JULY - AUGUST TEST DRIVE MEME

[indigo_events]

➞ Post with a character you wish to test drive in this game's setting.
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Comments

[insidegalra]

She could be an option for an ally, or a clever plant. Both are reasons to be cooperative, at least on the surface, so Thace nods.

"Some chemicals are far more subtle than that," he says, but then sighs, "I would need a medical lab to find those."

"Probably through that," he continues while gesturing at his Gear, set to one side, "But I won't discount them being clever either."

The 'Ponyta' gets a raised eyebrow but Thace deliberately waits a moment and continues his search of the bag before asking, "companion?"

[cutesneeze]

"Or the spheres." They're some kind of electronic device, that much is obvious, and seem to serve as a holding cell of some sort for creatures like the small, absurdly pastel horse that has been stubbornly dogging her heels, but the specifics are beyond her. Still, Catra's certain it wouldn't be difficult to insert a tracking chip in the things - or, for that matter, to insert a device that would collect all manner of useful information.

The tree's leaves rustle faintly as she shimmies forward to the end of the branch she's chosen as her perch, then drops down to the ground several metres away from where he's sitting, landing in an easy crouch. She certainly looks human - short dark hair, tanned skin, a scattering of freckles on her cheeks - though her mismatched eyes, one amber-brown and the other vivid blue, and the stripes that run across her arms like strangely uniform birthmarks are unusual, and the red bodysuit and lack of any footwear whatsoever are outlandish in comparison to the garb that appears to be preferred by the residents of New Bark Town.

"She's a ponyta, according to the scanner," she says, tapping one finger on the PokeGear she holds in her left hand. "You probably have some creature too. The crazy woman was ranting about a 'pokemon journey'."

Whatever that means.

[insidegalra]

"The false-mother was talking about that at me, as well," Thace comments with a wry twist of his mouth that looks more like a grimace.

He's gone through all the contents of the bag by now, sorting them out by potential threat level in a worst-case scenario, and is holding the handbook in his hands.

"I have no doubts about the creature; only reservations about the idea of restraining creatures through technology or magic."

He picks up one of the balls in his hand. "Are these a prison? Are they a means of rapid transport from wherever these creatures live to our locations? Are the creatures fully or semi-sentient, and if they are, can they honestly consent to..." Thace frowns mightily, "what sounds like a pet-owner relationship if they were mere non-sentient animals..."

While Thace is pondering the ethics out loud, whatever's in the ball wants to get out, apparently.

And in a flash of light, there's a sword coming out of the ball to float between Thace and Catra. Surprise is something of an understatement for Thace's expression.

[cutesneeze]

"They were probably raised to obey," Catra replies, rolling one shoulder in a shrug, as though raising sapient creatures as subservient combatants is completely normal.

Which, in the Horde, it absolutely is.

Anything more she might say on the matter, however, is derailed by the flash of light and sudden appearance of a floating sword. She makes a strangled noise somewhere between a yelp and a snarl, and springs backwards, posture unmistakably a fighting crouch. There's a clatter of hooves on the other side of the fence as her ponyta rights herself in preparation to come to her trainer's defense.

"What is that?"

Weird creatures, she was expecting. Apparently-enchanted weapons? Not so much.

[insidegalra]

Thace doesn't bother hiding his grimace. It's all too common, but that doesn't mean he doesn't hate it, and count himself lucky he saw his way through the Empire's conditioning and propaganda.

"I've spent too long fighting against such practices to take part--"

The sword, at least, appears to love Thace and wraps the tassel around his arm while bunting up against his shoulder like an affectionate cat.

"A sentient weapon, apparently." Thace seems very unsure about this whole thing.

[cutesneeze]

The small pastel unicorn that rounds the fence and skids to a stop beside Catra doesn't seem particularly perturbed by the sword, at least. It prances in place, bugling a greeting as much as a challenge.

"Who are these people fighting?" Catra doesn't quite take her eyes off of Thace and the floating sword, though she casts a warily suspicious glance towards Mom's house. If logic can be applied to any of this, war has to be the most logical explanation, both for the training of the creatures and the conscription of strangers.

[insidegalra]

To Thace that's an entirely reasonable assumption and his expression goes resigned. "That information is probably kept to the highest ranks. No need to tell the fodder anything other than that their way of life that they've been taught to love is right, and threatened if they don't fight for it."

He pauses for a long moment while his Honedge excitedly returns the greeting/challenge. "I suspect conquest and that the innermost regions are kept in idyllic isolation with news from the front suppressed."

[cutesneeze]

"Or they're being controlled." Without fur to stand on end, her shudder is faint - faint, but not imperceptible. "What do you think the odds are that there just happened to be a woman who'd think every single stranger is her kid handy?"

And that was the unnerving part - the woman hadn't tried to convince her, hadn't spun a plausible lie, had seemed entirely genuine. Crazy, but genuine.

[insidegalra]

"None," Thace answers with a heavy note finality, and echoes Catra's shudder. He sees it though, and offers in a way that almost seems gentle, "Covert agent for command is the plausible option I was considering most likely, although some manner of mental control or manipulation is also unfortunately plausible."

The Honedge, meanwhile, doesn't know why its trainer is so serious and asks the Ponyta what they should do to make their trainers smile.