rubycity_ooc | NOVEMBER TEST DRIVE

Entry tags:

NOVEMBER TEST DRIVE

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:

Use an RNG to choose a location and prompt, or wait for someone else to tag.

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

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 - The place where everyone gets dumped off at. Your first view of Ruby City, complete with informational posters telling you all about where you've ended up.
2. THE BEACH - Lovely year-round, though in the winter months, you're probably not likely to dip your toes in.
3. THE BLACK STALLION - A rather quaint bar. Supposedly, the burgers are great, but you don't see anyone immediately who's willing to serve you. Maybe you're meant to get it yourself.
4. THE OBELISK - The tall monolith in the center of the city marks the gathering place of many events, though right now it seems to be cold and dark.
5. THE CLOCKTOWER - Offering an impressive view of the city, several residents come here to clear their heads, if they don't mind braving the narrow staircase.
6. THE COFFEE JOINT - the front windows are warm and welcoming, and it seems there's always someone friendly enough to fix you a cup when you wander through.
7. THE CATACOMBS - Intrepid, aren't you? Those weird holes may beg exploring, but go too deep and you're going to be in a lot of trouble, considering the viciousness of the creatures held within.
8. THE CITY STREETS - All told, Ruby City is a lovely place, once you get past the fact that several of the buildings look derelict and on the verge of falling down. There's no harm in doing a little sightseeing.
9. THE PARK - You thought it'd be a lovely stroll, but the park is anything but friendly, if those approaching wolf-like creatures are any indication.
10. CHOOSE YOUR OWN - Don't like what we've come up with? Feel like picking your own place? There's a whole host of lovely locations to choose from in the City.

Scenarios

1. NEW ARRIVAL - Step off that train, walk down the street. People usually latch on to newcomers to try and help them out. Even if you look shy, the other residents probably won't be!
2. WATCH TALK - Feeling lost? Disoriented? Don't worry, everyone feels that way on their first day. Fortunately - if the signs at the station are to believed - the watch in your pocket can be used to talk to whoever else might be here.
3. BAD WEATHER - Aw, man. Whether it's snow, or rain, or just plain cold, today was definitely the wrong day to get dumped off in a City in the middle of nowhere.
4. A RUN-IN - Maybe you weren't watching. Maybe they weren't. Either way, you just bumped into someone. Perhaps apologies are in order?
5. HELP, IT HURTS - Clumsy, aren't you? Perhaps wherever the train brought you from wasn't so friendly, or you just tripped and twisted your ankle. Either way, you're in a bit of pain. Hopefully someone will notice your booboos and help patch you up.
6. HUNGRY - It isn't very obvious sometimes that restaurants are what they are, especially in a place like Ruby City. Where can a person go to get a bite to eat around here?
7. MISTAKEN IDENTITY - Hey, there's someone you know! --Or maybe not.
8. BEING FOLLOWED - Maybe you're just being paranoid, or maybe you've got a reason to be afraid. Whatever it is, it feels like there's eyes on you...
9. EVENTS - Feel free to look through our event tag!
10. CHOOSE YOUR OWN - Don't like any of these ideas? Feel free to come up with your own!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm not letting that happen again.

[Not to them, not to anybody. But especially not to her.

Dave buries his face in her hair for a moment, fear-backed fury wiping out the cold for a moment, but then he nuzzles more gently, letting some of the anger go.]

I still got my powers. So it's not gonna be like that. Not ever.

[Because anyone who wanted to pull anything remotely like that again would draw the literal wrath of god (small g) down upon them, if they didn't think to strip Time away from him first.]

I don't know what's going on, but it's not that.

...All right. I believe you.

[And that sounds a little strange, maybe — oddly stilted, abruptly acquiescing. But what she really means to say is, I believe in you, and it's faith strong enough to find the ability to endure, even through her fear of their present circumstances. Dave is here, so it must be all right; more importantly, Dave is here, and for Meridiana, right now that's enough.]

And perhaps it's small mercy that we're outside. It's wretched cold, but it seems as though there are shops, and light. It's...not as though we're locked in somewhere, with no windows and no sky.

Mm. Yeah.

[Dave noticed that, too, of course, but it's less of an instant comfort to him, even if that would be the rational thing. Three years of his life he spent shut up in that space lab. He's Morgan Freeman at the end of The Shawshank Redemption, not knowing how to live on the outside. It's like introducing a cat to a new home; you're supposed to shut him in one room to explore first so he doesn't get overwhelmed.

Which would be a great segue to get them both inside where it's hopefully warm, but Dave's arms tighten for a second.]

Meridiana. [Low, worried voice.] What's the last thing you remember, before the train?

[If they've forgotten again... If they're missing important things again...]

[She's quiet a minute, mulling not just over the implications of the question itself, but the implications of why it's such an important thing to ask — and for all that they've said this isn't like that other time, it's hard not to worry about it for precisely the reasons that she knows are driving him to ask.

So she thinks carefully, leaning on him and curling in to better take advantage of the support of his arms before answering.]

I was at the house. Our house. I think I may have been looking for one of you? I recall walking from room to room, wondering. I don't remember thinking anything unusual of it — only commonplace things, on simply another day.

[She frowns, though, tipping her head a touch to try and better look at him.]

And you? Before this...where were you?

[It's a relief and it isn't.]

Home.

[So there's that, at least.]

It was Christmas morning. I couldn't sleep so I went to play fetch with Ryoji's Absol herd till everybody else woke up.

[He'd had something to tell them. The happy enormity of it kept him up all night, but he hadn't wanted to text or call, had wanted to actually see their faces when he made the announcement.]

...You couldn't sleep on Christmas morning? I suppose next you'll say you were waiting up for St. Nicholas, while you were at it...

[Which again, is probably a relief and yet not quite. It wasn't quite Christmas yet, as best she can remember, but it was certainly December. They'd decorated the bed and breakfast...

But for Dave with his Time powers, perhaps it's not so strange to think that they're a bit out of sync. It's far better than being more than a century displaced in time, after all; a week or two is nothing.]

I think I'm...not quite there, yet. That it's not quite Christmas yet, that is; you're a bit ahead of me. But only a bit. You've not gotten away from me, Dave Strider.

[Or, in short: she remembers she loves him, happily ever after, which is the one thing she could never bear to forget.]

[He groans and rests his head on hers again, choosing to sound more annoyed than concerned. It's a close call. He can't be sure if it's temporal dislocation (which he's used to and accepts as his lot in life) or forced amnesia (which he's not, and doesn't).]

Stupid lousy dumb time shenanigans.

[It's not Meridiana's fault, but if she doesn't remember their conversation late Christmas Eve--well, it's like a frozen lake giving out beneath his skate. Not fatal; at least Dave understands she'll say yes, at least he knows she wants to share her future with him. But to have lost that moment with her--that moment in particular--crunches his heart like so much pre-crushed ice.

He only grumbles into her hair.]

I got you a great present and now I gotta keep it secret all over again. Do you know what that does to me, Meridiana. Do you know how hard that is for me, personally.

You're the best present I could ever ask for, Dave, and I have that for myself already right now.

[And so here they are, now, being schmoopy cuddling idiots in the blistering snow, because that's just who they've decided to be today. These kids.]

I'm sorry...I'm sure it was a very fine gift, too! But perhaps before we start worrying about any business of gifts, we ought to suss out a bit more of the circumstances we're in at the present?

Oh, yeah. I guess we should get somewhere that's less outdoors than here to start.

[These children have not an ounce of insulation below the neck. Where are their parents.

Reluctantly, he peels away from Meridiana but slides a hand down to hold hers without even thinking about it. That's just where his hand is supposed to be. With hers.]

So are we braving these fine ghost town establishments?

We might as well see what's around. I thought I saw a coffee shop, just like the ones in the city back home...

[It's hilarious how this is her standard of normal, now. Lumiose, the land of DOZENS OF COFFEE SHOPS, such that spotting one here in the middle of wherever makes it feel a little more like civilization after all.

She gives his fingers a squeeze, automatically shifting her weight to keep herself propped a little more against him.]

It seems as though the whole city is centered around that great red tower in the middle, see? My, that's just like home, too!

[Dave peers dubiously up at the obelisk.]

Yeah, well, Lumiose's tower is a little less... that. What's that even supposed to be, the Washington Monument?

[It's amazing how much more secure and attentive he is, with Meridiana here. He can take in more than a blur of threats and exits. With his free hand, Dave ruffles snow out of his hair, then nods in the direction whence Meridiana arrived.]

Coffee shop's that way?

[She's quiet a second, mouthing the words "Washington Monument" while she tries to put the reference together with the view, and truth be told she doesn't have a lot of luck with it all around but presumably if Dave's saying it then it does, in fact, look like the Washington Monument.

Frankly, she's a little surprised he didn't say it looks like a dick, because she's come to learn over time that most anything that's shaped generally longer than it is wide can be attributed to a dickish appearance, and if there's one thing you catch onto fast in Life With Teenagers, it's that everything that could conceivably be compared to a dick will someday be compared to a dick. Everything comes up dicks sooner or later.

But anyway.]

It is, I passed it on my way through the snow. Shall we walk, or would you rather fly us both? I'll not mind either way, but —

[She hesitates a beat, knowing this will come as no great surprise, but feeling the urge to say it anyway.]

— I only don't want to let go of you, is all, whatever we choose.

[Could he love her any more.]

Let's fly. It's cold.

[Dave was trying to keep a low profile, but suddenly, now that he's found and not lost, that's really not as important as getting the both of them out of the snow. Should anyone--or anything--take issue with a display of power, he can probably take them.

It's good to be a god.]

Hup.

[He bends carefully to pick her up bridal-style. He's put on enough healthy muscle over the last year that lifting her maybe isn't entirely a feat of magic anymore. He's no Washington or Silver, but, finally, with her and their family, he's begun to grow into his own.]

Comfy?

[And naturally, for her part, Meridiana once spent the better part of multiple weeks never actually taking a single step of her own, on account of Silver just carrying her everywhere. So this sort of transportation is old hat, really.

And it shows, in the way she curls in against him and buries her face against his neck, snuggling in for the trip.]

Always. You're nice and warm to curl up against.

[1897 AND ITS SOCIAL STANDARDS ARE SCREAMING THEIR DAMN HEADS OFF RIGHT NOW and look at her not even giving a single solitary shit]

[:>!]

You only love me for my body.

[There is not an ounce of belief in that statement, but it cheers Dave up plenty to say it. He takes off lightly and flies at a reasonably paced glide so they can find this coffee shop.]

Man, these buildings... Hope they've at least got central heating around here. Or kotatsus.

[Five minutes and he's already homesick for their living room.]

Well, you must admit it's a terribly nice one.

[And one that she ogles freely and regularly, because fuckdamn living in the age of liberation is really something else.

It's not particularly difficult to find, the coffee shop; there's a big front window with tables and chairs visible inside, and it seems as though the owner is incredibly fond of mistletoe, because it's hanging inside in a few different places from the ceiling. On the wall, someone's been painting a mural of what looks like Italy; it's only mostly finished, but the craftsmanship is good and the scene it seeks to display is pretty and clear.]

London looked rather like this, you know. Not so rundown — at least, not in the places that proper people ever went. But the look of them, the way they're built...it's a little eerie, really, to be seeing them again after so long.

[The only reason Dave sets her down is so that he can hold the door open for her. Chivalry lives, folks.]

Think this might be a version of it, then? 'Cause I mean, I think I'd remember a big red honkin' obelisk next to the Big Ben, which is definitely a thing that's in London, right. At least our Londons.

[He eyes the mural and the mistletoe, and as tempting as it would be to catch Meridiana under one, his first priority has to be checking out the menu. He's starting to shiver. Because he's a wuss.]

...I hope not, honestly.

[Because of course, if it's a version of London, then it's entirely possible there might be versions of other things here, too. Like society. And manipulative young men. And evil doctors neck-deep in occult sciences.]

Perhaps you can ask the barrister at the counter for some answers?

[IT'S "BARISTA", HONEY]

Anything more that we can find out will certainly be a help.

[Isn't barrister the British word for a lawyer?]

Mm, yeah.

[Dave doesn't like interacting with strangers--at least, not when he's at so much of a disadvantage, asking for help and all--but when Meridiana makes suggestions like that they sound so reasonable. He nods and tilts his head at her.]

Want me to order you anything?

[Because a coffee sounds so good right now.]

If you could? Something warm, please — and I'll find us a table while you're at it. Teamwork, and so on!

[She sounds so delighted. TEAMWORK!, she all but chirps, like a songbird extolling the virtues of efficiency.]

Mm...it'll be colder by the window, but it'd be nice to see out...well, we'll see what seems best.

I'm okay with a window table. [Visibility > warmth RN. He's still battle-twitchy.] We can cuddle up for sweet body heat.

[Look at them calmly planning all this filthy PDA. They are so gross. Dave makes it worse by kissing her forehead and holding her hand one more time. Disgusting.]

Okay, team. Break?

[Or she can hold his hand all the way to the counter. He won't complain.]

[God bless, it's a reference she actually gets, and quite frankly she's not altogether averse to the idea of some quality PDA right now, either. She's keeping up a good front and a brave face, but this business of being suddely whisked off somewhere again is rattling on her nerves. There's a reason she's been such a homebody since they settled down at the B&B, after all; the boys are the ones who kept on living their lives of danger, while she's the one hungry for a calm atmosphere and a quiet life.]

Let me see you off to the line, at least, so you don't get lost on the way.

[It's an easy joke, but she meant what she said about not wanting to let him go, and it's obvious she's trying to put off the separation — minor though it might be — as long as possible.

When the time comes, though, she's reluctant but not afraid to let him go, and makes a determined separation before heading over to claim one of the window tables for the view.]

[No, it's Dave who wears the abandoned puppy look as she grabs them a table. He doesn't look away until he sees where she's sitting, and even then, he stands in such a way that he can see her on his peripheral, that there's no way she can disappear while he waits on drinks and information.

When he joins her at the table, he has a double Americano (for him), a hot spiced cider (also for him), a Belgian hot chocolate (for her, because dealing with scary new situations requires sugar fuel), and a thoughtful frown.]

Hey. [He sets their drinks down and slides in beside her, quick to bring their hands together again.] Careful; they're hot.

[He may or may not have taken a tiny sip of hers.

(He may or may not have decided he better be the one to test shit for poison, given the circumstances.)]

The shop guy's cool. I like him.

[Of course Dave does.]

I think something hot is just what we both need right about now, honestly. I'm grateful for it.

[But not as grateful as she is for Dave next to her, and as soon as he's there she's quick to snuggle up against his side. Even now she doesn't weigh much, and never has, but there's something more fluid in her body language now than there ever was in her life before Dave, something more natural and less doll-poised.]

And do you, now? What is it that's so cool about him, then?

His hair is donuts.

[This is the man Meridiana is choosing to make babies with.]

NOVEMBER TEST DRIVE

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