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

[itsjiaheng]

[ he'd tried to play it cool and casual, but internally there's a growing sense of dread that he'd made a terrible mistake and overstepped, like the universe telling him he should never think he can get away with being so bold because the consequences are swift. his ears start to droop and he's bracing himself for the worst, so the question souma poses is definitely not what he's expecting. ]

What? Worried? [ he half-laughs as he says it, the tilt of his head now out of confusion. ] Only that you'd be pissed because I crossed a line that I shouldn't have. Not worried about er... touching specifically, no. Not at all. Why?

[ for a moment, his focus shifts, and he sees kokuryuu, taking that pleased expression as an encouraging sign. was that cheating? after all, it seems a little unfair that he should have that sort of insight and not be able to return the favour... at least that he's aware of. ]

[kokuryuu]

[Souma looks down, trying to temper how excited he is at this development with fair expectations. Getting one's hopes up is the worst idea. It is so easy to see them dashed away. Over and over again, he feels as if he has seen it happen to himself.

Eyes on the sand, he pronounces carefully, intending to lay all of the facts out like a disclaimer.]

In Lyon they say, no one wishes to touch the mouth to garbage. Filth makes one unclean..

I... am a lowest-class, a lame-t-tongue. A half-wit. Disowned. And... I have a curse. A stigma.

[Souma places his right hand on his left arm, as if shielding it from contaminating Jongdae.]

You... m-maybe you... do not wish to put your mouth on me. It is... how most... most partners I have been with felt.

[itsjiaheng]

[ the word "filth" already has a secondary connotation in his mind on top of what he knows souma actually meant, but if anything, it makes him reject that awful saying even more. it's not a word that he would ever remotely associate with souma. he's already shaking his head before souma even finishes. he shifts positions carefully, wanting to face souma directly but not do something much too forward like straddle his hips or something. he moves back a little, closer to souma's knees, which is just fine because he leans forward and rests his hands on souma's shoulders anyway. this is different, and he has no problem looking him in the eye now. ]

Lyon is backwards and one day, whenever your world changes — however long that'll take — people will look back on it and say, "wow, those people sure had some interesting history, but they were really gross and racist and nasty, it's a good thing the world got better".

And "class" doesn't matter. Not to me. What's that even mean? I don't have any money either. And why—... "lame-tongue"? Because you're quiet, and maybe you get nervous sometimes? That doesn't make you stupid.

What do you mean by 'curse', though?

[ he looks down at where souma has his hand on his left arm for a moment, then back up to his face with a questioning expression. ]

Actually, I want to put my mouth on you a lot, if I'm honest. But you should still tell me what you mean, just because I want to understand. It's not going to change my mind.

[kokuryuu]

[Souma is listening quietly, timid still. What Jongdae says is a huge surprise-- he had no idea that Jongdae felt this way about such matters, and it's going to take him time to get his mind around the shape of it, because Jongdae is so different from people in his own world. He is... he is kind of like Souma's cousins, which is shocking because he was convinced that his cousins were the only people in the world kind enough to see past titles and classes and stigma.

But, he reminds himself hurriedly, Jongdae doesn't know all of the facts. His opinion might change when he does. Don't get hopeful. Hope is dangerous. It cuts deep inside when you hope for something.

He stumbles over his words a bit but tries his best to speak very slowly, very quietly, so that he won't become tongue-tied and lock up before he is ready to.]

M-my people... carry a curse of madness, of beastly rage. It lies dormant. It manifests if one does evil, or loses control of oneself to rage. If it manifests, it stains the flesh black with the marks of our shadow self. Eventually... it... b-begins to rot the body. From the inside. Kills off an Itou piece by piece. And it ends in a painful death.

When I was... very young, I-I lost my mind to rage. Not just the way a child normally does when they have a tantrum but-- much more. Intense. Savage.

[He swallows, remembering things he wishes he could forget, along with all of the other things that he has forgotten that he wishes he could remember. His brain feels like a holey lotus root slice, sometimes. Or a fish net with a rip in it.]

They say... it was because I was born with an evil nature, that I lost control so easily. I flew into a murderous rage, not one but two times. I was covered with dark curse-flesh.

[He pauses to take a breath, pretending this is matter-of-fact information which is easily discussed. It isn't working well, and he halts between phrases]

Afterward... after many trials and... p.... p-p-pennance, and training. Discipline. My curse mark was reduced in size by great effort. But. It is still marked on me. I always cover it, but. Ev-everyone in the village knew. To them, it was a mark to... make me separate. To warn others about... w-w-what kind of... what kind of person I was.

[Souma drops his voice to a tentative whisper.]

Surely... n-n-not the kind of person to touch one's mouth to. Even if you are n-not in Lyon.

[itsjiaheng]

[ jongdae's eyes widen, and he goes still, barely even seeming to breathe. it's not what he expected, although the shock isn't that he takes issue with any of it. rather, the surprise is in how familiar it sounds.

his hands slip from souma's shoulders and settle instead in his lap as he lets his weight sink onto his heels. he's silent, a small crease forming in his brow as he wrestles with his own thoughts. souma was honest with him, and so he should do the same in return. that was fair. and besides, hadn't souma been the one to take the risk of rejection and head out into uncharted territory first? at least he has the buffer of his present knowledge.

still, it's having to look at his own worst fear and convince himself it doesn't matter. his deliberate insistence on withholding the particulars about himself is how he does his best to steer his own narrative. but maybe this is just what happens when you get too close to people. he can't just keep sketching in little details about himself because if he excludes everything about himself... who is he really?

at the very least, someone who feels like this situation deserves nothing less than his own honesty in return. ]

No... you're wrong about that too. You talk like I think I'm better than you or that you're somehow automatically not as good because of this curse thing, and it's not true. If anything, we're kind of the same. Something like that happened to me too when I was a kid. More than once. Just like you said... "intense". Sometimes it was because I lost control. Then eventually I never lost control anymore and I—... I knew what I was doing.

[ where his hands rest in his lap, they're terribly tense, his fists balled so tight that his knuckles are turning white. he finds an interesting patch of sand off to the side, and he keeps his eyes firmly fixed on it. ]

I also know what "they say" because I've read it. I'm a monster. I'm too unpredictable and unstable. I'm useless for why I even exist in the first place. But they did get some "valuable data", I guess.

Did you see the scars on my back before? I was always afraid you'd seen them and just never said anything, so I used to wonder what you thought about them. Then part of me hoped you didn't notice them because there were a bunch of other worse things to notice that night. It's because I'm not really human. Not entirely. Every time I'd push it and use my power like that, it left a mark. I never knew what would happen. No one knew. Maybe I would die, or maybe my body would have changed too even before Ryslig, so the outside matched the inside. I don't know.

[ he shrugs a shoulder, wishing he could be one of those people who felt better after unburdening themselves. ]

Obviously, I would have no business judging you. But you put in a lot of work to change things for yourself. It wouldn't be unfair if you didn't want anything to do with me because what do I do? I pretend it didn't happen, and I only got worse, not better. I don't want to drag you down with me.

[kokuryuu]

Lee Jongdae-san...

[Slowly and carefully, Souma takes Jongdae's left hand in his and tries to unroll that clenched fist. When he speaks, it is a low murmur that rumbles deep in his chest. His expression is solemn and resolute when he looks up, trying to catch Jongdae's gaze.]

I want... to tell you something. I... saw them. But I do not think less of you. And you are not dragging me down with you. Rather.

For... s-so many years, I felt that I would never...

Never know anyone who can understand how I feel. At home... I had three very kind cousins. But... some, sometimes, they did not un-understand my hurt or distress at events or... they tried to, but in the end... there are some things you must live to understand.

I, I n-never thought...

[Souma lowers his voice to an almost-whisper, like smoke over water.]

I never thought... that I might have someone one day who can understand.

[With that he bows his head and lifts their joined hands. Then he places a soft, reverent kiss on the back of Jongdae's hand. It is at the same time both an answer, and a question.]

[itsjiaheng]

Hm...?

[ he's a bit confused and perhaps fearing the worst at hearing his name. souma's gentle attention helps relax the tension in his grip, breathing it out quietly. his palm is a bit sore, he realises now, his nails thankfully not quite claws, but at least had been enough to still press against the skin and leave red marks behind. it's all but forgotten when souma answers his question; even if he expected that answer, it doesn't stop him from looking up, his concern plain on his face, especially given how even his eyes respond to what he's feeling now. ]

R-really? I mean... I talked to Peace about it once. Told her where I came from. Never managed to have a straight conversation about it, though, because I knew she wouldn't really understand it either. I couldn't ever really get into specifics 'cause I was afraid it would change what she thought of me. And I used to worry 'cause I liked you, and I liked talking to you, and I knew if you tried to get to know me any better, I wouldn't know what to say to you... s-so...

[ he suddenly feels flustered and shy in a way he's never experienced before, already having a good idea of what souma intended to do even before he'd done it. jongdae feels like he wants to hide inside his shirt for what little good that would do and finally resorts to covering half his face with his other hand. he's sure it's an even more ridiculous look to be reacting this way since he'd literally just kissed him a minute ago, but it can't be helped even if he's in his own head trying to talk himself out of it.

it's a little distressing, actually, considering how he tries to compartmentalise everything he feels. he's supposed to better at this, at least in knowing what's what. if he's happy and relieved about something, why does he also feel like he wants to cry? at least he knows that he feels angry, specifically because he wants to cry since he's stubbornly refused to do so for a long time. he makes a sound behind his hand that doesn't look or sound entirely voluntary, and something changes. he leans forward, only pulling his hand back out of souma's grip because he's wrapped his arms around souma instead.

jongdae keeps his face buried against souma's shoulder and possibly squeezes with his arms more tightly than he should. he wasn't prepared for this. even imagining all his fantasies and ideal dream scenarios, he could only guess at what it might feel like to have one of them come true. maybe he's never even felt truly happy or relieved before. how could he know? at least, he's never felt it in regards to this, that much is certain.

he does manage to at least be mindful enough to hope souma hasn't taken his reaction the wrong way. or as wrong as one can take clinging to someone anyway. ]

[kokuryuu]

Mm. It is in reality.

[Souma nods, and his other hand moves to softly touch the top of Jongdae's head. He tests this out, because he has never done this to another person before. Slowly, as gently as he can, he strokes Jongdae's hair, from the crown of the head downward to the nape of his neck. His touch is a little bit jerky, a little unsure, but he is very soft and he tries his best to be comforting.

When he speaks again it isn't a whisper, but it is a low rumble with determination.]

I want you to drag me with you. A-a-alongside you. Down, or up. Or... s-s-sideways.

[Somehow, that sounded like it made much more sense inside his head. He isn't sure if it works to get his meaning across, when it's out in the open.]