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!

 

---

 

 

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

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.

[angel_of_death]

The snarl a familiar voice, Walter does turn. He sees his friend, the man's familiar fighting alongside him until he is cornered. His weapon isn't good for large numbers.

But Walter's is.

His friend in danger, he does not hesitate. He does not threaten. He does not warn. In a flicker of movement he sets loose his wires, one hand directing a set against those who threaten him, the other directing the other five against those who encircle his friend.

He cuts them apart with nary a second thought.

[emet_sulk]

The weight on him suddenly eases. He looks up and sees shocked expressions on the pirates' faces moments before they collapse in pieces all around him. Blood drenches his clothes, his hair, his weapon. He is left staring at a sea of blood.

The sight wrenches him back to an age long past: a battlefield like so many others. It is deathly silent. His ears, ringing. Everything dull and slow. He had cut them all down to save himself.

He realises he has stopped breathing and sucks in a quick, shallow gasp, ony to be hit by the stench of their open corpses.

[angel_of_death]

Well, that hadn't gone exactly as planned; he hadn't intended to drench the man.

He'll apologize for that later. Possibly launder his clothes, too. But for now--

"Move!! They'll shoot you if you stand still!!"

A sword, he can intercept easily; bullets, he still needs practice against.

[emet_sulk]

The shout jolts him and galvanises him into action. He scrambles up - slipping slightly on the bloody wood - and rushes to find cover. Memories of fire flashing overhead, explosions and screams, drag themselves up unwillingly. He sucks in a sharp breath and tries to focus on the present.

The ship... The ship. He can't do anything with the ship lest he sink them all. But he can take one of the fallen swords nearby and alter it to suit his hand.

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."

CW: gore

[angel_of_death]

Were Walter in a logical frame of mind, he might also come to the same conclusion about needing someone capable of sailing the ship. Were Walter in a logical frame of mind, he might also have reasoned that, whatever the pirates wanted them for now, they still needed them to help avert the calamity, and would thus be less inclined to dispose of them after attaining their more immediate desires.

With a pistol pointed at his head, Walter is not in a logical frame of mind. All he can think of is how lovely, how wonderful the expression of that sneering, cocky man would be with his arm sliced clean from his body.

And this is exactly what Walter does.

A motion of his hand a flick of the wrist, the extension of his pointer and index fingers, and it emerges; a wire, thin, flexible, and sharp. Glinting like the thread of a spider's web, it moves through the air via kinetic magic, whip-like trajectory wrapping it around the arm as the pirate, initially confused, misjudges the situation in the crucial half-second he has to actually move.

Like a fine sword, Walter's filament slices through flesh and bone, severing the limb, a spray of blood gushing forth, splattering the deck as limb and gun both drop.

The hand, finger still against the pistol trigger, hits the deck at just the right spot to set it off.

At this point, all hell breaks loose.

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?"

[angel_of_death]

They haven't met, but Walter recognizes her from the contests in Elphame. He hadn't participated in them himself, being preoccupied with the Fisher King and other things, but he had taken note of the victors.

The statue was hard to miss.

Still, even without the statue, a girl bold enough to take the initiative to fight is enough to gain Walter's attention. His mouth curves into an approving smirk.

"I think that can be managed."

While the quest itself is a minor one, he certainly isn't possessive of it.

Turning to face the door again, he speaks a second time. "Did you have a plan already in mind, or shall we come up with one now?"

Walter had thought up one in advance, of course, and it should be easy enough to adapt it to working with two people instead of one. But, he wants to see how she plans on taking on the task.

[mamowavin]

For a moment, Mamori's smile is warm, as a "thank you!" sits on the tip of her tongue. But they shouldn't be wasting time on such pleasantries, should they? Not when there's a task in front of them. So her expression settles into something more serious as she also faces the door.

"I thought of having my familiar help me fight it." Who is somehow even more "bunny warrior" than her. "I made sure to bring sea salt, just in case. And I have light magic, so maybe that would help, too!"

While not direct sunlight, per se, if it runs from sunlight then maybe light magic will scare it a little? It's not a terribly refined plan, sure, but she's no master tactician. She's 11.

And as such, there's some holes in said plan. One of such being: "... But I don't know how to face my own fear." She looks to Walter. "How were you going to?"

[angel_of_death]

Well, it's a start. Her light magic will probably be of help, particularly so if she can imitate sunlight enough to startle the target.

The bunny warrior... well, Walter isn't sure what to make of it. He's never seen anything of the like before, nor read of it. But he'll give it a courtesy nod anyhow.

"The best thing to do would be to put it immediately on the defensive and not allow it the chance to focus enough to start drawing on anyone's fears. That being said, allow me to handle the salt. Your weapon looks like it needs two hands, and having to mind the salt on top of that is bound to slow you down."

[mamowavin]

The familiar keeps her gaze on Walter… or, at least, it looks like she does? It’s admittedly a bit hard to tell when she’s lacking visible eyes, but she at least responds to the courteous nod with one of her own.

Mamori nods as well, agreeing with his assessment. “Okay. In that case, I’ll go in first.” Her grip on her axe tightens as it briefly glows with the light of her light magic. This isn’t how she necessarily expected to see the results of her training at the Red Springs, but what better experience is there besides an actual fight?

She hands the salt she’d brought to Walter, just in case (it’s in a small, cutesy bag with a bunny print), before turning to the door and placing her hand on it. “Let’s go.” And, without further ado, she bravely leads the way inside and to the basement.

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."

[angel_of_death]

That thing with the wooden mask. The description is enough for Walter to pull an annoyed grimace -- not at Shoto, but of the memory of searching for a certain escaped criminal.

Walter doesn't have much of a poker face. Unlike Chang Geng, who had practice moderating his emotions, Walter's feelings were raw and turbulent.

Fortunately, he's a middle-distance fighter first.

"...I did." he answers in response to Shoto's query, features smoothing out as the irritation fades. "Since this is more of an eviction than a standard search and destroy mission," he begins, using the language with which he is most familiar; the boy is a fighter. A killer. "... and the timing isn't critical, I just brought everything that might be useful."

That way, he can be as delicate in handling the matter as he feels appropriate.

[itsmypower]

They are different, aren't they? Years of ice-walls concealing one's true, full emotions. He'd too-little trouble extending "nothing" beyond his surface-depth ennui. Though he feels a lot, deeply. Boring calm, dull exterior keeping his face like still water; not affected much. And still, the strangest thing is how eyes instead—his own with honey-warm softness, smiling in ways when Walter's grimace slips through a bit—say more through his looking than Shoto's words to him ever could.

We'll finish this together.

Luckily, simple mission-based reference does seem familiar enough, and boy-who-isn't-a-killer shifts from his candle-soft smiling, to glassy, ice-rigid soldier. His switching "protection modes" on: one mission, one purpose, his flickering warmth from half-moments ago dissolved in his blank, flat expression.

Nevermind how Walter doesn't need protecting.

"Want me to distract it?" It'd be easier, somewhat—maybe. "I don't know what you had in mind here, but I can lure it if you need me to."

He's eyeing the boxes.

"I guess we'll only need one of these."

[angel_of_death]

Entertaining the other boy's offer, Walter nods. While he might be less inclined to allow Shoto to play the part of bait for a more formidable opponent, this was just a boggart; a nuisance at worst, even if the ones here had slightly more abilities than the folklore he was familiar with back home.

"...Alright. You distract it. Make it think it has a sweet, quiet boy to pick on. I'll ambush it with the salt, then you freeze the bugger and we throw it in the box and get on with the rest of our evening."

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!"

[angel_of_death]

Walter's attention is immediately drawn, Horus' jovial tone cutting clear through the droning din of gossip and puffery. His voice; Walter would know it anywhere. Feet follow his heart, pulled in the direction of the Egyptian god prince.

He half expects to catch a scent as he draws near, fond of oils as his friend is. Yet, as he draws near the entrance of the soft fortifications, he gives pause.

...Horus... looks good on a bed of pillows.

"...I..." hadn't known he was coming. He would have come with him, if he had. But the words die on Walter's lips, sentences unformed.

"...Where should I sit?"

[hor]

"Anywhere you'd like. There are plenty of pillows and silks to go around."

He gestures to one of the employees of the party, who sighs and goes to fetch more pillows and silks for Walter. At least they're nearby, as he's been doing this since they'd settled in, so he simply had them brought nearby in case he needed more. He brings them over, waiting for Walter to indicate where he'd like to sit.

[angel_of_death]

It's absolutely surreal, being waited on. So much so that it takes him a moment to react, in the end pointing at a spot as close to his friend as he can get, mumbling a polite acknowledgement of the work before taking his seat among the pillows.

"Have I missed anything?"

Horus seems... well-entrenched, pillow-wise and cohort-wise. New allies? Or just a few nobles looking for a good time?

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."

[angel_of_death]

A curious story. Walter's head tips to the side as he listens, taking it in. Miss Jane is a lovely woman. No doubt the settings were quite the nuisance, likely filled with the sorts of men who would seek to possess and restrict her.

"You mean accurate caricatures?" he counters with a delicately raised brow. Men weak of character are apt to be offended when women do not sing their praises.

[cantgetanyworse]

Jane presses her lips together at his response but it's clear she's holding in a giggle. Truthfully she probably didn't have to go so far to not have to go to these things, but not being invited at all was a much easier thing than having to explain why she never attended.

And her father hadn't really minded.

"I said what I said," she replies, though her eyes are sparkling with mischief. He's not wrong. "Though I will not entirely refute your interpretation of events." Then she looks around, her expression becoming a little more serious. "Have you noticed anything?"

[angel_of_death]

"With an event involving watchful security and this many people, I've been keeping an eye on the libations. Food and drink are an excellent means to slip a poison or a curse to the man and get away without being immediately singled out as the killer."

He's been trying to think of this from the perspective of a would-be assassin. Considering the setting, he figures something underhanded is more likely than a bold and direct assault.

"Are there any ways you suppose someone might try to attack him?"