NOVEMBER TDM

[recollecters]

TEST DRIVE

NOVEMBER TEST DRIVE The city of Recollé... What do you mean the city's behaving for once? I. The Mayor's growing desperate with Thanksgiving right around the corner as those gosh darn turkeys continue to elude him. The birds that escaped at the beginning of the month continue to wreak havoc over the city as they mingle with the crowds and lay their golden eggs in less than convenient places. However, with the clock counting down to Turkey Day, the birds appear to be a little more aggressive. You may find yourself actively chased out of a shop or your classroom by one of these wild birds gobbling angrily all the way. Perhaps a bird is nesting in the middle of the sidewalk forcing you to take a new path. Or perhaps you've come across one of their golden eggs, but be careful! It doesn't take more than a gentle touch now for these eggs to explode, showering anyone nearby with surprises such as candy, shaving cream, mud, bugs, plastic cars, crayons or other small tokens. Will you attempt to catch the birds to turn them into city hall for the $50 reward? Or are you too busy running around to avoid them? II. Even with the turkeys on rampage, that doesn't damper the holiday season. Citizens from all over the city are preparing for the festivities of the month. Over at Tribunal Terrace several members from various volunteer groups and the Community Center are organizing their small annual Thanksgiving day parade that kicks off the city's potluck dinner. Grocery stores are swamped with shoppers picking up last-minute supplies for their big meals and you may find yourself fighting for that last jar of gravy. Over at the community theater, children prepare for their Thanksgiving pageant and it's a flurry of activity from costumes to rehearsals to last-minute stage preparation before the big day. There's plenty of work to be done whether you're acting in the pageant or working on-set. The theater will need as many volunteers as possible to pull this show off. Granted, there are plenty of things to go wrong in the chaos. One of the parade floats begins to drift away from Tribunal Terrace and rolls down the street on its own leaving volunteers to chase after it and fight off an onslaught of turkeys. Lights blow out in the theater and some wiring and set pieces need to be repaired. And did that person's grocery cart of food just hit your car? Good luck. Are you prepared for your celebrations and willing to help your fellow neighbor? Or are you a last-minute straggler left high and dry? III. Earlier in the month several stores had discounted prices on all things blue and it looks like the prices just keep dropping. With green fully restored to all items in the city, items such as clothing, art supplies and food change prices every hour, on the hour. The city of Recollé knows a good bargain when it sees it and hundreds of people hit the streets to snatch up what stock they can. It's like Black Friday came early and after a while some stores can't even keep up with demand. Maybe you're among the crowd hunting for just the right shade of green for your holiday packages, or perhaps you're some poor sap who got called into work at 6am on your day off to deal with a swarm of customers. No matter who you are though, you will find yourself having to answer the age-old question: which color is better, green or blue? IV. The blue skies have only been back for a few weeks before the gray of winter rolls in again. The wind picks up a little and the ocean crashes against the shore down at Peach Beach. The city grows dark each day beginning at about 4:30pm and the temperature drops little by little. It's on November 18th that residents will find that there's a bit of frost on their windows when they wake up that Saturday. Toward the early afternoon, the first snowfall of the season begins. It's nothing much, mostly flurries that swirl and dance through the air and cause a burst of excitement among people. Some residents may even remember it's very similar to the Founder's Day holiday. Though this won't be the last time it snows in the city, there's something magical about the first sign of winter as fall exits. Get out there and build a tiny snowman or catch snowflakes on your tongue. At least the turkeys seem to retreat from the snow itself. BONUS. Over the course of the month residents will find that the spotty reception they've always had has grown even worse. Static rings out over the line and long-distance calls stop going through. Emails bounce back despite numerous attempts, and don't even think about getting clear audio or video through Skype. No matter how hard one tries, by November 30th it will become incredibly clear that all phone calls, texts, emails and video chats to people outside of the city have been shut down. The internet will continue to function as normal (browse and share those cat videos to your heart's content) and inner-city communication functions just fine. You can try calling your service provider...but who knows if you'll get through? And last but not least in the world of inconveniences, in some instances your calls and emails may be rerouted to fellow Retrospec users. Sorry about that! 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 November TDM directory is here, and your AU workshop is here! Our mod questions thread for this TDM is over here!

Comments

[khuy]

You weren't watchin' where you were goin', asshole!

[he retorts, glowering down at Minato with a nasty glare. he doesn't care if maybe it was his fault for blindly following the turkey- it's clearly Minato's fault for being in his way while he was chasing the dumb bird.]

Now I'm gonna miss out on fifty dollars cause it got away!

[compendiem]

[ That's not something Minato made him do. But, semantics. He's slow to get to his feet, head bowed as he silently dusts off the seat of his pants before straightening to face Cain.

Any talk of "fifty dollars" all month has been related to those godforsaken turkeys, so he doesn't even ask. ]

Doesn't have to be that particular one. Were you chasing it on foot?

[ Because that's sort of... he'd say stupid, but honestly, it's ineffective. ]

[khuy]

Yeah. I'm not about to go buy special bird chasing equipment for an easy fifty dollars.

[except this entire endeavor has been far from easy. this is fifth turkey that had escaped Cain's fingers and, if the puffy scratches peaking out from underneath his jacket-on Cain's arm is an indicator of just how close he'd been to victory.

he looks Minato up and down, moving to get up in his personal space. with a finger jabbed at Minato's chest, Cain demands:]

You owe me a bird.

[compendiem]

[ Minato doubts that "easy" as well; he's tried and only somewhat succeeded in rounding up the birds, the ones he's turned not worth the fifty in his opinion. He shifts, stepping sideways to get that finger off his chest without necessarily backing off, but also shakes his head. He has no plans on going bird hunting. Been there, done that. ]

Can I just pay you fifty dollars to let me go?

[khuy]

[his expression visibly slackens into that of shock. was someone seriously offering him fifty dollars just to leave him alone? he considers it for a moment. you can almost see the gears turning inside Cain's head.]

That's it? I let you go and you give me fifty dollars?

[compendiem]

[ This would be easier for everybody involved. He wouldn't have to go through the trouble of turkey hunting, Cain would get his money, the turkey gets to live another day without a broken wing or back or whatever injury it might sustain from people tackling it left and right all day.

It would be easy, if he had fifty dollars right on him to shell over, but. ]

I mean, I only have cards and coins on me right now. But I can wire you fifty. Or buy what you need if you intend to spend it right away.

[khuy]

How do I know you aren't just gonna leave me high and dry?

[he has a point. how does he know Minato isn't just going to walk away and leave him fifty dollars empty still. he doesn't and Cain isn't feeling generous enough today to simply trust people to wire money. Cain folds his arms across his chest and glares at Minato.]

I think it'll just be easier if you help me catch a damn bird.

[compendiem]

[ There's really nothing Minato can say or do to convince him otherwise, yeah. Even if his reason would be "If I shirked you on fifty dollars, you look like you would slit my throat next time you see me." That probably isn't going to fly. "Just trust me" isn't going to fly either, and might possibly get him stabbed sooner... ]

Fine. [ He heaves a sigh in the end after weighing his options, slipping his hands in his pockets as he lifts his shoulders in a shrug. ] You have a smarter idea than just chasing after them?

[khuy]

[Minato's not wrong in his line of thought. Cain would easily shank a man for missing out on the opportunity of fifty dollars. he reaches into his pocket, looking around for his pack of cigarettes and not finding them. with an irritable sigh, Cain looks around before turning his attention back to Minato with a devious grin.]

Keh. We could get a baseball bat and hit the fuckers. [it's not the best idea because it involves chasing after them still but, he doesn't have a net and doubts Minato has one either.] Less you got a better idea, kiddo.

[compendiem]

[ First of all... No. No, he's not even going to entertain the idea of bashing a turkey's head in with a baseball bat. His other ideas aren't any better, but they are at least cleaner and have a higher chance of the turkey making it out alive. ]

...Trapping pit. [ is what he finally pitches as an idea, glancing up at the sky to see if he could really make that work. ] All we'd have to do is sit there, get them to come to us.

[khuy]

Trapping pit? [he looks up thoughtfully, giving it some serious thought. it seems silly but... it's better than chasing after the turkeys with a baseball bat.] Y'mean like the shit they do on Saturday mornin' cartoons?

[compendiem]

Uhh...

[ He can't remember the last time he watched Saturday morning cartoon. It must've been way back when he was four or five. ]

Like what hunters do to catch wolves.

[khuy]

Is that really how they catch wolves?

[he doesn't seem to believe Minato, who hasn't really given him much to believe off of in the first place. but, he wants that fifty dollars one way or another.]

Nevermind if that's true or not, you think a pit will work on a turkey?

[compendiem]

[ He... isn't exactly sure, and lets his silence speak for him. ]

If it doesn't work, we'll try something else, until we catch your turkey. Sound fair?

[khuy]

Whatever. As long as I get fifty fuckin' dollars, anything is fair.

[he honestly doesn't care how he gets the money just as long as he has fifty dollars of cold hard cash in his hands.]

[compendiem]

[ Then it's settled. Minato tries to sidestep Cain now so he can be on his way. ]

Going to go home and grab some stuff from my car.

[khuy]

[Cain squints, following Minato.]

Yeah and I was born yesterday. I'm comin' with ya.

[compendiem]

[ What if he doesn't want Cain to know where he lives!!! ]

Was hoping I could send you to the store for some bird feed in the meantime.

[khuy]

[Cain doesn't trust anyone! give him a reason to trust you Minato!!]

Do I look like the kind of guy who can afford bird feed?

[because he can barely afford to feed himself some days]

Plus how am I supposed to know yer not gonna just leave me with a bag of seed and nothing to show for?

[compendiem]

[ It seems as though they're at a standstill, because Minato generally does the opposite of exuding trust. He mutters something under his breath about a bag of seed being able to draw in more turkeys than Cain can ever want, but pushing the point is more trouble than letting Cain do what he wants, so he relents, shrugging his acceptance to be followed all the way back to his apartment. ]

...Alright.

[ It'll be half an hour. ]

[khuy]

[and, because cain doesn't give in, he follows Minato for half an hour. he only complains about how long it takes once or twice, mostly grumbling that he didn't bring his smokes with him. but for the most part, he keeps his mouth shut as they travel]

[compendiem]

[ Minato's glad enough not to have somebody smoke right next to him, but he's also a very silent travel partner, keeping half a step lead before Cain so that he can make the necessary turns without forewarning of when they happen.

It's a fairly normal apartment they eventually come up to, and he heads to the private parking lot in the back instead of one of the cars on the curbside to find his car, open the trunk, and rummage around for what he needs: an l-wrench from a toolbox. He pockets that, walks around the other side of the apartment building, and finds an extension ladder there. ]

Help me carry this?

[ He nods his head towards one of the trees forming the barrier between the sidewalk and street. Up on some of the trees are bird feeders, a couple of them still mostly full. ]

[khuy]

[Cain picks up the extension ladder by himself with ease, and glances over at the trees with the feeders. he nods, before heading over to one of the feeders and setting the feet of the ladder down, pushing it against the tree.]

This one?

[compendiem]

[ Minato nods, going ahead and climbing the ladder, as he assumes Cain doesn't want to do any more legwork than he already has in following him to the apartment— also praying that the ladder doesn't get kicked over, but that concern doesn't matter if he reaches out and unhooks the bird feeder as quickly as he can, passing it back down to Cain before making his decent. ]

[khuy]

[for once in his life, Cain actually acts like a decent human being by holding the ladder steady for Minato. he's not that cruel to cause unjustified harm. not to someone who's willing to do all the leg work to get him 50 dollars. maybe after the money, or turkey, is secured in his hands would he have tried to harm Minato. still.]

Ya got what ya need?