caelumooc | Test Drive #001

Entry tags:

meme: test drive

Test Drive #001

TEST DRIVE MEME
number 001

MAGNETS.

Today as the many residents of Hotel Caelum wake, they will hear an announcement come over the PA system from the familiar voice of Mr Bennet.

"Quite unfortunate, quite unfortunate," says the voice before clearing his throat. "We're having a bit of an issue today with the hotel. Something about the ions, I think. I'm not quite up on the science of it all but please pardon the interruption to your day. Feel free to come by the front desk for a coupon for any meal of your choice from our cafeteria as an apology."

That's all the announcement says and soon enough, the residents will find out what exactly Mr Bennet means.

Each resident's hands have now become magnetized, with each hand coinciding with the north or south pole of a magnet. They will find themselves drawn to other residents with their hands becoming attached to each other if they end up in each other's proximity. Whoops.

The magnetization can be strong enough to draw in people from across the room to as weak as only drawing people in who are only a few inches away (up to player preference). Be careful of crowds though because with enough people around each other, there might be a pile up of people sticking together. You have two hands, after all.

This will last for about a day until gradually fading out around the next morning.

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST.

One morning, before the ninjas, after the magnets, residents will find themselves heading down for their usual breakfast when the sound of a soft bell rings through the restaurant. Then, with quite a bit of force, residents will find themselves shoved down into a seat across from another resident.

On the plate in front of them is a note:
SHARE THREE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF

That's all it says but residents will find they are unable to leave their chair until they do as the note says. Once they do, they're able to get up and go about their day — unless, of course, they're shoved into another chair.

This will continue until a bell rings again at eleven am, signaling the end of the continental breakfast.

NINJAS.

A few days after the magnet incident, another announcement will come over the PA system.

"Sorry, sorry," says the familiar voice once again. "Our security system is broken today. We'll be fixing it post haste. Do be careful, and let a staff member know if any medical attention is required."

... Medical attention?

Soon afterwards, no matter where your character finds themselves in the hotel, they'll hear the crash of a window being broken and in swings a ninja, barreling forward quickly and ready to attack. Hopefully you're in fighting spirit, huh?

The ninjas seem to only have the goal of attacking the strongest looking person in the area. After being defeated, their bodies will disappear into a cloud of black smoke. For those who aren't in fighting form, they will be able to find safe haven in one of the hotel restaurants where the windows have been boarded up and the staff is serving tea. It seems to be an anti-ninja zone, somehow.

This too will last about a day before the ninja presence is slowly eradicated from the hotel.

NETWORK.

The hotel has a communal server! Think something like a discord server. Characters will have phones and/or laptops that can access it upon arrival.

Mr Bennet has even posted an ice breaker question.

CHANNEL: #general
DISPLAY NAME: Mr Bennet 😄

If you could pick someone in the hotel to kill, who would it be and why?

Mr Bennet, what the fuck.

WILDCARD.

Feel free to make up your own prompt and play with the setting as well. This is a test drive meme, so any part of the hotel is up for grabs. Please review our locations page to get a feel for what your characters might be able to find at Hotel Caelum! Thank you!

NOTE: If you play on this TDM and don't have an invite to the game, just message the mod account and I'll give you one! For the initial open of the game, things will be pretty open in terms of invites.

Reserves are open! Applications open 10/8 and game opens 10/15!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Not his fault he has a +9 to hit.

Anyway, he bends to offer her a hand up. ]

Just stay close to me, then. I think there are some places around here they can't get to, so it's best if we head there.

[ Gentlemanly as always! Sumina gladly takes his hand so she can get back to her feet, and gives him a grateful nod and smile. ]

I will. They don't seem to pay me any mind so long as someone else is around, so I'll simply do my best not to get in your way!

I'll follow your lead.

[ Your new escort quest has begun, Winter... Hopefully the Sumina NPC programming is good enough at hiding and staying out of the crossfire! ]

[ The real question here is does the Sumina NPC walk at the same pace as a PC or is he goes to have to stop every three seconds to let her catch up? ]

If you don't mind my asking, what are you doing here?

[ The Sumina NPC would probably walk at the same pace as most PCs, except specifically for a Winter and his long-ass legs. ]

Ah, my cousin and sister sent me here. It's a business trip! As you can imagine, there are some parallels with the Elderflower, so...

[ Wait. What is he doing here? Is he... cheating on her inn???? ]

And... you, sir?

[ Well then, on one of those instances where he pauses to let her catch up, he turns and gives her a scrutinizing look. That's a 19 insight, is this really a "business trip", girl? ]

Me? My boss sent me on vacation.

[ Uh oh. She can feel that Insight check coming in hot. ]

Oh, wow! I would have thought you would be here on, business, just like me...!

[ And that's a big, beautiful 3 for her Deception, so... She is not, in fact, on a business trip. She's been forced on vacation. And she knows she totally botched that, so it's time to derail: ]

Wait... They sent you here on vacation? Not to us...?

[ 🥺???? ]

[ Oh honey. That wasn't even a very good lie. She seems to know that, and tries to switch tracks quickly, but Winter isn't going to let it slide. ]

You're not here on business at all. Come on, out with it. What's going on?

[ She looks... away... ]

It's business-related? I'm here to do research!

[ That part, at least, is earnest. ]

...But the intent is for it to be a bit of, um. Some time away... Maybe. Haha...

[ Oh. Oh, the way a grin spreads across his face. ]

You got sent on vacation, too, didn't you?

[ She doesn't like that grin... ]

Research opportunity...

[ Surely, Winter has had at least a run-in or two with Elenaril, her wild magic sorceress adventurer of a cousin. And surely, during one or both of those encounters, she has definitely mentioned wishing Sumina would take a break. ]

Ah, you didn't answer my question either, you know. Was the Elderflower not a sufficient destination for a vacation...?

Vacation.

[ Maybe the ninjas should show back up to save Sumina from this conversation. They will not do that quite yet, though. ]

Please, Miss Heartleaf. The Elderflower is wonderful. Perfect, even. But it does, unfortunately, intersect with my work a little too much for my superior's tastes.

[ She can't help but look a little deflated. Won't the ninjas save her... ]

I... I see. That's reasonable. You'd be likely to run into other Blues there, which wouldn't have been very conducive to a vacation...

Precisely.

[ If there's more he wants to say, he's interrupted by that same crystalline note as earlier. He quickly snaps out a hand to catch Sumina by the arm as another group of ninjas spring from the shadows. A blade definitely whizzes through the place she'd been just a moment before. ]

Gods above, they're like roaches.

—!

[ Sumina gasps at the sudden contact and movement, but that sure is a blade cutting through thin air that had very shortly been occupied by her lil body. What horrible aim this ninja must have, they missed Winter entirely! A magical sot of hum emanates from Sumina's torso, and she lifts a hand to clutch at her chest. ]

M-Mister Winter— be careful!

I have you.

[ That hum coming from Sumina is a curiosity, but certainly one that can wait. The first ninja, having missed their attack dances back a bit to rejoin the other ninjas. There are five of them in all, clustered together in the hall.

Well. An escort quest is as good a time as any to burn a spell slot. He extends a hand, rumbles out an incantation, and an orb of darkness and starlight erupts from the floor to engulf the ninjas. From the outside, it looks quite pretty, there and gone in a flash, but to be stuck in it is apparently anything but pleasant as psychic energy assaults their would be attackers for a whopping 25 points of damage.

Three of the ninjas drop and poof away. Two of them look worse for wear but remain upright. ]

[ Perhaps it's a hidden blessing in disguise that trouble gets stirred up enough at the Elderflower that Sumina has learned to keep her cool in the midst of chaos, but still, that was a little too close for comfort. Don't mind her as she sort of just shuffles behind him... Though she can't help but peek out just a little, to see what he does. It's for research.

But really, thank the stars that Winter is here. She's not familiar with the spell that he's cast, but regardless, it's noteworthy and incredibly effective, it seems. With two left, this will surely be a breeze for him—

At least, until one of them disappears into thin air, doing that anime ninja thing where they disappear and then reappear behind Winter and Sumina, the latter of whom isn't entirely helpless, even for her lack of arcane talent. After all, her family put her through a little bit of training, if nothing else for self-defense... and she has good enough reflexes to catch valuable breakables whenever they're inevitably sent flying during a tavern brawl.

The ninja lunges forward with a blade, clearly aiming for Winter - but there just happens to be a lovely console table next to them, with an equally lovely candelabra atop it - and so Sumina falls back on instinct, grabbing the damned thing to swing it into the ninja's side. It won't be enough to make them go poof, but it'll definitely be enough for a nani!? moment. ]

[ Hello what. Winter whips around just in time to watch Sumina clock a seemingly teleporting ninja with a candelabra.

While the ninja is having his nani!? moment, Winter just laughs. ]

Perhaps I shouldn't have bothered with the magic, when a candlestick holder is more than enough to take you out.

[ The strange resonance of those words hits the ninja like a physical thing, and he crumples and poofs away. This is now two ninjas that Winter has ended with Vicious Mockery in this post and I'm glad. ]

Now, isn't there one more of these arseholes around?

[ Technically, it wasn't enough, but Sumina's not about to point that out... A good old Vicious Mockery, is it? He and her friend Vaer would have made a rather amusing duo of just insulting people to their demise...

Sumina remains clutching tightly to her bludgeoning weapon of choice. ]

D-Did the last one disappear, too? Goodness...

[ A sigh. ]

[ He casts around, one hand on the dagger at his belt, the other coming to rest on Sumina's back, keeping her close. ]

He probably retreated when he saw he was outmatched, but let us proceed carefully.

[ Kyaaa Mister Winter... She really is glad that he's here, too, and it has nothing to do with the hand that rests on the small of her back. ]

Oh. I see! Honestly, though, they would have been outmatched even if it were just you, Mister Winter.

[ With that, Sumina turns, and places the candelabra back onto that console...

...

But then she changes her mind, and takes it up in her hands once more. ]

Ah, just in case...

[ He watches that whole situation play out and laughs a bit when she takes the candelabra back into her hands. ]

I wasn't aware that candlestick holders were your weapon of choice.

I-It's not! I don't have any weapon of choice...

[ Please Mr. Winter sir..... she's just a little guy. ]

I had to act. I wasn't going to let someone land a sneak attack on you!

No? If not candles, then I’ve seen the way you wield a disapproving stare. It might even be considered deadly.

[ Now he’s just giving her shit, but he won’t tease her for too long. ]

I do appreciate your help, but it's quite difficult to take me by surprise.

[ Her disapproving stare... The pause he's given her with the teasing flits across her face, like she hadn't been entirely aware of just how deadly her disapproving stare can be... Sure, it has the power to stop most tavern brawls, but deadly!? ]

..Ah. You're teasing me, aren't you, Mister Winter? A-Anyhow, I'll just put this back, then...

[ Back it goes. Instead her hands come up to clutch at her chest again, still feeling the an incessant, magical hum there. ]

Let's keep on.

I am teasing you. I hope you can forgive me for slipping back into familiar habits. It’s like I’ve found a little piece of home with you here.

[ Excessive teasing is probably not conducive to vacationing, though, so he’ll try not to make a habit of it. (Famous last words, probably.)

Anyway, keep on they shall, heading further down the hall. ]

Actually, if I might change the subject, did you cast some sort of spell earlier? You’re humming.

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