LET'S [test] DRIVING

[cava]

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN, YOU KNOW THE DRILL. Here's a few options, all stolen shamelessly from previous iterations.

> The Park. Man, what a nice day out. Why not enjoy it? I'm sure -- shit, yep, there's some echo monsters or whatever they're called.
> 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!
> Arts and Crafts Fair. WILL THE KITSCH OVERWHELM YOU


or make up your own whatever this is basic and just for the purposes of getting a new test drive up.

Comments

[synchronous]

Oh, uh. Thanks. [ DJ resists the urge to self-consciously reach up and touch his bleached hair.

He's kind of bad at talking to strangers, especially little kids, so. ] Guess I'll just keep goin', then.

[femmefashionaire]

[Pia's eyebrows raise, and a glimmer of hope flares in her eyes.]

She did? Well you can tell her she's very talented. I make my own clothes, too. I made this skirt. [and I desperately need a job] maybe I could talk to you mom sometime. We'd have a lot in common.

[rabbunctious]

Okay. Have a nice day.

[But even as he drops his gaze, Sang-joon pulls himself in close to the wall again. He doesn't look down the street like he's really waiting for his dad; mostly he just looks wet. And cold. And kind of pathetic, the way a toy left out in a puddle would look even though its expression isn't any different.

He shivers a little.]

[rabbunctious]

Sure, okay. She'd like that.

[He wipes his fingers on his pants (kids, honestly) before digging a pad of blue rabbit-shaped notes out of his pocket. He writes out the shop name and address in lowercase sixth-grade scrawl, then pulls the note free and passes it to Pia.]

That's us. Ask for Miss Lee. That's my mom.

[He's not smiling exactly, but his expression is open and generally friendly.]

[sceptical]

[Grantaire's observant enough that he can tell he's starting to grate on nerves. He can't help but grin a little wider at that. After all, he's used to carefully examining faces and knowing telltale signs of emotion, just from his art studies. The forced smile is particularly nice. With one hand, he folds the flyer and shoves it into his jacket pocket.]

In that case, I might have to come by these meetings of yours and see the poor souls first-hand. What, exactly, are your goals?

[shiftycent]

[Oh. Awkward. He's a spoiled rich kid without much desire to exercise because everything gets done for him, and now Kara was trusting him to help lift heavy objects that she might not be able to lift once she gets tired?]

Uh. Right! Yeah, friend like me.

[Think fast, Garfield.]

Not that you actually even have a chance at failing. Right?

[chernobolt]

I do not usually drop things, no! But it is always good to have the backup in case I make a mistake.

[she laughs]

If it does happen, you will have to promise not to tell Victor. I do not think he would let me forget it.

[shiftycent]

[Cue SHOCK AND HORROR BECAUSE OH NO TIM'S GONNA TURN GREEN except he doesn't. At all. He looks between the other boy, the umbrella, and back again before looking a little annoyed. Well if it wasn't the rain...was it really just him?]

Ok ok, fine.

[He struggles with the umbrella for a second, but when he does manage to open it, he makes a point to try and hide under it.]

So uh. You're not gonna disect me, are you? Because that wouldn't be cool, dude.

[shiftycent]

[Fuck.]

Right. Cross my heart. Lips are zipped. But uh, just for the record, let's not drop anything. That'd be awesome.

[This is taking a lot of mental preperation on his part while he moves around the barbel to spot her. Please don't screw up, please don't screw up, don't embarrass yourself in front of the girl, Rachel might actually kill you if Kara gets hurt.]

[chernobolt]

[Kara, meanwhile, is blissfully unaware of her friend's conflict - she's simply happy to have someone she knows sharing the joys of exercise with her. the cutesy little towel is carefully placed to the side as she takes position]

There will be as little dropping as possible! Today I am going to do ten sets.

[aaaaand off she goes, moving that behemoth of a barbel into the air with a practiced motion. she continues speaking as she works out, tone strained but still cheerful]

How has your day been? I do not believe that I have seen you as of late!

[shiftycent]

Oh, its been.

[He spents a good amount of time watching, just in case. Someone probably thinks he's checking her out, but he's more focused on the weight itself until he realizes Kara was still waiting for an answer.

He smiles awkwardly.]

I'm in high demand. Lots of running around and junk. Kind of nice to take a breath. What about you?

[chernobolt]

I am certain that you are handling the demand quite well! The attention seems to suit you.

[she grunts as the reps begin to stack up, but the barbel remains (mostly) steady]

Things have not been quite as exciting for me! My supernova essay is almost due, so I have been holed up in my dorm trying to finish the last few pages. I think that my blood may be turning into caffeine soon!

[titansno]

[How in the world is this girl even real. Rachel nods, knocking back more of her water as she follows her.

She does kind of raise an eyebrow at how much weight she's putting on there, but hey, she clearly knows what she's doing]

I don't mind. And... yeah, sticking to a regimen is important. I just do cardio, but...

[getting into position, focusing primarily on the weights...]

Okay, ready when you are.

[synchronous]

[ ...dang, poor kid. DJ starts to walk off, but then pauses. Lingers. Frowns. ]

Don't got an umbrella?

[chernobolt]

[aaaaand off she goes, pumping that iron with practiced motions like a trooper. her exuberant chatter continues in between occasional grunts]

Cardio is a wonderful way to remain healthy! I prefer to jog around the city so that I may see the sights and take in the culture and partake in unsanitary street food.

[she laughs a little]

But I suppose that not everyone is as interested in that as I am.

the number of times i have tried to use the ACTUAL CANON NAMES of characters i tag is ridic

[eras]

As long as you won't get in trouble, I'm game!

[ And she'd never do anything to mess up an exhibit, so this isn't exactly a rebellious wild move: Aria really just likes looking at the exhibits and reading about them, which anyone who has worked at the museum for any amount of time knows. ]

[rabbunctious]

[He glances up again, then shakes his head slightly.]

Nuh-uh. But it's all right.

[He just casually pulls his arms, pencil case and all, back up his sleeves to wrap them around himself in what would have been the cozy warmth of his hoodie if it weren't, you know, wet. He leans forward a little, peering up at the sky to see if the clouds look any lighter, then pulls himself back with a quietly resigned exhalation.]

I'll wait.

[cava]

[He's quite unaware of the effect he's had on Jin. Just gonna pick up the silver pair he'd been looking at.]

Hopefully they're just making a final effort to clear out discontinued inventory, but we should hardly be so lucky, non?

[he chuckles.]

[metalbent]

"In progress" or "I don't know" are acceptable answers.

At least you've learned a valuable lesson for writing through meeting me, don't you think?

[ so magnanimous. ]

[cava]

[HAVE FUN WITH THAT, YOKO.]

I was merely minding my own business. You hit me, as I'm sure you'll recall...

[yeah he can go on forever here. still making a show of only half paying attention, oops]

[amajin]

[He clears his throat and slides the shutter shades onto his face.]

Hah. They're gonna have to clear this stuff out into a trash bin.

[He purses his lips, inspecting the young man's face. He sounds French, vaguely...]

Do I know you?

[synchronous]

[ A sigh. Unfortunately for DJ, he hasn't yet regained the necessary echoes to be the kind of douchebag who'd turn a blind eye to a kid in the rain. ]

There's a bus stop with a roof about a block away. Want me to walk you there?

[rabbunctious]

[A quick flash of raised eyebrows, then a passively calculating look. Sang-joon re-weighs DJ's apparent physical prowess, measures it against his own, checks around for other people, and then mentally shrugs. It's still afternoon, and he can probably run faster than DJ, anyway. P.E.'s always been his best class.]

If you want to. Which way?

[cava]

... You do seem oddly familiar. But I'm not entirely certain if we've met..

[he frowns slightly, thinking. one hand goes up to absentmindedly fiddle with the goggles around his neck.]

Your name?

[amajin]

[He clears his throat.]

Jin, Jin Aznable. Nice to meet you.

[He pokes around in his pockets for a business card and doesn't find one, finally offering his hand up for a handshake.]