TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 7

[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 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, helping to rescue any wayward travelers who look like they're struggling in the water. This month's helpers are giant pillow jellies, a species of jellyfish that is capable of ballooning itself at the surface to create bouncy pads for characters to hop across to the shore, should they choose or not be able to swim. They come in a variety of bioluminescent colors, but do not seem to be very talkative even to animal magic users. Those who try may find themselves being ignored, even if they hear the jellies talking amongst themselves about this and that. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. 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 special ear buds (the supplier was out of the regular ones) 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. After the new arrivals come in, they'll find that this month they came in on the middle of a rather tumultuous time... people are arguing and debating about a future decision to be made. King Arthur recently tried to negotiate with Celliwig's people to open the doors to Camelot, but they refused, and the people have been left with a decision: 1. attempt long-distance, slow wooing of Queen Elphame via the Elphame Traders of the next couple of months, 2. attempt to prove a balanced and deeper understanding of the need for both pure and impure hearts by suggesting an acceptance of trials from Celliwig, or 3. band together under Camelot's flag to invade Celliwig. Celliwig is a place of communication between Elphame and Camelot that bypasses the need for weeks of dangerous, often fatal travel, so the choice is very important in regards to how Camelot both presents itself to the fae people in the future. To that end, people with strong beliefs about particular choices have arranged gatherings to draw people in to hear their perspectives on what the choice should be. A ⦿ Honey Over Vinegar A wide variety of people have sided with this group, including the Elphame Traders, as cutting Celliwig off from them would mean a much harder journey each month to the city of Camelot. (Though commerce always does find a way.) This group is hosting a Tree-Picking Tournament! Of course, the trees to be picked are out in the farmlands, and members of the lobbying group will be giving people free one-use Farm Totems to get to the tournament. The trees in this grove are a little different than normal trees, however. For one, they don't bear fruit. This is Camelot's cookie orchard, composed of special fairy tree hybrids that grow a variety of sweet treats on their branches instead of fruits. There are your usual chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, but also little puff-like wedding cookies on bushes or checkboard cookies blossoming out of stems instead of flowers. There are even some trees that have clusters of miniature French macarons! The best part, at the end when you turn in your cookies for the count and get your participation prize (and bonus pamphlet about how slow and steady wins the race), you can totally keep and eat them, so be careful not to drop them! How you get them down from the tree is up to you, of course. Try some magic, or maybe just some regular old tree-shaking will do the trick.. just be careful you don't accidentally knock down any wasp nests. Those stings will hurt bad! B ⦿ A Balanced Approach The party of people who want to try to woo Celliwig over to smooth things over see this little political gathering with cookie-based bribery and quickly fashion their own event to make sure the fanfare isn't all for just the one idea. To gather people in to hear their side of the story, this group has decided to host a bug catching contest! Head out into those flower fields between Camelot and the Red Springs that are now thriving thanks to April's plentiful rains. Whether you use a net or figure out how to use your magic to get the bugs, it's how many you catch, not what kinds you catch that count-- so make it fast and make it plentiful! And at the end of the day, what you choose to do with your captured bugs is up to you. Crush them or free them, keep them or eat them, whatever it is you want to do... ultimately, all moral choices are valid, right? So let's go along with what Celliwig wants! Don't forget that May is the season of the frog, however, and you'll be in competition with a variety of sentient and wise members of the Frog Tribe, a group of bipedal frogs who live in the southernmost part of the lake and come up to the flowerfields to stick their tongues out for some delicious bug treats. They have no problem sticking their tongues right into your captured bug nest, hopping on heads to steal your catches, and do all kinds of crazy interferences like snipping belts and tonguing ankles to trip people. You may want someone to watch your back for this event, lest you get done in by a hopper. C ⦿ A Show of Strength The more war-hungry citizens of Camelot seek to go to war. This whole issue will be over if Celliwig itself isn't the one in charge of communication and it's just made directly between Elphame and Camelot, rather than having a mediator who refuses to mediate. They believe that a show of strength is the only way to solve this problem, and as such, they'll be demonstrating that the greatest rewards come from strength by organizing an expedition to a cave at the base of the Ash Mountains. Taking a path squarely between the Dusklight Woods and the edge of the Lands of Rot to the base of the Ash Mountains, this expedition will lead into a cave known as the Giant Cave. It's a pretty on-the-nose name, since it really is a big cave. One of the cool things about this cave is that it's filled with geodes. Those who have enough strength can use provided pickaxes and drills to dig up their own crystals and gold, both great for jewelry and enchanting. In particular, there is a large amount of: • Rose quartz: dark mages can make their love spells much more powerful and healers can use this to enhance spells that soothe anxieties and self-doubt • Amethyst: siphoners increase the potency of counter-curses and light mages will find this stone makes their hard light shields stronger than ever • Agate: strengthen cognitive abilities like post-cognition for a clearer picture of what happened by enhancing perception, and death mages will find they're able to extend their possession times by about 30 minutes by using an agate to stablize their aura • Moonstones: will increase navigation as a traveler's protection for kinetic users-- no longer will you risk tripping over a rock while going at enhanced speeds, or can be traded to fairies to potentially bring down a steep price to something more reasonable • Black tourmaline: a crystal that shields from opposition/negativity-- for technomancers and elementalists, this means that technology is more likely to side with them over another technomancer, or elementalists will find that when using opposing elements, theirs will come out stronger-- like water vs fire, electric vs rock, etc. • Hematite: can soothe blood, leaving it a good tool to enhance animal and blood magic-- animals may trust you more readily by having a calming effect on them, and blood mages may find that they heal more readily after using their abilities • Boji stone: alchemists will find that this is a good stabilizer for for particularly volatile potion combinations, and the properties of this stone leaves green mages to sense new types of plants they haven't yet encountered in passing, even if they're not looking at them It's not particularly a contest in this case-- you can keep and use what you want, and this show of strength has given you more power than ever, so why not consider the same concept for how to deal with our unneighborly neighbors in Celliwig? It may be sweaty business, but surely hitting some rocks will show you the value of strength! With the surprisingly tame day in the Giant Cave, one would think that the Ash Mountains were something of a safe place. No one really bothered the travelers, but that's because no one had been home at the time. as it turns out, the Giant Cave is home to a giant... douchebag of a minotaur. Not a giant, despite the name. His name is Simon and he doesn't like to share, and now that a bunch of people have gone and taken his rocks (he didn't even know there were crystals inside, nor does he do anything with them). Now he has to take his revenge, regardless of not knowing who actually took the crystals that were never really his to begin with, they just happened to be in rocks near where he sleeps. A ⦿ A Stone's Throw from Revenge The minotaur is a very instinctive creature, and his instincts say that the people of Camelot, the nearest settlement, are the ones who need to be punished for this. He uses his superhuman strength to drag huge rocks and boulders all the way to the north-east edge of Camelot, seemingly for no reason, until he's got practically a wall built. At which point he starts picking them up, spinning, and then vaulting the rocks into Camelot's buildings. You may find yourself inside of one of those buildings and scrambling to check if everyone and yourself is okay, or perhaps you're rushing out to stop the minotaur from throwing another. Either way, it's a sudden attack and you're going to have to act fast. Trying to attack the minotaur will be difficult, since it has superhman strength and durability, sharp horns atop its head, and can smell you coming from a mile away. Get creative, and stop the minotaur before it's too late! B ⦿ There's Safety in Numbers Once the minotaur's attacks stop, it flees to recover its wounds, promising it will come back to destroy Camelot once and for all. It's a time for reprieve and to help clean up the damage. Use your magic to help clean up broken buildings and structures, or heal and help others who were injured in the sudden, mostly unprovoked attack. Many of the uninjured citizens will be going around town and providing drinks, towels, and cups of noodles to those who are helping out. Because of the impending threat of the minotaur's return, it's recommended that otherworlder's use the (Recipe) Buddy System spell. The way they explain it, it's a spell designed to alert your buddy if you're in danger and lasts about an hour. The way it actually works is you must be touching your buddy in any way at all times for the next hour. Unfortunately, it seems like the volunteers sharing the recipe may have missed that it was created in a kindergarten class, not for adults. C ⦿ Gross Thankfully, the Buddy System wears off before the Minotaur is back for round two. When the Minotaur returns, the castle has since gathered forces to the edge of town to defend it from another attack. It's unclear where the Minotaur went to get healed, but whoever he went to apparently had some advice, however, and the instinctive minotaur gave into a different instinct for part two of his revenge. Rather than go right back to his pile of rocks, he instead travels the day to get to the southernmost part of Camelot and barrels into town unopposed, as most of the troupes are where they had thought he would come from again. After all, minotaurs are not known to be big thinkers. Instead of violently destroying this time, however, the minotaur instead heads straight to lowertown's well-- and takes a pee in it. It turns out, not only does he have a giant-- ahem, but he is a giant dick as well. Now the entire lowertown has to be evacuated due to contaminated water up to other areas of Camelot. Many people who live there are relocated to live in extra castle rooms. After all, Minotaur Urine is known to be incredibly potent and stinky. Mages who are able to handle the smell are asked to come help perform a ritual of water purification for the lowertown's water system. This ritual involves multiple groups of people performing synchronic magic, a magic type that requires you to be in perfect sync with your partner. Draw a special ritual circle with four candles at equidistant points. Chant a spell in sync with your partner, and blow a special powder made of ground jasper, charcoal, and rosemary into the center of the circle. It will be drawn into the candles' flames and with enough people doing this, all impurities will be removed from the lowertown's water and dissipate into the atmosphere. KEY POINTS New arrivals drop into the lake and have to climb up a cliff to the Rent a Ride, where they are given their device and some headphones and can retrieve their personal materials. They travel to Camelot, which is a multiple day journey, so they stop at the Red Springs along the way and stay at an inn there. There is a vote pending for Camelot and each side of the issue is trying to engage otherworlders to their side of the vote. The slow/steady approach is hosting a cookie harvesting tournament from a grove of cookie trees, the middleground group is hosting a bug-catching contest, and the group that wants war is hosting a mining expedition. The mining expedition aggros an asshole of a minotaur, who throws rocks at Camelot. Driven away, the townspeople try to help by distributing a spell called "Buddy System" which binds two people together, not realizing it was intended for kindergarteners. (Oops.) The minotaur returns and pees in the lowertown's water, so a ritual of water purification must be performed because it's gross and stinky. The minotaur is still at large. **** The above key points are a new feature we're going to start including on TDMs and Events. Since it's new, the format is still fluid, so please let us know if you have any feedback for this section here. It should just include brief summaries of each prompt to make parsing information easier and more accessible. The original prompts should still be read and referred to for complete information and details. **** 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. • A poll will go up a little later this week regarding the mentioned voting, which should be answered ICly by each character you play. The poll will remain open through the 15th so that newly accepted characters may also vote if they choose to. •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.

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byleth eisner | fire emblem: three houses | eagle | elemental & green

[hegemonwings]

🌹 the caravan to camelot

[ well, today has been full of surprises. byleth leans on a length of driftwood that had looked suitable for a makeshift cane—her injuries from the last battle may have been dealt with already, but even a few weeks out she finds herself exhausted more easily than she'd like, and weaker than she once was. she stands there in a dark suit of armor as she hauls herself away from the water, seemingly near brand-new before it became so waterlogged. already, she unclasps the cape, folding it roughly and holding it under her arm—it seems better than letting that hang heavily against her back as it is now.

she looks over the smartphone with a faintly perplexed expression, a black eagle perched on her gauntlet. she... definitely has no idea what she’s looking at. someone has at least explained how to use the earbuds, even if a lot of the whys and hows still escape her. the false pointed ears attached to the things raise more questions than they answer, but she goes along with it without any complaint beyond a raised eyebrow. two swords hang at her waist once she’s retrieved her things: one a finely crafted rapier of silver and gold, the other an almost wicked-looking longsword, apparently carved of bone. a shield that appears to match the rapier hangs from her back now.

byleth is generally good at intuiting things, but this really is leaps and bounds past anything she’s familiar with. even after getting into the (very strange!!!) carriage, she still doesn’t quite understand. perhaps this is a dream? that would serve to explain some things. it can hardly be real, she has things to get back to—her fingers go, idly, to a gold pendant of a twin-headed eagle around her neck. that, and the now-familiar presence of the gold ring on her finger, serve to steady her in all of this.

finally, she glances to the person nearest her with a sigh, placing the phone into one of the pockets of an outfit she reclaimed from the shit box and reaching for a nip bottle from the mini bar. the eagle perched on her knee squawks once to greet the other person as well. ]

Have you followed any of this so far? [ she knocks back whatever she just picked up. please help. ]

🌹 the red spring

[ now, this is marginally more familiar territory. a lot of the devices in the room are, once again, alien to her, but! inns! modest rooms and warm beds! that’s more like it. byleth finds her placement before whoever she’s been put with does, taking a seat on the bed to try to steady herself. the eagle flutters away, perching on one of the room’s light fixtures. she finds the tv remote and, curiously, presses the power button, turning it on and landing on some navigation screen. when she hears the door start to turn, she’s still trying to work the thing. what the hell is a movie. what’s a video game????

the spring confuses her much less, and is much more welcome. a pang of nostalgia for the baths at the monastery strikes as she settles into the water, letting the warmth flow through her. she sees sparks of flame flicker at her fingertips as she brings her hand up out of the water once, brow furrowing. she’s used magic before, but that’s… new. if she's joined by someone else, she likely doesn't pay them much mind if it's a stranger, but doesn't seem as if she's opposed to the company either. who knows? maybe she's a great conversationalist, actually. give it a whirl.

so, given the weirdness with the fire, she finds it prudent to stop by the training grounds to familiarize herself with this new magic. by now, she's changed from her armor an outfit from home. she’s told of her apparent proficiencies—elemental and green magic—and finds herself enjoying both prospects. fire magic is nothing new to her, after all, and she’s no stranger to using magic to accelerate plant growth. people might find her practicing conjuring balls of fire or miniature wind vortexes in her hands, or springing forth carnations and moonflowers from handfuls of soil. the eagle remains curious, largely watching byleth and whoever she is with from a nearby perch. ]

🌹 a balanced approach

[ byleth may be newly arrived and unfamiliar with the political situations here, but from what she has understood so far, she can see no current justification for an attack on celliwig. if diplomacy is a viable option, it should be followed—even if she’s sure some would be surprised to hear that from one of the leading generals of an empire that just fought a five-year campaign of unification. the roundabout dealings with the queen of elphame do sound worth pursuing, but she sees no reason that celliwig’s trials would be mutually exclusive.

but more than that? catching insects is nothing new to her. especially when the point of the catch is to land a larger one later. bait for a fish, bait for celliwig—it’s the same difference, isn’t it? she’s changed into local clothing for this, all functional in dark tones, but the rapier stays strapped to her waist along with a net. byleth looks to whatever outworlder is nearest, as she starts to tie her hair back with a purple ribbon: ]

How about we lend each other a hand?

🌹 network. un: b.eisner

[ by now she's figured out how to use the phone decently enough, at least. ]

Hello. This is General Byleth Eisner of the Imperial Adrestian Army, Marshal of the Empire and Commander of the Black Eagle Strike Force in the service of Her Imperial Majesty, the Emperor Edelgard. [ it feels deeply unnatural to introduce herself so formally over text, to use this diplomatic song and dance even here. to speak of her connection to her emperor in such a detached way. but it seems like a neutral enough way to open things, and that's enough for now. ] I realize those words won't mean anything to most of you, but if they do, please reach out to me.

[ fódlan gang sound off ]

Secondly, I hear that there are efforts underway to coordinate training in magic and combat among outworlders. I have a background as an instructor in such things, and I would be happy to offer any assistance I can. I’m more than willing to offer personal combat instruction as well.

One last thing. Do any of you know nice fishing spots near Camelot?

[ well. that’s a swerve. ]

🌹 wildcard

[ wanna do something not listed here! go for it!

also, byleth is from a few weeks after the crimson flower route. to plan out anything specific, feel free to hit me up at clockworkbrain or hexennacht#7576 on discord. ]

Text | un: s.flayn [cw: FE3H spoilers]

[notcethleann]

[So far, everything in this new world has been an absolute delight. Much of it hearkens back to a time she remembers fondly, when miracles were commonplace and the future seemed endlessly bright. This tiny device that allows speaking with others at long distances is incredible! She has spent hours chatting with people she's never met and exploring everything this world has to offer.

So it doesn't take her long to spot the familiar name when it pops up on the network. At first, she's overjoyed!...until she reads the message. A knot of dread rises into her throat. But surely, there must be some reasonable explanation?]

Professor? Is it truly you? This is Flayn. I am so very happy to see that you are here, but how can it be that you are a part of the Empire? Please tell me you are merely joking. I was so looking forward to fishing with you as always.

un: b.eisner

[hegemonwings]

[ she chews at her lip briefly, contemplating this. flayn wasn't someone she had expected to hear from again so soon, and certainly not like this. as much enduring hatred as she can't help but feel towards seiros (not rhea anymore, never rhea, even dead that beast doesn't get to hide behind that name, everything she built is crumbling to the ground and her lies will fall with it—) and as conflicted as she is about seteth... flayn is still flayn to her mind, even if that name began as a lie.

something flayn said gives her pause. she knows this is a place where worlds converge, but... ]

I see no reason we can't still fish together. And I'm glad to hear you're doing well, Flayn.

I think this conversation would be better face to face. Where are you?

[ if flayn is here... might their other relatives be? this girl is enough of a complication on her own, but—

no. one step at a time. ]

Network | UN: Konpeito_Oni

[konpeito_aji]

Excellent! You can be an officer.

How are you with guns?

I will show you where I've been fishing only on one condition.

[hegemonwings]

I'll have to decline that offer. Her Majesty is here with me, so my commission remains.

Cannons? I've seen them and read of them in books, but the Empire has yet to employ them. I would be interested to know more.

What is your condition?

network; text

[redchocolate]

A general? That's rather impressive. I've never met someone in the military before... or well, any military, to be honest.

My name is Kenjou Akira. I can't say I know any good fishing spots, but I'd be interested in learning anything I could from someone with experience. All my history with fighting just had things come naturally, so to speak. I can't say anything about knowing about such efforts, but you'd have my support in trying to get in with any such people, for whatever that's worth.

[hegemonwings]

Thank you. I would be grateful for any help, and I'd be happy to repay the favor.

Are there any particular weapons that interest you?

a balanced approach

[backstreetbard]

[ It's not that all insects are inherently distasteful; Dorothea can appreciate the shimmering beauty of a butterfly's wings or the glitter of a jewel beetle's carapace. Catching them, however, seems like an awful way to spend an afternoon. And yet, here she is, dressed as casually as she knows how in form-fitting pants and a burgundy tunic. She already has a few bugs stashed away in a lidded mesh basket when she spots that familiar head of teal hair.

Even though Dorothea had anticipated that most of her classmates would arrive eventually, it's still a pleasant rush to see the Professor here. In fact, she doesn't hesitate to throw her arms around the shorter woman. ]

Professor! Look at you! It seems that fate has decided to reunite us once again, though it didn't keep us waiting quite as long this time.

[ She offers a playful wink, but then pats Byleth's shoulders amiably and steps back to give her some room. ]

When did you arrive? Have you found somewhere to stay?

[hegemonwings]

[ dorothea!! byleth actually laughs quietly as her friend scoops her into the hug, wrapping her arms around her in return. ]

It's good to see you, Dorothea. [ she smiles at her, happiness and surprise mingling on her face, warmth in her eyes. ] Not very long? Less than a week. I've been staying with Edelgard. What of you, then?

The Red Spring - Training Grounds

[tantailizing]

[Seeing people be unfamiliar with magic at the training grounds is becoming fairly common that it reminds him of the end goal of getting home. Seeing someone already adept at magic has him whistling.]

Hey, not bad~

[... Also he wouldn't lie to himself, her outfit was fine.]

text; un: maou

[owarifool]

yeah lmao none of those words mean shit to me but they all make u sound like a big deal, and probs pretty damn strong, right?

or are u just in the instructing side of the arts of war?

[hegemonwings]

[ what the fuck are some of these words. ]

I'm not as strong as I was, but I've held a blade for longer than I can remember.

[ hm. ]

Care to find out?

caravan to camelot

[granmaster]

[ Gran had been poking away at the smartphone, trying to make sense of its functions before even attempting to communicate through it. He hadn't made sense of the headphones either, so currently those were stashed away for future experimentation.

However, the eagle certainly caught his attention with its squawk. He looks up from his phone, wide eyed. Ah, she wanted to ask something. With a shake of his head, he replies. ]

No, and I've been trying to make sense of it ever since arriving here. [ He slips his own phone into his pocket before continuing. ] I've never had any of this back home. You?

[hegemonwings]

[ she shakes her head. ]

Nothing like this at all. I'm glad I'm not the only one. [ it really wouldn't do to be the only one from a simpler world. ]

text - un:IZZYGRRRL83

[notwearingthekeds]

I think you needed more titles to be REALLY impressive.

As much as figuring out my magic is on my to do list, I don't think I wanna learn it from someone whose all about war.

[hegemonwings]

With any luck, war is behind me. But suit yourself.

[ listen. it's not that she liked it, she was just super good at it. ]

text; un: stargazer

[leicesters]

[that sure is a lot of titles to unpack.

so what if we handled that by not unpacking them at all? nice!! genius plan, A+]

Hi Teach! You know, I was telling someone JUST the other day that you'd be the perfect combat instructor for our current situation.

Lo and behold, at just the right time, the gods of fate have seen fit to drop you into our laps yet again! I really don't know how you do it.

1/2

[hegemonwings]

[ what the actual shit ]

2/2

[hegemonwings]

[ byleth goes through a whole face journey at her phone trying to process this, until finally: ]

Claude?

text; un: astrologistmegistus

[lunarchain]

I am the Great Astrologist Mona Megistus. It is a pleasure to meet you and your largely put title. I do know of some good fishing spots if you are interested?

[hegemonwings]

Just Byleth is fine, despite the introduction. [ yeah, she's already feeling ridiculous about that. ] And likewise.

[ astrologist. there's a profession she's not familiar with. ] I would be more than interested.

Caravan!

[ichoosefight]

Maybe?

[ Steph shrugs, giving her companion and her companion's companion a brief glance before inspecting the contents of that minibar. There's at least a tiny chance that there's coffee somewhere around here, isn't there? ]

End-of-the-world junk, magic, European folklore. In my experience it's best to just roll with the punches when this kind of thing happens. The more you know, the more questions you have.

[ Her familiar is a bird as well, perched on the top of her head with its claws tangled in her hair. It's identifiable as a phoenix by a little bit of flame on the tip of its tail feathers, but otherwise it looks like a normal bird in red, orange and yellow. It gives the eagle a look that says 'humans, am I right?' ]

network: text; un: mordio

[blahblahblah]

Those words don't mean anything to me arranged in those ways, but we're definitely not from the same place. His Highness Ioder would probably take offense, and you won't have heard of the Imperial Blastia Research Laboratory I belong to. [She's bluffing a little besides; Ioder was the crown prince but he was a hell of a lot better name to invoke than anyone else.] I hope you find people that do recognize your titles, though. This place is probably a lot easier to cope with if you already know people. Ah, I'm Rita Mordio. No fancy titles.

I'm no instructor but I am a scientist and scholar, so if you end up with anything weird, I'm going to be looking for projects pretty fast, I think. I don't think I'd be much good for teaching, especially when I still have to learn my own magic, but research is my thing. That and shooting people that want me to stop doing research.

Can't help you with fish, sorry.

network, un:blaiddyd

[areadbhoar]

[ There is...absolutely a lot to take in here, and in some ways it's a blessing that Dimitri is still inept at texting and doesn't manage to respond with his gut reaction, which is outright confusion.

It takes him a few more moments and read-throughs of this message, and those titles, to put together a response, even if he has no idea what to make of any of it. ]

Professor. I figured it would only be a matter of time before you arrived here as well.

[ Disparate titles aside, Byleth always had a habit of arriving where she was needed. There are myriad thoughts racing through his mind, but first and foremost: ]

It's good to hear from you once more.

network, un: animalfriend

[sereneadherent]

Professor? Is it really you?

[Marianne has some Concerns about that introduction. The Professor she knows is aligned with Claude and the Alliance, not the Adrestian Empire.]

This is Marianne. I just arrived here.