TEST DRIVE ∞ May 2025

[thediadem]

Test Drive ∞ May 2025

The First Collision

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

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

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

But first, you need to find a ride.

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

∞ Summary ∞

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

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

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

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

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

TDM Questions? Here — Game Questions? FAQ

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

Fluxdrift

Arrival & Introduction

Date: Throughout May

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

Then you open your eyes.

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

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

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

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

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

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Panorama

Explore & Settle In

Conditions: Warm spring temperatures, light showers

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

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

The Pavilion: Free Samples

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

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

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

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

The Blocks: Power Outage

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

What do you do? You have three choices:

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

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

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The Fringes

Quad 3: Lockdown

Conditions: Stormy, with flooding roads

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let's hope a friendly face comes along.

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

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

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

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Comments

[heavymetals]

[ Something in him breaks when those words echo in his head, endlessly repeating and tripping over one another.

We could have done it together. You could have come home.

As if he ever had a home. As if he ever even remembered what that was. Was it what he had then, with Charles, with the mansion? Was it a notion so distant for him that he couldn't even recognize it when it was right in front of him? ]

I hurt you.

[ The thought comes forth unbidden, the guilt of it touching him again for the first time in a decade. Charles had been right then; he'd been the cause of that, he'd been the reason, because his grief was everything, his anger was paramount, and his vengeance above all else. And in the process of exacting revenge over the life he had stolen from him, he had willingly given away the possibility for a new one. ]

You were right, then. We didn't want the same thing. I couldn't stay, because I'd only hurt you more.

[ But he hurt him anyway, and he hurt Raven, and every other mutant that they could have stood for, together. How immense could their progress have been if he'd stayed, if he'd made the right choices for once? If he didn't think he needed to sacrifice it all for the greater good? ]

I'm sorry. If it's too late, I just want you to know that I don't want to be that man anymore.

[ He vowed as much, when he left this time. Months ago for him, days ago for Charles. That he would find a better path, even if it meant disappearing, becoming someone else. He didn't count on seeing Charles ever again— it is perhaps a blessing that he gets to at least have this opportunity to tell him this. ]

[thetruefocus]

You abandoning me hurt worse than the bullet. I needed you.

[ They truthfully have never been able to have this conversation. They had no real time to do it before, and they decided to attempt to play chess together in the plane before Paris, instead of talk through all the tension and pain that was between them. All those years Erik was trapped under the Pentagon and Charles did consider trying to get him, but he had no plan for it, no one who could help him. He couldn't very well send the X-Men when they were still at the mansion, it would have been too dangerous for them. He couldn't let anyone become targets for the government because he didn't like the idea of his former best friend rotting there for the rest of his life.

So he couldn't come until there was no other option. And a part of him did think he deserved it, but not for life. Charles doesn't have it in him to hate that long and hard. He isn't an expert at it the way Erik is. And it would require him to actually hate Erik to work in the first place. He never has. He's telling the truth. He could survive the bullet to the spine, it was losing them that truly broke him.

Charles shakes his head, regretful. It's not too late, precisely, but it is also not to be trusted. He can read Erik's mind and he knows that he's telling him the truth, like this he couldn't lie even if he wanted to, but that doesn't matter ultimately. It comes down to this.]

Then tell me this, when exactly did you decide to murder Raven? Was it on the plane, when we were playing chess, when I thought we could reconcile? Or was it in the moment, with us begging you not to?

[heavymetals]

[ In all honesty, Erik probably wouldn't have been open to this discussion then. He was still deep under the weight of a cause too heavy for him to carry alone, still with too much rage held over the years he was in that prison, with a number on his chest, guards coming by to remind him that this was just the beginning. This was what they'd do to all of them sooner or later.

They could have talked. But he would not have budged, and he would not have apologised, even with all the regret in him. Because he still had a goal, then. There was still revenge, only it was aimed at different men. There was always someone else for him to turn his rage towards, wasn't there? ]

I don't know.

[ But the memories pile on in his mind, flashing before him, before them both. Mutants captured in front of him, tortured and murdered for their project. When he saw Raven on that table, shaking as she was tased, that was all he saw. Every mutant laid out on a medical table, cut open, taken apart piece by piece. Every single person dragged into the camps, decades ago. He didn't even see Charles, then. All he saw was history repeating itself, again and again and again, and the reckless impulse that took him when he believed that he could fix it all by simply sacrificing one.

The ends justify the means, he would have said then. And he would have believed it, too— and he would have been wrong. ]

[thetruefocus]

[ All Charles wanted to do was talk about it, because he is angry, he still is angry, and for him the more it stews and it sticks, the more pain it actually gives to him. Those years of silence between them with resentment building only poisoned Charles himself. He is a communicator by nature, he would much prefer for them to be arguing than nothing at all.

But they couldn't have this then either, because of his choice to block his powers for his own sanity. If Charles could look into his mind like this, if they had been able to reconnect like they are now with total honesty, the pendulum might have shifted again toward reconciliation. Many reasons on top of reasons for why it never seems to be the right time for them, how each leap between them becomes larger.

Charles can see how it triggered Erik, but he leans closer, looking deeply into Erik's eyes as well as his mind. ]

If I knew you could harm her, I never would have let her leave. I thought no matter what our differences, you would protect her. How could you do that to someone who loved you? And how can I trust you won't do it again?

[heavymetals]

Would you really have stopped her from leaving?

[ She may have followed Erik then, but it was bigger than that, bigger than him. She wanted more than a sheltered life, she wanted to live freely, and at that moment she didn't think that was possible if she stayed with Charles. That's the way he saw it, in any case. Some part of him wishes Charles had stopped her, though. Maybe he could have convinced her to stay, or at least not go with Erik.

Would it have made a difference? Would Trask not still hunt them down, and would she not still be pushed to the extreme of thinking that killing Trask would stop it all? And in the end, would Erik still not think the ultimate solution would be to kill her before she did that?

He doesn't know. He needs to stop living on what ifs. He's made the mistake, he's only glad that he was stopped before he succeeded. He doesn't want to know what kind of man he would have become if he had, or what kind of future he would have created then. ]

I don't know how to answer that. I don't know how to make you trust me again.

[ He doesn't make an effort to break the connection between them, but he looks down, and the next words are spoken out loud instead. ]

Maybe you shouldn't.

[thetruefocus]

No I would not force her, I would have asked her.

[ Charles was bleeding on the sand and injured in a way that would never be curable. He could have asked her to stay with him and Raven likely would have given the state of him. It was Charles's acceptance of her wish to go and him reassuring her that led there. Raven would have resented it and him once he got better, and he might have encouraged her later, but by then she might have stayed too. He'll never know. He wanted her to choose him, in the end, and it hurt that she didn't.

They were going down different paths, all of them, but it was the heat of the moment that made it so terrible. Still, Charles was upset about Erik turning the weapons on the humans, but not surprised. Not angry or confused. The reasoning was there, and he could not allow it to happen, but it made sense. It's not that Erik is illogical in his actions, but he is extreme. And extremity can only lead to greater chaos. ]

I wish I could, my friend. I truly do.

[ That's the tragedy of this. They care for one another but they are also at an impasse. Erik says he regrets it all now, but he might change his mind if something threatens them again. Erik is still his friend. Nothing can change that he is. What is a little stadium attack against this feeling within their hearts? Understanding him only makes this sadder.

The sound of Erik's voice out loud is such a strange moment, the intimacy of their inner voices broken by something real. Back to the world they go, and Erik did help him. A focus is what Charles needed, and while it will come back, for now he can break their connection without immediately being flooded. Erik's presence is still there, blocking out the rest. ]

It isn't something that can happen in ten minutes, Erik. But fifty years from where we were, we were a team again.

[ What Charles is saying is it isn't impossible for them to find this again. But he isn't ready to let it be forgive and forget now. Trust once broken takes time to restructure. And Erik is not the only one who made mistakes, Charles is still coming to terms with his own errors. ]

[heavymetals]

[ So many things could have gone differently, and it's so much easier to look back and see the mistakes made, choices now turned to regret. They can't simply go back and make it right; it just doesn't work like that. There's only moving forward.

He just hopes it won't only push them even further apart.

The link doesn't break entirely. It's not quite so close anymore, not as intense, but he can feel how it lingers, Charles's presence in his mind. Maybe it's only an imprint that takes a while to wash away, and maybe in a few minutes, or a few hours, it'll be gone again. ]

I know.

[ He expected no less. The fact that there's even a sliver of possibility is in itself a miracle. Erik was fully prepared to never see Charles again, and even if he did, he certainly didn't count on him ever regarding him the same, as an old friend. Some things, when broken, cannot be mended.

He breathes deep, gathering his thoughts, piecing his composure together again. That felt like the first time Charles truly reached into the depths of his mind, and it's left him feeling equally raw. ]

I've missed you, regardless.

[ He's not talking about the physical presence of him. He means Charles's mind in his own, the comfort of hearing it, feeling it there. It is the strangest thing, when he loathes anyone else in his mind. ]

If you need help again, you'll let me know?

[ About this or anything else, really. He won't encroach on Charles's space, but he knows he'll struggle and Erik can help with at least some things. ]

[thetruefocus]

[ Charles when they first reunited would have snapped at him, saying he doesn't get to say he misses him, not after everything that happened, but at the moment he is more sad than angry. Touching Erik's mind has weakened him, not literally as he is stronger with that focal point, but his heart has been reminded of the brightest parts of his soul. This is not a man that he is capable of seeing as all bad or evil. Not when he's known him down to his very core. ]

I missed you too.

[ He says instead, feeling a lump in his throat, making it painful to swallow. Erik did make the gesture first by saying it, and he is not so cruel as to ignore it solely to make it sting for him. This is the truth. There were times he wished so deeply for Erik to return. There has never been a time when Charles truly hoped not to see him again.

The thought that Erik would leave him again now makes his stomach turn. For a moment, that good energy turns into shadows instead, showing how easily it is for them to pivot in the wrong way. Charles doesn't want him to go but a bitter voice in him says he wants to, he always wants to. They could go around and around if left that way. He takes in a deep breath and lets it out. ]

I don't need help but if you would like to accompany me to the market, they are offering samples that I could use. I was given an accessible van.

[ Charles does not have money yet to buy his own food, something he has no intention of bringing to his attention, but he still does need to go there. And Erik's presence will make the voices less prominent. Or maybe he is offering an olive branch and it is up to Erik to decide if he will take it or leave again. ]

[heavymetals]

[ Cruelty would be well-deserved, Erik thinks. Not having a sentiment reciprocated in so many words would be far from the worst thing he's been put through, too, but still, it feels good to hear it out loud, to catch that thickness at the end of Charles's words. Every little sliver feels like hope, and fuck if he's ever cared about that particular sentiment before meeting Charles. Before this very moment, right now.

He also didn't quite mean that to sound as parting words— more of an open offer, and leaving it up to Charles to decide whether he wants him to stick around for a little longer, or part ways for the time being.

So when that invitation comes, Erik is quick to nod. He gets to his feet, reaching into his pocket to check how much he still has on him, after tonight's shift. ]

I still have some money left, if you need anything beyond the samples. It's not much but it should be enough to cover a few basics.

[ Because he knows Charles won't have any money on him, and he's sure that he hasn't gotten a job either. Doesn't know if he'll be able to, even if he decides to look for one. But Erik can manage that much.

He's also not above the occasional shoplifting if necessary, but let's save that option for when there's no alternative. ]

[thetruefocus]

I didn't ask you for your money, I asked you for your company.

[ The response is stubborn, naturally. Charles does not have money and he is going to struggle finding a job, although he assumes eventually he can. Just not one that he will enjoy, but this doesn't appear to be the sort of city with prestigious academies or universities. It is foolish, considering that Charles has welcomed so many people into his home including Erik, providing food and shelter and anything else they needs with his natural generosity of spirit. And then the moment someone else offers the same, he gets prideful about it.

He turns the chair and leads them into the parking lot where his van is. The decoration of it might amuse Erik and it suited the light-hearted man Charles used to be. He would have found it very charming before, although he always did like his classic cars that they used to drive around the country looking for mutants.

He gestures for Erik to get into the passenger side and does not want his help in getting in; it would be easier for Erik to drive but he's being intentional. He wants to prove that he's not helpless. There is a ramp after all and the van is designed for him to comfortably be able to put the wheelchair in there and get into the driver's seat, albeit slightly cramped with Erik there too, but he manages, is the point. ]

Not our car for our trip, unfortunately. [ Charles smiles faintly at him. ] I think the motel is nearly as bad as that one we stayed in rural Pennsylvania.

[heavymetals]

I know you didn't ask, Charles. That doesn't mean I can't offer.

[ It comes after an eyeroll, because of course Charles would be stubborn and prideful about it. (Pot, meet kettle.) It's almost a comfort, quite honestly, though he absolutely intends to go through with using his funds until Charles has his own. He can just yell and bark at him all he likes, Erik doesn't give a damn.

He follows after Charles in the meantime, and when they get to the van, he has to pause for a moment, one arm around his midsection, the other folded up so he's covering his mouth with his fingers. It's all he can do to suppress his amusement, but the smile on his lips is impossible to miss.

He takes the hint and just walks around the car and slips into the passenger seat. Don't worry Charles, he's not about to princess carry you inside. ]

It's, ah... more colourful, certainly. [ He could say so much more about it. He probably still will, given time. For now he just props his elbow on the window and glances over at Charles. ] I don't know. I have rather fond memories of that.

[thetruefocus]

Shut up, I didn't have any other option.

[ Charles says snippily, although there's humor in his tone too. A curl at his lips that he purposely flattens out because if he laughs at his own van, he'll do it every time he's forced to be in it. It's not terrible to see Erik amused though, and for him to smile. When they first met, Erik almost never smiled, but over their time together, he did more and more, until they could spend more than a few times laughing heartily together. He might not always remember the exact conversations that led them there, only that his heart felt so light then.

He is slightly better at using the pedals now although he drives far safer now than he did then, with the youthful certainty nothing bad could happen to him on the road with his first best friend. Charles is far more cautious in a city like this, but they are making it there, just slower. He is still a little ginger at the controls. ]

Fond? [ Charles glances over at him and then back on the road, and now it's him who smiles. ] There was no hot water and the beds were so short your feet hung over the end. The door was practically sealed shut with tape.

[ That was one of those situations where Charles's money could not save them from disaster, because they were in an area where there simply was no better option. And they had been driving far too long to be satisfied with naps in the car. At the time he complained, of course, thoroughly, but he also found all their ups and downs rather thrilling on the road. An adventure. ]

[heavymetals]

A tragedy, really.

[ He jokes, but it's not as though Erik's car is that great. It's small and short, and Erik looks even more a giant inside it. The only way anyone's sitting on the spot behind him is if they fold their legs up.

But at least it doesn't look like it's been dipped in glue and dragged through a rainbow.

The drive is slow, but he doesn't mind. He's not in a hurry. He enjoys getting to sit next to Charles more than he will the destination itself, necessary though it may be. He's not especially fond of crowds these days. ]

On the upside, you fit perfectly on the mattress. [ Short jokes. ] And there was a kettle. The tea was shit, granted, but... well, you can't have everything.

[ A shrug, lips curled wide in genuine amusement. ]

[thetruefocus]

[ Charles will laugh on the other end of seeing Erik in that ridiculous car so they'll both be able to mock each other over it. The van itself though is spacious. There are several seats in the back that can also be moved to make more room, so if he ever does need to take a few people somewhere, they can fit comfortably. Inside the groovy colorful van. He's grateful for it, even if it does make him sigh every time he sees it.

Charles makes a face. ]

Oh piss off! [ The death glare shot toward Erik at the short joke smoothly transitions into Charles choking back a surprised laugh. ] You prick.

[ He forgot how fast and sharp Erik's humor could be even if it came on the end of a low blow. Not that Charles cares much about short jokes now. Everyone towers over him. Still, he'll give it to him. Their height difference did used to be quite pronounced. ]

It did have electricity though, which I cannot say about my current residence.

[ They're lucky frankly that it isn't chillingly cold, it should be bearable until the power comes back on. He knows that Erik is far more accustomed to that kind of living from his travels hunting Nazis, but the pampered Charles will probably always complain a little bit. ]