August Test Drive Meme!

[reddosmod]

AUGUST 2022 TDM

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: Hands making a fish net]
[Image Two: A Skyrim Mudcrab staring menacingly]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Dingy, empty and creepy old backroom]
[Image Two: Cryptic, Creepy words scribbled on yellow wallpaper]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Skull on top of book]
[Image Two: Book with pages shaped like a whirlpool]

[NAVIGATION]

TDM Questions • Reserves • Taken • Applications • Full Navigation

[Jump to Comments]

STANDARD ARRIVAL

WHEN: First Week of September
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk
CONTENT WARNINGS: Monstrous Crabs, Environmental Threat

---

Normally, the people of Trench would say that September is a fortunate time for sleepers to arrive at it's shores. However, the aftermath of the violent and inconsistent storms in the last month continue to batter the city. The waters are choppy, though they are beginning to calm. The swim is difficult and unsafe, waves threatening to crash unwitting squids into the rocks. It is unlikely to be fatal, but many arrive battered and bruised, gasping as they awaken from their squid form.

Hopefully, you've found something to wear, either in your Welcoming Bag or otherwise, and can start familiarizing yourself with your surroundings. Maybe you help some other squids out on the beach. Waking up sucks! You feel for the little guys. And hey, maybe you're hoping one of those squids is a good friend...Stranger things have happened.

SEASONAL DETAILS ON THE BOARDWALK
With theme music! The weather is awful, and so the mood of the beach is a bit more subdued than on other occasions. Food is hearty and dry, easily packaged in oilcloth, and containing mostly hard tack, mushrooms and dried, cured fish. Bottles of water are included with the food, enough to ensure that the sleepers are well fed, and enough packets are offered for a few days in case they need them, but they are certainly not the most flavorful or exotic, reflecting much more the day to day food of Trench.

The people leading the waking are gathered and huddled around makeshift structures and lean-tos to deal with the awful weather along the coast during this period. Sleepers are brought here, to fires to warm. Among those who are present are the fishermen and women who work at the docks. They, along with several of the Architects from in town, have set up booths. Though they do not demand it of anyone, they politely hint that in the season of change, it is good to learn new trades and to find a place in this strange world the sleepers have been brought to. As part of this, they are willing to offer a chance for the sleepers to help craft fishing nets and other gear for those who will brave the waters to bring back food in the season.

The task is arduous and taxing, but it is not without reward. To those who choose to participate, one of the fishermen will approach them and wordlessly drop a waterlogged box into their lap. It looks dilapidated and in poor condition, but they will say nothing more, staring off into the sea from which it was dredged. When the sleeper opens it, they will find that there is one additional item within the box, which might have been included in their welcome bag normally. If pressed, the fisherman will only say that they found it dredged up along the shores in the midst of their work.

For those who brave the coasts or the waters, there is an increased threat of monstrous presence, though nothing compared to the prior month. Poisonous crabs lurk along the edges of the waterways. Much larger versions of small crabs known to live in caves along the shore, these beastly adult versions stand about three feet tall, and have particularly strong pincers which secrete a hallucinogenic venom. Victims of it are prone to paranoid delusions of danger around every corner, and known for mistaking those around them as threats. The crabs are themselves carnivorous to boot, so they are certainly a threat on their own, though they are very much killable, and supposedly very good eating. Bring in some crab meat, and it should be good to trade for additional food and supplies this month, if you dare! As with their lesser cousins, the venom of these crabs is particularly dangerous to the psychically sensitive, Palebloods and Darkbloods.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

LOST BETWEEN STEPS

WHEN: August 31st-September 29, January 2, February 4, March 6, April 8, June 10, July 12, October 20, November 1, December 24
WHERE: Somewhere, you're not certain where
CONTENT WARNINGS: Labyrinth, Liminal Horror, Severe Disorientation, Autophobia, Monster Horror, Fear of Falling

---

You just took one step back. That's all. A step backwards while you weren't paying attention, and the sensation of falling assailed you. With a grunt, you found yourelf landing hard, but not hard enough to actually break or turn anything. Around you is a carpeted space. There are old, stained wallpaper walls on every side, set up in variable sized cubicle spaces that look like they should be occupied by an office of some sort. Everything smells like mold, stale and sharp. The carpet is a little bit moist and the wallpapers all seem to be hiding hints of mildew. It feels familiar, but even if you have been in this "place" before it is not quite the same. The wallpaper shades are not exactly right. It always feels like you should know it, but you cannot quite place it.

You are not alone in this place. Another seems to have fallen in this place, thank god because the muffled sounds of these halls are already getting oppressive. The electric hum of fluorescent are buzzing in your ears like a plague of locusts and you can practically feel the migraine coming from the unremitting light, but you dare not take shelter to let your eyes rest in the gaps in the lighting. It feels like there is something there. You should probably be leaving, though that's where the problem really begins. No method seems to clearly work. There are no identifiable features to pick out. After several turns, you might find yourself facing impossibly thin hallways or a dead end. Attempts to keep track of your passage with writing, torn wallpaper and balls of twine fail, as it becomes increasingly and inconsistently disorientating, inevitably causing the lead to be lost, or worse? It might seem to be going the wrong direction. Did someone move it? Magic compasses, even those given by the Pthumerians do not work in this "place" This should not be possible, but it is true.

An hour in, because it always takes longer than that, or does it? Time can be hard to keep track of and omnis don't tell time properly here. Whatever, an hour in, and the need to get out of this place will be getting to those trapped within. They do not belong here, and must escape. The harder you run, the more that the dank odor gets under the skin, worsening even if you should not be able to smell it. Occasional items can be found, but all are useless. If you are fortunate, perhaps you will eventually find a hole in the floor. But, looking down it, you cannot see the bottom. Do you dare leap down, not knowing the end? If you do, the passage seems to go far too long to be healthy. The rush of air and the feel of fraying wallpaper comes until you find yourself deposited on the ground of Trench, in front of the statue of the Tower, or in front of the gates of Gaze.

The less fortunate may finally find writing on the walls. Someone else has been in this place. But, as the cryptic words proclaim the need to S̵̨̡̟̗̰̝͚̲̦̗͔̥̞̈͂̆̿̐́̅̓͐͝T̸̠̥̰̭͎͙̮̬͋̀͛̓̽̚Ā̷̧̮̣̪̤̠̫̤͔̩̥̾̊̍̊̀̇͋̍̚͜͝͝Y̶͓̟̍̆̍ ̴̭̲̀͘͝S̵̨͖̩̻̰͇͎̠̻͚͓̱͇̭͖͒̋͆̀͐͋̾̆͝͝T̴̮̹̫̞̘̈́̏̐̒̋̎͛̂̽̅Ĩ̵͙̖̟̥̤̲̆̈́́͘ͅͅL̵͖̣̫̙̹̊͜L̷̫̠̒̽͌͘͠. A ghastly sound erupts from behind you, complete with unnatural, horrid breathing. Steps come towards you unnaturally fast. If you move, look to turn, there is a vision of something black moving into your field of vision, just before a bone-crushing force claims life and in the next moment you wake, screaming at the feet of the gates to Gaze, or the Tower's statue. Remain absolutely still, and the puff of a breath, the smell of cow hair and breath grazes over the shoulder before eventually storming away behind, until the sound is gone, and the unlucky are left to continue searching until they find a hole leading out.


NOTES:
1. Any step backwards can cause someone to end up between places, participating in this event. Exiting requires either falling through one of the holes in the floor or being killed by the unnamed creatures residing between spaces.
2. If a character dies in this event, they do not undergo normal death effects. They awaken in one of the locations indicated, gasping for breath. While harrowing, and possibly a source of nightmares for the next few days, not to mention chills for an hour or two, there is no further apparent harm.
3. It is possible to encounter this prompt throughout the year. At one random, unpredictable day each month (listed above), the space between spaces is accessible. A person could theoretically fall in on that day, following the rules as above.
4. Mapping the space between spaces is difficult, but not impossible. Perhaps there are other locations within the labyrinthian mass, but for now at least they are not findable.
5. If the natives are asked about this place, they will make a warding sign and refuse to speak of them. At most, they will say something about the "veins of the tower."

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

ABSOLUTE IMMERSION

WHEN: Last Week of August through all of September
WHERE: Gaze, and somewhere else
CONTENT WARNINGS: Possible Life-threatening experiences, Distorted Realities, Fourth Walling, Content Depending upon the Canon Referenced

---

As the month of September approaches, and Mariana shows signs of having cooled in her wrath, the people of Trench begin to relax once again. Hoping to keep level heads and to promote learning, the Arcane Scholars of Gaze have opened the private stores of more rare texts from the Archaic Archives. Trundling carts of books are being brought out by roped and masked individuals who kindly offer one to anyone who wishes to partake. They limit each guest to three, though they seem happy to trade a book for a book, so it's always possible to get more. They ask only that the books be returned by the end of the month for cleaning and maintenance. Whispers among the Disciples still with ruffled feathers at Mariana's wrath are that this is Never Mind's way of reasserting himself after strange magical books have been found around town. No Arcane Scholar will acknowledge such gossip, however.

The books seem harmless enough. What is wrong with a little light reading? The fiction within is quite enthralling, though after a page or two, a creepy familiarity to the book's contents comes to whoever reads. There is a sense of deja vu, and only when it is too late do they realize that it feels like they are reading the memories and recollections of someone else, perhaps someone that they know! In that moment, they will feel an inexorable pull as the book seems to literally suck them into it, along with anyone unlucky enough to be next to them!

Those who read these magical books will find themselves trapped in an event within another canon reality. The intent, of course, is to broaden their horizons and experiences, to teach moral lessons through new memories, but as always Never Mind seems not to understand the possible perils. The scenario that they find themselves in, which may be of any canon, is always one of immediate and very real peril, a time in which the character's life is put into immediate and very real peril. They have to prevail or flee successfully to escape the chapter and end the book, though for their troubles it is quite possible that they might bring something back with them. Hopefully it's nothing dangerous!

NOTES:
1. Any Canon may be used, including canons not present in the game. Players are encouraged to use their imaginations, though it is worth being aware that the entirety of the Cthuluh Mythos may be found among these collections, should one wish to utilize these books.
2. There is an actual physical threat that is present in whatever scene is viewed. If it is necessary, a threat is fabricated from the fringes of the memory, even if this changes the canonical scene. It is a real threat and can cause death or harm. However, these threats are killable through all normal fashions, and can be escaped by clever captives. Once escaped or defeated, the sleeper is deposited out of the book.
3. The books are absolutely indestructible, and even if the sleeper does not return them, ravens will break into their home (ruining a window and making a mess) to retrieve all books by the end of September. Multiple books can be enjoyed throughout the month.
4. Items retrieved may be anything from any canon which does not count as a significant power acquisition. Weapons can be brought, though they will be mundane once they emerge in Trench. Players are limited to retrieving one item from another canon per character during the month.

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Comments

jinx — arcane.

[opheliac]

i. arrival... again. — ❝these burning flames, these crashing waves. wash over me like a hurricane.❞

I summoned you, please come to me
Don't bury thoughts that you really want
I fill you up, drink from my cup
Within me lies what you really want.

(there's mix feelings about being a squid. on one hand, it's peaceful and one wouldn't need to care for many things in the world -- to simply wash away the suffering. but on the other side of it... wait. does this seem familiar somehow? has she swam through these waters before? no, she is just overthinking this. the current is helping her along, however -- gradually getting closer to the shore which is rather curious. it's something different than the big ocean of nothingness and maybe it'll give her some new excite... no, no!! she recognizes all of this. and unlike the previous time, the waters are violent and it's difficult for this squid to swim (it's horrid at it in the first place)

this squid is being tossed around; bumping between boulder to boulder. can a squid squeak and wince in pain? because this one definitely is while it's getting all bruised up underneath the sea. even with the waters being so wild, she tries to remember herself. the squid seems to recall that she needed to do that but maybe she did this a little too quickly as she violently shifts to her human form. long blue hair spread wide under the waters, pinks widen before shutting tightly as she accidentally swallows the ocean. it fills her lungs so drastically and she panics; thrashing in hope to reach the surface or air. and by each second, jinx is weakening and her mind fades to a slow silence as she begins to fall in unconsciousness.)

(the waters push her on the shore -- she made it a bit bruised but isn't moving. jinx lies still in her full form; bare with her long locks lay out along the sand. is this how she dies? she had always wondered when will be her final day and how it would be like. huh, she had imagined she would die alone, sad and predictable.)
━━

ii. lost between steps — ❝my mind's like a deadly disease.❞

I pace around for hours on empty
I jump at the slightest of sound.
And I couldn't stand the person inside me
I turned all the mirrors around.

(there's beauty when it comes to falling. it's similar to flying except it's backwards instead of forward. and she wonders if this fall is how "powder" felt when she fell down that deep well. To have the world you knew to be out of reach each by each. the fall is fast but to jinx, it's steady and quiet, too. and it's then she sees a doll rabbit hovering just above her -- it seems to be falling, too. where did this doll come form? she...doesn't recall having it on her person or holding it. however it got here, jinx extends out a hand to reach for it. there's a lot of difference between to two so she knows it's down right impossible to touch but she couldn't help but to try anyway.

'when i was a kid, some guy took my favorite toy and threw it up there.'

her expression softens as she lowers her arm; shutting her eyes as she accepts this fall -- a fall that could be the end of everything for her.

'i used to come out here at night and stare at it. hoping maybe the wind or a bird might knock it down. we've all had bad days, but we learn. and we stick together.')

A. ( the fall itself wasn't that slow and neither was this said bunny anywhere in sight. it's just jinx's mind being cross-wired again; disorientating which is real or fiction. but she lands roughly on the said ground -- maybe on top of you if you like. but even if she didn't land on you, jinx is rather close by as she grunts out a "OOF!" once her back meets the ground. she doesn't stay on the floor for long before she climbs back on her feet then readjusting her clothes. her gaze it up from where she fell and then around. this place seems horribly familiar but not quite, either. it's then jinx finally notices you, face showing some suspicion at the fact someone else is here with her.)

... Got a marker on ya?
━━
B. (jinx has lost track of time and funny enough, she is also slowly losing her mind. she could had sworn she went down this path already -- is she really just going around in circles? a hiss hits her sharply in her ear as she spins back to it sharply.)

Shut up! — I'm tryin' to think!! Keep your mouth shut. I'm not in the mood for your input!

(she has to get out of here but maybe she can try a different method? they say you can find your way out of things like this if one would hug the wall. exhaling out a breath, jinx makes to the wall -- carefully to place her palm over it and away from the mildew as she tries again.)
━━

C. (out. out. out. out. she needs to get out. she's been having difficultly breathing and keep her voice leveled. her mind is scatter with so many voices overlapping one another. subconsciously, she listens to the ones that are crystal clear to her. 'this is your fault. you should had watched where you were going. you're going to die here. and it's YOUR fault. Jinx, Jinx, jinxed up again.'

whimpering, her hands is press hard over her head -- fingers curling tightly on her locks as her attempt to get them all to stop speaking. she even goes as far to hit herself over the head repeatedly with her lower palm. she is becoming overwhelmed again and it finally breaks her to drop on the floor. desperately, she pulls her legs up to her knees to a hold against her frame. steadily, she rocks back and forth with her head buries within her knees. they will go away in time, right? the voices? the monsters? this... place? someone please come out of the shadows and tell her it was all just a joke already.)
━━

iii. absolute immserion — ❝and you never see the lesson when it's right in front of your eyes.❞

Write this shit in your notebook, baby
Since you never wrote love letters to me
Don't forget all the things I taught you
You'll need it for someone who isn't me.

A. (quirking an eyebrow, jinx slowly takes the book away from the stranger's hand. she observes the stranger slowly and carefully. despite being once here already briefly, jinx still doesn't necessarily trust the people or her surrounds, yet. regardless though, she extends her arm out with the book in hand -- her head tilts from side to side to spot any title of said book or illustrator/writer on the cover. but sadly, there is none and casually, she cracks open the book to read the first page.)

B. (skipping along (when she's got no business to. there's monstrous things out here for goodness sake!) she is a little annoyed she is without any weaponry. but perhaps they got washed up on the shore, too. fishbones is a fish after all. jinx can only hope whoever is in charge of lost belongings will handle her things with care.

with your character now flipping a page in the book, she approaches with a wild grin on her face:)

Hey, hey! Whatcha readin'?

━━

vi. wildcard — ❝let me know what you want. your dark desires in your thoughts.❞

Run, run, run
I'm waiting.
Come, come, come
take it

( idk make some shit up and i will go with it. if you need to contact me for any reason, please PM this journal or private plurk buttlet)

2c!

[thatsmymagic]

[ In truth, Akko has been wandering for a while now. She's getting progressively more paranoid as she turns each corner, starting to feel panic well up in her chest. There's got to be a way out - there was a way in so there HAS to be a way out. But it's reached a sort of critical mass as she runs down this hallway, breathing in heavy gasps, and only barely skids to a halt before she trips over Jinx. ]

Oh! Oh, I'm not alone! Thank everything I'm not alone. [ She tries to steady her breathing, noticing that something is...wrong here. This person is not okay. Immediately, her concerns become cheering this person up, making them feel better. ] Hey, are you alright, can you hear me?

[opheliac]

(there are way too many voices for her to comprehend anything but there's a sound of a girl that seems to dominate throughout all of them. a voice that's looming over them and her. her eyes widen suddenly and she quickly turns -- autopiloting to reach for her pistol except... she doesn't have it. oh.

but although she is lacking a pistol, it doesn't stop jinx from abruptly standing straight and peer at the stranger with a hard look. a solider reaction and immediate ready for combat if need be. in seconds though, jinx loosens her muscles and relaxes a bit though still looking guarded.)

... Who are you?

[thatsmymagic]

[ Akko breathes a sigh of relief when her new best friend (anyone she finds here that isn't a monster is going to be her new best friend) leaps to her feet. It's a good sign that she can run and react, and it looks like she can fight, too, based on the wild gleam in her eyes. This person also looks tense, to say the least, so Akko puts her hands on her hips and smiles to try and lighten the mood. Thankfully, an unarmed 16 year old girl of Akko's caliber is about as non-threatening as you can get. ]

I'm Akko! I fell in here...uh...a while ago, I guess. I've been looking for a way out. [ She extends a hand for Jinx to shake if she wants. Never mind that her palms are sweaty from the panic that she's stuffing down. ] Do you want...could we maybe look for a way out together?

[opheliac]

(jinx exchange glances between her and her hand but nothing much else after that. instead, she just turns on her heel -- long braids following after and walks on. she isn't going to say "no" but if she wants tag along, she can.)

From the looks of it, everything's circling around. I tried usin' the walls and marking my way but it's just the same shit.

(...)

The name's Jinx.

(and that will be all this girl will get out of her.)

i.

[faceblocks]

[vi's morning walks are less brisk - she's become more careful in her searching - and the (predictable if you know what to look for) sparkler she carries is not lit.

she's had more business with this beach than the usual walks, the usual spars. she's screamed at the ocean on three occasions - once to take something back, another to do just the opposite - and a final, desperate plea for an even trade. just a squid for a squid, an eye for an eye, if you will.

it hadn't seemed to listen to either outburst, but it's hard to tell with the ocean. with mariana? same thing - both the easiest and the hardest of the pthumerians for her to understand. she's not sure if mariana ever listens - or if she's even capable of choosing to. (and if she could choose, would she? even bother?)

vi had circled that beach and the small cluster of rocks, sat in that pool, slept above it as her omen patiently watched, fang waiting and wandering as well while her sleeper slept - and continued the search once violet had been convinced to go home, even for just a little while.

it wasn't giving up if fang was still out there - and the omen had agreed, comforted her with words very close to the same, nudged her with a surprisingly gentle nose, and let vi cry into her fur.

the ocean doesn't hear me and jinx can't either.

she wonders now if she's wrong about that the moment she happens upon this (upon her) puddle of pale flesh and blue tendrils. stopped her in her tracks, she stands still only for a moment before she sprints, screaming her sister's name (both of them) and shoving past anything or anyone else that she finds in her way.

(it's a hallucination. a joke. a trick.

a hope.)

but that's soon replaced by rising dread. again. because yes, she's right - there's no mistaking this - that's powder, that's jinx - not a squid, but a girl - and she's so still where she'd always been in perpetual motion - fidgeting - or even the storm of her features shifting with her mood.]

Jinx? Jinx??!

[a beat - no, half a beat - there's no time for this, as she turns her sister over (which sister? is she the same? will she remember anything? or will she just leave again because you can't hold on to anything even with your big fat hands) and brushes the hair away from her face, an angry cry as she tries to remember what to do.

i know this. i can do this.

there's no time for her to clean her hands (and fuck it, they are from the undercity - what's a little dirt, a little blood as long as it isn't poison), so she opens her sister's mouth with those fingers once she's sure jinx is as flat on the sand as she can be - and impatiently checks for breath - she almost doesn't because it's fucking obvious to her there's no breath - but she can't let herself do this wrong - even if it is a test - even if it never matters - she isn't going to skip a step, because that's not what she was taught, and she's only a fumbling student at this.

yeah, no heartbeat. no heartbeat. no, no, no.]

No. Okay, come on. We're not doing this. Not like this.

[there's a fine line here - and there are days she doesn't know her own strength - days the blood is up and days its down - but those have evened out into enough of a baseline that she's confident she can make these compressions just forceful enough without breaking anything - and she counts them out as she goes, a determined count to thirty, staring down into that stilled face, its features looking ...peaceful. that hurts her heart - but she presses, counts, presses, no breaks - but she can't promise no bruising. clasped hands and her own breath caught, and still the girl is still

two breaths, it's easy.

tilting jinx's head back, pinching her nose shut and covering her mouth with her own, violet breathes once, watches for any rising of the chest - and failing that, she tilts just a fraction more before she breathes again.]

Jinx?

Pow-pow?

[opheliac]

(what would happen if she makes her way towards the light? is there a such thing as an afterlife? will vander and everyone else be there? maybe one day, she can meet vi there, too. and maybe...things will be back the way they use to. is there a certain ideal of what people believe the afterlife would look like? or maybe everyone gets their own little personal version of it.

'i almost drown in these waters...'

will he be there waiting for her? no. he was alive in this place and she was a fool for running off when he spoke to her. and now she regrets that day. it was her only shot to be with him again and wasted it. just like a curse that she is. maybe she deserves this. but whether someone is waiting by that light or what is beyond it, that discovery will not be today. in a flash, jinx begins to cough up water violently while gasping a large amount of air. she instantly curls up while trying to get all of her bearings down; her long slick hair mushed all over her face.)

(she senses someone with her but she isn't sure who just yet. but whoever this person is, jinx will immediately scoot to them and cling as she tries to get her breathing down. it's so damn cold out here for her and her body trembles in desperate for this person to give her warmth.)

[faceblocks]

[oh, how she wishes vander were here. and under a raw space of memory very recently scratched at, no matter how hard it tries to scab over it's just ...complicated feelings about silco. it's not that she wants him here, it's---

---fuck that. nope. she does not wish him here, not even the tiniest part of her (liar) - but it's easily ignored at the first stirring of jinx - the violent cough of seawater, the flail and curl and cling of arms around her - it's easy to be triumphant in that moment, that she gets to find her this time, not silco - it's a do-over, and she didn't fuck it up enough that jinx doesn't get a chance to at least breathe.

it hadn't been a taunt or a hallucination after all.

she'll let her cling for a moment, smoothing the hair away from her face, moving her cloak over the both of them until she can grab the robe she's kept in her bag. on the beach, she's more prepared this time.]

You're okay. It's gonna be okay. Just cough it all up, I've got you.

[and smaller, less sure, less confident and just raw]

I missed you.

[opheliac]

(just how much of the ocean did she swallow? it feels as if she gulped down the entire body of it with how much she is coughing up. her chest is burning but it's hearing her sister's voice then makes her peek up from hunching over to her.)

Vi...?

(her tone is in disbelief that she is here... well, still here, rather. jinx isn't sure how long she had been a squid and swimming around but there was a doubt in her heart lingering that maybe vi would be gone by the time she came back to the beach.)

You're still here.

(hopefully her saying this gives vi some kind of clarification that this jinx is the same jinx from before. the same one at the carnival with the plushies -- the same one that rode on fang's back and cheered.)

2c

[theinstigator]

[ For better or for worse, the young, curled-up woman is the closest, tangible thing to Ruby's home she's seen in a while.

Okay, yeah, maybe it's for worse.

She approaches slowly, obviously telegraphing her movements. Not silent, but not too loud either. She remembers the Pale repeater stations, and what they do to people. (What they did to her -- but Ruby can't go there, not right now.)

Ruby sits a few feet away, not close enough to reach out and touch her. Hopefully, it's what the girl thinks is a safe distance. Gently: ]

Hey. I'm -- [ a pause. names are too difficult right now, so: ] -- here to help. It's okay.

[opheliac]

(wait, there's someone else here? jinx slowly peeks up from her ball and sees a woman just a few feet away. anxiously, she bites on her bottom lip while cautiously watching her. is she truly here to help or is it a lie? or maybe she is a monster but shaped into a woman to lure her somewhere darker.

either way, she makes no effort to speak (yet) but tries to get a reading on this woman and her true intentions.)

[theinstigator]

[ That's good progress. Ruby doesn't move, except to nod once, a quiet good job. ]

Take your time.

[ She crosses her own legs, looking around at the decrepit, claustrophobic hallway that surrounds them. ]

This place is pretty fucking gross, though. Not your fault, of course, but man. These lights are harsher than a badly-tuned AM radio.

[ Which sucks, of course. Still, Ruby's found it's better to focus on things outside herself. Even bad noises don't hurt as much as what's in her own head. ]

[opheliac]

(her comment gets a very small smile out of her with a small adjust in her position but still keeping herself balled up.)

Y-Yeah. This place really blows. I've... tried all I can think of to get outta here. N-None of them worked.

(if she had her explosions maybe she can just pull a pin and blow up a wall to make her own exit. but... she is without any sort of weaponry.)

ii lost b

[melodramatrauma]

[Double Trouble wasn't exactly having any fun wandering around and looking at the same drab walls. At least before when they were being held in a castle there was something of a few, and there was the princess to entertain her. If something didn't change soon they were going to die from the boredom of having to stare at such hideous decor. Though the latest show was something entertaining, Double Trouble was only sorry that they weren't in on knowing just what the other voices were saying or had a face to go with them.

That would have made for something spectacular.]

But I have just a few notes, it'll be quick really.

[With a step sideways Double Trouble suddenly took on the exact likeness of Jinx.]

These hallways all the same. We're going in circles. Grrrr. Stomp. stomp. stomp.

[Another turn and they're back to themselves.]

Ever think maybe that's what they want you do, drape a finger along their dingy floral walls. Looking for what's not there.

[opheliac]

(jinx is going to assume this is some lizardfolk because they are definitely not human. but other races and species are common in Zaun so at the sight of them, jinx barely gave them an odd look. but what she will do is peer over to them with irritation and a small scoff. "mylo" is enough already and she doesn't need another yammering in her ear while she's trying to think all of this through.)

Oh yeah? And what's YOUR plan, Lizzy?

[melodramatrauma]

Isn't it obvious. We look for what they're hiding.

(Stepping towards the side, Double Trouble kicked up the edge of the rug, shuddering a little at the dirt and dust that came up. It was clear that no one had been sweeping either. But if there were no doors in the wall, then the floor was the next best thing to check. After all, some of that stomping Jinx had been doing did sound awfully hallow.)

So what'll be Jellybean, keep watching the same boring production, or you wanna clear the carpet and see what's underneath?

[opheliac]

(hm. come to think of it, this lizard-like person might be onto something. there might be a trap door underneath the carpeting because honestly, who would check underneath it? any old person wouldn't think twice to do so. with her eyebrows raising, she then stomps, too.)

Huh! — Looks like you're not completely useless after all.

2a

[dohaeris]

[oh hey jinx it's your new best friend. sansa has found a spongy patch in the carpeting and is basting a thread to it in the hopes that it won't come untethered while she's winding her path through whatever these tunnels are. she's alone, without lady or her hounds or even any ravens, and the dank halls and harsh lighting make her skin crawl in a way that's entirely different from the bone catacombs she'd faced in her first month here. those had been like the crypts. this is something entirely foreign and unpleasant. if anything it reminds her of the damp of the fingers and the glare of the light in the eyrie. she reminds herself there is no actual danger, yet, though of course starvation and dehydration loom if she can't escape. she tries not to think about it. she wears one of her charcoal dresses with ravens embroidered at the skirts and shoulders.

when jinx falls more or less on top of her sansa's eyes glimmer with relief and recognition. she's glad to see jinx, and not only because vi's taken to camping out on the beach, and she is very glad not to be trapped in this tunnel alone. she knots the thread and snips it, grinning up at jinx as she slots the needle and shears back into their proper place on her chatelaine, the now-secure thread ending in a skein wound loosely around her wrist.]

I have chalk.

[she slides a small box out of a silver case on her chatelaine.]

Would you like white or green?

[opheliac]

(oh hi, she hates you. honestly, she is practically the last person she would want to get stuck down here with. maybe she's being a little unreasonable but there's just something about this girl that rubs her the wrong way. maybe it's because she speaks so elegantly. it reminds her of a certain cupcake she can't truly stand. or perhaps it's because she doesn't like how... close she seems to be with vi. jinx is okay with her big sister making acquaintances and all that, however, the two of them seem more than that.

hm. her eyes flicker at the small box in her hands before approaching her. right. toss the feelings aside for now because the two of them are in a more serious situation. )

How bright is the green? If it's too dark, it might be hard to notice.

[dohaeris]

[you can have more than one sibling, jinx, it's ok. sansa has at least five...in a move that some might call symbolic, sansa extracts a stick each of white and green, and offers them both to jinx with a small, rueful smile.]

I use white on dark colors, and green on light colors. You might take both and use them as you see fit.

[sansa is nothing if not adaptable, but she's never been able to fully disguise her noble carriage (that was always her own sister). she slides the box of chalk back into its case as her white raven omen comes swooping into view. she addresses him.]

Did you see a door anywhere?

['No,' he says. 'No traps or puzzles, either. But the further I went, the harder it was to remember where you were. I became...weary."

sansa frowns.]

It's Never Mind. He's a teacher. There should be some lesson, here. Unless it isn't his own doing...

[she considers this. most strange monthly occurrences had something to do with their patron's domain, even if the patrons themselves hadn't actually caused them to happen. but she's not sure what the cursed fruit had to with remina or history, though. and argonaut's awful disciples had been kidnapping people, apparently. but they said they were testing people's hope.

and never mind had helped her with the ravens, helping her finesse her abilities in order to steer them better and give them things to say. he wouldn't want her separated from them. would he? she can't feel them anywhere...she could try harder, but she doubts jinx wants her to sit and meditate right now. she glances back at jinx, her eyes sympathetic.]

Perhaps we're meant to explore this place, together. I don't think we have much to gain in staying where we are, anyway.

[opheliac]

(she will take both for now since she is offering it and then simply watches sansa have a conversation with her omen. the expression she wears appears bored but she is listening and being attentive. so according to her, this nevermind person or... being has some hand in this. and she does recall vi telling her that sometimes they have to go through "lessons".

if this is true and whatever being out there has been watching, it would make sense to have her and sansa be stuck here together and possibly force them to get along. which is an irritation upon itself. with a scoff and an eye roll, she flashes her a slight dirty look.)

Yeeeaaaah, I don't think that's happenin'. You can go one way and I can go another. And let's just hope we don't ever cross each other again.

iiib

[adaine]

[Adaine doesn't look up immediately, there's a distinct flash of annoyance at being interrupted in fact. Who goes up to someone reading and then decides to pull them out of it to socialize with them? Bizarre. Rude, even! But, Adaine's not rude, so eventually she allows her brain to mentally process the words that were said to her.]

...It's called the Girl In The Bubble. It's some kind of... fairy tale? [Uncomfortably close to her own trauma, though for the moment she's willing to pretend that's probably a coincidence.

Eventually, though, she glances up and blinks at the girl in front of her.]

...Jinx?

[She'd only known Jinx very briefly, of course, for the month and a half she'd even been in Trench, and they weren't exactly... friends? But Adaine had been strangely fond of her despite her... everything.

Vi's certainly going to be happy, at least.]

(OOC: Adaine had very brief CR with the Jinx that we had in game where they got trapped in a labyrinth together, I can edit that if you'd prefer not to deal with it!)

[opheliac]

(OOC: nah it's cool!! tbh, if i get accepted in, i was gonna have jinx do a network post about "YO so apparently ive been here before? who here knows me? tell me who u are" anyway. so you're good!)

("girl in the bubble"? sounds like a pretty lame story. because what can you write about beyond the fact the girl is in a bubble and stranded inside? but when this stranger says her name, jinx quirks an eyebrow with her hands on her hips.)

Yeeeaaahh...? That's me. What's it to ya?

(did vi yammer on about her to another person beyond sansa? it's still such a weird concept of people knowing her but her not knowing them. sure, she would want people to know her name but what's the point if she hadn't made her grand entrance yet? it takes the fun out of everything!!)

[adaine]

...Ah, right. [Memory issues... this seems to be a common enough occurrence lately. It might not even be the same person, really, or not the same iteration at any rate? There's two Himiko Togas last time she checked.

She frowns.]

I, um, kind of knew you when you were here before? Not very well, mind, I just let you make bombs in my lab. It's complicated, but sometimes people don't remember their time here when they wash back up.

[Jinx is a hard person to get to know well. At least that's her observations thus far.]

I'm Adaine. By the way. [She still hasn't... closed the book. Something makes her want to keep reading, even mid conversation.]

[opheliac]

(ah, yes. she had forgotten that this to be a possibility, too. there was mention jinx was here before (a few times actually?) which meant she might have had some "friends". or if she knew herself (which she feels she does), these "friends" were more so people of interest who she could use to her advantage to some degree.)

Oh really? Welllll — if that's the case and if we're acquaintances and all that, is that still up for grabs? The bombs in the lab thing. But nice to meetcha, Adaine. or Addy. Or Ears.