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memesoftheton2023-05-27 11:00 am
thetonmods) wrote in memesoftheton2023-05-27 11:00 am
TDM II
Welcome to the The Ton's second Test Drive Meme!
Applications will OPEN on the 1st of June. Players with characters already in game are also welcome to top-level with them. However, we ask that all TDM-related prompts stay on the TDM post itself.
If you do write a top-level, please make sure to include your character's name and canon in the subject field - regardless of whether your character is already in game or not.
Please note that the Test Drive Meme does not require an invite in order to participate - submitting an application does.
NAVIGATION.
🌿 Arrival • Welcome Drinks • The Greenhouse Effect • Skinny Dipping • Give You Butterflies [NSFW] • That Belongs in A Museum • Jump to Comments 🌿
🌱 Applications • FAQ • Rules • Full Navigation 🌱
I. WELCOME
You don't remember when or where you fell asleep exactly...
Perhaps it's the tickling sensation of a low hanging tree branch brushing against your nose or the feel of the slightly damp grass underneath you that causes you to awaken but when you do you'll find yourself lying amongst a glade of wisteria trees. You're not alone - nymphs of the trees laugh and dance about you, clearly amused at the new arrival. Along with them, your new loyal servant is here on Pheme's bidding. How this servant looks is different to each arrival. Some are saddled with short, stout butlers, others are welcomed by towering, busty maids. Regardless of their appearance, they introduce themselves with a kindness and warmth that is simultaneously reassuring and strangely impossible to resist when they beckon you to follow them from the grove and out into the city of Andovale.
The closest structure within sight is the Palace and its grounds. It is here that the Lady Pheme resides and from here that she rules over the city, your servant explains to you. You have been selected and brought here personally by her. It is she who assigned the servant to guide you through the regency-inspired city that is your new home.
Eventually, they will bring you to your new residence within the outskirts of somewhere called the "Trade Quarter". You are now the resident of a room within one of the many imposing town houses which make up the Grand Crescent. Throughout your stay here the servant will be your own personal butler or maid. This is where all new arrivals will be living for the time being you are told. Your servant will also give you a crash course on life here and the concept of Thumos - the energy or life force that keeps Andovale and all life within it going - including you now that you are here. It's generated through acts of intimacy, whether that be physical or emotional.
Once you have been shown to your room, you are given two things: a network communication device and a letter. The letter reads as follows:
My dearest reader,
Welcome to Andovale.
The delights of our fair city are yours to explore.
I do hope that you make your stay here a most interesting one. I shall be frightfully disappointed if you do not - and we do not want that, do we?
You will hear from me again very soon.
Yours Truly,
Lady Pheme
You are free to wander about and explore the house and its surroundings as you please. It's certainly spacious enough. As well as your own quarters, each of the townhouses of the Grand Crescent have large communal areas, which includes the kitchens (although why you'd like to go there when your servant can fetch any delicacies you'd like for you!), a dining room, a parlour with its own small library, two drawing rooms (somewhere you can go to chill out basically - harp music anyone?) and a generously sized garden.
Strangely, unlike most accurate regency townhouses, there do not appear to be any servant's quarters - perhaps these servants don't need to rest? Or they go somewhere else entirely for that?
Why not introduce yourself to your new housemates? Or enjoy some tea and cakes that have been prepared for you personally by your retainer, which they seem to keep insisting on bringing to you?
II. AN INVITATION
Whether you're brand new to Andovale or a an establishedif a little unwillingresident by now, your assigned maid or butler will track you down. They are not empty-handed and they carry a silver tray, upon which is an envelope with a wax seal bearing the letter "P". Inside the envelope is an invitation. An invitation from your benevolent ruler, Lady Pheme herself.
Each character will receive an invitation identical in wording to the one below:
EVENT AT THE PLEASURE GARDENS
YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME HERE
Is requested to attend an exclusive event at the PLEASURE GARDENS, on 27th of May current.
Admission to the attraction begins at 6 o'clock p. m.
Wear something green for this special occasion.
Lady Pheme
Your servant can help you find something appropriate to wear - or not appropriate, the choice is entirely yours, after all. If you decide to go with their guidance, it is notable that they seem a little less decisive in the sort of outfit you should be wearing for this event - only, as Pheme said, that it should be something green. An evening gathering surely must require formal wear though and they will eventually press upon you the importance of wearing Regency Full Dress for the night ahead.
You may come to regret this.
Note: Even though it's a little different from the norm, this event will still count as a ball and all attendees will get 10 Reputation Points✨, just for showing up and looking respectable. Indulging with the theme and wearing an acceptable green outfit will also gain attendees a further 5 Points✨.
CW: alcohol
JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS
So, you've received an exclusive invitation to the Pleasure Gardens' latest pop-up attraction from Lady Pheme herself? How exciting! Ordinarily, the Gardens are open to anyone willing to pay the small amount of Thumos required to enter, but tonight it seems that only those brought in from other worlds are permitted access. You're getting an exclusive preview of the attraction, one of the guards at the gates tells you.
One of their colleagues will escort you down the torch flame lit pathways, through the gardens to the centre - the open space where all events like this take place.
Tonight, that open space is not so open. Besides the vast outdoor ballroom floor, in front of you is a giant glass house - basically, a large fancy green house between you and I. These are often found at grand country houses to show off and cultivate exotic, never before seen plants from far off lands. You've been brought here for the unveiling of this attraction. How such a thing could possibly be temporary seems highly improbable, but that's Pheme for you.
Feel free to begin the evening with mingling and dancing as befitting of any ball, but before the night is over you will feel yourself propelled forward to join the queue to get into the "Palm House," almost as if an invisible hand is shoving you forwards. You're even handed an extremely green and theme appropriate alcoholic beverage to consume in the queue while you wait. It's all very civilised.
Oddly, this drink won't get you drunk in the usual way, despite the alcohol content. Instead you will find yourself imbued with a hefty sense of glee and eagerness for adventure. It's all to help ease you into this experience, after all.
You're admitted to the Palm House one at a time - it's fine, you'll see your friends inside! Just as you set foot through the doors, your head is filled with the sound of a woman's voice, soft and beguiling:
"Dearest gentle member of the ton - what happens in the Palm House, stays in the Palm House. You are free tonight."Note: For those that don't drink, there's also an alcohol free version. It looks completely identical to the boozy version.
Whether that drink has got you in the spirit or not, entering the Palm House is worth your while. All of those who enter will instantly receive 20 Reputation Points✨. And in case it wasn't already obvious, on this very special of occasions and the debut of her attraction, Pheme is turning a blind eye to what happens to you all in there. These things need a whole lot of Thumos to run properly and some of you will be doing her a huge favour... you just don't know it yet.
There will be no NPCs present in the Palm House, only your characters. Tonight is an exclusive preview for Pheme's Chosen, after all.
Entering the Palm House is a rather surreal experience to say the least. Sure, it looked pretty grand from the outside, but that's nothing compared to what greets you inside...
You might have been expecting a typical large tropical greenhouse as per any botanical garden visit, if such things exist to you back home. However, this particular green house appears to contain nothing less than a few dozen acres of rain forest. If the word "Tardis" resided in the vocabulary of the Ton's residents then it would surely be applied here. Pheme's out to show off again.
The moment you take a step or two through that door you feel strangely disoriented. Take a few steps more - perhaps you change your mind and decide to head back to the door you just came through. Only when you do, you'll find that the door is no longer there.
There is another door out of here but that involves crossing the length of the exhibit - and as you can now see quite clearly, that is not going to be such an easy task. There are paths to take and to (hopefully) stick to, but they seem to crisscross at every turn you take and go in all different directions. Thick rainforest surrounds you on all sides, its dense foliage extending towards what you can see of the glass ceiling and the night sky beyond that.
Pheme hasn't been quite cruel enough to leave you wandering through the rainforest by moonlight alone. Many of the plants here glow with an unnaturally bright bioluminescence - and there is more. Every now and again during your travels you will see the light of a of lantern darting amongst the trees, accompanied by alluring and lilting female voices, often laughing with delight. They might seem a little familiar to you.
It seems that the tree nymphs (or dryads) from the wisteria grove have sisters and they're making themselves quite at home in the Palm House. If you happen to catch a decent view of one of them, you'll find yourself face to face with quite possibly one of the most beautiful - not to mention scantily clad - women you have ever laid eyes on. They won't stick around long though. Make the mistake of trying to follow one of them and you'll find yourselves off the path and even more lost and disoriented than you were before.
You might be really regretting your choice of dress right about now - even if you are camouflaged with all of the greenery.Note: If your character does not manage to find the exit (or one of the magic wreaths mentioned below) then they will only remain trapped in the Palm House until dawn. After that time period they will themselves slipping into a deep slumber, only to awaken right back in their cosy bed within the Grand Crescent (or wherever they've now made their home) a few hours later. You can thank your servant for that.
JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS
CW: large bodies of water, possible nudity
Unsurprisingly, it's hot in the forest, and the chances are that you didn't exactly come in here dressed for this.
While the dryads have made themselves at home on the land inside the Palm House, their naiad cousins (or water nymphs) have made themselves comfortable within the many rainforest pools. You can hear their delighted giggling as you traverse the forest and they will even call out to you in alluring tones, somehow knowing your name. It's impossible to resist following the sound and when you do you'll find yourself in front of one of the many pools that can be found within the Palm House.
Oddly, there is no sign of the naiads now that you're here. The water is beautifully crystal clear and dappled with the snatches of moonlight managing to shine through the forest canopy. That water is calling out to you, to drink and to bathe - you will feel an overwhelming compulsion to start removing your stuffy clothing, dive right in and cool down.
It's fine, after all, there's no one else around. Yet.
Just be care those pesky water nymphs don't hide your clothes.
JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS
CW: sex, aphrodisiac, sex pollen, insects
It's not just nymphs and you lot making yourselves at home in the Palm House.
Often mistaken for moths, there's one species group of nocturnal butterflies, but their wings are dull, plain, and uninteresting. Clearly not a good fit for a glorious Palm House, designed by Pheme herself. That is precisely why Pheme has created her own, never before seen species of night butterfly, especially for this occasion.
Their wings are like gossamer, beautifully transparent like a ordinary glasswing butterfly but these ones glow in the dark. You probably encounter one or two as you make your way through the rainforest, but the longer you spend in here, the more the butterflies begin to swarm. Looking up and you'll see a "kaleidoscope" high above your heads, hundreds of them flocking together in a brightly glowing mass above the treeline. The display is only brief, but it leaves you with a strange yet probably not unfamiliar feeling.
You see, these butterflies have been carrying pollen on their bodies and legs, as butterflies often do, helping to spread the stuff. It seems whatever plant they have recently been feeding from has some very curious properties... and you can probably guess where this is going.
You feel hot - even more than you already did being stuck in a tropical forest. Not only that, you feel the strongest desire for physical intimacy. Effects vary depending on how much pollen you've been doused with, but you still have a deep, desperate need to do something about it. For those most strongly affected and desiring the ultimate, touching yourself may bring some relief. That may very well be your first thought to try, but some is the operative word here.
That person you've always had a flirtation with? Now is the time. You have to have them. You have to have each other. Or maybe you've just met this person, here, in the rainforest today? Maybe you're two people who ordinarily don't even like each other? Perhaps there's more than two of you?
It doesn't matter. You won't rest until you've gotten that release.Note: The butterflies swarm covers a wide enough area that you can be anywhere within the Palm House when their pollen hits. While this is obviously a sex pollen prompt, players can choose how strongly their characters have been affected. It may be that they only got the lightest dousing of pollen and kissing is enough to satisfy them. On the other hand, maybe they got so covered in the stuff that only doing the deed will do. The choice is yours.
JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS
CW: chance for NSFW
So, you're not having much luck navigating your way out of this foliage filled nightmare? There is another way out. At some point on your travels, one of the naiads will take pity on you and try to help you out: "Find one of the wreaths!"
Deeper into the greenhouse, or this pseudo rainforest as it basically is, you'll find ancient Greek laurel wreaths made of pure gold. They might be just lying on the ground, or up a tree, or under the water in one of the forest pools... The choice is yours as to where you find it, We'll leave that entirely to your discretion.
It will take quite some doing given how far into the jungle these treasures are, but should you manage to find one, upon contact, it will teleport you, and whoever you might be holding onto, out of the greenhouse and right back to the entrance to the Pleasure Gardens again.
The wreaths won't be easy to find, and you'll face many obstacles along the way. Some set to distract you entirely from your goal, which is get the hell out of here. Unless you actually like it in here? You do you, boo. We're not judging.
The teleportation abilities of the wreaths themselves can only be activated by generating a small amount of Thumos between yourself and another first, another naiad will explain. That means no grabbing one for yourself and hightailing it out of here! Oh no, no, no. What about your chums? It would not be seemly to leave them in the lurch, after all.Note: Obviously more than one character can use one of these wreaths to teleport out of the Palm House, as long as each of you has a hand on the item and you have generated Thumos between all of you then it will work.
JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS
Wildcard
To assist you with inspiration our full list of Andovale's locations can be found here.
Want to play something that isn't listed here? Go ahead!
you can't keep me here
Joseph's fared better than many though. From the moment he entered the Palm House he figured out there was a game to be played. Sticking to beaten paths, steering clear of the water, and staunchly refusing the beckoning of a naiad gained him a clue. Directions of paths to take, then something about a spindle and a ring. He's reached the clearing the nymph spoke of, and now to figure out what she meant by the rest of it.
He paces around the little clearing, thinking hard, and he's about on the cusp of it when there's a rustling from nearby. Footsteps. An all too familiar curse word muttered in the darkness.
There's every chance in the world this is another illusion. A trick to try and throw him off the path or distract him. But when a familiar face steps out of the foliage across the clearing from him, Joseph finds himself very, very efficiently distracted. The last time he saw him, he was falling through the cracks in reality once more, screaming, panicking as Joseph reached out for him, weak and slumping into a pool of his own blood-
"Seb?" It escapes from him without a thought, louder than he intends. If this is a trick, the person enacting it just got their hooks in him. "Sebastian?"
This is when he fades away. Or the whole world around them descends into hell again, twisted and corrupted by the evil mind running the show. But he doesn't, and it doesn't, and Joseph starts rushing towards him. And he still doesn't fade.
"Oh my god. Sebastian!"
no subject
This area is unfamiliar, he's pretty sure, and that's encouraging. Even if it's not the right way it's at least new. Movement up ahead has him bracing, shouldering through the greenery with more force than necessary, hoping whatever, whoever it is will spook and leave him the fuck alone.
Not once while trapped in STEM did he doubt Joseph was in front of him when he could see him. There was never a moment he didn't trust that it was his partner, even when he was furious, frustrated, confused, lost. Of all the jungles in all the hellscape nightmares.
"Joseph," it's surprised, gruff, and not just because the wind's been knock out of him, literally and figuratively, by how hard he's slammed his chest against the other man's, how tightly he's wrapped his arms around him immediately, without hesitation.
He simultaneously can't breathe and can finally breathe again.
"Joseph. I thought you were dead."
no subject
Sebastian thought he was dead. Joseph did too, if he's being honest. Here in Andovale it didn't matter, but how long has Sebastian been thinking that? How much time has passed since... since however long ago they were in STEM?
"I don't know what I am," he admits. "But I don't think it's dead. And if you're here too then-"
He lets his forehead slump against his shoulder, trying to will away the shudder that thought gives him.
"You're really are here, aren't you? This is real."
no subject
He pats Joseph on the back, but gently, still not moving away from him. He's not in a hurry, at the moment, the jungle can get fucked. Probably is.
"I'm not this clever, Joseph," he says, sounding like the tired old man he's starting to think he is, but meant to be encouraging, "I think it's real." Even if it's all in their heads, that doesn't make it any less real, right?
no subject
It seems like neither of them wants to let go first. But Joseph loosens, at least, dropping back to elbow's length with a soft laugh at his partner's self-assessment.
"I know you're not." He cracks a weak smile, a gentle tease. "I think it is, too. I've been here two months now and I'm really starting to think..."
That this isn't STEM at all. He's afraid to vocalize it, like doing so will make the walls finally break down for good. But it's written all over the worry in his gaze.
no subject
"This is you starting to think? Shit, Joseph." It's only fair he take the opportunity to tease, and he would even if it wasn't. It's the most normal he's felt in a long time, and he doesn't trust it. And that's when the crucial part of what Joseph's saying clicks. And the depth of his expression.
"Two months?" He's starting to think, too. "It hasn't been that long, since..." since some absolute bullshit went down. Since he woke up alone in a bathtub much too sober to be waking up in a bathtub.
no subject
It's also a nice distraction from hashing out the disturbing implications of his and Sebastian's differing perspectives of time. But everything else here is so impossible, who's to say that time isn't among the things Pheme's magic can screw with?
"What's the last thing you remember?" he asks carefully. "We were approaching that playground. That boy was there with Kidman. Then everything went... weird again and I-" He places a hand over his chest, the spot where a bullet did and didn't punch through his body.
"Then I woke up in the wisteria grove. That was two months ago now."
no subject
He doesn't like that it's the last thing Joseph remembers. But he's here now, in front of him, just a few inches out of his arms and very much alive. He's not in the mood to question it.
He claps Joseph on the shoulder again, lets it linger before dropping his hand.
"I made it out," he says, confidently, but in the way he says everything like it's true, "Not long after..." he trails off, indicating he means the last moment Joseph remembers. "Definitely hasn't been a couple months. Haven't been here long, either."
Feels like he's been in this goddamn jungle longer than wherever the hell Andovale is. Whatever the hell it is.
no subject
Hurrying to leave that thought behind, he turns his mind instead to trying to lay out the timelines side by side. Putting together what few clues they have.
"I know it seems absurd to even consider. But what they say about this place being 'magic...' It really does seem to be true. You know I wouldn't be saying that if I didn't have evidence to say so." Still keeping a hand on Sebastian's elbow, he reaches into his waistcoat and-- yes, of course he has his notebook on him, even now. "I'll fill you in, but-"
For the first time, it seems to occur to him that they're in the middle of a wild rainforest in a magical greenhouse and he's about to walk Sebastian through two months of his impeccably detailed notes and observations. "Um. Maybe we ought to work on getting out of here first, though."
no subject
He'd have a harder time believing it if it was coming from anyone but Joseph, and didn't exactly take Molly at his word either, and even then...recent experiences mean the concept of Magic doesn't feel as quite as insane as it might have. Wherever they are, he's at least reasonably sure it's not Ruvik's head anymore, and that's objectively an improvement.
"Right." Two month's worth of debrief can wait until they're both a little less humid and a little less sober, as far as Sebastian's concerned. If they stay on task he doesn't have to think about that right now.
"Heard a lot of talk about golden wreaths, don't know where it started, and the tree women aren't talking to me anymore." Which is just fine by him, they at least let him find Joseph.
no subject
With a wry smile, Joseph flips a few more pages in his notebook. "Actually, it's lucky you found me here. I've been following a series of clues to one of those wreaths and they led me here. 'Place the ring upon the spindle,' is the last one. I'm not sure what it's referencing yet. But between the two of us, surely we can figure this out." Castellanos and Oda weren't legends in the KCPD for nothing.
no subject
He's reading Joseph's notes upside down, even as Joseph elaborates, and can't help but feeling there's a joke in here he's not quite catching. His next thought, however,
"That's...some kind of fairy tale, wasn't it?" rhetorical, as he's clearly still working it out, until, "Sleeping Beauty? Pricked her finger on a spindle. Not sure what a ring has to do with it, though."
Of course it's another goddamn puzzle.
no subject
Then he's right back to business.
"Yes, Sleeping Beauty was my first thought too. So I started considering the other related imagery. Roses, a spinning wheel, a tower... there doesn't seem to be any sort of architecture or anything that would match those specific aspects." He's pacing now, finger tracing its way down the page of notes. "The ring is puzzling too, as that wasn't a factor in the tale, but perhaps I'm getting a bit too caught up on the analogy. I was looking around on the ground to see if there was perhaps a ring lying around somewhere, but no luck with that either..."
no subject
He's taking inventory of the clearing they've found themselves in, and while there's no ring, per se, minus the vaguely circular nature of the area, there are a few nasty looking spikes on some of the plants. It's easy to see how someone could prick a finger out of pure curiosity, and it's only that he's so engrossed in finding whichever one is most perfect that he doesn't do so, himself.
After a quick lap he's drawn back to one in particular, a conical spike wrapped in some kind of moss almost like thread. A quick perusal of the area provides no ring however, though he doesn't exactly go kicking through the underbrush, when an idea occurs.
Sebastian twists the ring off his finger, not exactly easily and not thinking too hard about it while he's at it, and sets it on the spindle, because it's exactly the kind of dumb fucking solution he's been dealing with lately.
There's a hiss that has him stepping back as vines and branches part like stage curtains being drawn up, until a new path is revealed.
He snatches his ring back immediately, in fact cutting the palm of his hand on the "spindle" this time, and slides it into place on his finger. The path remains open.
"Huh."
no subject
He turns to watch Sebastian circle back to the same plant, take off his ring, and stick it onto one of the spikes. His voice drifts off somewhere in the middle of this, and he's quiet for a moment as the path emerges.
"You gotta be goddamn kidding me," he says abruptly. "How the hell is that- I don't even have a ring. How was I supposed to-"
no subject
"Come on, Joseph, you want to get out of here, or what?" sorry it wasn't an absolute bullshit bomb you could disarm by yourself this time, maybe the next fairy gate will be. He's not ruling out anything, just yet.
He shrugs, rolling his shoulders, and turns to scope out the new path for another breath before he starts off down it, whether Joseph's done spluttering about it or not.
no subject
He lets a long sigh and an amused eyeroll take care of most of his ire. Annoying and unfair as the setup of the riddle was, the point is they figured it out and they're a step closer to getting the hell out of here.
The path continues up ahead for another 40 feet or so, then ends in a small clearing with some picturesque columns arranged around the area. The one in the center is about 12 feet high and there's a soft golden glow coming from up top, and the edge of some leaves visible.
"Bingo. I think we've got our wreath." Once they get it down, anyway. "Can you give me a boost?"
no subject
Well, at least Joseph didn't suggest either of them try shimmying up the column, but he's not sure how much a boost is going to help them, either. He's standing there, hands on his hips, gazing up at a soft, golden glow, and sighing hard enough he's almost surprised it doesn't shift the damn thing. He shakes his head, stops, and nods once.
"Alright."
One of the reasons he's most certain that regardless of where they are now it's not STEM is that everything hurts again. It's a wry, pained kind of smirk tugging his lips as he bends his knees just so, laces his fingers together, and braces to give a full-grown man a boost to hopefully snag a glowing golden magic wreath to get them out of a jungle labyrinth.
He's had worse days.
no subject
Joseph waits for his partner to get into position, then sets one hand on his shoulder and the other on the column to keep his balance. He gives the count of three, then stands on Sebastian's laced hands and uses the momentum to rise up as high on the column as he can go. It's going to end up just a bit short, so he clutches the edge of the stone and swings his arm up, scrabbling to grab the edge of the wreath with his fingertips.
"Got it!" And now he's hanging there uneasily for a second, sliding his arm through the wreath to keep hold of it, then letting go. He fully expects to land on his feet and fall over backwards, but it's not too far to fall, at least.
no subject
But it's easy enough to launch Joseph up where he's aiming, and Sebastian backs up just for the sake of not getting kicked in the face, but not much farther. He's not hovering, but he can't help keeping an eye on Joseph. What else would he do?
The moment Joseph lets go he steps back in, catching his partner by the hips to steady him, probably a little closer than strictly necessary, but he wasn't counting on Joseph actually trying to land on his ass without assistance, either.
He only lets go and steps back again once Joseph seems sure enough on his feet, before reaching out to run a finger and thumb over one of the leaves of the wreath curiously while it's still around Joseph's arm.
“Now what?”
no subject
It's not that Joseph expected Sebastian to let him fall on his ass. More like he wouldn't have been surprised if he did, for... reasons. When he doesn't, though, the whole prospect seems absolutely ridiculous. Of course Sebastian would catch him. Why would he ever presume otherwise?
Back on solid ground, Joseph brings the wreath forward to examine it along with Sebastian. "They didn't really specify," he answers. "Here. Let's both grab on, and-"
The moment they do, the greenhouse vanishes. Rather, they vanish from the greenhouse, abruptly appearing back in the gardens outside in a chaotic blip in reality
no subject
"Shit," he breathes, taking a wide look up at a starlit night sky. Feels like it's been longer than mere hours since he's seen it, but he's grateful all the same.
"Is it always that easy?" Directed back at Joseph, the current expert on such things as puzzles and magic. He probably doesn't intend for that question to be as infuriating and it might be. Probably.
no subject
With that he smiles wryly, too pleased about seeing Sebastian safe and solid and actually here outside of the liminal reality of that jungle to pitch too much of a fit about the asshole's smug little attitude. He's here. He's really here. Whatever else may happen and whatever Andovale has in store for them next, his partner is here.
"Come on. I'll have my retainer fetch a carriage. Let's go somewhere more comfortable and I'll fill you in."