TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 4

[avalonmods]

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ 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. It's a fast process, as they no longer have to collect possessions and pets from drowning in the waters, so they're only needing to go around hitting the ice that keeps forming on the surface with their shells to keep the surface open for the falling arrivals. 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** and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console 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. For the month of February: there are complimentary chocolates placed on the pillows that make you feel warm and fuzzy when you eat them, all the rooms have been temporarily redecorated after hearing about Valentine's Day after an announcement about an upcoming Valentine's concert to be held by the off-worlders. They wanted to celebrate love too, and help the newcomers feel welcome! Unfortunately, this means that the two-person bedrooms only have one bed this month... maybe you can get a roll-away? 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. As the snows give way to rain and the cold persists across Avalon, it may seem as if some of the local businesses are suddenly short-staffed. A favorite spot might have shorter hours, longer wait times. Whatever it is, it seems that there are fewer Avalonians as the days go on. It is not long before there are signs posted outside local businesses and every clinic, there is an illness striking the populace and adventurers seem to be immune. While the healers can cure this malady, they are short on supplies and some of them are not easy to obtain. All are urged to take up a task and gather these ingredients. Anyone who does obtain one or more of the required ingredients will be given a Fairy-blessed Tincture of Wellbeing from one of the faeries who stayed behind after the tournament. It is said to bring healing no matter where you are when you sprinkle it on the ground in front of you. (Note: The tincture will teleport the nearest healing mage to your location. This information is not included with the tincture... surprise!) A ⦿ Ingredient One: A Can of Sprite Sprites can be found in and around Avalon, and thankfully so. The first task is to obtain a small can of magic dust from a sprite's wings. Now an adventurer may think to capture and take this by force, but be wary: sprites always travel in packs and will be so inclined to curse any would-be attackers dance till they drop, literally. Sprites are mischievous sorts with a wry sense of humor and can be quite fond a flower which grows near the Red Springs called the Cinnabar Paper Bush. Bring them a bouquet and beg for their cooperation, but be cautious of breathing in the flower's pollen-- the sprites will not warn your character that it's a potent ingredient in probability spells, so breathing it in may cause sudden repeated visions of 15 seconds of a potential future based on every choice your character could make in a particular situation. Getting out of the pollen's effects takes a full day of going through visions of parallel possibilities if there's no one to help you, and the sprites will be long gone by then. You'll need another adventurer to use their magic to get you out of this or prevent the pollen from spreading... good luck. B ⦿ Ingredient Two: Deez Nuts Within the Brocéliande there grows a certain tree. Even in winter, this tree produces tiny star shaped nuts that when ground into a powder are a key ingredient in many healing tinctures. However, the nuts are coveted by the wildlife for they taste quite sweet when eaten straight from the tree. Adventurers are tasked with entering the woods and retrieving baskets full of these tiny nuts. A warning was given to not go unarmed, those animals can be very protective of their food supply and they are rumored to be coveted by the Bear Fir, who won't hesitate to come for you. A warning to the wise: do not eat them yourself. They can be quite tempting. A tiny call will induce the desire to devour all of them, burrowing deep within your conscious. Not only would an adventurer fail their task but they would fall gravely ill for a period of two days. With these obstacles in mind, it may be best to team up and go at this task together to make sure everyone comes out alive and well. C ⦿ Ingredient Three: Wait, isn't that a Pokémon? The hills to the south-east of the Red Spring are home to the elusive Hill Trolls, who never leave their hills, but like to engage with any traveler who does come through. Most try to avoid them as they are extremely rude in every way. However, for this particular remedy, there is special bluegrass known as poliwag grass, so named because the seer who discovered this unique grass had seen the creatures it is named for in an alternate world and found them endearing. The catch? Only the Hill Trolls know now wherein the hills the small patches of this grass can be found. Adventurers are tasked with entering the hills, engaging the Trolls, and requesting a guide to the grass. Avalonians will advise doing anything the troll asks of you, it’s the only way to appease them and get the prize. Characters will be set about various household and yard chores by the Hill Trolls, who will lead them to believe that this grass will take several days journey to reach and they simply can not leave their home and yard in such a state when on a long trip like that. Make sure to complete all your tasks, though, try not to be too angry when once their yard and home are spotless the Hill Troll produces a satchel of poliwag grass straight from their cupboard. They didn’t say you had to go on the trip with them and they will need to replenish their supply after, so they're not apologizing for anything. A video is sent to everyone's devices, a strong magic spell making certain that it opens. Morganna's face appears. Morganna, after all, is to be listened to when she speaks. She seems to be looking at her nails as the recording starts, not looking at her captive audience.

”"As infamous as Arthur and Merlin are, there are many magics they are unfamiliar with. They live in the realm of basic magics, the ones you all have touched and trifled with. But there are skills you will need in the future that require something a little stronger. Now if you came to me seeking spells, I would ask a fair price, dears... but it is my universe you are all saving too, so I will offer you a taste." She finally looks directly into the screen. Despite that it's just a recording, it looks as if she's looking directly into your soul. She sees you even without you responding. Her lips curl up in a little smile, friendly and yet mischievious. "Magic is stronger when more than one person performs it. Where you would be able to toss fire, you could create a fire tornado or rip the earth until it spits the fires of hell up as lava. To perform this kind of magic, you must be entirely in sync with your partners. Of one mind, of one movement. Open the attachment and it will place a memory of how to perform Synchronic Magic with a partner into your mind. It will still take practice, of course. Baby steps."

Magic-infused technology is a hell of a thing-- those who listen after the video ends and open up the attachment will find themselves rapidly flooded with what amounts to an instructional video and a visual sample of witches moving exactly in sync. After a little finger painting on each other's face and collar bones and some deep meditation while performing the spell, the caster of the spell will have complete control over the movements of the person the spell is cast upon. For the duration of the spell, the person who the spell was cast upon will mentally reside in the caster's head outside of their body. Their body will do anything the caster's does. For this particular version of the spell to work, it requires the consent of the person it's being cast upon, though there are other forms of the spell that do not that are not. With that knowledge, get practicing. A ⦿ We Succeed Together When a goddess gives instructions to learn something, you learn it, and so some of the locals have set up meditation tents at one of Camelot City's parks. The tents are filled with incense, steam, and have a spell cast on them to provide relaxing sounds-- babbling brook, yoga music, rain on the ocean, a crackling fireplace, the cries of your enemies, the relaxing sound of change falling from your favorite plinko machine... It will respond to your emotions and find the sound that's most relaxing to you to help you clear your mind. If you trust the person you're with, the spell will go smoothly and you'll be able to perform the much simpler practice spell provided in the tent: a shadow dance. Follow the dance steps around the circle on the floor of the tent; shadows will begin dancing along the walls of the tent outside of their light source. Your shadows will be able to separate from your feet and travel without you once the dance is completed. It will return after completing whatever task you need from it. If you need some help developing your trust in the other person, try playing a game of twenty questions or partaking in some of the sparkling ginger shots in front of you-- they've got a heated kick to them that's sure to warm you up and make you fire out a secret to the person you're sharing the tent with. B ⦿ We Fail Apart If you aren't perfectly in sync with your partner to cast Synchronic Magic, all kinds of things can go wrong. People who do not trust each other may end up accidentally sealing the tents shut and trapping themselves inside until they tell each other a secret they've told no one else, thus forcing them to trust each other. People believe the exact opposite at their core could end up temporarily body swapping with their partner until they wipe off the body paint and break the spell. And of course, even if you're completely on the same page and the person controlling both bodies has two left feet, a mistake in the shadow dance could cause the shadows to enter your eyes, turning both of your vision to complete darkness until you've been in sunlight for about 15 minutes straight. I hope you weren't practicing at night. C ⦿ Loss and Gain After performing the Synchronic Magic, magicians of all kinds are going to feel a little strange. It's a magic outside of their field of expertise used to perform further magics, after all, and they've shared their essence with another person to perform it. There's a chance that characters are going to feel very alone after being separated from the synchronic magic. Alone, tired, and wanting to feel connected again even if you're normally the lone wolf type. Synchronic magic makes you feel connected to others in a way that's hard to do otherwise, and without it it leaves a sense of loss and disconnect. It's not a side-effect that was discussed ahead of time, but the citizens of Camelot have prepared for it for anyone who wishes to stick around after their spellcasting. After the magic is done, at the center of the tented area, everyone is invited to gather around a huge, prismatic bonfire taking place in the center of the park that the tents had been set up in. The bonfire is filled with flames of all colors, like a prism reflecting light and warmth, and acts as a beacon for casters' shadows to find their owners and reconnect with them. It also is enchanted to encourage affectionate feelings. This may inspire people to be more... touch-friendly than normal, wanting to hug and hold onto or simple be shoulder-to-shoulder with the people around them. These feelings can easily be fought even if they're present, but fulfilling them will help to eliminate the sense of loss from the synchronic spell ending. At the end of the night, little rainbow fireflies will begin to fly away from the flames, having been hatched within them, and fly off into the night as the flames turn to embers, and then to charcoal. It is said that if you catch a rainbow firefly, you can make a wish on it, and when let go they will take those wishes to the heavens with them. Some wishes may actually be granted, so if your character has a wish, submit it here. MOD NOTES: • All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post. • If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities. • If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt. • The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly. (This month, please check updated method of inventory collection at the Rent-a-Ride and the "February Special" rooms at the Red Spring.) • The Shadow Dance Ritual is a form of advanced dark magic; this means that yes, after significant practice, a dark magic user may be able to do this on their own with only their own shadow. Even if your character isn't a dark mage, they can do a ritual to perform out-of-discipline magic. More information on rituals and how to unlock them will come in the future! • Please comment with wishes regardless of new/current member status if you want to participate! :) • 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.

Comments

[mycrosstobear]

[That's her, his always opinionated neighbor. But not as usual, he's realizing, as memories catch up to him. She's older. But that happened before, too. She was this age for a while...

He raises a hand to rub the side of his head, closing his eyes. It's so much information at once, coming back all in fragments.

Fucking magic. More trouble than it's worth.

Does she remember? People forgetting is something that's happened before too.]

Yeah. You...look like someone I know.

[sighsheavily]

[there's a split-second widening of her eyes before she purses her lips into a thin line, holding back on even the chance of any unchecked responses. his appearance is more uncanny by the second, and more than that -- the timbre of his voice. she remembers it. it makes her chest tighten.

this assault on carefully constructed caverns for her feelings is really fraying at her stamina, yet somehow she still has adrenaline to spare?? she can't claim that's a common occurrence at all.

she turns fully to face him, quickly taking stock of her surroundings within her peripherals and earshot before uttering quietly:] Will you tell me her name? Just to humor me.

[mycrosstobear]

[That quietness betrays her. The hesitance of someone who knows the answer but can't commit in case the other party's answer is the wrong one.

She hated people leaving or forgetting. He can picture her, younger, storming down the street-]

Cecelia.

[sighsheavily]

[another waver in the expression betrays how important that answer was. her gaze darts away while she processes this and braces against a surge of emotion. encountering familiar shades from the past is one thing -- finding one who knows her still is entirely new. she's not prepared for this. closing her eyes and holding the next breath gives her a modicum of control, though it doesn't stop the chill that races across her body. maybe this wouldn't be nearly as intense if she was still tapped into her magic? who knows.

it's been a very long time since she'd encountered old connections besides the celestial creatures at the orrery. with time dilation, her immediate bloodline had already waned well beyond recognition; she was more a myth than reality to those who knew her name. Saint Cecelia. this is... very...

she exhales, lifting her head to look back up at him with a little nod.]

That's right. That's me. [her expression softens a bit, hinting at some of that turmoil by way of watering eyes.] I admit-- I feel as though...I am encountering old ghosts. It's been a very long time, Wolfood. [her voice gets a bit thick by the time she says his name, which forces her to swallow and clear it.

she smiles wanly.]

And somehow...you remember. That's novel. I wonder why.

[mycrosstobear]

[It's a relief, though that itself is a surprise. He hadn't been holding his breath, but he feels like he's just exhaled. He tilts his head back, looking up at the sky. Does he know those stars?

He's gotten used to friends, he realizes. Vash and Livio. Sal, Jaime, Fuu, Darin. And Cecelia. At some point he stopped being alone. He still expects to be alone, it's an unavoidable eventuality. But until then, until whatever ultimately happens to him, he's gotten used to the company.

And at least one of those friends is here. He tilts his head back down to look at Cecelia. The watery eyes are more familiar than the graceful composure, really. He'd rather she not end up crying, but it definitely shows that it's her.

"That's novel." Has she met someone else who forgot?]

...Not long for me. [He rubs at his head again. He's having trouble with the order of things but he's pretty sure-] I think I came here right from...Heropa.

[There's a bit of a question in that. But that's the name, right? Heropa and...something Falls.

He focuses on her again, a kind of measured attention on his face.]

You went home again?

[sighsheavily]

[it'd be very out of character to embrace him, wouldn't it? it would be. what a silly compulsion...but not entirely unbelievable. is it really all that strange to want to hug an old and cherished friend?

still. he's not in a hurry to do so, therefore she can't, either. time and age has made quite the chasm one can't cross reaching out on their own, but she can't call for him from the other side as she is, either.

Heropa, he says, and she closes her eyes, remembering, her mouth faintly quirking. that garish balcony, the flowers...gods, she was living a story without ever realizing it back then.

her eyes open at the prompt.]

I went many places. Home being...a nebulous term in this case. [but she won't get into it, instead tilting her head slightly.] "Not long for you," you say. So time dilation is indeed in effect. It means...there is some merit to what others have said.

[mycrosstobear]

[Ah.

No such thing as home anymore? Is that it?

There are people who chose to travel, who are only at home when they're moving. But in Wolfwood's experience, people who keep traveling usually do it out of necessity. For opportunity, for a job. For a cause. To escape.

He'd never chosen to travel. He'd just needed to.

The tension, the slight hunch of his shoulders that's typically there as if to ward off something, is gone for the moment, leaving sympathy in its place.

He squints, though, at the second part of what she says. Time dilation?] What others have said?

[sighsheavily]

Mm. [she looks askance, reflective. it may be no good to show too much of her hand? but then, he knows her. well...an aspect of her. an old her. and she hasn't been that person in a very long time.]

Well. Besides the allegation of "frozen worlds," there was talk of, perhaps, people here arriving regardless of moment in time? I can't say I buy it without any proper evidence; everyone here was so very quick to believe whatever authority-shape spoke on it without confirming it themselves. [her gaze flickers back up to him.] But that's nothing new, is it? [that world had so much going on, it was almost impossible to not just roll with whatever assumed punches were coming one's way.

she sighs, shaking her head, and it becomes apparent tears have begun to fall, silent and unchecked, almost a full contradiction to the harder expression she wears. she continues on, not regarding it.] I mean to see the state of things for myself, should it be possible; I'm not interested in being conscripted into some effort I may not have a true stake in.

[mycrosstobear]

[The tears, he remembers, aren't unusual. Neither is the (entirely warranted) skepticism. But he thinks the cold determination to ignore the tears is unusual. Or at least it used to be.]

And how exactly do we confirm it for ourselves?

[He's not being argumentative, for once, just asking what the plan is. Magic isn't his field, after all. Can you dowse for time dilation?

It doesn't matter to him, ultimately. Whether time is frozen and his world needs to be saved or not, all he can do is try to make things a little bit better where he is. He's never going home, however nebulous it might be. But Cecelia could end up in over her head. It's almost certainly less likely with this older version of her, but she's still Cecelia in the end, right? And he'd prefer for nothing terrible to happen to her.]

[sighsheavily]

[true: tears tended to come with a tantrum or some dramatic declaration, or even a painfully long hike down the street bemoaning her aloneness (while being with company). instead, Cecelia doesn't even look that put-out -- more mildly inconvenienced as she turns her head to scan about the resort.]

Well. I hear there's a monarch in charge of this mess, yes? [she'll tilt her head to peer at Wolfwood sidelong.] The one who speaks of this frozen-world business. Ideally, one goes straight to the source. Barring that, [she continues to scan the area.] it is a matter of identifying the right people with the right connections.

Quite doable, I'd wager, given how generously amenities have been given thusfar. Unless those were merely to pacify any curiosity too offensive to accommodate.

[mycrosstobear]

They want us to be useful, don't they? Generosity's one way to convince people.

[But that's nothing new, is it?

Still...all he can do is be useful where he is, sure, but that doesn't mean he trusts the people in charge. Plenty of people can say they're helping. Whether they actually are remains to be seen.

Say what you will about the government in that last world, at least they'd offered you some illusions of choice.]

You'd trust the king?

[sighsheavily]

That depends on him, doesn't it? I don't trust easy. [her eyebrow quirks. he knows that, doesn't he? what more needs to be said on it?] But if I can have first-hand information...or, even better, a chance to see the damage myself...that will go a great deal.

[mycrosstobear]

[Hah. Yeah, he knows exactly how reluctant to trust she can be.

And how secretive any organizations in charge can be.]

What will you do if they won't let you meet with him?

[sighsheavily]

A bridge to cross after utterly burning the others, I wager. [her tone matches the little shrug she gives of one shoulder.] I'm not the only one keen on information, so what I can't acquire on my own, I will doubtless need to rely on others to bolster the effort. Such is the way of things, isn't it? Even here.

[mycrosstobear]

[Cecelia, calmly stating that she'll need to rely on others? Time does change people.]

It always is.

[He sighs. Another world, another round of figuring out what the truth of things is. He can leave it to others, he can just find his own niche and take care of that.]

I'll keep an ear out.

[Or not entirely.]

[sighsheavily]

[is that all? she thinks, but of course that's all. this young man wasn't very chatty when she knew him, so it stands to reason he'd not change his stripes now. it's actually a good sign -- he's still himself.

she's just not her, so she can't waste time pining to be told she was missed, or asked if she's well, no matter the ache. she has more experience with world wandering, so she has some unspoken rule to take on a different role now for this man -- not a friend, but a fair warning.

that doesn't mean she can keep a stray tear from spilling out as she does so.]

More than an ear, I'd advise. This realm leans far more upon its magic than any technologies encountered in Heropa and the others; nothing as clearly chaotic as the Fey, but still. It's likely will need to roll with some unusual punches.

Be flexible, Wolfwood. But do keep the skepticism; it's healthy.

[mycrosstobear]

[He does notice the tear, the reflective gleam in the lamplight giving it away.

Time does change people, but not completely. No such thing as home anymore, and she's always needed more reassurance. "Are we friends?"

He shrugs.] I've forgotten what usual punches look like. Having magic is new, though. [Though to be honest, the magic is making him more worried than he'd like to admit.

Just leave it at that. At the practicalities, instead of trying to navigate around who each of them are here and now. But she is still Cecelia. She won't forget it if you don't start off on the right foot.] You don't just stop being friends with someone. [He's not looking at her, gazing down at the pack of cigarettes still in his hand.] So...I'm around.

[He tucks the pack back into his breast pocket.]

[sighsheavily]

[after a beat, she smiles, the gesture of him denying his vice in the moment not lost on her. nostalgia is easier to bear when it's not standing and breathing and speaking to you, but it's a much more comfortable pain than, say, falling into an ice-cold sea.]

Do as you please, Wolfwood, and pay me no mind. You won't find me wailing in the streets this time. That's long over.

[mycrosstobear]

[Now he looks up, raising his eyebrows.] I'm sure you'll do something I have to pay mind to.

[Though for once, he sounds more amused than aggrieved. It is, ultimately, how all his relationships go, after all. (As much his fault as anyone else's, really.)]

Probably with fire.

[sighsheavily]

Just do me the kindness of discretion. [her expression sobers, somber.] Don't speak of me as someone you've known before arriving here; it will kick up questions I can't answer. Makes me a suspicious person.

[mycrosstobear]

[He blinks, his own expression turning serious again.] ...Don't want anyone to know you've been to different worlds, yet?

[Strategic knowledge, he supposes. At least until they find out how commonplace it might be among people here.]

[sighsheavily]

That, and... [hhh.] You are not the only one from that time ago here, but you are the only one who remembers me.

It makes things unnecessarily complicated for them, learning there's someone here who knows them. Knew them. Yes?

[mycrosstobear]

[Oh.

Wolfwood freezes, looking right through Cecelia to something, somewhere, else.

Chapel's foot on his chin, pushing his head backwards. Pushing his face towards Aunt Melanie, towards the kids. "Do you remember him? This man? Maybe he doesn't wish you all to see what he turned himself into."

And later, after the kids had seen too much blood and fire (any is too much, let alone what was left there), his own words to Melanie. "I'm begging you...don't tell them the truth. Just tell them that it was someone else who looked like me."

He blinks. His instinct is to look down, look away, focus elsewhere. But there was that tear, however much Cecelia intends to hide it. So he simply says -]

Yeah. Too much trouble, for them.

[sighsheavily]

And you. [her gaze hasn't wavered, hasn't flickered away from his features. it's as much to read his as it is to simply impress and confirm the memories she'd put away long ago. so long ago.]

Which is to say, you needn't treat me as someone you know, should you find it difficult to. If this isle is as vast as some have said, you needn't cross my path, perhaps.

[mycrosstobear]

[For a second, he stares at her with blank incomprehension. Then it's followed by...anger? No, indignation. She really thinks he'd just ignore someone - a friend - like that?

Even when he's unrecognizable, even when it's better that others have forgotten him, Wolfwood -] I don't forget people. Any magic is gonna have a hard time making that happen.