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

[fruitknife]

...You know, fair. The real question is whether the timeline bullshit is the kind where she thinks he's dead.

"Hey." His smile's already gone, but honestly, he's glad to see her too. From his end, it's been years (he didn't even get to see her stint as a dungeon construct, being stuck at the other end of that mess from where 'she' was needed), and besides, she's both a SEES person and one of his friends.

(It's still damn weird that he's more than doubled his friend count and not wind up with a crush on any of the new ones, though he is glad for the second part of that. If that was just Part Of Friendship he would've been really fucking annoyed.)

"You'd think they'd have a better welcome committee than dunking people in a goddamn lake."

b. unfortunately for everyone he will be of no help whatsoever

[ferrytale]

[ this is also ledo's first beach party so he's doing much the same — wandering about to puzzle at things. he was confused hours ago at why he ended up in a small bathing suit but the weather at this point has both clarified and justified that. the fact that of while 2B's familiar wobbles, ledo's floats along serenely behind him (or as serene as a disco ammonite hideauze gets) and it's his robotic companion that walks along dealing with the sand. it's why when the pod speaks up and its voice attracts his attention that he's staring at it almost enviously. ]

Many things in this world are inefficient and meaningless. I suspect they justify the waste of resources and energy by claiming it brings them pleasure.

[ even if they were all conjured — and to be sure, he doesn't actually fully understand conjuring as a concept — it's still waste as far as he's concerned. ]

How is your machine floating? Chamber lost that ability along with much of its other functionality coming to this place.

[ never mind that chamber is actually a giant mech in its usual state and the local magic might've gotten a few wires crossed turning it into something the size of a large toy. that's beside the point! ]

[songstressedout]

Yeah, it's pretty complicated, getting down there...

[ Even if Yuzu uses her animal magic to change herself into something that can breathe underwater, she still can't maintain something like that forever. ]

Maybe I can help? What kind of magic do you use?

[kirijo]

Focused as she was, it took Mitsuru a moment to realize that the question was aimed towards her, but once that fact had registered she quickly looked up from her phone and nodded towards the other passenger.

"It is." She confirms, allowing herself a small smile. "I'm impressed that you were able to identify that based on a look while the blade is still sheathed."

[kirijo]

Elemental. I have some affinity for kinetic as well, though it's proving more difficult harness.

[ She could probably use it for a burst of rapid motion at this point, but anything sustained or precise ...? ]

What about you?

[songstressedout]

Elemental... you could probably make a bubble of air around your head then, right?

[ Though that might not be too easy to do... Yuzu wouldn't know though, since she doesn't have that kind of magic. ]

I have healing and animal magic... so I'll probably be helping people out if they end up with oxygen deprivation. Still, I do have something I can do with my animal magic.

[ Hm... but she can only transform herself into something that can breathe underwater. ]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

“I wouldn’t be much of a master blacksmith if I couldn’t.” He laughs and offers her a hand in greeting.

“Darin Altway. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say you’re new to Avalon?”

[kirijo]

[ Mitsuru could barely believe it, but there was no mistaking that voice ...

[ Kotone was alive.

[ The realization drove a breath out of Mitsuru that she didn't realize she'd been holding.

[ A hand quickly came up to cover her mouth, and she took a few seconds to just ... breathe. To try and wrap her head around the fact that this was real, and find her voice again. She could feel tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes. ]

I am. [ She paused for a moment, wiping her eyes dry. ] I should be arriving at some place called the Red Spring in the next few hours.

[ She should be happier. She should be overjoyed, but for some reason it was taking everything that she had not to break down sobbing. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking. ]

[kirijo]

"You would certainly hope ..."

It had been quite the jarring arrival ... appearing in the air above the lake, falling and landing on the flat of her back thanks to her disoriented flailing, having the air driven from her lungs by the impact ...

She was very fortunate that she didn't drown, frankly.

Still, she shakes herself out of that memory. Returns her attention to Shinjiro.

"In any case, it's good to see you." That smile of hers got a little wider as she took a few steps toward him, leaving her training by the wayside for now. "You're not the first familiar face I've come across, but I wasn't sure that I'd find any when I arrived."

[foolaround]

[ shit. kotone takes a breath of her own, trying not to cry. if she's going to cry over this, and she doesn't believe she has the right to, it'll be once she sees mitsuru face to face. ]

I'll, um... figure out a way to get there. Or... I don't know. I just...

[ she huffs out a humorless, watery little laugh. ]

I've really missed you. [ she knows that can't begin to cover the weight of what happened. ]

[fruitknife]

"Who'd you find first?"

If nothing else, it might help narrow down what kind of timeline bullshit might be involved here. (There's probably some. That's just how this shit goes.)

A

[intonings]

[ Zero isn't really sure how has she ended up on the beach where it all begun. It's quite far from Camelot, so it took some legwork to get all the way here. The city is too loud and people are far too annoying. This place is better, even if it reminds her that she's trapped in here and can't settle matters back in her world. Still, it's worth all the effort if it means getting away from all these irritating people.

Or rather, it was worth it until some guy approaches her asking about a white-haired girl running around. ]

Every time I look in the mirror, I guess. [ So helpful. ] Who's asking?

[ While Zero has a faint idea who this might be about, she'd rather not have the fiercest bitch she's met here deal with some psycho. To be fair, he doesn't seem like the type to do some wicked shit, but she knows better than to trust someone who just fell into this world. ]

[kirijo]

That was an idea that I was considering, yes. [ Mitsuru confirmed with a nod. ] My concern is that I might end up running out of air before I was able to explore the wreckage thoroughly enough to find the ritual agents that Merlin specified. More trips would mean more chances to run into the Fuath, and a greater likelihood of exhausting myself with each subsequent attempt.

[ Though perhaps she didn't have a better option than simply making the attempt ...

[ The other girl's suggestion has her attention, though. ]

What do you have in mind?

[songstressedout]

Well... I can transform myself into something that can breathe underwater. Maybe for you though... I could probably get some of the underwater wildlife to push some bubbles into your bubble and give you some more time.

[ She's not sure how effective that would be, but it's something, right? ]

Plus, if you run out of air, I'll be able to swim you back to the surface faster than normal, and I can heal you as well... though if we run into a Fuath we might have to run. I don't have much that can deal with them...

[kirijo]

"That would certainly explain it."

She accepts the offered hand, giving it a firm shake with her own.

"Another astute observation, Altway-san. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, and yes, I only arrived within the last few hours."

[kirijo]

[ Another rush of air forces its way out of Mitsuru. It's difficult to tell whether it was a gasp of laughter or a sob -- to the point that Mitsuru herself wasn't sure which. ]

I've missed you too ...

[foolaround]

I bet. [ she lets out a sound that's hard to mistake for anything but a sob, curling up a little in her seat. her grip tightens on her phone, she's gone through this with yukari already, but that doesn't make it easier. things were a little different, with ken and shinjiro. she had been able to sidestep the worst of it with them.

the next words come out in a rush, voice cracking: ]

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

[kirijo]

Mitsuru's reaction was probably quite telling.

To say that her expression darkened wouldn't be right, but the warmth and enthusiasm drained away quickly. Her eyes fell towards the floor and her posture closed off.

"Kotone found me through Avalon Online, and sent me a message while I was on the way here."

[kirijo]

[ Mitsuru paused for a moment, considering that. ]

It might not deal with the problem of the Fuath, but it would expedite the process of searching the ship. If you're willing to attempt it, it seems like a viable plan.

[forgeabettertomorrow]

"I figured. I saw you sitting by yourself with your familiar before the caravan loaded up. I hope you don't mind my asking but...is everything alright?"

[fruitknife]

Okay. Only a little timeline bullshit, then, but Shinji's not planning to tell any of SEES that 'Kotone' wasn't even the name he knew for her first. (The difference between Minako and Kotone is not Kotone's fault and he refuses to make it her problem.)

"Yeah, she found me pretty quick too, when I got here. Yukari and Ken are around - Ken's got Koro-chan with him. You missed Aki. You also missed Takaya, but good fucking riddance there." Clearly, Shinji punched Takaya right out of this dimension, and he'd do it again.

"You think I was dead, or not?"

Horus | The God of Calamity Wishes for Naught

[hor]

A. Soaking in Your Arrival
[ Falling through the sky on its own is stranger than fiction. He's used to the wind rushing past his ears, the sharp chill of wind reddening his cheeks. But that's moving forward, up-- not down. Not falling. A sky god doesn't fall from the sky he's intended to rule. It's not a graceful landing and the annoyed look on his face as he rises up above the water says as much.

--Wait, rises up? Reaching up to push his soaked blue-tinted bangs out of his eyes, he blinks in surprise a few times as he sees the large jellyfish. Egypt has its fair share of jellies in the nearby seas, but none were as large or friendly, and it's a brief moment of confusion that allows Horus to take in the world around him, letting the jelly take him to the shore once he moves to seat himself more properly. Rests his forearm on a propped up knee, one leg over the edge of the jelly's cap, and keeps his multicolored eyes on the shore, only straying to look at the falcon that lands on his shoulder as if it were only natural. (The falcon is more familiar than the jelly, for certain.)

He gathers himself to a standing position, hopping off of the jelly and onto the shore in about a foot of water, about as deep as the jelly is willing to go so it doesn't get beached. The two wings spread out and he shakes them a couple of times to disperse any residual water before they seem to all but disappear, leaving his back bare flesh. He looks to the hawk again. He doesn't know this hawk, but it seems familiar.

The hawk can fly. Clearly before was just a fluke. He was caught off guard, closer to the water than he had time to gain lift. Horus rather determinedly runs up the stairs and to the top of the cliff. This reminds him of when he was first learning to use them, getting a running start before trying to lift off. Except he's no child anymore, so now that he's away from the water, he runs toward the edge of the cliff, wings out again, and... the hawk flies up above him, landing on the cliff's edge while he plummets down right into the Cliff Beast's palm. Though if you aren't watching, this may have very alarmingly looked like this short, braided-haired and gold-clad boy just took a dive and an undignified scream off a cliff. ]

B. Caravan
[ There are a good many things Horus hasn't even started to understand that were gone over before the carriages left, mostly centered around the internet and the phones. He would learn them eventually, but for now they sat on his seat in the carriage, untouched and unutilized. He was squatted before the minibar, slowly taking out and examining every nip bottle. ]

These look like no beer or wine I've ever seen. Are they worthwhile?

[ What's a tequila? And what's with these small bottles, they're such an underwhelming offering... ]

C. Hoist the Flags (CW: Ancient Egyptian swimsuits don't exist, but it's all underwater so don't worry about it.)
[ Horus has been swimming about, gathering items, and is going around with a very friendly face and a little too small an understanding of personal space trying to find his match. More than once, he finds someone and places a hand on their shoulder while at their side. ]

Have you met your match yet?

[ He smiles softly.. and holds up a tarnished silver dining platter that he found in the captain's quarters. It's cloudy as can be and heavily scratched, but it's still clear what it is. He definitely meant did anyone else find a dining platter, not implying he's your match, but Horus is a little forward sometimes. ]

D. Wildcard
[ I'm cool with any prompt, hmu if you wanna chat about it first! ]

[kirijo]

Don't. Please ...

[ Mitsuru's voice cracks, and a few of the tears threatening to spill over finally roll down her cheeks.

[ She shifts in her seat, turning away from the two or three other people in the carriage in a vain attempt to have some semblance of privacy. ]

You don't have anything to apologize for ... you did nothing wrong ...

[ Her voice was a hoarse whisper. Hearing Kotone in such pain ... hearing her try to apologize for what had happened ... ]

[kirijo]

Shinji threw her quite a bit at once with that, and her expression changed to reflect each bit at first. A small (though still slightly sad) smile at hearing that Kotone was still doing all that she could to look after her teammates; a brighter one at hearing that Yukari, Amada-kun, and Koromaru were here as well; a bit of disappointment at hearing that Akihiko had come and gone ... and then outright shock at hearing that the same was true of Takaya.

At his question, she looked perplexed.

"No." Mitsuru shook her head. "I was worried of course, but once the doctors assured me that you were stable ..."

arrival (I Had To.....!)

[keybearing]

D-dolphin? Tifa?

[Though she is wearing something different to what he was used to. It isn't like that necessarily really matters. He's changed outfits and so has most everyone he knows, obviously. He's just more used to seeing her in the black. Sora doesn't think too much on it though, in at least recognizing her, reaching and taking the offered hand easily enough, as much as he was used to swimming. If she's offering a quicker way to shore to figure what was going on he isn't about to say no.]