dankmemes | Test Drive Meme # 2

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!test drive

Test Drive Meme # 2

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 October 25th, and apps are open November 1st.

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!

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: THE LAUGHTER OF A CHILD
[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.

Watch out as you explore the streets of Hadriel, because you're not alone, and there's always something on the rooftops watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to separate you from your group and tear you into pieces. This time, the Door has brought in some little friends for you to play with.

Grey Children are enemies in the video game Silent Hill. They usually move in pairs or groups of three, clinging to your legs and pulling you down so that they can laugh as they stab you to death. They're not particularly sturdy, but since they hunt in packs, they can kill you just the same. Let's hope your group is bigger - or that you can get away before they get ahold of you. But don't be too mean. They're just children, after all.]

SCENARIO TWO: FEAR ITSELF
[You turn a corner, and there it is. The one thing that terrifies you more than anything, that turns you into a frightened child, that makes you want to run or scream or fight wildly. It could be anything. That person you trusted, who betrayed you. A monster that haunts your dreams. Spiders, maybe? Whatever it is, it's exactly what you fear the most.

And then there are footsteps next to you, and someone else is there. Maybe they can help you. Maybe they can save you. But everyone's afraid of something, and the moment your savior gets close, their fear will manifest as well - and if you're really unlucky, combine with yours to make something even worse.

It's not real. It can't hurt you. Not unless you let it. But if you let it, it will destroy you.

This is a simpler version of October's Fear Event.]

H O P E

SCENARIO THREE: THIS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL HOUSE
[A moment ago, you were making dinner. Not alone, but with someone you care about nearby - your beautiful spouse, or your amazing child, or your beloved sibling. Then, in an instant, you look at them and you know: this isn't real.

This perfect house, this perfect family, it's not yours. You can remember your real life now, and that person you care for? You might not even know them. A moment ago they were your world, and now you know this isn't actually your life. Your life is something else, somewhere else.

Above the fireplace sits a painting of you and your happy family. You know that if you destroy it, you'll return to your life. But do you really want to, when you've never felt this contentment, this happiness before? You could have it all, if you wanted. And what about your companion? This is a decision you should make together - if you want to.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Cecily has never had a dog; it's more of a Ferelden thing wherein the stereotypes are completely true. She's spent enough time, though, in Skyhold's stables to know how to be in the presence of animals, though, and thumbs attentively at the back of the hound's neck before looking again to Cullen, frown deepening. ]

The- What? [ Now she looks concerned, more so than when they'd been attacked by demonic, knife-wielding children moments before. The Inquisitor straightens, body language on alert. Tense. ] Why would there be...

[ But she trails off, suspicion growing. Carefully, she steps back, again slipping the bow from her back. She doesn't pull it taut, doesn't aim it at him just yet, but her eyes are sharp. Clearly, there's been some recent trauma, some reason for her to distrust that the former templar is who he appears to be. ]

You're another illusion. [ Cecily says quietly, dangerous in her rigid stance and quick reflexes. ] I've only been once to the Winter Palace. What you've said; it never happened.

[ well. that's concerning.

cullen lets the dagger drop out of his hand and clatter to the ground. he holds his palms out in front of him, as if the gesture could placate her. it's hard to appear calm when his heartbeat has just kicked up a notch, but he tries. ]

Cecily-- [ he pauses. what can he say that won't end up with him getting shot? ] What's the last thing you remember?

[ where is the divide between them? what sort of a thing could they be dealing with that would affect her like this and turn them against each other? and how does he stop it? because this is really annoying and he would very much like to not have to deal with things ruining the happiness that came with getting married, thank you. ]

[ Unfortunately for Cullen, she'd seen other versions of him too recently. Phantoms of all her friends and companions chiding her, insulting her, hating her. And then hurt, tortured, dead.

It was almost too much, though she'd managed to (barely) get a handle on it by the end. Now, though... the old fear creeps in through the cracks in her resolve and she waves, conflicted. Please, don't take this from me, not again. ]

We defeated Corypheus. [ She says, though she isn't convinced he won't transform or attack at any moment. ] It's over.

[ That was before she'd been taken to Hadriel, anyway. It had finally been peace and calm, something none of them have had in a very long time. ]

How can I know you aren't another hallucination? That you're - That it's really you?

That-- [ he has to take a moment and swallow hard. ] That was two years ago.

[ if it weren't bad enough that she seems to be missing two whole years of her memory, the way she asks if how she can know he's not a hallucination hits him like a knife to the chest. he remembers a time where he had been plagued by visions of friends. where he had lost track of what was real and what wasn't. the thought of her having gone through something that would make her question things the way he once had... ]

I suspect nothing I say will help with that. [ and yet-- ] But I swear to you, on Andraste's holy ashes, I am really me.

Two years?

[ It catches her way off guard, like a blunted hit to the back of the head. It's so absurd that she falters in her determined wariness, her eyes widening in surprise.

It's enough to make her believe, because- well, why would any vision say that? ]

... I believe you. [ Cecily says quietly; there's something else entirely to be troubled about, now. And she can't even marvel at the idea of time travel, not after what she and Dorian experienced in Redcliffe. She has to take it at face value, to accept what he's saying minus the logical potential for it to be true. ]

Two years. [ She repeats, sighing, shoulders falling. Again, the weapon is replaced, but she doesn't close the gap, not yet. A lot can happen in two years' time. Suddenly, she's pricked with nervousness and eyes him with deep apprehension. ] What's happened? Why is there a Council?

[ How much have I missed? ]

[ watching her put away the bow and hearing her say she believes him has him sighing in relief. he'd have let her shoot him if it came to that, but he was really, really hoping it wouldn't.

hesitantly, he reaches out for her, but his hands stop before they can make contact, hovering awkwardly by her arms before he thinks the better of it. he rubs at the back of his neck with the hand that's mostly clean and clears his throat. ]

There are some people who think that Inquisition has too much political power. And no one can seem to agree on how to deal with that.

[ it's the simple version of things. and it doesn't mention what cullen feels is the most important thing to have happened that she doesn't remember. but how could he mention that? it could--she could react poorly and then where would he be?

he frowns at the space above cecily's left shoulder. the mabari, who has been watching all of this calmly, shuffles over to cullen and leans heavily against his legs. ]

[ She's just distracted enough not to make note of the way he almost brushes her, too honed in on the words to see the action. Cecily sighs shortly, crossing her arms, and- oh. He's closer, now. And with the dog lying against his legs, the sight of which almost makes her smile. ]

First, we weren't important enough to pay any mind, and now we're too much. [ The Inquisitor mutters. ] You'd think, after the breach and after Corypheus, that they might want us around.

[ It isn't as if they're making to take over the whole of Thedas, anyway.

Unfortunately, she doesn't know what she doesn't know. Some things will have to remain in obscurity, at least until he decides it wouldn't be strange to take that same, significant step twice. ]

So we've come under siege. How is it looking?

We're in Orlais. [ his tone is about as dry as the western approach. ] I don't think it's possible for things to look good in Orlais.

[ it's a bit of humor couched in truth. if there's one thing cullen hates dealing with, it's orlesian politics. the fact that they want to put more oversight on the inquisition is even more awful. but it's not hopeless. between cecily and her advisers, cullen is confident they'll end up getting what they want out of the council, whatever that may be. ]

Josephine has a plan. [ josie always has a plan. ] And if things go wrong, I hear Varric has made you a Comtesse in Kirkwall.

[ he pauses, attempts at good humor fading. ] Do you truly not remember any of this?

Doesn't she always? [ Thank the Maker for their resident Antivan. ] And - What? Comtesse?

[ And in Kirkwall. Defying her confusion, a smile plays at her lips. What would her family think of her now? Maybe she should write; it's been ages, and they'd love a chance to try and bring her back to marry off to someone atrocious.

After being ripped apart by the Council, though. There goes the happy thought. ]

No. [ She admits. Since he mentioned it, she's been wracking her mind, trying to find answers, memories, events that just aren't there. She remembers very clearly the day on which she'd been in Skyhold, then woken up in the local coliseum with Dorian and the dire bears. Whatever's happened, whatever he means, hasn't happened to her, yet. ]

But, I was... there, with you. [ Cecily says, slowly. ] So it isn't as if we've been here two years and been missing.

[ That would be a real nightmare for them all, she imagines. Herself most especially, to hear that she could have been absent without reason, along with Dorian, Thom, and Sera.

Cecily looks up into his face again, then decisively reaches out to take his hand, fingers curling around his. ]

You're all right, though? No invasions or holes in the sky above the Winter Palace?

[ a smile tugs at his lips as their fingers link. cullen leans forward just enough to rest his forehead against hers. maybe a mostly deserted street with monster corpses nearby them isn't exactly the best place for a romantic gesture, but oh well.

it's easier for him to digest things with the physical reassurance of her, well, being fond of him. even if there's two years of difference between them, they still have the foundation they built while fighting corypheus. ] No one ever noticed you were anywhere other than where you should be.

[ which, now that he thinks about it, is mildly disturbing. and something to think about later when he has more answers about where he is and how long she's been here. ]

No, there's no invasions, no holes in the sky, and no known assassination attempts we have to stop. [ yet. ] Just politics.

[ and the anchor acting up. which he is keeping to himself for now, both because he doesn't want to scare her and to use as a sort of litmus test to see if she is really from two years behind him or if something has erased the time from her mind. ]

Politics can be worse than all that, I've found. [ Not really, or... not exactly, but she sighs softly with a light laugh as their foreheads brush together. It's washing over her more and more as the moments pass and he doesn't vanish or turn into a monster that Cullen being here, really being here, is an enormous relief. Worries that knotted at her insides, ones she hadn't realized were there, come untied. Their relationship hadn't gone on for very long yet, but they'd spoken more than once about what might happen after Corypheus' defeat in terms of their future. ]

Am I to take from all this that things are fine with... us? [ Cecily ventures, still close, glancing up to meet his eyes. She can guess, based on how he's behaved thus far, but... better not to assume. ] Two years is a long time, and I remember how many of the court were flocking to you at our last visit to Orlais.

[ So long as he's happy, so long as everyone's safe... but, she can't even really tell herself in any honesty that being told that they were no longer together wouldn't sting somewhere deep and meaningful. ]

[ he will just ignore that comment about his admirers. and also ignore the way the tips of his ears are turning red and his heart feels too full for his chest when he thinks of just how fine things are with her. ]

Things are... good. With us. [ he's still kind of in shock that she said yes, honestly. and that means there's a bit of a delayed reaction to the "two years is a long time" part of what she said. when that does process, he pulls back from her and frowns thoughtfully. ]

That's not too odd, is it? That I remember two years of being with you that you don't.

[ the last thing he wants to do is make her uncomfortable. while it would hurt to pretend that he's not madly in love with her, he would do it if she said yes, it was too odd. or if she needed time to wrap her head around it. or whatever else she could say. ]

Good. [ Again, the balloon-like pressure in her chest lessens and she smiles a little more. They're far from out of the woods and they aren't even on the same page, but it's blessing enough that they still care for (love says a little, stubborn voice in her ear, one to which she happily submits) each other.

Cecily notices the ears, used to his little habits, and raises a hand to thumb idly at one, chuckling. ]

Odd? Well, yes, I think it's very strange that our memories don't match. [ She lowers a hand, adding thoughtfully: ] But we can speak with the others, see if they can make any sense of all this.

[ What has she missed in those two years? In a way, she's jealous of him that he's gotten so much more time, and it's been time in peace rather than the likely end of the world.

And there's the mabari. Cecily draws back slightly to scratch again at the big dog's blocky head. ]

What's his name?

Who else is here? [ he's crossing his fingers for mages because if anyone's going to figure out whatever magic it is that's making all of this possible, it's going to be one of the inquisition's mages.

or maybe leliana, given enough time and resources. cullen is fairly convinced she can find just about anything out if she really wants to. which isn't a terrifying thing at all. ]

He, ah-- [ the mabari pants, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth like he's laughing at cullen. who is resisting the urge to rub at the back of his neck as his ears turn even more red. ] He doesn't have a name yet. I've just been calling him 'pup.'

[ he is the most embarrassing dog owner. except for maybe alistair who would have named his mabari barkspawn, who does that? ]

Rainier, Dorian, and Sera. They all arrived when I did.

[ A strange group, but an oddly balanced one. And none of them remembered more than Corypheus' defeat, as far as she knows.

Cecily's smile grows as she looks from Cullen to the dog; 'pup' seems perfectly at ease, glad to have a non-name, thrilled to be where he is and doing what he's doing.

What a life, she thinks. ]

He doesn't seem to mind. [ The Inquisitor chuckles, straightening up again. ] Remind me again where you got him? Have we started a kennel in Skyhold, or is he a unique case?

[ it's a good group of people to have, if you're going to end up in some strange city with monsters that want to eat your face. and cullen is especially happy there's a warrior around because it might mean he can borrow a sword from time to time.

let's hope none of them mind having a dog around because cullen is definitely introducing them to his mabari and will attempt to have the dog learn to fight alongside them. ]

He's a unique case. A merchant at the Winter Palace had him. Said he'd been abandoned. [ the smile cullen directs at the dog is both fond and a little lopsided. ] I couldn't just leave him there. The Orlesians had no idea what they were throwing away.

Not the first stray we've adopted into the Inquisition. [ Cecily tilts her head to look at the hound, smiling down at it, too; it's impossible not to be fond when the creature lolls its tongue the way it does, staring avidly up at them as if it can understand their conversation. ] And whoever could abandon such a handsome pup?

[ Er, 'Pup.' As its name happens to be. ]

He's welcome to stay with us. As are you, of course; we have one other bedroom in the house we've found if you two would like to claim it.

[ Does she look a little coy? Could it be because she'd prefer him a little closer than in the other room? Will she actually bring it up, or not, because she's still a touch nervous that his future could mean his feelings aren't the same?

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. ]

[ he knows that face. he knows that face, don't think he doesn't, missy. and an extra two years is just enough time for him to be less awkward about this whole blatantly flirting thing. ]

Oh? [ do you see that smirk? it's a definite smirk. ] Are you planning to sleep in the foyer then, if I get the last bedroom?

[ aaaand then his brain catches up with his mouth and he remembers that this isn't, actually, his wife and they hadn't moved in together from what she remembers. oops. ]

I mean-- [ how do words. ] If you're amenable... I wouldn't mind. Sharing?

I meant- [ !! smirking!

She almost looks affronted, does the tiniest of double-takes. ] ... that there are now five of us and five bedrooms, and that you're welcome to the fifth.

[ Could it really be that Cullen Rutherford is flirting? She hasn't had the time to adapt to his... well, adapting, and it catches her off-guard. Tiny, pink spots bloom in the apples of her cheeks and she clears her throat pointedly before responding.

Usually, she isn't the bashful one, dammit. ]

Yes. Well. That would leave another space for... if someone else were brought here. [ okay, play it cool, we're BOUNCING BACK ] So... I should think I could be amenable.

[ Luckily, some of their fortress' biggest gossips aren't with them for the moment to comment on this Development. Not that she'll ever be apologetic for it, for the way the idea has her heart fluttering like a rabbit's. ]

[ that may have been the lamest way to ask if she wanted to move in. he's honestly a little surprised she's going for it. he's also very happy!! don't get him wrong, he's very happy he's not going to have to get used to sleeping alone on the regular again. just... surprised.

and thankful. how did he get so lucky? ]

I'm glad. [ a soft smile crosses his face, complimenting his red ears and blushing cheeks nicely. he rubs the back of his neck. clears his throat. ]

Will you... show me around? This place we've ended up in.

[ read as: will you join me somewhere there are no corpses so i can eventually clean up and then maybe kiss you? because he would really like to kiss her at some point. ]

[ Luckily, even the Inquisitor from Years Past is well-versed in Cullenese. Her lip twitches upward briefly, but only briefly, so that their game of dancing around straightforwardness can continue. ]

Of course. It won't do anything to reassure you, though, once you've seen more of it.

[ The place can be deceptively calm, she's found. Cecily checks to make sure she's got all her things, that one of the now-decaying grey children hadn't sunken their bloodied teeth into her, somewhere, and then glances back to the Commander. ]

You aren't hurt? [ She questions, before beginning to move off, destination not yet determined (getting there).

Fleetingly, Cecily wonders what'll happen to the bodies they'd left littered on the green, but... maybe it's best not to know. ]

[ they will decompose and become fertilizer. it's the circle of liiiife. ]

No, I'm fine. [ cullen hesitates a moment, then wipes his blades on his bright blue sash before sheathing them. it's a good thing josephine isn't here to see how he's ruined his formal wear. ]

And you don't have to worry about reassuring me. I've already gotten lost, nearly killed, run into some... interesting illusions, and nearly turned into a pin cushion by my w-- [ wait shit no don't say wife abort abort ] ... lover?

[ that sounds so tawdry. clearly this calls for him quickly continuing on like there was no hiccup whatsoever. ]

All that and it's still not as bad as Kirkwall.

[ squint ]

What? [ Okay, no. Wait. ] What illusions?

[ Never mind the strange slip he just seemed to have in figuring out how to refer to her. Honestly, it isn't surprising; they haven't yet given much name to what they are, so "lovers" is as good a term as any. She'll circle back to that, perhaps, depending on how her question is addressed. ]

We've had illusions, but those monsters were real. [ If their recent kills are what he's referring to. She's learned to tell the difference, had battled through hallucinations of demons, Corypheus, and her mark wreaking havoc on herself, on everything. Worse than all that had been the phantoms of her friends and advisers (and Cullen himself) who had spat abuse before being slaughtered.

But she isn't about to admit to a single word of all that. ]

[ well, shit. he shouldn't have mentioned that.

just as cecily wants to say absolutely nothing of the hallucinations she's had, cullen wants to say nothing of what he saw. she already knows the basics of what he was reliving for a brief (horrible) moment. there's no need to elaborate on it. if he can treat it like it was little more than a memory-turned-nightmare like he often has, shrug it off and keep her talking about something else... it would be better. ]

There was a moment where I saw something that couldn't possibly be real. [ he's not looking at her when he says it. he's inspecting the pommel of one of his knives, running his thumb over the worn leather of the grip. without his mantle to mask it, the tension in his shoulders is easy to spot. ] Someone--I don't know who--came by and managed to disperse it, and I moved on. These creatures found me. You know the rest.

[ end of story. ]

[ She understands. How could she not?

The moment he says "something that couldn't possibly be real," something cold twists in her gut. He'd seen them too, then. Had struggled alone for Maker-knows how long before one of the other captives had shaken it away, easily as cobwebs. Cecily looks fleeting at his face as he avoids her stare, not wanting to press, never wanting to scratch at those old wounds.

Delicately, she lays a hand on his arm. ]

Follow me. [ The Inquisitor sets off across the grass, destination not far. The lake is a few minutes' walk, during which she doesn't speak, reflecting for longer than she'd like on what she'd seen as fear ravaged the town. Of what he might have witnessed just as he was brought here, another unwitting servant to petty, would-be gods.

She stops at the water's edge, looking out for ten, twenty seconds' time before turning back to him. ]

It isn't all monsters. [ She says gently, offering a tiny smile. ] The people aren't so bad, and more of us arrive every day.

[ As to why, though... that isn't so nice. But, one thing at a time. Cecily hovers, as if deciding, and then settles down into the grass, legs tucked off to one side. ]

We've only just learned; it was gods that brought us here, or so they claim. "Hope" and "Fear." What you saw... they said that they feed on our energies, take what we're most afraid of and grow powerful by it. Not so unlike demons, I'd think.

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