test drive 02

[thestewards]

I know dust grows even when there is a breeze
Can't move, can't grow When you've fallen on your knees

► All TDM threads may be considered canon provided both parties agree and are accepted into the game.

► Canon threads may be redeemed for influence and reputation depending on how you solve the issue at hand or how you engage with the prompt. They also count toward AC.

► Feel free to switch up your character's Jewel from thread to thread. Get a feel for how a Birthright Jewel may limit or enhance your character's abilities.

HOT UNDER THE COLLARD GREENS
The relationship between the Blood and the landens has never been easy anywhere, least of all Draega, and even less so now that the Strangers have arrived. Between Blood and landen, opinions on the Strangers vary wildly. Some Blood believe the Strangers were landen in their original worlds and thus cannot possibly have anything to offer, but some landens think this means that the Strangers will be more sympathetic to them—or that landens could gain the power of the Blood one day, too. Then there are the landens who think the Strangers have sold their souls to Queen Fayura to gain the Jewels and the Blood who think the Strangers have embraced what it truly means to be Blood. Whatever that means.

Tensions are high, and they're highest on the main street of the Old Town Bazaar, where two restaurants have an on-going feud. The Last Meal is owned by a Blood family, none of whom wear a Jewel darker than Yellow. Across the street from them stands the mockingly named Blood and Breakfast, owned by a landen family.

To say these two hate each other would be something of an understatement.

On this particular morning, Lord Harle, the Yellow Jeweled owner and chef at The Last Meal, comes storming out of his front door. "You've done it now, Laney Cook! Soured all my milk!"

Simultaneously, Laney Cook, who is the owner and chef at Blood and Breakfast, comes stomping out the front door of her establishment, brandishing a wooden spoon like a sword. "Aye, and you've replaced all my sugar with salt, you ripe old bastard!"

Without missing a beat, both turn to you and the Stranger at your side. Wrong place, wrong time, friend. The two chefs decide the two of you can be trusted to help them prove the other party guilty of sabotage because neither of you has a stake in this. And, well, if the Queen brought you here, you should be an independent party. Both Harle and Cook seem to think the Queen is pretty okay.

Truthfully, they're both equally guilty. Lord Harle and Ms Cook have been trying to ruin each other for years, but who knows what you'll find when you go searching for evidence. And even if you find evidence that decides one way or the other, perhaps you'll simply lie and manufacture a solution that suits you—or the Queen who brought you here.


TERRIBLE TWO(HUNDRED)S
You're not entirely sure how this happened, but you're starting to understand why Blood females constantly grumble about the caste of males they call Warlord Princes. Prince Loren has, somehow, managed to maneuver you to the place you're at now: the head of a classroom full of Blood children who all look like they're somewhere between the ages of eight and ten. It's hard to tell, and you're pretty sure one bossy little boy declared he was 203-years-old, so everyone else has to listen to him, thanks.

Regardless of how Loren managed to get you there, there you stand. Fifteen energetic elementary school children all wearing Jewels shriek and shout, using Craft to amplify already shrill voices. One girl floats near the ceiling, her face screwed up in concentration as she clutches a Rose Jewel. Two little boys are taking turns passing their hands through their desks, which strikes you as distinctly unsafe for eight-year-olds to be doing. (You're not wrong.)

At least there are two of you, and you only need to babysit these children for the morning. "They're here for Craft lessons. Surely, you can manage until Lady Sheera arrives," Loren had said before abandoning you to a battlefield full of powerful, pint-sized children.

There's a lesson plan on the teacher's desk, but maybe you should lead with the snacks.


REVENGE, SERVED STINKY
The air is crisp and cool; it's still winter, but it's not as chilly as it has been, and so you're out for a walk. You've made your way north through Old Town and now find yourself meandering down the roads in front of the landen Guild Halls. Even though they're all made of red brick, each building is entirely unique. The Hunter and Crafter Hall, the largest of all the buildings, has more in common with a hunting lodge than the university building it once was. The Elektriline Hall might be the smallest building, but it's covered in neon lights and impossible to ignore.

Equally impossible to ignore is Master Tinker Mari and her collection of landen young adults. They're clustered around a storm drain. When Mari sees you, she detaches herself from the group of landen students and bounds over to you. "Ahhah! Stranger! You have been brought here against your will and are surely sympathetic to our cause!" she exclaims.

That doesn't make you feel too great since, you know, you're aware that the Hunter Guild tried to kill all the Strangers maybe two or three weeks ago. They may have mellowed out, or they may just be biding their time. Thankfully, none of Mari's students bear the markings of a Hunter.

She pulls you to the group. Already, canisters have been lowered into the sewers. A handful of students have clambered down after the canisters. "The Blood wouldn't help us repair the damage in Old Town," she says, rubbing her hands together. "Our people's homes were unlivable. So we're going to make their workplace unbearable." She points at the canisters. "Stink bombs."

There's another Stranger in the group, and you make eye contact over the top of the storm drain. Are you of the same mind as each other? As Mari? The choice is yours: agree to Mari's plan and fill the buildings of the Ebon Council with untenable stench or try to convince them there's a better way.


AIR TIME
Whether you catch the news on a Far-caster in the city or you're spinning the dial on your own device, you'll hear…

etiquette with evandra and aren
[Evandra's voice is a little bit rough and a little bit husky, the kind of voice that gives bad ideas to young men and headaches to fathers.] Today we're talking about everyone's favorite subject.

[Aren's voice is chipper and bright. He sounds more like an eager boy than the full-grown man he is.] Food?

[A laugh from Evandra.] No, Lord Aren. Sex and flirting. Culturally, the Blood don't consider it rude to flirt quite blatantly with each other, even when one or both of the parties is married. Isn't that right?

[Aren:] That's exactly it, Evandra. Older males allow young witches to flirt because it's understood that the male isn't interested or available. He becomes a safe partner for her to practice on, and his approval lets her know what is and isn't acceptable.

[Evandra:] What does it mean if a married male or witch flirts with you?

[Aren:] Casual flirting means that witch or male thinks you're safe. It's their way of telling you they feel comfortable around you. Of course, it's always acceptable to ask them to step back! [He laughs.] As we all know, just because you can flirt with a Warlord Prince's lady doesn't mean you should!

[Evandra:] Let's take a look at casual flirtation between different Blood castes…

the weather
[A soft-spoken man's voice rumbles out of the Far-caster. He's pleasant to listen to, with a soothing cadence to his voice.] Warmer temperatures will see melting snow over the next week. Be careful around the Heartsblood River, as the heavy snows will result in flooding along the banks. Need flood insurance? The Transport Guild is looking to expand into…

the news
…amusing to hear that Grand Master Niall blames the Blood for the fires in Old Town. It is my understanding that members of the Blood, these so-called Strangers, went out of their way to rescue both Blood and landen during the fires set by the Grand Master's Hunter Guild. [The man speaking has a slow, clipped cadence to his voice. It's very posh and polished.]

[Another voice, presumably an interviewer:] The Council counts the Strangers as Blood, Lord Grejor?

[Grejor:] What else can they be? They wear the Jewels, therefore they are among our number. [He laughs, and the sound is cold.] The Council is pleased to welcome our new brothers and sisters.

Comments

[inducings]

[ Piper has seen human faces turn into monsters before, but not like this. Her eyes widen and she does go a shade paler, afraid, yes, but hardly petrified. Like other demigods, her mind is hard wired for combat -- and what did she have to fight with here? Nothing, less than nothing, she was useless--

And there were children.

Think, Piper. Why is he doing this now? It's not a threat, not overtly -- because she challenged him? What does he want? What can she use?

He wants me to be afraid.

...well, too bad. She wasn't giving him that, not any more than she already had. She compresses her lips and tilts her head slightly. ]

You make a good point. Please put them away before the children see.

terrible two (hundreds)

[championbittersweet]

[Jonathan wasn't especially pleased to have been bought here as well, not entirely reassured that there were spells of protection so he didn't need to worry about the sunlight; something bought up after he'd tried claiming he couldn't assist around the residences during the day. Now here they both were and, by the sound of it, the other stranger wasn't much more skilled than he was.]

Nor mine. Should we perhaps stop them from... [Jonathan gestures uncertainly at the floating child and the pair putting their hands through solid objects.]

i

[thequitecontrary]

Nothing.

[ That's Mary's response. Because while she would agree that this entire ordeal was highly annoying, it's not their place to dispense any sort of justice. She has no idea how the courts work here, but vigilantism won't solve anything.

Besides, she watched what the other man did, how he compelled the two people to tell the truth, and she wonders what sort of magic he has. He did it so easily that it unnerves her.

She reminds herself that his jewel is green, which makes her red one more powerful than his. ]

Leave them be. We've sorted it out and now it's done.

[withbite]

Two good points.

[His tongue tapped the tip of each fang, and then his face was back to the pretty yet mundane version it had been before. And he smiled up at her. Well, she was interesting, wasn't she? He'd heard her pulse skip for a moment, smelled that slight edge of something... but whatever she might be feeling, she was repressing it and facing the big bad monster. Either she'd seen his kind before (doubtful), or she'd seen something before (more likely, considering this place and that she was another Stranger, like himself).]

Want to hear something funny? Believe me when I say that no matter how scary I can look, they won't ever be half as afraid of me as you'd be. Not unless I started hurting them. Because I'm an adult, and adults are supposed to be all big and protective. But you... well. Adults know better. There are monsters under the bed and some of them aren't so scary looking. But humans... well. You all do worse things to yourselves with less excuses.

[championbittersweet]

[That was it. Jonathan's fangs lengthened again and he snarled, pure fury and rage. He barely had to think to disappear and reappear directly in front of the other vampire in a swirl of black smoke, his hands fisting clothing as he aimed to shove the man back against the brick wall of the building.]

You will do no such thing.

[withbite]

[Damon doesn't really pay attention to her jewel, mostly because he's new here and doesn't quite get how the whole shebang works, but also because he just doesn't care. He's mouthed off to the originators of his species with a suicidal flare, because Damon had elephantiasis of the nuts.

So he hears the suggestion, sees who's making it, and twists his lips in a wry hum, tapping his chin.]

No, I don't think so. You don't learn from just telling the truth. Pirates used to get branded. A lot of people used to get branded. Maybe a little pain will teach them what I'm guessing a few slaps on the wrist haven't already.

[withbite]

Ooh, that's nifty. You learn to do that here?

[Well, if they were going to whip their magical dicks out and have a sword swinging contest, Damon wasn't going to just lay down and claim defeat. He moved in that blur of motion his kind had, seeming to just blink from existence and show up a hundred feet away, waggling his fingers almost coyly.]

Yoo-hoo! Over here, big boy. No fanfare of smoke for me, but hey, it works.

Horatio Hornblower | Hornblower

[midship]

[a] TERRIBLE TWO(HUNDRED)S

[Truth be told, Horatio doesn't mind children. Now that he's learned to keep his own stomach, he does quite well with the new recruits and the veritable army of ship's boys constantly needing to be wrangled back into order on the cusp of battle.

But this?

These children are part of an entirely different sort of hierarchy than the one Horatio had been beaten into over the last few years. These children, he's also fairly certain, have a half-decent chance of actually outranking him--and possibly his companion at the front of the room.

Still, a task is a task. All a body can do is break itself in the attempt to comply.] --divide and conquer, then?

[b] AIR TIME

[The fact that everyone isn't utterly fascinated by the tinny voices that seem to pepper their way out of corners nearly wherever he finds himself is almost as fascinating as the voices themselves.

For now, at least, it's the presence of the mechanical marvels themselves that seems to have captured Horatio's attention. He's not completely listening to the words, instead seeming fairly intent to study the unfamiliar lines and contours of the far-caster currently peppering out information as if the speakers were truly no farther than a cable's length away.

If it looks like he's very intently listening to a broadcast about the weather (or, much worse, sex and flirting) with an incredibly intent expression, well, that's just a dreadfully embarrassing something that someone ought to tell him.]

[c] wild card

[hit me with your best shot etc etc]

i apologize for my tl;dr

[inducings]

[ The terrible pun coming from a face like that - with eyes like that - made the experience all the more surreal, and entirely terrifying. A tight little knot of fear hitched in her chest, wanted to work its way out with a sound, a gasp or a sob - or even a laugh. Piper refused to let it.

She wished any one of her friends were here right now, any of them were better in a fight than she was. She'd been working to change that, but - if he decided to stop reading and do something that would hurt these children... she'd do what she could. She'd faced down giants, but she'd at least had a sword then.

Focus, Piper.

He put the fangs back. She exhaled but didn't relax. She wanted to glance at the children to see if they were all right, but there was just the sound of rampant playing. It would have been foolish to take her eyes off him, so she didn't.

And then her shifted in focus, going from casual threat to - philosophical, almost. Why? (An attempt at manipulation. Establishing a perceived superiority. What does he want? What can she use?) ]

Maybe. But even if they wouldn't be as scared as I would be, it'd still scare them. So thank you for putting them away.

[ She wasn't interested in engaging him on a moral high ground contest; Piper didn't feel the need to prove anything. All she had to do was make sure the kids were all right. ]

[championbittersweet]

No.

[Jonathan's senses are so much sharper since he received his red jewel, it's as if he were reborn anew once more. He can tell the other man was moving at a speed that would seem a blur otherwise, but he tracked him easily and disappeared again to reappear in front of him, this time crowding close and taking advantage of their height difference to loom over him.]

I don't think you quite understand, childe, and I am quickly growing tired of giving you chances that you seem intent on throwing away. You may wear green, but my jewel is red and that is what matters in this place. I could force you to submit to my will and you would not be able to stop me.

And yet even then the Queen would be able to turn my mind inside out if she wished, while any human with a jewel darker than yours would easily resist what you did out there and then make you pay for it.

This is the world you are in, and as I have been trying to explain, you cannot act as though you can do whatever you like here. You will be killed, and no one will try to prevent it if you act as you have been.

No such thing as tldr

[withbite]

You haven't been around kids much, have you? They'd think it was cool. Just like if you started talking about blood and guts, the girls would pretend to think it's gross, while the boys would actually say 'ew gross', then demand you tell them more.

[He shrugged, eyes going back to his book, but not before he gave her a wink.]

At least I'm not eating them.

[A look at a watch on his wrist, then down at his stomach, giving it a pat.]

Yet.

[withbite]

[That was a bit of a surprise, but again, Damon hadn't exactly not come across vampires that were bigger and badder than him. Or sassed off to his progenitors. He had zero respect for authority. Less than zero. Sub-zero. Fuck the po-po.

So as the vampire loomed over him and snarled, Damon lifted up onto his toes and gave him a quick kiss on that snarling visage.]

Aww, is that concern, grampa? I'm touched, really. I don't know how whatever works in whatever world, buckaroo, but unless you're one of the Originals, you can't mind-bend zippity doo-dah on me, and I'm pretty sure you're not of ye olde Mikaelson clan. So save your holier than thou fluffy critter biting ways for some priest who'll want to hear it.

Honestly? I still don't get this whole jewel thing, but it is what it is, and yay, you got the gold star. And the queen can-- Jesus. I don't know if I'm talking about Lizzie or some mutant bee. Whatever. I'm used to people trying to kill me, and I'm definitely used to the lack of shits given about that. So, you know, thanks for the pep talk, but I'm going to go have fun now.

[inducings]

[ ...she didn't think he'd do that. Not because she thought that he'd find anything wrong with it, necessarily, (she'd met beings who thought turning people into frozen statues and then knocking them over was normal), but because that'd be a short route to getting in a lot of trouble.

She didn't know what he wanted, ultimately, but she'd picked up enough on the fact that he liked to talk, liked to show off - that was something she could use, if she needed to. ]

You're right, I haven't spent much time around kids.

[ That didn't cost her anything, and it might make the questions she had easier. She lowers her voice a little: ] What are you?

[withbite]

[He didn't exactly know what she was fishing for, but she was fishing. A little bit afraid, maybe, but still fishing. And she wasn't exactly hard to look at. He rested the book against his chest, open, and looked up at her, giving her his best 'that eye thing you do' with baby blues.]

Sexy as all hell. And interested...

[Another lift his his brows, and he put a heavy emphasis on that lip bite.]

[inducings]

[ Seriously? He'd done nothing to help the whole time they'd been in here, and then he'd shown her that he had actual fangs, and he was still trying this?

There are a lot of different ways she can take this, including her normal - please don't look at me, ugh, get away - and knee-jerk response. But Piper gives in to sheer incredulity. ]

Seriously? You're trying that right now?

[withbite]

Why not? You'd be surprised how often it works. I'm a bit of a catch.

[His finger tapped at the back of the book, his eyes skimming down over her, then back up to a furious face. It just made him smile.]

Long lives mean needing to find the things that make it worth living. Sex is one of those things.

[inducings]

[ Piper worked hard to keep from becoming the center of attention. She cut her hair in ragged layers and wore baggy clothes. She tried, but there were limits to what she can do - she was the daughter of Aphrodite and one of her world's most famous sex symbols. This was not the first time someone had come on to her, not even the first time someone had been so blatant about it. It still made her feel like she wanted to hide behind a lead curtain or take a hot shower.

It was interesting, though, because it was clear enough to her that he was being... genuine - genuine-ish, at least. He didn't mind if it insulted her, but that wasn't his primary reason for saying or doing this. She got the feeling that he wouldn't have minded if she said yes, and wouldn't really care when she said no - he'd be entertained either way. Was that what this was about? ]

No. [ And then, almost out of curiosity to see how he'd respond if she attempted to make it as mundane as he did: ] Thanks anyway.

[withbite]

Your loss. Don't expect me to kill myself over a single rejection. Too used to it. Now, as for your previous question... I'll tell you if you tell me.

[He tapped his nose.]

Whatever you are, you smell different. Unless that's how humans smell where you come from. Doubt it. Just makes me want to nibble on you more.

[He really wasn't that unused to being turned down. He might be a little sensitive to it at the moment, what with the whole Elena thing... again, but hey. He was almost a pro at this point.]

[inducings]

I didn't think you'd kill yourself over it. [ That seems important to clarify, for some reason.

Probably because he's wearing a human face. She needs to remember what he really is. It's frightening, really, how his particular brand of charm and his exceptionally good looks could make her want to forget what she'd just seen. She's starting to see why his follow-up may not have been as absurd as it looked at first glance.

Her mind didn't want to believe that he was - what she'd just seen. She'd much rather believe that a handsome guy with a 'dangerous edge' was just flirting with her, interested, available, and willing.

And she had the best defenses anyone could ask for with that sort of thing - she was unusually perceptive, she'd seen monsters, real monsters, and she was in love with someone else. And he still got to her.

That made him even more dangerous. It was like his pun. Piper refused to let herself forget.

And she had something that he wanted now.

She smiles a little, almost self-effacing, almost mischievous. It's a little incongruous with the way she's still holding herself - ready to move, if need be. ] And I don't think you'd believe me.

[ She lets her gaze flicker away from him to the snacks on the high shelf, and then to the children who are... playing 'infect each other with rabies' because she's been talking with him for too long. Great.

But at least they weren't using Craft and they weren't hurting themselves. She returns her attention to Damon. ]

[withbite]

Uh huh. You're telling a vampire that you don't think he'd believe whatever flavor of boogity you think you are. You don't smell like a witch. Not herby enough. But you do smell... tasty.

[He saw that edge, holding his hands up and rolling his eyes.]

Don't get all pissy. I'm not going to bite. Not here, anyway. Biting can lead to more fun things, and that might be too inappropriate for kids to view from even my perspective.

[He'd thought werewolves were a vampire boogity story -- until one of his best friends had died from a bite. Then he'd met the Mikaelsons. Witches were something he'd known about since he'd been human. But the rest...? There were a few weird instances he'd had to wrap his head around, but it was all just another flavor of 'things I didn't know about before and now I do so yay, new things to play with'.]

[inducings]

[ A vampire.

Of course. Perfect. Wonderful. She'd fallen into a young adult's novel and she couldn't get up.

Man, she wished she could tell Hazel about this. But... her gaze flickers from him to the window - morning sun was pouring in. How...

And tasty -- great, just great. Bad enough that monsters in their own world tracked them by scent, monsters in other worlds could too? And 'more fun things' like -- what -- gah --

Focus, Piper. ]

No, I was telling someone whose 'boogity' identity I didn't know that I didn't know that I didn't think he'd believe me. [ A little shrug. ] Now that you've already told me what you are, you don't have anything to trade.

[ Except she didn't think boxing him in like that was a great idea. And she was like 80 percent sure that if he saw her talking to Percy, he'd figure it out anyway, because... Percy. And also... ] Except I still can't reach the snacks.

[ She could drag a chair over, which had been her prior plan, but boxing him in really didn't seem like a good idea. So - let him have an out, let her see if he takes it, even if it means helping her and the kids. ]

[withbite]

[Come on, Piper. Ask him. He loved being the center of attention. Even bad attention. He'd never really learned that lesson. But he watched her process all of that, go through all her emotions, come to her conclusion, and then throw that witty repartee back at him and he laughed.]

You so sure about that, Judgy?

[He moved, the front legs of the chair hitting the floor, his feet lowering, and the book setting on the desk as he was just... there in front of her.]

You asking me to be a big strong man and help your tiny little girly self out? That feels less than genuine.

[championbittersweet]

[It was lucky it was only a quick peck because Jonathan was in no mood to play around and it was met with a snap of teeth that only just narrowly missed catching the other man. Because while Jonathan would hardly admit it unless extremely pressed, his hunger had been far harder to manage since he'd acquired his red jewel and while he'd tried to ignore the Queen's comment that he would likely need blood more frequently than before, he was determined to keep to his abstinence. The result was that the other man was more correct than he liked; all those suppressed instincts to hunt and feed were eating at him and this... was too tempting a target.

He was done with debate now, his hunger in full control as he snapped a hand out to try and sink hands more like claws now in the other vampire's arm in an effort to hold him still as he went for his neck.]

...do they even know each other's names? I assumed introduced at the door, but maybe not??

[inducings]

[ And just like that, he was in front of her. Demigods might match vampires for strength, or very nearly, but Piper's superhuman speed didn't match his. She couldn't do much more than process the after-effect of his movements, have just the slightest bit more warning than a normal human, because it looked like he was just -- there. In front of her.

And his presence like that was a threat. She remembered his other eyes, his real eyes. He was reminding her that he was being civil because he chose to be, that he thought he could just take from her what he wanted - that he had plenty to trade.

Fear was her brother. She knew him well, and she would not give it power over her. Of course I'm afraid.

Piper crosses her arms and tilts her head at him, eyebrows arching slightly. ]

I've been asking you to get the snack down for us since we got in here, remember? I'm not saying I can't do it, [ that had stung her pride, as it'd been meant to, but immediate survival kind of took precedence ]. I'm just asking you to do a fair part of the work.

[withbite]

[He was still a bit surprised to find someone that much stronger than him, but again, it wouldn't be the first time. So while Jonathan went for his neck and dug claws in, Damon used his brain; he lifted his knee and aimed for the vampire's gonads.

Breathing or no, that was going to give him pause. Or should. And if not? Oh, you poor, poor bastard.]