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

[rediscovering]

Thanks, Yvelon. I'll try to keep that in mind.

[ He lets a silence fall momentarily, watching the man's hands at work. He'd been healed once before by Katara since being here. It was his face. It's an intimate experience in both cases, more than he'd expect it to be. Finally, he admits, maybe a bit awkwardly, but nevertheless means it affectionately: ]

...I didn't think I'd ever see you again.

[saltmage]

[That got him to look up from his work, brows raised in slight surprise, but then his face softened. Yvelon even offered a slight smile, a slight, small, very small smile, then it was gone and he was right back to his work healing.]

You are not the first to think such. I have made it something of a habit to show up when I am least expected.

For what it is worth, I am sorry I did not show up sooner.

[rediscovering]

It's not so bad here as Prismatica... No stupid Chroma. Plus, all my friends are here — from home and from Prismatica! And my uncle!

[ He says it with an optimism that's not quite his usual pep (or lack thereof), but suits him. From the heart. ]

[saltmage]

Ugh, good to know that wretched practice is done and over with.

[He shook his head just thinking of it, fortunately he had finished healing so he was able to pull back some. He shook out his hands and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, then folded it over before tucking it back into its dedicated pocket.]

If people had any idea how utterly vile their body is I would imagine the practice would have been abolished there ages ago.

[Theres a reason he was always wore long sleeves, long pants, and gloves regardless of weather. He’s been healing for far too long, and has seen more than he ever wanted of the absolute worst state a person could be in. But ah, the boy had mentioned something else, he should be focusing on that before he lost himself to lecturing.]

Your uncle? That is fortunate then, you shall be well taken care of then.

[rediscovering]

[ The vile comment draws half a smirk on Zuko's face. He hated Chroma, too — that was their whole bonding point, after all, when it gets right down to it. ]

Well— I don't live with Uncle here... I live with my sister. She— [ He hitches, unsure how to phrase this. ] ...I don't want her to be alone. She and Uncle don't get along. But I can take care of myself on my own better than she can.

[ If Azula heard him say that, it'd cause a massive fight, certainly. But that's how he sees it in part. And Yvelon knows exactly how well Zuko can care for himself on his own, so the statement's gravity is surely not lost on Zuko's odd ex-caretaker of sorts. These are some incapable children, off the battlefield... ]

[saltmage]

[“I can take care of myself better than she can”, just what sort of a disaster was this sister of his that she underperformed the hungry stray he wound up feeding for months? She couldn’t be too young, because from what he’s heard about Zuko’s uncle he had a penchant for being patient, and wouldn’t turn away a child. Teenager perhaps? He struggled with most teenagers on a good day, so butting heads with one was more understandable to him.]

Zuko, if memory serves, you were not that adept at caring for yourself either. Not that one would be expecting such of you, you are still a boy. Are you certain this is a good idea? Caring for oneself is difficult enough, caring for two may not be within your capabilities.

[Something tells him he’s taking in two strays this time.]

[rediscovering]

Well— in Lunatia, she was dating my best friend's roommate— er, boyfriend. And he took care of her. But then when my friends started dating, of course he broke up with my sister... so... I started taking care of her. Sort of.

[ Sort of. He's not commenting about how adept he is or not. He's not and he knows it. But neither is she. ]

It's— I don't wanna say it's easier for me to make friends than it is for her. Because it's not. She's got friends back home and I didn't until very recently before I left. She went to school, she's smart, she's funny, she's perfect... But— ...it's been different in these other worlds. She's changed. And— I have more friends than her. And more experience living away from home. I dunno. We look out for each other...

[ It's a complex power dynamic between the two of them, but it's a pact they've made, nevertheless. Terrors of all the corner stores. No hotchips are safe. ]

[saltmage]

[Twelve have mercy. This was an absolute disaster. Friends were hardly a measure of one’s ability to care for themself.]

Zuko, aren’t you supposed to be going to school as well? As will your sister I presume? How would you be able to focus on your studies while managing a household? Do you know how to budget your money? What to do if something breaks in your residence?

[...]

How to cook?

[He was going to regret this, not because of Zuko. Zuko was quite honestly the most agreeable teenager he’d encountered. Ever. It was this potentially difficult sister that would give him a headache, but difficult or not, they were hardly of age to strike out on their own, despite Zuko thinking the contrary. Quite teenager of him actually.

But he took a deep breath and shook his head.]

I volunteer to acquire a decent residence and I am willing to take both you and your sister in, provided you both attend school. Obviously you sister would need to be consulted on the matter, but I would take care of the household duties until you and your sister were in a better place to begin to learn them.

[rediscovering]

I'm about to start school! And Azula already went to school!

[ Just not here, but that minute nuance is lost on him for the moment. Azula = smart, that's baseline indisputable fact in his mind. ]

I appreciate your offer, Yvelon, I just— ...You don't know my sister. We're so different. She was raised by our dad, I was raised by our mom and our uncle... I like living alone with her. We're friends — kind of. I mean, sort of. But— ...we've never been closer than this. And— I'm the only family she has. ...You have to understand, she's... distrusting. I clean, and we... shop... together... We can't cook, so if you want to make us food again—

[ He doesn't finish the sentence. With the hosts, he could say "I'm sure it'd be appreciated," but not with Azula. She has even higher standards than the Hitachiin twins. ]

Uncle would be pleased knowing we're both being fed better than we feed ourselves. We spend a lot of money on takeout.

[ What is the bigger truth is that they don't spend a lot of money by stealing most their food from nearby stores. It's become a bonding activity of theirs, in fact, such thievery. But Zuko isn't exactly advertising this. ]

[saltmage]

What you are saying is that she is difficult. I had already deduced as much when I made my offer. I will not be dishonest with you, I am a man with limited patience, however...

[He heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was a tale he usually would rather cut out his tongue than to speak on it, but they were not in Eorzea. And it was clearly needed to convey a point, Zuko only knew him as the refined battle healer, not the bandit and scoundrel he once was.]

I come from humble beginnings. I was once in your situation, caring for another, then caring for merely myself. Petty theft was my income, until what I required had me resorting to more less petty crimes.

[The next sentence was said quite flatly.]

I wound up a wanted man in half of Gridania. The only reason I’ve yet to be arrested is my usefulness and that very few individuals knew my face. That is not a journey you want to make.

[There, the story was out, still left a bitter taste in his mouth but would likely provide better context for Zuko as to take his offer omre seriously, as he did not make such offers lightly.]

Poverty is a disease, and it follows you. A proper education is the salve, and regardless of how difficult your sister might be, if it prevents another story such as mine I will happily suffer it.

So regardless of your protests, I do expect you to make an honest effort relaying this offer to your sister.

[rediscovering]

[ His words strike Zuko to the quick. He feels like Yvelon just read through him. He averts his eyes, scowling slightly as he looks away, transparent. He doesn't even have to admit they've been stealing, wearing masks in the night, shoplifting, even mugging on occasion. It's written all over his face, his body language speaks for him, like a puppydog with its tail between its legs. ]

...I'll tell her.

[ What he doesn't say says more than what he does. ]

[saltmage]

[That look made a suspicion as clear as day.]

So it has already come to pass.

[He wasn’t surprised, and he couldn’t fault Zuko for it, but that did not mean he wasn’t getting a stern scolding for it.]

You are fortunate that you have not gotten in over your head. There will be no more of that nonsense, am I clear? If you need food, you come to me, if you need clothes, you come to me. I will give you whatever coin you and your sister need.

[rediscovering]

You just got here, Yvelon — we're fine...! We've been here for months! On our own, together from the start! And nothing bad has happened. We're fine!

[ They're not, which is why he says it twice. He's half-conscious of how defensive he's getting and knows he's in the wrong and it's embarrassing, especially to snap at someone who's helped him so much and is only making good moral sense, offering to help him even more... But Zuko snaps at people who help him even if he regrets it later, wants to believe in his own sensibilities even when he knows they're... not where they should be. He throws his hot gaze aside, mumbling more than before, ashamed of himself for his temper. ]

Thank you for wanting to help us. I appreciate your generosity.

[ Some princely manners, huh. ]

[saltmage]

[Zuko’s outburst actually got a smile out of the older Elezen, and he reached up to ruffle Zuko’s hair.]

You remind me far too much of myself at your age. Far more agreeable though.

[Yvelon’s teenage ego made him something of a brat, and by Zuko’s age he had already ingrained himself among bandits... and adopted many of their habits. It took years to fall out of those habits to make himself look far more refined than he truly was.

Even now those habits died hard, and Zuko might notice Yvelon still carried a pair of very non-healer like daggers strapped to his belt.]

Do not think of this as charity Zuko. You have an important job to do, I am only helping you make the most of that opportunity.

[rediscovering]

[ Zuko wears a torn expression on his face, moved and endeared and appreciative but still bothered and ashamed and defensive. And feeling... remarkably young and stupid... He'd once asked why Yvelon cared to help him like he does, and while there's a part of him that wants to retort with this question again, he feels he understands the answer better now. The hair tussling is a little much for him, even Uncle doesn't tussle his hair, but he tolerates it nevertheless because... even if Zuko's pouting, he likes Yvelon, and is indebted to the man's kindness. And he has always admired the way he talks straight, even if in this instance, it's a little old-man-ish and preachy for his own bratty sixteen-year-old liking; or maybe that was just the effect of the tussle. Is he gonna be like this when he's an adult...?! ...Yes. Yes, he is. ]

...Thank you. I will tell my sister.

[ He says it with more softness and sincerity than before, though he still finds it hard to meet the man's eye. ]

[saltmage]

Good. Now that we have that settled, I suspect you might like something to eat?

[Since he didn’t want to leave the boy in such a mood, and he had no doubt the boy was eating swill. So, he would extend his trust a little further, perhaps make the young boy get a laugh from an amusing cautionary tale of “don’t be me, but it was funny this one time”.]

If you promise to keep my past quiet, I shall tell you of the time I sent Gridanian Wood Wailers on a wild chocobo chase for a pair of pants while I pilfered their supplies.

[rediscovering]

[ He nods, standing. He eats worse than he ate in Lunatia, without working in a restaurant that fed him for free and having this kindly personal chef. He wastes his limited Gold on eating out at restaurants and buying gifts for his dragon and otherwise shoplifts copious amounts of hotchips. ]

For a pair of pants...? Why? And what's a chocobo?

[saltmage]

A chocobo... they’re large birds, quite fast. Commonly used as mounts and beasts of burden in Eorzea.

[He started walking back to the town, waiting for Zuko to gather any belongings if need be. He spoke while they walked, keeping notice if anyone followed, this wasn’t a story for any strangers.]

Not just any pair of pants, but my very own. Being a cocky young thing as I was, I fell right into a trap of theirs, which left my trousers with a very strong traceable scent.

So, naturally, I was forced to discard them, but for my humiliation I was determined to make the best of the situation. Also I loathed the wood wailers, spite was ever the motivation for my more theatrical antics.

[rediscovering]

Oh, like an ostrich-horse. Got it.

[ Actually, like, almost exactly, though. For once he's on someone's level. He follows Yvelon in step. ]

What's a wood wailer, exactly? And what did you do with the pants?

[saltmage]

Wood wailers were the local law enforcement of Gridania, and a perpetual thorn in my side. I never liked them, for a number of reasons.

[He waved the subject off, he could go on and on about the policies of Gridania, but that had nothing to do with his tainted trousers.]

But that’s besides the point, what I did was wander as deep into the east shroud as I could. Utterly foolish, but I was was a complete and utter fool. I was a boy no older than you trying to flea from a group of armed trackers, I had one important advantage over them though. A Duskwight’s hearing is far more keen than our Wildwood kin’s, their superior eyesight did them no favors in the dead of night.

I navigated the forest until I found the largest boar den in the area, discarded my trousers on the largest one while it slumbered. The scent was strong enough to send the beast into a frenzy and it fled into the wilds to try and escape it. With my trousers.

Meanwhile, I circled back to where they were camped and raided their supplies. Took all their trousers as compensation for my troubles.

[rediscovering]

[ Zuko's listening with rapt attention, impressed with how clever Yvelon was, even if this is supposed to be a cautionary tale. The last detail, however, actually draws an amused smirk across the boy's face — a rare feat that's become less and less rare as he adjusts with jokester friends his own age. ]

You took their pants? Nice.

[ That's a fine flick of a detail. Zuko's amused. Bravo, Yvelon. ]

[saltmage]

I was a boy of sixteen summers. Of course I did. It was utterly foolish and petty.

[And if Zuko thought he was going to get preached at about the moral high road again, he’d be absolutely wrong.]

Had I taken all their clothes, my cohorts could have used them as disguises.

[rediscovering]

Hindsight is clearer, I guess, hah.

[ Zuko's smirk is more of a grin by this point. What a rare treat. ]

[saltmage]

Just wait until you are my age and you begin ruminating over your childhood foolishness. I could fill volumes with my many regrets from my youth.

[Things he rarely shared, and rarer still with a smile. It was a rarity for them both, but such was fitting for a reunion.]

You have been here longer than I. I presume you know of a reputable place to eat?

[rediscovering]

I could, too, and I'm still in my youth...

[ He's joking but at the same time he's absolutely not joking at all. It's delivered with all the wryness it deserves. He nods, though, and gestures with his hand in the direction he wants to go as they approach the main street of town. ]

This way, like a block or two from here, there's this place Azula and I get dumplings from all the time — it almost tastes like food from the Fire Nation. It's not as spicy as food back home, but it's good. Uncle liked it, too.

[ Oh, and how perfect that this is where Zuko gets to take Yvelon. Finally, an example of what Zuko wanted all along when he and the hosts endured enjoyed the man's notably spiceless generosity. ]