ateratooc | td005

Entry tags:

test drive

td005

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Enis stared blankly at him through the explanation of friendship. It didn't sound real but it bothered her. It was like he could read her mind because she did find him annoying and would be very annoyed if the things she made broke.

"Let's say the experiment was real." Just the experiment. "Why would you remember it?" She already had a plausible answer to this question but she wanted to hear his answer. After all, it wasn't common knowledge that there was a chip in her head and if he was truly bad at using technology... he probably didn't know what it meant even if he somehow knew about it.

That or he was a very skilled actor.

Her question should have probably been expected, but it caught him a little off guard. Llewellyn fell silent for a moment or two, rubbing behind his ear lightly as he tried to think of why… But other than dumb luck, he wasn’t sure. Shrugging a little, he finally spoke up. “I honestly don’t know? Luck, maybe, or perhaps some other reason…? We weren’t supposed to remember our time there, if the thing running the place was to be believed.”

They were supposed to go home after it was done with them… But they hadn’t. “But I arrived with my husband, and a couple other people who were also at the Sphere, and we all remembered each other. I wish I uh- had a proper answer for you.” But he didn’t, and he wasn’t sure how she’d react honestly. More annoyed, certainly, and he wouldn’t blame her for it.

He’d be upset if people approached him and he hadn’t remembered them… Well, it had happened a few times. Back in his world, he’d forgotten who George was after working a case with him, when he’d first been at that station house. His memory was spotty, especially without a stronger connection to someone or something.

Enis stared at Llewellyn for what felt like a long time. It was a harsh gaze but far more considerate than she'd been before. It appeared as if things had calmed and her full focus was now on the man pinned in the chair next to her. A small part of her still wanted to kill him but she'd made a big scene and no one would talk to her if she killed someone so connected to her.

"Give me your hand." She spoke firmly before pulling her backpack onto the table. It was black and ragged, the same one she had when she had first arrived in the sphere. She kept her eyes on Llewellyn while using a hand to dig into one of the small pounces. A vial filled with small metal-looking items was quickly hidden within Enis's palm.

"Hurry."

There was something about long silences in a tense situation that felt like an eternity to Llewellyn, it also made him feel like he should say or perhaps do something… But what was unknown at this point, so he simply stared back awkwardly with a growing discomfort. How… How long was she going to-

Ah, but then she talking, and Llewellyn reacted without really giving himself a chance to process the request she’d made. When she asked for his hand, he offered it up quickly with an awkward turn from where he was still rather trapped between her and the wall. Again, his instincts were perhaps a little off kilter. He needed a little more time to adjust, perhaps, to the fact that Enis didn’t know him and he shouldn’t just trust her implicitly. Of course, the detective did eventually realize that, and he eyed the vial with a confused expression. “Er- wait, why do you want my hand?”

She gripped his palm tightly, pausing just long enough to give an explanation. "This will save your life. If you were once my friend, trust me." It wasn't much of an explanation but it was the sort of reasoning that Enis would give before doing something uncomfortable.

Her gaze met his and her usual cold gaze softened, she was begging him to go along with her. The silent communication only lasted a second before she was looking down at his hand. With a pinch of pressure, she dug her nail into his palm breaking the skin.

Enis was quickly going to discover if what he said was true.

Llewellyn didn’t try to pull his hand away, though her explanation didn’t really give him the information he needed to not feel slightly anxious about whatever it was she was going to do. “Er- I do trust you, of course. Even if you don’t remember me… It’s hard not to after everything.” He rubbed behind his neck with a free hand, not really sure how to explain that. Even he knew he should probably be a little more wary after what had happened between walking up to her table and now.

Still, he wanted to ask about what she’d said. Saving his life? He opened his mouth to ask how when she suddenly dug her nail into his palm and he winced, “But- Ow??” He gasped a little, resisting the urge to pull away, though his expression shifted rather quickly between panic and confusion as he tried to work out what she was even going to do.

Enis ignored his question, using her mouth to instead pop open the small container she'd snatched from her backpack. It was a quick motion but visible to the naked eye. A small diode shaped piece of metal was removed from the container and dropped to the center of her free palm. She fastened the top but kept it in her mouth as she moved to look at his hand.

The injury was small and unlikely to cause discomfort for long. Even so, it was the size she needed. "Stay still." She chided him with a muffled slur of words.

It was quick but he'd likely feel the pressure beneath his skin as she shoved the diode looking object beneath his skin. Her hand then clasped over his palm to keep him from possibly removing it.

"There." She removed the container from her mouth and slid it into her backpack. "That will let me find you anywhere. If you're lying, I'll kill you, and if not, I'll keep you safe. Leave this in your palm." He paused and was suddenly extremely awkward, very much like the Enis that Llewellyn was familiar with. "Do you need a band aide?"

She didn't think he'd let her do it if she had asked first.

The lack of further explanation really wasn’t helping with the whole nerves thing, his frown deepening as he tried a few more times to ask her what on earth she was doing as she began opening the container and getting things in order for… Whatever she was doing.

“It’s not like I have another choice.” He responded as she told him to stay still, tilting his head slightly as he watched. He was still trapped between her and a wall, plus… Well, she’d said to trust her. He was trying to do that, though he couldn’t help but ask again as she shoved the little diode thing under his skin. “What was that-” He fell silent and winced again as she clasped her hand over his to keep him from immediately fussing with it.

Which was smart. He absolutely would have started picking at it and likely dislodged the thing.

“Ah, I see…” popped out, as she finally gave him an explanation of sorts. A tracking device thing. Much smaller than the one Murdoch had been working on in their world… But he at least knew what it was for now. It was funny, really, just when he thought he was finished having electronics stuck in him…? Something new. He was pretty sure she’d never done something like that to him at the Sphere (that he knew of), but then he supposed the neural implant might have eliminated the need there.

“I am telling the truth, I wouldn’t lie about something like this.” Llewellyn was quick to respond to the threat, shaking his head a little at the idea. He was, she would find, generally honest in most situations. Often times he only lied to protect someone else or a secret that needed keeping… But his tone softened somewhat at her promise of his safety if he was being honest, despite how tense this whole situation was. “You always did… Except one time I got you mad, then you slapped me.” He commented, a blunt statement of fact. It had happened once,

The question gets a hum. Unless she wanted him to start digging at it the minute he was out of eyesight, a bandaid would be smart. He was so prone to fussing with things that distracted him. But he used a free hand to tug a handkerchief (not one of Rhy’s embroidered ones, they were too nice to get blood on), “Uh- it should be… Fine. I’ll just wrap it for now.”

Her mouth twitched as if some part of her wanted to smile at his memory. "I'm sure I'll find another reason to slap you again." Her voice was lighter though there was the same hard edge that had been there throughout the conversation. This was better. It was better than letting the chip in her head run loose. She had to believe that this was the best option.

She didn't want to lose a bond that she didn't know she had. It didn't matter that she couldn't trust him.

"Let me." Enis reached forward and snatched the handkerchief. "Seriously. I'm done threatening you." She released his hand and gently began to wrap his hand. "I just have to make sure. If you knew me... you get it." It was awkward because she knew nothing about him, nor did she know what he knew about her.

What the hell was she supposed to say?

Whatever. "There." She finished tying off the handkerchief. "You wouldn't have been able to do it to yourself with one hand. You look clumsy." She turned away from him and moved to the opposite side of the table, releasing him from his semi-captivity.

"There's the door." Which he was welcome to walk through.

Llewellyn mock-winced a little at that, “Oh, well, I can’t deny that’s always a possibility.” The Enis he knew would have been pretty upset at him for getting into a couple of situations he had here already. He was clumsy, and prone to ending up in bad situations… So it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. If they did eventually find themselves back in a similar place they had before.

He hoped to, certainly… Slaps and grumping or not, Llewellyn had really missed his friend over the last year. It wasn’t hard for him to note the shift in her tone, either… So hopefully once she had a chance to decide she believed him, maybe it would work out. The detective owed her the patience in that much.

And while he hesitated to hand the handkerchief over, he offered an awkward smile at the confirmation she was done threatening him. So he finally let her have it so the cut could be covered up. He hummed a little at the comment, she made a good point. He did get what she meant. It was hard to forget after some of their conversations before… “I do… I get it, I mean. I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I um- forgot or didn’t take that into consideration.”

And, again, he wanted to try to give her that time to figure this out. Llewellyn would just be who he’d always been. Stubborn and annoying until she decided he was trustworthy.

A small laugh escaped, though. “That’s a fair assessment. Maybe you know me better than you think.” He was honest, if anything. The detective was embarrassed, but there was no harm in admitting to his clumsiness. She’d see evidence of it at some point, so there was little use in denying it now.

Once he was no longer cornered, his shoulders relaxed slightly, and he pushed himself to his feet. It seemed he had her permission to leave… And as much as he wanted to stay and talk? Rhy had at least taught him over the last couple of years that sometimes pushing too hard wasn’t a good idea. “Um… Right, thank you.” He resettled his hat and cleared his throat awkwardly. “I suppose I’ll see you around, then.” He commented with a small nod, tucking his hands in his pockets and slouching to move for the door.

As stressful and complicated as it had all been, he still couldn’t help but think that it was good to see her again.

She didn't say anything more. Their conversation was over and he was free.

It would be better if he left quickly.

Enis didn't know what to think about Llewellyn. This was a difficult situation for her and Llewellyn made it fractionally worse. It was obvious that he wasn't malicious about it. In a perfect world, he was the kind of person that Enis wanted to protect but that meant that he should be protected from her as well. What the hell was she thinking when she befriended him?

She watched as he left, her vibrant eerily blue eyes watching as he left the bar. She didn't stay for much longer but she waited long enough for Llewellyn to be gone.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

td005

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

I'm so sorry for her... hopefully this is okay. If not let me know and I'll change it.

Never apologize, I love her! <3

no subject

no subject

/End