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.

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Mitsuru Kirijo | Persona 3 (Portable) | Elemental & Kinetic + Kitsune familiar

[kirijo]

( For the canon-familiar, Mitsuru is coming in after the events of P3P's female protagonist route - a week or two after the end of the game, but well before The Answer, or P4A or anything else. )

The Caravan to Camelot

Mitsuru had a little time yet before she was due to board the carriage that would bring her to Camelot, and she was grateful for that. It gave her an opportunity to move away from the other new arrivals, to find a quiet space outside of the Rent-A-Ride and … try to process all that had happened and everything that she had been told.

It was difficult to accept. Not the existence of magic, or the mythical kingdom of Camelot being a real place -- the events of the past year had made the supernatural something relatively easy to digest for her.

She had just … expected it to be over.

After all that S.E.E.S. had endured in their quest to rid the world of Tartarus and the Dark Hour, and then to preserve the world itself from the threat of Nyx, for another threat to arise so quickly …

They might have had a few months of peace after Nyx’s defeat, but they’d only regained their memories of the past year a few days ago … the same day that they had lost Kotone.

It seemed cruel to be thrust into the middle of another fight so soon after a loss like that … to learn that the world once again hung in the balance, and that failure could mean the end of everything … but that was exactly the situation that Mitsuru had found herself in.

She had little to work with. Her rapier, her evoker, this magic that she had no idea how to wield. She lacked the resources of the Kirijo Group and, while she wasn’t alone in this task, it wasn’t clear if any of her friends had been brought here either. She certainly hadn’t seen any of the other members of S.E.E.S. up to this point …

Mitsuru was … she was angry. Angry that she couldn’t have a moment to grieve after her world had been upended. She was distraught that she might have to face this without her friends, she was --

She was pulled from her reverie by the sensation of something rubbing against her leg.
Looking down, she saw Hippolyta nuzzling against her. It seemed that she could sense Mitsuru’s discomfort … to be expected of her familiar, she supposes.

As she kneels down to pet Hippolyta’s head, a smile begins to tug at the corners of her mouth. It was a small one, still melancholic, but it was nonetheless warm and genuine. She felt a little less alone than she had a moment ago. Whether Hippolyta could sense that too or she simply appreciated the attention, both of the kitsune’s tails swished happily.

The task ahead was daunting, to be sure. Mitsuru didn’t have anything resembling a clear picture of its scope, and she certainly didn’t have a grasp on what role she would play in particular. But she had the power to help mend what was broken, and that was all she truly needed to know in order to accept this responsibility.
Whatever part she would have in setting things right, she intended to see it through to the very end.

She stayed there for a little while after reaching that resolution - enjoying the quiet, though she’d converse with anyone who approached her. Eventually though, the time came for the caravan to depart, and Mitsuru rejoined the rest of the group as they all found seats on the various carriages. She’d make no effort to stop anyone from sitting next to her, but left to her own devices she’d spend the journey preoccupied with the phone that she’d been given -- learning what she could about the world she’d found herself in and compiling resources on how to use her newfound magic.

Red Spring

After several hours on the road, the carriages rolled to a halt outside the Red Spring. The doors opened and Mitsuru disembarked with the rest of the new arrivals, stretching some of the stiffness from her limbs after the long ride. She paused momentarily, briefly reminded of her family’s estate at Yakushima as she took in the sight of the resort around her, but she didn’t linger long.

Her first stop would be her assigned room for the night something she was … a little apprehensive about, if she was being completely honest. She hadn’t shared a room with someone else outside of the school trip to Kyoto last year, and in that case her roommates had been people that she already knew.

She was probably worrying over it too much. It was entirely possible that she and her roommate would get along quite well. If not … it was a short-term arrangement. A single night. She could survive that.

Once she had found her room and taken a moment to get situated, her next order of business was to visit the training grounds.. Perhaps she would visit the springs later on, but learning the nature of her magical gifts and how to effectively utilize them was a far higher priority. So, off she went with her rapier and scabbard in one hand, and Hippolyta padding along at her heels.

Shipwreckers

Mitsuru had been quick to volunteer her assistance once she understood the situation. While she didn’t completely understand the finer points of the situation, the upside of such a mission was clear enough, and it also presented the opportunity to test her command over her magic in a practical setting.

And so here she was, standing on the dock, having magically exchanged her white halter top, black jeans, and high-heeled pumps for her swimsuit, contemplating her course of action.

Swimming down to the bottom would be an easy enough task provided that she didn’t run afoul of these ‘Fuath’ creatures, but doing so before she ran out of air was more difficult … She could create a pocket of air around her easily enough, but she’d probably expand that limited supply quickly - especially if she was forced to exert herself. She didn’t believe that she’d have enough range to create a stable channel to the surface to ensure access to fresh air, and while she could potentially pull oxygen from the water itself … that was a level of precise control that she wasn’t certain she’d achieved yet.

She looked around the docks to the others who had volunteered. If there wasn’t a readily apparent solution to this on her own, then maybe they could handle it working in concert.

Wildcard
( None of the above doing it for you? Feel free to chime if you've got an idea of your own. )

Red Spring

[whatsamada]

[Ken had to admit, he was slacking off on his training and he couldn't risk it. As he was running around the training grounds, his poor familiar was struggling to keep up as he wondered why Ken put him through such a difficult thing. At the same time, Koromaru was happily running after his owner.

Although, his exercise had to be cut short as he heard his dog barking.]

Hm? What is it, Koromaru?

[Ken asked before realizing that he started to walk over to another direction. Where was he going, he wasn't sure but it had to be something important!]

[kirijo]

[ Mitsuru, for her part had only just arrived at the training grounds and begun to get the lay of the land. She was in the process of deciding where to begin and how to book time with one of the constructs when her attention was drawn by a dog barking nearby. She turned her head towards the sound ...

[ And watched Koromaru bound around a corner, tail wagging excitedly as he sprinted towards her.

[ She was dumbstruck by the sight. By now she'd heard that the others were here, but to find one of them so soon ...?

[ She knelt down as Koromaru closed the distanct, throwing her arms around him as he reached her and burying her face in his fur.

[ Perhaps it wasn't the most dignified display, but she was so happy to see him that maintaining any sort of propriety was nowhere near the forefront of her mind. ]

It's good to see you too, Koromaru ...

[whatsamada]

[Once Ken managed to catch up to Koromaru, he gave out a loud gasp. Not only from his running but also to see who it was.]

M-Mitsuru-senpai? Is that you?

[He said before walking a little closer. Now that he got a good look at her, she seemed to be younger. While a part of him was a little sad to know that he was a little further in time compared to his teammates, it was reassuring to know that she was here.]

When you did you get here?

[He asked before his familiar slowly started to trail on by. Poor Jack Frost, he was ready to pass out in the middle of the field.]

[kirijo]

A-Amada-kun?

[ There was no mistaking that it was him, but he looked several years older than he had been the last time that she'd seen him. ]

Only a few hours ago.

[ A beat. ]

When did you?

[ Aragaki-san had mentioned that there was some sort of strangeness involving their timelines. Perhaps this was a manifestation of that ...? ]

[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?

Red Spring

[fruitknife]

Shinji's not nosing around out of any intent to be a proper welcoming committee, but when he hears there's another batch of new people he does go down to have a look. He may or may not be (totally is) hoping Aki's back - not to mention, if Takaya shows his face again, better they're all aware of it before he can hurt anyone. And there's the portion of SEES that's not here to look out for, and any other Liminal Space survivors, and the handful of people he's willing to call friends.

(Not that he's expecting to see Thorne or Helena or Haru any time soon, and he's especially not convinced Haru would turn up and remember him, as prone to timeline bullshit as Persona groups are. Better to get the disappointment out of the way early, though.)

Seeing a familiar face on the training grounds is a pleasant surprise. "Well, shit, look who the lake dragged in."

His familiar isn't with him right now (Mothman probably found some flowers to eat or something, if he's anything like the first Mothman of Shinji's acquaintance). But there is one thing that's bound to stand out to Mitsuru.

She hasn't seen Shinji in short sleeves since around the time Ken's mom died. He didn't even take off his coat for the hottest summer on record in Iwatodai. But here he is, making concessions for how goddamn muggy it is outside.

[kirijo]

Shinjiro's attire was a distant second to the fact that she was seeing him at all.

She was facing away from him when he called out, her attention fixed on a target a few meters away from her with one hand outstretched ... but whatever she was focusing on, she let it fall to the wayside as soon as she heard his voice. Her hand lowered, she turned around ...

And there was Shinjiro Aragaki.

Another familiar face, found so soon ...

"Aragaki-san."

A formal greeting, for sure, but he knew her well enough to know that was simply her way.

She was happy to see him.

[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."

[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."

[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.)

wildcardin it; un: orpheus

[foolaround]

[ kotone tries to skim avalon online every so often, especially when new arrivals show up. typically she can't be bothered to make the trek out to the lake—it's a multi-day round trip, after all—but keeping an eye on things and looking for anything that might point to someone familiar has become routine.

then she sees the name kirijo as part of some username attached to something fairly nonidentifying. it's a guess, at best, but...

please, avalon, let her have this. she sends off a private message. ]

mitsuru?

keeping it on brand; un: kirijo

[kirijo]

[ Mitsuru was sitting in the carriage on the ride towards Red Spring. Only an hour or two into the journey, she was busying herself reading through one of articles that she'd been able to find on elemental magic when the message notification drops down from the top of her screen.

[ She ... she doesn't believe what she's seeing at first.

[ She stops reading, she stops scrolling, her breath catches in her chest, and she simply stares at her screen, utterly paralyzed by the one-word question and the username that accompanied it.

[ It ... it couldn't be. It wasn't possible, Kotone was ...

[ Archimedes had said that the various familiars that drew people to Camelot brought people here from across time and space. If they could reach anywhere at any time, one of them might have found her -- brought her here before she had died.

[ There was a part of Mitsuru's mind - the cold, pragmatic - part that rejected the possibility was outright.

[ Death was death. That was an immutable fact, and no amount of wishing otherwise would change that.

[ She'd spoken to the doctors ... she'd signed the papers ...

[ ...

[ Please.

[ Please let it be her ...

[ She opened up the messaging application and began to type. Her hands were shaking. ]

Kotone?

[foolaround]

[ she doesn't bother to reply to the text, pressing the heel of her palm against her eyes to keep herself from crying. she's got a real sense this won't be easy, but—this is her, the mitsuru she knew—

kotone swipes to call her, not wanting to do this over text. hopefully, mitsuru's in a position where she can talk. ]

[kirijo]

[ Mitsuru wasn't alone in the carriage, but she still answered the call the moment it appeared on her screen.

[ She needed to hear her voice. She needed to know, unequivocally, that it was her. ]

Kotone ...?

[ Mitsuru's voice was uncharacteristically small and thin. Choked by the tightness in her throat. ]

[foolaround]

[ fuck. it isn't hard to guess why she sounds like that. ]

Yeah. It's me, Mitsuru. [ she might be able to play this off with more jokes if they'd run into each other in person. instead, her voice comes almost as tightly. there's no mirth to her quiet laugh, even as she tries to make a crack, even knowing it won't defuse anything: ] Glad you could finally join us. Are you still on the road?

Shipwreckers

[songstressedout]

[ Yuzu herself was focusing on trying to help others... since this would be complicated for anybody without much in the way of magical solutions, or with the right magic but just not enough practice. ]

Oh, hey! Are you planning to head down as well?

[ Yuzu's got her own swimsuit on, and she'll be approaching Mitsuru on the dock. As someone with Healing and Animal Magic, it'd be good for her to at least be in a pair. ]

[kirijo]

[ Mitsuru turns towards the voice, and nods towards the other girl as she approaches. ]

I am. [ A beat ] Though I'm admittedly struggling to formulate a plan.

[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]

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. ]

CARAVAN

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Darin was returning from the Bay with fishing rod and tackle box slung over his shoulder. He whistled to himself, watching as new arrivals, sopping wet and in varying degrees of grumpiness wait for the next caravan back to Camelot. He couldn't help but laugh to himself. For all these people coming in, you'd think that maybe Camelot would have a better service for fishing people out of the Bay other than relying on the Lady of the Lake!

He watches the group of newcomers with a wistful gaze. He'd been here for six months already. He remembered washing up ashore here in the cold winter months. At least it was getting hot out!

But one person off to the side catches his attention. He doesn't approach her. Not yet, anyway. The look on her face struck him as someone who needed a minute or two to calibrate. He knew that look all too well.

But once the caravan loaded up and got going, Darin found himself sitting next to Mitsuru, watching her pore over her phone.

"That's a beautiful rapier you've got. Custom made?"

[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."

[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]

"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."