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

Raven | Teen Titans | Bookshop

[titansno]

[Or Rachel Roth, as she's known now. She's found, as she so often is, at a used bookshop somewhere in the city. Not doing a signing to promote something--especially not fucking Malchior, that work she regretted more than she'd thought possible. After a few horror and dark fantasy novels, cheapening her style and doing a dark YA paranormal romance had won her a respectable mainstream success.

She'd refused to do publicity for it after a certain point.

Whatever. Today wasn't for that. Today was for adding to her library. Care to approach the goth browsing the SF/F section? Maybe you might even recognize her.]

[shiftycent]

[Hope you weren't planning on quiet, Rachel. Someone had to duck in here after an unfortunate encounter with the rain outside and is now hiding way in the back corner of a book case, trying to stay out of sight. To say Garfield was alarmed would have been an understatement.

You probably would have been too, if you suddenly obtained green skin.

He never thought he'd be so relieved to see Rachel in his lifetime, as he tries to get her attention by hissing down the book cases.]

Psst. Rae. Rae! Over here.

[titansno]

[Rachel had been hoping for it, but considering how things tend to go in this town...

It takes a second, but she finally spots him. Just gonna duck more or less out of sight...]

Gar?

[shiftycent]

[There's a brief pause where he checks for approaching people before Garfield begins to sneak unattractively through the store to get to Rachel. Anyone who might have been observing would most likely consider the entire display an awful renactment of Mission Impossible.

His eyes are still a clear blue, but they're wide and nervous.]

Pinch me.

[titansno]

[better than that - she'll flick his forehead. helping!!!

she pulls her hand back, looking at the nail. no green makeup came away on it. hm.]

Do I want to know?

[shiftycent]

Ow!

[He flinches, but doesn't open his eyes right away.]

Did it work? Am I still a Space Toad??

[titansno]

What?

[just sort of. blinks.]

What did you think I was doing?

[shiftycent]

[He opens his eyes and checks his hands, shoulders sagging when he sees they're still green. He automatically starts scratching sheepishly at his skin, glancing upward. He is slightly embarrassed.]

I uh. I thought maybe I was dreaming. Pinching is supposed to wake you up.

[titansno]

... You're awake, Gar. That was never in doubt.

[yeah, he should be. she's giving him a very unimpressed look]

[shiftycent]

[He flinches a little, tone turning slightly defensive.]

Never in doubt? Rae, I'm green!

[Oops, too loud. He clamps his hands over his mouth instantly.]

I swear on my exotic butterfly collection that I didn't do this. You have to help me! What if someone sees me?!

[oneboyarmy]

[Worry not, Tim was certainly no rabid Malchior fan(honestly, the writing was good, but the plot was pretty average). Oddly enough, he had read every book she'd written, and it was the horror stuff he enjoyed the most. Then again, what would you expect from someone who spent so much time in a forensic crime lab.]

Hey, Rachel. [He walked over to her with a book in his hand, holding it up to see with an amused grin. And lo, what should it be than another old copy of the ever beloved Malchior that someone had left behind in class earlier that day.]

I think one got missed in the purge.

[titansno]

[Rachel turns, ready to greet Tim in return when what should she see but that. dammit, Tim.]

There are retail ebook editions. Even if I destroy the thing's body, its soul will live on.

[she tries to deadpan it but she starts to mirror Tim's grin a little anyway. dammit all.]

[afamilyact]

[Ahaaa, you can't hide that grin from him, now. Especially not since he's letting out a small chuckle of amusement at her utter attempt at deadpan.]

Really? Try writing a bad sequel. I heard that can reach even the best fans.

[titansno]

[no shut up Tim you see nothing]

Never. That thing is going to stay buried, and they'll all forget about it. Someday. I hope.

[afamilyact]

[oh but he sees everything]

Don't you think you're being a little overdramatic? [He should really not be that entertained but he is anyway. Oh well.]

Don't worry, I'm sure it'll lose its appeal in another ten years or so.

[unwakingwaters]

[yeah guess who else is here? It is this lady]

Oh! Rachael, fancy seeing you here.

[titansno]

[and Rachel just grins. which i don't really have any icons for, shut up]

Maya! It's great to see you. Sorry that we didn't have a chance to talk at Lockcon, with all that needed to be done... [that smile turns a little sheepish.]

How are you?

[unwakingwaters]

I'm well enough! And Lockcon is always very busy. Have any projects you're working on...? I'd meant to ask.

[titansno]

I'm working on a few short stories right now. After Malchior? [sai with a little contempt] I need to get to my roots again.

What about you?

[dancingonapin]

[Well she wasn't the only one in the bookshop adding to her library. Dr. Francis Fell enjoyed hitting up every imaginable bookshop in the city during his Saturday afternoons while he was off from work, both to help with his classes and for personal enjoyment. (Something about bookshops, especially the small ones, reminded him of home.) He'd, however, been in the next aisle over, picking up stacks upon stacks of new religious works, from any religion you could possibly conceive, save for perhaps the occult. Those books were a little harder to come by. In fact, those were the books he'd been wanting to hunt down more of these days.

When he spots Rachel browsing the Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels, the look on his face could be mistaken for something like recognition, though really it's surprise by her goth attire. Perhaps she could help? She looked occult enough to him!] Excuse me, miss, you wouldn't happen to know of, or perhaps have seen any books on the occult in this shop? Specifically if you've seen anything new, or perhaps anything about Satanism. [His cousin's birthday was coming up, that would actually make a nice gift.

[titansno]

... I am going to ignore that last part.

[and a little frown. just as she moves on to help anyway.]

Anyway. I don't work here, but. Yeah, I think there're a few Aleister Crowley books in the next aisle? I saw them a few minutes ago...

[She bends down, retrieving another book from the shelf behind her. Whoever placed these sections had some weird thinking.]

Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft. Sir Walter Scott. Not exactly new, but you can't go wrong with it.

[dancingonapin]

What... Oh, I didn't mean anything offensive or presumptuous by what I said, I really am looking for some Satanist literature. I'm a theology professor, you see... [He looks a bit sheepish as he stares at the book that she pulled from the shelf.]

Ah, yes, I already have two copies for personal use. I teach a lecture on demonology and angelology at the university.

You said there were Aleister Crowley books, though...? That may be interesting.