Test Drive - April Edition

[rekindlemods]

Happy early April and spring! Here's a new test drive to go with it! Trying to see if a character will fit or work in the setting? Need some interaction samples? Well this meme is for you! Make a post, tag around, and most importantly, have fun! Here's the setting page for those who want to learn a little more about the city itself. And don't forget to go reserve your character, GO GO GO.......

Here's some prompts to help you get started, if you need it:

Option 1

[Something went wrong with your arrival, or perhaps the security around the gates was lax. Either way, you find yourself outside the city and in place that's providing a steady drain on your energy and looking a lot less warm and welcoming. Particularly those insects of unusual size skittering down the sides of the buildings, just waiting for the wrong movement to be made before swarming. There's an alarm being raised on the other side of the city walls, and it sounds like help is on the way…But will it come fast enough?]

Option 2

[There's a bustle of activity in some parts of the city; people fussing over generators that look freshly installed (and also look oddly lantern like; one more oddity to add to this place) and trying to get them up and running. It looks like they could use a hand or two to help…And oddly enough, given the instructions, hand holding to help power these devices.]

Option 3

[Spring is here! Or at least close at hand, with all the flowers beginning to bud in the trees and the grassy areas. (There might even be a few small animals on hand, too!) Even a change in decoration as little charms and masks are hung up on buildings and the like. Chances are, there might be some other people out enjoying the spring weather, too.]

Option 4

[Whoops. Looks like you haven't taken the cautionary words of the other NPCs to heart, or maybe you just wanted to take your chances. Either way, the withdrawal symptoms have started and you need to find someone to hug quickly before you get even more sick.]

Option 5

[If there's something else you wanted to play with, that you didn't see here, then have fun with that. You've just arrived in a strange city, after all. There's got to be plenty to explore out and about, not to mention people to meet.]

Comments

Re: Layer | Megaman X | Option 1

[strikeachord]

Several fewer bugs now, with the wail of a guitar and bolts of lightning peppering the walls like gunfire. Far be it from Billy to just leave a lady in the lurch no matter how much he feels like passing out.

"You all right there, miss?" he calls, pausing his strumming just long enough to take a few steps forward. Focusing enough to multi-task isn't so easy at the moment.

[bridgebunny]

It was a risk worth taking. She could take them out, then gun straight for the city's walls and hope for the best.

When bolts of lightning seemed to come from out of nowhere, joined by what she identified as guitar, she was perplexed, for nothing in the weather patterns above spoke of storms. Or music.

Addressed, she turned and had her answer. Readings from this man and his guitar were fluctuating off the charts, but it was nothing she had the time or energy to study further at the moment. "As well as I can be, in my current situation."

She had to keep her cool, despite the screaming panic of the error messages going on in her head. "The city... is it friendly? I'm in considerable need of a power source."

Best not to fib. He'd just bailed her out of the bug situation, after all.

[strikeachord]

He has the options of upsetting the little lady or lying to her. Billy decides that lying is a far greater insult in this case, and one not so easily mended. He turns a reluctant, embarrassed look on her.

"'Fraid I'm not sure, miss," he admits. Thankfully, he's got a good charge still built up on the guitar, so he can afford some conversation time. "I'm not from around here, myself. And for all I know, our little friends here came from there." That's how things usually work out back home, anyway. He grins, however, and his guitar hums out a major chord like it's announcing a challenge. "I'm not feelin' too hot myself, so how about we go find out?"

[bridgebunny]

Not the answer she was hoping for, but... "Whatever the city holds, it's got to be better than all the dark rust out here."

Rust. Decay. To her, it was just the same as a human walking through a sea of corpses. The sooner she got someplace lit and warm, the better. She would simply watch the back of this gentleman as well. This... oh-

She offered a smile, a polite tip of her head before she started on the path out of this creepy place. "I'm Layer."

[strikeachord]

"Oh! Pardon me," and Billy gives her an easy, friendly smile, "didn't mean to be rude. The name's Rocketbilly. Rocketbilly Redcadillac." He drawls his last name in proper showman fashion, then chuckles. "But you can just call me Billy." Fending off another bout of light-headedness, he makes a quick skip-step to catch Layer up. She sure doesn't waste time!

Not that he blames her. Best save most of the social niceties for a nicer setting, he decides, and keeps one hand ready on his guitar strings. But saving the social stuff doesn't mean silence, and if it's one thing Billy can't stand, it's long walks without some conversation. Juji was terrible at it.

"Any idea how you got here?" he wonders. He's not sure how he wound up in the middle of a disaster area; doesn't mean Layer mightn't have thought about it.

[bridgebunny]

"It's a pleasure, Billy," she replied warmly, though she was sounding tired now. That wasn't good.

"None," she admitted when he asked, looking disturbed for it.

"I was at my console in Hunter HQ, blinked, and I wound up here. I can't exactly be sure whether I was abducted, transferred or..." No, best not list the negatives. The others would know she was missing and would be on the lookout for her. The Hunter she'd been assigned to would very likely be tearing down walls and turning things upside-down. It was simply how he worked, after all. You weren't an S-Class without getting your hands dirty, though X was a direct contradiction to that.

But that was X.

Lifting a hand to her headset, she risked another scan of the city.

"I wonder to what they're alerting everyone in the city. The alarms have been going off for a while now..."

[strikeachord]

So she isn't sure what happened, either… and it bothers her a lot more than even her expression lets on, or that's the impression Billy gets. And she's wearing down fast. He tries as politely as possible to position himself such that hopefully he can try to shield her if the need arises.

"If I was back home, I'd guess it was my fault," he says with a wry grin, shrugging, "except I ain't done anything yet."

[bridgebunny]

The keyword being 'yet', she presumes, but she makes no remark. It's getting a little harder to speak, energy beginning to direct itself completely to simply putting one foot in front of the other.

She tried thinking of other things. Redcadillac, huh? Sounded nostalgic in a way. She thought of the old cars, their slick shape and the sound of revved engines. Layer was always fond of technological history, to the point of being called a buff of 'history nerd' by her friends.

But she steps wrong and steadies herself, but not without instinctively reaching out and laying a hand on Billy's shoulder.

"I'm- I'm sorry, I-" ...The error messages stopped. Rather than blaring warnings and giving the ETA, something pinged her. Recharging.

But, how? From where? She wasn't sleeping, nor had she gotten her hands on any energy tanks. So-

[strikeachord]

Billy is absolutely fine with lending his shoulder to a lady in need! For the time being, he chalks his suddenly feeling a little better up to the morale boost that comes with being able to help – and being solid enough to offer support. He stops so Layer can steady herself and turns a worried eye on her.

"You need to rest a minute? I can keep a lookout."

[bridgebunny]

Her hand withdrew as if burned, and instead lay against her chest as she took a breath to calm herself. "I-I'm not sure. Just a moment ago, I suddenly felt myself gaining a second wind. But what a strange swing of energy levels..."

She gazed upon her hand, then looked up at him, that curtain of hair obscuring her eyes, but not the blush. "Did you do something just now? My hand feels oddly warm."

[strikeachord]

"Do something? No," says Billy, a little confused by the sudden turn. He doesn't feel any warmer… he thinks, anyway. He certainly didn't notice if there was a change. Concerned, he adds, "Maybe you're pickin' up a fever. You sure look pretty red."

It doesn't occur to him until after he opens his big mouth that maybe she's just really shy about leaning on him.

"…We probably oughtta get a move on," he suggests.

Aaahh time to be vague with timelines, thanks Capcom

[bridgebunny]

"Y-yes, of course," she replies quietly, filing away her curiosity of what just happened for later. If it was some ability he had, he didn't know about it, but it was a theory she had to test.

W-well, okay, it wasn't something she could right now. She'd made things awkward enough by reacting like she did, and she couldn't exactly ask Billy if they could hold hands. Strangers, after all.

"This atmosphere is oppressive... I'm impressed the people have managed to thrive in a city here. If- if those within the city are human, of course." Always be cautious. But robotic factions have been a frequent thing back home, and she didn't want to think of the Repliforce incident.

Isn't vague canon the best sometimes? /says the one playing from Gungrave, Capital of Vague Stuff

[strikeachord]

Billy almost, almost questions that bit about if the people in the city are human, because why wouldn't they be? But he recalls the Orgmen, bizarre mutations that they were, and just makes an affirmative noise. As long as he doesn't get any worse than he is now, he's pretty sure he can handle most anything that comes their way.

Pretty sure.

"I dunno," he says instead. "People can be pretty resilient. Like my friend Mika… I guess you wouldn't figure it looking at her, but she's one of the strongest people I've ever known." He looks at the city walls, slowly edging closer as they walk, and laughs half-heartedly. "I just hope they're friendly!"

Layer isn't really kidding about the oppressive atmosphere, either. He feels heavier and more exhausted with every couple of steps. He tries not to worry about whether or not he'll even be able to lift his arm and play his guitar.

[bridgebunny]

"Should they not, there's bound to be something within the city that can tell us where we are and where to go. Nobody lives in a big place like that without some kind of map." It was so brightly lit and inviting.

"...The gates are open," she noted, perplexed.

"Alarms are used in emergency. Surely someone thought of barricading from outside threats of preventing escape." Layer paused, then looked to her companion.

"Do you think the locals might be having some trouble and are calling for help?" Worry tinged her voice. If the gates were open, that was an invitation to come inside. Who were they to say no?