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abraxasooc2022-07-20 10:26 am
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxasooc2022-07-20 10:26 am
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TEST DRIVE MEME #8
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.
◎ 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.
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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𝑢𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠
But Sam's not the only person he looks out for. There's a short list he'd deemed possible. Benny, Garth, Kevin, or some of the less savory flavors. Angels, demons, demigods with a bone to pick.
Out of all the names he'd have put on that list...
He never in a million years expected this one to be on it.
They're in the training yard. A dozen sweaty soldiers spar, do drills, shoot at targets, what the hell ever. He can't even see 'em anymore when he spots her, they all just kind of fade into a blurry nothing. Background noise.
He's been hollowed out. Cut off at the knees. All he can do is stand there like a dumbstruck goddamn moron and look at her. )
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It's not a short-term outfit. That much is clear about this place. Nor are the people they've employed. The one's training like it's their life. It begs the question of why and what exactly the 'dangerous times' implied earlier are. But when hasn't the world been fuck all dangerous — full of darkness and things that did so much worse than go bump in the night.
But. That isn't her problem. They aren't. Getting home is.
Arms crossed, for lack of pockets (and, god, what she wouldn't kill for a pair of skinny jeans), watching them, is when that all too familiar prickle creeps up the back of her neck. Of being watched. Blame the bar. The first, and all the passing ports of them 'regular' ones after, or something deeper. That inherent sense needed in that darkness coming to swallow each of them eventually in this job, that kept you on your toes and fighting until that day came.
But she cuts a glance in a different direction, and then her eyes widen.
It's less than that half second, and she's in motion, headed fast toward him, calling out. ] Dean?
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He knows the way time works here is screwed up. Knows people are snatched from all over the place. He knows some people have come from before and after their own deaths. For some reason, he'd just been operating under the mindless assumption that dead means dead for the people from his past.
Which is, in hindsight, a friggin stupid assumption considering he's been diving in and out of he afterlife like a noncommittal mermaid for the last ten or so years.
But still.
Jesus, it's like she stood up and walked straight out of a damn memory.
Come on, Winchester. Get your shit together. You're acting like this is the first time you ever saw somebody come back to life.
He does his best to plaster on a grin, but it's noticeably affected. Hanging on his face by a thread, frayed at the seams — and so is his voice, throat hoarse as he forces words out of it. )
Well, would you look at who finally decided to roll up to Ren Faire an hour late with Starbucks?
( The steps he takes to help eliminate the distance between them are slow and measured, because they have to be. Otherwise there's a not unlikely chance he'd wind up accidentally taking a knee and biting rock. He's headed for her all the same, fully intent to sweep her up into a hug. )
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The last thing she has a chance to think before she's suddenly pulled into a hug and up on her toes, is that he's still a shit poker face. At least to someone raised around those only. That's hardly new, though. For any of them. Ever. But then she's getting hugged, and something of that surprise turns into a half-sputtered laugh against the front of his shoulder. A little rough, a little amused, but she returns the hug all the same, fingertips solid against the back of that same shoulder.
(And absolutely ignores any other surprised into being reactions. Absolutely.)
She raises a hand to smack his shoulder, pulling back a few inches. ]
Don't joke. I would kill for some good coffee at this point.
What exactly is all this — [ There's a wave of that same hand at everything around her. Them. God. She's actually relieved that someone else sane happens to be here. ] — whole bargain-basement, whatever?
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And then they split, and he clears his throat to shake loose the rust. Drags a hand over his face absently, shooting another fresh glance around when she getsures, without actually taking any of it in. )
It's, uh... well, I don't know if they gave you the same cut and paste speech as they did me and Cas, but whatever they said, assume half of it was a load of crap.
( One or two soldiers overhear his blunt ass mouth doing what Dean Winchester's mouth always does. They shoot him a look, he shoots them an unrepentant one back, stank-faced and all, but then gives her a pointed nod.
Come on, walk and talk. Take it out of earshot of the patriotic troops in training. )
Let's get you outta the Kool-Aid factory, I'll tell you all about it on the way.
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She'd pretty much taken their spiel as full-on shit.
Which makes her wonder which part isn't.
She follows easily, with another blip of wanting some damn jeans, when her hands brush the outside of her thighs and she still doesn't have pockets. Or the right kind of material touching her skin. The words are more important anyway. ]
Cas is here, too? Anyone else?
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( He mutters unhappily, dodging the question — for now. He'll answer it with the bad news, he will, just maybe one thing at a time, huh? She's got a lot she's gonna have to digest, some of it more immediately relevant than the rest.
They clear the training yard, and only then do his steps slow down to something closer to an amble rather than a purposeful stride. He's leading them steadily onward toward the stables where his horse is tethered, because screw that whole slow ass newbie wagon business. Last time he got stuck in that bitch it was with a non-stop talker named Squiffie. Never again.
He can make the trip and get the two of them back in nearly half the time, even if it does mean sharing a saddle. )
So, the short version? Welcome to Castle World. A bunch of medieval magical douchebags are shoving their fingers in portals, yanking people through space to con 'em into helping them fight a war for a big ass mysterious ancient magic rock nobody understands but everybody wants to stick their dicks in. The whole world is practically at war over it.
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—
fuck?
[ Of all the times she's thought those words since opening her eyes in this place, that was the least predictable way she ever assumed it might come flying out of her mouth. There are no needles and knives and promises of uncaring rage, whether it was pointless or not. That whole list of words that just came out of Dean's mouth sounded more and more insane the further he got into them and they got out of him.
Enough that she stops and raises one hand, the other going to her hip. ]
Do you even hear yourself? That sounds insane. Like. More insane than your normal.
[ Even if like. Okay. Okay, fine. They are surrounded by a lot of insane all around them, too. Is these weirdo open spaces with a military base not far behind them. Everyone in stuff that is increasingly more and more not someone's idea of a way too elaborate reenactment thing. ]
I don't even know what to do with — no. Just no. [ She stops midsentence. ] I just want to know how we get back out of here.
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Real talk, I've been here nine months living on dirt baths with no cable and no pizza. If there was a way to be out, trust me, I'd have already gotten gone.
( Empathetic but blunt, apologetic but straightforward. No sugar coating it — and maybe a little proof that he's not completely lost his marbles? )
It gets weirder, trust me, we're barely scratching the surface. Check it out.
( He holds up a hand, and snaps his fingers in a way a little similar to striking a lighter — at least in that he has to do it, like, three times before he can actually get it to work. He's been practicing, though, and it totally does happen — a little flame sparks above them, zippo-style. )
Ta-da. Presto.
( Magic. Eh?? Took nine friggin' months, but he can do that at least. You might say magic ain't exactly his forte, but if anything that's just an indication of how bountiful and broadly accessible it is around here. )
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And you want me to believe you're you — now?
[ The middle of nowhere, with not even so much as a filched steak knife from the mess hall she never made it, too. Stupid, stupid, stupid. ]
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You wanna run the drill?
( Wouldn't blame her. They can probably dig up some silver somewhere — if not the barracks, maybe the commissary. Bound to be salt, definitely some water she can Holy up real quick if she wants. Iron's a'plenty.
But all the same, he levels her with a look. It's appealing, a little raw, a little sad. Open, and earnest in a way only Dean Winchester tends to be. )
I'm me. ( A faltering pause, before a little more slips through the cracks: ) Jo, I don't, uh... I don't know what you remember about the last time we saw each other, but it's been... it's been a long time. A long friggin' time.
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But he's staring at her. That raw, stupid expression that got her the first time. Too open for someone who's been in this game as long as he's supposed to have been, has. The kind bloodied straight out of men even twice his age within the first year or two, haggard hard on the bitter truths and blood and broken lie of a world she was born straight into.
Those last words scrape, again, against how different he looks.
Older. Wearier. Especially not trying to cover it now.
And that expression. One that's. ]
How long?
[ It's a steel statement, not a question. ]
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He just can't help but feel like maybe she'd know. Like maybe he'd know.
But like he said — it's been a long time. )
The real you? About four years, give or take.
( Including his time in Abraxas.
But that first part's probably ominous, so after letting it sink in for a beat, he elaborates with the harder part. )
About three since I saw your ghost.
( The implication hangs heavy, pointed. The guilt's there, in every line of his shoulders, in the microexpressions hanging around his eyes.
He doesn't say it, because it's not the kind of thing people like them say for a dozen different reasons, but it's there — he is so, so god damn sorry. )
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She's —
She stares for seconds too long. A blink or two.
Her expression was far more blank than helpful.
But long enough to know his words hit.
Then. ]
Well. That's convenient.
[ What? What the hell is she even supposed to say to that all but entirely worded 'congrats, you're dead, and you turned into what you kill, and I might have killed you the second time' announcement. Chock-full with something that screams ownership and fucking regret in those eyes. In a way, that's so him that it burns through her gut past the blown part doubts. Into something more like 'I wasn't supposed to be something you had to carry', and 'we weren't supposed to be a replay of our dads; another chapter in that same bloody history,' and somehow skips entirely the rational world of —
'That couldn't be true.'
'Or it's too soon.'
It's not even a blip on the radar.
And she can see it while it's not happening.
It's so much easier to turn that into glass shards and attitude than look at that knife slamming into her chest and taking out all the air she had. Unable to look away and suddenly wanting to be looking at anything but him. Suddenly so very afraid that even if she took a single breath in, she might start not being able to breathe at all. ]
Tell me something that isn't so convenient it matches fantasy land. Something real. Something only you'd know if you were you, and not something I'm going to find a way to put down for putting on that face like a sick party trick.
[ Tell her something else. Tell her anything else. ]
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He licks his lips as he thinks. Chews the inside of his cheek, turning over the half-dozen ideas that come to mind and are immediately dismissed as too much or not enough.
Eventually, he settles on: )
River Pass. ( Two words that are impossible not to immediately understand. It might not be enough, just knowing they were both there could be word of mouth from any Demon Extra, so he builds on it. ) We found Ellen first when we got there. The two of you were separated, opposite sides of the whole... town civil war thing. First thing your mother did was slap me so friggin' hard in the face for not calling you guys when I got out of hell, I can still feel it in my molars. Four months downstairs and your mom still scared me more than any damn demon in the whole freakin' pit.
( More like forty years, but he doesn't think she's privy to that little tidbit. Probably an admission for another day — or another year, considering how much more she's gonna have to learn in the near future. )
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It does all line-up.
It and so much more that dominoes out from those memories. ]
Maybe I should have taken a play out of her book.
[ She doesn't mean it. She doesn't. And it's not even fuss and fire and an impotent threat. It's slow, but it's starting to bleed into her facial features, the copper of her eyes, the press of her mouth, the only just slightly quieter bent to her words. Like a gunshot. Ignoring it doesn't stop your body from bleeding out on you despite yourself. ]
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You're not wrong.
( He knows on a logical level it wasn't his fault exactly, but... he broke. He sprung the first seal. They were there because of him, and to top it all off, it was for a useless plan that didn't even god damn work. She died for nothing, and he hates himself for it. Slapping him ain't exactly uncalled for. )
Assuming you don't wanna flip me the bird and high-tail it right back in the direction we came from... you wanna hit the road? Head for a place with a little less sun and a lot more booze?
( He's betting she could use a drink to swallow this down. They both could. )
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Hunter's don't apologize for what they're made to do.
If something happened her, if she became ...
She'd want that. Wouldn't she.
But as much as she's spent more than half her life running to catch up with the shadow of her father, she's her mother's daughter, too, and she doesn't run. Not like that. It's not a thing Harvelle's do. Instead, and maybe it is petulent, and maybe she doesn't care at all that is, she turns on her heel and starts walking, in the direction they originally had, toward wherever he'd been taking her to begin with. Jaw set hard, and steps not slow.
Without saying anything.
Not sure there's enough to drink in this whole world.
He can catch up, and he can buy all of them. ]
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They head to the stables, where he saddles up a tan mare that seems almost as done with his shit as Jo is just by default, immediately. That's they're dynamic. Fortunately, the horse he calls Karen that is not actually named Karen doesn't push back too hard today — maybe sensing the atmosphere, maybe Abraxas Rock God or whatever is just cutting him some slack for once.
Either way, he sticks a foot in the stirrups, slings a leg over, and once he's in position, he offers a hand out to help her up.
Sorry, Jo. Only one horse.
If she takes it, they gallop off toward the long and dusty road to Cadens where he — and most of the other Summoned from Free Cities — hole up. He breaks the silence eventually with what feels like a safe-ish topic relevant enough that she'll actually want to discuss it. )
What else did they tell you? The douche mages or anybody else give you any more intel?
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Jo really wouldn't turn down a fight about now either.
It's probably perverse that she leans into the pain. It makes her feel real. Grounded in her skin. When nothing else feels like that if she happens to take a look in the wrong direction inside her head right now. ]
Nothing important.
A lot of stupidity about this place being blessed by my arrival, and something dark and dangerous was out there, but without any details when they were asked. Pretty sure whatever it is still doesn't justify kidnapping girls in pools.
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He huffs at her answer, unimpressed by the spiel she was given but not even remotely surprised. )
The long and short of it is, this rock they're all trying to get control of... it's some seriously powerful mojo. Old, mysterious, a huge power source. Radiant enough that anybody who gets pulled through can finally live out their wildest Hogwarts fantasies.
( Hence the Flick My Bic demonstration earlier. A beat, and then an amendment. )
Sort of. Free Cities, where we are, is more of a magic steampunk industrial revolution situation. One of the other three factions is called Thorne, they're more the wizard school type. If we're sticking with the analogy, Solvunn's basically Hufflepuff and nobody gives a crap about them.
( Sorry, Solvunn.
That's a watered down version, in all reality. He's heard rumblings about it being super cult-y, but it's small and he doesn't have a ton of ties to it so it's easy for it to fly under his radar. )
I have some people here, a couple of guys who've been around longer. They'll be able to do a better job giving you the full debriefing on the whole... stupid political ideology surrounding it, but that's the high level. Questions, or are you ready for Big Reveal Number Two? ( A beat. Correction: ) Three? Two and a half? Whatever.
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or that I know the right questions to ask yet, so.
[ He might as well. There's not much she likes to agreeing to let his words keep messing her up, but what else is there. She doesn't want to be simultaneously stuck in this place and ignorant of everything. Under that, more than she wants to admit, she's glad he is telling her everything straight so far.
(As broken as it sounds, there's something so very Dean, even as he tries to hide himself behind all his bullshit usually, about his choosing not to hide any of ... that earlier stuff. She can hate him for saying it and hate herself for respecting that he's a far better man than he gives himself credit for, all over again.)
Mostly, she tries to keep straight the new names and what he's saying about them, grain of salt and all. ]
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Not that it's great, not that it's fun or that it feels good, but it's better than thinking about the alternative most of the time. )
That freaky magic rock, the Singularity? We're all connected to it, somehow, or... primed to be, or something. I don't have a friggin' clue how it works, but uh... when the people who get pulled through meditate, we go to this... other place, it's like a mental... psychic... Jesus, even I think I sound nuts. This might be one of those things you're just better off seeing for yourself when we get back.
( Whether or not she's gonna be content waiting for the practical demonstration until they get back, though, he has no idea. )
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Whatever he's explaining it makes a whole lot of no sense.
Which at least he seems to get as it's coming out his mouth. ]
Yeah. You do. You sound bonkers.
[ Beat. ] Harder to picture you meditating.
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So far, it's done more good than harm. Helped bring the hunters together, which might wind up saving somebody's life. The collaboration, the open lines of communication, the back-up, that's not nothing. If the dumb rock has consequences later on... he'll cross that bridge when he comes to it.
He snorts. )
Yeah, I, uh... Wasn't exactly what you'd call a natural.
( Geralt kicked him out after ten minutes. )
I had a little help.
( Shoutout to Sam Wilson for his cheatcode. )
But the important part is, that's how we all communicate. That's how we know whether or not somebody from back home turns up some place other than the Outpost. We don't exactly have cell reception here. I'm never in a million years gonna pretend I can tell you how to live your life, but... you're gonna wanna consider it. It's all we got right now.
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