October Test Drive Meme!

[reddosmod]

OCTOBER 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: A snowy, rocky beach in winter. ]
[Image Two: Bowls of mushroom soup and bread. ]

Prompt Two
[Image One: Dali painting of the moon as a city]
[Image Two: Twisted, warped cityscape]

Prompt Three
[Image One: Monster choking a sleeping person to death]
[Image Two: Death hovering over a sleeping person]

BONUS PROMPT
[Image One: Liminal Space image of a nondescript room with strange ledges]
[Image Two: Cenobite woman with borg-like attachments to her face]

[NAVIGATION]

TDM Questions • Reserves • Taken • Applications • Full Navigation

[Jump to Comments]

STANDARD ARRIVAL

WHEN: First Week of NOvember
WHERE: The Farther Shores/The Boardwalk, Koz's Orphanage
CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A

---

You're one of the lucky ones. Your journey is smooth sailing and you wind up exactly where you're supposed to: on the Farther Shores. You grow out of your squid body without a hitch, either with the help of another Sleeper or one of the Wakers, and you get to discover this new world. All new Sleepers might take some time to find their bearings. It might be tricky to remember how to use your body parts the way you're supposed to. You might stumble around the beach or forget how to talk - but don't worry! It'll come back to you sooner or later.

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
This is not the greatest month to wash up on the Farther Shores. It's November and you'll pretty much immediately hate it! The waters are frigid but not quite frozen yet, but that won't make your arrival any less uncomfortable. Thankfully the Boardwalk seems well-stocked with heavy blankets and furs to give to newly awakened Sleepers. Barrels of hot chocolate and hot alcoholic cider are readily available to warm people up. There are several stalls selling hearty soups willed with mushrooms, potatoes, beans, and other filling components.

Fresh baked bread and pastries are sold on wax paper. Enjoy a steaming cinnamon roll or croissant or just your standard bread and butter. Many bakers have set up temporary stoves and seem to invite teaching Sleepers how to cook and prepare bread and pastries. Maybe knead some dough, learn some tricks of the trade. If you help out ab baker, they might even thank you with a sack of flour or other ingredients for bread!

Like last year, as the Moon shifts to Bone, whispers and hushed talk begins anew among the Trenchies about The Tower. There are whispers that something feels wrong. "You know Trench is his body, right?" one might say. "But look at what's been happening. Is everything alright?" There is nervousness, agitation. Trenchies can't seem to put a finger on it. One of the old fishermen mutters under his or her breath if overheard in this time. "Long time since we tried to leave the Tower's shield. Hope didn't bring anything back from out there. World's a strange place."

None of them seem to have anything specific to add. They just seem nervous for some reason.

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

IMAGE OF THE SELF

WHEN: Halloween through all November
WHERE: All of Trench
CONTENT WARNINGS: Distorted Reality, horrifying cityscape images, mounting paranoia, displacement

---

"They say that Trench is the body of the Tower." It is a saying so often repeated during the Bone Moon season that it becomes more of a mantra. Whether or not it is actually true remains a hotly contested debate between Arcane Scholars and Disciples, one of the few times that neither side fully agrees even with themselves. Yet, if it is true, what happens if the person whose body serves as a city begins to have an identity crisis of sorts? That certainly seems to be the case this month.

At random times, it just happens. You're walking from one place to another with your friend. You just stepped out of a lantern network teleportation circle. You open a door. Suddenly, everything is just wrong. It feels like you are in a surrealist's nightmare. Walls appear to be bleeding concrete in all directions. Stairwells twist impossibly, as if M. C. Escher himself were the architect. The pathway to where you intended to go warps and transforms itself into a perilous, twisted monstrosity that you have to navigate. Worse? The way you got here is just gone behind you, leaving you only the path forward.

Navigating this isn't impossible, but you will definitely need help. It might be that one has to stand on another's shoulders to get over an obstacle and then help them up. Maybe someone very small has to crawl into an opening to reach the door handle so the way through can be found. It varies, and the effect lasts only as long as it takes to get where you're going, but while you're here the reality continues to shift and some of these twistings could easily crush you! Don't tarry too long!

NOTE: The physical danger here is from environmental hazards. Feel free to choose any you like, but they will all return to normal when your character reaches their intended destination. Trenchies know nothing about this, though if one asks one of the former wastes, they will ward themselves as if against evil. They know something, but they dare not speak and will whisper hurriedly that the sleeper had best not talk too openly about this. "Best not to draw attention right now."

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP

WHEN: Last Week of October through the first week of November
WHERE: At Home, in your bed
CONTENT WARNINGS: Severe Insomnia, Sleep Deprivation, Deprivation induced hallucinations and mood swings

---

Something is clawing at your mind from the moment that the first signs of the cold coming. You can't put your finger on it, but even as you see the people of Trench preparing for the next month's arrival of sleepers, you can see they feel it too. Something claws at the mind and for a few people in Trench, this becomes a very literal problem. The thoughts are so overwhelming that you can't manage to find a good night's sleep. This problem is especially prominent for new Sleepers, who seem prone to arriving with terrible bouts of unexplainable insomnia.

That sounds simple enough to deal with, right? Perhaps some sort of sleep aid, or working oneself to exhaustion, and you can power through it, right? No. Nothing seems to work at first. Searches for a monster are futile. Warding and incense seem utterly ineffective, and no matter how hard you try, night after night you cannot sleep. You are terrified of falling asleep. If you fall asleep, you may never wake up! Even characters who do not fear a mortal death feel themselves compelled by this, and the longer that they do not sleep the more corruption risks them at its door. A night or two missed is one thing, but eventually irascibility sets in. Hallucinations may eventually start to crop up. The body needs REM sleep. It needs dreams, yet the horror that threatens the person will not allow them to sleep, for fear that it will come for them while they sleep. What 'it' is, they do not know.

There is only one solution. For those who already spend time with others? This is a simple thing, but they must still agree to do it. You can solve this curse only if you do not sleep alone. Another must stay awake for the vigil through the whole night. Simple enough given their insomnia, but they will be assailed by their own horrific lack of slumber. Only, after you have had a good night's sleep, be sure to care for the other who was so kind to you. Why? Because anyone so unkind as to not help their erstwhile companion sleep after they have finally gotten rest will find out that those fears were not unfounded and the next time they sleep, they really do not wake up!

Death, in this rare case, comes in the form of a heart attack. Its source is unknown, and all that the sleeper will remember is the worst nightmare of their life as they lay in bed, dying in soundless screams. So, be sure to take care of each other, sleepers!

[JUMP TO TOP] • [JUMP TO COMMENTS]

THE VEINS OF THE TOWER

WHEN: November 1st (And only November 1st)
WHERE: Beginning anywhere, ending in A Nightmarish Place
CONTENT WARNINGS: Liminal Space, Disorientation, Hints of horrible monsters, Possible Death, Insane Zealotry, Mutilated Bodies

---

Rumors have lingered since the first encounters two months ago of a 'space between spaces' that people could accidentally fall into that this occurrence has not been entirely limited to the month it first happened in. Every once in a while, on unusual days, it has happened since that time. There appears to be little rhyme or reason to it, but it has happened again. Maybe you took an accidental step backwards. Or maybe you were crazy enough to have identified some spot you disappeared before and you were actually experimenting with the effect every day to see when it happened. You know, to chronicle the dates it happen, to keep a record, to understand it better, all of those sorts of things that cause some sleepers to poke things that are Better Left Alone because that's what some sleepers do with their free time, and then they touch the spot with something and suddenly they and everything around them are sucked in. How you got there is not important. You're here now, wherever here is.

Only this time its different. You're not in the spot you were last time, and in the distance you can hear shuffling of feet. Dread enters your heart, as you know that you do not have the means to fight whatever it is. You have an overwhelming urge to run, to flee at top speed. You and whoever is "lucky" enough to be with you must run as fast as you can, around corners, a roaring, inhuman scream echoing through the hallways, slamming into walls. You can't quite see it, not unless you want a swift, awful death at least. But around a corner there is salvation, an elevator shaft and the door is open. Frantic scrambling, running and jabbing buttons will cause the doors to close, just as something black like a giant hand grabs the far wall. You hear the rush, the scream. The elevator shudders three times as something pounds on it, but you're safe. Or, are you?

Instead of the usual moldy hallways, you see what looks like a hospital hallway. Anyone who lived through the nightmare may have awful flashbacks, but nothing is chasing you this time. The impossibly stretching hallway seems ceaselessly unchanging, each door locked, at least until you happen to notice a grate on one of the overhead air conditioners open wide. If you are curious enough to crawl up and into it, you're treated to a long scramble through the passageway, right up until you hear voices, menacing ones in the distance. Crawl quietly!

A grate emanating ugly, light is up ahead. As you and your companion work your way over, you're hopefully not heard. Through the grate, you see something awful. Two mutilated and disfigured figures speak while a third, calm and ordered looking woman listens. She seems to have mutilated her throat such that she should not be able to speak, and the other two appear have performed torturous experiments on their own flesh, their twisted visages that of the 'Zealots' that the Sleepers sometimes whisper about in fear. "It is almost time for the harvest. We made the quotas last cycle but only barely. The need is greater. Sacrifices must be made," one hisses. The other nods vigorously. "Yes. The situation is decaying. We have to move to stop this before it gets out of hand."

Before they can say more, however, the third woman looks up, directly at the grate. She smiles once, and a voice echoes from her throat as what appears to be a mouth inside of it moves, her own lips unmoving. "Continue this discussion later. It seems the problem has worsened. We will need to step up security in the meantime." She reaches out a hand and wrenches. The air shimmers around them and suddenly the duct you are traveling in collapses and breaks beneath you. Instead of falling into the farm, however, you find yourself falling through darkness for what seems an eternity, until you collapse hard to the pavement, in front of the entrance to the Gate, your breath coming back to you slowly, shakily.

NOTES: Death is possible should a sleeper assault the first creature. It is a being of impossible angles and blackness, is itself unkillable and will rend its victims to oblivion through brute force. Fighting the Zealots is not possible through this prompt. The grate cannot be opened in time to exit into the Sleeper Farm and engage them. However, the astute will be certain that there was for a moment an actual entry through and into the Sleeper Farm, somehow. Those familiar with these locations will recognize them as being Floor 1, the Stalls

[JUMP TO TOP]

CODING

Comments

Uchiha Itachi | Naruto | Coldblood

[jikogisei]

i. standard arrival
[ cw: mentions of past death, illness, eye trauma, nudity ]

[ This reawakening is nothing like the last one, that was clean and purposeful, someone manipulating the strings that pulled his soul back among the living. He and many others had been brought back to pad out the other side of a large-scale war, used against former friends and enemies to allow one side the opportunity to do what they needed. That body had been frail, brittle like paper that could be torn apart and put back together in an instant - immortal soldiers to do someone else's bidding. He remembers that much clearly enough.

Just as he remembers the deaths that surrounded his first and second lives he'd had. One weighed down by illness and a loss of vision that had been pushed beyond its limits, the eyes he had been born with taken out and gifted to his brother upon his first death. There had been the heaviness of a death rattle in his chest for such a long time, one that didn't follow him to his temporary resurrection. Other than his state of reanimation, everything had been in perfect shape during that short period - up until he had sacrificed the light of his left eye to try to save one final person.

This is why he takes stock after shedding the squid form for something closer to his original shape, he has to take stock of his own body while just laying face up on the sand. The sharp chill invades deep into his chest, painful in its own way that he hasn't felt in a very long time. Pinpricks spread over his nude body as water begins to sting now that he's without the natural immunity his squid body had while in the water. It's something, more than his reanimated form felt.

He turns his head, opening his eyes and seeing the sand stretched out around him - other people in various states moving about. So, he has his eyes here, and the vision in them isn't bad. The left one blurs things in the distance after about fifty feet, but much better than being completely blind. It'll be an adjustment to make up for the imbalance in his vision. ]

How many chances does a man get?

[ Just leave him there for a while. ]

ii. boardwalk

[ After dawning the new robe, Itachi makes his way to the boardwalk to accept one of the furs. Along with an alcoholic cider and a hearty soup to help chase the chill from his bones. He wanders the stalls, looking on in interest, while also covertly absorbing any information being openly spoken about. Some talk in hushed voices about The Tower, that this place is his body, and what happened when someone left it.

When the information dries up, he moves on easily. Blending into the crowd and appearing as though he's just anybody. There's a sense of nervousness among the natives, but all of the intel on the matter remains the same - murmurs of the same being.

He gets himself a pastry and moves to the railing of the boardwalk, half watching the people moving about and keeping an eye on the water. What is his purpose here? This life beyond what he's already lived has nothing to do with his village, and even if it does, Itachi has already passed its protection off to others. His brother is a more complicated matter, someone who has already surpassed him. Perhaps this is his very own Izanami.

From his spot away from the crowd, he catches sight of someone who appears to have on too little or is eyeing something to eat. Either his own fur or pastry is being held out to them. ]

Here, take this. You need it more than I.

[ There is the smallest hint of a smile on his face, a tiny upward curve to his lips to give him a more friendly appearance. He's no longer part of the Akatsuki, so he can simply be himself here. ]

iii. image of the self

[ Once upon a time, Itachi would have used his sharigan to excess. Expecting danger around nearly every corner and tree. This place may not be any safer than his own world, but there are fewer here that want him dead or are interested in hunting him down for being a rogue ninja. His guard isn't completely down, which is why he notices the change in location instantly. ]

Not a genjutsu. [ A teleportation jutsu? The ninja watches the walls around him bleed gray ooze, stepping around it easily to not get trapped in it. Already he knows the path behind him isn't open, his senses heightening to any signs of trouble or life. ]

Let's keep moving. [ Spoken to the other person here with him, whether they ended up in the same place or further in. ] Stay close to me.

[ Maybe he knows them, maybe he doesn't - either way, Itachi will help them get out of here. ]

iv. veins of the tower

[ Another teleportion jutsu, maybe he should walk around with the sharigon active - at least until this pesky month passes and this stops happening. This is different, and the red flares to life as something moves in the distance, his sense for danger on the alert. Something dangerous lurks in the hallways, and this is no place to try to stand his ground. A majority of his attacks will be limited by the space and too wild to use without posing danger to those at his side.

Without taking his eyes from where danger lurks, he says a single word. ]

Run. [ When they do, Itachi will be right on their heels - provided they're actually running away from whatever is screaming. He'll make sure that they won't fall or trip over their own feet as they head for the nearest way out. ]

v. network; text; un: karasu

What would you do with your second or third opportunity at life? Especially if you were satisfied how your last life ended in terms of your matters being settled. I find myself in this situation after having died twice, now no longer needed for the duties I was tasked with many years ago.

vi. wildcard

[ Tsukeru | Xae#7866 (I already go here, so feel free to add or find me in the discord server). ]

v. text; un: rider

[kaientai]

Interesting! We're basically in the same sorta situation.

It's not something I've found an answer for myself yet, but I guess there's nothing but time to figure it out. I suppose some people would probably say third time's the charm and maybe it's time to do your own thing, but hehe... easier said than done, am I right?

[jikogisei]

With my own return, I suspected I wouldn't be the first or only.

You are correct on all counts. I've looked into the various jobs available and there are a few I'd be suited to, but I wanted to explore other options. A real change from the lives I've already had.

[kaientai]

Oh, not by a long shot, but there's probably a shorter list of folks who've managed it more than once anyway!

Can't go wrong doing something completely different entirely. I'll admit I'm a bit less adventurous since what I'm thinking about doing isn't all that different from my last job, but I think the work'll be a lot more fulfilling.

[ and that makes all the difference to him. ]

What'd you used to do before?

[jikogisei]

It's unlikely to be an accomplishment one would boast about.

There is always time to do more than one thing, if I ever feel the urge to do something similar to the task I spent my entire life doing.

[ He's not about to pick a job that isn't at least somewhat fulfilling. ]

I was a protector of my country, something of a spy among the individuals who wished to harm it.

[kaientai]

Hehe, probably not. It'd likely depend on the lives and deaths in question. In my case, I've always felt like I existed to accomplish something, so I did what I had to do, and then it was my time to go. Easy to make peace with that.

[ it's kind of funny to him how many things they have in common. he might not have acted in the capacity of a spy, but he can sympathise. ]

I'm sure that wasn't easy work to do at all, even if the goal is to protect everyone. Time for something quiet and uneventful now, it sounds like.

i!! i’m phone tagging so forgive typos omg

[retsuden]

[ It isn’t the first time Sasuke has seen Itachi since he arrived here, but those had been difficult. It had been as a ghost, as an illusion, on the other side of a portal, or any other means that had made it clear it wasn’t real. That he would disappear just like before and he would be left with that same empty feeling in his chest and a weight crushing his shoulders.

This is the first time on the beach. The first time he’s looked like a new arrival. It doesn’t stop him from feeling hesitant that Itachi will fade into dust in an instant, but it does put something akin to hope in his heart. Should he feel happy? He isn’t certain. The emotions are confusing and he isn’t sure he’s ready to fully process them.

He stared at him in silence for a long moment before he finally approached, hearing the words Itachi mutters more to himself than to him as he gets closer. There’s a pause before he unhooks the black wool cape from his shoulders and drops it on Itachi’s instead. A little awkward with just one hand, but he tried. ]

More than we deserve, likely.

no worries~

[jikogisei]

[ Out of all of the reasons why he would be drawn here, why his soul would once again take on a vessel and walk among the living, it would be coming to greet him on the beach. The weight of the cape comes to rest on his shoulders, and Itachi pulls it around himself more fully. It may not be the only reason why he's here, but it's the one most evident.

Sasuke is older than the last time he saw him, his brother's life a series of snapshots ever since that night laid out before his eyes. Most of their encounters happening years apart have given him an opportunity to see the other grow through all the stages, to take note of all the changes his brother has gone through. The missing arm doesn't go unnoticed, but it isn't the first conversation Itachi wishes to bring up. Even if it's a curiosity that he had been given eyes and his sight back while his brother is missing a whole limb. ]

Then I should not waste the opportunity gifted to me.

[ He gets to his feet with all the grace of anyone who has just undergone the squid transformation, not up to his usual quality, but Itatchi manages to stay upright without any trouble. This is different from his last resurrection, so he doesn't intend to hurry off as soon as possible. It may be the genuinely last time he gets to spend with his brother. ]

How long have you been here?

[retsuden]

[ There's the slightest shift in his stance, like he might reach out to try and steady his brother, but he stops himself as he waits to see if he can do it himself. He's adjusting faster to it than most of the new arrivals he sees. Not that that surprises him. Sasuke's pretty sure Itachi learns how to do everything faster than most.

His jaw clenches at the question and he shrugs his shoulders, looking out at the ocean rather than at Itachi for a moment. ]

On the beach? About an hour.

[ He is 99.999% sure that that is not what his brother meant, but what is the duty of a younger sibling if not to be a little shit? ]

[jikogisei]

[ While the assistance isn't needed, it is appreciated in the way his gaze softens as he looks over at his brother. Everything is done out of order, remembering how to swim before he relearns how to stand, how to talk before he can walk. The only thing done right is being a brother before he's a ninja.

It's there in the way he notices the tensing at the question, wanting to soothe the cause before gathering information. Itachi sighs in a mock exasperated manner, reaching out to gently ruffle Sasuke's hair. A big brother's response to a younger sibling's brattiness. ]

I'm glad to see you again.

[ Regardless of anything else, of what power brought him here, whatever trouble looms ahead - that fact will always hold true. To see Sasuke one more time would be the only thing he ever wished for. ]

Re: Uchiha Itachi | Naruto | Coldblood

[thevengefuldoll]

III

[ For the past month, the old man has been caught lost in the forest. Now it seems, even with a moment of rest, the demon will be thrown into another peculiar situation. No worries. He smiles. Such trickery is expected. Though, what's not anticipated, is running into a new person. ]

Stay close?

[ The demon gives a grin. The lack of an introduction makes him more intrigued. ]

How can I expect to follow someone I don't know?

[ While placing a hand over his heart, the demon greets the stranger with a name. ]

You may call me, Min. Who might you be?

[ Again, the demon takes care of what to call himself. Can't be too sure of anyone. He thinks with a tinge of doubt. ]

[jikogisei]

[ That grin brings up any walls Itachi may have left down with the appearance of some unknown creature after them. It reminds him too much of some of the Akatsuki members. Some may find a thrill in their situation, some may hide behind such facial expressions out of fear. Itachi doubts it's the latter. ]

You could wait here to see what it is, if you'd rather.

[ It isn't coldness or a lack of mercy that leads him to say that, merely pointing out their obvious options. ]

Itachi. Newly arrived, but experienced enough in life to know when to retreat.

[ Life and death, though that hardly needs said as he walked himself to his own demise with eyes wide open. ]

[thevengefuldoll]

[ The demon tilts his head. With a smile, he decides upon an introduction. He doesn't seem to be a threat. . He thinks. ]

Well to meet you. I'm Chin Yisou.

[ He places a hand over his heart. ]

I'm sure, I'd rather find an exit. I've been lost too often as of late.

[ The demon grins. It seems his luck has been poor with direction. ]

So, where to go...

[Chin Yisou muses for a beat. With one direction to take he sighs. ]

I guess we can only move forward at the time being.

[jikogisei]

[ Itachi has made a point of not making himself appear as a threat. This is a semi-fresh start, his history doesn't hang over him here. ]

Would you prefer if I called you "Min" or Chin Yisou?

[ A name had been given as a substitute first, fake or some sort of nickname. ]

Does this sort of thing happen often, or are you just unlucky with directions?

[ The shinobi is new and has heard about a lot of different things happening, though also that not everyone gets caught up in them all. ]

Sideways is always an option.

[ His gaze goes to the absolute straight drop that exists to their left. ]

ii.

[creationrebirth]

[ Sakura was making her way through the crowd, going about picking up different supplies. She was coming off of a long night of work and to say she was tired would have been an understatement, but she had things to get before she allowed herself to head back to her home and finally getting some sleep.

Walking back along the boardwalk, her mind is drifting and she wouldn't be surprised at all to hear that someone thought she might need some help with a pastry. She doesn't want to worry that stranger though, so when she realizes that she's being spoken to she looks up and waves her hand reassuringly. ]

Oh no, it's fine. I'm alright, I'm just on my way home.

[ Tired as she is, it only takes her a moment to realize that this man isn't actually a stranger. She knows him. Not well by any means, but she'd recognize him anywhere. Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke's brother. Her brother in law. The adrenaline rush is enough to wake her up at least. ]

Itachi-san...

[jikogisei]

[ Itachi would have been able to pick Naruto or Kakashi out of a crowd a lot faster than he would have Sakura, but he still doesn't hesitate to step towards her to offer the pastry. She was a member of Sasuke's original team, and also the only other shinobi he had seen so far other than his brother.

The woman was older too, not surprising considering his long absence from the land of the living. Her appearance tired and distracted, possibly indicating a long day at work, and Itachi idly wonders if she's a medic here as well. ]

I insist. There's plenty to go around.

[ Does he know that Sakura is the newest addition to the Uchiha family? Hard to say. That will have depended on what Sasuke told him on the beach. Either way, she was a resident of Konoha and wasn't attacking him. ]

Sakura. [ A small incline of his head in a greeting. ]

[creationrebirth]

[ She's so taken aback by his sudden appearance that she doesn't know what to say. She gives a small nod and reaches out for the pastry, accepting it with a quick 'thank you'.

There's a lot to unpack here, but she takes a bite from the pastry while she tries to figure out how to approach it. She and Sasuke had spoken in length since their arrival about Sasuke's family. It had taken awhile for her to get him to open up, but she knew much of it now and had her own feelings about everything. Sasuke had forgiven him though, so she would, of course, do the same. It doesn't make it easier to see him, especially when she worries about Sasuke and the pain it might bring up for him.

Sasuke had gotten the family crest embroidered on her clothes, a fact that she's acutely aware of in the presence of his family, but facing him it wasn't noticeable. She'd feel out the mood of the situation before bringing anything up. ]

Does Sasuke-kun know you're here?

[jikogisei]

[ Once the treat has been passed on, Itachi takes an unhurried step back to give her that small bit of breathing room. Both because he knows what his presence means to most, and because she may have been crowded in with people during work.

Not many knew about the truth behind the Uchiha Clan massacre, even when he last spoke to Naruto on the matter during the war. Yet, he sees that she makes no move to defend herself against it, or feel that he's poisoned the food that Sakura is now eating. Hard though it might have been out here on the boardwalk with so many witnesses, but not impossible for a shinobi of his caliber. So perhaps the last original member of Team Seven had been told the truth by one of them, or something much bigger has happened with the knowledge of all that transpired between the village and the Clan.

Itachi can't see the crest from here, nor is he looking for it in any kind of reflection that might be available. He's too interested in her own reaction to his presence to dig for that detail. ]

We met on the beach shortly after I washed ashore. He told me that it has been nearly four years since we last saw each other, between this place and our world.

iv. Veins of the tower

[cloversandcranes]

[Honestly, Makoto should be used to finding himself in these situations, given the amount of times he's in them. With his bad luck, tripping into danger had become second nature, and in some ways, he preferred it to the more...embarrassing incidents. God, he can still feel the embarrassment, and softness, when he tripped into his upperclassmen's breasts. I'm so sorry Tsumiki-san! But while he accepted his lot in life, it didn't get any easier dealing with the situation he would find himself in.

So when he tripped- over a freakin' pebble! Why?! -into a scene straight out of a horror movie...Well, he took it all with a resigned sigh. After all, this wasn't the first time he had seen such gruesomeness. So with a frustrated groan, he picked himself up and brushed his suit off calmly.

...That calm lasted for approximately 2 minutes before a feeling of dread filled his heart. Swallowing nervously, he looked around for the source, despite every inch of him wanting to run away as fast as he could. He barely noticed when someone else appeared in the hallway, too focused on the end of the hallway where something was moving. When he heard someone tell him to run, he almost turned around to ask when he noticed the shadow approaching them at alarming speeds.

Any questions he had, would have to wait because while he could be stupid and naive, even he had some self-preservation at times. And right now, his senses were screaming at him to run away as far as possible from that thing.]

O-On it!

[Quickly turning around, he started running as fast as he could, almost tripping over himself with how scared he was. He was used to horrifying situations, having been in danger countless times. But this? This was on a whole new level.]

[jikogisei]

[ There have been a lot of strange situations for Itachi in the past, though this is rather new and far more frequent than he'd like. At the very least, the last place hadn't been with some unseen being coming after them with hostile intentions.

He's about to grab the arm of the person still standing there frozen to pull him along instead of being potentially brutally murdered, when the teen seems to get the message to move. It saves him the trouble of dealing with someone frozen in fear. Running he can work with.

Itachi watches as the young man nearly trips over his own feet, ready to reach out and stabilize him if the need calls for it. An elevator appears around the next corner. ]

Into the elevator, I'll close the doors behind me. [ He has quick hands to do it, push the button with the right timing to get them shut. And truthfully, Itachi isn't entirely sure he trusts this person to not panic and miss said timing. ]

AH! I'm sorry I'm so late! Sleep deprivation sucks along with recovering from Covid...

[cloversandcranes]

[In Makoto's defense, he's faced many horrors in his life, but eldritch-like, all devouring, supernatural monsters are not his usual enemies.

While Makoto is quite clumsy and prone to bad luck, he is surprisingly good at evading and running. He had to learn something from all that rigorous training at the Future Foundation... So when he gets to his feet and starts running from the monster, he is quite adept and any signs of his clumsiness is gone. Easily vaulting over obstacles, he swiftly turned the corner and ran towards the elevator, every so often looking back to check on Itachi.

Gaining a boost of speed, he ran into the elevator and turned around, gasping breaths as he watched the creature gaining ground.

H-Hurry! It's getting closer!

v. text; un: harbinger

[bolstafir]

[He's reminded of what Cynthia told them, as the dream crumbled. Let yourself be something new.

Qrow doesn't know this person's story, of course, but he has a couple of guesses about what kind of life they led, based on the notion of having died twice.]

you could take it as a chance for a mostly peaceful retirement
things can be a mess around here, but you usually don't have to fight unless you want to

the details tend to be something you figure out as you go along

[jikogisei]

[ Had he arrived in the land of ninjas he'd been born into, Itachi may not have much of an opportunity to choose anything new. The idea of being able to put "peaceful" in front of anything would certainly already be such a big change. ]

I'm not sure what I'd do with myself if I tried a mostly peaceful retirement, that would be a lot of idle time to fill.

Though I'd rather not fight more than I have to, just find a job that will still allow me to help others in some capacity.

Figuring it out as I go along would be something I haven't done in a while. [ He usually has some semblance of a plan with flexibility to account for anything outside his predictions. ]

[bolstafir]

not gonna lie, having time for boredom does take some getting used to
think it's a pretty good trade for things like getting to go to my niece's wedding, though

but there's plenty of things you could get involved with to help people
there's an academy where people can learn to defend themselves from danger, for one
the sanctuary which deals with keeping people safe during crises and helps with corruption, i think
the painted turtle clinic

or you could just freelance your skills like some of us do
trench doesn't use money, so it's not like you need a job to survive around here
either way, i wouldn't get too attached to having plans in this place
the pthumerians love to screw with us around every corner

[jikogisei]

Should my brother invite me to do anything with him, I would drop everything else in an instant to be there.

Those all sound like very good causes to devote some time to, at least consider getting involved with one of them. My skills would be suited to all three.

Do you freelance your skills here in Trench? My purpose in finding a job isn't in any sort of monetary gain, more of a personal one. I'll be sure to make my plans very flexible in that case.