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Test Drive - 001

TEST DRIVE 001

Welcome to Aterat!

Here is our first ever 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!

NOTE: While you do need an invite to apply to the game, you do NOT need one to tag or top level on the Test Drive!

Helpful Links to Get Started

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

A. Welcome to the Jungle

The URBAN jungle, that is. 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, see what you can waste your meager starter coin on in the Market District, or maybe just meet the neighbors.

B. We've Got Fun and Games

At least there's entertainment. In various parts of the city, there are street performers, slight of hand tricksters, and probably a game or two of poker in one tavern or another (there are several to be found, after all). Start up a game of darts, or just sit broodily in a corner and watch the others coming and going.

C. You can have anything you want but you better not take it for free

The Harbor District is a rough joint. There are pickpockets, swindlers, but also hardworking folk and more than a few buildings that seem to be locked. It sure would be a shame if someone were to go about performing some casual Breaking & Entering...you know, as long as you don't get caught. There are guards around, though not nearly as many here as in the other districts. It's almost as though they like to avoid the place. People talk about wererats in the shadows at night and it's not unheard of for the unaware to go missing when they're traveling around here after dark...

D. What's that smell?

As if being carted off to what looks like a city out of a video game weren't bad enough, there's an entire district to the northeast that seems to be walled off, warded, and in all ways inaccessible. According to the sign, it's the cemetery...and boy does it smell.

E. Speaking Crystal

You could always take a look at the instructions that came with your crystal and see who else is listening. Remember, though, these devices are Voice Only and cannot be filtered. If you speak, anyone with a crystal can and will hear you. Now, whether or not they choose to respond is another thing entirely.

If you have any questions at all about setting or what is or isn't acceptable, please submit it on the FAQ!

If you would like to explore any aspect of the setting more indepth, please PM the mod account OR comment here! All comments are screened!

» N A V I G A T I O N

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"Oh shit, really?" Theatrically, she blinked at him and turned to look over her own shoulder, before giving him a grin. "Y'know who by?"

Truly, Caelan, the definition of humour stands before you.

"I saw y'skulkin' around, saw you wearin' gloves when it's not winter- no one wears gloves when it ain't cold, unless y'doin' shady shit, so I figured I'd follow you. Maybe you can tell me where we are while we're at it, 'cause this doesn't look like Little Italy t'me."

If the concept of 'stranger danger' had ever been introduced to her, it's long since been forgotten.

“I believe it’s a little gremlin of unknown origins, very good at not being seen when they don’t want to be.” His tone is a touch dramatic as he spoke with a small grin. “So keep your eyes peeled.”

Turning away from the building entirely to lean against it lightly, he considered her little explanation and the question that followed. “Well to start, there are many people ‘skulkin’ around’ as you put it. It seems to be the place to do so. The fact that you decided to follow me in particular has me rather curious, flattered, but curious. Secondly, I would remind you that people wear gloves for reasons other than doing ‘shady shit.’” Which was honestly quite true in his case, the gloves were great for hiding his less than human hands, it was far easier than glamour. Plus, if he had to touch something that was made of iron it helped to avoid injury.

But, yes, they were excellent for when you wanted to get up to shady shit as well.

“Afraid I can’t answer your question properly though, not really sure where we are ourselves beyond what the little welcoming party explained.” He said this with a tone that suggested he was sorry he couldn’t say more, and that he was rather unimpressed with the way their arrival had been handled himself.

It’s why he’s sneakin’ around, looking for secrets...

"They sound bad-ass. Consider me on the lookout." She said with a stern, but ultimately feigned look. Even that couldn't last long, however - how could it? The dude didn't immediately try to shoo her away! Definitely worth following.

She scrunched up her nose in disappointment at his lack of explanation for where they were, but that seemed to be the only reaction she had for his answer. If she was bothered by the fact she was no loner home, it was almost as if she didn't mind at all, like she'd just been told a movie she'd wanted to watch wasn't available yet. No big.

"Well yeah, sure - but not all of 'em are skulkin' with purpose - you're goin' someplace, I can tell." Gesturing vaguely with one hand, she pushed the other into the pocket of her leather jacket. "You're lookin' at doors and shit- look don't make me explain it okay, y'ain't here for the scenery."

And into the other pocket goes the other hand, and up come the shoulders in a shrug. "Second, not in my book they don't. What, you got six fingers or somethin'?"

A pause later; ".................If y'do can I see it?"

Maybe he should have shoo’d her away, but Caelan was pretty soft sometimes. And children? Children were dismissed too often in life from what he’d seen, so he never tended to discourage their presence unless he had to.

“You have much experience watching people skulkin’ with purpose, then?” He asked, finally turning back to the building in question and giving the outside wall a once over. He’s not going to deny her logic, there’s no point. She’s right, of course, but if she were going to be a problem about it then she would have alerted the harbour watchmen by now. She hadn’t, so he gets the feeling he’s safe enough to continue his snooping.

The kid is welcome to keep him company, as long as she doesn’t go and throw around any of that extra-loud stage whispering if the watch happened by and they needed to be quieter. Besides... He’d seen plenty of unsavoury sorts around the harbour district. Better to keep an eye on her than let her wander after the wrong person that wouldn’t be so easygoing. Even if she wasn’t human (as he suspected), that didn’t mean she was invulnerable. They all ad their weaknesses after all.

The comment about him having six fingers, and the follow-up question to the guess about letting her see it startled a small chuckle out of him. There was a very strong temptation to tug off one of his gloves to show off that he didn’t have six fingers. To show that he had finger webbing instead to see what she’d say.

But there was a nagging voice in the back of his head that was saying ”Don’t you dare, seal boy.” Thanks, Sara, still a kill joy even a world away.

Still, it was a reminder that he was trying to be smart. Trying to keep what he was to himself given this was an entirely different world where he had no one to call for backup should selkies be known as they were in his own world. So instead of that, he turned to hold up both his hands and wiggled the gloved fingers lightly. “If I had six fingers, wouldn’t the gloves have six fingers? And honestly, for all you know I could be sensitive about that.”

"Got as much as you, I bet." She replied with a grin, though she did lean back against the wall when he turned his attention back to the task at hand.

Speaking of, when he finally turned back to her and held up his hands to show his definitely-normal-not-weird-at-all fingers, she narrowed her eyes in play as she leaned up from the wall, and peered closer at them.

"Y'never know, could have the extra one gettin' cozy with your pinky. And as for you bein' sensitive about it..." She shrugged again, "If you are, I'd tell y'not to be. And then I'd ask why you're skulkin' around and avoidin' the guards - are y'gonna steal somethin'?"

She gasped then, red-brown eyes keen and wide. "Are you a spy?"

As much as him? Hmm... He wondered about that statement. She looked pretty young, but that meant nothing. He was somewhere in his hundreds, though he couldn’t remember just where at the moment. The point was that he looked to be in his early twenties, and that was quite far from the truth. Who knew how old she was if he was right about her not being a regular human.

“Don’t be sensitive about my strange extra finger? Why that’s very sweet of you, I’ll be sure to take that to heart.” He responded with a little grin, lowering his hands and moving on. “Sorry to disappoint your hopes to see a person with six fingers, no extras here. Just the standard five per hand.”

“I just got here too, you know. I don’t even know if there’s something worth stealing here.” No, Caelan absolutely didn’t deny the possibility of crimes. What was the point? She seemed pretty excited about both that and the possibility of him being a spy anyway. “Let’s just call what I’m doing now... a little window-shopping, yeah?”

He grinned, gesturing at the building that was locked up tight, windows boarded up to prevent the nosier individuals. I’m angling to see if I can’t work out what they’re hiding around here. Then I’ll decide if it’s worth the trouble. A proper crime takes planning.”

Ohh, so he was new too - that was kinda disappointing (she had been hoping he'd know some cool places to skulk), but also comforting too. She'd yet to meet anyone else who'd been brought here recently, and while she wasn't really showing much in the way of anxiety or stress about being away from home, as her first night here approached, even the great Holly Genovese had to admit she was a little uneasy.

None of this, of course, translated to her face. Instead she nodded along, peering up at the building ahead as he explained the basics of staking a place out.

"Y'don't have to tell me twice - this isn't my first time casin' a joint and God willin' it won't be the last- although..." Leaning up a little, she lowered her voice for dramatic effect. "If you needed a partner in crime, I've been known to have my uses for gettin' in places y'meant to stay out of. It's a passion of mine. That, and roller derby."

“Well you will have to pardon me, I wasn’t aware I was in the presence of a master of both stalking as well as breaking and entering.” He responded with a little bow, grinning lightly. Don’t mind him, Holly, he’s a dramatic little shit sometimes. For Caelan it was much easier to be light and showy than let the seriousness of the day’s situation get to him. Keep his mind off the fact that he’d been in the middle of a very important job, that he had several stolen goods in his pockets, and that not one of his crew seemed to have been dragged here with him. Ugh, that was a lot of thinking he just didn’t want to do right now.

So snooping, and entertaining interesting people it was.

“We have that in common then.” He responded to the statement, before pausing and frowning a little in confusion. “The getting into places that people are meant to stay out of that is. I haven’t a clue what roller derby is?” Still, it wasn’t necessarily a bad idea... Having an extra set of eyes could be very useful, and she seemed curious enough to just continue to follow him regardless. As it was, she had already proven to being pretty good at not being seen. “I wouldn’t mind an extra set of eyes to watch for the more upstanding members of society that might have a bone to pick with us for snooping around where we don’t belong.”

She preened a bit (a lot) at that, her smile becoming just a touch more proud, like she really was a master of both those things. Whether or not he was only being dramatic, she liked it.

What she also liked? The fact that he was not only open to her following him, but also letting her help. Usually adults just indulged her for a bit, hoping she'd get bored. Much to their disdain, she rarely did, although the whole 'obnoxious kid' schtick was one she used wisely. Keep it up until she could get a better idea of who she was dealing with.

This dude seemed pretty damn cool.

"Alrighty then, let's do some snoopin'- oh, well, first-" Sticking her hand out, she gave him a grin. "Holly Genovese. I'm kind've a big deal."

Caelan offered a little bow at the introduction, low and sweeping with a practised motion. His grin is slightly amused as he righted himself, “A pleasure to meet a big deal then, Holly Genovese. You can call me Caelan, kind’ve a thorn in many sides if I have to have a title, I suppose.” He responded, in kind, before taking a little glance around the side of the building to make sure they were still alone.

“Snooping then.” He turned back to the harbour master’s office, “So what do you make of this? The harbour district, that is. Any particularly startling revelations that you’ve had since arriving?” Caelan was curious after all, she seemed keen to help and boasted a sort of confidence that suggested she wasn’t exactly a novice. Plus? Children were generally far more observant than adults, and it would be interesting to see just what kinds of thoughts and opinions she had come up with since arriving.

"Cool name."

'Cool accent' was on the tip of her tongue next, but she was quickly distracted by the question that followed; whether or not she'd seen anything noteworthy. The answer was....'no, not particularly', but running the risk of sounding like the most boring spy partner, Holly tried to focus on the bits that were a bit more thrilling.

"Mmm...the boats're all fucked. And there's a shitload of sea creatures and fish and stuff."

Nailed it.

"And people are dressed kinda weird, too - but I haven't been here that long. Just a couple'a hours ago, I'm still figurin' the place out too. Half the reason I was hangin' about when I saw you."

The other half was trying to single out someone she could lure away, but he didn't need to know that.

Poking her head around the corner, she nudged a bony elbow into his ribs, and nodded to the side. "C'mon, we're clear - let's go. Time's a wastin'."

“Thanks, I’ve gotten a bit attached to it.” He responded, before he fell silent to listen to her observations. They were... a little rough, but he’d expected as much. They also weren’t wrong, and it was better than some people might have offered. He was tempted ask her about the ‘shitload of sea creatures and fish and stuff’ if only because he wondered if she had actually tried going swimming already.

There were a lot of sea creatures and fish out there though, he could hear the sea as it was, and he had a vague sense of the beings that were in there that he could reach out to enchant if he needed. Big things too... He wanted a glimpse of those, but he was refraining from going for a dive with so many newcomers roaming about. “You’ve got that right, my clever gremlin friend.” He grinned, yes he had a name now but gremlin was sticking until he worked out a little more about her. “This is not a harbour as it should be.

“And what was the other half hangin’ about for then—” He breaks off as she elbowed him. Ouch, kid watch the ribs with those bony little elbows! He’s got very little blubber to protect them in this silly human form! He raised a brow a little before glancing around the corner himself, “Alright, come on. I’m getting a look at the outsides of these buildings tonight, harbour master’s office was a disappointment already I’m afraid.”

She shrugged. "Y'know. Kid stuff."

Definitely not hunger-driven murder.

The lack of infiltration to the main office is a little disheartening (surely that's where the treasure maps are kept? Or the strangely large, rusty keys to some mysterious pirate chest? A paperweight made from the heart of a Kraken??) but, Holly soldiered on. If there was really nothing interesting where the harbour master was concerned, they'd just have to find something that was.

One of the cool thing about vampires (and selkies, she'd wager, if she knew she was in the company of one) is their superior hearing; makes listening for guards just a wee bit easier. So when she pauses and hears nothing coming their way, Holly makes a break for it, not so much running as she is....wheeling.

Rolling?

Whatever it is heelies allow you to do, that was what she was doing. Decidedly at a faster pace than your usual preteen rolling down the street, and with much more confidence that she wasn't gonna go flying, but she was going nonetheless.

Only when they reached the closest building and slipped into the shadows all sneaky-like did Holly turn to look at Caelan again, this time keeping her voice down to a regular, respectable whisper.

"So, tell me; what d'ya do back home? Like for a livin'?"

“Ah, yes. Proper mischief then.” he responded with a little curious tilt of his head, he could argue that kid stuff was very vague in the first place, but he doesn’t. He’s too distracted by the fact that she was... somehow moving without walking.

What?

Gliding maybe?

No, there was the faint sound of wheels. Caelan cast a little glance at her feet again, curious as they came to a halt around the side of another building. Her shoes had tiny roller skate wheels! That was brilliant! He’d never seen such a thing before in his own world and time. The selkie was about to ask about those next, when she beat him to the punch. “I live up to the title of ‘A thorn in many sides,’ of course.” Is he a spy? A thief? A particularly annoying gardener? Who knows? Keep asking questions, Holly.

He gestured down to her feet a moment later, “What, might I ask, are your shoes? They have wheels.”

She crinkled her nose in a kind-of frown, freckles briefly shovelled together. "That doesn't answer anythin'! Hell, I'm a thorn in a whole lotta sides but that tells anyone basically nothin'!"

The fact that her own answer wasn't exactly specific is entirely besides the point, thank you very much.

"C'mon- I bet you are a spy, you've gotta be. Spies are real super vague about what they do, and also super weird about how they like their drinks, like James Bond? The whole 'shaken not stirred' thing is a legiterally dumb way to drink, the ice just waters everything down way faster that way-"

She did stop for breath at some in there, especially when she realised that she still hadn't answered his second question - and just like that, with her trail of thought entirely derailed, she looked down at her feet and then grinned at him.

"Ohh, my Heelies! Yeah, they're new actually, my old pair were totally geriatric. And wait, check this out."

Using her toes to click the wheels back into the shoe, she did a little jump on the spot - not hard enough to make any noise, but enough to make the soles of the shoes start to flash multicoloured light.

Was this slightly more attention-grabbing in a rapidly darkening harbour? Possibly. But she figured it'd be fine - the flashing only lasted fifteen seconds or so, and there wasn't anyone around to notice, so she just grinned again as she flipped the little wheels back out.

"Pretty cool, right?"

Caelan grinned a little, maybe keeping her guessing is a little mean... But everything she’s come up with is rather interesting though, even if he isn’t sure he knows what she’s talking about at times. “I don’t know, you telling me that you’re a thorn in many sides tells me that we’re both mischief makers of high caliber.”

He finally shook his head, “Not a spy though, and I’m not sure who James Bond is but you’re quite right. Watering down a perfectly good alcohol seems rather silly to me.” He added with a little frown, “Only the cheap taverns’d try nonsense like that, and they’re the ones that end up cursed.” Caelan shrugged lightly, “You’ll have to keep guessing, I’m afraid.” It wasn’t like there was much left to guess, and he should be discouraging these lines of questioning, but it was fun. Caelan needed a little fun today.

“Heelies,” He parroted the word back, looking a little more closely. They were very strange shoes, but he couldn’t deny that they were very intriguing. “Never heard tell of such a thing before, but I admit they seem like a brilliant improvement on usual shoes.” Even if they were... rather odd looking in style compared to his own.

Now, when she jumped at they started flashing? That was even more impressive, if a little startling. His eyes darted around once on reflex, just to make sure they were indeed still alone. “Now that’s not as good for sneaking, but still impressive. How do they do that? Is that some sort of enchantment?”

Look, Holly. Now the secretive man has questions of his own to ask.

Damn, she was sure she was onto something with the whole spy thing - unless he was trying to throw her off! He was very convincing, but it made sense that he would be, real secret agents are great liars, they had to be.

She didn't know if Caelan was lying, but she did think he was maybe a little kooky. Enchantments? Curses? ~~Okay boomer.~~

"Uh, no, nothin' like that - It's lil'LED lights in the soles! Sucks when the batteries die, but until then they're super cool. And they're kinda heavy, but they're pretty comfy once you get used to 'em. I'd suggest you get some, but I don't know any grown ups that wear 'em. Unfortunate, but true - seems like time ravages not only your youth but also y'taste in footwear."

~~Excuse you, Holly. He’s older than a boomer! He’s pre-boomer!~~

Caelan can’t help but tilt his head and give Holly a slightly confused look. “I’m getting the distinct feeling that your world is very different from mine. Not sure what an LED light is, and batteries where I’m from are not small enough to fit in shoes.” He’d seen batteries, and they were both large and uncommon enough at the moment. Very promising, as far as human invention went, but not like what Holly described at all.

“Is that a fact? Well... I can’t argue that, once someone becomes a ‘proper adult’ they do get fairly boring of taste.” Caelan chuckled a little, everyone keeps telling him to start acting like one. He wasn’t falling for that trap though! “Seems to me that the adults where you’re from are missing out.” Even if they could probably stand to look a little more stylish, they definitely had some fun chaos potential.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Test Drive - 001

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