(no subject)

[uncanny_xmods]

( the test drive meme )

This is for anyone wanting to test out their characters in the setting before the applications open, see what clicks. Multiples will be allowed for this post, and you can generally assume any threads are a self-contained continuity unless you feel like getting creative.

Just post a thread with your CHARACTER NAME and CANON NAME in the title with a prompt and others will reply. Prompts and threads can be action spam or prose or whatever. These threads can be used on the sample section of your application, as well. Go out and have fun! Feel free to consult the institute tour and dorm guide for setting info. We also encourage you to check out the "!!event" tag on the IC comms to brush up on the story so far.

Comments

Chizuru Yukimura | Hakuouki

[senbazuru]

[Chizuru'd seen them in television dramas before, but never in real life. The institute was already impressive enough by the sheer fact of size, but all the facilities...the superfluous ones, especially, sent a fluttery whirlwind of excitement through her, though at the same time, it made it all the more painfully obvious how far from home she was.

As high up as the hedge maze's green, leafy walls were, they weren't anywhere near the sky-reaching heights of the numerous Tokyo buildings. The grounds were the near-opposite of the cement jungle that was her hometown (if you could really call such a giant city a 'town'), and the openness of everything made her the opposite of claustrophobic. She felt vulnerable in the wide open layout of the school ground, and exploring these sorts of places on her own made her even more self-conscious.]

[musou_tensei]

You should try looking less lost. Some people really like to mess around with new kids.

-A voice to break the reverie. From just around the corner.-

[senbazuru]

[Chizuru visibly jumps at the sudden sound, drawing her hands quickly to her chest in order to still her beating heart. Blinking a few times at the hedge before her, at first she wonders if the voice came from inside.

She begins to look around for the source, taking an apprehensive step backward...]

[musou_tensei]

Don't freak out. -And around came Reimu.-

I saw you earlier. I guess my attempt at a cool, anime-style entrance to the scene didn't work out.

[notabluffingman]

[For all that a man as big as this one should not me able to sneak up on you, this one moves with the stealth of an NCO, meaning he manages to get quite close before announcing yourself.]

Feeling a bit lost still, eh, lass? It takes everyone a bit dif'rently, you know. Some are home right away, and others need some more time for it.

[senbazuru]

[Even without the masterful stealth, Chizuru isn't the greatest at situational awareness...]

Ah--! [Her gasp is high pitched and she spins on her heel to face the unmistakable source of the voice. Her cheeks flush and she nods with over-eagerness.] Y-yes sir! It's q-quite different from Tokyo, I mean..!

[notabluffingman]

Easy does it, lass, didn't mean to startle you. [There's a little bit of amusement there, but no particular maliciousness.] Tokyo, you say? Never been myself, only passing via the milt'ry bases on Okinawa when I was young, but I can see why you should say so. Missin' home, are yer?

[iaijutsu]

[Saitou spent a lot of time outside - there were an awful lot of nice places on the grounds to get a little training in with nicer surroundings than the gym, after all - and while he usually wouldn't have wandered past the hedge maze, the first clear day they'd had in the last week had meant that his usual go-to spots were already claimed by other students looking to enjoy the weather.

Which led to him passing by, dressed for training with a practice sword tucked under his arm - and his purpose momentarily forgotten when he noticed how...lost Chizuru looked.]

Yukimura?

[senbazuru]

[The voice was too soft for her to really be startled by it. She couldn't exactly say that Saitou's arrival was an answer to some subconscious prayer of hers--but the look on her face was one of relief when she turned to see him. He was one of the rare signs of familiarity in this new place, even if they only knew each other superficially in their school back home.]

Hajime-kun!

[iaijutsu]

[It still felt a little strange hearing that name from her - but it wasn't a bad kind of strange, and he didn't see much reason to protest it. He'd had even less that was familiar when he'd first arrived at the school, after all, and the urge to hold onto everything remotely similar in the midst of all of the new and strange stuff had been - well, powerful, to say the least.]

You looked a bit lost.

[hipsterbane]

From her position on the roof, her preferred smoking spot, Reki could see her disappear into the hedge maze. She was reminded of a mouse instinctively seeking the smallest place possible.

Well, she'd just lit up. She was curious to see how long she'd be in there.

[senbazuru]

It took a little while for Chizuru to find the maze's opening. She walked along the outside, placing her hand up to brush against the brush softly. The leaves and the branches on which they rested were stiff, and they gave very little to her touch.

She couldn't imagine being able to find her way around on the inside, if she felt so swallowed by the outer walls...

The entrance finally revealed itself, to which Chizuru cast one final glance over her shoulder, then to the sky above before walking in.

[hipsterbane]

Which was exactly the right angle to catch Reki at! Though her darker clothes made her blend a bit into the roof tiles, the small grey wings were probably hard to miss. She waved.

[icy_heavens]

[From further away, the resemblence is striking. And even as he gets closer, it remains pretty remarkable despite the differences. Still, it's not her.

[But since she looks so lost and he's already here -- with those naturally quiet steps of his -- Toushirou figures he might as well say something.]

Is there something really fascinating about this?

[senbazuru]

[The tone in which the voice spoke to her, she felt as though she'd been rude for staring. A blush flew across her cheeks in an instant, and rather than hide it, she turned to voice the young man with an owlish blink.]

I...it...[She stammered out in a stupidly-loud volume.]...it's just so big!!

[icy_heavens]

[... Even acts a lot like her. Wow, that doesn't make him feel homesick at all. Really.]

[He blinks at the volume. Huh.] You don't need to talk that loud, you know.

[markedviolin]

[Unfortunately, not everyone's going to be watching where they're going--this young violinist being one of them.

Marie only realizes she's on a collision course a little too late.] A-Ah! Look out!

[senbazuru]

O-oh!! [Chizuru just barely spots the girl pummeling in her direction, and outreaches her arms in instinct, hoping to catch her--or at the very least, break her fall once they collide?]

[markedviolin]

[Luckily, Marie's not too difficult to catch!]

Ah, thank you... I'm terribly sorry; I wasn't looking where I was going! [Just going to try and right herself now, giving Chizuru an apologetic look.]

[akajishi]

[He knows that look, and it's always with someone that's new around at the Institute. He doesn't know who she is, or where she might be from, but the sheer amazement at the grounds was something he could understand.

He himself explored all about when he first came here. Making a mental map of everything would always help to get one used to the place, or at least that was his own personal reasoning.]

Need some help?

[Of course he couldn't just speak to her without asking something like that - it made more sense to do so. Not like he wouldn't mind helping her either.]

[senbazuru]

Mmm? [Chizuru straightens up from her close inspection of the hedges, turning to the sound of the voice with curiously wide eyes.] Oh...I...

[She takes a small step back, away from the maze, just in case she wasn't supposed to be touching it. (It's a reasonable concern!)] ...I'm not lost, I was just trying to make some sense of the layout of this place...

[It'd taken her a good week to get navigating the mansion down, so she expected about the same for the outside.]

[akajishi]

[Nervous much, or something?]

You don't have to be nervous or anything. You're new, I understand that, and you're trying to learn as much as you can about your surroundings.

It's only normal.

[He takes a look at the hedge maze - even after all this time, he hadn't dared to go in there. Not because he'd be afraid in there, but because he knew he was more liable to burn through it if he didn't solve it in a comfortable enough time.]

If you're one for puzzles, you should definitely go for this. People that've gone in there like it.

[sadistsword]

[And Souji comes up behind her, slowly and carefully. He isn't sure if she would realize the invasion of her personal space, but it was worth a try. He covered her eyes with his hands, a small grin appearing on his face.]

Who am I~?

[senbazuru]

[Chizuru was too engrossed in the numerous topiary surrounding the hedge maze to be too aware of her surroundings...not that she was all that great at it to begin with.

When warm hands cupped over her eyes, it initially took her by surprise, though a smile quickly appeared on her face - not that she was fond of being snuck up on, were it anyone else. But this was a familiar voice, a familiar touch.]

Okita-kun, geez! [It was more a laugh than a scold, and her hands blindly reached out into the air in an attempt to grab him.]

[sadistsword]

Ah~, you have found me out already?

[He sounds disappointed, but he smiles as he let go of her eyes, his arms wrapping around her shoulders instead.]

How did you find out so easily?