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.

Comments

Sephiroth | Final Fantasy VII | cuahl (maybe) | kinetic & undecided

[sefirot]

Soaking in Your Arrival

[All of Sephiroth's thoughts of anger and rage shatter the moment he hits the water. Next comes a great deal of confusion, because the last he recalls he wasn't anywhere near a large body of water. And this most certainly is not the lifestream. Both of these things make absolutely no sense in the grand scheme of things. For all his vast knowledge obtained while inside the lifestream --

This is completely new.

Needless to say when he arrives on the beach he looks like a very tall, very annoyed, wet cat. Except the only thing cat-like his eyes and completely irritated expression.

Speaking of cats there appears to be one waiting for him. He eyes the creature but overall seems rather dismissive before heading to where there seems to be other people.]

The Red Spring

[There's nothing worse than feeling completely out of place. Well, that's not completely true. There is one thing worse and that is how his normal abilities seem to be lacking. Sure he heard the explanation given, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.

Though he's doing a very good job remaining calm -- outwardly at least. Inside he's seething. But until he has a full grasp of everything he does have mind to keep on the downlow. Though he has his overly large sword, leaving a bunch of dead bodies would not really solve anything. He hasn't even tried to do anything cat-creature insistent on following him. Sorry familiar following him.

Whatever. He's going to retreat to a room to get away from people in general. When he opens the door, he doesn't care who's inside. He's just going to look as menacing as possible.]

Leave.

[Short. Simple. Hopefully it works.]

A Stone's Throw from Revenge

[Once he's mentally settled (as much as someone like him can be really), he has taken to exploring the city. It's all very different than what he's used to. He's not super interested in most of it. He doesn't really want to be here, but it's starting to look like what was told to him when he first arrived might be true. Or at least it's the 'truth' everyone here seems to believe. He'll decide that for himself later.

What does interest him is the creature making an attack. Fighting -- there's nothing more thrilling and enjoyable. Despite his current limitations, he still has the masamune and arrogance to go in with his own attack. He will have to compensate for the lack of how he could move normally, but he still has skill with a blade. He might even be a little flashy with his movements, though handling of a long katana is clearly not as easy as it used to be.]

Wildcard

[Feel free to hit me with anything else.]

The Red Spring

[markedfordeath]

[Elza had gone into the room more to scout for further information than to actually stay there the night. The thought of rooming with anyone else didn't interest her in the slightest and she'd prefer to be out and away from any potential trap - especially in such an unknown environment. The Guild and everything she knew may not be here to hunt her but Elza had zero trust in anyone here.]

[The door opened and the gunner had abandoned her search. Instead she was found leaning a casual shoulder against the wall while she sent a smile in the direction of the man who'd entered.]

[The short and simple command only drew a light chuckle from Elza]

Why?

[sefirot]

[Well, this is not what he expected. Usually his presence alone is enough to intimidate others into at least shying away. Especially after what he tried to do to the planet --

But that's it, this isn't Gaia. No one here knows who he is or what he's actually capable of. That's both irritating and weirdly useful at the same time. He might be able to use this if he manages to hold in his rage long enough.]

I prefer being alone, but it doesn't look like you're very willing to comply. Who are you?

[Not that he cares too much, but he might as well start making a mental list of people around.]

[markedfordeath]

Not used to not getting your way, handsome?

[Oh yeah, there's amusement in her tone there and she ignored his question. Turning her attention back to visually search the room, she took note of the unfamiliar items dotted here and there. While she didn't appear to be paying any further attention to him, Elza was aware of any and every movement he may make.]

I'll be on my way soon enough.

[sefirot]

... This isn't your room, is it?

[She's acting odd -- not that Sephiroth has any room to talk. He's odder than most. There's just something about the way she's looking about. It's enough to catch his attention or at least distract him for the moment.

He can't say she isn't a little bit intriguing.

He totally ignores the comment about not getting his way though.]

[markedfordeath]

I've no interest in staying in a room I haven't booked personally.

[Too many years in her field has made her skeptical and suspicious of everything. Her mental notes were taken for this room at least, but the situation needed further investigation.

So with her attention returning to that silver - haired man, the gunner offered a small teasing smile.]

I hope I haven't offended your sensibilities.

red spring

[ichoosefight]

[ There's only one person in the room, a relatively small (5'4") young (20) blonde playing with her phone, and she isn't even a little intimidated by the tall beautiful stranger who just burst into her room with bloody murder in his eyes.

She stares at him in disbelief for a moment. ]

No?

[sefirot]

[He stares back, also in disbelief because how dare someone say no to him. This sort of thing never happens --

Maybe he should find another room.

Though there's nothing to say it won't be worse elsewhere. The reasons he dislikes this place is growing with every passing moment.]

You aren't frightened.

[That's actually a statement and not a question. He might not remember everything from his past, but he does know that even as a hero people were still intimated by him. So this is very strange and he's clearly going to have to change tactics.]

Yours is not a reaction I've gotten very often.

[ichoosefight]

[ Her natural urge is to be sarcastic, but that strikes Steph as an odd thing to say if "frightening" is what you're going for. She sets her phone down and sits up to give him her full attention. ]

Is that... a bad thing?

[ It's hard to tell how he feels, aside from surprised. ]

[sefirot]

[Outwardly he's rather emotionless looking. He holds an air to him of being overly confident, possibly completely arrogant. But for the moment his aggressions seem to have lessened.

Maybe because her reaction did catch him off guard.]

It's unusual. I assume you have a name?

[ichoosefight]

[ He's pretty rude, but he's caught her interest. Besides, he's tall, brooding, and inscrutible... he kind of reminds her of Bruce. ]

You live in Gotham long enough, your idea of "scary" tends to get a little skewed.

I'm Stephanie.

[ She nods her head in the direction of the other bed. ]

You can come in if you don't try to lock me out.

A Stone's Throw

[liveandforgive]

[ The Minotaur is wrecking havoc from afar, delivering damage and placing the lives of innocent civilians at risk in the process. Of course he was going to do his part and stand up to this pester of a threat. Far from the only one venturing out in a bid to attempt to halt this beast's destruction, while he's keen on getting it to stop, Cloud also has to pay heed to others around him as he ventures out to the northeast edge of Camelot. Boulders and various specs of debris are sent flying over his head as the Minotaur's target is the city itself... But that isn't stopping the beast from hurtling its stockpile at those who would stop it.

Everyone is limited and vulnerable in the face of the blatantly superpowered monster...but that doesn't make them insignificant either. Everyone has a part to play here, and so too will Cloud. Some fight off the monster who proceeds to effortlessly sweep aside knights that tumble across the uneven field, but there are those who hold their ground... One in particular that briefly grants the acerbic swordsman pause...

The sound that rings in his ears of a deadly sword...so familiar yet threatens to render a chill down his spine. Yet just when the Minotaur prepares to charge the silver-haired swordsman with its equally imposing horns with a mighty roar—

It's stunted in its tracks from a sudden bolt of lightning magic that strikes from above. Sparks trickle all over its body as its muscles spasm. The beast is stunned for only a couple of seconds before its attention is briefly taken off Sephiroth to stare wildly out towards the perpetrator of the spell. Should Sephiroth's attention be drawn to the source, he will find, standing on high in the distance, a man with his hand raised, lightning dancing along it and carrying a new broadsword in the other. The beast appears to have been mostly taken off guard by the magic wielding swordsman more than anything, holding its ground as it bellows with rage and digs up massive chunks of earth into its hands.

Cloud's expression remains stern. Unfaltering despite being in the presence of a familiar face. The mako that once burned ever so bright in his eyes may have waned, but he's adapted to this world all the same, his Chocobo Chick familiar fluttering high above him as they prepare for battle. Wordlessly, he intends to keep his attention both on the Minotaur and Sephiroth, not knowing where his allegiance lies. But he's sure that a solitary glance will tell him everything he needs to know.

Even if deep down, he's praying it's not the worst-case scenario. ]

[sefirot]

[Sephiroth cares very little about what happens to those around him. They are all insignificant and for the most part, unimportant. However, even if he did not hold a great thrill in the fight, it would be foolish to allow his only real sources of information about this world to be eliminated. That and he's stubborn, if not overly arrogant, and this is a challenge.

One that he's ready to meet head on. For the most part anyway. He will try and be thoroughly offended if he gets killed by this thing. He does not get a chance to meet the minotaur head on though, the creature is suddenly struck by lightning.

Sephiroth lowers his blade in mild surprise, before his shifting his gaze to locate the source.

The moment he locks eyes with Cloud it's as though all the pieces fall into place. Of course he's here. And of course so Sephiroth has to be as well. Something in the fragmented pieces of the former war hero's mind manages to justify that the reason he's actually come here is now standing off to the side having cast some sort of lightning attack. Because that's how it's supposed to be. Because no matter what, Sephiroth would follow Cloud to the ends of the universe to torment him for the rest of eternity.

Of course all of this meant he has taken his attention off of the minotaur (a mistake in its own right), even if only briefly. By the time he shifts his attention back, it's already too late. The creature makes its move, and Sephrioth is far too close to effectively avoid. He gets knocked away, right in the direction of Cloud.

While Sephiroth is pleased with them having a reunion, this is not at all what he meant.]

[liveandforgive]

[ From the very moment their eyes lock from a distance, he immediately felt the chill render down his spine. This wasn't unfamiliar territory to the acerbic swordsman however. Even when the man first arrived on Prismatica in one lifetime, he felt and suppressed all those feelings to put up the front of a SOLDIER. In a bid to deter the once-lauded general from suspecting anything happening in Nibelheim. Even now, there's little time to tell what the other is thinking.

All he has now is hope. Hope that he can at least stay..."amicable" with the man. But now? ]

?!?

[ He's getting "hope" literally hurtled right at him as the Minotaur effectively yeets a distracted Sephiroth. That? Does not happen very often. He tenses up, normally bracing for an attack whenever Sephiroth comes at him like this. Instead— ]

Shit—

[ Cloud doesn't get out of the way in time. Chalk it up to freezing at the sight of someone he, ultimately, would never want to see again no matter the circumstance. But he doesn't even consider utilizing his Kinetic magic as the two are knocked off the perch the blond had set himself on. That asshole has impeccable aim if it can smash Sephiroth right into him. Worse yet? Whether he needs it or not... ]

Nnngh...

[ Cloud broke his fall as they hit the dirt. Shaking his head to rid himself of the cobwebs, he shifts until he's able to shakily get back on his own two feet. Sephiroth, he figures, took the worst of that. Retreating when it's still causing destruction to the distant city behind them with its strength? Not an option. ]

Tougher than it looks?

[ No. He's not going to ask him if he's okay. Not when he knows whether the worst case scenario has transpired or not. ]

[sefirot]

[If only he hadn't let himself get so distracted. If only his obsession with Cloud hadn't overrode his general common sense and usual skill for these kinds of situations (though could fighting a creature like this one really be considered normal?)

But no he had to get lost the moment his eyes laid upon the person who sent him to the lifestream so many times before.

And now he's become a projectile. One that slams right into Cloud with the fury of an angry monster -- which is still destroying the city. Though that doesn't really matter so much. Even for the moment Sephiroth's own anger has shifted away. Partly at himself for allowing this to happen, but mostly at the minotaur who dared to lay a hand on him in the first place.

He gets back to his feet, clearly unhappy with what just transpired, but his focus has also shifted away from Cloud. (For now). He gathers the masamune and readies himself for another opportunity to attack. ... And recover from just slamming into the ground, but he's hardly going to admit to that.]

It is not something I am familiar with.

[His answer probably doesn't give Cloud many hints to what time period he's come from, but maybe the deathglare he's giving the minotaur does. Or not, even his 'former' self would show a great deal of frustration over just being yeeted by a monster.]

[liveandforgive]

[ The outright nullification of their own powers serves as both a blessing and a curse all at once. If Jenova's cells were astir in his system right now, he would have had an involuntary reaction to the legendary SOLDIER right about now. But right now, all he can go off of is his instincts. This wasn't the first time the two would find themselves fighting side by side- not that this man would know anything of his endeavors on another planet. Cloud holds that advantage.

It's true. The answer he's given doesn't satisfy him; the only solace is that they have a common enemy in the minotaur effectively hurtling rocks and debris at the town far ahead. Sparing a glance to the Masamune as its pristine edge remains as imposing as ever, he steps up to the taller man's side. There's very little time to grill him with questions he may or may not know. The deathglare cast at the beast is only slightly concerning, if only because he can't imagine the former general being a little miffed by being tossed like a ragdoll. Only Cloud gets to smash him through debris thank you.

Somewhere deep down in his heart however...he has to always be on his guard. It's something that Tifa and him discussed before, the very real scenario where Sephiroth may have been on their side... But fate can twist things and send him back, only to return fueled by hatred and instilling despair. But right now, over the bellow of the beast as it decides to throw a cluster of bricks and stone at the two, ]

!!

[ Raising his palm, his brows furrow and his muscles tense, targeting the flying rocks that would have smashed and broken them had they not dodged. Instead, Cloud taps into the second branch of magic he unlocked in his time here. While not a master, he feels a sharpened sense of focus with the danger climbing higher than before. And not just from the minotaur.

Which meant successfully halting the flying rocks sent their way, suspended in midair by Cloud's Kinetic magic. Some of the rocks that wouldn't have hit them still fly past and impact the ground behind them like little meteorites, while Cloud displays his mental fortitude and prepares to send the stopped rocks right back. ]

We're talking later.

[ For now, begrudgingly so, he's more set on getting rid of this problem ahead of him first. And nerfed strength or not, it sure as hell never hurt having the strongest SOLDIER on his side. ]

Red Spring

[whirlwindthrust]

[ Honestly Xiao is minding his own. He prefers to be alone himself so the sentiment is relatable. However at the time that this stranger opens the door and saunters inside, Xiao is quietly sitting with a book in hand. He's researching for another

His gaze shifts upwards, his Crystalfly moving about the room lazily. ]

If it is solitude that you seek, then find a different room.

[ This one is occupied. ]

[sefirot]

[Why is everyone here so disagreeable? And not at all threatened by him? That's not only irritating but also making this strangely difficult. Sephiroth isn't sure how to completely navigate these kinds of situations.

Though his eyes dart to the crystalfly as that seems more interesting than the person in the room.]

What is that?

[He says completely ignoring the statement that he can leave.]

[whirlwindthrust]

[ By all means, the man could come after Xiao. He could attack or attempt to provoke. It may or may not be successful. Xiao does not have any desire to trash this room or cause undue damage to this inn.

However, he does not want to give over this place either. He already has started to settle. ]

It is my familiar. You should have also received one upon arrival.

[sefirot]

I am aware of it's purpose.

[He has one sitting right outside the door probably. Or doing something else cat-like out there, Sephiroth doesn't really care what it's doing.]

I'm asking what sort of creature is it.

[Already this person is rubbing him the wrong way. Which Sephiroth already doesn't like anyone. If it wasn't for the mild curiosity at the creature he's never seen before he might have made some sort of move by now.]

[whirlwindthrust]

[ And this one is not doing well with Xiao either. This man... There's something not right there. However Xiao couldn't know what it is. It's not just his demeanor. It's something else. ]

A Crystalfly.

[ It's all he supplies. This one... He hadn't been specific. Thus how is he to know how to answer such questions? ]

the red spring

[concierto]

My, that's rather rude.

[It so happens that this room is already preoccupied, thank you very much. Venti doesn't seem a lick intimidated by the man. Not the tall towering figure or the handsome devilish face or the murderous aura.]

I believe this room belongs to me and has belonged to me for some time. If you're in need of sharing one, you only need to ask.

[sefirot]

[Totally has a murderous aura. He stares down at what he assumes to be a child. Thankfully Sephiroth doesn't general kill without reason (Nibelheim aside), though he could justify it in this instance.

If he takes out this person the room would no longer be occupied ...

But he makes no move to clear out the occupant. He'll just deal with it for now.]

You would share your space so easily with a stranger?

[concierto]

[Venti catches quite the murderous look in the man's eye. What is he thinking? Is he going to murder Venti? Well, he can try.

Venti only smiles knowingly, a finger coming to tap his own chin.]

Oh- I might! There's a good spirit in sharing. And good stories in strangers.

[He eyes the man.]

[sefirot]

[This is one of those situations where Sephiroth has no idea what to make of a person. He's clearly not intimidated easily and is overly friendly.

... Which might remind him a little of someone else he once knew. But we won't get into that.

He eyes Venti with a mild rebuffing huff.]

It's a foolish act to trust others without worry.