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TEST DRIVE ∞ May 2025
Test Drive ∞ May 2025
The First Collision
The Diadem is an invite-only panfandom game set in a retro-futuristic world where uprooted souls find themselves deep within an eerie wasteland of roads and highways frequently assailed by cosmic storms. Three united strongholds keep the population. Its capital is Panorama, a large metropolis at the planet's center.
Soon, you realize you aren't alone. Calling themselves fluxdrifts, the "locals" have similar stories to you, either for themselves or their ancestry. You speak to an old woman who claims she hailed from another star. You meet a young man who says his great-great-grandfather knew a strange language everybody spoke "back home." As you explore, you stumble across a coin you recognize or your sister's locket. How did it get here? What does this mean? That's for you to discover.
But first, you need to find a ride.
Soon, you realize you aren't alone. Calling themselves fluxdrifts, the "locals" have similar stories to you, either for themselves or their ancestry. You speak to an old woman who claims she hailed from another star. You meet a young man who says his great-great-grandfather knew a strange language everybody spoke "back home." As you explore, you stumble across a coin you recognize or your sister's locket. How did it get here? What does this mean? That's for you to discover.
But first, you need to find a ride.
No invites needed to play on the TDM. Everyone's welcome! Use the Invite Request thread below to request an invite from another player.
∞ Summary ∞
IC-wise, arrivals are scattered throughout the month. Events described on the TDM are also ongoing throughout the month. If you'd rather jump right into the action, you're free to begin in media res with your character having already been on the planet for several days.
Post-impact, characters will wake up in a med tent by the Scrapyard. From there, they must accept a vehicle on loan and make the 2-hour drive to the nearest city, Panorama. If they refuse the car because they don't want the loan, they'll be in debt for medical bills instead...so just take the car. It'll come in handy.
Some things to keep in mind when bringing in your character:
TDM threads can be canon if characters are accepted. Top-levels made to the TDM should be open to all.
Post-impact, characters will wake up in a med tent by the Scrapyard. From there, they must accept a vehicle on loan and make the 2-hour drive to the nearest city, Panorama. If they refuse the car because they don't want the loan, they'll be in debt for medical bills instead...so just take the car. It'll come in handy.
Some things to keep in mind when bringing in your character:
- Pick an injury. At minimum, they got knocked out; at most, whatever they can recover from. Medicine is decently advanced so they'll heal faster if not painlessly.
- Decide items kept. Reasonable items on their person only: photos, keys, clothes, costumes. No pets or animal companions. Wildly out-of-place tech and personal cell phones will be damaged beyond repair.
- Select a weapon. Do this only if eligible. Guidelines about weapons and powers are on the FAQ.
- Choose a vehicle. Decide whether your character gets 2-3 options or if they're stuck with something they hate. Players can pick directly from our collection or source their own images. Anything under a similar aesthetic will work. If your character needs accommodations for driving, they can have them. Ask us for details.
- Get a phone. Characters have to obtain a phone (and a SIM card) themselves. If they've got one from home, it's damaged beyond repair. Phones are cheap. It'll only take a couple of weeks to afford one. You need to know the number before you text or call anyone. Read about phones and the Forum before you hop on it.
TDM threads can be canon if characters are accepted. Top-levels made to the TDM should be open to all.
Fluxdrift
Arrival & Introduction
Date: Throughout May
You've tumbled over a cliff. You were fighting for your life. You're on the cusp of death. You slipped in the shower. Whatever the catalyst, you struggle to cling to consciousness. As darkness overtakes you, a swirling vortex warps light and shadow in a way that defies all physics. A dark wail etches into your very bones. You couldn't describe it if you tried. You can barely comprehend what it is.
Then you open your eyes.
Through the figure's mask ©, you swear the face is grinning down at you. The tent you're in smells of antiseptic, and scratchy blankets line your cot. Injuries you've sustained have been bandaged. In the corner, you spot a MedBot that's fixed you up. Depending on the extent of your injuries, the doctor on duty might give you some painkillers before you go. Thankfully, your belongings are by the exit. Sorry if anything's damaged. Your landing was pretty rough.
You follow the figure outside. They are Yom Crook, here to lend a hand to fellow fluxdrifts like yourself. Their car's parked beside them. Actually, there are lots of cars around, but Yom Crook's stands out with its painted shark mouth. They explain they found you, unconscious, in a diffusion zone and brought you here. The nearest city is a 2-hour drive northeast. Forget about walking. You'll never make it. Also, you owe the doctor a lot of money for patching you up. But you're in luck: they've got some wheels for you and if you accept the vehicle on loan, Yom Crook will cover your medical bills. That's a good deal, right? It's not the shiniest car or motorcycle, but it'll do. If fortune favors, you'll get to choose between two or three options. Plus, if you need accommodations to drive—like adjustments to your seat height or modified controls—you'll receive all that for free.
Take the vehicle. (And the loan.) Yom Crook assures you that you'll have six months before collectors come around. Any time you're ready to pay a part of it down, return here to the Scrapyard. You'll get a receipt and everything. Paying off the loan in six months isn't impossible, but it will take a lot of work. Just don't get too lax. There's a good chance you'll be juggling multiple loans as you try to get by.
You either know how to drive, or you'll have a bare-bones manual to get you started. Road rules are more a suggestion than enforced, so just hit the pedal and go. The car has some basic features. The built-in compass will help you navigate.
Through the figure's mask ©, you swear the face is grinning down at you. The tent you're in smells of antiseptic, and scratchy blankets line your cot. Injuries you've sustained have been bandaged. In the corner, you spot a MedBot that's fixed you up. Depending on the extent of your injuries, the doctor on duty might give you some painkillers before you go. Thankfully, your belongings are by the exit. Sorry if anything's damaged. Your landing was pretty rough.
You follow the figure outside. They are Yom Crook, here to lend a hand to fellow fluxdrifts like yourself. Their car's parked beside them. Actually, there are lots of cars around, but Yom Crook's stands out with its painted shark mouth. They explain they found you, unconscious, in a diffusion zone and brought you here. The nearest city is a 2-hour drive northeast. Forget about walking. You'll never make it. Also, you owe the doctor a lot of money for patching you up. But you're in luck: they've got some wheels for you and if you accept the vehicle on loan, Yom Crook will cover your medical bills. That's a good deal, right? It's not the shiniest car or motorcycle, but it'll do. If fortune favors, you'll get to choose between two or three options. Plus, if you need accommodations to drive—like adjustments to your seat height or modified controls—you'll receive all that for free.
Take the vehicle. (And the loan.) Yom Crook assures you that you'll have six months before collectors come around. Any time you're ready to pay a part of it down, return here to the Scrapyard. You'll get a receipt and everything. Paying off the loan in six months isn't impossible, but it will take a lot of work. Just don't get too lax. There's a good chance you'll be juggling multiple loans as you try to get by.
You either know how to drive, or you'll have a bare-bones manual to get you started. Road rules are more a suggestion than enforced, so just hit the pedal and go. The car has some basic features. The built-in compass will help you navigate.
OPTIONAL PROMPTS: a flat tire; a body on the road (is it a trap?); a fender bender
Panorama
Explore & Settle In
Conditions: Warm spring temperatures, light showers
After 2 hours on the road, you find civilization. The largest of the strongholds, Panorama is where the economy thrives. Massive power plants glowing red make it visible from a distance. The city is divided into three districts. For now, you can access the Pavilion and the Blocks. Don't worry about the Sanctum; they're not letting you in.
You only need to know two things about Panorama: 1) it's big, the size of a modern metropolis, and you'll need your car to get around; 2) anything goes as long as you don't pick a fight with the wrong person. Street smarts will get you far. Despite its geographical size, the population isn't huge. With roughly a million people in a city designed for over twice that number, Panorama is far from deserted, but nor is it overcrowded. It's a good thing. Resources are limited as it is.
You only need to know two things about Panorama: 1) it's big, the size of a modern metropolis, and you'll need your car to get around; 2) anything goes as long as you don't pick a fight with the wrong person. Street smarts will get you far. Despite its geographical size, the population isn't huge. With roughly a million people in a city designed for over twice that number, Panorama is far from deserted, but nor is it overcrowded. It's a good thing. Resources are limited as it is.
The Pavilion: Free Samples
Like any large city, Panorama features a couple of supermarkets. The stock's not as consistent as a proper supermarket. On occasion, shelves can remain cleaned out for a week or two. Regardless, the long tradition of free samples remains. If you're not already shopping, you'll notice the crowded parking lot and clusters of lines inside.
Try samples, push through the crowds as you shop, or give yourself a five-finger discount. If you're cautious, you can pocket a few small items without consequences. The Pavillion doesn't have the infrastructure for surveillance; unless someone sees you, you won't be caught. Steal from the store or pilfer someone's wallet. Maybe you even make a new friend if you bump into another fluxdrift. Or, start a fight with somebody who cut you off in the cheese line. Don't make too much of a ruckus, or you'll be thrown out.
As you look around, you'll see posters advertising temporary positions for the cash register or graveyard shifts in the warehouse. Seems they might've lost several employees recently (how'd that happen?), which is good for you! It's just a 6-week position, but it'll get you on your feet. The city has temporary positions like this all over. Permanent ones are harder to come by when you're new.
Try samples, push through the crowds as you shop, or give yourself a five-finger discount. If you're cautious, you can pocket a few small items without consequences. The Pavillion doesn't have the infrastructure for surveillance; unless someone sees you, you won't be caught. Steal from the store or pilfer someone's wallet. Maybe you even make a new friend if you bump into another fluxdrift. Or, start a fight with somebody who cut you off in the cheese line. Don't make too much of a ruckus, or you'll be thrown out.
As you look around, you'll see posters advertising temporary positions for the cash register or graveyard shifts in the warehouse. Seems they might've lost several employees recently (how'd that happen?), which is good for you! It's just a 6-week position, but it'll get you on your feet. The city has temporary positions like this all over. Permanent ones are harder to come by when you're new.
Samples include: steamed cabbage dumplings, synthetic cherry juice, cheddar cheese, and chocolate-covered alien eggs (it's crunchy and weirdly tasty). They're served in the usual throwaway paper cups with little toothpicks.
The Blocks: Power Outage
Power's finicky in Panorama, especially in the Blocks. Saint Margery's Hospital, located in the same area, has priority for power so the first to go are the motels. Maybe you've been in your room for a couple of weeks, maybe you just got here—and by the way, every motel desk is happy to put the fee on your tab if you don't have the money upfront—but all the motels on the east side are in a blackout, leaving only the west side motels up and running.
What do you do? You have three choices:
What do you do? You have three choices:
- Risk leaving your room and head to the other side where there's power. Knock on some doors and negotiate with another to share the room. They might shut the door in your face, ask for a favor in return, or be nice enough to help you with no strings attached. There's no guarantee your unattended room will be untouched, though, and you'll be on the hook for any damages an intruder causes.
- Sit in the dark and deal. It's not the worst idea, but the TV's down, the vending machines are powered down, and with the entire place plunged into darkness, you risk getting robbed. If you struggle with defending yourself, you might want to find some trustworthy company. You can also sneak out of there and let them take your leftover pizza. It's not like you've got a ton of valuables, right? Plus, clobbering someone in the face with a frying pan sounds great until you realize you've gotta do something with the body. And what if this person's got a friend waiting?
- Get in your car and drive (or grab a friend for a road trip). If you scroll the Forum, you might notice reports on diffusion zones southward. Besides, these motels are hardly your forever home. The city can only provide so much. Why not go for a ride and see what you can find out there?
OPTIONAL PROMPTS: clean up on aisle 3 (what is that goo?); a knock at your door but no one's there; you hear screaming or a commotion down the hall
The Fringes
Quad 3: Lockdown
Conditions: Stormy, with flooding roads
Felix Bjurstrom
> Date: 125-05-17
> Time: 02:15:57
> Emergency road lights have been reported in Quadrant 3! Please, can someone go see what's there? When last we chasers investigated emergency lights, a whole truck filled with sour candy had tipped over. Our stores were stocked for weeks! Oh, be careful - reception looks bad in that zone.
> Date: 125-05-17
> Time: 02:15:57
> Emergency road lights have been reported in Quadrant 3! Please, can someone go see what's there? When last we chasers investigated emergency lights, a whole truck filled with sour candy had tipped over. Our stores were stocked for weeks! Oh, be careful - reception looks bad in that zone.
Through the open windows, a computer awakens and displays a cheerful smile. The lights inside switch on.
Pick your scenario role below. Your thread partner doesn't need to take the opposite role! They can join you in the same scenario (i.e. trapped together). Players are also free to create a generic NPC for the other side to facilitate the thread.
After characters escape, they'll find one bottle of antibiotics in their pocket or car, whether they remember taking it or not.
After characters escape, they'll find one bottle of antibiotics in their pocket or car, whether they remember taking it or not.
A: Sealed In
As you peer through the windows, you see crates of medicine floating around. Antibiotics in the diadem are valuable. Hospitals and doctors are always buying. You can keep it for yourself or make a quick buck. Or maybe you're compelled to help somebody back in the city who's in need. Whatever the reason, you decide to take the risk and step inside.
Water splashes around your ankles. The lock buzzes behind you. If you try to break the windows, you discover they're unnaturally resistant to shattering. With the whole place locked tight, the water begins to churn. Then the computer lights up again.
Warning, it flashes in large, bold text. Quarantine in progress. Release code required for exit.
- To find the code, you'll have to search. Duck under the water, go through sopping envelopes and sticky notes or pick the locks on the filing cabinets and desk drawers. You can also try hacking the computers. Use your computer knowledge or fall back on the age-old trick of seeing who wrote down their password.
- The files, notepads, and emails start innocuous, but as you look through them, disturbing phrases jump out at you—a dark thought you've had or a cruel taunt from someone in your past. The longer you're fixed on the terrible words, the higher the water begins to rise. Only another can break you out of your trance.
- With the rising water comes fear. And the more you're afraid, the more the water also rises. You begin to see faces in the water, bobbing like balloon heads. Do you recognize them? If you move to take a closer look, they will sink back beneath the surface as if never there.
- If you manage to swallow your panic, you can eventually find a triple-laminated binder with the release code and instructions. Bad news: you need someone on the outside to punch in the 6 strange symbols in order. The instructions explain that the code panel is located at the back of the building.
B: Set Free
As you peer through the windows, you see not just the crates of medicine but someone trapped inside. They look like they might be in trouble, and from your vantage point, you notice that the water is bubbling strangely. It's definitely not normal rainwater. As you watch, the water rises unnaturally, stopping and starting. It's as if the water level is responding to an external stimulus.
- The glass is soundproof. You can't hear what the person inside is saying, so you'll have to communicate with each other another way. Try charades, typing on your phone, or whatever you think of. Eventually, you determine that they're stuck and that you need to enter some sort of code onto a pad located—according to your trapped partner—at the back of the building.
- Around the back, shadows swallow your surroundings. The panel must be pried open, but a slippery substance makes it hard to get a good grip. Each time the substance touches you, you grow uneasy. You swear you see eyes watching you, though when you turn around, nothing's there.
- You can't seem to keep the instructions in your mind. And those symbols...they burn into your retinas. Through them, you glimpse an incomprehensibly massive figure unfurling in the darkness, pulsing as if in a deep sleep. When you snap back to reality, you realize you've injured yourself, slicing your hand on a sharp edge or a bruise you can't remember getting.
- Once you manage to release the doors, the water inside the office drains upward into the sky as though sucked out by a giant hose. The darkness spreads. Get out of there fast before the shadows drag you or your partner into the void.
Main Navigation ::: ⇅
Top
Renoir ⚔ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Spoilers reserved for castmates and prior discussion
⚔ The Blocks
❗here be spoilers (but vague bc canon points are weird)❗
Suspension of fear and doubt. Sadness but clarity. Sacrifice and liberation. She jokes about talking to the stars, giving them a little rattle for better luck.
Seems like luck isn't on her side tonight.
The first strike of the cane grabs her attention as it echoes in the darkness. The second assures her she's not hearing things. The third sounds like her thundering heart, too loud in her ears, and when she turns down the long alleyway beside the motel, she sees him step out of the gloom like the worst nightmare she's ever had. Sciel's hands brush out automatically, scooting the kids back to their parents, who seem nonplussed but surprised at her shooing them away.
She has no idea what this man might do. She isn't taking chances.
Should she run? Should she try and fight, knowing that on her own, it won't end well?
Sciel chooses neither. She chooses to stand her ground and wait. ]
You can't have been brought here too.
[ Or, worse, this truly is just some extended nightmare and something's happened to her back home. ]
hello sciel
So perhaps the danger here is familiar, after all.
One final strike of the cane against the pavement. The final sound before the act begins. He tightens his grip upon the handle and rests his second hand across the first. He chooses to remain silent as she continues to wait. But eventually he gestures with his arms.]
I'm sorry you're surprised to see me. But I cannot say I was expecting to be here.
[Life is full of difficult moments. This is just another step along the way.]
no subject
There's something almost blindsiding about what he says. It's not about things being unplanned, though she'll take that; it's relief she can grasp onto tightly even now. No, it's the 'sorry' that has her particularly rattled. Sciel's expression is incredulous, at war with every other emotion she can usually handle.
She's quiet when she says: ]
I'd sooner wish you'd be sorry about everyone you've killed.
[ The beach, the other expeditions... So many loved ones lost. And one in particular she won't ever forgive. But would an apology do anything? Just add more salt to the wounds. It's not worth focusing on. ]
Got you too, then? Whatever brought us here. [ Interesting. ] I'm guessing it wasn't her doing.
[ She's meaning the Paintress. She could even buy she'd do something to prevent Sciel from being with her friends, but to send away this man? Not a chance. ]
no subject
His gaze wanders across the street, towards the children she ushered from his path. Young lives who have not yet paid the price for their memories and dreams. His cold eyes show no emotion for her accusation, yet imperceptibly soften in the corners.]
Does that even matter? You're asking the wrong question.
[If his presence isn't her doing, then what could be powerful enough to pull him away? Because she would never send him away.]
You should be asking who brought us here, shouldn't you?
no subject
Other things took priority first.
[ Food, shelter. Recovering from a near concussion and the host of other injuries she had when she arrived covered in muck and blood. It's so much easier to think of what's necessary, the next step, than to consider the looming dread that is reality. She'd done enough of that on this expedition.
But now... Now she has to think of it. Death is no longer something she fears. But this? ]
I could be grateful you're stuck here as well.
[ Could. She isn't, though. It just makes the reality so much more horrifying, that something was so powerful to drag both of them through to...who knows where, in defiance of whatever laws hold their world together. She can find small relief that if he's here with her, then whomever's been left behind has a real advantage now.
She could harp on it. But there's no point, is there? He's not being openly hostile and she doesn't want to start a fight she knows she'll lose - and with too many people as collateral close by. Instead, she cants her head, curious now, her eyes assessing. He's calm (always calm, when she's seen him) but she can't help but suspect this is just as irritating and alarming to him too. ]
There's no trace of her here, is there? [ It's not said out of fear, only curiosity. If anyone would have some connection back...wouldn't it be him? ] No trail to go back.
no subject
He stands in her way as though she is here. Paints a stern expression on his face and brushes over it with frustration and annoyance. How many times is this woman going to be a problem? Because he wants to trust she will be a problem for him and him alone. He moves his hand and repositions his cane.
But as he continues staring something seems stiff and tired. It's been a while since he had been unable to feel her. To have no connection to draw strength from. His silence is his answer. But it is not how he answers.]
No shadow. [He finishes her sentence. No shadow looming over them all.] Perhaps that is a fortunate thing.
[Regardless, he picks himself, dusts himself down, and continues placing himself in her way.]
⚔ The Scrapyard
good for spoilers up to/including the mansion scene in chapter 2!
With a streak of grease across her forehead and a rudimentary toolbelt at her hip, she seems far from put off by the interruption. She doesn't smile, because she rarely does, but her tone is even and unoffended and mildly curious. ]
Do you enjoy offering strangers philosophical riddles, sir?
[ A tilt of her head as she peers at him over another vehicle. ]
Imagination. They both try to figure out not just what is, but what could be.
noted! hello there :)
Innovation. But close enough.
[It is close enough to being the right answer that he will not correct her. His standards are not easy to reach but they are hardly so strict.]
But must a riddle surprise you? If innovation and imagination are products of the mind then surely you understand their importance.
hello!!!!
[ That's all she offers. To Nadiya, her curiosity needs no explanation. There are some people she's as eager to pry apart as a bird in flight. For now, Renoir is fortunate enough to not be one of them. But that hardly means he has nothing to offer.
Abandoning her task for the moment, she makes her way over to where he's set himself up. She peers at his efforts with clear interest. ]
Will you explain what you're doing?
mild spoilers
[Part of his motivation is personal interest. But part of his personal interest is distraction. Or perhaps the opposite. His mind gains traction towards what he needs, to feel connected to his family. But his family have already been broken and scattered.
He hides his fears to defend one member in particular, someone who is now without his protection.]
Easier to understand what I'm doing, if I'm familiar with the fundamentals.
[For all the austerity inherent in his appearance, he does possess an artist's mind. And absolutely no understanding of what a car is.]
no subject
[ Honestly, that's fascinating. Nadiya sees quite a bit in the materials he's laid out in front of him, but art? She's clearly missing some fundamental protein that connects those particular dots. ]
These inventors were quite clever. I imagine you will be able to pilot a vehicle just fine without knowing the names of all its bones.
[ Not that she's intending to dissuade him. Learning is quite valuable.
She starts to reach to one of the papers he's laid out, grease-and-oil stained fingers hovering a few polite inches away. ]
May I?
no dialogue felt appropriate. let me know if it doesn't work and i'l edit!
Memories of those years prompt him to seize the last remaining cloth to polish any residue off his wedding ring. He sighs at getting it filthy and uses those seconds she spends investigating his work to make it spotless.
His pictures are striking and vibrant, with loose strokes and shadows drawn with colour instead of shade. Each piece resembles a painting. Each captures representations of how art meets machinery, clearly demonstrating a masterful education in art.]
all good!
After a few moments of quiet study, she sets the pictures back down. Only one of them has suffered a grease smudge in the corner. ]
And has this helped you understand?
wonderful!
[That would be a yes, then.
His attention momentarily diverts towards gathering his pictures and arranging them into a square. Each is afforded space to dry. Each including the one with a grease stain hidden in the corner. He could easily solve that little problem, had he the correct materials.
Hmn.]
Might you offer me the courtesy of your name?
[Does he trust her? Hardly. But it helps to learn a name.]
no subject
[ Artists and engineers gave to the future, and their works compounded off of other works, influencing development for years to come. It didn't take a PHD to know that, but Harley's more interested in his dedication to studying a broken engine and not the pursuit of the unknown or the open road. ]
no subject
Really? Only metaphorically? All of this - [His head angles towards his shoulder.] - is there for those who come after.
[Hmh.]
You haven't gotten it too wrong.
⚔ Power Outage
The sounds of brutality and violence echo from the second door down the hall. Beyond the broken door, a man dressed in a black suit and overcoat is crushing a young man's hand beneath the heel of his boot. His heel is grinding down against the tender side of their wrist, all until they throw their knife away, which he leans down to collect from the floor.]
Come on, man! Lay off!
[The noise draws his attention and his ire. Rather than allowing them to climb to their feet and leave, he brings his cane down across the front of their right knee, shattering the patella.
Perhaps people are wondering whether he is the intruder or victim. Or perhaps they are wondering how a sixty year old man is capable of fighting at all.]
no subject
No one tries to break into his room this time, at least. Not that they would have succeeded, but still. Instead, it's the commotion down the hallway that garners is attention, and he steps outside to see if anyone's under attack, only to walk in right as that older man smashes his cane against the younger man's knee.
Erik isn't really fased by it. He also doesn't have the whole story, or any way of knowing who here is the assailant and the victim, so he just offers with an arch of his eyebrows, gesturing at the man now crying out in pain. ]
I think he's been sufficiently subdued, don't you?
[ Unless the plan is to kill the guy, which frankly Erik doesn't really give a fuck about either way. ]
no subject
He pulls away his cane - but not before wiping it clean against the man's remaining leg. The action is designed to intimidate. Because when someone attacks your family, it is not enough to subdue them. So perhaps it is fortunate he remains unaware whether his family are here.
His attention returns to the one cradling his knee.]
You haven't answered the man.
[Have you learned your lesson? Those unspoken words hang on the air, and the subject offers excuse after excuse. None of them shake the cold and calculating expression etched onto his face. But when he apologises there is a shift in his demeanour. And suddenly the room feels a little cold.]
Then leave. Stand on your own two feet and go home.
[He gestures towards the door and steps aside. Is he making this man climb to his feet and walk after smashing his knee? Yes.]
no subject
He does step away from the door to let him limp through it, hanging by the threshold with neither making himself invited nor leaving immediately. ]
I'd ask if you're alright, but evidently you can take care of yourself.
[ A good thing, in a place like this. ]
no subject
[The bemused noise rumbling in his throat masks a deeper truth. But rather than laugh it off, he repositions his cane and relocates it to his side. Ready to be used for any kind of purpose. He continues judging whether this stranger is a potential threat.]
But please accept my apologies. I am sorry you had to witness that.
[Violence is not something he enjoys.]
⚔ Wildcard