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Test Drive Meme: The Overflow
PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR THREADS OVER AT THE LATEST OVERFLOW POST, THANK YOU.
Please note that all CR in this meme can be carried over when the game starts between characters that are accepted into the game.
Threads can also count towards third and first person samples on the application, just provide links.
Take a look at our OOC Meet and Greet post! Meet. Greet. Make friends. Have fun!
 THE OVERFLOW Since the last post is fast approaching 3k comments and getting laggy for some of our players, we have decided to go ahead and stick up the overflow post. Please continue your threads or start new ones here if you'd like. To make this easier on those continuing threads from the last meme, here's a handy form: Please remember to let your thread partners know you've bumped your threads over here as well! We started the meme early to give you plenty of room to do just that. With the City of Ariel grand opening only a month away, we are holding our first ever test drive meme. Tag in and see how your character would settle in the game. You're a fresh face in the city, newly processed, and arriving at a bustling time. The city is expanding and you are greeted first in the re-education center by your helpful counselors and then directed out of the building to a large festival. Be puzzled, make friends, have sex, or whatever you want! There are no restrictions on thread types played out here. Your first awareness that something has gone wrong comes during a groggy moment of semi-lucidity when you look around yourself and find that -- instead of wherever you remember being last -- you're in a chair, in a room with a man you don't recognize. He's sitting behind a desk whistling to himself and sorting paperwork. The whole atmosphere might remind you of a high school guidance counselor's office, only with far more comfortable chairs. You were brought to Ariel during a very special time! There's a large festival going on celebrating the new expansions to the city and everything is decked out for it. Everything is bustling and vibrant in the city today because of the celebrations. There are decorations up, food vendors set up all along the streets, kissing booths, games, and just about anything else you can imagine an event like this would have! The people of Ariel are out and about as well, some are in vibrant costumes and others are just checking out the sights. Some of the more exhibitionist types are even having a little more fun out in public than you may be used to seeing back home. As soon as the grogginess from your arrival passes, you are allowed to leave the re-education center and see it all for yourself. Upon exiting, you are even handed beads of various colors, several of each so you don't worry about running out. Each color has a special meaning listed below: pink - toys These are to aid you in making a connection with others. Show your interest in others and tell them exactly what you would like to do with them by sharing the beads. If you would rather take a different approach, feel free to walk around the festival and see what (or who) catches your eye. The point is to relax and get settled in your new home. | |
| TAG IN - Post your character's name, canon, and preferences. - Set up an opener in your comment or leave it blank. - Tag around and have fun! | USEFUL LINKS: [Premise] [Rules] [F.A.Q.] [Locations] [Local Citizens (NPC)] [Taken] [Wanted] [Reserves] [Application] [Main] [Logs] [OOC] |
Please note that all CR in this meme can be carried over when the game starts between characters that are accepted into the game.
Threads can also count towards third and first person samples on the application, just provide links.
Take a look at our OOC Meet and Greet post! Meet. Greet. Make friends. Have fun!
That was beautiful.
And it pisses him off. He and Setsuna are clearly at the stall together, and the 'clerk' obviously was well aware of that fact, so who the fuck was she to lure Setsuna in and feel him up when he is standing right there? As aforementioned, sharing is not Mello's strong suit, and whether he has any right to be possessive or not is irrelevant. As Setsuna is managing to pull away, Mello himself is taking his place, but only to irritably shove his tart into the woman's chest, which isn't all that perky or nice anyway. He has kidnapped an innocent woman before — likely ruined her life forever — assault with a pastry is no big deal.
Tarts don't smear as well as he'd like, but it'll have to do.
And while he's at it, he's going to grab the whole platter of apple turnovers, because fuck you.
There will be no hanging on. Mello grabs Setsuna's wrist with his free hand and yanks him away, pulling him off to a free bench, and then giving him a shove that is meant to make him sit down.]
What is your deal?
[Irritable, frustrated — you're some sort of fighter and yet you let yourself get accosted by some stupid vendor? — Mello tosses the plate beside Setsuna and a few of the tarts tumble over to the ground.]
How can you just let that happen?
I aim to please. :>
Surprised he may have been by that little encounter, Mello's flare of fury catches him off guard all the more. If anything, pondering it after the fact, he figured most would've just found the display amusing, teased him about it. But Mello is indignant, enraged, and Setsuna is earnestly so surprised by the reaction he can't help but be tugged along Mello's war path, chancing a concerned glance over his shoulder at Mrs. Skimpy, tossing obscenities at them (or rather Mello) while they trudge off together.
In a few angry seconds, they're at a bench, he's being pushed, and oof, down he goes like a sack of potatoes (apples), blinking slightly wide-eyed up at his companion.
What is your deal? How can you just let that happen? Understandable complaints, yes, and it takes him a bit to formulate a reply, but... ]
She wasn't going to hurt me.
[ He states it simply, a basic fact. He wasn't exactly a fan of getting felt up, but the woman was harmless, just overly friendly, not trying to shank him with a pie cutter. It was a key difference between the two—Setsuna is perfectly capable of using violence, should the situation call for it, but it's not his first plan of attack. It actually tends to be the last, when nothing else works. He'll drop that target for you, Mello, sure, but only if diplomacy, negotiation, and earnest efforts to get said target to reconsider were either refused or impractical.
Setsuna tilts his head, then, baffled by Mello's flood of indignation on his behalf. Ruffled nerves aside, he'd already mostly forgiven it; why is he so upset? ]
Did I... offend you? What's wrong?
Re: I aim to please. :>
[THe statement is unimpressed, and edging upon sarcasm. That annoys Mello further. Like this is no big deal. This is exactly the city's way of pulling them in — catching them off guard, luring them into the recesses of debauchery and setting off those forsaken chips, pulling them further into their little mind control games.]
Has it not occurred to you that sex is exactly how they get people here? How they brainwash?
[He wasn't expecting Setsuna to swoop in with a blade and murder the woman, but have a little common sense. This city doesn't deal in weapons; everything is based off of sex.
And, damn it, Setsuna was there with him. It was a blatantly rude and disrespectful thing for the woman to do — free sex city or not. Mello is used to feeling entitled and at the top, and it does not due for others to so easily trample upon that by taking what is his. It's not even necessarily about whether or not Setsuna fancies a romp in the back of food cart somewhere — it's just not the time and place. Not when he is working with Mello — planning to sit and eat and socialize with Mello.
He crosses his arms, glaring down at Setsuna.]
I'm not offended. [Yes, he is offended.]
I just can't work with liabilities. [But it's not really about that.]
[He turns away now, glancing out at the crowd and commotion — and yes, the people getting groped and groping in return. Suddenly this place seems all the more sickening.]
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That being said, it doesn't take very long for Setsuna to piece together exactly what's happening here, the huffing and puffing Mello's doing over something so relatively minor, so inconsequential in the long run. They'd likely never see that woman again, and her breasts were most certainly bigger than her brain. She posed no threat to them, none at all, nor was he immediately going to descend into a soupy, slutty mess just because someone decided to get a bit frisky around him. People still were, and he was still keeping his cool about it.
So that left only one viable option, and Setsuna has to try not to smile or smirk or do anything similar because he knows it's only going to make that temper of his even worse. ]
Are you jealous?
[ Sorry, Mello, but Setsuna doesn't beat around the bush with things. It's both a blessing and a curse, having a partner who is so straightforward it's almost painful, but there is, out in the open, his envy on display for all to see. ]
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gettingmissing the point. Except that would be dangerous, seeing as Setsuna is armed and quite capable of overpowering any attempt at a physical altercation. Angry and provoked as he may be, Mello is still far from stupid.]I'm not even answering that.
[He turns back around.
It's not jealousy if it's common sense and basic respect. And it isn't his fault that Setsuna can't recognize it. Mello isn't about to give him a lecture of the basics of respectful behavior — certainly not after that question — but that also doesn't mean that he is going to accept the situation.
If he seems entitled — well, that kind of what happens when you're accustomed to throngs of people pledging their allegiance and fearing any slight misstep, less they set off your temper.]
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Entitlement is another matter he won't touch, but temper issues don't faze Setsuna. He is wise in assuming that starting a physical altercation by choking him would be a poor choice and a quick way to sever their civil ties, but Setsuna is simply too even keel. He is not Matt. He will not engage with him, not bite back the moment he flashes his fangs. He is more patient, more understanding, and a good balance to Mello's volatility in that regard.
But he will at least try to calm him down, some, in the interest of not causing a (further) scene. ]
I'm here with you because I like you, Mello. For right now, I don't have an interest in anyone else. And I won't let myself get distracted, either. So talk with me and eat with me.
[ Setsuna reaches down to the plate, and offers a pastry to Mello. Another chocolate tart, one that got misplaced in the batch, or perhaps simply the commotion. ]
Here, your words are the only ones I care about.
[ So have an extra dash of earnestness to combat your snappishness, Mello, because he's not quite that easily baited. ]
I so typed all of this and then lost it ;-; it never sounds as good the second time around.
Understanding, if that is what this is, has no place. Mello can't even take such words at face value — they mean nothing, offer nothing up to the table, and anyone's inclination toward liking and interest amounts to nothing more than distraction and mistakes.
It makes him uncomfortable — how Setsuna sits and just weathers the storm, bears the burden of the glare, and speaks to him like that. As though he is a child. Mello is not a child. He has had to fight every step of every path he has ever taken — has focused on one singular goal since childhood, effectively removing any chance at actually being a child.
He turns and faces Setsuna again — glances at the pastry, then back at Setsuna — no longer glaring, but his features aren't particularly kind, either.]
You've got it wrong.
[It's not about wanting to be liked or to like in return. Any tendency toward liking can easily be put off on the chip, because that isn't a language that Mello allows himself to speak. Mello doesn't want to be liked — prefers not to be liked at all, actually. He wants respect, dedication — and yeah, maybe even a little fear, because that is an element that leads to action.]
I don't want to be liked.
[It doesn't matter if it's Matt or Setsuna or anyone else. Matt is useful because despite his flaws he is loyal. Setsuna is a much-needed ally in a foreign city, with solid abilities that make him worthy. The little exchange on the roof, lingering hand shakes and subtle attraction — blame the city, let it go, and move on.
And the jealousy? That desire for Setsuna's attention to be on him and him alone? Mello is a man who gets his way, and it's as simple as that. He refuses to consider any alternatives.
In a protest, he doesn't sit down, but he will take the stupid tart — a sort of middle ground — and just hold it.]
That means nothing to me.
/patpats it's fine brosis I still love you
It breaks his heart that Mello only seems to know the worst, instead of the flowers and the aimless skygazing and the silly pastries shared between friends, because the worst is all he'd ever received. And it's unlikely that will ever change, because those sorts of wounds always ran the deepest, but understanding is something he'll never stop trying to do. He has to do it. Just as it is in his nature to pick up a gun and fire it, it is paradoxically in his nature to put it away and embrace his enemy instead.
If only his Gundam were here, 00. He'd see. He'd know what it was like, for hearts and minds to be open and free, up above, in that sea of stars. To love and be loved in turn. It's naive and idealistic but Setsuna is naive and idealistic, just as Mello had claimed (accused). And if Mello looked down on him for that, just as he is looking down on him now, so be it. ]
I'll like you anyway.
[ The words are permanent. Immovable. Impenetrable. They will not budge. Setsuna will not budge, no matter how murderously he might glare at him. They may never be friends and only be allies and nothing more, but Setsuna will not budge.
Setsuna likes him, and that will not change. ]
At least sit down.
i am glad for that!
Fine.
[Acknowledge and move on. Setsuna is still an important associate, someone Mello wants on his side, regardless of the excess.
He sits, but he puts as much distance between them as comfortably possible, and starts to eat the pastry, because eating is better than letting it melt in his hand].
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Or rage uncontrollably regardless, but again, he'll take his chances.
Eating quietly, then, and hey, these turnovers are actually pretty good. You should try some. Just saying. ]
uppity housecat...haha.
He stands, and breaks the silence without any hesitation, ready to move on to important topics.]
Have you explored your 'home,' yet?
[Hardly a real home, this place, but they are meant to live here. There likely isn't much to discover in their assigned areas, but being familiar with the living quarters around here can prove important.]
DON'T YOU GET UPPITY WITH ME BOY I'LL PUT YOU DOWN
Not yet. [ Munch, munch, munch. Reaching for another turnover. ] Was going to head there later, though.
[ The invitation to come along is implied. Mi casa, su casa. That and it's probably better to keep an eye on you so you don't go shoving pastries angrily into any more breasts. ]
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Right.
[Useful exchange, that one. Mello will try again when you're done eating and ready to focus again. If nothing else, his experiences with Wammy's children taught him that you leave a person to his or her addictions and weaknesses.]
I'll be over here.
[It wasn't a question aimed at getting Setsuna to try and share his casa, but more because he's interested in learning more about Ariel, elsewhere. He's had enough of the crowd and the overly friendly residents for the time being.
Mello walks a few feet away, eyes on the crowd, the buildings.]
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I wonder how many were taken, and how many were already here. [ Swallows. See, he can be smart and eat at the same time. ] The level of technology present also interests me. It would be best to figure out what sort of network we're dealing with, if any. Maybe a satellite we can hijack for our own use.
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There seem to be a lot of new arrivals. Like there's been a sudden influx.
[At least, judging by a few of his previous encounters, and the way some people look as though certain vendors are crazy for offering certain 'services.' What was with that? Why the sudden need to pull in so many people?]
That's not a bad idea.
[But one that makes him think of Matt. That's his territory. Not that Mello can't hack and hijack at will, he just prefers to make that someone else's responsibility, instead freeing him up to be a little more proactive.]
I wonder if we can find a computer.
[Maybe back at the Reeducation Center?]
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Not a good idea. The computers are likely monitored, so we won't be able to gain much useful information from them. We also don't know how well-secured they are. Any attempts to hack in could trigger some sort of alarm. We can't afford the possibility of getting caught and detained.
[ He, too, is scanning their surroundings now, possible directions to go, leads to follow, faces that are out of the ordinary. Anything that could be used as an advantage. ]
It's also probably not a good idea to keep traveling together, at least for now. They'll get suspicious if they see us together often.
[ And not, you know, having sex like the rest of the population. Not that he'd necessarily have an objection to it, and he's openly admitting it now to himself, chip's influence or otherwise. Mello is attractive, and Setsuna this time will let a bit more of obvious interest towards that end slip through to communicate he is not opposed to getting to know each other a little better sans clothes. ]
We can split up and cover more ground that way. Or we can head somewhere else, arrange a plan of attack, and then do so. Up to you.
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[If they're utilizing brain chips for control, then it's likely that Mello will not be able overcome embedded alarms and firewalls. It's frustrating, considering that he may be out of his league, here. Intelligence can only get you so far with technology if you are accustomed to working in the equivalent of the stone age.]
Maybe. They might think we're involved. Unless they manage to micromanage this place to such a degree that they watch every single interaction. Even with the chip...
[But Mello cuts himself off, once again returning to train of thought of the damn chip. For all he knows, it probably keeps a record of hormone levels — thoughts. The more he thinks about it, the more it feels as though there is no privacy at all here.]
Damn. I need to get this thing out of my head.
[For so many reasons. It's in such an annoying place, to where he can't effectively look in the mirror and cut cleanly. So unless he gets someone to help...
Ah.]
Let's go back to my place for a bit.
[Take that as you will.]
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It's interesting how Mello emphasizes involved, as if it's a dirty word. He agrees, really, that giving the wrong impression, or at least that kind of wrong impression, is inadvisable, but Mello's hesitation to achieve any kind of close contact with people is once more seeping through. As if he'd rather die than dare to smile, hold hands. God forbid kissing. He wonders if the poor man would spontaneously implode if that happened.
There's an easy way to find out, of course, but not here, not now, and not out of the blue. Because that would be an easy way to a broken jaw. Or a knife in the stomach. Mello doesn't have to admit to shanking or shooting anyone for Setsuna to know that he has.
He catches the message unspoken in that let's go back to my place, though, and just shrugs. No problem. Su casa, me casa. And at least it's good first step to building trust. ]
Lead the way.
[ You know he'll be following right behind. ]
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Without another word, Mello leads them to where his assigned apartment. When they finally arrive, he enters and starts doing a little exploring — leaving Setsuna free to choose to watch, sit, or explore himself as he sees fit. The personal items he finds aren't really much by way of sentimental value, the exception being his rosary beads, because Mello's lifestyle just doesn't allow for dragging items (other than clothes, which as necessities Mello doesn't count, despite his somewhat lavish tastes) around from place to place. He does, however, find his gun and a small flick blade, both of which will come in handy for what is to follow.
And indeed, he has both in his hands when he decides to focus on Setsuna again and brief him on what he wants him to do.]
I want you to try something.
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Setsuna makes no attempt at conversation, as Mello hardly seems the mood for it, immediately shrugging off his jacket once they're inside (making sure the door is locked securely behind them) and gravitating towards the couch, pulling out a handheld gadget, something of an advanced iPhone where he's from. No service. Great. He suspected as much. He doesn't bother Mello as he goes rummaging, lets him do his own thing, but he is surprised when he returns with what are, in his opinion, some very impressive weapons. ]
That gun is beautiful.
[ Setsuna is more versed with knives than firearms, but he can tell just by looking: that wasn't a gun easily acquired, and likely held some special value for him. The flick blade is standard, but it's the gun he's drawn to. His guard is down so he doesn't ordinarily flinch as he might have, having weapons drawn on him like that.
And if absolutely need be, his reaction time is fast. It takes time to load and fire a gun, and Setsuna figures himself the better swordsman of the two. Pulling a knife on him would be stupid.
He's also aware Mello is requesting something of him, and curious as to what that might be, he tilts his head. ]
Sure. What is it?
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He's about to start handing out the order when Setsuna compliments his gun. It is a nice gun. Mello made sure of that when acquiring it, tailoring to his needs and desires after being inducted into the mafia. As a man with very few possessions, the ones that actually mean something he chooses with care. Nevertheless, he isn't exactly accustomed to having people compliment his gun...but that's likely because most people get to stare down the barrel, rather than admiring it in a relaxed setting.
That earns Setsuna a small smile, but it doesn't linger, because then he's tossing the knife at him.]
I'm assuming you have decently steady hands because of your line of work. Use that.
[Mello makes himself comfortable on the couch, crossing his legs and facing Setsuna, gun in hand. He doesn't think Setsuna will do anything stupid. Clearly, the man has the ability to take him down at will if he so chooses without the aid of a flick blade. And since Mello highly doubts that Matt is going to be showing up any time soon in this dump, it isn't as though he has other options. Setsuna is the best bet he has for what will probably be a futile attempt, but one he wants to try regardless.
But Mello isn't about to willingly allow someone he's known for less than a day wield a blade at him without some incentive to do it right. He tucks his hair back, turns his head, and then drapes his hand over the gun, which rests in his lap.]
Cut and see if you can find anything.
[Or break anything. Mello will settle for damaging the chip.]
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Which is exactly why Mello has earned himself some serious side-eyeing once Setsuna tosses the blade his way. ]
Mello?
[ What Mello wants him to do doesn't immediately click, even with the added explanation. Steady hands, yes, and he's earnestly flattered by the compliment; those are the sorts of compliments he understands and likes, simple and to the point that they are.
Still wary, Setsuna watches Mello settle himself on the couch beside him, and boy, he could not look more enticing if he tried. Very, very aware of that chip in his brain now, and just how alluring Mello can be when he makes a conscious effort, slender legs, narrowed eyes, conniving expression he wants to discover all the hidden secrets of, and that hand and gun in his lap is just too much, too much.
But Setsuna is nothing if not self-restrained when it comes to displaying sexual intent. Rape is disgusting, something he'll never, ever do, and even in consensual matters, he remains conservative, a calculating predator rather than one who immediately jumps his prey. Yet despite that, his own eyes darken with a hint of suggestiveness. Mello is close. He did it on purpose, and even if his position isn't inviting, it's showing he's comfortable with being close and leaving himself vulnerable.
Cut and see if you can find anything. Oh, he'd love to. Cut away the clothes, that is, see what he can find underneath, but he's pretty sure that's not what he meant. ]
That's not a good idea, Mello.
[ Neither is this, whatever this is, for so many, many reasons, but hell if he cares. Hi, Mello. You're handsome. We should get together and make handsome happen, just a thought. ]
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I'm not asking for your opinion.
[It's a little more biting than he intends for it to be, because if Setsuna isn't going to cut into him, Mello is going to have to do it himself and that is far more dangerous. Not to mention, sitting so closely without a real purpose may lead to temptation, and with a chip in his head already, Mello does not want to put up with that.]
I'm not asking you to stab me or slit my throat. Just cut carefully.
[Mello moves in closer, to where any more movement will result in touch. Maybe if he manipulates this situation...]
Come on. I need help.
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No, Mello doesn't ask for opinions, he demands things and expects them to be done, but Setsuna is stubborn. Setsuna is also probably the better thinker between the two of them, amazingly enough, as he's about to demonstrate.
Setting the flick blade down, he instead traces the tip of his finger delicately over where Mello's scar is, right above the ear. Delicately, so as not to startle him. Mello's movements now are of one who is no longer masking sexual intent, but he's still not taking his chances in getting shoved off or told off due to crossing a potential line. ]
The point of incision is here, yes. But...
[ The finger trails up, to the side of his head, taps against it. ]
The chip is obviously embedded in the brain, to be affecting us so directly.
[ And Setsuna is sure he need not explain that cutting his skull open and trying to perform brain surgery with a flick blade is serious no bueno. He'll let the logic sink in for a moment, hide the fact that his breath is quickening and dammit, Mello, you're seriously ruining his stoic reputation here, and just waits to see what he'll do, more than a little anxious. ]
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The touch makes him consider pulling back. It's so gentle, and it is a far cry from the slicing of skin for which Mello is pushing. He doesn't, though. He lets Setsuna run his fingers along his head, sitting perfectly still.]
You don't know that.
[And yes, his voice is low, even a little dark.]
A chip doesn't have to be in the brain to send impulses or measure hormone levels.
[He reaches up and takes Setsuna's hand, pulling it downward. His other hand leaves the gun in his lap to pick up the knife, putting it into Setsuna's hand, but allowing his own hand to linger over it.]
Try.
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