etcelsior | ONE TWO CHA CHA CHA

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test drive

ONE TWO CHA CHA CHA

T E S T D R I V E M E M E

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 ON THE TEST DRIVE MEME!

01.The city of Heropa, Florida 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.

Unfortunately, tragedy has struck today. It seems like the entire Heropa PD is parked out of a local, popular grocery chain. A huge crowd is amassed in the parking lot despite the best efforts of officers to get them to leave. They whisper about excitement and shame, and you don't have to ask if you just listen in a bit...

"What do you think he'll do to the employees? He sounded so serious..." "He really wants that pussy, huh?" "If I left my man for cheating on me, I'd take the damn cat, too!" "How does he think taking her and her coworkers hostage is gonna make her change her mind about him being a bad boyfriend?" "My wife is pregnant, please - if I don't get her favorite deli sub I might as well not go home!"

Domestic disputes! Tragic. The police aren't too sure how to handle this hostage situation, claiming the man only has a box cutter and isn't actually waving it around at the moment, but...are you an imPort? They'd really appreciate the help, okay. Get in there and counsel the unhappy couple. Or not!

02. De Chima, Virginia, is a large city with a healthy economy, with large numbers of citizens waiting to be awed by your very presence. Look at you! Organic wonder! Those words have meaning here. 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 remains high here, and you may find yourself cornered by overzealous imPort fans, media wannabes and opportunists alike, shoving cameras in your face. If you let yourself get cornered, beware! Anything from personal questions about romantic chances to bedroom habits to dietary queries might be come up!

03. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania has had its ups and downs since imPorts started reappearing. Several imPort heroes have put focused efforts into cleaning up the streets of this somewhat infamous city, while others have swooped in to help the criminal industry thrive. More so here than the streets of any other imPort city, the battle between good and evil looks more like a war of escalation than a heroic tale.

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 always some kind of energy in the air that gets everyone buzzing with excitement. You may find yourself in the midst of a few closed-off streets for some occasion or another - whether it be a food cart festival, no-car day, or something else! - and surrounded by the hum of people, the waft of food being served on the street, and plenty of attention

Look there -- someone's demoing a VR roller coaster! Won't you give it a shot?

Outside the barricades closing off those streets, you're still likely to attract attention. Natives may gather around new arrivals and ask both personal and broad questions about life as an imPort, what they are looking forward to, if they're looking for a sidekick. A few restaurants will offer a free appetizer (with the purchase of an entree), and you may be offered product samples from local businesses! Just be sure to speak to an agent before signing any endorsement deals.

05. Jeopardy, Nevada by all rights shouldn't exist. A glowing neon city smack in the middle of the desert, the only reason it's still here is that the central nuclear power plant has tapped half a mile down into a subterranean lake for its water supply. So though the desert around it may be barren, the occupants of this small city are happily self sufficient. Those weird figures you see out of the corner of your eyes? Don't worry too much. Probably just weird radiation after effects. Jeopardy has a lot of those.

Despite the weird constant hum and the creepy cultish bingo, Jeopardy is usually a pretty calm place. A safe place. But not today. Today, someone has released a couple hundred tiny praying-mantis-like robots into the city, and the place is in chaos. Shops are closed up early because though these little destructive creatures don't have bullets, they do have some weird arm appendages that like to just crunch everything in existence. Like a locus swarm of cockatoos, anything made of wood or plastic is being crunched up and left for scrap. But at less than six inches high apiece, rounding them up is proving extremely difficult. Luckily, the mayor in her wisdom is giving out titanium nets to any imPort who wants to help round up the trouble makers. And, in the spirit of the city, she's offering the imPort that catches the most robots a free meal for two in the swanky Radiation Galley - Jeopardy's top tier, five star restaurant.

Get catchin', imPorts!

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[ As though she could reject the invitation. Everything that happened during their silent exchange, if could be called such, was taken note of for later. The way her fist clenches around the handles of her bag, the expression on her face and the smile she offers the crowd.

Sabé has little patience for niceties to the crowd, but if there's one thing she knows, it's how to mimic Padmé's diplomacy. So, with her own small smile to the crowd, she lowers her sunglasses. ]

All questions will be answered at a more appropriate time and place. Until then, please consider carefully what you'd like to know.

[ And back at Padmé, she carefully places one hand over hers on the bag. ]

Of course. Let me carry this for you?

[ The people of De Chima have been good to her, welcoming and embracing her contributions to the community over the past months. The same could not be said for all imPort cities, many of them having tenuous relationships between imPorts and natives, but De China had never turned them away and for that Padmé was grateful.

She knows that Sabé watches everything, sees everything, and it's perhaps the most comforting thing she's experienced since her return to this world. Her family has been wonderful, supporting her as best they can, but nothing could hold a candle to having Sabé at her side. Absolutely nothing. ]

Thank you...

[ It's difficult to release her hold on the bag, her hand wanting to wrap around Sabé's and never let go, but after a moment she manages just fine. A compromise is made then as she slips her arm through the other woman's, just two friends setting off on a relaxing stroll. ]

It's just a few blocks in this direction.

[ If she were to be perfectly honest, all she wants to do is hold Padmé's hand. Guilt is the first feeling that rears its ugly head as she takes the bag and feels her friend's arm slip through hers. ]

I'll follow your lead.

[ Like she always does, always will. Still, there's only so much she can take and it's after they're away from the crowd that she speaks up, softly. ]

How long have you been here?

[ Guilt is a companion of Padmé's as well. Guilt for her inability to convey the strength Sabé had always seen, and guilt over having left her friend behind, despite the choice having in no way been her own to make. She feels guilty for so very many things that the weight of it all threatens to crush her spirit daily, and she is spared only through the knowledge of the second chance offered by this world. ]

In total? Seven months that I can recall. [ She doesn't hesitate to answer the question, her voice pitched just as softly, though her unease with that answer is clear with every syllable. ] Though there were many more I cannot.

[ Seven months. It made little sense to Sabé, who had just only been at her funeral maybe a month ago.

Many months that could not be remembered. The unease is clear and though she has many questions, she can wait. ]

I'm sorry I wasn't here for you.

[ It's not like it was something she could help... But she still hated that Padmé was here without her for so long. And if she had any say in it, she wouldn't leave her side again. ]

[ There have been so many apologies these past weeks, both given and received. Anakin, Obi-Wan, her children... and now Sabé. Padmé was so very tired of apologies, despite having a set of her own to share with many. ]

You're here now. I couldn't ask for more than that.

[ Now is all that matters. She needs her now, far more than she had before. That steady presence in her life has been sorely missed, and she would thank every deity in the universe if only they could stay here together. ]

[ Sabé smiles, probably her first true smile since long before Padmé died. There's no doubt that 'sorry' was something that had been said a lot to her friend- and so she resolves to not say it anymore. ]

And I'm not going anywhere.

[ She gives Padmé's arm a light squeeze, though for all public appearances, she doesn't do much more than that small reassurance. ]

And I'm eager to hear whatever you think I should know about this place.

[ Help her with her recon, save her time. She's taking mental notes as it is. ]

[ That smile is met with one of Padmé's own, far more genuine than most she's managed since her recent return to this world. She's tried to find reasons to smile, attempting to pull herself out of the despair that clings to her every moment of the day, but these things take exceedingly more time than she would like to admit. ]

This place is wonderful. I hope you'll love it as much as I do.

[ For all its faults, this world had given her the twins. It had given her Kylo, Obi-Wan and Anakin... and now it has given her Sabé. ]

This is it. Come upstairs, I'll answer all your questions.

[ Sabé deserved nothing less. Without waiting for a response, Padmé lets go of her friend to pull a small ring of keys from a pocket in her skirt, unlocking the outer door and then leading the way into the building. Up the stairs to the second floor to unlock another door to step inside the apartment and hold the door open for Sabé to come inside. ]

[ Sabé would do whatever it took to see her smile like that every day. It may sound dramatic if said out loud, but her devotion to Padmé was the most important thing she had. ]

I think I already am.

[ An overstatement, sure. But how could she possibly hate a world that would give Padmé back to her? Her grip on the bag tightens as she loses her friend's presence at her side, but she keeps at a close pace, much like back home.

She enters the apartment as the door is held open for her and immediately casts a cursory glance around before heading to the kitchen counter to set the bag down and starting to unpack it for her. ]

Your apartment is lovely.

[ There was no way Padmé could ever repay that devotion; it's something she had realized long ago. The only thing to do was always strive to be worthy of it, no matter how difficult that might be some days. ]

Thank you. Thought I have to admit I've only added a few touches since I moved in.

[ Mainly around the white glass-covered desk at the side of the living room, still covered with the large camera and stack of printed photographs, along with various other effects of her time in the city. She hadn't yet faced the task of tidying that space, the strength leaving her at the thought of something she'd so enjoyed during her previous time here.

Each item Sabé unpacks is picked up by Padmé and moved to its proper home, be it a cabinet, the refrigerator, or a bowl on the table. It's as she's placing the last of a trio of oranges into that bowl that she pauses, her back to the counter. She hadn't meant to broach the subject so soon but with it looming over them, she just... lets it out, a thread of fear and despair laced through the words. ]

You know, don't you? You've lived through it.

[ It's easy to fall back into this pattern, where they can just orbit each other without speaking. She noticed the camera and photographs on the table to the side of living room. Things to look at later, perhaps, or if Padmé brought them up.

Sabé's pushed her sunglasses on top of her head again, but she's not sure she should have with the next question that comes. She breathes out and turns to fill the kettle with some water. ]

It's been a month.

[ There was a tight feeling in her chest as she pauses. ]

Tea?

[ She's aware this isn't her apartment, but she figures they both need some right now. And a distraction. ]

[ A month. Sabé had lived a month without her. A month in the new Galactic Empire... It makes her sick to think of it. Everything she'd worked so hard to build, everything she'd ever loved, lost in one fell swoop. ]

Please.

[ It feels so natural to have Sabé there, it's almost hard to believe she hadn't been there before. They fit together perfectly, understanding each other without explanation despite the paths their lives had taken. Nothing could convince Padmé that would ever change — she didn't want it to.

Her hands settle on the back of a chair, clinging to it both for support and something to keep her hands occupied. ]

The first time I arrived here— The first time I remember being here, it was after the battle on Geonosis. [ A pause. ] Not even after; I didn't remember how it ended.

[ It was selfish, but Sabé was grateful to be preparing the tea as a means to distract herself from the underlying emotions of the conversation.

She puts the kettle on the stove and goes to grab the mugs and tea. ]

At the beginning of the Clone Wars? [ But then she speaks of the more recent memory. The one too recent for her to think of. ]

Padmé...

[ It's the first time she said her name out loud since seeing her- the lump in her throat doubling in size. She crosses back over to her and takes one of her hands in her own.

She doesn't fight the tears in her eyes anymore- only Padmé is allowed to see her like this. ]

We don't have to talk about that if you don't want to. We're together again and I'm not leaving you.

[ Hearing her own name from the lips of someone who means the entire world to her... It tilts her closer toward that precipice of emotion, the edge towering over an ocean of pain that threatened to pull her under every time she drew near.

She holds so tightly to Sabé's hand, clinging to it like it was life itself, and it's when she sees those tears that her own finally come forth. ]

This place doesn't give us that choice. [ Her voice is tight, her expression crumpled as she shakes her head. ] We could come or go at any time.

[ She pulls in a sharp breath that's followed by a shaking released and heartbreaking confession. ] I'm so frightened of what will happen the next time I leave.

[ Sabé's jaw clenches- even as her own tears fall, she refuses to give into the emotion when she needs to be there for Padmé. ]

I'm not leaving you.

[ She repeats the words, despite her friend's insistence that they have no choice. There's no way she will allow this place to rip her apart from the only person that matters to her after being able to see her again.

But that sharp breath and confession rock her, and she doesn't want to even think of the possibility. Through Padmé's vice grip on her hand, Sabé pulls her close into a tight hug. A hug that betrays any calmness that she's portraying, as she takes shuddering breaths and clings to her to keep her close. ]

You've been given this chance... If you dwell on the possibility, you lose the opportunity given.

[ Do what we can with the time we're given- she and the other handmaidens often faced their own mortality head on. Saché, Cordé, and herself knew this better than most. She takes a deep breath as her hand runs along her back, in an attempt to comfort her, then whispers: ]

We are brave, your highness.

[ It's a mantra that got her through many things- something that has surpassed all literal meaning, but would perfectly convey her thoughts here. Or so she hopes. ]

[ The certainty in Sabé's words nearly breaks Padmé because she knows that it is true. If her friend can find a way, she will overcome whatever challenges are put before her to stay so long as Padmé herself is there. Of all the handmaidens, Sabé had always been the most trusted, the most cherished who had ever served the former politician. Their relationship was one of the most important of Padmé's entire life and having her back now...

Yes, this is a chance to be with the ones she loves. Already, she's wasted so much time, not fully understanding the fate that lay ahead, but now that her death has come and gone, that terrible future stretching on without her, she cannot bear the thought of wasting another second. She clings to Sabé through her tears, listening to that precious voice she hadn't heard in so very long, and then—

We are brave, your highness.

Those words settle something in Padmé, easing a tension that had been wrapped around her heart for weeks. They had faced so much together, Sabé at her side always in spirit if not in person, and this will be no different. Letting out a long, slow breath, she leans back slightly, lifting her hands to gently frame the other woman's face that was so very like her own. ]

I've missed you so very much.

[ Padmé is Sabé's lifeline right now. For as long as she's able to hold her, touch her, have the confirmation that she's there and this isn't some fever dream she's suffering from. She wants nothing more than to stand here forever.

But as all things do, this comfort must end as well. Padmé draws back and though they remain close, there's still a crushing sort of feeling in the pit of her stomach. She lifts one hand to cover one of Padmé's on her cheek, grateful for the warmth it provides. ]

You don't have to miss me anymore.

[ It was easier to say that than to admit how much she missed Padmé... Than to admit something to her dear friend that might make her feel worse when none of that mattered anymore.

Her hand on top of Padmé's lightly grasps it as she turns her head to brush her lips over her fingertips and pull away just as the kettle sounds. She reluctantly moves back to the stove. ]

Do you take your tea the same still?

[ The fear is still embedded deep in Padmé's heart, tendrils of it through every thought — worries of what will happen if she leaves again, and now what will become of her if Sabé leaves. Because now that she's here, Padmé doesn't know how she would survive losing the guiding star in her sky. ]

Many things have changed, but not that.

[ She answers with a smile, feeling so much lighter than she had just minutes ago, her world making so much more sense now that Sabé has returned to it. Stepping over to the sink, she turns on the tap, lifting cool water to too warm cheeks covered with dried tears. Letting her emotions loose like that had been tiring, but then exhaustion has been a constant companion in the weeks since her return to this world. ]

[ The easy, mindless, work of fixing the tea (their preferences still identical) was soothing in a sense. It was something she's had enough practice with that it all came to her naturally. ]

That's a relief. It took a long time to perfect this skill, you know.

[ Teasing is something that comes naturally- a frail effort at pushing her own emotions away to better serve Padmé's. ]

[ It's been so long since they've shared a moment like this that it feels like coming home. For the first time in weeks, Padmé feels a well of peace and comfort settling inside her, something not even the presence of her children had been able to fulfill.

Turning at the teasing, Padmé looking absolutely mischievous as she casually flicked her hand to send a small spray of water droplets in Sabé's direction. Such a display of playfulness had been rare while they'd spent their days together during her terms as queen, but it felt right. Another of many second chances offered by this world. ]

[ The spray of water droplets catch her off guard- making her jump a little as they hit her face.

There hasn't been a smile this bright on her face for a long time, and though the playfulness was reminiscent of their time in Varykino with the others... A time before things became even more difficult than they once were. ]

Careful, I don't want to turn your apartment into a warzone.

[ Because she will retaliate those accursed water droplets. ]

[ Those days in Varykino were some of Padmé's most precious memories, from the time spent there with her friends to the many hours with Anakin over the course of their relationship. If only she'd been able to raise her children there as she'd planned...

Her smile grows to match Sabé's as she gives a one-shoulder shrug and sets her hands expectantly on her hips. ]

It can survive a battle.

Well, I don't think our tea can.

[ Does that mean she's passing on the chance of retaliation? No way. It means she's moving their mugs to a safer location...

And, as soon as she turns back to Padmé, she goes in to tickle her.

Remember, you brought this upon yourself. ]

[ The disappointment had nearly set in before Padmé remembered who exactly she was dealing with. Sabé was a great many things, but she was most certainly never one to easily admit defeat. But while the retaliation itself does not take her by surprise, its form does catch her off guard. ]

Sabé!

[ The cry is squeaked out in playful protest as the other woman's hands reach her, followed by a string of giggles that felt strange and wonderful at the same time. Within seconds, she's trying to dance out of reach, though whether she succeeds... ]

[ She doesn't exactly have non-boiling water at her disposal like Padmé did. And being her closest friend means she also knows her exact weaknesses when it comes to this.

Even as Padmé squirms to get out of her reach within seconds of her starting, Sabé is relentless. For another dozen seconds or so. It's nice to see her giggling, even if it's because of all of this.

She's prepared for the retaliation as soon as Padmé is able to squirm away- though she doesn't know in what form it will come. ]

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ONE TWO CHA CHA CHA

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thank you for killing me with feels

no thank you, i've been screaming for hours about them now lol

i am drowning in emotion

who needs happiness when you play from this canon?

there is no happiness in this canon, only tears

it is indeed how we thrive

more emotions to top up your day

i feel like i've been hit by a truck, and i partly blame this tag :P

hello, police, i would like to report a murder by emotions

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