TEST DRIVE MEME - AUGUST

[thewatchers]

AUGUST TEST DRIVE MEME
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August is the last month of break before the return of school, all over Europe offices are empty as it was peak time for employees to take their well-earned vacation. The weather is still scorching, and brains are melting, but it won’t be long before autumn comes - so enjoy it while you can.


A. Voluntelling

While the Academy pays for all expenses trips to exotic locales for vacation, there is a quiet expectation that when problems arise that students will jump up and take care of the problem wherever it arises, even if it means interrupting a well-earned vacation for a brief time.

This time, a nightclub in the Azores is suffering from the influx of spirits of early portuguese settlers partying in the club and becoming quite rowdy; how do you plan to get them to move along? It's most certainly not a job for a single person, and you don't want to wrack up the long-distance charges for a certain business to get rid of them, so it's all up to you.

B. Lay over

The flights back to Daybreak, while done on privately owned jets are still beholden to mother nature, and a large bank of thunderclouds have grounded the planes for the next several hours, leaving awaiting students and staff to try to find ways to entertain themselves while stranded in the airport. Charge ports are limited, food and airport fantasy books are overpriced and you can’t leave the terminal - how do you even survive?

C. Come Dance all Night
In Soliel, the Azores, Miami - and other parts unknown, fliers for a free concert appear advertising bands one has never heard of, and it soon becomes apparent the fliers are invisible to those not aware of the supernatural.

Going to the listed locations will prove that the adverts were legit, as bands of witches, elves, and more playing strange but extremely enjoyable hybrid music as people mosh in front of the stage, or floating above it. And overpriced vendor food was hawked from popcorn to more exotic fare such as dewdrops (with humans cautioned against partaking it without a handy friend nearby). All in all it's a fun night of music.

D. IRIS NETWORK
This month’s network prompt is a very simple one.

UN: shinyhappyppl

hey every1!!
hows vacation treating u?? did u get some good photos?? u should totally share them!!

Comments

Jaune Arc | RWBY

[sociallyarcward]

1. Landing
[Some would say they landed just in time, but Jaune would vehemently disagree. At least, he would if he was in any condition to talk, his face alternating between pale white and sea green. He knew he wasn't even going to make it to the rest rooms halfway across the terminal and instead nearly tripped over himself to get to the nearest trash can.

What happens next doesn't necessarily need description. Jaune straightens up a moment later, still not looking at his best.]

Ugh. Next time I'm vacationing locally.

2. Concert
[Jaune doesn't normally DO crowds and he still isn't quite sure how he got talked into this? Maybe you did or maybe he lost a bet. Either way, Jaune is looking rather lost and a tiny bit overwhelmed by the people, food, and music. He doesn't even TRY to push forward into the energetic crowd, instead just keeping to the edges. Sometimes the music is good enough to get him to tap his toes or sway a little bit, but mostly he tries to stay out of the way.

As his little corner begins to get more crowded, however, he feels the need to find a new spot to set up as a wallflower. Jaune turns and immediately bumps into whoever moves into the space to his left.]

Ah! S-sorry. This place is pretty crowded.

[Can you even hear him over the music?]


3. Wildcard
[Have another idea in mind? I'm all ears.]

2

[rwbyrose]

[ this is a pretty wild crowd, even for ruby's tastes. she's also kind of trying to hang out in a corner, though she's starting to get shoved back. someone bumps into her, and she lets out a little noise. ]

Oh, sorry!

[ whoops. he seems like he's pretty uncomfortable, judging by his body language, but... ]

I can't hear you over the music! [ she's trying to talk as loud as she can, but behind her, there's an opening to run...! she points towards it and gestures at him to follow her. ]

C'mon! To freedom!

1

[theycallhimmrpchan]

There's a trick to keep you from getting sick to your stomach.

[The japanese-accented teenager pointed out]

1

[ofexperience]

[V winces a bit as watches Jaune stumble over to the trash can.

He makes his way over when Jaune straightens back up, reaching out to set a hand on the teenager's shoulder.]

Airsickness?

[He looks sympathetic, at least.]

2

[buddinghopes]

[Lia can't exactly read lips and she can't hear Jaune over the music, but considering he bumped into her, she realizes what he's probably trying to say. She makes a motion as if to say "don't worry about it" before pausing and glancing around. She perks up when she sees an exit, tapping Jaune's shoulder and motioning toward it, before motioning at the two of them, then back to the exit.

Hopefully, the "Want to duck out of here?" comes across.]

[iwanttogohome]

A

[ "I want to go home," thinks Dragonstomper as he approaches the club with his tag-along trailing behind. "It's most certainly not a job for a single person, they said. But it'll be fine if it's you, Dragonstomper, they said. Well, maybe I didn't want to fight a bunch of ghosts! Did anyone ask!? Nooooo."

He glances behind him at the one person who thought he could use some back-up and sighs- with his face completely hidden, it could be interpreted a thousand ways and might even be heard as a snarl through the mesh over his mouth. In truth, he's worried about looking like an idiot as he stops by the door- the nightclub is closed. He'd cut the power a while ago and made sure it was a way that would take some time to fix. No civilians involved.

"Well, yes, they did ask," he concedes to himself as he, wordlessly gestures at the door to his companion. He could kick it down, but if they have an alternative he's open to it. "But they could have taken my silence as a no!" ]


UN: 🐏hereswonderwool🐑

The last of the ewes has lambed!

Look at this one! She thinks she's a cow! She's gonna be a moo-ewe. LOL They've all been super cuddly this year- more than usual, which is super cuddly! Not all of the little fellas can handle the heat though.

Shearing time too. Can't let the mommas get too hot.

Wildcard

[ Give me a prompt and I'll write a starter, don't matter how weird. ]

Q84, Charlotte "Lotte" Wiltshire | Hello Charlotte.

[badinfluenza]

[ a gremlin in the airport. ]

[While many of the faces around the designated Daybreak area are returning students, at least one of the ones sticking out is brand new. She doesn't seem to be doing anything outrageous at first, merely walking around with a small, perfectly polite smile and wandering eyes, but the fact that her clothes, voluminous hair, and eyes are pure white is...a little odd. Even her skin is pale beyond belief. She might be a ghost, if it weren't for the way her shoes tap against the hard row of seats when she decides she's had enough looking around. Instead, she's going to gracefully balance herself across, do a slow spin like a dying ballerina, and make her way back. She hums to herself a tuneless song, staccato notes punctuating her steps.

Or she might be on a table for a better view, leaning in close to a window without touching it...but surely she isn't unplugging unattended chargers, peeking into purses, or scratching out all the faces in the magazines she idly flips through. Nope, she's just a cute little girl! Nothing wrong here!!

Once it's been long enough that she's grown bored of all that, Charlotte slouches into a seat with a sad sigh and a pout.]

Ugh, I'm hungry... [she isn't.] Mm... I might...be able to afford a bag of chips... I didn't think I was going to need my allowance...

[hint hint. buy her shit.]

[iwanttogohome]

[ "I want to go home," thinks Dragonstomper as he sits perfectly still in his seat, arms crossed and seemingly ignoring everyone else. Everyone else seems to be avoiding him too, which is fine by him. He wishes they'd do that more often.

He has, however, been watching Charlotte because- "This girl... is creepy as hell. Why is everyone here such a weirdo? I hope she doesn't talk to meeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"

His internal monologue becomes an internal scream purely because the seat she slouches into is right next to him. He's glad for his helmet and the mesh over his face that prevents any expression slipping free, because he's horrified when Charlotte speaks.

"...Maybe she's just acting weird because she's hungry," he thinks to himself. Completely silently, the faceless behemoth pulls his business-like black bag up onto his lap and unzips it, so he can toss a bag of snacks onto her lap. ]

I STILL DON'T HOW/IF THEY SHOULD'VE MET BEFORE SO I'M JUST GONNA WING IT

[aibolition]

[She's not the only ghost in the airport. He is, unfortunately, quite solid and visible to every pestering and gawking passerby and only the dark sunglasses are keeping the stares from being even worse. But she is helping take the attention away.

He watches her with a slight grin and a raised brow, both going higher with all the more trouble she causes. Nothing big but plenty more fun than anyone else is having. He's envious, tempted to join in, but then he won't get to see how far she goes if does that. Not yet. When she actually comes to notice him, sitting at his side with a dumb sulking look, his grin blooms to fullness.]

Ha! Every kind of food is free if you can run fast enough.

[A round of unnerving laughter follows that statement.]

One gremlin to another

[subconmodo]

[Avery's been watching the girl with no small amount of interest. Obviously he's not going to stop her (ite's way too entertaining) but when she starts asking for people to buy her stuff he peers over the edge of his sunglasses and grins]

Nice try, kiddo, but if you really want someone to fall for that you might want to add a few more tears next time. Take it from experience: you really want to sell that suffering.

James Moriarty | Fate/Grand Order

[hatesdeerstalkers]

Layover

[Well, this proved it. Florida was goddamn cursed for him, and he's never coming back to this state if he can help it. Waking up in the Everglades missing an arm was bad enough - it took months for his arm to regrow since he couldn't snatch it back from the gator, and the itching was terrible - but being stuck in an airport terminal with a bunch of unhappy people for god knows how long was its own special kind of hell.

At the very least, it seemed like some of these people were going to the same destination he was - if on private transportation, from what he picked up from the conversations around him. A good idea, personally, but public transit kept up the impression that he was just an older gentleman without too much cash to blow.]

...Seems there's nothing for it, then.

[With a shrug, he pulls out a deck of cards, turning to whoever looked the most bored - and smiling in an unassuming, pleasant way, looking much like the harmless middle aged man he seemed to be.]

Pardon me, but would you care for a game to pass the time?

[And if he played his cards right, he could potentially get a bit more information about Daybreak before he got there.]

Wildcard

[Just hit me up with anything, and I'll definitely be down for it!]

Layover

[bejustorbedead]

[Desert heat, he got used to - the dripping humidity of the state was miserable, and layovers were even worse. While they had made care to avoid having too man unawares people in their part of the terminal, there's always a few, and this man seems one of them.

The Knight looks up when he heard the voice, a little cautious, but he didn't see the harm in entertaining his ... oh, wait he's the elder in this scenario]

What sort of game?

[His accent was odd, as if French and German had a baby and left it on it's own]

Layover

[ofexperience]

Hm?

[V looks over at the question, then makes his way over.]

I don't see why not. It seems like it will be... quite a while before anyone's going to be able to depart.

No Name / Zangetsu / The Inner Hollow | Bleach

[aibolition]

A

He's torn every time he's told to do something for these guys to jump at the chance to just do something and to tell them to shove it where the sun don't shine. It's really a shame he can't do both. He'd love to see their reaction to the latter. Oh well. Maybe next time.

He finds the table closest to the center of the club and hops up on top of it. A couple protests as he steps over them and their food-- stealing a shrimp on the way-- but he ignores them. He stands tall, sticks two fingers in his mouth, and whistles loud.

"Hey! Idiots! Yeah, you guys in the old timey get ups! The boss man says you gotta beat it so I'm proposing a race! Last one out the door gets to sharpen my blade and feel what it's like to die a second time!"

In that instance, a sword materializes in his hands and he hops off the table with a high laugh.

There may or may not be screams to follow.

Someone should do something.


C

It's his time. His moment. After years stuck in repression central, he's finally got his chance. He's going to do it.

He's going to crowd surf.

Scarfing back one last bit of stolen popcorn, he cackles and starts climbing. Be it a podium, a speaker, or the stage itself, this is happening.

A

[taiyounoyou]

Someone should do something.

And someone does.

As he leaps off the table, a single point of light comes shooting from across the tavern, just barely missing him by inches--whether that's due to his quick reflexes or not might be up for debate. But in its wake stands a young woman with short brown hair and what appears to be a bow made out of light. She draws back the string and another arrow materializes in its place. She doesn't look to be aiming for a warning shot.

"Back away from these people! And ghosts! All of them!" She's not really sure who she's supposed to be protecting, since these ghosts shouldn't be here either... But that's not the point right now!

Desidera Neroni | OC | wildcard as heck

[unlogic]

[During the summer break had been thought to be the best time to see about settling in; it probably meant there wouldn't be as many people around to witness Desidera's arrival, or, by extension, any questioning her about how or why she looked the way she did—the pointed ears, the red eyes, the horns. She wasn't even sure if she should expect questions like that in the first place, because all things considered, she probably shouldn't; this was a school for the supernatural, right? That was how she understood it from the way her mother had described it. She'd probably be considered normal.

Or hopefully at least close to normal.

Still having yet to make her way to the room that she was assigned to, she sat at a table in the cafeteria with a tray of food that looked like it was more than enough for three people, as opposed to just one somewhat-skinny-looking girl. She hadn't eaten much on her way here, having mostly been preoccupied with thoughts of how people would see her, and was honestly feeling pretty darn hungry now.

Hoping that she wouldn't draw too much attention from anyone that was still there by being there herself (though she really wouldn't mind having someone to talk to either), she picked up a sandwich off of the tray, turned it around in her hands a few times while looking it over to see what all was on it, and then bit in.]

[shockingblue]

[Though it may still be the summer season and a lot of other students might be taking it easy, Gunvolt himself hasn't been slacking off. Sure, he's made time to rest; he's learned that lesson, but his rigorous training of his body and powers continued on, along with working on weapon maintenance and additional development.

And of course, after a good long morning of training, he'd opted to get some lunch and himself brought a tray with a pretty sizable amount of food on it; though admittedly, not to the same degree Desi had for herself. He still was a growing kid, and he had an appetite to match.

He passes through the cafeteria, and catches sight of a new face; sure, they showed up fairly regularly around here, but this was one he was definitely sure he'd never seen before. He thought about walking on, but... remembered well when Nana and some of the others reached out to him when he was new too, so... maybe that was a good idea to try.

He paused by her table.]

Mind if I join you?

[thefoolreversed]

[Coincidentally, someone else is also settling into the school over summer vacation. Caim is already in the cafeteria when Desidera arrives, his own food mostly untouched while he buries his nose in a tome that's comically large in comparison to its reader. It's not obvious what kind of book it is, but it certainly looks thick and wordy enough to be too advanced for a kid his size—which might be the reason why he picked it in the first place. He's new here, so he has to establish his intellectual dominance to all the inferior kids in his age group, after all.

As fascinating as his book might be, though, he does eventually take notice of the new person in the room. His attention starts to drift, and before long he's shamelessly staring at this very interesting individual sitting a few tables away from him.

... at least he doesn't seem freaked out? Or intimidated? It's kind of hard to tell what he's thinking.]

[ofexperience]

[Another recent arrival makes his way over to the table with quite the amount of food himself. He's probably fairly unusual-looking himself, even without anything like pointed ears or red eyes, being deathly pale and covered in tattoos. He smiles in greeting to Desi.]

Do you, ah, mind if I join you, miss?

Masaki Kurosaki | Bleach

[taiyounoyou]

B for Boredom

[The skies are dark and cloudy, the airport is restless with all the grounded flights, and Masaki is super bored. Or she would be, if not for the fact that she's taken her entertainment into her own hands.]

[There's an empty plastic water bottle in her hand as she sits up on her knees in one of those uncomfortable looking waiting chairs by one of the terminals. Her arms are crossed over the back of the seat, her gaze turned towards watching the various people walking by.]

This is Kurosaki Masaki, brought to you live from The Terminal from Hell... [She stage whispers into the cap of the empty bottle, like it's a studio microphone. Her voice doesn't carry far enough for the people walking along the main thoroughfare to hear her, but anyone in this small waiting alcove probably can...]

[A man and a woman pass by, looking exhausted and dead on their feet from the flight delays. Masaki hunkers down lowers in her seat.]

Ah, here we have our first anomaly! To anyone else, they look like your average tourists, but to a discerning eye, could it be? Are they possibly... vampires? Take a look at the pallor of their skin, the dead look in their eyes. They gaze over the crowds, not as weary travellers, but as predators in search of their next meal... And I don't mean from that bagel shop back by gate A42.

[Unfortunately, that's all the commentary she seems to have time for, as the couple passes out of view. She turns her sights in a different direction and makes a staged gasp.] What have we here??? [There's a man in a business suit waiting across the way, a briefcase in one hand as he looks at his watch.] Is this a simple working man on a business trip? Or perhaps a mobster undercover for a seedy drug deal? Or something even more nefarious? Yes, I'm afriad it is... A daemon masquerading as a human, just waiting for some hapless stranger to walk by! Then he'll lure them into a dark hallway and extract magically binding deals out of them! Money... power... revenge??? Who knows what sort of promises he might make. Woe to anyone that listens to his sugary yet deceitful words...

[Coincidentally, the man looks up from his watch and seems to spot the person he's waiting for. He gives a breif wave and heads in that direction--but Masaki has already lost interest. She turns her attention to a woman dragging three children behind her, trying to keep a hold of their hands to little avail.] Oh, no... What a tragic scene unfolding before us. This woman, guiding her darling children through the busy airport, except... one of those children is not actually hers. It's a fey creature, swapped out where she was looking the other way. As we speak, her real child is being whisked away to the Outlands to live out their childhood years playing with faeries and surviving on berries and leaves. Which... Okay, that doesn't actually sound that bad, but you have to trust me that it is. It is definitely a tragedy worth of... The Terminal from Hell.

[Someone please stop her. The only present tragedy is... whatever it is she's doing here.]


D for Delicious

UN: himawari

Well, it's not really vacation if you haven't started school yet, right??? But I have a bunch of photos from the summer! Take a look!

[Here's a picture of a young Japanese woman with short brown hair sitting in front of a comically large sundae, a spoon propped up in each hand... And another picture of the same woman standing in front of a popular cafe, flashing a peace sign and grinning from ear to ear... Another picture of the same woman blowing bubbles into a milkshake... And another picture of--No, wait. This one's just a picture of a steak. No people, just a steak. At least it looks really good?]

B

[aibolition]

[He never steers too close, especially now that she knows he's here now, but neither does he stray too far despite that. How can he? In all his life of seeing ghosts this is the first time it's really felt like he's witnessing an impossible spirit. He hangs around the corner, just out of her sight. He should go, leave her be, but he can't. He'll just have to resign himself to once again watching someone else live.

He didn't expect her to actually be entertaining.

At the words The Terminal From Hell, he nearly chokes on laughter. She moves on to speaking of vampires. He's never, in this part of his existence, had to muffle laughter before. He's not doing a good job. A snort and snicker escape when she moves on to the "daemon". She gets to the supposed changeling and he can't take it, he can't even plead mercy (not that he'd ever). He barks a high guffaw and cackles helplessly, sliding back against the wall and almost losing the dark sunglasses.]

B

[badinfluenza]

[Some time into her mockumentary, Charlotte comes up from behind the excitable girl and leans in. Her tone is cheerful, but in the way a snake might be cheerful in greeting its prey.]

Are you having a good time, sharing secrets?

Violet Evergarden | <- That | ota

[shiritai]

[ this is a placeholder toplevel that I'll be putting prompts on as I go! PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR THIS FAUX PAS it's late and i don't have the braincells for a full toplevel rn ]

bolderfell

[shiritai]

[ The day Violet and Therion are sent on their way to the Academy is almost wretchedly hot, made worse for the fact that the wind is dead and still in the air. The busy to-and-fro of goodbyes, of clattering luggage and jumping from one mode of transport to another has left her feeling overheated and out of breath. Maybe if they'd been taking the plane, things would've been a bit less chaotic, but Violet doesn't handle planes very well. The altitude makes her feel sickly and woozy, makes her nose bleed and Hodgins frets (as he always does) about what the air pressure might do to her arms.

So like it or not, she and Therion are set to make their journey by train. It's a nice train, at least – a fancy private thing with old-fashioned decorating, private cars and most blessedly air conditioning. It's cool enough on board that Violet draws in a quick, sharp breath and finally starts to feel herself unwind a bit. Since they'd set out – or really, since she'd told Hodgins that she wanted to attend Daybreak to begin with – she'd felt floaty and unattached, fluttery and transient – which are the nice, flowery words that Violet uses to cover for the fact that she's so scared she thinks her heart might beat its way out of her chest.

Maybe that's why ever since they set out from the C.H. Postal Company, she's been trotting after Therion like a little duckling, her shoes tap-tap-tapping the floor in time with his own footsteps. Maybe the duckling comparison is a bit too kind – if we're going to be frank, it's more like she's dogging his footsteps. ]

Therion. [ That's the only warning she gives him before stopping in place. They're wandering through the train, trying to find a spot to sit and Violet's spied what looks like an empty car. ] I've found a place for us to sit, and store our luggage for now.

Therion | Octopath Traveler

[bolderfell]

C. Concert (Soleil): Time to Steal the Show

i. You're too kind.

[Now this is Therion's scene.

Not because he appreciates the music, though he does. It's not the overflowing refreshments that do it, either, though they certainly don't hurt.

No, it's the people. People singing (or screaming lyrics along with the bands), people dancing, people laughing and eating and shouting and, overall, not paying much attention to his hands or their wallets. People talking in corners, straining their voices to be heard over the music such that he can gather the local color, too. He picks up a tidbit of gossip here, a dangling bracelet there, and, new as he is to Soleil, fettered as his career's become, both are invaluable tonight.

And it's just nice. Surrounded by people unaware of him in the dark, this is just the kind of atmosphere to put a thief at ease.

Comforted by the weight of a new smartwatch in his pocket, he takes up a comfortable position by the wall and notices someone else taking a breather from the action. Here's an opportunity to tighten his personal recon.]

Hey. [He nods, letting his face fall into shy, but friendly lines.] You don't happen to go to the school around here, do you?

ii. Try this.

Hah, all right. Fine, you got me.

[Buoyed by the night's successes and the general atmosphere of the venue, Therion's relaxed past business mode into something even mellower. Something... almost pleasant. Something fun. A hint of amusement plays around the corners of his eyes as he gestures to a food vendor with his drink.]

What's a dewdrop, and why should I try one?

i;

[transfusionem]

[The girl he asks turns to look at him - she's tall and almost deathly pale and the expression on her face is open and friendly.]

You mean Daybreak? [For all she knows, there could be other, local schools in the area!] Yeah, I go there.

[She brushes her hair out of her face, tilting her head.]

Are you coming in for the new quarter?

olivia "liv" moore | oc

[stillaproblem]

layover;
[Well, things aren't off to a really great start. The flight is delayed because of storms, and she's trapped in an airport. The worst part is she knew it was going to happen, but that doesn't make her any less board.

She would be playing on her phone to pass the time, but...the battery is getting low. She approaches someone near the charging station, looking purposeful.]

Hey - can I use that real quick?

[She is, at least, asking.]

concert; (soleil)
[Liv isn't much of a concert goer, but she's admittedly curious about this concert in particular. The fact that the fliers aren't visible to everyone gets to her, and she could see this would be a good time for her.

So she goes, and it's only slightly begrudging. She doesn't stand out much in the crowd, but she's glad for that. She's able to be a part of it without anyone noticing her and that's more than fine. That's incredible, actually. It lets her feel like a mostly normal girl again.

Eventually, though, she gets tired of being in the crowd and escapes to the fringes of the room. She leans against the wall, letting out a breath.]

There's more people than I thought there would be...

[She looks up, noticing that even now she's not alone.]

Oh. Hey.

wildcard;
[Come at me!!]

layover

[buddinghopes]

Oh, yeah, sure.

[... It's so casual that Lia's forgotten for a moment that she knows that voice. Or maybe it's because she knows that voice that she's so casual, either way.

But after the moment passes, Lia realizes that's a voice she recognizes, and one that wasn't already at the school.]

--Liv?!