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countryclub2022-04-27 07:28 pm
reddosmod) wrote in countryclub2022-04-27 07:28 pm
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APRIL 2022 TEST DRIVE MEME
APRIL 2022 TEST DRIVE MEME
A MOSTLY PLEASANT ARRIVAL
A DIM REFLECTION
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
CODING
Another month, another test drive meme! Our test drive memes are open to anyone interested - regardless of whether or not you join our game!
All Test Drive Memes are game canon. Players can choose to keep their TDM threads canon or not. TDM threads can be used for AC and can be used as your writing sample for your application.
Our TDMs serve as a way to build into the actual lore and worldbuilding of Deer Country and we strongly encourage everyone to enjoy and participate! Current players are always welcome to pull prompts from the TDM to reference on the Network or bring into logs as well as tag out to new characters top-leveling on the TDM itself.
Characters will always be able to actively die during TDMs as this is an extremely dangerous world. You can still have this be game canon! Check out how character death in Deer Country works here.
If you have any questions about the TDM, please ask down below!
IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Delicious, Gelatinous Fruit Treats]
[Image Two: Women in white dancing around a May Pole (Animated)]
Prompt Two
[Image One: A woman turning away from a mirror. ]
[Image Two: A woman trapped inside a mirror with disembodied hands grabbing at her. ]
Prompt Three
[Image One: A Forked Trail on a Wooded Path]
[Image Two: The Grim Reaper at the end of a sewer tunnel]
All Test Drive Memes are game canon. Players can choose to keep their TDM threads canon or not. TDM threads can be used for AC and can be used as your writing sample for your application.
Our TDMs serve as a way to build into the actual lore and worldbuilding of Deer Country and we strongly encourage everyone to enjoy and participate! Current players are always welcome to pull prompts from the TDM to reference on the Network or bring into logs as well as tag out to new characters top-leveling on the TDM itself.
Characters will always be able to actively die during TDMs as this is an extremely dangerous world. You can still have this be game canon! Check out how character death in Deer Country works here.
If you have any questions about the TDM, please ask down below!
Prompt One
[Image One: Delicious, Gelatinous Fruit Treats]
[Image Two: Women in white dancing around a May Pole (Animated)]
Prompt Two
[Image One: A woman turning away from a mirror. ]
[Image Two: A woman trapped inside a mirror with disembodied hands grabbing at her. ]
Prompt Three
[Image One: A Forked Trail on a Wooded Path]
[Image Two: The Grim Reaper at the end of a sewer tunnel]
WHEN: May
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk
CONTENT WARNINGS: Forced honesty, personality changes, physical changes.
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk
CONTENT WARNINGS: Forced honesty, personality changes, physical changes.
Congratulations, sleeper! You're one of the lucky ones to arrive in a month that is not awful to come ashore. The transformational process is almost alarmingly quick and painless. In fact, it is so quick that it is deceptively easy to change back into a squid and do it all over again! Partial transformations are not uncommon during this month for the first twenty-four hours after arriving, and even brief transformations of minor facial features like hair color, eye color, height, weight and a few more extreme possibilities have been known to happen. Don't worry, because the transformations are all temporary and none are inherently monstrous (Unless you already are a monster, in which case good luck with that!). Greeters are present in force to help accommodate you as you make your way, your welcome backpack and items all freshly and neatly cleaned and ready for you as they put the robe on. Everything is so welcoming and inviting that it almost seems like they're having a party.
This is, in fact, because they are. The Wild Moon is about and festivities are in full swing throughout the month of Bauphomette. May poles are set up and it is possible to dance around one if you should wish. Doing so can help to ground oneself in their current form, which may help new arrivals settle in a bit better. Even ignoring that, it feels good to sing and dance, and everyone is very friendly. Even the usually grim Hunters who guard the roads and entries to the shores seem to have less stern smiles on their faces, though their eyes are ever watchful to keep the peace of the festivities.
SEASONAL DETAILS ON THE BOARDWALK
Decorations this month are decidedly floral in nature. Everyone is dressed in white, regardless of their usual preferences. Flowers adorn many of the people of Trench and the weather throughout the first week of May is pleasant. Even if it rains, it is a refreshing, light and pleasant rain, and there are many awnings and umbrellas to take shelter underneath.
And of course, there's refreshments. What festival in Trench would be without them? The foods this month have a very floral theme to them. Edible flowers have been grown and prepared especially for this time of year. They've been used to help create infused and gelatinous sweets, Floral spring rolls and edible flower cookies and the like, along with floral teas that are meant to calm the mind. Additionally, the people of Trench will note that any of the foods present can have a beneficial, albeit transformative effect on the mind and body. They promise it won't last long, but if you're really concerned there is hard tack and water available that's quite filling.
Changes from Food will last a few hours at most. There are several options available among the drinks and foods. These may be combined as the player sees fit. Drinks have mental effects, while Treats have physical ones, the Trenchies will inform:
Pomegranate Juice: Sweet and tart, anyone who drinks it or has some of the fresh pomegranate and seeds will feel compelled to speak nothing but the truth. Pomegranates are found littering makeshift shrines to Bauphomette throughout the party, and Trenchies insist they are free to take.
Petal Infused Hot Tea: Pungent and aromatic, it is relaxing. The heat gives a warmth and vibrancy that fills a person with confidence, to the point of arrogance and fearlessness, leading the emboldened to try something that they might not otherwise do, even if it's very risky!
Floral Iced Tea: While refreshing, it feels like there's something just a little lacking, and anyone who drinks some will feel that they need more but not what they need more of at first, making them clingy and affectionate towards other people, especially strangers.
Iced Water: It's not the tastiest, but has a way of washing things away. Water can cleanse and remove the effects of other drinks, though it leaves the person feeling emotionally drained if it is used this way.
Floral Spring Rolls: Trying one of these surprisingly edible treats will have the added effect of giving a person plant traits temporarily. Hair may convert into tresses of ivy or carefully manicured moss, or perhaps a mushroom cap! Skin might become bark-like or chlorophyl green. The more that one eats, the more that they change.
Gelatinous Sweets: These curiosities come with a note. “Have you ever wondered what it is like to walk in someone's shoes?” Eating one has a profound physical effect, causing a person's appearance to transform into that of another person in Trench! It may not even be someone they've met, or seen yet! It would be awkward to meet someone, not looking the way you're supposed to, or worse? Looking like them!
Edible Flower Cookies: They come with lovely notes saying “Eat Me!” What could be sweeter? Well, like something out of Alice and Wonderland, eating one can cause a person to grow or shrink by a foot. More cookies can cause the height difference to become worse and worse, though if you're only a foot tall, it's a good way to end up an inch tall! So, maybe eating more to fix the problem is risky.
Hard Tack: Like the water, it can fill the stomach and remove prematurely any physical effects, though if it does so, removing a physical change physically drains the character.
This is, in fact, because they are. The Wild Moon is about and festivities are in full swing throughout the month of Bauphomette. May poles are set up and it is possible to dance around one if you should wish. Doing so can help to ground oneself in their current form, which may help new arrivals settle in a bit better. Even ignoring that, it feels good to sing and dance, and everyone is very friendly. Even the usually grim Hunters who guard the roads and entries to the shores seem to have less stern smiles on their faces, though their eyes are ever watchful to keep the peace of the festivities.
Decorations this month are decidedly floral in nature. Everyone is dressed in white, regardless of their usual preferences. Flowers adorn many of the people of Trench and the weather throughout the first week of May is pleasant. Even if it rains, it is a refreshing, light and pleasant rain, and there are many awnings and umbrellas to take shelter underneath.
And of course, there's refreshments. What festival in Trench would be without them? The foods this month have a very floral theme to them. Edible flowers have been grown and prepared especially for this time of year. They've been used to help create infused and gelatinous sweets, Floral spring rolls and edible flower cookies and the like, along with floral teas that are meant to calm the mind. Additionally, the people of Trench will note that any of the foods present can have a beneficial, albeit transformative effect on the mind and body. They promise it won't last long, but if you're really concerned there is hard tack and water available that's quite filling.
Changes from Food will last a few hours at most. There are several options available among the drinks and foods. These may be combined as the player sees fit. Drinks have mental effects, while Treats have physical ones, the Trenchies will inform:
Pomegranate Juice: Sweet and tart, anyone who drinks it or has some of the fresh pomegranate and seeds will feel compelled to speak nothing but the truth. Pomegranates are found littering makeshift shrines to Bauphomette throughout the party, and Trenchies insist they are free to take.
Petal Infused Hot Tea: Pungent and aromatic, it is relaxing. The heat gives a warmth and vibrancy that fills a person with confidence, to the point of arrogance and fearlessness, leading the emboldened to try something that they might not otherwise do, even if it's very risky!
Floral Iced Tea: While refreshing, it feels like there's something just a little lacking, and anyone who drinks some will feel that they need more but not what they need more of at first, making them clingy and affectionate towards other people, especially strangers.
Iced Water: It's not the tastiest, but has a way of washing things away. Water can cleanse and remove the effects of other drinks, though it leaves the person feeling emotionally drained if it is used this way.
Floral Spring Rolls: Trying one of these surprisingly edible treats will have the added effect of giving a person plant traits temporarily. Hair may convert into tresses of ivy or carefully manicured moss, or perhaps a mushroom cap! Skin might become bark-like or chlorophyl green. The more that one eats, the more that they change.
Gelatinous Sweets: These curiosities come with a note. “Have you ever wondered what it is like to walk in someone's shoes?” Eating one has a profound physical effect, causing a person's appearance to transform into that of another person in Trench! It may not even be someone they've met, or seen yet! It would be awkward to meet someone, not looking the way you're supposed to, or worse? Looking like them!
Edible Flower Cookies: They come with lovely notes saying “Eat Me!” What could be sweeter? Well, like something out of Alice and Wonderland, eating one can cause a person to grow or shrink by a foot. More cookies can cause the height difference to become worse and worse, though if you're only a foot tall, it's a good way to end up an inch tall! So, maybe eating more to fix the problem is risky.
Hard Tack: Like the water, it can fill the stomach and remove prematurely any physical effects, though if it does so, removing a physical change physically drains the character.
WHEN: May
WHERE: Throughout Trench
CONTENT WARNINGS: Paranoia, existential dread, hallucinations, possession-related horror.
WHERE: Throughout Trench
CONTENT WARNINGS: Paranoia, existential dread, hallucinations, possession-related horror.
They warned you about mirrors. Every once in a while, one of the locals in Trench might have whispered it, made a sign of warding when they passed by mirrors, but nothing seemed out of place. They told you that you might see yourself in it, and you would never be the same. However, every time you've looked it's been fine. So, maybe they were being superstitious about something? It certainly wouldn't have been the first time someone had gotten paranoid about nothing in Trench, would it?
How wrong you were. Maybe it was when you were looking down at a puddle rippling in a light breeze. It might have been a formerly polished piece of bronze covered in tarnish that adorned a building. Perhaps it was that lovely bit of obsidian in the shop where you caught your reflection garbled by the shape. It happens only when a reflection is seen in a distorted surface, especially those that are naturally occurring, though occasionally damaged and weathered surfaces that were polished will work. When you were looking at the image, it seemed to look back at you and something was wrong, distorted, imperfect. By then it was too late.
The natives were right. You saw some part of yourself there in the mirror. It might be something that you've hidden from others for a long time, or it might be an exaggeration of a single part of yourself that you aren't proud about. What it is, is a distorted and incomplete part of yourself, something that you try to keep controlled and in check, and it was there, smiling at you and winking. The moment it winked, it was like you were riding in your own skin, watching and unable to act as you changed into a self that reflected that distorted, unnatural and incomplete side of yourself. What shadows do you hide from yourself?
This effect lasts for, at most, one solar cycle. From the rising of the sun to its setting, or the moon to its setting, the effect can last no longer than that. Especially strong-willed people, particularly palebloods, can end this effect sooner through force of will, though it usually lasts at minimum an hour. The character is, for the duration of this effect, changed in personality to behave in accordance with some singular aspect (of the player's choice) of their personality that they do not usually focus on in their day to day behavior. This change can be subtle, or it can be drastic and even dangerous. Its goal is to make sure that everyone sees and witnesses this change, and goes out of its way to impact others in a memorable fact, making sure that they see there is more to the character than what they are revealing. This could be relatively innocuous or extremely dangerous, depending on the person, and the whole while the dominant personality is riding inside their skin, forced to watch what is happening.
How wrong you were. Maybe it was when you were looking down at a puddle rippling in a light breeze. It might have been a formerly polished piece of bronze covered in tarnish that adorned a building. Perhaps it was that lovely bit of obsidian in the shop where you caught your reflection garbled by the shape. It happens only when a reflection is seen in a distorted surface, especially those that are naturally occurring, though occasionally damaged and weathered surfaces that were polished will work. When you were looking at the image, it seemed to look back at you and something was wrong, distorted, imperfect. By then it was too late.
The natives were right. You saw some part of yourself there in the mirror. It might be something that you've hidden from others for a long time, or it might be an exaggeration of a single part of yourself that you aren't proud about. What it is, is a distorted and incomplete part of yourself, something that you try to keep controlled and in check, and it was there, smiling at you and winking. The moment it winked, it was like you were riding in your own skin, watching and unable to act as you changed into a self that reflected that distorted, unnatural and incomplete side of yourself. What shadows do you hide from yourself?
This effect lasts for, at most, one solar cycle. From the rising of the sun to its setting, or the moon to its setting, the effect can last no longer than that. Especially strong-willed people, particularly palebloods, can end this effect sooner through force of will, though it usually lasts at minimum an hour. The character is, for the duration of this effect, changed in personality to behave in accordance with some singular aspect (of the player's choice) of their personality that they do not usually focus on in their day to day behavior. This change can be subtle, or it can be drastic and even dangerous. Its goal is to make sure that everyone sees and witnesses this change, and goes out of its way to impact others in a memorable fact, making sure that they see there is more to the character than what they are revealing. This could be relatively innocuous or extremely dangerous, depending on the person, and the whole while the dominant personality is riding inside their skin, forced to watch what is happening.
WHEN: May
WHERE: Dream worlds
CONTENT WARNINGS: Existential dread, disturbing visions
WHERE: Dream worlds
CONTENT WARNINGS: Existential dread, disturbing visions
It happens when you are asleep one night. There is no warning for this effect, and it comes without apparent cause. One night, you go to sleep, and then suddenly you find yourself in a dreamscape, on a path. You can sense eyes on you the whole time that you are present in this field, and though they have a sense of benevolence to them, there is a deeply alien element to the experiment, almost like you are being observed by a scientist through a microscope. You are not alone on the path, either. One, or possibly more than one, other people that you may know or not know, they seem to have entered the same dreamscape. Behind you is nothing but shadow, and before you is a path. Might as well get going if you want to wake up, right? That's how these things work.
Introductions and questions aside, there's nothing but the path and dense, impenetrable woods on both sides, so eventually you and your companion start walking. As you do, shortly you see a branch in the path ahead of you. The fork has two paths, one of which shows the traffic of many feet, footprints grooved well into the worn cobblestones and mud. One of you will somehow recognize that the footprints are their own, and will notice that the other path has no footprints or very few. That is when the compulsion hits. It is inexorable and impossible to deny, the curiosity to see what is down the path that those footprints do not travel.
Travel, walk and taking that path, you will be treated to a vision. It is a moment in the dreamer's life, where they see something that happened in their life, which involved a choice. Did they go left or right? Did they say yes, or no? A choice they made, even one that seemed immaterial at the time, had some profound effect, and now you and they watch as the other choice was taken. And, within the hour, you will see the results, to your horror. Something terrible will happen to them. It could be anything, but it will be life-shattering, perspective altering and ghastly. They might even die from the experience or see a loved one die. The horror of it will still be in your hearts as you stand there for a moment, trapped in the sight of the aftermath, trying to come to terms with what you have just seen, and just at this moment, after a few parting words are said, both will wake up in a cold sweat.
The event that plays out can be from either character. Close CR is not required. Bauphomette has summoned the characters into the dream directly, and is sharing a distorted mirror of an opposite choice that could have been made. Actual “What if” canon events such as alternate timelines in Supernatural could be used for this, or the entire event can be concocted for this scene. The characters themselves are witnesses, and cannot be personally harmed in any physical way, but the horrific ending for the 'vision' version of the one whose dream this can be as awful as desired and take any form wished so long as it is unpleasant. Please be aware and mindful of each other's Content Warning Preferences in setting these scenes up.
Introductions and questions aside, there's nothing but the path and dense, impenetrable woods on both sides, so eventually you and your companion start walking. As you do, shortly you see a branch in the path ahead of you. The fork has two paths, one of which shows the traffic of many feet, footprints grooved well into the worn cobblestones and mud. One of you will somehow recognize that the footprints are their own, and will notice that the other path has no footprints or very few. That is when the compulsion hits. It is inexorable and impossible to deny, the curiosity to see what is down the path that those footprints do not travel.
Travel, walk and taking that path, you will be treated to a vision. It is a moment in the dreamer's life, where they see something that happened in their life, which involved a choice. Did they go left or right? Did they say yes, or no? A choice they made, even one that seemed immaterial at the time, had some profound effect, and now you and they watch as the other choice was taken. And, within the hour, you will see the results, to your horror. Something terrible will happen to them. It could be anything, but it will be life-shattering, perspective altering and ghastly. They might even die from the experience or see a loved one die. The horror of it will still be in your hearts as you stand there for a moment, trapped in the sight of the aftermath, trying to come to terms with what you have just seen, and just at this moment, after a few parting words are said, both will wake up in a cold sweat.
The event that plays out can be from either character. Close CR is not required. Bauphomette has summoned the characters into the dream directly, and is sharing a distorted mirror of an opposite choice that could have been made. Actual “What if” canon events such as alternate timelines in Supernatural could be used for this, or the entire event can be concocted for this scene. The characters themselves are witnesses, and cannot be personally harmed in any physical way, but the horrific ending for the 'vision' version of the one whose dream this can be as awful as desired and take any form wished so long as it is unpleasant. Please be aware and mindful of each other's Content Warning Preferences in setting these scenes up.
no subject
"D? Like the letter?" the teen clearly wants to be sure she heard that right and there'll be a long enough pause to confirm it. It's not judging exactly. Many people use aliases. And she's soon to move on to the other question.
"I suppose that depends on what you mean by 'different'. I wasn't a squid before." Even months on there's still a bit of a scowl about this feeling of a 'natural form'. "I'd call it really different. But it had its own dangers and horrible monsters. But not everything is unfamiliar to me."
Gaia sighs and crosses her arms again, though this seems to be to cover a play of emotion that still shows on her face. Whatever horrors and monsters were present on her world, she does seem to have some sort of regret for not being there instead of here.
"What about you? Though I guess you couldn't have seen much yet if you just arrived." The teen both asks the question and seems to find her own answer to it quickly enough. "Did anyone cover the basics for you? Like how we're Sleepers, and the Omni and the blood thing?"
no subject
The comment about not having been a squid before isn't quite enough to bring an expression to D's face, but he does look away from Gaia for a moment to look at other people at the party.
Different, but with its own dangers and horrible monsters sounded like an apt way to describe this world and his own. The way the humans in this town regarded the world outside Trench was very similar to the way many viewed their dangerous homes in the Frontier. "The welcoming committee explained them. Blood as a valuable commodity is a familiar concept, and there was once technology similar to the Omni in my world as well."
no subject
Gaia wrinkles her nose a bit on hearing D's familiar enough with blood being a valuable commodity, presumably on whatever world he came from. "At least you got the gist. One of the important things to remember is that sometimes there's going to be things that can only be killed with a blood-enhanced weapon. And not all blood types are capable of enhancement."
The teen's looking over the tall man. Silent, mysterious... doesn't seem to have any outward emotions. And Gaia isn't the type that can easily read people. So there's a touch of frustration (at herself) when she finally outright asks.
"You can fight? I mean I suppose anyone looking at you might expect that but for all I know you're the scholarly sort."
....Who admittedly can also fight really well in a lot of cases on her world but she's just going to ignore that small fact to uphold her point.
no subject
"I'm a Vampire Hunter, if that word means anything to you." It might not. The idea of a world without Vampires was not a strange one, it was the way his world was inevitably going to be. But one where that wasn't even a word that people knew... what might such a place be like, he wondered.
"I suppose I will hunt here, too." The thought that this was a place where he might be something else was there, but fleeting. "What do those with other types of blood that don't work for enhancement do?"
no subject
Tall, forboding, probably not someone you want to run across on a dark night...
"Vampire?" Gaia does look confused, thoughtful and finally furrowing her brow in deep thought. "I... don't think so? But I can't say I have the best memory." The teen shrugs her shoulders. "It was a problem even before I came here." Maybe D has heard that. Some people don't come out of the sea with their memories in the best order.
"I suppose vampires probably weren't a huge issue for my world if I can't remember them. But it sounds like anything's possible here. And there's certainly a lot of other threats to hunt."
Gaia crosses her arms again. "Well, as long as whatever reason you hunted them on your world exists here too I guess." Being questioned about blood brings her attention away from the limited theorycrafting.
"Well there's a lot of different kinds. For the Sleepers, there's Warmblood. That's the type that are Sleepers, but don't seem to have any blood magic besides Omens. They come here with whatever they had from their world but that's about it. Oh, and it doesn't really cause any blood pollution. And I heard it's used in some transfusions, stuff like that."
She'll certainly be continuing if not stopped, but it seems a little obvious that she'll ramble a bit and probably isn't the best authority on the subject, other than what she's needed to learn about the 'rules' of this place.
no subject
The information she had wasn't quite what D was looking for, but at least she'd said enough for him to know there was something to look into. This wouldn't be the first time his weapon had proven inadequate for a task.
"It seems I have some things to learn before I take up hunting here." D also needed to feel out the full extent of changes between this body and the one he remembered, aside from just his blood. Going into a fight only to find his reflexes and strength were different as well could easily end in disaster for more than himself.
This time, D felt the uncontrolled change coming on a moment before it happened, and was able to close his eyes and bring a hand up to his mouth and turn his head away. It was not as easy to force back down, this time, leaving D to remain in that pose for several moments. The young man remained perfectly still until he tilt his head down so the wide brim of his hat would conceal the unpleasant expression on the parts of his face unhidden by his hand.
no subject
After all it's not at all unheard of for creatures from someone's previous world to show up in Trench. Last month...
Maybe the girl doesn't really appreciate the threat a vampire is. It's true she can't in that sense. But the reality is that she's lived in a world that deals with an entity that is possibly just as terrible. Worse? Well that'll take more knowledge to judge.
With a serious look, Gaia's got her attention on D, nodding and looking a little apologetic. "I'm sorry. I know there's a lot of people who know more than me. And they'll be able to give you the details you probably want. I--"
With a start, the teenager's eyes widen as some sort of reaction overcomes the vampire hunter. It's pretty clear there's something going on otherwise why suddenly hide away? There was nothing she was aware that caused it. With some understandable concern she steps closer, reaching out as if to touch his arm with a gesture of compassion.
"D? Are you alright? You're not filling ill are you?" He was holding a drink earlier wasn't he? What was in that drink? There's a few suspicious ones floating around...
no subject
"I'm not ill." It took less than a moment to weigh his desire to not talk about the subject against the risk of well-meaning but potentially disastrous attempts to help. "Remaining myself has been difficult since I arrived. It's better to leave me alone when my other face has come out."
He preferred to keep his right hand unoccupied. D would just have to risk being offered more refreshments due to the absence of any sign he was enjoying himself at the party.
"I would suggest you find someone more suitable to question about Vampires, but that's unlikely, here. It would be a shame to ruin anyone's good time with such a grim subject. If you're still curious later, I'll answer your questions then." D said, once again outwardly tranquil. It was as close to an admission that he appreciated the cheerful atmosphere as he was going to get.
no subject
So while she quickly withdraws her hand and pauses to wait for him to speak, her expression doesn't show signs of being offended he'd pulled away from the show of concern.
Gaia's experiences from her world set aside, she's been in Trench for a few months now. D mentions he's struggling to remain himself and seems to be stepping away, she's going to take some practical cautions. Like giving him space.
"Alright." She firmly takes a few more steps back but hasn't quite made to leave. Not yet. "Just to be sure, this is danger about you from your world, is it? Not because of struggles folk are having when they wash up on shore?" 'Form' has been an issue for many who came to shore this wave.
Gaia doesn't really look any less of a teenage girl. She isn't suddenly this wise old soul dropping the pretense. She really is a sixteen year old (ish) girl. But she seems to have a practical approach. So perhaps she's seen some stuff.
"You seem like you're a nice person. Enough to care about others. So if there's something I can do to help now or you can tell me later, I want to hear it. And I hardly know where there's going to be someone I can learn more about these vampires of yours than a vampire hunter." That's said a bit tartly.
"And if I can't help you, you should find someone that can. Out of control natures and emotions. This place really feeds on them. I don't want you to end up doing something you're going to regret."
no subject
"Being different has made being myself different, if that makes sense. The sudden change is unpleasant, if you have the misfortune to see it, you'll understand why I avoid it. The best thing you can do to help me with it is do nothing at all." It was a misleading answer, perhaps. Despite what he implied, there was no physical discomfort. Now he was not just light and dark, but a Sleeper as well. D was out of balance. He wasn't the only person he had observed having sudden changes in appearance, but he was having more difficulty adapting than he felt he should. Perhaps too long in the same life had made him complacent.
D appreciated a practical, pragmatic outlook. It was common enough on the Frontier, away from large cities where humanity still faced enough danger that children were raised to survive rather than to simply enjoy themselves.
"You could worry the information I give you is biased. I do kill them for very large sums of money." D countered to her comment about not knowing where to find someone who could teach her more about vampires than he could, a hint of dry, teasing humor in his voice. "Or you spend your time learning about the dangers here instead."
no subject
"Oh, I see." Well as much as she can. She's understanding that becoming a Sleeper changes things for a lot of people. There's a wrinkle of her nose and she offers genuine sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear you have to go through that. And I'll keep that in mind. Unless it's causing danger for someone else anyway. But otherwise, I won't pry."
Very practical, but also clearly the type that'd step in if she has to. Gaia's also clearly not the type to stand aside and let things run their course. Crossing her arms, she explains a bit more.
"I know how annoying it is to have people constantly insisting they want to help you, so I won't do that." In fact whatever events led to that with her she still sounds a bit exasperated about. "But I admit... I needed it when it was my turn. So I hope if something bad happens to you, you're able to get the help you need."
She looks up sharply, peering at D suspiciously as if she can't believe what she just heard. "What.... was that humor?" There's a bit of a huff that follows though Gaia's also hiding a bit of a smile. "You know all information's biased right? I'm not so naive that I'm going to take everything someone says at face value."
When she shakes her head again, the tone and the words that follow suggest that she's about to give D the space he seems to be politely requesting.
"I'm always trying to learn something new about how to live here in Trench. You better remember to do the same. I imagine there's far worse than your vampires here."
Besides the monsters, there's the horrors that can only come from the darkest depths of one's own mind.
"I'll be seeing you around, D." Don't think you're off the hook here, Gaia seems to be saying. While she'll pause long enough for an exchange of parting, she'll turn to leave if there's nothing else holding her.
no subject
He also wasn't one to prolong a conversation someone else was trying to leave unless they had something he needed. D understood manners and courtesy, but he rarely bothered with them.
So when Gaia offered her goodbye, D didn't respond with any parting words. Just a nod to acknowledge he agreed there was nothing more to be said at that moment before he turned to continue on in the direction he'd been going before he nearly bumped into her.