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ABRAXAS MODS ([personal profile] abraxasmods) wrote in [community profile] abraxasooc2021-05-20 09:20 pm
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TEST DRIVE MEME #1

TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to the very first 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 two 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 here. For general game questions please still use the FAQ.

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.

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 baring 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.

"I beg your pardon," he says, so absorbed in the pages of the book that he doesn't bother to look up, "I am Ambrose Rhett, the High Mage of the Kingdom of Thorne. One of my apprentices will explain everything in a moment, but please refrain from yelling and thrashing about until then. You're quite alright, and screaming gives me a hell of a headache."

Regardless of your response, he keeps flipping through the heavy tome, until he stops on one specific page, stares at it for a moment, and then exclaims:

"Aha!"

Scenario One: Welcome to Thorne

Ambrose's expression brightens, eyes twinkling with delight. 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.

"Success! It's a success!" he exclaims, slamming the book shut and scurrying towards you.

Now that he's not hunching over the book, he doesn't seem quite so stuffy and inapproachable. The apprentices all seem quite relieved at his jovial outburst, 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, you're an honored guest here," 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 (everyone appears to have arrived within the last few days), or you can wander around and meet the others.

There's also a dining hall stocked with all sorts of fancy food to meet every possible dietary need, and a library filled with epic tales and legends and the history of Thorne. Given that this is the Thorne library, it may be a biased account that makes the Kingdom look a fair bit better than the rest of the world sees them. Last but not least, there's a study hall where a few junior mages (younger and less experienced than the apprentices from earlier) might be willing to teach you some simple elemental magic. Think holding a small flame in the palm of your hand, or blowing a door shut with a gust of wind.

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 spending too much time with the prisoners will lead to some suspicion being cast upon you. If you ask anyone why the prisoners are being held there, you'll be told that they pose a great threat to the Kingdom (and, by extension, the entire world).

Scenario Two: Imprisoned

The High Mage scowls, grinding his teeth as he slams the book shut. "Another failure!" he barks at the apprentices, "You lot wouldn't know your ass from a hole in the ground, would you?"

All four of them lower their heads, and two of them mumble an apology that Ambrose either doesn't hear or refuses to acknowledge. "Well, don't just stand there," he says, waving a hand in the air, "We've put all this effort into getting this wretched creature, we may as well put it to good use."

One of the apprentices drops a baggy, rough-feeling tunic, a pair of pants, and some worn sandals in your lap and glares down at you until you put them on (if you refuse, they'll tell you they can kick you back down that well if you don't want to cooperate). They're glaring at the High Mage as much as they're glaring at you (when they're sure he isn't looking, anyway). You might catch one of them long enough to ask them why they're so upset with you, but all they'll say is that the High Mage knows something they don't, and he's awfully upset about it.

Once you're fully clothed, another apprentice clamps some heavy iron shackles around your wrists and leads you on. The High Mage is far ahead of you already, muttering some long string of Thornean curses before he stands up straight and pauses, spinning to face you.

"One more thing," he says, holding one hand in the air and chanting something under his breath, "Can't have you getting too troublesome."

If you had powers, the slight connection you still had to them slips away completely and you're left with nothing as the four apprentices drag you towards the castle. They may answer a few of your questions (with some insults and curses peppered in), but they won't tell you anything important.

Once you arrive at the castle you're brought to the dungeons and thrown into a locked cell. There are four people to a cell, and two sets of bunk beds with a thin and lumpy straw mattress. If you're over six feet tall, these beds are going to be awfully uncomfortable. You might as well meet your roommates. Once per day you're dragged out to an enclosed courtyard for one hour of recreation (with some crude weights, benches, and balls lying around but not much else), where you can meet the rest of the prisoners, but you can also talk to your immediate neighbors in the cells on either side and across the hallway. Just don't yell too much or the guards will snap at you to be quiet.

Everyone in the dungeon is fed one meal a day, and for a prison meal it's decent: a bit of meat, a bun, and a salad. It would seem that the Thornean chefs take too much pride in their craft to send bad food to the dungeons. The meals are all served in equal portions, though, so the smaller prisoners may be overfed and the larger ones may be getting hungry. Feel free to fight for food or share with your cellmates.

Crudely embroidered on the back of every prison tunic is the same image that was on your card and the name of the sign beneath it. A guard may explain a bit about the sign, and tell you some negative stereotypes they hold about yours.

You may be blessed with a visit from one of the more welcomed newcomers, and they may sneak you some extra food or a small book to read or they may share some of the information they've gathered. However, rumors travel fast and some people believe the honored guests in the castle above are somehow responsible for the lot of the prisoners below. And although you may hope for kindness, there's nothing stopping them from being cruel to you if they wish. The guards will certainly turn a blind eye if one of them wishes to take out their frustrations on you.




Questions


How do I choose a scenario for my character?
Pick whichever situation appeals to you most. Whether your character is honored or imprisoned has nothing to do with their personal morality, or how highly they regard themselves and their own accomplishments. Anyone can be put into either situation.

Can I try out both scenarios?
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 Ambrose?
Prisoners will be dragged against their will. Honored guests will be forgiven for their moment of panic or anger if they have one, and Ambrose and the apprentice mages will try to calm them and persuade them further. If they put up too much of a fight and/or start actively attacking anyone, Ambrose will warn them once that he's willing to put them back in the well where they came from (see below), and if they continue to fight he will make good on that promise.

My character intends on causing a lot of trouble (destroying parts of the castle, murdering the castle staff, etc.), what would happen to them?
Characters who make too much trouble for the mages and other staff 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 (if they are an honored guest) or a punishment like denial of food or temporary solitary confinement (if they are a prisoner), and there will be plenty of opportunity for destruction and murder later, but for now the Thorneans have no desire to keep huge liabilities around.

Ambrose will take it especially personally, as this experiment was his idea and too much trouble would risk the summoning spell being scrapped and potentially result in him being demoted. Rest assured it does not take much for him to throw someone back in the well at this point in time.

Is the power loss for the prisoners permanent?
No, although honored guests will regain their powers first due to the lack of interference from Ambrose, the prisoners will be able to regain theirs soon enough as well.

Can the prisoners talk about anything private, or will they be overheard at all times?
There are guards patrolling the dungeon, but they aren't always within earshot. Most of the attention is being focused on the new guests, so the prisoners will have some opportunities for privacy.

Can my character leave the castle?
For now they will be prevented from leaving the castle, even if they are an honored guest. A bit of a gilded cage, isn't it? They'll also find that any powers they regain cease to work outside of the castle walls (this is also a temporary effect) so flying outside is not an option.

Can my character eventually side against Thorne if I choose to make them an honored guest/can they side with Thorne if I choose to imprison them?
Yes, characters in Scenario 1 will be able to betray Thorne, and characters in Scenario 2 can work themselves into Thorne's good graces.

How much will my choice of scenario affect my character's plot later on?
This choice will have a major impact on gameplay throughout the first few months of the game, and potentially a bit beyond that depending on where our players guide the plot. 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 both scenarios 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 two 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 a put a character on the TDM if their canon is less than 30 days old?
Yes. For this app round, anything that's at least 30 days old when the game opens on June 12th can be applied from.

Do the apprentice mages have names?
Their names are Jeffrey, Grigory, Noelle, and Jolene.


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silentsavant: (=12=)

Soren | Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn | The Hermit

[personal profile] silentsavant 2021-05-25 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
i. cast your lot
Though it's been a while since he's been called a wretched creature specifically, Soren isn't unaccustomed to being pelted by vilifications. Name-calling is among the least of his worries.

The magicless mage hangs at the edge of the lower bunk as he processes all the events that swept him up, his slender white fingers playing with the manacles his captors never bothered to remove as he tracks the activity from outside his prison with the wariness of a stray cat in an unfamiliar neighborhood. His long, dark hair clings to his cheeks and spills down his back in a loose series of ties, damp still from the fountain and soaking through his ill-fitting, scratchy tunic crudely emblazoned with the lantern of The Hermit, making the draft unbearable especially to someone so slight of stature. Questions buzz in his brain as he tries to reign in patience and keep it together, for he has far more of them than answers.

The cell door whines open and another prisoner is shoved in with as much brutal disregard as had been done to him. He winces in reflexive sympathy and studies his new cellmate while they gather their bearings.

"Another failure?" he asks bluntly but on a softened voice, his intention merely to set course for an exchange of their recent experiences.

ii. recess
Too many guards, too high of walls with no footholds, and nothing but the sky to see. Still, the fact that they were even being given the opportunity for some fresh air and community despite being cast out as rejects - on top of served food that was better than even his company provisions at times - registers as noteworthy to the mercenary. Just what "use" are they expecting to be put to?

The longer Soren stays here bereft of understanding what position he's been thrust into, surrounded by strange people from lands he can't pin on a map, the more on edge he becomes. He strays from groups, more keen on keeping his distance from others where he can analyze them from afar. He's uncomfortable enough around strangers as it is. It's more likely that someone else approaches him, and there's a tension he just can't seem to wipe from his bearing.

a. That said, if you come to try and break the ice or confront him, he will be a little guarded.

"Yes? What is it?" he'll ask in a tone that's really asking, 'What do you want from me?'

b. But even Soren knows there's value in getting to know one another, and sometimes an introduction is the best way to start. Though he's learned self-reliance, he does comprehend the value of being able to rely upon others. Maybe you're just vibing in the same space, completely disinterested in lifting weights or playing ball like he is? Or maybe you're passing by? Maybe you just happen to have the same sign, and that's enough to get Soren curious about what the two of you might have in common?

He's not exactly adept at small talk. But after surveying the place and checking for chinks in security, what else of any use is there to do? If they seem receptive to being spoken to, he goes ahead.

"These signs we bear supposedly represent aspects of our personalities and aims. What did they tell you about yours?"

iii. visitors
The prisoners receive numerous visits from those who had not been summoned in error. Soren scrutinizes each passerby as they take their tour of the unwanted in their cages, tries in vain to piece together what about them is so different from those shoved behind bars like him. Are they so honored as to be permitted to venture just about anywhere with impunity? It's only a matter of time before the guards' rising suspicions mount too high.

They are the only shaft of light illuminating the mystery of the world above.

As you pass him, your eyes meet and lock with the young-looking man by the bars, back pressed to the wall and his arms folded tightly to himself. His expression remains stony, but his piercing red eyes flash with hunger not for food. In a hushed voice, he asks:

"Do you have a moment?"

iv. choose your own adventure
[ a scene that doesn't fit any of the ones outlined above! feel free to PM me if you want to hash anything out. unlike my character, i am very friendly and easy to talk with, haha.

also, feel free to switch to different formats (brackets, etc.) if that's what you prefer! i'll go with the flow. ]
Edited 2021-05-25 21:47 (UTC)
therichremember: (false-facing)

reversed Cast Your Lot, as discussed.

[personal profile] therichremember 2021-05-25 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Jean glances up at Soren, nodding when the question is asked.

"I managed to convince one of the others--one of the 'successes' to sneak me a blanket. If you want to move to the back of the cell so the guards don't notice it, you can huddle under it and get warm. It's not much, but better than nothing."

Even if they do get caught, he considers it worth risking the blanket. Soren seems to have less insulation than the stocky, broad Jean, and building favor with the other prisoners can only do him good in the long run.
silentsavant: (=22=)

[personal profile] silentsavant 2021-05-26 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
Soren straightens after shoulder checking the wall to catch his fall and provides Jean his rapt (and mildly cringing - ow) attention. This confirms what should be naturally suspected: if there are failures, then there must be successes. What determines a success over a failure still eludes him. But they're not locked up. In fact, they have enough freedom to whisk through the dungeons despite the guards pacing the place, and at least one of them was nice and bold enough to spare a favor.

But he's fresh out of the fountain, and this is his first contact with anyone in his situation. The immediate offer to alleviate some of his current misery, however simple, takes the mercenary off-guard.

"...Thank you," he mumbles after a brief pause, but makes no indication of being in any hurry to huddle up. His bodily complaint falls to the back of his mind as more imperative concerns surge forth, and the discomfiture that slipped into his features is paved over in his desire to quench his thirst for more information. "You've met one of these successes, then. Do they know why they've been brought here?"
therichremember: (query)

[personal profile] therichremember 2021-05-26 07:10 am (UTC)(link)
"No--they're being kept within the castle. Prisoners just as we are, just in a gilded cage with better food and clothes and rooms. They often wander down here to gawk at those of us less fortunate, and ask us what we've done to receive the label of 'failure', as if we're supposed to have an answer to that question. They wear fine cloth tunics, but are labeled with their sign just like us."

He's being thorough, because he's not sure what information the newcomer will find useful yet.
silentsavant: (=70=)

[personal profile] silentsavant 2021-05-28 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
The slight lift of Soren's eyebrows indicates this information's novelty to him. Not even they know? The mages' aim remains regretfully obscured. He passes a glance backwards as if to catch one of these more privileged prisoners on their excursion through the human zoo.

"Then perhaps my question was just as foolish," he remarks wryly and with a shudder that jingles his handcuffs. "Well, that Ambrose is right: summoning me was a mistake. I don't belong here, wherever this is."

Where is Ike? This question resonates louder than most, but Soren hardly knows where he is to begin with. If his fellow inmate had been given that tidbit of knowledge by his blanket-supplying benefactor, then Soren figures he'll share it with him, too.
therichremember: (horizon)

[personal profile] therichremember 2021-05-28 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
"None of us belong here--we've all been summoned, with absolutely no regard for whatever else we'd had planned for the week. The good news is, they must have some use for us; they're feeding us, once a day. Letting us go out to a courtyard to stretch our legs. So they're not planning on killing us for whatever makes us failures."

He sets the blanket around Soren's shoulders, and then sits back down on the bottom bunk he's claimed as his.
silentsavant: (=62=)

[personal profile] silentsavant 2021-05-28 06:49 am (UTC)(link)
The nonplussed look he made when he'd originally been offered the blanket returns for an encore more vibrant than the first. Instinctively the mercenary tries to duck away from the gesture now manifested physically, but he fails and is not the worse for it. The handcuffs would have made getting comfortable in it a challenge, anyway. Now that he is cloaked in dry fabric, he quells any sign of resistance, shuffling over to the back of the cell where shadows overwhelm the dingy light.

"Once we exhaust our use to them, then they might dispose of us," he suggests coldly with the linger of one final chatter breaking into those words. "Or maybe they intend to use us in ways that make us wish they starved us here instead..."
therichremember: (Default)

[personal profile] therichremember 2021-05-29 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
"That might be their intention. All the more reason to try to retain our strength and wits, don't you think? It's not my first time in a complicated situation, though this is a unique one."

Jean watches Soren thoughtfully, sitting on the edge of one of the lower bunks.
silentsavant: (=39=)

[personal profile] silentsavant 2021-05-31 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
Soren crouches behind the bed across from Jean's, settling halfway out of sight from guards but visible to the other man occupying his cell. He works on drawing the blanket closed one hand at a time and sighs, perhaps for the first time since being dragged from the fountain. He lifts his head and meets Jean's gaze.

"I'm well-acquainted with complicated matters, but I've never had any reason to expect to prepare for this sort of thing to happen to me, either." The young-looking mage studies his companion a second time, now that he has grown just that much more used to his presence than the moment he'd been thrust into here. Though his skull still throbs with questions of seismic importance, there isn't much he can do at this juncture but talk with his fellow lodger and grow accustomed to every facet of his new environment.

"My name is Soren, mage and staff officer of the Greil Mercenaries."
therichremember: (tight-lipped)

[personal profile] therichremember 2021-05-31 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
“You’re a mage, and they threw you down here? You’d think they might be loyal to those like them, even across worlds.”

Jean’s sincerely stunned by that fact. But part of that is that he grew up being taught that other criminals were his brothers, even if they came from different gangs, different types of crime or entirely different cities. It was one of the central tenets of his religion.

“Jovanno de Barra, advisor to the Deep Roots party of Karthain. At least until the elections are over.”
silentsavant: (=93=)

[personal profile] silentsavant 2021-05-31 05:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Soren shakes his head at the belief that mages hold any loyalty for each other on the basis of that alone, for he lacks the same upbringing and grew used to the ways of his own world. But his introduction garners more interest from him. It sounds completely foreign, which only serves to deepen the pit of unease in his stomach.

None of the unease leaches into his tone, however, and he remains levelheaded and focused despite his various misgivings. "I've never heard of such a party. Or of Karthain, for that matter."
therichremember: (pleasant)

[personal profile] therichremember 2021-06-01 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"Likewise, I've never heard of the Grell Mercenaries--my guess is that we're from different worlds. It seems more likely than a mage like yourself never having heard of the home of the Bondsmagi and their school."

Which is alright, Jean would rather be with a mage who hasn't heard of him or Locke than one who has.
silentsavant: (=105=)

[personal profile] silentsavant 2021-06-02 12:30 am (UTC)(link)
"Different worlds..." Soren fits his voice over the word as he rolls the concept around in his mind, breaks down the limits of his prior understanding of reality itself. Karthain... A place he'll never find on Tellius. So distant, perhaps, he should never expect to find it even if he traveled beyond the ends of the continent. It was a mere notion before, invoked by the magical mechanisms by which he was brought here, but now that it's passed to him as a casual guess from a foreigner who speaks of groups and locations he's never heard of, it feels like a more substantive possibility. Jovanno de Barra had already been able to garner more of their situation than he has. Soren shakes his head in unsettled disbelief, distantly focused on the stone wall as if peering past it. Then, he reels it back into their space, famished still for information.

"Have you learned anything else from the roaming visitors? Where we are, for example? What sort of place this is?"
therichremember: (scholar)

[personal profile] therichremember 2021-06-02 03:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"The ones who're being kept upstairs aren't being allowed to leave the castle. They're prisoners as much as we are, even if theirs is a gilded cage. But they're being taught magic--the magic of this world--and given access to the castle's libraries."

It's the books he's more interested in than the magic, but he figured Soren will appreciate that tidbit.

"Some of them bring food down with them, too. I don't recognize all the spices used here."
silentsavant: (=58=)

[personal profile] silentsavant 2021-06-03 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)
The books interest Soren just as much as the magic does, if not more. A castle library hosts a wealth of information. Those permitted to roam the shelves would be well-equipped to glean an understanding of where they are. The mage envies this privilege keenly. To be given that and lessons in magic... Their purpose must therefore be entwined with it. However, if he were summoned and given those tools, he would still feel imprisoned by another's will and reluctant to do their bidding, for whatever purpose they are being led to has nothing to do with him or Ike. It's much better than being given nothing but food and beds, though.

"Then they would be in an ideal position to understand where they have been transported to," he points out. "Have they mentioned any of their findings to you?"
therichremember: (concern)

[personal profile] therichremember 2021-06-05 06:07 am (UTC)(link)
"Nothing useful. Not yet. Too many of them seem to be obsessing over what flaw in us led to our imprisonment. 'What did you do?' Well, nothing particularly criminal since they pulled me out of the well."

No comment about beforehand, though.

"But. I think those who live upstairs can be allies to us. Some are soft-hearted, even if they haven't brought us much information."
frontlinetitties: please do not take (pic#14843286)

ii. a

[personal profile] frontlinetitties 2021-05-26 01:12 pm (UTC)(link)
She'd spotted the slight figure loitering on the periphery of their ragtag group of inmates whilst she'd been making use of the weights, spied him from her position on one of the scuffed-leather benches. Hers begins as a distant kind of regard, vaguely taking in the tight way he seems to be holding himself, body-language quietly conveying his unease. By the time she gets bored of lifting, he's begun to peak her interest. Standing there alone like that, evidently discomfited-- she thinks she can relate.

She hasn't had much practice at being around other people. Other people, that is, who don't have one foot in the grave, or both already firmly planted within it only for reanimation to prevent them from attaining the final dignity of rest. Even at Caanan House, the majority of her days had been spent slinking around like an unwanted shadow, silent and largely avoided. So seeing someone like that - isolated, uncomfortable, tense - it threatens to tug at her heartstrings. Just don't ever suggest as much to her face.

So once she's done with her weights she slopes on over to him, tries for a disarming smile-- though there's no doubt in her mind that the ugly tunic and the smeared face paint leave her looking nothing less than horrible.

"Sooooo," she begins, and then realises rather abruptly that she's had a startling dearth of opportunities for small talk in her life. That, in reality, she doesn't really know how to engage in a normal conversation, one that doesn't begin and end with barbed witticisms, with verbal slices and parries. An awkward silence follows, before she finally fills it up, somewhat lamely. "Which of the guards do you think would be the easiest to bribe?"

Judging from the dour-faced collection of wardens standing around their enclosure, the answer would be none of them.
silentsavant: (=70=)

I don't know who she is but I am endeared to her immediately

[personal profile] silentsavant 2021-05-29 04:18 pm (UTC)(link)
For all her effort in drumming up a smile, Soren doesn't even try managing one in return. He simply watches her with an unmoving expression as she makes her approach, his bright eyes flitting over each detail of her person. It wouldn't be the first time he had, though any time before had been at a distance. This time, the oddball with the face paint stands right before him.

He wonders what she really wants with him beneath her affected attempt at friendliness. Why him? Because he's alone? Looks easy to pick on, his physique less intimidating than the other prisoners? The woman herself hardly seems as though she needs to worry about her ability to defend herself if anything arrived at hand-to-hand blows; she looks to be and has demonstrated her fitness over by the weights. It could be a matter of pity. It could be that he evokes it. In their situation, anyone with a draw to connect with others would naturally seek out companionship and support in these stressful and confusing times. Interestingly enough, she bears the same sign as the first man he met in this place.

There's something about her social ungainliness that subconsciously reassures him more than if she had been smooth and silver-tongued. Soren does not will her to leave him alone. He considers her question and speculates whether she even has the social finesse necessary for a good chance at a successful bribe, especially with these stoical sentinels. He crosses his arms and meets her obscured gaze.

"Let's suppose that I am one of these guards," he poses. "What do you want, and how exactly do you intend to convince me to give you it?"
frontlinetitties: Please do not take (pic#14843284)

She tries her best!

[personal profile] frontlinetitties 2021-06-01 03:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, no answering smile for her, then. Perhaps it was a little much to ask for, that this veritable stranger would actually appreciate the companionship of someone who looks like she hangs about in graveyards for fun. Despite his lukewarm welcome, Gideon seems entirely unperturbed; she's immune to chilly glances, to gazes filled only with suspicion (or, more often than not, what she's always taken to be naked hostility). She's been enduring the very like of them her entire life.

Still, when the lonesome-looking stranger poses his counter-question, she has to admit she hadn't quite thought this one through. She knows the kind of thing she'd like to extract fromt he guards - information, a bid for freedom, or at the very least a couple of dirty magazines to help her pass the time - but what does she have to offer in return? Not a whole lot, as it transpires.

"Oh. Huh," she says, before flashing him another smile, one intended to be both sardonic and conspirational but thanks to the Ninth House face paint just appears disconcertingly ghoulish, "my undying gratitude?"