archishellago | Test Drive Meme #001

KHU IODUAN; TEST DRIVE MEME #001

I. THE VERDANT SENTRY - Attention, New Recruits!

It's clear that all of the city's law enforcement is handled by the various branches of the Sentry: from Mounted Division handling street patrol, to the Aerial Corps provided airborne support for tactical and rescue operations, to the Nautical Branch undertaking regular sea patrols as the first line of defense along the archipelago's borders. But everyone interested in joining up has to go through their basic training program, and that starts today with a general skills assessment. There's quite a mix of attendees today, spread across nearly every race represented in Aifaran and including other Dreamfolk, but whatever the recruiter is saying is getting lost in the two chatty Igheeri who seem to think they're too good to listen to the standard welcome speech... time to interrupt by signaling the person in charge? Take care of it yourself? Gripe about it to the person in line beside you?

II. KIRIN RODEO - Place Your Bets!

At the end of every month, the Mounted Division of the Sentry holds their skills competition. When they're not on the field, their steeds are often the subject of much admiration from children and more than a few adults. Astride many breeds of kirin, some lithe and fleet, some stockier and stronger, these off-duty officers demonstrate their control and bond over the notoriously strong-willed and intelligent creatures with complicated maneuvers. There's a surprisingly in-depth system for betting on one's favourite to win the various matches, and just about everyone's willing to explain the odds to newcomers. There's only one rule: all proceeds go to funding of the city's charities. (Bragging rights on winning are still yours to keep.) Two bells ring loudly over the crowd - last call for wagers!

III. WE HAVE REGULATIONS ABOUT THIS - Munga on the Loose!

Munga are ill-tempered, rat-sized spiky lizards with a gift for camouflage, and whose venom in their spines and teeth is also highly hallucinogenic. And... they're on the loose. Fortunately, keeping them is highly regulated, and pretty much everyone in Aifaran knows about them, but loose Munga are uncommon enough that the reaction is more likely to be startled flailing at a hint of spines and skittering. Today someone's exotic pet has slipped out of their hands, and it's trailing a harness and lead as it zigzags away, prickling and hissing and going for the ankles. It's given a wide berth, except by those who don't notice until it's too late or those too preoccupied by something else. Hopefully the proper authorities have been notified to catch and return the creature, but maybe someone helpful can keep it from getting too far away?

IV. A SURPRISE WINDFALL - Officer, This Isn't Mine...

There was a loud thud as someone tosses a heavy bag from the window of a dilapidated building. Five seconds later there’s smoke pouring out the windows and your holding what seems to be someone else’s luggage. Opening it, you find carefully wrapped bricks of some very illegal drugs, and someone down the side alley is pointing at you and yelling. A mounted Sentry officer is giving you a rather peculiar look as well while he calls in the fire brigade. And among the people fleeing the building, there are five Kin’nal looking at you, wide-eyed, as it suddenly dawns on them that they messed up. Take your new prize and split before reinforcements arrive? Try to explain the mistake? Take note that the building is still on fire?

V. INTO THE UNKNOWN - Watch Your Back Out There

The sea patrol discovered the new irregularity a few days ago, reporting that it looks like a series of tall and jagged stone towers rising up from the ocean. It's incomplete as these planar-shunted locations often are, as if something massive had taken a bite of some mysterious city and then spat it whole into the seas of Konryu. Having been chosen as part of the exploration team, you've been working your way through the complicated labyrinth of stone tunnels and dead ends, searching for what the Opara engineers had enthusiastically described as a potential new power source. "Trace the green glowing power lines," was their (sort of helpful) instruction. However the lean, dark and toothy thing you've just glimpsed should probably be a more pressing concern... warn others? Take it on yourself? Pray it hasn't spotted you?

VI. WILDCARD - Because You're Not The Boss Of Me

Anything else that doesn't fit the above prompts is welcome, just keep it within the game setting please!

Applications • Reservations • Taken List • Game Navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It's what, six times as long?" She was rounding aggressively. Look, it didn't need to be that precise.

She shrugged once more, double checked the card, and turned it in. "Means they're well off enough they can afford to sink the overhead pretty regularly, yeah. And they care. Better than a lot of places, honestly. If we had to wind up homeless and confused anywhere..."

Kid opened his mouth, as if to start it's actually-- but evidently thinks better of it. "Close enough," he answered instead, though not without a faint pinch between his brows.

"Hm. I'm still not entirely convinced by the claim that no time at all will pass..."

It would take a few minutes for all the betting to be put into place before the race was run, so his attention was briefly drawn to a pair of bridled kirin being led nearby with their handler openly encouraging petting from the bystanders.

Eve opened her mouth. Closed it. She was in absolutely no position to contest this, given that she'd been hoping for kind of the opposite.

"Well, you've got to figure the people who've been through it would know," she said instead, surveying the crowd. Her attention, too, was drawn to the kirin. They seemed... nice enough, and if their handler was encouraging petting, why not. Embrace the moment, even if that moment includes weird dragon horses. "I wouldn't say no to a little time passing, myself. Hey..."

This last is something murmured at the kirin, absently dropping in register as she offers a hand to sniff before petting.

"That's true," he acknowledged, nodding. "It's just that I was brought here from the aftermath of something quite serious in my world, and I feel as though I'm shirking my responsibilities."

The kirin noses its way into Eve's hand eagerly, obviously looking for or expecting a treat of some kind. Its handler laughs, offering her a handful of large, dark red nuts to give to the beast. "Fingers flat, palm up," he added, just in case Eve wasn't familiar with how to feed the creatures.

Kid maintains a respectful distance, although the other kirin that is nearer to him snorts irritably, stamping its hooves on the ground. Its handler looks confused, professing, "Funny, she's normally the calm one," but Kid shakes his head to intercept the need for further explanation.

"It's fine, sir," he assures the man.

Responsibilities. Yeah. If only hers weren't missing. Eve's briefly somber as she takes the handful of nuts; but it's hard to be entirely worried with a very pretty horse dragon putting its nose in her hand. And Flynn can take care of himself, and she'll see what she'll see when she gets back.

"Yeah," she says after a moment. "I know the feeling."

When she steps back she's lighter-hearted, gives Kid a quick smile. "Not a fan of horses? Or... ah, kirin?"

Eve's reaction to the kirin feeding is good to see, as is the smile following it. "I think they're fine," he answered, looking unruffled by the beast's reaction to him. He takes a step farther back and the skittish kirin calms once again.

"I'm afraid my presence might trouble them unduly, that's all."

The one-minute bell for the race sounds above the general chatter of the crowd. "Shall we find somewhere to see the race, miss?"

There's only so long one can pet busy kirin. She nodded, stepping back, and took a quick look around for good vantages that weren't already taken up. "What about over there?" she suggested, pointing to the place she meant -- they might have to squeeze a bit, but they'd have a good view.

Eve had already taken a step or two that way when she followed up the rest. "Huh. Why would you trouble them?"

"That will work," Kid agreed, and thankfully the crowd wasn't too much trouble for getting into position where she indicated.

"It seems they can sense non-humans," the young reaper replied. "Which makes sense, given that it doesn't appear humans are a native species in this world. If they share anything of their namesakes from Earth mythos in addition to their name, they're likely extra sensitive to certain types of ecumenical forces."

Eve makes a vague mental note about looking up kirin in Earth mythology when she has a chance, because it's not ringing any bells at all. "Ecumenical?" she asks instead, which sounds vaguely familiar but... nope, nothing. Probably related to magic.

Aaaand he's implying he's not human. Friendly enough, though. Still, all of a sudden Eve's torn between attention on the race and attention on her new friend. "Not human, huh?"

"Something universal or all-encompassing," Kid elaborated. A beat and then, as an afterthought, he frowned, "The word's origin is actually in the Christian Church, so perhaps that was actually a poor choice of word."

He glanced at Eve when she prompted him to clarify his remark, but he seemed untroubled by making the admission. "No... I am a reaper."

"Death seems pretty all-encompassing to me." With an off-handed shrug. There were a few people Eve had met to whom it didn't apply, but not many.

...although her own near misses did ring a couple of bells.

"All right, so what's a reaper do exactly?" She didn't seem overly concerned, though she paused in her observation of the race to give Kid a mildly wary look. "I don't have to be a Librarian to know there's a lot of different ideas of death."

Test Drive Meme #001

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