moonmoonacademy | TEST DRIVE MEME

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TEST DRIVE MEME - AUGUST

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!!

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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?]

Edited 2019-08-11 04:24 (UTC)

[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.]

The sound of laughter jostles her out of her mockumentary, her head whipping around to see where the noise is coming from. Did someone hear her? Are they laughing at her? The dread of embarrassment washes over her in that brief moment as she searches for the source of the laughter. She finally pinpoints it from around a corner, and unable to resist her curiosity, she leaves her seat and peaks around that corner.

What she finds sends her eyes opening wide, all embarrassment forgotten.

"You?" It's a question of surprise and an accusation at the same time. This was just about the last person that she expected to meet in this airport. All the humor from a moment ago seems to wither and die in an instant. "What are you doing here? Are you following me?"

The laughter might have died in her but it's still alive and well in him. His cackles keep spilling, even with her clearly accusing questions.

"Here? You mean at the Terminal from Hell??" Another bark of laughter. His shoulders shake with it. Oh, that's going to get him for a good long time later. "The same reason you're here, obviously. Flights are grounded. No one's going anywhere. I'm sure as hell not walking back to school. I mean, would you? Especially when this place is covering everything free."

There's no confirming or denying that he's followed her at all. He doesn't think he needs to.

The Terminal from Hell. He repeats that back to her, and she instantly goes scarlet in the face. It's hard to even hide her embarrassment. That wasn't meant for anyone else to hear--but especially not him. How is he supposed to take her seriously after seeing something like that?

Determined to regain her dignity, Masaki puts her hands on her hips, standing up a little straighter and trying to fight the embarrassment back from her cheeks. "Why would hollows be going to school? You can't mean Daybreak..." There's no way that the school she was sent to--the one working on fighting Nightfall and saving humanity, would be letting a hollow attend. That's just insane.

She goes bright red. He's never seen Mom so-- the moment the word 'Mom' passes through his skull all other thought seems to trainwreck.

Thankfully she gives him plenty to distract himself with.

"I can't? Well, gee, I'm not sure what else it would be called. Not that it matters. I'm still going. Maybe we'll even share some of the same classes! Won't that be fun?"

Edited 2019-08-14 04:23 (UTC)

She just stares for a moment, her brow creased with confusion. He can't go to Daybreak. That doesn't make any sense. He's a hollow... even if she's not sure why he's acting so normal, compared to all the hollows she's seen before. He looks like a human boy--if she ignores the white skin and creepy eyes, and he was laughing in a generally normal way! If a little bit creepy with that too, but not in the way that she's used to hollows being creepy. It's weird, and it's the only reason she doesn't have her bow out already.

"We are not going to be in the same classes." Not if she can help it--or... maybe she should be? To keep him in line? She's so confused right now. "Why are you-- Why does a hollow need classes in the first place?"

She's so eager for him to tell her she's been punked. Just shy of hopeful. How sad.

He barks a laugh.

"Aren't you a rude one! Maybe I should be asking why a grown adult needs classes, hm?" He's not oblivious to the point she's making, but he's going to toy where he can. "Maybe I want to. It's a free education, after all. That's a fantastic opportunity."

"I'm a graduate student. I'm supposed to be an adult." That's not a point at all, but she's going to argue it anyway. And for that matter, she looks highly suspicious of this 'opportunity that he's talking about. It sets her ill at ease.

So after frowning at him a little more, she takes a few steps back and looks around. There's a cluster of seats nearby, and she sidesteps her way over to those. She sits, keeping her carry-on bag on her lap and hugging it to her chest. She rests her chin on top... and stares at him. Wordlessly, but with determination.

His amusement quickly slips into confusion. She's sitting there. Staring. His head tilts but he can't for the life of him figure out what's going on. Is this the silent treatment? But why stare then?

"Uh... what are you doing?"

He looks at her weird, but she's not phased by that. He can look at her weird all he wants to. He can even make funny faces at her for all she cares. It's not going to distract her from her task at hand.

"I'm watching you."

Now it seems he's the one who must be being punked. He glances around like something else might explain what's happening here. His gaze goes back to her and her stare.

"...Why?"

"Because someone has to."

She can't just leave him to wander around the airport by himself. What if he attacks someone? She can't disprove that Daybreak Academy isn't expecting him, but she wouldn't feel okay if he wasn't in her sights, either.

"You've got to be kidding."

She's clearly not.

A moment passes and then he huffs, eyes rolling. Fine. He looks for a seat nearby, not right at her side but close enough.

"You're ridiculous," He points out.

There's plenty of other seats nearby in the airport. This alcove is basically nothing but seating. People have to wait somewhere, after all.

But she fidgets uncomfortably if he moves to take a seat near her--but not uncomfortably enough to stop watching him. She turns a little in her seat to keep her gaze focused on him. This is how you keep an eye on someone, right?

"It's not ridiculous. I can't let you wander around without supervision. Besides--I'm going to Daybreak as well. So if we show up there and I find out you're lying, then I can deal with you then."

You're not my mother, he almost bites out but the fact may very well be wrong there is enough to shut him up for a moment.

"It's definitely ridiculous. I'm not a toddler for one. Watching me isn't going to stop me, for two. And for three... you're really going to wait until we get all the way back to Daybreak just to decide if you want to shoot me or not?" He lifts a brow at her. Really, it might be that part that's the most ridiculous of all.

"Why bother? Deal with me or don't. Because otherwise, you've got to resign yourself to watching me."

"I know you're not a toddler. Toddlers are cute and not threatening." Two things that he absolutely isn't.

"And last time I checked, I don't have to do things the way you think that I should. If you say that Daybreak wants you, then that's where you're going, and I'm going to make sure of it. No detours. No pit stops. And no fighting along the way."

Which means that she's basically here to make sure that he keeps his hands to himself.

"Is that supposed to be an insult?"

He side-eyes her there-- not that she can see behind the sunglasses. He chose the darkest ones he could on purpose. Instead, she'll see his lifted brow.

"So let me get this straight. You think, for all the same reasons that you can just do whatever you want, that I can't do anything because you say so? Honestly, you should stick to making up stories. Those were way funnier than this." He knows it's not a joke, but that just makes it all the more stupid.

"Daybreak didn't ask for me. I chose to go there. There's nothing to make sure of, there's no pit stops unless I find some good reason to jump out of the plane, and if I have to stay here in this terminal another hour more you're just going to have to deal with it when I fight the airport security over it."

It's her turn to give him a look now. Does he really think that she thinks he's going to listen to her with just words? She's not that naive. Sheesh.

"That's what I'm saying. We're going to Daybreak, and if you try anything along the way, I am going to deal with it. So you had better find something else to entertain yourself with because it's not going to be the airport security that sits you down. It's going to be me."

"I don't think you fully understand what you're up against here," he says, tone a little colder. "The reality is, you can try, but I out match you. If I wanted to, I could level this place flat. But I haven't. You know why? Because I've already decided what I want to do and you have absolutely no power over that."

He leans back in his seat, stretching out like he's going to take a nap. He wonders if she'd even let him.

"Could you just quit it with the hunter talk, blah blah I'll put you down like the rabid dog you are, for ten minutes? It's not like the other quincies are here judging your performance."

[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?

[If Charlotte was looking to surprise her, she's rewarded with Masaki jumping nearly a foot in the air, and almost tumbling off her seat. She whips around, eyes wide to look at the stranger--and then laughs in embarrassment. If there's a threat in the way that Charlotte is speaking, Masaki seems oblivious to it for the moment. Or maybe she's just like this with everyone...]

Oh, they're not secrets! I just made all of that up. You know-- It's like a game? You watch people, and you make up stories about them. About who they are, or why they're there. The wilder, the better! It's completely harmless.

Hmm? Is that what you think?

[It's the truth, but Charlotte would rather pretend that everything Masaki's said is true and isn't as harmless as she'd like to believe.]

Even if that were the case, you have to keep in mind...people will believe just about anything. Can you really say it's harmless when someone might take you seriously?

[Is that what she thinks?] ...Yyyes?

[She certainly doesn't know anything about these people, so if she is saying something true, then it has to be a complete coincidence. In which case, anyone could make a similar guess!]

No one is going to believe that kind of stuff! It's like fantasy. They're more likely to just think I'm weird. [Which... she is.] But if they did know it was real, then they'd know it's all silly anyway. Vampires aren't actually like that, and daemons don't just hang out in an air port terminal, making deals. And fae are a lot weirder than normal children.

[At least as far as she knows...]

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TEST DRIVE MEME - AUGUST

Masaki Kurosaki | Bleach

B

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B

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