The power is in your hands

[maskormods]

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?

Comments

[abandon_hope]

2014. Pretty close.

[ And the places he'd checked had been pretty distinct, too. No camp, no Mrs. Jackson, no Underworld openings ... nothing.

And now he feels bad for this guy, having remembered his own increasingly disappointed search. ]

If you still want to go, I can take you.

[incogneto]

[ Ouch. ]

What would you like in exchange?

[ Though really they could very easily postpone this and Erik could get an explanation from his AU castmates and no favors need to be pulled buuuut... ]

[abandon_hope]

[ That would just be no fun. Nico looks Erik up and down for a moment, unsure. He ... really doesn't know a damn thing about this guy. ]

What can you do? ... did they give you superpowers?

[ Normally he's not one for payment, but he'd feel safer having a deal on the table. More formal that way. ]

[incogneto]

[ Usually he doesn't do this in public, but this seems to be a given trend and no one around them is really paying much attention. So he does a cheap parlor trick, floating a few coins in front of them. ]

This has always been mine.

[ He'd demonstrate on like a train, but he's trying to lose the mutants-are-bad image... ]

[abandon_hope]

[ It gets the point across anyway. Nico considers for a moment. Magnetism powers isn't something he's really dealt with at all, so he looks interested if not terribly surprised by the display. ]

Back home? ... Are there a lot of you?

[incogneto]

No. If there are, we mostly stay hidden.

I'm undecided if that's what they expect of us here.

[ Aaaat least out of costume ]

[abandon_hope]

... Don't know. They don't make it easy to hide.

[ He rubs awkwardly at that damn tattoo on his wrist. ]

[incogneto]

You'd be surprised how many people don't notice a long shirt in the summer.

[ Yeah... he's pretty pissed about the tat. ]

[abandon_hope]

Like I can't feel it there anyway.

[ He huffs a little, trying not to get too mad about it. Nothing he can do now. And now that trip to New York is sounding better all the time ... ]

[incogneto]

If you let it remind you constantly that it's there, they've won.

[ AKA don't think about it too hard kid, not worth the emotions. ]

[abandon_hope]

[ Don't tell a child of Hades not to hold a grudge. It just doesn't work out.

... He grumbles lightly under his breath. ]

Do you still want to go to New York?

[incogneto]

If my friend isn't there, I need to see that for myself.

[ So yes. Sorry for the advice bruh. ]

[abandon_hope]

[ By now he's in the mood to get away from these damn Porter cities anyway, so it all works out. He offers his hand to Erik. ]

Address?

[incogneto]

1407 Graymalkin Lane, North Salem, New York.

[ Technically he was just gonna take the train from the city, it's like an hour north. ]

[abandon_hope]

[ Why take the train when you can teleport, though? Nico concentrates for a moment; the shadows at his feet agitate and thicken, extending to Erik as well. ]

Hold on. If I drop you, you'll probably come out in China.

[ Said with the bone-dry tone of someone who's actually done that. ]

[incogneto]

[ Yeah, it's okay, he's sort of aware how this works. ]

That's alright, I've been looking for an excuse to practice my Mandarin.

[ That's a joke. Or is it? Either way, he's not letting go.

OOC: Hilariously the place he's looking for was IC opened and is in Heropa... hahahahahahaha... ]

[abandon_hope]

Your choice.

[ They're both hilarious tonight apparently. The shadows boil up for a moment, wiping away the rest of the world - and then they're moving forward at a breathtaking speed. "Like a roller coaster in pitch blackness" is how Nico had it described to him once, and it's the most accurate description he's ever heard. The path they take dips and jolts and sends them hurtling forward at speeds that would be painful to contemplate if they had any view except the darkness...

And then it all falls away abruptly. They come out at the address Erik specified ... which is probably either a field or someone's random house. Either way, Nico's already chilly hand has gone utterly ice cold; he drops to his knees, struggling to catch his breath. Shadow-traveling is no joke.

(OOC: And if he'd told Nico the name instead of the address, they could have gone straight there too... OH WELL this is more fun.) ]

[incogneto]

[ Erik also falls forward, mostly because wowza that did a number on his stomach, he's feeling a bit nauseous. But he steadies himself and then goes over to help Nico... ]

Are you alright?

[ Jeez kid, you didn't say there'd be side effects. Now he feels bad, especially since, looking around, this is so not the droids he was looking for. Well, the land looks the same. Which means there's a lake around here if he needs some water. But the building... ]

[abandon_hope]

[ Not the same at all, is it. Nico just shrugs as he takes in great big gulps of air. Being in the sun is helping; so is being in the middle of a nice patch of gardens. Everything around him starts to go brown and dead in a broadening circle; meanwhile, a faint flush of color returns to his cheeks. The air around him is still deathly cold, though, as he drains all the heat out of the air too. ]

G-give me some space. I'm fine.

[ Now he finally looks up at their destination. He's not sure what Erik was looking for, so he's not sure what he's looking at either. ]

[incogneto]

[ He backs up, and spends some time disappointingly scanning the area ]

I'll go check up at the house.

[ He'll probably be back in literally a minute when the owners have never heard of an Xavier. Since they're such old money, that's enough convincing needed for him. ]

You were right. I'm sorry to have dragged you all the way out here.

[ Really only because of all the side effects, which honestly, if Nico had informed him he totally would have picked up a phone book!! ]

[abandon_hope]

[ By then, Nico has managed to get to his feet again. The air is still horribly cold here - and he's left a sizable patch of dead grass in this random person's yard - but he doesn't look like he's about to fall over. ]

It's fine. I needed out of those cities anyway.

[incogneto]

Yeah?

[ Aww geez he's just a kid. ]

There might be a bookstore down the street. If there is, they make a decent hot chocolate.

[ Yes this is Erik's way of saying let's go sit down you look like death, bro. ]

[abandon_hope]

[ Ha. Well, he looks more like death than usual, anyway. He nods at Erik's offer. ]

Hot chocolate. I could go for that.

[ He's not sure how much he'll taste of it, but anything warm sounds amazing right now. ]

[incogneto]

[ Good. And hey lo and behold, somehow this cafe is actually here... ]

Why am I not surprised the coffee is a constant?

[abandon_hope]

Mortals need coffee, I guess.

[ And so do half-bloods. He all but collapses into a tiny booth in the corner, his too-big aviator's jacket swallowing him up to his chin. ]