Maybe he should consider that his allies are going to drown if he wrecks this ship... or does he have a contingency plan for that?]

F ⦿ The Heart of the Sea-- er, Lake

[One way or the other Hijikata eventually got taken out of commission (the pirates aren't newbies either!) and tossed inside the ship. He's still pissed off, but also unable to keep fighting for now, so instead he tries to brainstorm ways to get out of this situation... if there's weren't this distracting throbbing sound.]

Ugh... is this my own heart in my ears, or does anyone else hear this too?


Quests

A ⦿ Cake or Fake?

[So some unfortunate soul managed to turn their whole house and almost everything inside into cake... this is a weird quest, but Hijikata is tackling it! First of all he takes his shoes off before entering the building. Walking on cake with dirty soles would feel wrong as hell.]

Everything looks normal... what the hell kind of spell was that? Some dark web shit?

B ⦿ Oh, bogger...

[A monster in someone's basement? Sounds like a job for a knight! (Also because Hijikata is totally shirking the current knight quest. He doesn't want to escort anxious, squeaky guinea pigs that want to make a dozen detours!) In front of the fretful man's house he turns to his companion.]

Remember, it'll take the shape of your worst fear. Are you braced for that?


[OOC: Feel free to tag in with other quest prompts as well - he wouldn't pursue those naturally, but will support 'light web' questers and can be targeted or unwittingly dragged into dark web quests!]

B!

[angel_of_death]

[Walter isn't at the camp as a newcomer, but he lingers for some time. Like Hijikata, he spends a good deal of time looking over the selkies in a less than lustful manner, also looking for the selkie lady who had been so wrongfully entrapped in marriage.

He cannot help but notice the other man searching. Curious, and for lack of results in his own search, Walter eventually approaches the man, waiting until after he's finished talking over the issue with the sleeping arrangements.]

Were you looking for someone before? Among the selkies.