TEST DRIVE MEME

[youngestone]

Test Drive Meme!

Scenarios:
> The Park. Man, what a nice day out. Why not enjoy it? I'm sure -- shit, yep, there's some echo monsters.
> The Mall. Exactly what it says on the tin! Dodge the hordes of teenage mallrats or take part, whichever suits your tastes.
> Rainy Day. Agh, it's fucking awful out. And is it raining those vermilion things?? Now you've got an Echo to contend with on top of everything else. Find some shelter, quick!
> PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. HOW FUN
> Arts and Crafts Fair. All the kitschy fun you can imagine.
> Wild Card! Make up your own.

Comments

Merlin | BBC Merlin

[bravelyspoken]

It's raining.

It is definitely, 100% pissing down with rain and he does not have an umbrella. Or a coat. Because it was fine when he left! Admittedly, yes, not the time of year to be running about without a coat but he'd been in a hurry because he was late (no, not his fault! Well. Okay maybe a bit his fault...) and now he was wet.

There was no other way to describe it really other than wet. The kind of bone-deep wet, cold feeling that makes you feel like you might never be warm again. His t-shirt is sticking to his skin. He's dripping. If he can just make it a little further --

Which is when the truck comes. He knows what is going to happen instinctively before it happens, skips back a step and cringes away as it speeds through the puddle.

Nothing happens. No water hits him.

When he looks up the water is frozen in time, slowly turning back towards the truck as if being repelled.

He starts to cough, a weird mix of surprise and alarm, and turns to run head down through the rain.

Which is, unfortunately, why he can't see where he's going and slams directly into someone else.

[chryselephantine]

Sophia stumbles — it's hard to see even a few feet in front of her in this rain, let alone someone running in her direction — and her hand falls; this is to say that the umbrella dips in an arc that may very likely bring it into close encounters with Merlin's head, if he's just that unlucky. Because of course she has an umbrella and also a raincoat because of course she's prepared, and so luckily the new incursion of rain on her person only wets her face and darkens her hair as she blinks and pulls back to keep her balance.

"Whoa! — are you okay?"

There's some concern to her voice and the beginnings of irritation, depending on his answer.

[bravelyspoken]

Merlin reels backwards as he's struck about the head with a startled yelp, one hand reaching to clutch at his skull as if he can ease the injury by touching it.

"What was that for?!" Although of course she didn't do it on purpose, she was probably trying to keep the rain off her face. All the same it hurt and he winces as he touches his face. He got hit by the pointy bit. Why did it have to be the pointy bit? "I needed those braincells," he adds, a little less aggressively. All right, he can admit it wasn't the end of the world. He's wet and miserable as it is, though, he didn't need to be smacked around on top of that.

[chryselephantine]

If they were a bit more familiar, Sophia might have found herself smirking at that remark; but as it is, she raises her eyebrows as she rights her hand, holding the umbrella up over both of them as best she can.

"It was an accident," she says calmly, hiding her faint amusement. "And I'm sure you'll recover."

Though she can't help wondering what he expected to happen, running around in the rain like that. She frowns at the thought, looking beyond him.

"Did something happen?"

[bravelyspoken]

"No!" he answers, far too quickly. He realises his mistake immediately, rallies and tries to cover with irritation. "It's raining! I was trying to get somewhere dry before I dissolved!"

There, better. Convincing. Maybe. At least it isn't a total lie, though, because he does look rather like he's just jumped into a pool in his clothes and then waded out.

[chryselephantine]

Her eyebrows are in serious danger of disappearing into her hairline, but perhaps that's not too obvious under her bangs anyway. Idly, she considers the possibility that he's just committed a crime and she's helping keep a potential axe-murderer from getting a cold, but swiftly decides against it. If he were an axe-murderer, he'd be more than water-soaked, and anyway hardly anyone deserves getting sick because of weather like this.

"If you just want to get somewhere dry, you could walk me to the library."

By Merlin I meant Emery REINCARNATION NAMES ARE HARD

[bravelyspoken]

He hesitates at that, looking back over his shoulder than around at her again.

"Err, I..." Because the trouble is, she's walking the opposite direction to him. That's how he ran into her. Which means she's walking back towards where the... thing happened. The thing which might still be happening. "You don't want to go that way," he says in a rush suddenly. "There's this... really big puddle. A flood, really. It's flooded. And if you go that way you'll definitely end up soaked and it will be horrible and... wet."

Right. He's got this.

NO WORRIES they are!

[chryselephantine]

"Horrible," she echoes, "and wet."

The way she cants her head now is absolutely meant to indicate that she's judging him.

"Running from a puddle, Shamu?"

[bravelyspoken]

"Um," he begins eloquently -- because, well, technically he is. "Yes? I don't want to get more wet. If that's possible. I'm already quite wet. As you can see."

Judge all you like, he's used to it.

[chryselephantine]

"In that case, it's your lucky day." She gives the umbrella above the two of their heads a little shake. "Don't worry, you have me to protect you."

[bravelyspoken]

... Not quite as planned. In fact, not as planned at all really. Emery looks up at the umbrella and struggles for an argument.

"But... the flood?"

Umbrellas don't protect from floods!

[chryselephantine]

"The flood that hasn't reached us in the last five minutes?"

She doesn't just mean literally; she's been listening for it, honest, since he mentioned it. The fall of rain is loud, but not loud enough to drown out a flood.

"Look, I have to go that way whether you come with me or not," she says, shrugging the bag on her shoulder. "These books are due back today. You can do whatever you want, of course. I could walk you to the nearest bus stop or lend you my cell if you need to call a ride."