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

annabeth chase, riordan mythos.

[athnvas]

TERRIBLE TWO (HUNDREDS)

[ annabeth blinks around at the screaming children, equal parts exhausted but accepting. for the one standing next to her, she looks fairly calm. more calm than she probably should. she’ll be having words with prince loren later, that much is for sure, but there is a task at hand and there is chaos around her and annabeth chase is nothing if not familiar with chaos.

especially chaos that happens to involve screaming children with impressive powers that only lend them more potential to be that much louder and that much more obnoxious. at least she doesn’t have godly parents to deal with as well.

a child screams near her leg, and annabeth doesn’t so much as flinch, surveying the room around her. it’s not that she likes or dislikes children specifically (and in situations like these she would absolutely lean more towards the dislike side of things), but she has experience in this. she has been a camper, and now basically a camp counselor, for more of her life than she hasn’t. this? this is easy. try leading capture the flag after the ares and haphaestus cabins have started in on a prank war. that will change your outlook on things.

so annabeth sets her hands on her hips. ]

Hey! [ not nearly loud enough. one, maybe two kids turn to look at her. this won’t do. ] Come on guys, this is- [ she means to say embarrassing, that even eight and ten years old know better. most of the eight to ten year olds she’s dealt with have been on world-saving missions, or have had to outrun monsters to save their own life. but this?

a boy - she’s not sure which one, but she say him duck behind his desk before running off so she’ll remember his face when she sees him next - throws something at another couple of boys a few rows in front of him.

she sighs, reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose, before- ]

Hey!

[ there’s a force behind it, loud and carrying. ever heard a camp counselor voice? this is close, but with something a little more threatening behind it.

the sound in the room stills briefly. annabeth gives a small smile. ]

Better.

REVENGE

[ annabeth's eyes wander to the architecture more than anything, the red brick reminding her of boston, of magnus. it's a complicated turn in her chest, but it's also interesting enough to keep her attention as she wanders into this part of town. how the buildings have changed, what has been added, what isn't worth looking at. and despite her better judgement, she lets the thoughts consume her a bit, keeping her distracted. or at least, distracted enough that she doesn't notice the woman until her elbow is being latched onto and she's being pulled off to the side.

who...oh. mari. annabeth's eyes quickly shift around to the group of other young adults, checking their attention, their...well. their level of threat, really. annabeth doesn't appreciate being pulled into a group of people she doesn't know. honestly, appreciates it as much as she appreciates being put on the spot in front of said group, noticing whatever it is they're trying to drop down into the grate, their intent.

she frowns, looking both disappointed and also disgusted as she pulls her arm back from the woman's grip. ] If your homes are unlivable, why don't you fix them instead? [ she can't deny the slightest hint of mischief that does rise up in her chest, but it's small enough for her to push back away.

her gaze catches the eyes of the other stranger. she holds them a moment, before turning her attention back to the group. whatever you'd like to do, that's your prerogative, but she is not into this. ]

Besides, you're not doing yourself any favors. An obvious, suspicious group of people standing right over where they'll assume someone would place something like this? [ she rolls her eyes, unimpressed. ]

WILDCARD

[ feel free to hit me up at disarmingly ]

;laskdjf - revenge

[inducings]

[ Piper, who was thrilled beyond measure to see her friend, still hates the feeling when the crowd's eyes shift to the strangers... to her.

She glances at Annabeth and immediately agrees that this is not the best way to get things done.

The question is - what's the best way to get them to back down. ]

It's certainly get their attention... but would it be the right kind of attention?

[ The crowd murmurs and Mari speaks up: 'Are you threatening us?' ]

!!!!!!!! c:!!!!!!

[athnvas]

[ annabeth feels herself give a small smile when she meets piper's eyes. because while she knows it isn't the other girl's favorite place to be, under the eyes of so many, she's just happy to see her. did that end up meaning she's pulling her into this current mess? yes. will annabeth apologize later? maybe. ]

You would know if we were threatening you. [ she states, calmly but with a level of something much more threatening underneath. don't worry, mari. she won't be subtle if she's threatening you.

she looks back over the small crowd, and then to mari. ] We are, however, trying to make sure you don't find yourself in a situation you'll regret. Retaliation is just going to lead to more retaliation. Are you prepared for that?

i am SO EXCITED

[inducings]

[ Mari frowns: "They started it. It's their responsibility to their own people that they're neglecting. We have every right to take these steps, we must let our voice be heard!"

That appears to be a cue, and several of her students repeat it. There's more murmuring. Piper distinctly hears someone say: 'It'll be worth it just to see their faces.' 'Let them know what it's like to wallow in their own stench for once.' 'Anyway, that's why we're going through the sewer - they won't catch us.'

Piper doesn't want to start using her power, but she isn't opposed to it either. She glances at Annabeth and decides to try to bring them to their senses first. If she convinces them against their will, then they'll just be back here to do it again later, and maybe no one will be there to stop them.

Mari's the key, she's the one who has a hold on these kids. Piper can see that immediately, with the almost creepy way they repeat her words. There were a couple of faces that seemed hesitant, but Mari'd picked well. Piper gets the distinct feeling that although Mari wouldn't necessarily want retaliation, she isn't opposed to it either. Every Blood atrocity is an excuse to stir up more aggression toward the Blood.

She thinks quickly. ]

I guess it depends on what you really want. [ Piper shrugs a little, and she looks away from Mari to carefully meet the gazes of those few whose expressions had flickered at Annabeth's words. ] If you want to make them pay for their neglect, this will definitely make an impact. They might not even find out who did it. But the key really is pay. Even the Blood only have so much time and resources. [ She turns her gaze to meet Mari's. ] If you stink up their council chamber, where do you think they'll be using it? Making your houses livable again? Or cleaning out their council chambers? Don't you see by doing this, you're not only opening yourself up to retaliation, but you're making it harder for them to actually help?

ME TOO??? ME TOO

[athnvas]

[ there it is. annabeth watches mari frown, watches her respond, watches he connections happen behind her eyes and where the source of the anger starts and she watches the rest of the people around them follow suit. she draws the same conclusion as piper - mari is the key.

wars are always tricky. convincing someone who at their heart feel wronged?

she scans the group briefly again and sees a few of their eyes dart away. not all of them seem convinced, and it gives annabeth just enough of a holding ground. she nods at what mari says, as well as what piper follows with. she's not disagreeing with mari at all - she did have sound reasoning, albeit flawed. ]

They'll spend all their resources on fixing their hall, and less time doing what they should be. You'll be giving them all the reason they need to keep ignoring you, and your plight. [ she shrugs as well, and the whole sight of it probably looks rehearsed, piper and annabeth working off each other all too well. ]

All they are looking for is a reason to leave you on your own, without aid or help. That- [ she gestures to the entrance to the sewer. ] Will make their lives difficult, at best, but will in the end cause you to suffer more. [ she can see a few more of the young adult sturn to each other, starting to murmur, but she can also see the slow set in mari's jaw. the tension building there. and before she opens her mouth to speak, annabeth cuts in, walking into the group a little further. they step aside as she moves, making it easy for her to move and stand above the sewer entrance where the other members of the group have now stood from where they were lowering canisters. ]

Now- I'm not saying you shouldn't retaliate. It's unspeakable what they're forcing you to live through. [ she leans down and picks up one of the unopened canisters, turning it over in her hands and looking at it curiously. after a moment, she lifts her eyes to meet piper's, making a face of looking mildly impressed (though piper can probably tell it's not entirely genuine. ) ]

Hmm. Impressive design. [ her eyes turn to mari. ] Did you make this? Or one of your students...?

yeeees!!!

[inducings]

[ It's good not only to see Annabeth again, but to be working with her again. There was nothing like the feeling of facing a difficult situation with someone you trusted completely at your back - they didn't even have to think about how to do this together, just move in support of each other.

Which... would be a little bit easier if Piper knew what Annabeth was doing in drawing their attention to the stink bombs. That was okay. She didn't need to know why Annabeth was doing this in order to back her up.

It did have the advantage of cutting off and redirecting Mari so that what they'd said had a chance to register with the students she'd gathered. Mari answered grudgingly, "We all built them together. This is for our common cause." ]

The common cause of getting the council's attention so your homes can be rebuilt.

[ She nods, reinforcing the point but waiting for Annabeth's move. ]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[athnvas]

[ does anyone know what annabeth is doing in the moment of it all? her mind sometimes moves too quickly to update everyone else, and if she can find the space in the moment to insert it all, she will. like now, as she fiddles a bit with the canister, feeling the nervous eyes on her. like she could possibly fumble it and it'd just go off where they're standing.

and idea she had, but not her best one. ]

Right, common cause. [ she's not exactly ignoring the point mari is trying to make, she's just. redirecting a little. ]

Because that's what you want in the end, right? For your homes to liveable again? [ piggy-backing off of what piper said, annabeth looks back around to the group, gauging their reactions. a few more than before are starting to look like they're listening, less like they're on edge. mari still looks tense, but that's to be expect. ]

And you should. You deserve to live in nice, comfortable homes. [ easily enough to agree with. she smiles, handing the canister off to the nearest set of hands. ] But whoever- or I guess all of you, since you built them together- already have those skills, don't you?

[ that question gets a look, a few murmurs from more of them, and mari sighs. "of course we do." ]

Then why are you waiting for Blood to come and fix your homes? [ annabeth has turned to mari fully, now, though she's asking the group at large. ] Would you trust them to actually fix your home? As they obviously don't have your skills.

[inducings]

[ Ding. That's the sound of Piper catching on.

"Not have our skills?" Mari scoffs, "No, the Blood have magic. They have skills beyond us. Why should we fix our homes when they owe us. They need to pay!"

A few students started nodding - vengeance and anger rarely followed logic. But Piper saw where Annabeth was going with this, and she wasn't about to let Mari derail it if she could help it. ] They should pay. With materials, labor, and time... but what does sitting around and waiting for them to come and help you tell them? It will confirm every one of their rotten prejudices - you all know the ones that I'm talking about.

[ Landen are lazy. Landen deserve what they get. Landen can't help themselves. ] What you have here, [ She turns directly to Mari and she laces just the slightest bit of power in her voice, ] is an opportunity to show them that they're wrong about you. You have an opportunity to show them that landen have pride, and ingenuity, and dignity, and that you're not afraid to take responsibility for your own lives.

[ The bit of power she put behind her words wasn't enough to make it a compulsion, and Mari wasn't a good candidate for Charmspeak anyway, but it was just enough to make Mari blink and consider, to pause long enough for the weight of Piper's words to settle on the students. They were all listening now, a shifting back and forth in thought, a few staring at the canisters.

"Building stink bombs is one thing," said a student. "But whole houses?"

Perfect. Piper smiles and speaks normally. ] You have the strength and the willpower to put it together. Landen have endured terrible things, and the legacy that you've built withstanding them is amazing. [ A little too much? Possibly. Piper keeps going: ] But there's nothing wrong with taking a little help. It sounds like what you need is a good architect.

[ Very obviously, she shifts her smiling attention to Annabeth and many of the students follow suit. ]

[athnvas]

[ she knew piper would catch on, and annabeth doesn't so much as react to mari's scoffs. ]

And does it matter if they have magic? [ because annabeth knows that feeling. that little bit of bitterness, that edge to mari's voice. she gets it, she understands, but that doesn't make mari any more correct. ] All that matters in the end is what gets done. And from what I can tell, you have all you need to get it done. Without them.

[ there's a kind of emphasis on those last two words. the kind that leans to you don't need them and you have all you need right here, why depend on people like that? she looks around and some of the group starts muttering to each other again, and annabeth lets piper continue.

she's seen piper's abilities at work before, and can notice the slight difference in her tone. in the way the words seem to be shaped. it works, of course it works, and annabeth has to keep herself from smiling at the way everyone seems to be following piper's voice. thankfully she's able to keep from looking too pleased, as suddenly everyone turns to look at her, and she lets out a breath. of course. ]

I'd be happy to help. [ she can design houses in her sleep. especially if its anything like the architecture she's seen so far. ] But they will be your homes, made from your hands. [ she meets piper's eyes for a brief moment before turning back to the crowd at large. ] Better than before, because they will be wholly yours.

[ annabeth swears she can feel the mood change. suddenly instead of standing around in rapt attention, the students are murmuring with each other. she can see mari considering it, her mind already moving onto the ideas but suspicious. annabeth had a hunch that she would be the hardest one to convince, but once she was, her need to create would keep her on the path.

so to just...help this along. annabeth turns to mari. ] Especially with a Master Tinker and teacher like Mari to help lead it. Right?

[ all it takes is one student, someone off to annabeth's left, letting out a quick and confident yeah! can you imagine how cool a house we designed ourselves could look? and with master tinker mari helping... and suddenly the entire crowd of students were chattering away. ]

[inducings]

[ Oh, that was nicely done, Annabeth! It was masterful how she took the weight of attention that Piper had helped to place on her and turned it back to box Mari neatly in with flattery and praise. It would be difficult for the woman to turn back the tide of enthusiasm.

And Piper wasn't entirely sure that Mari wanted to, not right at first - it wouldn't suit her narrative. No, she'd have to decide - bitterness and hatred or a fresh start. It wasn't so easy, Piper had no doubt that this would not be anything like the end. But if Mari actually embraced this... and if the Blood would let the landen take such ownership of their homes... it could be so good. It could be a step.

But it's one that Mari will have to make herself, and so Piper resists the urge to cement this turn further by going to Mari and saying anything else. She approaches Annabeth instead and speaks quietly. ]

Can we dismantle the stink bombs, just in case?

[athnvas]

[ it seems to work well enough. at least well enough that the attention turns to mari, the students turning to a very easy place of reverence and excitement. the crowd shifts then, too, asking mari questions, wanting to know how they could help. with the shift in tide, annabeth lets herself feel good about how that went down - about the avoided altercation.

she steps around the group so as not to bring any of their eyes back to her, moving to meet piper just a bit outside of their now growing crowd. mari, for her part, seems to be answering the questions where she can. feeding into the excitement of building.

annabeth speaks quietly in return, her eyes still on the students, making sure none of them are listening. ] Unless you can find a way to get down into the sewer to get the one they already dropped. [ she sighs, running a hand through her hair - messing the curls a bit, but the action is so second nature, annabeth doesn't really care. ] I tried to find a way when I was looking over that one? But it might involve something more involved. I couldn't do it with everyone watching.

[ but hey, she tried. ]

[inducings]

Then what do you think? [ It's natural to defer to Annabeth when it comes to questions of strategy. Piper didn't have a real feel on the situation either way - she was sure pretty sure that the situation was diffused for now. ] Hang around to see what they do with them, or give them some time to themselves?

[athnvas]

[ she watches the group of students for a few more moments, her eyes finding the one who was still holding the canister, before letting out a breath. ]

I think we leave them for now. If they set off the bomb, then that's on them. But trying to get ahold of it now will just cause problems. [ annabeth isn't exactly happy at herself for that choice - of handing the canister back, of not being able to figure out how to take it apart in the time she had. but she's not leo, it's not like she's built for that kind of thing.

and then she turns to look at piper, the thought fading away to something closer to a smile. ]

Hi, by the way.

[inducings]

Hi, [ is not nearly good enough, and she moves to give Annabeth a quick hug. ] It's really good to see you. But we've got to stop meeting like this.

[ An idea suddenly occurs to her -- ] Actually - hold that thought, I'll be right back.

[ And Piper weaves back into the crowd to speak briefly with a male student. He brightens and she smiles and it's not a minute before she's back by Annabeth's side. ]

I thought it'd be a good idea to find out where they would all be going next and let them know how to find us so Mari can't tell them later that our offer to help wasn't genuine.

[ And to find out where they'd be going to discuss this in case they wanted to touch base later. Piper grins at Annabeth again, just so genuinely happy to see her friend. ] Have I mentioned it's really good to see you?