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

[songstressedout]

[ Seems they've both got their fair share of child problems... what with Yuzu being swarmed and Ochako's being a very big and heavy melon. Shooing the dragons away works only briefly, as these babies are very determined to be the one who shows the most affection.

Yuzu is very glad that the dragon who already follows her around daily—her familiar—is much more relaxed about this... as it seems to just be off doing it's own thing. At first it was actually a little jealous, nipping at the babies to try and reclaim Yuzu, but there were really just too many of them, and so now Odd-Eyes has taken to "claiming" ownership of the flower fields they were leaving behind to cling to Yuzu.

It's keeping up... it'll just be off doing it's own thing until they get further away from the flowers. ]

Well... thanks for helping me up, I think I should be fine now...

[ She says as one of the babies gives her a lick on the cheek. ]

I'm Yuzu, by the way... you wanna go the rest of the way together?

[floatsaway]

[Much the same, Ochako's dire wolf familiar, Aludra, was nowhere to be seen. It usually only really shows up if called, or if it has nothing better to do... Or, if it really feels like its presence would be of value, and the situation is more dangerous, or hazardous for its partner and her friends. This? Probably not so much, so it hung back and did its own thing, but will always appear when called.

Ochako chuckles at all the baby dragons cooing and chuffing at Yuzu, and can't really be too upset with them. They are really cute, and just got the wrong idea from the flower crowns they're wearing. But! Ochako wasn't kidding about it being a good way to sort of corral and lead them back to where they need to go. If they're following Yuzu around, she's basically like the pied piper of these little drakes...they'll go where she goes. It's actually a bit of a hidden boon!]

I'm Ochako - Uraraka Ochako. I'd love to accompany yo--eeh!! [She bows a bit, before having to straighten up quickly, the added weight of her own baby dragon making her stumble forward a little. The little melon chitters and wiggles, flailing its stumpy legs as Ochako readjusts it in her arms.] Mmh...I'm going to call you Honeydew. Because you're fat and sweet, like a little melon.

[She tickles the little dragon's round tummy, and it wiggles even more, making a loud keening sound as it flails happily. Cuuute. ;3; ♥]

[songstressedout]

[ Yuzu giggles at Honeydew's antics. ] Aww, how cute!

[ The remark suddenly earns her another onslaught of affection from the baby dragons, determined to not be outdone by the melon dragon in Ochako's arms... which takes the shape of many dragons rubbing up against anything they can find.

At the very least... they aren't pulling her pigtails yet. ]

Great, then! Let's be off, then!

[floatsaway]

[And in turn, Ochako can't help but snort and chuckle a bit at the antics of the other dragons towards Yuzu. Who knew that these little drakes get so jealous so easily? It's really kind of funny...

Though Ochako will definitely scold them if she see any sort of hair pulling or actual fighting going on amongst them. Don't make her put y'all in time out.]

Right!! I think the app for this quest has a location for where to bring them back to, let me just... [Adjusting Honeydew in her arms a little, Ochako takes out her phone and taps on the 'pick up' location on her phone, which prompts a sort of GPS-like map to open and direct their path.] Oh, it's not far at all!! Maybe just an hour or so walk, though...um. I-I may need breaks with this one. Unless you want to walk?

[The dragon blinks its large eyes at Ochako and curls up closer to her chest. Nice try, but no.]

[songstressedout]

[ Yuzu laughs a bit at that. What a needy melon, huh? ]

That's fine! To be honest, I might need breaks as well...

[ Just to get all of the babies under control, you know? ]

[floatsaway]

[An extremely needy melon. 8|

Ochako chuckles as bit as well, sighing and shifting the dragon baby in her arms a bit, again... It's not like she doesn't work out - she has to to stay fit, and keep up with her martial arts - but usually heavy lifting is done with her quirk most of the times. She could easily deadlift a car, one-handed, by using Zero Gravity on it. Dumbbells of several hundred pounds were nothing before...but now she's being beaten by a plump, clingy, baby dragon. How the turns have tabled.]

Mm, that's fine. I don't think there's really a time limit on this quest, e-even if I would like to get it done before nightfall... Ready to go?

[songstressedout]

Yup! Let's be off, then!

[ Still, with both of their individual struggles... this was going to be one hell of a walk. ]

[floatsaway]

[And off they go!! The trek is...well, it's pretty slow going. What should have taken only an hour or two takes nearly double that - what with having to take frequent breaks to not tucker themselves out and also having to corral all of Yuzu's dragons... Thank goodness Ochako thought to pack some water and a few bites of food, otherwise the poor girls would be sweating bullets and eating each other, probably.

Once they finally, finally, reach the destination of the quest, with each of the dragons in tow...Ochako all but falls to her knees, Honeydew trilling loudly as he's jostled a bit. Dear god...her arms are on fire...]

H-Here... Here at last!!

[songstressedout]

[ Yuzu lets out a long and exhausted gasp, falling to her own knees. Her hair has fortunately not been chewed on, but it's been walked on... and frankly, it's a mess. Somewhere along the way she had to take off her hairclips so that the dragons didn't do anything with her pigtails.

Yuzu's been managing all of them somehow, since after they started getting far enough, some of them started trying to wander off a bit too far... so she was really just handling so many children at once so that they stuck around. As stressful as they were... she needed all of them.

Truly, the woes of a mother. ]

F-Finally...

[ Yuzu's always been physically fit. Running around for long periods of time were nothing new to her. No, the majority of her stress is mental stress, and it's showing.

Still, the babies seem as hyper as ever. ]

[floatsaway]

[Poor Yuzu really did get the short end of the stick here. While Ochako only had one baby dragon to care for, Yuzu had, w-well...a hoard, so to speak. So, with that in mind, Ochako certainly did her best to wrangle the other little babies as they tended to wander off - not always successful, but managing to the best of her abilities. Honestly, it's gotten near to sundown, and Ochako is actually dreading the trip back. While none of the beasts or monsters interrupted them on their way to the Ash Mountains, she's certain that on their own will be a whole other matter entirely... Welp. They'll have to make do somehow.

As the near the lip of the cave where the mother dragon is supposedly making her home, Ochako tilts her head and bites her lower lip.]

Y...Yuzu-chan, um. I-I know the quest said to return the baby dragons, b-but...we don't actually have to go in there, do we? I-I mean, the babies are small and cute, but...um. I-I mean--

[The adults?? Ochako's not too sure. The only dragon she's ever dealt with was the Pro Hero she used to work with back home in Japan - Ryukyu, the Dragoon Hero - and that was the woman's quirk. This is the real deal. But before Ochako can plop down her baby dragon at the doorstep, ring the proverbial buzzer, and BOUNCE...well. She hears some gentle thumping echoing from down in the cave, growing louder as a large shape approaches from within.

O-Oh lawd, she comin.]

[songstressedout]

[ "Oh lawd" indeed... Yuzu is frankly speechless as she sees the massive beast emerge from the cave.

Let's get something straight here... she's seen bigger. While it was mostly Real Solid Vision, there was one specific dragon she's seen that was about the size of two skyscrapers—and that's just in height! But it's actually much more terrifying when in the context of this situation and not a duel.

Yuzu's familiar was already in front of them as if it could somehow stop this thing if it got angry. Odd-Eyes is about the size of a cat right now, but even if it was at it's original size, this dragon was about double that. ]

Ah... ah...

[ Fortunately... she doesn't even have to say anything as about half of the babies clinging to her suddenly flap their wings and fly towards their mother. ]

W-We uh... have your kids...

[ Well, at least if she focuses on the on the memory of the singular city-sized dragon she's seen in her lifetime, she can manage to get a few stuttering words out. ]

[floatsaway]

[Not only was the beast large, but the truly terrifying trait about it was that, if it were to stay perfectly still, in a wooded grove, or a grassy field? The impressive green dragon would have been perfectly camouflaged. That alone makes Ochako shiver a little, as she watches the dragon lower its head to croon at the many little drakes rushing over to approach it. The mother gives them each a bit of a bite, making them squeal, before nudging them back into the cave. Ah, yes...a bit of motherly punishment for running off like that...Ochako understands.

Even little Honeydew, as he waddles over sadly to his mama, get a bite, then a nudge inside. Ochako feels a bit sorry for them all, but how else are they going to learn what they did was wrong? And that they worried their mama?? Once each and every baby is tended to, and herded back into the cave, Mama then turns her gaze back on the girls, looking them over slowly. Ochako is...shaking. Her knees are buckling, because holy shit?? Holy shit. If she wanted to, she could reach out and touch the cheek of this huge creature, and her entire hand may have only been about a third of the side of one single scale on this beast.]

Um...i-if that's all, w-we should g--...oh? [Ochako notices the dragon reaching out with one claw, opening it up to show a small handful of jewels worth...probably quite a fair sum of money. Uncut and cut jewels alike, and Ochako's mouth hangs open, because she's certain that even the uncut gems are probably worth several thousand yen, easy.] OoooeeeEEEEHHHH?!

[songstressedout]

[ Frankly, Yuzu's jaw drops to the ground. She's never seen such a vast amount of physical wealth right in front of her. ]

E-Eh!? I-Is this... all for us!?

[ The massive dragon simply looks at them... while Yuzu's dragon familiar, Odd-Eyes, immediately dives into the wealth. How would they even carry all of this back!? They came here mildly equipped to handle baby dragons, not a pile of wealth.

She looks immediately too Ochako, her own shocked expression mirroring hers. ]

[floatsaway]

[It's not an enormous amount (if you want that, go further into the cave), and the riches do indeed need to be split between the two, but it's a decent bit of wealth nonetheless. For Ochako especially, who has lived the entirety of her life being dirt poor, it's much, much more than she ever expected to see in her life. Hell, she's practically shaking and trying to not burst into tears as the dragon nods its head that, yes, this is their reward for bringing her children home safe and sound. The journey was not easy or safe for them on their own, and taking back such an amount all at once (thanks, Yuzu) was greatly appreciated.]

I... [Oof, yeah, Ochako is feeling her lower lip tremble.] B-But we couldn't po-possibly accept this much! I-I mean...no--...not me! Give most of it to my friend, because she brought back more of them! I-I...I only brought back one.

[songstressedout]

[ Truthfully, Yuzu's never really been in the best financial situation either... due to the low success rate of the You Show Duel School. It was always enough to get by, but... ]

N-No, I couldn't! We're splitting this evenly!

[ Though... it would take some effort, that's for sure. ]

[floatsaway]

B-But--!

[However, before either of the two girls can get too far in their argument, each of them get a smack right on the ass by mama dragon's whip-like tail - a curt and very poignant message to cut the shit. Whatever they do with the reward is not her concern, but they are to take it all one way or another. And the way that her throat seems to glow with a threatening, red-orange hue...

Yeah, Ochako's not going to argue with a goddamn fucking dragon. She bows deeply in thanks, then starts to fill her pockets and her pack with handfuls of those cut and uncut gemstones, leaving some for Yuzu as well. Once they get to a jeweler, they can have them all appraised and split the value as needed. But for now, they need to...get back home as well.]

Th-Thank you...very much. Really, um...m-ma'am. You're very generous to give us this. [Hhhhh...how do you politely address a dragon?? Ma'am sounds good enough. Hopefully.] Eh, um...w-well!! We should get back now, I think. It's already dark now, and--....eh?

[Ochako feels that same tail slink around her and curl around her torso like a snake, lifting her waaaay up into the air as if it were nothing. She squeals with surprise, kicking and flailing her legs before she is plopped down onto mama's back. Oh.

...You're next, Yuzu.]

[songstressedout]

[ Yuzu had yelped from the smack on the ass, and she'd joined Ochako in gathering up as much of the riches as she could. Still, what she didn't expect was for Ochako to get... ]

A-Ah! Ochako-chan!

[ She doesn't get to be surprised for long, though, as the whip-like tail slinks around her torso and lifts Yuzu up with Yuzu letting out yet another yelp in surprise. Odd-Eyes, meanwhile, followed suit by essentially climbing onto the dragon and up onto the back where Yuzu was plopped down right next to Ochako. The dragon didn't seem to mind Odd-Eyes, perhaps because it understood it's nature as a familiar... but that doesn't really matter for now, does it? ]

A-Ah... wait, are we...?

[ Going to ride the dragon? Yup. ]

[floatsaway]

[The dragon most certainly didn't mind Odd-Eyes in the slightest, even going so far as to give it a gentle and almost affectionate nudge up towards its back with its nose. Truly a mother in every sense. Once the two girls are on its back comfortably, the dragon looks them over then makes a loud, almost gurgling bellow sound as her throat seems to inflate and vibrate a little bit. It sounds like she's almost communicating with something, and the what/who becomes apparent as a louder, deeper bellow echoes back from the cave. Ah...that must be her mate, and she's telling it to guard the young'uns.

This is all...so much for Ochako to take in, and she's standing stark still, still trying to mull over the fact that she has actual, literal jewels lining her pockets and once they get them appraised and sold, the girls could very well have a decent sum of money between them. Not an abundance, but for two teenagers? A hefty chunk, definitely. Not only thank but...b-but--]

We-We're going to ride on a dragon.

[The shock is starting to wear off and get replaced with a building wonder and excitement as Ochako starts to bounce in place a bit, almost like a kid riding their first pony or something. But oh no, this is totally different. The whimsy and magic is all there, and for the first time Ochako is actually feeling it, deep down in her heart. When the dragon unfurls its large wings and gives a bit of a running leap, the brunette throws her arms up and squeals with delight, right as they lift off into the air when mama flaps her powerful wings and gets airborne.

Hopefully Yuzu can deal with a giddy, giggling Ochako squealing the whole way, because this is the sort of high fantasy shit she expected and signed up for. Dragon riding.]