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

©

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

©

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.

Main Navigation ::: ⇅ Top

Comments

Nadine Cross | The Stand

[nadine_he_loves]

Arrival/On the Road

Had Nadine lived a slightly more normal life, she'd have said that this was impossible. That she'd hit her head in an accident on a mountain road and all of this was some sort of coma-dream. She had been in some sort of accident, apparently. The memories of immediately prior to waking were a bit fuzzy.

A nasty gash on her head and a few badly bruised ribs certainly indicated an accident. She'd been suffering from dehydration, too, apparently.

But she hasn't lived a very normal life, and this seems about as possible as anything else that's happened to her. Sure, she was in some world that routinely pulled people into it via unknown forces. That's believable enough. Unknown forces have been controlling her life for the majority of it. Some stranger has patched her up and given her a twenty year old (by her estimation) station wagon on credit. A little harder to believe, but she doesn't have much choice but to accept it.

It seems to her there are two choices. Panic, focus on what she'd been doing before whatever had happened, what she was missing, how she'd be missed....or save all of that for later and just focus on the immediate while she figures out her situation.

The latter seems far more appealing in the moment. And practical. The practical thing is to focus on now, and getting to the promised city that lay a couple of hours away.

Which she'd be in the middle of doing, except her damn Volvo has blown a tire about forty five minutes into the journey. She's not sure what she ran over, but it had been impossible to see and punctured a neat little hole in the front left tire. She's on the side of the road, crouching by it to inspect it and wondering what the hell she's going to do about it. The few things she'd had with her aren't any help in fixing a tire, and she doesn't think she could change one herself even if the car has a spare.

"Damn it!"

Panorama - Apartment Blackouts

While Nadine is capable of living out of her car, it lacks certain things she considers necessities. Like a bathroom. Or a way to easily heat food. Or an actual bed. So she's shelled out some of her hard earner but meager savings to rent a room for a couple of nights. It's an awful room, like something out of a movie about the slums of New York or something, but it's an actual room. And God knows she's stayed in worse when she had to. And it has a television.

Besides, there's just something about being inside an actual building that gave the impression of better safety. It's likely an illusion, but it's a comforting one.

Or rather, it would be, if not for the sudden plunging into darkness that's just occurred. The hum of electronics that makes a steady background sound dies out, and there's something profoundly sad about the cease of the irritating buzz.

As quiet as it is inside, it doesn't seem to be the case outside. There's a bang against the door that makes her start, and she watches it for a moment before getting up. Before checking, she slips her handgun into the waist of her jeans, just in case. There's no second bang, like a heavy fist slamming against the wood, but she waits a moment longer before opening the door.

Nothing.

Frowning, she steps out, looking both ways for any sign of life.

Wildcard

[OOC: Feel free to throw a scenario at me! Also I will match tag style, brackets a-okay!]

on the road

[bananaclip]

When Dayna took the loan for her vehicle they'd supplied her with a rusted 4-door extended cab Chevy pick-up, a real workhorse, which pleased her. She doesn't think this vehicle will get very good gas mileage but that doesn't seem to matter here.

She's some way off when she sees the woman standing by her car on the side of the road, inspecting the tire. Dayna doesn't know if the woman knows how to change a tire, but she knows it's the kind of job that's easier with a helper. Besides, if the woman doesn't know how, Dayna can make quick work of it. She pulls in behind the other vehicle and cuts her engine.

She gets out, glancing down the road to make sure no one's right behind to hit her if she walks to the other vehicle, then approaches Nadine.

"You need some help?"

[nadine_he_loves]

It's force of habit to be cautious, suspicious. Nadine's eyes narrow as she sees the truck approach....but relaxes some when a woman climbs down from the cab. Good. She'd left her handgun in the glove compartment.

She stands, dusting off her black jeans, and nods.

"Uh, yeah. Tire trouble."

She gestures to the flat bottomed wheel.

"And I don't have a jack." She's not even sure if she has a spare tire. Something of a fugue state had been on her, when she left the Scrapyard. If she'd given the blue station wagon a detailed once over, she doesn't remember.

[bananaclip]

"I got all that stuff before I left," Dayna says. "Give me a sec and I'll grab it."

It had meant a bigger loan for the car but Dayna had made sure it was all outfitted with everything she'd need in case of breakdown—including some leather gloves to help her keep from getting her hands dirty. She pulls them on, then gets the jack and the tools, and returns to Nadine's side.

"I'll start jacking the car up. Can you get the spare?"

[nadine_he_loves]

"I didn't think about that sort of thing."

There had been too much else to think about. A jack hadn't been anywhere on her mind. Nadine had just sort of assumed the car would make it the few hours it would take to get to the main city.

She should have remembered what they say about assuming.

"But, uh, thanks. I appreciate it."

She prays silently that there is a spare. She hadn't checked. Popping open the back, she feels around for a handle on the cargo floor...there it is. Pulling it out, she lets out a small sigh of relief as she sees the spare. It's not in great shape, but it's full of air and should get her the rest of the way.

Thankfully this woman had come along and stopped to help.

[bananaclip]

"Great, thanks," Dayna says when she sees that Nadine is returning with one. The car isn't fully jacked up yet; Dayna keeps turning the crank. "I'm Dayna, by the way."

[nadine_he_loves]

It's a struggle, getting the tire out and over where it needs to be. Nadine's cracked ribs protest at the efforts, and she stifles down a groan of pain as she bends to roll it around the car.

"Nadine," she responds absently as she lets the tired tip onto its side on the ground. She'll have to replace the spare now. Just something else to add to the list of things she needs to get done as soon as she can.

But for now, just getting her vehicle back on the road is the top priority.

"I promise I'm not an idiot about road safety, I just...had too many other things on my mind getting out of there."

Blackout

[flyoctofly]

Sleep just isn't going to come to Eight tonight, even with the motel trying to help him out by plunging him in pitch darkness. His mind and hearts are just too full of questions and emotions and fears and in short, he's antsy as shell.

So he's out patrolling through the halls, with his giant paint brush and a tank full of bright yellow ink. He's certainly acting like it's an intimidating weapon, though there's no telling how a human robber might react to it. The hope is that someone just being out and alert will keep things quiet tonight.

But there's plenty of opportunists in this city, it seems. Eight hears someone bang against a door. By the time he turns the corner to see if anything was going on...the only person there seems just as mystified as he is.

"Are you alright?"

[nadine_he_loves]

"Uh...yeah."

Nadine blinks, but she doesn't ask any questions. Just gives the paintbrush a glance and figures there's a good reason he's got it. It's not like he's waving a flamethrower around or anything.

"Someone was just being...loud, outside my door, I think. Probably just causing trouble with the blackout." Maybe it had been a kid. Kids get restless and stupid when this kind of thing happened.

"Did you see anybody?"

[flyoctofly]

"I didn't, but it's hard to see anything in this darkness."

What he would give to have flashlight. Or a candle. Or even just be bioluminescent.

"Maybe...but I don't want to take any chances. If someone means real trouble, the blackout is when they'd do it."

[nadine_he_loves]

"If someone's going to cause real trouble, they're probably prepared. And armed."

And it's dark out here. Nadine frowns thoughtfully, considering the situation. He seems on the younger side, late teens maybe. Noble of him to patrol like he appears to be doing, but she's not sure if one person with a paintbrush is going to be much help against roving gangs looking to loot.

It's really not her problem. She shouldn't make it her problem.

"Besides, it's really dark out here. Fights in the dark can go bad really quickly."

She's making it her problem.

[flyoctofly]

"I know. But someone should be keeping watch."

Eight hates the idea of someone getting attacked who can't fight back. Someone being up and able to alert people is a deterrent and he has some tricks up his sleeve that he's pretty sure that will take a human by surprise.

She at least sounds like she's worried about him. That's kind of her. He offers her a smile, hoping it will make him seem confident.

"I was in the army, I can handle myself."

[nadine_he_loves]

Okay, maybe he's older than he sounds. It's dark enough that Nadine can't exactly see clearly, and she'd rather think that than 'child soldier'.

Either way, she's obviously not going to be able to talk him out of it. This is someone set on what they're doing. But she still can't just let him go off around by himself in a blackout.

She should have just stayed in her room. There's no reason to get involved, there's no reason to stick her own neck out. But she's armed, and if she just goes back inside, she's going to be thinking about him. Alone out in the Blocks in a blackout.

"Alright. How about some company, then?"

Apartment

[godjr]

Jack took up a job almost immediately upon arriving since he is easy unskilled labor and he has the right kind of sunny temperament to make the most out of this situation. So he had enough money to stay somewhere, and he hopes that if his family come here, they can share it. A tiny space, yes, but it's better than being alone. He is watching the television himself when the lights go out. Jack isn't afraid of the dark, he isn't afraid of much, but he is confused by it all the same.

He doesn't jump at the sudden bang but decides to get up anyway in case it's someone who needs help. That's what his family would want him to do. Jack doesn't have a weapon so he just walks into the hallway to see what's on the other side. There's nothing. Instead what happens is he opens the door and the person across from him does the same, the two of them looking at each other from their doorways with no one visible there.

"Did you hear the same thing?"

[nadine_he_loves]

"Like someone banging a really big fist against my door? Yeah, I heard it."

Nadine sighs, shaking her head. At least someone else had heard it, it hadn't just been the product of her frayed mind. That's slightly comforting.

She rakes her hair out of her face, still feeling uneasy. It was likely nothing. Just somebody being an asshole. The blackout has her nerves on edge and she hasn't been sleeping well, so it was riling her up more than need be.

"Probably just kids messing around with people in the dark. It...startled me."

[godjr]

"Kids would do that?" Jack looks genuinely surprised. He's never been around kids. Most people he knows are adults. He was around teenagers once, they were supposed to be his friends, but it didn't work out. He doesn't know the type of mischief or boredom that would lead to bad behavior.

He looks curiously up and down. "Yes, it startled me too. I was hoping it was someone I knew. I don't know how they would find me, but I guess it wasn't a logical idea." Castiel would go looking for him, he knew that much. He would knock on doors. Jack has faith in his father. Maybe he should be doing that himself, but he's more shy than that. He doesn't want to cause problems. Or mischief, like children.

"I'm Jack. I don't know anyone."

[nadine_he_loves]

Nadine lets out a little chuckle.

"Yeah, kids would do that. Especially if they're bored and restless. Under a certain age, a lot of kids just aren't good with thinking about consequences or impulse control."

It wasn't their fault. And she can't imagine many parents around here have time to stay home all day with the kids. She's not sure about the schooling situation, either, or even how many kids are around. Considering the debt she owes on her car and the fact she needs to eat and things like that, it seemed smarter to grab the first minimum wage job she could, rather than looking for a job in her field.

"Well, there's only so many places to stay, and only so many of those places that are affordable. So a cheap motel is probably the first best place to look for somebody. Seems logical enough to me. I'm Nadine."

He seems harmless enough. And is obviously on his own. He looks to be about college aged, maybe recent high school graduate. Being on his own might not be something he's used to, even in the best of circumstances.

[godjr]

Jack didn't really talk to kids on the apocalypse world so maybe he would know better if he had. That fact would have been useful for him to keep in mind given that he is only a toddler himself in years experienced, and it might have explained why he has never been good at considering consequences or impulse control. He logs it away in his mind. He is better about doing all of that now, but maybe it's because he's mature now. He died a few times, it helps, you have to be grown up after that.

"You think?" He perks up a little at the reassurance that maybe his line of thinking isn't naive and foolish. Jack has never really had to be on the other side of this. People were always searching for him and he was kept an eye on for his life so far. Being alone is not good for him, but there is nothing he can do about it. "I miss my fathers. I want to be somewhere they can find."

If Castiel shows up, they probably will be able to find one another quickly, given their angelic connection. But Castiel is supposed to be in the Empty, so Jack doesn't know if he can find him. He gets out of his head and focuses on her, lifting a hand to wave at her.

"Hi Nadine. Have you been here long?"

[nadine_he_loves]

"I do think. If I was looking for somebody in this city, I'd look in a place like this."

Or abandoned parking lots, considering how many people lived out of their vehicle. She'd done it herself, before breaking down and renting a room for a little while.

But it's obvious he's looking for reassurance. Maybe her original estimate had been too high, it's hard to tell in the dark. He seems younger than she'd first guessed.

"Uh...not too long. A couple of weeks. Still settling in, I guess. And I've only been here in the motel for a few days." She pauses, glancing around them once before continuing. She can't help herself. He's either a teen or a young adult who is not used to being away from home. Normally she wouldn't care how her neighbors were weathering something like this, but he's basically just a kid. A worried kid.

"Do you want to come in, until the lights come back on? We'll be able to hear if anyone tries to break in, your room's just across the way."

apartments; semi-wildcard.

[carcajous]

[ The same pounding gets Logan on his feet—and he can sorta tell it's not a person, not an animal, but a thing. A distant mechanical whir that he picks up on when he opens the door. It fades down the hall to the left before another distant thump.

He gives the lady across the way a brief glance before he disappears down that direction. When he returns, he's got an ancient, clunky Roomba-looking thing in his hands.

Mystery solved. Well. One mystery, anyway. Pretty sure this place is just full of weird knocks all the damn time. He wiggles the gently whirring disc in his hands at the woman. ]

This yours?

[ Probably not, but if she wants to claim it, all the better. God knows he's not gonna have any use for it. Though now that he's got a glimpse inside her room, he's seeing just how pitch black it is. Not even a candle, huh? He's at least got one lit, which he scrounged up from the back of somebody's (maybe) abandoned car. Even if he doesn't need the light to see, he doesn't exactly enjoy sitting in the dark between four walls. It's different, when he's out in the wilds. There are stars. This just reminds him a little too much of a boxed up lab cage. ]

[nadine_he_loves]

[Nadine lets out a sigh of frustration, both at the knock off Roomba she's presented with and at herself. She'd grabbed a gun over that? It feels ridiculous.]

Of all the possibilities that went through my mind, this wasn't one of them. Um, thanks.

[She hadn't been about to go investigating. Though maybe she ought to rethink that approach, she might have missed out on a free knock off Roomba. It would be irresponsible to just leave it out, terrorizing innocent people. And some small, petty part of her decides it deserves to be taken, for startling her.

And she doubts this guy cares if she has any actual claim to it or not.]

Yeah, sure.

[Who's going to come looking for it?]

[carcajous]

[ Happy to hand it over. Logan does just that, then pauses. He could leave. He doesn't know her, though he might've glimpsed her a couple times since she took up the room across the hall. He sure as hell isn't here to play charity. He's got enough shit going on.

But that robot isn't the only thing going around making noise. Last night, at least two shotguns went off beneath his window; this morning, there was a pool of blood about a block down. With the power gone, he's not sure it's a good idea for her to spend the next few nights alone in the pitch black. Or however long it's gonna take to get the lights back on.

What's also a bad idea is inviting her in. He's not looking for trouble. He doesn't want trouble. Strangers usually bring him trouble. But...maybe his time with the team's taught him that's not always true, either.

What the hell. ]

I've got some light and a warm beer. [ The shitty warm beer's the real selling point. ] Unless you like sitting in the dark.

[nadine_he_loves]

[Nadine doesn't answer immediately.

Her own thoughts are along the same lines. Strangers are potentially dangerous. Even strangers who brave possible danger and bring back free Roombas. Her nature tells her to be cautious, be careful. She's a woman alone in a strange land. At most, she's seen this guy around. This is the first time they've spoken.

But she's aware that not everyone is, actually, a threat. There are plenty of perfectly fine people out there, even when the trappings of society get a bit frayed and loose. There's a very reasonable and likely chance he's just trying to be a decent neighbor.

Also, she is lacking in candles or other light sources. And armed. So after debating with herself, she gives a nod.]

Yeah, sure. I....can bring a really weird synth wave cassette and some steak and mashed potato flavored chips. Of some kind. They probably taste a lot better with beer.

[carcajous]

[ There's a second where Logan expects her to turn him down. Fine by him—they don't know each other—but she doesn't. He cocks his head. ]

Can't beat an offer like that. [ He steps back across the hall while she gathers what she wants. Door's left open on his end for her, and once she's inside, the room's pretty much what you'd expect. They're all temporary stays, anyway, but he's got almost nothing except an ashtray and—like he promised—a candle and some room temperature beer. Mini fridge is busted. Shocking.

He's also seemingly not carrying in a city where everybody else is. Not even a pocket knife. His undershirt's tucked into his jeans, jacket draped over a nearby chair. ]

This sort of thing happen a lot? [ With the lights? Maybe she's got no idea, either. He's bumped into just as many who've only arrived. ]

[nadine_he_loves]

Okay.

[Nadine pops back into her room, to retrieve the promised items. It's the least she can do in exchange for the offer. She grabs her battery operated little radio - tape already inside, it's the only one she has - and the bag of mysterious chips. Her gun stays where it is, and she makes no attempt to hide it. Most people around here have some kind of weapon, it's not like it's strange.

His room isn't much different than hers, though with even less personal touches. Which is pretty impressive. She offers the chip bag - Munchin' Junction is the brand, and whatever they're made from, it's not potato.]

It wouldn't surprise me if it did. The water can be iffy, too. This is my first blackout, but I've only been here about a week.

[Maybe this is a stupid idea. But even she gets lonely sometimes, and it's dark and her job sucks and her room sucks and hanging out in some strange guy's room honestly is more appealing than sitting alone. Cassette or no cassette.]

I'm Nadine, by the way.