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[godsoffortune]

TEST DRIVE # 03



Whether you're trying to figure out how your character would fare in this setting, trying to get some samples together, or just dipping your toes in the water, you've come to the right place! The Test Drive is here to make your life easy by letting you see what the game is like without actually joining it first. So here is how it works:

1: Post a starter with your character, including whether they are a god or shinki in the subject line.
2: Act like your character is established enough in the setting to allow your thread to go places.
3: Take on any god/shinki of your choosing, as long as they're not already in the game!
4: Comment around to the other people on the meme.
5: Have lots of fun!

To get you started, here are some ideas for thread-starters! Feel free to come up with your own ideas if these don't strike your fancy, though.



Keening Karaoke
For some reason, karaoke clubs have suddenly popped up all over the Heavens. Not only that, but they are the big new hotspot for residents of the Far Shore to hang out at and everyone around you has been pressuring you to join them. Do you continue to fight back or give in to the peer pressure weighing you down?

Little Lies
Everyone believes that white lies do no harm, so the people of the Near Shore are happy to use small lies whenever they need to. Tiny ayakashi have been springing from these little lies and are now teaming up to form into a huge ayakashi, and it keeps getting bigger with every passing moment!

Marriage Madness
With spring in the air, the season of weddings is upon the Near Shore, and boy do the people of Japan seem eager to get married this year. In fact, it's so crazy trying to book anything that there are literally hundreds of prayers being sent up asking for monetary deals as well as luck with finding the right place to marry. Help some poor people out.

Necklace Nuisance
A cursed necklace has sprung up in the city and there are a lot of people dying because of it. The weird thing is that no one who has actually worn the necklace has died, just everyone around them. This cursed necklace has fallen into the hands of a depraved young man who is more than happy to use its bad luck in order to start 'taking out the trash' of the world...

Overt Ogling
As the temperature rises, so do the skirts of teenage girls. Unfortunately, there are a lot of pubescent boys who are more than happy to take a gander whenever they can. Catching some peeping toms, how is a resident of the Far Shore supposed to react? Or even warn the poor girl who's being spied on?



If you're uncertain about anything, feel free to check out the Premise, Rules, and FAQ posts. And don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have on the FAQ!
When and if you're ready to join the game, check out the Taken Characters before throwing in a Reserve and starting on your Application
Have fun!

Comments

Cho Hakkai | Saiyuki | Shinki

[reformedsinner]

Marriage Madness

Oh dear.

[He balances the phone between his ear and shoulder, flipping through a glossy magazine full of wedding destinations.] And you're sure? Booked until August? My, you must be popular! Mm hm. Yes.

I'm afraid you're the fifteenth place to tell me the same thing... are you very sure you can't find an afternoon in late April? Of course the party wouldn't take very long, and if you -- no? Couldn't I schedule a visit at least? We're willing to pay extra for --

[He pauses, takes the phone away from his ear, and looks at it.]

They hung up on me.

Do you think we should go convince them in person?


Necklace Nuisance

[Hakkai is elbowing his way through a thick crowd on the overpass above the Shibuya train tracks, for once not bothering to beg anyone's pardon. There's a man in a dark blue hoodie up ahead, leaning against the railing, and glinting through the half-open zipper at his neck is something golden set with red gems.

Another person, a middle-aged man in an expensively cut suit, stops next to the man in the hoodie. Hakkai's eyes narrow. They're speaking together. The older man's body language isn't friendly; he takes out a phone and waves it aggressively, but the man with the necklace on just smiles.

Yes, he's certain. This must be the young man they're looking for. Which means that the older man--

Train wheels clack below, and Hakkai breaks into a sprint.]


(other! feel free to pick your own scenario.)

[returnedfromtheline]

[Everyone has been on the alert about this necklace. Yukine had lucked out to come across a hint pointing him towards this guy in the expensive suit being a possible target.

And now it's come to this. He can see a necklace on the guy in the blue hoodie. But just as he's wondering how he'll get the necklace now that he's found it, he notices a guy dashing towards the two men.]

Wha-? Oi, you're gonna scare them off-!

[Growling that under his breath he also sprints towards the guy in the blue hoodie. He's not going to get away!]

[reformedsinner]

Or we'll have another death--

[There's a metallic groan, and the handrail suddenly sags as the suited man places his hand on it. Hakkai's lips thin, and he glances from side to side, possible paths illuminating themselves in his mind. Here, to there, to-- that'll work.]

Please handle the man with the necklace!

[The young man has a determined air, and he could see Hakkai, unlike most of the people in the crowd around them. Another shinki? A god? Hakkai's not sure, but he has something more important to do right now. He flings himself into a leap, flipping to kick off a concrete post supporting the railing, and dives at the suited man's legs just as he loses his balance and begins to fall.]

[returnedfromtheline]

[It takes Yukine a moment longer to grasp the situation and that the suited-man's death is a lot more imminent that he thought.
Being told to take care of the man with the necklace- well, he was going to do that anyways! Somehow.

Yukine is distracted for an instant when the other man (shinki? god?) pulls of such an acrobatic feat, but the guy in the hoodie is also watching his target.

Now, Yukine is honed in on the necklace. Forming his hand into a halberd shape he makes a quick motion towards it. The borderline flashes, cutting the necklace without cutting anything else. Yukine's satisfaction at that is short-lived, however, as the necklace doesn't fall from the man's neck.
Geh-- well, sure it would have been better to cut the necklace at the back of the neck, but he can't see that! And now it's just hanging there like a tiny stole.

He's not sure if the curse will be broken by just breaking the necklace. He has to recover it. So he barrels towards the guy in the blue hoodie, intending to knock him down.]

[reformedsinner]

[He's barely in time, but barely is close enough: the suited man goes down hard on his back in the middle of the sidewalk, starts swearing, and aims a punch at Hakkai's head.

Hakkai catches the punch, giving it enough of a twist to leave the man's wrist aching, and drops his hand again.

(He may not agree with the strategy, but most of the people that man has used his necklace against have had remarkably unpleasant backgrounds.)]

Please don't try that again. In fact, you may want to leave!

[He shoots the man a smile and gets back to his feet, dashing after the younger shinki. Definitely a shinki; he's sure he saw him cast something like a borderline just now.

If he doesn't manage to get the necklace away from the killer, well, Hakkai will be right there to provide other options....]

[returnedfromtheline]

[The guy in the blue hoodie, seeing his 'murder' attempt being thwarted (in a really outlandish way- where did that guy come from?!), turns quickly to walk away. With all the other people milling around and pausing to be distracted by the fallen man in the suit, Yukine is hard-pressed to follow, let alone get a running start to push his target down.

But he is small, and it's about damn time it's good for something. Shifting through the crowd he gets close to blue-hoodie and when there's a break in the crowd- he flings himself at the guy's legs.

At the sudden appearance of a body low before him, the man in the blue hoodie stumbles over it and falls heavily, cursing.

Yukine is ready for it, his hand darting for the guy's neck, intending to pull the necklace away.
Surprisingly, he finds his wrist being clasped by blue-hoodie's hand, his fingers stopped just short of the dangling broken necklace.]

Damn it-!

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai elbows a few gawking high-schoolers out of his way and grabs the back of the man's hoodie, giving it a neat twist as he glances down.]

Let go of his hand, and don't move. There's no reason for this to be too hard, is there?

[There's an edge to his cheerful smile, and as he finishes speaking, he gives the hoodie another twist, pulling the fabric tight around the man's forehead. It's stretchy, so it shouldn't be too painful, but the pressure reinforces his threat.]

Please get the necklace, ah... I didn't get your name earlier?

[returnedfromtheline]

[There is something a bit... scary about this guy, despite his smile. It seems that blue-hoodie can sense it too because he lets go of Yukine's hand with another growled curse and then he starts talking about 'justice' and 'taking out the trash'... Yukine pays him zero attention.

Slipping the gold chain from the guy's neck, he nods a confirmation to the guy who came to help.]

I was going to meet you eventually. [It's his heaven-imposed job, after all.

He doesn't want to give his name out so casually in front of this sack of crazy though, so he stands and says instead,]

Do we have to just let him go?

[Yukine's expression says that he'd like nothing better than to give the guy a kick in the ass at the very least for all the trouble he's caused.
Turning him over to the police would be nice, but they can't prove that the necklace was the murder weapon.]

[reformedsinner]

Do we? I wasn't thinking of letting him go.

[The necklace has been safely recovered. Hakkai stands up, yanking the man to his feet by his hoodie. He makes a choking noise, and Hakkai spins him to face the broken railing, overhanging a twenty foot drop to train tracks.]

We could just drop him off here.

[returnedfromtheline]

[Yukine blinks at the man, not quite sure how serious he is. Blue-hoodie is taking it seriously though, trying to scramble back from the edge although he's being held firmly in place.
Despite their natural ability to avoid notice, they are attracting some attention too.

Yukine shrugs dismissively.]

You know, that's not a completely bad idea. 'Taking out the trash'; I'm sure this guy would even agree. [He ignores the yelps of blue-hoodie as he continues,] But you know, isn't this one of those 'then we'd be brought down to his level' kind of things? I don't wanna go there. Besides- [he comes a bit closer so he doesn't have to say it so loudly in front of so many people] shinki are not meant to kill humans.

[reformedsinner]

Aren't we? What a shame. I suppose I'll let him go for now, then.

[He suits action to words, taking one step back and releasing the murderer's hoodie. If the man has good reflexes, surely he won't stumble forward! It's up to him now, though. Hakkai adds, to him, with a perfectly pleasant smile:] But if we have to come deal with you again then I think I'll break a ... rule or two.

necklace

[manlyfop]

[What a coincidence-- a god is also on the scene, having been on the look out for that necklace, given it seems like a dangerous artifact. And Raidou tends to not brush such rumors away, especially when the welfare of the people is always his first priority.

The moment Raidou notices the shinki, he knows he should catch the man's attention somehow, because two are better than one, but with how focused they are, and how quickly the situation has escalated, Raidou knows there's no time. He's rushing towards the two men, hand outstretched in order to grab the older man by the collar as if to pull him away from the man with the necklace.]

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai darts a glance at the stranger: he raises a hand, at first, ready to fight back in case this is the danger that's going to befall this next victim. A mugging?

No -- the way that he's grabbing for the man's collar says that he, like Hakkai, wants to separate the two of them.

Hakkai changes direction, going for their murderer's right arm instead. He gets a grip on the wrist, but an instant later, the man's trying to punch him in the face with his free hand, and Hakkai has to block instead of finishing the submission hold he'd planned on.]

[manlyfop]

[While he's set, he looks over at the shinki and realizes that he might need some help.

Normally, Raidou has no problem hitting a civilian or innocent if he has to. But that's usually with his fists and feet, not with an actual weapon. And even criminals he doesn't hurt in any way that would be permanent, because they can still be captured and brought in instead. Let justice be brought on them instead of killing them outright and making them loose a chance at redeeming themselves.

So it's with great reluctance that after he moves the potential victim behind his body where it should be safe, Raidou draws his revolver and shoots at the arm of the man with the necklace.]

[reformedsinner]

[Hakkai sees the hand raised, and the gun, out of the corner of his eye, and pulls back just enough to give the other man a clear shot. It feels familiar, easy and reflexive, to work around another person using a gun.

He wonders why, as the bullet rips into the hoodie-wearing man's upper arm, and then reaches out to close his hand around the wound as the man's screams escalate. They're drawing some attention now, despite the way that living humans usually seem to avoid noticing them, and it'll be better to end this quickly.]

Excuse me, this isn't yours.

[He reaches out with his other hand, tugging the necklace around to undo the clasp before he pulls it free.]

Now, I think you should get that arm looked at, shouldn't you? If you bled to death here, it would be a terrible accident.

april weddings you say

[konobakazaru]

[Goku, in the meantime, has taken to sitting cross-legged on the floor, chin in hand with his elbow on his knee as he flips through some of the spare wedding magazines. Talking on the phone seemed kind of boring, so he just left that up to this guy. He seems to know what he's doing! Even if they keep getting turned down... But that's okay! They'll find someone for the job, right? They just have to keep looking!

Damn if the pictures of wedding food aren't making his stomach growl, though...

The sudden interruption in Hakkai's questioning breaks his attention, and he glances up, chin momentarily leaving his hand and thoughts of eating an entire five-tiered wedding cake temporarily on hold. It'd probably make his stomach hurt anyway, but it'd be sooooo worth it.]

Man, why're these places so booked? These people just wanna be happy, why do they gotta keep getting turned down like that? [The magazine flops to the floor, and Goku stands, stretching his arms over his head and then straightening back up with a grin.] Talkin' in person sounds a whole lot easier anyway!

[reformedsinner]

Much easier!

[Hakkai slips his phone back into his pocket and glances around for a moment, looking for -- he's not sure what he's looking for. It just feels as though there should be something else, or someone else, to go with them.

To cover the moment of confusion, he glances back down at the magazine to note the place's address.]

It's only a few minutes away by subway. Shall we, Goku?

[konobakazaru]

[Goku knows the feeling! Fortunately, he's not really equating Hakkai's reaction to his own, since pretty much everyone like them can't remember anything. It sucks, but everyone seems nice enough, so it makes it a little easier at least.

But that news has him brightening even more!]

Whoa, really? We get to take the subway? Hell yeah!

[He's never been on a subway before! Whatever a subway is. ... at least, he thinks he never has.]

Hey, can we grab some snacks first? I'm starvin'! All these pictures of food made me hungry.

[reformedsinner]

Yes, I think there are some salmon riceballs in the kitchen.

[He's starting to learn that, around Goku, you need to make five times as much food as usual and save all of the leftovers for his snacks. He may have to revise the household budget.]

I'll meet you outside!

[He stretches and heads for the entryway, rolling the magazine up and tucking it into his coat pocket. Marriages, hmm... well, it's the season for them. If it weren't, they wouldn't have to go to nearly so much trouble to open up a spot at a popular garden.]

[konobakazaru]

Hakkai, you're awesome!

[And he means it! He really really does! There's always food around, and even if he's not sure why he's hungry all the time, he's never actually gone hungry here. Hakkai always seems to look out for him, like he's not another shinki or something.

While Hakkai heads out, Goku retreats to the kitchen. It takes a little humming and digging around in cabinets, but he finally finds a plastic container that's good enough to hold at least half a dozen riceballs. He makes it hold eight. And one goes in his mouth for the road!

Overall, it only takes a couple minutes for Goku to catch up outside, but his mouth is still occupied by food, which understandably muffles a 'Thanks!']

[reformedsinner]

You're welcome.

[Household budget revisions or no, it's oddly rewarding feeding Goku. He's always so appreciative.]

Do you suppose you're a hungry ghost?

[It's a perfectly reasonable question! After all, they're ghosts, and Goku is certainly very hungry.

Hakkai grins, and sets off for the subway station on the next block.]

[konobakazaru]

Hmm...

[That's a good question. He never thought of that. He never really thought about how he died, either. There's not really been much to think about, since he really can't remember anything before coming here.

While he ponders this, he finishes off another rice ball, following Hakkai all the way.]

Well, maybe! I mean, maybe I could've died from starvin' or somethin', but I don't look like I'm starvin', I just feel like I'm starvin'...

[reformedsinner]

None of us seem to have any death wounds! But it's all guesswork no matter what.

[He laughs cheerfully, holding out his hands.]

There must be some reason we've stayed on earth, after all.

[For the moment, "to give some girl the perfect wedding venue" will have to do. Hakkai smiles to himself and takes the subway steps down two at a time, skipping the long row of commuters on the escalator.]

[konobakazaru]

Yeah, I guess so!

[If you ask him, staying behind to help people is a pretty good reason. If that's why he was left here, he can totally do that. And making someone else happy makes you happy, too, right?

Hakkai proceeds down the escalator, but Goku pauses at the top, obviously hesitating. He... doesn't know why. It's not really the moving stairs - which seem weird, but he can deal with that - but the tunnel itself... Something about it makes him feel anxious in a way he can't really explain.]

Why d'we gotta go down here?

[reformedsinner]

This is where the subway is.

[Come to think of it, Hakkai hasn't taken Goku with him on a subway before. He looks almost frightened there at the entrance, as if he doesn't want to leave the bright April sunlight.

Is it just the unfamiliarity? Hakkai sorts through a few options: nyctophobia, claustrophobia... but the tunnel is really larger around than most rooms. Perhaps it's something to do with his lost memories.

Hakkai finds himself afraid without knowing why, sometimes, too.]

We could walk if you'd rather!