▶ TDM .012

[prismods]

love getaway

navigation ⬤ faq ⬤ reserves ⬤ world ⬤ moonblessings

Watch on YouTube

You awaken amidst the darkness with only a faint light to greet you. Your body is hemmed in by shards of crystals, gently sparkling and possibly pricking your skin. The surrounding landscape is dyed in the pinks and purples of the dusk filled with crystals protruding from the ground, some as large as a skyscraper. After an hour or two of wandering through the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. Because of the strange phenomena during the past months when scientists observed the sudden appearance of rainbow crystals in the sky, the government has been feverishly combing through the moon for more Moonblessed to be rescued. You’ll eventually be brought into Iris’s moon government center.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They tell you about their world and about the first appearance of the Moonblessed as the medical staff give you an examination to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses or biological hazards. If you react violently, you may be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. Once the examinations are over, you’re informed that you will be provided accommodations on their planet during your stay. You will then be escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the Iris moon and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as the local Prismals.

The next destination: Prismatica.

▶ I am the Terror That Flaps in the Night
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Planet Prismatica, City of Lunatia | top

Welcome to Prismatica’s hub, Lunatia, the city of your dreams! A bustling metropolis lush with bright lights, vibrant colors, luxuriant plant life, and all the conveniences of technology absent from your own world… It seems like paradise to all the uninitiated. After a quick tour of the city, new arrivals can find themselves getting cozy in their new homes.

 A  Settle in your new home at Level 2 to find new roommates and say hello to your neighbors! City officials will give you directions to the designated districts across Level 2 and instruct you to pick out a unit. Each apartment complex has a different aesthetic, some may look cozy, some stylish, and some bizarre. The free accommodations have a basic living space that can only fit two or three people at most in one unit.

Starter Chromaspace furnishings are provided which can be controlled with the touch of a built-in panel. Examples are color-changing curtains, transforming sofa beds, cabinets turning into tables, etc. Customizing your apartment or moving out will have to wait until you earn more chroma. Until then, why don’t you check out your new neighborhood or explore the city levels? Maybe your new roommates or neighbors can give you a “hand” with allowance for dinner.

 B  Your new flat is covered in a sprinkling of feathers here, there, and everywhere! They appear to be coming through the air vents. This seems to be a city-wide problem in all buildings, as many news outlets are informing people to stay alert. They believe the feathers are from the masked seraphim, King Majestas, who attacked the Elaran Amphitheater a few weeks back.

You are advised to destroy the feathers on sight. Prolonged contact with these feathers cause hallucinations and paranoia. You will feel as if winged creatures are always after you, be it one-winged angels or dark-winged ducks. Other side effects include hearing the chanting of voices in an indecipherable language out of this galaxy. These hallucinations may cause headaches, dizziness, or nausea. Thankfully, a bit of moonlacing will heal these symptoms away.

▶ Got Milk?
Level 2, Crystal Beach | top

With the Coiled Hearts Festival fast approaching, local fishermen have already begun procuring food across Crystal Beach’s clear waters to meet next month’s demands. Around this time of year, the popularity of octopus dishes dramatically rises. The Lunatians have an annual tradition to prepare flavorful octopus dishes for the romantic season, such as the much-lauded dark chocolate-coated octopus or the mouth-watering octopus braised with red wine.

Everyone is welcome to join this heart-throbbing affair. During the Second and Third months, everyone is encouraged to give your loved ones something special for a long, successful relationship. Friends, family, and new acquaintances are traditionally given a small amount of Demichroma in tiny cute cases, while lovers are given something that reminds the gifter of their homeland.

 A  Interested in catching your own octopus? Horned taurus octopi very frequently migrate to the shorelines to perform their elaborate mating rituals. It’s easy to find clumps of taurus octopi participating in a vigorous dance, filled with undulations and strange moaning noises that octopi should not be making. You can lure the octopi by either using a special flute which mimics their moans to gather them in heavy droves. It’s ideal to have a partner with you to scoop the octopi quickly into water containers once they’ve become entranced enough.

Play the flute carefully! If the taurus octopi grow too excited by your music, they will squirt white ink. If you are spritzed with the thick substance, you will start either randomly puking or uncontrollably secreting a milky sweet substance from any body part that secretes liquids. Luckily, the high-end boutique Prissy Polyp is nearby in case you need a change of clothes due to any sizable stains. Effects will naturally wear off after an hour.

 B  Come with a friend and enjoy learning some octopus recipes together. The Crystal Beach Resort has opened a seminar where several professional chefs will be demonstrating and teaching how to cook various dishes of different flavors and ingredients guaranteed to impress your date, and taste-testing is free!

One dish makes use of horned taurus octopi skin as the star ingredient, renowned for its irresistibly delectable scent. The chefs explain the palatable skin is a potent ingredient in various love potions and aphrodisiacs, so add or mix them to your dishes in moderation! The effects have a significant delay, so you may feel fine for a while, but when it hits, it hits hard. You will become enamored with every little thing — hey, you just met them and this is crazy — but that person’s smile, the sound of their voice, or the way they say your name will make you unable to resist the urge to shower them with your affection.

▶ Going Viral
Level 2, Moonlight Medical Center | top

“Help Wanted” posters can be found on virtual forums and announcement boards across Level 1 to 3. The Moonlight Medical Center has put out a call for volunteers due to a recent shortage of medical staff. The work involves filling in for overworked nurses, performing tasks such as feeding patients their meals, wiping away their sweat, changing their clothes, encouraging their spirits, and so on. Any volunteers may directly walk-in at the hospital. You will be provided a nurse uniform and any necessary equipment while on the job.

The shortage has resulted from the hospital recently taking in a severe number of patients from a nearby small village to the west of Lunatia, Port Sylvel, a known shipping and freight destination. The number of patients worryingly keeps on rising by the day and will soon fill all available rooms.

 A  Some of the patients are experiencing varying degrees of paralysis. The worst cases have crystallizing parts of their body. The hospital staff will stress that you should be careful around patients with crystallized limbs. Patients like these have a history of aggressively biting anyone who comes close hard enough to draw blood. Those bitten will exhibit similar symptoms as the victims, including crystallization on their bodies, and experience a steady drop in Chroma. An uncomfortable heaviness will cause you unable to move without the aid of others as well as an uncontrollable urge to aggressively bite someone.

While affected Moonblessed can cure it by moonlacing, the Prismals can only be cured by a gluteal inoculation the Lunar Scientia has recently managed to develop. The sick and beleaguered will probably hate you less if you aren’t the one trying to stabbing them with injections in the hindquarters.

 B  Aside from nursing duties, other available tasks to be completed include making coffee for fellow nurses and doctors, delivering flowers to patients, and general housekeeping. Specifically, disinfecting medical equipment, tidying up rooms, and cleaning the spaces around the hospital. As a result of the current situation, many crystal shards can be found decorating multiple surfaces, such as floors, walls, toilet seats, and so on. These will have to be swept away!

However, as your work day progresses, some of the shards can be seen suddenly moving on their own. These crawling shards will start clustering together to turn into elaborate, floating monolithic formations that will then begin attacking anyone nearby. Their main ability includes shooting diamond spears to impale any unfortunate victims in their line of sight. In the midst of the chaos, nurses and doctors will beg the Moonblessed to please protect the sick and wounded. The crystal formations can be destroyed by any method, though because of their incredibly sturdy composition, they require multiple hits before they shatter into dust.

▶ Questions
If you have any questions regarding this test drive meme, please ask them in the Questions thread below.

▶ As a reminder, test drive memes are for new characters only. However, current players are more than welcome to use these prompts for their own posts in the IC communities, personal inboxes, catch-all posts, etc.!
▶ As our test drive memes are game canon, feel free to keep any threads that happen here as canon for your character should they be accepted.

Comments

Nie HuaiSang | The Untamed

[fanoperator]

Arrival
A – HuaiSang continues to wonder if he has died, despite assurances to the contrary. He has been given care and housing, but he is still frightened to find himself in an unknown world surrounded by strangers. Loneliness has always been a plague to him, and his apartment has none of the birds or books that comfort him at home, so he wanders the streets, looking at everything but hiding shyly behind his fan and not entering any of the establishments. Strangers may approach him if they’d like, but he will hide shyly behind his fan until they’re proven friendly.
Canonmates or anyone dressed like they come from a historical Asian setting will be approached enthusiastically, however. Waving his fan, HuaiSang hurries across the street, glad for this sight of something familiar. “Excuse me! Excuse me!” Or, if you’re a canonmate, he’ll be calling out his typical form of address for you.

Terror that Flaps in the Night
B – HuaiSang was advised to destroy the feathers coming in through the air ducts. He did not. Lonely and homesick as he is, the feathers remind him of his beloved pet birds. None of them came with him to Prismatica, and his heart hurts every time he thinks of one of his feathered companions.

He hoards the feathers, lounging on his bed amidst them and toying with the soft quills, until the paranoia and hallucinations kick in. He begins to see his own birds from home, but when he reaches for them they attack him. All his sweet, gentle songbirds from home have doubled in size and become raptors, and they dive at him, pecking and clawing, until he flees out into the evening street and immediately bursts into tears.

So, here’s an elegantly dressed young man with elaborately arranged hair sitting on the front steps of an apartment building and sobbing.


Cephalopod Love
B – Becoming a little braver now that he’s been here a few days, HuaiSang has begun to try the restaurants, and he’s very curious about this octopus recipes seminar. He always prefers to eat with friends, so he usually reaches out to one of his canonmates in order to secure company for every meal, but if all of them were busy then he will approach anyone in the lobby who appears to be here alone.

“Excuse me.” He blushes shyly and flutters his fan in demure apology for having bothered you. “I have no dining companion tonight. Do you think… might you want to… are you also...”


Z. Wildcard, or contact me at Marlowe#2340 or marlowe_tops for a starter.

arrival; KICKS DOOR DOWN

[onerous]

It's the robes that attract her attention first. She doesn't recognize the colors or the fan (there's something that nags at the back of her mind about it, like something she should know, but can't put a finger on), but she knows he at least could benefit from a helping hand.

It must be around that time for new people to start showing up, and he certainly looks rather lost. So, though she's dressed in much more modern clothing, she approaches with a calm air, hands clasped lightly behind her back. Him hiding behind his fan doesn't seem to bother her at least, and she offers a friendly, albeit shy, smile of her own.

"Sorry to bother you," she begins, as if she's actually interrupting him in the middle of doing...absolutely nothing. She glances at his robes and then back up at his face, head tilted slightly. "You're new, aren't you? Are you alright?"

[fanoperator]

HuaiSang tenses up as he's approached, bringing the fan up so that only his eyes are visible over it, as if he's deeply intimidated by this petite and soft-spoken person. She's dressed strangely, and he hasn't quite yet learned how to distinguish between Prismals and Moonblessed, so he mistakes her for a local.

But since he has been approached, he can only be polite. Smoothly closing the fan, he clasps it in front of him and offers her a slight bow in greeting. "This one is Nie HuaiSang of the Qinghe Nie Sect."

He does not claim his rightful title as Sect Leader. The fan opens with a graceful whirl of wrist and flutters lightly with his nerves. "I have only arrived today. I don't know anyone here. I don't know what to do!" He looks like he's on the verge of bursting into tears.

[onerous]

For the first time in her life, Yuri is confronted by someone who at least appears to be actually intimidated by her. Considering that Yuri herself had always been described as looking very serious and sad, like someone on the verge of sorrowful tears herself, this was a pretty strange experience.

However, his name gets a light of recognition in her eyes and she stands up a little straighter with a soft, “oh!” Polite as ever, she mimics his bow and her expression softens into something more gentle and warm. “Please, it’s alright. There are quite a few people from your home here.” She straightens a little and adds, “my name is Yuri. I... The Yunmeng Jiang clan took me in here.”

She busies herself with her belt a moment to pull loose the silver lotus bell that was their symbol, holding it out to show as proof. “Jin Ling’s mentioned you to me, and Sect Leader Jiang. I’ll help you find everyone, if you’d like.”

...There is, of of course, the issue of the doubles and all (she knows there’s yet another Nie Huaisang around that’s taken up residence with her sect leader), but she figures she can, you know. Ease into that one.

Terror

[ze_uwu_jun]

The sound of that crying is. Familiar, and yet not.

No, it is familiar, but he has not heard it like this for many, many years. Xichen... takes a sharp breath, then crouches in front of the younger man, carefully not touching for the moment.

"Huaisang? Are you hurt?"

[fanoperator]

HuaiSang's head lifts at the sound of his name. Someone in this place knows him.

His mouth falls open at the sight of Xichen's face in front of him, immediately overcome by a wave of gratitude and relief. Even though he holds out his suspicions about Xichen, HuaiSang holds out suspicions about everyone these days.

"Second brother!"

He launches himself at Xichen in a clinging hug, not giving any thought to whether crouching Xichen will be able to catch him like this without getting bowled over.

[ze_uwu_jun]

... congratulations, Huaisang, you are moonlacing now, because familiar and complicated as his is, Xichen catches him (of course he catches him) (he actually half expected this, so he had braced himself) and holds him, though after a moment he does straighten them because this will get extremely uncomfortable for Huaisang very shortly.

Up, and then back to sitting on the stairs, holding him.

"I am here."

Kenzaki Kazuma | Kamen Rider Blade

[kenzaki]

I AM THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE NIGHT

A

Kenzaki's used to meeting new people and telling them basically nothing about himself. He likes people. That part isn't hard. He can handle this. He doesn't need to feal at all claustrophobic about not being able to move on-

Shut up, idiot, keep a hold of yourself.

He's glad that there's no one currently in either of the two apartments he's considering. They're both better furnished than he's used to. The one on the left has minimalist furniture. He's reasonably sure that the pad on the floor in one of the rooms is a futon? Maybe? But given the sink in the kitchen seems to double as a microwave, he's not sure he understands much of anything.

The other one is a lot more... a lot more squishy. He experiments again with running at the front door and getting bounced gently off it. It's kinda fun. He thinks he'll probably pick that one.

B

Generally if something's trying to kill him, it's bipedal. Generally. Not feathers. Kenzaki wrinkles his nose as he heads out the door to the trash chute. He has a bunch of feathers in a bag, and he's wearing gloves (er, along with a shirt and pants) and a scarf tied around his hair.

He also has a feather stuck to the back of his hair that he hasn't noticed yet.



GOT MILK?

B

He doesn't know anyone here yet, so he figures he'll pair up with anyone else who's alone. Cooking sounds like fun. He's pretty sure he won't get to make takoyaki like a certain person, but octopus still tastes good no matter how it's cooked, yeah? He'll enjoy it.

Kenzaki probably should've paid more attention during the speech instead of smiling dopily at people, because now he's feeling wayyyyyy too happy.


GOING VIRAL

B

Kenzaki knows how to make coffee, and he knows how to be kind and gentle to people in pain. He’s not great with general first aid beyond bandages and aspirin, but really, this isn’t too common a situation even for him.

He is good at kicking things, though. And punching. So the coffee is safe behind him with a bunch of people in the waiting room, and he’s spinning to shatter a crystal with the heel of one foot.

Going Viral

[chalicejoker]

Look, where there's fighting, Hajime's going to be there. He's just carrying on in his usual transformed fashion plowing through crystal things, until he rounds a corner and--

--that is Kenzaki punching and kicking at things, isn't it?

Hajime's going to do the only sensible thing there, which is to stop dead in his tracks and stare. "Kenzaki?!" Give him a minute, he's fine, he's not paying attention to another crystal thing coming over and taking a solid swing at him, sending him flying across the room.

(He's fine, really, give him a moment, just give him a moment...)

[kenzaki]

Transforming would probably be smart, so of course Kenzaki hasn’t done it yet. He ducks under a crystal spear, which shatters harmlessly enough on the wall behind him. He’s doing okay; there are a lot of crystals but he’s in a good rhythm and no one’s been hurt.

Then there’s a surge, and a shout in a familiar voice - can’t be - and his head snaps around as a familiar figure flies past him. He loses his rhythm and stares like an idiot for an instant.

“Hajime?”

A spear grazes his shoulder, and he rubs at it as he scrambles to the other man’s side. This can’t last, it’s one of those hallucinations, but just for a moment he wants to pretend......

[chalicejoker]

"Kenzaki!" He absolutely doesn't care that he's been downed by a crystal monster he should have avoided. Kenzaki is there.

Is it the same Kenzaki that had been through Synodiporia with him? He hates that parallel universes have made this a question. Hajime's now trying to scramble back to his feet, partially so he can grab Kenzaki to make sure he's real and partially so he can get ready to beat the crap out of monsters again.

Feathers (belatedly)

[triggerhappytraitor]

The infestation of feathers had been bothering Tachibana far more than he would ever admit aloud, thanks to a certain someone and even having Hajime there to add another layer of support on the off chance that Isaka did try and start something, he was still very much on edge.

...which is why he almost didn't notice Kenzaki, at first. He had noticed a person who had one of those annoying all pervasive feathers stuck to him, and had gone to alert the individual--

--before he had taken in just whom that individual resembled.

There was a long, uncertain pause. He'd been told the warnings, that the feathers could cause hallucinations and had been actively trying not to jump to instant conclusions without verifying what he was perceiving was real, as much as that ran counter to every fiber of his being.

...but Hajime had been real. Real and the same Hajime he had Traveled with in Liminal. And Kenzaki had left Limial before either of them....

Locked in indecision and his own thoughts, he simply stares, utterly obvious in his actions and very easily spotted (and likely felt due to the Deck in his jacket, if it was indeed Kenzaki.)

[kenzaki]

Kenzaki keeps thinking there's something there, out of the corner of his eye. A giant skulking feathery creature. A tiny glasslike bird. All kinds of things. He can never quite see them properly when he turns.

He's ignoring this latest one as hard as he can. After he's thrown the bag out, he turns, dusting his hands against each other, and actually gets a good look at it.

"Tachi-"

No.

He turns again, forcing his eyebrows back down with a gloved finger. No, he's not real. No matter how much Kenzaki might want to see him. He heads back towards his apartment.

[triggerhappytraitor]

There's a deep ache, Tachibana's breath catching as Kenzaki turns and their eyes lock for just a moment.

... there was no mistaking it. That really was--

"Kenzaki...!"

And he's quickly taking a few steps forward.

"Wait--"

England (Arthur Kirkland) | Hetalia

[knackered]

ARRIVAL.

(A) Arriving on a seemingly alien world, scraped and prodded by crystals, isn't how England thought he'd be spending his day; but here he is, being examined, informed, and shepherded from a moon to a planet that could've been the cover of a vaporwave album. (He'd quietly gone along with everything, nerves overcome by utter fascination for the processes and his surroundings. Amazing! Perhaps the shock might sink in soon, he'd thought, but it was sure taking its sweet time.)

The best thing, in England's opinion, upon landing and being directed to settle in to a flat, would be to do just that.

He explores the streets looking for a suitable place to stay--would he like cozy, chic, minimalist?--but while he deliberates, he wanders almost aimlessly, drawn from block to block by the brand new sights and sounds. It doesn't take long for him to not only appear lost, but to actually be lost in the residential area. It takes a little longer for him to actually swallow his pride and stop to really, really take a look around and get his bearings.

"I think I ought to retrace my steps," he mutters aloud, leaving the unease that he's not sure he can unsaid.

For anyone nearby, he looks like a bewildered professor taking stock of his surroundings.

GOT MILK?

(B) The thought of learning about new (alien, no less!) foods and free taste-testing had lured Arthur to the captivating Crystal Beach Resort. While the seminar itself was fascinating, the curiosity of trying new samples drew him to try what he could sample.

The chocolate-covered tendrils were to die for, and the wine-braised had a smell that was positively mouth-watering.

The gorgeous sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the experience overwhelm him to the point of forgetting the warned effects of the octopus ingredient... at least until he lays eyes on a particular someone nearby.

"Oh... my. Hello."

WILDCARD!

(DM me or hit me up at cavalrylad!)

B.

[circumitus]

After weighing the pros and cons, finally Rey decides to help herself to the samples handed out by the myriad vendors. What's free is free, right? Just as long as she makes sure she knows what she's eating first, everything will be fine.

Or that's what she assumes when she feels that itch in the side of her face like she's being watched. Her senses ping in the direction where it's coming from, only to find a weirdo starts talking to her.

Oh goddammit, not this again.

"No," she says flatly. "Just no."

[knackered]

This weirdo means well! And usually he wouldn't ever be so forward, nor so presumptuous... but with wide green eyes, he rests a gaze of awe on this complete stranger.

"Sorry, I just- I-- happen to find you extremely lovely," he manages, overcome by the beauty of a tall woman with scars. In his defense, she looks pretty cool.

B

[doctorize]

[Danny hasn't had any of that suspicious octopus stuff yet, but when he realizes that someone is speaking to him, he tries to offer a polite enough smile.]

Hello... is there something you needed of us?

[knackered]

[The freckles under Arthur's eyes stand out as his cheeks go ruddy. He hadn't meant to stare, it's just... !]

I, uh-- [He clears his throat and squares his shoulders. Keep it together, England!] I happen to think your glasses are very distinguished.

[Nailed it!}

arrival;

[kilts]

Scotland's reaction to being on some unknown, vaporwave moon was unsurprisingly anger, but he did quite well on his own for however many days it took him to be found, contained, examined and etc. Really, the whole thing was a huge inconvenience.. up until the part where he was given a new flat to stay in.

Receiving something for free seemed to placate him quite a bit, enough to where the drawl of his accent was considerably less when speaking with people.

However, receiving a free flat wasn't enough for him— not at all— he's seen bickering with a city representative nearby.

"Aye, I see it's free, but where I'm gonna keep the sheep? S'not enough room."

Sheep. What sheep? Whose sheep?

As the representative speaks, Scotland's mind wanders slightly, thinking if he couldn't convince this guy to give him what he wants by talking to him, maybe brute force would do it. However, the distant mutter hits his ears— the voice of someone familiar— and instantly, his attention snaps to England, who is a few yards off, and some kind of prickly sensation runs up his spine.

What the fuck was he doing here?

[knackered]

Similarly, the voice of someone very familiar wrenches him out of his wandering reverie like the successful strike by surface-to-air missile. Arthur stops in his tracks and squints at the mess of red hair, and he catches something stupid about sheep. Sheep? Is that what he's thinking about on an alien planet? S h e e p?

England's wonderment comes crashing down, glee at being somewhere new and exciting (however anxiety-inducing this whole thing might be for the same reasons) just wrecked. And from that wreckage comes a wave of exhaustion and the sudden craving for a pack of cigarettes.

He considers turning round and walking away. I could just go, he thinks to himself, and not deal with this stupidity. And maybe, just maybe, he could go the rest of the day (or whatever the cycle was, here) not thinking about all the stresses from home. I don't want to deal with you. And there, the crux of why he hadn't been all that upset waking up on a literal alien moon, alarming though it had been. Whatever is happening to him seems to offer an escape no amount of nicotine or alcohol could hope to achieve, and the presence of one of his brothers, he assumes, is just a fly in the ointment. But he can't walk away, can he? His pride wins out over his self-preservation, as it often does, and against his better judgment he doesn't leave.

England squares his shoulders, draws himself up, and scowls. That's what he's meant to do, right? That's what he's always done. Even if he's tired, and doesn't really care to fight after all they'd seen and been through over the last century, let alone everything else. He crosses his arms over his chest and strides over to his brother and the representative, chin high.

"What are you doing, bothering a man about sheep? You're on an alien planet! There's more important matters at hand!"

Even if he finds sheep to be fluffy and an enjoyable part of springtime. His point remains.

arrival a

[edle_gestalt]

[Austria has been here for nearly a year at this point, but getting lost has never been, nor ever will be, out of the realm of possibility for him.

And so here he is. In his own neighborhood, and he can't remember how many blocks ago the corner store was.

He hears England's voice behind him, and he stops in his tracks, tilting his head. No, it can't be -- plenty of people have voices like that.

And he turns around to find his gut was correct. There's some relief, some validation that he wasn't simply hearing things, and... curiosity, if he's honest. An absolute mess of questions bubble up in his mind but all that comes out of his mouth is]

You're lost, too?

[knackered]

[--A voice! A very familiar voice at that. Quite frankly, there are voices he'd prefer to hear less. Encountering Austria is an unexpected but pleasant surprise.]

Oh! Hello Austria. I--ah... Mm. [Yes, he is indeed lost. Admitting it, however, is another matter, especially to another nation. In the fraction of a second he weighs personal pride with preservation and, at least in this case, the preservation wins out. He can make an exception while stranded on an entirely different world.]

Yes, I suppose I am, and in more ways than one. I didn't expect to see more nations here at the very least.

[If Austria is lost, what hope does England have??]

B

[uncaging]

Elizabeth had been just passing by, enjoying the sound of the ocean and lost in her own thoughts, when she realises she's being addressed. She turns, smiling politely.

"Hello to you too!"

[knackered]

That dark hair, those lovely eyes! Arthur blushes and clears his throat, doing what he can to keep hold of his composure. It's fine! This is fine. He takes a deep breath and offers the young woman a small smile.

Serves you right for addressing strangers, Arthur thinks to himself. Not that he could really help it. And hearing her speak? Good heavens, be still his heart!

"I'm Arthur, it's a pleasure to meet you. I noticed you here, and though I hate to bother you, but... I had to tell you how beautiful your eyes are."