acatalepsy_ooc | test drive meme # 3

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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

[it's a joke, 2B!1

Apparently. Never underestimate the power of the universe, I guess.

[he GUESSES. and after a moment's pause, he changes the subject. sort of]

What was Ophelia like?

[ WHAT IS A JOKE!!

she's not sure what kind of information he's looking for, so she goes general. ]

It was an interstellar space fleet. We were part of one guild under its command - Hathaway. We'd stay on the Hathaway mothership until we were assigned a mission, and then they'd use their Rift technology to transport us to the location. Usually, we worked as peacekeepers.

[huh. . .]

That's not too terribly different from what Astoria has us do.

[but her methods are more magic, less science]

It doesn't sound that different.

[ 2B crosses her arms, and, despite her general cool demeanor, there's a definite air of irritation from her... ]

Only Ophelia didn't kidnap us.

[. . . aha. . .]

I'm. . . working on getting her to make this a more voluntary gig.

You are? [ she sounds a little surprised. No offense, Akira. ] She listens to you?

[ what kind of weird chain of command is this ]

She listens to anyone who might come and talk with her.

[less a chain of command and more a. . . hell. he doesn't know]

You could try reaching out to her yourself.

...

[ that doesn't really make sense to her, but she believes Akira anyway. Humans seem to be fairly whimsical creatures in comparison to androids... ]

I don't know what I'd tell her.

[ she doesn't want to go home, either. she doesn't know what she wants. ]

[and goddesses and witches are far more whimsical than humans could ever be]

"Hi, my name is 2B. I wish you would have asked me before bringing me here."

[he outlines without hesitation]

That's a good place to start.

[ the immediate confident answer seems to throw her off slightly. ]

... Would that accomplish anything? [ a beat. ] I don't want her to send me home, either.

[ or even back to Hathaway - not alone. ]

[huh. that's interesting]

Someone else bringing it up might make her work harder at bringing people here voluntarily next time.

[. . . he tilts his head]

Why don't you want to go home?

[that's a prying question, but he asks anyway]

Hm.

[ maybe. She's not used to being able to effect any kind of change on "the system," as much of a non-system as it might be here. But she supposes she can try.

His next question is more complicated. The reasons are glaringly, blindingly obvious - who would want to go back to an endless, pointless war? Surely no human would want to. But she is not a human; she's an android, and fighting that war is the very reason she even exists. Turning her back on it is the biggest sin she can imagine. 2B came to terms with not caring about it anymore some time ago, even before she was recruited by Hathaway. Saying it aloud, however, makes it a little more real, more damning, and even if those who would condemn her for it no longer exist, she finds herself still afraid to admit that she hates that war. ]

... There's nothing left for me there.

[Akira would hardly be one to condemn her for hating the idea of returning to nothing but war and violence. but he respects her decision not to answer his question with specifics. her response gets an understanding nod, but it's coupled with a sympathetic expression]

I'm sorry.

[he is in no position to argue with her]

You and 9S. . . are you from the same place?

[ he doesn't even know that much? She's a little surprised - and a little bit sad. It's foolish, to mourn a friendship that she'd hardly even borne witness to, but it strikes a chord in her. Whatever connection 9S and Akira had before has been destroyed, and this new Akira remembers nothing of it...

She keeps her expression neutral. The apology rolls off of her; she doesn't need or even deserve it. ]

Yeah. We were partners. He's...

[ the term "partner" feels somewhat insufficient for how important he is, how large and bright his presence is in her mind, but she doesn't know what else to append to the statement. Is it all right to call him a friend? 2B's lips pinch slightly as she hesitates, seeming to look for words, but she doesn't come up with anything. ]

... We still are. That's why I need to find him.

[believe him, he feels extremely guilty about that, even though it was hardly his own fault. but he likes to think he's been rebuilding something new with 9S these past few months, anyway. or at least. . . he's been trying]

If he isn't in his room, don't panic. I promise he's here somewhere.

[he tries to punctuate that sentence with a reassuring smile]

I bet he'll be pretty happy to see you.

I believe you.

[ it's that simple. 9S trusted him; 2B trusts him, too. Besides, she can't imagine why he'd be lying about this.

As for being happy to see her... She doesn't seem to know how to reply to that for a second or two. She would have tried to deny it a month or two ago - hearing things like that always twisted the proverbial knife. It's still a mysterious feeling, knowing she doesn't have to fear that loss or betrayal again. So, instead, she just awkwardly deflects after being quiet for a moment. Shy? ]

It's only been a few hours.

For you, maybe.

For him, it's been a few months.

[he answers her with a raised brow. don't be shy, 2b!]

[ Oh. This again. Well, that's confusing, but she has no choice but to accept it. It does give her some cause for concern, though. She, more than anyone else, knows that to lose someone more than once is the worst kind of torture there is.

(Naturally, she feels a little guilty about this, even though it was entirely out of her control.) ]

... Has he been all right?

Yeah. He has been.

[as far as Akira can tell!]

Astoria has only sent us to two worlds-- and 9S was only here for one-- but I guess since he was kind of used to world jumping already, he adapted quickly.

... Glad to hear it.

[ Her response is quiet. Outwardly, at least, he must be coping. 2B also knows that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Hopefully, she can get a better grasp of how he's doing when she finds him... although she has little stock in her ability to fix things if he isn't okay. ]

[speaking of 9S. . .!]

Ah-- here's his room, by the way. You wanna knock?

[is he going to be home, I assume he won't be home, and they'll have to go on a Nines fetching adventure through the temple]

test drive meme # 3

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