IT'S TIME FOR DIPPING STICKS AND...

[erewhile]

TEST DRIVE MEME

Are you thinking about apping to to Cape & Cowl, but you want to get a feel of the setting and how your character will fit in it? Then you’ve come to the right place! Pick any of the following scenarios below or feel free to make up your own, and don’t be afraid to throw yourself at anyone’s thread, either!

And remember to have fun!

1. As you exit the Porter Building, the ambient noises you heard, so faint back inside where you found yourself at the center of glowing platform alone – save for the black screen and the female voice who greeted you – erupt in every direction. Every corner you look is bustling with people and cars and bicycles; people going about their everyday life, unaware you’re one of them: an imPort.

2. Or perhaps your bizarre behaviour or appearance catches their attention. Maybe it’s the communicator you picked up before leaving. Either way, several Cityzens headed your way come to a full stop immediately, each one eyeing you differently. Some looks outright afraid, others seem intrigued, and then there are the others whose surprise fades quickly and they carry on past you without as much a second glance.

3. Confused? The Network seems like a good place to start with soliciting information. There appear to be three functions for you to access: AUDIO, VIDEO, and TEXT. Make some friends while you’re at it!

4. Maybe you’re just thrilled to be here and help. The night time is a great time to scope out the underbelly of the City and its criminals. There’s always something going on in its more troubled corners: breaking and entering, drugs or arms trafficking, an attempting kidnapping... the list goes on. The question is: what will you do, Hero?

5. Make up your own scenario, if you wish! You may have discovered the Porter has granted you the ability to make it hail cats. Or that your power of super speed is gone entirely. Maybe you’ve noticed the Statue of Liberty’s sporting a new look. It’s up to you!

Comments

[invoking]

It's summer.

[ He nods and looks from side to side, now noticing many of the Cityzens focused on the two of them. His face burns with embarrassment and he releases Sharon's shoulder quickly and provides her with some space, but he's still close to her, as if afraid stepping any further from her and she'll vanish before his eyes. ]

I've... it's a long story.

[ One that he's not willing to share in public. He points down the street. ]

I can tell you once we've gotten back to where I'm staying. [ And then as if he's seeing her for the first time (again): ] You're really here.

[auntyquated]

( Direction is a wonderful thing to have! As much as Gilbert might be flushed with embarrassment, the reasoning behind it is all the more reason to be off and moving. Whatever strangeness passes as normal for this world aside, forward momentum, and apparently willing, cheerful company, helps allay suspicions, if it can do nothing about curiosity.

There's nothing for it but to gather her skirts in her hands and head off the way Gilbert indicates, fully expecting he'll fall in line, if not take up the lead on merit of knowing where they're actually headed. )

Why Mister Gilbert, you make it seem as if you've dreamed about me before. How scandalous.

( Delivered with a tease, tone even and kept low enough to not travel to those in the immediate vicinity. Sharon resists the urge to flinch when a motorcycle booms past. Ahahahaha hahahaha where do you live Gilbert this is ridiculous and she hope's it's magically, somehow, nearby! )

[invoking]

[ Before he can proceed any further, Sharon's comment startles him and his sears with embarrassment in spite of it not being true at all. Until then, he had forgotten how cruel Sharon could be. With Break, the two were a devastating blow to his very little (and non-existent) ego.

He pivoted around fast, the blood rushing to his cheeks and his eyes wide again. ]

THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL! SHARON!

[ His bellowing catches the attention of more Cityzens and he nearly buries his face in a gloved hand. It's the same gloves from home, should Sharon notice. It's the only piece of clothing that looks out of place among his more casual wear. ]

[auntyquated]

( And these are the kind of people you miss, Gilbert?

If he had any doubt at her really being there...!

Sharon's hand (with communicator this time) comes up to her mouth as she laughs. It's not so much that he even makes it easy, but whatever is going on, and if it is more real than half of what they can find themselves caught up on back home, then getting past wondering if either were an immediate illusion or jest played by who knows who in this place. )

So lively for this weather! Come now, you're making a scene.

( The hand holding the pamphlets makes a swirling motion, an invitation for him to move. If she sees his gloves (and she does), there's no mention of it now.

She moves off again, not precisely inclined to be standing around waiting for Gilbert to decide how functional he wishes to be. )

[invoking]

[ He takes a deep breath, counts to three in his head, and proceeds once more, but slowly as to match Sharon's pace. He knows a dress like hers isn't going to be easy to maneuver about in a tightly crowded city like this one. Compared to Reveil, the City must have had double... maybe triple the population of their home.

He grips the plastic in his hand and it softly crinkles. After a moment, he finally looks back at Sharon, though his cheeks are still a faint pink. ]

Have you read those pamphlets? Admittedly, they're not very detailed, but they answer some questions about where we are and what that machine that brought us here wants us to do.

[auntyquated]

( Excellent control of temper, Mr. Gilbert. She takes the moment to steel her shoulders, instructing herself carefully to not react to the loudness of all these strange sounds around them. The press of people, the heat, the scant insight the pamphlets had actually offered, though she supposes it to be a sight better than coming out with nothing but the hideous voice with shocking tendencies pestering after a name and some other... name of a sort. )

There was a very straightforward plea not to make things worse in the City.

( She says mildly. )

The odd note or two about being productive citizens, and to learn to control our new powers.

( Oh, hadn't that been a half minute of pausing to understand the depth and breadth of what that could mean. She arches an eyebrow, smile still in place. )

Something about dog tags and finding work.

[invoking]

It's a lot to take in, I know.

[ Although he knows Sharon has a better temperament and competency than he will ever have, his concern filters through without a second thought. It's a universe completely different from theirs, he would hardly be surprised or offended if there was something Sharon didn't understand. ]

That machine is called Lachesis, or the Porter, and though she wants us to "help" the City, she hardly helps herself with the situation.

That's right. [ He nods, eyes scanning the streets for a taxi. ] I'm not sure how, but that machine is able to tamper with our own abilities or give us new ones altogether.

[auntyquated]

Lachesis?

( Sounds positively Greek to her. What else he says is enough for her to purse her lips, tamping down on any desire to call for Eques to see if he'll still respond to her. She wasn't sure if she could at all. Now wasn't the time or place to make that determination. )

There's no way to know for sure?

( To be sure about those abilities, not as much the means to which those abilities were given. Unsettling, and surprising, if they're powerful things, that the only apparent cost is this abduction away from ones rightful place.

There will be more questions than she's even aware of so far, things she'll need to take in stride. Her grip on the pamphlets shift, and she breathes in nice and deep, then out nice and slow. Alright. )

Have any of our mutual acquaintances found themselves in a similar situation?

[invoking]

[ Before he can respond to her first question, her last is like a cold knife to his side. He grimaces and averts his gaze, gold eyes no longer bright with curiosity or surprise, but dulling with deep-seated melancholy and discomfort. ]

No. Despite the machine having been in operation for five years now, we don't know much about her or all of what she's capable of.

... No. Oz and the others haven't been in this world.

[auntyquated]

( Ah. That explains his disbelief. Poor Gil; with him and Oz as they are, it's difficult to imaging an extended additional separation being something he'd be fond of.

Which leads to another curiosity. Gilbert hasn't been unaccountably missing back home, and certainly not from what she most recently recalls.

Something else to ask after when they're away from obviously prying eyes, or overzealous ears. )

How unfortunate. ( She means that much sincerely, even as it's a blessing of it's own (time moving here, perhaps not home? an inversion of the way time seemed to flow out of the abyss compared to inside) in one sense. It's also a little deflating, but she mustn't let it show. ) You must have been lonely.

( For all this unstated time; irritated, whatever else on top of it, but clarification must wait for now.

An unoccupied cab heads up the street, having turned onto the road off a sidestreet angling North West. )

[invoking]

[ He isn't quite sure how he's been able to get this far without Oz, but there isn't a moment in the day he doesn't fret over him and struggle with the question: will he ever see him again?

And now with Sharon here, would they be stuck together? They had important things to get back to and here they were, completely powerless due to some machine they knew nothing about.

He halts at the corner of a streetlight and though it's green, he lifts his head to scan the traffic. He squints slightly, the sun stinging his eyes, but he continues to search for something.

He doesn't want to answer Sharon's question. ]

It's going to take a while before we get back. Sorry, we're going to have to sit in one of those taxis. [ He gestures to the cars. ] They're like carriages, only they don't need horses to pull them.

1/2

[auntyquated]

One of...

( Gil.

Gil that looks nothing like a carriage okay explaining it as like one minus horses is like explaining space travel or why the moon has a giant graffiti dong. )

... Those.

( It's not that she looks dubious so much as she looks incredibly dubious eying those things screeching around on the street. )

You want us to get inside one of those.

2/2

[auntyquated]

( YOLO )

How do we call them over?

[invoking]

[ Somehow, he just wasn't expecting that reaction from Sharon. His shoulders fall with slight disbelief and he gapes at her before turning his attention back to traffic and looking for the bright yellow cab. ]

Really? Um.

... We just wave them over. The taxi is usually yellow in colour, so it shouldn't be difficult to spot.

1/4

[auntyquated]

( Several of the glances thrown their way stop start seeming a little less outright side-eye worthy after the apparent show of enthusiasm, Sharon also manages to stifle the urge to ask if it was terribly far to walk. Adventure! That's... Well, whatever it is, it's definitely something happening, and so she smiles at Gilbert. )

Oh? Is that all?

[auntyquated]

( She says nothing else. )

[auntyquated]

( She does nothing else. )

4/4

[auntyquated]

( Nope just going to keep staring at at Gil in the most expectant, cheerfully polite way.

All you have to do is wave it over, right?

Come on Gil. )

1/2

[invoking]

[ Sharon. ]

2/2

[invoking]

[ But after some slight hesitation, when he spots the yellow taxi turning a corner, he lifts an arm and begins to beckon it. It's approaching slow (which is unsurprising to him as traffic looks difficult to get through right now), but it makes another turn into the lane to get closer to where they are on the sidewalk. ]

[auntyquated]

( Sharon leans out a little to get a good eye full of this "taxi." Now that Gil's prompted her into looking for similarities, she can see how those are doors; the coach windows, only larger and single paned. Such curious constructions, with people all in front, like encased little coach drivers! )

Why look, it worked!

( Said with an air of surprising; only partly to make a jest at Gilbert's expense. Were they to get in now? Surely such a thing would require some sort of... she glances to Gilbert. Payment.

... Ah. Her hesitation isn't simply out of consideration of what next, since that part seemed obvious -- open the door, take a... step down to a seat? -- but in the particulars of what that meant. )

[invoking]

[ Why wouldn't it? he wonders, but of course, Sharon wouldn't know. He lowers his arm and waits for the cab to pull up by the pavement before he steps forward and slips his hand around the door lever. He gives it a pull, opening it wide enough for Sharon to step inside.

The driver is eyeing them with keen interest; he's never seen such a beautiful dress before. ]

Here.

[ He offers Sharon his hand. It's not a high step up into the car, but her heels and dress might make it a tad difficult. ]

[auntyquated]

( His guess is spot on, and her smile is a touch more sincere and less artform at the offer. With a dip of her head to Gil in recognition, she places her hand in his, communicator there as well, shifting to help move the body of her full skirts out of the way of her feet. There's a moment of indecent ankle exposure.

They'll all live!

Settling down in the car is a less graceful affair, given the seats are much closer together than the way any carriage is designed. With them filling up all the space around her, it's an awkward little sideways shuffle where the process had her putting more weight into Gilbert's hand than usual.

A little color comes to her face as she lets go, seeking to pat down on her skirts into a semblance of order when they won't even all properly fit down between where she sits and the seat in front of her. In fact, part of her skirts are still outside the taxi! )

Such lovely weather we're having, yes?

( Ahahahaha firmly pulling her skirts all the way in. Gil might want to jump around to the other side, or else simply shove Sharon and see how that goes over! )

[invoking]

[ In some ways, it's amusing to take Sharon in a car ride so soon, even if he needs to. He doesn't mind walking to a train station or even down several blocks, but it's hardly fair to Sharon and he doesn't want her ruining her dress. It might be her only piece of home she'll have, so it's best for her to keep it in mint condition.

When she's seated in the vehicle, he lets go and checks to see if her dress is still hanging out. He holds down on the door handle, but motions for Sharon to watch her head so he can close the door. ]

Sorry. Bear with it for a little while.

[auntyquated]

( The cabby offers his own reply to her question, something half muffled and amused. 'Sure's hot enough' may or may not have actually been said. The cabbie watches them out of the rear-view mirror now, asking where they're headed.

Sharon merely smiled, giving a small shake of her head -- I shan't say. With the door closed at her side, she gingerly lets her arms come to rest on either side of her. It's difficult to resist the temptation to look out the window, but she does, instead looking across the seat to where Gilbert presumably will enter. Doors on both sides of this taxi. Convenient, if they could stand to have more proper leg room! )

The gentleman wishes to know where we're heading.

( She says with a calm smile, once Gil's at the far side of the car. )