◣ TEST DRIVE 002 ◢

[raiamods]

TEST DRIVE MEME 002 ❀

CONTENT WARNINGS: potential character nudity, violence, trypophobia (images) as well as light mentions of gore.

Please note: FOR THE FIRST 24 HOURS AFTER 'HATCHING', CHARACTERS WILL FEEL WEAK AND ANY POWERS THEY HAVE WILL NOT WORK.

Test drive meme threads can be considered game canon for players who are later accepted and wish to keep their CR. The Quago prompt will be a TDM-exclusive. Existing players are welcome to use the prompts for their in-game logs, but it will not be repeated as part of the hatching. The other prompts that you see here will also appear on our July hatching log. There will, of course, be more going on that week, including the wrap-up for our June event.

Please reserve questions about altering or meaningfully investigating the setting for the first log of the game, where we will have a Mod Questions thread at the top of the log. That thread will not be present on this test drive meme.

❀ HATCHING

This time, the Adamant's survivors are ready. When the Hatchlings arrive, they are no longer held at gunpoint or the tip of a spear. They are helped up, taken to the showers, given time to clean themselves.

They are still quarantined for a few days — albeit in a more comfortable setting. An area of the Theatre has been set up with emergency bunking and privacy screens. Each bunk has a small bundle of amenities on it — a change of clothing (that may be too big or too small, too fine or too plain, feel free to swap!) and what precious else can be spared, including a small tube of protein paste. Given that the theater doubles as a childcare center for the basecamp, your character may find that any toddler-aged children will stare hungrily at these tubes!

Ensign Ashley Porter flits about this emergency station at all hours, chatting amicably at people. Explaining the situation. He's reasonably certain it's his fault — the entire 'hatching' process seemed to start after he tripped one day and fell into the Central Chrysalis. This disturbance must have triggered the process of pulling in people from other universes. He's terribly sorry and will say he understands if people want to be angry at him or hate him for it. He also makes mention of the fact that some people have found personal items if they return to the Chrysalis — in eggs, like the ones they woke up in.

The Hatchlings are given a few days to acclimate, and then they are expected to contribute to the duties around camp. The day-to-day life in Basecamp Leviathan is not glamorous. Repairs are always needing to be done, food is always needing to be made, dishes always needing to be washed. Anyone with specialized skills will probably be snapped up by a division before too long!

A few notes:

☆ Your character will at some point be pulled aside and asked about where they're from, what year, any personal information they wish to share, etc. This is no longer described as an 'interrogation' as with the first set of Hatchlings. It's now more of a chat. Captain Childe has deferred this duty to her various underlings, and she will likely not make an appearance here unless a Hatchling says or does something very interesting or meaningful.

☆ The NPCs will be as forthcoming about how the Hatchlings have arrived and what they know about the Chrysalis as possible. Unfortunately to both, the answer is 'not much'. They will still try to be transparent about this.

❀ EXPLORE THE BASECAMP

The Engineering Corps is always looking for new members who can contribute to some of its long term infrastructure solutions. The head of this department, Thorkil, is a large man with a booming voice who brews moonshine on the side and is the sort of bright, cheerful soul that can light up a room when he enters it. He is friendly with all the Hatchlings unless given a reason to be otherwise, and he is also very patient, gentle and understanding. If your character has demonstrated engineering skills of any coat or color (mechanical? electrical? outdated by hundreds of years? more advanced by a millennium?) please expect that Thorkil will ask if they'd be willing to help out!

The Security Division is headed up by a rather unpleasant man named Rémi. He neither wants nor, in his opinion, needs the help of the Hatchlings, but he's perfectly willing to let them risk their lives instead of the lives of his people where leaving the basecamp is concerned. Little wonder, most of his division has been chewed up and spit out by the harsh conditions on Ethyraia — can one blame him for being a little protective? If anyone asks about helping here, he's going to respond scornfully and dismissively. However, some of the Hatchlings have earned enough of his goodwill that he will consider, consider letting people have a weapon from Security's stores if they're leaving the Basecamp. (Carrying of non-Hatchling weapons is forbidden within the basecamp itself, so please be mindful!)

The Theatre is another venue that one could help out with — there are stories to be told! The current production is a classic, She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen. However, after performing this for the thessyx at the talent show, the theater department is moving onto their next show — Procyonate, for which there are many props to build. As the only truly fortified building in the Basecamp, the theatre doubles as a place to care for children (most of the 'young' survivors are between 13-19 now, but babies have been born to the survivors since their crash-landing!) there is also a need for anyone who excels with toddler care. They are also looking for anyone who can sing, write music, or play instruments. Such people will be hastily recruited and put to work!

The Aid Station is being run by a very harried woman named Sunya Hyacinth, who fits the description of 'overworked and underpaid' to a T. She doesn't have time to reach out to any recruits, but if you wander into the Aid Station you might find yourself being put to work. Just be careful — if she decides you have higher accreditation than she does, she might just decide to dump her practice on your lap for a week so she can go take a vacation! Standard injuries you may see include acid burns, broken bones, and bad cuts and gashes out of the engineering department who's hard at work repairing the sink holes around the base. Some of the 'ill' being treated will also have psychological effects. PTSD is common, and there are no officially 'trained' counsellors, just people who try to listen and help.

The Sanitation Department handles a lot of the day-to-day cleaning that involves sewage, garbage, et al. After all, it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it! Not only will they take just about anyone, but if they warm up to you they'll let you in on a little secret... they've totally started an underground green house where they're growing some interesting plants...

(pot, it's pot).

The Communications Department is headed up by the AI Cartagena, and helps with disseminating useful information to the population, as well as managing the intranet and its infrastructure. Cartagena will be quick to point out (cheerfully) that they don't get days off and would love for someone else to make announcements once in a while! A small group of the communications department is also hard at work on a distress signal, persevering in the belief that someone will come looking for the wayward Adamant.

The Agriculture department could always use a few new green thumbs around their little hydroponic garden units, and of course the Mess Hall is in dire need of someone who can make ten pounds of questionable protein paste taste palpable...

Otherwise, the daily grind in Ethyraia seems to be fairly... well, grind-y. People wake early to manage their chores in the early hours, everyone breaks during the hot hours of the afternoon to nap or lounge around, sometimes they take in the daily movie at the Theatre, and then it's back to work for the afternoon shift. People generally work from 7 AM to 11 AM, and then have between 11 AM and 3 PM 'off' (with the exception of anyone on KP duty) and then work again until 11 PM. Exceptions are: each person's designated 'days off', or recovery time from injuries/etc. Ideally, the Adamant's survivors will work 4 days and has 3 off in a week, but oftentimes this is cancelled due to need.

While it's not mandatory that the Hatchlings work, those that don't 'pull their weight' so to speak will find themselves being increasingly shunned by the community, and the quality of their rations and their overall care will decrease. There isn't enough to go around on the best days, much less when someone isn't contributing at all!

What goes on at the base for me to engage with?:

You are free to invent NPCs to have (minor) antagonistic clashes with, or who can flag down your character to assist with something, or who you can have to help 'rescue' on a mission outside the Leviathan. We want to give players as much freedom as we can within the structure of the game, and we would rather people not feel limited.

What else can I do?:

There is no one keeping your character physically at the Basecamp! If they would like to leave and go exploring on their own, that is perfectly welcome. For the sake of the TDM, we would ask that anyone choosing this option refrain from asking us any in-depth questions — we will happily collaborate with people once they're in the game.

A few additional notes:

☆ If your character leaves the basecamp and wanders outside the Leviathan, they may begin to notice that what they perhaps took as a giant cave is actually an enormous dragon. Everything they see that seems 'human made' will look varying levels of worn down, patched, repaired and patched again. This is not a place of prosperity and happiness. Many people are recently injured, or have new scars or missing limbs.

☆ While mods will not be facilitating exploration beyond the basecamp at this time, characters are welcome to take on any number of missions, such as rescuing civilians, gathering supplies or travelling to the furthest 'mapped out' areas to try and chart the lands. If you would like to use any of these prompts or can think of anything else you'd like to do, feel free! If you app into the game and would like to use any of these threads as 'canon', please just let us know so we can include or incorporate any details into our overall worldbuilding! (Or work with you to tweak some details to suit!)

☆ If you think your character wouldn't be interested in helping or pitching in, that's fine! However, please be aware of the consequences that will follow — a decrease in NPC esteem, support, etc. The NPCs understand that the Hatchlings didn't ask to be here, but they simply do not have the resources or manpower to accommodate for anyone who doesn't want to work or assist in engaging with local infrastructure. Your character will not be ICly ousted from the basecamp, but they will experience a poorer quality of food and little social engagement from the NPCs. Even Captain Childe picks up a trenching tool with the best of them!

❀ THE QUAGO

One day, a patrol team brings back a small potted plant in a containment jar. It seems rather innocuous at first, and one of the more science-minded survivors sets it aside to study it. Unfortunately for the intrepid habitants of the Basecamp Leviathan, this was the equivalent of cradle robbing! This plant is the young form of a creature known as a Quago, which is a large, semi-sentient creature with myriad tendrils and no fixed roots. It's something of a flora/fauna hybrid, and it's here for its baby!

This creature releases spores into Basecamp that, for the most part, will put people to sleep. However, some people have... different reactions. It can also cause: hallucinations, itchy rashes, feelings of thirst, lightheadedness and, perhaps counter-intuitively, insomnia. The hallucinations can range from 'acid trip' to 'that dream I once had about riding Falcor'. Not everyone will be affected — some people might have natural immunity from this strange creature.

Concern around the basecamp run high: are the conditions caused by something in the food? Is this a new Ethyraia-native illness? None of those infected seem to improve on their own. The Agricultural department is particularly on high alert until, after two days, someone notices that those that are affected can be roused by... chocolate?

Vidar and Cal Kestis, in the month prior, found a box of rare rations aboard the wreck of the Adamant. They brought this box back and opted to share it among the Survivors, and one of the items happened to be hot chocolate powder. A little sprinkle of it under the tongue of anyone sleeping, hallucinating or otherwise experiencing symptoms of the spores will find themselves returned to normalcy in a handful of minutes.

(They could also drink hot chocolate, but where's the fun in that?)

The Quago will come into the basecamp, steal its plant child and flee back to nature. It will not harm or attack anyone, but the effects of its spores will linger for one week. Those sleeping will seem almost to be in a state of suspended animation, and do not need to be tended.

Can my character fight the Quaggo? How big is it? What does it look like?

Your character will likely not notice the Quaggo unless they are one of the very rare people immune to its effects. It is not hostile or violent, and killing it will not cure the symptoms of those affected. Could you kill it? Yes, but then you'd have to live with the guilt!

It is approximately the size of a VW minibus (minibus for scale!) though perhaps a little taller. It is mostly a tangled nimbus of vines and bracken around a central 'nucleus'. Imagine a giant, sci-fi tumbleweed with a disturbing amount of sentience.

Can my character experience more than one effect of it throughout these three days?

Yes! You are free to mix and match the symptoms as you desire. Feel free to be creative! Your character could be an itchy insomniac, or hallucinate Spongebob LARP while being very thirsty... or any other combo you can imagine!

FETCH QUEST

Once characters realize that it's chocolate that makes the difference, a singular prospect looms. There is nothing native to Ethyraia that produces chocolate — so the only hope is to travel back to the Adamant and search through its wreckage for another such box.

Luckily, Cal and Vidar have already done a great deal of work! They've cleared a previously blocked-off area of the wreck, and the route to an old storage area of the Adamant is now traversable. Any character cogent enough or immune to the spores will be able to make the trip. However, given the scorching heat and the intermittent acid rain, we would ask that a 'baseline' character (ie: someone without super speed or a vehicle/pet of some sort they arrived with from home) take roughly 2-3 days to make this round trip.

There's a possibility there could be more luxury items such as chocolate undisturbed in the Adamant for the past three years. For those who make the trip, feel free to find one small luxury item that your character can hold onto in addition to the other goods they bring back for the basecamp as a whole.

The wreckage of the Adamant is empty and overgrown. Most of the bodies have been moved out of the crash in the interest of burying them properly, but there are some that were caught in areas that were simply unreachable or unstable, so the ship is rank with death. Any of the plants listed in our herbiary may be found inside the wreckage, and players may engage with any of their myriad effects (or, if you're an existing player, feel free to add more!). There is no internal power to the Adamant, so even the emergency lighting on the floors will be out.

Can my character make a side-trip while at the Adamant crash site?

At this time we will not be facilitating further in-depth exploration prompts of the Adamant.

❀ NETWORK

Oh! Look! There are more of you.

YOU may refer to
(1) Hatchlings;
(2) Children of the Leviathan,
depending on your cultural and religious background.

Hello and welcome! My name is Cartagena. As you will be responsible for one another's, and the former crew and passengers of the Adamant's, survival, it is in our best interests to get to know one another.

I have prepared some questions:

If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you go, what would you bring with you, and why?



Oh. Oh dear. That one isn't really ideal, is it? Just a moment. I will find a better one.

If you won the lottery*, what would you do with the money?

*LOTTERY may refer to a means of raising money by selling numbered tickets and giving prizes to the holders of numbers drawn at random.

A few notes:

☆ Characters may choose their own network usernames.

NAVIGATION ❀

Comments

nero | oc (this man is a cowboy, he is dressed like a cowboy, please poke fun at his cowboyness)

[underworlds]

around basecamp;

（ nero's sitting off to the side somewhere mending what looks to be a fishing net. he's got quick, deft hands, and seems to know his business. he ain't a fisherman, to be sure, but he's spent a lifetime (more than one, if he's being honest) wrangling all manner of god's creatures, and he knows ropework. the man is dressed like he's either here to reenact tombstone or like a rancher hipster, there's really no in-between. but the stains of sweat and salt around the brim of his hat, at the throat of his shirt and beneath the arms at least speaks to him being somewhat better versed in work than the average shill.

what is entirely more remarkable about him, however, is the fact that he's got a horse beside him that seems to be a bit... on fire. mostly its mane, tail, and the tufts of hair at its fetlocks. the horse is small, compact, and covered in about as many scars as the man beside it, and it seems content to stand there hipshot, its eyes half-closed and its neck roughly aligned with its spine. dozing, to anyone familiar with horses.

the horse will rouse itself if anyone passes nearby, ears flickering attentively to track the sound. it will also make a faint wuffling sound as it tries to scent you on the air.

the man beside it looks up from the net he's repairing, tips his hat back and gives you a once-over. he ain't used to being seen or noticed, much less able to speak to people, so his tone's affable when he says: ）

Don't mind him, he's picky 'bout his company.

（ his accent is a jumble of places. a little southern, a little spanish, a sprinkle of irish, as old and out-of-place as his outfit and as strange again, surely, as his horse. ）

Could use a hand with this net, if'n you're looking to help out.

（ what he won't say is that he's mighty lonely, and having other folks around is a half-decent way to quell it. ）

messhall work;

（ he's absolutely fuckin' filthy, a towel slung over his shoulder, long hair pulled back into the world's messiest bun. the hat is nowhere to be seen. he's collecting plates into a push-cart, and right when he rolls past you one of the wheels on it breaks.

he ain't about to curse a hardy blue streak in front of a stranger, but he does mutter a very quiet well, fuck as he bends to see about fixing it. with a tired sigh he sits down on the bench across from you. ）

Put your plate in the bin when you're done, yeah?

（ since he's probably going to be stuck here a spell while he fixes this. ）

fetch quest;

（ have you ever ridden a horse? what about a scrappy little mustang pinto with fiery accents to its mane, tail and fetlock?

... do you want to? because nero is absolutely offering one gloved hand out to you. ）

The fire won't burn you. He's harmless, my hand to God.

（ the horse crowhops a little sideways, and the man speaks to it in low gaeilge and it stills with a snort that somehow still conveys its irritation. ）

network; (@vaquero)

Gamble, mostly. Beer maybe. Can't say as I'd do anything smart with it.

around basecamp

[identities]

You brought your horse?

[ éadaoin is not jumping to help out, as it were. it's possible she'd pick up the net and remember something, a skill she's forgotten she had because it was five or seven lifetimes ago. but she doesn't want to invite it. she's barely holding the fragile web of her sanity together as-is. ]

[underworlds]

Reckon he brought himself more than I brought him.

（ he ain't quite sure how he feels about seein' her, truth be told. there's that old kneejerk instinct to look around for pools of water — it ain't like he can whisper charms to the pool surrounding that chrysalis (he tried, can't be done.)

it's also a strange thing to see her in the same form, same life, same damn time more than once. it don't work like that. she's born, she lives a spell, she dies in water, and he finds her. the fact that this is the living, breathing body he laid hands on during samhain surely ain't lost on him.

skokash leaves his side and goes over to éadaoin, butting his head up against her shoulder and rubbing against her, near about knocking her down with the force of it. he's a pushy asshole some days, this creature. ）

[identities]

Hey, troublemaker.

[ she says to skokash, raising her hand to set on the side of his nose, a gentle pat that lingers as he more or less nuzzles at her. it's been a while that she's surprised skokash still shows this kind of affection, but it's welcome.

she doesn't have a lot of ... people. at all. ]

[underworlds]

（ skokash whickers to her, lowering his head in the hopes she'll scratch that sweet spot between his ears. ）

Traitor.

（ that's said with all due affection from nero as he shakes his head, bending back to his task. ）

You can take him for a ride if you'd like. Might do you some good to get outta here for a while — Lord knows I'd be crawling the walls if I didn't have that escape.

（ he is a creature of open skies and endless deserts, the idea of being cooped up anywhere pains him mightily. ）

[identities]

He doing alright with the terrain?

[ more the acid rain that's constantly churning the semi-damp soil than anything else. she moves her hand to the back of the horse's neck, rubbing gently along the side. ]

Color me surprised.

[underworlds]

Ain't had a problem yet. He ain't exactly a regular horse.

（ he's as dead as nero is. it's underworld magic that keeps him upright, and he's smart and nimble besides. ）

You know, if the fire didn't give it away.

（ #that'sajoke. ）

fetch quest

[skagzz]

ohmyGAWD its a horse ON FIRE. I have waited for this day my whole li-i-fe.

[ Tina doesn't take Nero's hand so much as uses his body to launch herself onto the horse. She had wanted Butt Stallion to be her first ride, but this is an excellent second choice. Diamond is NOT a luxury option for the badonkadonk, if you know what im sayin'. ]

Avast ye, noble steed! Lead us to victory! Yah!

[ She grabs at the reigns. She's good with bombs; she has no idea how horses work. She also has no idea that uh she's been put on this mission because no one else wanted to have to watch aka lose her and then be responsible for her definitely-not-a-bomb accidents today. ]

[underworlds]

（ well christ, ain't she a peach. nero just sort of stares at her, the sheer unbridled energy of it all, and then he just. puts his hands on his thighs, not quite used to the reins being in his hands.

he's been riding this horse come hell or high water for just about two centuries now, so it ain't like he expects sko' is gonna buck them off or startle, but — ）

Be careful with the reins, now. He likes havin' his head.

（ he never used a bit. didn't much care for them, and he's always had that soft touch for horses. ）

You, ah, sure you're old enough to be going on a job like this?

（ says the man who was an outlaw at fourteen, but then again — he couldn't die back then, so there was precious little danger to speak of. ）

[skagzz]

I am an immortal queen on my planet. I choose to inhabit this mortal flesh prison.

[ She is one hundred percent lying. Which isn't even really necessary, given she's part of a crew that saved a god damn planet from a megalomaniac and aliens and flesh-eating bandits, but Tina has standards for her stage presence. ]

Good sir, how am I to lead this valiant steed if I can't use the ding-dang reins?

[ This is as close as Tina gets to asking for help. Something about his accent and getup make her vaguely homesick which makes her feel vaguely safe. ]

[underworlds]

Well, my apologies, majesty.

（ does he believe her? not a whit. should he, mayhap? hell, that remains to be seen. it ain't as though he's given proper deference to a damn thing he's ever met. not gods, not kings, not the great and terrible fae. he's always been a reckless one, nero. ）

You can use 'em, just don't tug too hard. Humans wouldn't like being lead around by the nose so much, yeah? Sko' here, he's a hard, earnest worker. You just gotta ask him real nice. See — （ he leans forward so he can take the reins just past her hand, lays them against the horse's neck to angle him a bit to the left, and then a soft cluck of sound and the horse sets out in that direction. nero lets the reins fall again and settles back, patting the horse's rump as he goes. ）

[skagzz]

[ Tina hasn't had many opportunities to be gentle in her, er, colorful little life. Nero's delicate touch eliciting such a precise reaction might as well be magic.

Still, she's absorbing Nero's guidance, adjusting her hands and the amount she's pulling. She pretends she's the one guiding the horse and gets a pure child's thrill.

No one's been this patient with her since Roland. She cannot handle thinking about that for very long at all. ]

Boo, you speak pony? That is tiiiiiight. Can you teach me? Or is that like, bit by a radioactive spider powers?

[underworlds]

Nah. Ain't a matter of language. But you spend long enough with another soul, no matter what that soul may be, an' you pick up a thing or two in that time.

（ sko' may be a great horse, fae-touched and immortal and on fire half the time, but he's still just a horse. he's just had longer than most to learn and grow, and he was smarter than most horses anyway in the beginning. it was why nero chose him. ）

It's more about observation and payin' mind. Watch the ears. See the way they flick?

（ skokash has one cocked forward, the other turned back. ）

When a horse is angry, they'll both be laid back flat. Right now, he's just curious about what we've got going on back here. If they're both ahead, he's alert for something off in the distance. If they sort of twitch in a bunch of different directions but, like, lazy about it, that means he's pretty chill and relaxed. Horses are a prey creature, so they gotta be careful about things like wildcats an' the like.

messhall;

[lovetalks]

( so, he doesn't actually need to eat the food. he can do it, of course, and has gotten used to doing plenty of things that allow him to slip in and out of crowds without drawing more than a raised brow and perhaps a lingering look, but.

he prods at a smear of something grey and gelatinous, expression twisting in a way that's oddly reminiscent of a small child being told to eat their greens. )

Do I have to?

( finish, he means. )

I've put some nasty things in my mouth in my time, but this is pushing it.

[underworlds]

（ nero all but rolls his eyes at the man, and holds out his hand for the plate. ）

Fine, you damn macaroni dandy. I'll eat it. You can fix the cart.

（ it ain't a fair trade, but when has nero ever given a good goddamn about fae rules? not once in living memory, that's when. ）

[lovetalks]

( what does it say about them that he's so used to the casual irreverence at this point that he doesn't so much as twitch in the wake of it? )

Coffee, first.

( though "coffee" is being generous. still, if he closes his eyes and believes really hard, he can just about catch the tingle of caffeine on his tongue.

though, after a moment he does push the plate over. )

[underworlds]

Well, you'll have to forgive me, Your Highness, I'm fresh out.

（ he does pick up that plate. he's gone decades without eating or drinking anything, part of akromika's curse. can't eat, but always hungry. can't drink, but always parched. being free of it has set him to gluttony a time or two already. he wolfs the food down like a feral animal half certain it's about to be clawed back. ）

Thank you kindly.

（ just to be a shit. he's half-fae, the same rules that apply to humans don't touch him, and just the same he doesn't give a shit about their conventions or manners anyhow. ）

[lovetalks]

It's Lord, if you're going to be cute about it.

( so at least he comes by the prissiness honestly, even if at least half of his authority is borrowed and the other half he'd earned by giving a thorough kicking to anyone ambitious enough to challenge him. )

Kids these days. ( he shakes his head. ) No respect.

( but absent anything better to do, he turns his attention to the cart and the wheel. )

I don't think I've seen you inhale anything that quick since last Samhain.

[underworlds]

You won't hear that word pass my lips under threat of torture an' painful death, if it's all the same to you.

（ akromika is, after all, the lord of the underworld. nero ain't like to forget it any time soon, and his expression has all the subtlety of a stormy sky at the mention. his father is a sore subject, now and always.

he scrapes the last bit off the plate and bins it himself, dragging a hand through his hair. ）

Well, it's been a while. Can't blame a man.

around basecamp

[appetere]

[ Ettie's seen some strange things since she left the academy, but a horse that is on fire is worth stopping and looking at - not because of the fire, but because it's... not dying? Or panicking. Or screaming? It seems to be... taking a nap?

Cardamon, who she is taking no chances with since he darted off and has conjured an invisible magical leash to keep nearby, bristles at the sight, but doesn't hiss. Ettie takes that as a good sign. ]

Many people are. [ Her gaze flickers from the man to the horse. ] Though the exception tends to be when they're on fire. Usually, then they'll want just about anyone to put it out.

[ Ettie makes what could be termed a reckless decision and moves forward to take a hand at the net. Once, her hands were scholar's hands, the only callouses were from holding a pen. Now she's used to this kind of work, her palms rough and hardened, and she takes hold the other side of the net easily to inspect the damage. Caradmon proves that his wings do work, and flaps up to become a shoulder cat, peering intently at the horse still. ]

[underworlds]

（ the little winged cat gets a look — though it ain't strictly curious. he's seen stranger, after all. at the gal's question, he chuckles some and makes room for her on the bench beside him, pulling the netting off so she can sit and have a gander. ）

Fire wouldn't hurt you none, neither. It's — （ 'complicated'. how the hell many times has he had to explain this in his life? once, maybe. to éadaoin. souls newly come to death ain't usually good conversationalists. he looks like he ain't all that sure of the words he's sayin' as he continues: ） Kind of a long-winded explanation. We can chalk it up to magic, if that happens to be easier.

[appetere]

[ Magic happens to be Ettie's area of interest. She brightens, but although she isn't great at reading people, she has gotten better over the past few years. So somehow she doubts he's going to welcome a thousand different questions on the origin, purpose, and impact of whatever magic has his horse on fire and not burning.

Sadly, that isn't going to stop her from talking about it, although he's at least spared the questions. Ettie moves to sit beside him, giving him a rare bright and interested smile, her expression open and inquisitive. Right now for her the question is purely academic, and therefore fascinating. ]

...if I had to guess, I'd say it was some sort of contract - a divine manifestation of some sort. Am I right?

[underworlds]

（ he chuffs a sort of soft laugh as he threads a piece of twine through one of the tears and ties it off. ）

I'm the wrong man to ask. That sort of thing ain't my bag — I just ride him. Sko' — c'mere, lady wants to make your acquaintance.

（ one of the horse's eyes shivers open, and his fiery tail twitches as if he's chasing off imaginary flies. he does step around nero and butt his nose up against the stranger, clear treat-seeking behaviour. been as long since he needed food as nero has, and he's taken to it with a mighty appetite. ）

[appetere]

[ Cardamom is having about zero percent of being approached by a horse on fire, but he can't get too far from Ettie - he jumps down onto the net between her and the cowboy. Cardamom stares up at Nero for a moment, evaluating, before deciding that anywhere away from On Fire is good. So prowling right up to him and seeking shelter in his lap, thank you.

In the meantime, Ettie's attention is completely captivated by the horse on fire approaching her. A more cautious person would probably not immediately lift a hand to pet the horse, but pain is just pain and how often do you get to pat a horse like this? She's always been a little more comfortable with animals than people anyway; they're less judgy. So she doesn't hide her wonder as the horse approaches, reaching to gently pat his neck. ]

Oh, hello. Aren't you unique? And fast too, I bet.

around basecamp

[spacedicks]

I'd be too is someone set my hair on fire.

[ luke answers in a thoughtful mutter. yeah, it's weird. alien invasion is a little weirder, and being birthed out of a dead dragon egg on whothefuckknowswhere planet beats both squarely. not for the first time in the last several days, luke wonders if he's not actually blazed out of his mind and hallucinating all this.

the net is a decent distraction, though brings up another point of confusion when Luke plops himself down on the other side of it to help, figuring the action to be enough of an answer. ]

What alien-fish you hoping to herd into this, partner?

[ the 'partner' pronounced more like 'pardner', and not exactly clear if it's meant facetiously or otherwise. ]