etcelsior | safety first

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safety first

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 someone else's thread, either!

And remember to have fun!

01. Your memory might be a haze still and you might even feel frustrated or anxious by the sudden news that you are no longer in your own world and that the Porter scientists and military cannot send you back. You don't get a chance to linger long in the underground Porter lab, but something is clearly amiss; light patches on the floor indicate something else used to sit in that spot in the room. Parts of the wall, floor and the tables look as if they have been refurbished in the past few months -- something happened in here some time ago. Something big.

You're ushered out quickly and then suddenly, you're enveloped in a faint blue blue light before you find yourself under the bright Floridian sun. Another soldier steps toward you with a smile, directing your attention to a car near a large gate. She mentions she'll be debriefing you soon, handing out a brown folder and a pamphlet. You don't see the digital tattoo on your wrist, but it's quickly explained on your way over to the car as you realize there are other confused faces nearby, all holding files of their own.

02. The city of Heropa is what one might expect from a small, bright and cheery place. The locals are friendly enough and local shop owners might offer a free drink to help cool you down in this awfully nauseating heat. Some of the locals might thank you for always lending your service to the nation and others might not say anything. In fact, some people might back away from any imPort who quite obviously looks like they aren't from around the neighborhood. Once in a while there's a look of disdain on someone's face and hushed voices. Something about "the outbreak" and "the government's gotta crack down on their medical files". "Some of them can't be right in the head" says another.

03. De Chima, Virginia, is a large city with a healthy economy, and though it's quieter, there are just as many citizens awed at your presence. Heavy winds have people grasping at their newspapers and constantly brushing hair out of their faces, but that doesn't distract them from crowding you in excitement if you're obviously from a different time or world, or just let it slip that you're a newcomer. Children and young teenagers are especially likely to ask for an autograph and a photo.

Some locals seem less enthused to see you. They never make an approach, but they can be overheard scoffing and muttering something about cameras. "Who do they think they are?" or "I don't like it... it reminds me of the government corruption back in the eighties." What could they be talking about?

04. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania, is normally known for being a little more on the apathetic side, but there's been tension in the atmosphere lately. Nobody will outright state what it is that's rustled their jimmies, though you might find a newsstand with articles on recent and aggressive vigilante behavior within the city. "ImPorts: loyal to the cause of their own?" reads one newspaper article.

People are not as friendly in this city and go out of their way to avoid walking down the same sidewalk as the more obvious looking imPorts pass through. Local cops say nothing, but they scowl at those imPorts and utter something about "no badges" and "acting like authority figures".

05. Nonah, North Carolina, is the liveliest of all cities. It's loud, busy and there's some kind of energy in the air that gets everyone buzzing with excitement. Anyone who they come to determine an imPort is bombarded with all sorts of offers; job offers, advertising gigs, spokesperson for advocating children stay in school, etc. Anything and everything! You name it. Shops offer discounts for food and clothing, whatever they need. People flock in droves with questions, but they all say the same thing. Thank you for your service to this country, Hero. You saved a lot of lives. Wow, feels great to be a hero, doesn't it?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He knows her. He really does. For one second Elle thinks she might be able to resist crying, but then her arms go around Ludger's neck and nope, she's crying, she's definitely crying very loudly right in his ear, and people are starting to stare. At least she's crying while hugging him instead of crying and running away from him. At least people don't think he's a creep.]

I- You-! [She can't talk like this but she's gonna try, though maybe if she didn't yell into his neck he might have an easier time understanding her. Geez, she's really going to worry him and he's gonna think she's a total baby if she doesn't hurry up and pull herself together. And she promised, she promised herself that she'd be strong and happy for him-!

Okay. ...okay.] I'm n- Nobody hurt me, [she sniffles, pulling back far enough to rub at her eyes with a wrist.]

[He doesn't hesitate, immediately winding his arms around her to return the hug as long as she needs it, stroking her hair and doing his best to console her. He glances down at the crumpled paper still clutched between his fingers, the other pages scattered around them, and it clicks- she'd just arrived alone in a whole new world. No wonder she's scared.

When she draws back, he offers her a gentle smile, hand lifting to pat her head. Maybe some familiarity will give her extra comfort while she sorts herself out.]

You just got here, huh? I know, it's a lot to take in... but I'm glad you're okay.

[Uh oh.

Elle's lip quivers and the tears well up again, right after she'd gotten the stupid things to stop, and she reaches up to wind her arms around Ludger's neck and hold on. She has no idea how this is possible, but she's not going to question it. She'll take it. She'll take this one good thing.]

I'm glad you're okay... [she cries quietly, hiding her face against his shoulder.]

[That's... cryptic. Should he be worried? He's done his share of stupid things, admittedly, and he knows he can get kind of reckless sometimes, but he can't remember doing anything this upsetting. Close calls were the worst it got.

He hugs her back again, lips pursing as he wrestles with whether or not to ask. He doesn't want to upset her further, but how can he make it up to her if he doesn't know what he did?]

Elle, what is it?

[She's exhausted. Crying and chasing stuff down, being alone in a weird new place after having just dealt with everything regarding Chronos and Origin and Bisley, Ludger... She's just tired.

She doesn't pick up her head or let him go when she mutters,] I just wanna go home with you. Can we go home?

[He hesitates for a long moment, brows furrowed as he watches her, until finally he nods. She looks tired, and it's brutally obvious that she's upset about something she can't share yet. Whether she needs time, or rest, or just for him to shut up and forget about it (which he won't, but he can fake it well enough), he's not sure yet. But he can give her the first two for now.]

Yeah... yeah. I've got a nice house here, you can have your own room and everything. Let me get your folder for you, and I'll take you there.

[Honestly, he'd leave it if there wasn't so much potential information about her in the pages. They may be far away from Bisley here, and it's doubtful that her power would be useful in this world, but he can't help wanting to make sure it's kept a secret from people who have no business knowing, if he can help it. Just in case.]

[That's probably her cue to let him go and grab as much of her stuff as she can, but she doesn't care about that stupid file. She doesn't care about her free drink from the vendor. All she cares about is not losing Ludger again, even-

Her arms go just a little tighter in a silent request that she never makes. Carry her, please.]

...Elle...

[Okay, so clearly it's serious enough that even such a small delay would just make things worse. Torn between one protective instinct and another, after a moment he caves, grabbing whatever papers are within reach and stuffing them into his pocket. It'll have to be enough. The second his hands are free he straightens up, lifting her with him and holding her protectively in his arms. He'll carry her all the way home if it's what she needs.

As he starts to walk, he swallows hard and tries to lighten the mood, hoping he can take her mind off... whatever she's fretting about.]

I was just thinking about what to cook for dinner. Are you hungry? I'll make you whatever you want.

[Ludger never had a problem with carrying her, but Elle tried to avoid it at any cost simply because only babies are carried. She didn't want anyone thinking she had to be left behind; if she couldn't keep up, they'd find someone to take her and go off on their own. So Elle got used to swallowing her complaints and soldiering on simply because she wanted to stay with everybody.

But this is different.

Ludger picks her up and starts down the street and Elle releases his neck to make it easier to hold her, but still keeps her arms around his shoulders best she can. Maybe if she holds on, he won't disappear.]

Umm...omelettes. Or pancakes. Breakfast for dinner?

[He exhales softly, relieved when she responds. He's always been content to sit in silence and let others lead the conversation, but Elle's the least quiet person he knows. Her not talking would be an even bigger warning sign than everything else.]

Breakfast for dinner. I've got chocolate chips, we can put them in the pancakes, too.

Really? [Elle finally perks up a little. She loves chocolate chip pancakes, and Ludger's pancakes are always so light and fluffy and buttery.] With orange juice and milk, right? And sausages? And we can make them into heart shapes?

Yep. Pinky promise.

[He feels a little victorious, mentally doing an inventory of the food he has in the kitchen. He knows he has enough ingredients for pancakes, and there's sausages in the freezer... did he get orange juice this week?

All things considered, she's not likely to fuss. But he'd like to get her everything she wants, if it'll make her feel better.]

[Halfway there Elle feels sure enough that Ludger isn't going to disappear to demand to be let back down. She still holds his hand, but that's not so odd. The cities here are huge, stuffed full of people in a way home never was, and she sticks to Ludger's side more closely than usually as a result.]

This really isn't a fractured dimension, huh? Everything here's so weird. How'd we even get here, Ludger? [She keeps saying his name at the end of everything. She doesn't notice, but it's because she didn't know if she'd ever get to say it to him again.]

[He notices the way she lingers close to him, and he keeps his pace steady to make it easier for her. Thankfully his home isn't terribly far from where they started, so it isn't much longer. At her question, he smiles faintly and gives her hand a light squeeze. Yeah, he gets it. It's a relief to see her, too.]

I thought it was a fractured dimension when I first got here, too. But everything's different- it's a completely new world, no one knows about spyrix, or spirits, or artes, any of what we'd recognize from home. I looked at some maps and none of the geography fits.

[Ludger doesn't know where they are? Well...maybe if Rowen was here, he'd know. He knows everything.

Almost everything.

Elle looks up at Ludger and squeezes his hand in return.] But it's not bad here. Even if everything's weird. The food still tastes good, and they give us money and houses and stuff. And we have each other.

[Just about anyone would be better equipped to deal with this place than he is, but he'll have to be enough for now. Especially with someone depending on him like this.]

Yeah, it's... different, but it's not bad. No Spirius, and that means no fractured dimensions. And you know what? No loan, either.

[And both of those things are a huge relief for very different reasons.]

What? [Elle gapes up at Ludger. They don't have to destroy any more worlds? That creepy company with that creepy president didn't even exist here? And there's no gigantic debt for them to worry about?] You mean- you don't hafta pay anybody? Nova's not calling you all the time?

Nope. I haven't gotten a call from Nova or Vera in more than a month, ever since I got here. The people here gave me a new job, and I'm cooking on the side, too.

[It's surprisingly normal, for an alternate world.]

You get to cook here? For a job? [Wait a second.

So there's no Spirius, no Bisley, no fractured dimensions. No Trial, no divergence catalysts. Ludger is alive -somehow, and she's not questioning why he doesn't remember anything either- and he has no debt to worry about, and he can cook whenever he wants?

This place...this is the perfect world. Except for their missing friends, but- but this is Canaan. What it was supposed to be.] And you- you like it, right? It makes you happy?

[He quirks a brow at that. What a thing to ask. Just how worried about him has she been, anyway?]

Happy... well, I wouldn't say that. This isn't home, and I can't just abandon everyone in our world. The fractured dimensions aren't just going to go away, and all our friends are there... Julius, too, whenever we track him down.

[Even if this is a seemingly perfect world, he can't just leave his family.]

It is nice to take a break, though.

It gets fixed! [Elle pulls on his hand a little, rounding to stand in front of him and stop him from walking.] I'm- ummm I saw it! I saw everything get fixed. We get to Canaan and we wish for everything to be okay, so you don't have to go back! We can stay here as long as we want! [please buy it, please don't ask questions, please please...]

[That makes him stop; his eyes widen, and he crouches down to her level again, studying her gaze and looking for what she isn't saying. Not because he doesn't want to believe it - he does, he truly does - but...

If everything's fine, why were you upset when you found me? What part of saving the world made you cry? Why wouldn't you want to go home, in that case?

But one look into her eyes tells him those are questions he really shouldn't ask. And that's just as unnerving as any answer she could give him.]

Elle... it hasn't happened for me, yet. We can't stay here- it isn't home. Won't you miss everyone?

We can- [She stops, searching for a solution, eyes drifting up as she still clutches his hand tight as if to keep him from escaping.] We can get them here! Somehow. Jude would really like it! He'd worry about work back home, but he figures that out too. And we can bring Milla here, and Alvin and Leia and Elize- everybody! We can all live here and we can be happy and we won't have to worry about anything.

It's not that simple.

[The more she speaks, the more concerned about the state of the world she left behind. She should know better- they wouldn't be happy in another world, and they'd be damn unhappy about abandoning their world. They'd already risked death to save it once, after all.]

What about your wish to Canaan? Wasn't the whole point of going to find your dad?

[Elle lets go of his hand.

He...doesn't know?

She presses her fists to her chest and backs up a step.

He doesn't know.

What happened? Why doesn't know anything? He hasn't had to do any of those things, he doesn't know about- about her father, about who he is, about what his power does. He doesn't know about Canaan or Bisley or anything, or- he doesn't know about Julius. He doesn't remember what happened to her daddy, the one she loves and the one she cries about, who loved the idea of Elle more than he loved the girl.

She bites the inside of her lips hard enough to hurt to stave off the tears. No. Enough. No more crying.

Bowing her head and scrubbing at her eyes she grabs his hand again, before he can start to really worry. This is her chance to take care of him. She'll have to figure this out herself; she's done it before. She can do it again, if it means keeping Ludger here and safe and alive.]

Canaan's- Canaan's just a kid's story. It's a little kid fairy tale. I'm not a little kid anymore, so we have to face the reality of being here for good. That's all.

safety first

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