justhugalready | Test Drive

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*test drive meme

Test Drive - January Edition

Welcome to the Rekindle Test Drive!
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.

~~Then 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

[ Inside the welcome center lobby, out of the cold and with a surprisingly warm temperature (and a surprisingly LOUD amount of purring) is a booth of sorts. It has a make shift desk, a few carrying boxes...And more than a few kittens running around and underfoot. They seem to be naturals at escaping any pens or cat carriers, as well. And a cheerful banner proclaiming "ADOPT TODAY!" is hung up, over the entire thing. All while the kittens in question run around at just the right height and speed to count as a tripping hazard.]

Option 2

[ The people here apparently have something to celebrate, in the form of a few little cylindrical packages hanging from nearby trees and even doorways; they just sort of scream 'pick me up!' don't they? And when picked up, it just takes a slight tug to get them to pop open with a BANG, releasing a little confetti and containing a...Candle? Well, at least it might be useful for keeping the cold away, even if it makes a lot of noise.
]

Option 3

[ It seems like not all is peaceful and calm in this city. There's still a few left over snow golems wandering around, and the time spent alive and somehow avoiding attacks hasn't done much to improve their tempers. It's probably a good idea to either be on guard, or on the offense if they catch sight of you!
]

Option 4

[ Is that a glimpse of blue sky overhead? A warm breath of spring teasing at the senses? It may well be all those things...For just a few seconds, right before the winter cold slams back into place with a gust of icy wind. It also does a great job of knocking snow off overhanging branches and roofs, and right onto some unfortunate heads; ducking out and cleaning the snow off is probably a good idea.]

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A) Option 1

[Well, this certainly isn't what this sixteen-year-old expected to find inside this building. The former Deadman's gray eyes narrow just a bit as he cocks his head to the side, giving the fluffy creatures a questioning stare. Because, wow who left these kittens just...laying around?

Of course...who can resist picking up a fluffy kitten? Especially when it's attacking the hem of your pants in such an attention-demanding way? So, huffing out an exasperated sigh, he reaches down with his free hand to scoop the feisty creature up. Letting the purring feline rest in the palm of one hand, the teenager uses a finger to gently scratch it between its ears.]

B) Option 3

[Okay, so...

No amount of living in a strange place where some psychotic scientist was responsible for making it so your blood could blow things up...

...could ever prepare a guy for being chased by a real life snow monster--if that's what this thing can be called? Whatever it is, it's also apparently a bad ass. No matter how many times he destroys parts of it, said parts just grow right back. So, the poor kid's eventually exhausted.

Good thing he didn't lose his speed and reflexes along with his powers. These two attributes come in handy in helping him in the whole...avoiding getting hurt thing. Of course, he has no idea how he managed to make it to a legitimate hiding spot. Maybe the thing will get bored looking for him?

Hell if he knows. He's just glad for the breather.

He hasn't really regretted the loss of his Branch of Sin, until now. Hell, he kind of had this crazy idea in the back of his mind that he'd get to lead a relatively peaceful life after getting out of the prison. Whoops, silly Ganta.]

[When he first awoke in this strange new land, he wasn't sure what to think. For a second he believed they had honestly escaped, but soon enough he realized the truth of the matter was that he, as well as Ganta, had been...kidnapped.]

[Which meant right now his crew was without a leader, and that left him feeling rather apprehensive. And then he went outside, and every previous thought that plagued his mind was destroyed in the wake of what he saw before him ...snow.]

[It felt like forever since he had last seen snow, and he dared not move in case he woke up from this dream. For a long while he stood like this, just watching in pure wonderment, until a snow golem came up and knocked him out of it, quite literally.]

[He felt himself go flying, bracing himself for the pain of hitting the ground or a wall or a number of objects that must be lying around the city. But it seemed today was shining down on him as instead he landed into a large snow drift.]

[And he was clearly in Ganta's range of sight, although the older man had yet to notice the younger, too focused on the fight at hand. And with a well-trained motion he quickly bit into the tips of his fingers, and proceeded to have a rather destructive snow ball fight with the golem, ending with the snow man being blown to pieces.]

Well that was rather interesting…

[His attention is, at first, directly on the creature.

...Then, suddenly, there's Nagi.

All he can do is stare for a moment as he watches the Deadman's Branch of Sin blow the creature to bits--bits that actually land on the teenager, causing him to blink and snap out of his frozen train of thought. Tensing his brow, he finally manages to stand. There's several minutes before he manages to make his way over to the older man.]

...Nagi?

[How he'd just managed to find his voice--one that sounds just a bit deeper than what Nagi might remember hearing, Ganta will never know. The lump in his throat had definitely made it difficult to say the name of the one that he...had definitely watched bleed to death. Even after the years that have passed, the teenager's mind is still flashing back to the memory as though it's freshly been planted there.

Gray eyes skim over Nagi's body, for a moment, silently looking for any signs that he could just...not be real. Hell, the last time Ganta saw him, he was kind of...not exactly in mint condition. He had been missing a hand--and, on a more extreme note, most of his midsection. So, amongst all the shock and disbelief, he's definitely filled with relief.

Damn it, he hasn't cried in years...but...

Well, the tears forming in his eyes aren't something Nagi should be too unfamiliar with or thrown off by, right? The fact that Ganta is visibly older by two years, however...

Well...time did continue on without you, Nagi.]

Edited 2014-01-05 19:58 (UTC)

Ngah.

[He lets out a gruff sound as he attempts to get up. This time the snow had caught him, but it didn't help much with the wounds he had sustained before his arrival here. He could feel that he had major bruising all over his body and possibly even a broken arm. And it hurt to move, but move he did, and when he had just gained the motivation to lift himself up out of the pile he heard his name and fell right back into it.]

[With a wince he turns to look at who had spoken his name. And when his eyes catch sight of the younger Deadman his first reaction was to smile. At least Ganta was out of harm's way, that was good, and he generally was just glad to have a familiar face in such a strange and foreign land. ]

Igarashi kun... [He lets out a sigh of relief.] I am glad to see you, what about the others?...

[And then slowly his eyes lower and the smile on his face dulls. Something was different, Ganta looked...older, and that look he was giving him. The disbelief and astonishment swimming in his eyes, it was like he was seeing a ghost.]

[Carefully he lifted himself up again, the smile on his face completely gone as realization starts to dawn on him. Ganta didn't look older, he was older. That's why he didn't recognize his voice right off, and why now he could see the same look in his eyes that was held by so many prisoners put through Deadman Wonderlands trials and competitions.]

[And from the way he was looking at him...]

[It wasn't really a surprise; he had the odds stacked up against him. He had fallen like a fool into their trap and had no way to fight back. He looks down to gather his thoughts a moment, and when he looked up his eyes catch the glint of the sun shining against the tears on Ganta's face.]

...Igarashi...kun?[What was he doing, dwelling on matters that for him have yet to come. Right now Ganta was alive, and would live, and that thought alone filled him with an unexplainable joy. He couldn't help but smile, and for a moment he completely forgot about his pain as he pushed himself up and walked over to the young boy…no… man.]

How peculiar... [Slowly he reaches up and wipes away some of those tears from under Ganta's eyes.] Your heart is so warm, you're making it Rain.

[He chuckles a little, still smiling brightly but none of it could hide the fact that right now, his own eye's where beginning to form the warm tears of a reunion that previously he hadn’t a clue he was a part of.]

Option 4/5-ish?

[She definitely can't say her world is remotely normal...

Still, though.

Waking up in a weird city she's never seen before is still going to have her standing there...looking utterly confused. Her fall clothing isn't made to brace against the biting cold, either. If it weren't for the shivering, she might wonder if this could possibly just be a dream.

Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, the SEES member immediately begins her search for some place out of the co--

Oh.

And is apparently going to be interrupted from her search by a rather large pile of snow landing on her head. Pardon her ~~shriek~~ surprised sound, that had been sort of unexpected.]

[ When Haruka awoke, he immediately started to freeze with being only in his swim team uniform jacket, pants and a pair of sneakers. The freestyle swimmer had been surprised by the sudden change in temperature. From hot to cold so quickly all he could think to do was jog to keep his body moving.

He also thought about warm water that he had recently been in. Up ahead he sees a big pile of snow fall on top of someone. Haruka moved toward the center of the sidewalk to avoid being under the building sides.

As he got closer he stopped to help brush off the snow from her head. ]

Are you okay?

[She hadn't seen anyone else around. At all.

So, the sudden voice causes her to pause and give the dark-haired teenager a brief blink, obviously out of a brief feeling of surprise.]

Oh-...Thanks!

[She offers an exasperated smile as he assists in the removal of the freezing cold substance. Really, the stuff isn't helping with her being remotely warm. Speaking of the cold temperature...]

Um...

[Wow, this guy's clothes definitely don't match the place's season, either. Could he be in the same boat as her?]

Aren't you freezing?

[ He was trying really hard to not think about how much he was freezing. Haruka could feel the bite of the chill through his thin jacket and the white of his breath puffing out endlessly. ]

...

[ There really was no need to deny the fact that he wasn't freezing. Haruka glances away as his hands brush off the last bits before he pulls them away. He rubs at them to try to get feeling back into them. ]

That's why I was jogging.

Oh. [Her smile turns a bit more exasperated as her arms wrap back around her midsection.] Well, that makes sense, I guess.

[She pauses a moment, before speaking in a slightly unsure tone.]

You wouldn't...happen to know where we are, would you?

[The question feels weird coming off her tongue. It's not like she's had practice asking that one.]

It's keeps your body moving. [ Haruka would start sounding as if he were a broken record in a bit. Start worded answers along with little gestures that he made. He looked away, glancing at the buildings, none of them looked familiar to him.

The teenager didn't recognize the girl either and only figured she could have been going to an entirely different school. ]

... [ He shakes his head shortly after glancing down toward the cold ground. The winter here had been crazy. The wind didn't seem to want rest and the sky taunted them of a promise that wouldn't come just yet. Haruka could feel himself shivering and couldn't help it. ]

No. No-none of the buildings... look familiar.

[That sounds like something that would have come out of a certain senpai's mouth, which only reminds her of how concerned she's increasingly struggling not to be. If she lets herself think too much about everyone back at the dorm, she'll only end up driving herself crazy with questions she can't possibly know the answers to just yet. She's sure they're fine, but...still.

At the slightly broken up sentence, the brunette does allow a momentary look of concern. Both for the fact that both the stranger and herself could get incredibly sick from extensive exposure to this temperature in their current attire (mostly him, considering hers are at least remotely warm)...

...and for the fact that he's obviously just as lost as she is. Both are bad.

There's a relatively bossy tone with her next set of words.]

Alright, so, ...we obviously need to figure out where we are and how we got here. First, we need to get inside, though. Being out here, in this temperature, isn't going to do anything besides make us sick.

[With that, she's gesturing for him to follow her over to the nearest building. Oh!

...Right.]

By the way, my name's Yukari Takeba. What's yours?

[ The bossy tone surprised him a little at first, but what Yukari said would help them greatly. Haruka wouldn't mind someplace warm to be in. The numbness of the cold slowly started to happen and moving would only become harder the more he stood around.

Haruka nodded in agreement about being sick. That wouldn't do them any good in a strange city such as this. Maybe there was something that they were missing. ]

Haruka Nanase. Let's hope we find an area to go inside. [ The teenager stays close to Yukari not wanting to loose sight of her in the wintery storm. He also made sure they stayed away from the buildings that looked as if they could dump snow on top of them. ]

[It wouldn't be the first time he'd get to hear the bossiness, should he continue hanging around her. It wasn't anything personal, by any means.

She was just...kind of used to having to use it. On people such as...Junpei, for instance. She offered Haruka a polite smile and nod at his introduction.]

It's nice to meet you! Though, it could definitely be under better terms, wouldn't you say? [An attempt at lightening the situation, even a little, okay.

With that, she was dodging the areas that looked as though it'd cause a repeat of the earlier incident. She was moving at a quick pace toward a building that looked obviously occupied--it had lights on, anyway. Once at the door, she quickly glanced inside before glancing at her temporary companion, of sorts.]

Come on, let's hurry inside. [She continued to hold her arms around herself, even after stepping through the doorway, her body having yet to absorb the heat. It was occupied, alright. There were some rather friendly-looking people, there. After a few seconds, she let out a sigh. Man, it was definitely a relief to be out of that bitter wind.]

Much better... [She offered the dark-haired teenager a momentary smile. It was soon replaced with a more serious expression, however, as the concern returned.] Alright, so, we should probably get right down to business. The sooner we figure out where we are, the sooner we can work on each of us getting back home, right? [She briefly paused, before asking for his input.] Think we should we go talk to those people over there? They seem...eager enough to answer some questions.

[Which was odd. The whole place, itself, was...odd, so far.]

[ The sudden warmth of the building had been rather pleasing to the swimmer. He rubbed at his arms trying to get feeling back into them. The numbing feeling had started in his legs as well and he does a quick squat to try to get the blood flowing again. Haruka politely stares at Yukari as she speaks, feeling a bit more unsure about their situation. Not knowing where they were bothered him. He wouldn't voice it out loud, but his eyes would always give him away that something was bothering him. How could things not bother her either? He momentarily thought of a tall teenager with green eyes that would smile to brighten the worse of occasions.

Haruka wondered about his friends. Where they here too? They were with him at the tournament. His eyebrows furrowed with concern. He seemed more into his own thoughts than with Yukari asking for his input. The freestyle swimmer almost didn't catch it. ]

Yeah. I don't know what else to do. Do you think there's other people around that's unfamiliar to a place such as this?

[Although he wasn't exactly dressed for the cold weather himself, he did have on more layer's then Yukari, and therefore felt alright in this winter setting they had found themselves in.]

[Well, before the wind came and cut threw him like a knife, causing him to quickly aim for shelter and accidentally banging into the wall. The next thing he knew, a girl was shrieking and with wide eyes his mind put two and two together.]

Oh my...

[His shoulders tensed before he turned around and spotted the younger girl, giving her an apologetic look.]

I'm very sorry.

[He said, coming up to her and helping to brush off the snow. It was then that Nagi noticed Yukari’s clothing and without a moment's hesitation he unwrapped the scarf around his neck and held it out to her.]

Ah, you must be freezing. Here, take this...it's not much but it's better than nothing I suppose. I would give you my coat as well but it's uh...little dirty right now.

[He had been in a rather serious battle before coming here, and his clothes had a few tears and patches of dried blood. There wasn't enough to catch notice really, but still, it was rather unsettling for anyone who didn’t know the origins of said blood.]

[She was briefly taken aback by the somewhat robotic-sounding voice she heard. Mainly because it was a male's voice--not female's, like what she was used to. She looked up and saw that it was being emitted from a perfectly normal-looking older man.]

Oh, it's...fine. [In spite of her words, there was definitely some annoyance there. Towards the snow, of course, and not him. Her smile was a bit wry as she spoke in a somewhat snark-filled tone.] Guess I should probably be careful what I'm walking under around here.

[Where ever "here" even was.

She offered him a wary smile and accepted the assistance in brushing the snow off. Once they were done, her smile turned more genuine.]

Thanks! U- [She was about to ask him to direct her to the nearest police station, or something. She was stopped, though, and gave a slightly surprised blink as the scarf was offered. She started to reach out for it, but paused to listen as he spoke. Well, that was certainly nice of him. The last part of what he said caused her eyes to naturally drift to the his coat.

...Well, there wasn't a whole lot of blood there; but it was definitely enough to pique her concern. Her voice does nothing to mask this.]

A little dirty? You look like you got into a fight. [Her tone softens with the question.] Are you okay, at least?

[She asked this as she reached the rest of the way out and accepted the scarf.] Thanks. [She pauses to wrap the scarf around her neck, instantly noticing a difference.] My name's Yukari Takeba, by the way. What's yours?

[Despite the fact she didn't seem to harbor any ill intentions towards him, he did still feel guilty. But when she directs such a genuine smile his way he can't help but smile back. Ah, she seemed like a sweet girl.]

Hm?

[And then their he goes, interrupting her in mid-speech. He was having quiet the streak with her, one un-gentleman like action after the other.]

[It was a natural part of the human existence to be curious, so of course she would check out the coat as evidence to his words. But when she did he flinched, grateful she hadn't seemed to notice it. She wasn't a deadman, she was an outsider, and he preferred not to bring up Deadman Wonderland to such a young girl, or the very fight he had been facing.]

[So for a split moment he considers lying, saying that it was nothing but ketchup, and that he wasn't really much of a fighter. Which was half true, he preferred not to fight. Always did and always will, and yet there he was, caught in the games of a sick and twisted bastard and forced to fight people of all backgrounds and age groups.]

[But he couldn't do that, nothing came of lying either, and from the look in her eyes he could tell she's seen her fair share of fights and blood. Such a pity, to have been placed with so much responsibility while still at such a young age, she reminded him of Shiro in a way.]

When your injuries are sustained fighting for what you believe in, you will always be okay.

[Rather self-consciously he starts to bottom up his coat to his neck, an attempt to hide the still overly noticeable scars.]

No need to thank me Takeba-chan, it's the least I can do. My name is Nagi Kengamine, I prefer to be called Nagi. [His smile brightens as he notices the change, that's good, he was able to help even if it was just a little.] And you may keep that if you like, at least until the weather warms up.

A sigh can be heard not too far off. When Yukari is done combing snow out of her hair and dusting it off her body, she'll find an arm extended towards her, holding a very familiar coat.

Right as she's almost finished with dusting off the snow, she definitely hears that sigh. Huh? She gives one last swat of her hand down her right arm, before slowly lifting her eyes to meet the face of...

"!!" Her voice freezes as her chest tightens a bit.

The last time she saw the face in front of her, it'd been framed and surrounded by flowers. Twelve days have passed since then--long enough for the sting to be dulled just a bit. Not long enough, though. Of course, is there a such thing as "enough" time for someone to ever be prepared for something like this?

Either way, she can't simply continue standing there, looking...startled and confused. So, she musters up every ounce of willpower, then uses it to force away the racing thoughts. She regains control long enough to reach out and accept the coat. And to ensure her voice sounds as close to normal as possible. This results in her tone being underlined with an absent-minded sound, "Um...Thanks, senpai" she starts with a soft but genuinely grateful smile, brow slightly tensed.

She can't help but ask the next question. Because she's not okay with someone freezing to death, as it is--especially not for her sake. The fact that it's someone she recently just...mourned, though, somehow makes it all the worse, "What about you, though?"

Not that she's going to fight to flat-out refuse his kindness, though...

Shinjiro shrugs. So long as they don't stay outside for too long, it won't be so bad. A red face and sniffles were nothing to him.

"Is it just you this time?"

Oh my God! Are you okay?

[A pale, white-haired man in sunglasses jogs over to her, offering a hand to help her up. in his other hand is an umbrella, open despite the lack of any rain. He's dressed for the cold with a heavy overcoat and gloves.]

Here, there's a visitor's center over there. Let's get you inside, okay?

Option 2

[ Haruka wondered the streets of this strange city looking around at all of the cylindrical packages that seemed to be strung up on trees and on the doorways of the buildings. He couldn't help but feel slightly intrigued by them. There were so many around that he almost walked into one.

The package had been carefully decorated with blues and greens. Haruka quietly reaches up toward the branch untying it from it. There was a string attached to it and giving it a slight tug the BANG happened. It startled him as the confetti bursted out faster than he could see it.

Haruka's wide blue eyes stare at the differently colored paper squares float and flitter all the way down toward the ground. The freestyle swimmer felt something waxy in his hand and looked down to see a white candle stick. If he had something to light it with. The candle would bring some warmth to ease off the cool chill he was feeling. ]

Edited 2014-01-06 01:48 (UTC)

Option 1

The unnaturally pale, thin, middle-aged man in the dark glasses very nearly makes a very undignified squeebling noise at the sight of so much cute. Jeff always did consider himself a cat person, and the sound of purring draws him over to the table like a magnet. "Aw, look at you!" he coos, lifting one of the little bundles and scratching it behind the ears. It mews and wiggles in protest, gnawing at his finger. He laughs, letting it chew for a bit before putting it down, sighing. He doesn't even know if his new home will allow cats. "I'll be back though. Don't you...eh?"

There's a chorus of squeaking at his feet, as more kittens come out to investigate. He looks human, but he smells...only sort of human. And sort of like food! Clearly, more study is necessary.

"Uh..."

They're starting to climb on him now, working their way up his pants leg and over his shirt, with one adventurous tabby already chewing on his hair. He keeps trying to take them off, but they just keep coming. It's like a feeding frenzy over here. Only fuzzy, adorable and completely harmless.

A little help?

((App is here if you'd like more info!))

Edited 2014-01-07 04:21 (UTC)

"Aren't they the most productive little things, marching about as if surveying all they own?"

An older man with greying curly hair and a wild smile tiptoes through the kittens swarming around his ankles, a wee one tucked under his arm. He picks one off Jeff's back and sets it gently on the floor. It climbs his leg.

"I haven't seen you here before! Granted I don't get out here much. Kittens were too great a temptation to pass up!"

Edited 2014-01-07 05:16 (UTC)

"They certainly are!" Jeff laughs, plucking another one off his leg and putting it in the box in a vain attempt to reduce the mob. It responds by climbing up his arm. After a few attempts however, he manages to get it to stay put, for now.

Which does nothing for the other three and counting using him as a jungle gym, but hey, small victories. Close inspection shows that Jeff isn't just pale and prematurely gray, he's an albino. Unusually, his eyes behind his glasses are pink, not blue. "I just got here, actually," he continues, giving up for the moment and letting the cats climb. He offers a hand to shake. "My name's Jeff. Pleased to meet you."

"Hello, my name is Doctor Walter Bishop," he says, shaking Jeff's hand. His own is cool, with a slight roughness to it. It's not clear by the way Walter introduces himself if he wants Jeff to remember his name, or if Walter himself is making sure he does. "And this," Walter gives the cat he's holding a scritch behind the ears, "is Quark, as of five minutes ago."

And Walter does inspect, stepping closer when he has a moment and peering. Personal space?

"You have the most remarkable eyes. I don't think I've ever seen such a severe case of albinism, and I've studied quite a few, mainly in animals. Though I once met a young woman at Harvard who was an albino. That's when I discovered I really loved white pu--oh!"

A kitten had scaled him and had managed to get tangled in Walter's hair. It looked so very, very happy. Fuzzy toy!

"Good to meet you," Jeff beams. His own handshake is unusually warm, but dry and firm. "Is Walter okay or do you prefer Dr. Bishop?" He starts a little at the invasion of personal space, leaning away a little. "Um...well...technically it's vitiligo, actually." He takes a small step back to reestablish his bubble. "My doctor said the same thing. Oh. Here, let me help you with that. Come here, cutie." The last sentence is said to the cat as he gently untangles her from Walter's hair.

[What does he prefer to be called? He stops, hand in mid-pet on Quark's wee, fuzzy head, and thinks.]

[Smile!]

Walter will do just fine.

[He raises his eyebrows. Vitiligo?]

What quack told you that? No, no. Unless you were born with that eye colour, that's not vitiligo. Not any I've seen, anyway. It-- oh, hello.

[Walter uses his free hand to pull another kitten out of his hair. Apparently it's prime nesting material.]

Jeff is taken aback by the reaction. "Well...uh, to be fair, he didn't say it was vitiligo, he said it was something he'd never seen before with similar symptoms. It's just easier to tell people that. Especially when they see my drivers license. I used to have brown hair, so it's not albinism either." He shrugs sheepishly. It was also an easier explanation than "my other form is a giant albino bat."

He laughs as another kitten finds its way into Walter's hair. "Persistent little fellas, aren't they?"

[Walter tilts his head, all of his attention diverted to Jeff. He's staring, listening to him intently. The kitten curls up on Walter's head, nose lost in the curls, and starts to purr.]

Is your skin blotchy? That's vitiligo. It can be caused by all sorts of things. How is your blood pressure? Any loss of sensation in anywhere on your body? What colour was your hair ten years ago? Itching? [He pauses.] Necrotic lesions?

He's more than a little taken aback by Walter's questioning, but decides to go with it. "It used to be, yeah. Then the blotches got so big I ran out of regular skin." That was true enough, though he knew very well what the cause was. "Blood pressure's fine, last I checked." He answers the other questions quickly. "No. Brown. No. Definitely not."

Edited 2014-01-12 23:33 (UTC)

[He studies Jeff for a moment, lost in thought and muttering to himself about several theories and quite possibly strawberry cake, before turning away to walk in a tight circle. The fingers of his right hand move, fingertips to thumb in an almost recognizable rhythm that Jeff will have never seen before.]

[The kitten on his head is now asleep.]

I think we should talk further about this! When you've been checked in and you've found your living quarters, adopted a felis silvestris catus. I'll make dinner and we'll discuss this interesting condition of yours.

[Walter pauses.]

Unless you would rather not. I- I would understand.

He almost says "no," but after a moment, he thinks better of it. This place wasn't like home; there'd be no torches and pitchforks here. And he had to admit that finding a scientific explanation for his condition was greatly appealing. "I think..." he says slowly, drawing out his words. "I think I'd like that. As long as I don't get put in a glass case as a medical curiosity or something. I'm afraid I have to draw the line somewhere."

Nearby is an equally unnatural-looking fellow, as hairless as Jeff is pale. He looks over expressionlessly, taking in the sight of the other slowly being covered in kittens. After a couple beats he reaches out and attempts to pluck a few off of him.

He looks up and smiles at the assistance, flushing with embarrassment. "Thanks," he says, prying another kitten off of his shoulder and depositing it in the dubious enclosure that is the cardboard box. It takes several tries to get it to let go, and he laughs. "Friendly little guys, aren't they?" Close inspection shows that Jeff isn't just pale and prematurely gray, he's an albino. Unusually, his eyes behind his glasses are pink, not blue. "Are you new too?"

The kittens smell another kitten on September and start up a clamour of mewing. He continues in his efforts to de-cat Jeff, however.

"I am not," he answers, his voice serene to the point of near expressionlessness. "I come here to see if I know any of the newcomers."

He tilts his head to the side, almost birdlike, at the tone of the man's voice, but for the moment he doesn't remark upon it. Besides, the content of the other man's statement is much more interesting than the tone anyway. "Really?" he says, sounding genuinely intrigued. "I didn't realize that was possible. Seeing some friends would definitely be nice. Oh, I'm Jeff, by the way." He offers a hand for the other man to shake.

"It is statistically possible that any given wave of new arrivals will include at least one other person from a given universe already represented here."

He removes a few more cats from Jeff, seeming indifferent to the cats who are climbing himself, even the one working its way under his hat. There's an awkward beat, then he remembers to shake the other's hand. "I am known as September."

"Good to meet you, September," Jeff smiles, either not noticing or politely ignoring the awkwardness. His hand is hotter than expected, but dry, and his handshake is firm. He chuckles as he catches sight of the cat trying to hide in the other man's hat. "Here, let me help you with that." He considers putting the cat in the box with the others, then thinks better of it and deposits it on his shoulder.

...What? That's where it was going to end up anyway. Jeff winces as it gnaws on his ear, apparently testing for deliciousness. There is none. Pleh. It makes a sneezing noise, then goes back to grooming itself like nothing has happened.

"Anyway. Does that happen a lot around here? The universes thing, I mean. You'd think that it wouldn't be all that likely given that there could be an infinite number of them, right? Though admittedly I'm no expert."

September blinks as his head is now freed from fuzz. He adjusts his hat and watches Jeff get chewed on.

"The statistical possibility as considered from a mathematical standpoint is so small as to present no odds. However, empirical evidence speaks to the contrary. It suggests that the number of universes that the people here can draw from is finite and, furthermore, rather limited."

There's a beat and then he adds, "You should be careful. The kittens have shown a tendency to claim people."

"Huh, that's pretty interesting! So you're saying a lot of people who come here tend to run into people they know. I wonder if the people who are already here have some kind of influence on who gets chosen." Beat. "Mind you, this is just me talking out my ass," he adds, giving another laugh.

He scratches the cat on his shoulder behind the ears, smiling. "Yeah, cats everywhere have a tendency to do that really." He suddenly looks hopeful. "So I take it that the apartments around here allow pets?"

Headtilt. "We are not consulted regarding the universes selected from." He removes a cat from his jacket, petting its wee head before setting it down with the others.

"The definition of 'pet' is loose, here. It appears to encompass anything from the standard animals to semisentient elementals, and all of those are allowed in the residences."

"Well, that wasn't exactly what I meant. I thought it might be...sort of an unconscious thing? Like...the place is picking up our thoughts? Like I said, just pulling theories out of my ass."

He brightens. "Really? Well then. I think I'll take this guy, since he seems to have claimed me." He scritches the one on his shoulder again, and it purrs and rubs against his hand. "Have to come up with a name for you though."

September ponders this for a beat.

"There may be something to that theory." He pulls a small notebook full of incomprehensible glyphs from a pocket and leafs through it to a specific page. "I have observed that the multiple occurrences involve universes whose representative individuals are the most vociferous regarding their wishes that people they know would join them here."

Jeff blinks in surprise. "No kidding? I didn't realize I was onto somethin--ow! Easy there, hon." The cat on his shoulder apparently hasn't learned to put its claws away yet. He plucks it--her, as it turns out-- from his shoulder and cradles her in the crook of his arm instead. "I think I'll call you Needles."

He clears his throat and returns to the matter at hand. "Anyway. Having the company of somebody I know would definitely be nice. Maybe I should start complaining more," he chuckles. "Were you looking for someone special?"

[Nagi wasn't sure where he was or how he got here. All he really knew was that this place wasn't Deadman Wonderland, and he highly doubted the Undertakers had brought him here after he was knocked out by Hibana.]

[So this meant in that short amount of time, he had somehow been transported. And it certainly didn't look anything like modern Tokyo. Was he even still in Japan or on Earth for that matter? He wasn't really one to believe in Aliens, but he also didn't think that humans had yet discovered such technology and he couldn't fathom a guess as to why someone with it would use it on him.]

[So there he laid, sore and bleeding, clutching as his side as he attempts to raise his head and take in his surroundings. At first he was confused, and then worried, but as he took in the light of the sun coming over the houses he couldn't help but smile.]

[Oh how he missed the sun.]

Option One:
[After a while Nagi did eventually find his way up and out of the snow, and went to the nearest hotel in order to seek information as well as board. But instead of finding a desk clerk he found...kittens?]

[For a while he just stands there and stares, confused as to what exactly was going on, and whether there was some kind of event or something. And then suddenly he gasps.]

[What if this was a world dominated by kittens!]

[But that didn't make any sense; they didn't seem to be sentient. He looks down as one of the little cats comes up and starts pawing at his leg, mewling up at him with those big green eyes.]

[Carefully he kneels down and begins to scratch it around its ears.]

Well, I don't suppose you know where I am, do you?

[His slightly robotic sounding voice echoes from the collar around his neck as he smiles down at the ginger kitten.]

[Noticing their brother getting attention, the others quickly came up to the brunette and started climbing on him, making him gasp and eventually laugh as one found its way to the top of his head.]

Such a strange place… [But he wasn’t about to complain.]

Option Five:
[For a long while he stays like that, just watching as the sun comes up, hardly bothered by the snow sinking into his slightly torn clothing. How many years has it been since he’s seen the world beyond those walls?]

[But even as his mind was left captivated time moved on around him and before long his body demanded he do something about the cold. Shivering he got up and adjusted the scarf tighter around his neck. Was it always so cold, or was he just not used to it anymore? It was hard to tell.]

[Glancing once more around the town he started to move, seeking shelter, food, and information as he went. But constantly he was getting distracted by the things around him.]

[As he turns a corner he catches sight of someone else who doesn't look like they quite belong here. Quickly he moves forward in an attempt to catch up. Maybe they would know what's going on?]

Excuse me! May I ask you a question, please?

[ Haruka was freezing in his team uniform gear. A thin jacket, pants, swim trunks under them, sneakers. The clothing he was wearing were not appropriate with the weather. When he heard a robotic like voice, he couldn't help but stop to glance behind him. The freestyle swimmer had his arms wrapped around himself. He was visibly shivering by the bite of the wind and the cold of winter. It had been warm where he had been. Movement helped to keep his body temperature at a decent level. The buildings provided little warmth and he couldn't stay within them. He got directed to go to a building for new arrivals. There at the visiting center he'd be able to get more information. ]

. . .

[ The teen seems unsure because he wouldn't be of much help depending on the question. Haruka puffed out creating white air that he wished not to see. His eyelids droop as he realized that cold weather meant not swimming unless there were to be an indoor pool. ]

I don't know how much help I would be.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Test Drive - January Edition

Ganta Igarashi | Deadman Wonderland

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Yukari Takeba | Persona 3

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Haruka Nanase | Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

Jeff Levitt | OC (Albino Werebat)

Re: Jeff Levitt | OC (Albino Werebat)

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Re: Jeff Levitt | OC (Albino Werebat)

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Option 5!