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

Mai | ATLA | Turtle duck, Kinetic + Death

[maipokerface]

[I] SOAKING IN YOUR ARRIVAL;

[Naturally she gets soaked. Of course. She can't just find the nice, convenient jellies and hop across, that's too simple. Instead she needs to plunge under and eventually swim her own way to the shore.

The moment she resurfaces though is the moment she feels something weight atop her head. By the time she reaches the shore her hair buns are sagging from the weight of the water, her clothing clings to her and she drags herself out of the water before she reaches up for whatever it is on her head.

... It quacks. Her scowl deepens as she holds this turtle duck between her hands.]

What.

[II] THE RED SPRING - TRAINING GROUND;

[Mai's itching for ways to vent her frustration at the situation. She sure didn't ask to end up in some magical wonderland being followed by a turtle duck that was apparently some kind of familiar or whatever. Not that she hates the turtle duck... okay, maybe she's been letting it ride on her head now and then. Who's to judge her for it, yeah?

Anyhow she's found the training grounds and she breathes an obvious sigh of relief. Finally, something to do that isn't sitting in an inn room, soaking in a hot spring or getting lost in a town she has no clue about. Target practice she can get behind and it's target practice she's at.

The first time she manages to zip one of her knives back in her hand thanks to this whole kinetic thing she actually quirks a half-grin.]

At least this is useful.

[The turtle duck near her feet quacks it's agreement. She pauses with her knife in hand and then leans over to ruffle the feathers on it's head.]

[III] HONEY OVER VINEGAR;

[Frankly Mai doesn't care in the least about this whole argument. King Arthur, Celliwig, Elphame Traders -- none of them mean a thing to her as a new arrival. And the more people try to explain the situation to her the less she begins to care. Eventually she just gestures around to all of the activities.]

Which of these is the least annoying to do.

[And this is how she ends up picking cookies off of trees. Or bushes. Or just growing out of the ground like this is how this naturally happens.

At least she doesn't seem to begrudge this particular task, though she's not above giving a knife a little twirl through a group of checkboard cookie stems to cut down a bunch at once. She's terribly good at not hitting anyone else and just cutting stems, not cookies.

She even pauses at one point to knock down one out of reach chocolate chip on a tree, catching it in her basket as it falls.]

[IV] THERE'S SAFETY IN NUMBERS;

[After cleaning off what blades got used in driving the minotaur away Mai silently volunteers to help clean up. She doesn't actually verbally volunteer but she just starts moving this and that with her kinetic magic, not saying a word about 'help' or anything like that.

The only reason she even concedes to the Buddy System in the end is through the harping of natives recommending it and likewise the familiar touch of internal guilt that comes with looking like she doesn't want to help someone else who might need it.

So she gives in only to find out one or the other of them has to touch some bit of the other person. And after about five minutes of hand-holding while still trying to clean she gives up.

Her voice is droll and tired to say the least.]

Can we just tie our shirts together or something.

[V] GROSS;

[A ritual of water purification -- okay, sure, fine, whatever. What makes her brow twitch though is this whole 'perfectly in sync' business.]

We may as well practice this first. What's the spell we have to chant.

[VI] WILDCARD;

[Want to take a dip in the hot spring? Maybe talk over AOL? Or heck, any of the other options? Feel free to make something up and heave it here. PMs are open for any questions.]

training ground...

[bleedformeplz]

[Someone else had the same idea to hit the training ground. Her original quirk was lost when she arrived to this world, replaced with these unknown quirks to her. Sooner or later, she had to learn them again, so why not?

Then, she saw the girl and observed in silent, held her breath and made her presence invisible. It was no magic, Himiko gained this technique over time, and it was still useful. She watched how the other girl how she threw her dagger to the target and beckoned to her hand. It looked pretty cool, and the girl was pretty too.

In an instant, Himiko taken a breath of air. Let's see how sharp her keen senses are. Would she be able to sense Himiko in that moment? Will this be a new friend for Himiko? This teen like to know more about this girl.]

[maipokerface]

[It's odd having any sort of ability at all. She might have lived most of her life surrounded by benders of one sort or another but Mai herself certainly had never had any abilities. And definitely nothing like this... uh.

... Wait, what was it called? She really needed to study up on this stuff.

She didn't need abilities to tell her something was off though. Movement? A breath? She scoops up the turtle duck with the same hand that was petting it mere seconds before and in the same smooth motion brings the knife already in her hand up as a guard, hilt in her fist and blade in front of her chest.]

You're not as quiet as you think.

[A bluff? Maybe. It's enough to make whoever -- or whatever? -- it is hesitate hopefully.]

[bleedformeplz]

[Woah, the girl was quicker than Himiko thought. Himiko made no attempt to move from her spot. If the girl wanted Himiko dead, she'd sense it, all comes with the natural killer instinct. Instead, Himiko raised both hands just over her shoulders, grinning ear to ear as she stepped back. She rather avoid the blade to her chest, thank you.]

I was trying. Did I ruin your concentration? Sorry!

[Bluff, meet lie. Let's be 'friends', okay?]

[maipokerface]

[When Himiko ends up not making a move right away Mai seems to have no trouble in backing down. The turtleduck still in her hand tucked behind her back quacks in what can only be called indignation.

Mai eases back though the knife remains in her hand. She's comfortable with it there for the moment.]

Sure you are.

[Sneaking around like that... Mai quirks a brow.]

You trying out some kind of magic too?

IV. There's Safety in Numbers

[patchricide]

[Oh, that tone is a mood, isn't it? Unlike Mai, Allura had made a point of keeping a stiff upper lip about all this. But it is hard to work with only one hand, particularly when her own magic isn't much help.]

[After all, cognitive magic doesn't work on rubble, so she can't suggest that it go into a pile on its own. And siphon only works on energy, so she can't drain the debris out.]

[At the suggestion, she gives a long sigh of resignment.]

... it's worth a shot. I don't have any loose garments, but perhaps my bag...

[And she stands close, and attempts to release her hand and pull it away to make the knot, briefly — only for the magic spell to keep the two stuck together as if they were a pair of magnets.]

[maipokerface]

[At least the outer layer of Mai's outfit is more than long enough to tie onto something. She's more than fine with the idea at this point if it means she can let go.

Then Allura tries to pull away and yeah, that's a big no go. They're so well stuck together that if Mai hadn't kept her feet at least somewhat planted then she'd have easily gotten pulled around by the meager attempt to disengage from one another.

A long, heavy breath passes through her nose in a huff as she gives their joined hands the driest of looks.]

Guess we're stuck here then. Literally.

[Okay then, change of plans. Mai doesn't have any problem using her own ability with one hand so she cocks a brow upward as she regards Allura.]

So what is it you can do exactly? You know, the whole magic thing. Do you need your hand for it?

[For all of her apathetic looks apparently the somewhat gloomy looking young woman is surprisingly thoughtful. Or so it seems anyhow.]

[patchricide]

[That's a good sign. Because this is one situation that does require some thought. For example...]

Not both hands, no. But both of my types of magic require targets, and I'm not sure we have any useful ones.

For example, my siphon magic can drain away the power of curses and other spells. So, in theory, it could do something about... this. [And she lifts the stuck hand, as if to wave at Mai.] But I haven't had much practice with it yet, and given our extreme proximity? It's quite possible I'd end up draining yours in the process.

[And that magic is currently getting the most done between the two of them. Is it worth the risk?]

[maipokerface]

[Ah, she gets the point pretty quick. Mai casts a glance back to the rubble still left to clean up with an appraising eye.]

I guess in that case we may as well finish cleaning up before we try.

[For being a newbie she's got the hang of this kinetic stuff so far at least. Now the really big bits of debris might be beyond her still but she's done decently with the rest.]

[patchricide]

[Certainly better than Allura, who's only able to work with her one free hand. Which means... only small pieces, very close to where they are.]

[As she does work, she continues to explain about her other type of magic:]

With cognitive magic, I'm able to connect with the minds of others — and in parrticular, convince people to do things with hypnotic suggestions. Which could be useful in enlisting help...

But I don't think I've seen anyone who's not working already.

[maipokerface]

What, so you can control then and siphon off of them?

[That's what she's breaking this down as basically. She doesn't exactly sound disturbed by it either as she turns her attention to one of the bigger pieces she can maneuver about with her own ability.

The edge of her lips quirk up some.]

Sounds like an interesting package.

[patchricide]

Y... yes...?

[Okay, but when Mai rephrases it like that, Allura herself seems pretty disturbed by it. Yeah, no, that sounds like the exactly the powerset of some sort of evil empress, exploiting the people for her own gain.]

No, wait, look, there's more to each of them than that! It's just that they're both types of magic that dwell in things otherwise intangible: One in thoughts and dreams and memories, and the other in magical energy itself.

[She heaves a larger piece of rubble under her arm, as if to try and prove that she's a good, helpful person.]

Which doesn't help much for a very tangible problem like this one. Except in dealing with the people here, since that's where the material and immaterial intersect.

IV

[flapsin]

[She's already dealing with a turtleduck, what's wrong with working with a man-duck as well? Darkwing Duck was quick to encourage usage of the buddy system, as it seemed like a valuable message for any children who might be watching them! He just didn't expect it to result in him holding hands with a stranger while they try to work. It is getting to be somewhat tedious and get in the way of helping with the clean-up, so this masked mallard is quick to agree with her suggestion.]

You could use my cape for that...! [Look at how it billows in the wind.] I normally wouldn't allow the cape that confounds crime to be used like this, but for the sake of maintaining the buddy system, I'm willing to make an exception!

[maipokerface]

[At this point Mai has long since gotten over the whole giant talking duck thing. Mostly because she doesn't really feel like being surprised by it in the middle of being figuratively tied to him.

She quirks a brow.]

Okay I'll bite - how does the cape confound crime.

[Is she going to regret asking?]

[flapsin]

[How do you think he feels, being stuck with one these weird fleshy 'human' beings?

The real answer is that Darkwing likes him some alliteration. But he does have an answer in mind anyway.]

It's simple. It completes the look that inspires true fear in the hearts of evil. And, should nefarious knaves seek to rush me despite the dread of their inevitable defeat...

[He uses his free hand to swish the cape through the air dramatically!]

...then they'll be blinded, like a bull! Even something like another cape can be part of justice's tool belt!

[maipokerface]

... Huh.

[Frankly it all sounds like a load of bull to her. Then again, well... she'll take well-meaning bull over the more malicious kind. Heck his dramatic swish even makes her quirk a grin. A small one but a grin nevertheless.]

Well now that you say that I'd hate to get such an instrument of good wrinkled.

[flapsin]

[That does look like a grin! That must mean she's impressed with him as a formidable hero, for sure.]

Worry not, citizen! I don't just cast away crime, I can also banish any wrinkles on the ironing board of justice! So my offer still stands. Today, this cape's function can be to allow us to use both our hands to conquer this noble task!

[maipokerface]

[The ironing board of justice. Sorry, just... give her a second. Let her bite the corner of her lip and keep her apathetic gloom intact please.]

Right. Sure thing.

[Let's just try to pull these hands (wing?) apart. She goes to tug and just -- yeah, not much happens?]

Maybe they need to be tied together first...

[flapsin]

Hm. This - this is some stringent spell! [He says with a nervous chuckle.]

Alright, then let's do that! We - we can do this!

[It will jusy be a bit tough to do one-handed. Still, he grabs the cape with his free hand and holds it towards her.]

I

[roseeclair]

[Wait... long black hair, red robes? Makoto can't quite make it out from that distance, but maybe? She rushes the few dozen yards down the beach, but even halfway her run slows. Oh. Not Rei. Still, can't hurt to check on her.]

Uh... hey there. Your doing okay?

[maipokerface]

[Poor Makoto. Instead of a friendly face she gets this scowling one with a pair of eyes that gives her a look almost as sharp as a knife all on it's own.]

Does it look like I'm doing okay.

[Her voice is so dry one could almost start a fire with it.

At least the turtle duck seems happy enough to see Makoto though? It gives a loud, resounding quack as it shakes off it's body and promptly begins fluffing up it's feathers.]

[roseeclair]

[... Okay yeah, that is Rei in a Very Bad Mood ice cold right there.]

Well... no, but that's why I came over. To see if you need help.

[At least she's not completely folding.

Also, Mai might notice the large mass of jade green lightning by Makoto's side shaped like a... bear. Not a platypus bear either, just... a bear.]

[maipokerface]

[... Yup, that sure is a green bear alright. The fact that it's green and a bear isn't too shocking, not more than it being made of lightning.

Mai turns the turtleduck in her hands loose on the ground and stands, reaching for the tail of her vest to grasp it in both hands. With a decisive move she twists it up and wrings a good bit of water from it, the turtleduck clambering over to flap and jump around in the resulting stream of water.]

Thanks, I guess. Just point me to where I can get dried off.

[Water wringed out of that bit of clothing she reaches up to peel a strand of wet, clinging hair out of her eyes.]

...Or maybe a bath.

[Lake water, yum.]

[roseeclair]

[It could be worse, at least it's not boiling. Makoto nods and hands the girl a towel.]

Here you go. As for a bath... it's kind of a trek, but there's a caravan waiting at the top [she points to the cliffs, thankfully including a staircase carved into the rock] and for the night we're stopping at an onsen.

[Well, not quite a REAL onsen, but close enough for Camelot.]

ii; also omg this is like ten years late i am so sorry but yes hi, h e l l o . . . ! !

[rediscovering]

[ Unbeknownst to Mai, she's being watched — she and her turtle-duck familiar. A pair of sharp golden eyes are fixated on the two of them from afar, alight with shocked recognition, excitement, trepidation... There had been many a lonesome moment, a private late night wrapped in melancholy and nostalgia, spent peering at a portrait of the couple Zuko had been sent with here. The gaze fixed on her was so focused as if to ensure it was the real thing and not some magical illustration of a memory... It was important to ascertain this before zipping over like a flash as Mai petted her turtle-duck. It's her, for sure.

But, in fact, these were not Zuko's sharp golden eyes fixed on her. Mai was being approached first by a small, ferrety red dragon, Zuko's own familiar. Who knows where Zuko is, he's around here somewhere, halfway oblivious and solely focused on his own business, as usual. In his ten months since being spirited away from their home, not that much has changed...! But his dragon notices. His dragon has sat there in a lonesome Zuko's lap nearly every time the fire prince whips out his portrait with Mai, one of his prized possessions now. The stealthy little dragon found Iroh much the same way; however, Iroh had food on him, which was quickly stolen and put to a, uh, more charitable cause, so this was maybe not quite as thrilling... But, it looks like she's nice to her familiar, and the dragon's become accustomed to that sort of affection, Zuko being so nice to it, himself, so the promise of headpats is enticing, too. What it really cares for, though, is Zuko. This will make Zuko happy. Right? It recognizes a person it knows he misses, even if it doesn't know much else about her but that he misses her... Its spiritual bond with Zuko is strong, and what makes Zuko happy, betters his magic, and betters their worlds.

It scurries up from behind the pair, darts in front of them in their direct line of vision, wings halfway unfolded and fluttering for show, and stops just shy of them with a strong stance and a pointed stare, dragons not having very expressive faces beyond "intense;" and what's more, it gives an excited hiss, but for those who don't spend much time with dragons, how the hell are they supposed to know it's being friendly...?! It's Zuko's dragon, though, so of course it's socially... challenged... in its own ways. Ahem. ]