DEC. TEST DRIVE

[rubycitymods]

It's that time again!



G'day, Ruby City!

Thinking of apping a character but not sure they'll fit in the city walls?

Have no fear, a meme for you is here.

Directions:

• Post with your character with their name and canon on top!


• Choose a location and prompt or wait for someone else to tag.


• If you'd like, leave contact info for people to get in contact for plotting and other such shenans.


• Tag around! Make friends. Don't be afraid to chat OOC while tagging.

Locations:

1. Train Station: New arrival, or waiting to welcome people? Either way, the train comes in, but you still can't ride it out.


2. Cathedral: Looking for redemption? Just doing a little sight-seeing? Or just getting a little shelter?


3. The Clocktower: You can see the whole city from here!


4. The Black Stallion Saloon: You were told the burgers were great here-- but maybe you just came for the beer.


5. The Library: You came to do a little research, but it looks like all of the information's just out of your reach. Though, you can always find a way to pass the time here.


6. The Coffee Joint: A lovely place to have a chat and a bite to eat.


7. Le Cafe Anglais: A Parisian-British fusion that's as charming as it sounds and serves the best tea around.

Scenarios

1. Just walked in: You intended to get here, and you made your way in; but now someone's caught your eye and you'd like to have a chat.


2. Been here all day: You've been sitting around minding the time. Maybe you didn't notice them at first or maybe you were just working up the courage to talk-- either way, they know you're here and you know it too.


3. Bad weather: You're here because you've gotten rained in. This wasn't your choice, but at least it's dry-- right?


4. Wild card: Got something better in mind? Well screw these prompts, try it out yourself!

Have fun, guys!

Comments

The Disciple | Homestuck | 1, 4

[whomheloved]

[Disciple is not a happy troll right now. There aren't many things that can make her angry, but being forcibly separated from her friends is certainly close to the top of that list. While her demeanor isn't as outright scary as she's fully capable of making it, there's still something in her face meant to warn people off if they mean to cause trouble. She's a troll on a mission, and that mission is to try and find a train to take her right back out of here.]

[camefirst]

[Though he has not been here long, Signless was pretty quick to adjust to this city. Having traveled as much as he had, he was never the type to become homesick or have difficulties adjusting to some place never. Still, even with that, he did dreadfully miss Psii and Di. It was a bit of a mental struggle for him, really; part of him wanted them here desperately, so they wouldn't be separate any longer, but an equally large part wanted them to remain in their world, safe and free.

Recently he has developed a bit of a habit of visiting the train station whenever he hears the sounds of the train rolling into the city. He knows it is a long shot, but he always hopes to see some familiar faces waiting for him then. And even when there aren't, there are usually some people to help.

This time though-- Fuck, he would recognize those horns and that wild fall of hair anywhere. His pump skips a beat or two or five, and yeah, that's her, no mistaking it. So great is his joy even, that he is forgetting himself, breaking into a dash so he can bridge the distance between them, touching her shoulder, never quite remembering that it is not such a smart idea to approach a stressed troll from behind.]

Di!

[whomheloved]

[It's always a bad idea to approach a stressed troll from behind; approaching Disciple from behind is simply asking for it. He has barely started dashing towards her when she senses someone there and bares her teeth, and by the time he's reaching out to touch her shoulder she's already swivelled around and primed herself to incapacitate the perceived threat.

Signless' hand never quite touches her. She pounces on him and pins him to the ground, growling deep in her throat before the rest of her senses catch up with her ever-alert instincts. His scent hits her nostrils the same moment she recognizes those dearly beloved features and those deep red eyes, and the growl turns into a miserable whine as she realizes she may have hurt him.]

Signless!

[She sniffs and fusses at him, patting him all over to make sure there are no injuries, that he's safe and whole. Anything else is unthinkable.]

[camefirst]

[He grunts when she slams him into the ground, the air driven from his lungs. The back of his skull cracks into the pavement hard enough to make him bite down on his tongue. This definitely had not been one of his smoother or thought-through moments.

But then she is fussing at him, her hands patting all over him, and despite the slight throb to the back of his head, he smiles.]

I'm all right. It was my own fault. Really, I'm okay.

[whomheloved]

Did I hurt you, love? Are you all right? You're sure? You went down hard.

[She was pretty much guaranteed to fuss no matter the circumstances of their reunion; now she's certain to still be prodding and checking him for days. The mere thought of him hurt cuts her to the quick, and she makes another unhappy sound before starting to lap at his face worriedly. She's always tended to revert to old habits when worried or stressed.]

[camefirst]

[He feels his smile soften. Despite the situation and the ache in his pan, it is finally really penetrating his mind that she is here, that he won't have to miss her any longer. When he feels her tongue brush his cheek, he reaches up to pap her face gently before brushing her long hair back behind one ear.]

Shoosh, Di. I'm fine. I've handled worse.

[whomheloved]

I could have hurt you!

[She pouts, which is generally a sign that she's over the worst of her shock, and rests her chin on his chest, giving him a pathetic look. Everyone else at the station is giving them a wide berth after Di's little display, and so she doesn't mind taking a moment to focus just on him.]

I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find you. I didn't know how I'd get back home!

[camefirst]

You could've, but you didn't.

[Well, a little, but nothing major enough. He's still, despite his attitude, a troll, and he can handle some pain.

His fingers run slowly through her hair, taking a moment to simply enjoy the sensation. There is so much he should be telling her, about this city, about Rosa being here, about all that he has come to discover, but it is pushed aside for a few moments in favour of enjoying her presence after such a lack of it.]

Don't be silly, love. If there is someone who will always be able to find me, it is you. I've missed you though, so much.

[whomheloved]

How did they even manage to take us, Signless? And to separate us! Oh, what about Rosa, and Psii?

[Now that her immediate panic over him has been soothed, it leaves room for her more overarching panic to take its place. All she's been able to think of is some highblood plan to capture them, but surely Signless wouldn't be walking free if that was the case, right? She nuzzles her head into his hands by instinct, seeking the comfort he always manages to give.]

[camefirst]

[If it had been a highblood plan, he certainly wouldn't be walking free. Nor would his ultimate punishment be a trip on a train.

When he feels her push her head into his hands, he scrapes his blunt claws very carefully over her scalp, running in small, slow circles, hoping to offer some small measure of comfort.]

Sshh, Rosa is here. She is all right. Psii--

[He pauses, and for a moment his expression does look pained. It is not the ache in his skull though, it is the lack of his best friend here. Even if he knows Psii is a capable troll, he still worries and misses him. Before, at least, he had the idea that Psii and Di were together, that they were able to take care of each other. But with her here now, as pleasant as that is for him, it does mean Psii is out there somewhere, all alone.]

I'm sure he is okay, wherever he is.

[It is as much meant a comfort for her as it is for himself.]

I'm afraid I can't answer the other question. I have no idea how we were captured. It wasn't highbloods though. I don't even think it was trolls.

[whomheloved]

[Oh no, head scritches. She is so very weak to head scritches. She purrs in delight and snuggles against him, rubbing her head fiercely into his hand in search of even more. Did he say something? It's rather hard for her to pay attention to anything right now.]

Rrrosa is...here? Oh, good.

[For a moment her addled brain figures that that means Psii is around as well, either holed up somewhere and sulking or else getting into some kind of trouble. It's unthinkable that the three of them are here and he isn't.

But if anything can get through to her it's Signless looking sad, and she pats his cheek anxiously.]

Psii's not here? Why would they take us and not him? We need to find out where here is so we can get home!

[camefirst]

[Despite his mood, he can't help but smile at the low rumble of her purring. There are some things that just always bring him joy and watching him her in delight is one of those.]

It might not be that easy. Rosa says she has been here for a quarter of a sweep already and she has never found a way out yet.

[What he does not mention is what he has come to learn since coming here, his inevitable fate, their failure. It makes the idea of going home a bit wry. Certainly he does not want to abandon the followers he has amassed. They came together because of him, after all and he is not quick to abandon them. But then, he also knows what lays waiting for him and his nearest. It is not an easy thing.]

[whomheloved]

A quarter of a sweep! But she was with us just a short while ago! How is that possible?

[That finally gets her to sit up and realize that they are perhaps making something of a spectacle of themselves. Not that she really cares, but it doesn't seem like the time or place for it. She's back on her feet in a single fluid movement, reaching down to tug him back up as well.]

[camefirst]

[He takes her hand, allowing her to pull him to his feet. He is nowhere near as fluid and graceful as she, but eventually he manages to get back to his fist, brushing off the back of his cloak.]

Time works... strangely, I guess I would say. There are children here who are from far into the future and a heiress that seems to come from another universe. Dante even told me I was here once before, but I cannot remember such a thing.

What is the last thing you remember before you woke up?

[whomheloved]

[Good luck brushing yourself off, Signless. Di is attaching herself to him the moment he's standing up straight, her arms wrapped protectively around him, green eyes bright and flickering about as she keeps tabs on their surroundings.]

From the future? An heiress?! Who's Dante, Signless?

...Psii yelling at me because he thought I got into his things. [I.e. just any other night.] We'd left that small town where you told them that story about a troll who'd forsaken his lusus but then returned to him.

[camefirst]

[To be fair, he has missed her enough these last few days that he doesn’t mind her arms around him. Her questions are a bit of a barrage and he wriggles one arm free to make a calming gesture. Talking isn’t going to be easy if he has to dump endless amounts of information on her.]

One at a time, okay?

[He thinks back for a moment, and yeah, he remember that town. It isn’t too long ago in his own memory.]

All right, if you are from then, then the two of us are from around the same time. It seems this city is able to bring people here from any time it wishes. Even people who know each other might not be from the same time exactly. There are a few young trolls here and it seems they are all from far into the future compared to us. Apart from the young heiress who seems to come from an entire different place altogether

[Like them and Rosa, but he does not say that. He’d like to discuss that more privately, when she has settled a bit more.]

[whomheloved]

[Di pretends to pout at him at that - can he blame her for wanting all the answers at once? But she sighs and indulges him with a kiss to the tip of his nose as she listens to him explaining, her expression growing increasingly quizzical as he goes on.]

I don't understand. How can they bring people here from different times like that?

[camefirst]

I wish I could answer that. It doesn't seem like anyone knows the answer here.

[He motions a little with one hand, careful not to dislodge her.]

I have tried finding the people in charge of this place to speak to them, but so far they've proven rather elusive.

[whomheloved]

[Di makes an unhappy noise at that; being trapped someplace strange away from their world and time with no answers is not exactly her idea of a good thing.]

What are we going to do, then, Signless? We can's just stay here!

[camefirst]

It's simple. We'll find a way home.

[Even with everything he knows of what is to come now, he still wants to go home. He started something, and he will finish it. The thought of abandoning all those people who stood by him, who finally dared to shake off their chains and take a stance is simply far worse than the idea of his death.]

And until we do, we'll help everybody here that we can.

[whomheloved]

[She nods, his calm yet determined words soothing her ruffled spirit. She finally lets go of him, but only so that she can squeeze his hands in hers.]

You're right. Of course you're right, love. I'm sure there's good we can do here too in the meantime.