[TDM] September 2023 (again!)

[inkveil]

SEPTEMBER 2023 TDM (part 2!)

You wake up, completely alone in an unfamiliar place. The forest around you is awash in the pleasant coolness of early autumn. Any time-telling devices have stopped working and nothing looks familiar. But the visitors center has maps and information on the area, and with a bit of looking around you find the name of a nearby town: Ashbrook.

Welcome to the (second) TDM for September! Please direct any questions you may have here.

Object Terror

What:

A haunted house with some haunted hitchhikers

When:

Evenings in October

Warnings:

Varies, see here

---

As the air chills, the nights cool, and the leaves dress up in autumnal splendor, the yearly spooktacular surprises begin to take root in the town once again. While Turnit Around Turnip makes their auspicious charms the focal point of their sales – it's good for casting away evil spirits and bad luck, you see – there's the rising excitement of Miss Fortune's Mystery Manor returning as well. It's a rather old house, normally abandoned with "private property" signs hung with care and watched over carefully by the local force to ensure no miscreants find their ways inside, but with fall sweeping in on the northern winds new signs have appeared.

Come on by! They say, decorated with colorful leaves and pumpkins stickers. Harmless as can be, skeletons greeting any who should pass with a hand perpetually raised. Feeling brave? Test your courage in this year's haunted house!

Bring a friend, it implies, or maybe a date. It'd be a nice time to try your luck with a little "physical comfort" as the teens like to say.

The yard is decorated with all sorts of 'spooky' bits and bobs, like inflated ghosts and a cauldron spilling out smoke. Hands from the ground. Shadows in the window. Maybe even a face or two, but it's plain to see they're just illuminated cutouts if you dare to look too long at them. Within is much the same affair, with cobwebs both real and fake in the corners of the rooms, a worn red carpet indicating the pathway through the haunted exploration. There's your usual jumpscares, closets opening and cabinets banging, dolls that blink and books that fall on their own... A ribbon that wraps itself around your feet, paintings whose eyes follow your every move, the hand of a skeleton grasping your arm that definitely was not moving before–

The guide had mentioned, you remember, that a number of the possessions here had come from possessed homes and individuals, knick-knacks that had a life of their own, and allowed out only this time of the year. Employees who work the haunted attraction can attest to suddenly finding hitchhikers when they'd gotten home, and warn with almost a joking tone to make sure you're not a victim yourself! How funny, charming, and definitely not going to happen.

But it does.

Some of the "haunted items'' look pretty nifty. A pocket watch that tells time backwards. A doll that bleeds from the eyes. A book that always falls open on the same pages, paragraphs describing the gruesome death of a young couple at the hands of some fictionalized serial killer with each sentence underlined in a dark, dull brown and dotted with the same. Easy to take, easy to fence off to the right sucker – or just to keep as a souvenir. Steal if you'd like.

Others seem to find their way home in a less natural way, tucked away in your pocket when you go to protect your digits from the chilly fall air or sitting in the entryway of your house. That large painting of a mysterious woman wasn't in your bathroom when you went in, but one look into the mirror and she's staring right back at you, judging your teeth brushing techniques. Just fascinating, unusual things like that – and they'll always find their way "home", too.

---

TL;DR

• A haunted house is in town, and in that house are haunted objects
  
• One way or another, these objects will find a way into a characters home, where they'll cause various spooky effects
  
• You can make up your own item and effects, or comment here to have the mods generate one for you
  
• Existing characters are allowed to request a haunted item, but we ask that they not post top level comments on the TDM itself

Putting the 'Fun' in Fundraiser

What:

A fundraiser with completely normal food

When:

Throughout September and October

Warnings:

Memory loss, delusional thoughts, aggression, violence, food that's been tampered with

---

Where there is fall, there is bound to be fundraisers galore – that's what the odd pop-up shop that seems to appear overnight is for, probably, though the most forgettable face on the planet running it won't say one way or the other. It's "getting pretty chilly out there, huh?" and "say, how about you take a few ciders off my hands" for starring topics, and to his credit the food and drink he offers does look absolutely delectable... not to mention perfect for the cooling weather.

Like any normal shopkeep, he's got exactly three stupendous items for sale:

A warm, spicy apple cider perfect for chasing away the chill and easing that homesickness the Visitors might be feeling about now. It just brings back golden memories, sitting by the hearth or surrounded by loved ones, or if one's past is more of the sad type it's those snatches of happinesses, the small kindnesses shown to them and Lady Luck turning her wily gaze their way. It tastes like nostalgia, it just might not be your own.

Second for sale is the dark rustic coloring of maple syrup in its own leaf-shaped glass jug, sweet enough to give the dentist a week's worth of appointments. In fact, the salesman claims that "nine out of ten dentists" recommend it as a mouthwash – he's just joking of course, for legal reasons. Perfect for everything breakfast and finding a place in some beverages as well, take a bottle or two home for the missus (or mister!) to make use of this autumn season.

Lastly is a special spice mix for the culinary connoisseurs of the town, a special blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and his own flair thrown in that gives it a bit of je ne sais quoi (just like how grammy used to make it!): black pepper. Guaranteed to kick any recipe up a notch, he claims it can be used in drinks, desserts, and as a topper for each as well. Just don't do what the kids call the "pumpkin pie spice challenge", or the hospital's the next place you'll wake up.

But of course, it can't be that simple. Each of these food items has a strange effect on Visitors—and only on Visitors, as it turns out. Each of these effects will last for up to an hour, and are as follows:

The apple cider feels so much like home you'll forget you aren't home. Visitors will forget their lives in canon and believe that they are, in fact, their Ashbrook counterpart. They won't gain any new memories to facilitate this belief, however.

The maple syrup is so sweet you could forget all your worries! ... Literally. The syrup causes total amnesia, causing Visitors to forget their canon memories and their time spent in Ashbrook.

The spice mix has some kick! Too much kick. Characters will find that they're hearing other people's thoughts, projecting their own thoughts at other people, and moving objects without touching them. This can happen even around townsfolk, though they'll be quick to dismiss it as their imagination.

And, finally, all of the foods have a chance of causing heightened feelings of aggression, anger, and paranoia. This could just make you a little more snappish in a slow checkout line... or it could drive you to commit acts of violence, even extreme ones, against your fellow residents of Ashbrook.

---

TL;DR

• A suspiciously normal man is offering spiked food to any interested parties.
  
• Every food item has a chance of increasing aggression, anger, and paranoia, which could lead to violent outbursts.
  
• Apple cider makes Visitors believe that they're actually their Ashbrook counterpart
  
• Maple syrup causes total amnesia
  
• Spice mix gives Visitors minor—and uncontrolled!—telekinetic and telepathic abilities.

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

What:

It's time to learn magic!

When:

Weekends in September and October

Warnings:

None

---

As many Visitors were able to establish last month, the Witch of the Woods isn't just a rumor. She's a real person, a stern but beautiful woman who's willing to teach anyone who seeks her out. Bring her a suitable offering and knock three times on her door in the middle of the night, and she'll answer to teach you what she knows of the supernatural and magic.

... Or at least, those are the rumors. The truth is much simpler: flyers, decorated childishly with bat and cauldron stickers, can be found throughout town, inviting the reader to the "Witch's Retreat". They appear as a Visitor glances away for a second to pick something up, or gently drift down right into their hands. Even the most skeptical, scoff-likely of Visitors will find their interest piqued in the days before it, mind drifting back to the promise of help in their unusual situation.

The retreat itself is headed by a middle-aged woman, who's narrowed gaze inspects the people who've come before she grumbles something under her breath and waves her hand.

"Look in the tree holes for your books and pick a partner to pair with — they aren't the kinds of things you'd want to test on your own. First rule: Always have a third hand. Second: Don't do it in public if you can help it. Final: Don't even try skipping ahead, because they won't answer you."

Whatever that means. It's time to learn magic.

The Witch — if pressed, she'll begrudgingly allow the students to address her as 'Ms. Spinner' — will force characters together with a surprisingly powerful shove of her hand if she passes and you aren't already paired with someone too, so don't think you can get out of this little exercise by going solo! You can't. As far as the promised spirituality goes... listen to the voice within, find your inner peace, and the rest'll come naturally. The Witch isn't too pressed for you whelps to understand off the bat, though she won't leave you out on a limb either.

With the turning of the seasons, the Witch has a new spell to teach: protection against intruders. Combine rosemary and bay leaves in a stone bowl and set the mixture alight on your doorstep. Mix the ashes with rock salt, then sprinkle on the window sills and thresholds of exterior doorways of your home.

The Witch warns that this spell won't keep anyone out (Invest in a good lock, she advises instead), but it will make uninvited visitors feel uneasy about entering your home. Sometimes that's enough.

---

TL;DR

• The characters — Visitors, as they're referred — are able to learn basic level magic with the help of the Witch.
  
• Pair up and practice. This is essential to the process, and the Witch will force unpaired individuals to partner up.
  
• Any higher level magic won't come to the character; it may feel like there's a kind of blockage, even to those who're used to magic themselves.
  
• The Witch isn't open to questions about the town in particular (are you here to gossip or learn?) and won't answer anything about it, so stay on task if you want answers to your questions.

A Day In The Life

New Visitors may wake up in the woods, but that's not where they're going to be spending all of their time. They have homes, jobs, work, entire lives they need to attend to. They'd better get to it!

A Visitor will be instinctively drawn towards both their home and job; they will always know how to navigate the former, and may find the tasks they perform at the latter suspiciously easy. Outside of that, their life will be incredibly normal for the first few days. No one will acknowledge the strangeness in the woods, and a Visitor's insistence that they're not from around here will be treated like a joke.

And then suddenly it's weird again. They wake up one day and realize they have a different job, perhaps even a different home. They will lose any instinctive understanding they may have had of their old job and gain similar understanding of their new job. Visitors will retain all of their memories of their previous job, but if they bring it up to the townsfolk none of them will have any idea what they're talking about.

---

TL;DR

• This prompt is meant to allow players an opportunity to experiment with the role mechanic, without forcing them to retcon their threads if they receive a markedly different role after applying.
  
• Retconning is, of course, still an option - but if you want to give your character another bit of existential confusion, this is the prompt for you.

OOC Notes

If your character dies... While characters may die during the TDM, these deaths do not count towards a character's death count. If a character dies, they will vanish the instant they lose consciousness. The dead character will reappear safely back at the nearest visitors center, and both they and any witnesses will have only a hazy recollection of the event.

If you have any questions, please direct them here.

Comments

ledo | suisei no gargantia

[ferrytale]

① A DAY IN THE LIFE

[ during a study hall period, a teacher calls ledo over to the door, and they have a brief conversation before ledo is handed a small envelope. he looks inside and then seems to try and refuse it, but the teacher only gives him a vaguely concerned look and pats him gently on the shoulder before sending ledo back to his seat.

he turns and freezes for a moment — realising most of the other students have been watching this exchange — and then shuffles off back to his desk, where he spends the next fifteen minutes or so staring intently at the envelope on the desktop.

ledo sits rigidly with his spine straight, and his hands balled into fists pressing into his thighs. aside from the thin crease in his brow, his face is calm and expressionless. all in all, he looks way too intense for a seventeen-year-old.

when the bell rings to release everyone for the day, he doesn't head for the door but instead appears in front of your desk. that crease is still in his brow — it's worse, actually — and he looks... embarrassed? he has the little envelope clutched in both hands, only now starting to look his age with this bit of uncertainty. ]

You.

[ yes, you. ]

I require... your assistance.

② FIRE BURN AND CAULDRON BUBBLE

[ ledo manages to stumble upon a flier at some point and turns up for the magic lesson... about twenty minutes early. he's not excited, just well-trained to be prepared by taking his time to scope out the area and get his bearings.

he came here because he was seeking the promise of help, so he looks completely lost when the woman starts talking about grinding up leaves and salt and then gives them time to practice. practice what? ]

What sort of nonsense is this? Only a fool would believe trash could protect them; anyone with sense knows the only real deterrent is the threat of deadly force.

[ as usual, ledo speaks in a flat monotone that makes it sound like he's reading all of his words from a military handbook.

sorry, partner, he won't be much help right now. ]

③ PROPER PLANNING AND PREPARATION PREVENTS PISS POOR PERFORMANCE

[ ledo has served in the military his entire life, as is standard practice where he comes from, which gives a person a degree of confidence in one's own abilities.

maybe too much confidence.

he decides to investigate some of the trails just outside of town one day because he figures it will leave him at a severe disadvantage if he leaves so much of the area unexplored. this would be fine if ledo had any idea what he was doing or what any of the maps meant, but he doesn't.

ledo has never been on a trail because he has never been on a planet before. he has no reason to think you might want to dress more warmly or wear more practical shoes, nor does ledo remember that he no longer has a supportive AI around to always have his back and feed him information until it's too late.

he's lost out here, having made a wrong turn somewhere, and the sun is starting to get low in the sky. night is one of those things he's not used to either. out here in the gathering twilight, cold, alone, and hungry, some of that soldier-boy confidence begins to drain away.

he's armed, at least, and although he would prefer his usual (laser) weapon, ledo knows that's impossible. he will have to make do with the kitchen knife he's holding in a white-knuckled grip, so at least he feels a little bit in control of this situation he's gotten himself into.

as on edge as ledo is right now, sneak up on him at your own risk... ]

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (Ledo! I apologize for my boy orz)

[draconisrose]

[Being forced to work with a partner had put Rastaban in a bad mood so he just ignored them as he focusing on grinding leaves and salt with a motar and pestle. He wasn't a witch, at least not in the way this world seemed to define it, but as an herbalist he ground herbs all the time and the familiar motion was calming. He could feel a faint magical energy in the air that felt different than his own but Ledo cut through his thoughts. His green eyes narrowed and flashed gold with a hint of anger.]

Trash?

[Magic was a divine gift back home. Granted that gift turned out to be a double edged sword but that was besides the point.]

Deadly force only works if you can intimidate your enemy. Only a fool would disregard the laws of a unfamiliar place simply because they are too stupid to understand them.

hehe you beat me to it and this is GREAT

[ferrytale]

[ honestly, he brought this on himself. he could've kept his mouth shut because being quiet costs you nothing. now, he feels just a little self-conscious because he doesn't have an easy way to refute that accusation. ignorance makes you look stupid when you go making statements. ]

Even the instructor admits that it is pointless. Entrusting security to magic dust is foolish when you can guarantee it with a weapon.

[ ledo frowns at the dried herbs and leaves on the table, which smell much more strongly than he'd prefer. ]

That is logic based on science and reality.

[ he's struggling here because he's never had an imagination. ]

lol I couldn't resist when I saw Ledo. I'm glad you like it!

[draconisrose]

[Rastaban put down the pestle with a sigh. He wished Ledo had kept his mouth shut. That witch was the instructor here so why did he have to waste his energy explaining how narrow minded his thinking was?]

A deterrent isn't pointless and quite frankly a weapon or a lock isn't necessarily a guarantee either. She also said we can't skip ahead so of course we can't access strong magic right away. Magic takes time to learn, just like any weapon.

[Rastaban on the other hand couldn't even conceive of a world without imagination. It was tied to his very soul and he lazily conjured a call of golden light in his hand which formed into a rose to prove his point.]

Science and reality aren't the only laws in this world.

[His eyes glowed brighter with a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he changed the rose into a dagger.]

And who said magic wasn't a weapon?

[His eyebrow twitched slightly. Yes he's aware a dagger isn't very intimidating but thanks to the annoying rules of this world it was the best he could do right now.]

[ferrytale]

[ ledo's eyes widened, and he leaned forward a little as he watched the golden glow change shape. he feels a strange urge to reach out and touch it, balling his hands into fists in his lap to resist the temptation. it reminds him a little of chamber's beam weapons, which are not the sort of thing you should stick your fingers into. ]

Is this... magic?

[ by the sound of it, he was never sure what magic was to begin with. ]

These are... the same?

[ he's doing his best to find the common denominator that makes something qualify as "magic" as if that will make everything make sense. ]

Did dead things also give you this ability? [ because they were using dried leaves for the other... ] There is no such thing in the Galactic Alliance.

[draconisrose]

[The golden glow in his eyes faded as he watched with an amused smile.]

The Galactic Alliance must be a dull place then.

[Back home anyone with magic crystals could do something as simple as this. It was a pathetic display for a mage but it was difficult to stay frustrated by his new limitations when he was met with Ledo's fascination. If only he still shared that innocent wonder towards magic. He pushed that thought aside and snapped his hand shut to cut off his magic.]

No. It's similar in the way that it exists outside of science and reality but it's not the same.

[His eyes faintly glowed as his expression darkened for a second. The weight of his magic made the fatigue from the little magic he used feel heavier and he leaned his head against the tree they were sitting at with a sigh.]

My magic was a gift from our nameless goddess. However, dead things as you have put it, have many uses so it's not surprising that they are used for magic here.

[ferrytale]

Does it matter if something is "dull"? Will it kill you? Will it prevent you from fulfilling your purpose as a human being?

[ although he rattles each question off in quick succession, he still speaks in his same monotone. they're mostly rhetorical, anyway. ]

That is all that matters.

[ frustration creases his brow again as he looks down at the book and attempts to apply his new knowledge to the words on the page. it exists outside of science and reality. that's the part he's struggling with. he's never had to think in abstracts. ]

There is also a valuable purpose for the dead in space. The dead ensure the living can go on fighting.

[ someone had sacrificed themselves for him, against protocol and logic. the loss of an experienced soldier was one thing, but they had lost a command-level machine calibre as well. the thought of all that going to waste keeps him up at night. ]

That is why I must find my way back.

[draconisrose]

[That monotone was starting to annoy him.]

And what kind of life is that? Are you telling me that you are truly content being a tool that someone can just throw away once you have fulfilled your purpose? And who chooses that?

[Ledo's words cut deeper than he realized and Rastaban's eyes started to glow again.]

The dead deserve better.

[ferrytale]

[ ledo certainly didn't expect anyone to seemingly take offence to what he understood to be just the way the world works. it takes him a moment to consider the questions, seeing as no one had ever posed anything like them before. ]

All aspects of Alliance society have been optimised to maximise efficiency. This is how it must be because we face an enemy that seeks to exterminate humanity.

My purpose is to destroy the enemy; whether or not I am "content" is meaningless.

[ he truly believes that, but between the questioning and his own stress lately, there are some cracks in that façade. ]

... But I am far away from the fight, and I do not have Chamber to assist.

[ which is more than just a logistical issue, but admitting that would mean having to admit feeling something. ]

This place is strange. I am unsure of the most appropriate course of action.

[draconisrose]

[Rastaban was about to argue that Ledo was just proving him right about him being a tool with that mindset but he couldn't. Not when he could be considered an enemy of humanity himself and his eyes sparked brighter as he glanced back at the book on witchcraft with an angry mutter.]

It's not meaningless.

[The golden glow in his eyes flickered as he pretended to read. The words on the page blurred together as his mind drifted. He refused to believe that the life he dedicated to his family as the heir to the proud Aesen house was meaningless and he was nothing but a weapon of destruction.

He looked up when that irritating monotone cracked. Why did he have to remind him of when he was first stranded on Earth? He groaned and relented with a sigh.]

Fine. Give me your hand.

[He offered Ledo his hand with a faint scowl.]

You can start by broadening your horizons.

[ferrytale]

[ given their disagreement thus far, the offer is unexpected. ledo was just getting ready to dispute the value of personal contentment further, too.

he visibly hesitates for a few seconds longer before giving rastaban his hand. even touch is strange when he's so used to having the literal barrier of his spacesuit between him and everyone else. ]

What do you mean?

[draconisrose]

[He was only doing this because he knew what it was like to feel lost. He was paying forward someone kindness. He was trying to be helpful and his scowl deepened when Ledo hesitated.]

You wanted to learn magic didn't you?

[Despite his harsh tone Rastaban's touch was surprisingly gentle. His hand was a little cold but nothing concerning.]

Every living thing has it's own energy, like how a fire gives off heat except this energy is hidden from the world of science and reality.

[Other people couldn't feel life energy like he could. Life energy gave off a special warmth that was tied to the person's soul. Everyone's warmth felt different and his eyes faintly glowed as he focused on Ledo's energy while he explained the basic concept of magic here, which was curiously similar to his own.]

According to this book the key to magic here is believing in that hidden energy so focus on just the energy between you and me and see if you can feel anything. Remember how my magic made you feel. It might help.

A day in the life | *peeks in*

[thedeadtwinofnarcissus]

[Gene can't believe he used to tolerate school before. Though he supposes having friends and his brother with him helped. Here he only has ghosts and strangers to keep him company. Even his new life has a taint of tragedy after his 'good friends' were found murdered in the forest. He is still all alone after being resurrected. People tended to take his solemn mood as mourning for his friends and left him alone most of the time. But honestly, Gene just can't find the energy to pretend he is alright and living in this parody of his old life, made it harder to do so.

So when someone approaches his desk, especially without any words of pity and regret, Gene is surprised. He lifts his head from his desk to stare uncomprehendingly at Ledo in confusion.]

Me? What do you need?

[Though he looks exhausted and defeated, he shows some interest in Ledo's request, his once lifeless eyes alight with curiosity]

[ferrytale]

[ ledo glances around, waiting until the last few students straggling along at the end leave the room. he's clearly not worried if the person he's holding here has somewhere to be. with all the weird secrecy, one might think there's something strange in the envelope he's holding, but he mostly doesn't want to be overheard. ]

The people I reside with insist upon giving me this.

[ he should say his parents, but suddenly being able to understand the language doesn't mean he understands the concepts. ledo opens the envelope and shakes around fifty dollars in cash out onto the desk. ]

I am told it is a form of currency, but it is unnecessary, as they also provide me food and shelter, and this planet has a seemingly unlimited supply of oxygen.

What else could anyone need?

[ he says all of this with a straight face, never indicating that he might be anything other than completely serious about this. ]

plann't

[aria_ardeinae]

[ There is always some idiot who gets lost out here! Reyson is developing a fine affinity for such idiots at this point. He's dressed in practical hiking clothes because apparently he can't fly at all times for arbitrary reasons and besides, you see more forest from a ground level than you might think. He is, however, flying at this point, because he has had a long day of taking soil samples. So there's the sound of heavy wingbeats as a warning before this whole guy hovers in and immediately starts in with his whole personality. ]

What kind of fool goes out in the woods at this time of night? In those shoes, with the Goatman about- Did you even bring water?

[ferrytale]

[ ledo has never met a person who could fly, which might be evident given the naked disbelief on his face. people certainly float in his experience, but that's because the only gravity in space is artificial.

he's so confused that it takes him a moment to remember that he should be ready to defend himself in case this stranger intends to do more than berate him about his poor choice of footwear. ]

Goatman..?

[ another meaningless word. not every word in the local language corresponds to his native tongue, but given the tone, ledo gathers it's a potential threat. ]

I am a soldier, and I possess a weapon. [ which he assumes would be sufficient. ] However, I will acknowledge that I may have taken a wrong turn.

[ as if to say he won't acknowledge all those other perfectly valid questions... ]

[aria_ardeinae]

You have; you're miles away from town. Soldiers die from being unprepared in deep woods just as easily as they do from a blade.

[ Don't you sass him, young man, he's been in armies! ]

I consider myself a guardian of the Whispering Pines National Forest, and I won't have people dying in it for the minor crime of ignorance. Come this way.

[ And then he starts flying off, in the opposite direction that Ledo was going. He's well within speaking distance, and he isn't going that fast. He does not want to be out here after dark but has no idea how much leg power this fool youth has left in him. And hey. He has a weapon which is better than Reyson is doing. Maybe the Goatman will show up and they will be able to get it. ]

[ferrytale]

I assumed humans would be well-suited to their native environment. This place has none of the usual dangers, but it still seems inhospitable at times. It is unexpected.

[ ledo can keep up just fine; knowing he's finally going to be getting somewhere helps stave off the fatigue, too. ]

What is a Goatman? Is that an enemy?

[ all he really understands is the distinction between friend and foe, but that had been easier when the enemy in question had been unmistakable. now he has to verify every time someone mentions something new. ]

[aria_ardeinae]

Beorc don't live in the woods, they live in houses. What kind of dangers were you even expecting...

[grumble grumble...]

You need to respect the forest if you want to be out here. Most animals won't attack you if you leave them be, but the Goatman is no mere creature. It will pose as a corpse or wounded person to draw attention, then strike when you let your guard down. I would like to know more about it so that I can end its tricks once and for all.

[ Reyson has an incomplete understanding of the Goatman and doesn't want to get too deeply unsubstantiated rumors of what else it can do. He recognizes the possibility that he might be speaking to the Goatman right now, but also. ]

It likes to make people afraid of coming to the aid of others. But if you stop doing what is right because of a monster, it will win.

[ferrytale]

Radiation exposure. Vacuum exposure. Rapid decompression. Hypoxia.

[ or, horrible ways to die in space. he says this like it should be obvious because it is when that's the only environment you've ever known. ]

If this creature is a threat to humans, it should be destroyed. Do you know where to find superior weapons in this place?

[ ledo's priorities exist, even if they're wrong. secondly, he hasn't caught on that they won't just arm people who are basically kids, but that won't stop him from trying. ]

[aria_ardeinae]

We don't worry about any of those here.

[ He says this with great confidence, not knowing what any of them are. He has not heard about any of them. He does have his second hand college experience but it's not really second nature for him to access that and if he did he would be very confused about vacuum threat levels anyway. He has also gotten much colder, in the voice. And general demeanor, for all that anyone can make out body language on someone flying overhead in the fading light. ]

I'm not going to help arm anyone who elevates humanity that way. I just finished with a great war sparked by that kind of small-minded thinking; I won't see another start under my eyes.

[ Ironically Reyson is one of the few people around who wouldn't think twice about arming a teenager with whatever deadly weaponry they could handle. Plenty of mages start young. ]

[ferrytale]

Yes, I became aware of that when I noticed that your dwellings lack any precautions for such things.

[ because ledo hasn't reached a point where he can accept that he's just here now and they're also his dwellings now, too. he's still very sure he'll find his way home again... somehow.

at the unwillingness to tell him where to find weapons, however, ledo looks mildly surprised before frowning. ]

You described an enemy. An enemy is a threat to humanity. It may also threaten non-humans, but I have never met one before, so it would be foolish to assume that to be the case.

[ this makes perfect sense to ledo, who is used to the word enemy referring to the Hideauze. those two species alone comprise all life in the entire universe as they know it, and humans in the Alliance would never dare to lower themselves to infighting.

reyson was still right to call him small-minded, though. ]

[aria_ardeinae]

[ That's just about the wildest thing that Reyson has heard said to him ever and he has heard a lot in his day. If he fully understood what brakes were he would hear them screeching in his head as the entire premise of this conversation flips around. ]

Do I look like a human to you?!

[ He's more incredulous than mad. Okay, he's moderately mad but he is very incredulous. ]

[ferrytale]

[ ledo looks at reyson calmly, folding his arms before he shrugs a shoulder. he doesn't see any reason to be so heated about such a little thing. ]

You do not look like the humans in the Galactic Alliance, but neither do the humans in this world. I could not discount the fact that you might be a form of human, so I waited for you to confirm otherwise.

[aria_ardeinae]

[ Belabored sigh. He doesn't like that he lost some sort of unspoken game of wits by some idiot who got lost in a woods with trails in it! ]

I'm a laguz, from the heron tribes. We prefer to live in peaceful harmony with nature.

[ This is simplifying his whole species quite a bit but
this person is like a little baby who needs things explained simply as far as he is concerned. ]

The humans here are like the beorc I know, but not as colorful. I've seen silver hair on a young person like you before, if that's the kind of thing you mean.

[ He is privately being petty by comparing Ledo to a famous individual who formerly fought against the laguz. It is a fun little in-joke that nobody here would get, and he doesn't feel any better for having made it.]