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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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Michael | Supernatural | The Emperor | Solvunn
He accepts the clothing and listens to what he's told in relative silence, in part because he's disoriented, but also because he is practical by nature. The only other gods he's ever known were pagan and had a taste for human flesh. If these are their followers, he's not going to make himself a loud-mouthed target when he's too weak to fight them off.]
1. Arrival - Solvunn
[Michael takes his time exploring the primary settlement. He has only the vaguest notion of what supplies he needs to keep himself comfortable until his grace reasserts itself and accepts any samples offered to him by shopkeeps, in most cases without thinking to say 'thank you'. It's been a few years, but being the one everyone wanted to curry favour with wasn't so long ago that he's forgotten what it's like. It'll take a few more years for the ego to wear off.
He keeps an eye out for familiar faces—one in particular he'd like to see, and several he'd rather not. Beyond that, he's liable to approach anyone who doesn't look overtly unfriendly or who's wearing the charm of Vielehauffe, his own in hand and a question at the end of his tongue:]
"What exactly does the God of the Herd stand for?"
[He's trying to hold back his disdain. It's not the most convincing acting.]
2. Primary Settlement
[The thought of playing nanny to a bunch of children hits a little too close to Michael's most recent memories of home. He'd object to anyone calling what he did in Heaven babysitting, but keeping his younger siblings out of trouble had certainly been part of it.
Humans are not angels, anyway. They lack the same innate desire for direction, instead fueled by a chaotic need to invent their own purpose. He's not keen to try and corral them, and the locals are unlikely to approve of his methods for discouraging disobedience. Michael doubts they'd be any more fond of his version of how the universe came to be, so storytelling is out, at least until he better understands the local values. Monster-hunting holds some appeal, but only once he's back to some semblance of his former self.
Manual labour it is. There's no shortage of farms nearby happy to accept another set of hands to help with the weeding.
Pass close by while he's working, and he might be heard muttering to himself: "You'd laugh if you could see me now, wouldn't you?"
Michael is good at following instructions, and more competent with farming implements than anyone who knows him might expect. Where he's lacking is in managing the limits of a purely human body. He needs to be reminded to pace himself and cued to take breaks. From the outside, he looks inexperienced and in need of a few pointers.
By the end of the workday, he's thoroughly exhausted. He takes a moment to sit and rest before heading back, head leaned against a tree trunk and eyes closed. A cup of clean water might actually receive a little gratitude.]
3. Wildcard
[Open to scenarios in other locations for test drive purposes! Michael's likely to be found giving his surroundings judgemental looks and asking pointed questions about local religious practices. Feel free to PM me to work something out.]
👀 ok listen ya boi's in the free cities so i have nothing to offer u but my humble shitpost
dean, probably: "huh why does it feel like i'm about to have a real bad time and why do i have simon & garfunkel stuck in my head haha o well it's probably nothing, anyway about how about those yankees" )
what's that, move to the free cities you say?
also he's gonna have to re-evaluate whether or not he thinks he's in a crappier version of hell.]
no hablo ingles estoy en mexico no gracias adios
1
Been trying to figure that one out myself. [He's itchy. The provided clothing looks like it fits on his lanky body wrong. He looks positively uncomfortable with his current arrangements about... well. Everything.
(The only thing that has any feeling of rightness is the stitched Fool symbol over his shoulder.)
Everything is wrong and he doesn't even feel right in his own skin when his own skin was very much supposed to have changed.
The offered charm is held between his two palms. He took it off from his neck when no one was looking.] I mean... Herd could refer to a lot of things. Animals are always the first, logical thought. But maybe we're the Herd. All brought in at once like this.
[He makes a face.] I don't like it very much regardless.
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[Michael can identify with that visible discomfort, though for opposite reasons. He'd gotten used to inhabiting Adam's shape, but now it fits all too well. He can't tell where he stops and flesh begins, and sensations that were never anything but background noise are things he now feels—wind, hot and cold, all of it. It's unsettling.
For all he knows, this man might be in the same position. Without his grace, he can't tell what's human and what's only pretending to be.]
Being part of a herd, or being assigned a new religion as though you're an empty vessel waiting to be filled?
['Neither' is also a valid, and maybe the more popular answer. Being part of a flock sits well with Michael's nature, though he doesn't think the locals are birds of a feather.
He glances down and examines the charm of Vielehauffe again. It's his own bias speaking, but he likes the wings. They're a suitably celestial element.]
It might be animals. They're farmers, livestock hold value to them. If we're meant to be the herd, it might be intended as a welcoming gesture. 'You are one of us'.
Though if you're less inclined to blind optimism: we might be their herd.
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He hmmms and smiles wanly.] They offer you any free meals? Maybe they're fattening us up. [He steps away, pacing in an off-balanced circle, tapping a hand idly at his side. He misses his jacket. He misses his pockets. He--
No. He can't continue down that train of thought, it'll only get worse.] The real question is if they're talking about "gods" [there's an obvious dislike to the use of the word] plural, then which one do they think brought us here? And then what actually brought us here?
no subject
They did, in fact.
[As before, whether the meal was a simple welcome or motivated by hidden malicious intent remains to be seen.
Michael has no more fondness for gods in the plural sense, and this man's obvious distaste for the concept resonates with him. He's not unlikable, despite his nervous nature, though Michael's expression remains impassive.]
Whoever brought us here did it by means of magic, presumably, though it wasn't any spell I recognize. [He says it with ease, as though it's simple fact. Magic wasn't widely believed-in on the Earth he knows, but the locals seem to consider it a fact of life, if pulling strangers out of mystical pools and gifting them necklaces of their deities is anything to go by.] Are you looking for a means back to where you came from?
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There needs to be another answer. There always is.
But he's not going to comment on that, not with this other man talking about spells of his own. He doesn't want to go down that rabbit hole.
He shuffles his feet.] I don't know. You ever feel like... you're supposed to be at the end of your rope? Story's not done but the chapter's ended and you're not in the next one but... [But here he is, still him, still this person, and he doesn't know how to function when that shouldn't be Fact.]
no subject
Stories, chapters, writing. Michael thinks of the plan his Father left him, the crucial role he'd been destined to play—how none of it was ever important. Just one of many drafts.
He grimaces. Hit a nerve, there.]
More that I was promised a certain story and now find myself in a very different one.
Is this the part where I say something uplifting about writing your own story, or are you going somewhere with this?
[Be warned that God singular features prominently in all of his inspirational speeches, and even he doesn't find them terribly encouraging anymore.]
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Most of those people would be his other selves. But then, they'd also have the chance of telling him he's an idiot. That just comes with the territory.] Let's just fast forward over that, say it was a rousing speech, and move on. [He turns and drops one hand holding the charm, and holds up his other with an effervescent grin.] Hello, I'm the Doctor.
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[Efficiency happens to be on the very short list of traits Michael appreciates.
He's not accustomed to having to introduce himself. The vast majority of those he's interacted with have known it intuitively, and for the rest, he'd always had Zachariah brief them before his arrival. The Doctor gets a name to call him. Simple, to the point, no frills.]
Michael.
The doctor of what, exactly?
[Michael's point of reference on doctors is none other than Adam, although his vessel never did live long enough to attain the title. It's still his understanding that a doctor typically has a specialty.]
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No ship, no companion.] Everything. [He nods his head side to side, pursing his lips.] But oh, if you want a narrowing playing field, let's go with... [Like picking a slip of paper out of a hat.] Space and time.
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(Just all of the important bits.)]
All of space and time is an expansive area of expertise for one person. Do you have a specialty?
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[He's settled into cheer at last. Took a bit to cobble the masks together. Push down the weight of everything.
It feels good. For the moment.
There's a flash of smugness, pride, to counteract Michael's expression.] I'm a Time Lord. It's kind of my thing. But I suppose I do dabble.
(no subject)
what is canon review, who needs canon review (I do)
(no subject)
no subject
The question came from a very furry young woman who at first glance could maybe pass as human, but on second could very much not. She was somewhere between human and monkey, though decidedly more monkey when her mouth opened to keep talking and the teeth were able to show.
"Laugh at you, I mean. Do you want me to?" She looked genuinely, earnestly curious, and eager to help. If he wanted to be laughed at.
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Speaking of humans. He was quicker than most to note the hints of something other in her appearance, though his first thought was 'monster' rather than 'monkey'. Not a variety of monster he was familiar with, however. Maybe not one he needed to worry about, either, based on her chipper attitude. Things with a taste for blood did not typically approach with open curiosity and offers of assistance.
He regarded her with a wary expression that could just as easily pass for irritation with the weeds.
"I'd rather you didn't. The work is trying enough without a mocking audience."
He wiped the sweat from his brow and leaned his weight into the hoe he'd been given, for all the world looking as though he'd opted to take a break, though his grip didn't relax. It'd suffice as a weapon if her friendly demeanour changed.
"You're one of the Summoned, I take it? If you're looking for something useful to do, there's plenty of field left to weed. I don't promise you'll get anything for it if you don't speak to the owners first, of course."
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Then she skipped over to the nearest thing she could perch on - in this case the wheelbarrow he'd been allowed to take to haul the weeds with - and proceeded to hop up on it. It took a moment to find her balance, but she did so (her tail playing a decent part in that), and got very comfortable. After a moment of staring at him, she made a shoo-shoo gesture with one hand.
"Well, go on then. Get back to it."
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Instead, he held still and looked at her, then to their surroundings. For the moment, it was just the two of them in a wide, green field bordered on one side by a row of trees. It was not quite as beautiful as undeveloped nature was, but still peaceful in a way he could appreciate. It usually took a little more to keep creatures other than angels engaged.
He turned back to his new audience.
"Is this entertainment for you?"
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Said plainly, without any hint of being mocking. Having never been successful in growing anything but magic trees, Ooru found the whole process fascinating. Learning was (almost) always entertaining.
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He bent down to examine the leaves of the plants by his feet. Food, food, weed. He grasped it by the base as he'd been shown and tugged it free from the dirt. Then he tossed it towards her, attempting to make it an easy catch. If she was going to sit on the wheelbarrow, she could be the one filling it.
"You're clearly not human—what are you?"
If this was to be a learning experience for her, he'd take advantage of the opportunity to do the same.
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"Vanara," she answered as she wiped her hand on the side of the wheelbarrow to clean off the last bits of the weed. Her outfit, despite being improperly and haphazardly tied up for the sake of movement, was clean, if not otherwise well-kept.
"Ooru" she continued, the sound she made that of a monkey hooting softly. Then repeated it as though reading it onomatopoeia from a book - clearly she'd learned the need to 'translate' this specifically. "Oor-oo. My name. And you? You look human. Are you?"
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"Ooroo?" he said, giving the pronunciation his best imitation. He wasn't about to be caught impersonating a lower ape, but he could speak her name with an Enochian lean, which added a bit of bass to the sound.
"Michael. I'm close enough to human, for now."
It was a gross oversimplification. The body was human; Michael was not. If what the greeters had told him was true, he'd have his wings back in a week's time. Until then—what else was an angel in a human vessel without their grace if not merely human? He was living it, so he didn't care to think on it any more than he already had to.
"Vanara. I've never heard of them. Where are your people from?"
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"The world my people were born on is called Golarion in the common tounge. The common tongue of that world. There are a lot of worlds and planes with their own tongues. What's the world you're from called? And if you aren't human, what are you?. Half-elf? I know they can pass for fully human pretty easily. I was always getting the two confused when I first met them."
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"Half-elf?" he said, straightening and giving her a quizzical look. Then he shook his head. "No, I'm not. Ask me a week from now."
Being mistaken for any relation of an elf came as a surprise. His human vessel was a good deal smaller than he himself was in his natural state, sure, but the elves Michael knew of were themselves smaller than any human. Whatever Ooru considered an elf had to be a bit different.
Golarion wasn't familiar to him either. Humans were his Father's creations, however. If they existed in her world, her reality had to be yet another of His discarded draft creations.
"I'm from Heaven, though I expect that doesn't mean any more to you than Golarion does to me."
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