orientation ♔ the machine of a dream

[wynn]

WHO || Wynn, Arthur, open if anyone wants to bang into them
WHAT || Arthur's orientation / CARS
WHERE || Knight's HQ, The Garage
WHEN || Monday, Feb. 20th, morning
HOW || Actionspam

[It's more difficult for Wynn to have large chunks of time to spend with his squire than other pairs, but as promised, he finds time soon enough. And rather than giving Arthur the grand tour, which Wynn has a feeling he's gotten five times over now in the interim, he instead leads the King outside, down the path that leads to the great outbuilding housing the pool and garage. He looks sidelong at Arthur as they walk along.]


How have you been faring?

Comments

[socialgraces]

[She continues explaining what certain buttons and symbols mean on the dash as she shifts the car into drive and they cruise out of the garage. NAT 20 Drive check.

She seems completely comfortable talking while driving, and she even points to several important controls and meters, while expertly steering them towards the airfield. It's difficult to tell exactly where her eyes are focused anyway through her darkly tinted glasses.]

It's really not as hard as it looks, once you get used to it. It becomes second-nature.

[wynn]

[Wynn watches out the window as the all-too-familiar scenery rolls by. He may be trying to suppress a smile back there.

He knew he picked the right classy lady driver for the job. /s-so progressive]

[king]

[ There seems to be a lot more to know about a car than a horse. Arthur pays as much attention as his can when his first instinct is to stick his head out the window like a puppy. The scenery, the sheer speed and control of the car, are stealing all of his attention away from explanations about speedometers. ]

So how many miles an hour does a horse gallop?

[ It's an absent question; maybe with something to compare to he'll understand better what she's trying to say. ]

[socialgraces]

[She doesn't seem to find the question all that odd and responds after only a couple seconds of contemplation.]

I'd say 10 to 15 miles per hour, on average. This model of car [And she pushes her foot harder on the gas] can go nearly ten times that speed.

[She figures she'll give him a joy ride since they're on private property, going faster than any legal speed limit. And she's driving so well ;)]

[wynn]

[Yep, TEN TIMES FASTER THAN A HORSE, ARTHUR.

Isn't the future awesome.]

[king]

[ YES THE FUTURE IS AMAZING. ]

[ Arthur gives a low whoop as they speed up, his attention out the front now, grin getting wider as the trees whiz past. He's still trying to track the scenery as they pass it, particularly fascinated by any street signs or symbols— ]

[ And then he goes a little green, and looks down at his hands, taking a deep breath as he suppresses a sudden nausea. Someone has motion sickness! ]

[socialgraces]

[Francesca notices something is suddenly different about Arthur's demeanor, but can't quite place what it is (Wisdom check 10). She can't take her eyes off the road enough to thoroughly examine him, so instead she asks:] Are you alright?

[wynn]

[S'all good, Wynn notices immediately, and very calmly suggests:] Perhaps it might be a good idea to pull aside, momentarily.

[king]

Yes. I don't feel — at my best.

[ His mental process is a loop of don't be sick in the car. ]

[socialgraces]

[She immediately pulls the car over (but not too abruptly, given her awesome drive check) and looks a little concerned.]

Open the door and get some air. [And yes, don't be sick in the car.]

[wynn]

[Without a word more, Wynn simply opens his own door on Arthur's side, sliding out and pulling the front open in one smooth movement. Like a boss. Don't puke on his shoes, bro.]

[king]

[ This is maybe not the smoothest first driving lesson, but whatever. Arthur gets out of the car, closes his eyes and breathes, deep lungfuls of clear air. ]

[ For a moment, his gorge rises, and he thinks — but no, he manages to keep it down, refrains from vomiting on anyone's shoes and it doesn't take much time standing still on solid ground for the nausea to fade. His stomach settled, he turns back to the car, shoulders a little tight with the humiliation of it, and climbs back into his seat. ]

I thank you. And — sorry about that, it just came over me. Didn't happen last time.

[socialgraces]

[It's so cute that he's apologizing for his uncontrollable motion sickness.]

It's a common experience, especially at high speeds. If anything, I should apologize.

[She's so charmed by his politeness that she's actually going to do something she never thought she'd have the guts to do.] Although it's almost unheard of for the driver to get motion sick. [She gives him a conspiratorial smirk.] Perhaps you'd like to give this a try now? [As she lightly taps the steering wheel.]

If that's alright with you, Sir? [She asks over her shoulder.]

[wynn]

[See, Francesca, no one can tell him no. He's like the most adorable puppy. Wynn shuts the door behind him and moves back into his own position behind, turning to acknowledge the question]

If he's feeling up to the challenge.

[king]

[ A puppy that both are willing to put in charge of a large vehicle, let it be noted. If Arthur had any hesitation, Wynn's phrasing banishes it. He is always up to every challenge. ]

Love to.

[ He switches seats with Francesca, and buckles his seat-belt again, placing his hands on the steering wheel the way he'd seen her do it, though there's something about the way he holds himself that looks a bit like he has the reins of a horse. ]

What first?

[socialgraces]

[She adjusts herself in her seat so she's facing his direction.] You need to shift the car into drive, down here. [She puts her hand on the gear shift.]

But make sure your foot is on the brake, the left pedal down there. [And she leans over him slightly to make sure his foot is in the right place.] The other pedal is the accelerator, so when you take your foot off the brake, the car will start to move forward and in order to go faster, you need to step on the right pedal.

Give it a try. [She suggests with a smile as she relaxes back into her spot.]

[wynn]

[Wynn's wording was totally innocuous, really. He can't be held responsible for what Arthur may or may not have taken out of it.

/whistle

He's just watching quietly from the back. Carry on.]

[king]

[ Arthur takes a firm grip of the gearstick, and examines it again for a moment, making sure he knows where it's going as he pushes it. He puts his left foot on the brake, and his right on the accelerator; seems he'll be that sort of driver unless he's corrected. As he eases up on the former he looks back to the front and realizes they're moving down the side-strip. Tentatively, he presses his right foot down, and then firmer as the car hums under him. ]

[ Yeah, he could definitely get used to this. ]

[socialgraces]

Make sure to watch where you're going. [She reminds him lightly.] And most people only use their right foot to alternate between both pedals, but for your first time, do whatever you feel safest with.

You can just follow this road up, and stay on the left side.

[She reads his face well, and can tell he's enjoying himself, but feels it necessary to add:] If you feel uncomfortable at any point, don't hesitate to ask me to take back over.

[wynn]

I'll think he'll manage. [He's obviously unconcerned about Arthur ramming them into a tree, and looks out the window at the countryside, speaking quietly after a moment.]

With these vehicles, as well as others at our disposal, we can traverse great distances in a matter of hours.

As a result, our responsibilities extend far beyond the confines of merely England. We see it as our duty to protect the innocent wherever we can, and as our reach has grown, we have been forced to expand our ranks and our knowledge so that we might not overextend ourselves.

[His voice is low, but with an iron determination beneath each word] The entire world is under our jurisdiction. Evil cannot hide from us. Wherever good men suffer as a result of the Veil, we will find our way to their side.

[king]

[ Arthur smiles, keeping his eyes on the road, though he wants to look to Wynn. ]

I always used to long to help people who lived outside Camelot, but in most cases it simply wasn't possible. Sending men outside my own borders was practically an act of war...

[ He trails off, voice going flat as he realizes he's not paying close enough attention to what he's doing and makes minor adjustments to the steering wheel, turning as the road curves. Francesca was right: he's far less prone to nausea this way, and once again the scenery whizzing by brings him delight rather than a roiling stomach. ]

[ At the next stretch, he comments again, an addendum: ]

But I suppose these days such border patrolling must be lax.

[socialgraces]

[Francesca tries to relax, but she still keeps her eyes glued to the road, paying close attention for all of them. She just nods idly at Arthur's comments.]

[wynn]

[At least Wynn is paying attention to what Arthur is actually saying...]

Quite the opposite, in truth. However, we have standing arrangements with many governments allowing us more liberal movement, in thanks to the services we have rendered them in the past, and we possess ways of broaching borders where we are ... less welcome.

This is the main reason why our existence remains unknown to most of the world - it allows us to operate without regulations and bureaucratic scrutiny. This doesn't mean we operate without accountability, however.