TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 5

[avalonmods]

✨ Greet new players on the OOC intro while apps are processed HERE! ✨

{ 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 slightly chilled 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 still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, but seems to be focusing on coordinating a band of chia manatees to help rescue any wayward new arrivals. Chia manatees are a special Avalonian manatee that is green in color and has what appears to be a patches of grass or other short plantlife growing on its back. While some are fully green, others sport small flower blossoms that haven't yet grown in or various types of mushrooms. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. Those with animal magic may get their info from the manatees, though may notice that they're really overly friendly and have zero concept of personal boundaries. Everyone may notice they have no concept of personal space, as they will happily run right into someone's belly for a snoot squishing. 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. *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. 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 and a pair of earbuds 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. 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. The Isle of Avalon is abuzz with excitement for the upcoming Spring Equinox (though some of the more posh citizens will insist it's the Vernal Equinox, tut tut). Unlike the very specific rituals of the Winter Solstice that require much preparation, the Spring is welcomed throughout the month through a variety of small rituals to help the world along as it renews itself, growing new plants and allowing nature to make new life. A ⦿ The Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies Throughout February, the Frost Fairies were running amok and keeping things chilly, even awarding those who gave them treats last month. These fairies create ice crystals on contact and can be spotted by the beautiful ice crystal patterns that form in their trail. They cause frost bite if you physically touch them, so capture isn't recommended. They seem to be sticking around a little too long this month, as they're normally supposed to leave at the end of February. No one seems alarmed, as it seems that this happens from time to time. It's easy enough to deal with-- and so, people throughout town are being asked to perform a ritual called the Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies. It's perfectly safe, and lets these invisible little creatures be sent on their way until the next winter. The first step: create bait. Fill a planter with dusty miller and silver sage, with a night-blooming flower at the center. The silvery-white leaves pique the curiosity of the Frost Fairies because they look snowy, yet when they see the flower bloom, they know it cannot be. The plants won't be damaged at all in the ritual, so you'll get a moon garden out of it, which can be incidentally draw adorable little moon rabbit kits in to play inside your home while the moon is out. They're friendly, though they do tend to enjoy pack-sized snuggles-- you may find yourself stuck with no fewer than 15 rabbits attempting to climb on you for attention and need someone's help to pull them off. You may need to get them under control before you continue with the ritual. Once you've assembled your miniature moon garden, you'll need to find a stranger to perform the ritual. You need to bring a new energy into your home in order to let the Frost Fairies know that it's time to meet something new. Take hands with the new person and dance in circles around the miniature moon garden. The plants will start to glow and the Frost Fairies will become visible-- short, fat, all-white penguin with flamingo-length legs and icicle crowns. They will immediately challenge you and your summoning partner to a duel! Though, you can pick what kind of challenge it is as their culture dictates. They're pretty overconfident, just remember not to pick something that involves touching them unless you want to end up needing a healer. B ⦿ The Language of Flowers Once the Frost Fairies are properly banished, flowers are starting to crop up all around Camelot, the Broceliande, the fields in between, and those who come back to the White Cliffs after arrival will even find the Cliff Beast in a pleasant mood from all the lovely little flowers hanging off of his clifftop. (No one's quite sure how a cliff seems happy, but that's the sense everyone gets.) Wherever you may be, there are flowers starting to crop up. Normally, this would be when people would start gathering decorations to cover the buildings and make flower altars, but a lot of the wild flowers normally accessible... well... It looks like a brood of dragons hatched a little early and, upon seeing all the flowers start to crop up, decided that these flowers are the treasures that they want to hoard. The baby dragons didn't fly too far down from their mountain, but once one of them flew past the Lands of Rot and found the fields of flowers, it got its siblings. Now there are a handful of baby dragons claiming different areas as their hoard and making it impossible to get around without being attacked by an admittedly cute fire-breathing menace. No one wants the baby dragons slain, but the baby dragons need to be brought back to their mother's cave in the Ash Mountains. The safest way is through the half-dead area between the Dusklight Woods and the Lands of Rot. The dragons will attack anyone who comes into their area but seem to be friendly toward anyone wearing a flower crown, as they seem to accept them as a part of their hoard if the flowers send the right message. Use the language of flowers to communicate with the dragons and try to get them to follow you by wearing a flower crown that matches one you offer to the dragon. A flower crown that says sympathy and sadness might not be as effective as something that says virtue and bravery. Just be careful not to woo them the wrong impression with something that says eternal love and devotion, or you might have a different kind of dragon problem... Regardless, since the dragons are guarding the flowers you need to make the crowns out of, you'll need to find a way to get past their attacks to gather flowers to begin with to find the flowers you want to make your crown with. Flower crowns need at least two types of flowers to communicate with the dragons, so it's recommended you work together with others to try to gather as many flowers as you can to find the flowers you need. Thankfully, since dragons are sacred, most of the Dusklight Woods creatures will leave you alone, so it's best to hug that side of the mixed path. You and whoever you're working with only have to worry about fighting alongside the baby dragons to fight off the Land of Rot creatures that hang around the edge: Skeleton warriors that can only be scattered but not killed, Fogueria (a lion made of fire that likes to play with its food in sadistic ways), and rattlesnakes. Once you're at the foot of the Ash Mountains, the baby dragons will fly back up to their cave on their own. With the baby dragons returned to their nest, you can head home, and the townsfolk can start decorating for the Spring Equinox. C ⦿ Spiritual Cleansing The frost is gone, the flowers are free, and rabbits are running around town like they own the place. All of the physical and symbolic spring equinox preparations are made, now it's time to look within. As the season of renewal and rebirth, a huge part of that is personal reflection and growth. As such, outdoor meditation and yoga flash parties are all the rage right now. Get caught it one and you and anyone around you will be stuck in a barrier until you complete at least 5 yoga poses and hold them for 30 seconds each. Some of them are a little challenging.. thankfully, no one is going to stop you from getting help holding them from someone else who's stuck with you. A plague of smoothie hockers has also cropped up around town, which means portable carts offering different magical smoothies is going around selling their fruity and flowery spring flavors for a refreshing boost of your spirit. No, really boost it. The magical effects are in small text underneath the flavors, so they may be easy to miss. Hibiscus-Berry: Vanity Spirit (person may become temporarily obsessed with appearance, finding cute clothes, getting their hair and nails done, needing to be their ideal of attractive) Strawberry-Rose: Romantic Spirit (flirtiness, desire to be romantic with someone) Jasmine-Peach: Friendship Spirit (go out of your way to make new friends, make grand friendship gestures to people you've already befriended or have known for five minutes and want to befriend) Lavender-Mulberry: Distrusting Spirit (paranoid, may start fights because they think someone is out to get them) Butterfly Pea-Lemon Tea: Meditative Spirit (fall asleep easily, peaceful/relaxed about alarming things, sudden penchant for Big Thoughts about the universe) Dandelion-Apple-Banana: Surivival Spirit (sudden desire to do everything yourself, whether that's hunting/gathering food, getting really into DIY projects like making your own soap or building your own chicken hutch because you're going to get your own eggs, or really wanting to live outside for a while) The effects only last for an hour or two, so it's unlikely any real damage can be done (hopefully) but it'll certainly give you a new outlook on life! Spring is in the air, the Equinox is coming, and prep is underway. But all work and no play can get a little boring, right? Avalonians have come together and set up a few activities for Adventurers. While all of these activities can be completed and enjoyed without using magic, participants will be encouraged do to so, don’t worry if it goes a little haywire. There are magical force fields around the play zones to contain any mishaps. A ⦿ Keep it Rollin' Rollin' The first area set up for fun and games is a barrel rolling contest. Participants are split into pairs to compete against each other to see who can roll their partner inside the barrel down the hill and across the finish line the fastest. Springtime is when geysers start bursting around the bottom of the hill though, so you'll have to watch out for those and any boulders to make sure your barrel doesn't burst before you reach the bottom! To make things a little more interesting, the planners had a bit of mischief with the barrels... As barrels reach a quarter of a way down the hill, the outside will burst into flames. Surprise! While they are enchanted so that the flames aren't actually hot, participants are not aware of this. Sorry, the guys running this game aren’t that big on explaining; after all, it’s just rolling a fire barrel down the hill; what’s so complicated? Fire makes it look like it's going faster and is way more exciting to watch! B ⦿ Hop Skip and a Jump Everyone loves hopscotch, right? Well, whether you do or don’t, that next zone is all about the hop, the skip, and the jump. Two hopscotch boards about the size of a basketball court each are laid out side by side for participants. The object again, to see who can complete the task that fastest. If you reach a spot with a magic symbol, you have to cast a spell at your opponent or you can't proceed. This is combat hopscotch! Of course, once more, the folks running the show forgot to mention one tiny thing, a quarter of the way into the board, random spots will drop away as you go, leaving holes in the ground! Yikes, better take that leap! Don’t worry, if you miss, the bottom of the hole is filled with marshmallow fluff in bright pink, yellow, and pastel purple. (Kind of reminds you of something, huh...?) Down in the hole are rungs and footholds to get yourself back out, but boy, will that put you behind the other guy if they didn’t fall. Well, guess victory will have to be a little sweeter than you planned! C ⦿ Gettin' Brewy With It Now, this activity probably seems a little safer. Welcome to the “Brew” tent. Participants will be given ingredients, space, and set up in pairs to brew up a tasty drink! A variety of ingredients are available and with it, participants will be taught the Recipe: Brewery. This spell can be used to accelerate brewing and distilling processes for alcoholic drinks. Of course, if someone who is too young to drink according to their world's rules, any alcohol in the drink will evaporate, so it's really only a spell that's useful for adults... but everyone can participate in making drinks. You can pick any ingredients you want, but all participants are instructed that a sprinkle of that magic at just the right time will make it perfect. When asked what the right time is, all they will be told is they’ll know when. Some may get it right, depending on instinct. Others might sprinkle too much and cause the drink to burst all over them and their partner, and their workstation or have some other silly side effect, like make them hiccup uncontrollably or catch a case of the giggles. Or maybe they cast for too long or too short a time and the drink turns sour, turns to ash, grows wings on the cup, and flies away. Brewery magic can be fickle, so there's lots that can go wrong.. but get it right, and you can have one heck of a drink to enjoy! 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. • 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

Shiho Sannomiya | Zettai Karen Children | dark

[good_ideas]

A: get this ghost away from me
[Today had not gone at all the way she'd planned. Instead of a fun (?) time running away from Black Phantom, she had instead found herself unceremoniously dropped into a lake. Even the rush of water hadn't blocked out the way the world had gone completely quiet, her psychometry lost. Had she been kidnapped? Was this some kind of psychic attack? Was there an ECM in the area, nullifying her powers?

She's thankful at least that she can swim even without any powers and that there are really cute manatees here to help rescue her. You'd think that would be the weirdest thing to happen to her.

But with a scream of "NO" a girl is running at you, desperate to get away from the small, friendly cat creature with two tails. It's even wearing a little purple kimono, trying to be helpful and to just get to its master who will grab onto your arm, pivoting to put distance between her and what she's sure is a ghost. Yes, you are indeed being used as a meat shield now.]

B: frost fairie duel
[Back home, Shiho would never have willingly held hands with someone, even if they were a stranger that she could presumably pretend not to care about. No one needs to know that though, or that she's awkward about holding hands, never holding on tightly, always ready to let go at a moment's notice.

Which she does as soon as the Frost Fairies materialize, lit from below by the glowing plants. Somehow when she heard "fairies" she expected something ethereal. Something elegant. Any kind of respect she'd tried to have for the troublesome fairies vanishes as she tries her best not to laugh, especially as they start trying to challenge them to a duel. A duel? Could they even stand if she pushed them over?!]

Wait, really? Is that really what they look like? Aren't they supposed to be small and blue and dance to classical music?

[Thankfully the fairies seem very confident, ignoring the girl as they issue their challenge, it can be anything!]

Even if we make you guess what's in my pocket? [That can be a challenge, can't it? She's sure she must have seen a movie where that happened.]

A

[songstressedout]

E-Eh!?

[ Yuzu had only recently pulled herself out of the water, and she was still utterly soaked... and now someone has now latched onto her arm to try and put something (someone) between her and... a strange cat thing in a kimono?

...to be honest she's seen stranger. ]

H-Hold on, what's happening!? Are you alright!?

[good_ideas]

[A soaking wet, living human is better than a ghost any day, no matter what. Shiho hides behind what she can only hope is a human, burying her head into the other's back.]

I-I'm fine! [And because no one asked:] I'm not scared!

[The cat creature, meanwhile, is genuinely starting to think that maybe this is a game? It sidesteps neatly to peer at its master again with a tilt of its head. Play?]

[songstressedout]

[ ...yeah right, she's obviously scared of this... strange and friendly-looking cat creature. ]

W-Wait, what are you scared of? Are you scared of... that?

[ She asks, gesturing at the cat creature. Well... she's fine with being used as some kind of protection from this evidently harmless cat, at least. ]

[good_ideas]

[Shiho is glad for a moment that at least she's not the only one who sees the cat.

Then she's flustered and defensive because didn't she just say she wasn't scared?]

I'm not scared! It's just... it's just that... that's... a little bit occult and I'm not good with that kind of thing! [But she's definitely not drawing back as the cat comes closer again, ears twitching as it listens to both of them.

Then it opens its mouth to say:] Master is a scaredy cat, huh.

b

[uncommonsense]

[ The whole holding hands part wasn't really that offputting to Haruhi; after all it was just part of the ritual. She was more interested in the act itself-- seriously, taking part of a ritual that actually led to fairies appearing!

...like hell those are fairies, no wonder they're being banished. It's disappointing, but it's kinda mystical?

When Haruhi hears duel, she immediately thinks it'll be some kind of physical challenge before Shiho pipes up. It sounds super childish!

So. ]

Go on, give it a try. It's so mysterious, I don't even know what's in there. Gold? A stick of bubble gum? Give it your best try!

[good_ideas]

[It feels like most people don't have the same hang-ups as Shiho does with handholding, enough so that she's trying her best not to let people see how much it bothers her.

And she's not doing a very good job of it.

For now though she can just focus on the silly-looking fairies and not think about psychometry or her own fears. One of the fairies definitely looks like it's pondering something akin to cheating though and Shiho protectively puts her hand over her pocket, and takes a step back, covering the opening.]

First person to cheat loses!

[No better time to start making up arbitrary rules than after the game has started, right? Besides, she's kind of hoping that because of her appearance that fairies will also underestimate her and not guess that she has a taser in there.

And if they do: maybe tasers worked on fairies, who knows! She's willing to take that chance.]

[uncommonsense]

[ Oho, that's not a bad plan. Haruhi likes the way Shiho's thinking for sure, realizing that actually... she really could have anything in her pocket.

So, an idea pops up! ]

Hey, guess quickly! If you don't, I'll beat you to the punch!

[ Making a competition out of the right to do a guessing game?! ]

[good_ideas]

[Honestly, the sky's the limit when you have pockets, Shiho thinks.

With a gleeful smile, she is happy to play along and now somehow it's become fairies vs Haruhi vs Shiho? She's down with that. If Haruhi wins, that still means the fairies lose.]

Yeah, or maybe I'll start guessing next~ [....Shiho you already know what you have in your own pocket?!]

Oh and you only get one chance. If you guess wrong, it's an immediate KO. [The fairies look to each other, at a loss for a moment before they realize the one little flaw in this plan: they each get a guess. Surely she can't have anything in her pocket! If they guess wrong, that just means one less thing to guess. They can do this!

Flower! is the first guess.]

Wrong~ Now you have to go over there and stand on one foot until I say you can come back. [.......yes, she's now arbitrarily decided to punish anyone who guesses wrong. It's fine, there's no rule against it.]

a

[peacewithouttyranny]

[Soundwave's main reason for traveling down to the Bay was to keep a lookout for the latest round of new arrivals emerging out of the water, searching particularly for faces he knows both from his world and Prismatica. He was lucky enough to have at least one friend here, but every other month he hasn't been so lucky. He wasn't going to expect much for today, either.

That is why he is surprised when he sees Shiho running towards him and... latching to his arm? Escaping from what appears to be a harmless-looking two-tailed cat in clothing. His attention is mostly down towards Shiho, though, her name almost comes out of his vocalizer but he swallows it down. Just because he knows her doesn't guarantee that she does also. Best to say nothing at this moment...

And instead diverts his attention to the situation at hand, which, uh... he's not entirely sure what it's about.]

Ah... What's happening here? [Even with the mechanical tone, the confusion in it is clear.]

[good_ideas]

[Shiho can't help but thank the unexpected bit of luck that meant a robot had appeared by the water. She isn't even going to question why there would be a robot here in the first place. For one: he's perfectly suitable for hiding behind. And for another, maybe if push came to shove, she could leave him behind to be haunted by ghosts or something. Without her psychometry, she can only hope the robot isn't someone suspicious.

For now though, she's going to hold on tight in case robots got scared of ghosts. He wasn't running away without her!]

N-Nothing! [But it certainly doesn't look like nothing as her familiar pauses before putting a hand on Soundwave's leg to peer around and up at Shiho who quivers and tries to resist the urge to hide again.]

Y-You see it, right? The ghost? N-Not that I'm scared of ghosts but if you see a ghost cat then meow once! [Fear is making her panic, which is in turn making her say weird things. Sorry, Soundwave!]

[peacewithouttyranny]

[She's scared of ghosts, isn't she? Soundwave has to look back down at the cat a second time to make sure that's the ghost cat she's referring to is this little thing peering around his leg. If it was actually something horrifying she's running from, this wouldn't even come across his mind but he can't help thinking to himself how... cute this side of her is, hiding behind him from a harmless looking cat, how tightly she's holding onto him. He knows Shiho isn't totally unflappable, given what he knew her in the previous world, but it's something to witness.

He's still unsure if she knew him or not, if it's the same Shiho, but it's something he'll find out later after this. Her focus seems to be on her familiar- at least he's guessing it's her familiar since it's following her.]

I am not going to... meow, but I do see a... ghost cat, yes.

[A beat.]

It appears harmless to me.

[good_ideas]

[In her heart, Shiho knows it's unreasonable to just ask a stranger to meow. Least of all because said stranger was being nice and actually taking her requests seriously.

If only she still had her psychometry.

Especially because then she could have another way to defend herself against what she's sure is a ghost. The cat walks on tiny cat feet, peering up at her and if it wasn't a ghost, Shiho would have found it cute. Right now though, she's expecting to be jump-scared at some point.]

Ghosts always appear harmless at first. [And she's not fooled, not even as the cat opens its mouth to speak.]

Hey, I'm right here you know.

b

[shiliu]

[ ....how did he get roped into this? Who knows! But somehow he's here with a stranger, performing a ritual to disperse the frost fairies, and hopefully summon warmer weather.

When the creatures appear, he smiles at her assessment of them. ]

They have their own, um, charm.

[ But when she suggests a duel forcing them to guess what's in her pocket, one of the fairies gets a icy twinkle in its eye. It rounds on her and ducks its head, clicking the mandibles of its beak together. It's... clearly intending to peck her pockets open, or at least that's what Gu Yun fears.

Well, it's what he would do, anyway. Someone wants him to guess what's in their pocket, the best way to win is to turn said pockets out.

He says quickly. ]

That's one suggestion. Uh... how about this? We'll have a musical competition.

[good_ideas]

If you think they have their own charm then you obviously don't know what charm is!

[Sorry not sorry, stranger. She doesn't see that icy twinkle, but she does here the click of mandibles and damn it, fairies, she already had a terrible opinion of you guys!

Gu Yun's suggestion though gets a flat look from her as she puts one hand protectively over her pocket.]

...A musical competition. Are you going to play something, then? [Because without psychometry she is really not good at music of any kind. Unless it's singing My Wings or Over the Future.]

[shiliu]

[ Gu Yun is not a fearful person, of course, but insulting a fae to its face is not the wisest course of action, he thinks. Perhaps this girl was raised in wealth and comfort, used to saying whatever she pleased: in short, spoiled.

Gu Yun himself, was similarly spoiled, a long time ago. ]

Naturally. Why else would I suggest it?

[ From his wide sleeves, he produces a white jade flute. Its workmanship and proportions are elegant; so too is the way he lifts it to his lips. His peach blossom eyes lid slightly as he fills his lungs with air and... ]

Tweeeeeeeeeeet!

[ ...produces an eldritch, awful noise that could raise the dead. ]

1/2

[good_ideas]

[Shiho has insulted a dangerous terrorist right to their face and would do it again without prompting. Hyoubu was, in her mind, much more worrying than these weird penguin things. Though in terms of ridiculousness, they're at about the same level.



She doesn't know what she expected when he started playing especially when the overall effect was so flawlessly elegant. Maybe it's the wide sleeves playing tricks on her mind.

That poor flute, she thinks, minutes before putting her palms over her ears.]

What the hell is thaaaaa-

[good_ideas]

[DAMN IT, THEY'RE NOT LOSING THIS BECAUSE OF HIM. THINK QUICKLY!!]

-aaaat amazing music. [She says tonelessly, hands still over her ears.]

It's, like, totally great, so good I can't even think, wow. [Meanwhile the fae's penguin faces look somehow both smug and pained at the same time. A flash of inspiration has Shiho turning to put her shoulder against Gu Yun's back to all but shove him forward, towards the fae.]

Ah maybe you should, like, play to them more so they can hear how great it is.

A - familiar fright

[vrepit_no]

Woah!

[She's at least chosen a good meat shield - Shiro's six-foot-four and built, well, a little like Captain America. But he's missing his right arm and even if he could probably lift her off her feet with the left, she is definitely in control of this situation.

He looks between Shiho and the little purple cat in a kimono, comically baffled.]

Um? I'm not sure what's going on here, but, little kitty would you just stay there a second? Let's all just calm down a minute and figure this out, okay? Miss, are you hurt?

[good_ideas]

I-I am calm! [She says, despite clearly not being calm at all, steering him by the arm she's holding onto to put some distance between them and the cat creature.

When she's not so scared she'll probably apologize for her conduct. That or pretend she was never scared to begin with, she hasn't decided yet.]

And I'm not hurt, I'm just- [quick, think of something to say that makes it sound like she's actually in charge of this whole situation.]

-...s-surprised?

[vrepit_no]

[Yep, he's seen those signs before. She sounds amazingly similar to a certain teammate back home. Just, you know, younger. And female. He smiles and squats down a little so he's closer to her level - and the kitty's.]

It's perfectly okay to be surprised. This whole place is surprising. Let's start at the beginning, okay? Hi. I'm Shiro. What's your name, Miss?

[good_ideas]

[He believed her? He wasn't supposed to believe her! And not only that he was trying to be nice to her and to be supportive for some reason? Shiho looks away as he squats down, her terror replaced for the moment with embarrassment.

Like this she can't continue to be mean to him, then she'd be a bully! So for once, she's actually docile though she still doesn't look at him.]

...It's Shiho.

A

[badlypoisoned]

[The person she hides behind is a man dressed like he walked out of a period drama...albeit a soaked one. For some reason he's dressed in garish colours at odds with his appearance that was similar to that of a lofty immortal.

There's also a pure white phoenix sitting on top of his shoulder.

He blinked, looking down at her with an amused smile.]

Is this young miss scared of cats?

[good_ideas]

[Shiho grips tight onto that wet sleeve, not even caring at all for the moment that it's a terrible colour that doesn't go at all with his appearance. Sure, he may have been dressed by a clown, but that doesn't have any effect on him being a meat shield.

Even if he'll get a sour look in reply to his smile.]

Who's scared?!

[Her, of course, as the cat takes a step forward.] NO!

[badlypoisoned]

[He was dressed by a prince, actually...albeit one without any tastes.]

Ah, yes. How could I possibly make that mistake?

[He reaches out to pat her on the head even as she's shouting.] You are very brave.