SPRING TEST DRIVE

[thespaceopera]

THE SPRING TEST DRIVE MEME
(Or Fall 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!:

March's Star System

Game Details

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

Comments

[proweird]

Shipside:

Elena is in no way adjusted to life in space (seriously she flip-flopped between being awed by that and being panicked by it) but she's no longer weirded out by it. Honestly, as weird as her life in general has been, she's not sure why she was ever weirded out in the first place. The only explanation she's got is there was never space.

She spends a great deal of time in the medical ward using both the knowledge the lab augmentation gave her and the knowledge she gained via medical school back home. She loves her job and is incredibly grateful she gets to do it here, but it does take up a lot of her time.

Planetside

After working some overtime in medical, planetside is a welcome change, even if breathing water does take a little bit of getting used to. Once she does become accustomed to it, ever curious, Elena sets out to explore the place. She doesn't stay much of anywhere for long, there's far too much to see. She'll enthusiastically try the new foods and activities, talking to people both natives and ship mates alike. She works hard, but to be cliched, she's learned to play hard as well and she's not about to let new experiences like this pass her by.

shipside!

[stefanged]

Another day on the Fleet, another "sponsored" shipment to unpack. Stefan drops by the medical bay with a giant cardboard box, setting it down and giving Elena an apologetic, if slightly exasperated, look.

"So, one thing I neglected to mention on the big grand tour? Sometimes we get free gifts." He starts, rummaging around the drawers and reaching for a knife to open this box. "They're never anything useful, because that would actually help us out, but it's part of the reality show package."

Carefully, he opens the box and pulls out.... scented candles? The kind that would make the name brands writhe with jealousy at the creative packaging and labeling? Stefan scrunches up his whole face at the first one he sees, holding one giant (pink) candle up towards Elena.

"Case in point: who would ever buy something called Love Potion?"

[proweird]

When she first sees Stefan, it makes her whole face light up with a smile then she sees that exasperated look on his face. "Uh oh..." she breathes quietly, that smile still lingering.

As he explains, she understands his exasperation if not quite the apologetic look on his face. Her smile returns burbling into soft laughter as he explains. "It's all becoming clear now."

Okay, scented candles while not useful don't seem so bad. She likes scented candles in general. Maybe it's a girl thing, but then he holds the candle up and she dips her head to take a deep breath of the scent. It's so overpowering it makes her cough softly.

"Wow...someone who's never had a romantic evening in their life?" she suggest, brows up and scrunched together slightly, a smile teasing at the corners of her lips again.

[stefanged]

"Um, rude." Stefan lets out a huff of a laugh, setting the candle down. "We've had plenty of romantic evenings and not one of 'em involved something this overpowering."

At least, he doesn't remember one involving scented candles. Regular candles, yes. He wasn't above lighting a few for the ambiance. Elena always made him feel like he was invincible - even now.

"If you like it so much, why don't you keep the shipment?"

[proweird]

"Maaaaybe," she draws the word out as she loops her arms around his waist, head tilting up, chin almost resting against his chest, "the reality show is giving us a hint," she teases him. That whole watching thing, most of the time she tries not to think too much about that, about people watching them.

Deference to his extra special sense of smell and she likes that sort of ambiance. Of course, it's not something she really needs (has anyone actually looked at Stefan, seriously; ambiance is an added bonus).

"Awwww, I'll light it when you come over," she teases him.

[stefanged]

"A pretty strong hint," he has to admit, wrinkling his nose at her as he rests his arms around her neck.

He doesn't often think about his so-called reality audience. Two whole years, and he still hasn't found a single camera on board. If they're there (they have to be!), they've long since evaded his perception.

"You wouldn't," he mock groans, swaying a little to an imaginary beat. "Elenaaaa, and I almost had the memory of that out of my brain."

Now it'll haunt him forever, like the ghost of failed romances past.

[proweird]

"I used to watch reality TV with Caroline. Subtle isn't in the script," she informs him. She tilts her head slightly to one side so that her cheek rests against his forearm.

She hasn't been here long enough yet to give up on the idea of looking for cameras, but she does know that if they're there, they're not easy to find.

She can't help but laugh at his mock distress. She sways with him as she laughs. "Why would I ever let that happen? You've clearly forgotten the kind of woman you're dealing with."

[stefanged]

At least someone's enjoying all of his pretend misery. Truth is, Stefan's found it pretty hard to brood in Elena's presence. He can force it all he wants, but the edges of his eyes crinkle when he tries - and he's not as good of an actor as he used to be.

"I wouldn't say forgotten so much as... okay, it's selective amnesia," he admits, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice as he looks at her. Stefan's told her about his amnesia this time: how he has two sets of memories rattling around in his head, and how much he tries to reconcile them with one another. (His fault for mucking around in another dimension, he supposes.) With anyone else, he would find it hard to make light of the situation. With her, it becomes almost second-nature.

"If that's the price I'll have to pay, I'll do it. I'll light every single one of 'em and deal."

[proweird]

That's what she's here for. Honestly, she'd be worried about the status of their relationship if he found it easy to brood in her presence. Pretend brooding, he's welcome to do as much of that as he likes.

"Welcome to a time honored tradition among humans," she jokes with him. Yeah, she remembers that and it's not as hard to wrap her mind around as she'd thought it would be. With all the experience she's got with vampires and weirdness and compelling, she figures it's not that much different. Making light of situations is also a time honored tradition. It's really the only way she'd managed to survive Mystic Falls at all.

"Awww, my knight in shining armor," she tells him, going up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.

[stefanged]

He grins into that kiss, resting his forehead lightly against hers.

"I think I should be calling you that. After all, you're the one who came and saved me," he murmurs, closing his eyes. Stefan knows this is real, but part of him always frets that he'll wake up one morning and see an empty lab (or worse, an empty bed).

As much as he's come to appreciate his life on the Fleet, Elena's presence made it whole in a way that not much else had. Letting go only reluctantly, he turns back towards the box and motions for her to help him finish.

"Which, by the way, makes me hope that the saving extends to the rest of these uh... 'special' gifts?"

[proweird]

She is vaguely aware that they're diabetic sappy, something resembling every romantic movie ever made. She really doesn't care. It's been such a long road for them to get here to this blissful point and they've gone through so much. They deserve this, Elena thinks.

"I'll get some armor," she tells him. "We can both wear it." Sometimes, Elena worries about the same thing; she worries that she hasn't really woken up, that she's still in some magical sleep while everyone she loves lives out their lives without her.

This isn't where she thought she'd end in up. In fact, this isn't a place that she could ever even imagine, but she's happy here. She stays close, but turns with him toward the box.

She gives him a wide -eyed, suspicious look. "Stefan...that sounds a little...Caroline made me read Fifty Shades of Grey. Tell me this is not a re-enactment of that."

[stefanged]

There's a long moment of silence as Stefan returns that skeptical look and tries to process what he just heard. Caroline made her read - no, really, Care made her read what?

(Note to future self: make sure Elena has way better access to porn, because 50 Shades was terrible. Not anywhere near as bad as Icha Icha Paradise, but. Still up there.)

"Okay, first off - Care has terrible taste in literature, and second, no. Not even remotely close. That's just uh, the nicest thing I could think to say." He laughs, pulling out a few more candles. They're labeled Kraken Dreams, Mana Potion, Chai Latte, and... drumroll... Freedom.

Freedom even comes wrapped in a miniature American flag. Stefan doesn't even try to unravel it.

"What do you think we should do with these?"

[proweird]

So she'd have someone to discuss it with. It's what best friends do, Stefan.

(Okay, to be fair, it was her first real brush with porn. She's experimented a little more with it since then, but she wouldn't say she's an expert and what does he expect from something that sounds like itchy itchy paradise? It sounds like a horrible weekend at the lake when she'd lost the fight with mosquitoes and had spent the rest of the weekend covered in calamine lotion.)

"I wouldn't call that literature but..." When he pulls out more candles, Elena actually blushes because she'd assumed he'd meant more romantic props as opposed to...more candles.

"I...might take the chai latte off your hands." She leans in to take a sniff of the kraken dreams and makes a face. "That one we should throw away. It smells like rotten fish and salt water."

[stefanged]

"I was gonna say despair," he admits, pressing his lips together as he looks at Kraken Dreams. "But you know what? That's probably a more accurate description."

Of all the weird sponsored junk Stefan's gotten, this is the worst. He remembers the knock-off stuffed animals with wonky eyes; he remembers the bright red t-shirts; and he especially remembers the pear & pomegranate hair gel. (He smelled like fruit for weeks.)

"Unfortunately? I think we've got eight more boxes to throw out the airlock. Our sponsors are uh, incredibly generous with their garbage."

[proweird]

"Despair isn't a bad way to encapsulate it," she agrees. "It's just more a more literal one. Yours is the mood I think it would inspire by lighting it. Maybe we should save them and give them to anyone we don't like. You know, if Elijah or Klaus or Katherine were to pop in." She glances around like saying their names might actually invoke them.

T-shirts might not be bad and at least the hair gel is useful and doesn't smell like despair. She's still getting used to the idea of the sponsored junk and is a little intrigued and, dare she say, excited about it.

She gives him a look that is equal parts confused and surprised because why would anyone need eight boxes of candles. "Maybe we can keep a couple of them, make sure to display them prominently and pawn the others off on people who like despair and freedom?"

Only she's not sure who those people would be and if they came to her for a professional opinion, she'd recommend a therapist.

[stefanged]

"It could be part of the welcoming package. Welcome to the Fleet, here's your year's supply of crappy candles."

Stefan nods in agreement. This is a foolproof, perfect plan, and absolutely nothing wrong would happen if they hand-delivered terrible candles to their worst enemies. Sure, he doesn't remember half of their battles, but he sure doesn't think they were pleasant.

"Also, uh, sorry if you were planning on getting any actual work done. I don't think that's happening anymore."

[proweird]

"I like the way you think, Salvatore," she grins. Of course, she'll feel a little guilty pawning these things off on new arrivals, but maybe someone somewhere will like them.

Of course not! Elena doesn't believe that in the least, but it's fun to talk about it and no, they weren't pleasant battles.

She tilts her head to the side, considering him a moment. "Hmmm, I could suggest that you're horrible for my work ethic," she tells him, leaning in to press her lips against his neck, "but I got the bulk of my work done this morning." She pulls back to look up at him again. "You're free to distract and corrupt."

[stefanged]

"Unfortunately," he begins, only to laugh at the kiss, "I haven't finished the bulk of mine."

Who's distracting who now? Stefan's started to notice these tiny, little differences since Elena transferred - and while he doesn't mind the company, his work's fallen entirely to the wayside. (How bothersome. On the other hand, he suspects he's turning into Caroline, with how many obligations he fulfills in a single day.)

"So I can only corrupt you for... oh, half an hour?" He says, reaching out for her wrist and lightly wrapping a hand around it. "Take it or leave it, Dr. Gilbert."

[proweird]

Elena hums a little and sing-songs under her breath slaaaaacker then smiles sweetly at Stefan.

Distracting Stefan is definitely a weekly goal, at least. She delights in it and she may be a grown woman with a medical degree, but she will always be a seventeen year old girl when it comes to Stefan. (Caroline being Caroline looks much better on Caroline, that sentence totally makes sense.)

"Hmmm, I guess if that's the best you can do, I'll have to take it." She shoves at his chest a little. "Exam room three, Mr. Salvatore."

[stefanged]

He rolls his eyes a little at the Mr. - he's halfway through earning a MD too! - but he turns around, leading her towards one of their broom closets for their impromptu 'examination.'

"You got it." He's practically humming like a bird as he holds the door open for them, and while he knows that he really shouldn't cave into his desire - he also knows that their time here is limited. Might as well make the best of it.