TEST DRIVE ∞ May 2025

[thediadem]

Test Drive ∞ May 2025

The First Collision

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Jump ⇅ :: Arrival — Panorama — Fringes — Invite Request

The Diadem is an invite-only panfandom game set in a retro-futuristic world where uprooted souls find themselves deep within an eerie wasteland of roads and highways frequently assailed by cosmic storms. Three united strongholds keep the population. Its capital is Panorama, a large metropolis at the planet's center.

Soon, you realize you aren't alone. Calling themselves fluxdrifts, the "locals" have similar stories to you, either for themselves or their ancestry. You speak to an old woman who claims she hailed from another star. You meet a young man who says his great-great-grandfather knew a strange language everybody spoke "back home." As you explore, you stumble across a coin you recognize or your sister's locket. How did it get here? What does this mean? That's for you to discover.

But first, you need to find a ride.

No invites needed to play on the TDM. Everyone's welcome! Use the Invite Request thread below to request an invite from another player.

∞ Summary ∞

IC-wise, arrivals are scattered throughout the month. Events described on the TDM are also ongoing throughout the month. If you'd rather jump right into the action, you're free to begin in media res with your character having already been on the planet for several days.

Post-impact, characters will wake up in a med tent by the Scrapyard. From there, they must accept a vehicle on loan and make the 2-hour drive to the nearest city, Panorama. If they refuse the car because they don't want the loan, they'll be in debt for medical bills instead...so just take the car. It'll come in handy.

Some things to keep in mind when bringing in your character:

• Pick an injury. At minimum, they got knocked out; at most, whatever they can recover from. Medicine is decently advanced so they'll heal faster if not painlessly.
• Decide items kept. Reasonable items on their person only: photos, keys, clothes, costumes. No pets or animal companions. Wildly out-of-place tech and personal cell phones will be damaged beyond repair.
• Select a weapon. Do this only if eligible. Guidelines about weapons and powers are on the FAQ.
• Choose a vehicle. Decide whether your character gets 2-3 options or if they're stuck with something they hate. Players can pick directly from our collection or source their own images. Anything under a similar aesthetic will work. If your character needs accommodations for driving, they can have them. Ask us for details.
• Get a phone. Characters have to obtain a phone (and a SIM card) themselves. If they've got one from home, it's damaged beyond repair. Phones are cheap. It'll only take a couple of weeks to afford one. You need to know the number before you text or call anyone. Read about phones and the Forum before you hop on it.

TDM threads can be canon if characters are accepted. Top-levels made to the TDM should be open to all.

TDM Questions? Here — Game Questions? FAQ

Setting — Taken — Reserves — Applications ::: ⇅ Top

Fluxdrift

Arrival & Introduction

Date: Throughout May

You've tumbled over a cliff. You were fighting for your life. You're on the cusp of death. You slipped in the shower. Whatever the catalyst, you struggle to cling to consciousness. As darkness overtakes you, a swirling vortex warps light and shadow in a way that defies all physics. A dark wail etches into your very bones. You couldn't describe it if you tried. You can barely comprehend what it is.

Then you open your eyes.

Through the figure's mask ©, you swear the face is grinning down at you. The tent you're in smells of antiseptic, and scratchy blankets line your cot. Injuries you've sustained have been bandaged. In the corner, you spot a MedBot that's fixed you up. Depending on the extent of your injuries, the doctor on duty might give you some painkillers before you go. Thankfully, your belongings are by the exit. Sorry if anything's damaged. Your landing was pretty rough.

You follow the figure outside. They are Yom Crook, here to lend a hand to fellow fluxdrifts like yourself. Their car's parked beside them. Actually, there are lots of cars around, but Yom Crook's stands out with its painted shark mouth. They explain they found you, unconscious, in a diffusion zone and brought you here. The nearest city is a 2-hour drive northeast. Forget about walking. You'll never make it. Also, you owe the doctor a lot of money for patching you up. But you're in luck: they've got some wheels for you and if you accept the vehicle on loan, Yom Crook will cover your medical bills. That's a good deal, right? It's not the shiniest car or motorcycle, but it'll do. If fortune favors, you'll get to choose between two or three options. Plus, if you need accommodations to drive—like adjustments to your seat height or modified controls—you'll receive all that for free.

Take the vehicle. (And the loan.) Yom Crook assures you that you'll have six months before collectors come around. Any time you're ready to pay a part of it down, return here to the Scrapyard. You'll get a receipt and everything. Paying off the loan in six months isn't impossible, but it will take a lot of work. Just don't get too lax. There's a good chance you'll be juggling multiple loans as you try to get by.

You either know how to drive, or you'll have a bare-bones manual to get you started. Road rules are more a suggestion than enforced, so just hit the pedal and go. The car has some basic features. The built-in compass will help you navigate.

OPTIONAL PROMPTS: a flat tire; a body on the road (is it a trap?); a fender bender

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Panorama

Explore & Settle In

Conditions: Warm spring temperatures, light showers

After 2 hours on the road, you find civilization. The largest of the strongholds, Panorama is where the economy thrives. Massive power plants glowing red make it visible from a distance. The city is divided into three districts. For now, you can access the Pavilion and the Blocks. Don't worry about the Sanctum; they're not letting you in.

You only need to know two things about Panorama: 1) it's big, the size of a modern metropolis, and you'll need your car to get around; 2) anything goes as long as you don't pick a fight with the wrong person. Street smarts will get you far. Despite its geographical size, the population isn't huge. With roughly a million people in a city designed for over twice that number, Panorama is far from deserted, but nor is it overcrowded. It's a good thing. Resources are limited as it is.

The Pavilion: Free Samples

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Like any large city, Panorama features a couple of supermarkets. The stock's not as consistent as a proper supermarket. On occasion, shelves can remain cleaned out for a week or two. Regardless, the long tradition of free samples remains. If you're not already shopping, you'll notice the crowded parking lot and clusters of lines inside.

Try samples, push through the crowds as you shop, or give yourself a five-finger discount. If you're cautious, you can pocket a few small items without consequences. The Pavillion doesn't have the infrastructure for surveillance; unless someone sees you, you won't be caught. Steal from the store or pilfer someone's wallet. Maybe you even make a new friend if you bump into another fluxdrift. Or, start a fight with somebody who cut you off in the cheese line. Don't make too much of a ruckus, or you'll be thrown out.

As you look around, you'll see posters advertising temporary positions for the cash register or graveyard shifts in the warehouse. Seems they might've lost several employees recently (how'd that happen?), which is good for you! It's just a 6-week position, but it'll get you on your feet. The city has temporary positions like this all over. Permanent ones are harder to come by when you're new.

Samples include: steamed cabbage dumplings, synthetic cherry juice, cheddar cheese, and chocolate-covered alien eggs (it's crunchy and weirdly tasty). They're served in the usual throwaway paper cups with little toothpicks.

The Blocks: Power Outage

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Power's finicky in Panorama, especially in the Blocks. Saint Margery's Hospital, located in the same area, has priority for power so the first to go are the motels. Maybe you've been in your room for a couple of weeks, maybe you just got here—and by the way, every motel desk is happy to put the fee on your tab if you don't have the money upfront—but all the motels on the east side are in a blackout, leaving only the west side motels up and running.

What do you do? You have three choices:

• Risk leaving your room and head to the other side where there's power. Knock on some doors and negotiate with another to share the room. They might shut the door in your face, ask for a favor in return, or be nice enough to help you with no strings attached. There's no guarantee your unattended room will be untouched, though, and you'll be on the hook for any damages an intruder causes.
• Sit in the dark and deal. It's not the worst idea, but the TV's down, the vending machines are powered down, and with the entire place plunged into darkness, you risk getting robbed. If you struggle with defending yourself, you might want to find some trustworthy company. You can also sneak out of there and let them take your leftover pizza. It's not like you've got a ton of valuables, right? Plus, clobbering someone in the face with a frying pan sounds great until you realize you've gotta do something with the body. And what if this person's got a friend waiting?
• Get in your car and drive (or grab a friend for a road trip). If you scroll the Forum, you might notice reports on diffusion zones southward. Besides, these motels are hardly your forever home. The city can only provide so much. Why not go for a ride and see what you can find out there?

OPTIONAL PROMPTS: clean up on aisle 3 (what is that goo?); a knock at your door but no one's there; you hear screaming or a commotion down the hall

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©

The Fringes

Quad 3: Lockdown

Conditions: Stormy, with flooding roads

Felix Bjurstrom
> Date: 125-05-17
> Time: 02:15:57

> Emergency road lights have been reported in Quadrant 3! Please, can someone go see what's there? When last we chasers investigated emergency lights, a whole truck filled with sour candy had tipped over. Our stores were stocked for weeks! Oh, be careful - reception looks bad in that zone.

Whether you end up here on your own or you were following a tip on the Forum, the outcome is the same: you come to a stop in front of a 2-story office building that's flooded several inches deep. Emergency lights from a roadblock flicker through the stormy night. Stepping out of your car, you're soaked within seconds. When you check your phone, you don't have any bars. No calls in or out.

Through the open windows, a computer awakens and displays a cheerful smile. The lights inside switch on.

Pick your scenario role below. Your thread partner doesn't need to take the opposite role! They can join you in the same scenario (i.e. trapped together). Players are also free to create a generic NPC for the other side to facilitate the thread.

After characters escape, they'll find one bottle of antibiotics in their pocket or car, whether they remember taking it or not.

A: Sealed In
As you peer through the windows, you see crates of medicine floating around. Antibiotics in the diadem are valuable. Hospitals and doctors are always buying. You can keep it for yourself or make a quick buck. Or maybe you're compelled to help somebody back in the city who's in need. Whatever the reason, you decide to take the risk and step inside.

Water splashes around your ankles. The lock buzzes behind you. If you try to break the windows, you discover they're unnaturally resistant to shattering. With the whole place locked tight, the water begins to churn. Then the computer lights up again.

Warning, it flashes in large, bold text. Quarantine in progress. Release code required for exit.

• To find the code, you'll have to search. Duck under the water, go through sopping envelopes and sticky notes or pick the locks on the filing cabinets and desk drawers. You can also try hacking the computers. Use your computer knowledge or fall back on the age-old trick of seeing who wrote down their password.
• The files, notepads, and emails start innocuous, but as you look through them, disturbing phrases jump out at you—a dark thought you've had or a cruel taunt from someone in your past. The longer you're fixed on the terrible words, the higher the water begins to rise. Only another can break you out of your trance.
• With the rising water comes fear. And the more you're afraid, the more the water also rises. You begin to see faces in the water, bobbing like balloon heads. Do you recognize them? If you move to take a closer look, they will sink back beneath the surface as if never there.
• If you manage to swallow your panic, you can eventually find a triple-laminated binder with the release code and instructions. Bad news: you need someone on the outside to punch in the 6 strange symbols in order. The instructions explain that the code panel is located at the back of the building.

Let's hope a friendly face comes along.

B: Set Free
As you peer through the windows, you see not just the crates of medicine but someone trapped inside. They look like they might be in trouble, and from your vantage point, you notice that the water is bubbling strangely. It's definitely not normal rainwater. As you watch, the water rises unnaturally, stopping and starting. It's as if the water level is responding to an external stimulus.

• The glass is soundproof. You can't hear what the person inside is saying, so you'll have to communicate with each other another way. Try charades, typing on your phone, or whatever you think of. Eventually, you determine that they're stuck and that you need to enter some sort of code onto a pad located—according to your trapped partner—at the back of the building.
• Around the back, shadows swallow your surroundings. The panel must be pried open, but a slippery substance makes it hard to get a good grip. Each time the substance touches you, you grow uneasy. You swear you see eyes watching you, though when you turn around, nothing's there.
• You can't seem to keep the instructions in your mind. And those symbols...they burn into your retinas. Through them, you glimpse an incomprehensibly massive figure unfurling in the darkness, pulsing as if in a deep sleep. When you snap back to reality, you realize you've injured yourself, slicing your hand on a sharp edge or a bruise you can't remember getting.
• Once you manage to release the doors, the water inside the office drains upward into the sky as though sucked out by a giant hose. The darkness spreads. Get out of there fast before the shadows drag you or your partner into the void.

Of course, you don't have to help anyone. You can leave the individual there, make a deal, or outright extort them. But remember, you're not the only person on these roads. You might want to play your cards carefully, even if altruism isn't your first instinct.

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Comments

[thetruefocus]

Captured for years? That is terrible. I am almost glad you here instead, despite how strange that idea is, but free of your shackles.

[ Charles doesn't think she is fishing for sympathy, she is simply telling him the truth of her experience. And it is a tragic one. His instinct is to ask her how none of them rescued her. It doesn't sit well with him, that one of his own would be treated so poorly, and yet not brought back to the X-Men. But from what Logan told him, they truly were out of options, their backs against the wall as the end was in sight. He doesn't want to be too harsh on a group who experienced pain in ways he never has. And yet still, it feels wrong to him.

Years of her to be treated poorly and experimented on. His heart goes out to her, but he is trying to be respectful too. She may not appreciate his brand of over-sympathizing. ]

The beginning of the Sentinels was in my time. My sister Raven assassinated Trask, but it was capturing her that they were able to design them to their full potential. The others believed that if we could change time and stop Raven, keep her safe, that the sentinels would never have their advanced abilities.

[ Raven's unique shapeshifting DNA is part of what made them lethal and impossible to kill. Charles can't say that he entirely understands how it all works, given that he is from the 1970s and no technological genius like Hank, but Hank assured him it was very possible. ]

Raven did stop and I had hoped for some proof that your future was overturned, but I'm afraid that did not come.

[vestments]

( marc won't linger on it. property destruction is the least of any crimes he's ever committed, is something he does on a near-nightly basis at home. the kick, then, and the subsequent shoulder barge is well-practised, second-nature of a sort, and he doesn't stumble as the door gives way, merely grunts at the impact, the way that his shoulder complains at his chosen method of entry. (shit.) he's going to feel that in the morning. (good.)

from behind him, she has a better view of the room, and despite her warning, marc doesn't duck. doesn't bring up his arms in defence, instead turning his body to take the brunt of impact, familiar and welcome. it's not that he's unprepared, it's not that he's unskilled — lucina might catch the way that, for the first time in their short encounter, something approaching a smile graces marc's features. it's sharp, but there's a glimmer of welcome there, like something in the fight, in violence itself, is enticing to marc.

it's just that usually, it's hidden beneath a mask the same shade of white as his suit.

he's not a graceful fighter — agile, yes, someone that knows his body, knows how to use weight and momentum, but in the absence of weaponry, he uses himself — get hit, get hit, get hit, take your chance when it's least expected, when all signs point to him being put on the ground and not getting back up. wet trickles from his nose, down to his upper lip, and he clocks a closed door in the corner of the small room, visible only thanks to the glint of the metal handle in the dark. bathroom. maybe that's where the inhabitant—.

he keeps track of lucina only distantly, the shape of her in his periphery. he does wonder if the room's too small for a sword, but what does it matter? not his weapon, not his business. at the flicker of vague movement edging towards her, he reaches into a pocket instinctively, seeking out a crescent dart that's not there. he swears, sharp and colourful, before calling out a rough— ) Left!

[opticular]

[ The brief, polite handshake is promising that Scott's smile remains on his lips. ]

Nice to meet you, Henryk. You know, if we're not trapped here, of course.

[ His gaze travels around the other's room, landing ultimately on the couch the other has pointed out. Scott's a leader, trained to withstand worse situations, so this should be fine. It's already a small relief. He could've been sleeping on the floor.

At Erik's question, his smile quickly turns reassuring. ] I have. [ He hasn't. ] Thanks for asking. If I'm hungry, I can just return to my own unit to get some of my food. [ Then, an idea immediately occurs to him. ] Have you? I think I have enough for sharing. [ It's the least he can offer to repay the favor. ]

[opticular]

Huh.

[ Scott's hands rest on his hips as his frown deepens. Something doesn't add up here. ]

I didn't know they televised Magneto's plan on the Statue of Liberty.

[ Because it's the only thing that happened that must've put him on TV. Even if that's highly unlikely. He's definitely on to you now, Gwen. ]

[valle]

( It takes her a second to put together what he's holding his hand out for, but once it clicks, she begins handing each of them over one after the next, grateful. She'd have set them in the dirt beside her otherwise, probably, and lost them — learning the lesson for the first time the hard way, and royally fucking herself over in the process.

Wary eyes track the movement of the car alongside him, the wrench gone still, and her body braced to move just in case — but the old sedan trundles along without slowing down, and she relaxes, turning back to finish her work. )

Not long. Just a couple of days. ( Certainly not long enough to justify blowing out a tire already, since she just bought the car. The last lugnut comes off, she hands it over and dusts her hands off on her thighs. Looks to him expectantly for the next step, but instead of asking about that part, she bounces back a curious: ) What about you?

( Longer than her, it feels like. Or maybe he's just... older, more experienced, better at relating to people. Less awkward about adapting to new circumstances. )

[godjr]

"I would like that. I am not very good with people. I haven't had much practice." He has had some, thanks to his time in the Apocalypse world with the survivors, and he values that time with them. He's lost them all now, the people he had sworn to protect. He was told at the time that he could be off-putting in his flat tone and honesty, but they eventually warmed to him. He could do it again.

"What's it like being an android?" It's so curious to him, he was certain that they couldn't exist in real life. He's seen movies about the dangers of robots but he can see nothing dangerous about his new friend. In the Terminator there were bad ones and good ones. Connor feels like a good one, but Jack often trusts his gut without thinking it through.

"Is it scary being around people not like you?"

[cryptsleeper]

Hm.

[Alucard manages to wiggle his hand underneath the hood of the vehicle, but only just slightly. He lifts his hand, and there is one very clear thing:] There's a locking mechanism.

I assume that it can be unlocked from the interior, but I don't know how it would be labeled to indicate use.

[opticular]

[ Time travel through mind phasing. How convenient, as well as very interesting. But also headache-inducing. The future doesn't sound so good if that's the case, but Scott puts a pause on that train of thought for now, as he tries and gently help the Professor out of his wheelchair and onto his couch, so he can fix the rickety thing. It's not the most comfortable, but for now, it'll have to do as he gets to the task at hand while keeping their conversation going. ]

The future doesn't sound so promising.

[ He comments, as he starts fixing Charles' wheelchair. If it were up to him, he'd rather not have any alliances with Magneto. Jean just filled him in after he was forced to fight her at Alkali Lake, and while he didn't have much time to process that in between trying to save the students and the Professor plus arriving here, Scott would rather treat Magneto as a hostile threat to the future of mutantkind.

To hear he's protecting them during the Professor's time is jarring to say the least. But he'll take Charles' word for it. If there's anything Scott values, it's teamwork and community. He might have his own opinions and feelings on Magneto, but if the Professor says he's fine, Scott would have a headache. And then, he'd be fine. Eventually. ]

Does this mean you've met Logan during your time, even when in mine, you don't seem to know about him? [ He spares the Professor a glance when he asks this, though he's quick to return to his task. This time travel talk is beginning to give him a headache, so he focuses on fixing Charles' wheelchair instead. ]

😌

[opticular]

Figures.

[ Scott's quick to reply, his gaze still wandering around Logan's room, taking in every little detail inside: the unfinished food, his jacket, those water-damaged books. Scott doesn't own a lot of stuff either, just the basic ones needed to survive and it's palpable if one goes back to his unit. It's even more evident with how he's dressed right now, too.

Once he glances back at Logan, he gives the other mutant a small smirk. ] You always don't remember anything.

[ There it is, the sass he tried swallowing earlier, spilling out of him like clockwork every time he's in a conversation with Logan. Also a callback to how Logan didn't remember anything when they first met him. Hands on his hips, his smirk vanishes from his lips as his brows furrow. ]

If you're here, then we should find signs of the others. I'm not hoping they've been dragged here, too, but we'll never know. They might need our help. [ Discovering Logan's here seems like a good sign as any that there might be others from home. Scott refuses to believe he'll be stuck with only Logan here, of all people. ]

I'll go first thing tomorrow. [ Then, with a raised brow - ] You have your own ride, right? [ No more stealing his. ]

[churnback]

[ Adding more zeroes to that figure he apparently owes might be the sort of thing most want to avoid. And sure, he's not keen on being in debt, owing anyone anything at all, least of all in a place like this. Not his place, not his people, far from anything he's ever known.

But he doesn't have any sense of being bewildered by it all; angry, sure. But angry in a way like it's the feeling that's always been most accessible to him, always there tucked into the back of his mind, easy to tug at it when he needs it, but something he keeps controlled otherwise. It's not an active emotion, not plastered on the surface for all to see. Those are for meatheads, macho guys, guys he doesn't have time or patience for. The sum of it is, he's here, he didn't ask to be, he's not the only one going through it, and while a lot about this whole situation doesn't jive with him, he's also very much about dealing with whatever happens to be going on at the moment, and the next moment, and the next.

Dealing with it right now happens to be drinking; one of two of his most preferred ways of taking a break from everything else, in fact. He's not expecting company, but being in a public bar means it's unavoidable, too. So he looks up from his shot glass, spares her a moment of consideration, gives a little shrug as he tips back the liquor. ]

Nope. [ It's said quick, an extra sharp sound on that 'p' part of the word, like it came to a point. ] That chair kinda tips back sometimes, though. If you lean too much.

[ Yeah, so he had been sitting there before, and though it didn't feel like he'd just fall out, he wanted a steadier spot. And a chair that didn't sometimes squeak, too. He won't offer to switch places, though. ]

[valle]

It's a habit to act assertively in situations like this. A necessary component of living in the Void, and definitely a product of being so heavily influenced by people like Blade and Elektra in her formative later teenage years. Nobody respects you by default, and uncertainty gets you steam rolled over by people with stronger personalities than hers. Speaking decisively and competently is the only way to get anybody to listen, and that experience carries over here — and unfortunately, doesn't leave the most charismatic first impression. Maybe that's a genetic fault rather than a learned one. Hard to say.

In either case, her following along behind earns one vaguely-annoyed glance over her shoulder, but she does nothing to stop it. Doesn't argue it. Just makes sure to position herself more directly in front of the other woman, on the off-chance of a stray projectile or something.

"You're not sending me into anything," she returns, stalking onward, her voice low. "I'm sending myself. I can handle it."

Another shriek from the end of the hall, and a new sound now: some deep, baritone muttering that sounds an awful lot like shut up, bitch, just shut up-

Her footsteps speed up At the very end of the hall, one man has a knife pressed to a woman's throat, her back up against the wall and the door to her motel room swung wide open. A second man searches her room, upending her furniture and throwing her shit around the place. Looking for something, or robbing her? She can't tell right off, and it doesn't matter; her pace doesn't slow. She's heading straight for that asshole, claws out.

[magike]

Then I'll make sure you don't have to catch me.

( she gives a small wink as she sits down, keeping her posture pretty centered, before offering a hand out to him )

Rowena. Be honest, how good are the drinks?

[godjr]

[ Jack's seen a lot of monsters, also angels and demons, and there are plenty of humans that do seem as bad as the rest of them. It's hard to know who to trust and how to judge harshly, and who just needs a second chance. He's someone who has needed second and third chances after his actions, so he tries to be forgiving. The shadow monster for example, that maybe was its home, and they stepped into it not knowing that. It wouldn't have stopped him from hurting it to protect them.

He can see that Bob is still nervous but that is understandable, no one handles that kind of situation well. It might take him a few minutes before he understands he's safe now. Jack has been trained on how to deescalate civilians, but he's not very good at it. ]

Yes, I'm from a family of monster hunters. We also sometimes fight demons, angels, and other creatures. It's a dangerous line of work, but people need protection.

[ Jack from the day he was born worried about doing the wrong thing and shifting his focus to helping was good for his fears. If he just tried hard enough to do good, maybe his nature could change, and saving lives made it all feel worth it. With great power comes great responsibility. Wrong franchise, but same energy. ]

Your wound closed up quickly. I don't see that often.

[valle]

( She says that with such nonchalance, Laura can't help but blink at her. It's surprising, this cavalier attitude about the entire situation — puzzling, a little bizarre, a little funny. actually.

Which is why, ultimately, she decides to introduce herself: )

I'm Laura. For the record.

( The pause that comes afterward is expectant; she doesn't say you have a name? But the implication is there, tangible, in the air. )

[valle]

( He's definitely not wrong, although her experience with what people are like is a little bit skewed — both in terms of the adults she knew growing up, and the way the children around her also turned out. Being raised as an object, being engineered to be a product made of rage, does not tend to implant an automatically charitable drive into a person.

Somehow, despite that, Laura's always had the instinct to be a caregiver. It isn't exactly accurate to say she's always been kind; the brutality she'd been willing to show complete strangers when she was young is sort of a testament to the opposite. But the people she liked, the people she got to know, she had a drive to comfort even after only the span of a day or so.

He seems kind. She thinks she might like him. Her impulse toward loyalty isn't as fast as it was when she was a kid, but it tugs on her lightly still, now. Coaxes an honest answer from her lips, instead of a dodge: )

Laura.

( Somewhat awkwardly, she falls into step beside him, her hands stuffed into her pockets and her elbows hugged tightly to her sides. Between them, inaudibly, her stomach growls. Her healing factor does a number to her metabolism; she'd been a bottomless pit even back where she came from, it's only worse here with no secure access to food just yet. You've gotta be pretty hard-up to steal peanut butter, but it is one of the more calorie-dense, most-bang-for-your-buck foods in jar form. )

[evendeathmaydie]

[It really was a shitty way to end the day...

They sighed, looking up at the dead lights overhead. What were the chances that the blackout would only last an hour?

When the women who came out of the office accepted their offer, it sounded like it was with the resignation of someone who had a hard enough day, to slip back into a bad habit they thought they were through with. Something Keni was, unfortunately, far to familiar with. They almost feel bad for having offered, but they weren't just going to rescind the offer. That would just be a dick move.

With a small sympathetic smile they hand over the cigarette and their cheap lighter in case she didn't have one.]

You gonna be okay, ma'am?

it's perfect!!

[churnback]

[ They're right there on the edge of something; that is, the edge of something that's unknown and an obvious threat by almost any measure, and the opportunity to deal with it decisively. How it looks, how it goes down, those are all different variables and can't be predicted, but he feels probably more sure about this situation right now than he has about anything since he's arrived here.

It's like an itch he needs to scratch, this thing that he has every certainty they'll walk away from having done what they set out to do. The anticipation of that already feels like when you take a really good, deep breath that settles in your lungs. Re-centers everything.

He doesn't have time to think much about her sword, but the sound of it being unsheathed is interesting, unfamiliar. A weapon long past its prime in his world. They use guns and fists where he's from. But in the way that he knows what he's capable of, she's got her sword, and they'll handle it.

— except, there's...nothing to handle.

His eyes have acclimated to the dark well enough, and he goes down that long alley until he hits a dead end, he takes in the shape of every shadow, taps the palm of his hand on the wall to his left, then his right. He wasn't just hearing things, because she heard it, too. And yet, it would seem like nothing at all. A trick of the air around them. A scream is unmistakable, though. Twice. Helpfully, perhaps, he offers — ]

— the hell? [ He looks away from her, looks up now, turns his head left, then right, glancing up towards the roof line. Something was there, now it's not, but it doesn't mean it's gone. ]

That's it? At least come out and say hello. We came all this way.

[ For a stretch of at least a few seconds, there's just dead silence, but then there's a scraping sound from somewhere. To Amos, it sounds like it's just behind them for a moment, and the sound starts to get closer almost, the kind of closeness that sounds like it might pounce from any direction, but as he turns around swiftly to face it, there's...nothing again. ]

[churnback]

Amos. [ He'll shake her hand back. At the question about the caliber of drinks, he pours himself another from the bottle they set in front of him. At this rate, that debt's only getting higher by the hour.

He swirls his glass around, smirks a little. ]

You been anywhere near the scrapyard? That sharp smell of gas around — it tastes like that smells. Gets the job done, though.

[ He shoves an empty glass towards her, pours her a drink. ]

[littlemushroom]

[[Enjoy the manual transmission, Kaine. That was half of An Zhe's problem.

It's a much different ride than the first time An Zhe had gotten picked up. He hoped, sincerely, that the ending was much different too. This man was very, very loud and mad, but. An Zhe couldn't really call this scenario anything but kind. Cantankerously kind. (That was a good word, An Ze. Thank you.) He didn't want this to end badly for him.

Though... An Zhe got the feeling the man would create too much of an uproar for it to go badly.

The barking from up front pulled An Zhe from his thoughts and lack thereof.]]

It's An Zhe.

[magike]

( she'd thought of gently trying to pry the glass from his hand until he poured her a drink, a grateful not at the offer as if that hadn't been the whole reason she'd sat down )

When I find something better, I'll owe you a drink.

( but she'll take the drink, tipping it slightly to him in a cheers gesture before drinking some. honestly, rowena's drunk worse. the village she'd grown up in certainly didn't have the practices for making alcohol that they did now, particularly with the lack of wealth her village had. so this... it may not have been the nicest but it also wasn't the worst she'd ever had )

You work with cars then? To know the smell so acutely, I assume so.

[magike]

( she bit down the irritation. billie wouldn't bring her son back but would bring someone else back, though only because she found use in it. it didn't change the fact that rowena was glad that jack was no longer dead, he'd not experienced enough life to suffer that, but the circumstances still prickle.

particularly the more jack tells her about what had happened.

it shocks her, and her expression is clear in that. oh, she'd made a soul bomb once, had placed it into dean to conceal it, and she assumes that something similar is what billie had done, that she'd taken her idea and changed it for this purpose. inexpertly, if it had gone wrong )

What do you mean you're absorbing power still?

( it's not that she's concerned about losing her magic to him, though she'd be lying if she wasn't concerned about that, but if he's absorbing power still, his own power could grow out of control. that was the purpose billie had made: he needed power to destroy god )

Do you feel it happening?

[carcajous]

[ Logan huffs. ] I remember what an asshole you were.

[ Maybe the past tense is just a meaningless twist of the tongue, maybe it's a real slip (it's definitely a slip), but Logan doesn't seem to notice he's said anything a little off.

The others. Yeah, yeah. Of course the golden boy wants to go look for the others first thing. Frankly, Logan's been keeping an eye out, too. He can't help it. It's instinct, to wanna find his people even when he's damn sure they aren't here (or he was, before Scott pounded on his door), but another part of him's simply tired. The reality is, he was sent on a mission, one he wasn't supposed to be on, and while it was a long shot—to say the least—there was almost a moment where he thought they might've had it. Could've gotten it done by some insane miracle. Then he was here. Now he's got no idea where that leaves any of them or what the state of the world in 2023 might look like. Worse? Better? Erased out of existence? Feels like no matter which way he shakes it, he's let them all down.

Anyway, Summers can look after himself. He's free to roam around, searching for the X-Men. Hope the man drives through the tarantula rain Logan did the other day, by the way.

Except even while that thought's in his head, he's saying at the same time: ] Sure as hell not riding shotgun with you.

[ As in: he's coming with. Look, it's nothing. It's just—if one of the others pop up, too, he doesn't wanna have to tell them that Scott was here for a grand total of seven days before he bit it for the second time. That's all this is. ]

[churnback]

You're gonna add to your debt?

[ He raises an eyebrow a little, not quite smirking but, it's implied.

Amos likes drinking, drinks a lot when he's on shore leave. But out there in the black, he had money to spend freely. More money recently than he'd ever had in his life. But he's far and away from there and this bottle is where he stops tonight. So he paces himself, sipping at his glass slowly. ]

I work with engines, fusion reactors, all that goes into keep a ship floating. Cars aren't familiar, but they kinda are. [ That might or might not make sense. He doesn't know cars much, they don't have cars like this in the 24th century, but cars run on parts and engines, and he spends all his time in grease and lubricants and those smells all get mixed up together. ]

[magike]

( it doesn't make sense. her lack of technological understanding always made her feel her age, though it had always been choice to not get involved with it rather than an inability. she didnt know much about cars, nevermind his reactors.

so she veered back to the drink for a moment, lowering her glass again and running her finger over the rim )

I didn’t say I'd be buying one.

( she smiles. rowena hasn't bought a drink yet and she's confident she can find a nice bottle without having to spend a penny )

I take it your ships are not on water?

( she's vaguely aware of the space flights to take a guess at that. though she'd thought they were just rockets )

[avo]

That it's name?

[ — asked casually, once Matt can be sure that they've more or less drawn enough distance between them and the thugs. ]

And did those guys think this robot had a stash of diamonds hidden inside it or something?

[ He knew times were desperate and all that, but ... as he passes the bulky (and not exactly light) droid over to the man, it's hard not to wonder whether he's just not seeing something here. ]