test drive meme # 3

[acatamods]

I ▫ main IV ▫ premise       XI ▫ applications XIV ▫ activity II ▫ logs V ▫ rules VII ▫ bestiary   IX ▫ canon updates XII ▫ taken XV ▫ drop/hiatus III ▫ ooc VI ▫ faq VIII ▫ setting   X ▫ mods XIII ▫ reserves XVI ▫ players test drive meme #3 It happens in the blink of an eye. One moment, you are home. Perhaps you are with your family, perhaps you are at work. It's a completely normal day . . . and then, suddenly, your stomach drops. You are overcome with a sudden sense of vertigo. You cannot see up, or down, or where you are. All you hear is a voice -- light, bubbly, warm, soothing, in your ear: Don't worry, darling. This won't hurt a bit~ ♥ For those who recognize the voice, it will sound a bit strained. Possibly tired. But the moment happens so quickly it's hard to pin down, and once that moment is over, you fall flat on your face. It's bright, warm, and humid. It takes a few seconds for you to gain composure and catch your breath. You think, for half a moment, that a hand is on your back, rubbing between your shoulder blades in comfort, but when you open your eyes, no one is there. You are surrounded by ancient stone buildings, with carvings you do not recognize etched into the stone. There's a sense of nausea, overwhelming and sudden, when you realize you aren't in Kansas anymore. Even worse, it looks like the tinier inhabitants of the Forest of the Fey are acting a little cheeky. THE TEMPLE OF BEGINNINGS. Welcome to the "Home Base" of Astoria's Circle. What the actual name of the base is called is lost to the ages, and there's no sense of where you could find it, unless you started asking around. At any rate, this is a central hub of the Circle, a place of powerful magic and mysterious energy. It is a scattering of ancient stone buildings and for the most part, it looks abandoned . . . except for what seems to be a few items, some rooms taken, items moved or organized, even a small garden planted. These are just the smallest hints that there are people here that have been here before you arrived. Overall, it's fairly beautiful. However, it is definitely not modern. Upon exploration, you find that the buildings are kept up by some kind of magic. Some of the rooms have items, things from other Circle members already settled, and others appear to be unclaimed. Pick your rooms, explore the grounds, see the beauty and wonder all around you in such a magical place. However, be careful -- the sprites that reside within the Forest of the Fey seem to be exceptionally active, today, and tricks abound wherever you look. KINGS AND QUEENS. Typically, the sprites of the Forest of the Fey remain within the protective canopy of the surroundings. However, there seems to be something different in the air, and these little bastards are flitting about and giving out flower crowns to everyone. They are beautifully made, intricate and gloriously decorative, and most people would be happy to adorn one! There's just one problem, though -- they don't come off. No matter how hard you try, those damn flower crowns are stuck on your head, and you cannot remove them no matter how hard you try. Hope you enjoy being a fairy princess for a day. And, if you are alighted with a flower crown, your skin turns the same color as whatever flowers now sit upon your head. A wreath of blue roses? Congratulations, Violet Beauregard -- you're now as blue as a blueberry. The effect wears off in about an hour, and you can remove the flower crown then -- but have fun being every shade of the rainbow as the sprites take their time to torment the new arrivals. BALLOONS FOR EVERYONE. Normally, there are some animals that wander within the ancient stone buildings of the Temple. Tiny little white bats, sheep that grow on the vine . . . that sort of thing. However, the sprites have elected to add a little bit more flair the Temple, and balloon animals have invaded the living space. Where the sprites got the idea for balloon animals, no one can really be sure -- Astoria seems to think the sprites are waltzing through the spirit realm and seem to have garnered an idea there, whatever that's supposed to mean. So, no matter where you go, there are balloon animals. Little dogs, brightly colored fish, dinosaurs, giraffes . . . except they seem to move, and make noise, and act like their real counterparts. Tiny balloon dogs nip at your heels, balloon fish flicker about in the waters that sprinkle themselves throughout the Forest, and balloon birds float through the skies. Bonus? If you pop them, they explode into (biodegradable) glitter. DECAYED DECADENCE. Despite the shenanigans from the sprites, however, there seems to be something happening within the Temple that may be cause of concern. Flower crowns and balloon animals aside, there seem to be odd spots of the Temple that suddenly wilt . . . flowers that bend over and wither at a moment's notice, saplings that seem to creak as if suddenly dried from the inside out . . . and it seems, oddly enough, that it happens whenever you, an Arrival, get closer to the wild life. Astoria seems to think that something is wrong . . . perhaps something the Circle members brought back from their last trip. An illness, or something more? Care to poke about and see how far you're willing to take it? Or does your magical gift enable the protection of plant growth? Try out your green thumb and see if you can help. COMMUNICATIONS. Upon arriving, you will notice on whichever is your non-dominant hand, you will have a fairly simply screen. A smart watch, if you will. Upon exploration, you will find that it has a directory of all those here with you at the Temple of Beginnings- names, and access to a direct message to them. The watch also has video, audio, and text capabilities, as well as what looks like a collection of messages sent to everyone who wishes to open them. This is your 'network', and also how Astoria can reach out and communicate with you. There is nothing keeping you from removing and/or losing your watch! But remember that you will not have access to this network without it. OOC: Also feel free to join us and other possible players on our discord server! enjoy! ♥

Comments

Winry Rockbell | Fullmetal Alchemist

[wrenchtoss]

TEMPLE.

[ Wandering around a not-so-abandoned temple in the middle of who knows where probably isn't the brightest of ideas, but Winry has nothing else to go on. Just a few soothing words whispered through her subconscious and a mental nudge to go on her merry way. She could stay put, but that won't tell her where she is or how she got here. This situation isn't great, but when left with little options, all she can do is press forward with caution.

At least she doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger. Hopefully. This temple is clearly being lived in, so maybe she can find someone who can tell her 1) where she is, 2) how she got here, and 3) how she can get back. After being largely unsuccessful in finding anyone, she finally makes her way toward one of the bedrooms, tries the door (hey, it's open)— ]

Is anybody in here?

[ Poking her head in? Hello??? ]

FLOWER CROWNS.

[ Here is Winry. Here is Winry sitting there, somewhat dazed and confused as a pair of mischievous fey accost her place a flower crown of forget me nots on her head. She whips her head around quickly, looking up only in time to see the culprits float away with a giggle and a wink.

Wait what. ]

Oh, thanks? Hey, wait a sec—!

[ Aaaand they're gone. Was she supposed to give them something in return? Thank them for the gift? HOW DOES ONE DEAL WITH FAIRIES never mind that they shouldn't exist, just. She'll deal with that thought later. At a complete loss, she looks at the person next to her after her drive-by coronation, a sheepish half-grin on her now very blue face. ]

Well that was pretty weird, huh. Wait, aren't fairies supposed to play tricks on people?

[ Winry you got punked and you haven't even realized it yet... ]

BALLOONS.

[ And next up on things that make absolutely no sense. She's seen balloon animals before. Who hasn't? But what she hasn't seen before is sentient balloon animals. It's why the blond is hunched over, staring down at a balloon dog that is just as blue as she is (THANKS A LOT, FAIRIES), a hand curled at her lips and brows furrowed in deep concentration.

The puffed-up pup stares(?) back up at her, the tied end of its balloon mouth out and lolling like it's panting. There seems to be a very intense staring contest going on here, and as the teen leans in closer, the balloon dog stretches itself up to meet her. ]

...

[ Nope, she can't parse this one either. This place may actually has her stumped. ]

WILDCARD.

[ Got an idea for a prompt? Hit me up here, or on plurk at impearls! ]

flower crowns

[purrtagonist]

[. . . . . ]

[thank god he's so practiced at keeping his expression neutral. it's how he manages to answer her question with a completely straight face]

Not all fairies?

[why does that sound like a question]

really al [1/2]

[wrenchtoss]

[ That poker face is so top-notch, she doesn't notice that anything is off yet. Winry brings up a hand to scratch at the side of her head. ] I guess not. [ Huh, her arm is a bit blue. Wait, blue? She blinks a few times, lowering her arm and looking at it, then the other as it slowly begins to dawn on her. ] Oh, you little— [ 3, 2... ]

[2/2]

[wrenchtoss]

[ Take a breath, Winry, it's fine. Don't get mad, not in front of a stranger. You just got here, it's probably fine. Besides, they're long gone by now, cackling deeper within the forest at their handiwork. Ugh. Not all fairies, her ass. ]

This better not be permanent.

[ Look, she can control her temper. She's just... a little more purple in the face than blue at the moment. It's not a great look for her, but it's fine. ]

I wonder if I could still get a good shot...

[ Or not. Okay. ]

[purrtagonist]

[pfffft. Akira snorts gently, lifting a hand to cover his mouth in order to stifle a laugh. sorry Winry, it was funny!1]

Fortunately, I doubt it'll be permanent.

Unfortunately, they're probably way out of range by now.

temple.

[pyonpyon]

[ She's met with immediate yelling as some form of welcome. ]

Hey, hey! You could have tried knocking, first?!

[ Nazuna's standing in the middle of the room, seemingly doing nothing, with a hot face. ]

I mean, you could find trouble like that! What if there were some of those annoying things in here or something? [ Breathing out, he loosely crosses his arms over and briefly looks away. ] You're lucky it's just me in here.

[ You know, A total stranger. ]

temple.

[wrenchtoss]

[ Whoa! She takes a quick step back, hands held up defensively as Nazuna yells at her. ] Sorry! [ All the rest of the rooms that she had been to thus far had been empty, so she just assumed that the place had been either abandoned, or was in the process of. Wincing a smile, she lets her hands lower a bit. Touché. ] Yeah, I... guess I am. Ha ha. [ Way to put her on the backfoot, Nazuna. But she recovers quickly, taking a tentative step forward. ] Are you the only one here? I haven't run into anyone else yet.

temple.

[insubordination]

[ winry is immediately greeted by a dog, who starts barking in greeting, with furious tail wags -- a fairly familiar dog, as black hayate sits in the doorway, fully expecting pets and ear scratches! and, following black hayate's appearance, is another fairly familiar sight: ]

-- Miss Rockbell?

[ one (1) surprised roy mustang, confused (but pleasantly surprised!) at her appearance in the doorway of his (shared) room at the temple -- and he immediately reaches down to tug black hayate backwards a bit, to allow her room to come inside. ]

Come in -- are you alright? Did you just arrive here?

[ looks like new people are turning up again. great. ]

[wrenchtoss]

[ She doesn't expect a dog. More to the point, she doesn't expect this dog, even as she instinctively bends down to pat him on the head. But wait, if Black Hayate is here, then— ] ...Colonel Mustang? [ Winry looks up slowly as she blinks in quiet surprise. What is he doing in a place like this? Isn't he supposed to be with Ed and the others? She hesitates before standing up, nodding woodenly as she only half-hears his question before stepping inside. ] Yes, but... What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Ed and the others? [ Something doesn't feel right about this. She's missing something. ]

[insubordination]

[ again, colonel, which sort of answers when winry is from. and he allows her inside (black hayate quickly following), before he closes the door. ]

I haven't seen Edward, yet. [ yet. new people have arrived, so there is always a chance that fullmetal will wander in. late, as usual. ] We've all been taken here by someone named Astoria; this isn't Amestris. But we're safe, here, for the time being. There's no cause for concern yet, and we're mostly among friends.

[ he pauses. ]

Lieutenant Hawkeye is here, along with Alphonse. I'm sure they'll both be glad to see you.

[ hughes, too, but that can wait a few more moments. ]

flower crowns

[hidive]

[Count that as a +1 towards a baby blue flower crown on her own head, You gives Winry a sheepish little smile, before she notes the coloring and looks down at her own arms as if to tell - oh yeah, within moments - they might as well match now.]

I think so? I can't say I've read a fairy tale lately, but this place sort of seems the type of place to attract them. [yeah we're blue da ba de da ba di]

[wrenchtoss]

[ It dawns on her at about the same moment as You, as she sees the brunette's skin begin to change color. It's a lucky thing that the other girl is taking this well, because otherwise Winry might lose her cool. Her smile turns wry as she tilts her head slightly. ] Do you remember if they said how fix something like this? [ Medical books don't really cover fairy shenanigans, unfortunately. But at least they can be blue together? What even is this place. ]

[hidive]

Not really, but...

[Humming as she thinks, her eyes turning upwards to watch the impish fairies chittering away somewhere above them, You extends a hand up with her palm open, as if they would trust her enough to land there.]

Hey, can we just talk? Is there something you would be willing to trade to change us back to normal?

[Maybe they're hungry, maybe they're just troublemakers looking for a good time, maybe a new target would relieve them they can offer something else.]

balloons

[formleg]

[Hunk has his own animal balloon companion tucked into his arms. It is a red cat and he seems to be on a bit of a mission. He stops when he notices the blue girl and the flower crown. At least he knew about THAT now. Not that meeting a blue girl would actually be that strange for him, all things considered.]

No offense, but I think the balloon dog is going to win in this case.

[wrenchtoss]

[ Winry looks over her shoulder at him with a rueful smile. Oh, he thought she was having a staring contest? That's a little embarrassing. This thing doesn't even have eyes. ] I'm just trying to figure out what this thing is. I thought it was just a balloon, but— [ Did that thing just... squeak-bark at them? Is it getting offended? ]

[formleg]

I think it is a balloon. Or at least creatures that closely resemble them.

[By this point he's used to ALL kinds of creatures. If there can be fuzzy aliens and rock aliens then there can be balloon aliens. The cat seems to be taking notice now, shifting uneasily in Hunk's arms. He looks down at it and then towards the balloon dog.]

Uh oh. They also seem to take after whatever animals they're shaped like...on the plus side I'm not sure they can scratch or bite each other.

[Of course now he's picturing balloons with teeth and that's just uncomfortable. There's the sound of air being released from a balloon, which Hunk imagines might be the balloon cat's version of a hiss? Maybe?]

temple!!!!!

[efface]

[ winry is probably greeted first with a bark - a familiar bark, all things considered, but a bark nonetheless. black hayate will come bounding up to her seconds after said bark, and it will be a few moments after then that riza's voice will follow - standing up from where she'd been leaning down to put some things away, and seeing...

winry.

riza's eyes light up at the sight of her. ]

Winry? [ and then she is stepping around whatever table is in the middle of the room to approach her. ] When did you arrive? Did you just get here?

:D!!!

[wrenchtoss]

[ She doesn't expect a dog, let alone one that she knows. Letting out a surprised laugh, Winry crouches down quickly. Oh, you have no idea how happy she is to see a familiar face, although the vigorous ear scratches she gives him might be a clue.

But wait, if he's here, then— ]

Miss Riza!

[ Winry looks up suddenly, a mix of happiness and relief on her face. Thank goodness, she's not here by herself. But Riza's questions give her some pause, and she blinks a few times. When did she..? ]

Yeah, I did. At least I think so. [ A beat. ] How did you know?

[efface]

[ black hayate is ecstatic that winry is here, bouncing excitedly at her feet and weaving in and out of her hands.

riza only needs a few more moments to make it over to winry, looking...different, all things considered. her hair is longer and worn down, her clothes are a kind of mismatch from home, here, and a previous couple of worlds, and she looks older. probably by a few years. but that's all down to if winry would notice!

at winry's question, though, riza gives something of an apologetic smile. ]

Ah- that's a long story. Have you seen Roy and- [ hughes. oh. riza catches herself before she says his name, realizing the weight of what will need to happen with that in all of half a second, before she is glancing down to black hayate. ] Well, Black Hayete you've seen. But it's so good to see you.

wild card

[dadandgone]

[It's been a long day. Between returning to this place, seeing the chaos brought on by both new arrivals and new shenanigans, Maes knows he should just go to bed. But he'd heard who some of those new arrivals were and he knew that it was only inevitable that they would encounter one another. Roy had taken care of the hard part, or at least said that he would, which had lead Maes to spend most of his day wandering the temple and trying to avoid surprising someone too soon. But he knew Roy to be a man of his word and while he knew it wouldn't be easy, he also knew it would get done.

He wasn't entirely sure where to find Winry. It wasn't like there was an Automail shop to look for, but if his gut was right she'd probably try to find a room near Alphonse. Maes knew where he was at least and could only hope that the two friends had already done some catching up. Once again, he finds himself nervous. While Roy may have prepared Winry with words, he's still not sure what kind of reaction he should prepare himself for. Even after all this time, it's still difficult for him to accept the reality of his situation. Honestly, he doesn't want to accept the reality of his situation, but that's an entirely different problem.

Maes takes a breath and puts on his typical good-natured smile, no sense in waiting.

He knocks.]

alexa play despicito

[wrenchtoss]

[ Roy told her as much as she needed to know. That's how these things work, and after having been indirectly in the thick of things for so long, she knows and understands that. Accepts it, even if she doesn't want to. Truth be told, she can't quite remember how she reacted when he told her the news, that Maes Hughes was here, and somehow very much alive. He may have told her the how, but she isn't sure she would have been able to fully process it if he had. She doesn't remember the colonel's words, but she remembers the way Elicia crumpled into her that day, the way that she latched on and refused to let go. And she remembers Mrs. Hughes' face. She will never forget that day. He would be correct to look for her where he did. The knock pulls her back as she gently startles at the sound. Right, there are other things that she should be doing right now. She should be trying to get her bearings. She should be trying to find answers. She should be doing anything other than what she is doing right now, not because it isn't the correct thing to do, but because she cannot let herself sit still in this silence. Her voice is a bit frayed when she answers. ] C-come in. [ No, she needs to get the door. She isn't sure what force pulls her to her feet, what drives her to put one foot in front of the other, but before she gives whoever is there the chance to let themselves in, she's there. Doorknob turning, pulling the door open— ] —! [ And just like that, there he is. The dead can't be brought back to life. It's impossible. She knows and has seen first-hand what comes of attempting to do such a thing. So hopefully Hughes won't be too upset with her as she sits there in stunned silence, the color washed from her face as if she had seen a ghost before realizing, no, that isn't the face she should give him. Reunions are supposed to be happy, right? And she is, oh is she happy to see him, even as a sketched and watery smile pulls at the corners of her lips. She has to say something. She has to say something happy. But the only thing she can think about is how she must look so different to him now. She's much older now. They all are, and yet he... ] ...Mr. Hughes, you came to see me. I'm... I'm glad. [ Don't cry, Winry. Do not. ]

i'm not crying, you're crying.

[dadandgone]

[It's just one more reminder really. It's always the looks they give him. He'd been out of it when Roy stumbled across him, but he hadn't missed the reactions of Riza and Alphonse. Winry, of course, has always been more open about things than any of the others. It's all over her face what she must be thinking and Maes gets that twist in his gut whenever he's faced with his own mortality.

But he can't take it out on them and especially not on Winry. And it's when he gets past that that he realizes just how much time had passed. With Roy and Riza it was there, but in more subtle ways. And Alphonse, well, he'd never seen Alphonse in his original body so that wasn't an obvious change except away from his armor form. Winry's so grown up now though and...God he'd been stopping himself from thinking about it for so long but how big must Elicia be now? Of course it's Winry that reminds him of her. She's the one who'd spent the time and actually bonded with his little girl.

And now what is he supposed to do? Because he's standing in Winry's doorway and it hits him just how much he's missed his family. He can't fall apart now, so he forces himself past it with a small smile.]

Of course I did. Roy told me you were here and it seemed wrong not to visit.

Temple

[sonofgold]

[Al's inside his room, resting after a hard day's work, when he hears a familiar voice call out. He scrambles upright, almost ready to run to Winry, before he checks himself. She might not know... might be from a different point in time, where he's still armor. So instead, he takes a deep breath to calm himself, opens his door, and calls back:]

Winry?!

[wrenchtoss]

[ She would know that voice anywhere. Hearing him makes her heart leap, the tension that she didn't realize she had been holding in her body releasing in an instant. He's here, and all at once Winry charges into the common room. ]

Alphonse, you're—

[ Here.

The word dies on her lips the moment she sees him. Not the suit of armor she's grown accustomed, but back in his own body. Before she can stop herself or reconsider, she launches herself toward Al like a bullet, wrapping her arms around him in an unbridled, hard embrace.

She'll apologize if she knocks him over later, and for the tears on the front of his shirt. They have time. She's not letting him go anywhere. She laughs thinly into his shoulder. She doesn't know what to say. There aren't words that could begin to express the relief and happiness in her heart. ]

You're here. I'm so glad.

[ Those idiots. They did it. They actually did it. ]

[sonofgold]

Hey!

[Al laughs as he catches her and returns the embrace, though not as hard as she was hugging him. He'd hoped she'd maybe run into the Colonel or Hughes or Lt. Hawkeye first, but it's okay. He could explain everything himself, for once, but for now, he softly rubs her back.]

I'm here, and I'm the way I should be. It's so good to see you.