APRIL TDM

[recollecters]

TEST DRIVE

APRIL TEST DRIVE The city of Recollé. A beautiful city you've called home for quite some time. While things can be a little weird, isn't that true of all homes? It's fully spring now, and there are flowers to be found everywhere. April's showers are a familiarity as well, the occasional downpour or drizzle keeping you on your toes. What will you do today? I. April showers bring May flowers, right? Well, there are already plenty of flowers to be had, but that part of the old rhyme being true doesn't save you from the first part of it. While the weather forecasters do their best, their success rate for predicting the rain seems to be about fifty-fifty. Unfortunately, sometimes when they do predict the rain happening, they misjudge how bad it's going to be. Was the sky was clear when you last looked outside? It may not be quite so clear now. Hope you remembered to bring an umbrella today. But it's not so bad, really! Maybe if you forgot to prepare, someone will share their umbrella with you. Not in the mood to talk to anyone? You can probably find some thrifty umbrella vendors on the streets of Tisse. When in doubt, there are always some loaner umbrellas scattered around in Apprassage at the Recollé Library as well. The library asks that you return any of the mismatched loaners found at the door, but it's not like the system is that strongly enforced. Well, other than the library stamp on the umbrellas, that is. If you find yourself in Chata today, you could always buy a magazine off the street corners to hold overhead. If you look like you may buy something, vendors don't seem to mind if you idle under their awnings. Check out the latest fashions coming this spring while you wait it out. It looks like buckles are in, but some of the high fashion clothes look a little odder than usual. The hot, new dresses range from large like a billowing tarp to appearing more like an artfully arranged handkerchief than anything else. Fashion sure is weird sometimes. II. Recollé Square in Tribunal Terrace boasts a huge assortment of flower gardens scattered throughout the district, though they all appear to be whatever citizens felt like planting at the time. In fact, only flowers in Apprassage seem to match, especially around the University. Today, while the rain's stopped, a large group of people seem to be taking advantage of Recollé Square's mismatching for flower picking, crown and wreath weaving, and bouquet arranging. The activities seem to be loosely led by the city's PTA and some of the other socialite groups from around town. Then again, for long-standing citizens of the city this isn't unusual either. You seem to remember that this is an annual sort of thing even though there isn't actually a name for the event. Some booths are set up around the park to swap seeds, flowers and food for cash or gossip, the guidelines a little more loose outside of the business districts. It seems as though lot of families are picnicking this weekend. There's even some kind of contest going on for the best flower crown - though usually the city tends to collectively pick a kid for the winner, so your best artistic talents might not get you the admiration you crave. In addition, there's the most accurately judged flower-growing contest if you've been waiting for this day for a year or more, but that event tends to have the same people involved every year and the majority of Recollé isn't too heavily invested in it. They're here for the picnics and flower crowns, and it seems about the same as it always does. This year, though, there do seem to be more flowers than ever...and for that matter, they're a lot bigger than usual, too. III. Despite some of the fashion fiascos the magazines are displaying, maybe you should spend some time shopping this week. It may come as a surprise to you that your clothes haven't been fitting properly as of late. Those skinny jeans are just a hair too loose, and your favorite shirt seems baggier than it used to be. The problem, however, is that every shop you go to seems to stock clothes with the same issues. You're down a size or two or three, or maybe they're just marking everything down wrong. And surely you don't have the time or money to replace your entire wardrobe...will you take your chances? Complain to the store's manager? Or maybe you're an unfortunate soul who has to try and explain the unexplainable. Maybe offering a coupon will appease shoppers today. IV. Apparently walking around your neighborhood isn't quite as safe as it used to be - or it isn't safe if you want to trust your eyes. One second the little old lady who lives at the corner appears to be walking her pitbull just as she has every day for the last several years. The next, the pitbull is gone and she's walking a rather angry-looking caterpillar. Blink and you'll miss it, but as time goes on you'll see more and more of these larger-than-life insects wandering around. No matter how hard you try to explain it, the only other people who seem to see this as the least bit weird are people with the Retrospec app. Oh, do you not have the Retrospec app? Think again. The sound of chirping crickets will follow you until the next time you look at your mobile device or a public computer, prompting you to accept a profile and upload a user picture. Congratulations! It seems as though you've been selected to be a new tester! ...it's going to be one of those days. BONUS. While the Retrospec app only infrequently has posts from the company itself - and those have thus far proven to be universally useless - this month there is an onslaught of updates. At least once per day there's a picture of a new type of flower or insect, along with a "fun fact" about whatever the company has posted. Did you know, for example, that wasps feeding on fermenting juice have been known to get "drunk' and pass out? Ancient civilizations burned aster leaves to ward off evil spirits. Ticks can grow from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a marble. Roses are related to apples, raspberries, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears and almonds. Houseflies find sugar with their feet, which are 10 million times more sensitive than human tongues. Praying mantises prey on other insects, and perhaps you'd better watch your step. Wait, what? As usual, any attempt to get the company to reply about the increasingly disturbing information they're sending out is useless. The daily facts grow less and less useful and eventually seem to be nothing but fun facts about how flowers and bugs could kill you or one another. Kind of unfortunate for you, if this is your first time getting any messages whatsoever from the app. How do you unsubscribe? Good luck figuring it out. 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! The April 2017 TDM directory can be found here. The April 2017 Workshop can be found here. The mod questions comment is here.

Comments

Ranmaru Mori | "Rantarō Hayashi" | Samurai Warriors

[honestea]

( Ia )
[Did someone expect the weather to change so suddenly? Well, Rantaro, for one, didn't. And for that reason, he was forced to find a shelter under the roof. What shop is it? A book shop? In that case, he'll be watching the shop window in the meantime. A music store? Let's take a peek and check if there are some Japanese instruments inside. Or maybe it's Flix? This movie about giant robots, it seems interesting.

Well, wherever he's found himself during this rainfall, Rantaro sure doesn't waste time just standing idly.]

( Ib )
[After finding an umbrella, he can finally start walking. Maybe it'd be a better idea to go back home, but it's supposed to be one of these "I need to get to know my neighborhood better" walks, so he doesn't really want to. Nor does he know how to get home from here, so there's that.

During his stroll, once Rantaro notices someone without an umbrella, standing somewhere under one of the roofs and possibly looking nervously at the sky, he's going to approach them.]

May I offer my umbrella?

( II )
[Rantaro's been watching someone making flower crowns for a while already and while it's so different from the flower arrangements he's used to, he'd like to give it a try anyway. He got himself a bunch of white and purple daisies beforehand, now spread on the blanket he's sitting on. Thankfully, making a flower crown doesn't seem to be too difficult, but he can tell it's going to take a little while. If someone's going to approach him, Rantaro won't notice them right away, fully concentrated on the flower stems.]

Excuse me, I didn't see you. This spot is free, so if you'd like to rest here, it's perfectly fine.

( III )
[After spending thirty minutes on picking clothes, Rantaro realizes that his search for something that's not loose or baggy is futile. Could it be the food he's been eating? Or did something happen to his clothes? Whatever the reason, his daily plan has to change slightly—there's a need to squeeze in a venture to a clothes shop, after all.

Once he arrives, it becomes apparent that the solution to his problem isn't as easy to find. Every piece of clothing there is just no good. During his search, he's seen a few ridiculous sweaters, but this one is going to burn into his memory.]

What creature is it? It looks like a cat, but...

[Why yes, he's going to contemplate this particular piece of clothing for a while.]

( Wildcard: tea shop opening )
[The preparations took a whole two months, but the day has finally come. A few days ago, he distributed the last handwritten card which he had made in order to promote the shop. His wrist still stings, but how is he supposed to pay attention to that when there are still so many things to do? Actually, there aren't, the opening day is so important to him that Rantaro's going to check everything for the third time. Surprisingly not, everything is perfectly fine, so everything that is left to do is to wait for the customers to arrive.

And if someone is going to slide the door open and walk inside, they'll be greeted and see Rantaro by their side in a few seconds.]

Welcome to Nihoncha! If there's something I may help you with, please don't hesitate to ask.

( Wilcard: choose your own adventure! )
[Feel free to hit me up with your ideas or send me a PM/PP at koohii and we will work something out! Workshop comment is here.]

1b but also sorta wildcard im just gonna say theyre close enough cr wise to accommodate this

[notbunaga]

[She'd have liked to just go home, but someone took her umbrella, having apparently decided shielding themselves from the rain was worth more than common human decency.

Of course, if there'd been someone else's umbrella for her to take, she'd definitely have taken it herself. Nobu's only a better person than whoever's at fault when she has to be. Otherwise, it's every (wo)man for him(her)self. But she isn't going to get soaked because of someone else, so she did the reasonable thing and...called Rantaro up to come to the store and pick her up with an umbrella instead. Be her personal umbrella boy.

Once he does show up and they step outside, she speaks up.]

Thanks for coming all this way, Ran. I appreciate it. I didn't wanna get soaked just because of some umbrella thief.

perfect ♥

[honestea]

[The call surprised him, but at the same time...it's difficult for Rantaro to describe what he felt back then, but it didn't take him five minutes to put a jacket on, grab his umbrella and close everything.

Getting to the spot, on the other hand, took a while. Even though he ran all the way there.]

It's perfectly fine, I'm glad I can help. And whoever did this should be ashamed of themselves. Where are we heading to, if I may ask?

[There wasn't enough time to ask about the details on the phone, but it didn't bother him back then, and certainly it doesn't bother him now.]

[notbunaga]

Well, truth be told I don't wanna walk all the way home in this weather even with my own personal umbrella boy. You mind if I duck into the tea shop for a bit for shelter once we're there?

[She'll spend some cash too, to make it worth his time, even if she's sure he'd let her stay regardless...]

[honestea]

[While it's embarrassing to be called that, he can't simply bring himself to tell her to stop. It'll be probably the same once he starts keeping her shoes warm since Hideyoshi isn't around.]

Of course not, how could you think that I would mind...I'll make us tea and snacks. I wouldn't forgive myself if I let you go back home with an empty stomach.

[Looking up at the sky, he tries to determine how much longer this weather is going to keep up.]

It doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon, so we'll have plenty of time.

[notbunaga]

[And can you believe she's nicer to him than most other people she knows...]

It's weird, isn't it? The weather definitely said nothing about rain. It said it'd be clear.

And this isn't just a shower, this is insane. They definitely would've noticed this, right?

[honestea]

[Sengoku connects people...even if they don't know it's their era, oops.]

Weird? I'm not sure...I mean, someone could've made a mistake. It's really inconvenient for other people, though. Besides, it's spring. Sometimes the weather becomes unpredictable.

[Speaking of inconveniences, Ran notices that he needs to tilt the umbrella to her side a little in order to make sure Nobu is protected from the rain.]

How was your day, by the way?

[They should arrive at his home soon, so at least they'll have some tea to warm themselves a little.]

[notbunaga]

[Unpredictable, sure...but this doesn't seem like it's "unpredictable" this seems like it's something that couldn't just come in unexpected, out of nowhere.

But you know what? He at least has a point in that there's no sense in overthinking it. Freak shower or not, there're more important things to life.

Like tea.]

What, me? Fine, I guess...I went out to get some dog food for Souji, and then the weather took a turn for the worse. You already know about the umbrella thief.

What about you? Did you get lost in the city again?

[not to be blunt but

yknow]

[honestea]

Doesn't Souji get lonely when you're not around for too long, though?

[He almost freezes upon hearing her question. It's a common courtesy to ask back but he hoped that maybe she'll forget, somehow.]

...

[Does this work as an answer because something is telling me that it does.]

Just twice today. But it wasn't that bad.

iii

[ghostories]

Ah, the elusive felicorn!

[ Yuuko says as she appears out of nowhere.

Well no, she was in between clothes racks trying to find an ugly cat sweater in a size that actually fits. ]

Judging from its silky mane, it looks like this one's the wisest of them all.

[honestea]

[To him, it's like she has appeared out of nowhere anyway and it makes him almost jump up on the spot. Not to mention his bewildered (and amusing) expression.]

Feli...corn?

[It makes sense, how could he not realized that sooner.]

Are you some felicorn expert? It's impressive how you can tell by just looking.

[RAN NO...]

wildcard!!

[accordance]

[ It's hard to refuse an invitation when someone as earnest as Rantaro had pressed it into his hands, so he took it as a sort of promise. Being a doctor and dealing with the recent Retrospec anomalies does take up a lot of time, so he's a little later than he should be. Perhaps the tea shop is already filled with customers - but if that's the case, he'll just wait. ]

Hello. What would you recommend?

[ Lucian is a quiet sort of middle-aged man, dressed quite formally for a casual shop visit, white hair tied in a ponytail so it wouldn't get in the way of anyone. ]

[honestea]

[The moment Lucian walks inside, Rantaro immediately recalls when and where did he give him the card. Not that it's all that important but for some reason, his smile widens a bit.]

My personal favorite happens to be ujicha, but you can taste a variety of teas today and decide which one suits your palate best.

[That said, Ran points to the lacquered table with cushions around it. On top of said table, there are a few clean tea bowls, a traditional kettle and, of course, a selection of teas, each in a separate wooden container. For convenience, on top of each container, there's a small piece of paper informing which kind of tea one might find inside.]

[accordance]

[ It's extremely elaborate for something set up by a young man, and it's something he can appreciate. ]

I shall take that one, then. How is it prepared?

[ He's not an expert but he recalls reading that different teas are picked and roasted at different timings. ]

[honestea]

[He always gives his all when doing things, that's all!

Since there aren't many customers around and they're mostly just walking around looking at the tea accessories and, of course, teas.]

I'll be happy to show you if you have a while of course. The most important thing is the amount of tea leaves you use and the temperature of the water.

[If Lucian agrees to a little demonstration, Rantaro will invite him to the table and take a seat across the table after bringing some water.]

The water should be cooled down to 80 degrees and the general rule is to use 5 grams of tea leaves per person.

[While explaining, he scoops the tea leaves from the container to put them inside the teapot.]

I can write everything down for you later, if you'd like.

[accordance]

[ More kids should be like him. ]

Ah, if you could, that would be great.

[ Drinking Japanese tea seems to be a separate art altogether from British teas. He should learn how to respect it the best he can. ]

Does it matter what sort of water it is? I usually boil mine from the tap.

[honestea]

I wouldn't recommend tap water for these teas, actually. Bottled water will be much, much better, I can attest to that.

[Smiling to himself, he pours the water into the pot.]

If you'd like to see for yourself, we can perform a small experiment.

[If his mother had been here, she would have fainted on the spot, that's for sure.]

[accordance]

[ Okay but he has a water filter!! ]

What sort of bottled water? Would it be mineral or distilled?

III

[wantshappiness]

[Yuuri had to come because the clothes she brought with her when she moved now no longer fit. She had wondered if maybe it had to do with the difference in humidity (don't ask how she came to that conclusion) but either way, it meant she had to go shopping!

She was looking at some clothes nearby when she heard Rantaro and peeked over.

And stared.]

...it looks like a unicorn? {But uunicorns are horses????]

[honestea]

That's what I thought too, but...

[How should he put it. It's not easy to describe what he's seeing in front of his eyes in the first place. A baby of a unicorn and a cat? For a moment he's squinting while trying to imagine it—no, it's time to stop.]

I don't know, it's too big anyway. Like everything else, unfortunately. Are oversized sweaters that popular nowadays?

[wantshappiness]

...it's kind of cute. [Pause.] In a weird sort of way.

[And she's actually being sincere too. Even if it were still weird.]

I don't think so? I mean, the oversized sweater with the sleeves that come down to your fingers does give girls a sort of innocent look, but I don't think this is that kind of sweater...

[honestea]

Oh, maybe you'd like to try it on in that case?

[Offering it after hearing that it's cute in a weird way might not be the best of ideas, but she sounds like she likes it.]

I just couldn't take my eyes off it because of that...thing? [Still not sure how to call this combo.] It's not even my style, I think.

[Actually, he's sure of it.]

[wantshappiness]

...I don't think it's in my size.

[WERE YOU ACTULLY GOING TO TRY IT ON, YUURI?]

The sizes in this store seems to have gotten larger since I was here last time...

[honestea]

[If she really was...the world needs brave people like her! Such a shame that the shop doesn't have the right size.]

What a coincidence...I can't find anything my size as well. Either here or in my wardrobe. I'm not sure what to do, to be honest.

[The only thing left to do is to accept baggy clothes, it seems.]

[wantshappiness]

The same thing happened with my clothes. It's so strange, my clothes fit just fine yesterday...