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

[midship]

--no.

[The word comes, perhaps, a bit too fast and harsh, but surely that's better than sounding faintly afraid. The classroom, after all, was at least as much like a ship as they were likely to get--keeping rowdy energy in a single place where, perhaps, it could be tamped and tempered and made into something productive.

Free in the world would be like men let free at port: really, it was a lucky thing to get any of them back.] Not-- outside.

[But that just means beginning to analyze how best to rearrange the desks. Horatio's fingers shift idly against the edge of the teacher's, lesson plan ignored as his hand sketches absently toward a stowage plan.]

Could you stack them?

[sunborne]

[ who knew giant robots could be so expressive? daylight's face in the immediate aftermath of hearing the no:

basically a :( face.

the expressiveness is only emphasised with how daylight's shoulders slump and his winglets droop from behind him as if they're trying to hide now. were the ideas not that good? his expression fairly sheepish and embarrassed and he looks ready to apologise for the idea-

but then he hears the added suggestion for the tables and he immediately perks up. it's almost comical with how his winglets perk up. there's an audible 'sproing!' to them, fluttering now. ]

Yeah! Sure! [ he begins to rock back and forth on his feet, getting kind of reckless now. he isn't used to staying still for this long and he hopes his partner doesn't mind or mind too much if he did. ] I can totally do that! Easy peasy for me.

[midship]

[Horatio certainly hadn't known. Then again, Horatio had never imagined in his wildest dreams that a robot of any size could or would ever be A Thing.

But that's not something Horatio has time to think about just now. Now, it's far more important to herd children to one side while Daylight handles the heavy lifting. Really, if he doesn't focus too hard on the actual optics, it's a bit like simply having Styles's massive bulk to throw at a sticky (or, more accurately, heavy and cumbersome) problem.]

Right. [His hand lifts from the teacher's desk to point properly at the rows of desks.] Back row against the wall, next row stacked on top, third row pushed into it.

[That ought to keep the top row from falling onto any (potentially fragile) little skulls if (when, inevitably) a child went careening into the pile of desks.]

Manage that and keep an eye on your lot, sir?

[sunborne]

Yep! [ he gives a little salute before he heads off to do as he's asked. ] I haven't gotten my all-surround sensors upgrade yet, but I can keep an eye on the kids!

[ it definitely helps that the kids are keeping their eyes on him. as daylight shuffles about to move the desks and chairs around, most of the children scatter and fall back so they can better gawk at daylight.

some try to be brave and move closer, trying to see how daylight move about and functions. most stay near horatio, suddenly very interested in staying near the human stranger until the risk of raining desks and chairs come to a defiant end. it's all fun and games until little human hands (or heads) get smooshed by momving furniture. ]

And! Um! You don't need to call me 'sir' or anything like that. That's way too old for someone like me.

[ he's going to turn a hundred-and-nineteen in a month or so, yeah, but that's like nineteen in earth time units. ]

Daylight is fine! Or Day! Whichever you prefer, mister.

[ then he looks at his partner, his winglets wiggling in curiosity because he's obviously waiting for a name in return. ]

[midship]

[They have a plan. That plan makes best use of the resources they have and anticipates the likeliest breakdowns in the initial stages. This is good. This isn't, say, anything worthy of an actual smile, but it's better than where Horatio had thought they would be.

There are a handful of children to cluck at softly, with the odd reassuring touch of a shoulder or comforting mutter as their classroom's ecosystem begins to shift and change around them. That has most of Horatio's attention when Daylight speaks again.]

...as you like, Mr Daylight.

[That's sorted, then, surely. It will be a bit of a struggle against his instincts to keep 'sir' off his tongue, but that's an infinitely survivable struggle.

And his own name isn't terribly important, so they can just skip straight over that the way Horatio has skipped straight over 'all-around sensors' and 'upgrade.']

[sunborne]

[ 'mr daylight' is kind of an improvement. even if he feels like he's being interviewed for his position on the lornful light again, this is a definitely upgrade in his optics.

and don't think you can be sneaky with him...! upon noticing that a name hasn't been offered yet, daylight puffs out a cheek in disapproval but doesn't press on it.

there are desks and chairs to be stacked and kids to herd to the center of the quickly emptying room, so, hopefully, chances of a name being given will come up soon. he's not sure what to address his partner besides... er.... as 'partner' and 'mister' which doesn't seem fair to the guy.

but back to the stacking- ] There we go!

[ with a triumphant little 'off' under his breath, daylight gets the last of his chairs out of the way. he manages to keep his designated wards from running out of the room, so he thinks that's a success. ]

Are you okay, mister? Do you need any help?

[midship]

[It's a near thing, really. The bustle of movement is a wonderful opportunity for the tenuous control they've achieved over the room to snap, particularly with the promise of something akin to freedom close at hand.

Horatio has a fairly tight grip on the back of one of the rowdier boy's shirts when his fellow babysitter turns back again, a certain tightness in his features that he can't quite exhale away.]

Would you start us off, perhaps?

[One of them ought be able to get away with playing--and clearly the children would enjoy it.]

[sunborne]

Huh? Oh! Sure!

[ standing up straight, careful of the decorations on the ceiling, daylight gives a quick whistle to make sure everyone's attention is on him.

the kids don't need much encouragement to gawk at daylight - many of them craning their necks to catch sight of the grinning giant before them. even the boy that horatio is holding by his shirt calms down a bit, twisting himself so he can face daylight proper. ]

Alright! Guys-! [ he claps his servos together, doing his best to be the chipper distraction until the actual teacher can come in. ] We're going to play a game of tag. I'm sure we know the rules: One person is 'it' and for them to not be 'it' anymore, they need to touch someone else and that person is now 'it' and so on.

How about we make it more challenging? [ a lot of kids look interested now. some lean forward to better hear his proposal. ] How about... No use of our Jewels?

[ the children are about to groan at the idea - with the boy horatio is holding going, 'really?' - when he adds: ] I mean- Think about it! Whoever doesn't use their powers prove they're the bestest tagger ever! Who wouldn't want that as bragging rights?

[ are the kids... are the kids seriously considering this... ]

[midship]

[Children are terribly suggestible. Soft children like this are particularly so, Horatio is fairly certain. Even the one he's got a hold of is clearly considering.

Time, then, to clear his throat softly.] Do you think they can manage that, Mr Daylight? It's quite challenging.

[sunborne]

Totally! [ because if anyone is going to be optimistic about youths' abilities, it'll be a youth himself. ] I'm sure they can do this and then some.

[ though, the question does make him pause. what else can they do to make sure this goes smoothly? ] How about, for the sake of fairness, one of us is the starting 'it' when we begin the game? That way you guys get to flex your running and tactics and stuff.

[ the kids are quick to agree to that, meaning one of their current watches will need to take one for the team.

and given how easily it'll be to tap daylight and for daylight to tap them back... ]

[midship]

[This has taken

an abrupt turn.

Maybe if Horatio just


stands very still,


everyone will forget he's here and Daylight will play with the children.





Children and mechanical men's visual acuity is based on movement, right.]

[sunborne]

[ … no…?

???

????

it’s probably for the best that he’s the only one with an em field and no one else can sense it. because, right now, it’s saturated with confusion and hesitation because okay. he didn't suspect that.

daylight and the kids look at each other, hilariously enough. a few more seconds stretch on and he soon finds himself clearing his throat to offer an alternative: ]

Um… Do you want me to do it? I’m cool with that if you want.