td005

[ateratmods]

Test Drive 005

WELCOME TO ATERAT

Here is our Fifth Test Drive Meme! There are a lot of areas of the city to explore, so please have a look around! In case you need a little help getting started, I've included a few prompts below, or feel free to start your own! Exploration and player initiative are the names of the game here!

Helpful Links to Get Started

Arrival & General Information | Setting & Bestiary | Locales & Businesses | Residences & Housing Info | Rules & FAQ (ask questions here!)

I. Crash Into Me

Not exactly, but close enough. You have just arrived and received a strange satchel from a tiny, strange little man and are left more or less to your own devices (more information on what to expect upon arrival can be found here)! Follow directions to the north and check out the housing, or maybe have a look around the Historium and try to get some information from that giant glowing ball, see what you can waste your meager starter coin on in the Market District, or maybe just meet the neighbors.

II. What Goes Bump in the Night

It looks like Aterat proper has a spirit problem. Maybe you're seeing specters, hearing disembodied voices, your windows rattle when there's no breeze outside. Maybe there are cold spots in your place of business (or your apartment, which is so much worse). Either way, you're 100% convinced you're haunted. Hopefully, someone else believes you, or maybe you're used to feeling crazy.

III. A Mean, Green Mother from where now?

There's a pollen problem in the city, and by that we mean it's everywhere. Yellowish green pollen seems to be caked-on everything with the misfortune of being outside, whether it's windows, banisters, carts, you name it. If it's outside for a duration of time, it's a free game to have a layer of dust settled upon it, and it plays havoc on anyone who breathes it in. Allergic to pollen? Your allergies are horrible. Not allergic, well, you might just have the sniffles anyway, and another problem. You seem to be completely unable to tell a lie. Not only that, but you feel the overwhelming need to tell people things you'd usually keep to yourself. Maybe you like to put cream in your coca-cola (you monster) or maybe you've done something terrible and you really need to get it off your chest either in person or over the network.

IV. Try the Network

The Tell-Phone allows for text, video, and audio transmissions to everyone else who has one. Give it a whirl!

V. Wildcard

The above prompts are all options, and there's much more to the setting than what they provide. Do your best (or your worst)!

Navigation

Comments

The Phantom | The Phantom of the Opera

[yearnsforheaven]

Crash Into Me

Erik has been many places in his lifetime, but none quite like this. He's not even sure what continent this place is on, much less anything else about it. The man who had talked to him upon his arrival had not been particularly helpful. Which is something he's more or less used to, at this point. The people he has encountered during the course of his life have not been particularly helpful most of the time, and he has had to learn to fend for himself.

So fending for himself, now, is a thing that he is well-prepared to do. One thing he had picked up in his brief encounter with the man was that this place has a market district, and from his travels, he knows how useful markets are. They're not just the place to make purchases. They're also the place to pick up on any habits and customs of the local population. If he's going to be here for awhile, he should learn what he can about the place, and see what materials he can find for making a mask.

[ooc: If your character is coming across him before he has a mask, this is what he looks like without one. The deformity covers half of his face. He is dressed in [Victorian-era] formal wear, minus the jacket.]

A mean, green mother from where now?

This pollen is...well, it reminds him a bit of being in Persia, when the wind would come up and sand would get everywhere, but at least the sand didn't give him the sniffles. He might have a mask on, but it's covering the wrong parts of his face to keep the pollen out.

As reclusive as he is, he does still have a need to go outside from time to time, where out of habit, he avoids people as much as he can. It's just easier that way.

One place where he can't avoid people, though, is in the market district. Which is where someone just might overhear him telling one of the vendors, "I once killed two men, and almost a third. Everyone in that opera house was afraid of me for months."

Maybe it's time for him to go home, where at least if he says these things, there's no one to hear him.

Wildcard

He has never been particularly good at dealing with fear and uncertainty, and even though being in a new place would not normally bring out fear in him, usually when he's in a new place, he went there with a purpose and after choosing to do so. Not knowing precisely where he is or why has brought that creeping back in again. Not having anyone to rage at over this (although he's recently had plenty of proof that such behavior never works anyway), he has to find another way to spend that energy.

His fingers itch to play something, but bereft of not only a piano and a organ but also a violin as well, that is one desire that he will have to find a way around. So instead of making music with his hands, he's singing, and he doesn't care where he is or who hears him doing it.

Wildcard 2.0

Feel free to make up something of your own.

Crash

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis has parked his chocobo not too far from the market place. But he has taken care to walk the bird around the back nearer to where he'll be shopping. And so after he walks back around to the entrance as is proper, he stops short of crashing into an unfamiliar person.

Knowing the local populace due to visiting the stalls for fresh ingredients just about daily, he's passingly familiar with who comes around pretty often and who seems to be new. However due to his politeness, Ignis would never outright call anyone out as most people seem to wish to blend in and not draw attention to themselves.

And so when the gentleman nearly collides with him, again due to being polite, Ignis half smiles. "I beg your pardon, I wasn't quite watching my step, so you have my sincerest apologies."

[yearnsforheaven]

Back in Paris, in the opera house, no one knew Erik was there unless he wanted them to. The building was so large, and he knew it so well, that he could hide from anyone and still overhear any conversation he wanted to. Here, though, he doesn't have that advantage. He doesn't yet know how to stay out of the way. He'll figure it out in time; he always does. He'd good at hiding when he needs to.

So it's a bit surprising when someone almost runs into him, and even more surprising to hear that someone being polite. In his experience, people don't tend to bother talking to him unless there's something he can do for them, and then only because they have to. What does he even do when someone apologizes to him? It's not like it had happened on purpose. "I could have been better at staying out of the way."

He turns to look at the person who had almost collided with him, and waits for the inevitable revulsion once he gets a good look at his face.

[faithfulsupport]

There isn't any revulsion on Ignis' face. Instead he shakes his head at what he does hear. "And I could have done a better job at watching where I was headed. " So he obviously didn't blame the man in front of him for the near collision. The lads back home would've certainly received a scolding, well maybe not Noctis too much.

That the man was new here was obvious and that fact didn't need to be pointed out. "After all, the market does tend to get quite crowded around this time of year especially. So I'm afraid it won't be easy to stay out of everyone's way."

[yearnsforheaven]

Someone is looking him straight in the face and there's...no revulsion? That's an unfamiliar reaction to him. He can't remember the last time someone hadn't recoiled in horror upon seeing his face (except recently, in Paris, when Christine hadn't, but he's not sure that counts because she had reacted with the same horror as everyone else the first time she'd seen it). It takes him a moment to process that there's actually a conversation happening here, and for him to work out how to respond.

"Then perhaps you can help me find what I'm looking for. Sewing supplies, and if possible, a wig?"

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis had seen far worse injuries and disfigurements back home. So seeing things like this might not be usual, but he had seen some of the Glaives return from missions and had trained with them after such undertakings. And never once did he let anyone see any reaction from him.

Mayhaps this man had been through some such thing and of course it would never be questioned because Ignis wasn't a rude person. And staring was impolite as he'd admonished Noct a hundred times so he didn't let his gaze linger either.

However, the man was giving his mind a task which of course was excellent and the strategist nodded. "I can certainly assist with the sewing supplies as there's a highly skilled tailor here in town. As for a wig, I am at a loss there. But perhaps the tailor Rhy would know."

[yearnsforheaven]

"I might be able to do without the wig." He doubts it, but it's never been his hair that people reacted to in the past. As long as he can cover his face, he should be fine with the rest of it. That's the part of him that no one has ever been able to stand to look at. "Where do I find the tailor?"

[faithfulsupport]

He nodded. Ignis wasn't about to tell anyone what they could or couldn't have or anything of that nature. So instead he focused on the directions and gave those. With them he even used landmarks and directions such as right or left. But once he did that and even though his directions were pretty damn accurate it occurred to him to try and be of service.

"I can walk you there if you'd like." Because the last thing he wanted for the gentleman to be lost. But he was keeping it as an option so as to not be a cumbersome pest.

[yearnsforheaven]

Erik manages to follow along with the directions, even if he's unfamiliar with most of the landmarks mentioned in them. He builds a picture of the route in his mind, filling things in as he goes. Spatial relationships are one of the many things he's good at. He's prepared to head off on his own to find the place in question when the directions are followed up with an offer.

"I...You don't have to." Anyone going out of their way for him is unheard of. No one has ever willingly spent time with him after catching sight of his face. But how does he know that someone's not being nice to him just to turn around and show him that same cruelty later?

"You would do that?"

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis merely smiled when he was told he didn't have to. OF course he didn't have to. He could very well just go on about his business of getting fresh ingredients for another very busy night at the tavern. And for whatever reason it seemed to have just gotten busier after he and Nida had married and then he'd become to the owner.

But his patience paid off and he nodded at the other man. "Yes, I realize this place must be somewhat unfamiliar and expecting you to know where to go and how to get there wouldn't be very fair of me."

Wildcard

[gadaboutdetective]

Admittedly, Llewellyn had gotten used to the many buskers singing and playing music in the markets. They were a little more plentiful here than he’d seen in other places. So it didn’t seem quite so strange to hear someone singing out of the blue, though the energy behind it and the particular place this person was singing was… Somehow different. Or at least it was enough for it to stand out to Llewellyn.

It wasn’t exactly a prime location for attention to earn coin, so it the man had to wander in the direction to get a glimpse of whoever was singing.

He did have an appreciation for music, after all, one of his most treasured and rare memories was of someone singing. He didn’t consider himself an expert, no... Just someone who could appreciate the courage it took to sing when people were present and liked to listen. And… It was a new voice, so perhaps a new arrival was trying to gain some coin and they weren’t sure how to go about it. Regardless, his curiosity was piqued, and he had to wander over for at whoever it was.

[yearnsforheaven]

It hasn't crossed Erik's mind to try to earn coin with his performance, and in fact he hardly seems aware of the fact that other people can even hear what he's singing. He's barely aware of the fact that he's singing. In fact, he's mostly just going about his own business and letting out some excess energy by singing.

And he seems completely unaware of the fact that somebody is watching him.

[gadaboutdetective]

Llewellyn would have been happy to inform the man that he could probably earn quite a decent sum with his performance, his voice was quite nice…

But his investigation led him to where Erik was wandering, brows rising curiously as he realized that the man wasn’t really performing so much as singing to himself… but perhaps projecting enough for those near enough to hear without really realizing it.

Now, the detective was known to lack tact at times and interrupted when perhaps it would be better to wait… But it was also a bit difficult to interject when someone was in the middle of singing, so he continued to listen a bit awkwardly as he waited for a moment to speak up curiously. Well, he tried, but he accidentally bumped into a chocobo that was tied to a post, and it let out a loud squawk in annoyance.

Oops

[yearnsforheaven]

Erik is just going about his business, unaware of the fact that anyone might be watching him (although not minding if they do; he's a natural-born performer, and hasn't quite gotten over his desire for attention, no matter what sort of trouble it gets him into) when he hears a loud squawk from behind him. He stops in mid-note and turns his masked face to see what caused it.

Which is when he notices Llewellyn watching him. He responds warily, but politely. "Good afternoon."

Sorry for the wait

[gadaboutdetective]

Llewellyn ducked his head in greeting. Or maybe he was just trying to avoid the agitated chocobo trying to snag his hat in its beak… hard to say. “Er- hello. Pardon my uh- our disruption.” He leaned away from the bird again with a clumsy shrug, taking a few steps back and feeling somewhat thankful that the thing was hitched to a cart and couldn’t really wander far. They had slightly more range than horses, though, with those long necks, and he found them slightly more disagreeable as well.

Re-settling his hat, he continued a moment later. “I should have watched where I was going, but I admit I was rather busy listening to your song. You, um- have quite an impressive voice.”

I cause waits myself, obviously

[yearnsforheaven]

"Yes." He's not hearing anything he doesn't already know. One thing he's been sure of his entire life is what he's capable of. That, and the fact that everyone sees him as a monster.

"I wasn't aware that anyone could hear me."

Life needs to give us more tag time honestly

[gadaboutdetective]

“Mm… I believe myself and possibly a few others have.” He responded with a small shrug. Not too many people were around, but he was sure he hadn’t been the only one. “You seemed preoccupied though, and I expect few would have wanted to interrupt.” He hadn’t, certainly.

“At first I thought you might’ve been one of the performers from the market, but I admit I don’t recognize you.” He tucked his hands in his jacket pocket with a rustle of whatever scraps of notepaper were within. “You must be new.”

[yearnsforheaven]

It doesn't bother him to hear that people had overheard him. He doesn't mind putting on a performance for others, as long as he's doing it willingly, and in fact is rather a fan of attention.

"People perform in the market? Do they make good money that way?"

A mean, green mother from where now?

[genius_sorcerer]

"Is that so?" An elegant voice spoke as she stepped up next to the stranger. She didn't talk about the rumors that followed her but she knew that they weren't always true. "I don't suppose you'd like to inform us of the situation? Or as you as cruel as your words seem to imply?"

Vibrant ruby red eyes looked over at the man while a light smile touched the corner of her lips. She was young but posed and articulant.

"I'd like to think there is more to the story."

[yearnsforheaven]

Well. It's too late to hope that no one had heard him and he can get away before anyone does. The fact that she hasn't heard him say it and immediately demand to turn him over to the authorities is something, but there would be no point in doing that here, as far as he can tell. The authorities here can do nothing about anything that happened before he arrived here. Still, she seems to be giving him the benefit of the doubt that there is an explanation for what he did.

But is there? He knows he did them, and that they made sense at the time, but he's not sure that they do now.

"Perhaps I am as cruel as everyone thinks I am."

[genius_sorcerer]

She didn't think that he'd worry about another persons perception if he was really that bad. Perhaps he had felt like he had no choice. The world could be a cruel place to those who didn't have the power to fight against it. Either way, she wondered what had happened and why he'd bring up such thoughts here.

As far as she knew, this world was a blank slate for those who had arrived. Then again, he might have been born here and be hiding from the guard. It didn't seem too likely since his mask made him stand out more than it allowed him to blend in.

"Do you think I am as cruel as my rumors?" Fiona smiled then, leaning forward to catch his gaze. She didn't know him but she felt comfortable speaking to him. "I'm sometimes called the cruel witch of the north."

[yearnsforheaven]

He had found it hard to stop caring what people felt about him, until one day he had grown tired of trying to find some beauty in a world that only saw him as a monster and started to embrace the way the world had always seen him. He had become what the stories said about him. Mostly. He's entirely human, after all, not the demon some described him as.

"I've found that rumors are often not true, even if there is some truth to them."

[genius_sorcerer]

Fiona turned towards the unknown man, her lips forming into a patient smile. "That is what I have found too. I am glad that we can agree." She had come to the store to find accessories for her new dresses but her attention was caught by the man standing at her side.

"May I know your name?" She stepped back and offered Erik a soft elegant bow, her skirts held out in either hand. "I am Lady Fiona Halon."

[yearnsforheaven]

His name? He has one, of course -- whatever else his mother might have denied him that she might have given to another child, an undeformed one, she had at least given him a name -- but it's been so long since anyone has called him by it. This one bit of him that makes him feel like a person now has a chance to make it back up to the forefront of his mind.

This must be what a normal conversation is like.

"My name is...Erik."

[genius_sorcerer]

"It's a pleasure to meet you Erik." She smiled politely and hoped that he was at ease. "I take it that you have lived in the city for some time. I have only just arrived myself." It was an assumption, gathered by the overheard remarks he'd made but she hoped it was correct.

It would be a bit rude to assume she knew much about him after they had just talked about rumors.