TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 6

[avalonmods]

Check out the OOC intro meme for this month to say hi to new players/characters!

{ 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 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 mossatees to help rescue any wayward new arrivals. Mossatees are a special Avalonian manatee that is green in color and has what appears to be a patches of grass or other short plant life growing on its back. While some are fully green, many sport blooming flowers or fairy circles 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, a pair of earbuds, and animal-themed ponchos 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. Which given the fact that it's pouring down rain in April? Not ideal. You were only given ponchos, not rain boots. 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. Unfortunately, due to a bee infestation and massive amounts of rain, the hot springs of the Red Springs are not available this month! Instead, an underground salt cave is offered as a way to relax and unwind. Gather around in the rejuvenating, dimly lit caves and breathe in the relaxing effects of salt crystals. Feel the sand between your toes, or if you don't like sand, try one of the many pools with tiny garra rufa for a fish pedicure. Or, lie down in a recliner and stare up at the "stars"-- magic sparkles in the ceiling that move to spell out single-word concepts you may be experiencing. (Maybe you're relaxed? You might get something like "Chill." Find your relaxation buddy hot? Just be careful to look away before the stars spell "Thirsty" to the whole room.) The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there. As it turns out, a mythical land that's been around for a few centuries has a few things in common with many modern worlds. It's got the internet, and games have evolved a little bit past hoop trundling and draughts. April, being the traditional month of mirth and games and lots of rain making it hard to have fun outdoors, is the time for Camelot City Gaming Convention, affectionately shortened to CameCon. Come into the large convention center located in the south part of town, get dry, and check out some of the awesome things to do. A ⦿ Couchless Co-Op Without the massive audiences required to really run MMORPGs, Avalon is much more a fan of couch co-op style gaming. Though most games are available on mobile devices throughout Avalon when they are released, there's nothing quite like coming to CameCon to utilize the gaming stages for everyone's favorite fighting games. Multiple players at a time can plug in their phones and connect their accounts to a light magic-based illusion stage (powered by multiple light mages at a time, once a year only!) roughly the size of a basketball court. Fighting games can be played tournament-style on the phone next to your opponent for some awesome trash talk during your battle. Race through space with this year's popular NASTAR Racing Game (National Association for Space Travel Auto Racing) game and fight off space pirates in an epic Mario Kart-esque racing and item battle adventure with your choice of star ship. Or plug your phone into the stage podium and get away from the humdrum fantasy life by joining in a live-movement game that combines synchronous kinetic and light magic. Move your body in the vortex illusion of your favorite rhythm dance game with a buddy! Or maybe you're more into the free-style gaming of Grand Theft Automation with both friends and strangers-- step onto the illusionary stage itself to explore crawling cityscapes and live the life of crime you always dreamed of... at least the cops won't really arrest you if you do it here. Just make sure if you use magic you remember you're on a stage and don't accidentally send some flying off at a poor convention go-er just past the illusion stage. B ⦿ Arthurian RP in your Arthurian RP None can forget one of the most important of game types: the roleplaying game. There's a huge historical set game going on right now where characters can LARP as their favorite Knight of the Round Table. There may be a couple of arguments if two Lancelots end up in the same game, but don't worry, there's a fair way of determining who gets the part for this game if you don't want to wait for the next storyline: rock-paper-scissors-magic. Instead of the traditional version of RPS, you shake your fists and open up to whatever hand-held spell you can make with your particular brand of magic. If it's something that can overcome the other kind in less than three seconds, you're the winner. (And yes, even healers can play-- some protective magic to block a dark magic pain curse is definitely going to win out, for example!) Either way, once your role is decided, put your acting skills to the test! ...and if you don't have any, well, they have costumes that will help you get into the mood with a little dress-up and props that will magically give you sword skills... though only while using the dull-edged plastic props. Or you can just sit on the sidelines and have a picnic on the concrete floor of the center with a potential new pal and watch other people play-- there's a lovely little buffet table with pastries, coffee, and juice in the corner. C ⦿ It Figures... A convention isn't a convention without a little shopping. Come check out what cool games are upcoming in the exhibit hall, buy figurines of your favorite game characters (or.. new ones you've never heard of since this is a new world, but are still cute and/or kick-ass), and most importantly, check out the cool magic you can apply to them. A spell available for purchase in the convention hall that's popular this year is Recipe: Figure Anima, which makes your figures move in place and say popular lines as if they're an actual, miniature version of the character. It's recommended you practice while you're in the convention hall though so figure experts can help if things go.. awry. People have been known to have their own emotions influence the spell, and sometimes toys have started taking on the attitude of the caster. There's nothing quite as tragic as your favorite angelic game character telling you they're gonna kick your ass because you were in a fighting mood. So OOC. Maybe you can find someone who's a little better at magic to fix the problem? Of course, when the rain breaks through and floods the exhibition room, there's a lot of mass hysteria as people scream and climb up onto tables, trying to protect their merch above all else. Hurry, help someone else up onto your table before their ent dakimakura they just purchased gets wet! Only you can save the gamers from water! ..Or that's what you thought, until a second later the electricity goes out and you're left in a total electricity blackout in the convention hall. It may be a good idea to use some magic to try to light the way and find a way out of the flooded hall... A ⦿ Keep Your Vines to Yourselves With magic blossoming left and right because of the bountiful spring equinox rituals, things have been getting a little stranger around the Broceliande. Though it's always been known for being a little odd, there is an overgrowth of prehensile, very friendly vines populating the forest now. The vines seem to have minds of their own, sometimes grabbing people, pulling them up into trees, or generally wrapping around them as if trying to get a warm hug. Ultimately, they seem relatively harmless.. except when you can't get down from them. Hopefully, you've got some kind of destructive magic that can help you fight off the overly friendly vines as you head into the forest to investigate the strange reports citizens have been making of their friends and family disappearing in the generally friendly, if odd forest when they've gone to fetch herbs or other supplies, gone on walks, or who knows what else from the forest. It seems like the best way to get the vines to let go without magic is to tickle the person the vines have captured, so you really better hope you're ticklish... and there's someone willing to really go in on it. It takes a lot of laughter to get these vines to leave you alone! B ⦿ Selfies with Selkies Those who continue on with their investigation after avoiding or escaping the vines will find a very, very large flower that seems to have taken route in a sink hole in the middle of the forest. Hundreds of vines seem to be coming from it, and it seems like this flower may be the source of all of the vines throughout the forest. It won't attack unless you attack it first and it seems to almost immediately regrow any vines that are destroyed. If the flower itself is attacked, it will rise up and attempt to eat your character with thousands of tiny shark-like teeth that lie where the pollen of its flower should be. Those who try to fight will find it seems virtually unkillable and immovable. It is neither plant nor animal and seems to have a thousand minds and souls held within it that somehow feel incomplete, so it's largely incommunicable even with cognitive or death magic. It's definitely a strange find, and it could be easy enough to assume the missing people tried aggression as their first tactic and got gobbled up... Take a trip up to the Archivist will lead them to find a book that includes information on the species: The Cereus de Anima. This giant flower rapidly grows when a seed from the Land of Rot transfers via someone's clothing to an appropriate forest environment and is known to absorb a piece of a person's essence from anyone it touches with its vines. People often seem to go missing for a short period of time when one of these appears, then come back behaving a little differently but ultimately don't seem to be in distress. No one is quite sure what the cause of this is. There doesn't seem to be any record of there being lasting damage, however questionable the plant is... The Archivist, upon seeing you researching the plant, says that he's heard some of the lake's residents just off of the Silent Shore have some experience with one. He hands you a couple baskets of some specially anti-rust enchanted parts and tells you he was supposed to deliver them to a Selkie man living in the lake for a project he's working on. You and a partner can make the delivery and ask your questions from him. The Selkie isn't going to be particularly friendly to fellow men, not trusting human men farther than he can throw them, but will decidedly try to seduce women as Selkie men are known to be extremely handsome and flirtatious with human women. Non-humans he will be neutral toward. It's best to go in pairs so you don't end up on a whirlwind candlelit beach picnic with a shirtless selkie in exchange for information about how to uproot a Cereus de Anima. (At the very least, the selkie will want you to take a selfie with him before you leave so that you have something to remember him by, and you'll always be welcome back if you change your mind.) Regardless of how much of a challenge it is for you to get to that point, as long as he gets the delivery from the Archivist, he'll eventually tell you and your traveling partner about how he heard that there used to be a village at the edge of the Dusklight Woods that was overrun with one of them, and that there's only one survivor who moved to in a cottage on the other side of the Pure of Heart Bridge.. Those familiar, yes, it is the old man that Morganna tried to kill and save in a quest a couple of months ago! Time to travel all the way back to the Pure of Heart bridge and make your way over to the cottage and talk to the man and it sure seems like this quest is long and tedious and you may be wondering if someone will have noticed you're gone... C ⦿ The Answer is No Back in Camelot City, it seems that anyone who's been touched by the vines has been replaced by a doppelganger in their lives. They're just barely off from the original- they have all the memories, but may be slightly more skilled at things they didn't used to be, or may seem to make less ethical choices than they might otherwise. There's just something slightly off. But when people start using AOL to contact their friends and let them know they've been gone.. well, it may seem like the jig is up, or at least in question. Those who find out they've been replaced may want to return to Camelot quickly to try to reclaim their lives. Doppelgangers will attempt to kill their original if they come into contact with them when they aren't around other people, so you may need to flee for your life if you haven't gotten good enough at magic to defend yourself yet. Around other people, the doppelgangers will do their best to try to prove themselves the real person and since they were made from the original, will have the same memories as the original character so asking questions that "only ___ would know" may not work. Eventually it will come out that the doppelgangers have occasionally wriggling vines instead of spines underneath their clothing, if you're willing to check that to see who's real, but that won't be common knowledge. What can be found out from the old man at the Pure of Heart bridge if you choose to leave your doppelganger alone is that Cereus de anima doppelgangers can only live for a month without killing their original and absorbing the rest of their essence. However, if the original plant isn't taken care of with a special venom you can only obtain from certain creatures in the Forest of the Fisher King, the problem will just keep happening over and over until the city is overrun and becomes nothing but a breeding ground for the flower and its replicas. 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. • You can have any animal-style poncho you want! They are themed, not made from actual animals. No animals have been harmed in the making of these ponchos!! • TIMELINE: The resolution to the third prompt will be in April's event! The first two prompt sets will be during the first week of the month. The doppelganger problem and obnoxious traveling and research will be occurring for the second and third weeks of the month. • People with green magic may be able to fill something off about the doppelgangers, but may not be able to identify what it is right away. Blood mages will be able to feel that their blood feels the same as the original as they are essentially copies. Cognitive people will be able to use their magic normally except for hypnotic suggestion- the doppelgangers are immune to it, so while you may be able to find other ways to out them, hypnotizing people to tell the truth won't work this time. Doppelgangers are made from the essence of the person, so they will be able to access their phones and accounts. Note that the Cereus de Anima and doppelgangers are not fairies and cannot be contracted with. If a Death Mage attempts to possess a doppelganger, it will technically come in contact with the doppelganger's vine and may end up with more than one doppelganger depending on how many times they try it. Siphon magic can be used to destroy a doppelganger easily, however, the essence that was stolen from the original's soul may be destroyed in the process so it is not recommended as the original may start to feel as though they are no longer a whole person. • 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. Make sure to read the Red Spring section on this month's even if you're normally familiar-- the springs are closed this month, check out the alternate prompts! • 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

[trueltning_fury]

[always happy to be a bad influence, but really, who here is worse?]

You're a long way away from her now. I don't think you're in any danger.

[strolling on out like they've done nothing wrong, which they probably haven't but he doesn't know that. This time, in the opposite direction from where he first ran into Nash, because that was already a tavern-free zone]

[peacewithouttyranny]

[The door closing on its own surprises him- haven't realized he hasn't seen what her familiar is yet. But aside from his head slightly turning to the closed door behind him, there's not much of a reaction from him. And Blake suddenly decides to stay for some reason.]

No, we're all Cybertronians in my world. But we're known throughout the galaxy.

[For unpopular reasons, typically.]

[raveyardpatriarch]

So she had her own stick the whole time, is the takeaway here. Nonetheless, this is all very fascinating. He nods along, and very graciously does not snatch the magic thing, even though he might really like to. This isn't what he was looking for, from this chill-cave, but he's certainly willing to roll with it, most silliness put behind him in favor of scholarly fascination.

He looks from her to the rod and back, "And this is something you learned here? Why you want to get at the ceiling?" Her interest in putting any ceiling related discoveries to meaningful use seems less and less like a whimsical pipe-dream. He gestures very un-elucidatingly at their general surroundings, clearly considering his own questions rhetorical, carried away by the spirit of inquiry. "Sand isn't wood or metal. How far does it go?"

Her warnings about limbs may be a factor in his line of questioning.

[plenilunium]

[Jyushi's finding it very hard to forget about this detail. Seriously, everything about this forest is weird, terrifying, and being with Oda Nobunaga does not make it any better. It's definitely more nerve-wracking!

But at least he apparently gave the right answer?]

Congratulations...? [Is that what he should be saying?]

[wukuiyuxin]

Even with his explicit permission to ask for actually useful information, she still focuses on the sleeves, doggedly so. But before he can be dismissive of a matter he views as trivial, she finally follows a logical train of thought and reveals an actual purpose to her question, besides pestering him. Though he may find the focus of her curiosity commonplace, it clearly isn't to her and she is correctly suspecting a deeper meaning. That's the sort of observation and analysis Lan Wangji does approve of and his features lose a little of their annoyed tension.

"Hindrance is desired. The Gusu Lan Clan chooses this manner of dress to encourage discipline and awareness in posture and movement." If he sounds like he's quoting from a textbook, that's because he very well might be. But he decides to reward her inquiry with a small bit of additional information and adds after a moment, "Also, they are enchanted for storage. Not here, though." Trying to store his guqin had been rather frustrating.

[southpaw_senpai]

"...Other place?"

Akihiko's face just contorts into more of a 'confused puppy' look than Koromaru ever managed. Still, he can talk about that some other time.

"Yeah I just... figured I'd nip that one in the bud because... well I kinda unintentionally caused a bit of a scene when I first showed up here. Whatever powers we had back home, they're no good here. Gotta learn magic from scratch here."

[flamekthunder]

Yes.

[A short answer as usual, but it's a softer one that still manages to convey the peaceful joy he's feeling right now. He may have had more chances to be around dogs and made some progress back home, but still, nothing quite like this. It also allows him to momentarily forget the stress and problems still waiting for him both back home and here.

Ah...the healing powers of small dog...]

[flamekthunder]

[Eustace slowly raises his hands as if to test and ensure that he doesn't have any random paws or anything else.]

...Yes, it would seem so.

[He then slowly sits up and looks over at her.]

Sorry if I startled you, but just to be clear, this is my real form. [Yes, including the ears that look as fluffy and pettable as ever.] I'm not sure how I changed back, however. I can only assume some of my energy had restored enough to do so.

[Which is...a bit unsettling as he'd rather more control over it. But he's back to normal so he'll take it.]

[flamekthunder]

[Eustace feels the heavier weight of the man (and that giant ass sword), but even normally he would have been able to handle it similar to how Cloud carried him. As a wolf, he feels even stronger so while still not the lightest passenger, he should be able to do this.

At the very least it'll give Cloud a chance to recover a bit while he does some of the work.

So once Cloud is situated, he lunges forward, dashing through the forest and leaping over any roots or suspicious looking vines they come across. His familiar runs alongside him, looking strangely enlivened by the situation despite the potential death if they don't make it out. Or maybe his wolf is weird like that. But it does help out, occasionally using more of its ice magic to create shields or freeze the tips of vines to make them fall to the ground, creating openings for Eustace to charge through. With their combined efforts they make good headway, the gap between the escapees and pursuing vines widening, and soon there is a literal light at the end of their proverbial tunnel, sunlight streaming through the wide gaps of trees indicating an exit out of the dense forest and out into a clearing.

Which is a good thing because by now Eustace is feeling the strain of holding this magic together, reflected by the quick, heavy pants as he continues to run. But he doesn't stop, mustering all remaining strength and energy he has to do one final burst of speed before leaping out towards the opening, the vines just missing them as he crashes to the ground and ends in a roll, likely sending Cloud flying.

When the dust settles, the wolf is no longer able to be seen and all that's left is a gasping wolf puppy trembling on the ground.]

[flamekthunder]

...A bit. [Blood magic... The power to use one's blood... He's heard of vampires capable of such things, and there are probably deranged warlocks or sorcerers out there who've managed to do something similar.]

What do you mean by your best? Is it easier to control compared to elemental magic?

[Weird question he finds himself asking, but when he thinks about it makes some sense.]

[fruitknife]

"Long story." Like, fourish years and multiple world-hops long. It was a whole thing.

"Good job, Aki. Can't blame anyone for panicking, though. Evokers were designed by some sick fucks."

[incinerators]

[ Fortunately (?) for Pyrrha, Penny's death hasn't happened for her yet. She has no idea that Emerald is -- was? -- capable of something like that; she doesn't even know Cinder's malicious. She's from a time when ignorance was bliss, and she'll be in for a rude awakening if she were to discover any of these truths about the future.

For now, though, she'll enjoy Blake's company. She hopes they'll be able to meet in person sometime soon. ]

Gardening? If you have green magic, maybe we can train together -- that's one of mine. My other set of magic is healing-based.

[ Which. Might've been nice to have had on Remnant for reasons, but y'know. ]

When you really start learning how to do magic, the results are incredible! I can't say I've gotten there just yet, but I've seen some really amazing things during my time here.

[sulit]

[She's going to keep walking forward and not looking back for a few seconds. When she does finally glance back, it's with a guilty sort of look.]

Okay... So I might have fallen out of the habit. I really did try! It's just hard to do by myself...

[sulit]

To be perfectly fair, it's a very small stick. It wouldn't have helped her much in the long run, so she doesn't feel at all ashamed for having borrowed his sword as a tool. Maybe if she thinks about it later, she can add a sigil to make a longer, thinner stick.

She's in the midst of considering an answer to his rhetorical question anyway, when he gives her a much more interesting topic to discuss--one that's a particular sore spot for her these days.

"Just about as far as you'd like, from what I can tell? Aside from learning the symbols that relate to the materials and knowing how to arrange them, the only limitation that I've noticed is that the material can't belong to something living. But whether that's a hard limitation or simply a matter of no one figuring out the right equation, I don't know." At least, she doesn't sound particularly satisfied with any of the answers she's read about.

[sulit]

Hindrance is desired? Her brow furrows at that. It's a strange sort of thing to train for in her opinion, though not entirely uncommon in theory. She's not going to say as much aloud because she's honestly surprised that she got an answer at all, and she doesn't want to ruin whatever headway she'd made. (Headway with what she doesn't know, but she's keeping it.) But it's still strange, nonetheless.

She could ask what "Gusu" is, but that doesn't seem particularly relevant. He used that Lan word after it, and clan is obvious enough. It's probably some sort of fancy name that she won't have the context to understand, and he'll just tell her to ask something else again. At least, that's how she imagines it'll go. So she tables that question for later.

Instead, she gives him something of a sideways look as she tilts her head to inspect the sleeves again. There's a very blatant curiosity in the gesture.

"Can you hold your arm out? Like this?" She demonstrates by holding her arm out straight in front of her in a manner that would display long fancy sleeves--if she had any. "I'd like to take a look at the construction."

It's not like they've stopped walking, but she can walk and inspect tailoring at the same time.

[liveandforgive]

[ The sheer amount of focus in Cloud's eyes is palpable. He has no intention of dying here. Not when he's not only got family and friends to protect, but when he knows there are others trapped within this forest that still need help. He made a promise that he would come back. That he always would; he'd never leave. The wind rushes at him, initially making it hard to keep his eyes open. If he were any stronger, he'd have been able to carry his sword and swing at whatever came their way whilst riding Eustace. All he can do now is keep his eyes peeled to call out for any incoming danger.

But with his familiar doing a lot of the work in kind alongside them, there's not so much to worry about. ...he thinks to himself as vines threaten to ensnare the transformed Erune by his hindlegs. But the frozen tips of vines from the other wolf catch them just in time. Gritting his teeth, he's expecting them to burst forth from the woods with a final rush of speed. Sure enough, clutching the fur tight, the two are flung through the air. Suddenly, there's nothing supporting his weight as he's sent crashing to the ground.

Bouncing across the earth as the vines writhe and retreat back into the forest, he eventually catches himself, skidding as his palm braces itself across the dirt. Panting to catch his breath and still his frantic heart, he swallows for air as his Chocobo Chick familiar plops down atop his head. ]

N-Nngh...

[ Ridding the cobwebs with a shake of his head, he forces himself back to his feet. ]

Where's...

[ That man he rescued from the vines. If it wasn't for him...he'd be trapped in that forest too. Before he can call out however,

"Kweh! Kweeeh!"

The chick flutters along, peeping the entire way as it guides Cloud to the sight of a small wolf pup. It's trembling and weak... His instincts take over, not even thinking that this was Eustace at first when he kneels down and gingerly picks the puppy up. They're still trembling... ]

...

[ His eyes widen as everything starts to click. Instinctively, he secures him and holds him close to his chest in both arms. ]

Helluva stunt you pulled there...

[ Staring back at the looming forest they escaped, his brow furrows as he realizes that they're going to need to retreat for now. More importantly, he's going to need to find someone who can heal this pup if his condition didn't get better soon. All he can think of doing now though is snuggling keeping Eustace safe in such a vulnerable state as he takes his leave from the forest's edge. Having mostly caught his breath, his thoughts are solely on this man right now.

There's clear water that flows just up and over the hill. The first thing he plans to do is get him there to drink. ]

[angelolatry]

Eh? Make up -- ah, you don't have to! But the ranch was......well. They were creating Exspheres. In order to do that, they needed hosts. People....

[Yup. Sylvarant is kinda messed up. Zidane is rather getting something of a crash course in those darker aspects. Colette doesn't mean to throw all this at him though. In bringing down the mood and possibly making him worry. She flails a little, fidgeting with her hands after instinctively reaching for her Cruxis Crystal at her neck as she bit her lower lip.]

Ah, but. Um. With my Journey, that should help. Help deal with the Desians and all.

[tantailizing]

'Exspheres'? And they were using people to make them?

[Oh no no no, what is it with worlds thinking playing around with lives was a good idea? If anything, destroy the ranch and move elsewhere. His tail is whipping against the ground behind him a bit more as his brows furrow.]

Desians...? And who would they be?

[arsonal]

Then it's good I'm here.

[Oh, she's smiling.

That's not good.]

[everydayeveryway]

Mm-hm.

[Adelle seems happy with this outcome. He looks happy; it looks like he really wanted to do this. Maybe, wherever he came from, he never really had opportunities to. She leans back and smiles.

And she stays quiet. No need to spoil the moment for him or make him feel rushed.]

[thirdwisestar]

"After that, actually," Caesar corrects but he won't expand upon it. If what Nash says is true, he's already lived through everything Caesar is about to deal with. "But not much after. Chris already filled me in on the rest."

Was sharing someone's future with them a good idea? He doesn't know but he can't imagine such a near future revelation being able to change anything in how he himself acts but it's another topic not really worth getting into. Nash has asked a question and he should at least confirm after mentioning her twice already—

"And yes, Chris is here. So is Geddoe," he adds, and then, after a second of consideration, he'll be kind enough to include, "And that freak in black that Albert had working for him. Yuber. He's here as well."

[rediscovering]

"Aang... I understand. I really do. I wouldn't ask you to change your perspective. It's only sensible. I need you to see her with your own eyes. Maybe you can see things more clearly than me, I dunno," he says, his gaze fixed to the floor between his feet, an almost pleading tone in his voice. "I— worry sometimes that I can't trust my own eyes fully, to be honest. But I need to try. I don't expect you guys to be best buddies with Azula all of a sudden, but— just understand... she needs me now."

His voice is softer, ruminative, dripping in uncertainty and conviction at once. No matter how far apart, when or where or why, that much is still consistently true of Zuko, how he can hold both these opposites in some unique delicate balance he tightropes like a trapeze through life. He will always have some duality to make sense of. And being so close to Azula now, more than ever before in their lives, definitely guarantees that.

"And I know it sounds crazy, but... I need her, too."

[sulit]

[Oh no.]

[She grimaces, but then puts on a brave face.]

...It is. And you're not going to make me regret that because so long as I'm jogging, you're studying magic. That's still the deal!

[shiliu]

"They're called 'grapes,'" he says as he munches on another one, deliberately misunderstanding. "They've been growing them in the Western regions for millennia. In Lou Lan, you see these terraced orchards everywhere, grape vines as far as the eye can see. They're dried for eating, too, but it seems they're mainly for wine."

Gu Yun is a font of random information, and will happily chatter away in a long stream of consciousness when he's in a good mood.

"There's nothing obvious, I just hadn't seen you around town before." Well, that and the fact that the man couldn't recognize green magic on sight, is what pegs him as a newcomer. There had been a fair the previous month encouraging Avalon's residents to learn all about new types of magic, and discover their own.

[wukuiyuxin]

The weight of Lan Wangji's attention isn't likely to diminish, unfortunately; he feels like he could look at Wei Ying for the rest of his days and never get his fill. The sprawling posture, the lively gesturing, like his own personal space can't contain him. He watches Wei Ying recount his experiences - his own encounter on the road at least assuring he doesn't feel overly alarmed at the mention of possible demons - and he watches him swear to stay out of trouble with an unbearably affectionate smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. To think he'd ever employed the Silence Spell on him, and now his words are filling an emptiness in Lan Wangji that had become an inextricable part of him, like a tree grown around a ragged rock. No, he doesn't think he could ever silence him again. Not that he'd ever been able to ignore him to begin with, even then.

Though turning the conversation towards the issue of their spiritual abilities does manage to distract his attention for the moment. He hadn't truly engaged with the idea yet, besides feeling very frustrated and unnerved by it. Having skills and abilities he'd trained to perfect all his life stripped from him, all his progress towards self-cultivation, it's vexing, to say the least. Horrifying, even, if he were to admit as much. And there's the issue of being expected to cultivate anything other than the sword path; he can hardly help but feel a deep unease at the thought.

But there is something else, in Wei Ying's suggestion that he should be very good at it, probably the best. Sudden dread at the idea of failing at something he has absolutely no experience with, an iron obligation to excel at anything he tries that he has made sure not to instill in his disciples - try your best but know your limits - but that he somehow finds difficult to shake off himself. His gaze falters and drops from Wei Ying, uncomfortable and almost guiltily.

And yet, we'll see. The implication that he will face this immediate future together with Wei Ying takes a moment to really sink in, but when it does he feels strangely grateful to this world, too, for having made this possible. If the price for this is his cultivation, he will accept it readily. And of course, there is no denying Wei Ying's aptitude for learning new methods, regardless of their application. He can think of no better teacher, if he must learn. So resolved, he meets his eyes again with a small nod. "You too."