TEST DRIVE MEME 003

[larkers]

> TEST DRIVE MEME #003

Welcome to the Meadowlark test drive meme! After waking up in strange and rather worrisome conditions, characters will need to begin to live their lives in this new world. All TDM threads take place after the arrival process, so please assume that the initial adjustment period has passed. Now it's time to see the bright sights and sounds that New Amsterdam – and beyond – has to offer. All Meadowlark test drive memes will not be game canon. Please feel free to carry on relationships that make sense, but if your character is off on a colony researching terraforming or in jail because they vandalized corporation signage with Morningstar's emblem, that will be a little harder to transfer into game. All applicants can use threads from the TDM for their samples.

> SETTLING IN

There is very little that can smooth over the experience of your arrival in this world. Coming to in a van, drugged and restrained, only to be carefully helped out by the unknown guards and nurses and then abandoned in an alleyway. What comes after is relatively straightforward: you're found by others and taken back to a safehouse, hidden under an abandoned supermarket. This has happened before. There are others not from this world who have experienced the same, with no recollection of how they came here, bearing signs that they've lost months of their lives, but unfortunately, no more answers on how or why than you do. There are theories, crossed realities, a very real sense of immense violation to one's self. Maybe this knowledge brings you a growing sense of futility, or perhaps it inspires a deeper determination in you. But even as you begin to think on what next, life has to go on. All of the new arrivals will be given a fake ID and a background that will lend them access to entry-level jobs. It may be overwhelming, but Morningstar won't be asking anyone to get their lives together immediately. It would take at least a month's wages to put down a deposit on even the smallest apartment in the city, so everyone has a grace period before they set out. Morningstar will also make their purpose clear if asked: they are a group dedicated to fighting corruption and righting the wrongs of this world, though they won't go into detail to someone who isn't a member. It will be made expressly clear that anyone who's received assistance from Morningstar has to keep that a secret, as it could compromise their life and safety, as well as the lives of others. > 001: EXPLORE THE CHANGES You have been changed, and unfortunately Morningstar know very little about how or why. They won't be able to give a crash course to answer everything, and in fact, may seem just as surprised (or scared) as you over some of the strange abilities you now have. They know this has happened, but it's just as strange for them as it is for you. Most of the troubling changes will be what's happened to each person's physiology. Every aspect of this situation is already enough to make someone feel scared, stressed, confused, or even angry at what's happened to them - having to navigate a new, crowded and noisy world could easily provide enough stimulation to make it worse . Unfortunately, strong emotion could be just the key to triggering your new power. To get things under wraps, you'll want to duck away to somewhere more private or hidden. Thankfully, there are numerous underpasses, dark corners, and currently-empty shops, but you'll need to be quick to avoid raising any eyebrows – or avoid hurting anyone. Otherwise, you might prefer to play it safe and avoid striking out before you have more answers. As much as Morningstar has been helpful, you know that the others in your situation may have more information. But be careful that you don't end up sharing more than you intended. Every instance of skin-to-skin contact will trigger an immediate empathic bond, letting you feel the other person's emotions and vise versa. While there's nothing that can be done to completely prevent this, someone can either decide to hold on and continue sharing that level of emotional intimacy, or let go and end the shockingly vulnerable exchange. > 002: THE NETWORK One thing Morningstar do know about is the neural implant. This piece of tech is a basic necessity of life in this world, and you now have one in your head. Thankfully Morningstar are able to provide any necessary information to help you understand this new tool and its application to daily life. Early on, every newcomer receives access to an encrypted network, only available to you and the others like you, making contact between you easy and safe. Familiarize yourself with this network and dig in. Perhaps you're hoping to find some bigger answers, ask about the latest weather or nail polish trends in New Amsterdam, or want to discuss how much Morningstar suck in a venue where they'll absolutely see it. Don't worry, you won't be booted. They're used to it. There are private, one-on-one modes of communication available as well, though without the security of Morningstar's encryptions, they're much less safe. You can make calls, send texts, make videos, and even interact with others in a VR simulation – however, there it's made very clear that the government has a means of tracking these. This definitely isn't a place to be careless about your communication.

> RESOLUTION DAY FESTIVAL

One day a year, everyone the whole system over participates in the annual celebration of Resolution Day. It's not explicitly stated what Resolution Day actually is; there's no reason to declare what everyone already knows, and characters may find themselves experiencing some intense culture shock as they stumble into the festivities. The celebration starts early and finishes late – very late – so whether you choose to join in the fun, learn more about the history of the festival, or take advantage of the revelry for other, more nefarious goals, you'll have plenty of time. As the festival sprawls wildly throughout the streets of New Amsterdam, it gives even the most desolate parts of the city new life with bright lights, noise, and plenty of food. Recent circumstances have left New Amsterdam in a constant state of rebuilding, but the festival adds gloss to a lot of the damage – though most of the festival strays away from the most ruined architecture so that it doesn't serve as a constant reminder. Most businesses are shut for the day, giving their workers the time to enjoy the celebration, but some might consider this one of their most profitable days of the year – if you've gotten yourself a restaurant, rickshawing or corporate PR job, you might find yourself stuck on a double shift. Better snatch what small moments of enjoyment you can! > 003: ENJOY THE FESTIVITIES Anything you'd think it would be at a festival in the year 2511 is definitely at this festival. Care to play a game? All attendees can play for free. Some games – like the hoverblade racing, the augmented reality fightboxes and the street-wide bouts of laser tag – involve a partner or a competitor, so you better hope someone's willing to do you a solid or bring out your competitive side. If having fun involves less competition and more opportunities to feel emboldened, there are karaoke setups all over the city. Most of the songs will be unfamiliar to anyone who's new to this world, but like any music in any era, they're catchy enough. There are some jingles that have managed to survive several hundred years, and you might stumble across a gaggle of teenagers declaring that "All You Need is Love." To encourage letting loose, most of these karaoke booths have bartenders available to help someone find the courage they need to reach the stage. Or maybe it's time to try the delicacies of New Amsterdam. Hundreds of food trucks have turned out today in droves with high hopes that they'll come away turning a profit. Down for some Mexi-German fusion? Or perhaps you're hoping that pad Thai still tastes the same with grasshoppers? Share your food – or give away whatever you don't like. Food trucks are the hub of activity, and the busiest ones might be worth the time, but you'll be standing in line for a while. > 004: HISTORY LESSONS Aside from your typical booths of free samples, charitable causes, volunteer applications, and white chocolate-covered beetles, you'll find an opportunity to learn about Resolution Day’s history. There are various stands available where – thanks to the augmented reality application of your neural implant – you can view video about the origins of the festival and what, exactly, everyone's celebrating. These videos will play for you and you alone, and you'll soon learn that this is the day, 410 years ago, that humans successfully ended the AI war. If you'd like to feel like a hero, the UNA are running several virtual reality simulations where you can be taken to the battlefield to fight alongside fellow soldiers, working to bring the outwardly robotic AI to submission. The virtual reality simulation interacts with your neural implant to give you the most realistic experience possible. If you don't ground yourself enough, you'll be certain that the sights, sounds, and smells around you are real as you march in formation toward the brutality waiting up ahead. Feel free to team up with a partner on a side mission, or maybe try to keep someone from plugging in for what could be a traumatic experience. Eerie, heart-wrenching music plays when you die, but is promptly followed by the image of several corporate logos reminding you that they sponsored this day and this event. If you're uncomfortable with this information, no one will understand why. AI sympathizers are not present among the native population. Will you risk trying to change their minds? > 005: USING DISTRACTIONS There are other opportunities in the city being flooded with festival-goers. For Morningstar, this is a prime opportunity to test new recruits when it comes to charming corporate execs and getting in good with them. Whatever your cover story is, make it good. Whether you claim you're hoping to pitch an idea for some new tech or are more interested in seducing – or squeezing – some information out of them, following them into the next bar or karaoke booth may give you the perfect chance. But you might want a lookout to watch your back, a co-conspirator to keep them plied with drinks, or maybe you'll need a voice of reason to stop you from squeezing too hard. Morningstar values discretion – and so does everyone else, for that matter.

> CRIMINAL ACTIVITY

Traveling down from the hectic main city streets reveals a different side from the gloss and promise of New Amsterdam. Economic disparity runs rampant throughout the city, and many people are pushed to desperation, looking to find other ways to make ends meet. In the darker shadows, many illegal activities thrive, out of view of the authorities - or perhaps known and supported by corrupt individuals. Maybe you're here exploring, completing a task for Morningstar, or working a job in the place you excel. Whatever's brought you here, you may want to watch your step, or else find the city eating you as it has so many others. > 006: GETTING IN Organized crime still has a strong foothold in the world, with gangs and more established families working drugs, weapons, property and black market cybernetics, to name a few. These organizations are sprawling units that regularly recruit new members into their ranks, so long as they can prove themselves by passing the intensive hazing. Maybe you'd like to have a role in such a powerful organization. Or maybe you'd like to use your relative anonymity to burn it all down. One way to get an in is through their numerous clubs and illegal gambling dens, where to get past the door you have to know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy. Don't know a guy? Feel free to try to use brute force or some chicanery to make them believe that you belong among their numbers. Just don't get caught doing anything they don't like – which could be breathing the wrong way, if you're unlucky enough. Best to have an escape plan in place, like perhaps stealing one of the many hovercars or hoverbikes parked outside the establishment. If you've got the skills, you'll be able to weave through the chaos of the city and make a clean getaway – just don't let the chase run for too long, or you'll have law enforcement on your ass as well. > 007: FIGHT CLUB No matter the occasion outside, New Amsterdam's fight club events are held every evening. The bouncers at the door don't have too many scruples on who they let inside. All they care about is whether someone has the money to pay the cover charge. The interior of the fight club reveals the sophistication of a business that's used to uprooting itself regularly. All the fights take place in a large cage in the center, and you remain on your feet while you enjoy the show. There is a special VIP section if you've been lucky enough to receive an invite or bribe your way in – just keep in mind that these invites are scarce, and you will have to have done something spectacular to earn the attention from someone high up the food chain. Regardless of where you end up, there is one rule: what happens in the fight club stays in the fight club. This tenant is law, and everyone's heard stories of the different (and sometimes extreme) lengths which have been taken to maintain it. Maybe you're here to sign up and test your chops against other fighters. Many of the fighters boast illegal cybernetic enhancements, so it would be a really good idea to have someone on hand who knows some first aid. Maybe you'd prefer to just enjoy the show, or take the opportunity to grill the bartenders for information. Just be careful not to make a fool of yourself. Asking too many questions might catch the wrong kind of attention – the kind that might find you being thrown into the ring, whether you wanted to be there or not. For all the blood spilled, these fight clubs thrive on discretion, so whatever you do, try to keep it quiet.

> THE STATUS QUO

By the next morning, the true shape of New Amsterdam will come to light for everyone who steps out and sees that it has been devastated recently. There are numerous construction sites throughout the city, with some being more expedient than others, all to try to rebuild a city that's been under duress. There are numerous mandates that filter through news feeds, telling citizens that they should turn in any monster carcasses from the June 27th attacks. With no further context, it might be up to you to look into what this even means: doing just that will lead to numerous articles about a mysterious creature attack that assaulted the city and led to countless people being made homeless. No one knows the cause for the attack, as investigations are ongoing. The effects of this attack are more apparent today than they were the day before. While the festivities demanded that the streets were bare, numerous tent cities have gone back up to take the place of the booths. The people living here look like they've been here for a while, and Resolution Day festivities mildly inconvenienced them. The supplies going to them are only just enough for them to be comfortable, with most of their facilities being maintained and highly restricted to keep up water rationing demands. Soon enough it will be apparent that this is what New Amsterdam is like, with the same amount of targeted advertisements built in to the city's foundation to show the influence of the local corporations. > 008: WHERE THERE'S SMOKE Around midday, vents open up throughout New Amsterdam to let smoke rapidly filter up into the foreground of the city. The reason why? A fire sparks in the underground portion of New Amsterdam, spreading quickly between two apartment buildings. The cause is unknown, and while firefighters are on the scene, they could use an extra hand. Numerous people suffer from the effects of smoke inhalation, and there are likely more inside the buildings themselves waiting for an assist. For anyone who's been here already, this may feel like a familiar sequence of events, but going into the fire puts anyone at risk for being infected by the smoke itself. The infection is far from contagious and doesn't spread from one person to another - but it's highly unpleasant, leaving someone feeling mild nausea and headaches, irritability, vertigo, feverish … and vengeful. As the sickness takes hold and worsens, anyone impacted by this infection will feel the need to take revenge on people around them. This retaliation can take any number of forms from violent to non-violent: pick countless fights, or manipulate your friends into fighting one another for your own satisfaction, just to prove that they will turn on one another. Thankfully, there is a cure for this righteous anger – unless you're inclined to feel this normally, of course. Any of the player characters who didn't stage a rescue in the burning building will be able to cure others by making skin-to-skin contact and holding on to it for a prolonged period of time. This contact will lead to their chest glowing blue for the entire duration, an increasingly burning sensation for both parties involved which eventually culminates in a sense of peace before giving way to a deep, pervading sense of sadness. Throughout New Amsterdam, there will be countless people impacted by this infection thanks to their close proximity to the fire itself. It's up to you to help them – or leave them hanging, if that's what you prefer. But the only existing cure appears to be anyone with the strange blue stuff in their chests. The news reports that follow reiterate that everyone in the city should turn in any remaining monster carcasses that they have because of the risks inherent in keeping them close. While they don't make a strict connection between the fire and the second string of chaotic attacks, Governor Gill-Jade appears on screen to implore everyone to be cautious and vigilant. There will also be increased fire inspections throughout the city to try to prevent more of these outbreaks, and she promises that all of her resources will be dedicated toward preventing further infection.

> THE WILDCARDS

> 009: SPACE Whether you're desperate for a reprieve from Earth after getting a taste of some unwanted righteous fury or curious about this century's space exploration, there are a number of opportunities available to let someone blast off. Most people will find that the process of getting into space is tedious, but also one that occurs regularly from day to day. The opportunities are there for anyone seeking a job out in the colonies, but first you'll have to get hired, or have approval for subsidy granted by the government. Journeys to the colonies are long and arduous, and what people find when they show up isn't any better. Most of the facilities are in poor condition, with food and water far more strictly rationed than back on Earth. If you'd rather just take a trip out to space without having to worry about a job, you have a number of options. Anyone can book a trip to go off planet, if they have the capital, or perhaps you'd prefer to work towards some proper credentials and join a crew. Of course, someone wishing to skip to the front of the line can always just stowaway on the back of a ship – or steal one for themselves. Just be wary of the fact that the hangars these ships are in come with increased security to match their price tags. They're hard to steal, but not impossible. As long as you know to skip the hacking and go with brute force, it should work out fine. > 010: GO NUTS This isn't all there is to explore, so feel free to branch out! Visit a doctor about some advanced cybernetics. Sneak through the city checkpoints and set out into the wilderness. Experiment with some insect based versions of your favorite recipes. Perhaps you'd prefer to engage in some illegal street racing, spend some time getting used to the technology, or make a bold declaration to become a llama farmer. Use the SETTING for inspiration and choose your own adventure.

> NAVIGATION

Comments

[gasping]

It feels... [ she pauses for a moment, mouth pursing together as she tries to figure out a comparison. the only thing that comes to mind might be totally ridiculous, but it's something. ] Warm, I guess. I feel warm all over, like I sat in the sun too long.

[ like a lantern glowing from the inside out, caroline's power at its weakest point gives her the ability to control light, both natural and artificial. since she hasn't exactly practiced it at all, she's only involuntarily spitting out light from the sun gathered earlier today, hence the warmth.

but she takes the advice. why? his seeming wealth of knowledge for one, but also, she just doesn't have any better options. she can't stand here in the cafe all day with glowing palms, and more importantly, she needs to figure out how to cancel this out if it happens again. when.

so caroline takes a breath. and another, and then another too, all the while keeping her gaze firmly locked on the man across from her. it gives her a sense of deja vu, of being back in a bathroom after waking up turned, stefan salvatore giving her life advice on how to keep her hunger in check. only this time, there's no risk of accidentally snapping anyone's neck — caroline thinks she prefers it that way.

eventually, the light dims. not completely, but enough so that it's less of a flickering street light and more of a single tealight, just the smallest dollop of firelight in her palms. ]

What does it feel like to you?

[heliophilous]

You asking what your light feels like to me or what my ability feels like? [ now that her hands aren't glowing so brightly, he lets her go and steps back. he doesn't even know her name and he'd come up and touched her. it had been in an attempt to help, sure, but he's lucky she didn't construe it as something untoward.

he drops his hands to his sides. ]

Warm's a pretty common feeling for something like that. [ he nods at her hands. ] Sizzling if it's gets too out of control. But, you weren't anywhere close to that. Just bright. Just sunglasses worthy.

[gasping]

Both?

[ she'd like to know both, in an ideal world. maybe his ability, as he described the concept, is similar to hers. maybe he has pointers for her.

but before caroline can elaborate, her manager comes up from behind, a concerned look on his face. you don't look well, maybe you should take the rest of the day off. awkward. but not totally unwelcome, either, considering that the power's finally managed to come back on and customers are still staring at her like she's got three heads. maybe tomorrow, things will be back to normal.

with a bit of a tight smile, caroline pulls her hands behind her back, fiddling with the knot at her waist until it's loose and the apron falls slack, easily picked up and folded over her arm. ]

You seem to know a little more about this than me. [ which is pretty easy, considering she knows nothing thus far. ] I apparently have some free time today, if you do?

[heliophilous]

Yeah, I'm -- yeah, I'm free. [ he nods and steps back, giving her some room to go from employee to citizen.] I do know a few things about an ability like that.

[ he glances down at his hands and still finds himself surprised that they don't glow or heat up anymore. he'd lived with that ability for so long, made it his own, make it a weapon and a resource and now it was just gone.

he clenches his hands into fists and then shakes them free. ]

I used to be able to do something similar.

[gasping]

[ used to? the admission makes caroline hum in thought for a moment, but the conversation will have to take a pause as she runs to the back of the shop for a moment in order to drop off her apron and work things and pick up her bag from a locker. it doesn't take her long though, so by the time marcos has tossed his trash and headed for the door, caroline's hot on his heels, jogging towards the exit to meet him.

as they pass through the doors and out onto the quiet street outside, she asks: ] You could do something like that before? Before you came here, do you mean?

[ a pang of something she can't quite put her finger on. she doesn't miss being undead, technically speaking, but some of the enhancements had grown on her. as klaus had once told her, you like being the girl you are now. but now, maybe she had a chance to still be that girl without all the bloodsucking. ]

[heliophilous]

Before I ended up here, yeah. [ he hadn't made the choice to come here especially with the underground nearly in shambles but he's not going to get into semantics and technicalities. ]

Mine wasn't just light though. I could manipulate light, heat and energy. Handy for cold nights. [ and other less than savory things but he's not going to share that. that's in the past, dead and buried. ]

My hands used to glow too. So did my blood. That's always fun when you get shot or stabbed.

[gasping]

[ if the mention of blood outright piques something in caroline's attention beyond just normal idle curiosity, she tries hard not to let it show. granted, she doesn't have the best poker face, but she's trying. ]

I don't think I can do all that. [ but it does sound useful. having been burned by sunlight, she has a somewhat unique perspective on how something so simple could be utilized as a weapon. ] It felt like all the sun I'd ever felt was coming out of me.

[ she'd felt like a human lantern. ]

I didn't blind you, did I?

[heliophilous]

You didn't blind me. You didn't blind anyone but possibly yourself. Are your eyes okay? [ she'd gotten the full blast of it since her hands had been at close range and up against her eyes. he doesn't see any redness and or watering so he's assuming she's okay. ]

You might need to invest in some good sunglasses. [ he'll stop with his stupid jokes when he's sures he's completely calmed down after all that. ]

But if the power goes out, you won't have any trouble.

[gasping]

Everything's very... white, I guess. [ as if a flash bulb had gone off, and her eyes were slowly adjusting to life without it. she'll recover, but it'll take a little bit for them to fully adjust back. ] But it doesn't hurt anymore, so I guess that's something.

[ she braves the opportunity to peek at her palms. to her surprise, the light's completely gone out — if she didn't know for certain that the light before wasn't a shared hallucination, she'd think she had made the whole thing up. ]

Very funny. You should consider a career in future stand-up comedy, Mister...?

[ she doesn't know his name. ]

[heliophilous]

Believe me, no one wants me to do that. You've caught me on a good day. I usually get one joke a year and then I'm done. I'm overachieving now.

[ sometimes, you just had to be grouchy and for marcos sometimes was pretty much all the time. ]

I'm Marcos. Sorry, I probably should have said that first thing. But, you yelled at me so I forgot about introductions.

[gasping]

[ if she's offended the whole "you yelled at me" blame game, she's doing her best not to show it; she offers instead pearly whites and a hand held out, classic southern genteel. ]

Caroline. [ "nice to meet you" sort of goes unsaid. ] And I don't know, maybe telling dad jokes is your new superpower. You are pretty good at it.

[ it's probably a downgrade from being able to shoot sunbeams out of your hands, but hey, you win some and you lose some. she can empathize a little bit with the whole lost identity thing, though, so better to be kind about it. ]

If you need help coming up with a flashy stage name, you know where to find me.

[ or maybe he doesn't. do they need to exchange phone numbers neural ids? ]

[heliophilous]

[ well, you had kind of screamed at him to not stare. so, it wasn't completely untrue. ]

I don't know if I should be thanking you for the compliment or secluding myself away so I don't infect anyone else with the dad jokes.

[ what a lame ability to have anyway. he could bore people to death. ] Used to have one of those too but I guess using it now would just be kind of lame. It's not like I can do the same things so the name makes no sense.

[gasping]

No, don't hide, I think they're cute.

[ they're a little cheesy, sure, and not exactly high-brow humor, but caroline likes them. they make her laugh, even if she rolls her eyes at the same time. anybody who tells him to stop is just being rude in her opinion.

though her curiosity does pique when he mentions his now-former alias. having strange abilities isn't new to her, but alter egos and going public definitely is. maybe that's the difference between being undead and being superhuman. ]

What was your nickname? I mean, if you want to tell me. You don't have to.

[heliophilous]

It doesn't exactly have to be a secret anymore, I guess. [ and it wasn't like it was a secret much in the first place. not when you barreled into a hospital, bleeding bright blood and shooting flames from your hands. people tended to either go with the code name or just call you a mutie.

marcos always preferred the code name. ]

Eclipse. Yeah, yeah, I know. Not great.

[ thunderbird was so much cooler. ]

[gasping]

[ he really is fond of self-deprecating humor, isn't he? caroline shakes her head, a bemused quirk of her brow betraying her disagreement. ]

Not great compared to what? I don't know anybody who has a superhero nickname, so Eclipse sounds pretty cool to me.

[ come on, grouchypants. the optimism is infectious, admit it. ]

Do you want to know what my nickname was?

[ give you two guesses. ]

[heliophilous]

I want to know.

[ he thinks that it probably has something to do with her hair or maybe her generally sunny demeanor or maybe...something that he wasn't seeing. ]

What was your nickname? Only fair now that you've got mine.

[gasping]

Barbie.

[ a huff of laughter punctuates the statement, caroline feeling a little embarrassed to say it out loud — but at the same time, she's proud of it too. vampire barbie had been a way for damon to dismiss her for her youth and inexperience, but she'd proven that she could be the strongest out of any of them when the situation demanded it.

she wasn't going to let being dragged to some alternative dimension get her down, either. she'd figure something out. ]

I used to hate it, but... I guess it's not that bad. Could be worse, right?

[heliophilous]

Could be.

[ now that she says it, he can see why they might have called her barbie. it wouldn't have been the first thing to come to mind for him but he can see it. ]

I think I like Caroline better. [ he'd only known her for like five minutes but caroline just seemed to fit better than a nickname like barbie. ]

[gasping]

Yeah? [ huh. that's new.

but caroline's also pretty used to being dismissed by people for the color of her hair or the pep in her step. being taken seriously, even just for a few minutes, is a novel experience. one she really enjoys. ]

Well, thank you. [ she nudges his shoulder as they walk, a friendly gesture ] I like Marcos better than Eclipse, too.

[heliophilous]

Good since Eclipse doesn't really fit anymore anyway. [ no more glowy hands, no more explosions, no more cutting through metal, tinkering with cars or anything like that. just regular hands now. ]

It's still strange to not be able to do that. [ he gives his hands one final squeeze before letting them drop to his sides. ] Anyway -- [ enough about him. ]

Is that the first time you've set your ability off?

[gasping]

My — [ her gaze drops as her hands lift, peering down at them as if realizing they were there for the first time in a while. she'd almost forgotten all about the blinding light they'd emitted just a short while ago. ] Ability, yeah. First time for everything, I guess.

[ amongst the arrivals, it was fairly common knowledge that abilities were a likely side-effect of the strange blue disc in their chests, but what that ability would be and when it would manifest were still up in the air. when caroline's hadn't come up immediately, she'd pretty much forgotten about it — until today. talk about a rude awakening. ]

I hope next time I can make it stop on my own. I don't think I can really rely on the customers to give me a pep talk.

[ what will she do with you, marcos? you're her knight in shining armor. ]

[heliophilous]

[ while he would gladly ride to your rescue (or help when it was needed), he thought himself a pretty terrible knight all things considered. so much loss had occurred while he'd been helping john lead, after all. ]

Takes practice and time to really get a hold of them.

[ and at least she had people here who would help. she wouldn't be young and thrown out because of what she could do. ]

And I don't think there's a shortage of people who'd be willing to help you get it under control. You weren't that bad today. You just panicked.

[gasping]

Yeah, but you helped. Don't sell yourself short, Marcos the Magnificent.

[ there, a stage name. she's picked it and she's sticking with it. ]

I'm just hoping I won't have to deal with it too much. I was kind of looking forward to being normal for once here.

[ did she say "for once"? is that going to make it obvious that she wasn't normal back home. ugh, damnit. caroline tries to stay cool, but the anxious sweep of her fingertips through her hair might give it away. ]

[heliophilous]

Normal for once?

[ he's going to forego talking about that nickname so he can focus on something a little more interesting. she doesn't look much like she wants to talk about it though so he waves a hand and shakes his head. ]

I'm sure you were fine. Society's definition of normal doesn't really sit right with me anyway. You were normal no matter what was going on.

[gasping]

[ it would be really easy to take that out, wouldn't it? just carry on with the conversation, maybe laugh a little about how one best friend was always the smart one and the other was always the artsy one, leaving caroline somewhere in the middle? how all the boys always picked everyone else, even when she tried so hard to be the right one?

well, maybe a few years ago she could. but this caroline stopped taking the easy road a long time ago. ]

When you can do things other people can't, you don't exactly get treated like you're part of the Brady Bunch. [ she huffs a little, hands lifting to idly pick at the cuticles on her nails, a nervous habit. ] Especially if people get hurt before you figure out what you're doing.

[ is she saying too much? maybe. but it feels nice to be able to talk about it... and perhaps a little bit therapeutic, given that she can't compel him to forget the conversation ever happened. ]