Test Drive Meme 027

[voidtreckermods]

Welcome to the Test Drive Meme! Here is the place to see how your character might fit the setting, grab samples and have fun!

1. Post with your character, including their name and series in the subject. We’ve written out some prompts but feel free to make up your own, you have a whole train to play with!

2. Assume they've been around long enough for threads to jump right into the action.

3. Have lots of fun.

Happy testing!

Hotel Notel

The hire carriage is the tiny hotel of the Voidtrecker Express. With a downstairs of meeting rooms and an upstairs of luxuries such as double beds, duvets and en-suites, it's in demand for the denizens of a train with so little privacy.


It might be surprising when you arrive at your booked room and someone's already in there. An awkward double booking? Someone abusing their abilities for a free night? Or maybe it's not such a suprise. A planned date night, a movie night, or just some peace and quiet between you. In any case, you're there now.

Our-moury

The downside of having a shared armoury is the maintenance. Weaponry, equipment, and the odd semi-sentient robot from a dozen different worlds make for an interesting time, and not everything has an instruction manual. The upside of having a shared armoury is, of course, the aforementioned weaponry, equipment and semi-sentient robots. Cleaning and polishing is more fun when there's a small metal insect chirping helpfully at you whenever it spots a patch of grime or carbon scoring.


Did you ask before trying out that laser rifle? Did someone leave their beloved spiritual weapon propped up on a rack, just asking for it to be manhandled? Or did the friendly AI autoturret wave hello and knock over a pile of magitech?

Prime Directive

The world of Magnitton has never been host to a Void traveller, nor will it ever. At least, not until the Voidtrecker Express calls for its crew to attend a Catastrophe-class event above it. Over the last few decades, the people of Magnitton have expanded into their local system, and begun mining asteroids and their two moons for much-needed resources.



The smaller moon, Ej, has broken apart far more easily than expected. Almost as if it wasn't a moon to begin with, but some great, hollow sphere... Aboard the train, those with prophetic gifts wake with visions of a planet ablaze, a night sky smeared with swathes of blood and the cries of some unknown young creature.

Team One

Those Voidtreckers who have experience wrangling giant space dragons will do well here. Those who do not might want to buff up on this particular transferable skill. From within the shell that was the moon Ej emerges a trio of glowing, winged reptiles each roughly the size of the Voidtrecker Express. Confused, freshly-hatched and apparently hungry. For what? People? Nope.


Luckily, it's stories they're hungry for. Every tale and piece of information or history strengthens the dragonets. This team must nurture the trio enough that they can leave the system for their home under their own power. Ej has some degree of atmosphere, and the dragonets aren't immediately able or willing to fly about. It's storytime.

Team Two

The larger of Magnitton's two moons, Dar, is surprisingly peaceful. At least until a writhing mass of plasmasnakes descend upon it from the system's star. Swarming aboard any ship within the moon's nearest lagrange points, these fiery serpents seek any route towards their prey, the dragonets born every thousand years. For those unable to naturally withstand the power of the sun or the vacuum of space, the Magnites have provided two squads of sturdy reconnaissance fighters for the Voidtreckers' efforts. Equipped with squad video links and a suite of weaponry and utility systems, as well as helpful AI companions, this tech should make fighting off the plasmasnakes a little easier for this team.

Team Three

Down on the surface of Magnitton, it's a state of emergency. Not all of the pieces of what was the moon Ej have been caught in the planet's gravity, but enough are falling that civilisation is under threat. This team have been tasked with saving Magnitton. A large task, but one the planet has at least prepared for. The Astrological Expulsion via Gravitational Inversion System, or A.E.G.I.S, must be activated and manned to fling debris back into space. Smaller pieces of the moon may be dealt with more personally, if Voidtreckers have the skills for it. The A.E.G.I.S stations require two crew working in concert - one to target and one to adjust the gravitational inversion levels.

Comments

[consumerse]

She watches him, letting him speak without interruption; not sure what a 'poor student on a budget' would be defined as (an apprentice? from a world where children weren't put in Houses to learn their roles), but she doesn't speak to ask. Not until the question asked, a glance given to the utensils.

"Curries are a food described as warm and spicy," she answers; indirectly a no, but revealing her amount of familiarity. "I have read the recipe books, and was told a curry recipe is on the current menu that this vessel supplies."

And, because it can't be inappropriate to ask, can it? She does pause, and: "Is curry the food that... your people eat? The coworkers of your...student establishment?"

She uses a word similar to serjin for coworkers, but there's a slight distinction in pronunciation. A closer meaning, without any fondness or anything affectionate.

[illusionbreaker]

"Coworkers?" Confusion colored his expression for a brief moment at her odd word choice. "Do you mean my classmates?"

Did the word 'classmate' not exist in her world or was this a translation problem? There was also the possibility that this was a quirk unique to her alone. Regardless of the reason, the way she struggled to find an appropriate word to describe his 'people' before settling on 'coworkers' made his heart sink a bit. It felt detached as if she never experienced what it's like to have a meaningful connection with others beyond 'Person who I happen to work with'.

Maybe he was overthinking this? He hoped so.

"Yeah, we eat it. Not all the time obviously. My home is really health-conscious when it comes to school meals so they often switch up the menus to make sure everyone getting the right amount of nutrition," He said as he raided the upper shelves for spices. "What about you? What kind of food do you eat back in your world? Got any favorites you want to share?"

[consumerse]

Sheyra considers her next words, the difference between 'classmate' and 'coworker'. A word she didn't know, one that she did.

She was inclined to use the one he picked, but decided instead to explain. "The people that you work or train with; for your client, or while still a part of your House. I understand student-" she repeats the word, tries to anyway, as he had spoken it - then repeats it as she hears it herself: the word for coworker, "--as someone that is in training. My vocabulary may be lacking, due to our different planets."

She bows her head, a small one, in way of apology for the confusion. He may be of a similar rank as her or not - and this, she was trying to figure out when it came to this vessel known as the train - but it was better not to cause offence with presumptions.

But if he stands, then so will she in her promise to help, if unsure how to do so first. Except there's the books with recipes, and so she heads to the drawers where they're stuffed inside.

Which is just as she's asked about food, and there's a paused; remembering the last few months of her time with the professor, the conditions, the meagre meals. It lasts a few seconds, until she pulls out a book, forces herself to answer indifferently:

"We eat fehmabala, and drink mol milk; our diets do not need to change, so we eat the same food, depending on the seasons. Leftovers from the suppers of our clients may be handed around, but I...never received these offerings."

As she's spoken, she's been flipping through the books, not slowed by speaking. Pages trapped between her fingers, as she turns to the human.

"Excuse me. Do you have a recipe chosen?"

[illusionbreaker]

The sinking feeling he had earlier only grew worse as he listened to her response. She didn't give him an actual answer to his second question about her favorite food and he knew exactly why. It was because she couldn't. Instead, she tried to fulfil his request by listing the only two things she was allowed to eat back in her world. Whatever the hell fehmabala or mol milk was, they apparently couldn't compare to the unwanted scrapes left behind by the client she served. The slight hesitation in her monotone voice when she mentioned how she never received a single offering of leftovers made him feel as if someone shoved a knife into his chest.

This wasn't something that could be conveniently dismissed as cultural differences between their worlds. There were too many unfortunate implications about her previous life for him to ignore. The relationship between her and her client felt eerily similar to that of a slave and their abusive master. He was even starting to wonder if her overly formal mannerisms and stilted speech was a result of her having to adapt to her role serving her client.

If given the chance, Touma would readily bury his fist into her client's face. Since that wasn't possible and fantasizing about it did him no good, he decided it was best to focus on something a bit more productive.

He walked over to her, his demeaner noticeably more serious. "I've changed my mind. How about instead of us making curry you choose something you want from that recipe book? It can be anything. Pick whatever food looks tasty and I'll personally cook it myself for you to eat."

[consumerse]

Sheya waits, standing for an answer, not one to interrupt what length of silence may exist before he walks over to her. She can see his expression, what shifts occur on it; understanding them for what they are, but unable to predict their reasoning. Why then, he switches his interest from a food for himself, to a food of her choosing.

The attitudes and reactions of those on this vessel are strange, unpredictable. How can she pick a recipe when she knows none, has no inclinations for tastes, when she eats little? She watches him quietly as she processes the request, how to go forward. Many have told her, we're the same, and yet, she's not so sure about this assessment.

Sheyra turns to the book with her fingers between the pages. Carefully, as she was before, "...If you would allow me, I would like to see and make the recipe for, or with you, the curry that closely resembles the curry of your own home. I will offer my hands to this task as you allow."

She drops the title serjin, unsure of how well it fits. Perhaps, in truth, the only serjin is herself - an other worker, one that isn't them, but still a tool of the vessel.

So be it. It's better than where she was, and she'll do anything to keep this role.

[illusionbreaker]

"And I appreciate the offer. But today, how about you let me spoil you a bit. A girl as hard-working and kind as you deserves a brake. Our cooking session can wait another day."

Touma had made his decision and there was nothing she could do or say that would persuade him otherwise. He smiled at her, his previous serious demeaner melted away to reveal one filled with warmth. Cooking for her may not have seemed all that significant on the surface, but small acts of kindness like this can make a huge difference in the lives of others. As long as she lived on this train, Touma was going to do his best to be a friend she can depend on.

"Since I'm going to be your chef for the day, all I need you to do is relax. I promise to make you the best damn curry I've ever created. Now let's find you somewhere nice to sit down at while I prepare your meal."

He then gently took hold of her arm with his left hand with the intention of leading her out of the kitchen and into the dining carriage. The boy had a feeling that if he didn't personally escort her out himself, she would just stand there and continue to insist on helping him.

thank you for tagging my oc btw! i appreciate it :)

[consumerse]

Touma was right on the mark, or close enough. It was in her nature - trained nature - to apply herself to others, those at least above her rank. Where did this person sit on that scale? What was it that made him act the way he did: someone in training themselves, but who was here, now offering to feed her.

His touch on her does make her twitch, more unsure of the gesture than apprehensive, but she doesn't pull away. His actions confuse her too much to argue, and if this is what will make him happy, then why fight it?

It's easier to go along with him, to take a seat, if that's what he guides her to do. Hands sitting on her lap, she does think to say, mulling over his words, his apparent disposition:

"It is not for a serin to make another work for them, but I have no wish to cause you stress by declining your generosity." If it is, which she wonders as well, but to be the fool is to be unassuming, and she will bite her tongue, if necessary. "...but as a serin," worker, the word means, a slight change in pronunciation from serjin, "if you will permit... I would like to offer my gratitude to you as a companion for your meal."

You're welcome!

[illusionbreaker]

"You don't need my permission to say 'Thank you'. Just say it and I'll happily accept it," He said with a smile. "Also, how about we drop all this serin talk. I'm not a serin and neither are you. I'm Kamijou Touma and from this day forth, we are friends."

Now that she was comfortably seated, Touma quickly returned back to the kitchen. Originally, he had planned on following the recipe for Almond Chicken Curry, but decided to change course. She had requested 'curry that closely resembles the curry of your own home' so that was what he was going to make. The recipe for his own curry was a lot simpler than the one for Almond Chicken Curry. It was, after all, a dish made to be easy enough that even little kids can prepare without any problems. As a poor high school student, its low cost made it the ideal meal for him to make back home.

Being a much simpler dish than Almond Chicken Curry, it was really easy for him to quickly gather up all the necessary ingredients. As he started to skillfully slice up an apple, he couldn't help himself from chuckling a bit in anticipation. Since she thought all curries were spicy, this made for a good opportunity to surprise her. Japanese curry was quite different from the types of curries found in other places. While they can be spicy, there were quite a number of curry recipes made with sweetness in mind. Apples and honey were a well-known ingredient used in Japanese curry to give it that sweet taste.

After about a half hour, Touma returned to his new friend with a tray containing both of their meals and two glasses of green tea.

"Sorry for the wait! Lets dig in!"