Test Drive #3

[felldenmods]

Welcome to the November test drive! We're so excited to have you with us.

A few things of note:

✦ Test drive threads can be considered game-canon if you choose. They're essentially in a shared dreamscape and take place between your character leaving their world and arriving in the audience hall with their faction leader.
✦ Reserves will open at 12:01 AM UTC on December 1st, and continue to be until 11:59 PM UTC on December 7th. This is to reserve a character, not an application slot.
✦ Applications will open at 12:01 AM UTC on the 8th, and remain open until 11:59 PM UTC on the 15th, or until all application slots have been filled. Once Activity Check ends, we will have an application slot number available on the application page. The IC & OOC intro logs will be posted two days later.
✦ Questions? We have a FAQ that's chock full of good information! If they are test drive specific, we have a top level thread below that allows for OOC questions to be posted.
✦ The network is available to use! No matter where your character is, their compass arrived on their person. Please feel free to include a network post in your top-levels! Once opened, the compass will display instructions on use, such as using voice-commands to activate it. Usernames are your characters first name or their most common nickname.
✦ Below will be a header for OOC questions as well as a request for Fortuna if you risk having your fortune read in Kyst.
✦ Current players who participate in the test drive by tagging new players will be eligible for a secondary blessing in December.

All set? Perfect! Welcome to Fellden.

AS THE MOON RISES.♪ You’ll find yourself just outside the Temple doors, which will be locked if you try to open them. A little rude, keeping you out after bringing you all this way. The thing is, you can hear a lot of commotion in the distance, and smoke rising from the center of a district; you may want to check that out. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire! Except the smoke is not at all something to be concerned over. Instead, people are gathered near a large bonfire in the decorated city square, drinking and carousing, singing songs of celebration; Moon saviors have arrived! War winners! The residents of the city laugh and sing and dance in pairs throughout the square that's dusted with snow, grateful for those who have come to aid them. Their merriment doesn’t dwindle as the sun begins to set on the horizon, twin moons rising in its place. When you (and other new arrivals) are finally noticed by the revelers, do not expect to be left alone! Crowns and laurels of fir and juniper will be deposited upon your heads, seasonal fare of food and drink placed into your hands, while live musicians play loud enough for the dead to hear. You’ll be invited to dance, to drinking games, and offered food and flowers and other items of value. Some may cry when they look into your face, thanking you for becoming their champions during this long and exhaustive war. Hopefully you’re here to enjoy the festivities. Sneaking off is just fine, too, but don’t expect to be let go of quietly; the people of the Moon Temple are so happy to see you! Enjoy the celebration while it lasts long into the night. If you do manage to leave, a helpful citizen of the Temple will inform you of the nearby transport mirrors that will take you anywhere on the map, one of which they will provide to you.

THE SETTING STARS.♪ You'll find upon your arrival that the castle is not accepting visitors as they decorate the interior in preparation of the festive season that quickly approaches. Guards at the door will instead direct you to the center of the city where further preparations are being made. Venturing there, you'll be greeted either by those who are decorating for the evening's party that will enlist you to help, or perhaps you're a late arrival and the celebration has already begun! Festivities are in full swing in the Court of Stars. Starfolk have begun their celebrations of the new arrivals and the ushering in the season of the Winter Festival. Once hesitant, guarded, the Stars citizens now welcome new arrivals with open arms, celebrating their appearance with a deep gratitude. Large circles of dancers will pull you into the fray or pull you to dance one-on-one. Others will place bundles of cedar and juniper in your arms for decorating or perhaps learning to weave your own wreath to wear: some will even take pity, create it for you, and set the laurel upon the top of your head. You'll be invited to dance, drink, eat, and participate in the festivities through a snow dusted square. Even the soldiers will join, knocking shoulders and welcoming you to the Court of Stars. Whether you choose to remain for the festivities or wander off, one thing is certain: you are more than welcome in your new home. If you do manage to leave, a helpful citizen of the Court will inform you of the nearby transport mirrors that will take you anywhere on the map, one of which they will provide to you.

MARKETS OF THE COAST.♪ The coastal city of Kyst is abuzz for the holidays, some calm finally beginning to settle in after the rocky past few months. Newcomers will be welcomed with smiling faces from merchants as they look to try to sell their pricy but beautiful wares. Tavern owners and barkeeps will beckon with the promise of warm food and delightful drinks, a place by the fire, and stories of holidays of old. The air is rife with music and the smell of delicious baked goods. Perhaps you'll hear or smell something you recognize from your home; as Fellden is the beginning of all worlds, it wouldn't be an impossible likelihood! Those looking to help out might be coaxed to assist in decorating homes with laurels, garlands, berries, and other bright green, red, silver, and gold colors. Those who seem very eager to help might be recruited by shopkeepers to stand outside and try to get customers in to see their wares, to have a drink, or to rent a room. Anyone willing to do so even for a day will receive free food and drink for the duration of their assistance. And for the auspicious, some may notice a person who has set up a mild little stall in the back of town, sipping eggnog as she offers fortunes. "Fortunes for the new year, my friend," she tells any who approach her. She offers only a small smile. "A laurel for a card. Only one."

BEYOND THE CITIES.♪ In the distance from Kyst, a large forest looms, the Gods Wood imposing even from this distance. Should you travel there, everyone you encounter will urge you to be respectful while within the forest. There, people can be found visiting intricately decorated shrines, prepared for the upcoming holiday, while people leave seasonal offerings in the bowls and plates within the shrines. You're free to leave the crown you were given at your faction celebration, or perhaps something else that you've been granted since your arrival is better suited for your offering. Be mindful of your actions though; those that show disrespect will be forcibly removed from the Gods Wood by the trees. Best foot forward! If the forest is too intimidating, there appears to be a gathering at the nearby Lake Theta where the Festival of Aeons is taking place. You'll be drawn into the fold readily where people will inform you that it is a celebration of souls, both living and passed beyond the veil. You'll be taught how to make paper lanterns to be set into the sky when twilight falls, with further revelry coming after. Be prepared for a long night of celebration ahead of you as the dancing, music, and festivities last long into the night.

Comments

[redload]

[that makes dante pause. no obligations? then what does that make them?]

A free pass, just like that.

[he sounds skeptical.]

Can't say I'm fond of how that sounds.

[summonere]

It's all been played out, hasn't it? If Vergil is whole again.

[ What is supposed to bind them together now? ]

[redload]

[well, dante may as well speak up about something that's been bothering him — v's concept of being unneeded put aside.]

He had things taken from him by Mundus. [a beat] You both did, or do you have those memories that he lost in you?

[summonere]

[ That makes him wince much more than being asked And where does that leave you? He doesn't answer at first. ]

I wasn't there. There was nothing to take from me.

[redload]

[how does this work? it's making dante's brain hurt a little.]

So, no memories? No childhood, no Redgrave City. Nothing.

[summonere]

[ V flashes him a scowl. ]

Anything he didn't want to remember, he left with me. Is that what you want to hear?

[redload]

[he lifts his hands up, away from his chest and just shrugs his shoulders.]

I'm just trying to understand.

However I look at it, you don't belong anywhere else.

[dante, who basically took on a demon doppelganger of his mother as partner because where else was she to belong? how different is v from trish, in that regard?]

[summonere]

[ And much like Trish's reaction all those years ago, V is surprised, and confused. ]

What?

[ Finally, V is speechless with uncertainty. ]

[redload]

[he has to explain this, doesn't he?]

You came from Vergil, whether you like it or not. I don't know what that makes you — but it sounds like you fit in just fine with the rest of the crew.

[summonere]

[ He is a Vergil shard, of course he doesn't really understand others reaching out to him without having to use subterfuge on them first. He still looks uncertain, but he's weighing the merits of trying to argue with Dante. ]

Are you two fuckin' done yet? Gag me.

[ Oh. Well. Thanks Griffon. ]

Maybe.

[ Maybe they're done? Maybe Dante is right? Maybe he'll think about it, and if that's even what he wants. (It probably is.) ]

[redload]

That includes you, too. [at griffon, looking up at him] You never know when we'll be starved for rotisserie chicken.

[the worst kind of chicken — what an insult]

[the answer v gives him could go whichever way, at best. but it's good enough for dante. so long as v gives it some thought (as he will very likely do), then that's all the devil hunter can do for now.]

Your being here means you're also a moony. [that's what the hip young ones from stars have been calling him.] Nero's here, so you might get to catch up after all.

[summonere]

I'll spit you before you spit me, flocker! Roast Devil Hunter! ALA MODE.

[ Predictable. ]

I suppose he's also apprised to... the situation.

[ V wouldn't be surprised if Nero were... particularly angry with him for his lies. ]

[redload]

[dante swats in griffon's general direction with a renewed sense of merriment. yeah, yeah, the bird will never back down when it comes to showing dante who is the boss.]

He's taken it pretty well.

Who knows, maybe he even misses you.

[summonere]

[ He tries not to look hopeful. His memories of Nero were his own, untainted by any of Vergil's. He wants that friendship, even if he's wary about its possibility. He hadn't exactly earned Nero's trust, by lying to him and using him like a tool in the fight against Urizen. ]

If not me, then maybe Griffon.

[ Deadpan af. ]

[redload]

Definitely the featherface.

[he can tell that v is thinking this over and that whatever relationship he ends up having with nero, the boy is important to him. how about that?]

Though it begs the question of whether you knew he was Vergil's son or not.

[summonere]

[ It's a good question. He inclines his head, ]

It was hard not to suspect, when he was so clearly a Sparda. And he certainly wasn't your son.

He's callin' you a fuckin' virgin, big guy! And I am hard pressed to disagree with him, gotta tell you!

[ V looks up sideways at Griffon. Really? That is not what he was saying, at all. You crass bird. ]

I meant, if he was your son, he would've known about that already.

[redload]

[dante just glances at griffon, a good old side-eye, and figures wasting a bullet on him isn't worth it. instead, he's more interested in the answer v gives him.]

Vergil has a strange notion of fatherhood, but he's a better candidate than I.

[plz, no children for him.]

How's some food sound?

[summonere]

You better eat somethin', V, I don't wanna have to deal with your blood sugar later.

[ Please don't undermine his ability to look after himself, Griffon. ]

...I suppose I should eat.

[redload]

[dante scoffs, mostly to hide the laughter in his voice.]

Any preferences?

[he brings out some coins from his coat. they're worth something, promise!]

[summonere]

Soup. It's cold.

[ It's a statement more than a complaint, he'll deal with finding some warmer clothes on his own time, as far as he's concerned. ]

[redload]

Then let's warm you up. You got your cane and your guide bird.

[dante sets the pace and makes his way towards a stand, where food and drinks are being served. what v gets is some chunky pumpkin cream rather than a soup, but it's liquid and dense and warm.]

[at a more desolate area, away from the celebration, dante sets the devil sword down on the ground and keeps his hand at the hilt — if only to open it up, let the fire within burn in place.]

Hey, birdie! I'm still waiting to be turned into toast.

[summonere]

[ Honestly. V doesn't know any better than to accept it's some kind of soup. It is much thicker than he expected though, picking at it slowly. ]

Don't antagonize him.

[ He objects between mouthfuls, although he knows there's no world where Dante would ever consider listening to him. ]

Just you wait, tough guy, I'm gonna get you when you least expect it.

[redload]

[v would be right to assume so.]

You're always playing fowl. [!] Don't worry, I get it. I would too if I needed an advantage at every turn.

[he's teasing. can't say he didn't miss the bird demon, in the end. something about being freed from mundus' control really made them more palatable to the eye.]

[his attention back to v, though.]

What will you do now?

[after this soup eating moment of bonding we're having.]

SQUINTING AT MY TYPING

[summonere]

[ V contemplates tripping Dante with his cane. Griffon would shut up if only Dante would, but GOD FORBID. He doesn't and V just frowns deeper at him while putting the spoon back in his mouth. Griffon shouts something back at Dante. Something about pecking his eyes out, something, something, V doesn't want to listen to it.

That look of annoyance is still on his face when Dante turns back to him. Oh you want to talk to him now? ]

Money, clothing, housing.

[ He already has this soup, so why should he bill in groceries to his list of important items. Otherwise, it's a pretty pragmatic list of things that need to be sorted out as next steps. Once those basic needs were established, he could figure out what to do about the war he'd been drafted into. ]

[redload]

[he does want to talk to v now, griffon entirely ignored with a wave of his hand, dismissive.]

Sounds like you got it all sorted out.

[he huffs a laugh]

You got any clue how all of that works?