dankmemes | Test Drive Meme #40

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!test drive

Test Drive Meme #40

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 January 24th, and apps are open February 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: SLURP SLURP
[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.

What's that on the ceiling? Who's that skittering along the wall? Why, it's none other than the the Licker, from the Resident Evil series.

The licker crawls around on walls and ceilings and can easily avoid all attacks with their creepy crawly acrobatics. Watch out for those tongues, though- they can whip you with them and catch you off balance. They love waiting in dark corners to jump at you and slash you with their oversized claws, as seen here. Luckily, their brains are exposed and they're quite blind- move quietly and avoid their notice, or attack them in their weak spot to get away safely. Be careful though, they tend to travel in packs...]

T R A N Q U I L I T Y

SCENARIO TWO: CABIN IN THE WOODS
[It's nice outside. There's a heat to the air that permeates through the muggy interior of the cabin, but at night, it's cool enough that you can relax and see all the stars in the sky. The hot tub is a nice contrast to the chilly night air and the possibilities are practically limitless!

So cook something up on the grill, go hunting, or just relax and definitely don't get murdered, because you do happen to have a bit of an odd cabin mate. Why are the two of you sharing this cabin? Well, that's up for you to decide, but whether you're close friends who decided to take a vacation together or random strangers stuck together by circumstances, you're here for awhile so you might as well take the time to relax and get to know one another up here in these mountains!]

R A G E

SCENARIO THREE: MONSTER HOUSE
[It seems like you've just misplaced a few items at first- but after awhile, it becomes apparent that the items are misplacing themselves. Weird, right?

Maybe not that weird, because soon afterward, items of all shames and sizes start to move around, now well within sight. Their intent is clearly to annoy or even harm you, depending on how dangerous the item is... maybe a deathly pair of pants, to a set of keys that keeps running away from you, to a house consumed with the desire to- well, consume you.

Be careful of everything, be suspicious of items that may be trying to lure you in with their stillness, and have fun! This event is based on Hadriel's It's Aliiiive! event this month.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Ephemera just drinks some of his coffee. He doesn't know how to deal with teenagers, not really. That was always Hunter's thing. Back in the day, Hunter'd been good at talking to everyone but he'd had a special talent for kids. Something about the way he'd take his helmet off to look them in the eye, soften his tone even as he told them the truth. He never lied and somehow the kids - refugees, new recruits, and everything in between - had understood that. Even back in that refugee camp, before things went to hell, those kids - those Insurrectionist kids - had listened to him.

Of course, Hunter's dead now. Has been for a long time. Ephemera never had that talent. Most of the time, he probably makes things worse.

But he can try. For Hunter and Drake and this kid who showed up in the dark, he can try. ]

I had help, when I first showed up.

[ He glances at Drake briefly. ]

This place is - it's a lot of things. But we help each other. We wouldn't survive if we didn't.

[ Like a squad. She bites the inside of her lip, then nods, going to look through the clothes Drake brought out for her. It doesn't take long to sort through them and find a few pairs of things that will work. It's all too big, but she's used to that from the hand-me-downs she used to get from her cousins. The only difference is that here, right now anyway, she doesn't have the tools to make them fit.

She hesitates on her way to the shower. She's said it more than once already, but it doesn't feel right to take what they're doing for granted. ] Thank you.

[ And then she's off to take a ten second shower. TALK AMONGST YOURSELVES, BOYS. ]

[ There you go, Drake thinks, accepting help's not so bad. He gets the reluctance, but it's also unnecessary. They're not offering anything that isn't easy enough to give. There's no sacrifice involved in offering things they can't use anyway, or letting her take a shower. ]

You're welcome.

[ He smiles at her easily, and once she's disappeared down the hall and the water's running, he glances over at Ephemera. ]

She seems a little overwhelmed. You ran into her at the colosseum?

Yeah. Her and a Zealot.

[ They haven't talked much about the Covenant. Ephemera doesn't like reliving the war and it's seemed less and less relevant since the Freelancers showed up. That was more immediate, the relevant threat until they stopped being a threat and became something else entirely. Ephemera isn't sure if he'll ever manage a friendship with Carolina, but he gets along with Tucker, respects Washington. Donut is - Donut, and hard to define. But they don't try to kill each other all the time.

Ephemera rubs a hand over his face. ]

We're gonna have trouble if the gods bring it back. I probably shouldn't have killed it. But I made a call. It was gonna kill her.

A what? [ And then it clicks -- the gods only bring back people, not monsters, so it must've been an alien. ] Shit, the Covenant? Let's hope they just got dragged through with her and not actually pulled in by the Door. Like the temporary guests we get now and then.

That's my hope. But we gotta be ready, in case.

[ Which. Could be very bad. Ephemera doesn't hate the Covenant like a lot of other soldiers do, but he respects them. It's not a war he wants to restart here. There'd be too much collateral damage. He can take out a single Zealot with his armor, but too few people in Hadriel have that capability. If it goes after some of the civilians, it'll be a goddamn bloodbath.

He exhales slowly. There are other concerns, too. ]

Was gonna pass her off to Washington. She's from way back, when the war started. UNSC was going hard against the Insurrection. Don't think it'll go well if she figures out who I used to run with. And Washington, he's good. I trust him.

[ Drake pulls on the shirt he brought out for himself now that the antiseptic he dabbed on the stitches is dry. When his head pops back out he looks thoughtful. ]

If they come back, we'll figure it out. One step at a time, I'm sure they won't want to keep the war going if they're the only one here. But hopefully it was a mistake.

[ He considers the comment of passing Chyler off... Washington seems like a fine choice, really, but he's more concerned about Chyler herself. ]

She seems like she's getting pretty uncomfortable accepting more help than you've already given her. Independent type, I guess? And he's... sort of awkward with people. Let's see how she's feeling when she comes back out.

[ Ephemera nods slowly. Drake has a good head for this sort of thing, seeing the most reasonable path forward and then explaining why he took it. ]

....I like her, [ he admits quietly. ] She's tough. But. I don't - she shouldn't have to be. She's just a kid.

She's young. But I think we're a little beyond kid, at this point, she doesn't really act like one. I sure wouldn't call her that where she could hear it, that's for sure.

[ Kind of like Tinya, maybe, Drake thinks, going by his own recent experiences with teenagers. Of all that he's worked with so far, he'd say Mariane is essentially an adult, Peter still felt more like a kid, and Tinya was somewhere in between, even though they were all the same age. Chyler... he'd have to get to know better. ]

I agree she shouldn't have to be so tough. Hopefully she'll accept a little more help, stay for dinner at least?

[ And then he hears the water turn off, signaling that they've only got a couple minutes left. That was fast, Chyler. ]

What do you think I should make?

[ That makes Ephemera grin a little over his mug. ]

God, I remember being that age.

[ Dumb as fuck, but he would've hated anyone calling him a kid. He definitely wouldn't have survived tangling with a Zealot, either. ]

Pasta? Something filling, anyway.

[ She'll be hungry after crashing like that. ]

[ Chyler comes back into the room, still weaving her long hair back into its French braids. The sweater she chose hangs off of her a little, the sleeves sliding down her forearms as she works. Her dirty clothes are slung over one shoulder.

She has to admit, clean clothes and a shower make her feel a little more human, a little more relaxed. It's like the noise and heat of the shower was an all-clear signal.

She smiles at them both as she finishes off the first braid, letting the end hang over her shoulder, waiting to be wound and pinned into the other. ] Is there somewhere I should put my things, for the time being? Are there more quarters like this, or will I need to set up something?

[ Drake turns from where he was opening a cupboard to see what they have to make for dinner, offering Chyler a smile. She looks calmer now, that's for sure. Like the shower put her a little more at ease both with the situation and their hospitality. Liv's clothes are only a little big on her, which makes sense, they were loose on Liv too but the best they could find on short notice with the high demand that week. ]

Anywhere works for now -- I was just hoping you'd stay for dinner, and we're fine with you crashing here if you wanted to wait until tomorrow to find your own place. There are three other apartment spires, all of them have space and are pre-furnished just like this one. Or there's the houses, or Love's little... what do you even call them? 'Love shack' is just weird but they're like. Bungalows? For just one or two people.

I refuse to call them love shacks, [ Ephemera mutters over his coffee. He has standards. Sometimes. ] But they're not too bad. Got heat, power, the whole package. There's room to train over by the guard post, too, if you want. Pratt got the range all set up.

[ NYOOM: the sound that joke makes as it goes over Chyler's head, but she at least knows enough to assume there is one.

Still, this is all welcome information, and she's comforted to know that her options aren't either continued hospitality or building an outdoor shelter of some kind.

As much as she wants to go out right now and establish herself, make a plan, do something, her parents raised her polite. ]

Dinner would be wonderful, thank you. Pratt--are they one of us?

[ Drake grins at Ephemera shutting down his joke, even if Chyler doesn't seem to get it. That's okay. He turns back to the cupboard, rummaging and pulling down stuff to make them pasta. ]

If by one of us you mean people dragged in by the door, then yeah. Everyone here is except the gods -- Pratt's okay. I like the range, it's well organized especially considering what he's working with.

Not from back home, [ he clarifies. He almost says not with the UNSC, but that's edging onto a lie. ] He's law enforcement, or he used to be. But there are a few here you might wanna know. Washington, he's UNSC. Him and Carolina, they've almost got a full squad.

[ Pls hold. ]

Excuse me, but gods?

[ Chyler has never really believed in gods, either the gods that man carried with him into the stars or the ones they've created since. But somehow, the way Drake says gods seems different. Like they're real, tangible, present.

Some else to make no sense! Why not! ]

[ Oh. Drake's yet to come up with a good explanation for the gods besides aliens with magic powers, and he doesn't think that'll go over too well with Chyler. He glances to Ephemera for backup on this one. ]

That's sort of just what we call them -- they've got abilities like gods, I guess, but we definitely don't worship them. There are seven that run the city.

[ Ephemera winces. ]

They're responsible for most of the weird shit that happens around here.

[ And there's no easy way to say this. So, he's just going for it. ]

They feed off emotion. The ones they're named for. Hope, Love, Sorrow, and so on. They'll engineer situations when they get hungry enough.

There are things you call gods here, and they feed off of us.

[ THIS PLACE GETS WORSE AND WORSE.

She sits down slowly on their couch. The only thing she can think is that these creatures need to die. They need to die, she needs to get home, the gods are responsible for the weird shit, which means they're probably responsible for whatever brought her here, which means they can't die until she figures out how to get back.

How many people are here? How many people are already trying to figure it out? Has anyone already tried to fight the things that call themselves gods? Chyler pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to sort out her thoughts. She should be able to handle this. It's just another sitrep, it's all just part of the same bundle of information, just presented out of order and in pieces.

She should be able to handle this.

Chyler covers her face with both hands to try and hide the fact that she's starting to cry. ]

[ Oh. Shit. Drake closes the cupboard and turns to Chyler again, though his eyes are on Ephemera. He's not sure how much weakness a soldier's comfortable showing -- should he go to her, or let Ephemera handle this one? For now he hangs back, just in case his partner would rather take the lead, but his voice is gentle and encouraging. ]

It's nothing you can't handle, Chyler, promise.

[ Okay. That was clearly a mistake.

Ephemera exhales slowly, setting his mug down. He doesn't know how to do this. He's only met Chyler last night and she's both a kid and not, a soldier with a killer aim and probably what, all of sixteen?

Isn't fair to put this shit on somebody that young. But here they are.

Silently, he moves and sits down on the floor with his back pressed against the couch. Close to her, but not touching. Not looking at her, either. It's better if no one sees when you cry. He always hated it. Even in front of Drake, it's a lot. In front of a stranger?

That's worse. ]

Take a minute. Do what you've gotta do.

[ He tips his head back. Exhales slow. ]

I'm going to do an armor check. When you're ready, you're going to help me check for weather damage. Okay?

[ It might not be the right thing. It might be a very bad idea. But it's what he would do with the twins, when they were having a bad day. Give them some time to work their shit out on their own, then give them a task. Something tactile, something they either knew by heart or could learn, and then just be there. Eventually, they'd come back on their own. If it worked on soldiers with PTSD so severe they'd both decided to just stop talking, then maybe, maybe it'll work on Chyler. ]

[ She nods, face still covered. She doesn't cry much, but when she does, it's softly. She learned it on Cygnus, had it driven home when she lived with her aunt and uncle, who had so much more reason to cry. She had the desire to cry practically beaten out of her at Corbulo, where tears were a good reason for your drill sergeant or squad leader to make an example of you.

She can't stop herself now.

It's too much. It's all too much. From the invasion at Corbulo to the monsters in the in the dark to this, all of this. It rolls over her like a riptide, dragging her into the grip of an ocean, deep enough that she can't see the shore.

Chyler hugs herself and folds up, pressing her forehead against her knees and sobbing until she can barely breathe. ]

[ ...well, Drake was going to just let Ephemera handle it, but uh. That's not 'I need a minute to compose myself' crying, that's a teenage girl curled up sobbing in front of them and Drake's not really someone who can just stoically ignore someone in pain. Even if it's what they'd prefer. Hopefully this doesn't scare her off, but he's coming over to the couch too, claiming the seat on Chyler's other side and cautiously reaching out, stroking a hand between her shoulder blades.

He doesn't say anything, but if she wants someone to actually cry on, well. He's there. ]

[ It's not working. It's really, really not. If anything, she's crying harder.

Ephemera puts a hand over his good eye. Tips his head back and exhales. There's nothing to say. He doesn't know how to offer comfort to her. What would have worked with the twins isn't with her.

At least Drake is trying. Sitting down next to her and reaching out cautiously. Drake was always better at this part, he thinks.

Silently, Ephemera shifts so he can lean against Drake's legs. There's nothing he can think to say, so he doesn't. He waits. ]

Test Drive Meme #40

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