test drive meme #2

[fernwehmods]

SCENARIOS

01. Settling In

It's been a couple of days since you have arrived and once the fatigue from that multiversal travel has been fixed there is a town that you should probably get acquainted with. At least well enough that you don't get lost every time you venture away from the inn where you are likely staying for the time being.

Down the narrow streets to the south where most newcomers first enter Gazin, the tradespeople have set up their shops. Armourers, blacksmiths, bowyers and carpenters can all be found there, as well a few shady types who cannot pass up the advantage of ripping off an unsuspecting person.

Heading east, one can find the two apothecary shops, a bakery, a herbarium, seamstress and shoemaker. There is also a medical clinic set up and is equipped to care for anything up to moderate injuries.

The northern part of town is the district that most people tend to avoid. It's smelly and dark and trouble lurks in every corner. It's hard not to get an uneasiness that feels like someone is watching you. If asked, most civilians will explain why it is called The Devil's Mouth.

In the west district, it is bright and cheerful and generally happy. Music and celebration seem to happen twice daily, every day of the week with Saturday being the loudest. During that day, the marketplace comes to life with vendors selling their fresh food or wares. In the evening, there's typically a firework show and maybe a drunken fistfight or two that ends with more drinking and some laughter. Sometimes, but not often, trouble from the northern district trickles into the west. Those slow festivities but not for long.

02. Exploring

You have heard people talk about the places beyond Gazin and now you find yourself itching to get out and see them. Be it Vasari Forest or Roselake, you and your trusty legs (or horse) plan to be gone for a week or more. One must always be cautious of the dangers while travelling, however. Bandits and rogue soldiers often cannot pass up the chance to take what isn't theirs. There are also creatures and monsters hiding in wait to curiously check you out or worse, hunt you for their next human-shaped meal.

But, that's all part of the adventure! Take someone along with you and maybe some weapons, too. Make sure one is made of silver.

03. Quest

The Druid known as Bhalris has contracted you to head into the Oren Mountains to find and pass a message along to the dwarf known as Brazmas Steelbelly. What Bhalris doesn't exactly explain is where Brazmas can be found, only giving approximate directions to a certain landmark where a series of clues will be revealed that start an interesting, though perhaps frustrating adventure.

Pay attention to the white raven and other animals along the way. They may be there to help with your journey. How do you tell them apart from the other wildlife that may or may not be dangerous? You can't.

Good luck!

04. Celebration

Impromptu parties are quite the norm in Gazin and it doesn't matter what the occasion is or who it is for. There's music, plenty of drink, dancing and good times to be had.

Let loose and have some fun!

05. Wild Card!

Want something else? Feel free to choose your own adventure or mix and match to create something completely different!

NAVIGATION

Comments

Xiao Xingchen | Untamed | OTA

[sawnoevil]

a. settling in

[ With the loss of his eyesight, Xingchen has more difficulty than most learning a new world or understanding what has happened. Thankfully, he has practiced learning a new place, even without the use of his sight. While the 'where' is difficult, Xingchen's able to avoid hitting others and walks through the crowd with the same skill as those around him. If not for the large white blindfold covering his eyes, it might not even be immediately obvious that he's blind.

As he walks to what he hopes is the stall to purchase fish with the few coins he's managed, the crowd thickens. Without intending to be in the way, he stands in the street, trying to distinguish between the gold and silver coins, fingers tracing the edges to try and remember the differences. He's in the way and obviously thinking far too hard about the money. Xingchen is still so new that he can't picture the layout in his mind with the same ease as he managed at home. ]

b. settling in - the devil's mouth

[ The evil energy might deter others, but it's a beacon for Xingchen. If evil truly lurks inside, it's his duty to defeat it and keep the people here safe. With a serious expression, he walks toward the energy.

And realizes someone else is nearby.]

You shouldn't be here. There's a darkness coming from this place.

c.settling in - celebration

[ They're celebrating. Xingchen enjoys the atmosphere, enjoys listening to the laughter and the general mutter of conversation. While he did visit town for supplies, much of his time at home was spent in a town of coffins with only two, if very dear, friends. The celebration is nice to hear.

For most of the festivities, he's simply drifting around until the fireworks begin to explode in the sky. He startles, his covered eyes jerking to the sky. ]

What's happening?

d. exploration

[ Aside from the town, Xingchen also explores the nearby locations. He wants to learn the geography of his new home. His white-clad figure dance through the trees, feeling the branches break beneath his feet.

His quiet trip is broken by the sound of a scream. Removing his sword from the sheath, Xingchen runs toward the call for help, uncaring if it's bandits or a creature he'll be facing; he'll help. ]

(ooc | I'm also open to any wildcard option. If you want to plan, you can pm me or reach out to wrinklesintimes I'm good with switching to prose if you prefer)

B!

[jiangzaid]

[ Xue Yang spends most waking moments working on building a house with Zichen, but that doesn't mean he spends no time in Gazin. Especially when there are all those delightful rumors and stories of monsters - sometimes he still gets restless, despite Zichen's calming presence and hard work, and hunting a beast or three down is a bit of fun!

And he takes pains not to go home wounded, though he doesn't always succeed. Zichen always patches him up. There are days - and nights! - still when he thinks he hears Xingchen's voice. It always makes his heart stop and breath catch and a strange tightness in his chest before he can set it aside and return to business as usual.

But...this time...This time he can see Xingchen, when he slowly turns at the sweet, worried words. Jiangzai's tip lowers and it takes him a moment to swallow past the sudden lump in his throat before joy sets in. ]

Daozhang! You came back!

B

[zichen]

[The soft voice pierces his heart and he turns immediately, wonder and awe mixing on his features. Of course poor Xingchen can't see him, so he has to find his voice. Song Lan finds that extraordinarily difficult and he has to swallow several times before attempting.]

Xingchen... [He approaches the other man and bows deeply. It doesn't matter if the other can see him. Song Lan is fully prepared to kowtow at his feet.] I am here to divert others from entering. When -

When did you arrive? I - [His face is burning and he glances up.] I'm sorry I missed it.

c.

[alittlespicy]

Not danger.

[ The voice that answers is calm and steady. It is not from too close, but not shouting, either. ]

Colorful explosions of scattered lights in the sky cause this noise.

Asajj Ventress | Star Wars: Clone Wars | OTA

[darkassassin]

Option A

She had fallen through time, and space, and it had hurt. A new universe, pouring into her head, the feeling of being cut off from the old. She had wished she could escape the situation she had been in, but this would not have been her way to do it.

She had been unconscious, for the first two days. When she had awakened, the headache had been debilitating enough to keep her in bed for a day longer - she was likely to have died were it not for the innkeeper's family keeping her fed, and watered. The kindness of that act had been...unexpected. The weakness that had necessitated it, however, shamed and disgusted her.

But she was finally up, and exploring the nearby village. Her pale skin, bald head, and tattoos did not exactly make her a popular guest - but nobody was trying to kill her. Which, given the last year or two of her life, was a vast improvement.

Her head still ached when she tried to access the Force. She could do it, but not for terribly long. She could only hope it would improve.

Exploring

She had come upon the bandits quite by accident. For a few moments, she was tempted to leave them to their work of looting the covered wagon - but then she had seen the family. The little girl, screaming and crying. And she had been reminded of who she had been, once. The little girl, lost.

And the anger rose in her, and she strode forward from the trees, blue eyes darkened with purpose. They saw her quickly enough - she was hard to miss. Her lightsabers literally flew into her hands, her head twitching only momentarily at the pain of the strange version of the Force being accessed. Pain she could manage. Long enough for this.

"Leave," she said, through clenched teeth, "and live. Stay and perish."

Drogon | GoT AU

[dragonofjustice]

Settling In

It's far from the first time Drogon's wandered around in his human form, but usually he remembers the flex of wings and muscles as he shrinks down, his senses dimming a little in the process. And usually he still knows precisely where his mother is - there's still a vague sense she's near, but he can't pinpoint her exact location. So he wanders, poking his head around the market, figuring out which language these humans speak, but he ignores any questions as to what he wants to do to make money or any other personal thing. It's not their business, and he's not of a very giving mindset - only finding Daenerys will sooth that wariness, that unease.

Especially since it seems he can't turn back into his natural form. That would make finding her much easier.


Exploring

Too many humans all at once, of course he itches to get out of the crowd. The rumors of 'monsters' strikes his interest - maybe one of them will make more sense. Or at least provide entertainment before killing and possibly eating. At least he still has a dagger on him, a rather wicked, curved thing that reminds him of the khalasar's favored blades.

He grins, finding one such beast, and launches himself with a shout to scare it, dagger out and slashing as he leans on natural instincts to rend and slash and kill.


Celebration

Humans will celebrate anything at the drop of a hat - at least the more interesting cultures will. Drogon settles in to watch, violet eyes intent as he eats some of the offerings - mainly meat, as rare as he could find, but fish was acceptable too.

He can even be tugged into dancing, if interested enough in the particular dance, the music, or the partner!


Wildcard: [ Make up your own or poke me via PM or fireduck! ]

settling in

[soul_cypher]

Learning her surroundings is just good tactics. If she must be stuck here, then she should know the place well. Mostly, it feels fairly....normal, which is unsettling in its own way. She's certain the other shoe will drop eventually.

She ends up purchasing a ripe looking fruit, that she is informed is a peach, when she feel something big nearby. with her cipher senses. She steps back and turns, just in time to nearly run bodily into a human male.... No. Not human. She narrows her eyes, peering hard at him, from under her heavy (and certainly out of season) hooded cloak. Though it's not really with her eyes that she sees the large shape, that should be there, but isn't.

"You seem...cramped," she says flatly, without preamble. Her accent is heavy and low.

Wei WuXian | Mo Dao Zu Shi | OTA

[obliviouspatriarch]

A. Settling in , Devil's Mouth
Well this is certainly a surprise to be whisked away from Lan WangJi as he was daydreaming about being somewhere else with him, but he didn't expect to actually be plopped somewhere else. Without his husband no less! But a pull to a darker place piques his attention. Dark, gloomy, and filled with a troubling air? Of course he would wander around there, just to see what it was about and what the fuss was about. However, not terribly long after, he gets that feeling of being watched. Pulling Chenqing from his waist with a calm look, he turns in the direction he felt the eyes on him from.

"Who's there, show yourself."

B. Settling in, marketplace
After strolling around the troublesome area due to a case of morbid curiosity, Wei WuXian makes his way directly into a more bustling area filled with shops, sampling the food and fun around. It's not the same without his partner, but he'll make do and once he eventually finds the man, if he does, he can chatter to him later about the fun of the day. For now he just sighs and keeps his spirits up, eyeing the armour and weapons, even picking up a sword and examining it before putting it back. He'd arrived with Suibian, he didn't need another sword that would be unusable the way he fought.

C. Celebrations
If there's alcohol to be served, he's there, and a good thing his tolerance is insanely high or else he could get into loads of trouble were he not. The music isn't bad either, nor is the dance of the crowd, although he partakes in neither and just continues to down the alcohol and food. A small frown on his face appears after a while, it's not as fun to drink alone, so he turns to the nearest person with a grin and holds up the drink.

"It's no Emperor's Smile, but the drink is good, but it would be better if I had someone to drink with! What do you think, have a few drinks with me?"

[(OOC: I'm open to wildcards as well! I'm available at TsundereShadow if you wanna toss an idea my way. I can swap to brackets just as easily, if needed.)]

A!

[blackwaterchild]

It’s not a place a young girl should be poking around in, which is precisely why Miu is poking around there.

Everywhere else had been too— nice. Too many people with too many emotions that Miu kept brushing up against and it was giving her a headache. This place, with its gloomy atmosphere and general feeling of ‘don’t linger here’ is much more familiar and almost comforting.

Of course there’s gotta be someone else there too and Miu makes a soft ‘tch’ noise of irritation as she steps out and lifts her chin as if in challenge.

“What are you going to do, serenade me with your flute?”

Her bag holds her camera obscura though which also looks rather harmless though, despite being actually very unnerving, feeling terribly off, and quite deadly against the supernatural. So really, who’s she to judge if his flute is dangerous or not?

Castiel | Supernatural |OTA

[madehischoices]

[ooc: canon point is early Season 12, but I am caught up so spoilers are fine. I will also match style. ]

A. SETTLING IN

Castiel's usual look was a man without a clue so anyone passing wouldn't think too much about an unkempt man with stubble in a suit and a trenchcoat. For that, Castiel was eternally grateful. The only thing he wanted at the moment was to figure out if he could get back to the bunker. He stopped by various stalls looking quizzically at the various wares. Sure, he'd been human for a hot minute, but there was a lot that he didn't get a chance to do.

"Excuse me, can you tell me what this is?" He asked politely.

THE DEVIL'S MOUTH

Castiel could feel the weight of his angel blade in the palm of his and it gave him comfort. His gaze never wavered from the woods in front of him knowing how to do this. Granted, he usually got his butt kicked but he wasn't focusing on that at the moment.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," He sing-songed.

WILDCARD

[not feeling the options I gave? That's okay, feel free to start your own or hit me up on plentyofwords for plotting. ]

Settling In

[darksmokerising]

She could have flown into town but she didn't, she rode in on her massive black mount, Thunder, who she was tying up at a post with a touch of hay and some water when she heard the question. Swinging down from Thunder, two swords strapped to her back, her eyes found Castiel's.

"Which one, now?" she asked quietly, trying to ignore something joyous humming through her as she blinked a few times and managed to look at the stall rather than at the man. That was new and not at all how she usually reacted to people in general. It was a sort of giddy rush, she noted, or a flutter of recognition. And it was affecting her motor skills just enough to be ridiculous as she picked up what looked like a swede or as the Americans would say, a rutabaga.

Her wings wanted to rustle out but she kept them back through sheer force of will.

Bob the Skull l The Dresden Files

[harrys_skull]

01: Settling in

Along the path there is a tree and in the tree anyone walking by will find something odd. A skull, but a skull carved with runes and odd symbols. The skull is weathered and old almost like it had been in the tree for as along as this world existed. But there is more to this strange object for anyone willing to reach out and pick it up.

02: Quest

Bob chuckles at his questing companion. He knows they already may be dismissing the white haired, pale man by their side. "Don't count me out," he says his tone dry and amused. "Isn't that what Mr Druid said. Look for those creatures that can help you and don't ignore them...well I happen to know what are looking for."

With another grin, the pale man starts off his pace quick and sure. "Well come on slowpoke," he calls over his shoulder.


03: Celebrations

Bob stood on the outskirts of the circle watching the party goers have fun. It wasn't a party anyone of the Courts would have considered fun and yet Bob was having fun just watching people. He'd always found mortals fascinating and he was always down for getting closer to them. It had been a long time since he'd been allowed to be...himself and he was going to enjoy it. Mab be dammed.

001. Settling In

[nightingalemage]

Arha moves quietly, stepping through the forest, leaning on her staff now and again, and eventually coms to rest against a tree. It's a normal tree but there's definitely something abnormal about the skull sitting in it. Her staff tucked against her hip, she works the skull out, humming softly as she does so. Reaching into her bag, she finds a small cloth and wraps it up for a moment before following the sounds of water to a small stream where she lays the skull out in the sun that spills through the canopy of trees. Her dress is long, made of blue linen and some sort of fur, her shoes handmade from Gazin's stalls and she tucks it up under her as she studies the skull's markings.

Angelic, Sumerian, Norse...Celtic, Druidic. Binding and trapping. In order to have this done, well, the magic user who this skull belonged to had to have done something pretty appalling - alas. Her fingers work some mud and leaf detritus from the eye sockets and then she dips the cloth into the river to clean the skull with delicate dedication.

"You shouldn't be in a tree," she murmurs, the palm of her hand brushing the scoring where a knife had engraved a triangle - entrapment of intellect - and a warding. "You shouldn't be in a tree at all, Spirit of Intellect. You should be awake and taking in this forest with me."

She tapped the centre of the skull's forehead and leaned in to whisper.

"Your skull is nice and clean, now. It's time to wake up."

Sam Winchester l Supernatural l

[notarambler]

01: Settling In

Sam wandering the village feeling a bit lost and on edge. He had no idea where he was nor did he really care. All he could see is Charlie,Eileen and Bobby vanishing before his eyes. They were gone and Sam couldn't help but feel the weight of that loss falling on his shoulders. They had looked to him for help and he...he couldn't help them. It was like watching all of them die all over again. and now Sam had been separated from his brother and Castiel with no idea if they were alive or not.

How could he start a new life with such burdens on his soul. He couldn't and yet he had to. It's just what Winchesters did.

02: Quest

Sam wanted to laugh in this guy's face. Quests to him were not that big of a deal, Sam had grown up helping people and nothing and no one was going to stop him from doing that now. "I get it," he says with a sigh, "talk to everything and help everything you can..."

And with that Sam walks off. There are people to save.

03: Celebration

Sam stood off to the side watching everyone celebrate. He wished he could feel the joy and happiness everyone else felt, but he was too jaded by the world and lonely to feel much more than what he was feeling right now.

But he didn't fault anyone else for enjoying themselves and the drink he was sipping was good, so there was that.

Poor Sam :(

[darksmokerising]

001. Settling In
She's watched him wander the same way three times and when it starts to be a fourth, Merlan decides perhaps she ought to intervene, and does so, following the tall man with quick steps. By the time she catches up to him with a soft hey and a gentle tug on his sleeve, she realises just how tall he really is.

"Are you alright?" Dumb question. He's not alright or he wouldn't have been wandering aimlessly like this. "Can I get you anything? Tea?" Her eyes find his as she carefully scans his face for anything obvious. There's pain and then there's pain, one hurt she can address better than the other.

"Maybe an ale or beer," she murmurs a few beats later.

Juliel Selrane | Skyrim | OTA

[bowvahkiin]

Settling In

[Gazin is no different than Solitude or Whiterun, barring the changes in weather, but Juliel still feels uneasy, even when waking up in a comfortable inn bed. It wasn't as if she were going to be snatched unawares by the likes of Astrid again, but it still didn't mean there weren't dangers here. The Daedra had a way of toying with lives, no matter where someone ended up. Why should this new world be any different? Another realm she was transported to, but no amused Daedra to greet her.

Still, she had to play a part and manage as best she could until something in her situation changed. Either that she could be transported home or found some answers to where she was. And it wasn't as if there weren't things to interest her. The woods provided a number of plants, some she recognized and others she didn't. The horses in the stables were beautiful. Shadowmare wasn't here, but these were no different than the ones she had at home.

Others seemed as interested in the horses as well. "Do you think these are expensive?" Not that she had much to buy one.] I wonder if they'd let us rent them for less?

Exploring

[The woods were where she felt most at home, though she was always on guard and wary for anything lurking inside. Giant Frostbite Spiders, wolves or bandits had a tendency to roam in the shadows, and while it seemed unlikely they were here, she still kept her eyes open. She at least had her Sapphire bow, letting her hunt as she needed and stay armed in this unfamiliar place.

Crouching in the underbrush, she kept watch for stag or rabbit. The inn was comfortable, but she'd rather make her own food again. Most of the day had been quiet, letting her collect a number of game. Given she was used to being alone, it left her growing complacent, used to being the only one in the woods.

When the brush rustled, she raised her bow, taking aim...only to see a human figure emerging.]

You should be careful. Someone might have mistook you for an elk.

Wildcard

[Choose your own adventure!]

◈ exploring.

[wolfsnarl]

[ Strange creatures lurked in these woods. Strange creatures lurked in all woods, but given a moment to listen, he should be able to identify them. Wolves, above all others. Crows, ravens and shadowcats. Owls, stags and bears. But these woods were different. The creatures in them more so; he did not know them. He could stand still and listen, but they were only whispers and cold, watchful eyes. He might not have seen them as of yet, but he knew they were there.

And still, there was greater comfort in the woods than at the inn. Despite its hollow darkness, he felt more at home among the shifting shadows than in the company of men he did not know. There was something familiar about the dense trees and the dangerous quiet; it felt like a wolfswood. Maybe the old gods waited in this dark? He traveled only with the sword at his hip, and his gloved hand rested without thought on the hilt as he went.

Carelessly, he might have to admit – fallen leaves crunched underfoot, the thick brush caught at his passing form, and he did not slip through unnoticed. Pausing, he held himself still for a moment before turning at the sound of a nearby voice. The shape of a woman separates from the inky shadows of the brush, and he takes a step back, though he does not lift his hand from his sword. She carries a bow, and while her words are not aggressive, he cannot assume she is anything more than a bandit. Everyone has a keen eye for gold and steel when they catch a glimpse of it. And to be likened to an elk – he holds himself tall and snorts softly. ]

Perhaps you should be careful, thinking you’re taking aim at an elk when it’s a wolf that approaches. [ He wore heavy furs, after all. And antlered animals had only ever symbolized Houses of questionable loyalty. Not like wolves. ]

Arha Ilene Masaari | The Dresden Files OC

[nightingalemage]

001. Settling In - Gazin
Her rooms are small but clean in Gazin. They are warded neatly but there is too much noise from the downstairs pub and she is already seeking out new accommodations two weeks into her stay. A small cottage, perhaps, or something larger with a courtyard if she could find it. She just has to keep looking. It means passing through the market with all of its tempting wares.

She gently dissuades hawkers before meeting with a contact she'd procured at the inn that morning and they are off to see houses, cottages, things of interest, even, after she lays out how much wealth she has. It's enough for something of her own at least and she would have to do her best with her own magic and her bardic style of song. That would earn her enough to keep herself comfortable. The first house has a stable for the horse she had bought her first day and looks like it should be in a fairytale. There's enough space for her and at least another, maybe two more. By the third house, she's already decided she likes the first, and she negotiates the price down a little so she can afford it. The current owner even includes some furniture, a set of pans, things she needs and they have little need of since they were relocating to a different town.

It depletes the last of her money, costs her five protection spells for the family, and leaves her rather broke but, she has a little cottage, doesn't she? It's worth all the fuss.

And so, she moves her things into her new home and sets out to the market for things she needs - blankets mostly, a pillow, food. That means she sets up with her guitar, her violin, and her voice, vibrant as she tells tales from a world she no longer has access to save via legend and her own memory.

A small crowd gathers and she sings more until she needs a break. Setting down her guitar, she reaches for a flask of cool water and sighs as her thirst is quenched.

"That's better," she murmurs and sets about to count her coins. Hopefully, it will be enough for dinner, hay for her horse, and her necessary items. She nearly crosses her fingers.


002. Settling in - Exploring
Her curiosity takes her on horseback through the forest she came through to get to Gazin and she hums as she moves through the trees on a well-travelled path, her eyes sharp for danger. If there is, she knows it's nothing she can't handle if needed. There are crows following her, at least two, and she stops to hold out a hand and feed one a bit of meat. The other alights on her shoulder, clacking his beak in a bid for attention for his meal. Dutifully, she gives him something as well. And now she has friends on her journey.

"Once upon a time," she says to the crows and horse, Balthazar, as she breaks her journey to camp for the evening, "there was a woman who woke up in a forest..."

003. Settling In - Celebration
Back from her travels, with nuggets of gold and silver for her troubles, rescues, and general bardic feats, she changes into something a little fancier and joins the celebrations. Besides her usual dress in blue, she has one in green, now, bringing her wardrobe up to three outfits, one modern from Chicago, which she never wears. People tend to give her odd looks, as they did the first time she came to Gazin. She wears the green with a shawl of white and gold, happily throwing herself into throng of party-goers without a care.

She latches on to anyone who seems hesitant to dance and pulls them in with laughter and joy.

Exploring

[obliviouspatriarch]

Compared to his arrival a few weeks prior where he was a wreck, Wei Wuxian is now in a much more cheery mood and willing to be social with other people now that his husband has arrived. He's even wandering the forest and checking things out, playing his flute on occasion, until he hears a woman's voice beginning a story as he come out from behind a tree with a bright grin while tucking Chenqing into his waist sash.

"Oh, and what happened to this maiden upon waking? I would like to hear her tale if you'd be so kind to share it."

01 - crau from last time

[ostavil]

This is not a new place to Bucky. Yet again, he's stripped of every weapon except his knives and arm and yet again it looks like something from a medieval fairy tale. He knows where the apothecary is, the blacksmith, the tavern - all the essentials to life in this place.

He wonders if Merlan still has her cabin in the woods, if Cassandra still sits in dark corners of the tavern and greets people who like to hide just like him. He hopes so. Those people he'd...been fond of even if he can't truly trust anyone anymore. They'd been friendly enough and hadn't looked twice at the arm. He hopes Claire is here, who seemed to know who he was and didn't care.

After a visit to the apothecary and showing off his arm and knives to the blacksmith, he ends up in the tavern at a seat that isn't quite so in the dark. He can't exactly get drunk the way he used to (unless the alcohol hits different here) but he likes the taste of ale anyway. He sees a glimpse of someone he recognizes and nods his head to motion them over.

What's a drink, after all? There's nothing so dangerous in that.

Re: 01 - crau from last time

[darksmokerising]

"Bucky?" A very familiar face. It is him! "When did you get here?" She's so surprised, pleasantly so, that her wings unfurl and she laughs as she accidentally knocks an empty chair over.

She flick her wings back in with a soft apology and tucks herself in across from him, leaning forward.

"Are we going to have to work on that arm again?"

Lan Sizhui | mdzs | ota

[lanofsizhui]

I. Arrival
Sizhui woke up on a bed in the inn at the sound of the morning's rooster crow. The last thing he remembered is traveling from town to town and rest in an inn before heading back home on his trek to Cloud recess.

He woke up and after looking around, he discovered the small town of Gazin. He was greeted and asked the townspeople as he travels through the streets, eying the shops, and eventually looking for anything to eat as he hasn't eaten for a long while until when he heads back to the inn, he helps himself to the meat pies unable to help it if he could.

It was snowing everywhere, and there's a festive mood in the air. He was informed it was Yuletide, and he found hot food sell in the marketplace from the vendors. In the evening, he can see the bonfires being lit up, and he plays the games and was offered ale which is hard for his taste when he took a sip.

At the end of the day, it feels a little lonely without the juniors or the company of his uncle, but the ale made him sleepy so he cozies up toward the fireplace in the inn.

II. Wilcard
[Anything else? Write something here!]

Sansa Stark | Game of Thrones | OTA

[thenorthernqueen]

01. Settling In

Sansa had been trying to familiarize herself with her new situation as quickly as she possibly could. It was necessary for survival and after everything she had been through in the past years, she would do anything she needed to do to survive. Though, part of her felt as though she must be stuck in some sort of dream or nightmare because everything she'd been told thus far just seemed too outrageous.

She lifted her chin as she moved through the city wearing the clothing that she'd first arrived in, her coronation dress. While it was a beautiful dress, the first thing she would need to do was to find some cloth, thread and a needle. She couldn't wear this dress forever. She wasn't certain what she should do in a place like this but at least sewing would occupy her time and her mind for a while.

She paused for a moment as she turned and headed west, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she walked. She eyed the various vendors that called out to her and even offered a small smile to the few who didn't seem overly pushy. She hadn't seen a market this big since her days in King's Landing. She paused beside on of the carts that was selling some sort of trinkets.

When she sensed someone beside her, she bit her lip harshly to keep from saying anything but the words tumbled out anyway. "What do you do think these are for?"

02. Exploring - Vasari Forest

In King's Landing, she had often sought comfort in the Godswood. The trees, after all, didn't talk back nor would they bother her. It had been one of the very few places she had been able to go when Jeffrey and Cersei would leave her be. Much the same, she found herself at the edge of the forest, taking comfort in the fact that the trees asked nothing of her and for a while things were quiet and there didn't seem to be anything near by that might shock her. She leaned against a nearby tree and closed her eyes just enjoying the moment of solitude.

She heard footsteps behind her and tensed, not wanting to deal with anyone at that moment. Perhaps if she ended up not saying anything, they would pass by and be on their way without even realizing she was there.

Elisela the Golden | The Elder Scrolls Online OC

[lightwing]

2 - Exploring (on the road to Caerlias)

"Hush," Eli says, reaching down to pat the neck of her horse. She misses Airdancer, stuck back in Alik'r where she'd been when she'd wished that she was back home. She doesn't know this horse, doesn't know if he is skittish or if the way he's tossing his head means something is really wrong.

This might not still be Tamriel, but Eli plans to follow the same rules she has been ever since she'd found herself part of the Elder Scrolls' prophecies. If it feels wrong, it probably is.

She reins in her horse and slips off his back, reaching for her staff and slipping it out of his bindings on her back.

There's a copse nearby, and if experience is any guide, it would be a perfect spot for an ambush.

"I don't recommend you try," she calls out, well aware that if there aren't any bandits, she'll sound particularly foolish.

4 - Celebration

Eli is uneasy about the celebration. She's still not sure of the customs, and she's well aware how different the customs are even of different parts of High Rock. And this is a long way from High Rock, Alik'r, or anywhere else she's been in Tamriel.

At least the people here are less riotous than the Nords, whose enthusiasm has always been a little more than Eli feels comfortable with. Still, trying to get involved is going to be the only way she'll learn here, so she watches the dancers until she thinks she knows how the dance goes. She steps into the circle and smiles at the person who's wound up as her partner.

Later, she goes to seek out something to drink and finds herself studying the options, not sure which will be most familiar to her.

Finnick Odair | The Hunger Games | canon point: from the arena, near the end of Catching Fire

[fishermansweater]

Settling in

Finnick doesn't like the city. It's different from everywhere he's ever been before. It feels like some sort of trick. Local craftspeople doing their trade just like back home in Four, but without the constant undercurrent of fear and the edge of desperation that he's so used to. People here aren't afraid they're going to starve. But neither do they have the overbearing sense of their own comfort and worth that the people of the Capitol do.

He's not actually ready to be around this many people yet. It takes time for a victor to be able to face the world again after they come out of the arena, and he hasn't had that time.

So Finnick is up a tree, above a street corner, far enough from the marketplace that the street isn't thronged with people, but close enough that he can watch, and that's what he's doing.


Exploring (river west of Gazin)

It hadn't taken long for him to decide to strike out for somewhere less unsettling. The landscape is different enough that he doesn't see the arena in quite every shadow, and there's water.

His plan is to trace the length of the river to see where it goes; he's aware he could have asked, but he'd rather find out himself than trust anyone here, when he doesn't trust anything he's seen here so far.

He's still alert to his surroundings, even out in the wild, so Finnick hears the sound of approaching footsteps before he sees anyone coming, and ducks down towards the bank of the river, crouching in a bush.


Celebration

Finnick knows from bitter experience that the best way to get information from people who can't be trusted to give it is to get them to let down their guard. And that letting them get drunk is an excellent way to do it. So he's at the celebration. He's dancing, because he's quick at picking up steps to dances he doesn't know after years of having to learn the trends in the Capitol. He's even managed to barter some fish for decent clothes; his torn and half-discarded uniform from the arena would have been entirely inappropriate.

The patches of pink, scarred skin on his face from the burning gas are less noticeable now than they were, as well. He almost doesn't look like he just crawled out of the arena anymore.

He spends most of his time near the drinks, occasionally striking up conversations with the approaching strangers.

"Hi," he says, with his best, most dazzling smile-for-the-Capitol. "What do you suggest, I haven't had any of these before."

Exploring

[anniesgonemad]

This place was so strange. It wasn't anything like any of the Districts she had visited in her life, and she'd seen them all. But that didn't mean she trusted it. Any of this could be an illusion, a hallucination brought on by the Capitol and their doctors. It only made sense. That was the last thing she remembered before she got here. The sterile rooms where they kept their political prisoners, doctors in lab coats, screams.

She shuts her eyes and shakes her head, pushing the memories away. She can't afford to get lost in her own head right now. Not when this could all be a trick.

She does as she was always taught: she finds water, and she begins to follow it. Rivers meet the seas, and water she could trust. Water she knew and understood. Keeping her footsteps light, she moves with the grace of a dancer through the unfamiliar terrain, sticking to the banks where her footsteps would not be found. For all she knew, she was back in the arena.

Yennefer | Witcher

[magicalchaos]

01. settling in

She hasn't found Gazin too much different than the other towns she's settled in over the years. For all the differences from her world, in some ways, it's like she's just portaled to a different area of her own world. And yet there's a level of she feels in the air around her and the way the magic feels that she can almost tell with her eyes closed that this isn't home. The feeling hasn't left her even with being here a few days now. What she has decided, is that she wants to find a way to earn enough coin to get her own place. She's never been one for sleeping in inns for long.

She was groomed and has been an adviser to kings and lived by their side after all. And yet she's also not unfamiliar with sleeping outside should the travel and need call for it. Should she have to. But she's also grown to enjoy the luxuries that have come from her time in her stations, and of course what she can get away with when using her magic. She's been slow to use her magic here though, unsure how people will take it as yet that she has magic.

Today she's found her way to the apothecary shop though, to take a look at their stock and see what she might recognize from home. It'll help her understand this world better, see if it's as close as she's hoping. Though, she won't be able to help herself from stopping into the bakery for a sweat or two as well.

02. celebration

She can hear the music from her room in the inn almost as soon as the party had started outside, and curious enough, she'd decided to slip outside to see what it was for. Not that she'd found an answer, really. What she had found were several of the towns people who were more than happy to sweep her lithe frame up into some of the dancing. She can't fight the smile that just letting go and enjoying some fun time brings.

It feels like it's been almost forever since she's laughed and relaxed enough to enjoy herself. So she doesn't hesitate when someone hands her a drink, nor does she stop herself from moving freely when her hand is caught and she's pulled into another dance with someone else, violet eyes taking in her new partner.

03. wild card

[ Dealers choice or DM me and we can plot something up. ]

01. Let me know if it needs anything!

[ofwovenstone]

Cassandra has been taking shameless advantage of the fact that due to the weather and thanks to her particular goddess-given gifts she’s one of the few people in Gazin to be able to provide a regular supply of needed plants to them. She tries to make sure they’re well-stocked, so that they’re not out of something important that they might need in an emergency.

Which is why she’s there again today, another basketful of supplies on her arm. Or rather, it had been full, before the apothecary emptied it. “I don’t know how you do it,” he tells her. “But I’m glad of it.”

She laughs softly, lifting her shoulder in a half-shrug. “I have a knack with plants, that’s all.” Her attention is drawn to the unfamiliar dark-haired young woman stepping further into the apothecary. She’s new, Cassandra is almost certain; she carries herself in a way that says ‘not from this world’ rather than simply ‘not from Gazin’. She offers her a small, friendly smile.

elizabeth windsor | the crown + crau

[forthecrown]

01. Settling In

This place is a bit different than the last she'd been in (there's an honest to god blacksmith making swords along with horseshoes, after all) but there's still the same basic elements: she's unable to leave it, there's no contact with the outside world, and it seems to be in the past. It's further in the past than the other place she'd been, in the village, but it's still without electric lights and the like. It's no trouble. There's nothing a candle and a fireplace cannot fix.

It is strange to go and eat her supper in an inn and to know she has to pay for her lodging. She'll need to get a job and she hadn't had to do that before (or ever, genuinely) but the prospect of it doesn't frighten her. She'll simply have to buckle down and figure out what she needs to do and what she's good at before tossing her hat in and asking for work. Shouldn't be too terrible. To start, she leans in and asks the bartender over the din, "Do you know of anyone who needs an employee? I could learn how to do things but I am good with horses."

02. Exploring

The appeal of renting a horse for a day to go outside the city is quite large considering she's not ridden since before she'd gone to the other place and she misses horses almost as much as she misses her own family. Horses, after all, aren't in a position to judge you when you have a lapse of the tongue or cannot quite express yourself.

She'd been warned to take some sort of weapon and she has a knife of sorts, a little silver thing, and she has no idea how she'll react if she has to use it. She'd gotten fairly self-sufficient in her time but while she can cook and clean, fighting is something she's not terribly versed in.

Bandits aren't foreign to her though and there's a crowd of them who are quite interested in her horse. For God's sake.

"You aren't going to get this horse without a fight from me!" she says indignantly, rearing up and trying to turn without much success. She calls out for help, too, and hopes someone else is in these woods to bail her out.

have a greek warrior princess

[aetophoria]

It may be a new place, it may not have a war ravaging the countryside like Hellas does, but bandits are still bandits and Kassandra is familiar enough with the sound of a bandit attack to come running. There's something about the jeering. And the shouts for help, of course, but it's the jeering that differentiates bandits from bears, wolves, lynxes, lions, or any of the other myriad threats an unwary wanderer can encounter in the wilderness.

She is aware, as she bursts out into the open to see the bandits and the woman on the horse, that she's outnumbered, but that has never been something that particularly bothers her.

Kassandra draws her bow and aims an arrow straight at the head of the one doing most of the talking.

She may be outnumbered, but she also has their attention.

"I would not try it, if I were you."

Kassandra | assassin's creed odyssey

[aetophoria]

1. Settling in

Kassandra can give credit where it is due: if it's not her new home, at least this place is more interesting than Kephallonia. Of course, there are piles of rocks more interesting than Kephallonia, so that is not granting much. It doesn't have the marble grandeur of Athens, but then Gazin, she assumes, also has not had a Perikles. And if it's not like Athens, that at least means she no longer has to pretend to understand Athenians.

During the daytime, she explores the markets and the interesting variety of things they have on sale, some familiar and others far less so. She kind of wants to try all the food, and she laughs at herself for the impulse. Even after all she's experienced in the last few years, she hasn't forgotten being poor and hungry. She's managed to have some of her drachmae converted into the currency this place uses, and soon she's happily chewing on some bread and a fruit she doesn't recognise that is absolutely delicious.

"This. This is good," she says, to nobody in particular.

(She's still not used to not having Ikaros to talk to.)


2. Exploring

As much as there is to explore in the city, there is also the forest. Kassandra considers herself as used to moving through a wide variety of terrains now, for all Kephallonia's options had been limited. She's travelled Hellas from one end to the other now, from forests to plains to the volcanic ruins of Thera. So shes confident when she goes out into the woods, and she soon finds her feet. There's wood to gather, animals to hunt, and fresh water to be found, all of which is good to know in case her situation becomes precarious.

She doesn't want to go back to being hungry if she can't find work.

But she does miss Ikaros; without the eagle's companionship her senses feel limited, and she also doesn't have anyone to help her hunt.

Which is why, half an hour later, she can be found kneeling next to an unconscious wolf. Once it wakes up, she can persuade it to be her companion for a while.


4. Wild card

In a clearing by the edge of the woods, Kassandra has stuffed some sacks with straw and set them up as targets. One is hanging from a tree, one is propped against a bush, and one is on the opposite side of the clearing.

Regretfully, she's had to set Hades' Bow aside, because she's not interested in setting fire to her targets and, inevitably, herself. (She's done it before, and she doesn't want to have to jump into a river to extinguish herself. It's embarrassing. She yelps.)

Instead, she's using a simple hunter's bow, and she sets herself a sort of circuit: first the target on the bush, then run to the tree and shoot that, then turn and shoot across the clearing.

Later, maybe she'll climb a tree and shoot from there.

4

[treadswater]

It's not that Annie is alone. Finnick's around. In view. They are careful about that. But they are walking along the space between town and woods because it's a nice day, and they are slightly sick of each other's company. It happens. But still, they are within view of each other.

So when she hears the regular thunk, thunk of arrows hitting a practice object, she feels confident enough to at least walk closer to the clearing to see what's going on. She has good instincts, she can throw herself to the ground if need be. And someone is practising.

Which is how Annie finds a woman running a circuit, shooting methodically. A strongly-built woman with very, very good aim and the smoothness of regular practice.

Career. Even if she's not a teenager. That's still Career training.

Her bravery isn't extending to actually talking yet, but she's watching. Still ready to throw herself to the ground if the bow gets trained on her.

wen sizhui | qishan wen au | the untamed

[wenyuan]

Settling In
Once his stomach settled from all of the traveling he had done, Sizhui takes it upon himself to wander out. He keeps his sword on him and checks his pockets to make sure he still has the talisman that he had placed in them that morning. It had been so strange to be home one moment, finishing a meeting with Ning-shushu about traveling out to a night hunt with Lan Jingyi and suddenly being in this place.

He shakes his head.

No matter. He'll figure it out soon and be able to return home. At least, he hopes so. In the meantime, he'll wander around the town. Though he finds himself being drawn east when he hears of apothecaries in that direction.

Wildcard
[ooc: am open to wildcard starts as well :)]

settling in

[alittlespicy]

"A-Yuan." For those who know him, Wangji is extremely relieved to see the junior again, the endearment slipping from his lips gently, even if his outward calm is as always.

"Do you understand the language of those around us?"

He has heard that people who return sometimes do not remember having been here. It seems the safest question to not alarm him.

Wen Kexing | Word of Honor/Faraway Wanderers

[flirtatiousdancer]

Settling In:

There is one thing missing, Kexing decides after a few days of finding his way to Gazin, and an inn that seems most open to people not from this place. And that is Zhou Zishu. Or perhaps he just hasn't found traces of him just yet, sometimes the other man is just that sneaky. Rarely, but it could happen.

Which means he has to do his best to find the silly man before he gets into more trouble without him. Fan gently wafting at his waist, he tucks his free hand at his back and sets off to explore this city. He offers grins and smiles to any he comes across, though the very astute might notice the cheerfulness doesn't quite reach his eyes. And he doesn't quite seem entirely human.

He pokes his nose into various stores and explores the market when he stumbles across it, buying a few supplies - especially wine and food he wants to try.


Exploring:

With or without Zishu, Kexing has the itch to go out and see the sights he's been hearing about since his arrival. He borrows a horse and sends it into an easy pace to maintain while getting him speedily to where he wishes to go - mostly following the existing paths but when his attention is dragged elsewhere...the path seems to vanish, making him laugh at his inattention before, should he be attacked, launching himself at the creature to either kill or chase it away.

It's the bandit raid that pulls out a ruthless edge, made better if he comes across them assaulting someone else. He watches, considering whether to help or not. If he likes the look of the people in need (if their shoulder blades are pretty enough) he throws his fan to slice the throats of the bandits, snatching it out of the air on the return before gently fanning himself with it again.


Celebration:

A festival! Excellent! The grin is more genuine when he comes across the festivities, though he sticks mostly to the edges of whatever party he stumbles across, fan moving gently as usual as he walks slowly, gaze intent as he searches. Food is sampled, of course, but especially the various wines on offer.

Wildcard: Something else catch your fancy? Have at!

Settling in

[alittlespicy]

Wangji was at the stall next to the one that the other long-haired man was at, and his tone, cheerful but at the same time slightly sharp, caught his attention. So he glances over, before completing his own transaction.

Then he steps a little nearer, though not too much.

"Is that wine good?"

If so, he will bring some to his husband...

Jesper Fahey | Grishaverse

[greedalwaysworked]

I. Settling In [OTA]

{Getting the lay of the land

Though he is still rather confused about how, or why, he's ended up here, Jesper is nothing if not resilient and easily bounced back onto his feet from an unexpected upheaval. He's settled into a room at the inn but he's got a need to explore. With no Inej here to map the place, he supposes he's just got to do it himself. He can practically hear Kaz's voice in his head, demanding he map the city for himself, pay attention to the people and where they congregate-- and where they don't.

So, he does. He strolls down the streets, stopping and investigating various shops and vendors. Someone selling weaponry makes him reach, uselessly, for the pair of pistols that didn't seem to make the trip with him. He feels unlike himself without them. He'll need to get some kind of weapon so he's not utterly defenseless. You wouldn't be, if you'd gone to Ravka like you should have. he shakes the thought from his head and continues his wandering.

He moves along, carefully noting the ebb and flow of people in certain shops, and less in others, and he can't help noticing that people seem to nearly go out of their way to avoid the north end. A smirk draws its way across his lips. If people are avoiding it, then that's where he'll find his sort of people. The less savory sorts and the thieves, the gamblers and the pleasure-seekers. If his guess is right, he thinks he just found the Barrel of Gazin.

II. Exploring [OTA]

{An itch in my skin only moving can scratch

He's never really done well with being still for very long. Nor is he good at keeping the same, tedious routine day in and day out; it's why working on Da's farm was out, and why the Barrel fit him so perfectly. Jesper finds himself itching to get out of Gazin.

This is why he's perched in one of the high-traffic areas around town and trying to flag down anyone that might give him five seconds of attention. "Don't you wanna go see what else the world has to offer? Let's go on an adventure!" Does he know the person he's talking to? Probably not. Does that matter? Not particularly to Jesper at the moment!

III. Celebration [OTA]

{My kinda party

Now, this is the sort of thing that's right up Jesper's street. Music and drinks galore and he's a good few goblets of something deep by now. He's a little calmer after he's had a few drinks, but he still seems to always be in motion. Flitting from one person to the next to strike up a conversation, trying to get someone to join him on the dance floor, talking one of the musicians into letting him try their instrument out (he's terrible, don't give him your instruments).

He's not just a messy drunk, though. Jesper isn't the mastermind his best friend (is that what Kaz is? He likes to think so, but sometimes he isn't so sure they're friends at all...) is, but he knows how to schmooze with the best of them. And a party is absolutely the best place to get people nice and loose and chatty. "What do you think we're meant to be celebrating anyway?"

II.

[ofwovenstone]

Cassandra has more or less grown accustomed to Gazin. She’s been in this world over a year, now, she should hope she has. But for all that she’s grown accustomed to it she still... itches, with the need to do something. To travel, to explore, to leave Gazin and all signs of civilization behind her. It’s something she hadn’t had, back in Whitestone, tethered to the city and its castle that had been her prison. Still was her prison.

That’s not the case, here. Here she’s free to go when and where she pleases.

She doesn’t expect to be caught by an unfamiliar face (a new arrival, he has to be; he doesn’t feel like a Gazin native and she doesn’t know him. He feels new, to her) asking her to go on an adventure. Coincidence or something else, she doesn’t much care. His casual, energetic invitation strikes her right in her need for a change of scenery.

“All right,” she tells him with an amused laugh, voice carrying what might sound like a familiar accent, posh and proper. Her smirk is anything but, though. Teasing and playful. “I had nothing planned for the rest of my day. Let’s.”

jaenelle angelline | black jewels | ota

[birthrightblack]

01. Settling In

Jaenelle has been riding the Winds since she was too small to understand how those lines of travel even worked so turning up somewhere that she hadn't intended to isn't exactly a cause for alarm at the start. She'd been making her Offering before this, though, and she is a little shocked to see that she's no longer in Kaeleer with a crowd of family and friends waiting for her but somewhere else entirely.

She'd followed the road into town and asked around - the place was called Gazin and she was hardly the first to just show up. Is this a place where the Winds converge or is there something else going on? She probes with her Jewel at the level of the Red, just trying to get a feel for the place, and nothing resonates back with her. Lower down, still nothing. It's a magic beyond her own.

She spends the next few days gathering what information she can and working in the tavern at the Inn in exchange for a room. She hasn't ever waited tables before but it's easy enough to float the tray with a little Craft and carry much heavier than she'd normally be able to and, besides, she can listen to gossip this way.

And trip over her feet when she spends too much time listening. "I'm sorry!" she calls out, wrapping the glasses in a protective bubble to keep them from shattering on the floor. "I wasn't paying attention."