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.

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B for... But Not Salt Caves

[sulit]

Of all the injustices at large in this land, Klaudia is pretty sure that the gravest injustice is that she doesn't get to ride in the carriages a second time. She tried to; she definitely made the attempt, but the rules are the rules. Carriages are for new arrivals, not hitching a free ride back to Camelot. She could either rent a horse or walk back... So, obviously, she's walking.

The journey from the White Cliffs to the Red Springs is a long one, but it's not a kind of journey that she's unused to. At least it's only a day. She can walk for a day, that's fine. She even brought along a book to read, so she'll barely even notice the passage of time... or anything else in front of her.

It's still early enough in the year for the evenings to approach rather quickly, so by the time the village is in sight, Klaudia's had to resort to her very minimally trained light magic just to see the book she's trying to read without straining her eyes. She has her left hand holding the book open, wedged between her fingers; while her right hand braces against her left palm-to-palm, one finger raised up in front of the pages. A single point of light sits on the end of her finger, illuminating the area about as much as a candle would.

Focusing on her book as much as she is, Klaudia doesn't even notice the person in white walking in front of her--not until she's collided with him from behind, at least. The impact startles her, and she yips as she backs up again, looking up from her book with wide eyes.

"Wha-- Where did you come from??" She is completely bewildered that there was a person there??? She wasn't paying attention at all.

[wukuiyuxin]

The walk affords Lan Wangji an opportunity to familiarize himself with the land, take note of the location and architecture of any dwellings along the way, the type of animal and crop grown in the fields. He isn't surprised to not be the only one on the path aside from the caravan, as it seems to be a major road connecting the bay with the nearest larger settlement. But so far he has managed to keep to himself. Small blessings.

Which is to say, he is not expecting to be barrelled into from behind and the strings of his guqin carried on his back twang discordantly. He whirls around and the sight of the person - red skin, blank eyes, horns - alarms him more than the impact had. It doesn't quite match any hostile creature he knows, but several features are close enough that he half unsheathes his sword purely on instinct. Only then does her bewildered expression and the book in her hands sink in and he pauses, narrows his eyes and waits for her next move.

[sulit]

The unsheathing of the sword--even if only halfway--has Klaudia backing up even more, dropping the light spell that she was half-focused on. Her gaze snaps to the caravan and back to this man. They wouldn't let someone murder her right here on the road, right? ...Her level of confidence in that is not super high.

That book in her hands is now being held up like a shield in front of her, in lieu of anything better; and her shoulders are hiked defensively. The iron rod in her pocket is meant as a weapon, but she's equally unsure if she should make any sudden movements for it.

...Maybe she can throw the book at his face and run. Someone's bound to notice, then. She'll file that away as Plan B.

"Hey, hey-- Just a moment! A second of your time. I have a consideration for you: What if you put the sword away? The whole way. Because in case you didn't know, pulling a sword on someone is not the best first impression to make on an island that you can't leave! That's a thing that most people can agree on, so let's agree on that right now, okay?"

[wukuiyuxin]

Apparently her next move is to squawk and grouse like a startled chicken. A simple apology would have sufficed. But at least it isn't the antagonistic behavior of a threat, though some such creatures can be crafty. Lan Wangji gives her appearance and bearing a second, more analytical look, takes note of her nervous glance towards the caravan and her defensive stance and-- remembers that he currently has access to very few of his usual skills for countering a possible trap or attack.

It is this unease more than her unusual appearance that has him unable to sheathe Bichen quite yet, though he certainly also makes no move himself. Someone more familiar with him would see that he has no intention to attack, but unfortunately no one like that is at hand.

"Identify yourself."

[sulit]

Putting his sword away would have sufficed on her end, but apparently that's not something he's planning on doing. No, he's just going to stand there and interrogate her while the caravan keeps rolling on. It sits in the back of her mind that at some point, they're going to get left behind if they keep standing there. And she does not want to be alone with this guy.

"Okay, so you're not keen on manners. That's neat! Good to know." It is not, and is more conveyed by her tone than by her words. "I don't normally introduce myself to my would-be assailant, but sure. You can call me Klaudia."

There's a small anxious pause, in which she considers leaving it there, but then makes the poor decision to keep going: "Do I get a name from you, or is it going to be Mysterious Murder Bro from here on out?"

[wukuiyuxin]

So she knows what manners are, though watch your step clearly wasn't counted among them in her case. He was hoping for some sort of identification of species or intention, but more and more the impression of a regular person wrong-footed and anxious reassures him. After all, he knows better than to judge a person or a situation by appearances alone. This is a world largely unfamiliar to him and few of the rules known to him might apply. Too few.

And she's being rather dramatic about it all. Irreverent in spite of her fear. Overly chatty. His stance relaxes just slightly, though he sees no reason to introduce himself in return since he has no desire to become acquainted. But he finally sheathes his sword and drops the hand holding it to its place at his side.

"Watch where you go," he admonishes her, and then turns to be on his way.

[sulit]

Watch where you go. Really? That's it? He scares the hell out of her by acting like that, then tells her to watch her step and leaves?

The smart thing to do here would be to let it go and move to the other side of this newbie procession and maybe go back to reading her book. However, while Klaudia is incredibly intelligent, she's not always... Smart.

Which is why instead of giving him space, she presses her lips together and steels her nerve to trail behind him.

"You know... It might come as a surprise to you, but that whole Murder Bro thing-- that was a hint that I'd like your name, too. It's only fair, after you all but threatened mine out of me."

[wukuiyuxin]

Clearly it can't have been that threatening, if she still feels free to trail in his footsteps. He is still wary enough of her to glance back over his shoulder when she starts following him, but it really seems like she is merely trying to, what, air her grievances? Demand some sort of compensation? He gets the distinct feeling that engaging her further might be like feeding a stray cat.

But if she is an ordinary person in this world, then he should not have frightened her. His mouth forms a thin line and he trains his gaze back on the road.

"Lan Wangji."

[sulit]

It was incredibly threatening; she just doesn't have the good sense to stay away.

Though she was expecting more protest--or maybe less protest by way of being ignored. Either way, she wasn't expecting to actually get a name out of him, so that's something she doesn't have a response for, at first.

"Well... Okay." Good start. "It's... not exactly a pleasure to meet you, Lan, but it's good to know you're not completely incapable of answering a simple question."

She could just walk away now. She probably should just walk away now. But it feels weird to just leave after that, like she can return to reading her book and ignoring him existing just a few steps away. There's some impulse that hasn't been scratched just right, and she needs to figure it out.

So after a few long seconds of (presumably) silence, she adds: "So... Where are you from? Anywhere interesting?"

[wukuiyuxin]

He could return to ignoring her existing a few steps away just fine; that seems like a personal problem. One she's choosing to make his problem at this point.

Being addressed completely incorrectly is a little vexing and his brows crease briefly at it; he isn't used to someone not knowing how to address him. But her apparently subpar upbringing can be overlooked on account of the fact that he doesn't particularly want to talk to her.

Her silence is regrettably short-lived. And what a question she chose to prolong their non-conversation. How would one quantify 'interesting'? Is 'interesting' a positive attribute? Where he's from is as chaotic and tranquil as anywhere, as beautiful and messy as nature and people are wont to be. And it is currently frozen and unreachable, the people in some peril, if the horse-lender by the cliffs is to be believed. The hand on his sword tightens though he keeps walking at an even pace.

On second thought, correcting her may be called for. "It is Lan Zhan Wangji," he says slowly, stressing his courtesy name as if that clears anything up.

[sulit]

It's called making small talk. Because some people don't just walk directly out of an awkward situation like it didn't happen. Also she's far too curious about people in general to simply leave things as they are, even on the best of days.

But the fact that when he does respond, it's only to correct her manner of address, she blinks and frowns at him. One might think he's said something unreasonable.

"Like, the whole thing?" The question is hesitant and a little incredulous, and she follows it up with another: "Do you not have a nickname or something shorter? Everyone just goes around calling you Lan Zhan Wangji all the time? And that doesn't get to be a mouthful for them?"

[wukuiyuxin]

Lan Wangji has a certain measure of experience with juniors who are somewhat resistant to absorbing new information, but this is ridiculous. He literally just told her what to call him. He isn't going to say it a third time.

Is she trying to mock him? He gives her a brief, suspicious sideways (downways) glance. Well, here is a mouthful for her. "Or Hanguang-Jun."

[sulit]

When he responds with yet another mouthful of a name, she just sighs and throws her hands up half-heartedly. Alright. Fine. She can play along.

"Lan Wangji. Lan Zhan Wangji. Hanguang-Jun. Do you have anymore that you'd like to get out? Should I pin an esquire onto one of those? Or a middle name? Two more titles, maybe?"

She's making fun, getting bolder by the second, but she's also a little exasperated. She hasn't met someone quite like this in a while. Living as she has been, everything was so... informal. Especially names. Such was the nature of the ship she lived on and the woman who captained it.

Her thoughts drift a little, and that does grant him a few undoubtedly blissful seconds of silence. But then she's giving him another look-over, but this time focusing on his clothing.

"I haven't seen a style like this very much... Your sleeves are very long. Don't they get in the way of your sword when you use it?" The urge to reach out and pull on a sleeve is very strong, but she's not quite that bold at the moment.

[wukuiyuxin]

She did ask. Acting like the answer is personally offensive to her is just childish. As much as he's tired of words being said to him, her little rant rolls off him fairly easily. Like a child, maybe she'll tire herself out.

And for a moment, it seems like that may be what has happened. But of course that would be too much of a relief to be granted to him right now. Her newest question continues to show a lack of simple common sense. If his attire negatively affected his swordsmanship, would he be wearing it? Obviously not. A small roll of his eyes escapes him despite his considerable restraint and he almost imperceptibly readjusts the position of his arm folded behind his back.

"Ask better questions." If she's not going to stop, she could at least do him that courtesy.

[sulit]

Ask better questions.

Klaudia purses her own lips. She doesn't know whether to be offended or encouraged. Both, perhaps? He still hasn't technically told her to go away, but he has a lot of audacity to say that her questions aren't good ones. She would find it particularly difficult to wield a weapon or perform the somatic components of a spell if her sleeves were dragging down to her knees. Is it really that bad of a question to be curious how he does it?

But fine. He manages--somehow. If he wants a better question, then she'll ask one.

"What function does their length serve? Clearly you've either made your peace with having them be a potential hindrance to your mobility or you're accustomed to working around them, so there must be a trade-off in some manner." And if he tells her they're purely ornamental in nature, then by the gods, she's going to tell him to get better sleeves.

[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.

[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.

[wukuiyuxin]

Being asked for a demonstration of his sleeves is somehow both unexpected and inevitable at this point. Unfortunately he has no one but himself to blame for the fact that she feels impetuous enough to ask. And he is hardly going to deviate from his grudging tolerance of this conversation now. Giving his permission only to withdraw it in the next moment is simply not something he does, no matter how exasperated he feels.

But he's still not willing to hold out his arm to be inspected like wares at a market.

He deigns her outstretched arm with barely a glance. "Is this professional interest?" Do... whatever she is, have tailors? Her clothing seems complex enough. At least convince him this is educational in some manner.

[sulit]

"What else would it be?" She sounds like she genuinely doesn't know. Is there some other reason that someone would have for looking at his sleeve like this? For all of his Ask better questions just a moment ago, that seems like a rather silly one to her. Which gets her to thinking...

"I'm an artisan of sorts. I make and repair things--mostly wood and cloth, but I can work with small amounts of metal, too." It's more of an explanation than he's offered her for things that he thought were pointless, and it has her tilting her head at him and smiling with a bit of mischief.

"Do I get to ask you an obvious question now? Since I answered yours?"

[wukuiyuxin]

A passing curiosity, could be another reason. Seeing how far she can push him, maybe. The fact that this seemingly wasn't on her mind at least goes some way towards making her tolerable in his eyes. Her answer, too, is notable. Expertise in the working of various materials is a respectable profession, and not an easy one at that.

A shame that she misuses this small measure of goodwill on being smart with him. Even if he can see her point, grudgingly. But she won't catch more than the slightest pursing of his lips before he brings his arm up between them, giving it a small tight shake to smooth out any folds in the white fabric. Conveniently, his sleeve now blocks her entire person from view.

[sulit]

For someone who has only just met this man, the look he gives is nigh impossible for Klaudia to read. But he does at least hold out his arm as requested, which is certainly not the nothing she was expecting once again. Seems like he can be reasoned with. That's good.

She'll put her book away properly into her backpack now, and then very gingerly lift the sleeve--grasping it at its opposite sides and raising it up to look at it. The material is nice; that's the first thing she notices. It's softer to touch than it looks, and fairly durable when she gives it a small tug. The seams likewise seem to be well stitched--no gaps when she tugs on those, too. There was clearly a lot of care put into this.

She takes another moment to investigate the opening, since he mentioned the use for storage. It's a little bizarre to her, and there's a strong urge to stick her arm down into the pocket it makes, just to see how far it goes. Wouldn't it be a hassle to fish things out of there? She wants to know how feasible that is... He did say they were supposed to be enchanted, though. It's probably just a very deep pocket now, so maybe she shouldn't squander the bit of tolerance she's earned here.

Instead, she'll take her chances a different way by pushing the sleeve aside like she's moving a curtain, just so she can get a quick look at the rest of him. There's a sleek but subtle luster to the fabric, and the draping is elegant. The embroidery around his collar is particularly gorgeous, and she'd love to get a closer look at that--but she's pretty sure she's already invading his personal space more than he agreed to, so she'll let go and step back just as quickly.

"Fancy~ The tailoring on this is impeccable. Do you always dress like this, or did you get plucked out of some sort of party?"

[wukuiyuxin]

Lan Wangji endures the inspection and small tugs gracefully, though without slowing down his steady walking pace. There's a moment where he almost expects her to try and stick her head into the opening of the sleeve, but she seems to realize she's too old for that, at least. Her peeking around the sleeve like a curtain rather belies that thought, though.

When her investigation is concluded, he swiftly tucks his arm back between his guqin and the small of his back. With the arcing movement, the folds of his robes fall into place again like particularly elegant plumage.

"It is customary." Customary for what, he doesn't elaborate. Apparently she isn't aware this is not a color one commonly wears to festivities.

[sulit]

Incredibly fancy. Klaudia watches the way he sweeps his arm back behind his back again, and she can't help but lift a brow at that. He's very graceful in his movements--and he reminds her passingly of some of the monks she's seen in Calimshan, but the air isn't quite right. There's also a rigid air of regality about him. It's not something she can quite put her finger on.

"Well, what a customarily fancy person, then." She folds her own hands behind her back, mimicking him just a little--but in a way that feels natural to her.

"Are you a bard of some sort? That's an instrument that you're carrying, right? I think I've seen something like it before, but only in passing. It was larger--more like a boxy lute--and a lot more strings, too. Someone had set it up on a table, and they were plucking the strings with one hand and holding some kind of fret with the other--" She unfolds her hands and holds them out out over an imaginary instrument, like she saw the person playing--her right hand slightly more forward and fingers splayed, while her left hand sits closer to her chest and mimicking pressing down on something.

"It looked complicated, but I don't know the name of it." She'd only seen it as she was passing through, after all, and there were a lot of wondrous things to be looking at.