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

[sunborne]

Oh! You mean something like— Wedding rings?

[ that’s what you call them, right? they’re weren't all that popular back on earth when daylight was still there, but maybe it’s different for this world due to its free-for-all flirting stuff. gotta make sure you know who you're hitting on!

he lets out a thoughtful hum, trying to recall any details like that in his attempts to not slam into people during his daily walks. ]

… Not really. No. I’ve seem some couples dress up similarly but, um, I think that’s what most lovey dovey couples do. [ a beat as he really thinks on what he said.

then he adds in a rush, ] Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course! Go you if you wanna wear the shame colour schemes and stuff! The- The generalised use of you, of course, and, um, yeah.

[ daylight. please. ]

[arcuballista]

( Wedding rings... It would be a good idea, but somehow not something that her world does, by and large. People like her mother may mark their husbands as part of their family, but after two years travelling, Seoya knows that isn't the case everywhere. Or even in most places.

Well, if nothing else, Daylight's rambling explanation makes her laugh, bright and good-natured. )

We did that at school. ( Well. ) There were uniforms, of course, but people wore matching socks. Or hair ties. ... Or cover their notebooks in the same paper. Matching phone accessories... ( Seo, stop. )

[sunborne]

[ no!! she’s gotta keep going! because daylight is clearly enamoured by what she’s talking about.

he all but squeals when he hears what she lists down, finding it all pretty adorable. he faintly remembers auntie saralyn and auntie laura having matching notebooks, but he's never heard any of these before and he wishes they were a 'thing' where he's from.

(and what’s that weird fluttering sound in the background? birds flapping their wings...?) ]

That’s so cute! I have two friends who are going out right now. I think they’ll like the idea of having matching accessories together, since other options to show their, um, togetherness is too much for them.

[ matching paintjobs isn't an option for nightbreak and switching armour isn't an option for dialup. ]

[arcuballista]

( It was a bit of a silly trend, but she loved it, honestly. There's a whole box of things in her room back home, old phone covers and textbooks covered in chartreuse, and she feels a pang of homesicknesses as her mind conjures the sight of it, tucked in the back of a chest of drawers.

Are they going to undo what they've done before things hit the capital city, their homes and families?

She can only hope this deal with the Queen will do that.

But, thankfully, this conversation is a good distraction from the threat of emotions welling up in her. Something happier than the fear and worry which comes with the ghost of freezing gales of wind against her skin. )

Really? ( Ding ding ding! ) Cute! You should gift them something. ( HMMMM... ) ... What about bracelets?

[sunborne]

Bracelets...?

[ he gives it some though and, of course, immediately loves it. because wow! that honestly never occurred to him before. and the more he thinks about it, the more he likes the idea. dialup might like it, given her fondness for artifacts from other worlds.

nightbreak is a harder nut to crack with how she doesn't like physical materials and has no arms buuuut- if he's right, dialup liking it means she'll, at least, have to keep the bracelet around. ]

That's a great idea! You're amazing! [ the strange bap-bap-bap noise comes back and, this time, with full force with how loud it is now. daylight is certainly bubbly and bright enough to be a good distraction for someone who needs it. ]

Guess I gotta figure out where to get them while we're all here. They're pretty big and a lot of jewellery here is for smaller humanoids.

[arcuballista]

( There are certainly ways around that, if you ask Seoya. )

We'll go shopping together. ( That's not a question, or a suggestion. She's decided it's happening and, hey, who wouldn't want her good taste helping them out with this decision? ) A good jeweller would offer things for all sizes of... humanoid.

( Humanoid? Weird. )

[sunborne]

We will?!

[ daylight is so excited that his voice ends squeaking a bit, his glee palpable through the waves. ]

Oh my gosh- That'll be so cool! I haven't gotten a chance to properly see the bazaar since I got here since everyone is kind of nervous and oh wow!

I totally forgot to introduce myself to you. [ he laughs, a little embarrassed over his ditziness. ] Sorry about that.

[ he sticks out his servo and remembers that this is on audio-only, so he's pretty relieved that he can lower it and no one will ever know. ]

I'm Daylight! You can call me 'Day' if you want!