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mundane_realms2020-10-11 08:37 am
dm_screen) wrote in mundane_realms2020-10-11 08:37 am
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Bardsong's First Test-Drive Meme!
How to Use:
It all began when you fell from the skies above, wreathed in flame. When you landed, you learned that you weren't alone: So many others, each from worlds entirely different from yours, have found themselves in his predicament, and know about as much as you do! The locals greet you with a cautious friendliness, welcoming you to the town of Concord. They tell you that the world was broken apart mysteriously not long ago, and are trying to devise ways to step far beyond the town borders to find where the rest of the globe went, get to the bottom of things.
But your arrival is nothing short of a blessing. Perhaps you, the Starfallen, are the answer to their prayers. They explain how live presently works in Concord, they give you that tour of their guilds, and even give you a place to stay at Concord Crossing, where you're randomly assigned roommates. You hope your roommates are amicable...
In the days following, after shaking off the shock of your current situation, you find yourself beginning to integrate into Concord life. But while you await word from the local researchers among the many guilds dotted through town, each looking for new members to bestow their teachings, you need to fill your pockets with precious, precious sol. You'd also heard that there was to be a celebration very soon, and everyone is invited. A little partying never hurt anyone, right? Besides, free food!
Now, where to begin...?
I. More Than This Provincial Life
Concord, the large city that it is, hosts many opportunities for work. Between the multiple quarters and their specialties, just about anyone can find a job. With the isolation from the rest of the world, employers eagerly welcome the Starfallen with part time or temporary work (Apparently, all full time positions are taken and employers conspicuously nudge people out the door if they spend too much time on the clock) to coincide with the life of an adventurer. For those who wish for something to do and a source of income outside of quests, there's always an honest day's wage to be made! With the exception of a few tasks the South Quarter may have to offer, but those aren't the kind of jobs spoken of too loudly.
I-A. Magicka Cleanup Detail
The Concord Magic Academy, between bright-eyed students trying their best and young nobles whose admission was paid in cash, sees quite a few accidents in its halls. Alchemy experiments, wayward fireballs, testing theories given by their Occultist friends, anything can come up and make a mess of a lab or a classroom. As such, the academy welcomes the brave and the patient to the field of custodial engineering, especially those with strong stomachs and combat experience. It wouldn't be the first time stains fight back or gravity ceased to be, so on top of keeping to their own personal hygiene standards, employees are expected to be thorough in their cleaning and expect the unexpected.
I-B. Amazing Paperboy Deliveries
The Concord Truthogram is dedicated to bringing the truth right to the doors of paying customers as soon as the next issue is ready. They're looking for delivery workers and runners equally dedicated to I bringing the truth to subscribers! Runners will need to deliver newspapers all across Concord before dawn breaks. Subscribers are all throughout the city, so runners are encouraged to find an optimal route and coordinate with their co-workers to bring the truth the world in a timely and orderly manner! This job favors the agile, as early Concord mornings are filled with people bustling through the streets and occasional hazards to trip up the distracted runner. Try not to make too many mistakes, as unsatisfied customers will unsubscribe and deny themselves the gift of the Concord Truthogram. Watch out for stray dogs and the occasional grim reaper.
II. O Valley Of Plenty, Whoa-oh-oh!
Working at a coffee shop or helping to organize a wizard's dusty study isn't for everyone, and the people of Concord understand. Every world runs on some currency, and here, it's known as the 'sol'. For those looking to do a 'dirtier' work, the citizenry helpfully direct the Starfallen to the Men-At-Arms Guild, your source of monster-busting work!
Lit by the glow of lanterns, the following work is looking for takers, posted on a large board outside the guild:
II-A. Rabites!
"We need someone to handle the Rabite problem! A couple that chooses not to be named found a pair and decided to raise them as pets, but they have since bred out of control into feral, very bitey colonies. They may look cute and cuddly, but you may need to bring a friend to be on the safe side."
Reward: 50 sol per pelt
II-B. Bumps in the Night!
"We need graveyard shift relief for the town guard posted along the outskirts of Concord. Lately, the guards have been reporting strange noises through the night, and have seen an influx of ghoul sightings coming down from the nearby hills. Take care care not to get bitten; it won't make you like them, but it will make you sluggish and leave you as easy prey."
Reward: 800 sol a night + 100 sol per head
III. Like One of Those Music Videos
While typically only those following the paths of their departed founders and enduring Masters of the Manor are granted entry to the Glistering Estate, the Guild of Steel and Lace nonetheless occasionally open the gates to outsiders. Oftentimes, this is simply to showcase a performance at the theatre, or to offer a chance for newcomers to join their ranks; today, however, is a special occasion: the anniversary of the Estate's groundbreaking. For the evening, the entire Estate grounds have been made available to the residents of Concord, and an exquisite buffet has been prepared for all who would raise a glass to their Founders. Many who come may be tempted by the lavish wealth on display, but aspiring thieves and troublemakers must be warned: Behind the gold and silk lies a house packed to the brim with the likes of veteran Paladins and entrapping illusionists.
III-A. Black Tie...?
Before one is permitted entry to the Estate proper, they must be willing to show a modicum of due deference and wear the proper attire. For an open-door event such as this, simple and tasteful formalwear will suffice; a collared dress shirt or modest blouse, at the very least. Fortunately for those who cannot afford- or, as is sometimes the case, simply forgot- such fineries, the Guild of Steel and Lace happily provides attire of the sort worn by their own members on the estate grounds, and their stocks accommodates all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, their standard attire inevitably takes the form of service attire such as maid outfits and butler uniforms. They have even provided booths to change in private, so please, don't make a scene.
III-B. Upper, Upper Class High Society!
Once inside, the guests have freedom to enjoy the manor's full facilities; the Guild of Steel and Lace have spared no expense in setting up food options from their in-house chefs ranging from terrestrial crab legs and tropical fruits to... erm... unfamiliar flora or fauna that are unidentifiable, but thoroughly delicious. At least, to the locals who have already acquired the taste. Additionally, The theatre is hosting an ongoing series of performances from the Guild's bards, though they're not above letting the Starfallen have their turns at the microphone. Nonetheless, from ballroom to gardens to bathhouse, the entire estate is open to visitors, so why not have a look around...?
III-B
She's dressed, at least, though the water has the maid skirt floating every direction. The thought of walking around in wet clothes later on doesn't bother her in the least. It's only surface-dwellers who get caught up on such things.
She sees a blurred silhouette above her near the pool's edge, but doesn't surface just yet. Several people have passed by without getting in, not even noticing the woman below them. If he comes in for a swim, she'll go and greet him.]
no subject
A cannonball.]
YAHOOOO!!
[And the aquatic calm was shattered by a loud, rippling splash, before a wet canine rose to back to the surface of the pool, swiping his hair out from his eyes.]
Wow, this thing's heated...!
[Hmm. Apparently he never noticed the pool was occupied thanks to the turbulent water he'd produced...]
no subject
So she sits up and kicks over to where the... werewolf...? floats.
And oh, he is... not clothed. Is that the local custom?
Meroon moves soundlessly, rising up in front of the nude newcomer.]
Yes, you surface-dwellers prefer your water warm, do you not?
[Air breathers were so delicate like that, unable to survive in cold waters... Poor things. Not at all hardy like Tritons.]
no subject
UWAAHH--!!
[A bit of thrashing and flailing ends with Red's hands desperately moving to cover his.... nether regions, which rather predictably sees him plunge back under the water soon after.
When he finally resurfaces, he keeps one hand on the lip of the pool to let him stay afloat, the other... attempting the tall order of keeping himself modest. Furballs, this lady wasn't one of this place's residents keeping an eye out for people like him, was she?!]
Th-they said we could be in the pool, didn't they?! They didn't give me a swimsuit!!
no subject
Yes, the pool is open to us. Are we meant to be naked?
[Back in Barovia, Meroon hadn't had the luxury of swimming naked. She'd lived in her armor at all times, because she was never not in danger.
...there is a certain appeal to stripping out of these silly borrowed clothes and enjoying the water against her bare skin. She's not overly self-conscious about her body. If these pools are meant to be enjoyed naked....]
Very well. I will remove mine as well.
[She begins by doffing her maid's apron. So if Red needs an article of clothing to grab, there's that.]
1/2
Phew. You had me worried for a sec that you were--
2/2
[YUP THAT SURE WAS A MAID OUTFIT BEING TAKEN OFF RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. And Red's new shade of shock had already tinted his cheeks pink.]
H-hold-hold on a sec, you don't hafta do that. y'know!!
[Did being the inspiration for this made him look like some kinda degenerate creep...?!]
no subject
Either I am meant to be naked, or you are not. Choose.
[Would you rather look like a pervert or deal with the embarrassment of skinny-dipping with a fish lady? Pick your poison, Red.]
no subject
[...Furballs. She had him there. But if she wasn't one of this place's Paladin guards, and she didn't even seem to mind the fact that he'd cast out his bait and tackle, then...
He gave one last look over his shoulder to make absolutely sure nobody else had to see it...]
...guess it's not so weird if we're both doin' it, huh?...
[And he sloooowly eases back into some semblance of relaxation in the waters, though he still tried to keep his eyes at least somewhat averted. Or talk about something other than skinny-dipping with a stranger.]
...you think they're gonna be mad you got that dress wet?
no subject
Casting out bait and tackle, huh? Were you hoping for a bite there, Red?Meroon resumes her stripping, slipping out of the wet layers with the speed and efficiency of someone used to dressing and undressing underwater. She lets the dress sink to the bottom of the pool.]
Yes, it is less weird already, no?
[She swims a circle around the dog-man, enjoying the freedom from the stupid dress. It really is an impractical outfit.]
And why should they be? It will dry. If it is so flimsy water ruins it, it is not worth having.
no subject
[Which, in hindsight, begged the question of why he was currently treading water with his junk dangling free. At least he wasn't the only one now.
But on the matter of weirdness, there was a certain lower boundary to the absurdity of any situation that had him skinny-dipping in a pool that wasn't his with some sort of naked fish-woman he'd only just met.
He tries not to stare. Bless him, he tries.
But maybe just a little peek here or there as she swims wouldn't hurt. Hey, she was the one who wanted them both to get naked, right?]
So... uh... you must do this kinda thing all the time, huh?
no subject
She does a couple of quick loops around the pool to stretch her limbs, then stops and floats on her back, just enjoying the water. She usually prefers it cold, but she's starting to get the appeal of the artificially warm waters.]
No, it has been a long time, actually. I have had to swim in my scale mail. Wasn't safe to go unarmored.
no subject
[He'd just set aside the question of how she could swim while wearing armor for the time being. Though perhaps he'd have been better off thinking about that instead of...
...well, instead of visibly straining to not just give in to gawking, now that this naked fish-woman was floating chest-up.
Maybe he'd just sink himself in a little deeper and be grateful that her gaze wasn't under the water, so she'd be spared a glimpse of any sort of... anatomical response.
WELL MAKE WITH THE POLITE CONVERSATION ALREADY RED]
You're really... good at swimming, huh?
[Smooth. And eloquent.]
no subject
I was born in the ocean. Anything you do on land, I can do under water. Well, no drinking, but everything else.
[She raises up a little out of the water and pulls back her kelp-colored hair from her neck to show her gills.]
Most of my people go their whole lives without ever coming to the surface at all. They have only seen weresharks, not werewolves.
[Because that's totally what you are, right Red?]
no subject
Now, to make sure the topic stayed off of the leviathan that lurked beneath the waves.]
Really? I'd lived my whole life without ever seein' an ocean. Or anything below the clouds. ...At least until a coupla weeks ago. It actually feels kinda weird just havin' all this... land around.
[...But there came that word yet again. The same thing everyone else called him.]
Why does everyone keep asking me about where wolves?!
[It's not like he had them last!]
no subject
[She takes another lazy loop around him in the pool, looking him over and sure enough, not seeing any means by which he might fly. She does catch a glimpse of Red's hidden bone, though. Oh. Perhaps surf and turf are not so separate as she'd assumed?
She kicks up a little more to test the theory, letting her upper half once more rise out of the water. What will that do to the serpent beneath the waves, eh?]
Are you not a lycanthrope? But you have hair everywhere and a dog's face... Are you saying that so I won't know your weaknesses?
[Maybe you could fool a less-traveled Triton, but Meroon's been a fish out of water for long enough to know what a wolf looks like.]
no subject
[It was such a straightforward thing to him, but... maybe to someone else he'd need to give a little more detail.]
Okay, uh. Think of 'em like islands, but in a sea of clouds. I lived on those islands. Or at least on a ship that would... between... them.
[He'd kept his eyes off while she was swimming laps, but... well if you're just going to rise out of the water right in front of him, then congratulations, Meroon, you've managed to finally leave him speechless. And quite overtly staring.
Wow. Just look at the dunes on that bea--
Thankfully he's pulled out of his stunned reverie when the bone falls from his mouth and falls into the water with a plunk. He stiffens, tail upright and erect, and nearly sinks again before he quickly finds his buoyancy. Of course, by that point, even through the agitated water, he was visibly stiff, upright, and erect in other ways too.]
...uh... what was that last question? Somethin' about hair everywhere?
no subject
[She can't imagine floating islands in the sky. Air doesn't allow for that the way water does.
Red, meanwhile, is distracted by some other mountains, and her cheeks take on a purplish blush. So... this dog is looking, then. She hasn't had much luck, historically, with land-dwellers noticing her, but perhaps she should have been looking skyward this whole time...
Back into the water, but she watches Red's struggles with greater interest.]
What are you, if not a werewolf? I've never seen anything quite like you.
[And she's seen a lot of him at this point.]