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August-September 2024 Test Drive Meme
August-September 2024 TDM
Introduction
Welcome to Folkmore's monthly Test Drive Meme! Please feel free to test drive any and all characters regardless of your intent to apply or whether you have an invite or not.
All TDMs are game canon and work like "mini-events". For new players and characters, you can choose to have your TDM thread be your introduction thread upon acceptance or start fresh. Current players are also allowed to have in-game characters post to the TDM so long as they mark their top levels ‘Current Character.’
TDM threads can be used for spoon spending at any time by characters accepted into the game.
Playing and interacting with the TDMs will allow characters to immediately obtain a canon item from home, especially weapons or other things they may have had on their person when they were pulled from their worlds! There will always be a prompt that provides some sort of "reward" to characters who complete certain tasks.
🦊 New Star Children meet the Fox still in their worlds, and she brings them into the new realm of Folkmore. As you follow her, your body begins to change and new characteristics emerge. These may stay for a while, or perhaps they will hide away after. And during all of this, the Fox explains to you where you will be going: to Folkmore.
and then... you fall like a shooting star, falling to the land in a burst of starlight.
🦊 Experienced Star Children are already familiar with this time of the month. There are shooting stars all across the sky, and some fall to the land, which means the Fox has brought new arrivals. These newly arrived Star Children will face some tests, but Thirteen wants the more seasoned residents to participate as well.
Perhaps you follow the falling stars on your own, or perhaps the Fox simply teleports you there, but it appears you too will be part of this.
Content Warnings: Potential Wilderness Survival, Potential Death
New Star Children arrive in Amrita Academy, the largest school in Folkmore. They might arrive in the medical wing, or they could arrive in areas of the school that don't look like a school at all: forests with animals to hunt or gather, including for their medicinal properties; rocky crags with climbing routes; fields full of growing grains; meadows with sheep covered in soft wool; lakes and rivers with unusual denizens. It's like a miniature of Folkmore all in one school.
A fox with a clipped ear and a few scars greets each Star Child upon arrival. She explains that while things can be summoned with Lore, the best survivors learn to scavenge and to find what they need. New Star Children haven't earned much Lore yet, so that surely applies to them double. In fact, as befits a survival school, there are items that will help Star Children survive hidden all around and immediately outside the school. Star Children are directed to make a list on their Relic of everything they think they need to survive. Once made, the list cannot be changed. They will be more likely to find those items than others (though it will not be impossible).
Race, jog, or stroll around the expansive school in search of these items: clothes, bags, first aid kits, tents, survival supplies, etc. They might be harder to find than expected as they will be miniature and in little cubes aka survival squares (a misnomer). These cubes may be tucked away above, below, beside, or inside something. They also may float against a rock face or in the air among tree branches. The most likely locations are those densest in Lore. The longer Star Children explore, the more they will realize that these cubes are best and most easily obtained by working together. In fact, they will try to dodge and avoid the grip of a Star Child more than ten feet away from any other Star Child. Perhaps that's because two Star Children interacting are creating Lore and a Lore dense location? Once two Star Children touch the cube at the same time, the cube will disappear, and the item inside will grow to full size. Congratulations on being one step closer to survival. Remember to share.
Come mid-September, few cubes will remain inside the school. Star Children will have to check the perimeter of the school to find more survival squares. That task grows exponentially harder as the cubes are in the molasses-thick moat of concentrated Lore surrounding the school. Should anyone dip their spoon in the moat, in the Lorasses if you will, they will find that it tastes sweet, a rich spicy sweetness. Amazing! Less amazing? It is impossible to get past the moat of Lorasses. No matter how strong a swimmer or oarsman, it is impossible to make headway through or atop the Lorasses. Anyone attempting to fly across the moat will find themselves slapped by a giant sticky slappy hand rising like a goliath from the depths with perfect aim. Star Children can find themselves slapped anywhere from the shore to the center of the school. Star Children are free to get creative with ways to dig the survival squares out of the Lorasses, but beware! They'll have difficulty freeing themselves on their own from the sticky substance, should they fall in.
Since Star Children are likely to find themselves in sticky situations quite literally, they may be pleased to know that Amrita Academy has showers available for use. Unfortunately, due to one student's experiment, the shampoo is all made of beer. That's right, beer. It's good for one's hair! Or so the study should demonstrate. Be sure to fill out a feedback card outside the locker rooms.
New Star Children arrive in Amrita Academy, the largest school in Folkmore. They might arrive in the medical wing, or they could arrive in areas of the school that don't look like a school at all: forests with animals to hunt or gather, including for their medicinal properties; rocky crags with climbing routes; fields full of growing grains; meadows with sheep covered in soft wool; lakes and rivers with unusual denizens. It's like a miniature of Folkmore all in one school.
A fox with a clipped ear and a few scars greets each Star Child upon arrival. She explains that while things can be summoned with Lore, the best survivors learn to scavenge and to find what they need. New Star Children haven't earned much Lore yet, so that surely applies to them double. In fact, as befits a survival school, there are items that will help Star Children survive hidden all around and immediately outside the school. Star Children are directed to make a list on their Relic of everything they think they need to survive. Once made, the list cannot be changed. They will be more likely to find those items than others (though it will not be impossible).
Race, jog, or stroll around the expansive school in search of these items: clothes, bags, first aid kits, tents, survival supplies, etc. They might be harder to find than expected as they will be miniature and in little cubes aka survival squares (a misnomer). These cubes may be tucked away above, below, beside, or inside something. They also may float against a rock face or in the air among tree branches. The most likely locations are those densest in Lore. The longer Star Children explore, the more they will realize that these cubes are best and most easily obtained by working together. In fact, they will try to dodge and avoid the grip of a Star Child more than ten feet away from any other Star Child. Perhaps that's because two Star Children interacting are creating Lore and a Lore dense location? Once two Star Children touch the cube at the same time, the cube will disappear, and the item inside will grow to full size. Congratulations on being one step closer to survival. Remember to share.
Come mid-September, few cubes will remain inside the school. Star Children will have to check the perimeter of the school to find more survival squares. That task grows exponentially harder as the cubes are in the molasses-thick moat of concentrated Lore surrounding the school. Should anyone dip their spoon in the moat, in the Lorasses if you will, they will find that it tastes sweet, a rich spicy sweetness. Amazing! Less amazing? It is impossible to get past the moat of Lorasses. No matter how strong a swimmer or oarsman, it is impossible to make headway through or atop the Lorasses. Anyone attempting to fly across the moat will find themselves slapped by a giant sticky slappy hand rising like a goliath from the depths with perfect aim. Star Children can find themselves slapped anywhere from the shore to the center of the school. Star Children are free to get creative with ways to dig the survival squares out of the Lorasses, but beware! They'll have difficulty freeing themselves on their own from the sticky substance, should they fall in.
Since Star Children are likely to find themselves in sticky situations quite literally, they may be pleased to know that Amrita Academy has showers available for use. Unfortunately, due to one student's experiment, the shampoo is all made of beer. That's right, beer. It's good for one's hair! Or so the study should demonstrate. Be sure to fill out a feedback card outside the locker rooms.
- All new Star Children arrive in Amrita Academy.
- Star Children are greeted by a fox who prompts them to write a list of what they need to survive. These lists cannot be changed once made.
- Star Children search for tiny cubes with survival supplies, especially ones on their lists.
- Star Children must work together to catch & open the cubes.
- Come mid-September, Amrita Academy is surrounded by a Lore-rich molasses moat—Lorasses. Thou shalt not pass.
- Once the moat arrives, most cubes are in the moat. Shower to get clean afterward with beer for shampoo.
Content Warnings: Forced Close Contact, Coerced Behavior
It can be stressful to arrive in a new place among strangers and strange things. It can be even more stressful, sometimes, to be among people one knows. The fact remains that in Folkmore, no one is an island. The Shattered Spoon Shrine is a testament to that. Interact or perish. Those interactions usually don't even have to be positive. An emotionally charged argument generates Lore same as a touching reunion. However, Amrita's iteration has taken charge of Folkmore this month. She values cooperation and connection.
What does this mean for Star Children? It's time to get along.
When Star Children fight—physically, vocally, emotionally—they get stuck together in a magical t-shirt. This plain white t-shirt has 'This is our get along shirt' written on it on both sides, one in each Star Child's handwriting. (If a Star Child does not have handwriting, Thirteen will invent a handwriting she feels best represents them). The shirt works exactly as written on the tin. Until the two Star Children can get along, they will be stuck together in the shirt. Getting along can look a few different ways. It could be working through the reason they were fighting. It could be cooperating to accomplish something else. It could be helping someone else together. It could be large or small. Somehow, Star Children will have to get along to accomplish something.
The shirt will disappear, leaving them standing next to each other, only to reappear duplicated in each of their hands, perfectly sized to fit each individual. Should they so choose, either can be used for a repeat performance, with both of them trapped inside again. While the same condition will apply—they must get along to get out of the shirt—the shirt will now make it easier for them to work it out. Note: only the two people who originally wore the shirt can put it back on. No one else can wear these shirts.
One time only, a Star Child's cooperative escape will have an additional prize: their souvenir t-shirt will be wrapped around an item from either their home universe or their partner's. That's right, getting along can get a Star Child something from another universe.
It can be stressful to arrive in a new place among strangers and strange things. It can be even more stressful, sometimes, to be among people one knows. The fact remains that in Folkmore, no one is an island. The Shattered Spoon Shrine is a testament to that. Interact or perish. Those interactions usually don't even have to be positive. An emotionally charged argument generates Lore same as a touching reunion. However, Amrita's iteration has taken charge of Folkmore this month. She values cooperation and connection.
What does this mean for Star Children? It's time to get along.
When Star Children fight—physically, vocally, emotionally—they get stuck together in a magical t-shirt. This plain white t-shirt has 'This is our get along shirt' written on it on both sides, one in each Star Child's handwriting. (If a Star Child does not have handwriting, Thirteen will invent a handwriting she feels best represents them). The shirt works exactly as written on the tin. Until the two Star Children can get along, they will be stuck together in the shirt. Getting along can look a few different ways. It could be working through the reason they were fighting. It could be cooperating to accomplish something else. It could be helping someone else together. It could be large or small. Somehow, Star Children will have to get along to accomplish something.
The shirt will disappear, leaving them standing next to each other, only to reappear duplicated in each of their hands, perfectly sized to fit each individual. Should they so choose, either can be used for a repeat performance, with both of them trapped inside again. While the same condition will apply—they must get along to get out of the shirt—the shirt will now make it easier for them to work it out. Note: only the two people who originally wore the shirt can put it back on. No one else can wear these shirts.
One time only, a Star Child's cooperative escape will have an additional prize: their souvenir t-shirt will be wrapped around an item from either their home universe or their partner's. That's right, getting along can get a Star Child something from another universe.
- When Star Children get in a fight of any kind, not just physical, they get stuck together in a magical t-shirt.
- The shirt says “This is our get along shirt” front and back in characters’ own handwriting (or imagined handwriting).
- As written on the tin, Star Children are stuck until they figure out how to get along
- When they separate, both partners will get a copy of the t-shirt that fits them. They can choose to get back into said t-shirt together to figure out how to get along easier in the future.
- One time only, Star Children receive an item from their home universe or their partner’s.
Dan Feng | Honkai: Star Rail | Myth
[It had been surreal, walking away from his own body -- seeing himself suspended by chains in the dark and cold of the shackling prison, still feeling the injuries that had been inflicted upon him with each step he couldn't seem to resist. In the end, with each breath and step... Dan Feng finally allowed himself to give in, to stop thinking about just why he was following this mysterious Fox. This certainly wouldn't be the first dream that his exhausted mind had given him over these long years.
Where there had been blood, torn clothing... evidence of his imprisonment... slowly all of it faded from sight, but not from his senses, not really. There's an exhaustion that lingers in him as he follows, and as he listens.
Anyone would have questions in such a situation... but Dan Feng had remarkably few at first. If this was a dream, it mattered very little, and even if it weren't... well that would be far more concerning than a few questions could settle. The changes, few though they truly were, happened to be a far more immediate interest -- horns and fangs were normal... but a physical tail swaying behind him with each step certainly wasn't.
... yet following a walk that felt to take both an eternity and only a few minutes, the changes around him are quite quick.
Looking unscathed but feeling worn still, Dan Feng finds himself first at the side of a lake. Even being told why he's here in particular, even with the idea being survival... there is little that can change the sense of peace that washes over him in the moment. He could only barely remember how it felt to breathe fresh air, to feel a breeze... to be anything other than cold and in agony.
For the moment, he tucks away the spoon he'd been given, attention split between the Relic and making the expected list -- a spear, a sleeping bag, a small knife, medical supplies (out of an abundance of caution), matches and kindling, a small pot to boil water or prepare food if necessary, a canteen of some description to carry the aforementioned water -- and the scenery that surrounds him. Between the breeze fluttering through long, dark hair and the idle sway of the tip of his tufted tail, Dan Feng appears relaxed and serene -- something he's not felt for centuries.
None of that means he won't notice should someone approach him. Any star child approaching will find luminous sea green eyes turned toward them well before they're close enough to be a potential threat.]
SURVIVAL
[Having followed a river away from the lake, luckily enough in possession now of a small knife and the means to create a fire, Dan Feng's eyes have settled upon one of those odd little cubes floating midair directly over the center of a wide section of the river.
He's seen by now just how elusive these cubes can be, so for the moment he remains on the riverbank. Considering the ease with which cloudhymn came to him, he wasn't exactly concerned about how he'd get his hands on it... no instead it's the quiet around him -- aside from the rush of water over rock -- that has the majority of his focus.
As someone who looks completely unharmed... he certainly doesn't feel it. The exhaustion of injury hadn't left him nearly as easily as the injuries themselves had, and that's enough to keep his attention quite fully on edge. Just because he'd yet to come across anyone or anything hostile didn't mean he was about to put down his guard -- to do so after everything he'd experienced would be foolish indeed.
The way the end of his tail flicks now is reminiscent of an irritated cat, and though his gaze doesn't shift yet from the cube floating in its deceptive peace, there's an underlying and distrusting tension in his voice when he speaks up.]
If you only intend to watch, I suggest moving on and finding new entertainment.
[... even while not trusting the stranger whose presence he can feel, should someone want or need to work together he isn't entirely opposed.]
WILDCARD
[Anything else you'd like anywhere else? Come at me.]
arrival;
or at least, it certainly feels that way when he lays eyes upon the profile of a face that has been long, long gone, for hundreds of years. ice runs through his veins, and jing yuan stands stock still. is this.. an illusion? a memory made real? a dream?
but the space feels solid and real, it does not have the strange, effervescent quality of a dream, the the figure of dan feng quite solid. the shock that seizes him is completely disarming, and jing yuan speaks in a soft voice, before he can think better not to. ]
.. Feng-xiong?
[ he whispers, and all at once jing yuan feels like that young boy again, the young man who had to sentence one of his dearest friends to a life in the shackling prison, and a death via molting rebirth. it was a long time ago now, for jing yuan, those old wounds having healed over, leaving aching scars behind, but only that. scars. yet seeing dan feng here, real, and in the flesh - it tears at those scars, splitting them open into weeping wounds again. ]
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[Dan Feng has only recently tucked away his Relic when he notices someone approaching. He'd not looked right away, tired gaze cast over the lake still... when that familiar voice reaches his ears. He feels as if he's stopped breathing -- certainly stops moving to a point that even the idle swish of his tail stills, soft tuft resting on the ground as he feels his chest grow near unbearably tight.
He'd walked away from the Luofu. He'd walked away from himself there in the shackling prison, never expecting to see a familiar face -- not even once it had settled into his mind that this felt far too real to be a dream.
Dan Feng takes a slow breath before he turns his head in the direction of the whisper that had still somehow cut through all other sound around them. There were some visible differences between the Jing Yuan here and the one in his memories -- there was no way he wouldn't have noticed those soft ears and tail after all -- but... that didn't mean that this could possibly be anyone else.
His tail curls just a bit closer to his ankles as the thought of how to refer to the other settles in his mind. It had been far too long since he'd spoken to anyone, even Jing Yuan. But he didn't want to choose silence anymore.]
... I hadn't expected I'd see you here.. [The briefest pause of his quiet voice.] A-Yuan...
[Did he deserve close forms of address any longer? Likely not. But he'd spent centuries controlling the distance between them... it was out of his hands this time.]
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and yet here he is, tall and proud and beautiful as he has always been.
jing yuan's throat works as he swallows a knot there, moving forward. using so familiar a name had come thoughtlessly, for it has been all too easy to slip back into the shoes of the young lieutenant who once looked up to this man so keenly. ]
I can't say that I expected to see you again, either. Ever again.
[ approaching, he stands near enough for comfortable conversation, but far enough so as not to feel like intimate friends. there is surely a distance between them that jing yuan does not know how to bridge. ]
The Fox has done this..?
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When his old friend's approach stills, Dan Feng takes the moment to turn to face him properly. He can still feel the ache of injuries that were no longer there with the movement... so he stays where he is for now.
A breath or two passes after the question, before Dan Feng lets tired eyes close.]
So it would seem. I'd believed this yet another cruel dream, at first.
[Dreams had been nothing but cruel mimicry of escape all these centuries, after all. He would always awake back in the dark and the cold... always awake to agony.]
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though that is not to say that he did not find any happiness. he found family in fu xuen and in yanqing, friendship with the astral express and many others, all has not been terrible, and this warmth in his life is perhaps what has staved the mara off for so long. nevertheless, his dreams are often haunted by the past, the very same past that stands before him now, solid and real. ]
This is no dream.
[ he says softly, his throat tight around his words.
this is a face he had never expected to see again, in this regard. dan heng wears it similarly, but he is different, he is not dan feng, they occupy two different compartments in his mind, and in his heart. ]
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Without thought, his hands close at his sides... the only tension he really allows himself under the weight of guilt.]
So I've noticed... [His gaze does drag away this time, only barely shifting toward the lake.] Neither dream nor nightmare had such fresh air.
[... his voice had grown rather quiet by the time he finished speaking. It was simply the truth, never mind how difficult the topic of conversation. He'd long forgotten the smell of air that didn't also carry the scent of his own blood.]
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jing yuan is a good speaker, he generally has no trouble holding a conversation, but right now his throat is tight. he does not know what to say. does not know how to feel. he is happy to see his old friend again, so happy, yet the old wound left behind by the sedition still aches, like an ancient broken bone that did not heal correctly. and dan feng's silence in the aftermath had only cut him further still, whatever his reasons.
jing yuan's gaze drops. he is once more that young boy, shying away from the power and majesty of the high elder. ]
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... seeing him now, it's clear those chains had remained. Really, it was something he'd known all these long years... but hadn't wanted to think about. He hadn't wanted to risk making everything even worse. What but further pain could've come from speaking up when he knew the end was nearing?
Tired eyes do shift back to Jing Yuan after another breath, taking in what he can read of his old friend's body language. It had never truly been his specialty, reading people -- certainly not nearly as much as the rest -- but even he can read what that dropped gaze says.
This distance between them is his own fault, and certainly he deserves it after so long, doesn't he? Even so, he can't bring himself to move from this spot, neither toward nor away from Jing Yuan. There's a hint of an uncertainty he can't exactly hide in the way his tail curls at his ankles. He isn't certain he likes just how telling this tail has become.]
It almost seems that perhaps... this is somewhere to start anew.
[His voice is quiet, but so is the lake at their side. In the end... he's tired. He may not deserve this new start, but what else could it be?]
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Survival
He almost wishes they had. He still doesn’t have the answer to the question Kingsley asked. He straightens, swallows, and says carefully.] Forgive me, it was…I was in shock. I can help if you’ll allow it.
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... no what interrupts the calm is the other's appearance. The same face indeed, even with some varied differences otherwise. His own life was certainly not about to last many more years before he'd followed that Fox... so this was an interesting turn of events.]
I've no reason to refuse your offer. Catching these alone is far from ideal.
[Though his tone doesn't necessarily ease, there isn't hostility either. Centuries imprisoned had left their mark, and while he wasn't interested in being some kind of spectacle... well, his pride had been quite worn down at the edges. Besides, accepting help here could possibly answer the questions surfacing thanks to an odd sense of familiarity.]
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He breathes and walks to the river. He leaps, crossing over to the other side and positions himself to flank the cube.
He lifts his head and nods,] Whenever you’re ready. I’ll move when you do.
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[ooc: please feel free to DM me to let me know if this doesn't work for you.]
[Dan Feng makes note of any signs of hesitance or discomfort... but for the moment he has no intention to address any of it. There would be enough time for that once the cube had been taken care of, provided the other didn't leave immediately after.
If he did make to leave in the end, well... that would be a bridge to cross should it happen.
... a bridge though, that was certainly an option for their troubles. He'd learned quite immediately after his arrival that what power he held before still remained his... and he couldn't be certain just what ability to expect from the young man now across the river.]
Very well.
[His voice is raised only enough to reach the other side over the babbling water, before he makes a small gesture with his right hand, gaze lowered to the river between them. From his observations to this point, it wasn't speed that was necessary, but simply something -- someone in this case -- limiting its escape.
The water between them raises only just, the surface becoming still as glass -- stable enough to support them easily enough. Until he knew the capabilities of the other, this was the simplest option... so when his eyes lift to meet Dan Heng's again, he takes his first easy step out onto the water.
... just in case...] You have my word that the water will hold you as well.
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It occurs to him how much he could learn. Maybe he could take that back to Bailu and help her too.
He takes a few more steps, relaxed and ready to grab the cube. He looks up to meet Dan Feng’s eyes and nods once.] This seems to be one of the bonding trials. It will likely be very simple.
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He breathes a quiet, considering hum at the mention of a 'bonding trial'... considering how docile this cube is -- especially compared to a couple that had darted away from him which he'd then simply left behind -- it would certainly make some sort of sense if this was meant to be accomplished with assistance.]
With an observation like that one, would I be correct in assuming you've been here for some time?
[He doesn't still when he asks of course, instead taking the last couple steps to be within reach of the cube and lift his hand toward it. It wasn't going anywhere... and honestly he's quite thankful for the convenience.]
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Understanding. Answers. Ones he never thought he would have. As their hands touch the cube it converts into a rolled up tent. Dan Heng shifts his weight and grabs it. No sense in losing a shelter to the water.] …When did you get here?
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The moment the tip of his finger touches the cube, it expands into a tent and Dan Heng certainly isn't the only one to shift -- to catch it to ensure it doesn't fall to the water. Not that it would've fallen through if it simply landed between them. Still though, he withdraws his own hand, not seeing any issue with the idea of surrendering the item to the other.]
Mm... early this morning, I suppose. Though the passage of time before I found myself at the lake is less clear.
[How long had he followed the Fox? He really didn't know... but that was something for later. He didn't know how long he'd been in the shackling prison either, after all. For now, he shifts to the side, gesturing with his hand to allow Dan Heng to step past him and back to the riverbank.]
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survival
He does not try to hide his presence. The lilac-haired man approaches quite openly, his eyes first on the man in front of him and then sliding up to the cube that Dan Feng's attention is on.]
Were I seeking entertainment at all, I'm sure I could find it in far more appealing locales than this one.
[Hythlodaeus arches a brow in Dan Feng's direction, his arms loosely folded and a quiet, ever-present mirth in his glowing eyes.]
But you have the look of one who requires some assistance.
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Still, the stranger doesn't read as hostile... or even inclined toward such as a whole. Perhaps he won't lower his guard... but he'll turn toward the other just a bit more.]
With what I've learned of this place, certainly rejecting any offer of assistance would be unwise.
[He pauses briefly, luminous green eyes flicking briefly to the cube floating lazily over the river, then back to meet lilac.]
I've simply no interest in becoming some spectacle in a strange place.
[Though he doesn't move, the words can imply as much a dismissal of that idea as a shrug would. While the tone of his voice isn't necessarily kind... it isn't abrasive either -- instead just as neutral as his expression... and perhaps more weary than he'd like noticed.]
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You may have no choice in that one way or another. The Fox does enjoy her little pranks.
[As does Hythlodaeus... though his are never meant to harm, as Thirteens occasionally are. He looks to Dan Feng with a curious expression then, cocking his head to one side.]
But I had no designs on subjecting you to that myself. If you would like my assistance, then I will happily offer it.
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The mention of pranks is enough to draw a sigh from him though. Being here, even with that, was better than the alternative and some of his tension does ease just a little more.]
I'll not refuse assistance. Considering what I've learned of these so far, it hardly seems ideal to pursue them alone. [A pause... and a curious quirk to his tail.] Have you found many, yourself?
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Though he is an admittedly lazy man who prefers to have others do the work while he sneaks off to take a nap, Hythlodaeus has always been incredibly clever. This is a puzzle he can easily turn his mind to with what he knows of how Thirteen operates.]
I have seen a number of them, but the flighty things move away from me whenever I get near. [Finally, his attention goes back to Dan Feng, and he drops his arms back to his sides with a shrug and a smile.] She enjoys pushing us to work together. I suspect we may have more luck if we approach as a team. What do you say?
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I noticed they seem quite reluctant to allow a single person close, as well. In truth, it was why I'd been considering an approach before your arrival.
[Working together is easily enough to give him an idea. He knows little of the Fox, but if the point of this little exercise is to get strangers to work together... well, he has an idea then.]
If teamwork tends to be the Fox's aim, a simple solution should suffice. Unless it happens to veer around you, I am quite certain I can herd it toward you easily enough.
[He doesn't know a single thing about the capabilities of this stranger... but he's never really been the type to rely on the strength of others outside a select few. Moving slightly downstream of the cube, Dan Feng moves only just enough to jump to the other side of the river. Between the jump itself and his landing, he appears to be moving more under the power of magic rather than muscle.]
Regardless, even if I can simply cause it to flee away from the water, our work will be simpler.
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Do try not to fall in.
[He lifts his attention to the cube again, wondering what might be inside it to have the other man so fixated on claiming it, and he takes a couple of steps back.]
Begin when you're ready.
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There will be no risk of that, I assure you.
[The words are stated calmly, and Dan Feng takes one step out onto the surface of the water... and is stable as if he stands on sturdy, thick glass instead of anything less solid. In fact, while the water ripples beneath each step, he walks as if this were something he'd done on countless prior occasions... and as his steps near the cube, it begins to quite lazily meander away from him and toward Hythlodaeus instead.
As the distance between them grows smaller and smaller, the miniature image of the items contained in the cube will become more and more clear to both of them -- a nested set of pots and bowls. With the means to prepare both a fire and necessary ingredients, having found the means to remain fed was quite the ideal next step as far as Dan Feng was concerned. Besides, as someone who had just arrived after centuries freezing cold... well, having a fire was all he was worried about for the chill of night.]
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