etcelsior | Lies a place that few have seen.

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Lies a place that few have seen.

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 there's only one rule in Test Drive Meme Club: have fun!

01. The city of Heropa is what one might expect from a small, bright and cheery place, where locals are friendly enough and local shop owners might offer a free drink to welcome you to their fair city. Some of the locals might thank you for always lending your service to the nation, while others might not say anything -- but if you have something nasty to say, better not say anything at all, right? This month has been a rocky one, and locals are beginning to eye imPorts with renewed scrutiny; if people like them can get superpowers, are imPorts really that special, after all? Some people usher their children away from anyone clearly not 'from around here,' while other natives may be brave enough to directly approach obvious imPorts and ask their thoughts on the war with Russia and what the imPort ambassadors are planning to do about it.

ImPorts are a divisive issues, even in pretty Heropa.

02. 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 very presence. Look at you! Organic wonder! Science and technology are the lifeblood of this city, so you're likely to come across a good many locals taking your picture with the newest of devices. The imPort craze is at an all-time high, and you may find yourself cornered by overzealous imPort fans, media wannabes and opportunists alike, shoving cameras in your face.

Their questions are likely to be fairly mundane, however; get ready for an interview about your taste in romantic partners, personal underwear choices, favourite foods, and more!

Also, as the Halloween craze is reaching a fevered pitched, more and more children are running around in costumes of their favorite imPorts! Do you recognize any of these masks? Perhaps one of these costumes mimics YOU!?

...

Isn't that kinda creepy?

03. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania is populated by a whole lot of people who are having awfully bad days. With the emergence of locals with superpowers, many seem to have latched onto their new supercharged identities with an incredible amount of gusto. As your character walks down the street, they may find themselves accosted by a large man in his mid-20s, dressed in an ill-fitting spandex suit of orange and yellow. As he thrusts his finger into an imPort's face, the spandex rides up, turning into more of a crop-top, which he duly tugs back down before shouting, "You're not the special ones anymore, imPorts! Feel the wrath of Heartburn!"

Stupid name aside, he does seem to have superpowers as he breathes a large plume of fire. His aim still isn't great, though; it could hit the imPort in question, or be sent in the direction of a nearby local, or even a particularly flammable building.

What will you do, Hero?

04. Nonah, North Carolina, is the liveliest of all cities; loud, busy and there's some kind of energy in the air that gets everyone buzzing with excitement. This fine day, pumpkin spice seems to be in style, to the point at which you happen to be crashing an open pumpkin spice festival. From drinks to sweet treats to some other things that really, really shouldn't be pumpkin spice flavoured (pumpkin spice flavoured vodka, anyone? It tastes like regret!), everyone seems to be in the mood for the upcoming season.

Taste test a few samples and take in the hustle and bustle of the city, everyone! And hey, if just gorging yourself isn't enough, why not try your hand at the pumpkin carving contest going on? The competition is fierce!

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I haven't minded it, [ he says with a rather Gallic shrug. ] We'll all go back eventually, with no time passed. [ For better or worse. ]

It is very different here. Turns out a thousand years makes a considerable difference. [ Dryly, ] Even Barrayarans are considered futuristic.

[ Gregor, standing next to him, coughs, distinctly uncomfortable and aiming to cut off any conclusive answer. He has one singular earring dangled as a pendant around his neck, unobtrusive against all his black but now suddenly alarmingly noticeable. ]

I had no idea you held such a personal interest. [ He sounds mild more than anything else, and if Miles reaches out telepathically he'll find an undercurrent of reluctant amusement. Gregor tries to wrestle down his instinctive uneasiness, since he still sees himself as more of a burden than a catch, but he knows that's about himself and not about his trust in Miles. ]

Sure do. And what do teammates do but cover each other?

[That's why he's accepting his change and a latte from the man in charge of the booth. She's covered. Also he is so totally addicted to these, and with them, caffeine.]

That's -

[While Mahanon speaks, Bel is absorbed in the display. Lips parted in an almost childlike wonder, their fingers trace the frost as it recedes.]

That's astounding... [They breathe the words, before an excitement seizes them.] A spontaneous endothermic reaction with no catalyst! How do you do it? I mean... Magic, obviously... But... How does it work? Is there a methodology?

Edited (THANKS PHONE ) 2016-11-01 17:42 (UTC)

[ He nearly jumps when Thorne speaks. He'd have been startled less if they'd attacked him again - hell, that's what he'd been expecting. To hear their voice again is weird. He looks up at them, sweat prickling along the back of his neck, tension churning nauseously in his gut.

He should pretend knowledge. He doesn't like being in the dark - more, doesn't like being perceived as being in the dark, because it's dangerous when people think they have an advantage over you. But - he really doesn't know. He doesn't even have the beginnings of understanding. ]

I don't know what?

[Bel Thorne, knowing damn will who this is, is bright with a sharp sort of irony. Their tone, at least, is more fond than... Completely derisive.]

Oh come on now. This place isn't that bad.

How much you deserved that punch.

[Bel didn't know how, didn't know why... But this kid really doesn't... Shit. Some weird alternate reality? ]

Nevermind. Where IS Miles?

[ Mark stares at Bel, jaw working. Does he want to know? Probably not. Probably it'd be better if all his fuck-ups just remain unknown. It'll be better for his sanity, for him...But - ]

Why did I deserve it, then?

[ He's been around Miles too long. His progenitor's self-destructive curiosity is infecting him. He used to be able to keep his mouth shut. ]

And here I thought it'd just be you and me.

[He's still smiling, but only because the expression is as easy to fake as all others. Depending on who's around, he might not be very welcome. Like if Larxene or Zexion is here, and remembers all that he did... Or heaven forbid, Marluxia.]

Who else is around?

[ a what? he's never heard his magic described in those sorts of terms. the look on bel's face is cute, though, so mahanon can't really help showing off a little.

he unfolds both hands from around his cup, spreading them over the table so his palms face one another with a few inches between them. lightning crackles along the fingers of one hand, then jumps to the other. it sparks and hisses, leaping from finger to finger, before he closes his hand into a fist and extinguishes it. ]

I've never been one to study the how and why of my magic, really. It's not-- My people have a hard life. We don't often have the luxury of study for study's sake, I guess. [ a beat, then he straightens faintly, brightening. ] Dorian would be a good one to ask, though. He's another mage, a human, and he's.. brilliant, really. I'll try to introduce you to him. [ even though.. he hasn't really spoken to dorian since that first day. the thought still makes anxiety curl uncertainly in his chest. ] I can tell you that as mages, we draw our power from the Fade. It's a sort of.. spiritual realm that exists alongside the physical.

[ his fingers lace together around his cup again. ] There are different ways to learn and utilize magic, of course. Mine is mostly offensive. [ his lips quirk. ] I've been in a lot of fights.

( thomas nightingale is the opposite of a troublemaker by constitution; he will sooner do what he is told than question the role assigned to him. that may well be a good thing, given the extent of his powers — especially these days with so few wizards left in the world. of course, that isn't a consideration here. there are plenty people with powers. )

So noted. I do rather think he should be brought to the police's attention.

( he almost concludes that she should take her leave, then. instead, however, a niggling voice that sounds quite a bit like his apprentice prompts him to ask: ) What made you choose not to register?

( nightingale has been around — he hasn't himself risen above the class he was born into, but he has seen the empire when it was still an empire, he has dealt with beings that defy social class entirely, and his apprentice is from kentish town, the son of a jazzman and a woman from sierra leone. there is no surprise nor any disdain at the obvious indication that she's from a very different background than he.

these days, there is hardly anyone left who shares nightingale's precise background, anyhow. )

Quite. ( he nods, taking another sip. this girl reminds him somewhat of peter's cousin abigail kamara, for all that she is entirely different in appearance. there's something about her expression that does it. ) Though they seem perhaps a little too fond of them here.

[ Miles, meanwhile, is flustered but deeply awkward over the link. The slightest flutter of curiosity but nothing near real interest. He does draw back a bit now, slowly, to step a bit closer to Gregor. ]

Bel, allow me to introduce my boyfriend. Emperor Gregor Vorbarra.

Edited 2016-11-01 18:52 (UTC)

[ Well. He's polite, at least. That's an improvement over what Kitty's used to. Her magicians, the only sorts she's ever known who dress like that and talk like that, scarcely even bother to be cordial. Honestly, Mandrake was one of the better ones, all things considered, and he was still absolutely wretched to her before he'd laid his identity as a magician aside, turned from John Mandrake into Nathaniel. So he might be posh, but at least he's not altogether like the posh sorts she knows.

Well. At least not on the surface.

She responds cheerily. ] Do you think? I don't know. I find that sort of enthusiasm really charming. I like it when people care about things. [ And then she steps forward to stick out her hand to him, curious whether or not he'll take it. ] I'm Kitty Jones.

( his politeness is the old-fashioned kind that may seem a little stiff, though he has admittedly grown fractionally more casual under peter's influence. it's a good thing, he's found, not to be alone in the folly anymore — not that he ever was, with molly around. not to be the only sanctioned wizard, then. not to be the only one able to deal with cases that touch on the demi-monde.

when she sticks out her hand, he switches his silver-topped walking stick to the other hand, shaking the offered hand a moment later. ) Thomas Nightingale. A pleasure.

( he glances at the various stands surrounding them again. ) I would assume that not everyone wishes to drink pumpkin spiced things at all times.

[ He doesn't even hesitate before taking her hand, she notes with approval. And so a bit of her wariness fades - and with it, the almost manic cheerfulness she tends to adopt with people she doesn't trust. So perhaps it's a bit strange that she seems just a shade chillier after he introduces himself, but in truth, she's just getting a bit more genuine. ]

Quite right. It's seasonal. Pumpkin spice - I suppose it's become this symbol of autumn, the way that brandy and nutmeg and all that feel like Christmas. You drink it to welcome in cold weather. So if you're not fond of it, it'll be gone soon enough.

[ Since coming here, Gregor has learned how to strike a balance between his honest feelings on Barrayar (both criticism and devotion) and his necessary political face. Doing it with a Betan he barely knows is a new variant, but not altogether challenging. ]

We at least go off-planet; most people here barely conceive of that happening within their lifetime.

[ In contrast to Benji's thick long-sleeves, Pablo tends to favor shorts no matter the season; denim over somewhat tattered black leggings, though he has a striped cardigan on to somewhat make up the difference. Though he has no qualms with being around people, spotlight makes him uneasy as well, and he does his best to focus on avoiding it, avoiding those kind of crowds. But the cities are big, and it can be easy to drift into the background once you know each city's rhythm.

He approaches the fountain, though not with any intent to disturb her; Pablo assumes she might be sleeping, which is hard enough to do outside without worrying if anyone will bother you, so he makes sure he's a couple feet away around the fountain's curve before he kneels down to dip his hands in the water to wash the spray paint from his palms and fingers.

He's careful, expression unchanged despite the sting, to scrub in such a way that the dry flakes of color come off only bit by bit so as not to taint the water, but if Benji were to move at all or make a sound, Pablo will be quick to apologize-- ]

Sorry. Um, I was trying to be quiet.

[When they turn to look at Gregor, stare at the dangling earring-made-pendant, actually, it's angled further from Miles than it specifically needed to be. It was so incongruent with the rest of Gregor's undecorated garb, in the wrong place for where a Betan would normally look, that it's little wonder it somehow got missed, written off. But there it was: a perfect match.

As Bel needed at least a scrap of privacy, deserved one in their oh so humble opinion, for the little heartbreaks. After ten years holding that particular torch, a few more fingers slid off. But as long as Miles really didn't take them seriously, they didn't really have to put it down, either.

Seriously though, it wasn't just the most Barrayaran thing they'd ever heard of - breaking a lifetime of monosexuality for one's emperor, but also the most Milesian thing. He had to find the most impossible, forbidding and complicated relationship possible to get into. What an impossible little man.

Worst of all, whatever window of exploration happened to get him there, Bel had missed it. Just their luck, honestly.

It's barely an instant before that clear ache vanishes as Bel slips into a particularly nasty smile instead, taking a little step into Gregor's space.]

Well, that's convenient. Mind if I borrow him for an evening, darling? Or want a third? I'm agreeable.

[ Fortunately, Gregor really doesn't know Bel well enough to predict how they would react, and he's consequently prepared for anything. He'd slipped into social-duties-mode at some point in the last several seconds, and for all he can't tell how much water is under the bridge between Miles and his subordinate, he can read Miles's feelings on the matter clear enough over the link as to be confident in his position.

That's really all he needs to field this like he fields every other jibe meant to get under his skin. This is a new version, but it's the same old dance. And, too, he doesn't want Miles to wonder about his reaction or how he'll take it; he feels perversely protective of their relationship, at this first real confrontation to it, rather than the pithy comments of his mother and Captain Illyan. If anything, they'd just set him up to be out of patience for others critiquing their private lives, where they have no say. ]

We have a third, actually, [ he says smoothly, and pulls on every lecture he's ever had from Cordelia to add, ] The consenting process for adding to our arrangement is fairly complicated. Certainly something I would recommend taking longer with, and in a more private space, than we have available here.

[ Said with the absolute blandest demeanor he can pull off, which is bland indeed. ]

Edited 2016-11-01 22:26 (UTC)

[There's a twofold delight in that. One of a person really witnessing magic for the first time. The other of ... lets be real, a thug at heart watching someone HOLD LIGHTNING.]

Good lord, I'd love that. You're making me really sad I slept through my math theory classes as it is.

[They tilt their cup back and forth at the more somber tone, taking a moment to drink. They take a sip, considering.] That said, of the practicality of it - I'm glad it's a strong enough advantage to have kept you alive through it.

[ Miles, meanwhile, sputters. This looks suspiciously like a team up. And not the hot kind. ]

It's not - the both of you, really --

[Sorry Miles, the chances of the hot kind are pretty well nil.

On the other hand, Bel ... blinks, the not so subtle malice draining off their face at Gregor's precisely Betan shutdown. That was not the reaction they were expecting from the Barra of Barrayar.

... Huh.

And one they were inclined to respect. They step back, head tilted in curiosity.]

Good lord, are they finally teaching proper social comps on Barrayar? [There's a note of grudging respect there.]

[ Good, he's glad that worked; Gregor subtly relaxes, relieved. He hadn't thought anyone Miles was so close to would really be problematic, but one never knows... In dry tones, ] Hardly. At least not the way Betans think of it. My governess was a Betan survey captain.

[ Named Naismith, but details.

Gregor quirks a glance at Miles, who is still sputtering, and can't help that his amusement deepens. ] Breathe, Miles. One day I'll have to teach you how to field leading questions.

We're a tougher people than we look, [ he says with a quick grin, ears going a little hot again. ] Which I suppose isn't all that difficult. Still, you should see the scars from the last dragon I fought. Whoever says mages get to stand back and let other people do the work can go jump right off a cliff as far as I'm concerned.

[ he takes a sip of his chai, then straightens abruptly. ] Oh, but speaking of magic.. did you take a look at the folder they give you when you come through the Porter? You'll have something like magic now, yourself, if you didn't have it before.

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Lies a place that few have seen.

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DE CHIMA.

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