Test Drive Meme!

[nosotros]

THE VERY FIRST EL SERA TESTDRIVE MEME!

ONE: Post with your character! Blank comments and pre-written prompts are both okay!
TWO: Tag other players in the meme while you wait for them to tag you!
THREE: Have fun!

If you need some prompts to help you get things going, you can use the following:

1 - Roommates: You just got to El Sera and you're settling in to your new dorm or apartment. Now would be a good time to get to know your new roommate. Maybe the two of you can go out shopping for clothes and food with the allowance from Xochipilli...?

2 - Battle: You were just minding your own business when a monster suddenly attacked! Or is that another magical boy...? Either way, it's time to transform and take care of this mess.

3 - Romance: A confession, a first date, maybe even an engagement proposal. El Sera is an oceanfront city and a riverside city, so there are plenty of romantic spots to choose from.

4 - The Power of Friendship: Your friends are there for you. Whether you're in a desperate struggle or just feeling down, they're here to pick you up and help you out.

5 - Rivals: You're minding your own business when you see... him. Be it at school, while your out shopping, or waiting for the bus, things just got a lot more tense.

6 - Other: Choose your own!

In the meantime, if you'd like to get to know your fellow players OOCly, head over to the meet and greet meme!

Comments

[hrairoo]

[ Fiver almost doesn't hear the words over the pounding of his heartbeat in his head. He knows better than to look back at the predator giving chase or to rely on anything other than reflex when he runs. It does register in some way of course, because any runt like him knows to follow orders. Even if he doesn't answer, there's an obvious renewed burst of speed, and it's enough to put more distance between him and the monster.

He does have the sense to try and lead it so the man has a clear shot at its head, swerving of path slightly and scrambling over the hood of a car to give the monster another obstacle. The crunching sound behind him tells him it isn't much of a hurdle. ]

[warmgun]

[They haven't got much time. Either of them, if John has his guess about the other bloke being one of the new ones here. Once the time limits on their powers run out, they'll be sitting ducks if the monster's still around. He notes the change in direction and can't help but find himself impressed the kid's actually being strategic. He looks like he's rabbiting fast enough for it to be pure fear driving him. Perhaps speed was one of his powers, though.

Whatever the motive or design, John takes the opening he's given. He unleashes a volley of shots that knock the monster back and down, arcs of blue-white light sizzling across its writing form. When it gets back up this time, it's noticeably slower and black ichor is flowing like blood from the eyesockets he's shot out. It roars, but it's the sound of a wounded animal, not a predator.

John lines up the final blow, but just before he pulls the trigger, there's a burst of light, and he's back to his normal form.]

F... Kill it! Go for the eyes!

[Hopefully, the young man's transformation would last.]

[hrairoo]

[ Probably to his own surprise more than anyone's, that sound is what makes Fiver slow and turn to see the beast staggering and bleeding towards him. His instincts should be telling him to keep running, to hide, to escape by any means, but the thought barely has time to cross his mind before he spots a large piece of jagged metal on the concrete (some part of the car which had just been torn apart) and he has the sudden urge to do the opposite.

"Eyes," he hears in his mad dash back to the monster, scooping up the metal shard with barely a stumble. ]

Oi! Embleer pfeffa! [ He thinks "Frith, help me," at the same time as he screams out to catch the thing's attention towards him again. And he stabs the makeshift weapon in front of him right as the beast's head has turned directly to him, sending it in as deep as possible before the creature's dying throes knock Fiver away. Covered in something black and stinking, he's back to normal before he even hits the ground again, skidding to a stop and curling into a ball some yards away from the twitching, prone monster. ]

[warmgun]

[John's running toward the young man the moment he sees him go flying. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices the monster stagger a few feet before collapsing. It fades to white and crumbles into some kind of dust, blowing away in the sudden wind. John is going to ignore that decay doesn't actually work that way in favor of dropping beside his unexpected ally.

A doctor's instincts kick in as he notes the damage from the rough landing. He doesn't touch Fiver, but he's tensed, ready to check for fractures and bind any cuts that go too deep.]

Hey, it's all right. You got it good, yeah? Nice aim.

Can you move?

[hrairoo]

[ Fiver's still trying to make himself as small as possible when John comes up to him, as if he's still expecting something bigger than him to close its teeth around his neck. He almost doesn't even seem to notice John until he speaks, and then he's blinking up at the man with some mix of lingering fear and disbelief. ]

It's dead? [ He's still panting and his muscles are tense and unwilling to budge, but aside from the shock he's not too bad off. A scratch here, an ugly bruise there, a cut on his palm from handling that piece of metal, but pain isn't quite registering right now. ]

[warmgun]

[John let's out a small sigh of relief. The kid isn't screaming in pain and from what he can see, it isn't too bad. He'll need some cleaning and a tetanus shot for that cut, but it could have been much worse given the time of their power-loss. As it is, John makes a show of looking over his shoulder, then turns back to the young man, a smile quirking his lips up.]

Looks to be. And I think that means I owe you a pint, mate. That was some impressive speed. Also, you're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid. Probably both, though. Let's have a look at that hand, eh? I'm a doctor.

[He holds out his own hand, watching Fiver closely for any other signs of more serious injuries.]

[hrairoo]

[ Fiver eyes that hand reluctantly. Owe him a what? He's only just starting to get a hang of all these words that men have for all their strange inventions and habits. Doctor though... that means healer, doesn't it?

His gaze falls to his own hand for a moment like he's just remembered whom it belongs to. It's hard to believe that's the worst of his injuries after he took on whatever animal that thing was. After a couple steadying breaths, he pushes himself up to a sitting position, wincing at the movement but holding out his wounded hand for John to inspect. ]

Most assume I'm mad, actually. [ He knows he isn't stupid, and brave feels pretty damn far off. Looking over to where the creature used to be, he sighs wryly. ] I might just agree with them.

[warmgun]

Reckon they've got it about right, but admitting you've got a problem is the first step, isn't it? [John keeps his tone light as he gently takes Fiver's wounded hand and turns it over for inspection. It's not going to need stitches, thankfully. He lets go of Fiver and searches his pockets until he comes up with a napkin. It's hardly much, but it will have to do for now. He folds it in half, then places it over the cut, pressing down. He motions for Fiver to take over with his other hand.]

Keep the pressure on this. Should stop bleeding in a moment. We need to find a clinic for you - the medical sort before the psychiatric. They hardly do any good for your sort of mad, anyway. Up you go now.

[hrairoo]

I... suppose so? [ He says to his hand as he stares at the napkin he's holding down. Fiver's figured out by now that this is men's way of tending to injuries rather than licking their wounds clean. He still feels it's strange.

But he tries not to let on, tries to put on a grin in response to what sounds like joking. It looks more like a grimace, especially when he shakily gets to his feet. He manages to find his balance after a moment, but taking down that monster had taken a lot out of him. ]

Let's hope there aren't any more of those creatures nearby. [ He doesn't feel any danger about, but casts a glance over his shoulder just to be sure. ]

[warmgun]

[John places a hand under the young man's elbow to steady him. He certainly got the worse end of their encounter with that thing, and John joins him in scanning the area for any other threats. There are only curious people now beginning to edge toward the scene of destruction. They should definitely get going.]

Yeah. Come on. I think there's a place a couple blocks over. [He hasn't made any particular effort to memorize the layout of the town, but there are some habits as a mostly-out-of-work doctor he's picked up. Knowing where the local clinics in any section of a city are is one of them.

As they walk, John keeps half his attention on their surroundings, watching for anything suspicious, and half on his companion.]

Sorry, I never did get your name. I'm John. John Watson. I do have to ask: Do you really not have a proper weapon when you're... transformed? Tch! That still sounds completely ridiculous.

[hrairoo]

Fiver. [ He supplies, accepting the help with a muttered thanks. ]

It's no less ridiculous than anything else around here, really. So it must be fitting. [ He gives an actual smile this time—a bitter one, but a smile nonetheless. Worn out as his legs are, he's a little slow-going, but his pace is steady and he's at least not limping. ]

I've never used a weapon before now anyway. [ Looking down at his hands, he almost looks surprised at himself. Muttering with snort: ] Rabbits hunting elil... ridiculous.

[warmgun]

[There was that strange... whatever it was he was speaking again. Code? A foreign language? John he'd bothered to question Fiver screaming something random on the battlefield. He'd heard just about every variation possible of swears and battle cries in Afghanistan. He'd chalked it up to another, but this is just asking for a question. Not to mention the lad's name.

Fiver? Had to be a nickname unless his parents weren't feeling particularly creative after the fourth kid.]

What have rabbits got to do with anything? And... sorry, but what's an elil? Is that some kind of snake?

[hrairoo]

[ Fiver almost shoots another confused look up at the man before he realizes: of course John wouldn't be able to tell what he is. He looks like a man. Well, if the man didn't think Fiver mad before, this should help convince him. ]

Elil are the thousand. The enemies. [ He starts off with the easy question, gaze fixed on the ground as he thinks. ] Soat, fox, hawk... man. Anything that would kill and eat a rabbit.

[warmgun]

Right.

[So, some sort of religious nut. Were there religions about rabbits? Where was Fiver even from? Or 'when' might be more pertinent given the sheer variety of men and boys he'd heard about when he'd woken up in El Sera. John smiles at Fiver, hoping this won't devolve into some bizarre conversion attempt. He knew how to deal with religious extremists, but he didn't like the idea of lumping this young man with the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, God's Liberation Army, and all the other crackpots.

He smiles politely.]

So, you're a vegetarian, I take it? Hmm! I don't think I've ever heard of all that. Is there some sort of... rabbit god, then? [Perhaps he was part Native American?]

[hrairoo]

[ He raises an eyebrow at that smile, almost as if he thinks John is the strange one. And, in a way, he does.

The humans around him keep giving him that slightly insincere sort of look and it's incredibly unsettling. Perhaps he should watch what he says around them. ]

Frith is the only god, of course. [ He says like it's the most obvious thing in the world, raising a single finger up to sun. ] What's a vegetarian?

[warmgun]

Of course.

[Not a religion, then. A cult. Brilliant. John had heard about America being ripe with them, but he hadn't expected to run into one straight out. Perhaps Fiver has been dragged here from whatever closed commune he'd been trapped on. He seems decently well-adjusted, at least.

The smile remains plastered on his face. Fiver's beginning to eye him suspiciously, but what do you even say to something like that? John settles for addressing the easily-answered question.]

It's a diet - vegetarianism. Blokes who've decided they'd rather eat rabbit-food than the rabbits themselves. Very healthy provided you're getting your protein somewhere.

[He feels like a nutritionist pitching something and stops that. John's a carnivore. It probably wouldn't be polite to mention, though... especially not that he rather fancies the rabbit stew his gran used to make. Time to change topics.]

Are you at the Academy, then?

[hrairoo]

Oh. Then, yes, of course I'm a vegetarian. [ He doesn't know what protein is, but he certainly is someone who eats rabbit-food. He knows men eat meat, and has in fact found that this body requires more than he'd usually eat, but he can't stomach even the idea of eating anything other than plants. ]

Yes, but I'm not from here. [ He gets the feeling discussing a different subject would be agreeable. ] I was brought here not long ago.
Were you taken from your home as well?

[warmgun]

Yeah, I'm from London, which shouldn't be hard to get back to given everyone here sounds like Americans, but I haven't been able to reach anyone from home.

[He pulls out his mobile, the one he's been issued as a Xochipilli employee, and shows it to Fiver for emphasis.] I'm rubbish with numbers, but I know I've got my sister's right. Her line isn't in service, even though I texted her the day before I came here. Harry's a flake, but she's... I can't even find my flatmate's website. Or mine, for that matter.

[John shoves the phone back in his pocket and sighs. He's fine being on his own and the regular monster attacks are providing more than enough stimulation, but there's a sense of something missing. He doesn't like it.]

Anyway, if you're properly from Earth, we're not on the one you're from, I'd wager. All this string theory, multiverse nonsense goes over my head. Very space age.