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

[yorhaberserker]

[ Of course She thought to herself hearing that. Seems like even here she wasn’t safe from Command.]

That’s the last time I saw you two, yes. So, they still can’t let me go, hmm?

[She let out a frustrated sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair. It pissed her off. She was sick of beating them over and over again. It was annoying and boring.]

Can it at least wait until it’s a fair fight. I’m not exactly armed here.

[What a way to ruin a perfectly good day.]

[flapsin]

Good to know! Except, what is a YoRHa android - are you a YoRHa android? [He figures out the implication in the middle of asking his first question!

And then he nods along knowingly as she talks about multiple Earths.]

Oh yeah, loads of 'em! I used to think that's the kind of thing that's only true in comic books, but I've seen proof that there's multiple Earths out there in the multiverse! And talking to people here has only been the icing on this cake of confirmation. [Then, a little wearily.] Just, didn't expect so many Earths to be all humans...!

[juzubeads]

Before any fighting, that would be best. I'm usually all for a fight, but. Not like this.

[Not forced. This isn't even like with him fighting Haru with his Black moments. Kyo just isn't as keen on this. He's just unsure on how to get out of here. It isn't like he's all that strong to be able to break out of their confinement. Even if he removed his beads, he's. Not keen on letting anyone see that. Still, his gaze lowers to them at his wrist all the same.]

We just have to figure a way to get free somehow.

[replican]

No, it's — [ A short sigh. ] Two different people. My sister, and my friend. Now, can you help me or not?

[ He doesn't mean to be short with her, even if she's dodging his questions. There's just a lot running through his mind right now, given...well, everything about this turn of events.

At least he finally pushes the hair out of his eyes — as best he can, anyway. ]

...Sorry. If there's anything you can tell me, I'd really appreciate it.

[foolaround]

[ under different circumstances. yeah, if that wasn't the story of her life. ]

I know. [ kotone finally pulled back a little to look at her, even if she was reluctant to let mitsuru actually see her this way. even without a persona of the empress whispering in the back of her soul, she knew mitsuru's mind quite well by this point. she let out another shaky breath, trying to get it together. ] Me too. It hasn't been the same, without everyone around.

[kirijo]

She's always appreciated that honesty, and now is no exception.

"It certainly is."

She's beginning to get the timeline straight in her head, though. And that sort of foreknowledge ... it could prove useful down the line.

[fruitknife]

...Assuming they remember it after the fact. At least with Liminal Space there was reason to believe they could make that the case for themselves. Who knows what the local arguments on that front look like.

"Me and Kotone are goin' in on a house. I need a real kitchen and I need it last fucking month, and we already know we won't kill each other. She's pullin' Yukari in. Ken... I don't mind if he does, but I don't mind if he doesn't, either." They're working on it, but it's gonna take a while, and if Ken needs space while they figure each other out without his grudge in the way, that's completely understandable.

"You can get in on it too if you want."

(Shinji can't really see her saying no. But also he'd kind of like her to get in on it, and he's so used to not getting things he wants that he's half expecting the no anyway.)

[kirijo]

[ Mitsuru feels a bit of that same reluctance. It's easier around Kotone that it would have been in front of anyone else apart from Yukari, but knowing how disheveled she must look still made her somewhat self-conscious. ]

Amada-kun said that he's been here for six months ... have you been here all that time as well?

[foolaround]

[ she shakes her head at that. ]

No, um... three months? It was March here too, when Yukari and I got here. Shinjiro showed up in April.

[kirijo]

[ Seeing that Yuzu's found something as well, Mitsuru smiles ... though that smile is brief. Not as a result of any sudden threat or any change of fortune, but simply because one of the fish that Yuzu had summoned swam by her head from behind quickly enough that it startled her.

[ She ... she was a little embarassed by that, but she recovers quickly, and points back up towards the surface. A wordless request to see if they're ready to ascend. ]

[kirijo]

[ Mitsuru nods, making the necessary adjustments to the timeline of events that she was constructing in her head. ]

Aragaki-san said that others have come and gone as well. Akihiko and Takaya, among them.

[foolaround]

Yeah. Akihiko was ahead, just like Ken, but he remembered... someone else. [ she lets out a breath at that, trying not to dwell on it as she takes a seat on the bed. ] He mentioned a Minato.

Takaya wasn't here long enough to cause much trouble.

[juzubeads]

No idea. But if there's a way they got us in, there has to also be a way out. We just have to figure it.

[And. Well. No. He wouldn't want to leave anyone else here. At the same time if even one of them did escape they could go for help? He's conflicted on that. Knowing Tohru wouldn't want to abandon anyone like this. Kyo's distracted from that line of thinking when he talks about altering the fight.]

Wha -- weapons? I've never used weapons.

[Only hand to hand. Martial arts. He's not a soldier or anything. Not like that.]

[hor]

That much is true.

[ He lets out a laugh, as if the very idea is something amusing to him. It is and it isn't. His family is complicated, and Horus is sure some people will consider him a sadist in the days to come, with just how long he intends to prolong a certain someone's suffering. That's not his intent, though. ]

I would say it best not to try in the company of strangers in that case, but I'm afraid I seem to have lost everyone else.

[ He picks up another one and holds it out to her. ] A taste?

[kirijo]

"Provided that the others are amenable to it, I'd be delighted."

Mitsuru would be a fool to turn down such an offer.

While she was sure that the pre-arranged living quarters in Camelot would be reasonably comfortable and secure, she'd feel better living among friends for a whole host of reasons -- not the least of which was the sense of familiarity that it would provide while she acclimated to the new world around her.

And that last thought does give her a moment's pause, and cause her smile to falter.

"That being said ... I may need some assistance in terms of finding out how to raise the funds to contribute."

She's ashamed to admit that, but it was the truth. Arriving in Avalon meant that she was effectively cut off from any of the Group's resources, or her own personal funds.

If she was going to avoid becoming a burden to her friends, she would need to figure out an income stream and she ... she didn't really know how to do that on an individual level. She'd never needed to.

[hor]

A different world shouldn't stop my wings from worki-- ing..

[ He trails off when he realizes that Set just asked if he's Egyptian. Is he Egyptian? Is he Egyptian? Were he less sharp of a tack, he probably would've been offended instead of realizing this for what it was: Set didn't know who he was. Well, he did look less tired now than he normally did. Perhaps it's not the time on the beach. Perhaps he's younger? After what happened to Ra, it shouldn't surprise anyone that age is malleable, but his memories don't seem to include Horus either.

He didn't know he was Horus, or Egyptian, and he still saved him. What a lie he's been fed his entire life that this man is some kind of monster. Horus pulls a smile to his face and moves to stand on his own properly, turning his back to Set. He reaches up to remove the earrings from his ears- something he knows Set will recognize if he has too long to observe him. He wears them, after all, specifically to get at the older man. But right now, they need to stay hidden, and so he slips them inside of his clothing for safekeeping. Anyone who isn't Horus shouldn't have Osiris's things, and just because he's a good man doesn't mean he's not an aggressive one. A man who loves a bull knows not to push him into the potter's workshop. ]

I am. I'm a god, like you, Lord Set.

[ Not calling him uncle would take some work, but Horus is nothing if not dedicated. This is perhaps his only chance to get to know Set without their "destiny" getting in the way. Maybe he'll call him a liar later, but.. ]

Call me Anubis.

[ ...Anubis would definitely forgive him, it's fine. He'll understand. ]

[hor]

[ He stands up as the Cliff Beast puts him back where he jumped off, looking over at Claude. Oh, he's not bad. Certainly not Egyptian, if he had to guess. Mysterious foreigner, hm? He smiles. ]

All but my dignity, yes.

[ The wings behind him flutter twice, shaking any excess sand off before folding against his back and disappearing as if they were never there to begin with, leaving him looking rather human. ]

Where am I?

[keybearing]

[Cue Sora glancing around and.....giving a shrug. Nope. He has as much clue about this as she does. But he certainly doesn't seem too concerned about it.]

Nope. But I'm sure I'll figure it out. I've been to lots of different worlds. I was expecting to end up somewhere else, but. I guess this is fine. I'll figure it.

[He isn't sure if he should wait, if he should expect to see Donald and Goofy as well or not. So he's pausing on proceeding to follow the rest up the cliff to get answers yet.]

[keybearing]

[True to his word, Sora isn't actually too far behind Tsuna. He was simply trying to distract the creature long enough for the other to leave safely. He wasn't sure he could do much if anything against the creature with still figuring his new abilities here and all. So he makes to join the others at the surface with his find. His hair is a damp, dripping mess that somehow isn't all that straighter or flatter with being drenched as he surfaces, placing his item he found with the rest as he tries to wring his clothes and hair dry in some attempt to dry off.]

Made it. Told ya!

[keybearing]

It isn't as bad as all the snow.

[He's an Islander boy. He hates the cold. As much as it also fascinates him because he didn't get snow back on the Islands. Not until he ventured to other worlds. To Arendelle and the mountains there. He doesn't seem too concerned about Meow Wow bounding over to strangers, giggling as the Dream Eater licks at the goat creature's cheek when Asriel crouches down.]

Ah, I'm Sora and this is Meow Wow.

[leicesters]

[On the other hand, it hasn't escaped Claude's notice that the guy's manner of dress is reminiscent of a certain someone, but he doesn't bring it up just yet. It could be a coincidence, after all.

He watches the wings vanish with interest before focusing back on his face.]

Avalon. Long story short, your world is in trouble, so you've been brought here to help save it. Don't go throwing yourself off any more cliffs in a hurry when you're needed, all right?

[scandroid]

Two of us? N-No, we're nothing alike! [ He could never be like a human, much as he tries. ] You must've just had an off-day, hahah...

[ 9S, being quite the observer himself, doesn't fail to notice the well-timed pause, although he's still not quite sure what his roommate is expecting to approach them from outside.

He exchanges glances with his Pod Unit for a second, as if he's registering encouragement from his companion to converse more with the human. It reminds him of whenever 2B is on edge... a little friendly chat would always help calm the tension! ]

Uh, I guess we should get to know each other, huh? I'm YoRHa Unit 9 Type S... 9S, if you will!

[ Perhaps even "Nines" someday. Gotta grind that Social Link! ]

If you need me to scout for any enemies in particular, just say the word, sir!

[scandroid]

[ He feels an internal mini-panic as her fingertips make contact with his nose and recoils, although it's followed by a relieved laugh. ]

H-Hey, your target's over there!

[ Hah. ]

Okay. You got this, 2B.

[ Once he places the bat securely in her hands, he gently takes her by the forearms and spins her around exactly five times. It's a steady spin, not too fast but enough to still be potentially disorienting to the average human. ]

How's it feel? Don't worry, I'm still here!

[ He always is. ]

[revile]

[ What a simple response. Maybe it's his injuries acting up, making it hard to think, he must be exhausted too, but it's pretty amusing every time Juza's short on words to say about the most complex, heavy matters. And yet he never needs things repeated more than once. He's simple-minded, just like the rest of their troupe, but aside from matters where he ends up butting heads with Banri, Sakyo never has a problem getting through to him. With the others they make him sound like a know-it-all, an old man with too much wisdom, but with Juza it's so... straight-forward. Why the hell can't the rest of them be like this?

He's changed so much, and it feels like its been a short amount of time, but it's been so long. And he's proud. Even if he's never said it.

Out of all of these kids, especially in Autumn Troupe, its been Juza that reminds him the most of the type of person he used to be. And what he's like now. Just a little bit. ]

Throwing him under the bus as usual, huh? We already went through this. As qualified as I was, I had nothing to gain from leading this group of hooligans. Out of everyone else, it suited Settsu the most. It's not just about being leader, but accepting having others rely on you. I might give some good advice every once in a while, but being just another member, like a bystander... it helped me out too.

[ The moment Izumi made him realize he was holding himself back, because he couldn't let himself outshine these kids, but they were learning and growing at a rate he almost wouldn't be able to keep up with... that's when it changed. She could be an idiot, but that girl, she could be pretty smart too. He wonders if she knew the whole time, what being part of this company could do for him. ]

Like that saying goes, even an old dog can learn new tricks. 'sides, I got my hands full enough with wrangling the lot of you up on a regular basis.

[ He gives his komainu a pat at its big curly mane to let it know it can start walking again, but he continues to keep an eye on Juza. Wouldn't want the kid falling off, and if he dozes off, he hopes it's a good rest. ]

[morganknight]

Why, enjoy the fun. Possibly with good company, I'm not one to judge. [His wink is as unsubtle as the sun.] Waterguns are always good fun. Smashing watermelons if you're less competitive.