TEST DRIVE ∞ May 2025

[thediadem]

Test Drive ∞ May 2025

The First Collision

©

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

henry creel 🕷️ stranger things

[vecna]

001: DRIVING 20 IN A 60

[Henry Creel is very, very good at keeping politeness hewn onto his face, but when he is presented with the apparent “only” option of car left, something strains in his smile.]

It’s hideous.

[One might assume there are not-so-great association with an old-timey car like this one, but he’s left with little choice. It would be a bad idea, perhaps, to not accept a mode of transportation when he has nothing else to his name. And ultimately, Henry takes it off the “lot”, so to speak.

Driving is not exactly something he has experience in. So, sometime down that long stretch of road, you might come across a teal car driving achingly slow. Perilously slow. Geriatrically slow.

Dare you honk your horn at him? Or maybe you can get him to pull over and see if he needs any help…]

002: BLACKOUT

[He’s unfortunately already in the hallway when the lights in the motel go out, throwing everything into the darkness. It surprises him, of course, but only briefly… and certainly not enough to pull him away from the vending machine in front of him.

Well, then.

A loud, sudden shatter of glass. It may be impossible to perceive—unless you’ve some way to see in the darkness, of course!—but the vending machine’s front is obliterated, glass crumbled to the floor, just a mess at his feet. How’d this happen? Don’t worry about it.

Henry reaches forward, blindly groping for whatever free snacks are now at his disposal. Is this thievery? Yeah, what of it.

He can sense the mind of someone nearby. Their presence, brushing up against his thoughts.]

If you don’t tell, I won’t. I’ll even share.

003: LOCKDOWN

[It’s hard to imagine Henry ended up here via an act of selflessness, but selfishness isn’t out of the question. Regardless of the reasoning, he’s now sealed in as the water around them begins to rise, and the amiable mask slips — it’s all scowling and impatience from this man now, cutting his glance to the other poor fool stuck in the same situation.]

Someone must have written the password down somewhere.

[With his telekinesis, an entire metal desk floats up and flings itself at the door. It crashes angrily then falls back down with a splash. More helpfully: the movement has dislodged a handful of notepads and binders from its drawers, which now float freely on the water's surface. For now, anyway.]

Don’t just stand there. Look for it.

WILDCARD

[this bad boy can fit so many prompts in it]

003 lockdown with my bff 5eva

[healbuff]

Oh, shit.

[A telekinetic? That's useful, more than useful, but there's little time to be in awe as the water rises up around them. River's quick to listen to the other man and starts rifling through the notepads and binders, trying to see what jumps out at him regarding the release code.]

No, nope, nada, nope again, nada...

[Even though he's designated as a GP, he isn't a stranger to emergency situations. His eyes quickly scan various documents and his hands discard anything useless. Fortunately, the triple-laminated binder catches his attention first.]

Got it!

[He lets out a deep breath, keeping his pulse steady as he flips through it.]

Oh, boy, that's a lot of symbols.

nvm just let him drown

[vecna]

[Naturally, he doesn't know who this man is, but he doubts he'd find anyone he knows in this strange world, besides. But it's for the best that River doesn't hesitate to take action, for Henry's patience is thin when circumstances are growing more and more concerning — and he doesn't have the buffer of familiarity to ease that edge.

Still, too early for relief. (They haven't even realized that someone on the outside will have to input the code.) Henry sloshes his way towards River, the water still rising all around them...]

Let me see it—!

dying with my new bff

[healbuff]

Be my guest!

[He hands the binder over to Henry while he glances at their feet. The water rises ever so steadily. They're in the weeds, but aren't drowning yet, but it won't be long. River takes another deep breath and rifles through a few more documents to see if anything else pops out, but the binder he found is most likely their best bet.]

If you can't decode it though, I can take a stab at it. I'll look around to see if there's a mechanism in here to get us out.

003

[hoponpop]

Hopper has no idea this man is also from Hawkins, and even now when they have become trapped in this space he can't be 100% sure. But for Hopper, that act was something to note and ask about later—this situation is too precarious to take the time to inquire now.

So Henry has suggested, he takes action, moving quickly to the floating notebooks to rifle through their pages.

"This is all chicken-scratch!" he exclaims, holding out one of the pages. It mostly looks like gibberish, but then he pulls it back to stare at it a bit, giving it a second look. He can definitely make out that one of the words on the page is "Jane".

[vecna]

What a shame they couldn't possibly recognize one another. (Probably for the best.) Perhaps, in what felt like a lifetime ago, Henry had briefly met this man back during their highschool days — just an awkward freshman who couldn't rightly be given the time of day by a senior, but there's no way of knowing that now. Hard to say if that would change his reaction, anyway.

That part of his life is clouded, ugly, and faded.

The water continues to slosh at their ankles, rising and rising at a worrisome rate. One notepad that bumps against his leg is swept up by Henry, lifted by that same telekinesis and snapped up by a hand. He flips open the soggy pages, though his blue-eyed, cold gaze is landing upon Hopper and the way he seconds-glances at the page.

"You can't make out anything?"

sorry for the delay, I've been in NYC on vacation!

[hoponpop]

Hopper scoffs a little and stares at the page. It seems like it says Jane is right to hate you, and the scribbles beneath seem to continue in the same vein, but that makes no sense; how could the stuff written on the notebooks in this place have anything to do with him?

"I mean, maybe. Nothing that looks like a password being written down, though. What about yours?"

001 back at it again with my bff henry

[satanicpanics]

[ It just so happens that Eddie is the lucky (?) soul to get caught behind Henry and his car. Henry might think it’s hideous, Eddie thinks it’s kind of an incredible piece of machinery—or it would be if it were being driven at least 40 mph faster. ]

Oh my god. Holy shit—

[ He murmurs under his breath as he’s forced to slow to a crawl. He endures it for a few minutes, expecting that maybe the driver is consulting a map while trying to drive, but it’s physically painful to be driving this slow with so much open road up ahead, and eventually he can’t handle it any longer. He give a few short honks of the horn, then veers onto the shoulder to drive alongside the Oldsmobile.

He’s mostly surprised not to find a geriatric in the driver’s seat, and they’re still both driving so slowly, Eddie can easily roll his window down to call out to driver while still rolling along. ]

Hey, speed demon! You good, or...?

this is exactly the prompt i'd hoped you'd tag LOL

[vecna]

[It is a hideous car and he will die on that hill. It's linked to too many memories (and the long, long drive from Nevada to Indiana) to be held in the same high regard. The interior is even the same—though blessedly, definitely dirtier and more beat-up than he recalls–and if there's some torturous irony to him being in the driver's seat to this thing, it's just fuel on the fire.

The fire of determination and focus, anyway, when it comes to driving. One might assume that a telepath would have both of these qualities in droves, but Henry's superpower does not, in fact, revolve around being the best driver in the world. It was nothing short of a miracle he's even got in gear — and whether or not it's even in the right gear now for the open road highway is quite... debatable.

He's too lost in all this to notice the vehicle behind him until it honks the horn (agitation immediately flaring in Henry, but he tamps it down, practiced as always), takes the shoulder, and the driver addresses him past the window. Easy enough to hear over the (slow) rumbling of the road, since his own is already down.

It's a young man, and Henry's mood doesn't allow him to take the question as anything helpful, and he says with a wry twist to his words-]

Why? Are you in a hurry?

it called to me...

[satanicpanics]

[ Hey, it’s not the car’s fault you went from one nothing state to another, Henry...Blame your dad. Oh wait...

At this point, Eddie could easily just pass and head on his way at any speed he pleases, but he doesn’t. Maybe he wants to be a nuisance, or maybe he’s just curious enough to keep this conversation going. Either way, he continues at his sluggish speed alongside the Oldsmobile, grinning. ]

Nah, man. You know, just thought I’d try to get up to at least to the speed of the roadkill I passed back there.

[ Which is to say you’re going really slow, Henry. ]

You know this is like…the most open highway you can get, right? You really only wanna go—

[ He pauses to glance at his speedometer. ]

10 miles per hour?

also 003!

[frighteningly]

[ Excuse you, Nadiya was looking.

At least, until he stole her focus by mentally flinging a piece of office equipment that must be quite heavy across the room. Even with water up to her ankles, she stares at the door—dented, but unyielding—and the crumpled desk now laying in a heap in front of it.

When she finally swings her gaze back to Henry—his bobbing, agitated shoulders; the back of his head—there's a keen craving in her dark eyes.

Only briefly. Only if someone knows what to see. She remembers how close she came to having a sample of Lila Bard, and—

And nothing. She needs to focus, to look. That can be addressed later, if they don't drown. She moves to the other end of the room, opening cabinets at eye-level and pulling out everything she can find for a cursory examination.

In a calm, cool tone: ] You should preserve your energy. That display cannot have helped.

[vecna]

[Nadiya's a real one, Henry's just mean.

He doesn't visually catch that flicker of something dark, though, in the chaos of rising water and floating notepads. But similar ripples exist in more than just expressions and body language — for a man like him, they originate in the mind. Even if he isn't purposefully attuned to neighboring thoughts and emotions, he is often passively aware. But ultimately, it's a droplet in a sea. There are more pressing matters at hand, and there's no time to disassemble the web of someone else's first impression of him.

Right now, he really doesn't care.

His mouth, often curved into a faint grin for most, remains in a permanent state of nigh-scowling. This stranger's calmness doesn't escalate his frustration, but neither does it mitigate it.]

I have enough energy to tear this entire room apart if I have to.

[And yet this still doesn't negate her point, does it? Exactly how helpful would that be, if the door itself doesn't so much as budge when having an iron desk thrown at it by an agitated psychic.

To his credit, he seems to realize this... at least in how he immediately dips down and snatches a notepad out of the water, trying to flip through its soggy pages.]

I'm not going to drown in a place like this.

02

[markofkaine]

[It sure is dark in here. Which doesn’t seem to bother Kaine at all - how he got nightvision, he has no idea, but he’s not about to complain. He was en route to stealing a room for himself when he’s witness to this horrifying act of burglary, pausing mid step with a raised brow of interest.

Funny how he didn’t see the guy raise a fist to punch through the glass. Then again, it wasn’t like he was paying close attention? He really doesn’t care that much either way. But hey, if he’s being offered a bribe… shrug!]

Fine by me. I take payment in potato chips.

[vecna]

[Oh good. Henry doesn't have nightvision, so maybe the best he can decipher is the outline of a blurry silhouette at best, but he appreciates someone who doesn't mind a wee bit of delinquency. After all, people make ends meet however they must; he won't apologize to anyone for being opportunistic regarding food in these first days.

A smile in his tone, and on his face.]

As many as you want. We're lucky. They must have just restocked.

[And it's true, the vending machine is full to brimming. Several of those bags start floating mid-air and begin drifting right towards Kaine. They crinkle as they bump into him.]

[markofkaine]

Lucky us.

[Yeee-up he can see chips being floated at him. It's hard to tell if this guy is simply used to flaunting his powers, if he won't deign to pick through broken glass with his bare hands, or if it's the veil of darkness making him bolder. Instinctively, he notes to himself: telekinetics are trouble. But that's habit from a guarded and frequently violent man.

Raises a brow, but takes the chippy bounty in his arms.]

You some kinda psychic?

blackout

[carmesi]

( the words he speaks are directed to someone else, who skitters past and back to their room, likely not wanting anything to do with this kind of delinquent activity. on the other hand, the pale arm that reaches inside the vending machine after him, from his blindside, is from someone who doesn't care about it.

it also belongs to someone who he has not been able to notice, wanda hiding away her own presence, especially from others with telepathic abilities. it's probably this absence, though, that now makes her obvious to someone like henry.

she grabs at a packet of potato chips ... briefly makes eye contact...

and steps away. )

[vecna]

[The lack of a presence is just as unique, if not more so, than a buzzing nearby mind. It's like a swath of utter silence in all the noise, and of course Henry is going to turn his attention immediately to the individual who has grabbed a bag of chips (he can hear crinkling), and begins to slink away (he can see her faint form in the darkness, a brief moment of eye contact.)

There's no reason for him to not brush up against another mind's presence ambiently, unless that person...

Henry doesn't even think it through, doesn't feel like he needs to. He's momentarily forgotten about his vending machine loot, instead sending a single, more targeted thought beaming out-]

Hello.

[carmesi]

( she realizes the problem as soon as a stray thought pushes through, a distinctly guy's voice, unfamiliar to her. he hasn't followed her, the blond by the vandalized vending machine, but this feels just as bad as far as unwanted intrusions go.

her heart hammers hard against her ribcage, afraid, momentarily, because she does not want to be found out; the last thing wanda wants is to be recognized, to be suffocated under the prism of her wrong her everything is, for having these powers, for inflicting nothing but pain. and then—she gets a hold of herself, pressing against a wall, the darkness around them providing her refuge as she shoots back an angry— )

Go away.

( (but maybe part of her yearns for contact, for connection—despite her more suffocating thoughts about wanting to be and remain alone.) )

002

[bicth]

No way, I'm not telling. I'm not an idiot...

[ Duh? Only a narc would do that in this situation? But, he said he'd share, and there's no take backsies, so she's already reaching into the machine greedily to swipe a treat for herself. She has little respect for the authorities around here, likening them to the post-apocalyptic peacekeeper types of her own world, who don't do much but let street rats like her starve. So, even if this is outright theft, she just doesn't care — if anything, she respects the guy for doing it.

Her pockets are lined with assorted bits and bobbles she stole from the grocery store, some from people's pockets, and others from stands, so she figures she can pay him back for whatever she'd like to take from the vending machine. This beats having to steal money, after all. ]

But we should be quick — someone probably heard that crash. Was that your psychic mind beam or something....

[vecna]

[Sounds like they're on the same wavelength, then, because after so many years of being told what to do—living in the equivalent of a prison—even these newfound, post-apocolyptic circumstances are still more freeing than what's he's experienced in a long, long time. And that means disrespecting authority, stealing when he can get away with it, seeking opportunity and advantage whenever it's presented to him. Why not? He owes the universe nothing in return.

In that same vein, he isn't so foolish as to shirk some temporary camaraderie when it suits him. He doesn't know this young woman (he hasn't met anyone he knows in this world, it seems he's singularly plucked away from his own), but that doesn't mean he can turn away the opportunity to steal a decent vending-machine bounty that might last for a day or two. Two pairs of arms (and his telekinesis) can haul off more goods than one.]

"Psychic mind beam" is one way to put it. I'm surprised you guessed correctly.

[In his world, psychics are rare; so rare that they're numbered, and that number never even made it to the twenties. Ask anyone "normal", and they'd say it's the stuff of sci-fi.]

But like you said, let's walk and talk. Hurry, now.

[Henry scoops up what he can, a little blindly, from the vending machine. His powers, however, are picking up extra, floating around him.]

[bicth]

[ Wow, and she'd been joking about the telekinesis! She's constantly surrounded by other people with stronger supernatural abilities than her own; his own powers don't seem so strange by comparison. There are Sinners who can alter the very reality around them, or level a city. Some floating candy bars is plainly neat by comparison. ]

Woah, this is awesome... [ Don't worry about how she's a little starry eyed over the fact that he's helping them steal more things with ease. He'd be so helpful in a pickpocketing situation.... ] Is that easy for you?

[ She's shoved as much of her jacket full of snacks as she can — so that's the first order of business on the docket once they start sauntering off. Rather than looking at him directly, she keeps glancing between the floating candy bars, periodically glancing forward to make their route ahead. Naturally, she takes the lead in these surroundings, assuming she knows better than most people how to navigate dark alleys where all kinds of nefarious types might be in hiding. She tugs on his sleeve to lead him away from the directions that lead back to the main streets, clearly having some experience with evading the cops. ]

002

[potentialman]

[ He may be finding his new lease on life as a teacher's pet, but Megumi used to be a delinquent. He's seen worse than petty theft. ]

I'm not sure anyone here would care even if I did say something.

[ The people here seem to tend towards "morally flexible." If nobody's getting stabbed in front of them, he doesn't see them kicking up much of a fuss.

...and look, he's hungry and now apparently in debt. This is a lesser evil.

He steps forward and surveys the wreckage. Scoops up a bag of potato chips. ]

...huh, wasn't expecting them to have nori-shio.

[ Dibs. ]

[vecna]

[Right, it's not even bad deliquency. Nor the worst thing that Henry's ever done, for sure, so it's probably fine.]

The person making money from this vending machine might have a slight problem with it. But otherwise... you're probably right.

[Henry of course allows this newcomer his take of his ill-gotten gains. He asks, somewhat automatically, as his mind scans the area for any further presences they might need to be leery of. Best to make sure they didn't draw the wrong kind of attention with the noise he's made.]

"Nori-shio?" [wuzzat]

2

[fuckinabucket]

Oh shit, free candy? Who knew the cost of my morality was so abysmally low?

[ Sally's all breezy, friendly sarcasm; her charm is a carefully cultivated defense mechanism, the sweet smell of a carnivorous plant. Her smile gets a little less guarded, a tick towards genuine, as she flicks on her flashlight and shines a small bar of brightness towards the various snacks and candies. ]

... No, seriously. I have no idea what a Cookie Cat is but I will sell my soul for it, right here, right now. Share the stash... and mum's the word. Deal?

[ She seems to talk a big game for such a small silhouette cut out from the dark from behind the glare of her flashlight. She can't see in the dark, but even so... she seems rather at home inside of it. ]

[vecna]

[Then they're cut from the same cloth, even if it might be from opposite sides of the bolt. Henry's smile is a well-worn mask, moulded to his face so repetitiously over the years that it hardly ever slides off, barring extenuating circumstances. A little smash and grab from a vending machine? Hardly counts as such. Not even close to the worst thing he's done.

All that to say: he's grinning politely, too, as he listens to her reply, watching the flashlight illuminate their loot.]

Deal. After all, it's not just "free candy." It's a leg-up when it comes to surviving this hellhole.

[He says it lightly and liltingly, as if he's already made up his mind about his current circumstances.]

Take as much as you want, but... let's just make sure we get out of here quietly.

[And, as though to underline this fact, several bags lift into the air and hover around them, intending them to follow them both away. Thanks, telekinesis!]