006 ⟡ NOVEMBER TEST DRIVE

[bayhelpers]

⋆✩ test drive 06 ✩⋆

The day begins like any other.

Routines, eventful scenes, and boring errands — no matter what you were in the middle of, there's a moment where everything begins to feel wrong. A searing pain tears through your body, so intense that it feels like every nerve has been struck at once. Muscles spasm, joints scream in protest, and as you double over, you find yourself clawing or clinging at anything within your reach. As your attempts to maintain composure fail you, your bones begin to twist with an agonizing force, the pain rising in a crescendo until it becomes unbearable to even breathe. Then, as quickly as it began, everything stops.

For a single, terrifying moment, there's nothing. No sight, no sound, no touch, no taste, no smell — just the weight of nothingness swallowing you whole. The absence of sensation might even be worse than the pain, leaving you adrift in a void you can't escape. Hopelessness threatens every fiber of your existence, and try as you might to fight it, your darkest thoughts begin to surface, flooding your mind in an onslaught of suffocating feelings and ideas.

In the darkness, you hear a voice.

It's faint, a gentle flashing of something warm along the edges of your mind, like sunlight itself. It's a voice, but you can't identify who or what it comes from, how it sounds, or what it means — still, you know it's directed at you. Something tugs at your heart, a powerful ache that throbs once and ripples outwards. You can feel the aches again, like fresh sores throughout your body. You feel off, like something isn't quite right, like you're not where you should be, or who you should be. But the voice continues, whispered just beyond your understanding. The sound is warm like hope, and it wraps around you, distant yet intent, before you wake up.

i. arrivals

OUT OF THE FRYING TUBES…

The first thing you notice is the heat. It’s dry and sweltering, a pressuring thing that surrounds you in darkness. Opening your eyes reveals that it’s not just the temperature doing this however - no, all around you is a near total darkness, broken only by the soft glow of red gold that creeps in from distant cracks.

And perhaps, in some circumstances, yourself.

The tunnels here appear to be lava tubes, long faded from primary use by the caldera nearby. While the occasional pool of hot molten rock can be spotted throughout this impressive maze, it never seems difficult to avoid. In fact, the deeper you go, the more evidence you find that someone - or at least, something - even lived here!

Staying here is probably not going to feel comfortable however. Not unless you’re Fire or Ground type. Escaping the tunnels is only half the battle, too, as the exits lead to a desolate plain of ash and dust. The caldera of Furnace Mountain is hot indeed, and it seems that’s precisely where you wound up! But perhaps, another kind Pokemon will appear to help lead you to somewhere safer?

AND INTO THE FIRE

⟡ Furnace Mountain’s regions all return to the settlement of (Death Blood Murder) Skull Town easily, but it’s not impossible for Pokemon to get lost and wander from the tunnels to other locations:

The Caldera Crater is a maze of molten lava and narrow walkways, where one can eventually find a crooked Obsidian Spire - making contact with this will cause a chorus of shouts to echo through one’s mind.

The Plateau in the meantime is covered with numerous geysers, with safe paths marked by what appear to be skeletal remains. They lead to a valley filled with even more such skeletons, many of them partially melted.

⟡ Worry not dear Pokemon, for Lurantis, the Mayor of Skull Town, will be sending rescue crews to your location; in addition to current Players, various Ghost Pokemon will likely answer the call to guide others out.

⟡ For those who remain in Skull Town for a time, they will find the village primarily focused on either rescuing newcomers or preparing for winter: Characters may find themselves swiftly recruited to help dry foods, or gather wood.

⟡ While TDM events specifically will occur here, Players are welcome to have their Top Levels involve other locations as well.

ii. BRISK BREEZES

KNOCK ON SUDOWOODO

For the most part Pokemon are encouraged to return to Bottlecap Bay as quickly as possible - rather, to be brought there for the first time. The Guilds are all located there after all, and it will be far easier to settle Pokemon into their new homes if the Leaders are able to meet them in person. With the winter season right around the corner, everyone is trying to avoid travelling unnecessarily; they held that mayoral vote for a reason after all!

While much of the food stores have been prepared, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do either. In addition to putting together warm materials for beds, or cutting and preserving the last of the autumn harvest, a good number of Pokemon have started their own efforts to prepare the guilds, and gladly accept extra help from these newcomers! In Cheri Guild, everyone gathers to build stronger, more weather resistant rooftops for the otherwise open tree houses, with some even gathering large leaves to make curtain walls - the more that the wind can be kept out, the warmer they will be, and starting a fire in these buildings is ill advised.

In Oran in the meantime, an enterprising Tinkaton has started work on a bilge pump system - an incredibly relieved Mightyena is happily telling everyone who will listen that if they’re lucky, they won’t have to worry about flooding until the seasons warm up again.

Even the Lum Berry Guild has their hands on something, even if it isn’t anything quite as impressive; given the weather preparations they haven’t had time to put together any special escape rooms this time, but they’re at least willing to send out less busy members to give tours of the town.

Though of course, the quality of the tours vary, and it’s hardly as if the new Pokemon can offer to help tour themselves!

…Right?

YOU JYNXED IT!

⟡ Pokemon who assist in any of the three projects - including the tours, which they can indeed attempt for themselves, will find themselves granted an article of warm clothing. Stay warm everyone!

⟡ For current players, Player Quests as referenced can be found here, along with many other wonderful submissions!

⟡ As Guild Leaders will be taking their time to decide on who fits best in each group, housing is at the moment an open bag. Players are free to assume anyone from Oran, to Cheri, to even Lum opened their room to other Pokemon to be shared - they can even assume residence at Skull Town for the time being if they wish!

iii. FREEZE THE DAY

WINTER HAS COME

It happens without warning. A sudden chilled wind from the coast - a darkening of the skies that would normally entail thunder, and rainshowers. Rather than the anticipated storm however, weather experts at Lum are quick to sound the alarm: a blizzard is here!

With just moments to spare, all Pokemon residents - and even some visiting wild Pokemon, who are confused but grateful all the same - are herded into the nearest shelter. Houses, Guilds, even storefronts become temporary homes as the snow blasts through the streets, freezing anything in its path. While some Pokemon might find the conditions tolerable, the leaders of each region are enacting a No Exceptions policy to the rule, even making use of Pokemon abilities to locate anyone who might be in danger.

With the snow storm in full force, it’s on the various guilds to find methods to pass the time. The winter storm can’t last forever, but if it does they’ve fortunately prepared. At this point in the year, there was very little food that would need to be sourced from outside each building - each and every location has at least a small connection to the storage tunnels below, and the Oran berries even have access to sheltered portions of the ocean. Even the newly planted Winter Gardens are well protected, with one of Lurantis’ first orders of business being to put enough fencework up that they could roof things in if need be.

Entertainment will be the true struggle, and each Guild Leader has their own method at the problem - as does Lurantis, back in Skull Town. And fortunately for those with Grumpig Pearls, it’s possible to make your own fun as well!

Unless you actually enjoy the ice breakers, of course.

HOW ABOUT SOME ICE BREAKERS?

⟡ There are a variety of ways Pokemon will be catching others outside, including methods such as ‘Future Sight’. Players are free to get creative with how other Pokemon might find their characters (and vice versa, with Player permission).

⟡ Each Guild has their own unique set of ‘Ice Breakers’:

The Oran Guild involves various races, as well as seek-and-find games through their more sheltered tunnels, capitalizing on their ability to remain active. They also host a number of slumber parties to help keep everyone as warm as possible.

The Cheri Guild also hosts sleep overs, as well as various crafting circles within their huts - that way, they can do something useful! As the buildings are connected via bridges, Teleporting Pokemon within the guild have offered to graciously lend their power to get everyone between the necessary buildings.

The Lum Guild has access to the archives, so a similar Teleport use is offered on a case-by-case basis to get Pokemon into the Archives; try not to abuse this, everyone! Once in the Archives they’ll find plenty to read and study, and some Pokemon are even hosting ‘board game’ parties! Though they seem somewhat confused about how these board games work.

Last but not least, those in Skull Town will have found themselves herded into the primary housing facility to sleep together. Lurantis, despite her anxiety with crowds, has actually arranged a variety of simple ‘Get to Know Each Other’ activities such as word games in the hopes of keeping everyone entertained. She seems stressed, but she’s clearly trying to keep the peace.

⟡ It’s more than possible for members of one Guild to end up sheltering within another. Due to the distance between them however, someone stuck in Cheri won’t be able to simply teleport to the Lum Archives, and vice versa. Long Distance Teleporters are too focused on the clinic!

⟡ Grumpig Pearls will be working perfectly despite the blizzard, due to their use of Psychic energy rather than anything that relies on a signal - because of this, characters may feel free to get creative about how to use their Pearls to entertain themselves and others.

IT’S SNOW MUCH FUN!

When the winds and snows of the blizzard settle down, Bottlecap Bay and Skull Town wake to a beautifully sunny landscape covered in white. It’s just warm enough during the day that snows start to melt, and trees drip water and handfuls of snow onto everyone’s heads. (Sometimes entire heaps come sliding off at once - if you’re a smaller Pokemon, careful you don’t get buried!) The ground cover is far too deep to disappear completely, though, so the first order of business everywhere is digging walkways through the snow.

Once that’s done and everyone’s had a breath of fresh air, though, Pokemon find ways to take out all the pent up energy of being snowed in! It’s very easy to find a snowball fight, or join in on building a fort - or both! Or if all that’s a bit too frivolous for you… there’s rumors going around of a giant snowbeast that’s been glimpsed around the borders of Bottlecap Bay, ducking in and out of forest. Descriptions aren’t consistent, so it might just be gossip that’s been blown out of proportion, but maybe it’s worth investigating?

Over in Skull Town, Lurantis flits to and fro frantically, visibly stressed. The harvest was practically done, so very little has actually gone wrong. However, it’s very early in the year for such a bad snowstorm, and she has terrible feelings about what it might mean for this winter. Pokemon who don’t seem busy with something else might get pointed toward collecting more firewood, or better insulating Skull Town buildings, or other winter preparation tasks.

On one particular day, one of the mountains around Crowncork Valley experiences an avalanche - snow shears off near the top and tumbles down in a giant sheet, piling up at the bottom and invading the very edge of the valley. It’s an impressive sight - nearly all Pokemon in town pause and watch in awe before returning to their tasks. Good thing that wasn’t closer! Hopefully no one was out there…

EVERY DAY I’M SHOVELIN’

⟡ There are numerous ways to get rid of snow, with some Pokemon moves more effective than others. While Fire is strong against Ice, it results in a lot of snowmelt that gets everything wet - Pokemon will find that as long as they can push the snow elsewhere, it’s a lot more effective than trying to just vaporize it.

⟡ Pokemon who investigate particularly deep into these ‘Snowbeast’ tales will find themselves incredibly confused - at least until the end of the month, where one such ‘beast’ finally slips up. It appears a group of Solosis were inspired by scary tales of something their Uncle Reuniclus saw just at the end of October. A big, tall monster, with frozen clouds at its feet, and horns of ice…what could that be?

⟡ Those who help Lurantis won’t receive any points for their guild, but she’ll be incredibly grateful for the assistance given how new she is to her position! She’ll speak to any such volunteers individually, and while she admits she can’t give them anything now she tells each one to come visit once spring is here.

✩ OOC NOTES.

⟡ TDM CWS: Skeletal Remains, Hard Wintering conditions, Pokemon Typical Violence

⟡ TDMs are game canon and act as events for the month they are posted.

⟡ New characters can link to their top level beneath the NEWBIE DIRECTORY

⟡ All new arrivals are not assigned to any one guild. However, they may assume themselves to share rooms within any one of them during the course of the TDM.

⟡ Remember that at least one thread for your application must come from the TDM! There is no comment minimum, but we will be looking for engagement, as well as for players and characters who take the time to delve into things like character thoughts, emotions, morality, and other deep themes. Take this time to engage with the setting as you would in game!

⟡ As a reminder, reserves and applications are permanently opened. Please see their respective pages for details on processing time.

⟡ Rough Timing on the prompts are as follows: the Blizzard will begin on November 20th, and lasts until the 23rd for a full three days. The avalanche in Crowncork occurs on November 27th. Thank goodness it didn’t happen to the town somehow right?

⟡ Have any questions related to the TDM? Ask here! If your question is more general for the game, please make sure to direct it to the FAQ page instead. Thank you, and happy threading!

FULL NAVIGATION

Comments

[wolfcut]

Appreciate it. I'm staying at Six's place for now. [ He smiles at her offer regardless, until he remembers what they say about assuming. ] Big fella. Dragonite. But I'll make sure to swing by.

[ That said, he glances at the tablet with a huff. ]

Oh, and they have a tablet for everything. It'll just be impossible to find or have next to no details. [ He misses his flying monkey librarian. He misses him a lot.

But the mention of folktales from another world... Of course he can't help but be curious. It helps he's getting sick of these tablets all over again anyway. ] Don't think I can turn down that though.

[autumnrainrunaway]

Oh, I haven't met Six properly yet, but I hope I will soon. [ How many dragons were at the settlement? Dolly was used to dragons being spread apart due to territorial issue and never this close together like it. Maybe the dragons here are nicer towards one another? ]

They do, though I honestly think the tablets would benefit greatly with a Dewey Decimal system in place to make it easier to locate.

[ Dolly lights up upon hearing Bigby request that, it definitely bets the dread search through the tablets at this point. The challenge, picking out which folktale to go with..]

Well I have a lot under my belt so to speak, is there a region you'd like me to start with? I also have some folktales from my birthplace to offer as well.

[ ..Its the only thing she had left of home...Thanks memories... ]

[wolfcut]

At this point, I'll take any system, and a librarian who actually knows what they're doing.

[ He never thought he'd have opinions on this sort of thing, but there's no way he can't with a collection organized solely by vibes. At least Dolly is giving him a distraction from all of it. ]

Let's go with the second option. Can always tell how a place is from the stories they have.

[ Which is to say, he's been curious to learn more about where she comes from too. ]

[autumnrainrunaway]

Our kingdom for a librarian, I wonder if that'll be the next election to come up?

[ It was half joking and half serious...Dolly really would love a Librarian for this that was for sure. This was making her wish that cranky DnD loving Dragon librarian was here.. ]

That sounds like a good deal to me, I got 'The Magic Frog' and 'The Sanguine Wine' from my homeland to choose from.

[ This was a gamble on Dolly's end of things, not sure how much will get revealed by them. ]

[wolfcut]

One can only dream, Dolly.

[ Now that would be an election he'd actually rally around. ]

I'll pick the first one. Can't go wrong with frogs.

[ Toads on the other hand... ]

[autumnrainrunaway]

Absolutely, frogs are magical and work incredibly well in stories.

[Absolutely on the toads, they commit grand theft auto and stage major jailbreaks. Literary jokes asides, Dolly did brighten a bit to share an old favorite. Dolly's caregiver as an aisling ended up memorizing the tale due to how many times she'd request that story before bed.]

[Though, she'd have to tailor the story just a bit to make it understandable.]

It was on an island much like the one I grew up on called Mag Mell. Normally with each generation there would be just one Queen for it, often would be given a higher focus on training before coronation and being sent off with their entire generation to explore. However, with this particular generation, they ended up with two Queens from different districts. It was the first time something like it had happened and no one was sure what to do about it.

[wolfcut]

[ That toad in question he gets plenty enough of already back home, so Dolly's story will be a welcome breath of fresh air. He leans back, folding his arms as he listens with a soft smile on his face. Let's see if he can manage to place this one among his own. ]

Two queens. Classic conundrum. [ Royalty always seems to have issues with sharing. ] Hopefully they managed to settle their differences and live happily ever after? [ But then where would the story be? He huffs, already knowing the answer. ]

[autumnrainrunaway]

[ Oh if only Dolly could show what having eleven Queens running one island was like. It was an absolute circus to witness after becoming a Queen Elect after the tournament...no more thinking about that, back to the story... ]

If only, but much like how queen bees are when there's more than one, this pair didn't look too promising. The first Queen Elect was from the Storms District with an attitude to match while the other Queen Elect had been from the Meadows District, a gentle farming area. The Storms Queen Elect wanted the Meadows Queen Elect gone, she wasn't about to share the generation with xir anytime soon.

[ Dolly pauses as she goes through that nasty sandy aftertaste that came with saying that word. Dramatic pauses were always good for storytelling too, a good literary device it was! ]

Until a plan was made, the Storms Elect would bully the Meadow Elect when given the chance. Every moment an attempt to make the other fail a test, make the other look weak in comparison, it was a nightmare to exist in. The Meadow Elect though did xir best to manage, having a smile on even though xie wanted to cry. Then one day it happened, Mag Mell had to get supplies from another land. The Queen overseeing Mag Mell, Tethra, figured it would be a good decision to let the two Queen Elects visit the new land, possibly learn what to expect after coronation day.

[wolfcut]

No, of course not. It's never that easy.

[ There's not much commentary he wants to add when he's trying to actively listen. Admittedly, folklore about — what he's assuming are — the fae is a bit out of his depth. Still, it's easy enough for him to follow as he nods along with the story beats. ]

What luck, huh? As if that Meadow Elect isn't going through enough. Can't blame Tethra for being nosy though.

[autumnrainrunaway]

Neither can I, Tethra likely had the best intentions for those two in mind when he sent the two Elects to the new land. How could he have known that only one, the Storms Elect, would return but without the other?

[ Dolly took an opportunity to pause as she thought about how to explain the next part. Fae rules are odd ones and may not always make the most sense at the best of times. ]

Where I came from, a majority of us cannot lie if asked a direct enough question, however, if the question is vague enough, we can leave out some details much like what the Storms Elect did. She was asked what happened to the Meadow Elect, told Tethra mostly the truth.

'Oh the Meadow Elect wandered off in the opposite direction and was far too gone to reach by the time we had to return.'

The full truth was, the Storms Elect had pointed something out to the Meadow Elect, something shimmering out into the woods. The Meadow Elect got bullied into going into the woods alone to see what that shimmering thing was and to bring it back to the Storms Elect. By the time the invite had expired to stay, it was too late to go retrieve the Meadow Elect, they had to leave xir behind.

[ Upside to this was Dolly was getting towards her favorite part, the arrival of the Magic Frog. Though she'll let Bigby process the next parts of the story that was brought out. ]

[wolfcut]

Interesting rule of the land.

[ And one he knows full well isn't human. Suspicions are now up, but he's going to keep listening instead of making an early judgement about where she's actually from. ]

Poor Meadow Elect though. Hard enough to be a stranger in a strange land. Can't imagine getting stranded on top of it.

[autumnrainrunaway]

Its been like that for as long as I can remember.

[ It was a pain, a huge pain that rule was and Dolly had no say in it. It just happens automatically when asked. Sure, sometimes Dolly would get lucky and it was subject she immensely enjoys, but other times..O T H E R T I M E S....back to the story. ]

Poor Meadow Elect really did have a hard time, one moment xie were safe with xir batch siblings, the next, the Meadow Elect was stuck in a strange land with no one xie knew. The constellations were unknown, no one spoke xir language, the seas unfamiliar, and the customs vastly different from xir own.

The situation was too much for the Meadow Elect and there was nothing xie could do about it.

It was right around when the Meadow Elect was about to break down, xie heard a soft chirp like sound. There, on the ground was a small frog of a golden yellow coloration with metallic green spots. Truly a beautiful little creature it was as the Meadow Elect offered a hand to the frog to climb up upon. Perhaps that was what the shining thing was from before?

Regardless, the frog was in xir hand and though it did not speak, the Meadow Elect felt as though xie understood it was a friend. The frog would help the Meadow Elect with things such as scavenging for food to eat or safe water to drink. Other times when the loneliness would consume the Meadow Elect, the frog was there to comfort the young Queen Elect.

[ The nostalgia was strong for Dolly as she retold the story, she wished there was a warm cup of broth here for it. It was a good place to let Bigby process the tale before bringing in the bigger parts of it. ]

[wolfcut]

[ As if reading her mind: ] Must be a pain.

[ For as much as forgoing the truth can be a human trait, being forced to go entirely in the opposite direction hardly seems better. He rubs his chin for a moment before his ears flick as the story continues. ]

You know— [ He grins, fangs baring just a tiny bit. ] —this frog seems like a nice guy and all, but it's hard not to be suspicious. Does that say something about me or them?

[autumnrainrunaway]

It is a pain, it doesn't give us a say in the matter, the truth always had to come out regardless of what the consequences to come afterwards. [ Woah a mythical mind reader? Dolly thought that was something of an urban legend.. ]

[ That earned a little smile there from Dolly when she saw the fangs being bared a bit when the question came up. ]

That's true, xie should've been suspicious, the Meadow Elect had no clue if this was a deity in disguise or not. Regardless though, the Meadow Elect made a choice to continue to trust the little frog. Many lunar cycles passed since the Meadow Elect got stranded, by then xie would've been at the age for coronation. Thanks to the help the little frog gave, the Meadow Elect was able to adapt and survive, staving off the sense of isolation with the companionship the frog brought.

Then one day, something happened that caught the Meadow Elect's attention. Boats from xir own kind were sailing up towards the land the Meadow Elect had been surviving on drew close.

[wolfcut]

[ Reading minds and sniffing lies. Definitely powers he wouldn't completely make up to get little witnesses to tell the truth. His head tilts a bit when she explains further. Sounds less like a strict custom and more like something else is in play, though he puts that in his back pocket as a question for later. ]

Guess when you have no other choice, all you can do is trust. [ Fitting, considering their whole situation here. ] That frog really put in the work though. Can't believe it took them that long to finally find the Meadow Elect. Now xie might not even want to go back, right?

[ New friend, new way of living. It's also, admittedly, fitting. ]

[autumnrainrunaway]

[ Dolly relaxes when she heard that. It was true, all she could do at that moment was to trust that her inability to lie wouldn't be exploited. ] One really doesn't have that choice sometimes other than to trust others. It definitely paid off for both the Meadow Elect and the frog.

[ There's a moment of Dolly collecting herself for the next part as it did hit a little close to home for her liking, but it was how the story went as she resumed.] Oh, xie really didn't want to go back, the Meadow Elect had made xirself at home at this new place after living there for some time. However, as the boats drew closer, the Meadow Elect would notice that it was only those who'd be considered xir peers rather than the caregivers from home.

Of course, intrigued and concerned, the Meadow Elect with xir frog went to the boats as they reached shore, surprising many that the Meadow Elect was alright and well. Turns out when the Storms Elect was coronated, she was way over her head upon becoming a full fledged Queen and had no clue how to navigate a negotiation.

An awful thing it was that happened after a negotiation failed, the other party had shot down the island they had and it fell. While all of xir peers made it off safely, the Storms Elect fell with the island, becoming encased in crystal and lost to all upon the fall. [ Dolly everted her eyes a bit as she explained that part, letting the emotions pass a bit before she resumed.]

The Meadow Elect was now the only functional Queen of the two left and found xirself becoming the Queen needed for xir peers. The Meadow Elect being stunned and rather nervous about the situation was an understatement. Fortunately, the Meadow Elect had the frog by xir side to help with easing in as a Queen. That was how the first Walden came to be and the first recorded familiar in our folktales.

[wolfcut]

[ As Dolly continues, he can definitely sense something underneath the surface. This fairy tale isn't really isn't one he knows after all, but it's familiar, or at the very least, relatable. His brows furrow a bit at her own reaction to her retelling before his expression lightens. ]

... Hard to take up the mantle after all that. [ He knows the feeling, even if he's far from royalty himself. A part of him wonders where he might be, if he never took Snow White's offer to be Fabletown's sheriff. It's a choice that still weighs heavy on his mind. ] But people always need a leader, don't they?

[ He goes a little quiet until finally adding with a faint smile: ] Are... familiars common where you originally came from, Dolly?

[autumnrainrunaway]

It's the worst mantle to take up if any, but they do need their leader, otherwise it'd fall apart. [ Dolly's opinion about the Queen position hasn't changed much since she was in her hundreds, it was the shittiest job ever and still is to this day. ]

[ She perks up big time when that question came up, was Bigby in the same magical community too? He didn't give Dolly a weirded out look or anything that would've tipped at being human. ]

They are, about anyone can have a familiar if they wanted. I have three back where I'm at.

[wolfcut]

Yep. Usually how it goes.

[ Often thankless, but always needed. It's no wonder certain kinds of people get drawn to positions of power first. But what Dolly says next easily shifts his focus onto other matters. Despite his usual suspicions, nothing about her answer gives any indication that he shouldn't believe it outright. ]

Really... [ There's a lot of curiosity in that one word already, made all the more obvious when he leans forward. He's used to witches having familiars, more so in the Homelands than in Fabletown, but Dolly doesn't exactly seem the type. With a deep breath, he carries on, voice a little quieter than before. ] You know, I haven't run into many familiars myself. Magic's a bit out of my usual comfort zone. [ Talking animals on the other hand... but he'll stay quiet on that for now. ]

[autumnrainrunaway]

That it does and too often there are clowns who end up wearing that crown.

[ Dolly perks up as she notices the shift and it was a positive reaction. Bigby was in fact from the similar circle as Dolly was, this was great news and he wasn't freaked out by it, double bonus! ]

[ Following Rigby's lead, Dolly leans in to listen. ] Thank Mac Lir, I'm not the only one here that isn't from normal human society. Sorry it took this long to come out, just the rules and such back where I was from are pretty strict. [ Dolly doesn't blame Bigby at all about magic, it's not for everyone and can reach into some pretty unnerving territory. ] I'll definitely have to introduce you to my familiars then if we get the chance.

[wolfcut]

[ So that confirms it then. ]

Trust me, Dolly. I know how it is. [ Especially as the rule enforcer himself. He rubs his cheek in thought. ] Not sure how they'd like me though.

[ There's a slight awkwardness in the air now, mostly because he doesn't know how to best pose this question without getting it immediately thrown back at him. He supposes that wouldn't be entirely unfair, even if he's been dancing around the answer with nearly everyone so far. As if he's the only one with a past to hide around here. ]

So if you have magic back home, what does that make you then?

[autumnrainrunaway]

Thank goodness, I'm not alone there. [ This was still a huge relief as Dolly relaxes at the mutual confirmation.]

I'm sure they will. Though, Curly is on the snarkier end of things, but I'm sure he'll warm up to you.

[ The awkwardness was expected, this was a rather odd situation to be in with all things considering. Sure enough, here comes that question, but it was worded in a way to avoid revealing that rather loathsome Queen status. ]

Back home, before this, I was a fae, more specifically a dobhar chu. What about you?

[wolfcut]

[ His Celtic isn't so good as to decipher what that means, but he's familiar enough with how it sounds to know where to place it. The fairies and pixies he knew back in Fabletown, back in the Black Forest, didn't often distinguish themselves much.

He stiffens just slightly at the question, still unprepared despite knowing it was coming. For him, it's simultaneously simple yet complicated. Again, he does a quick survey of their vicinity, just to double check. ]

Human, when I need to be. [ Which is most of the time nowadays, really. ] But I was born a wolf.

[autumnrainrunaway]

[ Woah, a reverse werewolf? That was pretty neat and new. ] Okay, sort've like a Selkie? I know they start out as seals first before gaining a human form when puberty starts.

[ There was no judgement on Dolly's end, it was a bit more of a mutual understanding of how awkward things are with introducing what they are to one another. This was still incredibly comforting though to Dolly along with the added bonus of someone else having a meat based diet too minus the hummus on the side. ]

You're in good company though, I had to hunt for meat too before coming here.

[wolfcut]

A bit closer to a werewolf, I'd say. [ Wolfwere? Whatever. He doesn't like using that term for himself anyway. People always land on the wrong assumption when he does. ] Got a dose of lycanthropy to blend in better. Can't exactly use a subway otherwise.

[ Nevermind the fact that he could have transformed into anything he wanted naturally, if only he didn't deny that part of himself from the start. Easy to lose powers you never practice. ]

Huh. Now that's all coming together. [ He huffs with a small smile, the hunter solidarity finally coming to full fruition. ] I'll be honest... I haven't been able to hunt for a long time before coming here.

[ So that's been nice. ]