ateratooc | tdm 007

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test drive

tdm 007

Test Drive 007

WELCOME TO ATERAT

Here is our Seventh 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. Into the MirrorVerse?

Through the looking glass in every apartment or other residence lies the MirrorVerse, a place of emotion. More information on this mysterious place can be found here.

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

Waver would say it’s better to ask than to not… And he’s not unused to answering questions, really. Came from being a teacher, and with having an apprentice who wasn’t actually a mage and knew little of things outside her village. So questions are good, mostly… The bad ones would get assorted reactions that would indicate that they were. “The Sha are parasitic spirits, a little more of a nuisance than your average restless spirit. Once they possess their chosen victim, they’ll amplify one’s more negative emotions as they feed. If it isn’t removed, it’ll eventually kill the victim.” He should probably sugar coat this a little for the newcomer, but he has a certain… Bluntness at times.

It just made sense to make her aware of the dangers and what to expect from this weird place.

“Then my advice as someone who’s been here for a while, don’t go wandering alone at night unless you’re particularly well equipped to deal with some of the things that roam the streets.” Yeah, and the mage is so well equipped to deal with these things himself. Oh, well… Do as he says and not as he does, or something to that effect.

Questions are a sign of curiosity, a sign she is defective. Yin might need time to adjust to the fact she's free of the Agency, here. Not just a Doll to the current people she meets.

Luckily for them both, Yin is accustomed to blunt facts, and sugarcoating is unnecessary. While she understands the Sha clearly pose a danger with this information, she doesn't seem bothered or scared, her expression does not give in any direction but remains the same neutral it has been since their conversation began.

"I will find someone who has been here longer," Yin nods her head to let him know she has taken the instruction in seriousness. Either way, she's not equipped to deal with most things. She's not a fighter, not even close.

The professor was glad to see that she seemed to take his suggestion seriously. That meant she was sensible, at least somewhat. “Good. People around here are pretty quick to help, anyway.” Lots of ‘hero’ types, at least.

He was about to carry on his way, because his job here was done… But there was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind about the voices and the fact that she was knew… So she didn’t have anyone here to help yet, probably. What kind of person would he be to just leave her to her own devices when there was clearly something amiss in the area?

Sighing internally at the voice that sounded all too familiar in his head, he looked back to Yin. “Have you seen the coloured buildings yet?” He finally asked, figuring maybe it would be best to see her to the residences they’d all been assigned.

Yin should probably think something, even it's good people around there want to help, but she feels, says and thinks nothing in response to that. Waver, in fact, as far as she was concerned, did more than his fair share.

And she didn't mind being on her own. Still, when he asks her about the colored buildings instead of leaving, she feels a spark of something, though she can't place it.

"Yes," she answers the question easily enough. She had seen them, but she wasn't spending a lot of time there.

Waver almost seems to be waiting for her to say something in response at first, then the silence stretches on a bit and it starts to feel a bit awkward… Hm… Not a new feeling, the awkwardness, that is… but it does leave him a bit unsure how to proceed. He would have expected either an opinion on the subject, positive or negative, in response to the idea of there being people around to help… If pressed, he’d have to admit to being used to particularly vocal personalities in general, exhausting as it is. So it’s decidedly strange, but also… Not entirely unfamiliar again, if he considers his apprentice, which he tries not to after as many months as it’s been in this world.

At least there was an answer, as brief as it was, to his question. Not that it gives him an idea of how to proceed here. He doesn’t spend a lot of time at the apartments either. Not unless he had to. There’s a short huff, or maybe it’s a sigh, either at the sudden change in his plans or something more vague. A bit dramatic in a way regardless, especially as he raised the hand not holding a cigar to gesture the way he’d come from. “Then let’s head that way, the… whatever it is down that way tonight won’t follow where there’s more people.” Probably. He hopes. His luck would suggest otherwise here, though.

The silence, for her, isn't awkward. If anything, it's familiar and comfortable. She does, unfortunately, lack all opinion here. For Yin, it's all pretty simple. She would have made her to way back to the apartments. Making friends to keep her company might be the hardest part of keeping the spirits at bay.

Brief answers are what Yin is best at, at least for now. She might learn more, later. Maybe she'll open up in some respects, but for now, the question didn't really need a lot of exposition, far as she can tell.

Yin gives a nod to Waver's instruction and starts in that direction, her pace and steps just as deliberate and even as her speech. Yin's luck isn't exactly favorable, either, but so far, things are silent.

Waver, if he were of the mind and aware of her potential difficulties in making friends, might offer that acquiring ‘people’ if not friends who tended to look in on you wasn’t entirely unheard of in this place. Even when you didn’t mean to. People were… very odd here at times. He wasn’t the most social creature himself, but there were one or two people who’d taken to popping in to see if he was alive... Though they also might have been doing so for some odd form of amusement, it wouldn’t surprise the mage.

But the silence from the streets around them as they walked was a slight comfort. It meant whatever had been about might not be following. At least not near enough to strike out and hinder the return to safer territory. It also gave him a chance to observe the newcomer... Yin definitely seemed very exact in her movements and what she offered in conversation, she seemed to be keeping pace with him reasonably well (not hard, but still noted) and seemed comfortable enough to not fill the silence with random chatter about… whatever small talk one could come up with.

(ooc: apparently it was a ‘get worse before you get better’ situation, but I am on the mend now. I apologize again, if you don’t feel like continuing this or the thread with Mono, I totally understand <3 Yin is lovely and I had fun tagging her!)

Yin would tell Waver not to worry. She's not afraid of the hauntings, or worried, herself. At least, she would if Yin was able to think on that level. Chances are, in would be fortunate with people, at least.

Her pace is specifically made so she can follow the sound of Waver's footsteps, follow where he goes. She would prefer keeping track of him without having to use her observer spirit. It's not that easy to use it, after all. Or convenient. She has no water to use to do so at the moment.

But where her eyes fail her, Yin's ears are excellent, and she's accustomed to moving around like this. Also, accustomed to companionable silence.

(ooc: oh no ;; No worries at all, though. No apologies needed. Glad to hear you are finally on the mend. I enjoy both of these threads, and am more than happy to continue. You just worry about getting better. )

Waver was undoubtedly going to find himself somewhat surprised once he realized her situation a little better. Once he was less focused on where they were going and realized the reason behind her particular pace as she followed him. Honestly, he might feel a bit bad for not noticing before.

His pace is brisk for the most part, keen to get to their destination with little issue. But there was the odd shift to something slower as he seemed to need a slight break as he got a bit winded, given he’d now doubled his walking distance that evening. Sometimes he missed his car…

It was faint, but Yin might be the first to notice as he took them down a sidestreet that the whispers were back faintly in the distance… Perhaps it's best to warn him to adjust their course. As observant as he was, he might not have heard them himself yet.

(ooc: Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! )

She is programmed to not be a burden to others, so making sure her disability doesn't negatively affect others in any way is part of her job, even. That is to say, it isn't on Waver he didn't notice, and Yin's programming isn't equipped to inform without asking. Usually. The right people, however, can affect that, as is already happening in this new place.

Another thing she isn't programmed for - self-preservation. However, she is programmed to look out for her team back home, and inform. Waver might not be part of her team, but he's helping her, so for right now, he counts.

Her head turns in the direction of the whispers, even though she doesn't seem to actually look. Then Yin points to where they come from as she informs, with no more urgency than if she wanted to discuss paper weights, "They are coming. I hear them."

Waver almost nods at her casual tone until the words settle properly and he glanced to her with a concerned deepening of the wrinkle between his brows. He doesn’t stop, if only because stopping would probably just give the spirits a chance to catch up to them more quickly than they already appeared to be. “You’ve got better hearing than I do. Still behind us directly or…?” He asked over his shoulder, listening himself in the silent space between asking and her answer. Hopefully, they hadn’t found a quicker path and were coming in from a side street.

A better mage would be able to enhance their own senses easily enough, but he’s not a better mage, and it’ll be time and energy wasted to try when he might need that for something else. Best to trust his new companion’s warning, he thinks.

Yin doesn't look at Waver's face, her eyes don't meet his, but she does turn his direction when he asks direction.

She isn't even sure if the sound is directly behind them, so she points once more a direction behind them.

"There. Closer." At least, the sound is becoming clearer to her. If she could use her observer spirit, she could give distance, too.

Waver considered her response and the gesture for a moment, eyes narrowing lightly before he finally nodded to himself. Still behind, for the most part, not ideal that they were gaining on them… Definitely annoying that they weren’t giving up the chase by now, either. They were being stubborn, which seemed to follow the pattern of most entities he’d come across here. “Thank you, Lady.” Slips out a bit rushed but polite, both because he doesn’t know her name yet, and habit.

“We’ll need to move more quickly, and…” Avoid dead-end streets, he needed to run through his mental map of this part of the city… But he finally hears the sounds of their pursuer’s himself in the distance as they continue to gain on them. The mage realized that the continued pursuit was likely going to come to an end if they tried to make a break for it. “Scratch that. We’ll need to try something else. Let’s try this way.” He offered with a gesture down another street off the side of the one they were on.

Rushed and not even polite is what she has experience with. A thank you for doing her job is...more than she's accustomed to. She feels an odd, thin line of something akin to gratefulness creep into the empty void of emotions.

She doesn't correct him on her name, either. He can call her what he pleases to.

Of course, when Waver gestures, Yin can't see it, so she listens for him to move first, waiting for him to run. She will run after him - that much she can do.

That was sad, really. Waver could be rude and severe at times, but generally towards people who pissed him off or earned it in some way… And even they aren’t above a simple thank you if it’s owed. Her noticing the entities probably saved them an ambush. That was worth the mention.

Waver hadn’t expected the hesitation and started down the side-street with a hurried pace, eyes darting between buildings as he looked for something that might be vacant that could be of use. He had expected her to follow, but the fact that she’s still behind him is a bit of a concern and the man’s pace falters slightly. “Keep close, especially if they’re gaining on us.” Not that he can do much if they do, but it still seemed better if they did avoid being separated now.

It was simply the world she was accustomed to. Not that Hei didn't show his appreciation and thank her, in his own ways. He just didn't need to, as far as she was concerned.

Yin tries to follow, moving as soon as she hears Waver's footsteps, but she still stays behind him.

She tries to move closer, but since she can't judge the distance, there is a possibility she'll bump into him if Waver isn't moving slightly faster. It doesn't occur to Yin she could ask to know his pace.

Waver definitely didn’t realize when he’d slowed to check on her that she’d bump right into him, and with the mage’s luck, it definitely sent him stumbling lightly in an attempt to keep them from tripping over each other. “What the bl-!” He stuttered out before clapping a hand over his mouth to stop the exclamation from being too loud and alerting the spirits to exactly where they were.

But it didn’t stop him from knocking over a refuse bin. That definitely made enough noise… Shit. He glanced around as he regained his balance and held out a hand to assist if Yin needed it. “Not exactly what I meant about staying close.” He commented quietly, slight anxiety lingering in his tone as he heard the whispers again. He needed to figure out how the hell that happened. She followed behind okay, but… This probably wasn’t the time to puzzle over something.

Glancing around, he could at least feel some hope at the sight of the empty doorway he’d recalled being nearby. “Come on, running isn’t going to do us any good at this point. I think a change in tactics would be best.”

Luckily, Yin doesn't move much from the bump, despite her lithe form. This is the point someone should apologize, but Yin doesn't, not quite getting the full problem. She does realize the noise from the bins is a bad thing. That is definitely going to attract trouble.

"I will step back," she assures him. She doesn't quite look at Waver, Yin's gaze moves in the direction of his voice, but she never meets his eyes, unaware of that.

"What change?" Yin asks, as with her team, she can, sometimes, get involved in tactics, so maybe she could assist here. After all, they were both at risk at the moment.

“Just a little.” He responded, though his comment slowed slightly as he observed her. His own train of thoughts derailing slightly as he noticed the way she addressed him again. A few things started to add up, if he compared a moment or two from earlier to now… He’s used to someone who keeps their head down, but even Gray sometimes raised her head to meet his eye while they speak regardless of their awkward situation.

Maybe she wasn’t comfortable with it, but the fact that she ran into him despite how very careful that her steps had been before now? Waver Velvet, you are an idiot. he thought to himself until she spoke up again. Shaking his head a little, the mage drew in a breath. He could address this after they were inside.

“We can’t outrun them, so we wait for them to move on instead. I might have a way to ensure that… But we just need to get inside this shed.” And since he has the distinct feeling that she can’t see the entrance he’s standing in front of? He makes a point to catch the door that was swinging lightly in the breeze and pushes it open, knowing the hinges were probably as rusted with disuse as the door to his workshop had been. Which means it gives a telltale creaking whine as he pushes and holds it open.

Yin nods her head, taking a delicate step back. It certainly wasn't Waver's fault she didn't tell him, or that it was hard to tell she is blind, seeing as they were trying to protect themselves, at the moment.

Waver is, indeed, correct. Yin's head moves in the direction of the creaking when the door opens, but she still doesn't seem to meet his eyes, and isn't exactly looking at the door, but it's clear she hears it. She moves toward it, slowly, as it to make sure she wouldn't bump into Waver again. Yin even puts a hand out to see if she can feel the door to also navigate this.

Waver himself keeps an eye, both watching for their pursuers and to make sure he doesn’t get in the way. The mage deciding it was best to see that she got through the doorway before he entered himself. It all feels far more clear as the moments pass what he’d missed, and regardless of fault, of how obvious or not obvious that it was, he felt a bit like he should have noted it sooner.

But what was done was done, and once she was inside, he followed suit before closing the door behind them. Yin was left in silence for a few minutes as Waver pat down his pockets for his lighter and the case of cigars to draw a fresh one from it. It wasn’t until the mystic code was lit and he used it to create a temporary bounded field around the shed that he relaxed somewhat and finally turned his attention to the young woman. “There, I’ve set up a bounded field for now. We should at least be safe until they get bored with looking, won’t hear us either.” He offered the brief explanation before he settled his back against the door behind him, considering the recent realization for a moment.

“Which means we should probably take the time to coordinate our exit when it’s clear to move to avoid running into them again.” He tilted his head thoughtfully before continuing. “I’ve realized you were likely following the sound of my footsteps to judge where I was and where to go before. Is that correct?” Maybe it’s a bit blunt, but he was more concerned with getting them back safely at this point. Better to verify and adjust how they proceeded from here.

Once Yin is inside, she tries to move in far as she can, hands reaching out to feel the wall so she knows when to stop. She hears Waver enter, and turns in his direction.

Her shoulders relax a bit when Waver says they shouldn't be heard inside. That's definitely good to know. She nods her head, though coordinating isn't a job she's accustomed to, so she waits for his instruction on that.

There is a nod from Yin.

"Yes," she answers, though she still doesn't offer extra information. Waver doesn't have to be concerned about bluntness with Yin, as she seems unperturbed by it.

“Right.” Waver nodded at the confirmation, balancing the cigar between his fingers and considering the options. Her being alright with his bluntness meant they would get along just fine.

“Sound cues are easy enough to utilize to ensure you’re going the right way, and you’re sharp enough to hear them before I do…” That had been a very convenient warning earlier, he couldn’t deny that. “I would like to avoid another potential collision though, I’ll try to make it more clear if I’m going to stop. Unless there’s something that makes it easier for you, of course.” He’s fine with coming up with the next steps, but he does need to talk them out a bit and make sure she can follow.

She notes to herself it means that much to Waver to not collide - she will double her efforts to be aware of where he is, then.

Yin listens intently, and she isn't entirely sure how else to do this while moving. If she was still, well, she has her ways.

"That works," she says, then asks, "Is there any water here?" Because if she can see outside briefly, it will help her the rest of the way.

That was a very specific question, and while they had been on the move for a while… He surmises she isn’t asking because she’s thirsty. “It’s a ramshackle old shed. Wouldn’t surprise me if there was a leaky roof… And the weather has been pretty bad lately, a lot of downpours. So there is a chance.” He murmured, glancing around before pushing himself to his feet with a little huff.

Studying the roof for a moment, the mage started to look for anything that might have collected rainwater from a leak above. “What’s your plan if I find any?”

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I apologize for the slow, been sick

No worries here. I hope you're better, though

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I am so sorry for the delay - I got sick this time. Doing better

No worries! I'm glad your doing better, but take your time and rest if needed! <3

I'm much better, no worries!

I'm glad then!! :D

Thank you!

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