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

[ilves]

[It's not a full-blown meltdown quite yet, probably because his co-substitute just so happens to be his one friend, but listening to these screaming children is overwhelming! It takes so much effort to resist, like, pulling away and/or ducking under the nearby desk...

But while the hands are staying put for the foreseeable future, he forces himself to take a breath and at least try to be... somewhat helpful. Maybe. Somewhere, surely one or two kids are pointing at him and laughing.]

Send them home! Or— [What do kids even like to do? He doesn't know, so, uh, naturally—] Do something! They're loud.

[Maybe he'll think of a silence spell or something in a second, but until then? This.]

[illequipped]

[Just look over here at Emil and/or this nice wall and not the children. Now Emil has one more, bigger child to look after, or rather he already had this one and now he has like 20 more! Kids!!

Anyway, great, now that it's confirmed that he's on his own even though Lalli is here, uh-- he's got nothing. Just another useless tug, like making Lalli turn away from the kids will stop them from staring.]

Hmm, okay. All kids are loud, to be fair. If you stay right here for just a minute, I'll do my best?

[Don't run away and leave him here alone! He can try going to talk to a few of these kids, though. Try.]

[ilves]

[He wasn't loud, which is why he huffs as he reluctantly turns to stare at a stupid poster on the stupid wall. Yeah, sure. Go! He will just be Here, reading this list of rules regarding ~acceptable uses of magic~ as he waits for things to... quiet down...

...Well. It takes a minute or so for things to finally fall into place, but when they do—aha! His Opal is right there in his pocket, because of course it is, and he risks the well-being of his poor eardrums to reach down and wrap his fingers around it. Casting non-Finnish spells still feels? Weird? He's yet to fully master it, but a bit of concentration is all it takes to... muffle... everything going on around him. Much better. Makeshift earmuffs are no longer required.

Anyway, as Emil is privy to none of this since he's presumably crouched down beside a gaggle of children—Lalli eventually wanders over to loom behind him and scowl down at the tiny terrors. He hates them... and they hate him, because one of them rudely sticks his tongue out? A gesture which Lalli promptly returns, much to the hilarity of all. See, Emil! He's helping! And being bullied by pipsqueaks, RIP.]

[illequipped]

[Emil is doing great with the kids, thanks for asking. Whatever he's actually saying to them over here doesn't matter as much as how the kids suddenly are very excited about his attention, and he is indeed crouched on the floor with a gaggle of children by the time Lalli decides to join him. He is their king. They love him, and only one of them keeps going for his hair. Two, actually, but the other one is the girl who's floating up by the ceiling and can't seem to get herself down far enough to reach his luscious locks.

So the babysitting is going great now that he's had to degrade himself sitting on the floor and letting strangers' kids tug on him and try to touch his hair.

He looks up at Lalli when he notices the very mature tongue-sticking-out interaction, which he finds endearing only because he's soft and weak. The terrible feud between Lalli and Children flies completely over his head.]

Hey! [it took him a mere 30 seconds to decide he loves all of these children actually, sorry about his life] Are you feeling better?

[ilves]

[This feud is about to turn into an all-out war, because that child will not stop staring up at him? There's something incredibly annoying about it, actually, which is why he narrows his eyes and leans down the slightest bit. It's a stare-off!

But he can barely hear a) shrill laughter and b) Emil's question, so give him a second to, like, piece together that incredibly short sentence as he waits for this boy to blink first. How is Emil getting along with these dumb children? Why is he letting one touch his hair?? Lalli's going to shoo that child away from his friend after this current situation is dealt with, just wait.]

No. It's not as loud now, but I don't like it here. [A beat, and then, in an extraordinarily petty fashion:] I don't like him.

[And the boy in question asserts that he doesn't like this weirdo, either. Is one of the children in the background chanting, "Fight, fight, fight," over and over again... hmm...]

[illequipped]

[Oh my god, children, there will be no fighting whatsoever. Emil turns to give that chanting child a look, which gets them to stop chanting, giggle, and start chanting again as soon as Emil looks away-- but look, he tried. No one can say he is not making an effort here.

Now, staring boy... Emil quite casually just covers the boy's eyes with one hand and nudges his shoulder to get him to turn away with the other. This is all-star child management. He has this down to a science.]

Don't stare at him, he doesn't like it. [He explains this to this child right after Lalli says it because clearly no one is listening to Lalli in this room except Emil, so please, little monsters, be kind to his friend. The child turns away to sulk, but like, doesn't leave... he's still here...]

Hmm. Okay, do that? [Weirdos everywhere. He looks up at Lalli.] It's just as loud as it was before, isn't it?

[ilves]

[The child may have been, um, encouraged to turn around, but it doesn't matter - he's still the LOSER, and Lalli looks the slightest bit pleased as he straightens back up. It's one of those blink-and-you-miss-it things, really.

Anyway, what was that? "Something, loud, some...thing?"]

Mm. [Why yes, it surely is loud. He pats the pocket his Opal is currently chilling in, shrugging lightly, because surely Emil has already fussed at him for carrying it around like a common rock.] Use your Jewel to make everything quieter? Like I did.

[Go ahead and applaud his Very Smart Idea. He's waiting... and also, like, stepping over to shoo that pesky child's hand away from Emil's hair.]

Stop being annoying.

[Because he's 99% sure that Emil hates that, but this particularly sensitive little one takes a step back and—yep, those sure are tears bubbling up in those big ol' eyes! Excellent job, Lalli!]

[illequipped]

[Lalli, please don't make children cry-- Emil is still trying to work out "make everything quieter," because he has not read nor comprehended any of the helpful Craft tutorials littering the place, making him a terrible person for this job but somehow still better at it than Lalli... but then there's a child that's ready to burst with messy tears and it's all he can do to look mildly panicked and wave his hands at the kid pointlessly.]

Hold on, hold— [ON........ it's too late; the child is weeping. Loudly. How do you do this magic thing, again??] Never mind...

[He gives Lalli a look of desperation. Teach him the shut up spell.]

[ilves]

[It wasn't intentional! Lalli's just as surprised as everyone else, honestly, but while the children closest to the blubbering baby quickly offer supportive pats, Lalli just, you know, awkwardly stands there. What did he even do? He glances back down at Emil, hoping that he holds all the answers, but... oh, that look...]

Just do what I said.

[Dummy. But even though Emil is clearly having a Very Bad Time, please give Lalli a bit to make the necessary connections here! He needs to think... while that crying child eats up all of his friends' attention and decides to kick it up a notch, because hey, every class has its very own drama queen. Drama king. Whatever. 3... 2... 1...]

...You don't know how. [A bluntly stated fact. Hmm. Where are the resident bullies?? Lalli's whispered words are probably like the scent of blood in the water to them...] Have you even practiced?

[Using this Craft nonsense, obviously!!!]

[illequipped]

[Lalli is the resident bully right now, all things considered— the spurned little boy who likes to stick his tongue out has even abandoned Emil to pat the other one at this point, so on the one hand: no children are pawing at either of them right now. On the other, Lalli somehow making kids cry has done nothing to improve the terrible sonic experience happening right now...

Anyway, Emil gives him a look like that's clearly a stupid question, because it is; he's not magic, no matter how many gemstones he gets forced upon him. Obviously.]

Why would I practice? No— what would I practice? I haven't needed to before.

[Magic exists - he's got that down. He knows that one. Magic is something he, personally, should consider using? That's going to take a bit longer to synchronize properly. It's a little bit old habits, a little bit "how the hell," so please be patient with him.

He does, at least, get up off the floor and frown down at the little group of kids, hands on his hips. Child affection rate is slipping...]

Maybe if we go back behind the desk, they won't follow. [like they're MONSTERS in this HORROR GAME]

[ilves]

[How long have they had their Jewels... surely they've gone over, like, one or two basic things for Emil to work through, even if Lalli used the vaguest possible terms and/or Emil gave up two minutes into the lesson. But that's enough, right?? Magic has always been a part of him; even this weird, non-Finnish magic isn't entirely unfamiliar, so of course he doesn't stop to think that Emil is having a much, much harder time figuring this shit out than he is. Being considerate... is hard!

But whatever! They can snipe back and forth about this at a later time, when there are no obnoxious children around; for now, Emil just gets a flat Look before Lalli turns away. That one child is still floating, but it's cool. It's fine. He can understand Emil a bit better now that he's standing, and he's all for this new plan.]

Maybe. They'll still be loud. [Hmm, pettiness rising—] For you.

[But without any further ado, he will indeed head over to the desk and settle down behind it. Come sit beside him, Emil... let him consider fixing the damage that child did to your hair...]

[illequipped]

[He can't paradigm shift and get good enough at magic to use it at the drop of a hat that quickly, sorry Lalli. He is, at least, completely unabashed by this - judge him all you want, magic boy!! He doesn't need this magic, obviously...

So, indeed, their fun conversation about considering other people's wants and needs can wait until later; Emil rolls his eyes but follows Lalli back to the desk all the same, although he does have to pause and gently wave a child who follows him back to the group. No more playing, it's time for the grownups to hide in a corner.

With the other children still making a scene for attention behind them, they are momentarily safe cowering by the desk. Emil sighs as he slumps down, honestly disappointed in that total flop of an attempt at doing this job correctly... Please help with his hair, he needs it.

And after a moment, as he gazes dully up at those helpful posters,] Alright, what am I supposed to do to make them quiet?

[ilves]

[Ah, an impromptu magic lesson... wonderful. Lalli follows Emil's gaze, skimming through one of the posters before deciding that it's a complete waste of his time.]

...You just try.

[Okay, that makes zero sense? Even Lalli knows that it makes zero sense, which is why he hums in frustration. He doesn't have to teach Emil a runo, or something equally as complicated, but explaining how to cast a weak aural shield isn't exactly his area of expertise. Everything would be easier, he thinks, if Onni were here to tackle this for him, but—alas. Alas.

After a moment's hesitation, he shifts his attention back over to Emil—and yes, he does indeed reach out to smooth those flyaway strands of hair back into their proper places! Partly because Emil still looks rather down, but also partly because... well. He's not going to apologize for doing his best with the limited knowledge he has, but please, Emil, be patient with him. He is... trying.]

You feel it, can't you? Magic. You have to... focus on that. [...] On what you want it to do. You can't think about anything else.

[It's all about WILLPOWER!!]

[illequipped]

[Ooookay... so the poorly-timed magic lesson is going great. Emil can't help but give him a look for that first stellar piece of advice - just try? He's Just Tried plenty of things in his life and been a middle of the road failure at all of them, so maybe not Just Try...

The rest doesn't seem to be working well, either, if the continued look of vague confusion and frustration on his face is anything to go by. He knows Lalli is simply magic as a person, of course this is easy for him, but Emil... isn't. He is just not, so whimsical concepts like "feel it" do nothing for him. What is he supposed to feel? Currently, he feels Lalli fixing his hair, and that's nice but it's no gemstone magic!!

The Jewel is just a rock he carries around, as far as he's concerned. It's not like anyone treats him specially for having one! Hmph.

Also they are still in a room full of screaming children, so after he tries- and he does honestly try to think about nothing but magic- he gives up and waves a hand vaguely to indicate The Noise.]

I can't work like this! Next time I'm just going to bring earplugs.

[......hmm, that said,] Thank you for trying to help.

[ilves]

[Magic lessons are going to take some serious time, my friend! Serious time and serious patience, but one day—after what is sure to be a frustrating conversation—they'll be on the same page. Possibly.

But for now—this, by which I mean frustrated feelings on both sides. In Lalli's opinion, he made everything as clear as he possibly could; it's Emil's fault for not trying hard enough, but he still makes sure that Emil's hair is just as it should be before he slumps back against the desk. He's always felt magic? He's always been able to reach out and grab hold of it? Even this ruckus wasn't enough to distract him from using this new kind, but...]

Mm.

[He's not in the mood for a proper "You're welcome," so this is all Emil is getting! Initially, anyway, but as Lalli watches Emil out of the corner of his eye... hmm. Hmm.]

...Here. [He sits back up with a sigh, reaching back over to... fix Emil's hair once again? No, no—both hands go over Emil's ears instead, because as annoying as Emil can be, he's still his friend.] I can do it for you? This time.

[This ONE time!! It's not an impossible spell; he has enough magic for this, if Emil's fine with it.]

[illequipped]

[On the other side of this desk, chaos. Back here, a fumbled magic lesson and Emil being a quitter. They will not be asked to come back to help with these children again.]

What? Oh— [Oh, those are Lalli's hands? It takes Emil an honest second to realize Lalli means he'll do the spell for him and not, like, be his earmuffs for the time being. In his defense, Lalli also clamps hands over his ears when he's in a Mood, so this is not without... support. Evidence?

Whatever. He considers; honestly, he doesn't feel comfortable having magic done to him at all, but if it's Lalli—it should be fine. They're friends. Just let him make a face first, thinking, before he decides.]

Is it... mmh. [He has about 50 questions to end that with, so Forget It.] Alright, sure.

[ilves]

[There are limits to this friendship, Emil, and Lalli acting as makeshift earmuffs is one of them!! But an aural shield... that he can do, which is why he closes his eyes and, you know, does the thing he told Emil to do a minute before: focuses very, very intently on drawing upon the magic of his Jewel.

...But from Emil's perspective, this is all probably really lame? Lalli looks like he's screwing his face up for no good reason—until, quite suddenly, everything goes from incredibly loud to incredibly... silent. Huh. The second time's the charm, apparently, but as Lalli failed to completely mute everything around him when he cast this on himself, he doesn't immediately realize that he's effectively deafened poor Emil; he just, you know, opens his eyes, pulls his hands away, and nods.]

There. It's easy.

[Is it a good thing Emil can't hear that? Probably.]

[illequipped]

[Yeah, this is all soooo... weird, as the person on the receiving end. To be fair, Lalli doing magic has always looked like Lalli just staring at things until something else suddenly happens, in Emil's experience, but there's something about him doing it while holding onto Emil's head that makes it doubly ridiculous.

Now, the sudden silence? Beautiful, merciful— Emil's expression brightens, apparently pleased with the success, at least until the next abrupt realization that when he can't hear any child in the room, he also can't hear Lalli. This was not part of the deal? No one could have predicted this, least of all Emil.]

Uhhhhhh. What?

[Don't worry, this soon-to-be frightening experience won't color his opinion of magic at all in the days to come. For sure.]

[ilves]

[Are we making this game canon?? Cursed. Anyway, that was... not the reaction Lalli was expecting? He leans forward the slightest bit, studying Emil's dumb face. Where is the gratitude!]

It's easy, [he repeats, a smidgen louder, before his eyes narrow. Wait? Waaaaait. That's much too blank a look, unless—

Well! Surely it's not possible, but he still, like, clears his throat before kicking up the volume yet again.... which probably makes him just as loud as Emil normally is, but hey, he's trying.]

...Hello?

[illequipped]

[The more disastrous a tdm is, the better game canon it makes?? You understand. But hmm, no, he's still getting a whole lot of nothing here...

So all he can really do is shake his head and shrug, like, nope? Nothing. Nada. There is No Sound.]

Lalli— [and he sort of flinches, since it is also strange not to hear himself talking, so weird--] What happened to my head?

[ilves]

[...Oh. Well. This is, uh, clearly not what he expected to happen, judging by the way he merely blinks back at Emil for these first few seconds, but—it's fine? It's just a spell; he's not, like, terribly concerned, even if the thought of being in a room full of children when Emil can't hear a single thing he's saying is...

Okay, so now a bit of panic sets in, but he tries to think of the best way to handle this. Cancel the shield? Or—hmm. He holds up one finger, hoping that Emil will give him, like, five or so seconds to close his eyes and think back to that trick he's heard of other people using...]

Can you hear this?

[Telepathy, boy!! But he's still new to it, so maybe it's louder than it should be... or quieter than it should be?]

[illequipped]

[Emil doesn't know what he's supposed to be waiting for- you bet cha boi didn't remember telepathy was even an option just because it sounds fake- so when suddenly there's a disembodied tiny voice of Ghost Lalli in his head, he is a little surprised! To say the least!

But he can hear him, technically, so the looming terror of never hearing anybody ever again, ever, is held at bay.

.......still, he doesn't know how to do that thing either, so he can only answer out loud and subject Lalli to his comparatively muffled voice.]

Oh- yes. This is... sooo weird. How are you doing that?

[ilves]

[Emil!! Lalli cracks open one eye and almost sighs, but—hey, he did it? He totally did this brand new thing on his very first try, so he's... honestly too pleased with himself to be annoyed by a DUMB QUESTION. For now, anyway.]

I'm focusing. On you. [Duh?] I want you to hear me, so I'm... reaching out?

[To Emil's... mind. Look, this makes perfect sense to him, but he's 99% sure what kind of response he's about to receive; it's why he reaches out to pat Emil on the shoulder. Oh, Lalli of little faith...]

Just keep talking.

[illequipped]

[Cooooool... yeah, he totally gets it. Emil definitely knows what's happening here, for sure, and he has no questions left at all. The pat on the shoulder is not really encouraging, but he's too frazzled by being super deaf to get offended about it.]

Talking about what? How I can't hear anything? There could be a mountain of angry changelings climbing over this desk right now and I wouldn't even notice!

[Surely not, but look, he's defenseless!! More than he already was. There's a beat before he looks up, just to be sure... okay. No kids.]

[ilves]

[You know, as great as his friend is, Lalli would love it if Emil just! Processed things! The same way he does!! It would make Lalli's life so much easier, thanks.

But as no children are currently approaching, Lalli just settles back against the desk... only slightly miffed that Emil didn't tell him what a great job he's done. He wishes that he couldn't hear anything at all... hmph...]

I would. [Probably. Anyway, he's just sayin'.] But if you're scared, then just stay quiet.

[HMPH!!]