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repeter2018-01-17 08:44 pm
recollecters) wrote in repeter2018-01-17 08:44 pm
Entry tags:
JANUARY 2018 TDM
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JANUARY TEST DRIVE The city of Recollé... What do you mean the city's behaving for once? I. The large opaque dome enveloping the entire city continues to stand tall and firm, though this may be the first time you've noticed the dome itself rather than believe it's simply an eclipse effect. Faintly reflective in appearance but blocking the outside world, the dome still allows the warmth of the weak winter sunlight to seep through. It isn't hard to breathe, and the flora and fauna seem to be responding just as naturally as always. But the city of Recollé is pitch black except for the light citizens shine themselves. The dome stretches incredibly high over the city, but anyone who can get close enough to it will find that they can briefly see themselves in the surface. Upon touching the dome, it appears to be smooth and almost rubbery in texture despite a shell-like shield appearance. Soundproof and unable to provide clues to what's happening outside of the city the dome is also harmless for those who wish to touch it and examine it, causing it to bounce a few times under light impact. However, do be careful not to trigger its defense mode! Should anyone attempt to damage the dome itself, it will light up with a bright, sickening blue color for three seconds before delivering a shock to its attacker and rendering them unconscious for an hour. Perhaps you'll get lucky and you'll only deal with the too-hot-to-touch surface that self-activates when the dome is threatened, or the spikes that appear at the source of impact. The dome seems to have a temperament of its own. It may be best to treat it the way you want to be treated. II. Going about your normal day, the darkness seems endless aside from whatever light can be shed via flashlights, cell phones and interior lights inside buildings. However, as you wander the streets of the city, under your feet a swirl of yellow light appears before darting ahead, bouncing and bobbing its way over snow and concrete to create a clear path for you. It's a little convenient to have a guide to follow, but you're not the only one. Others around you are following their own lights and they all seem to gather right at the entrance of the old subway station. Perpetually under construction for as long as you can remember, the station appears to be wide open for anyone who ventures in. The light will guide you for roughly twenty-five feet before it dies down again. You're allowed to turn back, of course. There's nothing stopping you...except for the vine that suddenly snakes along the ground and wraps around your ankle, hooking onto you and beginning to drag you further into the tunnels. Now would be a good time to start calling for help. III. Back in the city itself, it's hard to say who, exactly, is to blame for the first hit. People are minding their own business and moving on as if everything is perfectly natural as usual. However, in addition to the hustle and bustle small barrels appear on every street corner with an assortment of colored guns. The moment you step up to investigate one of these barrels it becomes a little more clear what, exactly, is happening here. A bright red, green, or blue dot appears on your skin as the laser light hones in on you. Someone's decided to make you their next target in a city-wide game of laser tag and you have precisely ten seconds to run. For anyone tagged by the guns, a confetti-effect of red green and blue dots will appear all over you lasting for up to fifteen minutes before you're back in the game. Will you grab your weapons and join the game? Or will you dodge as long as you can? IV. As the evening sets in, there's a smell in the air. It's not the usual winter-y scent of peppermint or warm soup or anything like that. No, you soon realize that the smell is buttered popcorn and now instead of the barrels of laser tag guns there are carts containing popcorn machines, bottles of soda, candy and more. These carts don't move and they do not seem to be manned by anybody so feel free to take as much as you'd like! At precisely 7pm, the street lights dim a little and the dome above you starts to...glow? It glows and a picture stretches all the way across the sky as a movie begins to play for your enjoyment. Maybe it's the first of the Galaxy Fights series, or it could be that crazy archaeologist turned fortune-hunter Kentucky Smith. The movies will rotate one after the other for the rest of the evening until 7am when the street lamps come on, but for now grab some blankets and a good seat. There's always time for a movie with some friends. BONUS. Of course communication to people outside of the city is still out of the question. Of course it is. There are absolutely no signs of that changing anytime soon no matter how many times you call or text or email. Snail mail is nearly impossible and don't even think about videochatting. On the other hand, it seems as though the powerlines above are beginning to spark, pulsing in patterns of a bright blue color visible to the naked eye. What's up with that? Trying to get a closer look will only reveal a thick, crackling sort of energy that is surely not dangerous in the slightest and is nothing to worry about. The energy won't leave the powerlines at all, but instead the next time you use your phone for anything a song activates instead. It's loud and it can't be shut down, but once it ends you may find yourself in a video chat with a fellow Retrospec user. Say hi! Welcome to the recolle test drive meme! All characters will be begin in-game AU'd as Recollé residents. You may use any of the above prompts for ideas or make up your own depicting your Recollé AU! Prompts do not have to be set in the districts listed above. You can review our list of locations for what's available. Please note that TDM threads can be used as samples, can be kept as game canon, and can also be used for bonus points for future item regains. Share a few minor details of your AU, tag around, and have fun!
For current players, please remember that TDM threads can only be used for bonus points, not regains. Please note: you will need a reserve to apply, and current characters must have full AC posted at the time of their reservation. Your January TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here! |
III HELLO
He-- [ he wants to be annoyed, he wants to just put up with that, but when the facetime app clicks to life, nazuna's left frozen, his mouth hanging open just a little, staring with huge, round pink eyes at a face he hasn't seen since he was twelve. ]
K- [ his voice fails him, as usual, just for the first moment as he registers. kuro kiryu. he doesn't look exactly the same (his hair is red?! he has--is that a piercing?!) but nazuna would recognize his face anywhere. kuro was nazuna's first and only friend when he was still working in show business, the first person he met by himself and met up with by himself, the architect of almost every misdeed he ever got into (none of which he regretted) and the person who nazuna had to ignore. he still has every single birthday text saved on his old phone, four years of received and read, four years of utter silence. he was sure kuro hated him--nazuna couldn't blame him--and now, retrospec, in a twist of fate, brings them together.
he inhales, but the surprise on his face is still present, and his voice is little as he manages: ] Kurochin?
[ he's in his pajamas. there are two barrettes with hearts on the ends clipping the long piece of his hair out of his face. this is not how this was supposed to go. ]
LEGGY
It's still him. Still sounds like him, still looks like him, still is him. His eyebrows twitch up suddenly as it really hits him that he's looking at the childhood friend that was stolen so very suddenly from him, despite his best efforts to steal him, himself, to make sure that he could actually live out his childhood that was being kept from him.
Nazuna's old number is still in his phone, even if he's gotten replacements over the past four years. Kuro just hasn't had the heart to delete it, to leave it out of the contacts updates when he got a new phone. He hasn't texted it in years, sure, but he still has it. ]
Nichan. [ There's something hopelessly endearing about the barrettes and his pajamas, honestly. His face breaks out into a lopsided, boyish grin, much like the ones he offered when he had to help him down from his window late at night. ]
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nichan. now that's nostalgic. it brings back memories, of a smaller, flightier nazuna staring out of his window late at night, gently provoked into climbing down to the side of his parent's house to sneak out to the mall or the zoo or whatever trip kuro came up with that time. he thought about him constantly over the past four years, mind drifting every now and then to how he might be doing, if he fell in like a bad crowd like he'd worried.
he's fine. he's there, and he's smiling, ear to ear, and nazuna feels the dull thunk of cupid's arrow hit him directly in the chest.
(not again.)
but he ends up smiling, too. it starts out a little slow, spreading over his face, and then he gasps a little, covering his mouth with his free hand, hiding the way his entire face lit up. ] Kurochin, when did you--how did you--you've got Retroshpec, how long've yew had Retroshpec, I would've--you've shanged your hair--
[ BABBLES ]
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He's definitely thought about him; scrolling through his phone, seeing a new child star debut on TV, any time he's gone to the zoo or some late night movie that he could've snuck into at the age of thirteen with a smaller, younger boy that could hide in his shadow.
It looks a little like Nazuna could still hide in his shadow, though. ]
Ah, just now? Ish. [ He still covers his mouth like that... and that slurring stutter...
But the comment about his hair leads to Kuro reaching up to take his beanie off so he can see it all, a little disheveled despite the fact he'd had it styled before. The red is stark, made all the more bright by the natural black that he's left throughout it. ] You changed yours, too, though. It looks good.
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god. god!! he keeps his hand over his mouth just a little bit, watching him release this cascade of bright red hair, and his eyes widen, surprised. everything about this situation is surprising, and it feels sort of refreshing to focus on something so little like his hair.
not the fact that he compliments him, too. not the fact that he has this immediate and pressing urge to ask where are you or can i see you or something else irresponsible and embarrassing and that he doesn't really want to blurt out. nazuna's cheeks color, a little pink, and he shakes his head. ] Not like you!
[ he also really wants to ask about what he's pretty sure is an ear piercing, but he can't stop smiling long enough to let all of the stupid questions out of his mouth. kuro is a breath of fresh air. he always has been, he always will be. ] You, itsh--
[ breathe. ] ...it's really, really, really good to see you, Kurochin.[ he sounds a little watery, even, just for a second. ]
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He looks good. He looks happy. His eyes might be bright goddamn pink - wild, more wild than his red hair - but there's a light there that wasn't before, not unless he instigated it. And here it is, all on its own.
He's so happy for him, even if that bittersweet feeling is there again in a way, tinged by guilt. All of this happened, and he missed it. He missed all of it because he didn't do more to try and stay in his life, to try and help him, and then he fell further into something that would make Nazuna balk in a good damn second if he knew. ]
Yeah, maybe not. [ It makes him laugh again, and he drops his hand, finally. With his hair fixed, his hat off - there's more than just one ear piercing, now.
And there's something more important.
Kuro says the first thing that really popped into his head, from the moment Nazuna spoke: ] It's good to hear you, Nichan - well, Nito, now, I guess.
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nazuna has his words, now. he has a chance to fix things, to learn everything about kuro that he missed, why he looks that way, how he's doing. he can do whatever he wants to do, because there's no one controlling his strings, making him move like a pretty puppet instead of a human being. his life is happier, but seeing kuro still brings him that same, childlike joy, a candle lit in his chest.
that warm smile stays on his face, and nazuna reaches up to rub his eyes, trying to keep himself from crying. it's relieved maybe, happy definitely, and he sniffs, laughing a little. ] You can still call me that, if you wanna. [ "niichan" isn't so far off, after all. ]
We should--you're here, right? You're in town? [ and there's a little bit of hope, there, because he goes ahead and gives right into that want. they could talk on the phone like this for hours (did, when they were younger) but kuro often appeared at his window, and he's finding it's that he wants the most. ]
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[ It's so - surreal, to be talking to him again. He can't help but laugh a little again, watching Nazuna rub at his eyes. There isn't anything mocking or mean about it, but he kind of... gets it, really. All of this is a lot to take in, and they've both so obviously changed while parts of them remained the same. He wants to know what those changes are, and wants to know what it is that made Nazuna Nito so happy and free like this.
But Kuro tilts his head, thoughtful, considering, before he just gives a little nod in response to the question at first. ] Yeah. [ I never left. ] Yeah, I'm here. That mean you're..?
[ You're here. You're in town. That means that Nazuna is here still, right? That they can see each other like they used to? They must be able to, because there's no way to get out of the city with the giant black dome closing them off from the outside world. And he hasn't been able to make calls out, get mail out, anything. How else could he talk to Nazuna, if he were out there..? ]
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kuro was nazuna's normalcy. he was the one semblance he had of a childhood like everyone else, full of movies and zoo trips and a silly, preteen crush, where all he wanted to do was hold his hand. to think he's been here this whole time...
well. he's not going to let the chance slip away. not now. fortune favors the bold, and nazuna nito has been a wallflower for too long in his life. ] ...there's an, um. An ice cream place on campus that's open until 2 AM. If you're not busy.
[ the last part is pathetic, and he knows it is. he's sure kuro can probably hear the please don't be busy, but he has to give him an out: nazuna wouldn't blame him for never wanting to see him again. ]
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And there'd be understanding. Kuro knows there would be. It's Nazuna, and before everything had gone to shit for both of them he'd done nothing but talk about his karate classes, his family, and Nazuna Nito. That was his friend, the person he looked out for, the one he wanted to spend all his time with. ]
Ice cream in winter, huh? [ A little bit of a teasing tone slips into his voice, and the smile on his face turns into a crooked grin. But there's no heat, and again nothing mean, because - yeah. He can hear it. And he's pretty sure that Nazuna can see through him, too, the way his entire expression warms around the edges, the way he perks up as he pulls his hat back on. ] You down at Rec U? I can meet you there.
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...even if he brings up a fair point, but: ] Ice cream's always good, Kurochin. [ the weather doesn't matter a bit! he plays into the banter, easy and fond, and starts to get up on his end as well, though he seems to hesitate in hanging up the phone. like it won't be real.
dumb grin softening a little, he nods, offering the address to the dorm. ] Just text me when you come and I'll meet you downstairs. [ there's a long pause, like he's floundering to keep him on the phone, and then nazuna realizes himself (this all plays out on his face, from distracted to wide eyed and flustered to shaking his head) and gives him a sheepish grin. ] See you soon.
[ for real, this time. he hangs up the phone, leans against his wall for a second to compose himself properly... and then scurries off to change into something not printed with music notes. ]
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He pushes that aside. ] If you say so, I'll believe you. [ And he makes note of the address. He's never been there, of course, but he does know where it is. It won't be hard to find. He'll just have to get going, now. It's too cold out for him to take his bike, so it's been in storage, to make sure that it doesn't suffer from the elements or someone messing with it. The walk'll be worth it, though. ]
Since I got your number now - yeah, I'll shoot you a text. [ And when Nazuna hangs up, he sends a text back home so that they know where he's going to be now that he's not going to be coming back right away. The second he does, Kuro gets moving, maybe a little more briskly than he normally would. Since he's already out, it doesn't even take very long for him to get to the campus.
So Nazuna gets a text that he's there. ]
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there's so much adrenaline running through his veins nazuna feels a little giggly. he's not sure if he wants to smile or puke--there's no reason he should be nervous, but nazuna can't help it. he basically ghosted him. there's a tiny, self-conscious part of him that's amazed he even stayed on the phone.
but, there's not much room for negativity, not right now. when his phone goes off, nazuna scurries to his door--then freezes, turns around, pulls the barrettes out of his bangs and makes his way downstairs. he's only on the second floor, so it's a quick jaunt, and he stops himself from straight up running the last few steps, then steps in.
and, there he is. and there he is. kuro kiryu. nazuna's left staring at him for a moment, just like he had on the phone, because-- ] Kuroshin, you gotsho--big!
[ clearly, he's a little flustered, considering his dumb voice fails him, but surprised or not, his cheeks are pink and nazuna's starting to light up. ]
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He doesn't bother with his phone after he shoots him the text. Instead, he pops it into his jacket pocket and pulls his hat off again, contemplative and a little jittery in the pit of his chest. It doesn't show on his face, really, but his fingers flex in nervous fists in his jacket pockets as he rocks back and forth on his heels like he's fourteen all over again.
And then he hears someone coming down the stairs, and Kuro turns to look towards them, perking up. Seeing Nazuna is - surreal, really. Almost nothing has changed about him, physically. His hair, sure, and his odd eyes, but he's not any taller, his build isn't really any different. But his eyes are lit up, and that long hair is long gone, kept to one, uneven side.
It looks great. Nazuna looks great.
That comment surprises a bark of a laugh out of him, though, sudden and deep from his chest as he ducks his head down - body following it a little, out of habit - as if he's actually embarrassed. He isn't, but it's a good chance to compose himself. ]
It's not like I had any control over it, y'know! Not vertically, anyways.
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[ the kuro nazuna remembers was a stringbean, dark haired preteen with a bike, who got into all kinds of trouble--who he met because his "gang" (if you can call a group of 13 year olds that, though they were scary to nazuna) took an interest in nazuna when he was crossing the street. he'd apologized for them, and the two of them had hit it off from there. in a time when nazuna didn't know what friendship was really like, kuro found him and led him there by the hand, even if it involved a little breaking and entering every now and then. it had been fun, the kind of experience that made him feel things, something he was starting to learn how to turn off.
and now this kuro's standing in front of him. he's still the same person, that much is clear, he's right: it's surreal. he wants to reach out and touch him to make sure he's real, wants to pinch himself, wants to say a thousand things (i'm so sorry being number one) but for now all he can do is bite his lower lip, brimming a little with energy.
he might cry. he's going to do his damndest not to, though, focusing instead on the smile that's making his cheeks hurt. ] It's--you look amazing. [ ???? ] Thatsh, I mean--you know, you--whatever, y'know what I mean!
[ his cheeks color because he said something stupid, as usual, and nazuna tries to wave it off, pretty much failing at looking like anything but a stuttering moron. ]
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Yeah, he's put on a lot of goddamn weight since the last time they saw each other. Sure, he was still growing when they were friends, shot up a few inches every now and then, much to Nazuna's chagrin, but it was never this much. He's a full goddamn foot taller than Nazuna, and he doesn't need to be closer to him to know it. He's also got to be - god, he has to be a good sixty pounds heavier than him, at least.
The peculiar thought to pull out any old selfie of them, somewhere, wherever it might be hiding, comes to mind. That'd really complete the surreal moment, as he thinks about it. Someone that his "friends" had thought was a petite girl, fighty as hell even when he didn't talk much, and this dark-haired punk that rode him around everywhere on the back of his bike without helmets down hills until he could get Nazuna squealing into laughter. ]
I get it, yeah. [ He wants to laugh more. Instead, Kuro just grins big at him, something warm building stronger into his chest. ] But you do, too. You look - you look real good.
[ You look happy. You look like you're where you want to be. ]
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he wants to hug him.
vibrating a little, nazuna nods, once, then twice, his bangs bouncing a little with the force of the motion. kuro's real in front of him, and he's never even allowed himself to think about this moment before this. about the apologies he'd like to say, about how he missed him and thought about him all the time. there are a thousand things he could say, and now, nazuna nito has the voice to say it.
he has more than a voice, though, now. nazuna's warm with the realization, with the brimming happiness of knowing a relationship he thought was ruined might still have a breath of a chance. so, he takes a step forward, and then another, and then abruptly makes his decision: he closes the space between them a little quicker than a walk, then lifts his arms to throw them around his chest in a hug. ]
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He fought, still, but not for that. It might've had the ulterior, goodhearted purpose of helping maintain his family, the weight of it all resting on his shoulders, but - the road to hell is paved in good intentions, and all that.
Someone like Nazuna didn't need more hell in his life.
But he suddenly goes from a bouncing nod, a beatific smile, to closing the chasm he thought could only get wider. There's a small oof, but the impact doesn't really faze him much. What really packs a punch is the intent, the warmth, of the gesture.
Instead of saying anything, he just folds down over Nazuna, wrapping him up in his arms and squeezing him close, his cheek against the side of his blond head. ]
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but they don't have to be complicated, at least not this second. for right now, nazuna can curl his small fingers in the back of his shirt and hold on tight. it doesn't have to be a long hug, but their talk can come later. he can apologize over ice cream, maybe, and they can stay out just a little too late like they used to, spend just a little time together.
its been almost ten years. there are a thousand things that have changed. nazuna has always been responsible, but with kuro, even when he was younger, he was able to forget that, just for a little while.
slowly, he pulls back, just a little, enough to tilt his head up to look at him properly. that smile hasn't faded even an inch, and nazuna feels that same giddy, airy feeling he felt the first time they took off down a hill on kuro's bike. ]
C'mon, c'mon, let's go! You made me start craving ice cream, and I'm hungry ~ ♫ [ teasing, light laughter, as nazuna ducks out of his arms--but he doesn't stay far away. the heavy i miss yous, the i'm sorry's... they can wait, just for a little longer. ]
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He remembers the last time they went out, Kuro helping Nazuna climb out of his window so they could sneak off to that scary movie. It'd been entirely intentional on his part, because he'd known that Nazuna would react the way he did. Sneaky and underhanded, sure, but it'd been nice, having him holding so tightly to him and squeaking. Shoving him.
The feeling is there again, in a way. Kuro tightens his arms for a moment, before Nazuna eventually pulls back. At least he's still there, at least he's still real. He's not disappeared on him for a second time. Hell, the first time was something at Kuro knew could happen, with the way that his manager was, what he'd learned. ]
You know where it is, Nito. [ His arms loosen, letting him free, with some measure of reluctance. But he does. There's apologies on the tip of his tongue, too. He'll hold onto them, just as much as he'll hold onto this moment. ] And I wasn't the one that suggested it, y'know?