etcelsior | sure, jan

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sure, jan

TEST DRIVE MEME

Considering apping into MASK OR MENACE? Want to dip your toes into the setting and get a feel of whether your character will fit into it? Or maybe you're just cruising and want to play around? Then you've come to the right place!

Pick any of the following scenarios below or feel free to make up your own, but don't be afraid to throw yourself at anyone's thread, either!

And remember to have fun!

01. Your memory is hazy and you might feel increasingly frustrated or anxious, or maybe you're excited as soldiers march past, barely glimpsing you. One second you're somewhere underground, the next you're enveloped in blue light, and suddenly you find yourself directly under Flordia sun's bright and burning glare. A female soldier steps toward you with a wide smile on her face and directs you to a car, ready to debrief you. You realize you are not the only one, surrounded by equally confused or eager faces... and you're all sporting a digital tattoo on your wrist.

02. Welcome to Cape Canaveral, where the smell of the ocean is in the air and locals are more than pleased to see new imPorts roaming their streets. They wave, they cheer, they ask for pictures as politely as they can. The more inhuman you look, or if you're wearing a costume, the more likely locals are to approach. Hey, enjoy the moment! The popular malt shop is offering you a free drink if you need it.

03. The technology in this world is certainly something. The cars are clearly modeled after popular 50s cars, but they hover several feet above the ground as they drive down the street. There are digital jukeboxes in restaurants, motorcycles also hover through traffic, advertisements can be seen on a digital projector on the taller buildings. Even kids on skateboards appear to drift a safe ten feet off the ground while playing!

04. Wherever you are, you can hear the loud revving of an engine, distance at first before you finally see it: a hovercar bursting around the corner, going beyond the maximum speed limit and just barely making its sharp turn. It doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon, not with two police cars trailing it... and uh oh. Those skateboarding kids don't have much time to get out of the way as the car comes speeding down the road. You've been brought here for a reason Hero — so you better act fast.

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[ Walter holds him loosely, his eyes drifting toward the wall. ]

For one, keep being a school nurse. It's something you enjoy, isn't it? It's a step in a positive direction.

[ Jesse doesn't have to sell meth anymore. And neither does Walter. Their partnership is pretty much over now, but that doesn't mean Walter can't be a mentor. ]

Is that what we're doing now? Is that what you want? Be regular people. Pretend nothing happened.

[Because Jesse's not sure he's even capable of that. But he understands, of course, why Walt would want to leave behind the dangerous lifestyle that got him killed - if it wasn't by Jesse's own hand. (Jesse still isn't sure. Is Mr. White lying to spare him?)]

Well, what do you propose?

[ Walt raises a brow, drawing back to look at Jesse. ]

We start a meth business in a city filled with supposed superheroes? We become criminal masterminds and use our meth to take down the world?

[Jesse wipes at his eyes and lets out a weak laugh - bitter and edging on deranged. He's in trouble now, isn't he? For a million mistakes made. He ruined everything. He ruined everything, here and back home and everywhere.]

...

[ Walt watches with a growing sense of dread, narrowing his eyes. ]

What did you do.

[This is hilarious, isn't it? Huh? Well, he's still laughing. (And crying?)]

I - I fucked up, Mr. White.

[ What else is new? Walter sighs heavily, closing his eyes and burying his head in his hands to scrub at his face vigorously. ]

How deep are you?

[ Fucking up can only mean one thing. Jesse's cooking. ]

[In some stupid, boyish fantasy, he'd somehow expected Mr. White to be proud of him when this moment came. Instead, Jesse's clearly delivering the worst possible news.]

I can end it. I can stop, I promise. I'll quit tomorrow.

[Spoken like a true junkie.]

[ He doesn't believe it. Jesse can never get out. Even when he wants to. ]

Good. Tomorrow, then. One more cook tomorrow, and then no more.

[ Walt will entertain him, pretend to believe him. But he knows right then that Heisenberg has to come out of retirement if Jesse's truly going to get out. ]

[Jesse gives a quick, jerking nod.]

Okay.

[There's more - much more - about it that they'll have to discuss. But Jesse doesn't want to lay everything on Mr. White all at once. Not least because he's terrified of what Heisenberg will do about it.]

This can be the start of a new life. A good life. You don't get second chances like this very often.

[ He takes the change of clothing. ]

It's best not to waste it making the same mistakes.

[ Walter stands up slowly. ]

[Jesse remains where he is, shoulders hunched and arms drawn inward.]

I'm sorry.

[Such a hollow thing to say at a time like this.]

Don't tell me. Show me.

[ He tilts his head toward the kitchen, letting Jesse off the hook for now. Maybe if he feels useful, he'll feel a little better. ]

You don't happen to have that soup I asked for, do you?

[...He forgot all about that. Jesse picks himself up immediately and hurries off to retrieve the ramen. He doesn't have much in the way of dishes or silverware, so Walt will have to make do with the styrofoam container and a plastic fork.

At least it's still hot?]

[ It works. He survived on less. ]

Thank you.

[ He takes the bowl, but remains standing -- walking around the room and looking over things. Maybe there's a business card for some blanket business where the meth lab is stationed. Maybe there's some hint as to who Jesse's working with. He's looking for it while pretending to just be admiring the place. ]

Do you like it here? It seems like a relatively decent place to live. Not so sure I would have been able to tolerate living so close to my students back when I taught, however.

[There's no evidence to be found. Jesse swept the place clean back in December, a step ahead of the investigation that's now poised to come down on both their heads, if they don't stay careful. After his ex-girlfriend showed up at his door demanding a confession, Jesse doesn't even keep a gun in this place anymore.]

Nah, the kids are great. Plus I got two dogs...

[Neither of which are around at the moment, roaming free around the entire building, as they tend to on most days.]

Um, it's actually a little too quiet around here sometimes. I go into town a lot.

[Who's he kidding? You know what he does, Walt: hookers and hotels.]

[ There's a slight quirk of his lips. Some things just don't change. It's a welcome relief to find Jesse so unchanged, his old habits in tact. Who knew where his life would lead him after he got away from Jack's gang. But Walt is grateful to not have to see the aftermath. ]

Oh? Where are the dogs?

[ This gives Walt even more of a chance to look around at things. C'mon, Jesse, there's not even a little something here? He takes a bite of the ramen, slurping it up. ]

We had a dog once when Junior was little. And he loved that dog because it was the first thing that treated him just like a normal human being. But that was also a problem. See, the dog didn't know that you needed to be careful with Junior. He just thought of him like a person, no different from other people. So he'd jump on him and play rough, because in his mind Junior was his best friend so he should be able to play with him the same way he played with us, right?. The dog didn't understand why we had to keep scolding him. Skyler eventually decided it was too much and Junior could get severely injured, a tragic accident waiting to happen. So we had to give the dog away and haven't had a pet since.

[ He takes another bite of ramen. ]

But I always missed having one. There's something to be said about their loyalty, something you don't find too often in people.

[The meaning of that story breezes right by Jesse, who takes it 100% literally.]

Oh, that's sad. We had a dog for a little bit when I was a kid, too, but he was too much trouble for my parents.

[He doesn't pause on that thought, either.]

These two I got now... One of 'em - Lucy - used to belong to some friends of mine here, but they left so now I'm taking care of her. And the other one's not actually a dog. His name's Toboe and he's, um, more like a wolf. But, like... a real good-behaved one. He's pretty cool. Him and Lucy pretty much go all over the school when I'm not around.

[ Walt refrains from commenting on Jesse's remark about having a dog in the past. He also refrains from commenting about it being pretty irresponsible to let two dogs roam around in a place where children go. Instead, he finishes off the ramen and sets the bowl down. ]

Your friends. Were they moving and couldn't take the dog with them?

[ Or...were they killed is what Walt wants to know. How dangerous is this world they're living in and how much danger had Jesse brought on himself? ]

Um...

[Good question. Jesse has no honest idea. Skye and the rest might have gone after Joel, but there's no way they would've hurt Ellie, so he has to believe they're not dead. The timing of their disappearance seems too convenient, though.]

I think they just wanted to get outta town. You know, fast.

For their own reasons?

[ He raises a suspicious brow. ]

Or because they were tied to you?

I dunno. Some stuff was happening. I took care of it, but they weren't really the types to hang out and see who was gonna come out at the end of it. Then again, it could just be they finally had the money they wanted and they were planning to ditch me all along.

[Does he sound a little hurt and bitter? There's a reason for that.]

[ He doesn't want to rub it in Jesse's face, but then again, he really kind of does. ]

Maybe you should have taken the time to consider the character of the people you chose to work alongside.

[ Walt rubs the knot of tension forming in his temple as he sits back down on the couch. ]

But you're alive. And you seem to not be wanted by the cops. I mean, they had their chance to arrest you at the scene of that car accident. Those are good things.

[They were his family. Jesse somehow thought, whenever the time came, they'd all run away together. It wasn't something they'd promised to each other, but he'd thought they'd come to trust him. Or at least cared about him, in some small way. Enough not to leave him fending for himself.

Jesse takes a breath. It doesn't matter now. Mr. White's here, and that's someone who won't abandon him.]

I never even came close to being arrested, don't worry.

[Dying, on the other hand...]

I do worry. I can't help but worry.

[ There's a flicker of a sad smile. ]

You're all I have left to worry about.

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