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October 2018 Test Drive Meme

OCTOBER 2018 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to October’s Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: HALLOWEEN HORROR.

All Test Drive Memes contain at least one clue to the Deerington's upcoming in-game events for the month! Keep your eyes peeled! But...not literally.

Characters may die during TDMs, but you do not need to count it towards a game-canonical death unless you want to. Consider it a freebie. All TDMs can be considered game canon as TDMs introduce minor aspects about the world of Deerington that can be revisited by characters later on in the game. You may also use TDMs for your application writing sample as well as AC.

CW: Wet and rotting corpses/zombies, ghosts, violence, blood, knives, possessed dolls, options for underage drinking

Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

IT’S JUST A BUNCH OF HOCUS POCUS

It’s not Halloween if you don’t make a trip to a cheesy haunted house. At least, that’s what everyone in Deerington likes to say. The old Victorian stands at the top of a hill, rickety and in desperate need of a new paint job. The yard and porch have been decorated with what you’d expect for your typical haunted house; fake spider webs spread across the overhang, painted foam grave markers with cheesy names like “Here lies Richard Cranium” and “BEWARE!!” in creepy letter etchings. You can see the blinking of variously timed strobe lights in some windows and the shadow of what you’re pretty sure is a full-sized doll standing in the window, meant to look like someone staring out at you. The rocking chair on the porch near the door has a skeleton with a bowl of candy in his lap, and a sign is propped up against the wall next to him.

“ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. TOUCH NOTHING AND NOTHING WILL TOUCH YOU!”

Well that sounds promising.

The first few rooms you enter are appropriately cheesy. There’s the silly burst of air that you hear just before a plastic figuring pops out of a poorly constructed coffin, the clicking sound of the machinery inside echoing in the room when it starts to pull back and the lid closes once again. There’s fog machines trying to give the appropriately spooky air, stuffed sheets shaped to look like dead bodies wrapped up laying in piles on the floor with fake blood staining the white fabric, black lighting to show off words scribbled on doors like “TURN BACK NOW” and “SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES.” Nothing you haven’t seen before. It might be even worse than things you’ve seen before, over the top cheesy, boring enough to give a yawn. Each door seems to open on its own so you don’t even have to touch the handles.

As you make your way through the next automatic door, the room you walk into is different than those before it. It’s a regular children’s room. A bed against the wall near the window, a dresser in the corner, a small desk with a chair. Nothing out of the ordinary, save for the lights not being on, and the strange flickering light in the closet. You step towards it, figuring you’re in for another jump scare, but the door doesn’t open. Whether you’re naturally the curious sort or not, something in the back of your mind makes you want to open the door and see what’s on the inside.

If you fight it and walk towards the next automatic door, you’ll find you’ve walked out to the backyard of the house, those same foam decorations and a dozen or more jack o’ lanterns lighting your way on a path back to the town.

If you choose to pull the door open, however, it’ll take you into yet another room, with a flickering television playing nothing but static. Once you step past the doors of the closet, they slam shut behind you and whoever else dared to enter. The doors won’t lock no matter what you do, no matter how strong the person shaking the handles or pushing against the wood may be. You realize you broke the one rule; you’ve touched something. But can things now really touch you?

The only light source in the whole room is that television and it’s not lighting up much inside the room around it. If you squint when the TV is at its brightest setting, you can just make out another door. Your exit, you hope. But as you make your way towards the door, the flickering suddenly stops, the TV steadily bright, a low humming noise coming from the screen, and suddenly the door seems several more feet away from you than it was a second ago. Before you can reach the door, there’s the sound of trickling water from behind you. If you choose to look back, you’ll see something coming out from the screen - a girl with soaked clothing and pale, rotted skin. She emerges fully from the glass and starts to move towards you. You know it’s best to start running for that door. If you stay and try to fight, you’ll find that no regular weapons work on her, though special weapons and powers that are effective against spirits will definitely do the trick. For those who don’t have any of these at their disposal, however, there is one more hope besides just trying to run; two old school VHS tape sit on the table near by, a fancy machine between them that is meant to copy one to the other. Work as a team and have one distract her while the other records, and you’ll find that she disappears as quickly as she flickered on the screen and the TV will return to static.

Regardless of what you choose before carrying on, the next room you come to as the door slams and locks behind you is entirely different. Brightly lit and filled with what seems like hundreds of porcelain dolls, it’s almost hard to tell where there could possibly be another exit hidden among the massive shelves. You can start to wind your way through them, but before long, you start to hear the sound of running feet, the jingling of bells, the swish of satin, and most eerily the sounds of children giggling - but there’s nothing that sounds save about them. Some of the dolls you saw on the last shelf seem like they’ve moved and are sitting in the corner or laying in a new position on a new shelf. Sometimes you swear you can see their heads turn to watch you pass, but it has to be a trick of the light, doesn’t it?

That is until one of those dolls runs by you, brandishing something shiny in their hands - something sharp. A knife, you realize too late, as it tries to slice at your legs and knock you down. You can kick them away and they’ll go flying, and when the porcelain smashes, the doll will scream in agony. You notice there’s blood pouring from the hole that formed, spreading quickly across the ground. The dolls are easy to kill, but are they really just dolls? You can take your time to contemplate that later, as now you have to fight your way through the violent and armed toys to reach the door at the end of the maze of shelves. Hopefully you can get out without too many severe injuries.

When (or if) you do manage to get to the next room, you seem to have a chance to take a breath and tend to any wounds. It’s decorated like the room of a small cottage, a large pot over the fireplace that isn’t lit, and several jars full of (possibly rotting) food and herbs on the shelves. You see a book on the stand in the center, latched shut and covered in dust. You can open it, if you want, but remember the warning you ignored that got you in trouble in the first place. It’s probably better to carry on to the next room.

If you do choose to open the book, though, there will be eerily glowing text lining the pages, the light will seem to poor out and fill the room, and you’ll be transported back out in front of the house.

Those who continued through the door will find themselves out in the backyard. Just like for those who got out sooner, there are dozens of jack o lanterns, but the graves don’t look like they’re made of foam this time. They’re real stone, engraved with real names and real dates this time. And the ground underneath them seems to be moving, like someone’s trying to crawl out of there. Better not to wait around. Soon as you start to move down the path, you’ll start to hear the sounds of groans as the undead start to crawl from their own graves, pulling themselves up through the dirt, and determined to get to the only food source they see - you. The zombies seem like they’re never ending, coming from every inch of the yard, but at least they’re just like normal zombies - completely incapable of being killed unless you cut off the head. There are shovels lying next to a few graves if you need a quick weapon, but there’s also still always the option to run as fast as you can up the stone path to the front of the house and back towards the street.

When you do finally manage to get back to the front, there’s a momentary blinding flash of light, disorienting anyone near it for a few seconds. When it finally fades, any leftover zombies chasing you have disappeared and the house looks like the same, cheesy haunted house you walked up to in the first place. If for some reason you decide to go and explore the backyard again, the grass will be back to normal, and the graves will all be replaced by cheaply painted foam once more.

Was that all in your head? Who knows. But maybe it’s best to just get out of here.

WE DID THE MASH

Somehow the street lamps have all been converted to oil based flames, the Authority are in witch hats, and every where you go there is music that seems to be playing from faintly glowing bats hanging upside down from telephone wires. The bats will open their mouths in succession, seeming somehow capable of producing the sounds of instruments and singers alike of popular Halloween songs.

Yards are decorated as thoroughly as the front of stores. Maybe you haven't bothered to decorate, but your neighbor sure has! Fake gravestones are propped up in yards, giant fake spiders in trees, and no matter where you walk, the ground seems covered in thick, rolling fog from machines. Or at least you hope it's coming from machines. Hell, you can't even find it in yourself to be too worried! Everyone around you is having way too good of a time! And God, there is food everywhere! Might as well grab a bite while you're out, huh?

It's tempting to break loose and dance. Jack-O-Lanterns absolutely crowd the streets. There's more than you can even begin to count, and all of them are lit all throughout the night. Even if you accidentally trip over some, they don't seem to catch fire to anything or go out! Some neighbors have camp fires set up with marshmallows to roast, while others have...are those broomsticks? Well that's kinda cool, you guess. Correction: it's really cool since you can actually pick one up and take it for a fly! Make sure to attach a little lamp to the front though because God knows it's dangerous flying at night. The brooms only work if you wear the appropriately provided hats, of course, but you can keep both the broom and hat indefinitely and have a readily available means of flight in Deerington after! Be forewarned though: the brooms are as easily broken as regular brooms and the hats easily blown away in the wind.

TRICK OR TREATS

At any of the events, especially the nighttime partying, you can find any number of the following treats (and their potential side effects):

Donuts (Will make you deliriously happy. Everything is amazing to you. May cause a lot of affection. A lot of affection.)
Candy Apples (You will eagerly tell someone everything you like about them. Talk about a sweet tooth.)
Candy Corn (Will make you extremely sad. Like god, you'll be wondering why you hate yourself so much.)
Pumpkin Spice Lattes (Causes suspicious amounts of obedience and a desire to do what you're told.)
Hot Chocolate (Can provide some minor healing. Best stuff to drink with a common cold!)
Hot or Cold Apple Cider (Nothing will happen. It's just really good.)
Alcoholic Cider (This isn't your grandma's apple cider. This stuff will knock you on your ass. Anyone who drinks this will get wasted regardless of whether or not they are immune to alcohol or even ingest regular food. It only takes one or two before you start to get tipsy, but any more than that and you'll be well on your way to drunk. Please drink responsibly. We don't need any FUIs.)

Character Arrival

You can read how all characters arrive in Deerington here.

There is not a collective "all these characters showed up at the exact same moment" occurrence in Deerington. Since characters fall asleep, die, or pass out at various times throughout all their worlds, it wouldn't make too much sense if they arrived in game all at the exact same time. There should be some discrepancy between character arrival, whether by a couple minutes, hours, or even days up to a week.

The players are entirely in control of how/when they want to play their characters arriving in Deerington. For TDMs, you can play it like your character has just arrived and that can be maintained as your game canon, or you can wait until game events for that moment. Or you don't need to acknowledge it at all. The flexibility for character allows a bit more of an organic feel to the character arrival situation, so please play it to whatever feels right for you.

If you are interested in having an "arrival" introduction for one of your TDM prompts, you are more than welcome to explore that option.

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[He feels somewhat silly for even asking "which is it" as he's pulling items out of the basket one by one and realizing there is only one jar of food stuffs in there. Another jar with a letter, keys and a card of some kind within so they aren't lost among a pile of his stuff from home. Some of his outfits and a little wooden duck without wheels. He smiles somewhat fondly, remembering when he came home to the little thing sitting on his bed and remembering the friend that put it there.

All of which gives the other plenty of time to meditate and stare at him from where he sits on the window sill to his right.

He'll open the jar of food, clearly unaware he's being studied. He plucks out a handful of what's inside--Green grapes.]

Well... they aren't peeled but I suppose they'll have to do, hm? [Though he doesn't know what's so special about them, as he pops one or two past his lips they taste just like normal grapes.]

They're better peeled, you see, not nearly as chewy. [He pulls out the letter as he eats the grapes thoughtfully, reading whats written to him. His brows raise slightly at the idea he has a TATTOO somewhere on his body. The letter is put down in the basket and he swallows his mouthful to start inspecting himself, coming to the conclusion that wherever the tattoo is, it must be under his clothes.

He's about to ask the other to help him look for it on his person when upon looking to X'rhun notices the other is somewhat zoned out and staring at him. Is he staring at his ass??? Dorian straightens up and turns to face the other putting a hand on his hip with sass and clearing his throat to get the other's attention.]

Looking for something in particular? [He smirks.]

Not that I can blame you for enjoying the view of course.

[X'rhun jolts out of his trance of examining the other's magic, how he seems to favour ice, fire and lightning like a black mage, and with the reserves to perform just the same way...

But when a Miqo'te startles, they simply don't straighten up or hike their shoulders up to their ears like any other race. No, Miqo'te are the most expressive of the Eorzean races, they don't do anything by halves.

His entire body stiffens to nearly a straight line, ears standing straight up and his tail fluffing out to resemble a bottle brush. He just startles so much that his steel heels scrape across the floor and his tail bumps against the window in its haste to straighten out, and he's almost right out of his seat on the sill. His eyes are wide as he looks up at Dorian's face from... what was he even looking at?

Oh gods, it wasn't his rear, was it.]

Rrh-- [X'rhun covers his face in sheer embarrassment as he tries to compose himself.

Miqo'te in the middle of their dramatics are such a sight to behold.]

Begging pardons. I did not mean to--

[It was a view though...]

[The display is quite exaggerated and somewhat amusing, he'll have to make note to fluster the other more often if only for a giggle.]

Did not meant to what? Admire me? Please, I don't believe that for a second. [He sighs.]

If you weren't checking out my superb derrière then what were you looking at?

[Gods, he doesn't even have a comeback for that. Whatever happened to the confidence he had with flirting outrageously and playfully with another? Oh right, that only happens because he prepares in advance.

X'rhun gives himself a mental shake and forces his body to relax. Palms the back of his neck as he leans back against the window sill.]

Ah, well... you've caught me now. What else can I say?

Other than admirations you likely already know. [Though somehow he gets the feeling he's digging himself into an even deeper pit...]

Oh no, do go on. I may already know what's going to be said, but I like to hear it anyway. [He grins and turns to lean back against the edge of the table. He then crosses his arms over his chest in thought.]

Though, I must say you were... rather zoned out for a bit. Were you fantasizing or is there something else you're not telling me?

I wouldn't dream of being that vulgar-- [With his pale pink skin, the flush that comes over his face is unmistakable. X'rhun has to berate himself mentally for acting more like a kitten than an adult Miqo'te man.]

I'm fascinated by you, truly.

[X'rhun may be a master of words at any other time, but not when he's caught off guard like this.]

Not like any other mages I've ever met.

A pity... [He strokes his chin thoughtfully with something almost wicked in his eye but he lets it be. In private that sort of talk is fine, had they been out in public it might've been another matter.]

I get that a lot. [A smirk. But he knows what he really means despite stroking his own ego.]

I could say the same of you, my friend. We don't have anyone or anything like ... you, where I'm from. And honestly if you're impressed with how I am now, then you should see me at full power.

I would love to.

[Oh no. Now that the topic has been changed, he's losing his embarrassment. His mood has begun to change, from shame at himself to sheer wonderment and enthusiasm. Because magic has always been one of his favourite topics to discuss, and now he is faced with a mage from another world, who feels like a black mage yet not.

He wants to learn.

Oh no.]

I would love to see your magicks firsthand-- especially in combat. Or mayhap a spar. [X'rhun leans forward, his tail swaying more enthusiastically behind him.] As a mage myself, mine are focused on combat rather than other practical purposes, and I believe yours are as well? A show for a show, what do you say?

[A soft, bitter-sweet sort of chuckle.]

Trust me, I would love nothing more than to show off for you, but unfortunately that won't be happening here any time soon.

[He sighs.]

This world is... causing something to go amiss with my abilities. I don't have the sort of control over my powers as I would normally possess, it's too dangerous. Until I... relearn some things we'd best not try to spar one another.

[X'rhun practically deflates in his disappointment. His ears droop. So does his tail. So do his shoulders.

Miqo'te are so expressive.]

Oh.

I see... No, I understand that completely, this is not news to myself. [He runs a hand through his mane.] In that case, consider it a standing invitation, my friend. A spar would always be fun, though there are more ways of sharing knowledge with one another, yes?

[He can practically feel that disappointment and he feels guilty for it.]

A later date then, when I'm feeling more confident I won't accidentally set us on fire or turn you to ice.

[A sigh, because he's not sure when that will be and that's frustrating in and of itself.]

Don't let me stop you though, feel free to find me in the next few days and show off what you've got somewhere safe. And if you have any books or anything on magic from your world I'd be glad to browse them. I carry no less than two spell books on me at all times.

Alas, I've no books to offer-- my weapon is a blade that doubles as a staff, and the books on my discipline are locked away well, protected from the elements in a structure built by mine forebears.

[Then he crosses his arms, thinking deeply.]

Hmmm... Mayhap you could divine my magic from me directly, right here.

[He's under the impression that all mages are capable of doing this, really, meditating and picking out the aether and affinities of everyone else... Just because he can do it easily.

Rather, after some concentration.]

[Dorian frowns slightly and shakes his head. Why have a library if you're going to lock the information away?]

I...if you want to show me some time, I could watch you. But I'm afraid I can't learn by osmosis, if that's what you mean? [he chuckles softly.]

If it were that easy I imagine my father would've simply gathered up tutors for me instead of trying to send me to the most prestigious schools in Tevinter. I say schools, because in my youth I tended to get expelled a lot.

Mmmrrrr?

[X'rhun squints in confusion. Tilts his head.]

Were you not trained to meditate and seek out magickal energies on your own? [Is this simply something with Dorian, or are all mages from his world lacking in such a skill that would have been the first lesson in every young mage's life?]

Not... exactly. We were trained to sense some energies, to be familiar with the feel of magic, of the elements and the fade. We were taught how to concentrate and focus and control. We were taught how to defend ourselves from the spirits or demons that might try to bend and break our will so they might possess us. But we weren't really taught how to learn techniques and things from other mages as you seem to mean?

[He considers for a moment.] Though some mages learned how to go into dream like states and enter the fade to see and divine things. I wasn't one of them though, it takes certain types to do it. I knew an elvan mage that could enter the fade in his dreams, see the past, learn things none of us could possibly have known. I'm sure he taught himself a great many thing this way. He communicated with the spirits, but it's a special gift which grants you that. It's rare, at least among humans.

Edited 2018-10-30 16:29 (UTC)

Truly? [That's a bit strange. What then do mages in Dorian's world use as mediums? How do they channel the aether needed for spells? How different is Eorzean magic to what Dorian practises?

He's so curious-- he wants to know. Everything. Every little detail. Every little hint of knowledge.] Such things you tell me that are supposedly rare... they are depending on the branch of magic one is a disciple of, but most common in those who draw aether from nature to fuel themselves and have studied and trained for years.

... Except for the part of possession. Any practise that could have involved spirits or demons-- voidsent for us-- had died out long ago.

Mine own is unique in itself that it requires physical exertion aside from magical energies... Though for yourself. [X'rhun's tail waves slightly as he pushes off of the windowsill and approaches Dorian, a slight grin on his face, looking him over from feet to head, and down to his staff.] You've the look of a thaumaturge-- or mayhap even a black mage, with the power I can sense within you!

Aether? Hrm... It sounds like that is spirit energy which for us comes from the fade. How did Cole describe it... When we cast magic it's ... well... the Fade is a dream world, like this one, where the spirits and demons reside. It's where we get our magical energies, the fade sits parallel to reality, or perhaps it's just around us... in its own existence. Anyway, the veil separates reality from the fade and when we cast magic energies pool around against the veil attracted by the pull of power, and then we just sort of force it through and into our control. Bits of fade are always cast about with the elements we control. I can feel it, to an extent? I'm aware of it, the power and the energy that gives me the control I need to form and focus the elements at my disposal...

[He clears his throat.] Sorry, I digress, I think that probably didn't explain anything at all. And, yes, there are physical elements as well, the staff isn't just for show. I went to school for thaumaturgy, I became an enchanter. I'm certainly the black sheep in my family but... i'm not sure what you mean by "black mage"? I've been called a lot of different titles to describe my skills but... well, that's a new one in any case.

Edited 2018-11-11 05:20 (UTC)

[As he listens, X'rhun's mind is whirling, taking in all of this new information and putting it to terms in ways he could understand... and at the same time not. To look at something objectively, you must set aside what you already know, and that's what X'rhun is doing. He cant equate another world's style simply because it's an entirely different world-- different rules, different people.]

The way you describe the method of magicks in your world... That is almost exactly how black mages operate. They tap into a reality separate from our own, where creatures beyond our can reside-- we call it the void, and the denizens within voidsent-- and channel the aether from there into their bodies, fueling their spells to more destructive levels.

[Then X'rhun draws his weapon and turns his rapier upside down, attaching the little crystal medium to its pommel and waving the weapon about as if it were a staff or a cane rather than a sword.]

Black mages were once the most powerful in destructive magicks, preferring fire, lightning, ice and other such elements to win their battles, and wielded them with such sheer force that an accomplished black mage on the battlefield would be able to turn the tide nearly instantly. Though with all of their power, their spells to much time to cast, and they constantly found ways of shortening these times, or doing away with them completely.

They died out centuries ago when a war arose among different magic disciples, though their modern counterparts who wield simpler spells are called... [X'rhun grins widely despite the pause for dramatic effect.] Thaumaturges.

[Dorian moves to lean back against the table as he listens intently, taking in every detail with interest. It's curious indeed, the parallels between two very different worlds and their magics. So intriguing! He mulls over things and wonders... But there's a soft, if slightly bitter laugh.]

You would have to be careful speaking to some of my kind if you are comparing us to those who tap into the void for their magics. We Tevinter mages, or really, Mages in general, aren't always seen in the most positive of light because of our destructive power and threat, and saying we get our power from the Void is basically calling all magic evil. The Fade is a spirit world, the Void is where all Evil things go when they die, for lack of a better descriptor. Even if Demons still tend to venture to the Fade as well, and they are far from kind spirits.

[He rubs his chin in thought.] But it is curious, what you say. It certainly sounds as if I would be a Black Mage then? Or at least a Thaumaturge. That is a term that we all use it seems. It's very common, but it's just simply "Magic" or "Magic user" but fancy.

[He frowns a little.] Sad to hear your Black Mages went extinct though, Our world almost went that exact way. Some mages are still fighting to stay alive and some people are still out to kill us all off. But the Inquisition is trying to put an end to all of that. Many opinions differ on whether or not Mages should be free, destroyed or simply kept under lock and key. Because of how we cast our magic, it opens us up to the possibility of a demon or spirit getting through to us and taking over, which tends to turn Mages into monsters, literally. Many can not fight it so they are twisted and misshapen into something else. Stronger mages can use it to their advantage but many of them are corrupt to begin with... and end up more of a threat than the monstrosities.

[He shakes his head.] That's not a reason to subjugate or oppress us. A majority of us don't want any of that either and so we train and strengthen ourselves any way we can so that doesn't happen. And there are soldiers trained to ... well.... handle it should that happen to us. There is always that risk, but I for one do everything in my power to prevent it.

[which makes this place a little extra scary because it has weakened his hold and his power so easily and by so much. He worries the weakness in his control may also mean he's more susceptible to being possessed here. And he knows demons and spirits exist here.]

[The more Dorian speaks, the lower X'rhun's ears go. He's simply so used to disciples of magic being useful and wanted in Eorzea that... People who outright want to destroy them is upsetting.

He knows magic is not all good-- there's no such thing, it's neither of the two extremes because it's all about intent. About how one uses it, and the reason why the War of the Magi raged was because the mages of eld used their magicks for their own ends, bringing Eorzea to Calamity and forcing the realm to start over.]

Were it possible, I would have taken you to Eorzea. Mages are not to be hated or feared there, not when the entire world is of the energy that gives it to us.

[He places a hand on Dorian's arm.]

The guildmasters of the thaumaturges, a quintet of brothers, they likely would have loved you simply because of your discipline. I would have taken you to all corners of Eorzea, showed you just how varied our magicks are. And how much people appreciate mages for what we do.

[Dorian gives a small smile.]

Thank you, that is... an overly kind thought, but I understand your intentions. [He reaches out to pat the other on his shoulder.]

You don't have to worry though, not all of Thedas wants us dead. [Just most of it...]

In Tevinter, where I come from, Mages are in power. We are free to do as we please and we hold quite a lot of influence. And the Inquisition is making quite a lot of headway to help the free apostates. I have faith in our inquisitor.

One should not have to fight for freedom in the first place. [X'rhun shakes his head. He can understand why people are so scared of mages in the first place, this sort of history is in his expertise in many different ways.

But the way the people treat others so cruelly... He hates it so much.]

But... aye. I pray your friend shall succeed, and whilst you are here... Well.

[X'rhun's ears twitch.]

I suppose you make the most of your time here?

No, and there are lots of factors making everything quite a mess, but again, hopefully we can end the conflict and fix things with time. [Even within Tevinter there needs to be change and he knows that. He won't mention it, but of course, many take issue with the fact there are still slaves in his land. But their "slaves" are treated much better than those in the southern regions believe. It's more like indentured servitude, it's a way of life, it's a JOB. Many slaves do the work to afford to have their family in comfort rather than living in abject poverty. But most hear the word "slave" and cringe no matter how well their servants are treated.]

I will have to do what I can to survive I suppose? to adjust and learn and hopefully try to find a way to wake myself up in my world. [If there is a way, and he believes there has to be.]

[Lie is terrible no matter where you come from in the worlds, that's what X'rhun is taking from this. And that there is apparently a world that mostly hates mages, fears them enough to take away what makes them human.

He still wants to drag Dorian to Eorzea. A veritable stranger, but still he does. He wants to show the man there's a world who appreciates him for what he can do.]

I shall assist, my friend, in any way that I can. [This is what he says instead.] I've been living here in Deerington for a number of months now, and I can understand the struggles of adjusting to a world made primarily of magicks to one like this.

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