acatalepsy_ooc | test drive meme # 3

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test drive meme # 3

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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! ♥

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Hank considers the kid's hand for like, less than a second before he decides to fistbump the open palm anyway. Look at that, they made it work.]

Eh, it's not so much that they take our cases as the way they take em, you know? Like, 'ooh, you oughta be so grateful you got to be in the same room with the FBI, how bout you bend down and kiss our ass for the privilege', you know? They're not all that terrible, yeah, but even the good ones are a little bit up their own ass. They must put something in the water up there at their headquarters, I don't know.

[OK! Apparently this is how people do it in this guy's time. But they've made it work.

Too bad this camaraderie founded on mutual hatred is probably going to vanish in 3, 2, 1...]

Eh, who knows. I know a cop who got poached by the feds, and he was an ass even before he joined.

[A pause as Firo rewinds Hank's words. Wait. He glances sidelong at Hank. Sighs. Fights the urge to punch himself in the face.]

"Take your cases"..? So you're a cop?

[Oh god damn it. But, seriously now, a cop walks around dressed like that? He just looks like a bum!]

[A cop who's a bum! A bum who's (occasionally) a cop! Come and see the amazing spectacle. He walks! He talks! He blows chunks on himself and passes out! Hank's a multitasker.]

Well, yeah. Didn't I say that? What, you worried I'm gonna cuff you with my boxers and drag you away to witch-jail?

[Boxer cuffs are a horrific image, and Firo rears back in disgust while immediately trying to erase it from his mind. His tone is pure disbelief.]

You're a cop and they let you walk around like that? Edward woulda' wrung your neck if he worked with you!

[He's not sure whose side he would've been rooting for, in that case. And it's not even just the boxers but the hair and the... everything.]

What?

[Hank leans back, all the better to lean on the wall all cool-like with one arm and do a slow, sleepy wave for emphasis with the other.]

Okay, I get it. You think we all live in the precinct together, like, paint each other's toenails in our off time and gossip about who's out of uniform. So that's where I must of been zapped from, right? Or I was out patrolling and then this witch bippity boppity boomed me here. That's how you're uh, thinking my night went?

I don't--

[He is sounding pretty defensive since minus the toenail painting that is pretty damn similar to what he would've thought. Maybe with a bit more perp beating and such, but similar.]

So what were you doing?

[Come on, Firo, do you really want to know?]

[Oh yeah, Firo, there's totally competitive police brutality too but only on Tuesdays, after the boys all get together for meatloaf night.]

Well. [Hank sucks at his teeth, thinking, looking serious.] I started out frolicking in a field of wildflowers, helped a couple dozen little old ladies over the crosswalk, was thinking of putting on a tapdancing show at the children's hospital next but this was just all I could find to wear.

What could I possibly have been doing, kid? Look at me.

[Look at him. Smell him. For fuck's sake.]

[No thank you.

Thanks to their frail bond over hating federal investigators, Firo doesn't try to make a barb about Hank's recreational activities (yet). He just looks him up and down very superficially, wrinkles his nose a little, and goes back to looking out ahead of them.]

Huh. Guess you got a pretty rude awakening.

You know, you can get actual clothes around here if you ask.

Oh yeah? What a fancy little magic hotel you've got here. Think they'd make me some cool prison duds like yours?

[There's not even any reason to antagonize this guy any more, but fuck, what else is he going to do? All this shit is impossible. It's impossible and he doesn't have a single experience in his life that tells him how to deal with it. What he does have experience with? Pissing people off. It's comforting.]

Everything going on here and you're still stuck on my clothes?

[He sighs and moves back to business.]

They can just get you simple stuff, nothing fancy.

[He picks at the lap of the jacket he's wearing. It's not quite like the suit he wears back home--the fabric is different and the color is more muted. But it's close enough.]

Ah--there. Ask him.

[Firo's pointing at a vague, milky shadow floating by them not too far away.]

Him-

[Hank turns.]

Shit!

[Does Firo know what reaching for a gun you're not wearing looks like? Cause that's what's happening in about the general vicinity of Hank's waist. His heart is freaking out a little bit, but when he turns back to the kid Hank looks, more than anything else, offended.]

What the fuck? This is supposed to be like a weird fantasy, not a fucking horror movie! And you want me to do what the fuck with it now?

[He does--the sight might've made him laugh under other circumstances, but right now it just makes him curse himself harder for not realizing this guy was a cop earlier. They always move like they have a gun on them.

Firo lets his posture sag, and he runs his hand through his hair.]

This kinda thing is a fantasy to you? Waking up without your clothes in some strange place?

Quit yelling at me and just ask him to get you some clothes.

[Please. For Firo's sanity.]

Ha, you first!

[He's seen horror movies. Actually, yeah, he has seen horror movies, so he kind of has to admit-]

Shit, I guess a guy like me's gonna get eaten no matter what but uh, not really in a hurry about it. Seriously, what the fuck are you talking about, ask the ghost for clothes?

[Eaten? Firo looks at Hank out of the corner of his eye and wonders where the hell that's coming from. Best not to think too hard about it.]

Wow, you sure have a lotta faith in yourself.

[He sighs and steps closer to the unseen servant. He doesn't know how long clothes'll take, so let's go with something easy...]

All right. Hey, can you get him a drink?

[The shadow moves away, only to return quickly with a glass! Of water because Hank isn't going to be lucky enough to get some of the wine they get every so often. The shadow comes forward to try pressing the glass into Hank's hand. Here you go! :)]

Edited 2018-08-30 02:35 (UTC)

Ew!

[Hank steps back when it comes toward him, and when it tries to hand him the glass he pulls back his hands.]

No I don't want the freaky ghost liquid, what the fuck, kid?

[Here's a disgusted expression just for you, Firo. He is not going to take this drink under any circumstances. This is gross. This is weird. This is your mess, gangster kid. Do something about it.]

I'm pretty sure it's just water.

[Firo would've been suspicious of everything if he were still new too--hell, that's why he and Ladd hit it off in Alcatraz--but since he's not currently in Hank's shoes... He smirks just a bit.]

Are you scared of that? It's just a demonstration.

A demonstration of what? Your power over the great and terrible undead?

[The thing's still trying to hand him the totally-just-water and Hank grimaces, walking back another step and waving his hand at it.]

Shoo! Fuck off! You can call back your servant of the night, okay, demonstration demonstrated.

[Firo sighs and tries not to scream in frustration. He'd ask the shadow to go away if he didn't that would only make it seem more like he was their boss.]

They don't work for me. They help all of us out--you could ask for something too if you wanted.

Aside from a way home, obviously. If they could do that, none of us would be here.

[Hank's look at the idea that something like that is supposed to help him - he sneers at the one with the water with a jerk of his head and it seems to get the point, offering the drink toward Firo instead - fades into confusion at that last part. Then he raises his eyebrows.]

All of 'us' must live some spiffy fuckin lives then, unless this place turns into some kind of hellscape when the sun goes down. Which, hey, does it? Think I've seen that movie. Wouldn't love that, but I guess it wouldn't be the worst dream I've ever had.

[Firo takes the water and nods to Hank's remark. Back in Alcatraz, he'd comforted himself with the idea that he still had probably-not-flammable shelter, food, and relative warmth. Here he can comfort himself with all that and the additional bonuses of not having to be locked in a cage all day and having basic human privacy.]

Could be a lot worse.

[He takes a sip mechanically.]

Don't know about anything wild happening at night, but every month or so Astoria ships us out someplace different for a while. You're gonna wanna be on your toes for that. Otherwise, nothing really happens in this place.

[Hank watches the weird ghost thing, grimacing, as it just sort of wanders away, not tuning back in to what the kid's saying until it's gone.]

So it's like a fancy cruise without the ship? What do you guys do while you're waiting, just sit around drinking and playing shuffleboard?

...Not really sure what you mean by all that, but we don't spend that much time here. Usually once you all show up it means we're about to get sent somewhere different. Until then... get used to boredom.

[Between this place and Alcatraz, he'd think he'd be used to it by now; still, he says the words with more than a trace of annoyance.

Almost as an afterthought, he adds:]

Anyway, there's not even a bar here or anything, just whatever booze Astoria gives us.

[So there's only so much sitting around and drinking you can do, though Firo aims to change this.]

Yeah?

[Hank crosses his arms, pretty sure he’s not going to love the answer to his next question.]

What’s wrong with that? Does your magic, people zapping witch have shitty taste or something?

I guess so. She puts it out sometimes with the food, so we're not completely without it. But as far as I can tell, the only places we could go out and get it ourselves are wherever she sends us. And the last one didn't have anything.

[Shockingly, robots don't drink.]

Or make it, obviously, but you don't wanna get careless with that.

[Firo's been lucky to have the connections where he could always get the real stuff even in the middle of Prohibition. But people who buy off some random guy at a street corner can wind up blind or dead.]

I guess you'd know, Prohibition Boy.

[It's not meant as an insult - at least, no more than most of Hank's comments are - and he studies the kid as he says it, looking curious. Asking any questions about the whole ye olde gangster thing would be like saying he believes the guy's story, but it is cool. The idea of it's cool.]

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