TEST DRIVE MEME #8

[fairyfoes]

TEST DRIVE MEME

Considering apping to EACHDRAIDH? Why not give the setting a test run here! OPTIONAL SCENARIOS 01. ARRIVING IN THE DRABWURLD. The Seelie and Unseelie courts welcome you not with mirthful revelry, this time around dear friends. There is a seriousness in the air, though the food is still hearty and the imps still mischievous. After you have been briefed on your purpose here, you will find an endless feast and a night filled with entertainment to placate your concerns. Mingle with new arrivals, sneak down the castle halls and make sure your eyes are always on your glass; fairies and imps have no bias when it comes to tricks! 02. THE STATION. Looking for a little slice of home? The Station gives you all that and more. Take advantage of the wifi, have a cup of fairy-brewed coffee (the one they didn't spit in) or sit back and relax on the patio. You can even move your things into one of the available rooms! 03. WILDCARD. Your own scenario! Explore the Drabwurld or simply take advantage of your Locket! Be mindful, though -- the monarchs are watching and cross court communication should be done with the utmost secrecy.

Comments

[andallbite]

[ Like it's that easy. ]

Only a dumbass would go walking into Glaschu by themselves. You think I'm asking for a death wish?

[ Despite his reputation back home—which thankfully hasn't followed him all the way here—he's not so keen on getting himself killed. ]

[ragnarock]

Glass Shoe?

[ That brings her to a halt. She has no idea what it is. ]

[andallbite]

Glaschu. [ He says, with more enunciation to it. ] It's what the Seelie territory down south is called.

[ragnarock]

South? Shouldn't you have invaded Achoo by now, if you need their gems?

[ She says it slightly dismissively, like duh that's the obvious thing to do. Ange may be a natural pilot and good at inspirational speeches, but she's not much for strategy. ]

[andallbite]

[ Yeah, he'll let this one go. ]

We have. [ It's gone both ways many times, by now. ] They have their own armies to fight back with, y'know.

[ragnarock]

It's stupid, fighting for your own world to die, [ she said, firmly but dismissively, glancing in the direction she thought was south based on the way the moon was moving. But, then again, Embryo had convinced Salia and her Diagonal Row knights to fight for the end of their own world, at least for a while. If the people fighting for Ass Chew were just being idiots, winning this war would be easier than she'd expected. And if they weren't -- well, it would be difficult, but she'd do it and get home anyway. ]

[andallbite]

[ Eren lets out a wry heh, likewise turning his sights toward the landscape ahead. Those have more or less been his words for a while now; fussy as she is, they're at least on the same page about the important things. ]

I don't understand it either, but I don't care what they're thinking, either. It's fucked up no matter how you put it.

[ragnarock]

"I don't care" sounds like they can't be talked out of it.

[ It was light, caustic, almost flippant -- but her small frown belied her attempted indifference. The impossibility of getting people to just see that their homes were at stake really was disappointment, since even the First Troop had been able to come back together. ]

[andallbite]

If it worked that way, none of this would be a problem in the first place.

[ If only. This world doesn't deserve this kind of war, nor does it deserve to be at risk. ]

Lots of people ask and even try, but it's more complicated than that. We're past the point where talking it out's an option anymore.

[ragnarock]

[ She hopped up to sit on the edge of the balcony, resting her chin in one hand. Her body language, from the curve of her spine to the way her legs dangled she sat -- was more relaxed now that she was less antagonistic. But her eyes were still fixed on him, her brows still narrowed in concentration. She might not be actively irritable anymore, but she was still tightly focused on him. ]

So, what took you "past the point"?

[andallbite]

[ Meanwhile, he doesn't move much from where he stands. Eren remains leaning against the railing, shoulders hunched and head tilted only enough to see her better from the corners of his eyes. Come her question, his gaze falls to somewhere down below. ]

I found out what they were trying to do. Then I saw for myself how much they're willing to kill just to get their way.

[ Enough to spark a battle that went on for days, left hundreds upon hundreds dead, and—somehow—turned Caer Scima into nothing but a pile of indistinguishable rubble. They fought like they did not because they wanted to save their lives, but because they want to destroy it all.

He can't forgive anyone who'd do something like that. ]

[ragnarock]

[ This was something, the intensity she'd seen in Jill and Hilda and Salia's eyes. This was what happened when people were hurt badly. This was a passion she enjoyed working alongside, so long as that passion didn't try to control her.

She leaned back with a grin, the almost-feral confidence of a woman who won every fight eventually. ]

Then let's crush them and their bullshit.

[andallbite]

[ Eren doesn't quite radiate the complacent demeanor she does, but he holds a strong sense of conviction that's difficult to miss. Although he doesn't win his battles often—Eren's faced failure more than he's grasped victory in his lifetime—he's much too fiery to ever stay down for long, because true defeat doesn't exist so long as he still lives.

And so help him, he's going to see to it that he and everyone else everywhere else stay that way. ]

Yeah. [ There's no smugness in his voice, but all the certainty one could have is there. ] That's what I plan on doing, no matter what.

[ragnarock]

[ She pushes herself off the railing to a standing position easily and puts her hands on her hips, still confident. ]

So, if it has to get done, and I can't get King Gloom to send me home and use someone else, and plain-and-simple invasions don't work -- how do we get shards?

[andallbite]

The monarchs give us a lot of freedom. [ It's still surprising, sometimes. ] If you can figure out something that gets you any, they'll be happy with it.

[ In short, they never really tell anyone how—everyone is left on their own to decide. But that is, perhaps, because the Unseelie believe in free will over order. ]

But they do give out orders when they want us to strike against the Seelie, sometimes. You have your chances there, too.

[ragnarock]

What sort of orders? [ Her voice is still bright and forceful, but with a sour note of annoyance. Being given free rein on the hunt is good, but orders are a pain when dealing with unfamiliar allies. Ever since she'd been given Villkiss, she'd almost always been strong enough to strike out on her own... and on the occasions when her own strength hadn't been enough, her friends had always made last-minute rescues. ]

[andallbite]

Couple'a months ago, there were orders to destroy their citadel.

[ Which he wasn't there for, having been sent off elsewhere entirely. ]

In the past we've been asked to head down there to prevent them from getting certain things. Those kind of orders.

[ragnarock]

Did you pull it off? [ She sweeps a hand over the castle, turning the you into a broad, all-encompassing you. Her lips are slightly upturned, almost in a smile, in a brassy, bold way that makes it pretty clear that she expects the answer to be "yes, total successes." ]

[andallbite]

[ His expression subtly pinches together in response to her expectant grin. Much as he hates to admit it, their side hasn't exactly been going through a winning streak lately. But he's learned the hard way, a long time ago, that sometimes you have to manage to hold your head up and admit everything hadn't been smooth sailing. ]

Sometimes. [ Nothing that ever had them succumbing to defeat, however. ] I was busy in Leathann when they asked us to go after the citadel, so I've only heard that they managed to wreck some of it.

[ragnarock]

[ The almost smile turns into a thin, unimpressed line; she folds her arms across her chest. ]

I would change that, if machines worked here.

[ Yes, I, singular. She is quite confident that her giant robot could beat up a fantasy realm. ]

[andallbite]

[ He might even believe it, if he had any idea what a mecha was in the first place. As it is, though, Eren gives her a curious look, rather than a skeptical one. ]

Do you build stuff, too?

[ He's friends with a one Hiro Hamada, so Eren's been on the receiving end of that particular woe very, very often. Machine talk as well, but he very rarely fully understands that mess. Nonetheless, Eren is an inquisitive sort, so. ]

[ragnarock]

[ She literally can't do basic repairs to save her life, but she doesn't see that as a problem. ]

Of course not. Mechanics fix Paramail; I'm a rider.

[ It occurs to her, belatedly, that she might have to explain this from the beginning, the way that Jill and the First Squad had explained it to her when she had first arrived from the peaceful world of Mana. Alright, what has she seen in this castle that could give context? She frowns for a moment, lifting her hand to her chin thoughtfully. ]

Like... a suit of armor, that flies. Eight meters high, and even though it's big, you control all its limbs and weapons. [ She mimes gripping the controls and pressing buttons with her hands, and lifts one foot to mimic adjusting the acceleration. ] For speed and distance, it transforms into -- [ This stumps her. A plane? No. ] -- a giant bird.

[ Her frown deepens as she struggles through the details. Describing a Paramail without a good frame of reference surprisingly difficult. ]

[andallbite]

[ Difficult? Probably. But her explanation gets her point across, surprisingly enough. As she talks, Eren gradually straightens his posture, eyes going slightly wide in mild surprise. He doesn't quite envision exactly what she means, but even what he has in mind amazes him enough. ]

That's— [ Eren stops himself short, expression going back into a thoughtful frown as he attempts to figure out his words. ] A machine like that really exists? What do you do with that?

[ragnarock]

We used to fight dragons.

[ Some of her customary confidence wavers here a moment; she turns to gaze south, and her next sentence is quieter, her boldness giving way to a measure of quiet regret. ]

So that bastards across the sea could carve out the crystals in their flesh.

[andallbite]

[ He notices, of course; the features of his own face soften as his eyes settle back on her, quiet in the moment where she admits to a small hint of her life. That for all the confidence she exudes, there's something she isn't proud of, too.

Eren doesn't know a thing about dragons, truth be told, beyond what stories get passed around. They've been extinct for ages, apparently, or so they say. He never thought about it much; Eren's grown a reputation for slaying monsters among the soldiers around Caer Scima, but he isn't very knowledgeable about what kinds exist throughout the drabwurld. There is, however, clearly a story behind the kind of dragons she's had to face in the past.

Much as he wonders, there's no outright asking from him. Instead: ]

But you don't anymore. [ Right? ] Could you use it to fight anything?