test drive meme # 39

[hadrielmods]

Welcome to Hadriel's test drive, and thank you again for your interest in the game! As always, our reserves page is here, and our applications page is here! Reserves open December 25th, and apps are open January 1st. Please remember that there is an app cap of 20 apps.

Two quick points here as well:

1. Any thread made in Hadriel's test drive will be accepted as the sole Action Log sample in the application.
2. All threads made in the test drive can be considered game canon, either through handwaving or through a shared mental experience while coming through the Door!

Test drives will be broken up into specific god mini-events, during which your characters can see how well they fare under the watchful eye of one of the gods. Choose wisely or just simply pick 'em all, and have fun!

F E A R

SCENARIO ONE: HE MADE HIS LIST
[The Door brings in all that is chaotic and evil in the world. This may include you, may include the person next to you... and may include the monster behind you.

You were hoping for something seasonally appropriate, right? Well, the Door doesn't know it's December, so this must be a coincidence - because this time, it's brought in the Krampus.

This creature is the opposite of Santa, and if you've been bad (and let's be real, who in Hadriel hasn't), it'll be all too happy to punish. Maybe you'll get lucky and it'll just scare the crap out of you and give you some coal... or maybe it'll decide your punishment needs to be much, much worse. Don't you wish you'd been good this year?]

R A G E

SCENARIO TWO: HADRIELITE VANDAL
[Last night everything was fine. You went to bed happy and content - well, as happy and content as you ever are. But this morning, as you stepped out of your house, something was wrong. Maybe you didn't notice it at first - maybe someone had to point it out to you. But there it was, in big bold letters: someone had painted an insult across the front of your house.

Maybe it's a rude name. Maybe an insulting comment. Maybe just a picture of a dick with an arrow pointing to it that says your name. Whatever it is, someone did it specifically to fuck with you. But who? And why? Maybe you already think you know who, and all you need to do is hunt them down. Or maybe it's time for an investigation. Or... maybe all you want to do is clean it off before someone sees.

Good luck. That paint is already dry.]

C O N F U S I O N

SCENARIO THREE: ALL FLIPPY-FLOPPY
[You didn't realize there was anything wrong, not until you saw that person you've always thought was your best friend. They seem the same as ever, it's just - you really don't understand what you saw in them anymore. They're kind of whiny, they're way less cool than you remember, and that hair? Ew.

It's not just that. You ran into your worst enemy earlier, and maybe... you were wrong about them? It really seems like they have some good points, and that annoying expression they always make actually seems kind of cute now. Maybe it's time to kiss and make up, possibly literally!

This is a mini version of our Your Best Enemy event this month.]

Comments

[marmoron]

[Lance. Lance, it is now raining burning coal, is this really the time to be questioning how any of this happened to begin with? ...It is, but Keith's too preoccupied with dodging to acknowledge that line of questioning with more than:] Yeah? [Deal with it??] Can we just--

[Ah, hold on. Why play dodgeball (dodgecoal??) when he can activate the shield on his paladin armor to block all this. That fixes one issue' the issue that is a pissed off Krampus that's on fire is well... still an issue. Speaking of which, the fire might've slowed it down a little, but it's clearly advanfing on them, shrieking. Grip tightening on the sword, Keith stares down the inferno, trying to decide where to strike

Then again, if magical damage doesn't seem to be doing much, then projectiles might be better option than attempting a close ranged attack. For that.. well. He glances over his shoulder.]

You have your bayard?

[spazzed]

( whose fault is it that, keith? whose fault is it that it's currently raining fiery coal? that's all on you, buddy, and forgive him if he's going to end up with a couple of question about how that actually happened. because last time he saw you, you couldn't just set things on fire with the power of your mind.

or. however you did it. how did you do it? that's going to end up being one of those questions in need of asking when they get a chance to stop and talk about this like a couple of reasonable adults.

well. mostly reasonable almost-adults. at least in lance's case, because not everyone gets to spend two years with his mom in the abyss.

he blinks for a second in confusion ( that is becoming a trend, isn't it, of course it is ) before he ends up dropping all the coal he's collected with a nod — because of course he has his bayard, he'd be a terrible defender of the universe if he didn't have it with him ( but was still somehow in his armor ) and in seconds flat there's a rifle being held up to his shoulder as he lines up a shot.

the first one hits anti-klaus in the shoulder, and lance huffs to himself in irritation as he lines up another one, because come on, sharpshooter.

the second hits dead center, boom, headshot, but it's anyone's guess if that's going to be enough to take it down. go down, you flaming bastard.

he peers around his rifle, eyebrows furrowed. ) Think that's gonna be enough?

[marmoron]

[Anti-Klaus staggers back at the first shot, its attention now fully turned towards Lance. A plume of noxious vapor and viscous dark fluid oozes like tar out of the wounc, dribbling down an arm as it reaches into the sack. God knows what fresh hell it's about to bring into the world. Luckily for them, that's a question that'll never have an answer as the subsequent headshot has the Krampus stopping dead in its tracks, swaying on its cloven hooves.

Whether that's enough or not is anyone's guess, but Keith isn't going to take any risks now that they've probably pissed it off beyond all reason. He doesn't answer Lance's question, instead taking the opening to deactivate his shield and charge ahead with the sword. Blade raised overhead, he brings it down slashing diagonally from shoulder to waist.

Was that overkill? Maybe. But the poor creature topples, and the sack drops to the ground alongside it. Keith breathes out and turns to look at Lance.]

Let's get out of here before anything else happens.

[Implied heavily in his tone and expression: because shit always happens. He gives the blade a quick wipe on the sack, apparently still not ready to just deactivate the bloody thing, and finally what is clearly in afterthought he adds:]

...You okay?

[...this probably should have been the first thing you said to Lance period, Keith...]

[spazzed]

( he honestly does not give a single damn what sort of fresh hell that thing is going to pull out of its sack, because he's seriously had enough of this nonsense, and he's ready to put this … thing behind them and move forward. to the next best thing. like figuring this place out and why keith is here at all, not that he's not grateful for the other to have been the first of their group to come into contact with him, but he still has questions.

he's still wondering about the flames. he's not going to stop wondering about the flames. the flames are important, keith. please explain.

that move might have been overkill ( it was totally overkill ) but he has to say, it's impressive to see; watching keith in motion has always been like watching some sort of chaotic ballet, the way he moves and slashes and pushes fluid in a way that lance hasn't ever been able to wrap his head around, appreciative as he finds himself of it now, but that … isn't the point. the point is that the thing collapses and he's totally about not sticking around to see if it tries to get back up.

as much distance between him and monster-man as they can get? yeah, he's good with that. ) Yeah, I'm with you on that.

( he stands there awkwardly for a second, maybe a couple, actually, rubs at the back of his neck sheepishly. ) I'm good. ( lance. is that really an answer. are you really good. ) No worse than usual. ( LANCE … )

[marmoron]

[That's... an awkward answer to the question alright, and part of him regrets having asked at all. Of course Lance isn't okay -- who would be okay after waking up in some random place and dealing with that first thing? Keith stares for a moment, eyebrow raised but eventually represses a sigh and walks towards the other paladin. Somehow, he was feeling less tired while fighting Anti-Klaus.]

You probably have a lot of questions.

[Stating the obvious, yes. Keeping his eyes averted, he deactivates his bayard and kneels down to pick up some of the dropped coal. Cosmo saunters up beside him, pushing a lump of coal towards him with a paw.]

There's a guide on your phone. That should cover most of it. I'll get you somewhere safe. Won't keep you longer than that.

[You told him to leave, so... he's leaving. As requested. This is fine.]

[spazzed]

( listen. he's pretty sure that's a completely reasonable response, not just given the circumstances but because he's gotten used to glossing over all the weird garbage that happens to them, and expounding on all the things that are going on in his head right now might not be a good idea. he's still processing all of this, and he's going to need like maybe five minutes for his brain to catch up with flaming-anti-klaus-throwing-bits-of-coal thing.

he'll get there. don't worry.

he stalls a bit when the other starts picking up the coal, peering down at all that he'd dropped when keith had mentioned his bayard — which he also dismisses, because maybe he'd forgotten he was still holding it, but that's neither here nor there — and he stoops down to start picking it back up, a strange lump forming in the back of his throat. like he feels like something is wrong.

( because it is, but of course he won't figure out what it is for a while yet. ) ) My phone, right. Haven't had a chance to check it. ( he stalls, fingers curled around a lump of coal, and he steals a surreptitious glance in keith's direction. won't keep you longer than that. why does that sting as much as it does? )

How, uh. Hard is it to find places to stay around here? ( if you're not expecting to keep him, he'd probably best find some place of his own. ) I don't want to be in your way more than I have to, but. Thanks. ( for getting him somewhere safe, first. )

[marmoron]

[Keith glances up at Lance at that and accidentally makes eye contact. In that moment he seems...confused, but it turns to resignation as he looks away to grab one last piece of coal.]

You're not in the way.

[You never were in the way. Not here and certainly not back at home. Or well... Lance's home. You can't call a place you've technically never been to "home" now can you.]

Just thought... [A lot of things. Too many things to properly articulate in front of the Anti-Klaus's corpse.] ... you'd want your own place.

[Obviously he was wrong, judging from Lance's reaction, but why he was wrong is a whole other mystery that Keith doesn't know what to do with. Did the door mess with Lance's memories when it brought him to Hadriel? Is Lance simply from an earlier point in time? Either way... Keith stands up with an armful of coal, frowning slightly.]

[spazzed]

( y'all just hug this out for all hell's sake.

he wants to keep that eye contact, but in true keith form he looks away before anything meaningful can be accomplished and lance … makes a discontent sort of noise in the back of his throat, wanting to say something but not knowing what, just that he wants to, and all the words that are now spilling into the forefront of his mind are at war with each other, all fighting for the right to spill out of his mouth.

as they usually do. all that babbling, and all.

he doesn't know where to start, not exactly, so he'll stick with the obvious. ) Aha, I mean I guess having my own place would be nice, since I never got that kind of luxury back home. ( that bigass family of his, you know. but he doesn't stop there. ) But I think it would get kind of lonely after a while? You're the only person I know here.

( he kicks at a piece of coal like a small kid that can't keep from fidgeting. ) Would it be okay if I stayed with you?

[marmoron]

[Keith very carefully keeps his eyes focused on anything other than Lance. Conveniently, Cosmo's there, so he'll be looking at his space pup, under the guise of making sure the wolf hasn't been singed or anything by the coal. This whole exchange remains weirdly disconcerting -- for months now, he'd just built up this idea in his head that Lance and the others were gonna brush him off or something for leaving, and being confronted with the exact opposite is...

It should be relieving. It really should be.

But really, it feels a whole lot like something he's held onto, something he's defined himself around, just no longer matters for reasons he doesn't understand. It's like that bonding moment he thought they had a long time ago. Is he just an idiot for thinking it mattered? Is he just being bad at people again? Does any of this fucking matter?

Keith sighs, turning to leave the Colosseum.]

Yeah. That's fine.

[But that's cold, and Keith knows it. He glances over his shoulder mid-step.]

I don't mind. [....] I just wasn't expecting any company.

[spazzed]

( it has to be something, to feel so defined by something that had never been true in the first place — even if the words had come out of his mouth, even if maybe he had meant it at the time his own latent abandonment issues reared their ugly heads and gotten the better of him in a moment of weakness. not that he knows this is what keith is hung up on, because he thought they were past that, but he couldn't be able to say it enough.

i didn't mean it, i didn't mean it, i didn't mean it.

i'm sorry.

i never wanted you to leave.

lance stares at his back for a second as he recedes, as he moves to walk away from him and he has a moment of wondering if he really means it — but. keith would never offer something up like that without meaning it, right? they're close enough that he can expect that from him?

he's still a little unsure, still a little worried even as he takes a tentative step forward, and then moves to follow him, catching that look over his shoulder and seeking to hold eye contact if only for a second before he turns back around. ) If it helps, I wasn't expecting to be company. ( he makes a noise that almost sounds like a hum, but then they're leaving for real, and he jogs a little to catch up. )

What's the deal with this place, anyway? Are there always monsters like that around? ( see, you told him about the guide, and he would still rather ask you instead. what does that tell you? )

[marmoron]

[The eye contact stays for a few seconds. Enough to be reassuring that he does mean what he said, but there isn't a smile that goes with it. He walks at a moderate pace because he's not trying to lose Lance, but they're definitely not taking a leisurely stroll around Hadriel either.

For a moment, his teeth clenched as if to physically stop himself from speaking. No. No, you don't understand. He thought he was never going to see you again. At all. Because Lance is part of a universe that they don't truly share anymore, and no amount of missing him and the other paladins despite the bitterness of their last argument, could ever make Keith wish being stuck in some godforsaken universe that isn't their home. They don't belong here. Moreover, they all have such important things to accomplish, a universe -- or rather, all universes to protect.

His isolation is irrelevant in the greater scheme of things, and now that Lance is here the best thing he can do for the guy is to do everything in his power to get the door to send him back.

Plain and simple. That's how it is now. How it has to be.

He breathes out,trying to lose the tension in his arms and shoulders. ]

Yeah. Hadriel's not a great place to be. The door you came through keeps bringing in monsters from other worlds. Then there are the predators native to this planet hanging out past the city walls.

[Sounding familiar in how wonderfully safe and warm you aren't, Lance?]

You shouldn't go anywhere without your bayard.

[spazzed]

( okay. well. the eye contact is something and he's thankful for it, and maybe he isn't expecting a smile back anyway because keith has never been a smiley kind of person. so. consider him reassured that he isn't about to be in the way of anything, even if there's a niggling little thought in the back of his mind trying to convince him there's still something wrong. even if keith is being very. keith about this whole thing and that shouldn't trip him up like it does.

jeez, lance, get your crap together. everything is fine. ( it is not. ) you're fine. ( you're kind of fine. ) keith is fine. ( keith is … )

he sighs to himself and doesn't mean to, still put off by the things he's trying to parse out because he won't be able to leave them alone until he gets to the bottom of whatever it is that seems to be putting him off in the first place. he's no detective, and keith is very good at keeping himself closed-off if he wants to be.

it just feels like. since he'd stepped foot in this place, they've fallen back ( several seasons ) several steps they'd taken together and it's almost like something has been left behind. or has managed to progress without him. whatever. this is way too much introspection based on speculation.

he listens to that explanation, would probably be taking notes if he had a way to ( no, no he wouldn't, we all know this, and besides his arms are full of lumps of coal ) and ends up nodding, because you know what? it all sounds pretty par for the course given his track record for ending up in places that are neither safe nor warm. ) Got it. Not going anywhere without the bayard. ( that's simple enough, at least. )

Do they ever like, come into the city? ( meaning solely the monsters that are native, but: ) What is with this place and monsters? Why can't the door let in puppies?

( … lance. )

[marmoron]

[There's a lot he still has to say about Hadriel, namely the nature of the gods here, but he's trying not to overhwhelm Lance with the sheer volume of information that has to be conveyed. Despite everything and especially despite himself, the question gets a small huff of quiet laughter. It's so much like Lance to say and think that he can't help feeling a little fond, a little longing -- like things could go back to the way they were. but he knows that's a fucking lie and a half better than anyone else for so many complicated reasons.

Still there's a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips for just a few seconds, though it doesn't reach his eyes.]

Because the puppies wouldn't provoke a lot of intense emotions, Lance.

[His voice is quiet, soft, kind of like there's an unspoken apology for having an actual answer to what was obviously a rhetorical question.]

The door's under the control of the entities that call themselves the gods of Hadriel. They gain power from forcing you to have certain emotions. [Emotion leeches, so to speak.] They power Hadriel with their magic, but they're missing right now. It's why we had to gather the coal. It gets colder at night without a fire.

[spazzed]

( generally speaking, it doesn't take a lot to overwhelm lance in any given situation — so he would be thankful if he knew keith was holding back, if only for the fact that there's so much to give in the first place. he might understand the whole of it eventually, he'll get there when he gets there, but he's definitely going to need some guidance in the form of the other schooling him in murdercave 101.

the response he gets ( does he get to see that smile? is keith still facing away from him so he doesn't? let him see that smile, keet ) brings about a bit of a hum, something that settles on the tip of his tongue as he opens his mouth to give an extraordinarily accurate rebuttal. ) Then no one in this place has seen a corgi butt wiggle. There would be so many intense emotions about the corgi butt wiggle. ( honestly, son, why are you like this.

his spirits have picked up enough that he's almost forgotten the awkwardness of like, five minutes ago, and it's easy enough to give a kind of incredulous look for the mention of gods. 'gods.' ) Gods, like. Fairytale kind of stuff? ( he means mythology, but we'll let that one slide. ) Jeez, this place is weird.