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

nier ✘ nier: replicant ✘ animal & blood + direwolf

[replican]

a. arrival (vague spoilers for ending d)

[ Out of nothing, there's suddenly something.

That...isn't right. Before he can even so much as try to breathe, the wrongness of feeling, thinking, existing washes over him, cloying and unwelcome, after making his choice. Was it all for nothing, then? Did it even matter? Kainé, Yonah...

...Why the hell does it feel like he's drowning?

Because, as he opens his eyes, he realizes he is. He's sinking deep into dark waters, but there's light above. It only takes a moment before instinct kicks in and he tries to fight it, but it's pointless, anyway. He still can't swim worth a damn, and with his lungs burning, all he can think about is how Weiss would chide him if he were here.

Fortunately (probably) for him, one of the pillow jellies takes pity on his nearly-unconscious form, buoying him up to the surface so he can sputter for some air and blink against the harsh light of the sun.

A few minutes later, Nier has made it to shore, but is no better off for it, his heavy clothing waterlogged and hair in his face, looking like a madman as he charges up to the next closest person and asks: ]

Did you see a girl with white hair run by here?

[ There is more than one person he is asking about. He is, as ever, focused on them, not sparing another thought for himself. ]

b. the red spring

[ The inn is so...comfortable. Extravagant, really, in a way that unsettles him, not to mention the technology that is somehow futuristic and ancient all at once. The bed seems way too soft and big for sitting on or sleeping in, so instead he sits on the table, cross-legged with his blade across his knees, a stone in one hand so he can sharpen his weapon, though it hardly needs it. There's also a very large wolf curled up near the foot of the bed, tail flicking as she surveys the room.

If you happen to be assigned to his room, this is the questionable sight that greets you, though Nier at least as the tact to acknowledge his roommate with a polite nod of the head. ]

Hope you don't mind I opened the window. Better to stay aware of our surroundings.

[ It's dark outside now, and it is a phenomenon he has never before experienced in his life. It's bewildering an army of Shades hasn't descended upon them already. Living here is going to take some adjusting to. ]

c. beach episode

[ You know, after nearly drowning upon his arrival, he was really ready to be done getting into the water for awhile, but Nier is never one to turn down a request of someone in need. After helping to collect underwater mementos and raise the ship, he can allow himself a break, and procures a fishing rod from a stand on the beach to while away the rest of the evening on the shoreline.

Fishing, at least, isn't any different in this world, even if the sea life he hauls up on his rod is.

The problem is, after awhile, he really has way too many buckets of fish, even if he did want to take them home and cook them. And there's such an alarming and excessive amount of food already present — all from a little bit of magic, Weiss would have a few words to say about it, he's sure — that he doesn't see much point in cooking them over a fire right now.

Instead, he approaches nearby beachgoers, holding out a bucket of fish for them to take. ]

Here, they're fresh. Can't say how they'll taste, but I'll bet there's something good in there.

[ You're welcome???? ]

d. cursed kidnapees

[ After days of waiting for the other shoe to fall, he's almost unsurprised that this happens, though being kidnapped isn't so rattling, which is saying something. Mostly, he's frustrated that he let his guard down long enough to let someone get the jump on him, even if he's still getting used to the way magic can be used in this world.

It's somehow more insulting when they tell him to get into the ring and fight. He would have done this willingly if they only asked, and paid him a little. Though he suspects that payment isn't on the table.

That's fine — he'll just have to take it from them when he's finished knocking them around a bit.

Now in the ring and armed with a ludicrously large sword, he faces his would-be opponent, sizing them up. It'd be better to work alongside them to get out of here if they're cooperative, but if they're only here to fight, then so be it. ]

Ready when you are.

[ He always is. ]

x. wildcard

[ Got something besides these prompts in mind? Go for it! ]

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. ]

[replican]

[ Not quite the white haired girl he was looking for, but her appearance is enough to give him pause for a moment, particularly the flower that occupies the space where an eye should be. It reminds him of a lunar tear — but that's besides the point.

Unwilling to let himself get distracted, he's quick to answer. If she knows something, if she possibly saw Yonah, or...or even Kainé, he needs to hear it. ]

A friend. [ Wow, what an answer. ] I need to make sure she's okay.

[ Even if in the case of Kainé, her being okay should mean that he isn't. ]

She would answer to Kainé, or Yonah. Either name ring a bell?

[intonings]

[ Him mentioning two names instead of one leaves Zero thinking how many fierce white-haired girls are running around here. ]

Are you looking for two different girls or are you just terrible about remembering names?

[ What Kainé did to this poor sap. ]

What a friend you are if it's the latter.

[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.

B

[scandroid]

[ Sharing a room with a stranger is a new experience for 9S, which means he's already focusing more on what's inside the room more than what could be lurking outside. The wolf doesn't phase him as much as this seemingly human-looking roommate is. Could this really be a human...? ]

Are you worried about letting your guard down? I can't exactly blame you...

[ New environment, new possible dangers. He has also considered that, although this world has felt relatively safer than his own planet Earth so far. ]

I can stay up if you wanna get some rest though! Really, I don't mind, I only sleep when I feel like it!

[ Probably an odd thing to hear someone say. ]

[replican]

[ It's almost the fact that it does feel safer here than he's used to that puts him on edge. That wariness isn't going to wear off for awhile, because as soon as it does, that's when he'll wish he'd kept his guard up.

His assigned roommate offering to take up the watch isn't all that reassuring, either, but to be fair to 9S, that'd be the case with any stranger Nier is sharing a room with. ]

That's...really not necessary.

[ Does he really not need sleep, or is he just type to be overly helpful? The latter Nier can related to, even if that's one of the reasons he has to refuse. ]

Besides, I'm not sure if I could sleep even if I wanted to. Hard to feel tired after a day like today.

[scandroid]

You think so? The body should typically feel tired after a day of excitement.

[ Biological bodies, that is. He has studied the animals long enough to surmise that it probably works the same way with humans. Of course, it's always more convenient to rest when you want, rather than one needs to, but 9S still wishes to know what it would be like to live like his creators.

He still can't believe he might be sharing a room with one of them. He's like a fanboy meeting his hero! Or more like an abandoned child meeting their parent for the first time...

If he had a heart, it would be pounding a little. ]

Sooo... what kinda day did you have? Bet you didn't have to be saved from nearly drowning! ...N-Not that it happened to me. It's a blur.

[replican]

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

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

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

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

So that makes two of us, I take it.

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

c!

[sereneadherent]

[Marianne is hardly what one would call a beach creature. She's too used to the colder temperatures of the northern parts of the Alliance territory--not as frigid as Faerghus, but still much cooler than it is here in Avalon.

Still, she was happy to help with the shipwreck and is enjoying the respite on the beach, even if she's mostly staying out of the way of the festivities. She's hiding in the shade of a large umbrella when she's approached by a young man with a bucket of fish.

She blinks at him a few times, dumbfounded.]

...thank you?

[Why does he have so much fish????]

Did you fish these yourself?

[replican]

[ Don't worry about it, it's perfectly normal to receive a bucket of fish from a stranger...except not really. Even during his longer fishing stints back home, a haul like this would be unthinkable with the way aquatic life has been drying up the last few years.

That's also why it feels wasteful to do anything but give them away. ]

Yep. I might've gotten a little carried away, but that just means there's more to be shared.

[ Even if it hasn't really crossed his mind that this girl might not, you know, want a bucket of fish...it's basically free food, one of the scarcest things around. Except not so much in Avalon, where a feast can be conjured with a few magic words. That's gonna take awhile to sink in. ]

[sereneadherent]

[It's strange, but it's also clear that he means well. The aversion to wasting his catch makes her think of Leonie, and the fishing in and of itself makes her think of the Professor--her Professor, even though the one here also seems to enjoy it. A small pang of homesickness hits her. Avalon is lovely, but it's not Fodlan.

She only allows the distraction to last a few moments, however, and she gives him a smile of gratitude.]

I can't promise to make anything fancy, but I promise these won't go to waste.

[Marianne's cooking ability is merely adequate.]

What's your name? So I can thank you properly.

[replican]

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

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

And you? What's your name?

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

d-adjacent

[shithogs]

[As he turns to face his opponent, he'll see that there's none to be found— but he will hear the sounds of struggle coming from somewhere just beyond the ring as his proposed opponent struggles against her handler.]

You son of a bitch, let me go! You wanna see me fight so bad, I'll fucking show you! I'm gonna shove that ugly head of yours so far up your ass—

[The handler seems exhausted more than offended or afraid, and not for the first time, Kainé finds herself missing her strength— skill, she has, but this guy outclasses her in size by a lot, and she finds herself roughly shoved into the ring midway through trying to jam her elbow into the handler's gut to throw him off-balance. He does stumble backwards, enough for her to pull free and hoist herself into the ring, and another handler returns her sword to her for the fight itself.

Eloquently, she spits at him as she grabs it by the haft, then turns to face her opponent, only to stop short.]

Oh, shit.

[replican]

[ Of course, he doesn't have to see her to know. Her voice is more than enough, fierce and colorful as ever, and for the first time since arriving, it's like he's drawing breath.

It shouldn't be like this. It shouldn't, and yet in the moment the ramifications of them both being in this world seem irrelevant. What does it matter what should and shouldn't be? Kainé is here. She's alive and whole and, if her actions are anything to go off of, well as she can be.

...So much for the battle he was ready to face head-on only a moment before — in his utter surprise and disbelief, his greatsword clangs loudly to the ground, and he takes a step forward, eyes wide. ]

Kainé! You're —

[ However, that thought is cut off as the crowd begins to jeer, unimpressed with the lack of fighting. They've probably only got a few moments before their kidnappers decide to set monsters on them for entertainment instead. ]

[shithogs]

[Fuck the crowd, this is a hell of a lot more important right now!]

How the hell are you here? This is impossible—

[Except they've come up against 'impossible' before, and disproven it time and time again, but after everything, all she'd gone through to get him back, she'd found herself ripped away from everything she knew and what little in that shithole of a world actually mattered to her.

The crowd continues to jeer, and she lifts her chin as she shouts in response:]

Shut the hell up! Next person to boo gets their goddamn tongue ripped out!

b.

[gunmettle]

[ Well, this must be the room for questionable individuals, then, because an absolute brick wall of a man with a revolver for a head steps into the room, shutting the door behind him. He pauses for a second, taking in the sight, and then finally shrugs.

At this point he’s trying to roll with the punches, or else he’ll go fucking crazy. ]

Fine by me. Mind if I smoke?

[ Juzo was not terribly thrilled to learn the rooms were shared. Hopefully his roommate doesn’t have an issue with his vice. ]

[replican]

[ That's...definitely quite the physique, but then again, two of his best friends are a skeleton and a book, so he doesn't really have any room to talk. Nier gives a nod of acknowledgement, still sharpening his weapon, before deciding he should probably be make an attempt to be a little bit more personable. They're all in the same boat here, after all. ]

Not at all. Go ahead.

[ Many things may have been lost to the past in Nier's world, but vices are not one of them. Some things simply endure. ]

They hauled you out of the lake today too, I take it?

[gunmettle]

[ There's a slight pause as Juzo looks him over again, surprised to get such a non-reaction out of someone. Usually there's a lot more screaming, or at least outward confusion when a stranger gets a good look at him. ]

Appreciate it.

[ Juzo at least has the dignity to pull a chair up over by the open window before he lights up. ]

That's right. I wasn't exactly planning on goin' for a swim today. [ Or like. Ever. ] Lucky us, huh?

c!!

[conciliant]

[Great minds think alike. 2B has taken up a spot on the shore as well, not far from where Nier had been, with a fishing rod of her own. She may not look the part, but it's one of her favourite past times, and one of the few things that feels familiar in a world filled with life. She likes to watch the ripples in the water, and the fish flitting around beneath them, but nothing beats the excitement of a good catch.

Who are these fish for? Who knows, but they aren't for her... Not after what happened with the mackerel....]

I don't think it's a good idea.

[2B motions to the bucket of fish at her feet, almost as full as his.]

Besides, I have too many myself. You should take some.

[replican]

[ Though he might've been peripherally aware of her presence, it's not until they speak that he really takes note of her own haul, and it's absolutely impressive. It's not often he finds someone who shares his enthusiasm for fishing — Weiss especially enjoyed harping on him for it — so he can't help a smile at the woman, setting his bucket down once more.

She definitely doesn't need it, that's for sure. ]

I'd be eating nothing but fish for the next month if I did. I think we both might need to find another cause to donate our haul to.

[ They've fished up a ton, and yet he keeps getting bites. It's surreal. ]

If we're not careful, we might fish up the whole sea.

[conciliant]

Fish are nutritious.

[She doesn't see the problem with eating nothing but fish forever??? If she could, she would!

But when she catches his smile, 2B can't help but swell with pride over her bucket. She didn't think that approval from a human over some fish would be much, but it has her face turning a shade of pink under her visor.]

I don't think that'll be a problem. Pod says that there are thousands of them out there.

D - the worst birthday present ever

[inlutilis]

[ Who faces him is a hulking, barrel-chested man covered in old battle scars, and it may take a few moments to recognize their warden. His smirk is derisive, his shoulders shake with the kind of laugh that starts in his gut, hearty and cruel. Maybe he was in Nier's position once, before clawing his way to the position of keeping captives like him in line. ]

Hah! I know you nothing-can-stop-me types! Don't get cocky, every man's got his limit.

[ He turns his back, reaching into the darkened doorway where his opponent should have emerged. There's what appears to be a very brief scuffle, before a slight figure is pulled bodily from the area beyond with a yelp and subsequently thrown onto the arena floor.

The warden shakes a few golden brown strands of hair from his fingers, as Nier's opponent unsteadily picks himself up off the ground, quailing. With a parting Have fun, kids, the warden ducks his massive bulk through the doorway and exits the cage. His opponent — assuredly familiar, especially with that blindfold — backs up as he clutches an metal-banded staff less as a weapon and more like a piece of flotsam for a boy set adrift in a storm.

It's so noisy here, he has yet to identify his own opponent, or his reaction would have been very different, instead his pleas get boos from the spectators: ​]

I—! I don't want to fight!

YELLS i think you mean best birthday present ever

[replican]

[ Honestly, when his opponent turns out to not be the warden and instead someone very, very familiar, Nier is uncertain if he should be relieved or furious. Perhaps it's a little bit of both, because the sight of Emil — albeit in a form unlike the one Nier last saw him take — in this strange and unfamiliar world is a welcome one, even if they have been set up as combatants. Irrespective of anything else, a dear friend is here, and that takes precedence.

Nier drops his weapon, the great sword clattering into the dusty ground, before he starts forward, ignoring the jeers of the crowd. ]

Emil! It's me! I'm not here to fight you!

[ And if the warden has other ideas, then he has another thing coming. If Emil is really back to the way he was before he took on the power and appearance of Number Six, then they'll need to take a different approach than usual. Still, they're not a pair to be trifled with. ]

I'm going to get us out of here, okay?

[inlutilis]

[ He could swear he can feel the displacement of the air as the mass of that large weapon comes down— except it impacts the dusty ground with a clatter and Emil flinches all over like every nerve had been primed to feel it connect. A second later his head tips up, his mouth falling open in confusion at an imagined scene rapidly veering off-script.

Emil! It's me! I'm not here to fight you!

His heart leaps straight into his throat and it closes reflexively around it like it might flee his body. It's such a strange thing, to be so terrified one moment, and then so wholly elated in the next. His voice cracks around the name of his friend. ]

Nier?!

[ It's him!
It's really—!!

Emil had been nearly white as death, but with life gusting back into him with a brightness at the tips of his ears and a renewed grip on his awkwardly heavy, roughly-hewn staff, he knocks the end of it on the ground until he finds the metal slab of a weapon. He drops to the ground, feeling around until he can heft the handle back up and drags it towards sound and scent of friend rather than foe.

Speechless, all he can do is smile up at him, a cheek dimpling. It might get kind of rough.... but he's glad beyond words to reunite with Nier. Some things just don't require words. ]

Right behind you. Please, be careful!