Test Drive for November 2013 Apps

[highseasmods]

Welcome to your monthly Test Drive for high_seas! Here is where new players can test out their characters' voices, old players can try out new muses, and everyone can help each other get some threads for their applications! Feel free to use one of the prompts below, or come up with something on your own! Comment around, have fun, and remember that any CR formed here does not carry over to the game!

See you during the application round!

♦ So you're new to this world and have just woken up in the Town Square. How do you react? What do you do?

♦ You're lost at sea. Maybe you got separated from your crew. Or perhaps you're on an abandoned island. You need help!

♦ "Pirates off the starboard bow!" It's an enemy ship! Attack!!

♦ You and your crew are hanging out on your ship. Just another day at sea!

♦ "LAND, HO!" Hey look, a new island! How about you go explore it? Tell us what you find!

Comments

[sharkasm]

[The sound's some indication of direction, but it can be pretty deceiving; the directions are more than welcome. Looking around, Rin spots the tree with the yellow leaves pretty easily, and makes his way over there.

Mostly by luck, he ends up right in front of Nitori, pausing and tilting his head as he looks down at the guy, hands still in his pockets. It's not until his eyes have wandered down to the bloody sock that he finally moves again, crouching down to look at it.]

What did you do now?

[It's more long-suffering than any kind of actual question; Rin knows what Nitori did. It may be only a small wound, but it looks nasty. So of course Rin is wondering why this had to happen... to himself.]

[aidreamofsenpai]

[Aiichiro, of course, feels apologetic about the situation. He bows his head just as if he actually did do something wrong, his voice a little sheepish as he responds.]

I-I didn't think about it, the spring just looked so clear and nice, so I put my feet in the water while I was writing, just to relax. I think... it was like some kind of pirahna or something! Don't get near it!

[He reaches out, grabbing Rin's arm to try to pull him a little closer, another step away from the water. Of course, he's doing this while standing on one foot, so he winds up tipping over and nearly falling himself.]

Ahh!

[sharkasm]

[For all his faults, Rin's reflexes are good enough; he grabs Nitori's arm in return, making sure the guy doesn't fall.]

Oi! Will you finally be more careful?!

[One of these days, he swears -... But he won't, of course. It's impossible to stay angry at Nitori the same way it's impossible to stay angry at a puppy. There's just something intrinsically wrong about it.

There's a lot of blood, but at the same time, staying here to bandage the toe properly may not help much, and with how annoyingly clumsy Nitori is being, Rin would rather get him out of there, first. Maybe they can pause somewhere safer along the way, if necessary. So Rin takes the arm he was holding already and pulls it around his neck, takes a step forward.]

We're going back to the ship before you kill yourself.

[aidreamofsenpai]

[Aiichiro is too busy trying to steady himself to worry too much about what is being said, at first. After all, his foot hurts, and he was too busy thinking about Rin possibly being bitten to be careful! It's just in his nature, that's all.

Once Rin has him steady, however, Aiichiro gives a shaky little laugh, still sounding rather apologetic.]

Hai, senpai. Thank you for your help.

[He eyes his shoes, then gives a little sigh.]

If I put them on, I'll get blood all over them. But I don't know if I should walk around without them when I don't know what else is out there.

[sharkasm]

[... Oh, you've got to be kidding. Is Nitori even serious?!

But of course he has a point. Everything could be dangerous here, but not wearing shoes is certainly not going to help. Even if there are no creepy crawlies, the wound's just going to get infected if Nitori sets his foot down even once.

Shit...

Letting go of Nitori, Rin picks up the shoes and shoves them in Nitori's hands.]

Just shut up.

[What he's talking about probably won't be clear until the next moment, when he turns around and picks Nitori up to carry him on his back.

For all that Rin doesn't mind exercise, he's pretty sure there should be laws against having Nitori's mouth so close to his ears.]

[aidreamofsenpai]

Wha-?

{That isn't what Aiichiro was expecting, and he clutches his shoes, a little startled at being picked up. Of course, he knows his senpai is perfectly capable of carrying him, but he didn't intend to impose in such a manner! Even if it makes sense.]

You don't have to-

[But Rin has already told him to shut up, hasn't he? Aiichiro blushes, closes his mouth, and does his best just not to move around too much and put them off balance or anything. In fact, he manages to be quiet for almost a whole minute!

As he looks around though, he gets distracted by the scenery, and without thinking about it starts talking again.]

Isn't it pretty here, Matsuoka-senpai? If it wasn't for the piranha or whatever that was, it'd be a really nice place. There are all those little streams, and the trees look really pretty, and oh, look at those clouds over there! They're so white and puffy...

[sharkasm]

[And what a blessed minute of silence it is. Nitori isn't big, but he's still a teenager, and he has enough muscle on him to weigh quite a bit for his size. Rin can take it for a while, and he'll stubbornly keep going long after that, but getting Nitori all the way back to the ship is going to take enough effort without constant chattering.

Of course, no good thing lasts forever...]

Right. Apart from all the things trying to kill you, it's a perfect holiday destination.

[The hell, Nitori? Your senpai wasn't happy at home, but at least he had something to work at there. Now even that is taken from him.

He really doesn't care about your fluffy clouds.]

[aidreamofsenpai]

Well, yes but...

[Aiichiro's voice starts out almost contrite. Of course Rin is right. The situation isn't good, and there's a lot of danger. His stress over academic and athletic success at home really doesn't compare to this at all.

But the tone doesn't last beyond those few words, because Aiichiro knows something else.]

If we didn't try to look at the positives, we'd just be depressed all the time. It's scary, but we have friends here too. We just have to be careful.

[He pauses, burying his flushed face against his senpai's hair without really meaning to.]

I'll be more careful next time.

[sharkasm]

[Who has friends, exactly?! Rin doesn't need positives, he needs goals; he needs wins. Nitori has the most astonishing talent of getting under his skin while somehow making Rin incapable of hating him, and knowing that only makes it feel more like defeat.

But he really can't hate Nitori, especially with that promise to do better. As chipper as Nitori is, Rin has seen another side of him, too - a side that's far too recognizable. Rin knows what it's like to know that you don't measure up, may never be good enough no matter how hard you try. How could he possibly kick Nitori when he's down?]

You better be.

[But that angry grumble, barely aimed at anything, is all Rin says, turning his head away from where Nitori is touching his hair, more on general principle than anything else. There's a really interesting tree where he's looking. Honestly.]