TEST DRIVE MEME #5

[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

[prioritise]

I've always had terrible luck with portraits. They never look a thing like me. But this one must be quite good if you are so eager to keep it and so many are eager to have it as well.

You and this Lord Henry, you are very close then?

[folklorish]

He is a wonder unto himself, I think. [ In other words, a bit overwhelming for someone who has spent several thousand years away from his own people. The prince may also be not a little envious of the pride in this father's voice. Certainly he has not heard such a tone from his sire since before the exile. ]

I am Nuada Silverlance, son of Balor, ruling king of the Clan Bethmoora and leader of the Sons of the Earth. [ His head dips into a second bow. ] Your Majesty.

[depicted]

It is a terrible thing that any portraitist would mistreat a face such as yours. Lord Henry says that my picture is the best work Basil has ever done. [He does smile about Lord Henry, but it is with such a weight of admiration. Lord Henry is the most mesmerizing man he has ever met.] I believe that Lord Henry and I are very much to be fast friends, yes.

[folklorish]

You command dragons.

[ It's somewhere between disbelief and a question. Golden eyes narrow, looking the human up and down a second time, perhaps wondering if his leg was lost to one of the beasts. Dragons are now extinct in his world but, even when they weren't, acknowledged to be a true force of Nature, and his people most often simply allied with them.

He also stands his ground as Hiccup approaches, upper lip curled into something less than friendly, but not yet foreboding enough to suggest the boy's life is about to be snuffed out. ]

I need specific materials to maintain these weapons. [ Pause. ] ... Yes.

[prioritise]

Well with your charms, I can't imagine you setting your sights on anyone and not making them your friend.

[folklorish]

[ His jaw sets against displaying emotion that he considers unseemly. Warriors may weep for pains done to the Earth, and for sorrow, but not because they have missed the touch of a sibling. But he can't quite conceal the hitch in his breath when her lips caress his hand.

Oh, Nuala. Why must you be so ... you. ]

They are hollow creatures, my sister. It is also folly to look for substance when it is not there.

[smithwork]

One day, people will actually stop sounding so astonished when they say that.

[ BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY. He nods, not about to call Toothless out of the hall just to prove himself other than a liar, and rubs the back of his head as he keeps a respectable distance from that finely crafted yet obviously deadly assortment of weapons. ]

I might be able to help you out there, I can cover a lot of ground. [ Not with his pegleg, obviously, but he'll leave that minor mystery up in the air for now. ] What exactly would you need?

[ Maybe doing the grumpy elfthing a good turn will ensure those pointy blades don't investigate Hiccup's flightsuit any time soon. Or ever. He's hopeful. ]

[firith]

[ A 'wonder' is certainly one way to put it, far more delicately than Thranduil might. His interest piques, recognising Nuada as one like to his own kind in something other than appearance, the Sons of the Earth ringing faintly of Dwarvish leanings that he brushes aside; the people of this prince are like the Aelfen of the Drabwurld in that way, different but more alike than not to Arda's immortals. ]

You must come to I Othrann-in-Heneb when its delving is done, Prince Nuada. Legolas is my hand in gathering the scattered clans of the Elves from all over the Six Realms and they are offered sanctuary from the courts in my forming Halls. The welcome would be a hearty one if you tire of the war, Men, or simply wish to rest.

[undividing]

They are simply.. very different, Nuada. [ she smiles, small and warm and encouraging, sending love and support across their bond. ] I have met others which I found to be.. beautiful, wonderful people. They are people, just as we are people, seeking largely only to love and care for their families and friends. There is wickedness among them, but.. not so much that it should condemn their entire race.

[ she frees a hand, reaching up to lay her palm gently against his cheek. ]

.. And here, you are-- you are king. [ her lashes flutter, expression stunned for a moment, as if it had just occurred to her. ]

[enjoymyatelier]

...

Because that would be completely counterproductive and result in them dragging even more people into this...?

[firelords]

[ such a firm, firm no feels so off coming from him. swaying him and kicking him had been equally easy, it took just a few well placed words, words like father, honor, home, and there he was, ready for the next suggestion, ready for the next punch. ready, in a way, for whatever game she wanted to play with him.

sure, he had fought back before, but the last time he disappointed them all seems to mark a greater turning point.

she reaches for a goblet of her own, but doesn't drink. it'll be a while before she trusts the drabwurld's food and drinks. ]

I thought so. War isn't something you are good at.

[ so, no way to escape that he knows of, and while he may be useless in many ways, fleeing tends to be a skill, or maybe the only bit of luck he's been blessed with. it ties in with everything she has been told so far, too. she hadn't had much hope, really.

the odd thing, and it's not a thing she dwells on, is that she is almost, almost relieved to not be entirely without people she knows. servants or generals would have been preferable, of course, and she isn't happy to see him by any means, but it's... A comfort.

Not that this word even exists in her vocabulary. ]

[enjoymyatelier]

[WELL, HE CAN, LIKE, PRETEND NOT TO BE EFFECTED, RIGHT

HE DOESN'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT, REALLY...]

I've been presuming things will work out for the best, really, because it's less... obstructive. The monarchs do reward us for effective service, so it's entirely possible that opportunity could be afforded to us someday.

[...well, maybe not, but it's nice to dream...]

[firelords]

[ oh, so he's insane. alright, that's a matter of the pot calling the kettle black here, except that the kettle isn't actually black at all.

this is where metaphors go to die. ]

I take it you can see them?

[ yep. sure. at least she's being entertained. ]

[showmeyourwreath]

Sure! And I think I could fix it. The damage looks like it's cosmetic, anyway, so it should still work.

[If it was more than that, it might be trickier.]

[slugout]

Yeah. If you're aware for the Dark Hour, you usually have the potential to kill 'em.

[ WHICH IS WHAT THE KATANA'S FOR?? ]

[firelords]

[ This is the point where Azula realizes that she is talking herself into a corner that will end with her actually being bitten at best and infected with rabies at worst. ]

Let's not take that theory to practice.

[ Which leads to an entirely different thing -- ]

How can you not have heard of the Fire Nation?

[ Other worlds are one thing, but are all these other worlds living under a rock? Not recognizing her, sure, that does make sense, but never even as much as having heard of the Fire Nation? Come on! Have these royals not announced her arrival in any way? ]

[folklorish]

Dragons rule themselves, boy. They are not ruled.

[ Keeping a respectable distance is probably a good idea, although the size properties of the lance can often make that distance somewhat negotiable. Just something to keep in mind when dealing with this particularly grumpy elfperson. ]

Pure silver, a good forge, and the magic of my people.

[ To start with, anyway. Most likely any extra frills won't be possible, considering the Drabwurld isn't his home realm. ]

[folklorish]

[ If asked directly about it, Nuada would be more than happy to explain how his Clan is traditionally responsible for protecting all of the fae races: elf, goblin, troll, pixies, and so forth. So the Sons of the Earth encompass that defense. To be counted in their number means that the prince is responsible for safekeeping. Especially since his father and the royal court do little to nothing anymore about the encroachment of humanity into fae lands. ]

That is a very generous offer. It would be an honor to visit your home, when complete, and I look forward to the experience.

[ Doubly so with the prospect of no humans around. ]

[folklorish]

No, they are lesser. Fragile and forgetful and selfish. [ She is unlikely to change his mind in so short a window of time, but he does admire his twin's persistence like everything else about her. Nuada remains still under her touch, unwilling to break this spell and send her from his presence as in the past.

And then that. His eyes narrow, denial flaring in the golden irises. ] Father is king, I cannot take his crown. Not without his blood on my hands. And here ...

here we are nothing. Beggars and guests, both at once. The fae here would have to accept me as their ruler.

[freedomofsoul]

Deplorable even to one seen as a tyrant? Surely she was then quite the woman.

[smithwork]

I never said I ruled anyone, only that I can master them. If pushed to, anyway. I really wouldn't like to try that again with the Screaming Death. There aren't many dragons around these parts, so the whole thing is a moot point.

[ He pulls a slight face at the word magic. ]

People don't get powerful with their magic here unless the High-Kings and High-Queens decide to give out boons. It's ... best to just. Not.

[curser]

Nature's voice is something they seem to have turned their ears from. A sad fate for them, then.

[This from the fairy who went around healing trees. Yes, she was attuned to the land around her, enough so back home that her moods could affect them without her knowing.]

[knightscode]

Lancelot, my lady, I was a knight of Camelot before I was drawn here.

[ Am still, he mentally corrects himself, and yet is he? There is no Camelot, no Arthur, no Merlin any more. The only recognisable person from Camelot still is Morgana and she had forsaken all such allegiance long ago. He feels guilty for thinking it, and yet Camelot has become a dream. An ideal he still holds to but which is no longer tangible.]

[undividing]

.. Nevertheless, I do love them. And I will do my utmost to show you all the reasons why while we are here.

[ she strokes her thumb over one of the scars that mark his heritage-- a mirror of her own. ] Father is not here. Father is-- Father is gone. Unless he is pulled from death as I have been, then you are our people's king, my brother. Regent, at the very least. [ she brushes a few strands of hair from his face, then lowers her fingers again, glancing down as she curls them over their entwined hands. ]

.. If more of our people arrive, they will look to you for guidance. The manner of our arrival and our place in this court will not matter to them.

azula's first encounter with a real, living dragon and she doesn't even recognize him as one

[firelords]

[ Azula is a strong, independent woman who don't need no man on a winged mongoose lizard. Then again, the very fact that she is here right now proves that, once a certain imp limit has been exceeded, she might be willing to reconsider her attitude towards men who ride wonky lizards.

Seeing the amount of imps who leave after the fact, and paying attention to her status as new arrival (and the fact that no one really seems to care all that much about the Fire Nation at large in this place), she swallows a bit of her pride and suffocates the urge to defend her ability to fend for herself.

For the moment. ]

I am perfectly fine, thank you.

[ Oh look, the moment is over. ]

I was in complete control of the situation, of course.

[ ... Considering Imp #1, maybe. Paying attention to Imps #2-??, that may be highly questionable. ]