reveriance | TEST DRIVE #002

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test drive

TEST DRIVE #002

TEST DRIVE #002

( 0 0 1 ) » WAKE UP

Were you asleep or were you unconscious? It doesn't matter: when you come to, there's an odd taste in your mouth and there's a low-level mechanical hum in the air. Your head hurts and you feel nauseous. You aren't anywhere you know: everything around you is metal, from the floor you lie on all the way to the ceiling. You are dressed in a jumpsuit you definitely weren't wearing before.

"We tried to save the world. I think— I think we did the opposite."

The message repeats on a loop. If you look for its source, you find a comms device on the floor next to you. The logo on its wallpaper says REVERIE TERMINAL. Upon closer inspection, you find the same logo on your jumpsuit.

Welcome to your new home. What choice do you have but to explore your surroundings?

( 0 0 1 . 1 ) » WAKE UP WHERE?
When you wake up, you find that you're not alone. But more importantly, you find that you're in a closet. An empty closet, bar you and your new companion. It's small, cramped, and there is no door that you can see. The ceiling is low, there is barely any lights, only some coming from the tiny flashlight clipped to your suit's shoulder. You cannot be sure that there is any air coming in to the room.

Are these grooves in the wall supposed to mean something?

( 0 0 2 ) » OBSERVATION DECK

There were no windows in the corridor you woke up in and no windows in any of the crew quarters you might have checked for occupants — but there are plenty of windows on the uppermost level of the station, deck 1. In fact, there are windows from floor to ceiling all along the circumference of the station's circular deck, and it's possible to walk along it all. What it shows is a strange solar system you've never seen before and a planet that might resemble one you know, but certainly isn't the same.

You're in space. You don't know where you are. Neither does anyone else.

( 0 0 3 ) » BAR

On deck 3, you find the bar. Tucked away from the crew quarters, it's dimly lit, there are bar stools thrown down on the floor and what looks like some very old drink spills, crusty and dark against the bar top. But there is alcohol here, or at least, what you think is alcohol, in bottles with faded labels, most of them indecipherable. Take a drink, get drunk, start a fight, or start a party? You're stuck on this station, might as well make the most of it, right?

( 0 0 4 ) » SPACEQUAKES

One second, you are is walking. Magnetic boots are on, the ground feels solid enough, for a metal deck in a space station. Everything is perfectly fine, or at least as fine as it can be, given that you still don't know where you are or how you came to be here.

The next moment, it's like everything explodes around you. You're thrown against the wall as sparks erupts from electrical panels, as the whole station rumbles and shakes around you. You fall to the deck, earning yourself scratches from the grating. When you look up, it's like nothing has happened. No wires hanging from open panels, no flickering lights, no more shaking. Like an earthquake in space.

( 0 0 5 ) » NETWORK

The comms device you found next to you when waking up connects to a station-wide network, REVERIE NET. You have the option to post video, voice or text messages.

What will you share?

( 0 0 6 ) » WILDCARD

The station features a variety of locations, from sleeping quarters free for the claiming to a dirty swimming pool and a bar that still holds alcohol (though some of the bottles seem to have been opened a while ago).

Go wild, but don't wreck the place. It's your home for the foreseeable future, after all.

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[Claire's just here to look out at space, but it's the green glowing that ends up stealing her attention away. She stares, because how can she not? She's never seen someone with a power be open with it, and she isn't really sure how to act. Do people like them have a secret handshake she's supposed to know or something? Unsure of what to say at first, she points toward the woman's hand.]

Are you from the Company?

[Because her worrying this is all some kind of elaborate trap meant to do something to her is starting to feel really real right about now. Looking fearful, she takes a cautious step back.]

That sounds like a joke that ends with a punchline that's just hell

Yeah I think the airlock's about a hundred yards straight ahead. [He was clearly joking if that disarming smile that was tugging at the corners of his lips was anything to go by. She didn't even have to be embarrassed about smooshing her face against the window.]

I wouldn't recommend it though.

"Percussively" would be more accurate, if we're choosing adverbs -- in that I have hit several of them in the face, not had a spectacular number of intimate conversations.

Time travel is just as likely. It's 1967 for me, if that is any less weird.

[Oh my God.

This is terrifying. Claire wakes up because of his screaming. She's disoriented and terrified, and the fact they're in a tiny, dark space together doesn't help. He's distracted with his...screaming and she scoots herself into a corner of the small area, sitting up and pressing herself as tight as she can into a corner.

Finally, he stops screaming and Claire blearily blinks up at him through the tears that are in her eyes. Her heart is racing, thoughts going straight to the worst. Whatever is going on here, he's definitely going to kill her. She doesn't even realize her hands are pressed against and covering her ears until her voice sounds muffled in her own head.]

Please don't hurt me.

[It's not like she can actually be hurt, but it's easy to act like a terrified kid when she is in fact, completely petrified of why he's brought her here and what he's out to do. She can't make it out in the dim lighting, but he seems like he's definitely hurt. Panic fills her as she assumes he's doing exactly what her dad was so paranoid about, and is trying to use her ability to heal himself. Why does her dad always have to be right in the end? ]

If you want money or something, just call my dad. He'll get it for you.

[Maybe money will tempt him into being cooperative? Or maybe he'll just scream again. Either way, she's wildly looking around for an escape route.]

[She snorts and rolls her eyes, but is smiling in amusement when she pulls her head back enough to look at him through his refection in the glass. If she's embarrassed by pressing her face against the glass, she definitely doesn't let it show.]

It might not be that bad. It sounds like the coolest view of space you can get.

[It's funny because you'll freeze. Yeah, she thinks she's hilarious.]

Oh wow. I thought I was terrible. [A genuine laugh, which was sometimes in short supply around these parts. He slowly approaches the sound of her voice, not overly steady on his feet either, but he ends up hovering next to her facing the adjacent window.]

What's the view like from here?

[She's standing right at his side, only because he's the only other person on the deck besides her and she doesn't want to be alone when she's faced with the vast expanse of space. It's her first identity crisis where she feels insignificant and pathetically small, and she's only sixteen years old. It's a lot to handle on your first day in space.]

Do you think we'll crash into that?

[She reaches over to tug at his hand, trying to get his attention. He's been blankly staring out the glass and she really is looking for some kind of reassurance that they're not on a crash course straight toward the only planet they can see. So she points out toward it, walking away from him to edge in close to the glass. Her finger presses against it, right over where the planet aligns up in her vision.]

We can't be that far away from that planet.

[That planet that looks nothing like Earth.]

yeah, that's pretty fucking weird.

so who are you, anyway?

[ because he can't actually be-- can he? that'd be too much. ]

Edited (i always think of more shit) 2018-05-23 00:30 (UTC)

[She's just about to tell him to see for himself when she realizes that he's blind. Her teeth press against her lip, glad that she's managed to stop her mouth from running this time. He seems nice, and she doesn't want to be rude.

One of her hand presses against the glass and she uses it to push back, giving herself room to actually look all around.]

It's like nothing I've ever seen before. There's stars everywhere, brighter than I could ever see them in Texas. And here -

[She pauses to grab his hand and put it against the glass, situating it right over the planet in the distance.]

There's a planet that has the same colors as Earth from far away, but it doesn't look right. There's also two moons. You can just barely see them right now, but one of them is pink.

So you can see all that from here and you still want to go out? [He's just teasing of course.

Stars. Texas. Moons. Pink. He grasps on to the little details like sand drifting between his fingers. His hand instinctively recoils from the cold, cold surface before he plants it firmly back down over the glass pane.]

I've never been to Texas.

[ max starts more than frank, numb to the horror of a hand reaching out of the wall for his ankle. the loud click of his magboots halts, but she couldn't begin to topple him, not even if he'd been properly caught by surprise. max growls at the scene, leaning back into a defensive stance as he begins to bark with increasing alarm. frank shushes him loudly and grabs claire as gently as he can while having a good hold and pulls her out of the wall, setting her on her feet. his expression immediately shifts from bored to worried when he realizes it's another kid. jesus christ, this place. he doesn't realize his hand is still on her arm, a bit lost as he tries to filter back through to what he's supposed to be saying right now. ]

You alright, sweetheart?

[ he drops his hand a second after he realizes he was still holding on, knowing she isn't alright - that no one is when they come here, but it's the best he's got for the moment. for his part, max's hackles droop and his ears spring back up into a happy loll, brushing her hand with his cold, wet nose. not a monster in the wall, then. just a girl. he licks her arm a second later, trying to introduce himself. ]

[ frank has more or less instated himself as "in charge" at least, when he's here. which is a lot of the time honestly. he pours peter a glass of water and gives him a soft look, much softer than his intimidating looks might suggest he would. similarly, a big brown pitbull comes out from behind the bar to greet peter, touching his nose to the young man's leg in silent greeting before sitting back on his haunches and waiting to be noticed. ]

Let me know if you need something harder.

[ he tips his head. is he joking? maybe/maybe not ]

[Trains in Jasnah's world are all supply trains, caravan trains, so that's what she pictures. A tired traveler in a wave of refugees.]

Well, it isn't a good life here, exactly, but there's food and water and doors to lock yourself in behind for privacy.

You're not missing much. Maybe other parts are decent, but Odessa is just desert and people that don't get me.

[Ah, the woes of a teenage girl. At least she realizes they sound really stupid right about now, so she just controls that inner angst and moves on. She eyes his hand at the glass, and wishes she could help him "see" the stars better. An idea starts to form in her head, but she doesn't do anything with it yet. Instead, she turns her head up toward him with a smile on her face.]

Where are you from?

[There's a dog barking and he definitely sounds like a big dog. At least bigger than Mr.Muggles, which isn't hard to do since he's a Pomeranian. The barking combined with the hand grabbing hold of her makes her initially want to struggle and pull away. But her desire to be out in the open wins out over her instinct to fight, and she lets herself be pulled free. Her legs itch to kick at whoever this is and run, but she knows dogs tend to follow and attack and she's really not looking to recover from dog bites today. That keeps her feet firmly planted, even as her legs feel wobbly and her stomach starts doing flips.

Apprehension is clearly written on her face as she tips her head to look up at him, head shaking to answer his question. No, she's not alright. She feels sick and she's been taken from home, and she's crying in front of a stranger and his dog.

His dog that's...not barking anymore and is now pushing at her hand with his nose. Her hand grips hold of that dog like he's a lifeline, and she tries pulling away from the man so she can stand behind the dog.]

I don't know where we are, and I think -

[Aha. Yeah. Here it comes. Her stomach flips one time too many and she throws up mid sentence. At least she has the decency to turn her head and do it off to the side, instead of on his feet.]

[ frank is tending bar tonight, and seemingly... every night. well, sometimes it's frank and kat. there's a man maybe 6 foot with his magboots on, or a little more with nearly faded bruises on his face and throat and a healing burn up his right hand and wrist. but he's swift to put a glass in front of garion and lift an eyebrow, gesturing to the bottles behind him. they're mostly separated by color rather than what they are. amber and clear, and the varying states therein. he'll search for something specific if the man has a request, not that he says as much now.

he actually doesn't say much of anything, letting max do the talking for him. a big brown pit bull makes his way silently from behind the bar - standing back to get a good look at the man before approaching. he gives a low growl of worry, as if trying to assess if garion is dangerous. ]

Max, it's okay. [ frank addresses the mutt in a gruff voice. the dog immediately stops growling, but sits just out of arm's reach, intending to watch the man before deciding if he's safe enough to beg pets from. ]

New York. I don't know how I feel about wide open spaces. [He's clearly adapting so well to floating around somewhere in space. At least he can say somewhat reassuring things to her.]

Nobody really gets you. One day you'll just-... accept that and be happy with what you've got. [She sounds young, so. He's trying to be cheery, optimistic, upbeat about this otherwise bleak situation.]

In the meantime, I guess this is 'way cooler' than Odessa, huh?

[ his heart immediately goes out to her, not surprised in the least when she gets sick. he hesitates a moment, but then puts a gentle (if heavy) hand on her shoulder, hoping to help her ride out the nausea. max initially looks shocked, but then begins to lap her sick off the floor. a space dog's life tbh. ]

Shh, I know. It's a lot all at once.

[He sounds a lot like her dad, so after she's done wiping at her mouth she ignores the fact she's gross and is probably supposed to be paranoid about who this guy is. He's trying to comfort her and he's being gentle, and it doesn't matter if it's all a trick. She sidesteps over her mess and the dog that's currently eating it, and clings. He might think it's a hug, but it isn't. She's fully using him as a shield from any danger right now. ]

I'm really getting sick of being kidnapped.

[She lives a really hard life ok.]

[ There's someone else here. There's someone else here. Sweat burns his eyes and the taste of smoke and ash is still in his mouth. There had been an explosion, one that would have certainly killed him, but he's awake. Alive.

The only reason he knows he hasn't died is the pain where his arm used to be. If he were dead, that wouldn't be there.

But it is. So, he's not dead and what a disappointment that is. All that time, all that pain and he's still alive, still --

Okay, he has to focus. Focus on the other voice, unfamiliar to his ears. ]

What?

[ Curtis blinks several times, clearing the red tinged haze from his eyes and tries to see who else is here. She's young, younger than Edgar even. Young and terrified looking.

Because of him. Curtis can't even imagine how he looks right now but it's obviously bad enough that she thinks he's here to assault her. ]

I'm not -- I'm not going to hurt you. And I don't want your money.

[ He doesn't even know what he'd do with it. Wave it one of the ministers's faces for access to the front of the train? Get someone to put his arm back on his body?
Pay to eat his weight in something that was fucking protein blocks? ]

I don't even know you. Why would I hurt you? I don't know you. I'm just --

[ Confused. This place, small and cramped as it might be, was too clean to be a section of the tail. Either someone in front had stowed him somewhere or this -- this was something completely different. ]

What are you doing here? I don't recognize you.

Anything is way cooler than Odessa. It's a desert.

[She flatly retorts, taking a second to cross her arms over her chest. She's definitely young, which means his approach to handling her works. Instead of seeming like a lame adult, he's a cool adult. One that she thinks she can trust.]

I think I have an idea on how you can see what's out there. Wait here.

[She runs off (as best as she can in magboots and with gravity being weird here) and goes to tear off some of the leg of her jumpsuit. It takes some work to get off but she manages it eventually. When she first woke up here, she had broken off a piece of the metal grating that she had kicked in to escape. It's not big, but enough she can stab someone if she needs to. She takes the small slip of fabric and the metal fragment back over toward the glass, and starts stabbing holes so he can feel out where the stars are. She tries really hard to get it exactly right.

When she's finished, she stands up and lays it flat against the glass.]

Feel this. It's where all the stars are right where we're standing.

My name is Pietro. Who are you?

[ pietro. quicksilver. fought the x-men. .. yeah, this is bizarre. ]

as in pietro maximoff?

[ jesus. ]

lorna.

[One eyebrow crawls up as her boots go clunk-clunk-clunking away and it's not really clear what she's up to until she hangs the tapestry of heaven up in front of him and invites him to read the braille in the stars.

Surprise gives way to delight as his fingertips trail over the ripped holes in the fabric. Since he got here all he could hear was the roaring hum of the engine in the underbelly and all the disgruntled passengers in the ark trying to make sense of their new world. This is... something else.]

This is a better idea than going outside. [Just saying. He licks his bottom lip and turns his head towards her.] Thank you.

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