SUMMER TEST DRIVE

[spaceshipit]

THE SUMMER TEST DRIVE MEME
(Or Winter Test Drive for you Southern Hemisphere folks!)

Got someone you want to try out before you app? Well this is the post for it! Feel free to use anything that fits in the setting of Drift Fleet! Want to play bumper shuttles? Want to go wild in a med bay? Play around with the current plot? Have at it!

Threads from the Test-Drive may be made game "canon" but DO NOT count toward AC!

FOR NEW PLAYERS: You DO NOT NEED an invite to participate in the TEST DRIVE! If you decide to APP into the game, ONLY THEN will you need an invite from a current player!

Helpful Info for Ideas!:

June/July's Star System

Game Details

Test drives are posted SEASONALLY, so the next one will be in late September!

Comments

[nerdeology]

Oh, you meant-- nevermind.

[Well, probably better he gets the spiel from him than Sorey. Between the two of them the nonchalance would get them nowhere.]

Well, we're not on Glenwood anymore, obviously. Or our own planet, for that matter. This planet... I don't remember the name.

[He stopped paying attention when he saw ocean.]

We've been traveling through space for a while.

[zavie]

[ Oh, he's sure he knew what Mikleo thought he meant, but it's not as if he's the type of man to make things easier for other people - again, it's just not in his nature. There are lots of things that he doesn't look like the type to do or say, but the hat that rests on his head like a memento probably says more about him than anything else. ]

Got a little bit excited about the water, did you? If only we could get you that excited about searching for babes...

[ It's said wistfully, but, really, they both know the truth that's going on in Zaveid's mind; he's afraid, and on edge, and he's disguising it with humour and ridiculousness as if that would make it better, somehow.

It doesn't. ]

How long is 'a while'?

[nerdeology]

[He's not even going to acknowledge the babe comment. Zaveid has a one-track mind enough as it is, he knows better than to encourage it.]

Mm... for Sorey and I, six months.

[He knows that's probably a bomb drop, so might as well just do it all at once. After a pause, he ducks his head slightly, voice going quiet.]

...Dezel's here, too.

[zavie]

[ Six months - that would be enough for concern, but it's what Mikleo says next that really makes Zaveid stop, literally going still and his arms falling away from lounging and touching. It's as if he goes as still as a statue, trying to blend in with the environment, and the shock he feels is an echo in his chest where all he can hear are the same words repeated over and over.

Dezel's here.

If you let me fill the Dezel-shaped hole in your group -

He thinks of Rose and her tears, the first real time he'd been able to see anything beyond the lot of them fighting, and how she talked about his smile, and his happiness, the kinds of things he had never seen. Zaveid thinks about the parts of Dezel he'd never known, despite the fact that they'd known each other - he'd never seen that happiness. He was just like Rose, regretting so much and feeling the weight of it, knowing there could have been more, even if Dezel was always more of a pain in the ass than he would ever admit.

Slowly, his fingers clench until they're curled into tight fists, the buckles that he wears making a soft noise as he bows his head. Even now, sitting gracefully on silvery hair, Dezel's hat is a beacon of just what the other wind seraph had meant to him, the things he had never put into words... And now he has to come face to face with it, somehow.

He doesn't even have the energy to laugh it off. ]

How's he doing?

[nerdeology]

[It's weird to see Zaveid so serious. Sorey had told him that Zaveid had been different, the night Dezel died, and there'd been moments here and there peppered throughout their journey where he'd lost the smile long enough to contribute more than a tease or flirt to the conversation. Mikleo can't blame him for it now, though. None of them were really told the depth of whatever lay between Zaveid and Dezel, beyond the similar fighting style and obvious rivalry. The way Zaveid looked after the hat, and the way he'd joined the party immediately after they'd lost him despite showing no interest in their journey beforehand... there'd been signs.

So yeah, Mikleo can understand that much.]

He's... okay, I think. I'm not sure that he'd tell me otherwise, but he's connecting with people- more than he did before.

He misses Rose, though. Anyone can tell that much.

[zavie]

Connecting with people. You sure this is Dezel we're talking about?

[ It's easier to joke about it then it is to take it seriously, because it hurts so damn much. Something feels tense and thick in his chest and he's not entirely sure how to handle it. Yeah, he misses Rose right now, but he's not sure how to begin to imagine what Dezel might be feeling without her after what they went through together. Whatever went on between him and Dezel is nothing compared to that - and he knows it, but he doesn't really care, honestly, because that's between them.

He can just understand. And he wants to punch something. He really wants to hit something, but there's nothing to hit (and he's not going to hit Mikleo, obviously).

Huffing a noise, all he can do is cross his arms over his chest, trying to make himself seem okay with it all. ]

She'll be around soon. We can't go somewhere without her.

[nerdeology]

[Mikleo's less inclined to assume something like that - it's been six months, after all, and this is the first time anyone else has appeared - but he's not going to burst anyone's bubble. It's not that he's really hopeful that the others will show, but he won't deny that he misses them, and for Dezel's sake, it would be nice if Rose followed them here somehow.]

...Well, either way, we've got one serious elemental imbalance here. Is your sub lord connection still intact?

[Rather than head for the ocean, now he's reconsidering his destination. Maybe Dezel's still at the springs- they could go look for him, instead.]

[zavie]

I haven't felt anything different.

[ Zaveid is quieter, now, but it does make him pause. He knows why he had joined the group all that time ago - Dezel was gone and he had stepped in to fill the gap, no word given about why their styles were so similar, why he kept the hat, why he wanted to step forward other than his own personal vendettas - and now he thinks that, maybe, it's time for him to step out again. He had filled a gap that had been borne of Dezel's death and, so...

He waves a hand, shrugging it off like it's meaningless with a little laugh. ]

I'd better check in with Sorey and make sure I'm not stealing too much of the spotlight.

[ Meaning; he's going to have to give up his pact in order for Dezel to step in again, easy. He'd been a replacement from the beginning anyway. ]

[nerdeology]

[if he'd known talking about Dezel would make Zaveid so serious he'd have done it more

Okay, that... is not what he meant, but he knows better than to let that slide. Sorey would pitch a fit and worry endlessly if Zaveid did something like that.]

If you're saying what I think you're saying, then you'd better not. You know Sorey wouldn't accept that. ...Anyway, can a sub lord break a pact without the Prime Lord around?

[zavie]

How come we have a pact without Lailah around?

[ Besides, she's the only one who can really command him. Sorey might be their Shepherd, but Lailah is the Prime Lord; he's subservient to her, technically, and bound to her will. It's part of the trust of the relationship, of choosing to become a Sub Lord, and it's also his choice whether or not to stay or go... Somewhere in there.

He can't imagine Lailah forcing him to stay if he really wanted to break the pact.

Shaking his head, Zaveid tries to act nonchalant instead, waving a hand. ]

I was only a stand-in for old Dezel anyway. Too much of one element isn't going to do him any good, is it?

[nerdeology]

Don't ask me, I know the least about the pacts out of all of us.

[No one ever answers his damn questions about it, either. Edna's right- oaths really are just trouble.]

I doubt multiple elements are bad for anyone, any more than multiple seraphim would be. Keep an eye on him, if you're worried, but don't go breaking the pact with no way to restore it later if it's needed. This place has enough malevolence that even you might be glad to have a vessel.

[He knows Zaveid's done plenty of exploring on his own without becoming a hellion, but things work differently here. There's no shame in playing it safe.]

[zavie]

I keep forgetting you and Sorey are newbies at this. You've been kind of thrust into the deep end, huh?

[ And Lailah doesn't make it easy with her Oath. There are some things Zaveid can answer, of course, but if there's a good reason not to talk about it... Well, at least they all knew why he was there with them.

The thing is... Having a pact at the same time as Dezel was never what he wanted or intended. He still feels awkward and uncomfortable with it, but he puts his hands on his hips and leans forward to look at Mikleo properly before his lips curve into a smile. ]

All right, fine. I'll stick around, just for you, Mikleo, since you're so worried about me. I'm swooning.

[nerdeology]

I'm not-- don't put words in my mouth! I just don't want to have to deal with a hellionized version of you. Sorey's got enough to worry about, and the power of purification doesn't work that well without Lailah here with us.

[Which makes sense, but it's still irritating. And if he was worrying about Zaveid, he's sure as hell not going to admit it.]

what a tsundere (still me, better account B])

[airily]

Hey! I was alone for a hell of a long time, Mikleo. There's no chance of me becoming a hellion.

[ He's almost offended by it, and all of his body pulls back and away from Mikleo as he turns to look in the other direction. ]

I fight the hellions, I don't join 'em.

how dare

[nerdeology]

[Wow, he managed to offend Zaveid? File that one away for future reference. Should he feel bad or just be glad to lose the extra weight?

He'll just. Fix his hair.]

I doubt you're the first person to say something like that. But even if you're confident that won't happen, you'd still be giving up a lot of power, and you don't have that weapon anymore. It would be reckless to cripple your abilities like that.

i know i'm the worst

[airily]

Me? Reckless?

[ He says it as a joke but they both know the truth, and he shoves his hands back down to hang around his trousers before he glares off into the distance, frowning to himself. It's obvious that he's frustrated, he just can't quite put into words why all this is getting to him so damn much. ]

Hey, Mikleo. Is he happy?

[nerdeology]

...Happy? Remember who we're talking about here.

[He's probably the wrong person to ask- his conversations with Dezel tend to be more serious than jovial. Sorey would know better.]

He smiles more than he used to. I want to believe that things are better for him, at least a little.

[He'd be happier if Rose was here instead, but there's nothing they can do about that.]

[airily]

He can be happy sometimes, you know.

[ But, you know. He doesn't think anyone but Sorey really knows how he and Dezel know each other - not even Dezel is aware, and that's an ache all of it's own.

Still, at least... At least he's smiling. ]

It's about time he stopped being so damn grumpy.

[ With is, of course, Zaveid's way of saying he's glad about it. ]

[nerdeology]

[Saying he can be happy versus whether he is happy are two different things, but Mikleo's not about to kick a fuss about it. He can recognize the progress, and it isn't zero. That's really what matters.]

Did you know Dezel before? He never said anything, but it always seemed like there was something more between you two.

[airily]

[ He's had to learn to take what he can get when it comes to Dezel, and this, tied up with what Sorey told him - well, it has to be enough, doesn't it? ]

Sure did. I knew him when he was just a little guy. [ He shrugs, arms held out to each side. ] Not that he remembers.

[nerdeology]

[Makes sense. He wonders what that was like, but it doesn't really feel right to know before Dezel does.]

He really did forget everything...

[Thrown everything away for revenge. It's such a strange thing- does he even remember what he's avenging?]

[airily]

Sometimes you need to forget everything to make the bad stuff go away.

[ It's not something that he can really express; he's lived a long time. He knows pain and he knows happiness, too. ]

At least he's doing okay here, right?

[nerdeology]

[He'd heard something like that from the older seraphim he'd met, both in Elysia and during their travels- how sometimes it's easy to forget, particularly for those who live so much longer. Memories tend to fade or vanish entirely because it's just too much to bear otherwise. A seraph can fall asleep and wake up in a hundred years, and not miss a thing. For someone who's only lived a tiny fragment of his lifespan's potential, it's hard to imagine. If he did that, he'd sleep Sorey's entire life away. Growing up with a human has skewed his perspective somewhat.

But Dezel's not even that old. To lose that much is incredibly daunting.]

I think so, yeah. It's a different vibe around him, these days.

[And he's actually, you know, letting them in. It's kind of mind-blowing.]

...Zaveid, are you going to tell him?

[airily]

[ Zaveid never forgets that a seraph like Mikleo has no idea about what it means to live as long as he knows they can; he feels ancient, now, too old for his life and his mannerisms but not likely to give them up, either. Mostly, it seems like how he acts and what he does is a mechanism for defence; it means that people don't look beyond the surface of what they see, they don't try to push further because they see how he acts and how he plays around and accept that it must be just how he is, as a person.

Most people forget that he's older than many of the seraph they've men on their journey and he's done his best not to forget too much. No, he has to keep hold of it otherwise he'd lose himself - and he still has a handful of vendettas to complete. They're not going anywhere, no matter where he is. ]

That's good. Probably good to get him away from it all anyway.

[ ... And then he tenses. He frowns, for a moment, before he turns his head away, deliberately. ]

Nah. If he's forgotten then it's for a good reason. No need for me to come along and make it worse for him, is there? He'd try and kick my ass.

[nerdeology]

That's not true! ...Okay, the last part might be, but- you should at least let him choose! I'm sure there must be some memories he wants to get back, and it may be that he just needs a reminder!

[He can imagine Dezel would be irritated if the others knew more about his own life than he did. And it seems like the only memories he's gotten back are the ones Symonne had dragged out of him. Wouldn't it be better to let him decide for himself?]