TEST DRIVE MEME #8

[abraxasmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to the eighth test drive meme for Abraxas! This meme is run a little bit differently than most in that you'll be asked to choose one of the three different arrival scenarios below for your character to take. If you have any questions about this mechanic or anything else related to the TDM, please take a look at the questions below or ask one of your own under the Questions header below. For general game questions please still use the FAQ.

Our Setting pages are full of information on the world of Abraxas, and an overview of the story so far can be found on our Game History page! Anything on that page - including information about the Horizon and the Singularity - can be assumed to be told to newcomers after they arrive, no matter which faction they are received in. For more information on Ambrose and the apprentice mages, Marlo, and Rowan, please see our NPCs page.

You can also find answers to questions asked on previous TDMs in their respective questions threads.

NOTED CURRENT EVENTS
◎ Rumor has it that two emissaries - a werewolf and a vampire - visited from Nocwich in early July. With them came some wares distributed to shops throughout each faction. A few sparse items may remain for purchase, such as glowing flowers or fine ales, but much of it has now been sold.

◎ New arrivals in THE FREE CITIES may hear a bit of chatter around Cadens about art, politics, and recent performances involving its sister city, Libertas. It's all standard fare - the kind of topics spoken about over a beer or in line at the market - but there's a small stir in the air.

◎ Lately, locals in SOLVUNN have begun to approach the Summoned with a sort of awe and respect. New arrivals will find themselves treated much the same way and may be asked for advice or given gifts that seem like offerings such as wine, harvest bounties, or some delicious goat cheese. Your character is free to turn these down and should they turn down enough people, they will not be bothered further as no one wishes to offend them.

Arrival

You awaken suspended in the abyss, silent darkness stretching out in all directions. If you try to yell, you'll find that the sound doesn't carry. If you try to move, you'll find it's impossible to tell whether or not you're actually getting anywhere. If you reach for an item you were carrying last time you remember being awake, your hand will only touch bare skin.

You're naked and floating helplessly through the void, and what little air you have in your lungs is running out.

There's a pinprick of light that almost looks like a faraway star but as it grows it becomes clear that it's actually quite close. Through the opening you can see a bright room, but it's hard to make out any individual objects, as if you're looking from beneath rippling water.

Scenario One: Welcome to Thorne

A hand plunges through and you realize water is just what it is. Whether you take hold of the hand or not it will grab you and yank you up through the surface, lifting you out until you're sprawled on solid ground. Once you catch your breath, you can get a better look at the surroundings: tall trees and even taller stone pillars surround the platform you're laying on. Behind you is an ornate fountain, the base of which is so deep and so dark you might be compelled to scramble away from it lest it suck you back in to that endless abyss. Ahead of you are the walls of a large castle with several tall towers reaching up towards the sky.

If you had any powers, they feel unusually weak. Attempts to use magic or enhanced strength or powers of any sort fizzle out without any effect, but they don't feel completely gone, either.

Set into an indent on a marble slab behind the fountain is a card bearing the image of one of the arcana.

An apprentice mage - the one whose hand lifted you out of the fountain - brushes the water off on their robes and runs back to join a group of three others, who all stare intently at a mage with highly decorated robes and a large, heavy book. He peers up at you for a moment and starts flipping through the book.

"One moment," he says, not bothering to look up from the tome. He looks tired. "I am Ambrose Rhett, the High Mage of the Kingdom of Thorne. We’ll explain everything in a moment, but for now, please calm down. You’re completely fine."

Regardless of your response, he keeps flipping through the pages, until he stops on one specific passage, stares at it for a moment, and then sighs with relief:

"Finally!"

Ambrose's expression brightens, relief visible across his features. He waves one of the apprentices over with a fine silk tunic, pants, and some basic sandals and with a wave of his hand they reshape to fit you perfectly.

"Oh, thank heavens," he says, closing the book and approaching you with a sort of worn-out relief. “I was beginning to believe we’d never get it exactly right.”

Now that he's not hunching over the book, he doesn't seem quite so stuffy and inapproachable. The apprentices all seem to visibly relax, and the one that handed you the tunic stops to take the tarot card down from the marble slab. If you show any curiosity about the card, they'll let you take a longer look, but won't let you touch it.

"Please, come with me," he says, motioning for you to follow him towards the castle. "As promised, my pupils will explain your current situation. And, ah - if you had any magic of your own, or other special abilities you can't access right now, fear not, they'll return within the week. The summoning takes a lot out of you."

One of the apprentices steps forward and rattles on and on about the castle, Thorne itself, the names of a bunch of royals and nobles, and of course, your reason for being here. The Kingdom and the world itself is in great peril, and tales of your exploits have reached far and wide across universes. If asked about these exploits, the apprentice will simply smile and shrug. The High Mage was happy to see you and that's good enough.

Once inside the castle you're taken to the North Wing, which has been set up as living quarters for you and your fellow newcomers. There are four people to a room, but each generously-sized bed has opaque curtains that can be drawn around it. You can meet your roommates here and discuss your shared situation (those who were previously brought in may have a great deal of information to tell you), or you can wander around and meet the others.

There's also a dining hall stocked with a rotating 24/7 buffet in celebration of the new honored guests. Somehow, your very favorite food is part of the rotation (or at least an attempted recreation of it given the limited technology available to the Thorneans). The town surrounding the castle is all abuzz as well, with most shops and services willing to give free samples of their wares to the new arrivals.

You may also notice that your sign is embroidered on your tunic: the same image you saw on the card from before with the name of the sign itself beneath it. If you ask the castle residents, they'll tell you a little bit about your sign (and will mostly stick to the positives, although some might point out the negatives).

Last (and, if you ask anyone else in the castle, least) there is a worn stone staircase leading underground to the dungeon. You can go there, if you wish, but all powers are restricted in the dungeons and most of the cells stand empty.

Scenario Two: Welcome to the Free Cities

You find yourself pulled from the water by a pair of strong hands. Dry warmth hits you at once as you're set on a warm hard floor. As your senses return you realize you're on dull ruddy stone and surrounded by strangers. Men and women in unfamiliar uniforms of brown and red leather stand in a semi-circle around a small pool of water. The very pool you were just pulled from. The water is still now, rimmed in pale gold tiles with odd symbols etched into them. Across it on the far side is a raised pedestal with a card propped on it. The card bears an arcana symbol.

You feel weak. Drained. Any abilities or magical powers you have seem far away and impossible to access. You're in what looks like a cave lit by dozens and dozens of torches set into the wall. There's no furniture or decoration to be seen besides the pool. It's almost uncomfortably warm and there's the sound of rushing wind somewhere in the distance. Flickering shadows obscure the faces of the guards. A robed woman stands off to the side, looking at you anxiously and then to the authoritative woman standing before you. She's grinning, dressed in a fancier uniform than the others. There's a sword at her hip. A guard covers you with a blanket and returns to their place in the semi-circle.

The woman with the sword gives a nod of approval and smiles warmly.

"Sorry about the circumstances."

She gives you a good hard look before standing again.

"Take a minute, catch your breath, you've had quite a shock. Take it nice and easy. I'm Prime Minister Marlo Reiner and you're in The Free Cities. That nice lady over there will explain everything to you and get you settled." A nod to the robed woman off to the side.

Marlo Reiner steps back and the robed mage approaches to help you up.

"Come with me, please." She brings you out of the cave through a corridor that angles upwards until you emerge in what looks like some kind of storage facility. Shelves of wooden boxes and cloth bags line them, unidentifiable parts of what might be machines are tucked into corners and propped against shelving units. "This is one of the Free Cities' outposts," the mage explains as she leads you. "We're honored to have you with us, I'm sure you have many questions but please save them. You need to recover!"

You'll learn you're in the Cadens Desert Outpost 003, a military outpost on the outskirts of Cadens city. You're brought to a room in the barracks that's been prepared. Each barracks room is rather sparse and utilitarian. Six simple beds set against the wall, three on each side of the room, each with a trunk at the foot of it. You're told the world is in a delicate and dangerous times and you're needed to help. You're important, you're told, and they're very grateful you're here.

You're asked to stay close for the time being, but to make yourself at home. The outpost is more a proper military base than the name implies, with full facilities. The barracks have a communal bathing room at the end of the hall, with curtains that can be pulled around the individual raised round tubs for privacy. There's a mess hall that has food available from sun up till a few hours after sundown. You're even encouraged to make use of the training grounds, if you'd like, with non-lethal training weapons available for use and obstacle courses set up. And the city of Cadens is only a couple of hours away by wagon - though you're asked initially to please be back at the outpost within a few hours of the sun going down.

For your own safety.

Scenario Three: Welcome to Solvunn

The feeling of floating is the first sense that comes to you as the edges of unconsciousness start to ebb. Sunlight filters through the rippling water as you open your eyes, making you squint. Before you have the chance to panic and inhale, firm hands grasp your arms and pull you to the surface of the water. Moments later, soft warmth is wrapped around your shoulders as you're guided on unsteady legs out of a pool of water. You're lowered to the soft grass. Men and women in simple garments with lavish embroidery stand by, waiting with bated breath, glancing seriously at an old man in an ornate robe. He holds an old leather-bound book in one hand and in the other is a card bearing an arcana symbol. His eyes move quickly over the page, and he mumbles idly to himself.

Any strength you may have possessed feels as though it has slipped through your fingers. Any abilities or magical powers you have don't come to the surface no matter how hard you try. You're in a grassy clearing in the midst of a circle of large stone slabs stacked to look like doorways. In the middle is the same glimmering pool you were just pulled from. A gentle breeze blows through, carrying the scent of flowers and herbs from an ornately decorated altar set off in front of one of the stone doorways. The mage closes his book and steps out of the water, addressing a matronly old woman. Behind her are two younger people, a rough-looking man, and a meek young girl, both of whom are also watching the mage.

“I detect no ill will from the gods, it seems we've been blessed with success.” Those that had gathered all breathe a sigh of relief and now seem pleased.

The old woman smiles and steps forward, offering to take your hands and help you stand. “Any gift the gods give us is one we will happily take. I'm certain you have many questions, and they will all be answered in time. For now, rest and know you will be taken care of.”

She pats the top of your hand and steps away with a serene smile, letting one of the others come forward with some clothes that seem to fit you perfectly. Once you're dressed, someone approaches to drape a delicate-looking charm depicting a long-horned creature with large wings on a thin chain over your neck. Ask around later, and you may find that it is a symbol of Vielehauffe, the God of the Herd.

The rough-looking man from before steps forward once you're decent and motions with his head outside of the stone circle. His speech is informal, his consonants harsh.

“Hold your horses, I can see all those questions coming about! Rowan March, at your service. I'm one of the council members of Solvunn. There's a lot to discuss, but it's best talked about over a hot meal.” He leads you to a horse-drawn carriage and helps you up into the back. He talks the entire ride to the settlement.

You find out you are in the Primary Settlement, the first of three that make up Solvunn's great territory. The settlement is situated between two lakes and is humming with life. You're brought to the center of town and escorted to an apartment above one of the establishments in town. Rowan explains that the living conditions are temporary if you'd like them to be, that local families would also be happy to host you in their home. That there are others like you who have also taken up residence within the three settlements. You're told that the world hangs upon the brink of disaster and that there are those in this world that are happy to see it fall to ruin with their meddling.

You're important. The gods have graced them with your presence. They're delighted you're here. Welcome to Solvunn.

Everything you need has been provided in this humble apartment, and if it hasn't, there are shops that line the streets and a marketplace in the center of town. Owners of some establishments or stalls are more than happy to give out samples or barter with your time for their goods. Babysitting can be a very lucrative business. You're told of the other settlements, that they'd like you to stay here for now, but if you can find a family to host you, the secondary and tertiary settlements are best to get to with an escort.

There are tales of travelers visiting the secondary settlement without invitation disappearing without a trace. The gods are as hungry as they are protective, young traveler.

You’ll find that there are more than enough activities to throw yourself into to better settle into your new life in Solvunn. Work is done in the first part of the day so that families can spend the rest of it together in leisure and work on their crafts - whatever those may be. For those children who are not of school age, they need nannies or storytellers, and there’s always a gaggle of them running about unsupervised. Families with livestock can always take a spare hand, especially since farms are so spread out, they have a tendency to wander. Whatever skills you may possess can always be of use to the community or to honor the gods.

If any of these options are no good for your lifestyle, the main roads between settlements can always use a bit of monster clean-up… just make sure you don’t go alone.

---

Questions

How many slots are open?
Please check the Taken page for how many player, franchise, and canon slots are available. Activity check will be processed before applications open, so the count may change between now and then. Existing players can apply for a second character without restriction.

How do I choose a scenario for my character?
Pick whichever situation appeals to you most. Which faction your character is drawn into has nothing to do with their personal morality, beliefs, or how highly they regard themselves and their own accomplishments. Anyone can be put into any one of the situations.

Can I try out more than one scenario?
You can! But please keep in mind that only the one you eventually choose can be game canon, if you decide to keep any of your TDM threads.

What happens if my character refuses to comply with the NPCs?
They will be forgiven for their moment of panic or anger if they have one, and the faction leaders will try to calm them and persuade them further. If they put up too much of a fight and/or start actively attacking anyone, they will be warned once that everyone is willing to put them back in the well where they came from (see below), and if they continue to fight they will make good on that promise.

My character intends on causing a lot of trouble (destroying parts of the cities, murdering the NPCs, etc.), what would happen to them?
Characters who make too much trouble for the mages and other NPCs would be thrown back in the well (which will mean drowning in the void, not returning home). Brawling with other PCs and causing minor damage is fine and will be greeted with a cranky attitude and intervention from various NPC guards, and there will be plenty of opportunity for destruction and murder later, but for now the Abraxans have no desire to keep huge liabilities around.

I want to wildcard a prompt or use one of the prompts from an earlier TDM that isn't on this one (eg. the library), can I do that?
Yes, in terms of the settings. As Thorne is no longer imprisoning any newcomers, that option is no longer applicable.

Is the power loss for characters permanent?
No, but it does take a week or so for their powers to be back in full, and certain powers (determined on a case-by-case basis) may require nerfs. If your character has world-breaking powers, please discuss with the mods what modifications may be necessary.

Can my character leave the bounds of the faction?
In Thorne, characters can leave the castle but not the city. In Cadens, they can take a trip from the outpost to the city. In Solvunn, they can explore the entirety of the Primary Settlement.

Can my character eventually change factions?
Yes. While the faction borders are currently closed, there will opportunities in the future for characters to relocate. For the time being, they are stuck where they are.

How much will my choice of scenario affect my character's plot later on?
This choice will determine where your character initially lives as well as the bias of the information they receive from NPCs (although other PCs can and most likely will give it to them a bit more straight). This decision - and every other major decision you make in game! - will also be used to flavor some mod surprises that will be coming down the line.

Don't get too anxious about this choice, though; this is just one choice you'll get to make in a game that has a lot of them, and every character in every scenario can work their way towards many, many individual goals and outcomes. You're not locking yourself out of anything in the future via the choice you made on the TDM. It will primarily impact the immediate future with the far-reaching effects being up to each player.

Are TDM threads mandatory for my application?
No, you may use other samples, but we encourage you to post to the TDM and get a feel for this game and its mechanics before you join. If you do not have a TDM thread you will still need to choose one of the three scenarios on your application.

What if I haven't settled on a sign yet?
You can ignore sign-related prompts if you're undecided (or try out different signs in different threads).

Can my character go to the Horizon?
First time visitors to the Horizon must be taken there by other characters, through either shared meditation or a physical journey to the Singularity, and all first-timers experience memory loss. For the purposes of the TDM, we suggest against using the Horizon.

What about making use of the network?
Much like Horizon they would need to be introduced to it by another PC, as no NPCs would be aware of the network or be able to access it. Because of this we would advise against using this mechanic for TDM top-levels.

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Comments

Kaz Brekker | Grishaverse | The Chariot | Free Cities

[bealufull]

1. Arrival/Barracks (cw for mention of a corpse and its state)

For a moment the last seven years or so are nothing but a distant memory. All there is for Kaz in that moment is water and memories. A bloated body beneath his own worn and weak body, clinging tightly to his brother’s corpse within only one thought in mind. Surviving.

Cold water numbed his extremities, too weak to make it, the lights of Ketterdam growing sharper, growing brighter even as he sinks further beneath the water, not sure he’s going to make it.

He breaks the surface of the water, realizing someone is clutching at his hands, his arms, hauling him out of the water. The stadwatch goes through his mind, wondering what they’ll do with him, how he’ll explain it all… even as reality comes racing back to him.

Jordie’s dead. Long dead and gone. He is Kaz Brekker. Bastard of the Barrel. Dirtyhands.

And he’s naked.

Scrambling backwards over the dry stones, ignoring the scrape and grind of it against his skin as he moves as best he can until his back hits a wall. Feeling as weak as he had that night when he was ten, still sick with firepox and fighting for his life, and he wonders if that’s what he’s doing here as well and just doesn’t know it yet.

“Don’t! Just don’t!”

Voice fairly quavering as he warns back the guard who absolutely does and settles a blanket about his shoulders. Kaz glares as he gathers it about himself. Taking it all in with a dark glower, looking as angry as he can muster and in his condition looking a bit like an indignant wet cat even as the stifling air already begins to dry the dark hairs over his brow.

He follows, though suspicious not only of this so-called prime minister but of the others around him in blankets and various stages of dryness. Staying close to the back, moving with carefully measured steps. The stones may be worn for bare feet, but moving without his cane is not the easiest for him, especially in trying to hide his limp… and knowing he’s failing despite that.

“Kidnapping people for conscription seems a bit much,” he mutters, taking in the building where they’ve found themselves.

Kidnapping is definitely how it feels, and he wastes no time going through what he’s giving once in the barracks, dressing with sharp, precise movements. Clothes are a start, even if he finds himself clutching and releasing his hands, as uncomfortable with their bareness as he is with his uneven gait as he moves through the outpost.

He explores what they have from the mess hall to the even the training grounds though he doesn’t participate. Kaz Brekker was never military material. Not this kind of military, at least and he makes that clear when asked though it supports what he had suspected upon being hauled from the water.

Being unwilling to join them doesn’t stop him from seeking answers in a careful and methodical way. There isn’t a door he won’t try, a book he won’t flip through, and if he’s found checking behind curtains and generally finding himself looking into every nook and cranny he can.

Even if the room is occupied, or he’s not the first one there looking for answers.

2. Cadens

Taking a day or two to explore the outpost and get his bearings, Kaz takes advantage of the wagon to the city of Cadens itself. Getting about isn’t easy as he explores the center of the city as best he can on foot and without his cane. It’s frustrating as it should be humbling, doing his best to disguise the damage.

Which means often being found in the shadows of a building, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed as he draws sharp breaths to work through the pain. In those moments, despite his need for answers, seemingly trying to avoid others. Even if he’s pale with pain that he ignores as if that will make it go away.

That pain doesn’t stop him from plying his oldest trade, easily unburdening others of coin or anything else they might have on them of interest. It’s been years since he’s had to use this on the streets like a common urchin, but it’s where he began and he’s good at it. Even if he hates how close it brings him to others, unable to find gloves thin enough to do him any good on the streets.

He finds himself exploring the taverns and bars most. People are more likely to talk when they have drink in them, whether in good spirits or bad. So he situates himself close to others, listening while staring moodily ahead. Not that he entirely hides his reaction to something he’s heard, frowning heavily as he glances at someone nearby. He shifts where he sits, offering what might be an attempt at a smile.

"So... Libertas? How far is that? Only had Cadens mentioned to me." Which might reveal how new he is to this place, which is harder to avoid than he'd like.

It isn’t as if he isn’t used to pushing on through adversity though, unwilling to let it slow him down as he tries to get a sense of this place that reminds him of home, oddly enough. If all of Ketterdam and Ravka and even the Little Palace itself were all shoved into the same city and just about as crowded. He misses the Barrel where the locals parted to let him through and even tourists didn’t often stand in his way.

So when he finds his way blocked, Kaz reacts like… well, himself, huffing a breath as his dark glare settles on someone in his way.

“Would it be too much to ask you not block the sidewalk? I’m sure the building is no different than ones you have back home. Bricks. Beams. Supports.”

Please, correct him on this. Even if it’s a lie.

Eventually he finds himself in a tavern called The Sarstina Inn that reminds him of home, even if he’s acutely missing the sounds and scents of the Crow Club. The Barrel is in his blood, and he could do with a bit of assurance he’ll find it again. Or make it his own here.

It’s getting late, or perhaps it's early on another day, but he settles in a chair watching the door, dark eyes taking it all in even when he’s not looking directly at something. Using coin that he obtained from someone - whether they knew it or not - he orders a drink and forces himself to sip it rather than drowning his pain in liquor.


3. Wildcard

(Open to any interactions around the outpost or in Cadens. Kaz is a very good pickpocket and a master of sleight of hand though he’s not used to metahumans beyond the Grisha and those with extra sensory powers though he will do his best to talk himself out of confrontations. Also I will match brackets or prose though I tend to default to prose.)

The Inn;

[shadowthief]

Inej works the bar at Mag's Inn most nights. She may never have worked at the Crow Club in that way, but learning to sling a drink or two was easy enough and she'd made her way here with this and running errands for Mag in the daytime– it meant less running around for her, and Inej didn't mind the legwork.

She hears the familiar scrape of someone pulling up at the bar, the soft clink of coin on the bartop, but... the voice is what trips her up. She freezes on a dime, breath silent but caught sharply between her ribs. It's a brief moment, blink and you miss it and she prays he does, as she moves to pour the drink he'd asked for.

"I thought I was supposed to be the sneaky one," she quips, setting the glass in front of him, hands braced against the bar as she finally turns to face him. Her voice is steady, sharp but not mean, and her eyes lock on him intently to judge every inch of his reaction.

[bealufull]

He had looked for the others as they pulled him from the water and sought signs of them in the barracks after he had found a bed and clothing. Perhaps he should have asked around, sought signs of them outside of the outpost but, the truth was, he had assumed as in so much, he might proceed them. Though if he had seen a game going on, he most certainly would have looked for Jesper amongst those playing.

Certainly he would not have looked for his Wraith behind a bar. If he was in his right mind at seeing her, he would wonder why he's off in this place that he hadn't sensed her the moment he crossed the threshold but he certainly was not going to let that happen again.

But in that moment his only thought was her. The entire world pinpointed on her for a moment. The lilt of her voice, the graceful way she moves as she sets the glass before him. None of the noises from the other reaches him in that moment, even if all another might see is a tensing in his shoulders and the widening of his eyes. Yet he knows what she might read in that, even as his hand moves not for the glass but across the bar top, stopping as it lay there on the wood, pale and bare.

"I thought you might make your presence known the moment they dragged me from that awful pool," he says, words tight and clipped but an easy taunt in the way things can be between them, acting as if nothing's changed when they're standing in an entirely new world.

[shadowthief]

Inej would not let the rest of the world dissolve simply because a Barrel boy was in front of her. She refused to be that blind to her surroundings, even if for the most part she could trust the patrons here. Most of them were fellow Summoned, and people she's grown attached to in varying degrees.

She sees those tiny things– that tension in his shoulders, the widening of his eyes as he sets them on her– and it eases something tight in her chest. Those nearly impossible to notice signs that, under all the rest, he is still human as anyone else.

"Had I been at the outpost, I would have," she admits, recalling her own moment in the pool in Solvunn. Anything else she might have wanted to say is lost when she sees his hand on the bartop. "You're practically naked without gloves," she says, snapping her eyes back up to his face. "I'll get you some. I have coin saved, and so does Jesper." Is that how she lets him know his lieutenant is here? Well. Yes. But it's easier to let her own hand slide from the edge of the bar to rest just lightly against his. No outright holding, here, just the barest brush of skin.

Without armor or not at all.

[bealufull]

"That's an understatement." He feels utterly revealed like this, just that bit of skin open and seen by others, but he will not let it possess him. He's been through worse, and he'll get through this. Though her offer begets as many questions as it offers solutions.

"I would appreciate that. How is it..." The words die on his tongue, chin jerking up as he looks around as if expecting to spy him then and there. "Jesper as well. Who else?"

Unarmed as if that stops him. Bared in ways he's not comfortable with. Finding himself without the knowledge he should have, the information he would often have known before anyone else. It leaves him feeling weak and naked in ways his bare hand doesn't.

Add to that being caught staring like a schoolboy at Inej - at least in his own mind - and he is feeling as off kilter as Kaz Brekker ever have. To others it might not show but he fairly bristles with the indignity of it all. He has a million questions, answers he feels he needs here and now, but two things hold his tongue.

"When are you done behind that bar?"

That was the easy one.

The other is so much harder. Everything had changed in what seemed one breath to the next in finding himself in this world but as her fingers touched his, he realized there was one thing he couldn't let change. Not to revert back to how they had been, to hiding behind that armor with the one person that demanded all of him. Not just what he was willing to give but all of him. He hadn't thought he was capable of giving her what she wanted, what she even deserved, and he'll be damned if he takes back what he has already offered her out of his need for what they could have. To not lose her to the trade winds and the shipping lanes and the merchers and the traders.

Who knows where all of that is but he has one choice here and now.

His pinky moves, slightly, just barely coming to rest over hers.

"Tell me what I need to know."

[shadowthief]

"I know most of the shopkeeps around here, I can get you a decent pair for a decent price," she assures him. "Just the three of us. I got here first, Jesper was only a couple of months behind me. You, however, are incredibly late. Far beyond any good dramatic entrance, it's just simply late now." She tsks at him, a disingenuous scolding.

She shrugs one shoulder at the question. "Soon, why?" she lets one corner of her mouth lift in a smirk. "Going to walk me home, Brekker?" It's doubly comical because he has no idea she actually lives in the inn, just upstairs, in a double room with Jesper. Hmm. How will that go over, she wonders? It makes that smirk slip up just a little more.

She doesn't let her gaze drop to their fingers, as much as she wants to. The less attention drawn to it, the better, she thinks, so instead she just hooks her pinky around his like some silly schoolyard promise.

"It's a lot," but she won't bother asking if he wants a halfway decent night's sleep before he gets it all. She knows him better than that. She doesn't hold anything back, from the war-ravaged countries to the magic in the place that they are all gifted with, the Singularity and the Horizon, the tiring politics between Thorne and Cadens especially. "...war is definitely coming, but it's hard to say if it's going to be soon or just an eventuality. The factions had a sham of a Peace Summit a few months back– it's when I moved from Solvunn to here, to be with Jesper. Better together than separated."

[bealufull]

Just the three of us. It feels painful in a way. A reminder of their loss. Wondering if that had brought an acute loss for Jesper. But it was the three of them. That mattered in ways Kaz might never talk about, but they had been his long before anyone else had become close to them, and now even in this odd slip in time or whatever it was, they were there now.

"I don't know. It does make people talk," he notes, not used to being the one to make the grand entrance as it feels he is. Just as the curl of her finger against his feels like something so much greater than most might think it is, but for him, in public, it is huge.

Not that he's so much as looking at their fingers, or looking away from her face.

He snorts though at that, giving her a hard look that is more amused than most might think. "As if you need an escort to get anywhere safely. It was more not risking your job. I can't imagine what I would do to a tender at the Crow Club that took too much time away from their work."

Yet he's quickly caught up in the story she tells. About their arrival, about what has been happening in the city, the factions. Especially about this Singularity and the Horizon... and the magic that comes with it.

"Much better together," he says with a nod, as if that is all there is to take away from it all. "They really have a way of giving people abilities like the Grisha possess? Just be existing in this dream like land?"

The Inn - After Inej

[itookashot]

It has been a long few days but in the most marvelous way. Jesper has been out from dawn to sunset ever since the Art Walk started selling his wares, and then he goes back to make some more, and do it again the next day. He's sold out and currently carrying a box back with him, protectively holding it tight to his chest because it is completely full of money. A lot of small bills and coins, since he sells trinkets, but many of them pile up after a while. The funny part is that it's not as if he needs it, since he is not gambling anymore. He and Inej have a stash that he keeps adding to without big plans to use it.

He looks weary since he's been on all day, selling his bright smile as much as his jewelry, but very, very satisfied. Jesper doesn't bother to ask for a drink from who is tending, he simply walks behind it to get his own, that is how comfortable he is here. He did not take out his bright green jacket today since it was too hot, but he does have a green vest over a white short-sleeved shirt, so he still pops in color. A pair of revolvers are on his hips, similar enough to be mimics of the ones back home, but not the same.

"Hmmm? New guy?" The bartender talks to him quietly and he keeps the box but looks in the direction of Kaz. It's become fairly normal that Jesper notices when new people come in and greets them, but he really doesn't expect this. His jaw drops and his eyes widen and he leaves his drink behind to hustle over to where his boss/best friend is casually sitting across from the door.

"Kaz, if you wouldn't kill me, I would kiss you right now." Jesper smiles so wide, so absolutely relieved and joyful.

[bealufull]

Inej had told him all she could about this place and he is still working on processing that. About where he'll go from here, what he wants in this place. If this is going to be his world for who knows how long, then he needs to find his path... and theirs. For all of them, with no thought in his head that it wouldn't be just as it had been in the Barrel.

And she had told him about Jesper being there. So when that flash of bright green comes through the door, he straightens to watch him as he moves through the room. Taking in the way he dresses, that he goes for his own drink behind the bar as if its as much home as the Crow Club had been, and how he clutches that box tight to his chest.

Then that familiar gaze turns to him.

Not rising, mostly because of the pain in his leg that he's working to hide, gesturing Jesper closer as if he needs that permission. Right until those words.

For the briefest of moments there's a look on his face that is nearly shock, and worse in his mind, uncertain. If he was willing for that kind of contact, would he want Jesper to kiss him? Its not a thought he needs now and he pushes it away.

"So I've been told you and Inej decided to rush off and start a new empire for us," he says in that dry way of taunting he had.

[itookashot]

Kaz Brekker is here and if he didn't already know the weight of that sharp gaze on him, when his familiar voice speaks, it may be one of the most beautiful sounds he's heard in a long time. That is what absence can do, make the heart fonder. Jesper pulls up a chair and can't stop smiling at him like he's a winning hand after losing ten.

"Well, we didn't have much of a choice, but we're very adaptable, as you know." They both have Kaz partly to thank for that. They were all very capable on their own, but it was only when brought together that the chess pieces they are were became a true threat to the others.

"She must have given you the summary. And you will be needing a cane, which I'll get you. A friend of mine uses one, and I think his blacksmith boyfriend made a few extras. I'll put the crow head on, make it all official-like." Jesper is trying not to seem as eager to please as he is, but he's gotten out of practice pretending to be cool. He hands the box of money over to Kaz with a wink.

"I got you a present without even knowing it."

[bealufull]

While Kaz knows they were in better places from the time he remembers with Inej and Jesper, he hasn't expected that joy on the latter's face. He's so happy to see Kaz, and that causes an odd twisting in his chest. Nothing bad, just still uncertain about what to expect and where he thinks things stands and what he's learning.

Though he can be generous in his own way.

"You've always been adaptable in surprising ways, Jesper."

Maybe there had been a secret thought in the back of his head that once the doors to freedom opened, they would be gone... and yet they're both showing how glad they are he is there with them and already talking of making things easier for him. First Inej about the loves and now...

Staring at Jesper as he immediately notes Kaz will need a cane and his leg throbs almost with the words. But when he speaks of putting the crow head on it, his mouth opens to ask but then he is being given a box. One that he would consider a money box and the rattle of coin within proves he's right.

He takes the box, setting it onto the table before him without removing his hand from it. How could he? He's barely walked in this place and been handed money. Well then.

"You will put the crow head on it?"

So much for appreciation, instead focusing on the one thing that piques his curiosity the most.

[itookashot]

"All it takes is being kidnapped to another world to get a compliment out of you. Be still my heart." Jesper clutches his chest dramatically. Kaz does give compliments, rarely, but occasionally, when he thinks it's deserved and worth saying. And Jesper eats them up. He can't help it, even if he also is going to joke about it, because that's how he is.

Jesper had moved in with Wylan just before he woke up here, walking away from the Dregs and Kaz, for a time. He didn't plan on it being forever. He told Kaz he could still call him in for any jobs that were necessary, which Wylan sighed about but accepted. Then he had to actually live without either of them for over six months. It's been terrible, honestly. But wonderful, in its own way. He can't imagine never meeting his people here either.

"Oh, so ... yes. Here's the thing." Jesper is both excited and cautious to admit to the next part, since it now is common place to him, but it was such a huge deal when he first arrived. He told no one about it for quite some time.

"Magic's normal, even you can learn magic, you can have your own Grisha powers here if you study, so ... I stopped hiding it." Jesper reaches down into the box and pulls out a few coins. They are in particular in the Summoned inn, which means they're safe, so he has no worry when he shows off a little. First he spins the coins around using only his telekinesis in the air between them, but then they drop into his hand. And he goes a step further.

This part is relatively new; he's always been able to do it, but he used to sweat over something as easy as pulling iron out of a metal bar. Jesper's been doing nothing for these six months but practicing and using his Durast abilities every day. Under his hand the coins start to shimmer and appear to be briefly liquid and then they smooth into one another, creating a large coin made up of all. Jesper is focusing closely on it, since this is not actually that easy to do, and he wants to show off. After they harden into something else, he snaps his fingers and they go back to individual coins.

He beams up at Kaz. "So I can make you the crow head msyelf, you see?"

[bealufull]

"Apparently bribery doesn't hurt either," he says with the driest of tones, knowing that its not serious. He can be hired for a job but not bribed, and they both know that. Not that Jesper would have to.

The last thing Kaz had known was Jesper and Wylan starting their life, and Inej heading out for her revenge. She had given him years for his own. He knew it had been time for her to have her time as well. He hadn't wanted to let them go, but he hadn't been able to ask, in no uncertain terms, for them to stay. Now they're here. Together again.

More than that, he's finding, in a place where Jesper can be all he was meant to be. Speaking of the small science he had been born with and denied, made to fear so that he didn't end up dead. Just the thought of Jesper conscripted into the Second Army leaves Kaz cold to imagine. How dead he would be compared to the lively and wildly energetic man he knows.

Yet he is now showing what he might have been capable of had he been given that chance to learn about all he could do.

Kaz is quiet, watching as the coins change, conjoin, and then separate into their parts once more. He rolls his lips under for a moment, lifting his gaze to Jesper's face.

"Six months. She tells me you've been here about six months." It isn't a question, nor does he wait for a response. "In six months you've become that skilled? Do you have any idea how much we could have used that?"

His voice is low but there's a quality there that isn't flat, nor is it angry. There's nearly even a compliment in there.

Barracks

[earthborn]

Some things it's best not to joke about; you go knocking on enough doors, or opening them as the case may be, and eventually the devil will answer. But just for Kaz, in this case, Shepard is most of the way through getting dressed when he yanks the door open.

"Hey," She says with total calm, and gives him the once-over. She's spent much of her life in barracks not terribly less private than these, "New Summoned?"

Not that there's much to see that she actually cares about; bare belly, scars, freckles, breastband. Shepard simply finishes shoving her shirt into place, and jerks her head for an invitation to come in. There's no one else present, only bunks and chests and the wan light of day at the window on the far wall.

"I'll just bet they tried to recruit you too. Right? You have to have questions."

[bealufull]

Kaz, for his part, goes still when he realizes he's not alone... and then averts his gaze as soon as he realizes that the person in the room isn't dressed. It makes him entirely self conscious of his bare hand on the door knob, drawing his hand back quickly and clasping them behind his back.

"Apologies. I think I've found the wrong door." He's been doing his best to adjust to the shared rooms. By which adjust means ignoring others when they're not dressed and hoping that keeps any looks that might offend from his features. Though he has some who would say his features always offend.

"Summoned. That is definitely a term for it but yes. Just recently rescued from their drowning pool of conveyance." Or whatever that had been. "Is that the only way they can get people to join their Army? Trying to make them thankful for a lumpy cot and regular meals?"

Though that is an opening he can't say he isn't interested in.

"More questions than I'm sure I can even remember. How and why top the list but then if they had an answer for that, I'm guessing we would already know it."

[earthborn]

"Can't tell you how, but why... Got some theories," Now properly dressed, Shepard offers a hand to shake, "I'm Shepard. Welcome to the Free Cities, if you want."

She doesn't feel exceptionally welcomed, herself, but her tone probably tells you all you need to know about that.

"There's a few running theories why they keep bringing people in. The big one is to fight; there's a war coming on, and the Summoned tend to have odd abilities that might be an advantage. Though they might be doing it just because the other groups are doing it. Can't be falling behind, now can we?"

[bealufull]

There's no hesitation in taking her hand. The civility of the mercher's is a game he's played most of his life and that, at least, is familiar. "Kaz, and it's definitely the worst welcome I've ever had." And with this reputation back home, that is saying something. "Any theories on their sadistic little bathing pool rescue? Is it meant to make us grateful that they didn't just let us drown?"

Because he refuses.

He nods at that. "So I've heard, and seen the training fields. I have no intention of being part of their Army." Leading his own in this place though, that's something else entirely. Though he can't help but ask, thinking of Jesper in particular. "Odd abilities in what way? I've been told they have the small science here and even grant it to those they bring in. Why not tailor their own army from that ability?"

[earthborn]

It's a good handshake; practiced, professional. Shepard's is the same, grip firm and calloused, but not to firm. Two shakes. Feels right.

"You wouldn't be the first. They're kidnapping people and then just letting them go free-range, like that's going to inspire loyalty," She shrugs. There's not much to be done about it, either way; it's hard to call it reasonable, but they put enough effort into the process that there has to be a point, "I have no idea what their game is, to be honest. But so long as they're offering, you can live here rent free and eat their food, so..."

What had he said. Kaz? She's heard that name before. Shepard frowns slightly, while he speaks. No no, she's listening, you continue.

"...I don't know anything about small science, but plenty of people have more than what you'd call baseline human capabilities. I'm a biotic myself, for example."

[bealufull]

It's such a practiced motion that his lack of gloves is not on his mind. So the moment he feels flesh against his own hand, he feels the sudden dizzying vertigo wash over him. Yet he manages to hold himself on his feet, to speak of the training and attempts to get him to enter the military even though his voice sounds distant and hollow to himself. He would need gloves and quickly or he was going to prove his weakness to more than those that knew him well.

"I don't think forcing them to participate in their military is going to do much to inspire loyalty either," he says, speaking from being in that position. Though he hadn't kidnapped any for their loyalty. Bought out their debts, certainly, but not kidnapping.

"Small science is a term for what I've heard others refer to as magic here. The abilities to manipulate the reality of an object and make it bend to your will." He wonders if she noticed his uncertainty in the wake of the shake from that look, though he can't help the curiosity he holds for that word. "Biotic?"

{ the missing piece always trying to fit in

[tobeclosetohim]

Jo has a penchant for bad timing. Of being extraordinarily aware of everything around her wherever she is at any given time. It's the kind of skill that becomes nigh on intuition and instinct. One of the things that keeps her scraping that last half inch from toppling over the edge every time the dark comes gunning for her hard.

That she sees him isn't the problem.

The problem is deciding whether to do anything about it.

Except it's not really a question either. Jo doesn't come any closer, given the way he's sagged against the building, breathing hard and fast. She doesn't move into his space, doesn't encroach anymore than she would on any other hunter currently unaware of her presence and likely to swing out first before placing her.

"Hey. You okay?"

[bealufull]

There is no hiding the limp but two things have made it easier. Years of learning how to minimize how much his body moves with the limp and a perfectly weighted cane. Sadly this place didn't see fit to give him the cane.

The result is pain coursing through his body, but as with so much in his life, he isn't giving into the pain.

The sound of a voice though startles him. The result is instant.

Immediately straightening, drawing down at the hem of the military jacket as he draws a slow, deep breath. His chin lifts, looking at her for a long moment while mentally ensuring he's presenting the image he wanted to. Except she had already seen the worse, and that ate at him.

"As well as I think I can be for now," he says, seeing no point in lying as if he's perfectly fine. He won't insult her or himself as if he hasn't seen her. "Pushing myself perhaps harder than I should."

It's an admission that Kaz normally wouldn't make. Part of him is fighting the protective urge to use bravado or roughness to excuse it all but if he's going to start over again in this place, he has to work out who he needs on his side.

[tobeclosetohim]

Jo's brows rose just barely. An unspoken question, but not one she put into words. She knew the type. The same as all the other men she'd been raised around since she drew in her first breath. It's all over every part of him as he shoots up from the wall and pushes down his pain, making himself a pillar against the darkness. Hard shoulders and straight spine, sharply lifted chin and even sharper eyes. As though it could erase for him what she'd already seen, even if it couldn't, and that seemed to sit there in his eyes, too.

She didn't flinch. Like she said. She knew the type.
She had a bartender's canister for the lie ready. Metaphorically.

It wins him points — albeit marginal, unimportant, and still very much under civilian points — that he doesn't lie while standing in the middle of what would have been it. Instead, he gets a nod while she still hasn't stepped closer. There's something in the set of those shoulders that's too familiar. It's only a one-minute hunch, but she's pretty sure help on that face would be seen as pity and pity as scornable.

"The heat probably doesn't help things." Living in a desert was a beast. "You been around here a while?"

[bealufull]

Rising up in the Barrel had meant strength and power and hiding the pain and doing whatever he had to so he had the respect of others. Now he's facing starting all over again, in a world that isn't the Barrel. It isn't showing itself to be as cutthroat as the gangs where he had made his name. It's a new game, a new place to make his name, and he's already working hard to adapt to what he has to do so he can find his footing.

Figuratively. Literally he's going to have to suffer on that bad leg for a while.

He rolls his eyes at that. "Why do people choose to live in this climate? There is a reason port cities draw people in, both to live there and tourism."

Making a face as he shakes his head. "Not long at all. You?"

He's used to a world where some were considered one type of citizen and others not the same. There it was those of the Barrel, from gangs to merchers, and the marks that come to the barrel for fun and games and thrills. He knows here its the Summoned and the locals and he has to walk that line carefully until he learns the rules.

[tobeclosetohim]

There's a story to that kind of sharpness. There always is. Especially as a shield that comes up that fast at the crack of a voice. That she's betting usually doesn't drop a flicker. They're two of a kind in that. Not that anything about her says that right now. But hers is precisely what it's supposed to be — the very opposite of his — unassuming.

Or more able to fall into other people's assumption of its simplicity of it.
Small, slender, with long blonde hair and an easy enough expression. "A few days."

Then, "I was actually looking for a bar. Any suggestions?"

She loves bars. Even if she isn't in one as much as she was for the first two decades of her life, there's not much that doesn't pass through them. Stories, people, names to know and not know, word about what's actually happening, once you weed out the drunk and the stupid for whatever crumbs of truth you can use to your disposal.

[bealufull]

It's an odd sensation being in a place where he doesn't know where he stands. Worse, not knowing where it is he wants to stand in this world. He had been so young when his path in Ketterdam had been laid out before him. No there is no reputation, no club and Dregs to back him, nothing but who he is.

Which isn't the same as who he wants people to know. That us the balance of him figuring out just where he is. Something he could have considered before someone found him straining with his damaged leg on the streets of the city.

That she hasn't pointed out his troubles, nor made attempts to try and convince him to sit down or any manner of means of trying to convince him to take it easier on himself is winning points in his favor.

That she changes the subject as if she hadn't found him in that state means even more.

"I find it hard to considered myself summoned as much as kidnapped. You?"

It's almost a challenge, assuming that if she had fallen for their join the Army spiel she wouldn't be out here exploring like he is. He nods though at the question.

"The Sarstina. I know people who work there and have made their home there. I'd trust it over most places here." He pauses, knowing he could leave it at that and go. Instead of lets out a sharp breath. "I can show you where it is?"