TDM: OCTOBER 2023

[citycenter]

TEST DRIVE MEME

JUMP TO MONTHLY PROMPT ↓ A TRAIN COMES INTO THE STATION. You wake up on a train. Your phone is buzzing. It's in your pocket, in your hand, on the seat next to you. It's a normal phone, and you're on a normal train car. One of the lights flickers, a little further down. The world is very quiet. It feels like you're right where you're meant to be. On the phone's surface is a white screen and the words— WELCOME TO THE CITY. BEGIN ORIENTATION? ▶ YES ▶ NO Please take a moment to complete your orientation. Once you're finished, the subway doors slide open to let you out onto the train platform. To your right, the platform continues on and eventually ends; to the left is a set of stairs that will lead you up into the station itself. The platform is quiet, clean, empty—there's no one else around, and the only sounds you can hear are your own footsteps, your own breaths, and the occasional faraway sound of a creaking pipe or rush of air. The train you disembarked will stay there as long as you do, its doors still open, until you finally decide to venture up into this new locale. As you make your way up the stairs to your left, you find yourself in the belly of City Hall station. The station is large, a sprawling underground mini-metropolis of corridors and storefronts. Here, you may find others like you, freshly-arrived city residents from other realms (or even your own). There is also a subway map, which will give you an idea of the layout of the neighborhood, and ticketing machines, which can currently only be used to buy tickets to a handful of stations located on lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9. If you're hungry or in need of any kind of supplies, there are plenty of storefronts inside the subway station as well—snack stands, convenience stores, restaurants, clothing stores, a pharmacy, and a variety of empty shops that may or may not have ever been in use. Everything is unlocked, and you can take whatever you need. Characters may stay on the train platform indefinitely, and may re-board and re-disembark from the subway as many times as they like, but the train will not depart nor will the doors close. Once they go up the stairs into the train station, they may hear the train doors closing and the train departing. Another train will not arrive, no matter how long the character waits. Only once they come up the stairs into the station itself may characters encounter their fellow newly-arrived residents and take advantage of what the city has to offer. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. The station is located in the city center. It has three major exits that lead to areas of interest in the district, but there are several other smaller exits that lead in other directions around the neighborhood. You are welcome to use any of them, but may find the north, southwest, and east exits to be the most welcoming. TO THE NORTH The northern entrance to the station leads up into the sunlight and puts you out in a brickwork plaza. There's a modest building in front of you, three or four stories of stone with a welcoming facade. There's a sign above the entryway—it says City Hall. You may be tempted to explore, if you're interested in learning more about the city and how it functions, but prepare to find yourself disappointed—the folders in the records rooms are full of empty, blank sheets of paper, and the logbooks and balance sheets are similarly devoid of information. Immediately to the southwest of City Hall, you will find a small building that houses the tourist information kiosk. It looks welcoming, with an inviting glass facade and a sign above the entryway announcing it as the "TOURIST CENTER." It's a humble building with a receptionist's desk on the back wall opposite the entrance, empty magazine shelves lining the side walls, and a few spinning brochure racks full of blank pamphlets. Anyone is welcome to peruse the tourist literature, though they won't offer much information, being primarily filled with pictures of the surrounding area—City Hall, the park, a statue garden, and the surprisingly heavily-featured cemetery. There are a few sentences sprinkled throughout about basic offerings of the city, such as apartment complexes and office buildings, as well as a few maps with the same limited scope as the larger version on the wall behind the receptionist's desk. The main feature of the tourist center is the interactive kiosk installed dead in the center, right in the middle of a few rows of uncomfortable chairs that fill the small room. It's noticeably in the way of any would-be foot traffic through the tourist center, and something about the technology seems a little more modern than the computer behind the desk or the landline phone on the wall. The kiosk is a tall silver rectangle, about average adult height, and the upper half is a screen welcoming visitors to touch it to activate the kiosk. If you were to touch it, the screen would come to life with simple dialogue inviting visitors to ask it their questions. However, residents should note that the kiosk is only programmed to assist with exploration within the available areas of the city. It may not be able to answer every question, and tampering with the kiosk may result in unreliable or inaccurate answers! TO THE SOUTHWEST The western exit of the station takes you up into a city park, lush and green with a very light fog still hanging about the trees. There are lampposts on the walkways and benches where you could rest, and plenty of flora, although you can neither see nor hear any signs of animal life. You walk the paths that meander idly through the verdant grass and you feel a sense of peace, some of your unease about this place easing into a pleasant calm. The air smells fresh, like it's recently rained, and you'll find the grass ever so slightly damp should you decide to take a seat. As you make your way deeper into the park, the trees grow denser and the smell of soil and plant life grows stronger. This is the older part of the park, very nearly a forest, with ivy climbing the trunks of the trees and plants and shrubs growing riotously around their bases. As you turn a corner, you find yourself first in the statue garden, although the statues are harder to see now, choked as they are with ivy. There are many statues, some partially obscured, some fully—very few of them still stand free of the vines and clinging roots. (It doesn't feel quite as peaceful here.) If a statue's face looks a little bit familiar, you may not want to look at it too long. Continue down the path and you will find yourself in a graveyard, one that seems centuries old. Most of the headstones are worn away by time and covered in moss, rendering them impossible to read. The few that are free of moss are blank, or bear only suggestions of names too faint to be understood. (Was that the name of—no, it couldn't have been. Could it?) Many of the headstones stand at an angle or are toppled over completely, having been subjected to either strong winds or the roots of the trees that grow up from some of the graves, spreading branches toward the sky. TO THE EAST The final exit of the station, to the east, puts you out on a quiet surface street. Are you hungry? Or are you paralyzed by choice? There are plenty of restaurants, offering options of almost any food you can imagine. You could try a convenience store—it's well stocked, and the items there seem free for the taking. How about a restaurant? There's no one to take your order, but when you look in the kitchen, there's something on the stove, and it's just what you've been craving. Imagine that. A few blocks down, you come in through the lobby of a tall building and find yourself in a corporate office. The fluorescent lights are steady and unforgiving, and the cubicles and offices are empty. There are a few pieces of paper on desks, a few folders left in organizers, but everything is perfectly blank. Despite how empty and quiet the office is, it nonetheless gives you the feeling that just a few minutes ago, this place was bustling with workers going about their daily business. You enter another building and find yourself in the lobby of an apartment complex—finally, a place to rest. The first door you try opens easily into a completely empty living room, freshly vacuumed but without a single piece of furniture. It's a nice apartment, quiet, but with a little too much echo for your taste, maybe. Still, and perhaps oddly, you have no trouble envisioning what life here would be like. The second door you open leads to an apartment that feels lived-in. Why does it feel lived-in? It's fully furnished with items that seem to go together perfectly, true, but the feeling is more than that—the room feels like someone was just here, maybe standing right in the kitchen only moments before you swung the door open. The air is a perfectly comfortable temperature, and it somehow smells like home despite that you've never once set foot here before. The refrigerator is stocked, and the cabinets are full of spices and flatware and kitchen utensils. As you look around the living room, you find that there are pictures in frames on the walls and some of the flat surfaces—a seascape, a field, a shot of a city park bench. In each of the photos there's something just slightly wrong with the angle, as though the photographer were aiming for a subject that can no longer be seen. Characters are welcome to explore the district around the City Hall subway station to their heart's content. The City Hall building itself contains several floors of offices and file rooms, but none of them contain any particularly interesting information. Nonetheless, characters may wish to team up with other newcomers and try to find some hints about the nature of the city. They can also spend a while in the park, the statue garden, or the graveyard. In the blocks surrounding the station there are plenty of options for food and housing, as well as office buildings, storefronts, and alleyways to look around. There are no workers in any of the buildings, and there does not seem to be an honor system for payment, nor any consequences for taking food from the stores or setting up camp in an apartment or office building. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS THE POISON'S IN THE DETAILS. CONTENT WARNINGS: Monthly prompt includes the potential for body horror, including: mold or fungus; spores; and hanahaki-like symptoms. It also includes the potential for violence, mutilation, or death. Please label potentially triggering content in subject headers and interact responsibly with threads! With the cacophony of the fun fair now gone, packed up and sent away for another year, the southern half of the park is now empty. That doesn't mean that the park itself is without attractions, though: up in the northern corner, sprawling out across the green, is a curious garden full of winding paths and draping trees, and within it, the smaller poison garden, where a variety of different flowers blossom and bloom along the gravel path. From roses to gladiolus, tulips to belladonna, this garden has many flora that residents may recognize from their homes, and some that they most certainly will not. As residents walk along the paths, observing and smelling and—for the brave—touching these plants, they will encounter a long wooden table, stretched out in the midst of fresh cut green grass. This table has been decorated for a party, though it seems that all the guests must be late. A strange variety of different sized chairs and cushions have been set out along the long length of the table; it seems to fit at least twenty people, maybe even more. Small dishes and porcelain tea cups lay in random design across the off-white table cloth, used flower doilies and half-folded napkins tucked here and there as though someone left in a hurry. Even stranger still, there are six large, ornate pots of tea, scattered about the table, each warm to the touch and, you guessed it: full of tea. You suddenly find yourself craving a cup, and tuck into one of the chairs to pour yourself some... ...but you didn't think that it would be that easy, did you? Once you've swallowed a mouthful, or even your whole cup, your body starts to feel strange. Depending on the color—or flavor—of the tea you're drinking, you're going to experience some side effects: Color Flavor Effect Red Hibiscus: This tart and fruity tea is naturally sweet. You will begin vomiting blood. The amount is up to your body's reaction. The correct antidote will fix you. Yellow Jasmine: This tea has a light, floral note, and is slightly sweet. You will hallucinate something terrifying near you, and may lash out and attack those around you. The correct antidote will fix you. Blue Pea Flower: This brilliantly-colored tea has a very delicate, woody flavor. You will gradually begin losing one of your senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch). The correct antidote will fix you. Black English Breakfast: This is a full body tea, with rich undertones and a bold flavor. Something very terrible will begin happening to your body: your hair may start falling out, you may become covered in hives, or your skin may start opening into sores. The correct antidote will fix you. Green Green: This tea has a very clean, grassy flavor, like the earth. You will begin to transform into a terrifying creature or animal of your choosing. The correct antidote will fix you. Orange Ginger: This is a tea with a warming, slightly spicy taste. After drinking, you will suddenly fall into a death-like coma. A kiss may wake you, or the correct antidote. In a panic, you look for something to help you. Just beyond the table, tucked away into a wall of ivy, is an old wooden shelf, the lettering nearly worn all away on it. Little packets of seeds line the tiered shelves; there are no pictures on them, but the packets themselves seem to all be different colors—and you may notice that the colors match the colors of the various teas on the table. Ripping open the packet that matches the color of your tea, you find it contains actual seeds—will you swallow them and risk a plant growing in your stomach, just to see if it will counteract the effects of the tea? Oh, surely that's the stuff of fairytales, isn't it? Residents are welcome to explore the various paths around the outside of the garden, observing plants and flowers of their choosing. The tea party is open to all, and the tea will continue to be brewed somehow, no matter how many people drink it. Players can choose the extent of the negative effects on their character, or have their character remain unaffected by the tea entirely. In order to get rid of the negative effects, characters must either find the correct seed packet that matches their tea and eat the seeds, or wait twenty-four hours for the symptoms to subside. The seeds will not do anything but cure the character—though they're welcome to think something awful might happen. The tea party cannot be destroyed, and items that are moved from the table can only be moved within the perimeter of the poison garden. Characters are unable to steal things from the tea party; they will mysteriously return back to the table if taken beyond the aforementioned border. The tea party will remain there permanently, though the negative effects of the tea will mysteriously disappear after November 1st. JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS A DROP OF BLOOD OR A DROP OF EGO. At the apex of the path that winds around the poison garden is a large greenhouse that looks like it has seen better days. The panels are filthy, covered in dust and dirt and grime, and the doors creak on their hinges when you open them. Inside, the air is hot and musty, but the smell of herbs and spices fill your senses, letting you enjoy the atmosphere. The greenhouse is clearly separated into two different paths: the one to the left has a hanging sign which reads "DEADLY BEAUTIES" and the one to the right has a hanging sign which reads "BEAUTIFUL DEADLIES". Heading to the left, you decide to observe the various plants there. Shelf upon shelf of various potted plants watch you as you go past; some of them snap at the air, veiny teeth grasping for the delicious meat of fruit flies and ants, and some of them threaten to touch you, with vines that roll and curl outward for just a shivering touch. Overhead, tangles of vined plants and spiked ivy mix together, an oppressive shadow that makes you feel as though you're trapped in this place as you walk through. Be careful: these carnivorous plants might be beautiful, but they won't hesitate to get a little too friendly with you. The floor is caked with dirt, but some of those brown stains might not just be from mud and dust, smeared by shoe heels and work boots. These plants might want a taste of blood. Heading to the right, you find yourself in a beautiful space, the flowers so large they seem almost overwhelming. Have the plants gotten bigger, or have you simply gotten smaller? Gorgeous purple blossoms, pink petals, bright blue flowers and speckled white flowers cower and bend to cast you under them, like a flower-patterned umbrella sheltering you from the rain. The further you walk under them, however, the more you get the feeling that they're not just there to watch over you: they're there to explore you. At first, it's just a few gossipy whispers, so quiet you might not think they're real; then it's full-blown voices, the flowers bending and twisting as though to speak to each other in harsh, judgmental tones. What are they talking about? Well, they're talking about you—your secrets, your opinions, the things you don't want anyone else to know. These flowers are spilling your tea, and anyone walking along with you is going to hear it. The back of the greenhouse—if you make it there—has the same doors as the front. They open back out onto the winding, circular path of the poison garden, where you can head back home...or experience the whole thing over again. The greenhouse is rather large, and characters are welcome to walk through it along any path they wish. The carnivorous plants will possibly nip and bite at your characters, or try to restrain them, but they aren't very strong and can easily be broken away from. Feel free to imagine as much of a struggle as you wish, but they will not inflict any kind of mortal wounds on characters. The giant, oversized flowers will tell your character's secrets or their deepest darkest opinions—this is open to player choice. The flowers cannot be attacked or hurt, and the only way to get them to be quiet is for someone OTHER than the character they're talking about to scold them or tell them to be quiet. Alternatively, if you can walk the path hand in hand with another character, this will also cause them to go quiet. Plants cannot be taken from the greenhouse or killed, and they cannot be dug up from their pots. The greenhouse itself also cannot be destroyed, and any fire lit in the greenhouse will be immediately extinguished by an overhead sprinkler system. This place is meant for enjoyment and admiration, not crime! JUMP TO TOP ↑ | ↓ JUMP TO COMMENTS WILDCARD. The city is by no means small, and there are plenty of things for you to see. There are even some places that other residents have created! There's no rush in exploring, so feel free to take your time looking around and peering into various nooks and crannies and alleyways—and don't worry, you're not very likely to find anything peering back. If none of the above prompts appeal, feel free to check out the Locations and Maps pages and write your own freestyle prompt using one or many of the available locations. We highly recommend checking out the Character-Run Locations as well - they might be great places for new characters to get started! JUMP TO TOP ↑

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Vash the Stampede // Trigun Stampede

[bountyfull]

THE STATION

[ Vash is Stubborn. He's also at least semi-comfortable with the level of machinery and technology here in a way that many people from his planet might not be. It's not exactly the same as what he's used to there, nor is it anything like on the SEEDS ship. It's somewhere weirdly in between, which is part of what makes this place feel so dreamlike.

The rest, of course, is the fact that it's so desolately empty. Quiet like you could hear a pin drop, too. It makes every movement he makes seem so much louder in retrospect. He steps off the train, then back on. The doors close and then open again and Vash steps off again, like he's waiting for the train to do something, go somewhere. It doesn't, of course. It's probably almost comical if anyone were to happen on him as he does this, but considering he doesn't expect it, he feels no need to restrain himself as he puzzles his out.

Eventually, he lifts a sea-green prosthetic hand up to rub at the back of the undercut of his hair. ]

Jeez. This really doesn't make sense, does it?

[ Vash who the fuck are you talking to, buddy? ]

CONVENIENCE STORE

[ He hadn't really expected to run into anyone here, really. Not after spending so much of his time alone so far. So when he rounds a corner in one of the stocked convenience stores with a few bags of chips and snacks in his arms he doesn't expect to walk slam into someone else. Like some sort of comedy show Vash manages to scramble and stay upright, catching the bags in his arms before they fall to the ground.

He looks a little startled, and then, when he registers that he's run into someone and not something his expression shifts to concern. He's immediately stuffing the snacks onto a shelf or tossing them onto the floor to offer a hand up or to brush the person off. ]

Woah, sorry. Didn't expect anyone else to be in here! Are you ok?

POISONED TEA

I dunno... I guess it's kind of inviting, but I've never been a real fan of drinking things I don't recognize...

[ He looks...apprehensive. Sure, the food and drinks he'd found in the convenience store upon arrival were fine, but there's something about this that has him feeling a little unsettled. Maybe it's because the whole situation is unsettling and now he's filled his nervous stomach with enough junkfood that he's less keen on taking big risks because he's got a weakness for snacks.

But also, maybe, it's just strange to come upon a tea party already in progress. Vash glances to his company (who knows how long they've been wandering around together, honestly) and tilts his head to the side a bit, one eyebrow lifting in question. ]

For someplace so empty, it really seems like it's safer to wander around with someone else, huh?

A DROP OF BLOOD

[ Heading left, the atmosphere in this place isn't any lighter. It's different but in a way that doesn't feel any less eerie. In fact, the strange, sharp looking plants are a little alarming, despite Vash's realization that he rather likes the color green and the way the air smells when the ground is damp. In here, the scent is certainly less pleasant, and when he looks closer to the stained dirt, he can tell why.

He was lucky enough to not be alone when he chose this particular path, so after a moment he turns and watches their reaction to their surroundings, his own expression hidden behind semi-reflective round shades. ]

So... I think we might want to play it a little safe here. What do you think?

[ In the shadows of the aisles, underneath the tables that hold some of the shorter plants something in the shadows moves, undulating in the darkness in a way that almost seems like a predator stalking its prey. Vash hasn't noticed it, not yet, but it's there—waiting. ]

NETWORK | UN: STAMPEDE

[ Before any of his other adventures, and shortly after finding himself stepping off of an empty, eerie train... ]
Uhhhh, so...
This place feels pretty empty.

Is it?
Hello?

WILDCARD

[ If none of these suit, please feel free to make something up on your own! Vash is going to be exploring just about everywhere he can, and would definitely be drawn to the greener parts of the city out of sheer curiosity. If you would like you can also hit me up over on plurk at kermitkin ]

Network; username: rabbit_ebrooks

[reaperrabbit]

hello (hello) ((hello)) (((hello)))

yea idk it's pretty empty as far as i've seen so far.
there's some people ig?
but not enough for a whole fucking city.

[bountyfull]

[ He stares at the device for a moment trying to parse the parenthesis until he (slowly) comes to the realization it might be meant to represent an echo? How is he good with tech but also an old man at the same time? ]

I wasn't expecting a response, honestly.
Do you know what happened?
To the people here.

It's like they just stopped existing.

[reaperrabbit]

[Vash is in good company, if so. Brook is both literally an old man and the most painfully stereotypical teenager, simultaneously.]

no clue. i haven't been here long.
nobody i've talked to seems to have any idea what the hell's going on here, either.
magic and powers aren't working the way they should if you have any.

[bountyfull]

[ That takes talent, to be honest. ]

So we're all just left here on our own to puzzle it out?
Kinda weird, if you ask me.

[ There's a pause as he considers how to answer that last comment, Vash never having been the one to be very open about himself out of necessity. But something like that being brought up so casually slams several questions into his mind at once. So he starts generally. ]

Magic and powers?

convenience store

[killed]

[ It is, in fact, something straight out of a comedy routine.

Hiyori is sturdy enough that another person bumping into him shouldn't do much more than inconvenience him, or perhaps cause him to stumble at worst. It really shouldln't be possible. As it is he's in a place that just enjoys mischief, and so in a stunning display of bad luck, he does find himself pulling back a tad too quickly. He hits a puddle, stumbles, then slips and winds up falling right back onto aisle shelving display with a loud crash, followed by the crinkling sound of foil and plastic packages hitting the floor, some bouncing off of him on the way. It's all lightweight, so no harm done, but it is no doubt quite the sight to see a 6' man, prim as proper as they come, knocked down on his ass against a shelving display with disheveled hair and covered in cheap snacks, a wide-eyed stare and a bewildered smile on his face.

Another bag, one that had been teetering on the edge, falls and bounces off his head.

...

...

... ]

... Thank you.

[ He's just going to take that hand and pull himself up. We're just going to pretend that didn't happen. ]

i'm in tears good god

[bountyfull]

[ Honestly, he couldnt' have done it better himself? Like, wow, really. Vash manages not to make it worse somehow, mostly because he's busy staring at the absolute shit hell mess that Hiyori's managed all on his own. He does, however, grimace. He's the catalyst here, even if he's pretty sure this has gotten so many more levels of bad than he probably started.

But, he does manage to help Hiyori up, and once the guy is on his feet he gives him a cursory look over just to make sure nothing else ridiculous like bleeding has happened somehow. ]

Geez, I'm real sorry. Are you okay? I really should have been looking where I was going...

[ He glances over behind Hiyori where the toppled shelving and what might as well be miles of packaged food lies scattered on the floor. Should they... clean this up? ]

it's just not vash if he's not accidentally causing chaos

[killed]

[ What a way to meet someone...

Fortunately the only thing that seems to have been injured is his pride, which died in a tragic freak accident. His hand is twisted at an odd angle, but he snaps it back into a place with a quick twist. He clears his throat, not quite able to hide his embarrassment and the faintest hint of agitation, ]

There's no need to apologize. These things happen.

[ In slapstick cartoons, anyway. It happens less often to real people, and he's never been a part of anything remotely close... It's like the universe is mocking him some days. He fixes his jacket, tugging at the cuffs of his sleeves to pull them back into place and straightening his tie, then dusts himself off. The irritation fades quickly, replaced by a sheepish smile, ]

Don't worry about the mess. The stores here have something of an automated cleaning system, so it's better to let that do its work... It'll be pristine again in no time!

[ Unlike Hiyori. He thinks one of those bags popped open because he there's a crunching sound when he goes to adjust his jacket collar... That is? Gross??? ]

you're right, honestly. Time to make everyone suffer.

[bountyfull]

[ You should ask how he and his friends met Wolfwood. Meryl ran him down with the car! Hiyori really made it out easy if you think about it. For a moment, Vash's expression is a little shocked when Hiyori snaps his wrist back into place. He takes a breath to ask about it but Hiyori beats him to speaking first.

These things happen, huh? That's generous, despite the tone. Vash still manages an expression that is apologetic despite it being half hidden by his glasses. ]

—pristine, huh? Just like that? With no one here to do it?

[ Vash watches Hiyori for a moment, cringing a little at the crunching sound. He steps over and motions for him to turn. ]

Here let me help. I think... you might have some extra baggage. It's the least I can do after, you know, causing the problem.

CONVENIENCE STORE

[blackwaterchild]

[the noise Miu makes when the gangly blond runs into her is not an attractive one, resembling more like a duck that was just stepped on. She grabs the shelf as she goes down, misses, and only manages to swipe some potato chip bags off it before her butt hits the ground.]

Ow. [She wheezes, gritting her teeth against the shock of pain and glowering up at Vash]

Look, Mr. Beanpole, spare a glance downward once in a while, would you!?

[SHe huffs and eyes the hand like she's about to bite it rather than take it in offering. But eventually she relents and uses it to pull herself up, wincing as she brushes herself off.]

[bountyfull]

Mr. Beanpole....?!

[ REALLY? He looks a little put out for a minute, but maybe he deserves it. He's been given worse nicknames, maybe. The name he goes by isn't exactly complimentary either, anyway. ]

Sorry, really. I wasn't expecting to run into anyone here. [ Literally or figuratively, actually. He gestures around them. ]

You're not hurt, are you?

[blackwaterchild]

[YOU HEARD HER!!

She eyes him, glancing to his prosthetic arm (the eyebrows raise in curiosity), and then around the store]

This is the busiest it's been all day. [Is she joking, or...]

I'm fine. There's more and more of us arriving every month though, so soon you'll actually have to pay attention to where you're going.

[bountyfull]

[ HE DID BUT HE CAN STILL REACT!!!

She can ask questions if she wants, but Vash is nothing but not evasive when he wants to be, so good luck. ]

... busiest it's been all day, huh? Funny.

[ He snorts out a soft sound that's probably an amused laugh, one hand shooting up to rub at the back of his neck. ]

But you're right. I'll owe you one, okay? I really am sorry.

Poisoned Tea

[scowlish]

Smart.

[It's straight-forward, almost deadpan considering it's a compliment from someone who only rarely gives compliments. Then again, Onni is really only the expressive sort when he's scared or annoyed. Besides that, the whole tea party left in progress is...unnerving, to say the least. Creepy, even. The Silent World, with the ruins of lives lived, overgrown houses and shopping malls, and abandoned cars is creepy enough, but somehow this place being brand new and seemingly freshly abandoned is even creepier.

He'd felt the compulsion to drink the tea too, but that just made it even more certain that he's not getting it anywhere near his hands, let alone his mouth. He's standing a few paces back from the table, arms crossed as if that could physically keep him from getting anywhere near the tea.]

Yeah.

[He says it after a moment, in response to the other man's question, and nods his head, lifting a hand to push back an errant strand of hair that's fallen out of the thickly-furred robe he's wearing.]

Was that an invitation to wander around together?

[bountyfull]

[ Getting called smart is probably a first for him, at least a 'first in a while' sort of first. He laughs, the sound a little nervous, because despite his declaration there's still a pull to pick up a cup and drink from it. His prosthetic hand twitches, and to his credit Vash manages to avoid doing what his mind seems to be so keen on driving him towards.

He fiddles with his fingers in front of himself, a conscious effort to avoid the pull trying to guide him like some kind of weird marionette. ]

Maybe. If you'd want to. I'm used to traveling alone so don't feel obligated.

[ The blunt, seemingly emotionless way this guy is presenting is at least not bothering Vash that much. He is, however, curious considering the way he's dressed. He keeps his questions to himself. For now at least. ]

[scowlish]

[He can still feel the compulsion to drink the tea, and he can tell his new companion is feeling it too, judging by the way his fingers twitch. Is that some kind of super-modern prosthetic, or is it just a weird glove? For a moment, Onni stares at it, trying to work it out, before he just turns his attention to the man's face again.

The man is fidgeting, laughing nervously, but he seems amenable to traveling together. In that case-]

Yes, we should then.

[Normally he'd turn down company in his travels, but that's at home and this is this place. He'd been told it's best to keep company here in case weird things happen, and this tea party certainly seems like a weird thing.]

And I think maybe we should get out of here before we give in and drink the stupid tea.

drop of blood

[yoke]

[ it’s bad vibes all the way down as far as wolfwood is concerned. the eerie emptiness is what sets him on edge, along with that unsettling feeling of something being there—everywhere, watching, just out of sight. regardless of whatever the eye of michael had put him through, wolfwood has always relied on his senses and his training to get him out of any sort of sticky situation, but this is different. the fact that he can’t pick up on anything or anyone aside from the others that arrived here is as frustrating as it is concerning. needless to say, he doesn’t like any of this one bit, and he’s had his hackles raised since stepping off that train.

it’s only made worse when they get to the greenhouse, the smell of blood is something he recognizes immediately beneath the scent of damp earth and mud. he takes a drag from his cigarette (the one good thing about this godforsaken place is the free smokes), tracking the subtle movement of something beneath the tables behind his own glasses. ]

Yeah. [ he’s not even going to try and argue with that. better to stick to what he knows and vash is the only one he trusts at the moment. ] Let’s keep moving. There's somethin' here and I ain't sticking around to find out.

takes 900 years

[bountyfull]

Yeah. I know.

[ Even with his senses dulled here he's been watching, paying attention, stepping away from the shelving that has that moving shadow and turning in directions that lead them away from it rather than closer to. It's getting hard to avoid though, and if they want to get out of here, Vash is starting to think they're going to have to cross paths at some point. ]

We might have to deal with it if we want to get out of here.

[ There's a pause after he says this, his fingers flexing over where his gun SHOULD be strapped to his leg, but is inexplicably missing. Glancing over at Wolfwood, he raises his eyebrows in a concerned sort of expression. If the scent of blood is this thick, there's little chance they'll get out of here without some kind of scuffle. ]

What if someone else is stuck in here too? [ And they just haven't happened upon who or where they are. Vash is inclined to at least try to give the whole greenhouse a once over, but that would mean putting at least himself in danger's way. ]

[ The thing in the darkness slithers closer, coiling around the legs of a table an aisle away, the old wood crackling distantly like some kind of warning. ]

takes 1000

[yoke]

[ wolfwood isn’t so optimistic to think they can get out of this unscathed, but he’s not willing to hang around any longer than they have to. as always, vash and his bleeding (haha) heart contradicts that, but wolfwood can’t say he’s surprised at this point. he scoffs quietly, fingers drumming against his thigh where they’d be wrapped around the straps of the punisher and grinds his teeth briefly, glancing around for anything they can use.

at least the tables are made of wood. it’s easy for him to turn one over on its side, breaking the legs off of it to form some kind of makeshift bludgeon with a sharp, splintered edge. just some light property damage, no big deal. he tosses one of them over to vash; even if the blond won’t use it, at least he’ll have something to defend himself with if shit happens. ]

We’ll do one sweep for any stragglers, but if we don’t find anyone, we’re leaving. Got it?

network; un: d.larusso

[miyagimagic]

[ Well, if there ever was an obvious signal that a message was clearly sent by a new person.. ]

Don't worry. It's not entirely empty. There are other people here.

Where are you right now? Maybe it'd be easier if I came over to see you.

[ If not just because Daniel figures arriving in a seemingly empty city and having no one to talk to but some words on a screen is a little ominous.. ]

[bountyfull]

[ Vash is nothing if not obvious. ]

Oh.

Didn't really expect that actually, it's pretty empty out here.
I just left the train so maybe a block or two north from there.

[ Wait. ]

You don't have to go through any extra trouble for my sake, really.

[miyagimagic]

Please, it's absolutely not a problem.

But if you insist, you could head towards me instead. [ Not because Daniel minds coming to find the other, but-- well, he does have nice hot food here, which he figures the other might be able to use after as shocking as the arrival in this place can be. ]

All you have to do is turn back towards the station. There's a place you can spot from there that looks like it's under construction, kind of like a diner. I'm there if you want to meet up with me. I could help answer some of your questions. And share some food, if you'd like?

a drop of blood

[broca]

[ Whether or not Broca is good company or not in normal circumstances is debatable, but at least in this particular situation it seems like Vash managed to stumble across a dangerous situation with a man who has the sense to keep his hands to himself. His long tail, tip twitching agitatedly though it may be, is kept close to his legs right now, to avoid the risk of even brushing up against something in here.

One ear on top of his head twists towards Vash as that question is asked, and his permanent scowl deepens. ]

I want to know where this came from...

[ The blood. There's a number of answers ranging from the strange but innocuous, to something more troubling. ]

[bountyfull]

[ Well, that's fair, really. Vash grimaces a little if only because he can't really argue. If someone is hurt, then they need help. The details don't really matter, they'll just have to work beyond it. ]

I guess I understand. I wouldn't want to leave someone behind but...

[ But then there's the thing in the shadows, the twisting, churning, wriggling that Vash is really only lucky he's noticed. Maybe if they weren't here where he feels a little slower a little less like himself he would have noticed it sooner himself. ]

You know we're not alone, right?

[broca]

[ Whatever this man thinks of Broca, he apparently thinks Broca is a much kinder and more hopeful person than he is. The comment gets a confused glance from Broca as he straightens back up.

No, he doesn't think for a second whatever or whoever left these bloodstains behind is still alive. That doesn't change how much he wants to understand the situation here. This city gives them so few clues about what is happening, and this one seems like an unnerving possibility of why they might have been lured here. ]

I'm aware.

[ His gaze cuts towards the plants. ]

Don't touch anything.

[ As if Vash is the one that needs the warning, and not Broca, who is moving to walk further into the greenhouse. ]