prismaticrap | ▶ TDM .012

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You awaken amidst the darkness with only a faint light to greet you. Your body is hemmed in by shards of crystals, gently sparkling and possibly pricking your skin. The surrounding landscape is dyed in the pinks and purples of the dusk filled with crystals protruding from the ground, some as large as a skyscraper. After an hour or two of wandering through the crystal wilderness, a group of people find you worse for wear. They are the gallant Moon Knights from the planet of Prismatica. Because of the strange phenomena during the past months when scientists observed the sudden appearance of rainbow crystals in the sky, the government has been feverishly combing through the moon for more Moonblessed to be rescued. You’ll eventually be brought into Iris’s moon government center.

You all may have your usual inquiries — Where are we? Who are you? What's going on? — and the Prismals are almost too eager to answer. They tell you about their world and about the first appearance of the Moonblessed as the medical staff give you an examination to make sure you’re not carrying any viruses or biological hazards. If you react violently, you may be restrained and nerfed with a specialized neurotransmitting gun that releases a numbing agent through the top of your spine. Once the examinations are over, you’re informed that you will be provided accommodations on their planet during your stay. You will then be escorted to the docks, and led onto a large transport vessel that makes frequent trips back and forth between the Iris moon and the planet. Faces onboard vary from both old and new Moonblessed as well as the local Prismals.

The next destination: Prismatica.

▶ I am the Terror That Flaps in the Night
Iris Moon, Government Center (Arrival) and Planet Prismatica, City of Lunatia | top

Welcome to Prismatica’s hub, Lunatia, the city of your dreams! A bustling metropolis lush with bright lights, vibrant colors, luxuriant plant life, and all the conveniences of technology absent from your own world… It seems like paradise to all the uninitiated. After a quick tour of the city, new arrivals can find themselves getting cozy in their new homes.

A Settle in your new home at Level 2 to find new roommates and say hello to your neighbors! City officials will give you directions to the designated districts across Level 2 and instruct you to pick out a unit. Each apartment complex has a different aesthetic, some may look cozy, some stylish, and some bizarre. The free accommodations have a basic living space that can only fit two or three people at most in one unit.

Starter Chromaspace furnishings are provided which can be controlled with the touch of a built-in panel. Examples are color-changing curtains, transforming sofa beds, cabinets turning into tables, etc. Customizing your apartment or moving out will have to wait until you earn more chroma. Until then, why don’t you check out your new neighborhood or explore the city levels? Maybe your new roommates or neighbors can give you a “hand” with allowance for dinner.

B Your new flat is covered in a sprinkling of feathers here, there, and everywhere! They appear to be coming through the air vents. This seems to be a city-wide problem in all buildings, as many news outlets are informing people to stay alert. They believe the feathers are from the masked seraphim, King Majestas, who attacked the Elaran Amphitheater a few weeks back.

You are advised to destroy the feathers on sight. Prolonged contact with these feathers cause hallucinations and paranoia. You will feel as if winged creatures are always after you, be it one-winged angels or dark-winged ducks. Other side effects include hearing the chanting of voices in an indecipherable language out of this galaxy. These hallucinations may cause headaches, dizziness, or nausea. Thankfully, a bit of moonlacing will heal these symptoms away.

▶ Got Milk?
Level 2, Crystal Beach | top

With the Coiled Hearts Festival fast approaching, local fishermen have already begun procuring food across Crystal Beach’s clear waters to meet next month’s demands. Around this time of year, the popularity of octopus dishes dramatically rises. The Lunatians have an annual tradition to prepare flavorful octopus dishes for the romantic season, such as the much-lauded dark chocolate-coated octopus or the mouth-watering octopus braised with red wine.

Everyone is welcome to join this heart-throbbing affair. During the Second and Third months, everyone is encouraged to give your loved ones something special for a long, successful relationship. Friends, family, and new acquaintances are traditionally given a small amount of Demichroma in tiny cute cases, while lovers are given something that reminds the gifter of their homeland.

A Interested in catching your own octopus? Horned taurus octopi very frequently migrate to the shorelines to perform their elaborate mating rituals. It’s easy to find clumps of taurus octopi participating in a vigorous dance, filled with undulations and strange moaning noises that octopi should not be making. You can lure the octopi by either using a special flute which mimics their moans to gather them in heavy droves. It’s ideal to have a partner with you to scoop the octopi quickly into water containers once they’ve become entranced enough.

Play the flute carefully! If the taurus octopi grow too excited by your music, they will squirt white ink. If you are spritzed with the thick substance, you will start either randomly puking or uncontrollably secreting a milky sweet substance from any body part that secretes liquids. Luckily, the high-end boutique Prissy Polyp is nearby in case you need a change of clothes due to any sizable stains. Effects will naturally wear off after an hour.

B Come with a friend and enjoy learning some octopus recipes together. The Crystal Beach Resort has opened a seminar where several professional chefs will be demonstrating and teaching how to cook various dishes of different flavors and ingredients guaranteed to impress your date, and taste-testing is free!

One dish makes use of horned taurus octopi skin as the star ingredient, renowned for its irresistibly delectable scent. The chefs explain the palatable skin is a potent ingredient in various love potions and aphrodisiacs, so add or mix them to your dishes in moderation! The effects have a significant delay, so you may feel fine for a while, but when it hits, it hits hard. You will become enamored with every little thing — hey, you just met them and this is crazy — but that person’s smile, the sound of their voice, or the way they say your name will make you unable to resist the urge to shower them with your affection.

▶ Going Viral
Level 2, Moonlight Medical Center | top

“Help Wanted” posters can be found on virtual forums and announcement boards across Level 1 to 3. The Moonlight Medical Center has put out a call for volunteers due to a recent shortage of medical staff. The work involves filling in for overworked nurses, performing tasks such as feeding patients their meals, wiping away their sweat, changing their clothes, encouraging their spirits, and so on. Any volunteers may directly walk-in at the hospital. You will be provided a nurse uniform and any necessary equipment while on the job.

The shortage has resulted from the hospital recently taking in a severe number of patients from a nearby small village to the west of Lunatia, Port Sylvel, a known shipping and freight destination. The number of patients worryingly keeps on rising by the day and will soon fill all available rooms.

A Some of the patients are experiencing varying degrees of paralysis. The worst cases have crystallizing parts of their body. The hospital staff will stress that you should be careful around patients with crystallized limbs. Patients like these have a history of aggressively biting anyone who comes close hard enough to draw blood. Those bitten will exhibit similar symptoms as the victims, including crystallization on their bodies, and experience a steady drop in Chroma. An uncomfortable heaviness will cause you unable to move without the aid of others as well as an uncontrollable urge to aggressively bite someone.

While affected Moonblessed can cure it by moonlacing, the Prismals can only be cured by a gluteal inoculation the Lunar Scientia has recently managed to develop. The sick and beleaguered will probably hate you less if you aren’t the one trying to stabbing them with injections in the hindquarters.

B Aside from nursing duties, other available tasks to be completed include making coffee for fellow nurses and doctors, delivering flowers to patients, and general housekeeping. Specifically, disinfecting medical equipment, tidying up rooms, and cleaning the spaces around the hospital. As a result of the current situation, many crystal shards can be found decorating multiple surfaces, such as floors, walls, toilet seats, and so on. These will have to be swept away!

However, as your work day progresses, some of the shards can be seen suddenly moving on their own. These crawling shards will start clustering together to turn into elaborate, floating monolithic formations that will then begin attacking anyone nearby. Their main ability includes shooting diamond spears to impale any unfortunate victims in their line of sight. In the midst of the chaos, nurses and doctors will beg the Moonblessed to please protect the sick and wounded. The crystal formations can be destroyed by any method, though because of their incredibly sturdy composition, they require multiple hits before they shatter into dust.

▶ Questions
If you have any questions regarding this test drive meme, please ask them in the Questions thread below.

▶ As a reminder, test drive memes are for new characters only. However, current players are more than welcome to use these prompts for their own posts in the IC communities, personal inboxes, catch-all posts, etc.!
▶ As our test drive memes are game canon, feel free to keep any threads that happen here as canon for your character should they be accepted.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well, I can hope my husband shows. Qrow is good though, and Yang is excellent. She's always been so protective of her baby sister."

It was adorable, really. Probably still is, if that hasn't changed.

"What about her other friends?"

Ruby, tough as nails as she was, really did give off that 'must protect' kind of vibe. She really was a good person. When Summer asks about her other friends, he has to take a moment to think on that. There's a twinge of amusement in his gaze, jokingly thinking to himself how he's practically spoiling most of what Ruby'll tell her after when they reunite. But, he can tell it's lifting her spirits, if even a little bit. That and it wasn't every day you got to know someone else's family. Especially in a world like this...

They stop at a crosswalk, waiting for their signal to go as he folds his arms.

"There's Yang," her sister. Doesn't really count but. Hey. Friends! "Weiss, Blake...her whole team. Knowing her, if she's met someone, she's probably made friends with them."

... for the most part.

"Wait a moment, are you saying she's on a team with Yang?" That's... distinctly odd, given the age difference between them. Not that it's a huge one, but Ruby should be two years behind Yang...

"How... very strange. I'll have to ask them how that happened. But that's very good to know about her friend-making talents."

The more people her daughter has to support her, the better.

Her reaction actually draws some curiosity out of Cloud, enough that he cocks a brow. Oh, it's their turn to cross the street. Just another block after this and they'd be at their destination.

"Is that not supposed to be a thing?" He doesn't know how age differences were supposed to work as far as teams and being huntresses were concerned... To be honest, he never asked her or Weiss about it.

As they start crossing, she shrugs, though there is still a frown on her face. It's more of confusion than anything else, though.

"It's just that Yang's two years older than Ruby. So she should have started two years earlier, and had her own team already. Even if that team lost a member, and that does happen, they wouldn't have been replaced with a fresh recruit. So either Yang started two years late, which doesn't sound like her to me, or Ruby started two years early, which doesn't sound possible. Getting into Beacon is hard enough as it is."

On the other hand, Oz will do as Oz does. She just hopes that doesn't involve manipulating her poor little girl...

Well, okay, no point wishing for the moon. She hopes it doesn't involve manipulating her too much.

Cloud listens intently, offering only a collective little hum as he weighs the options. He has no idea what Ruby's story is, or how soon she became a huntress and entered Beacon academy. But, if there's one hunch he has...it's that the latter was starting to sound more and more likely. For a couple of reasons.

"Maybe she started early," he offers with a casual gesture of his hand at his side. "She's pretty good with that scythe-rifle of hers."

He'd know. He's fought her.

"Pretty good wouldn't be enough, she'd have to be phenomenal... well, for her age, at least."

Which, if she did start at fifteen, would mean she'd have to be "pretty good" by the standards of about an eighteen to twenty year old hunter. Unlikely, but... this was her baby they were talking about.

"That, or Oz decided to take a chance."

"Guess we'll go with phenomenal. I ain't no slouch." And while it was a spar and neither one was fighting the other with a killer's intent, Ruby's Crescent Rose was powerful, enough that it forced him to brace himself every time he blocked a blow from her shots. How much of that is fueled by Aura, her Semblance, or the type of Dust bullets she uses? He doesn't know for sure. Either way, a challenging fighter was a challenging fighter no matter how you looked at someone. For that, she has his respect.

Then she mentions another name. Someone who decided to take a chance on her... His curiosity wins out in the end.

"Oz?"

"Oh, so you've sparred with her." Well, that explains how he knows how good she is, anyway. Makes sense, and he does look like he'd be a good opponent. Maybe she'll try him out herself sometime.

"Ozpin. The headmaster at Beacon. He's... eccentric. Brilliant, though. Which I guess is almost a cliche of its own if you read enough stories, isn't it?" The out-there genius, misunderstood by the world. Oh she's seen that one dozens of times.

"Yeah. It's...kinda how we met, actually." Even if that meant dipping into the moon cycles and how they worked. If Summer's curiosity were sparked, he'll explain. ...eventually he'd ask her about the moons anyways. What her blessing what, what she was in for. You know, the regular 'heads up' about this world. For better or for worse. Right now though, he listens to her explain more about the world he only scratched the surface of. Everything he could go back to and talk with Weiss about if topics of Remnant came up.

"That type, huh?" Cloud seems to get it, if even a little.

"Well I suppose that's one way to make new friends." Though she kind of hopes Ruby hasn't made all of her friends at the edge of a blade, even if the matches have just been friendly sparring. It doesn't seem like the healthiest thing. "Did you meet at a gym or something for that sort of thing?"

They had those at Beacon, after all, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think they'd have at least a couple in a city this large.

"Yes, though... I'm not sure sending my daughter off to fight slavering monsters two years earlier than she otherwise would have is exactly the sort of eccentric I was hoping to see from my old professor." Kind of raises her protective mom hackles, actually.

Cloud can only hope that she didn't make all her friends this way. As Summer queries him about how they met, he suddenly feels a tinge of rose creep up his face. It's not that it was embarrassing or that anything 'bad' happened. But something told him that this was likely to him explaining more about the nature of this planet. And the celestial bodies high above which governed their 'blessed'. "Not...exactly..." He rubs the back of his head, his gaze drifting from the woman before turning back to explain.

"We did it in the woods. Ruby tracked me down while I was training and the fight started there." A beat, as his expression lightens once more with amusement. "Didn't last for long before we started checking each others weapons out."

He couldn't really argue against a Mom thinking it was dangerous for a 15-year old to go off fighting monsters. But...well. Cloud joined the military at the same age too. No doubt his Mom had her concerns about him going off to join SOLDIER so young. Despite the fact it's partially the norm, and has happened in Shinra more times than one would think?

"Can't say I blame you."

Well that's odd. Why would talking about a simple spar make him blush like that? Granted, it's not a very deep one, but it's curious nonetheless. She can't think of any reason this would be embarrassing.

Unless he got beaten. That would probably be rather blush-inducing, considering he looks... eh, late teens, early twenties, something like that. Definitely old enough to find losing to a girl that young humiliating.

"She tracked you down? As opposed to just happening upon you?" Curious. Why would she track down someone she didn't know? "You must have had a very interesting weapon."

If Summer knew Cloud had gone to a program designed to create soldiers starting at fifteen ordinarily, she'd probably ask a few questions. And given Shinra and SOLDIER, the answers would be unpleasant. Beacon, by comparison, was supposed to be the good guys.

"But... She's doing alright for herself, if what you said is anything to go by, so I guess it worked out. He knows what he's doing." Usually.

At the time, Cloud was still getting a hold of his own Sanguis compulsions and that bestial urge to fight. In a way, Ruby had been a saving grace for him, having far more control than he did at the time to keep him level-headed. Tracking him down was...accurate enough. Though he wondered if he just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

"That's what Sanguis tend to do. For the first five days of every month, a lot of people tend to go out to pick fights." Then again, as far as interesting weapons were concerned... "It's unique. But not as out there as Crimson Rose."

He smiles, recognizing the sign on the street in front of the flower shop just down the block. They're almost there.

"She's really something else." A beat.

"Sanguis? Isn't that the name of one of the moons? Is that what they mean by Moonblessed?" Doesn't sound like much of a blessing to her. Quite the opposite, if anything.

"At least you managed to get those urges out in a spar, rather than seriously injuring someone or tearing up some poor owner's establishment." Looking at you, Branwen Sibs.

Her lips do quirk back up a bit when he comments on her girl like that, and more so when she realizes they've arrived.

"Ah, I'm guessing this is the place?"

"Yes. I...have a feeling I'll be giving you the rundown shortly." There are perks to the cycles. Though they're well-masked by other troubling matters. Depending on how one looked at them, anyway. But for now, the aroma of myriads of flowers and other plant life fills his senses. It's nothing grandiose, and it's run by a sweet elderly Prismal who merely wants to spread what little beauty she can. Cloud's become very familiar with this place.

"That's the one."

Honestly when he first started shopping here, the owner was surprised to see a man like him so invested in flowers. Cloud holds the door open for Summer so that he doesn't leave it to close on her, entering with a small wave to the Prismal florist behind the counter.

"Oh, Cloud! So good to see you," she remarks to his own nod. For now, the Prismal leaves the two of them be, taking note of the pretty young lady he's accompanied by with curiosity. Funny! Cloud usually comes alone when he shops...

"Flowers are on me," he states. It's not even so much a question. He's telling Summer that he's covering for her. "You just got here, so... I've got Chroma to spare."

That "rundown" sounds like something very important that she's not going to like hearing. She is, of course, used to such things. She'd ask for him to just get it over with, but then they're entering the shop and her eyes light up.

"Oh it's been too long..." The last time she was in a flower shop, Yang was barely walking. She glances around in delight before the elderly woman's voice catches her ears. She smiles at her and inclines her head.

"Good afternoon, madam. I hope you don't mind me browsing for a little bit." Despite what one might expect, she probably wasn't going to buy any roses. There were so many lovely variations of flowers to choose from, how could she just let herself be defined so narrowly? What she was going to get, she hadn't yet decided.

Especially since she wasn't going to have to worry about her own limited budget. "I'll take you up on that, since I would hardly be able to get anything if if I just relied on what I personally have to spend. But I will find a way to pay you back."

And that, she won't budge on.

"Oh, not at all! Your friend here's got an eye for great blossoms." To that, Cloud rubs the back of his neck, trying to play up to his more stoic side. It fails. Miserably, as expected when his face softens with a sigh. He's had plenty of time here, beyond training, working for the Moon Knights, and exploring a new life. That and there was a good reason to his attachment to flowers, even if in passing. For now, Cloud simply stands back and watches as she inspects the variety.

When she says she'll take him up on the offer, he smiles with relief. "Good."

Because the last thing he needed anyone doing was splurging needlessly and threatening to turn to crystal for it. That happened to Weiss after she finished her holiday shopping, and it was a good thing he found her when he did. Not that he imagined Summer having that issue. Her determination to pay him back catches him by surprise, but it gets his thoughts spinning in his head. And then he's struck with a sense of deja vu.

"Not that you have to," he shrugs. "But... I got a feeling you won't take no."

Which brings him to another lesson for her.

"Has anyone told you how to make money here?"

"Sort of. They mentioned something called Moonlacing, said it had to do with physical contact, but I'm not sure I fully grasped it. Am I supposed to assume we can make money by going around touching people?"

The idea sounded ridiculous, but honestly if that proves to be true, Summer's pretty sure she'll be fine. She's always been a little touchy, especially with friends and family. So really she won't even have to change much.

She eyes the petals of an Iris flower as she ponders the idea.

"Mm. That's Chroma." Cloud takes a moment to pause. There's a lot to it, and he's not sure what the best way of approaching it was. It's hardly appropriate to jump straight into just how intensive the desire for contact can get. Especially when the varying cycles of the moons gets involved. The blond's gloved hand trails up the stem of a group of lilies, letting a gentle huff escape before continuing.

"It's also your life force. Run out of Chroma, and you start turning to crystal." It was...kind of beautiful, eerily speaking. He's never seen anyone die from it. But witnessing Weiss begin to turn, regardless of the circumstances had been...scary. Even Raven once neared that state before he intervened and forced her to take his hand. It's then he realizes, since Summer is from Remnant as well...

"Watch how you use your Aura too. That'll tap your Chroma quick if taxed."

Cloud's hand falls away from the lily, looking back to Summer as she ponders over the Iris flowers or whatever else her silver gaze happens upon.

"You pay for things with the same energy that keeps you alive? Well... I guess I can see how it's valuable, at least." But the implications are also pretty unnerving. If life energy is currency around here...

And she thought people had gone too far on Remnant in the pursuit of wealth.

"That said, if a touch is all that's needed to recharge it, I shouldn't be in too much trouble. You said it yourself, my daughters are here." And once she finds them, she's going to spend at least half of her time here embracing them. Because how could she not?

Her eyes fall on a set of sunflowers, and a soft smile spreads across her face. "Ah, there we are... Hmmm, I'm not so sure about sunflowers indoors, though."

That about sums it up. Though it's not like one can just buy something to drain themselves to straight-up zero. ...he thinks. As Summer chimes in how she'll do just fine, especially knowing she has her kids, the look of surprise at how well she's taking the news ebbs away. Seriously, if she hadn't said it outright, her personality was really shining through- he'd have matched her up to Ruby on her nature alone. It's sweet to see. Maybe not the most conventional of worlds, but...it's a chance for families to reunite. Even Cloud had some time to reconnect with the people he's lost.

"You're practically set."

Fleeting though that time may have been. He doesn't dwell upon that now though. He's sure that when she reunites with her daughters, everything will work out in the end. Still, it's nice getting to meet the mother of one of the cooler people he's met on this planet. Now he knows where she gets it from.

"Guess so..." He moves up beside Summer to look the sunflowers up and down. He's no expert, but...he's seen them indoors! Just. Not necessarily fresh and alive. Still, it was an idea.

"Maybe you can just dry them?"

"Well, I was looking for things to put in pots and take care of, but I could dry a few and hang them on the walls in a frame or something, I suppose."

It's an idea, at least. She makes a mental note of it and turns to see if anything else can catch her eye. There's a lot to look through, and she knows she could be here a while.

"I should ask, how much do you have in the way of time to spare on me while I do this?"

She doesn't want to keep him from anything important, after all.

"Sorry," he shakes his head. "I'm no expert on sunflowers, so that's all I've got."

Now that the blond was here in the store though, he was weighing his options... For a while, he'd been struggling to think of something else that was meaningful to get for someone for their birthday coming up. It also didn't help their birthday was also Valentine's Day. Trying to balance it out was a tad challenging. But the longer he stays in here, watching out of the corner of his eye as Summer takes her time to look through her selection... The ideas start coming to him. And in his pocket, a dimensional orb used for summoning items and other goods from your home world.

Maybe...

"I should ask,"

"Hm?" He lifts a brow when she speaks up, asking how much time he really has to be sparing on her. Cloud could very easily make time for his training, or go get some errands done and stock up his fridge. Maybe check in on some clients and their businesses and see how their supplies were looking... The keyword being 'could'.

Maybe if it was anyone else, someone who didn't share any connections to the people he knew... But with Summer, it's different. She's helping him without even realizing it anyway. So to her query, he shakes his head once more, softer as his mako-infused eyes meet her silver gaze.

"I'm pretty free right now. You just have good timing," is the taller blond's way of saying he's not going anywhere.

Awww.

"That's very sweet of you, Cloud. I'm glad Ruby's found such good friends here."

And since she's got plenty of time to browse, that's what she does, walking down the aisles, pondering different choices, until finally she's picked out three pots worth of flowers. Marigolds, forget-me-nots, and, despite what she told herself when she came in, red roses, to be specific.

"There. I think that will be enough for now. Thank you for being so patient."

She's barely taken fifteen minutes, but she's still grateful to him given that as far as she knows he has no reason to be here right now.

▶ TDM .012

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