TEST DRIVE MEME #4

[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 with mirthful revelry and hearty food. 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!

Comments

[winterwork]

Ice elf--? What, no. Do I look pointy-eared to you? I mean, I'm still playing around with titles a bit, but I think I'd prefer winter spirit. Sounds so much more joyous and pleasant, don't you think?

[With a smirk, he nods down towards the stranger's foot, rather curious about the setup.] And what about you? Some sort of metal-legged library guardian?

[smithwork]

Look, there are a lot of elves going around, okay? I don't know what you are ... [ Or maybe I do. Keeping that to himself as a thought crosses his mind, he sits on the edge of the table and folds his arms as he looks the boy over. Seems barely as old as me. ] My name is Hiccup, the imps dragged me here a few days ago.

[winterwork]

Hiccup, huh? Don't you think that name's a little bit too standard? [Out comes a light-hearted laugh, never seeming anything less than amused with anything this guy seemed to throw out. Though he supposes just about anything was keeping him excited at this point, simply relieved that he's having the longest conversation he's had since--well, he wasn't even sure if he's ever really had one at all.]

Seems we're both newcomers here too. [Holding his arms out, he bends over to give a mocking bow.]

Jack Frost. At your service.

[smithwork]

[ Waiting for the boy to stop being so pleased with himself and everything he hears, Hiccup shakes his head and unfolds his arms as he turns back to the table of notes with an air of finality. ]

Yeah, you're not Jǫkull Frosti.

[winterwork]

[Jokull Frosti? The pronunciation was certainly different, but could he possibly ...?

With his level of amusement and cockiness finally dimming down, he rushes forward, hands on the table as he leans down to try to recreate eye contact.]

H-hold on, do you ... do you know me?

[smithwork]

[ Straightening as he finds himself with an intense pair of blue eyes peering up at him, Hiccup cocks a hip to rest a hand there, gesturing toward Jack with the other. As for the title, he dulls it down to something less formal. ]

Jökul, right? Or Jack, whatever you want to go by these days. You bring the ice and snow, the blizzards and frost, the son of Kári. The wind. [ He shrugs easily. ] Where I come from, everybody knows who you are.

[winterwork]

[It's not much beyond some of the things he had already known about himself, but it did provide a little more insight that was certainly making his chest tighten.]

E-everyone ... knows me? [He takes a slight step back, a breath escaping him as he breaks into an honest smile.

Not only could he be seen, but he was known.]

[smithwork]

[ Hiccup takes a step in, peering down the few inches that separate them in height. ]

You don't look anywhere near old enough to have children, so you can't be the god from the stories. [ More like Jack doesn't seem mature enough to have had kids when he is one, but nuances. Seeing an honest smile is something that prompts a small one of his own. ] Where are you from, Jack?

[winterwork]

[Children? Of his own? As much as he loved children, that was a laugh. At least he didn't think he had any children of his own. Considering he didn't know much about his own life, he couldn't exactly rule anything out (even if he was a bit too young for that sort of thing).]

Uh, Burgess? Pennsylvania. [Or so he assumes, it being where he had woken up. It took an awful lot of eavesdropping to gather up the information.] It's a colony in the New World.

[But more importantly--] What about you? Where do you come from? [Since he seems to be known there, in some form or other.]

[smithwork]

New World? That sounds interesting.

[ Brushing the documents off the table without a second glance (he really cares about them, see), Hiccup takes out a map from under his chestplate that he handles far more carefully as he unfolds it over the desk. ]

I'm from Berk, right in the middle of all these islets and skerries, it's an archipelago amassed in the northern hemisphere where we deal with the midnight sun and winter night every year. Uh, it's ...

[ Ferreting around on the floor, he flops an atlas open and points to Svalbard a speck a decent distance from Norway. ]

It's around about there, above Nóregr, best I can figure from these weird maps.

[winterwork]

[His eyes widen a bit at the map that's brought out, namely because it barely looks like a map at all and more like a very carefully drawn piece of art with all the pictures and colors.] Berk, huh? I don't think I've ever seen it. Must be pretty hidden.

[There's not much up to the north at all, really. There hadn't tended to be too many people settling there due to it being considered far too uninhabitable, though he does see some here and there. He almost feels like he should have seen a place like that if there was a whole village of people living there, but he just waves it off, assuming it might have just missed it.]

And are those dragons? Do your people believe in the stories too or something?

[smithwork]

It's not very well-known, we usually only get a guy called Trader Johann swing our way once a year, twice if we're lucky.

[ Hiccup's first real smile deepens when he chuckles, his best explanation for all the pictures being a straight-forward one. ]

Actually, we train dragons. Have done for about five years, all the ones on here are the locations of various species that we've discovered.

[winterwork]

[He breaks out into a little laugh at the explanation, settling down when he realizes based on the expression that might not have been intended as a joke.]

Wait, you're serious? You really must be hidden then, because I've been to my share of places around the world and I've never seen a real live dragon.

[Everything is purely stories and mythology from what he's seen. As far as he's witnessed, dragons aren't even considered to be real.]

[smithwork]

[ Re-folding his map, he shrugs and his smile wanes. ]

They're real, alright. Berkians used to kill them, there was a war going on for generations, but it turned out they were just misunderstood.

[ Tucking the map away, Hiccup finds a spare bit of vellum and takes up one of the quills nearby to doodle a sketch. ]

This is my dragon, a Night Fury called Toothless. I didn't arrive here with him. [ Hiccup pauses, uncertain, but this is more important than just feeling like a jerk asking for assistance when it's unwarranted after getting snappy. ] If you see him around, would you help him find me? I know it's a long shot that he's here.

[winterwork]

[An entire island of dragons. How could he miss that so easily? It was one thing to miss a village of people, but based on that map, there'd be too many of the reptiles to not catch sight of from the air. Something seems a bit off about it, but it wasn't like he knew enough to quite figure that out. Besides, they were in an entirely different world all together now, so maybe it was best to focus on this one for the time being.]

Huh. Cute little guy. [Though he'd imagine it'd probably be much bigger if he caught sight of it in person.

He could say something else teasing, that having been the core of their first impressions since he'd gotten there, but he could sense a worry in Hiccup's tone that showed the depth of his concerns. For someone who knows all too well what it's like to be alone, it wasn't something Jack could be cruel about.]

Yeah ... I will. I'd probably get a better range of sight from the sky, so I'll keep an eye out, just in case.

[smithwork]

[ Toothless is pretty cute whenever he isn't hocking up half-digested fish, yeah. ]

Thanks.

[ Hiccup isn't too big not to admit when he's wrong, either. Or at least imply he might have been. ]

We ... kind of got off on the wrong foot. [ Which is Jack's fault, but never mind. ] If you're so bored in the library, then why are you in here? Why not go flying wherever you want? Anywhere's got to be better than this place.

[winterwork]

Well, I can't help it, curiosity got the best of me when I saw someone actually huddled up in here willingly.

[It comes with the return of a teasing smile, but much softer than before. They did get off the wrong foot, primarily because Jack's spent so long without having a regular conversation with anyone that sometimes mannerisms were quite beyond him.]

But you're right, I'd normally prefer to go outside and have my fun. I just-- [wanted someone to talk to] --wanted to take a little tour of the place. See if there was anything worthwhile finding in here, you know. It is pretty big in here.

[smithwork]

[ It's a bit of a mess in the library, truth be told, notably in Hiccup's corner. He can't blame Jack for finding him a little odd in turn. ]

I've been cooped up in here for ages, I could really do with some fresh air. [ You bet your ass he's going to walk off and leave that mess for someone else to clear up. ] Want to go for a stroll? It's not like we're going to run out of castle any time soon.

[winterwork]

You said you've been in this world for days, right? Please tell me you've done other things since you'be been here and you haven't just hung out in the library.

[But a stroll? The company was proving to be pretty decent, but he was getting a bit anxious for a change of location.]

Absolutely. If I stay in here any longer, my legs might get stiff enough that they'll freeze and crack. [Hence he's already bouncing on the balls of his feet, taking a few steps backwards, ready to go on their way.]

[smithwork]

I ... haven't really been in a social sort of mood since I got here. Holing up in the library to figure out a way to get to the good creatures in the south seemed like a great idea, even if it was pretty stupid for me not to ask for help from anyone. I didn't think I could trust anybody.

[ Not that it matters. The important thing at the time had been wallowing in his own grief in private, able to come to terms with the mess he's in both here and back at home. Out in the corridors, he paces along with Jack past the open archways. Everything is so ornate and enormous in Caer Scima, a single room would unquestionably dwarf even the Great Hall on Berk. ]

So I guess, thanks for kicking me out of that place.

[winterwork]

[Considering how they had started out, hearing a thanks was definitely rather surprising, though Jack was certainly all too pleased to hear it. He could be a bit wild and reckless, but if he's somehow helped someone out, even in a minor way, he isn't going to be ashamed of it.]

Glad to. You really didn't look like you were doing much cheering up staying in there all by yourself for too long.

[True that the circumstances of being sent to a strange new world were rather odd, though in Jack's experience, that's pretty much how life started out for him some years ago, so it wasn't exactly new. But he could see how it could somehow be a bit overwhelming either way.]

And you really think things are good down there? So far, everything just seems kind of the same everywhere.

[smithwork]

I used to be told stories when I was a boy, all the dramatic ones about Thor and Odin, but also about the trolls and goblins, the elves too. They all have homes, some of which resemble a few locations on the maps we were given.

[ He slides out a much smaller map than before, an A4 sheet that he unfolds and taps in three places. ]

Álfheimr, that's Caer Glaem where the Ljósálfar live, the Light Elves. Where we are right now could concur with the home of the Dökkálfar, the Dark Elves. The orcs. Now, if you have to ask for help, it's only common sense to go to the most trustworthy source. In this case? The golden capital where they actually obey laws. Otherwise it's like deciding to stay in Gaul when Rome is right around the corner, it's stupid.

[ Hiccup gestures to the murky albeit richly made halls as he tucks the Drabwurld map away, keeping his voice down so it doesn't echo. ]

I could be completely wrong and, trust me, I would love to be, but I'm not going to stay here long enough to see if I do turn into one of their thralls. My priority is finding my best friend and getting me and Toothless out of here.

[winterwork]

[It's true that looking into the research and background behind this place hadn't exactly been Jack's first priority, instead more excited about the exploration of a new land and simply just enjoying not being completely invisible anymore, so a lot of the information Hiccup shares does bring about a little bit of new knowledge.]

I guess I take it you're not up for the whole fighting-for-a-side thing like they told us to. [Not that he was up for it either, siding with no one but himself, but he wasn't exactly fighting for a way to get back home either. There wasn't exactly much to go back to.]

So if I have this all correct, you want to find the "good guys" assuming they might help you find a way to leave? I hate to pop your bubbles but they're in the middle of a war here. I doubt any side's going to be too charitable.

[smithwork]

I'm not fighting anyone's war for them and I'm not taking sides. I'm doing what's best for finding my dragon.

[ Whether it puts him in danger with the Seelie side or not. ]

[winterwork]

You certainly have resolve, I'll give you that. [He grins upon hearing it. It is rather admirable to see someone become so dedicated to a friend. It wasn't the sort of thing he saw every day nor did he have any real experience in that area.

Looking about at their surroundings, still getting a feel for the grand, lavish halls, he walks ahead in their path, staff resting across his shoulders.]

I don't really intend on fighting in anything or for anyone, but if it's a matter of looking for a friend, as I said, I'm not entirely opposed to offering my assistance.