folkie: (Default)
folkmore mod ([personal profile] folkie) wrote in [community profile] folkooc2022-06-23 12:57 pm
Entry tags:

June 2022 Test Drive Meme

JUNE 2022 TDM
INTRODUCTION

[ TDM QuestionsJump to CommentsFull Navigation ]

Welcome to Folkmore's monthly Test Drive Meme! Please feel free to test drive any and all characters regardless of your intent to apply or whether you have an invite or not.

All TDMs are game canon. You can choose to have your TDM thread be your introduction thread upon acceptance or start fresh. Each TDM will provide a scenario for how characters arrive in-game that particular month.

Playing TDMs will allow characters to immediately obtain canon items from homes especially weapons or other things they may have had on their person when they were pulled from their worlds! There will always be a prompt that provides some sort of "reward" to characters who complete certain tasks.

Current players are allowed to have in-game characters react to TDMs via the Network or make a log with the prompts. Current players are always encouraged to tag new people on the TDM!

TDM threads can be used for spoon spending at any time by characters accepted into the game.

[ Prompt OnePrompt Two]

1989
Content Warnings: Potentially traumatic memories.

GOT THIS MUSIC IN MY MIND
Consciousness returns all at once, bringing with it the sound of water, the scent of wet wood, and the feeling of warm summer air. You are laying in a lounge chair near the head of a long wooden dock, one of many scattered along a small and pebbly beach. Other people rest on some of these chairs, dozing or waking up themselves.

In front of you a lake spreads like ink as the sun sets in the distance, turning the horizon into a riot of pinks and oranges. The water is still and dark, perfect for a little swimming, even if you don't have a suit. You can wade in, or walk down the dock and dive. If you're a little worried about going alone, you could see if anybody else is willing to take the plunge with you.

At the head of the dock where it rejoins the land, someone has placed a pastel boombox. It's playing a steady stream of synth music that really goes with the whole neon sky thing happening - it's like you woke up in a vapourwave wet dream! If only you had a saxophone!

The current song fades out and the DJ speaks up. Her voice sounds an awful lot like that of the fox that brought you here.

"Our next song goes out to a very special someone--" and to your surprise she says your name. What then plays is a song that is extremely special to you, whether positive or negative. Maybe it's from your first dance. Maybe it's the song that played on the radio when you said goodbye to someone you knew you'd never see again. Whatever it is, it cuts right to the center of you - you hear every note or feel every beat.

And it follows. The song will play on loop, growing louder and louder as it does. If you try to walk away, it somehow still plays - run into the woods to escape and you will still hear it echoing through the branches. Throw the boombox in the lake and another just reappears in its place. Plug your ears and you'll just hear it in your head, over and over.

How do you get rid of an earworm? Sing it aloud? Find another song? The DJ breaks in with a clue: "What an absolute banger! You'll want to share this one, folks!"

Yes, the only way is to get this song out of your head is to tell someone else about the memory associated with the song. The second you do, the song will stop looping, both externally and mentally


I KEEP CRUISIN'
If you get sick of the lake, a short walk down a path will take you to a little park. There are food stalls set up serving tacos, smoothies, yakitori, hot dogs, ice cream, somen, shaved ice... summer fare. All of the stalls are manned by humanoids with animal heads - at first you might mistake them for masks. But no, they really are animal people: roosters, chameleons, owls, panthers. They don't speak, and they're all very laid back, serving you in their own sweet time.

There are benches you can sit on. If the sun finally sinks behind the horizon while you're here, a number of soft lights in blues, purples, and pinks will turn on and keep the place illuminated.

Good thing, too, since the centre of the space is taken up by a skatepark. A kiosk nearby is renting out rollerblades and skateboards; if you're so inclined you can show off any skills you might have. Or maybe you'll just wobble along the pavement. The animal people will encourage you to skate in pairs if you're just learning, so you might meet some new people that way.

The vibe is chill, and even if you were upset when you first arrived you will find the longer you hang out the less anxious you feel.


I STILL KNOW
Content Warnings:Stalking, horror movie type villain, optional violence, shadow monsters.

YOU SAY IT'S IN THE PAST

You've been awake for some time. Maybe you're getting something to eat, maybe you're exploring Willow and Euphoria. Whatever you're doing, some part of your body brushes up against an envelope. Really, it's like it jumps out at you. Written on the front is your name.

Inside is a piece of paper upon which is written a single statement: I know what you did last summer!

Well, that's confusing. And a little concerning, especially if you happen to have a lot of skeletons in your closet. Equally confusing is that someone nearby has found an identical letter, only addressed to them.

What's going on here? And could it have anything to do with that mysterious figure dressed like a fisherman hiding poorly behind a nearby object? Whoever that is, it seems doubtful that their intentions are friendly - you can see that in one hand they've got one hell of a big sharp hook.

The fisherman will stalk you and the other person who has received a letter, hiding quite a bit like a child; they duck behind skinny trees, crouch behind garbage bins, occasionally just place their hands in front of their already obscured face. Trying to approach the figure results in them raising their hook menacingly before running away. But they always come back. And although they may be inept, they do have a weapon. It may only be a matter of time before they catch you off guard.

You and the other letter recipient will have to work together to get out of this. The fisherman seems to think you were both in on something, so you should get to work figuring out if you have any experiences in common.

For some people this will be extremely easy. For others who may be from a different time period or planet, it may be a little more difficult. Still, there's bound to be something, whether profound or stupid. The moment you find some commonality in your past, you'll suddenly notice a box addressed to the both of you. How did it get there? Who cares!

Open in and you'll discover some canon items from home. It's especially likely that you'll find any weapons you may have owned, which is handy since the fisherman is now going to be after you in earnest!

After discovering what you have in common, it's possible that when you next see the fisherman they will be revealed to be someone from one of your stories. For example, if you both spent a year in Mathletes, the fisherman can be revealed as that nerdy kid you totally beat at the regional championships. Or maybe the fisherman's face remains obscured.

Regardless of who lurks behind that dirty raincoat and hat, you have to deal with him! This can be accomplished in a few ways: by revealing his identity if he has one, by knocking him out and turning him over to a couple of bumbling cops who seem to exist solely for this little drama, or by killing him.

Harsh.

If you find a commonality and receive a weapon from home, it will work flawlessly. One hit and that fisherman goes down! At least it wasn't hard!

But what if you just cannot or will not find common ground with someone?

Well. You still have to take care of the fisherman, but it's going to take a while. He's very stubborn and just doesn't seem to stay dead or injured for very long. It will take at least three attempts to keep him down long enough that you can turn him over to the police or throw him in the lake or whatever it is you choose to do.


IT'S ALL GOOD

If you had not previously received an item from home, with the disposal of the fisherman you will now discover the box addressed to you and your companion. Inside you will find some canon clothes and items for each of you, although they will not be weapons. As it turns out, you do not need to have completed the you say it's in the past prompt in order to find one of these boxes as they are dotted around Folkmore and may be found simply by wandering around. It's most likely that you'll have found yourself in Epiphany or Willow, which means that you'll also be able to find yourself things to eat and drink with ease. Euphoria especially might be the place for a pick-me-up since the convenience store has slushies! Awesome!

Less common that the addressed boxes, and more likely to be in the rural areas, are unenchanted weapons sticking out of the ground. Swords, guns, shields, maybe some nunchuks... They're not magical, but they're useable. After all you've been through you might want to pick one of these up. But be warned: the second you take one of these weapons, you'll have to use it.

From the shadows cast on the ground, inky black heads suddenly rise. Just heads. On insanely long necks that twist and turn as the heads come for you, gnashing teeth as dark as night. They’re pretty easy to defeat - cut off the head, or destroy the shadows they originate from. You can also run away, but you better be fast! That’ll teach you to assume you can get anything for free!

If you did encounter the fisherman or one of those nasty snake creatures, you may be a little worse for wear. Never fear - wander around a little bit and you'll encounter some more of those mysterious animal-headed people, who will point you towards a first-aid station. You can be patched up there by a woman with the head of a fennec fox. She manages to look unamused, somehow. Still, you can hang out in the recovery area as long as you need to. It's likely that you'll find yourself resting near other people, and you won't be told to shush if you strike up a conversation.

pursuitofcappiness: (thinks really hard)

[personal profile] pursuitofcappiness 2022-06-26 06:27 am (UTC)(link)
Sexier Hawkeye for sure, but he has no idea what a bramble shot is. Still, if that doesn't work, he can always just tackle the guy. But a distraction? Yeah, Steve can do that. "I think all we've gotta do to get him out of the crowd is move." After all, the lurker always follows.

He wonders what happens if they split up, but he's thinking he doesn't really want to find out, as he moves back and away from all the people bustling about.

They're near the water - that could be bad for them since that type of raincoat is popular among fishermen. With that in mind, he tries to move inland, maybe to a space where Vex can get a clear shot.
pursuitofcappiness: (that son of a bitch)

[personal profile] pursuitofcappiness 2022-06-26 06:45 am (UTC)(link)
Steve tries to hold Charles back as much as he can while Tony looks through their purchases, and it's quite hard to do when he has indeterminate but lots of strength, and Steve is trying not to harm his form too much. Kid deserves a proper burial, at least. He'd never asked if Tony knew what religion he was. Or, maybe, if they could figure out a way to take away this possession, it might leave him alive. They could get a second chance.

"How about you sing a lullaby, I'm busy!" Steve counters, because it's a lot harder to do this when he's trying to monitor his own strength.

Steve is wondering what the hold up is with the tying, but sure, he can take over. "Someone's still gotta hold him down," Steve answers, but he tries to grapple with that while putting the knot together. And, though Steve has absolutely zero practice with shibari, he doesn't do too bad of a job tying the kid's wrists together, handcuffing them behind his back, using the type of knot that gets tighter the harder you pull. That, he learned in the army. And no, he's not letting Tony make a quick quip about that.

Then he takes a long breath. This is many strange situations to be in all at once, so he puts together a plan, because that's what Steve does. Tony's from his past and Charles is a zombie in their custody and all three of them are here because of a talking fox, so, he's going to put all these priorities in order, post-haste. "Station's back over by the main road."

He stands up, dragging Charles to his feet. "Ready?"
rehandle: (pic#12484523)

[personal profile] rehandle 2022-06-26 07:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's anticipating having to help. At least to chip in a little. But once the shadows rise up from the ground Rogers goes into his element and it seems that almost before Stephen can really make a decision on whether or not to contribute, the danger is past.

Well. That clears that up: Captain America is as combat-ready as he's ever been.

He's busy blinking mildly through the surprise of being rendered completely surplus to requirements when Steve asks him a question - that question - and his attention moves directly from the final shadow to recede into harmlessness up to Rogers' face, bypassing the carefully displayed sword entirely.

He stares at him a second, summoning up the power to be reasonable. Something very not mundane did just happen, it's not a completely unfair question to ask... Finally, and a little more slowly than might be strictly necessary: ]
No, it isn't cursed.

[ Amazingly, he didn't decide to skip the curse checks while he was reporting in on whether or not the thing was enchanted. Please stay in your lane. ]

Those things were a consequence of removal, not tied to the blade itself. I don't imagine they'll be back.
rehandle: (282)

[personal profile] rehandle 2022-06-26 08:05 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you.

[ The space she gives him is enough: all he really needs is the immediate perimeter of the weapon. Without any further ado Stephen lifts his hands and begins to cast, fingers hitching in intricate patterns that pull together a spell of protection. Burning amber symbols of arcane geometry stretch through the air to wrap around first the blade and then the hilt of the protruding sword, imprinting into the metal and leather before fading entirely out of sight. ]

Okay. [ Done and dusted, he lowers his hands. ] Now I really advise you don't touch it.

[ Before there was the risk of unknown consequences, but now Stephen knows exactly what'll happen when anybody tries to take that sword: pain, white hot but leaving no permanent damage, as the spell reacts to unwelcome interference. ]
solvabilities: (And it's so good to be)

[personal profile] solvabilities 2022-06-26 08:52 am (UTC)(link)
It's fine, he's probably better off where he is.

[ steve doesn't need to chase after tony. or so he tells himself. ]
rehandle: (pic#12484567)

[personal profile] rehandle 2022-06-26 08:54 am (UTC)(link)
[ Snap. He winces, reflex, a clenching of the jaw. (Six stones glaring with vicious power that scours along metal like veins of lightning). If you could, wouldn't you? No. No, and doesn't that just make it worse. ]

I think you should slow down.

[ He'd come here to soothe his own troubles with a glass or two of something stronger, but Tony's drinking himself toward some kind of state and this place has proven it can be dangerous. Beat up and drunk isn't the way to be when you find yourself facing off against another hook-wielding somebody-or-other, or a glade full of shadow creatures ready to take you out for dislodging a weapon you found in the woods.

His own drink, a useful prop for a second and now of about as much use against the presence of the man who paid for it as a band-aid over a bullet wound, returns to the bar unfinished. That generosity might not be made much more use of. ]


Do you know where you're staying tonight?
rehandle: (128)

[personal profile] rehandle 2022-06-26 10:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ —Oh, there it is. A natural hugger he is not, but he's been on the receiving end of more and more of them lately and this isn't his first rodeo with a run-up from America, so though the situation may not be quite as fraught it doesn't take him much more than a second to wrap an arm over her back and squeeze in return.

To say he's pleased to see her here would be a stretch. He'd much rather she was back at Kamar-Taj, sparks today and sorcerer tomorrow, building herself a life. But she isn't. And if there's nothing she can do to change that, he's got no chance.

So instead he lets her go when she pulls back and does his best not to look frustrated when she speaks to the inevitability of being dragged away again, sense of agency over her own power snatched back as soon as she'd gained it. His dissatisfaction with the shifting whims of reality has never done him any good before and it won't help her now.

Maybe try for a smile, Stephen. ]


A couple hours, give or take. You?
peninhand: (cab 200)

Monika || Doki Doki Literature Club

[personal profile] peninhand 2022-06-26 10:22 am (UTC)(link)
I/ Got This Music In Mind
[ The song that plays for Monika makes her positively sparkle with joy. She's never heard it before, but it's clearly a love letter to her. Very reminiscent of what she had tried to tell the player, Just Monika. Someone went through the trouble of picking that song just for her... Maybe they even wrote and sang it! Unfortunately, Monika has missed the part where you're supposed to get annoyed as the song keeps looping. Instead she sits by the boombox and keeps listening to the song over and over and over again-

Until someone passes by! Oh gosh... Was that an actual person? Like, not a NPC? Not a program? Maybe it was even the person who had put that music on for her! She looked up at them and smiled brightly! ]


Hello! [Better not assume they're the one who chose that song for her... No, heck it! She just has to know.] Did you-did you put on this song for me?

[ Do you have it in you to completely and utterly break the heart of someone who looks so positively radiant and happy? ]


II/ You Say It's In The Past
[ A letter, for her? Things kept getting better and better with every passing seconds! She opened the envelope, fully expecting it to be a love letter following the high from that absolute masterpiece of a song- But then colors drained from her face the very moment she read what was in the letter:

"I know what you did last summer!"

Of course, the horrible things she had done hadn't happened last summer... But she recognized a pop-culture reference when she saw one. Did they really know what she had done to her friends...? Having restored their files and accepted her own deletion wasn't good enough, was it? Who had written that? Then she spotted the fisherman barely hiding.

Oh gosh. She recognized a horror game stalker when she saw one. She started walking away, only to stumble on someone with the same letter. Oh... Perhaps it wasn't specifically addressed to her then? A prank by that fisherman perhaps? ]


Um... [She approached the person and looked down at their letter with a frown.] You too?


III/ I Keep Cruisin'
[ Oh god... Animal people manning a bunch of different stalls... Those are shops in a video game, aren't they? They don't even speak! That's typical NPC behavior. And the skatepark, that's totally the kind of mini-game you'd find in a JRPG to kill time whenever you're not following the main storyline.

At this point, Monika's mind is made: this is another video game.

The way that Fox had found her at the end of everything, how he chosen her and taken her there... She could have been fooled. For a while she had legitimately found herself thinking "Some kind of higher power took pity on me and rescued me!" But it was clear now that the Fox was just the mascot of this game and what he had said was the tutorial. The bit with the music earlier? Just to toy with her. Same with the fisherman. Maybe a tutorial section.... There was probably a player looking at her and laughing right now. Perhaps it was even her creator.

So she sat down in a corner, looking positively depressed. Help her, please? ]
briarprincess: (Default)

[personal profile] briarprincess 2022-06-26 10:53 am (UTC)(link)
Definitely! With enough practice, anyone can do something like that, I'm not special.

[This isn't true, obviously it takes more than Yoga to get to that level of strength. But Yor does believe that with enough training, most people could get to her level.

When Rhys brings attention to the fisherman, Yor almost lets out a sigh of relief. The guy might be creepy, but she's glad she didn't hit him hard enough to kill him this time.
]

Hopefully he's learned his lesson about swinging weapons at people.
briarprincess: (09. Exclaiming)

[personal profile] briarprincess 2022-06-26 11:01 am (UTC)(link)
[That's enough to snap Yor out of whatever state she's in. The story this guy tells is similar to her own story - being interrupted and led away by a mysterious fox.]

The same thing happened to me! I was with my family when I got pulled away by a fox.

[They were in the middle of their beach episode! Very important stuff.]

I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were another victim like me! I didn't hurt you, did I?
briarprincess: (06. Crying)

[personal profile] briarprincess 2022-06-26 11:13 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, not to be rude but... I really don't have anything from last summer that I'm ashamed of. I'm not sure what my demons could be."

Her job as a killer is a secret, but in Yor's mind thats more of a national security thing than it is out of shame. She works for the government and assassinates filthy traitors, its good work that needs doing in her mind. She's a patriot.

Until recently she didn't really have a social life either, its not like there would be some big embarrassing faux pas that she'd be interested in hiding.

As for the fox:

"She was really vague and wouldn't answer a lot of my questions. Sorry I'm not more helpful..."
Edited 2022-06-26 11:13 (UTC)
briarprincess: (08. Reassured)

[personal profile] briarprincess 2022-06-26 11:24 am (UTC)(link)
Death doesnt... last? I'm sorry, what do you mean by that?

[In her experience as a professional assassin, death has always been about as permanent of a concept as it gets.]

Its nice to meet you, Mariane. I'm Yor Forger.

[It feels weird knowing this lady is a queen and not using any sort of title, but Yor doesn't know enough about court etiquette to insist on one either.]

Thank you for answering my questions, I really appreciate it. If we don't know how to get home, what can I expect from this place? Is it very dangerous?
simbiose: (pic#15766910)

[personal profile] simbiose 2022-06-26 11:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ the cruddy fisherman lifts his hook menacingly and . . . bolts away. eddie knows what happens next; if they confront, he’ll just run faster. they’re getting tired of this, eddie and venom both. venom becomes more impatient and disgruntled.

ONLY BAD GUYS, venom seems to retort in eddie’s unsound head. eddie, on the other hand. ]


No— no. I didn’t kill anybody, [ he swallows, ] last summer. [ NICE SAVE. sure, right? because it wasn’t summer when they killed those guys. ] Safe to say you didn’t go on a murder spree either, kid.
simbiose: (pic#15761135)

[personal profile] simbiose 2022-06-26 12:03 pm (UTC)(link)
You heard the very kind, helpful man, Orchestra.

[ he means venom. venom was singing. and disgruntled, ceases. the music as a whole has perhaps stopped from an earlier conversation, but the symbiote hasn’t. not when its feelings have been hurt. begrudgingly, eddie is given silence, but the kind of silence that would make a person in a parasitic alien relationship to feel . . . perhaps on edge. should he be taking drinks from strangers? venom doesn’t say anything. of course, venom wouldn’t let eddie die or drink roofies, so the silence, despite it sounding sharp, probably means that it’s not life threatening. ]

Ah— thanks. [ with drink in hand, he procrastinates a bit before actually taking a sip. oh. oh, that’s good. fruity in all aspects. ] Not from around here, either. Tourist?
kyley_b: https://fmdinisio.tumblr.com/ (yup)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2022-06-26 12:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[Kyle gives him a long, level look. That certainly is a suspicious way of phrasing it.]

No. No, I didn't. And I'm not a kid, I'm twenty-five.

[Because like all young people, he feels the need to insist he's old.

He looks at the note again, chewing his lower lip lightly.]


Okay. Well. Last summer I didn't do much besides study and like, go home to visit my folks. Hm. I'm from Colorado, I don't suppose you are too?
leviable: commissioned. dnt. (031.)

[personal profile] leviable 2022-06-26 12:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Despite the fact they're in some other dimension, Levi's not walking around without purpose. He's still helping to protect the people who can't protect themselves. It's instinctual; that need to put the safety of others before himself is deeply ingrained in him now. It didn't use to be that way back when he was a kid, growing up in filth in the underground city. Down there, it was every man for himself.

"Does it matter to you where we go?" He remembers the look on Eren's face back on the blimp. Those dead eyes. He wonders if that's what he has to deal with now. It's too much of a reminder of the people he'd despised seeing back in his past. People who had lost all hope, who no longer cared, and those who were willing to die for mere scraps. They all had that same shitty look on their faces and he hated it.

He stops at a wash fountain next to the park and activates the water spray with the push of a button. The technology in this world is fascinating to him. Levi takes his time to wash his hands, waiting to see if Eren will do the same. The boy could use a shower, but that will have to wait. He hopes he'll at least have the sense to clean up a little though.
blobalmighty: by me (that's what I am)

Yor honey no he doesn’t deserve an apology

[personal profile] blobalmighty 2022-06-26 02:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Wow. Like hot and cold this broad, huh?

Never one to miss a chance to be insufferable, Dimple laps up the apology, making a big show of examining his wrist even though it’s perfectly fine. ]


Gee, I don’t know ... it does kinda hurt ... I might have to ... do that thing ... where someone hurts you and there’s money at the end ...
blobalmighty: ([human] READY FOR THESE 24 INCH PYTHONS?)

[personal profile] blobalmighty 2022-06-26 02:25 pm (UTC)(link)
My name represents me perfectly! It’s Dimple! I have dimples! What the hell is a Barflaughski? Does it mean clown hair in Polish?

Different from my world then. That changes the hell out of the dynamics.
integrous: (come out and dance a while)

iii

[personal profile] integrous 2022-06-26 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ .. huh. Well.

That's new.

Asahi at first stares from a distance when she spots a girl looking utterly crushed in the middle of it all. And it's not even like she doesn't get not feeling super happy about all of this. After all, when Asahi herself had arrived, she had been the one just angry and depressed about the entire situation.

But since then she's found that most people tend to actually react a little more lightly than her to these sorts of things. So to see someone who's looking a little closer to the way Asahi did when she first showed up here - it's surprising.

But also concerning, which means she can't help but approach the girl after a moment or two of staring, a concerned frown on Asahi's face. ]


Hey, are.. you okay?

[ Clearly not, but Asahi doesn't know how else to awkwardly start talking to her when Monika looks utterly crushed. ]
demonicbeauty: (Thoughtful)

[personal profile] demonicbeauty 2022-06-26 03:40 pm (UTC)(link)
It wasn't hard to detect that nostalgic fondness. Ariadne felt it too, sometimes. Thinking of Deleo and her childhood. Had it been perfect? Absolutely not. She used to fight like cats with her mother. All the same, she missed it plenty. She missed the beauty and the tranquility and the feeling of always been surrounded by people who loved her.

Like was always drawn to like, it seemed. And Steve's story was drawing her in.

Even if she didn't know what pizza was.

"Coney Island?" she said. "Is that some sort of annexed territory belonging to Brooklyn?" She gestured around at the festivities. "A place like this?"
pursuitofcappiness: (i'm free friday)

[personal profile] pursuitofcappiness 2022-06-26 04:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"Let's see if you can keep up with me," he answers, though he knows fully well that he's going to be walking extremely slowly for how he normally walks, just in case she tries to get too much momentum going and they're back at square one.
midship: (hms justinian)

Horatio Hornblower | Hornblower Novels | Familiar

[personal profile] midship 2022-06-26 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
i. allons enfant de la patrie (got this music in my mind)
(cw: there will be guillotines)


[There is, ultimately, quite the list of things to unpack in the quiet dusk. Everything is new and strange and incredibly difficult to parse, apart from the immediate familiarity of a large body of water and the chaotic noise hammering against Horatio's ears in the growing darkness. The best course of action is to head for the comforting known quantity of the little dock, to focus on the sound of his boots against the pleasant creak of wood as he moves himself briskly down to squint toward the horizon with his usual habitual blankness.

This may well be a strange dream. This may prove to be some strange superstitious portent, the vague and confused reality of some ancient Greek poem long thought to be fiction. This may simply be the end of his sanity, the old long scars of even his short career dragging his mind out of itself and into this pleasant dissociated space.

That seems the most likely as a tinny voice calls out his name and the confused garble of sounds drifts into another chaotic tintinnabulation his ears can't fully grasp underscoring some incredibly familiar words. The voices are stronger, clearer, less desperate and frightened, but Horatio is instantly certain that this is the same song that had been so defiantly shouted at Muzillac when--

It's difficult to move as the words wash over him. It's horrific to realize, abruptly, that the end brings no relief, with the same sharp tune starting all over again.

He's clearly frazzled when he's joined on the dock, startled enough to simply ask,
] --do you hear that?


ii. nautical nonsense (i keep cruisin')

[Exposing even the smallest pieces of himself isn't pleasant, but the relief of La Marseillaise fading finally into some unknown garbled sounds again is wonderful. It leaves Horatio slightly staggering all the same, almost unsteady on his feet as if freshly returned to sea.

Everything in the little park is almost as disorienting as it had been by the lake, but it's a touch easier to breathe all the same--perhaps the relaxation everyone else (including the incredibly strange vendors) seem to be exuding despite their situation, and perhaps the sense of acceptance that comes with reality continuously forcing itself upon a person's mind. At the very least, his heartrate has calmed enough to make careful inquiries into a bowl of colourful bits of fruit to wander toward a bench with.
]

--pardon. [How did he pick this particular person to ask? Complete happenstance, likely, but someone certainly has to help him as he frowns down at his mix of watermelon, mango and pineapple.] Do-- you know what this is?


iii. sure don't want to hurt no one (you say it's in the past)
(cw: his guesses will likely involve physical abuse and suicidal ideation)


[It's Simpson. Somehow, despite the time and space and apparent twist of reality, despite the very real possibility that the man had been killed somewhere outside of his attention, Horatio is entirely certain that the figure stalking just at the edge of his vision with ceaseless constancy is John Simpson. There are other ghosts who would want to take his life or drive him out of his skull. There are other faults that could certainly have caused this apparition to follow close behind like this.

But the creeping unpleasantness at the back of his neck feels, instinctively, like Simpson's hand about to reach for his collar and tug him sharply back to--

Blinking clears that memory for the moment, his attention returning to his companion in misery.
] Have you ever cheated at cards?

[Horatio hasn't, but it's certainly an accusation he's had publicly leveled at him before. It can't hurt to inquire.]
pursuitofcappiness: (remember that time down on delancey?)

[personal profile] pursuitofcappiness 2022-06-26 04:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Sorry Stephen. To be fair, it was his mess to clean up.

Knowing nothing of the arcane besides what he's read about in fantasy novels, Steve defers to his present company. He still doesn't know whether to trust Stephen, but he's got very little in the way of choices, and so far he's proving to be a solid bet.
]

Great.

[ Steve doesn't really have anything to wrap the blade up in, so he holds it to himself with the blade flat against his person, in order to avoid stabbing anyone else. And then he extends his other hand. ]

I'm Steve by the way, I don't think we've met.

[ Yep, sorry again Stephen, that beard really does date him, doesn't it? He really has no idea he's talking to a former Sorcerer Supreme. He's still kind of fuzzy on the difference between a Sorcerer, Witch and Wizard. ]
pursuitofcappiness: (actually this is kind of familiar)

[personal profile] pursuitofcappiness 2022-06-26 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, things are supposed to keep going when we get back. I wonder how much we'll end up missing.
pursuitofcappiness: (i glances)

[personal profile] pursuitofcappiness 2022-06-26 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's all right." He can't expect any one person to just have all the answers for him. "You don't have to answer my questions, I just want to get to the bottom of this. There's so many of them here, it's gotta be orchestrated."

And if it is a trial, if it is supposed to unlock their full potential, he's not really seeing how they achieved that. Yor could easily have gone hand to hand with the guy despite how she insists it's just a few self-defense lessons.

The officer comes over to tell them that they're free to go, and the raincoat man waves to them as if on cue. Creepy.