December Test Drive Meme.

[sphererpmod]

TDM
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A new day has come.

So unlike many other places, the Sphere doesn’t celebrate New Years on New Year’s Eve. Instead they celebrate it in s three day festival commencing on January first to the third. The festival starts on the first at dawn with people waking up early to watch the first unofficial sunrise in the Sphere. Unlike most other days, this sunrise is universal, moving into each of the domes and filling them with such a bright light that it looks like an idealized version of a bright summer’s day. Groups of people join together to watch it in the dormitory dorms as well as in several public areas. The agriculture dome and the recreational domes are popular places for such activities and there are several places where there appear to be flowers blooming and almost the sound of birdsong.

Also in the more public places, there are large tables filled up with what seems to be a standard light breakfast of fruit, cheese and various loaves of bread, including a particular loaf of bread that everyone is given either in their attendance or in the dome itself. It’s a circular loaf with nuts on it that’s perfect for sharing. Indeed people keep trying to share a piece with the characters around them.

One thing that’s missing though? None of the places seem to have any sort of caffeine in any form. If questioned about it, someone knowledgeable will respond: “you can’t have caffeine until the sun sets!” The words come with a good natured laugh and characters are then handed a glass of fruit juice.

Out with the old and in with the new.

As the sun is about to set on the first day, crowds gather in the rec dome. There in the middle of the area there’s a large bonfire set up. The smoke billows up towards the top of the dome before it disappears. People gathered around the fires are throwing old possessions into it, some of which are their own and some of them are the possessions of the people who had left. The idea is to unburden yourself of things to face the new year with a clean slate.

There are smaller fires around, and they burn different colors with the smoke being sweet smelling and light. Some people show the newcomers how to gather the smoke in their hands and release it over their heads, in order to clear out dark thoughts and whatever is troubling people. The smoke gives people a slight feeling of euphoria, and makes them feel as if whatever is happening isn’t quite as bad as they think it is.

And we’re dancing through life.

On the second day, the public domes are fairly dead. The merchant dome is closed and only a few restaurants are open, and only those are for delivery. The entire city almost seems to be holding their breath and waiting for something. When the clock turns to eight pm, it’s almost as if the entire city is lit in a combination of stars and candlelight. In the gardens in the Rec dome, a large ball has been set up. Everyone in the city has been given their ideal fancy dress outfit, including mask in order to wear to it. The idea behind it is that the characters are in the middle of their transitional state. Day one was the day they put their old life behind them, and day three will be the day that they form their new selves for the year ahead. Which is why at the ball, people wear masks and have the option to give into some of the things that they wouldn’t normally do.

Wanna eat that there whole pint of ice cream? Go nuts. Wanna drink a bottle of vodka? Hey it’s your liver and it’s not like you can die! Wanna hook up in a dark corner with a stranger. It’s your life and there’s some nice velvet couches over there; out of sight and out of mind.

Dinner is in the form of an elaborate meal, sort of along the idea of Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, no expense is spared and everything is extremely well done and extravagant. Rich food, insane desserts, open bar, everything this night is too excess. At various points in the evening, the sky which has been showing stars shifts into things like fireworks, and glowy nebuleuses, causing people to burst into spontaneous bouts of applause.

All the while, there are various and shifting dance floors with an assortment of music to dance to, including classical, swing, fiddles, big band, pop, R&B, and basically anything that you can think of. The dances that people do there are as varied as the population, the drunkenness level and of course the all important dances of people's native Caucasia.

The party goes until dawn, at which point, the drunken releveries spill onto the streets, and people return to their personal domes singing loudly and off key.

...Is that… a squirrel?

For anyone who has been in the Sphere for any sort of length of time, one thing has stood out: there are no living creatures within the Sphere other than the people themselves. All of the meat has been generated versus harvested, and there’s not even bugs involved. Of course, all of that changes when there’s suddenly a random black squirrel darting in among the trees of the park in the recreational dome. It’s not frightened of people for the most part, unless someone tries to touch it. Then you better hope to god you’re a bard or you’ve got some ranks in handle animal, but this thing does not want to be touched.

Yeah, people who make the effort are going to get bitten or scratched. Yeah, that kinda looks infected. You may wanna see someone about it. Or hope really hard. But either way, at least the clinic is there for you.

Wildcard
Choose your own adventure. Some suggestions: network posts, roommates meeting, before the party, randomly interacting with shops or restaurants, trying to find a job, etc. Go nuts.

Inspiration images

Comments

[unknownmoirai]

[She smiles and while he can't see it, he might be able to hear the slight shift to her voice.]

I'm afraid that I don't have a lot of information but she's my sister.

We're twins.

[Though Maria also has the ability to alter her appearance.]

[jaglikethecar]

She's your twin, but you don't have much information.

[He pauses.]

Why don't we start with your name, then we can talk about how withholding information isn't going to help my investigation at all.

[unknownmoirai]

[She chews at her lower lip. It's difficult to explain. It's why she doesn't usually ask for help but the situation has changed.]

That's right.

[It's her turn to pause.]

I do not have a name but my twin does. She has given herself the name Maria.

I will give you what you need but I don't have that much information.

[jaglikethecar]

Yeah, that's normal.

How do the weirdies always find me? Does being psychic emit a signal or something?

[The last was quieter, a thought that was accidentally broadcast rather than intentionally sent. If he notices, he doesn't move to correct it.]

It sounds like I need to know a lot more about "Maria" and you than just 'my sister is missing, help please.'

[unknownmoirai]

[She blinks and stops walking in the middle of one of the Sphere's.

He's a psychic?!

That could be problematic but at the same time, it means he can likely help determine if Maria is somewhere within the spheres.]

I can tell you more but I'd rather it be in person. I'm not sure that you're going to believe me. [She sees no reason keeping her true nature a secret since no one ever believes her anyway.]

[jaglikethecar]

You might be surprised. A man tried to pay me to find enough evidence to prove the aliens are coming back for us a few years ago. I meet a lot of...interesting people.

[But he also meets a lot of people who value security over convenience.]

But that's fine. I assume you'd like to meet somewhere neutral?

[unknownmoirai]

I believe you.

[She is expecting him to continue to surprise her.]

Anywhere is fine.

It just doesn't feel right saying these things over a small device that's hooked to the back of my ear. [She briefly runs her fingers along it and the video hologram flickers on and off.] Oh. I didn't know it did that.

[jaglikethecar]

There's a place in the rec domes with good coffee.

[And that's important, okay.]

...neither did I. We'll look at that later.

[unknownmoirai]

I'll meet you there.

[She isn't completely taken in by coffee. Her favorite warm drink is either hot chocolate or tea but there is something alluring about the bitter bean that she can't deny.]

I hope you can use that image to find me. [The one she'd accidently flashed him.] Until then.

[There is a moment of silence as she figures out how to turn off the ear piece. It's a little odd but once she has it, she sets out towards the Rec Sphere. She doesn't have time to waist and if her sister is here, she needs to find her.]

[jaglikethecar]

[Sometimes, being awake for a few days was preferable to some of his dreams, but his potential client didn't need to know that.]

Shouldn't be too hard.

[unknownmoirai]

[Her lips shape into a smile as she flicks the connection off. The golden piece at her ear feels a little strange but it's quickly covered by her hair and forgotten. She recalls the last time she'd seen her sister and she wonders what form she'd come to earth in.

She doesn't usually drink coffee but she orders some anyway and uses it as a distraction from the chaotic turn of her thoughts.

She really hopes that this man can help her.]

[jaglikethecar]

[Jagger keeps himself gloved, the easiest way to assure he doesn't accidentally touch a person and learn things that are none of his business. As he steps into the coffee shop, he's pleased to see the image she'd flashed him did actually help him narrow her down, though he gets his own coffee before he walks over, keeping a healthy distance and taking a sip from his coffee.]

Angel?

[unknownmoirai]

[She snaps from her thoughts and lifts her gaze to find Jagger standing above her.

Her eyes are a light pale blue that flicker to a silvery gray when touched by the soft light of the coffee shop.] Oh. Yes. You are Jagger Crowe? Correct?

[She places her coffee down and raises to her feet to offer him her hand. It isn't a common thing for her but he's helping her and it feels like the polite thing to do.]

[jaglikethecar]

[He nods, but doesn't move to shake her had. He doesn't make a habit of making contact even with the physical barrier of his gloves in place, but you didn't need to be psychic to know this girl had a Presence.

So he'd keep this investigation strictly above the psychic table, at least until he had an idea what he was dealing with.]

That's me. You want to have a seat somewhere?

[unknownmoirai]

[Her lips shape into a soft frown as she retracks her hand.] Yes, of course. [She finds a place off to the side where two chairs are positioned close together.]

Over there. We'll have privacy to speak.

[She takes a seat first and rests her coffee on her knees.]

I'm not sure where to start.

[Talking about her sister is complicated and for anyone not from heaven it's unbelievable. She only hopes that Jag's open to what she's about to tell him.]

[jaglikethecar]

[Jagger followers her dutifully enough, taking a seat and wrapping his gloved hands around his coffee cup, taking a sip before nodding.]

Try the beginning. That usually works best.

[unknownmoirai]

Please believe me.

[She begins in a soft voice.]

Not many people do. [But there is hope where Jagger is concerned. He is used to oddities, she only hopes that this isn't too odd.] My sister went missing six years ago. I already know that she doesn't want to be found. [She pauses thoughtfully.] But it is my job to find her. Not to bring her back but keep her safe.

I am not human and neither is she. She's been using her power to hurt others. She's very dangerous and has killed countless people. I won't ask you do look for her. It will be up to you but I want you to know what it means if she is here.

[jaglikethecar]

[I'm not human and neither is she. He's always suspected there were...other things out there, though, to his knowledge, he's never met one. There are too many consistent stories from disconnected areas of the world, but he never thought he'd run into one over coffee.

Her aura was different. That explained that, too.]

We haven't started to notice a body count. If she's here, she's keeping a low profile.

[unknownmoirai]

If she's here then she would already know that I am here too. She's always been better at using our link. It sometimes allows me to follow her but I think that's only when she wants me too.

[Her coffee raises to her lips and she takes a small sip. She has no practice talking about these things but feels important and it feels like the right thing to do.]

She wouldn't act directly. Maria has a talent of moving through others. [Which always makes things harder.] I don't want to hurt anyone.

[jaglikethecar]

[He sets down his coffee cup and raises a hand to stop her further explaining for a moment.]

Hold on. Tell me more about this link.

[unknownmoirai]

I don't know very much about it.

[Her lips tug into a frown as she explains.]

It's usually a feeling. I can sometimes feel what she feels or a place I've never been too before is suddenly familiar. Sometimes memories come to me in dreams.

I know that she can make the connection stronger or protect herself from him but I haven't been able to figure out how to do that.

[jaglikethecar]

[He cups his hands around his cup thoughtfully for a moment before nodding.]

Can you describe what it feels like, when you feel what she feels? Is it like...a thread? A breeze?

[unknownmoirai]

It's more overwhelming than anything like that.

It's like a tornado but its inside of me. Sometimes it feels like it'll just raging and then be done while other times it pulls me with it.

[It is rarely a pleasant experience.]

[jaglikethecar]

[Then it was a pretty powerful connection. He's only felt one or two things even remotely like that, and they'd turned out to be demons.]

Have you...tried to focus on it when it happens?

[unknownmoirai]

[She shakes her head.]

No.

[Her eyes drop to her coffee.]

I don't know if I can explain it accurately but the feeling is always too much. I'm scared that if I focus on it I'll break. It'll be like accepting feelings that aren't mind and letting them control me.