TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 8

[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 ⚔️️ SUMMARY: 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. 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. (Though.. given how hot and muggy the weather is this first week, maybe you might want to ask him to toss you right back into the lake where the waters are still cool.) *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 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. SUMMARY: Merlin has a Plan B in case Camelot failed the trials: raise a sunken ship and offer it to the Elphame Traders on their way out in exchange for permission to travel their waters. Characters prepare for ritual magic to raise a sunken ship and travel underwater at the empty Camelot docks to gather ritual ingredients for it. After they've done all they can, Merlin sets up a little beach party with a bit of master magic for anyone who came along for the trip. After arriving, people may have heard about recent events-- the people of Camelot voted against war and to instead accept the trials of the people of Celliwig. The trials are now concluded, and a good number of people are emotionally exhausted and taking time to recover. Word from Celliwig has not yet arrived, but across multiple social media platforms, including AOL, there are clips of Merlin's cryptic addendum to Arthur's announcement along with notes that the meeting date was delayed a couple of days due to the awful weather and a need to rest after how bleak the trials were to some people. With people down and out, it won't hurt to have the new arrivals pitch in and learn a thing or two. "Lucky me, we've got a decent group. Celliwig's out of our hands now, but what isn't is a back-up plan. Vote was close enough I figured we'd have enough people to get a head start. Celliwig is closer and much less dangerous to deal with, we'd be able to communicate much faster with the faeries' queendom. They're not big on internet. Big followers of the Old Ways. T-L-D-R, we can't just text the queen and ask if drop-bys are on the table. We'd never make it past the leviathans without permission, so here's the plan: There is a... fixer-upper of a vessel sunken about a hundred yards from shore tossed out from Bermuda. We tried to build docks here forever ago, but you can guess the Bermuda triangle spitting out stuff in the lake all the time didn't go great. We just keep it up for visitors now, but there's plenty to explore in the immediate area that we can magic back into business." A ⦿ Shipwreckers He goes on to explain that the fairies value items that were once lost and refound, so step one is exploring the shipwreck with fellow magic users to find what amounts to a scavenger hunt list of items from the ship. He sets everyone off with a quick spell that essentially transforms their clothing into swimsuits that best fit their preferences and personality-- that means no one's going to get a swimsuit that makes them horribly uncomfortable, he's not harassing anyone. After that, magicians will be directed to use their magic to get down to the ship. It's not as convenient as underwater breathing and not as easily sustainable, but there's definitely different ways to go about it. Light magic users will find they can create a forcefield above the surface of the water and go under the water, though they may run out of oxygen quickly. Elemental users can find they can create a similar bubble by pushing water out of the way, though may run into the same diminishing air without a more advanced elemental user already in the game who can pull oxygen out of the water or an alchemist who can create chemical reactions to generate oxygen. Animal mages may be able to convince local lake life to help push bubbles along, and healers will be instrumental in healing oxygen deprivation if anyone stays under too long! (Note: If two characters can't create a bubble, you can put in a third NPC to do the bubble while your characters handle other roles during the search.) No matter what, make sure you bring someone who can watch your back. Rumors have it that the Fuath are harassing anything that comes near the area. Fuath are intangible spirits that may present as giant humanoids at about 8-9 feet each, but with the mane and tail of a yellow horse, with no noses and keen eyes. They hold grudges against anyone who takes advantage of their surroundings, even if not their own, and will come to attempt to throw those who try to take from the ships and flying through the air to land somewhere else in the water. Be very cautious about using names around the Fuath, as though they do not speak in human tongue, they have a particular ability to draw people and animals in using names that makes them very difficult to escape once you've been found. They've been known to turn familiars against their partners. They can be deterred, dissipated through attack to buy you time, but they'll keep coming so get in and out of the ship as fast as you can and definitely stick to more combat-heavy magics like dark and cognitive mages! *Note: These magics are all examples of ways to use primary magic, but feel free to get creative with your character's magic if you think of something else! B ⦿ Hoist the Flags Once all the ingredients are gathered, the ritual is underway! With the mementos from the ship, swim to a protective circle formed at the top of the water by Merlin that will keep the Fuath out. There, you need to take whatever item you gathered from the ship and try to find someone with a similar item. This "sister" item will allow you to pull the essence of the item up from the ship. It takes a load of people to raise a whole ship, but pouring your magic into the item and chanting the spell will cause the ship to resurface and restore itself to its original state before the crash, using residual memories from all the different items on the ship. Of course, finding a partner with a matching item while swimming around could be a challenge, especially if you don't get along-- it may take a while for everyone to get on the same page. It certainly won't clean up all the algae and kelp and wayward flopping fish, it brings the ship back to a livable state.. and a much cooler, more explorable one. Get a quick exploration of the ship and help clean up some of the lake slime before Merlin flags over the traders. Or goof around until then, and learn a sick free spell called (Recipe) Cool Firework: create a rocket firework from your fingertips. Make sure you're aiming it into the sky when you cast this spell, or Merlin will set off a Camelot totem right beneath your feet. No sinking the ship when they just got it up. The fireworks will attract the Elphame Traders, who are leaving the day after they close up shop to head back to Elphame, before the set out to leave. Merlin negotiates offering the ship to them as an offering for Queen Elphame to give them permission to travel in the Elphame territory. At that point, the ship is pulled into the docks and Camelot citizens are ushered out for the fae traders to take over the ship. C ⦿ Beach Episode Once everything's said and done it.. really only took a couple of hours, so the whole group is done around 4pm. There's plenty of time left for dinner and a good time at the beach a short walk away from the docks and the sun doesn't go down until around 9pm. Before Merlin leaves everyone to themselves, he conjures up a buffet-style table with loads of fresh food and drink, watermelons and bats for smashing. The swimsuits provided earlier wear off at midnight, though you'll probably want to leave before then since it still gets chilly in the evening, especially if you're all wet from playing with the chest full of waterguns or the beach balls distributed around the beach. The docks are nearby, so feel free to call your friends over to come hang out with you, even if they didn't help. It's a beach party, enjoy it! SUMMARY: Unseelie faeries and unseemly humans have teamed up to kidnap a small number of otherworlders in the chaos of the trials to fight in an underground fight ring. Play as a victim or be part of the squad to put an end to it if you're more good-leaning, or villains can choose to participate as audience and pay for "gifts" to be given to their favorite fighters during matches. CW: These prompts contain kidnapping, illegal and forced fighting, and inhumane treatment of fighters. Just because people are tired doesn't mean that the world stops for them... crime certainly doesn't. Throughout the start of the month, people are going missing. Exactly what's happening.. well, finding the truth out about that is going to depend on your perspective. A ⦿ Cursed Kidnapees Kidnapping victims will find themselves suddenly blinded by a spell, and then chloroformed by a floating cloth pressed against their face. (Smart kidnappers don't touch their victims if they have magic, you know!) When they wake up, they'll find themselves in a dungeon with at least a dozen other people. There's definitely not room to lay down, and sitting down as you had been propped up immediately starts you with a potentially uncomfortable view. Don't worry, someone's peeks in from a window at the top of the room-- an extremely handsome-looking man with long, wavy hair and pupils slitted like a cat's. "Let's see.. You two, you'll be the first fight of the night. Winner gets dinner, gyahaha!" It's a fighting ring. You've been kidnapped into a fighting ring and there's no obvious escape! Fight against fellow captives and monsters for your dinner and to buy time to figure out what you're going to do... At least you start hand to hand, so there's nothing lethal... right? (See Audience for more details.) B ⦿ Audacious Audience Maybe you're a less scrupulous sort and saw an invitation to this event hidden on the dark web, or got invited by a particularly sketchy friend. Either way, you've got cage-side seats close enough to chat with either fellow audience members or interact with the cage fighters. As a bonus point, audience members can spend some of their G on betting or on purchasing "boons" for their favorite fighters, such as weapons or enhancement spells. They can also bid against other audience members for special sabotages that make it harder to fight-- foot weights, strange masks, roller skates, hinderance hexes.. get creative with it! It's the biggest fight show that you can interact with your wallet... newbies may find it's a very lucrative way to make a pretty penny very fast. (As always, remember to communicate with anyone you're helping/sabotaging so you don't go past anyone's OOC comfort level.) C ⦿ Roaring Rescuers Thankfully, the fae who want nothing more than to sow discord and the greedy humans who joined in their venture are a bit disorganized. Even the beginning-level heroes among us will be able to track them down and topple them with a little bar hopping to gather information from the locals. Eventually, one of them will give up having overheard some "scary looking fellows" talking about which of the patrons of the bar looked like they'd be good in a fight before getting extra hush-hush. Follow all the leads, and you'll find yourself at an outlying, smaller-scale castle with a dungeon tower and an underground fighting ring built beneath its floors. Sneak in and unlock individual fighter dungeon doors while the fights are providing a wealth of distraction. Maybe you'll find a grateful Fogueria who casts a temporary fire-immunity spell on you to allow you to do ride them into battle to bust up the fight going on right now. There's definitely gratitude going on, regardless of moral compass, and you may find gifts of food and drink (non-alcoholic if you're not old enough) placed at your door over the next week for your deeds. 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. • We are testing out formats for key points displays, to be voted on for player preference based on what seems to work best for the most people. The other options were used here (end of post summary format) and here (start of post preview format). The format featured on this post is the last option, which will provide small summaries under the banner of each prompt set. A poll will be put up before the next event to see which format will be used going forward, so please keep in the back of your mind which seems most comfortable/makes the content more easily accessible. •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

Re: training grounds

[devilsfootprints]

[Well. At least he's stopped now.

He's still winded from his experience though and it takes him a few seconds to get his bearings. When he does, he rolls over onto the ground before sitting up. As someone used to flying, he never thought he'd be glad to be on the ground but it's nice to be on something stable.]

Man, sorry about that. I'm still new at this magic thing.

[whatsamada]

[Again, he shouldn't be surprised by her reaction. In response, he gave a nod despite his disappointment.]

Yes, that's correct. However, I've been here for about 6 months now.

[With that, he gave a small pause.]

But I suppose that isn't what you were talking about, were you?

arrival

[devilsfootprints]

[As a wannabe Hero, the moment Shinra hears someone call out for help he's on alert. He quickly scans around him and finds a girl not too far away who definitely looks like she's had better days.

Not that he isn't in his own predicament, with no idea what happened or where he is, but he can't leave someone who needs help alone. Besides, he was already on his way swimming to shore anyway and that's probably where she'll want to go too.

So he calls out to her.]

Hang on, I'm coming over.

[scz]

( rom hums, a low noise that's almost a growl and a grunt. a noise that he's practiced many times before: not disapproval, but the kind of concern that comes from having to take care of a lot of potential stupid. certainly a stranger wouldn't cover for crow, nor would one allow the rambunctious myumon to perform solo without... having some kind of insurance. right? right. )

Can't imagine him trying to do it by himself. ( which also makes him frown, again--- out of concern. ) Actually, can't imagine any of us going alone.

[letmewin]

( Save the world... This world doesn't seem so bad, though. )

Can we really do something like that, though...?

( This isn't... home... And now that he's back to the way before, he isn't so sure he has the same sort of abilities... )

B-But.. No matter what reason we were brought here for, I'm glad I could see you again, Chara.

[foolaround]

Okay. Um, I'll see you soon, then. Promise. [ she adds that assurance on maybe too hastily, wincing at how her voice sounds. ] Text me if you want, ok? About anything.

[ she's already getting an overnight bag packed. ]

[corruptedsave]

[The only answer to Asriel's question that Chara can give is a shrug, because like... Look at how well things went when they tried to help back home.]

Yeah well... It's good to see you too, now maybe we should get off the shore and get to the carriages so we can get to like. A populated place.

[And they're turning to head towards the steps up out of here and just assuming Asriel will follow.]

jj leroy 👑 yuri on ice

[kingfuckboy]

I. A KING ARRIVES

[ He was --

not here. Last he remembered. He was lounging around their place in Lunatia and then splash. Here. It was just him and the surprisingly cool water. It stuns him a little. It takes a moment but then he's kicking his legs and moving forward towards the beach.

He waves goodbye to the pillow jellies who helped him a little bit on the way and stretched his arms up above his head when he was there. Well, he guesses he's going to have to figure out what this place is, huh? He glances up towards the step and decides to wait down on the beach for a few moments, asking the first person he sees: ]

Hey, hey - do me a favor and pinch me so I can make sure this is real!

II. BEACH EPISODE

[ JJ is dressed in a swimsuit that he had obtained. It was like it was made for him. He likes everything here. The food, the drinks, the games. He likes the games most of all. He's competitive. So competitive.

He can be seen challenging anyone who will take him in a quick beach volleyball match. Or maybe a water gun fight is to be had.

Though, as the night wears on he cools off on the games and decides it might be fun to smash a watermelon. ]

He picks up a bat and offers it, grinning widely.

Hey! You should go first, I've never done this before!

[ He wants to see how it's done. ]

III. WILDCARD

[ hit me up agalio or just wildcard it. i'm undecided on all of his magic. he's participating in everything that isn't fight related. ]

[lakan]

Yeah they suck.

[ Bluntly said with a hint of laughter, he then takes a big swig of the drink, finishing the entire thing in one gulp. The shot glass inside the pint slides and bumps his nose, leaving a bit of foam on the tip of it. Like Tifa, he wipes the foam off with a chuckle, putting his glass down the counter with a gentle slam. ]

Now that this place has taken my powers away, I might actually suck at holding my drinks like they do. Back home, I was unable to get drunk, so they kept trying to figure out what cocktail would finally do the trick to get me to feel tipsy. At least I got a demonstration on how to prepare some drinks from all those times they brought me to the bar.

beach episode!

[starshower]

[Tifa's finally helped herself to some of the food, after her long battle with her inner thoughts was interrupted by the rumbling of her stomach and the realization that she hasn't eaten all day. While her selection isn't as impressive as Yoshizawa's, it could still put some plates to shame with its selection of fruits and veggies!

With it balanced carefully on her hand, she looks to the girl when she hears her voice beside her, and then back to the bats in question.]

They're breaking melons with them. Look.

[She points through the heads of the crowd that's formed around the pile of watermelons just as someone arrives at the front and is handed a blindfold.]

It's a bit strange, but I guess it's more fun to break them than it is to slice them...?

Shadow The Hedgehog | Sonic the Hedgehog | kinetic&light

[ringsthatbind]

A: Splish Splash
[Wet, that's the first sensation Shadow feels when he awakens and well... He's not Sonic levels of bad with water but he's still not too pleased with finding himself in a lake. Mostly because it means his jet skates will have to dry off before he can use them, and mostly because it's damn inconvenient.

He mostly ignores the jellyfish as well, making his way to shore, and once there anyone can see the soaked black and red hedgehog giving the whole area a dirty look.]

B: Caravan to Camelot
[So, carriages. That is... Something. Shadow simply gets himself seated within one, not caring if it's already occupied, and is joined by small creature that for the moment the hedgehog seems to ignore. Even as the chao takes a seat in his lap, which gets Shadow to finally say something. Most likely to whoever is unlucky enough to be sharing the carriage with him.]

Have you never seen a chao before?

C: Kidnapped
Really.

[Those are the only words he has to say about the whole thing, even as he and another poor soul are brought to the ring to fight. He may not like the circumstances, the fact that he of all people got blindsided and kidnapped is something he won't ever live down if anyone who knows him found out, but he is most certainly not going to just give up.

So when the bell rings to signal the start of the fight? Shadow is moving quickly to punch at his opponent aiming for the stomach, considering the fact that he's only a mere three-foot three he can't aim much higher than that.]

[groundzeroes]

It was either that or sit on his hands musicwise, I guess. Sure you can imagine how that would go over. [Rei keeps his easy smile, amused. Unruly ass hedgehog.]

But you are a bandmate of his, then? [He chews thoughfully on his melon, eyes wandering across the beach as he tries to recall.] What did he say the name of that was... Crimson somethin'?

[heofon]

I see. It seems like a waste of a good, edible fruit. Don't you think?

[ While most of the melon would still be able to be eaten, a lot of the juice and bits and pieces would just splatter everywhere. ]

[replican]

[ And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon...

If only Nier knew he were presenting an example of the entire human race, he might actually put a little more effort forward to make a good impression. But even then...there are still probably much better exemplars than him around. ]

You'd be surprised. Had to have one of those jellyfish haul my sorry ass out of the lake. I never was much of a swimmer...

[ He pauses a moment, listening to make sure there's nothing approaching outside the window, before continuing on. ]

So that makes two of us, I take it.

[ Yeah, he didn't buy it!! ]

[replican]

Nier. And you don't need to thank me, really. You're doing me a favor by saving me from having to haul those back home.

[ The thought of throwing them back into the water doesn't even occur to him. That'd be wasteful, plain and simple. ]

And you? What's your name?

[ Just how many people are here is another thing that continues to throw him. The city is so massive. The entire population of his village, Seafront and Facade could probably fit roomily into one city block. ]

[excalibeam]

Ho...

[ Well, it's not like you would normally see a person with a gun for a head... let alone imagine how it even works. Well, it's not like she understands much in terms of mechanics anyway. ]

Hm... are you alright in the sun like this? Would the metal not overheat?

[replican]

Lucky us.

[ His tone comes off weary, but more inconvenienced than anything else, like this new unexpected turn his life has taken is just another bump in the road. It's...a lot more than that, but hell if he's going to stop and actually reflect on that.

They need his help restoring worlds, right? Then that's what he'll do. ]

Seems like the city we're headed towards is pretty big. You ever been to a place like that before?

[ Because he sure hasn't. He doesn't really know what to expect. This inn alone already is way more crowded than he's accustomed to. ]

[kingfuckboy]

Oh. I liked Power Rangers. I wanted to be the Red Ranger. The leader. The hero!

[ Or at least that's how he saw it. Though he didn't watch a lot of stuff, he did watch Power Rangers. His life was so consumed by skating and schooling that he didn't have a lot of time for extras. He reaches, draping his arms over Makoto's shoulders, and leaning into him a little bit. ]

Only to you. I had fun.

[ He's difficult to embarrass. ]

I have the triplets [ the three dogs he has ], too. And my ring came with me. Did Biscuit and Cake join you?

[sereneadherent]

Please, I insist. Thank you, Nier.

[She gives him a polite bow of the head. Marianne isn't among the Fódlan nobility that flaunts their status (if anything, she wishes she could shy away from it more), but there are certain aspects of a noble upbringing that she can't bring herself to break. Politeness and etiquette are among them.]

I'm Marianne. It's very nice to meet you.

Do you often fish like this?

[babygotbackstroke]

Yeah, I know she does.

[He sighed with a soft laugh, rubbing between her ears. Her tailed wagged harder and he finally relented. He split a hot dog in half and gave her both pieces one at a time.]

I generally try not to give her human food too often, mostly to keep the begging down. But she got spoiled.

[By a certain fiancé he met back on the world he was on before this one.]

You new here as well or have you been here awhile?

[replican]

Thousands?

[ It's less of a question and more of a interjection, because that number is a lot higher than he would have expected, but then again, it was clear from the get-go this this world isn't like his. It's flourishing, instead of dying.

With a quick shake of his head, he asks instead: ]

Who's Pod? They must have some eyesight, to see all those fish under the water.

[ He doesn't see anyone with her — no other people, anyway, but there is something like a floating box that looks like it could have been assembled of scrap from the Junk Heap. ]

that's the juzo inui experience(tm)

[gunmettle]

[ It's just as well that she is unaware - better that she doesn't draw attention to it. At least holding a conversation is enough to help him focus his attention elsewhere.

Juzo tilts his head, side-eying her a bit. Well, as best as one can side-eye without eyes. He's not the friendliest looking guy, so either this woman is fearless or dense or both. Reminds him a bit of some folks back home. ]

Juzo. You been here long?

[gunmettle]

[ He's not sure if he's being given a simple look of wonder or a look that says "I wanna take you apart and see how you work". Since she hasn't gotten grabby, he's going to assume it's the former. ]

It's kinda uncomfortable, but I'll manage. I'm not goin' in the water, I'll rust.

[gunmettle]

[ Juzo's life is full of unexpected turns, but this one might very well take the cake. Assassins, mobsters, old friends he thought long dead come back to haunt him. That stuff seemed down right mundane compared to... all this.

He takes a drag of his cigarette, smoke coiling out of his jaws on the exhale. ]

Sure. I live in a big city.

[ Lived? What's correct here. ]

I doubt this Camelot will be anything like it, though. This magic shit is way over my head.

[devilsfootprints]

Yeah, I got here not too long ago. You too?

[Shinra kneels down so he's eye-level with the dog. He's fascinated by her—animals are a rare sight where he's from. As he watches her eat the hot dog he can't help but chuckle. She's cute.]

Bet she's a good girl and deserves to be spoiled though.