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

Akihiko Sanada | Persona 3 | Elemental Magic, familiar undecided

[southpaw_senpai]

Arrival

Akihiko was nothing if not quick to adapt, but even he took a minute to go from dozing in Mitsuru's limousine to falling into a lake. Once the initial shock passed though, he quickly made his way to shore, taking stock of his surroundings. This didn't look like Tartarus or the Midnight Channel, but his hand reflexively rest on his evoker for a moment before he flipped up the hood of his cape, only managing to soak himself once again. However, rather than actually remove the hood he just left it, telling himself this was a test of endurance. Needless to say, his attempts at not drawing attention were... less than well thought out.

The Red Spring/Training Ground

Akihiko was silent for the trip into town, attempting to process everything he'd been told. While world ending threats were oddly nothing new to him, his experience with the Midnight Channel had taught him to be wary of anything and everything that he saw and felt when plunged into a new world. As such, after taking some time to dry off and walk around the resort the caravan had stopped at, he found himself shadowboxing in the training grounds, one thing continually echoing in his head. The idea that the strength he'd trained so hard for and built up over the course of years to protect others was just... gone didn't sit well. He'd tried to summon Ceasar as he had in the Midnight Channel with a thought multiple times but nothing came. So much of what he thought he knew about himself was stripped away and he could feel the frustration and guilt that he'd shouldered for most of his life bubbling up until he turned from where he was shadowboxing and delivered his best straight to a nearby wall, putting some cracks in it.

"At least I still have that going for me..." After a moment, he pulls down his hood, reaching for the silver gun strapped just under one of his arms. "I guess if I can't do it the new way, the only real option left is..." After drawing the 'gun', he looks at it for a moment, takes a deep breath, puts the barrel to his forehead and pulls the trigger and... nothing. That was what really set it in stone for Akihiko. His strength was gone, replaced with something foreign that set him back to square one. For a good five minutes he just stood there, Evoker pressed to his forehead trying to force down the feelings of frustration that kept bubbling up.

Hop, Skip, and a Jump

Akihiko had never been able to turn down a challenge. Something that had been exploited to his chagrin many a time. Even now he couldn't stop himself. He'd never done hopscotch before, but he'd seen other kids do it when he was younger so he figured he had the basic gist. Of course the combat aspect interested him as well. He'd gotten the hang of casting the most basic lightning spells but was still barely able to muster more oomph than a static shock so he figured that would be safe enough in his competition. As he stepped up to the starting line, doing some last minute stretching, he grinned over at his opponent as if they'd been friends forever.

"Good luck out there. Let's give this our all!"

Training Ground

[crimsongirl]

It was getting slightly easier to control her magic. Least she was setting less things on fire by accident. Though she had wanted to also improve her physical skills again. At least some remained intact, but she wanted more. Were it not for her familiar, the flaming lion she faced would have ripped right through her. Hearing of someone strong enough to punch a wall and leave some cracks left some hope. Though once she found the man in the description, her excited smile turned into wide-eyed horror. She knew being torn from their own world could be traumatic to others, but not to this degree!

"Don't do it!" Her body and mouth moved on its own, right at Akihiko's side in just a second, and attempting to harshly smack the gun out of his hand. She had to see her friend die before her eyes once before. Homura wasn't going to allow suicide on her watch either.

...Even if she completely misread the entire situation.

Re: Training Ground

[southpaw_senpai]

Akihiko's training had helped to hone his reflexes more than probably any other aspect of his form. As such, after the first pull failed and he saw someone leaping at him from the corner of his eye, his instinct was to duck and roll back slightly, holstering the evoker in one fluid movement before popping back onto his feet, fists raised in a defensive stance. Of course that's when the words registered with him, and his face shifted to one of cautious confusion.

"Don't do what?"

Re: Training Ground

[crimsongirl]

Given those scars and how she dodged him, this wasn't someone to underestimate. However, his actions confused her, eyebrow raised. Things weren't making any sense now, and the man seemed to put away his gun. Another second passed and she held up her hands, as if to stop.

"From...killing yourself? You had a gun pointed to your damn head!"

Re: Training Ground

[southpaw_senpai]

That causes Akihiko to blink a few times slowly as he processes what he heard. In his mind he'd never even touched a gun. Well, with the exception of disarming punks trying to mug him, but he'd never aimed a gun at anything, let alone himself.

"A gun? What are..." and then as if the singular gear in his brain clicked into place a look of realization spread across his features as he pulls the evoker from its holster. "What, you mean this?" He aims it at the ground and pulls the trigger a few times, causing a small sound but nothing else. "It's not a gun."

Re: Training Ground

[crimsongirl]

She would have flinched when he pulled the trigger, but something seemed off as she saw it from a closer view. And when he did finally test it out...she was surprised at a lack of anything. Why have a gun unable to do the one thing it was meant for? Then it dawned on her, similar to how she couldn't use Engetsuka. Of course others had to have items they needed for fighting.

"So what you were doing...were you trying to use old powers or something? Like it acts like a trigger?" She holds up her sheathed sword. "Mine kinda acts the same way, though it's a picky bastard and I can't use it right now."

[songstressedout]

[ Yuzu, meanwhile, falls to her knees nearby. Yeah, she saw him try to use his evoker and the shock of it all nearly gave her a heart attack... especially when he pulled the trigger and nothing happened. ]

Ah... ah...

[ Her legs felt like jelly. She thought she was about to just see someone kill themselves and she’d only noticed it just as they’d pulled the trigger. Even if they were a stranger, she felt like she’d just had ten years of her life just knocked out of her and then forcibly shoved back in. ]

[southpaw_senpai]

[Akihiko just stood there for a long moment, not noticing anyone else near by, pulling the trigger a few more times just to make sure the first one wasn't a fluke. With a disappointed sigh he holstered the device and resumed shadowboxing as if nothing had happened. It was a couple moments later that he caught the glimpse of someone out of the corner of his eye and he turned to face them.]

...You okay there?

[songstressedout]

[ Is she okay? Is she okay, you ask? Well, she’s suddenly back to her feet suddenly. ]

WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU DOING, HOLDING SOMETHING LIKE THAT UP TO YOUR HEAD!? I nearly had a heart attack!!

[ And there’s Yuzu’s temper... mind you, it does come from a good place. ]

[southpaw_senpai]

[Akihiko just gives a blank stare back as Yuzu yells at him. Of course, once she's done, he pulls the evoker out of its holder offering it for examination. Despite looking like a normal handgun at a distance, up close there's definite differences, despite still looking quite deadly.]

...But it's harmless. The only way you would hurt someone with this is if you threw it at someone.

[songstressedout]

I-I know that now but...

[ She lets out a long sigh. Seriously, it was such a shock to her that even now knowing that it's not a real gun does nothing for the shock still reverberating through her mind. ]

Why were you even doing that, anyway...?

Arrival - Crawls in here like a cockroach

[messiahofthedamned]

[ooc: Happy for violence to occur so long as no one gets killed.]

Akihiko wasn't the only one who ended up unceremoniously dumped into the Bay that afternoon. And this one was also slowly coming to the realisation that something was...off, with his powers. The usual, unwelcome stir of Hypnos was completely absent, and that was enough to make him lie back on the sand and laugh.

Oh- he soon noticed the cloaked man on the shore nearby, and he found himself squinting in his direction. Although he couldn't see his face, something about the way he carried himself was very familiar-

It couldn't be, could it?

/evil laughter

[southpaw_senpai]

[Akihiko was surveying the beach for others that washed up when he spotted Takaya. There was a sense of familiarity at first, like a distant memory, but at this distance Akihiko couldn't place it. However, as he made his way closer, and the details of the face came into focus, that recognition turned to barely contained rage. Before he even realized what he was doing, Akihiko had launched himself into a sprint, aiming a punch for the air just in front of Takaya's face.]

And here I thought I'd seen the last of you...

[messiahofthedamned]

[Well, it was lucky Takaya had enough of his senses to roll out the way of that strike- even if it did mean getting himself covered in sand. He staggered back, scrambling to his feet.

Something about Akihiko seemed- different somehow, but he'd worry about that when he wasn't about to be punched.]

I'm not that easy to get rid of- not whilst I still have Nyx's blessing.

[southpaw_senpai]

[Akihiko keeps his fists up simply because he doesn't trust Takaya, and likely never would considering their history. Still, his words slowly sink into Akihiko's head.]

What are you talking about? Nobody's had Nyx's "blessing" for over two years now. Not since it was sealed away.

[messiahofthedamned]

[Trusting Takaya on anything would be a rather reckless move, all things considered. He was definitely taking a step back to keep his distance from Akihiko. At least, out of immediate punching range.]

Sealed away? Haha... you're still deluded with the idea that Nyx can be stopped. You'll see the truth soon enough.

training ground

[foolaround]

[ his bearing is familiar at a distance, but kotone doesn't spare him much more than a second glance until the evoker comes out. ]

Akihiko? [ she doesn't even think of calling him senpai in this moment, she's too surprised for that. she starts moving to close some of the distance between them—he looks older, but— ] Akihiko, is that you?

[ either he won't know her or he'll be face to face with a dead girl. she's not sure which idea she finds more inhospitable. ]

Re: training ground

[southpaw_senpai]

[It took a moment for Akihiko to be dragged from his thoughts, but hearing someone call out to him was unexpected as it was welcome. A familiar face would be welcome. He quickly holstered the evoker and turned to face the person calling out to him. He was ready to respond but when he saw Kotone he... hesitated. There was something... familiar about her, but ultimately he looks confused.]

Uh... yeah? Do... do I know you?

[foolaround]

[ ... well. kotone deflates a bit, but quickly puts a bright expression back on, rocking on her heels. ]

Guess not. I'm, uh... [ she pats herself down, almost like she's double-checking for her wallet and keys. finally, from her pockets, she pulls her sees armband and evoker. ]

My name's Kotone Shiomi. I was... I was part of SEES, in my world. The field leader. [ her fingertips go to her headphones, and she resists the urge to put them on and shut this out.

she can do this. ] I guess you remember it differently, huh?

[southpaw_senpai]

[Akihiko hesitates at first, not quite sure how to respond. The arm band and evoker were the genuine article, and the headphones were a similar touch as well, as was the tendency to slip them on, something he'd seen his own field leader do whenever things got heated around the dorm. Heck, if he didn't know any better - and at this point he's not sure he does - this could be his twin sister.]

[After a long moment, Akihiko moves to close the distance between them, regardless of what memories did or didn't align, one thing was clear. She was a member of SEES, meaning she was trusted enough to be comrades in the fight against Nyx. That's all he needed.]

I... I'm sorry, I do. But... while it may be awkward and I won't force anything of course, but... I'm happy to start again. After all, just having that armband and evoker is proof enough of your character, and I don't turn my back on comrades, even if I don't remember them like I should.

[foolaround]

[ kotone lets out a breath at that, releasing the tension she'd held while akihiko took in what she had said. ]

I would... like that a lot. Really. [ she can't think of anything she'd love more than that, really. no matter the world they're in, her friends are so...

she smiles at him, relieved. ]

I can't imagine how odd this is for you, [ yeah, it's odd for her too, but she's more focused on akihiko's feelings about this, ] but I've heard from Ken... it sounds like your leader is here too. Minato-san?

Hop, Skip, and a Jump - Late with Starbucks

[whatsamada]

[At the same time, Ken figured he could use this opportunity to allow himself to be a kid. It had been ages since he last played hopscotch and he figured it would be a good way to meet up with new people. Although, as he was about ready to to start, he raised an eyebrow at a familiar voice.

Wait, could it be...?]

Sanada-san? What are you doing here?

[First he saw Minato, then Kotone, and now him??]

Re: Hop, Skip, and a Jump - Late with Starbucks

[southpaw_senpai]

[Akihiko gives Ken a slightly confused look. Most would assume he was surprised to see Ken there but then he opens his mouth.]

...They said this was combat hopscotch, right?

[whatsamada]

[Somehow, Ken wasn't surprised by his answer. Instead, all he could do was give a slight chuckle.]

Yes, it is but that's not what I meant. I'm just surprised to see you here in this world!

[Because he sure missed seeing his senpai around.]

[southpaw_senpai]

[Akihiko just grinned.]

What, and let you guys have all the fun without me? Not a chance.