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

ICHIBAN KASUGA | YAKUZA 7 | ANIMAL MAGIC 🦁

[victorytune]

✨ itsabee#1072
✨ will match any format.
✨ familiar is a red shiba inu spirit named Sir Peanut.
✨ he loves dragon quest and jrpg...

---

ARRIVAL

A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival
Ichiban does ask the turtles, but he thought his question was a rhetorical one. He almost falls off the back of the turtle when it actually begins to answer him. Ichi is in a daze by the time they reach the shore. He just sits there on the shore for a long time, still in shock about the talking turtle. But then he finally takes a look around himself, coming into a stark realization that this looks nothing like Yokohama. He stares mouth agape for a moment before he all but jumps to his feet, skittering around like an over excited child.

"It finally happened!" he's muttering to himself feverishly, his tone growing increasingly loud until he's all but shouting. "It finally happened! The adventure of a lifetime!"

C ⦿ The Red Spring

[Inn room]
Ichiban grew up in a soapland. He thinks absolutely nothing of this inn being decked out like it's all but a love hotel. He heads in to take a look around the room, making sure to bounce on the bed a couple of times. Just to check that it's soft! If you're another grown ass man, he'll just grin and ask if you want to go get some drinks together before turning in for the night.

If you appear to be someone younger or a woman, he'll offer more sheepishly: "I can sleep on the floor, if you want."

[Training]
Ichiban can be found on the training grounds, being attended to by the local wildlife like he's a Disney princess. Mice brushing his dirty suit, squirrels trying (and failing) to brush down his hair, the works. Ichiban is very excited about having magic of his own at last, but also...

"Uh, guys, please. It's fine, you're kind of embarrassing me." One of the creatures chitters a reply at him. "...You don't have to say it like that, sheesh..."

MEDICAL EMAGICY

B ⦿ Ingredient Two: Deez Nuts

[Bear Fir]
He's not entirely unarmed, he has his trusty hero's bat. Also anyone who agreed to come with him on this adventure. How hard could it be to get a party together? Anyway, it's just their luck that the bear fir comes barreling through the trees at them. Ichi takes one look at the creature and his face falls, sighing wearily,

"Not this again..."

[Do Not Eat]
Oh no. Restraint is not one of Ichiban Kasuga's better virtues. He's definitely started eating them and doesn't seem able to stop...

SYNC OR SWIM

C ⦿ Loss and Gain
Ichiban is far and away the friendliest person at this little get together. He is quick to hug anyone who wants it, just as quick to pat someone on the back, or shake hands, or whatever else people need to feel a little better. He'll run all over to get you anything you want, be it food or drink. He's also the loud asshole encouraging everyone to start up some impromptu 'karaoke'.

He's got a really corny one about leveling up that he wants to sing with you. He also cheers very loudly and exuberantly if anyone else steps up to take a turn leading a song.

inn room (wtf this character is so cute, i love him already)

[kunimeh]

Kunimi's definitely on the younger side - 16 years old, to be exact, with a baby face that's mostly unchanged from his junior high days. He's also very, very tired, so Ichiban will be spared all inappropriate deadpan jokes that Kunimi could never have resisted if he had more energy. He just shuffles into the room with an open-mouthed komainu the size of a Saint Bernard nudging him forward from behind, his eyes already most of the way to shut.

Oh... but there's another guy in the room, and he just said something. Something about sleeping on the floor? He's got well-intentioned but lame dad energy rolling off him in waves so Kunimi just nods, murmurs something that might be "'kay," and faceplants onto the bed.

Is he still awake? Still alive? Even his familiar doesn't appear convinced of the latter, the way it keeps prodding him with an enormous paw and snuffling in concern. (Spoilers: he's alive and still has enough energy for conversation after his rejuvenating soak in the springs, if only just that much.)

he is very cute, do recommend

[victorytune]

"Uh!"

He hadn't even really had a chance to... remove his ass from the bed where he'd been bouncing on it. He turns to look over his shoulder at this kid, concern evident on his face.

"You okay there, kid? Do you need me to get a nurse or something?"

...Actually, where is he going to find a nurse? He normally has one in his party, but he's been transported to another world. Does his cellphone even work here? He almost takes it out of his pocket right there and then to find out, but reminds himself that he can think about that later. Ichiban looks curiously to the komainu.

"What about you?" he wonders aloud. "You got anything to say?"

He's been able to talk to a lot of other unexpected animals since he arrived here, it's worth a shot although his animal magic doesn't actually work on the familiars.

[kunimeh]

It's not exactly a response, but the way the komainu turns circles at the foot of the bed and lies down does suggest that it's not too worried about the state of his human. A moment later, Kunimi lets out a long groan and lifts his head - and only his head, he's making no effort to hoist himself up further.

"Fine," he says in a muzzy monotone, then adds: "sleepy. What the hell was today?"

All the people rooming together at this resort are new, right? That's the impression Kunimi's gotten, so maybe this guy absorbed more information than Kunimi did.

[victorytune]

"Exciting as hell!" Ichiban answers with exuberance. "I don't think I could sleep if I tried, man."

Ichiban is definitely in his 40s, but he has the unrestrained excitement of a child. The bed bounces a little as he gestures widely.

"I've been waiting my entire life to go on an adventure like this!"

He also clearly doesn't see anything wrong with announcing this life long dream to a total strange. Then again, his friends back home have been so charmed by his idiocy that they've been enabling him a lot. But he'd been in kind of a bad state after he got out of jail, anything that reinvigorated him with happiness was something his buddies really wanted for him. Even if that meant listening to him prattle on about magic and leveling up.

[kunimeh]

Ichiban really hasn't said or done anything unreasonable, and one might expect someone so much younger to be caught up in his enthusiasm - unfortunately, he's dealing with the least enthusiastic human being in existence, and one for whom even the enthusiasm of others is painfully exhausting. He gives Ichiban a look of absolute agony and, with another groan, turns his head to bury it back into the bedcovers.

Just his luck to leave behind all the sports nutcases he deals with in high school athletics and wind up with a fantasy nutcase on his first night here.

But Kunimi's not a complete jerk, and there's something compelling (if very silly) about this grown man's delight in being stolen away to another land. Eventually he crawls up onto the bed and sits cross-legged beside Ichiban, his expression a bit curious at last.

"Was your life really that boring 'til now?" He asks, stifling a yawn behind his hand midway through.

[victorytune]

"Well..." he pauses to contemplate just how much he should say. On the one hand, they're in another world where talking about how misadventures can't really have consequences. On the other hand, maybe there's a couple things he isn't sure he's ready to talk about. It hadn't all been fun and games. The people he loved most in this world had died.

"It was exciting in a different way, but I was always kind of pretending it was more like this. Life's a little more fun when there's magic and shit, you know?"

His eyes lower a little more sheepishly. "And I just want to help out, and make a difference. Sounds like they brought us here just for that."

Oh no I love Ichiban so much <3 (training)

[minifilia]

Ryne's been trying to train a lot since her arrival in this strange in world. Her old powers are gone after all, replaced with new slightly unfamiliar ones. While she's getting the hang of them, there's still a lot she knows she has to learn with new gift. Plus it doesn't hurt to keep in practice with her knives as well.

But as she heads down to the training grounds, she sees someone new there... talking to the animals? That's something she hasn't witnessed yet. The girl tries to announce herself by taking some slightly louder steps.

"Is that your magic?" Ryne asks with a bright smile on her face up at him. "You being able to speak with them, that is."

my precious idiot son

[victorytune]

The chittering from the animals stops abruptly, their eyes turning towards Ryne. It's a little bit ominous, but Ichiban almost immediately breaks the tension,

"That's what it takes to get you guys to clam up? Sheesh." He takes a very cute looking raccoon down from where it is lolling on his shoulder, instead cradling it in his arms like a baby. It blows a raspberry at him, its pink tongue extended.

"Uh, hi!" Ichi finally greets Ryne, smiling a big uninhibited grin. "Yeah, that's what it seems like. Magic isn't real where I'm from, as far as I know, but I've definitely always dreamed about it. Maybe not like this, but I'll take it!"

C

[palmtopdemon]

Nezuko had arrived at the get together looking a little odd, with a bamboo muzzle stuck in her mouth and a large wooden box strapped to her back. She mills about the event hugging people affectionately and then returning to her business elsewhere. All of this seemed to come rather naturally to her, as if something she did regularly in a different place and time.

Upon coming to Ichiban however, she stays after the hug as if riveted by his goofy turn of song and the sheer enthusiasm he puts behind singing it. Despite enjoying the revelry she never actually speaks and is completely silent for the duration of Ichiban's song.

[victorytune]

He doesn't know what's going on with the muzzle, but he does suppose it must make talking pretty difficult. He's not so stupid that he thinks it's as easy as... just having her take it out. Sure that will make things more difficult, but not completely impossible. Ichi comes to sit with her.

"Are you having a good time? I'm Ichiban, by the way."

Because she can't really answer verbally, the smile he gives her is all the more warming, encouraging her to give whatever indicator she's able to without feeling conscious about it.

[palmtopdemon]

Nezuko smiled back from behind her muzzle at Ichiban after he sat beside her. Being able to just sit there normally among people without being shunned or fear was something new to the young demon girl. And, truth be told, she was enjoying the experience.

To show just that she made a cheerful face and moved her hands in a dancing motion to covey just that.

[victorytune]

Improbably, his smile widens. He mimes the motion back at her, wanting to share her excitement with her in the way she was able to show it.

"That's great."

Obviously when he had first caught sight of the muzzle he had kind of assumed the worst. He's sure it is hard, but at least it's not completely killed her spirit. Sometimes, that's just how things are.

"I like your haori. Are you also from Japan?"

[palmtopdemon]

Nezuko would have smiled back if she could. Instead she simply closed her eyes and tilted her head to show she was happy.

It was good to meet another person from Japan, as it was nice to have something in common with another person here. In a place like this as she knew it, 1 was far more.

Pleasently she nodded yes to Ichiban.

[victorytune]

"I was born and raised in Tokyo," he tells her pleasantly. "But I've been living in Yokohama for a while. It's different, but I really like the people I met there."

He thinks about this for a moment longer, before having an audible ah-hah moment. He pats around in his suit jacket pocket for his phone. He has just started to doodle the world's worst map of Japan with his fingertip when the phone... finishes populating it for him.

"Wow, phone's just keeping getting smarter and smarter..." he mutters. He doesn't think to expect that it was the magic in the phone picking up what he wanted to share. Ichiban holds the phone out to her to see the map.

"Where are you from?"

Do Not Eat

[warfan]

There's an assumption common to the young that those much older than them will exhibit a certain degree of prudence and self-restraint. As such, Suki isn't paying quite as much attention to what Ichiban is doing as they make their way out of the forest as she would were he someone closer to her own age. She's more focused on the forest around them, watching for signs of more hostile wildlife or ambulatory topiaries.

So she doesn't notice the first nut he eats, or the second, or possibly even the third. Eventually, though, she does catch the movement out of the corner of her eye, and her hand darts out to snatch one of the nuts away before he can shove it in his mouth like some sort of overgrown...boy.

"What are you doing?" It comes out more annoyed than worried. For the moment, the possibility of having to make the trek again because her companion's decided to eat the medical supplies is foremost in her mind.

[victorytune]

Oh no. Ichiban Kasuga is a certifiable idiot. He may have grown up a little bit during his most recent adventure into governmental corruption, but he still spent 18 years of his formative adult life in prison. Lessons that other guys in their twenties would have been learning... the chance for them has passed and now Ichiban in his forties with some limited world experiences. He absolutely has a boyish simplicity that does not belie his actual age or capabilities.

"What?" he asks around a full mouth. "They're tasty."

[warfan]

They do look tasty...

Suki gives her head a sharp shake, and fixes him with a disapproving look. "We're supposed to be bringing them back to make medicine, not having a snack. If we don't have enough, the healers won't be able to treat everyone."

[victorytune]

Woops. Guilt crosses his face. Everything going on in his head is obvious on his face, he's clearly the kind of guy who couldn't lie to save his life. He clearly feels bad about eating the nuts, and would like to save the rest...

He puts another one in his mouth anyway. Someone needs more will power for this skill check.

[warfan]

Where are the stat-boosting items and clerics with Bless when you need them?

She slips the one stray nut she'd snatched away into a pocket within the folds of her robe, in the hopes that out of sight, out of mind applies, then holds out her hand. "Give me the bag. I'll carry them the rest of the way."