TEST DRIVE MEME #15

[abraxasmods]

Test Drive Meme

Welcome to the 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.

Below are some links to information you may find useful. Our Setting pages have information about the world itself as well as current events for each nation, while our Game History page outlines the game's story so far.

Setting | Game History | NPCs | Arcana
You can also find answers to questions asked on previous TDMs in their respective questions threads.

The TDM is forward-dated to when the summonings occur in-game (when applications are accepted), at the start of December.

Summoning

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. It's hard to make out any individual objects, as if you're looking from beneath rippling water.

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 - still unclothed.

Arrival

You'll find yourself summoned to one of the following three major nations: the extravagant and magical Kingdom of Thorne, the bustling and advanced Free Cities, or the tightknit and faith-driven rural community of the Solvunn Commune.

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. After a week or so, your abilities will return.

When you gather your bearings at last, you look up into a series of unfamiliar faces...and equally unfamiliar surroundings.

Kingdom of Thorne | The Free Cities | Solvunn Commune

Welcome to Thorne

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 another mage with highly decorated robes and a large, heavy book. The man 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 nods, satisfied. "Excellent." He motions for one of the young apprentice mages over. "Settle our guest in, please. I don't have all day."

The apprentice hurries forward with a fine silk tunic, pants, and some basic sandals. With a wave of their hand, the clothes reshape to fit you perfectly. Once you're dressed, the apprentice leads you into the hallways of Castle Thorne, prattling on about the kingdom, names of royals and nobles, and, of course, the reason why you're here: 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.

◎ Surroundings

Castle Thorne is where not only royals and members of the court reside, but includes the surrounding city itself. Now in winter, the weather is frosty. In the distance, you can see tall white mountain peaks and winter flowers are dusted in snow around the gardens. The castle is enchanted to be at a comfortable temperature.

As you walk or look around, you take in some of what's going on around you:

• The North Wing, devoted to housing the Summoned, is tightly guarded against outsiders. As one of the Summoned, you're free to come and go. The guards aren't keeping anyone prisoner. They're there to protect you, and they take their jobs seriously.


• Apprentices, kitchen staff, guards - everyone seems to be bustling and busy. Some curiosity is in the air when locals discuss the recent negotiations with the Nether, the confirmation of dragons, and the Maritime Fair in Borrel, newly established last month. The ceremony in November included the promotion of the Queen's uncle, Admiral Rudolph Sidwell.


• Although the Dimming is a few weeks away, the Castle's head chef has started to serve winter-themed pastries and warm-spiced teas in the dining hall.

◎ Exploring

Despite the troubles that plague the land, Castle Thorne and its surrounding city have much for you to indulge in.

Fireside Logs
In preparation for the colder weather, and to appease the working class, enchanted logs are to be delivered around Nott. These logs are bespelled to last several weeks longer than a typical log. Help stack the logs onto horse-drawn wagons or make the deliveries yourself. Nott can be a little rough with pickpockets and thieves, and many aren't fond of the monarchy, so it's best to travel with a friend. While you're there, why not have a drink at the taverns or visit the fish market? Just be sure to return by dark or else a guard may be sent to fetch you home. Thorne wouldn't want you to be in any danger!

Magic Lessons
Regular magic lessons are held by apprentice mages as part of their training, usually involving learning to cast a small spell. Join if you wish! The spell they will be teaching is conjuring a modest warming spell that can chase away the chill for about an hour or so. The spell relies on Academic Magic which involves a few words said correctly. You'll likely need a few lessons to grasp it unless you're well-versed in magic already. The class of fresh-faced students means there's a constant bright explosion of light coming from the practice room as the spells fail. It isn't dangerous, but it can be annoying.

Seaside Scenery
You're encouraged to explore Thorne's proud naval history in Borrel at its Maritime Fair, which had its first opening last month. Along with its many attractions and ships, you can join a paint and cider session where you can follow a guided instructor to paint the Borrel seascape. To finish your masterpiece, you can decorate the frame with Borrel's famous sea glass. The paints and brushes are enchanted to help you along, but it requires a little concentration. Growing frustrated with your progress might cause some splatters or turn the colors muddy. Not to worry! You can always start again with a fresh canvas.

Nocwich
Nocwich, which is shrouded in an eternal darkness and is home to the werewolves and the vampires, opens on the first weekend of every month for a total of 3 days. Shortly after arriving, you'll be given a pendant that allows you to travel to and from the portal. In Castle Thorne, the portal is a short walk around the back of the castle. You can enter Nocwich freely and explore what's available in Oleuni Square and Luna. You won't be able to enter Ikorr nor will you be able to exit into another nation's portals. Once there, you're welcome to meet those from other nations, take in the sights, and - if you've come by some money or a generous soul - even make a few small purchases. Inns are available for a fee if you want to stay overnight. Otherwise, you'll need to return home through the portals each day.

◎ Settling In

When you're ready to rest, you're shown 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).

As an important figure to the kingdom, you can't move out of the city of Castle Thorne without permission or take any extended trips. If you're feeling restless, though, daytrips to Nott or Borrel via portal are allowed, or you can visit Nocwich. Don't try to sneak out - someone will bring you back. Besides, Castle Thorne gives you everything you need: fine clothes, great food and wine, massive libraries, and all the magic and knowledge you could want. Isn't that plenty? You won't be given money as you're provided for, so if you want to do some personal spending later, you'll have to find a job in the city on your own.

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Welcome to the Free Cities

Dry warmth hits you at once as you're set on a hard floor of dull ruddy stone. 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 is a raised pedestal with a card bearing an Arcana symbol.

A guard covers you with a simple robe and returns to their place in the semi-circle. Before you stands another woman, dressed in a more elaborate and decorated uniform than the others. A sword rests at her hip. She carries an air of authority as she approaches you with a nod and a warm smile. "Sorry about the circumstances. Take a minute, catch your breath. 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 robed mage off to the side approaches to help you up. 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. You'll learn you're in the Cadens Desert Outpost 003, a military base on the outskirts of the major city of Cadens. You're told the world is in delicate and dangerous times, and you're needed to help. You're important and they're very grateful you're here.

◎ Surroundings

While you're currently at the outpost just outside of the city proper, Cadens on the whole is a large bustling city. The climate is hot and dry, though not as hot as it was in summer. At night, temperatures drop dramatically. Look to the west and you'll see a long stretch of desert wasteland. This is the infamous Badlands. The soldiers don't recommend going out there unprepared - you're likely to face a slow death to the elements or be eaten. Reaching Cadens is possible by wagon, a trip of about 2 hours each way. You're asked to return by sundown for your own safety... but no one will chase after you if you don't.

You'll be given a military style uniform with your Arcana stitched on it where a formal rank would normally be. As you walk or look around, you take in some of what's going on around you:

• In the Cadens barracks, soldiers exchange stories about invisible hounds and mutant beasts that attacked - though some tales are exaggerated. City guards are present around an inn and tavern at the heart of Cadens - The Sarstina - where the Summoned like you are often found. They're here for your protection, not to prevent you from moving freely.


• A buzz is in the air when locals discuss the recent negotiations with the Nether, the confirmation of dragons, and the public execution of Cauldor Wain, accused of orchestrating the attacks in Nocwich two years ago. If you step outside the gates of Cadens, you'll see a decomposing corpse hanging there as a warning.


• Although the Festival of Enlightenment is a few weeks away, shops and markets have started to sell mechanical toys, clothes, and light-up jewelry in preparation for all the coming celebrations and parties.

◎ Exploring

Despite the troubles that plague the land, the barracks and Cadens have much for you to indulge in.

Training Grounds
Non-lethal training weapons and obstacle courses are set up for anyone to use. The soldiers will be watching, and if you catch their attention they might approach you and encourage you to enlist. You're free to invite other new arrivals to spar, but be sure to keep things friendly and avoid trouble. Discipline is key in the barracks. If you're especially competitive, the soldiers will sometimes hold impromptu obstacle races with informal wagers made. They'll be happy to race against even the most unlikely of opponents, and you'll be judged more on your spirit rather than your skill. If you really impress them, they'll even buy you a drink.

Save An Orphan
Eager to take advantage of the upcoming holiday cheer, orphans will corner passersby to try and sell small handmade trinkets, jewelry, and a cup of hot cocoa or warm pastries. They'll be grateful if you buy a little something! Wilier orphans might try to distract you and quickly tie a bracelet around your wrist, then demand compensation for your "purchase." But hey, it's hard to be too upset with hungry children, right? If you don't have any food or money on you, maybe you can find an older Summoned to help you out.

Loose Balls
In the holiday bustle, one of the delivery wagons has overturned, scattering colorful round ornaments all over the street. Distraught merchant Jilliane Tuttle is desperate to gather up her wares and will beg anyone she sees for help. Why not lend the poor lady a hand? Be careful, though! The orbs are designed to light up, and the damage might cause some of them to give a light shock when picked up. Try to bring as many of the ornaments back to Jilliane as you can. She'll reward you with a few silver coins for your help.

Nocwich
Nocwich, which is shrouded in an eternal darkness and is home to the werewolves and the vampires, opens on the first weekend of every month for a total of 3 days. Shortly after arriving, you'll be given a pendant that allows you to travel to and from the portal. In Cadens, the portal is a short walk away from the center of the city. You can enter Nocwich freely and explore what's available in Oleuni Square and Luna. You won't be able to enter Ikorr nor will you be able to exit into another nation's portals. Once there, you're welcome to meet those from other nations, take in the sights, and - if you've come by some money or a generous soul - even make a few small purchases. Inns are available for a fee if you want to stay overnight. Otherwise, you'll need to return home through the portals each day.

◎ Settling In

When you're ready to turn in, the barracks are waiting for you. They 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. Each barracks room is rather sparse. Six simple beds set against the wall, three on each side of the room, each with a trunk at the foot of it. You can greet your roommates here, most of whom will be new arrivals, as well.

If you plan on making use of your assigned quarters, you'll have your basic needs met: uniforms, a roof, bland food from the mess hall, and access to the training grounds. You won't be paid unless you formally enlist with the army. The longer you take advantage of the barracks, the greater the pressure to enlist. Some soldiers will start to see you as a freeloader if you refuse to join them yet continue to use their resources. If you're set on not enlisting, you'll eventually have to strike out on your own. The government won't provide for you and handouts are rare. You'll have to work to earn every copper and loaf of bread. Whether that's honest work is up to you, but you will want to start making money. Nearly everything in the Free Cities has a price - including the portal to Aquila. Luckily, the portal to Libertas is free if you want to stretch your legs.

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Welcome to Solvunn

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. An elderly mage stands before an ornate altar. He holds an old leather-bound book in one hand and in the other is a card bearing an arcana symbol. "I detect no ill will from the gods," he says. "It seems we've been blessed with success."

Those that had gathered all breathe a sigh of relief and now seem pleased. One offers you some clothes of leather and knitted wool that seem to fit you perfectly. A rough-looking man steps forward once you're dressed 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 center of the Primary Settlement. 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.

◎ Surroundings

The Primary Settlement is full of greenery, blessed with the fresh ocean breeze. Winds are chilly and the temperatures are cold. Sleet and hail grow more frequent. The scent of wildflowers fills the air. The shops, farms, and homes around you are all modest and unassuming. You get the sense that the people here prefer to blend in with their neighbors than stand out.

As you walk or look around, you'll be greeted warmly, even eagerly...though there's an edge of awestruck nervousness to some. Though the settlement is often quiet and calm, there's still plenty to take in:

• Shops and stalls in Solvunn are booming with chestnuts, baked apples, candied orange peels, and other wintery treats. Vendors are eager to barter goods and are in the habit of including extra gifts with any purchase or trades made. If you are looking for a good deal, now is the time!


• The execution of former Council member Josselyn Creed is no longer a topic. Instead, a sense of awe is in the air when locals discuss the recent negotiations with the Nether, the confirmation of a long-lost dragon shrine, and the formally secured seat of Council member Isar Hart, the first Tertiary representative who does not come from the Tertiary Settlement.


• Although the Winter Solstice is a few weeks away, friendly neighbors have started to deliver hot cider and warm knitted socks or scarves to everyone around the commune.

◎ Exploring

Despite the troubles that plague the commune, the commune and its settlements have much for you to indulge in.

Helping Hands
Due to the cold winds, Solvunn fine goat racing tradition is put on hold so the goats can be kept warm inside their pens. Skilled weavers have made blankets for the goats, which you can deliver to any home that has a goat or two. It sounds easy enough except while you're there, you might be roped into helping with a household chore or running an errand, from sweeping the floors, bringing a bit of tea to the family across the road (you're headed that direction, anyway, aren't you?), or picking something up from the market (it'll be quick, dear!). Before you know it, you find yourself juggling several tasks. Obviously, the solution is to pass the work onto someone else - maybe another Summoned you spot?

Wailing Wilma
Bored of the holiday cheer, youths in the Primary Settlement have started to sneak off to find Wailing Wilma. According to the tale, Wilma's sister drowned her in the icy waters as a sacrifice. When summoned, Wilma's ghostly face appears just beneath the ice, mouth open in an eternal wail. The "summoning" requires taking an elaborate path through the forest to reach the lake - though the instructions frequently change. Of course, between stepping onto the ice and wandering through the woods at night, the children are asking for trouble. Maybe you hear some screaming as the youths frighten themselves or a frantic mother asks you to find her son before dark. You should take a friend if you plan to investigate - the woods can be dangerous after sundown.

Red Herring
Each winter, cured fish are prepared in glass jars decorated with holly and delivered as-ordered to residents in the commune, a task organized by Fin McGill, whose parents evidently believed he would follow in their fishing footsteps. These small fish take on a rusty hue when salted and smoked. Unfortunately, his careless son (Finnie Jr.) has once again mixed up the batches of fish this year: the jars of herring have been mislabeled as mackerel and vice versa. A frantic Fin is asking anyone available to help correct the mistake before the wagon comes to collect his goods. You can swap the labels and move the jars to the right crates to make sure everything reaches its proper destination.

Nocwich
Nocwich, which is shrouded in an eternal darkness and is home to the werewolves and the vampires, opens on the first weekend of every month for a total of 3 days. Shortly after arriving, you'll be given a pendant that allows you to travel to and from the portal. In Solvunn, the portal is a short walk away. You can enter Nocwich freely and explore what's available in Oleuni Square and Luna. You won't be able to enter Ikorr nor will you be able to exit into another nation's portals. Once there, you're welcome to meet those from other nations, take in the sights, and - if you've come by some money or a generous soul - even make a few small purchases. Inns are available for a fee if you want to stay overnight. Otherwise, you'll need to return home through the portals each day.

◎ Settling In

When you're ready for your bed, you're brought to the center of town and escorted to an apartment above one of the establishments in town. The living conditions are temporary if you'd like them to be: the local families would also be happy to host you in their home. In return, you'll be expected to contribute to their household, taking upon daily chores and repairs. While money has its uses, many establishments and craftsmen are happy to barter with your time or skill for their goods. You'll find your willingness to trade and your friendliness with the natives more valuable than gold.

Goat-drawn wagons can help you get to the other settlements, but you're encouraged to remain in the Primary Settlement. If you insist, though, no one will stop you from leaving. Just be sure you have an invitation to the Secondary Settlement. There are tales of uninvited travelers to the Secondary Settlement disappearing without a trace. The gods are as hungry as they are protective.

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Questions and Answers

If after reading these you're still unsure about anything, or your question wasn't covered, please feel free to hit up our Questions thread below!

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 nation 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.

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 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.

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 nation?

In Thorne, characters can leave the castle but not the city. In the Free Cities, they can take a trip from the outpost to the nearest main city, Cadens. In Solvunn, they can explore the entirety of the Primary Settlement.

Can my character eventually change nations or kingdoms?

Yes, but tensions between the major nations are at an all-time high. Doing so is possible, but will require some plotting and discussion with the mods once you're in-game!

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). It will also affect your character's day-to-day life and development. Characters who seek technological advancements or combat will find more of it in the Free Cities while those keen on court politics and learning magic will have the most access to it in Thorne. Anyone who wishes to uncover the secrets of the Old Gods and forest mysteries will best do so in Solvunn.

This is not to say characters can't do these things from another setting choice - with effort and the help of friends, anything is possible! Don't get too anxious about your choice. This is just one of many, and every character in each scenario can work their way towards many individual goals and outcomes. Additionally, once in-game the Horizon will provide characters with a way to easily find cross-faction CR.

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?

Your Arcana sign won't have an immediate impact on your character beyond them seeing it on themselves or being told what it is by the locals. You're welcome to disregard those aspects in your prompts or try out different signs.

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.

If you're interested in threading with characters outside your borders on the TDM, you can utilize the Nocwich prompt which will allow all characters to meet in person regardless of arrival scenario.

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.

Can I try out more than one arrival scenario on the same TDM?

Yes, although only threads taking place in the arrival scenario you formally choose upon applying can count as canon. However, you're welcome to try out as many as you like on the TDM.

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Comments

[stations]

( If he's completely honest with himself, the problem is... he's scared. He's really, really fucking scared. Standing on the other side of the door, knocking so lightly it's practically a self-creating excuse; she doesn't answer because she can't hear, not because she isn't there. It's just-

If she's not there, it's like-

It's like she's-

It would be like she died again, and he's not really sure if he's equipped to grieve her again. It's a strange duality, these two overwhelming feelings building in his chest. Equal parts hope and despair.

She could be in there.
She could also not be in there.
She could be alive again.
She could not exist again.
Schrödinger's girlfriend.

He stands outside that door long enough to look like an absolute fucking creep, before finally murmuring fuck it to himself and silently pushing his way in.

It's dark. But it's not unoccupied. The new, fresh stacks of books that didn't exist before he left put his heart in his throat. Seeing a shape he'd recognize even half-blind and through fog sleeping under the blankets on what was once his bed makes him swallow it again.

It's her.
She's here.
It's her.
She's asleep.

He exhales a shaky sound, and hobbles over — a misshapen silhouette in the dark thanks to his crutch, his face a little distorted from the bundles of cloth in his nose, and in the dim lighting, he probably cuts a spooky, unfamiliar figure. None of which he thinks about, of course, when he crutches his way over and reaches out a shaking hand to gently guide a hand across her cheek, pushing her hair out of her face. )

[the_keeper]

[ That tickle at the edge, is shifting, becoming a soft beat. Almost familiar—is she supposed to remember it?—before something disrupts. Disjoints. Pulls her back. Not soft, not by choice, as easy as letting a breath out she never took, surfacing like a sigh. Instead, it's a rock dropped in a pond. A catastrophic cannonball. Startling suddenly from a full lack of shape at the event horizon crater to suddenly in this skin.

To the feeling of something touching her when no one would dare. (Even Kell keeps his distance unless she doesn't.) The sudden shadow of a hulking form bearing down over her. It's all impulse and a little of that self-defense she's been getting in class, as she suddenly reaches up to smack the offending hand from touching her, pushing herself hard into the bed (that gives so little), as her hand follows through from hitting the arm over her to colliding with the face above her, too.

Just as the air explodes, implodes, shudders through her, swirls of color and light, memories a thousand-fold—present-past and far-past, and newnewnnewnew—all too familiar forms slam into alarming clarity. Faces, and the matching voices—Rosa, and Jerry, and Amy, and Benji, and jackJackJACK—and that's the only word that makes it out, suddenly, too. And she's pushing up too fast, impossibility exploding into a thousand shards. In her vision, her head, her chest. Oh, no. ] Jack?!

[stations]

( In his mind, this reunion is sweet and soft and perfect. He touches her cheek, and she looks up at him with sleepy, dreamy eyes all green and awake and comprehending, and she smiles softly, and he kisses her, and then everything is right.

But this is reality, and his life, and therefor that was never going to happen. Instead, in a much more realistic turn of events, she backhands his hand away so hard both her knuckles and his smack him in his already-injured nose and he cusses, stumbling backward. His crutch catches on a pile of books and then shoots out, hitting the stone floor with a clatter. He follows suit, bruising his ass bone on the ground and groaning as he tenderly pokes at his now-bleeding-again nose.

From the ground, he offers up a tiny wave. )

Ow. Hi. Sorry. It's me. I- came back. Hi. Again.

[the_keeper]

Oh god.

I'm sorry—

[ Those words happen a few times as Sabine is trying to fight a blanket she can't see in the dark and maybe tucked in too hard on the side the last time she made the bed, and for the most part her attempt to extricate herself from the bed doesn't involve anything like the human-body-logic of feet go first, and everything inside her surges in the direction of that hapless apologetic pile of Jack that she hit and then knocked down, that she sends herself tumbling toward.

Gravity is kind of the worst.
(They are a wreck. Again.)

A lot of things are still swimming around her. Through her. But the main current of necessity is getting back to Jack being less than the distance of the floor from her. (That it could have instead involved her telling him to get up there will not register until later. And who will care then? Certainly not them.) She does not care that she's brought half the bed with her and that how far and how much she can move is hampered by that same blanket attached to that same bed, which will not just stop existing.

She's reaching for his hands in the dark,
needing to touch any part of him. ]
You're here. You're back.

[stations]

( Look at them both nailing this so well. Five years apart, two weeks together, another six months and a dimension apart again immediately after — and yet somehow, sharing exactly the same messy vibes just like they always have. Honestly, being a tangle of limbs and blankets and bloody cotton nosebleed stoppers on the floor is way more right than his perfect mental-image of a reunion ever could have been.

He finds her forearms as her hands reach for him, and it's automatic to guide her, to pull her half-on top of him even though his ass hurts, and the floor is cold and there's a book digging into his hip and he's struggling to sit upright again. )

Yeah. Hi. It's me.

( And it's her, and his hands are around her biceps, her face swimming back into view in the dim firelight.

It's her. It's her.

Suddenly, his throat feels thick again. His eyes burn. His chest aches. That feeling of utter loss echoes through him, a phantom pang. )

You, um. I remember. Sabine, you're... you...

( You died. You left me. )

[the_keeper]

[ As much as she can be, in a puddle of blankets, Sabine is more careful this time. Careful with where she ends up when he drags her into his lap. Careful of his leg and face, which looks like it met someone's fist or a door or—she can't quite, will later, doesn't want her focus divided yet. Not now. Not with him here. Hands on her arms.

Looking as grave as when he delivered the news of her parent's death the first time she arrived, somehow those words, this time, about herself will go any differently. Sabine is already shaking her head even before he lets it trail off unsaid. Makes her a ghost or something else....something closer to any number of potential truths? ]

No. I woke up in the fountain right after you went through the door.

[ The one that held the memory he didn't want to remember, the one that brought her here to a much earlier version of him. There's so much cresting and crashing around him, yet it's silent, and there's no violence to the way it makes space for itself around him, them. An endless winding road. Laughter, and gas station snacks, and yet more monsters. A crater where once sat a gas station (and a pyramid, and so many other things). A panoply of gods cannibalizing each other.

Sabine lifts her hands and cups his cheeks, careful with the bruises on his face even as her smile unchecks itself from restraint, the most important parts backward filling in. There's a soft laugh at everything and nothing. A weight she's known for longer than Jack's been alive finding slack, transmuting into delighted-pride. ]

You did it. I knew you could.

[stations]

( I woke up in the fountain right after you went through the door; he seems stunned by the news. Thoughtful, considering — the timeline, it... does it add up? He guesses it does, as much as anything ever adds up in his life. If she- if dying for her works differently than it does for most normal people, maybe she didn't, maybe she just... left. Maybe her body died, but whatever the rest of her is just... came here, to wait for him?

What are you, Sabine?
I'm the same thing as my parents.

He still doesn't know what that means, and he's not sure it matters. He's not sure he cares. The only thing that does matter, that he does care about, is the fact that she's here. Awake, alive, tangible, in his arms and fully conscious.

The pride in her voice is as clear as a bell, and as soothing as a warm bath. He looks suddenly very tired, like he's just been given permission to rest. )

I didn't.

( Know that he could do it. Frankly, he's still not entirely sure how they managed to pull it off, but they did. Apocalypse averted, and it only cost... what, her life? Travis's life? Her parents lives? Their livelihood, their business? His home? )

Are we- are things...

( He starts, stops, searches for the words for what he wants to ask. He sounds a little breathless, a little like that lost boy from the forest at six or seven years old after a particularly bad night with Miller, for just a fleeting second when he asks: )

Is everything... in sync again? Are we both here? Can we just- be here?

( With the snarls and snags in the timeline and the dimensions finally ironed out, with the weird dimensional bleeding leak plugged, the foggy and constantly shifting boundaries of the universe finally stabilized as reality sets itself onto a solid, real course? Is it over?

Can they start actually living for real now? )

[the_keeper]

[ He's always had to carry too much, and for so long that didn't include her, and then for too long it did. He'd always been the one in the small (and the grand planet-wide, century-long) equation who least understood what he might be capable of. There've been times he had good reason for that, and times he didn't. And this is neither of them.

Sabine let one of her hands slide from his cheek, back into his hair, and around part of his neck, pulling him in closer. She doesn't need to quibble that in both worlds, he still has more current-present-removed time on her, or that there's an ocean of time yet to consider whether it is important to tell him of from long before him. None of that is important when she bumps their foreheads together softly. ]

Yes. [ Her thumb strokes against his neck lightly, and she tilts her head just a little so she can look into his eyes from here, dark and blurred and shadowed by firelight. ] Yes. We're both here. And it's all now-now. And that means— [ Her mouth quirks a little sideways. ] That I can tell you that I love you with all of my soul, Jack Townsend, and no part of this is a dream.

[ Not one she has the question if he'll remember. Not one he'll have to question whether was real. Viable. Out of reach. Not even her very best parts of his dreams, or her dreams, or the world they made is as good as knowing this is real. And Sabine tips her face up, careful of brushing her nose against his too hard, to kiss him. ]

[stations]

( He feels her fingers thread through his hair, feels the tips of them drag along the back of his neck, and he can't help but let out a slow, shuddering exhale. It feels like his chest is on fire. It feels like the places where her fingerprints touch down are burning into his skin. It feels like something is twisting in him, both good and painful at the same time. He's missed her. He's mourned her.

Sabine is a lot of things.
She's the best friend he's ever had.
The only love he's ever had.
The only person that has ever been consistently his.
His other half.
The gaping hole in his heart for most of his adult life — his adult life, not those stupid young reckless years between seventeen and twenty-one, where you only think you're grown. She's been missing from him the entire time he's become a real, proper man. She's been gone during the years where she should've been reaping the rewards for all the effort she put in to dealing with him through his childhood, through his immaturity, through his shitty hormones and asshole young adulthood.

She is the central piece of himself he's built himself around, gone vacant, and now she's here again, like a miracle. Like a promise. Like a reward.

He isn't one to display emotions even under duress, but now? Now, tears streak down from eyes he didn't even realize were wet, and when he kisses her, he can taste the salt of them on his lips.

I love you, too.
So, so much. )

[the_keeper]

[ This is far more what she'd expected when she'd first found him here, before the too-sudden realization they were out of time still as well as place. There wasn't a spot along the sliding timeline since that day in the forest where he wasn't her Jack, but he hadn't finished this chapter, made all the choices she'd come from, finished the path that had for far too long been written for and demanded of him.

But now he was.

The scent of salt, the faint of moisture against her lips, mingles with the faint shake of his body, and Sabine's heart—metaphorical or not, details be damned because it's Jack's, and it—aches. For the triumph, and the tragedy, and the trauma, and all the time between that day and this one, and if all of them are important, none are as important as this;

The solidness of Jack within the space of her arms.

The kiss breaks, and Sabine wraps her arms around him, hugging him close. Burying her face into his shoulder and the side of his neck. ]

It's okay. I'm here.
I'm not going anywhere.

[ And she knows as she says it against his shoulder there's an endlessly vast much she'd do to keep that true, and that now his world is safe, there are exactly zero things left in the universe she has to carry any priority for that aren't him. ]

[stations]

( She slots against his too-thin chest, fitting perfectly against it despite the ways in which the shape of him has changed. Filling an empty socket that's been waiting for her for too long. His arms wind around her shoulders, around her slender back, and he buries his face into her hair. She smells the same as she always does — like the ocean, like waves, like sunblock, like salt water and sunshine.

For the first time in years, he feels himself exhale a breath he's been holding for too long. A four-fingered hand passes through red locks, shaking just a little.

I'm not going anywhere, she says.

He can't help the way he rasps out what he meant as a joke, but very much does not sound or feel like a joke: )

Promise?

( Because she wasn't supposed to go anywhere the last time, either. It's stupid, and it's childish, but maybe if he'd thought to make her promise that before, somehow... none of it ever would have happened. )

[the_keeper]

Yes.

[ It's simple, and solemn, and in the next breath from one impossible-to-promise question to an impossible-to-promise answer. Even with the softness of her voice and the silence of the darkened room around them, there's a fierceness undercutting its feet, too. A solid steel refusal to let anything or anyone pull them apart again. Even if they're all at the mercy of another monster—or god, or both; so often it both more than either or—here, too. ]

So much as I can and as long as I can.

[stations]

( And you know what?

He believes her.

It's an impossible request, an impossible promise — but she's an impossible girl and he, apparently, is an impossible guy. Impossible is literally what they do, it's all they do. His arms tighten around her, and he closes his eyes.

For a long time, that's all there is. The two of them in the floor, surrounded by a tangle of blankets, as he holds her too tightly and totally doesn't straight-up cry into her hair. Eventually, when he feels like he's been completely scooped out and his ass is particularly sore from the stone castle floors, he clears his throat. )

I... really don't want to interrupt the moment, but can we lay down in the actual bed? Not that this isn't nice, but the only leg I have left is starting to go numb.

[the_keeper]

[ There's a soft snort into his shoulder at the first half of the lead up—because how could anything starting like that not be that, too?—but he does make a good point. She placed a last, fast, unspecific, absolutely shamelessly selfish kiss against his hair and the ear closest. Simply because it was all right where she'd had her face tucked. Sabine released her loose hold on his thin shoulders, lifting her weight to propel herself up; she moved even as she was talking. ]

Only been here like thirty minutes and already so needy. [ Whether he can see the expression of teasing is dependent on the light and trajectory of her shifting and fire light, but it's a ribbon of light in her voice. She's glad for all of it. All of of him. ]

Next thing, you'll want me to clear all the books off your side of the bed so you can lie down on the bed, too, hmm?
[ Sabine held out her hands to help him up once she no longer counted as under, or over, foot. Er. Leg. ] Up you go.

[stations]

( It's hard to explain how this feels, going from not having it for years, to suddenly having it again. Those few weeks they overlapped here before are a blur, a barely-there blip in an otherwise emotional eternity of vacancy. It's like he spent years without his lungs, and suddenly there they are, inhaling deeply to the tune of her lips pressing against his ear.

Holy Shit, he's a mess. He wants to cry all over again, and that's just... sad. That's just really sad, isn't it? When did he completely lose his entire grip over his feelings?

He takes her hand. Lets her help haul him up to his precarious one-legged balancing act — one he does not tempt fate on, and almost immediately pivots to a seated perch at the edge of the bed so he can start helping her move the stacks and stacks of books-

Well.

Moving is a strong word for... immediately getting distracted by looking at the titles. )

Wait, is that- how the hell did you get Jules Verne here?!

[the_keeper]

I'd like to say I'm just that good— [ Sabine says while picking up some of the books and piling them on to the bed table so that even those aren't that far from him if he decides that's what's happening with the next while, in a bit, too. ] —but I think if I had made a new book or two appear daily, you would have caught on.

[ Beat. ] And I'd have had to open a bookstore.


It's this place.

[ She pauses, two books in each hand, and glances at the one in his hand. His shock lines up with a second, and her expression wrinkles only briefly, correlating her past memory of it now synced up to his having it, too. It'd been lost a long time ago to a life it was better to walk away from with nothing rather than not to walk away from it at all—one of a handful of small, invaluable treasures. The last memory of it—the shape of a gun cut out of it, tinged with grief and rage—until now.

Sabine's mouth curved the smallest of whisps, and she nodded at it,
a very I have the best of surprise tucking into all the corners of her expression. ] Open it.

[stations]

( He doesn't say that it's incredibly generous of her to assume he'd catch onto anything, but especially not more random books appearing, considering... who the two of them are as people. Random books constantly appearing in their general vicinity is practically a given, and the reality is, it probably would have taken months for him to cotton on — if ever.

But, you know what? He'll take the compliment without correcting it.

It occurs to him, not for the first time, how much worse he is now than he was when they were together. How much more mentally unstable, how much more of a space-cadet, how bad his mental condition had deteriorated after her coma. She might have some idea of it, he can't be sure how much she's seen, but he can only assume she doesn't actually know — hasn't had to deal with him on a day to day basis to see just how far he's fallen from his already not-very-high pedestal of mediocrity.

Gee, this is gonna be a fun hurdle to overcome. Can't wait.

But, there's a time and a place for dealing with that, and he's perfectly content to postpone it for a while in favor of this reunion. It's not hard to let his brain move on, especially not once he cracks open the cover to peer inside with a small amount of trepidation. )