Test Drive 01

[pluviosamods]

TEST DRIVE

Hello, and welcome to the first Pluviosa Test Drive!

Rather than a series of prompts that are set after arrival to the game, this Test Drive is instead more of a soft open for the game. That is to say, not only are Test Drive threads game canon, but the Test Drive should be regarded as the "start" of the game chronologically and contains arrival-related events and information.

Or lack of information, as the case in fact is, because there is no greeting party waiting to reassure characters that everything is fine back in their worlds and that they'll get to go home again. (On the flip side, there's no one telling them that their worlds have been destroyed, either.) There is only the ship, the things inside it, the raging storm outside, and what characters can figure out for themselves.

It is advised that potential players familiarize themselves with the Premise page, the Rules/Session Zero page, and at least the first few paragraphs of the Setting page. As Pluviosa is a horror game, we especially encourage players to be aware of the content warnings that will be major themes of the game.

ARRIVAL

(cw: minor blood, visions, storm weather)

The first thing you become aware of is the sound of dripping. Your mind is fogged, as though woken from the wrong part of your sleep cycle. In your daze, you're convinced that the sound of dripping is blood. Yours? Someone else's? You can't be sure. It's dripping from somewhere. It's your fault, whichever it is.

Good. One way or another, you'll be free of this nightmare -

And then, in response to the sound of a crack of thunder outside, clarity returns.

Characters come around as though disturbed from a deep sleep. Once they have shaken off the (vision? impression?) of blood, they will find that the dripping sound, at least, was real. Fortunately, it's only water - rainwater, more than likely, judging from the occasional booms of thunder and flashes of lightning overhead. One hell of a storm, quite possibly the worst characters have ever experienced, is raging outside.

Outside where? Well, outside the ship, of course.

As a general rule, characters wake up in a random room of the first level of the ship below the main decks. Theoretically, this should be a relatively safe, dry place - but with the age of the ship, its state of disrepair, and the number of plants above that have dug their roots into the deck above, leaks are plentiful. Thus, the sound of dripping water is a constant even in enclosed areas - and, of course, the outside of the ship is being pounded by rain in shimmering sheets, adding to the cacophony of noise accented by the thunder.

Even the protective bubble over the deck itself and the balconies of the rooms is having trouble working to keep the rain out - the rain isn't terrifying hurricane levels, but it is steady and water floods steadily down the stairs and over the edges of the gap down the center of the ship. The worst of the wind, too, has been kept out, but occasional gusts send ripples through the rain.

There is no power inside the ship right now and barely any light besides the flash of lightning - although characters may arrive while it is nominally day, the clouds stretching from horizon to horizon have blocked out the sun almost completely. The motion of the ship is also far worse than usual due to the storm winds - it's easy to believe that you are in fact at sea, unless you manage to get close enough to the exterior windows or balconies to be able to see the ship's legs in motion through the cascade of water that runs down the exterior.

SEEING IS BELIEVING

(cw: hallucinations, thinking things that are real are hallucinations)

In the dark, you have to rely on your other senses - hearing, sound, smell. Smell is giving you the best information to start out with - rain, of course, but also mildew, plants, and old metal. (Is that a whiff of blood at the bottom? No, it's because of that bad dream you had messing with your head.)

No one comes to greet you. No one comes to find you. Instinctively, you know - no one is coming. You'll have to save yourself.

Characters will be fully convinced that they are alone until they actually run into another character. Even things that seem like they should be indicative of another person's presence, such as hearing voices or seeing someone shine a light down a hallway - your character will be convinced that that is just a hallucination until they can definitely lay eyes on another person, hear their voice clearly (ie: not half-drowned-out by the rain) or otherwise be certain of their presence.

That isn't to say that hallucinations aren't occurring. All characters, but especially those who are alone, will periodically hear murmuring voices, smell blood, smoke, and other scents reminiscent of destruction, and see what appear to be the flashes of flashlights, flickering lightbulbs, and the shadows of people walking around. These hallucinations fade in and out in intensity, but they always clear up for at least a little while when a character notices the sound of thunder. Given that the thunder is very frequent during the storm (every few minutes), most hallucinations won't last for long.

For most characters, the voices will be unintelligible murmurs. However, if your character has experienced an event of mass destruction at some point in their life (apocalypse or near-apocalypse, destruction of a city, volcano eruption, being the only survivor of a town that was slaughtered, etc), or has a connection to the dead, they will be able to pick out that the voices of the hallucinations are talking about either attempting to rescue people from something similar (eg: a distant voice shouting "there's someone still alive over here!") or, alternately, talking about how everything is lost, everyone is doomed now, etc. They may hear one type of voice or both at different times, at player discretion.

TO RUN ITS COURSE

(cw: dead loved ones, hallucinations/delusions, violence, potential death. THIS PROMPT CONTAINS PVP OPTIONS.)

You're not supposed to be alone. There was someone with you, only a few hours or years or minutes or lifetimes ago. You weren't always alone, and you have to find them.

You'll find them. You do. But not in any kind of condition to keep you company. This lump of flesh is empty now. The plants are already growing over it, reclaiming it. There's blood in the soil, and there's the sound of someone else coming up behind you.

Someone is coming. You'll have to save yourself.

There are various heaps of organic debris that characters can stumble across when wandering around in the dark - piled up leaves, rotted plants, heaps of ferns, moss, and so on. Even solid wood, sometimes - the trunks of small, twisted trees that took root where they might and have grown out from balconies to the exterior or inwards down the jungled crevasse between the two halves of the ship. In the low light, it's easy to literally stumble across them, or mistake them for something else in the brief light of a flash of lightning.

It's the mistaking them for something else that could be a problem. Characters may find themselves absolutely convinced that these heaps of leaves are the body of a loved one - especially if they were wandering around looking for someone in particular. They may or may not accurately perceive leaf cover on the outside of the "body," but unless they dig their hands in enough to be sure of the heap's contents - but who would want to go digging their hands into the body of someone they love? - or they see the shape in clear lighting (which would have to be provided by another character), it will be near impossible to convince them that the pile is just that, and not a corpse.

But that's not the really dangerous part. The dangerous part of all this is that if someone unexpected approaches while the character is in the same room as the 'body,' they may become convinced that the new arrival is responsible for their loved one's death. It doesn't matter how illogical it is on the surface - fear, or rage, or whatever it is that might fuel them will turn on the stranger. And whatever it is that convinces them of this has also turned their fight-or-flight reflex solidly to fight, whether it's for revenge or the last chance at survival for a cornered rat.

Characters so affected will fight until one of the following occurs: If they are led out of sight of the 'body,' they return to their senses (given that they may be inclined to chase the 'perpetrator,' this may be the best non-violent way to resolve the issue). If they are convinced that the 'body' is fake (through physical contact or clear lighting as above), they also return to their senses. And finally, if they kill the 'perpetrator' or are themselves killed or knocked unconscious, the effect ends. In all of these cases, it ends with the sharpness of a rubber band snapped against the skin, and the character is fully aware of their altered mental state and what occurred as a result.

If your character dies as a result of this prompt (and you want that thread to be game canon), please give the mods a heads-up if/when you are accepted into the game. Although this will not count as an 'official' death and will not consume a character's "freebie" revival, there may still be consequences for your character's death.

CONTENTS WORMING

(cw: worms. many worms. not parasitic. just worms.)

It's easy to take a wrong step in the dark. Of course, tripping and falling isn't the worst thing that can happen.

This isn't the worst thing that could happen, either. That doesn't make it any better in the moment - the split-second when the ground erupts and a writhing mass of something slimy doesn't so much crawl out as jump out - but maybe it will make it better later.

You know how worms come writhing up out of the ground during a rainstorm, when the soil is absolutely saturated?

Well, that's true of the soil on the ship as well, except the worms here aren't just common earthworms anymore. They've learned to climb, the slime that they use to wriggle through the soil modified such that they can cause it to turn sticky and squelch their way up walls, ceilings - and anyone they happen to come across. If you step in the wrong place, an entire cluster of them will respond, by clinging to your clothes and body, squirming upwards in a desperate bid to escape the wet soil and the continuous rivulets of water caused by the storm.

Or perhaps you sat down to rest somewhere and felt them creeping - or didn't, until there was suddenly something wet and cold on your bare skin. Or maybe you encountered the worms not through their climbing, but afterwards, when they drop off the ceiling and fall down on your head as the enzyme that renders their slime sticky wears out. However it happens... worms.

Fortunately, they're harmless - aside from being a bit larger than the earthworms a character is likely to be familiar with, and their strange ability to become sticky, these are largely indistinguishable from normal earthworms. Unfortunately, it's hard to tell that in the dark and the wet - this is their native environment, not yours, and anyone would panic at the sensation of worms trying to crawl up them or into dry places in their clothes.

There is an easy solution to this: Because the worms are fleeing the rain in the soil, they won't climb up anything that's just as wet as the dirt they left behind. All a character has to do to become worm-free is get thoroughly soaked, such as by stepping out into the reduced-but-still-pouring rain on a balcony or deck protected by the ship's bubbles. Unfortunately.... Well, then they're wet. And there doesn't seem to be anywhere to dry off any time soon...

FAQ

For information on the general shape and state of the ship, please see the setting page. Please note that mods will not be running investigations during the test drive period.

Q: Do our characters still have their powers/items?

Generally speaking, yes. Characters have their powers intact (with certain exceptions, largely for potential-gamebreak reasons) and whatever items they were carrying at their canonpoints. Please see the FAQ for more details.

Q: My character is dead and/or dying at their canonpoint!

Well... Now they aren't. Specifically, dead characters come back as their most recent 'healthy' state of being (unless they're a type of character that is playable while dead, such as a vampire or a Bleach shinigami, in which case they continue as normal for them); they also arrive already soaked through by the rain, regardless of the location they wake up. Characters who are mortally injured find that their wounds have healed; in place of whatever blood was soaking through their clothes/dripping from their bodies/in their mouth from a Cough of Death, they instead find pure water.

Q: Can my character(s) explore the ship?

Your characters are welcome to explore as much as they're willing and capable of doing in the wet and the rain! However, getting between floors is a challenge in the current weather - with the power off, the elevators do not work, and the stairs are consistently flooded by a cascade of rainwater. However, mods will not be running any official, guided explorations until after game opening.

Q: Is there anywhere dry to rest?

Nowhere is completely dry, but the aft portion of the ship is significantly drier than the middle and fore. The reason for this is that there is a series of partial decks (the residential decks) over roughly the last third of the ship. The rain is fully blocked by the roof overhead, in theory, but in practice the wind and the flooding leave this space only sort of dry. It's possible to find your way here on your own and find some place to sleep that doesn't blow mold spores into your face when you sit down, but it's also darker here, since the lightning's light is also blocked out by the roof.

Q: BATHROOMS?

Unfortunately, the lack of water in the pipes means that the toilets (which can be found relatively intact in most suites, though many are full of standing water) are also not running. Characters get to deal with this issue as they see fit, whether that's using the dilapidated toilets or using a more fertilizer-like strategy.

Q: Is there anything from the game's main info pages that doesn't apply to this Test Drive?

Given that the power is currently off, the Ship (as in the entity) cannot be interacted with on the Test Drive (and characters have no reason to think it's there). Anything else that would require power, such as the elevators or water from the faucets, also does not work.

Q: How long does the storm last?

ICly, it begins to lighten up on the evening of the second day after the first characters wake up, though it is still raining steadily with occasional thunder throughout that night. (Characters will continue to trickle in throughout the duration of the storm, though most arrive before the end of the first day.) The characters will be able to see the sun starting on the third morning - which is also planned to be the game's formal opening, so we won't say more until then!

Q: Do our characters receive anything upon arrival?

Not a thing! Nor do they encounter any kind of informational NPC or anything that gives them a solid idea what's going on. The only exception to this is that all characters experience the dripping-blood related vision/dream/impression detailed in the first prompt of the Test Drive. Additionally, characters who have a unique tie to their world (such as Aerith's connection to the Lifestream in FFVII) will be aware that they're not in their own world anymore.

Q: What are our characters eating?

Since the power hasn't come on yet... Whatever they're adventurous and/or knowledgeable enough to find that doesn't kill them! This can include edible plants and limited amounts of things brought from home (please don't have your character bring 99 casseroles even if your game's inventory system allows it), but mods are not tracking this specifically. Most characters will be expected to be hungry and unhappy but not literally starving come game open. At least there's plenty of water.

Q: I have some specific question I need to ask about my specific character on the test drive!

Please post your question in response to the header comment QUESTIONS below!

Comments

cw: Weird Blood

[helborn]

[Ah. Well. He isn't surprised at the attack, but he's disappointed. The threat doesn't scare him - he's heard worse from people he actually cared about and even worse on the road. The water-blade slashes across his chest and a substance starts to ooze out - lighter in color than blood but definitely thicker in consistency.]

[He barely moves, just giving the man a moment to take it in before his arms come down and try to wrap around Childe's. The other is taller, so Casper sweeps his leg to try to take the other off-balance - and should it actually connect with the man, it's got the unmistakably solid weight of metal.]

Are you done? This is a place where we need to work together, not try to kill each other.

[astraldownpour]

[A strange substance oozes from the other man's chest. Childe's heart thrums with bloodlust, pieces of a puzzle trying to slot together. He was meant for this; he was a weapon.

Teucer was dead, and so was his childhood self, lost in a swirling pit and a sea of stars.

The stranger's arms sweep down towards his, an attempt to pin him and keep him in place. Childe is quicker, stepping out of the way just enough to avoid the grab.

The Harbinger doesn't see the leg swinging at him. It sweeps one of his legs under him, solid. If there was pain, it's beyond his ability to register, adrenaline pumping through his system, revenge the only thing on his mind. The move staggers him nonetheless. His Fatui mask, once firmly pinned into his hair, clatters to the floor as he tries to regain his footing, stumbling back a bit.

Casper's voice doesn't reach him. He's done talking.

Childe launches himself at the shorter man once his feet find solid ground again, snarling. Stepping forward with a large upward swing of his blade, the force behind the blow enough to splatter the weaker, more wobbly parts of his shaky conjuration on the floor. Water seeps down his arms, trailing from his blades. His control of the water in his hands is failing. The vision on his hip flickers.]

[helborn]

Okay.

[Clearly a guy in a berserker rage of some sort. It's not exactly a new concept to Casper, but he's tired. He wants to be nice, but this person is trying to kill him. He reaches down and taps his leg, a clear baseball bat appearing in his hands. The strike still lands true, cutting through his hoodie into his skin.]

[It hurts, but he's had worse. It could always be worse - his life often ends up that way. He takes a breath, steps forward, and launches a swing towards Childe's head, hoping to stun him enough that he can restrain him.]

Really don't want to kill you!

[astraldownpour]

[Another of his attacks lands. It's not enough. It never would be. It didn't matter to him if Casper was painted in his own blood, it would never bring back Teucer, nor would it repair the gaping wound in Childe's heart.

But he would feel a hell of a lot better if the man who killed him was dead.

A baseball bat sort of just appears in the guy's hands, he wasn't wholly paying attention, everything was a blur and he ached for more blood.

The Harbinger tries to be quicker than the swing, blade aiming for the other man's throat. Pain shatters his poise, and he crumples, falling towards the other man. The blades in his hands finally melt away, dripping onto the floor as his vision's light gives out.

The blow dazes Childe, leaves the world spinning around him. He's still so angry, furious, but he can't seem to get his bearings. Childe can feel something hot running down the side of his neck. He groans, holding his head in his hands as if stabilizing it would stop his vision from swimming.

He knows he's basically leaning on Teucer's killer. If he could just... His hands try to find purchase, grasping at everything, anything they can reach. Aiming for Casper's shoulders, maybe his throat. It's a desperate endeavour. He's wide open. HE NEEDS THIS.]

[helborn]

[He catches the other easily, careful not to let him fall. He takes a deep breath as those hands get near his throat. The shoulder's fine, but the throat -]

[Falling, drowning, the nightmares always coming after him. The laughter, the ocean - he can't breathe!]

[He blinks and there's a hand on his throat. He freezes for a moment before he manages to blurt out a command.]

Calm down.

[There's weight to his words, a firmness that demands obedience. He hates using this, but if there's no other way he isn't sure what to do other than straight-up knocking the guy out. He'd rather not cause brain damage, thank you.]

[astraldownpour]

[His hands touch over the other man's shoulders. Drifting closer to Casper's throat as the blunt force injury had Childe reeling.

His hand finds Casper's neck, gently gripping, the Harbinger clinging to him like a lifeline. One that he did very much want dead, but a lifeline nonetheless.

The shorter man holding him up stiffens for a moment, before speaking, voice forceful.

There is a weight in the command, a firmness in the other's voice.... It leans on his mind, crushes his fury underheel, his mental state allowing this power to seep in through the cracks and take hold.

His grip on Casper's throat was weak as it was, with Childe's fading consciousness. The command is just enough for him to loosen his fingers, hand sliding down to rest at Casper's collarbone.

The Harbinger falls entirely limp, finally falling unconscious. Blood seeps from his head, soaking his hair. It's not the worst he's been through, but he was still human. Mostly.]

[helborn]

[He winces at the sight of the blood, picking him up and trying to find somewhere somewhat dry. He heads into the hallways, eyes peering in the dark to try to find somewhere at least not getting constantly rained on.]

[He manages to wander his way into a - was this a lounge? It's impossible to tell with all of the plants, but there's some kind of soft-looking plant that he can rest Childe on. The wound worries him, so he reaches up and pulls off a large leaf, pressing it to the man's head as a makeshift bandage.]

[He'll wait until the other wakes up and... at least hope that he's less violent. He glances up at the raven that's been following him and nods.]

See if you can find some kind of clean fabric?

Doubtful. But I'll look.

[The bird flies off, flitting from area to area while Casper waits.]

[astraldownpour]

[Childe stays unconscious for a good ten or so minutes, before he begins to stir. His vision is blurry, at first. He can feel. Something on his head?

He lifts his arm to touch it-- a leaf? His scalp feels a bit tacky, and he keeps getting wafts of blood, but worse, this time.]

Hunh? Wha?

[His vision clears, and he sees. Casper, next to him. They're in a different room? All fury quickly forgotten, he can't even think of the image of his dead brother on the floor if he tried, but he could remember a pile of. Various plant matter, leaves and roots....

But he remembers lashing out, attacking. Casper's blood, the bat. That voice.

He rubs at his eyes, as if it will help him focus. He gets a better look at the other man now, he'd roughed him up pretty well. The Harbinger frowns, expression turning into something between shame and concern. He sits up, fully, crossing his legs.

His head aches terribly. He absolutely deserves it.]

I... Don't understand how or why I... I'm sorry. Are you okay? That was. It was crazy. I don't know what came over me.

[helborn]

[He closes his eyes for a moment, mentally calling Bob back. It'll take a few minutes, so he looks down at the stirring man. He wants to make a terrible joke - not the first time I got attacked by someone who was supposed to be on my side - but he holds his tongue.]

I don't know what came over you either, but... it's fine now. I'm sorry I don't have any kind of healing magic, but I did what I could. I'm sorry I hit you, I just... couldn't restrain you.

[He scoots back slightly, giving the guy some space.]

But you're okay now, right?

[astraldownpour]

[And the guy he attacked is now apologizing to him. The fatuus could name a few people who could take pointers from... this guy. He didn't even get a name off the poor fucker before putting his hands all over him.

He'd buy him a drink, when this was all over.]

Hey, no need to apologize. I don't have any either, it'll buff out. What's a little choking and blunt force trauma between friends, huh?

[He laughs, before offering a hand to him, even as Casper scoots back.]

You can call me Childe. Never did get your name. Terrible manners.

[Maybe he is just a bit woozy still.]

[helborn]

[Sadly the drink would have no effect, but the gesture would be appreciated.]

Heh.

[Friends, huh? He's about right with that, though it makes him feel a little warm inside to be called a 'friend'. Probably just how the guy talks, but...]

Casper.

[He reaches out and shakes the guy's hand, nodding. He doesn't have to explain the 'junior' thing here. His dad won't show up.]

[... Probably.]

[astraldownpour]

[Casper. He'd remember that. Childe offers him a smile, over a growing headache.]

Nice to meet you, Casper. Thanks for helping after all of that.

[Casper had taken a pretty big risk, doing that. Neither of them really understood the extent of.... Whatever the hell had come over him. The Harbinger is a little concerned about it happening again.]

You uh, find anyone else here before I tried to kill you?

[May as well make a little small talk while they stayed right here, and away from that other room. He hasn't been able to piece together much. Hallucinations, piles of plant matter that make you violent, a storm desperately hammering at the walls... it's been a long ass day for him and it's barely begun.

Childe could go for that drink now, if he could. The burn of firewater was about as soothing as that baseball bat had been to his head, but it would make him feel a hell of a lot better. And he could also use it to disinfect the wound, too. He wasn't very confident in the.... cleanliness of the water running off of the leaves.]

[helborn]

Of course. I couldn't just let you stay there.

... And I found one or two other people. We're not alone. But it's not exactly a full ship, either. ... Aside from the ghosts.

[He says it so casually, you might think he's used to it. He is.]

But I think they're mostly distracted with whatever disaster happened here before all of the plants took over. They're not really chatty.

[astraldownpour]

I mean. You could have. You absolutely could have.

[He laughs, as much as he can muster. Casper would have been right in doing it, too. He appreciates that he didn't, all the same.

The fatuus wouldn't have either, if they'd switched places. He was a bad person, yeah. A list of bodies, targets, a nation nearly drowned. His blood wasn't the first to stain his shirt. It wouldn't be the last.

But he tried to be decent.]

I've met a few people, too. Weirder than I'm used to. Not really putting two and two together on why and how we all ended up here. Why me or you, rather than like. Literally anyone else, you know?

[Not to complain, of course. A little mystery to break up the monotony of his hospital stay was more than welcome. He was going stir crazy and already had to be restrained once.]

[helborn]

... I guess I could have. But it wouldn't have felt right. You clearly weren't yourself.

[As for why him... he laughs a little bit, though there's not really any humor in it.]

Bad things always tend to happen to me rather than the others.

[He lifts his pant leg to reveal... well, it's not flesh. It's some kind of almost-flesh colored metal with some kind of runes carved into it. He knocks on it with his knuckles and it makes a definitely metallic noise. He drops the pant leg.]

I know of at least one god who hates me, so there's probably more. I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of them. I'd honestly be more surprised if it wasn't.

[astraldownpour]

[He understands that. Chaos, wrought by him or not, tended to follow Childe wherever he went. It didn't matter what corner of the world he was in, something was bound to happen. Be it him fighting a bunch of guys in an alley for interrupting him, or getting wrongfully imprisoned for a crime that happened when he was an infant, or a long abandoned ruin guard laboratory suddenly coming to life the moment he entered it with his brother. He really did tend to have rotten fucking luck.]

His eyes follow Casper's hands as he lifted up a pant leg, revealing... A metallic leg--- He remembered how that felt.]

A god that hates you, huh?

I'm no expert, really, but this doesn't really feel like a divine punishment.

[It was too physical, for him. Picking a set bunch of people from random other places and slapping them all here for.... No discernible reason. Wouldn't a god do worse? Couldn't they? He can't think of anyone he'd angered, unless he'd been held so in contempt of the court Neuvillette deleted him from the canon.]

Well. I know one thing for sure. We stick together long enough, we'll bring twice the trouble. It follows me wherever I go. Sorry if you get caught in the crossfire. No hard feelings, right?

[He laughs, and winks.]

[helborn]

No, it doesn't. It tends to be more direct when Mother is angry at me.

[He tries to let go of the anger, tries to push it away. It's not helpful right now. Bob flutters down and digs his talons into Casper's shoulder, pulling him back to reality. Right.]

Same to you - uh.

[The wink catches him off-guard and he blinks hard, clearing his throat. ... Nah, that couldn't be flirting. Not to him. The guy's probably just friendly.]

Are you feeling well enough to walk? I can see in the dark, so we won't have to worry about running into things.

[astraldownpour]

[This guy seemed to have a few demons. Childe could understand. He tries not to think about his own issues with his family after... Well. It didn't matter, now. A raven appears, something he hadn't noticed before, when he was trying to kill Casper. At least he had a friend of sorts here.]

Mother as in... Your mother is a deity?

[He broaches the subject, just a little. It wasn't too outlandish for him: The Archons of his world had once been... Well some of them had been normal people before the War. And some of them had been normal people chosen by their predecessors. One of them, not naming names, had faked his own death and was playing pretend with mortals right now.]

On one hand, cool. Divinity sounds pretty sweet. On another, oof. Would not wanna be at that family reunion.

[He's mostly joking, passing the time. Trying to play it cool. The guy didn't seem to think too fondly of it all. The wink seemed to catch Casper off-guard though. Maybe he'd been a little too friendly.]

My head hurts like a motherfucker, but I can walk. Been through worse. It'd be best if we kept moving anyways. I don't like the look of this place at all. There's gotta be something else here.

[Too dark and eerie, too much like a rainforest. Just because he hadn't run into some kind of monster yet didn't mean there weren't any. And as much as he wanted to believe that he was the worst monster in the area, Childe wasn't looking forward to finding out if that was true when he was still reeling from blunt force trauma.]

[helborn]

She is. A goddess of death, specifically.

[He lets that hang in the air for a moment before sighing and rising to his feet, holding out a hand to Childe to help him up.]

The last meeting I had with her was incredibly awkward, yes. My father can use magic too - which isn't really a common thing in my world. So I've got weirdness from both sides. Most demigods have a normal parent.

[He got 'lucky', except his dad is also terrible.]

I haven't been able to hear or smell much of anything in the area in terms of other living beings, but Bob can scout for us if we need to. Unless the plants can move on their own, which honestly? I wouldn't put it past this place.

[astraldownpour]

[He happily takes the hand, letting Casper help him up.

A goddess of death, huh? Childe's first thought is a duel between both him and Casper's mother. Friendly, of course. He didn't want to get Casper in trouble because he loved to tempt fate.]

A demi-god! Huh, that's cool, right? There are people in my world who are part god too, but they tend to take on more... Animal-like features.

[Bob... The raven? That was definitely a name. He'd ask about the story behind it as they walked. For now, Casper's musing about moving plants had him laughing.]

If these things start moving I won't hesitate. I'll chop 'em all down. No thanks! Fuck that!

So, uh. Bob, huh? Why that name in specific?

[helborn]

[She'd kick your ass, Childe. But he'd encourage it.]

Animals, huh? I can do that but uh... only for a short time. And just make sure you don't chop someone while you're weedwhacking.

[The question gets a small blush out of him.]

So Bob's actually kind of magical - he's lived way longer than a normal raven would. I first found him when I was little and he was a chick. It was the first name I thought of.

[Also smuggling him across the border from Canada was an Experience.]

[astraldownpour]

Only for a short time, huh? Do you get to choose what animal, or is it a specific one?

[He's genuinely curious]

No promises, but I'll try not to.

[The fatuus wouldn't make a promise he couldn't keep.

A magic raven. Yeah, he'd believe that. The name seemed silly to him initially, but on another hand... it was sweet. It was like Teucer calling Ruin Guards 'Mr. Cyclops', or his obsession with narwhals, to the point where he still recreates their movement (and sometimes scale) with hydro.]

Bob's a good name. At least you have someone to give you company here.

[helborn]

Nah, just a raven's features. I have some limited flight with it, but it's not exactly a good long-distance solution.

[He nods - fair! He's also not in the habit of making promises he can't keep.]

Ah... thanks. He's really smart. He talks, but uh... well. Hopefully most people don't understand Raven. He's kind of prone to swearing and being critical.

- And before you ask, yes I can sort of understand other birds. It's like they're talking with an incredibly thick accent where you can only make out a couple words per sentence.

[astraldownpour]

[Just the features and some flight. That was pretty cool to Childe. He wasn't jealous, of course, he had his own transformation ability.]

Heh, still. Not every day you meet someone who can transform a little.

[Casper mentions the raven speaking to him, being able to sort of understand other birds... It has his eyes wide, interested. His head still hurts, but he's taking it easy on himself, even as they walk.]

So he doesn't speak in a way others can understand, but you can? Neat. Bet he makes a damn good scout.

[helborn]

Usually no.

[He nods and smiles a bit.]

He's one of my two best friends. I raised him... a ghost help raise me. Or at least taught me life lessons.

[Though he had to admit some of those life lessons were not ideal. 'Stab anyone who looks at you funny' was one he discarded almost as soon as he heard it.]