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TEST DRIVE ∞ May 2025
Test Drive ∞ May 2025
The First Collision
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.
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:
TDM threads can be canon if characters are accepted. Top-levels made to the TDM should be open to all.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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:
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
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.
> 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.
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.
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.
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.
Main Navigation ::: ⇅
Top
megumi fushiguro | jujutsu kaisen
[ Megumi is familiar with cars, at least-and he's gotten the impression that this puts him ahead of where some people are starting from. He's never given thought to driving himself, though; even if Jujutsu High didn't have the assistant managers around to chauffeur, it's just not a thing most people bother with in Tokyo.
So the look he's giving Yom Crook is extremely dubious. ]
So you habitually extend predatory loans to underage, unlicensed drivers...and this is completely legal?
[ He doesn't actually care much if whatever he winds up doing is legal or not; he follows his conscience and whatever anyone thinks of that isn't his problem. But given that he's arriving from the conservative double-whammy of Japan in general and jujutsu society in particular, the apparent laxity here is...mind-boggling, honestly.
Yom Crook eventually scuttles off to talk to an arrival who looks a bit more receptive to the pitch, because Megumi is still standing here, unconvinced and deep in thought. There are advantages to driving that he can't really deny, but there are just as many headaches, and he's really not loving the idea of winding up stranded on the roadside with only a poorly-written user's manual to try to fix whatever breaks.
It's even odds whether he caves in first or hitches a ride. ]
panorama: blackout;
[ He's barely checked in and is still only halfway down the hall to his motel room when the lights flicker and die, and the hallway plunges into darkness. ]
Ugh.
[ No natural light, no emergency lighting, and now no way to actually read the numbers on the doors and find the one he's looking for. Megumi reaches up and traces a hand over the numbers on the closest door—thankfully, they're raised and not merely written. Still a few more down, probably, so he keeps one hand trailing along the wall and starts counting every time he hits a door frame.
This is fine. He's got this.
Sadly, the darkness also leaves him no way to see that somebody carelessly dropped--something?--in the hall and never picked it up, and when his foot hits the debris, he trips, falls forward, and abruptly breaks his fall by banging his head on the nearest door (possibly yours?). ]
Dammit.
the fringes;
[ The building could pass for any of the myriad places Megumi's been on curse investigations and exorcisms, aside from the flooding (which narrows it down to a smaller handful of them). He glances at his phone--no bars--and shoves it back in his pocket.
Just like old times, indeed.
Which means he's also just waiting for things to go dramatically, horribly wrong, because that's always part of how it goes too, isn't it?
Of course, if this really were old times... His gaze drifts to whoever he's arrived with. Backup is good, but it just drives home how far from home he actually is, to be standing here with a stranger who happened to be going in the same direction, rather than one of the people it should be.
Getting caught up in his own thoughts isn't going to get this done any faster. ]
You ready?
wildcard?
( Or whatever else! I'll match format if you'd rather prose, PM or
Arrival
She thinks she could find a way to wriggle herself out of her debt. Just needs to find herself a bigger fish and prove her value to them.
But she... doesn't particularly want to go that route right now unless she's in a bind.
She scouts his ride. Maybe...] 'Unlicensed' you said. Licensing sounds like a scam, anyway. Do you know how to drive?
no subject
[ Because he comes from a society that understands and values public transportation! It's a shame the cosmic lottery gave him the weird alternate dimension that's running on American logic. ]
no subject
I think I saw a spot I can hook someone up to me. [She grumbles, looking away.] It'll be a slow two hours though... [But his car would only need to roll then, right? She could just take a little looksie under his hood and just... snag some parts and by the time that's a problem for him she can be long gone.]
I mean... why waste the car, yeah? They're gonna slap all sorts of fees on you anyway, might as well get something out of it. Unless those doctors fixed you up from [a laugh] near-death or something.
no subject
[ Shibuya is just kind of one bloody exhausting blur in his mind right now. ]
I'm not sure whether I'd rather be in debt to this guy or the doctors. [ Because if there's one thing that gets drilled into jujutsu sorcerers early and often, it's to be damned careful about every deal you make. ] But I'm leaning towards the one who isn't literally named "Crook."
no subject
Who knows what their robot doctors did to us.
sorry for vanishing for a bit, moving weekend has been eating me alive!
Neither's really my area of expertise. [ He's read some things here and there, but his knowledge is mostly "enough to follow along if a real expert explains something."
Still, though...Crook had been pushing the car he's standing by harder, but he hadn't seemed unamenable to something different. ]
Are motorcycles easier to get the hang of, would you say? Or is the learning curve about the same either way?
[ The learning curve is less the concern for him than the fact that it's smaller and feels like less to worry about, really. ]
I'm not usually around on the weekends so it's all good!
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
the fringes;
Gwen finishes tightening the buckles on her wrist as she gives her new partner a solemn nod. ]
Ready as I'll ever be, Sasuke. Let's do this.
[ And, before he can even protest that that's not his name, she heads towards the building. ]
maybe the real horror was the feet we drew along the way
[ --his name...
Oh well. Not really the time for it, probably. He follows, at least until they're close enough to get a better look in the windows as the lights snap on. ]
Still has power. That's better than I expected.
no subject
Power, yeah, but also a foot of water. We'll have to be careful not to get electrocuted.
[ And unfortunately, they don't seem to be in a comic book anymore, so there's no way she can pop out of panel real quick to get a pair of rubber wading boots. ]
moving ate me, sorry for the slows!
If the breaker box is outside, we could try killing the power first. Working in the dark isn't ideal either, but it sounds like the lesser of two evils to me.
no worries! hope the move went well!
And here I am, leaving my maglite in my other super-suit. Guess we'll just have to proceed with extra caution.
it did, thank you!
[ And he says "we," but he actually has something else in mind.
He lifts his hands in what might be recognizable as a shadow puppet--a dog, to be specific--and his shadow (inasmuch as anyone has one in this kind of weather) coalesces into a large, wolf-like dog. ]
the fringes;
It was odd. Most of their time in this world, Keni had felt like they were walking through a dream. But trying to tackle this alone, that was when it had finally sunk in just how real this was and how alone they really were here. They should be doing this kind of shit with their friends. They should be back home. How was their family doing? Did they think they were dead? Or that they ran away? Who the hell was gonna take care of Cheryl? It's not like their brother had the funds to-
It had been a relief when someone else had shown up, breaking them out of their thoughts.
It wasn't the same as doing this with one of their friends, not even close, and loneliness and panic still loomed at the edges of their mind, but it was easier to ignore for the moment.
When asked if they're ready, Keni nods. One hand tightens on the handle of the wooden bat they're carrying, while the other goes for the door. With some effort, the door swings in, and Keni's nose wrinkles as water predictably sloshes over their ratty shoes.
Great! Starting this venture off strong with everyone's favorite sensation, wet socks sloshing around in even wetter shoes!
They make a disgruntled sigh but keep any other complaints to themself, cautiously moving into the building to hold the door open for their new predestined adventuring partner.]
no subject
You'd never mistake anyone else for them, and that only makes the silence louder.
Megumi pauses in the doorway, gaze flicking across the foyer. Aside from the flooding, nothing looks immediately menacing, but... ]
Gyokuken.
[ He raises his hands, and his shadow coalesces behind him into a large black dog. It raises its head, howls, and looks to him expectantly. ]
Scout the area. Threats, survivors, anything that looks off.
[ The dog barks once and dashes ahead, disappearing into the closest room. ]
no subject
The shadow molds itself into a giant dog!
Their jaw drops and they almost don't even hear the command Megumi gives the newly shaped companion, watching in stunned silence as it takes off to do as it was told. For a moment, they continue to silently look in the direction the wolf dog took off in, before excitedly turning back to Megumi, pointing to where the dog went.]
DOG!
[If excited chatter was what Megumi needed right now, apparently, he'd found a way to get it. Whether he still wanted it or not.
They chirp that word as if that dog was the best thing they had ever seen in their life. And you know what? Maybe it was! How was Megumi acting so calm and cool right now? How is it not the best thing ever every time you summon a dog out of shadows?!]
You can make shadow dogs?!
[Um. Hey, all mighty powers that be? Could they exchange their crappy immortality powers in for Dog Summoning powers? That would be the best thing ever, please and thank you! <3 ]
i liiiiiiiiive
Dog powers are the best, thank you very much. People are stressful. Animals are perfect. ]
It's my shikigami. One of them, anyway.
[ But the divine dogs are still his preferred go-to, even as he's gotten more and more of the Ten Shadows under his belt. The dogs were with him from the start, ever since he awakened his power. Losing one of them had been rough, in a worse way than losing an ordinary pet might've been.
He's still standing in the doorway, though. And nice distractions aside, they did some here for a reason. He takes a few steps to fully enter the foyer--
And the lock buzzes when the door closes behind him.
Shit. ]
welcome back!! ^-^
She-gei-gami?
[They sound the unknown word out with the uncertainty of someone trying to avoid unseen pitfalls; unsure that they even heard it right, and hoping they don't butcher it too badly as they muddle it through their southern accent.
As Megumi steps into the room proper, Keni let's go of the door, letting the water slosh it shut, and immediately regrets it when the doors lock buzzes in place.
Shit!
They should have thought to keep the door propped open, just in case. But the idea that the place would lock them inside hadn't even occured to Keni.
That can't help but try the door anyway, just in case. But no dice, it was definitely stuck shut. They notice the water sloshing around their ankles and, shit, Shit, SHIT, this was bad.
Then a computer blinks to life, informing them they're under quarantine and need a passcode to get out. Well. That's- That's just great.
They look back to Megumi.]
Any chance you're good with computers?
no subject
About as good as the next person, sorry. [ He can do the normal stuff easily enough, but 1337 haxx0r he is not. Still, the desk is pretty messy; so if they're dealing with that level of (dis)organization-- ]
They may have written their password down.
[ You know, like total boomers.
He starts shuffling through the papers on the desk. ]
no subject
They try some of the desk drawers as well, only to find them locked. Great! ]
We should keep an eye out for keys, too. In case we end up havin' to look through drawers or file cabinets or somethin'.
[Going back to shuffling through papers, they try to isolate the smaller bits of paper and sticky notes. That's what a pass code would most likely be written on, right? But curiosity gets the better of them, and they can't help glancing over some of the documents or flipping through folders. Because, what the heck was this place? Why the quarantine, or the water? Maybe something here would give some kind of clue.
But, most of it is just, paper work they can't parce, mundane emails that were inexplicably printed out, charts and graphs that they didn't have the time to make heads or tales of.
It's all boring. Useless. No pass codes. No info.
After flipping over another scrap of paper, they freeze. There's nothing on it but a single harshly scrawled out word- "BURNOUT", but it feels so completely out of place among all the neatly scrawled memos and office paper work that it just feels wrong. Oddly targeted...but, that was dumb. Obviously someone had just been bullying their co-worker. It sucks, but it didn't have anything to do with them, or helping find a way out.
They try to shake off the creeping feeling that the note was meant for them, letting that scrap of paper fall in the water, not noticing as it churns and laps a little further up their ankle.
Looking over their shoulder back at Megumi they can't help but ask-] Any luck?
(no subject)
(no subject)
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fringes
Ken adjusts his glasses, unable to look at Megumi directly. ]
Ready? For.. um.. for what?
[ He can see the danger, he can see what could possibly be done, but Ken is used to being directed. He's not Yuuji, but he's still a cursed teenager with supernatural powers at your disposal, Megumi. ]
sorry for slow response, moving weekend has been crazy!
Please tell him it's not gonna be like that. ]
To go inside.
[ He doesn't mind calling the shots, but he is getting worried about having to explain them, now. Explanations in a controlled environment when they have time to spare are fine. (Goodness knows he spends enough time explaining shit to his bestie, after all.) But in the middle of a dangerous situation, when reaction time is everything? ]
If you're not up for it, I can go alone.
[ It's not ideal, but then, neither is being stranded in some weird alternate dimension full of strangers. ]
im also in that process, I GET IT…
No, wait! I can help! I really can, I just need a moment, um. Promise you won’t freak out or anything, okay?
[ he really has no idea that Megumi has seen some shit. Give him a second, he’s taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. ]
GODSPEED...sob
I won't.
[ He's not sure what the ratio of normies to people with some kind of supernatural ability is here, but it seems even odds at minimum of running into somebody with something wild up their sleeve. ]