Test Drive Meme: February/March 2017

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Welcome to the Underground test drive meme! This is where you can try out the AU version of your character, start some potential CR and get a feel for the world of the game. Choose your character's species, read up on the available factions and you're ready to go. Put your character's name in your subject line when you post, tag out, and have fun!

Note to current players: Activity in this meme counts as game canon! So you can use it for activity check. If you end up playing anything that you can't or don't want to use as game canon, it's fine to ignore it. (In that case you shouldn't submit it for activity check.)

Here are some prompts to inspire you:

1) SOMETHING NEW. Welcome to London! Spring is approaching but it's still bloody freezing, the wind is howling (are you sure it's the wind?) and your umbrella isn't much use when the rain is driving into you from the side. Maybe the appeal of a new experience is what brought you here. Does the reality match your expectations?

2) RUN THIS SHOW. You are the host of an event designed to showcase the particular skills and power of your people or faction. It can be small scale or ridiculously lavish, but this is your chance to enter the spotlight and show the supernatural community what you're made of.

3) CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. The police are after you. Maybe you did it, maybe you didn't, but they're on to you and now it's your job to make sure the case goes cold. Don't want to leave a supernatural paper trail.

4) WALK ON THE WILD SIDE. London's many parks are a haven for those who like some greenery in their concrete jungles. Popular and peaceful during the day, at night things are different. When the moon is full or the wind blows from a certain direction, the balance of magic can shift and open up ways into the far wilder woods of the Other Realm. Alternatively... you got really really drunk and passed out in a field.

5) BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK. Let's face it: you have a thousand reasons to be paranoid. Maybe the powers that be have it out for you. A werewolf or vampire wants to eat you. You pissed off a shapeshifter just last week. There's a hunter trying to kill you, a witch trying to control you, a fae that wants to kidnap you, a ghost haunting you. Hell, maybe they really are all out to get you. Are you in real trouble this time... or are you scared of your own shadow?

6) FOLLOW THE LEADER. Take your pick: your boss has ordered you to a) threaten an enemy; b) approach a potential ally who might side with you against a common foe; c) dispose of a dead body; d) deal with a spillage at table four. Good luck.

7) GO GO GO. There's nothing like a morning run. Maybe you're training for the London Marathon in April, maybe it's a good way of working out your hunting instincts, maybe you just like to keep in shape. Wait, did that guy deliberately overtake you? Don't get competitive now.

8) CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE. Anything goes.

Comments

Beatrice | Much Ado About Nothing | Witch

[mydearladydisdain]

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
[Beatrice liked her office, and what she liked most about her office was the fact that it was only a short walk to one of the nicer parks where she could sit and have her lunch if she wanted. That is, nicer in her opinion which clearly you wanted if you were asking her about it. It also happened to be one of those places that she could feel the magic of London thriving in, but she suspected that made her sound a bit too much like a pretentious art student, so she never mentioned that fact when meeting any of the coven.]

[Still, that wasn't entirely the point of it. On this particular day, Beatrice had an extended lunch break, and was sitting on a bench in the park, alternating between eating her sandwich, and glancing through social media on her phone. Her job required her to be up to date on this type of thing, and it was never something that she enjoyed doing - personal stuff was more fun, but the public face was needed. And going by the public face at the moment... Well, she couldn't reply as cuttingly as she wanted to the comments left on the facebook feed. Not to mention the atrocious use of grammar - perhaps that report on the falling standards of basic English education had been correct. She snorted slightly at the thought]

Would be the first time that blowhard did get anything right.


BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK
[She wasn't prone to paranoia, that wasn't something that she did. That didn't change the face that the hairs on the back of her neck were standing as though she were being watched very intently, a thought that caused an unpleasant shiver to run down her spine. The shadows seemed darker somehow, something that was she sure was scientifically impossible but then magic and science didn't run concurrently. It used to make her laugh, but right now it put her on edge.]

[Was she being followed? If she was, the question was why? Her hand grabbed at the straps on her handbag, a hand slipping in for the small potion vial she kept on her. Pepper spray and mace were effective and this little creation was... something along those lines. She hardened her face, squaring her shoulders in readiness. If something was after her...]

[Well, she was ready]


CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
[Please come play with Beatrice!]

Watch your back

[melancolique]

She was being followed, by a slip of a girl dressed in clothes as black as the night itself. The scruffy bob hat on Eponine's head did little to keep out the cool air of London, and she huddled herself over in her cracked leather jacket against the wind.

She was following this woman because… because why not? There was nothing better to do. In that respect, it was worse than Paris. There at least there was Montparnasse, or Claquesous or any number of men they sent her towards. Here, she was a spare part and she knew it.

So she followed, not sure enough of herself to call out to the woman, not quite knowing why she was doing it. But she followed.

[mydearladydisdain]

Beatrice kept her cool. She was being followed, she was sure of that now. If she listened carefully, she could hear the fall of the footsteps behind her, and she knew. She didn't take her hand off the vial inside the bag, but carefully slipped her hand out, holding it closed. She waked forward a few more steps and then stopped.

"If you're following me, I advise stopping."

[melancolique]

Eponine stopped too. The jig was up.

She waited for a moment before calling, "I don't mean harm. I'm not hunting. I swear."

She made sure she was out of the shadows; her sickly skin made her face contrast with her inky surroundings. At least now the woman could see her.

"It's just nice…" she struggled to think of something to say, "Nice to walk… in the dark. Isn't it? It's almost magical. Nice magical, I mean. Like the stories." She was babbling and she knew it.

[mydearladydisdain]

Her hands relaxes slightly, and she tucks it into her jacket pocket, holding the vial in there and turning round. Pale, sickly so, a vampire obviously. The hunting comment had confirmed it, but it could still be a surprise - especially considering she knew of some who'd taken to fake tan in order to pass among humans.

"It's not terrible, but then some of us don't have a choice about what we walk in."

[melancolique]

"You do." The bitterness in Eponine's tone is evident. "You're not a vampire."

She cocked her head to the side, taking in the woman from head to toe. "And you were more scared when you couldn't see me. You're not scared of me now, are you?" Eponine grins, and her fangs glint in the moonlight.

"So why are you walking alone? It is dangerous for a woman such as you to be abroad alone."

[mydearladydisdain]

"Anyone would be scared if they found they were being followed," Beatrice replied in a clipped voice. "It's not a safe world, especially if you're a woman. You said it yourself" She stands tall, refusing to allow herself to be cowed.

"And I'm walking alone because I had to. Work ran late, and I'm hoping to get home before it hits even later."

[melancolique]

"Not me." Eponine replied with a smile. "I don't care. Not if someone should follow me. What should they do to me? I might be a woman, but I am not so soft as you."

She came closer. "Where do you work? I always thought to work, but 'Parnasse had his ideas. Didn't need to."

That didn't even look true. She might not be doomed to the rags she wore when she was truly alive, but it was obvious that Eponine's grunge wasn't a fashion choice alone.

"What will you give me if I walk you home? No one shall dare to attack if you're near me. I swear."

She conveniently didn't mention that vampires weren't allowed to hunt in London any more.

[mydearladydisdain]

"I'm not as soft as all that," there was a hint of amusement in her tone, matched by the soft grin and look in her eyes. To think of a witch being called 'soft' if she was followed by someone... No, Beatrice was not soft. She was, as the saying used to go, a witch right down to her boots.

"I don't need a vampire protector, but if you're offering your services, do make sure to post a notice with the coven."

1

[bellbound]

[A small white cat appeared on the bench next to her, staring at the sandwich as if contemplating whether to snatch it out of her hand. Depended how edible it was. He waited a moment to get her attention. People did get glued to Facebook. Amazing how little attention humans paid to their surroundings.]

Taking a break?

[That should get her attention, right? And she might recognise him by his red collar and the distinctive bell hanging from it. Mogget was not actually a cat, but the familiar to the Mother of Witches.]

[mydearladydisdain]

That's the plan/

[Beatrice turned, looking at the familiar and catching sight of the red collar. She smiled, and broke the sandwich in half, placing the larger half in front of Mogget]

Care to join me?

[bellbound]

[He sniffed it suspiciously. Was it cucumber or cherry tomato or some other pointless filling? If it was chicken or fish or any other meat he would eat it, but otherwise he would turn his nose up.

...Anyway. He was here for a reason.]

Perhaps. But I fear talking much more will attract unwanted attention. Can you shield us from prying eyes?

[Humans were unobservant, but they were in a public place. Sooner or later someone would notice a talking cat. If she didn't know a spell to deflect attention, they would have to talk elsewhere.]

[mydearladydisdain]

[A plain chicken sandwich, on brown bread. She never ate much at lunchtime, though she had a small fruit salad bowl in her bag. She nods at the request, closing her eyes and muttering fast under her breath. When she opens, she turns]

And why does the familiar of the Mother of Witches honour me with their presence?

[bellbound]

[Chicken, excellent. He ignored the brown bread and instead gobbled down the chicken piece by piece. It was cooked rather than raw as he preferred it, but still not bad.

Oh, and she had a question. He made her wait, cleaning his whiskers before looking up at her.]

Do you know of the petition that she is planning to put forward to the Night Council?

[There had been no official word yet, but news was starting to spread through the grapevine.]

[mydearladydisdain]

[Beatrice bit into her half of the sandwich, placing the package over so that Mogget could eat the other one if he so chose. She chewed carefully. A petition to the Night Council...?]

"I've heard rumours, nothing more. I trust them as much as I trust the word of a fool. With exactly a grain of salt. But there's truth where there's smoke."

[She turned, and raised an eyebrow:] "What of the petition?"

[bellbound]

[Well, if she was foolish enough to leave the other sandwich right there, he was going to take it. He dug his paw into the packaging to fish it out, again going for only the chicken.]

It's quite simple. [He flipped over a slice of bread and found another piece of chicken underneath. The bench was a mess of discarded sandwich by now and there were some rather hungry pigeons pecking around at the crumbs on the ground, Mogget taking a moment to eye them too.] The Mother would like to be certain that she has your coven's support. [Dumb birds. He pushed the empty packet away and looked up at Beatrice again. Nothing else?]

[mydearladydisdain]

My coven's support?

[That one surprises Beatrice, as she had been fairly certain the Mother did as she wished and the covens had to fall in line or be left behind. She brought out the small fruit salad bowl, and gestured it momentarily in Mogget's direction, seeing if he would like any]

I believe we are in support.

a

[agraveman]

Hey! [Mercutio, armed with two coffees, one in each hand, came to a stop in front of Beatrice.] I'll have you know I've done a lot of things right!

[He was not actually the blowhard in question, but it was such an odd statement that he had no choice but to stop and comment. He'd never been very good at controlling his impulses. Doctors had said it was ADHD. He was pretty sure it had something to do with the fae blood running through his veins.] I'm extremely offended!

[He didn't look offended in the least.]

[mydearladydisdain]

[She looks up, vaguely amused by the interruption]

And would you describe yourself as a blowhard, which is why you thought I was talking of you?

[agraveman]

[Mercutio takes a moment to consider this. He looks down at her, then darts his eyes upward. Then he smiles.]

Blowing hard is one of the many things I do right.

[mydearladydisdain]

[Okay,that one gets a laugh from her]

Then you're not the idiot I'm talking about

[agraveman]

And then, might I ask, who is?

[He moves to take a seat next to her on the bench, taking a casual sip of his coffee. The second one, he holds out to her.]

[mydearladydisdain]

[She takes with a smile, and then shows him the article]

This idiot here. [The name is clear, and the look on her face makes it clearer] I mean, is this even researched?

[agraveman]

[Merc frowns at it. For a moment, he considers playing the asshole, and doing the devil's advocate thing. But, he likes the look of this girl, and doesn't want to antagonize her. Negging is not really his style.]

A quick glance at the wiki page, maybe at best.

[mydearladydisdain]

That's what I thought. And still he gets work.

[Shaking her head in annoyance. She works hard at her job, and it annoys her when some people get by with just the barest minimum of effort]

Some people.