Test Drive 1

[concierge]

Welcome to All Inclusive's test drive! Anyone is welcome!

Guidelines

• Please make sure you are familiar with how we play and what characters are allowed before participating.


• Writing should be in para/prose just like in the main game. That means no brackets, no asterisks, etc. No network posts, please.


• No anonymous comments.


• We very strongly suggest NOT writing your character's first time at the Nexus, but rather a random scenario once they've gotten more used to the idea of the place. The shock and surprise of new arrivals and subsequent info dump by whomever meets them tends to be one note.


• Entries to the test drive may be of any length. However, if your intro (top-level) comment is of normal post length and you are proud of the quality, you may use it as an example on your application.


• Feel free to tag around the meme with any character you already play or are considering, even if they don't have their own intro comment.


• If your character is accepted into the game and you have permission from the other involved players, you may consider test drive threads as game canon. You may also linkdrop them to the main community if you choose.


• Please use the header below for your intro/top-level comment.

Header

<b>Name:</b> <b>Canon:</b> <b>Location:</b>

Name: The character's name
Canon: The character's canon
Location: Choose: Somewhere in the hotel or grounds or through a door

Comments

[soft_robot]

Name: Baymax
Canon: Big Hero 6
Location: Lobby

Baymax stands helpfully in the lobby, waiting in his charging station.

"Hello, I am Baymax."

[loiseau_ou_la_cage]

Elizabeth was very curious about the strange marshmallow being that waited in the hallway. It was a curious sort of shape, much more friendly looking than any automaton she'd ever seen.

When the being spoke she jumped, startled for a moment. Baymax? What sort of a name was that? Still, it would be rude to ask, and he was a very cheerful looking thing. She smiled and held out her hand to shake his. . . arm nub. "I'm Elizabeth. It's nice to meet you."

[soft_robot]

Bay looks down at the gesture and then responds as Hiro once instructed, raising the hand and going, "Bada-lata-lata-la" while wiggling his fingers.

"My purpose is to heal the sick and injured."

[sunmoontruth]

Name: Satomi Ito
Canon: Teen Wolf
Location: On the grounds

All of the scents are new, interesting. Some of them unfamiliar, even to her experience. No matter. Satomi repeats her old mantra to herself, remaining calm and even as she takes stock of the hotel.

[vigorsgunsandgirls]

Name: Booker DeWitt
Canon: Bioshock Infinite
Location: Near the stables.

Booker'd been here for long enough to know his way around, now, and he liked the slow, easy pace of the place. Seemed like a real calm down after some of the things he'd been through. He liked to come out and walk, and when he'd discovered there was a stables, he'd signed up first thing to work there.

One of the reasons he had been so good in the Cavalry was his skill with horses, and he enjoyed being around them. Heck, he didn't even mind the inevitable clean-up that they needed. So here he was, just working, and, for the first time in awhile, enjoying himself without a care.

He was out walking a horse, giving it a little exercise since it hadn't been ridden in the last day, and making sure to keep an eye on it in case it developed any hitches or tried to throw a shoe. The horse, feeling his skill, and knowing he would take care of it, moved with a confident pace next to him as he gently tugged on the basic harness that was all it was wearing currently.

[thelikelife]

Name: Luce
Canon: Imagine Me & You
Location: The Gardens

While Luce doesn't often garden from soil to bloom these days, there's a simplicity to it that she appreciates. It's not as if she really loves being away from Rachel and London, but the hotel has these beautiful expanses and varieties of flowers that she could never dream of in the city. It's only a shame she can't create some sort of supplier network from here.

Sitting back on her haunches, she wipes the dirt from off her cheeks, peering at the work she's done so far and thinking maybe a spot of bright tiger-lilies next.

[tooktheblack]

There were people that Jon hoped he would never see again. Among them, of course, were the Lannisters who had betrayed his family and killed his brother. It came as no surprise that there was one here in the Nexus, though his experience on the island told him that possibly he should not be so quick to judge; perhaps she only wore Cersei's face and wasn't Cersei herself.

"Your Grace?" he questioned, testing the waters.

[thelikelife]

It takes her a moment to realise she's the one being addressed. Peering up past sweaty strands of hair, she wipes off the sweat of her forehead with the back of her hand and stares at the man with a bewilderment she thinks is only natural. "I think you're the first person I've ever met who considers me graceful," Luce replies wryly, sticking her shovel in the ground.

"No, it's just Luce," she assures. "No Grace involved."

[captain_killian_jones]

Name: Killian Jones
Canon: Once Upon a Time plus game canon
Location: Library

Killian had been here just a few days, and already, he thought the place was bananas. With everything that had happened, he felt like he needed a calm moment. He knew that was unlikely, but he could hope, right?

Here he was, in the last place you'd probably look for him, really. He was in the library and peering at a few books on naval travels and maneuvers, and quite happily lost in the world of the writing, when he heard the door open. Hmmm, should he look up? This was a rather... aw screw it. They could announce themselves if they wanted attention.

[loiseau_ou_la_cage]

Angela announced herself quite loudly, much to Elizabeth's chagrin. The library was the closest semi-private place she could find, but it wasn't an appropriate place for a newborn to have a meltdown. Elizabeth tried to soothe the baby, looking around for a place to settle in private and get the baby calmed.

It was an intense relief to find Killian in the library. Elizabeth went to his side, sighing as she settled down in a chair that put her back to the door. "Can you buy us some privacy for a little bit? I need to get her fed and I didn't bring a bottle for her." Elizabeth had vainly hoped that Angela would sleep while she took a meander around the hotel.

[captain_killian_jones]

Killian turned at the cry, then moved to them quickly, and smiled. With one stroke to Elizabeth's hair and a touch to Angela's nose, he nodded. "Aye, I can do that." He moved to the door, facing outward, and called back.

"How're you feeling? This place okay for you, so far?" He liked the place, more or less, but he had no idea what she might think of it, really.

[toujoursmalfoy]

Name: Draco Malfoy
Canon: Harry Potter
Location: Arboretum

Having been forced to discard both Apparition and the Floo network as a means of escaping this unfamiliar place, Draco decided there was wisdom in investigating his surroundings. If nothing else, having a better understanding of the place might help him understand how the hell he'd ended up here, when he'd meant to end up in Diagon Alley.

The arboretum was an unexpected, though pleasant, surprise, and he found himself lingering there, the drum of rain overhead and the cool smell of plants helping to soothe his nerves— but not so much that he didn't turn with a sharp look the second he heard a footstep behind him.

[complicatedbackstory]

Emma wasn't enthusiastic about the hotel herself. There were much better uses for her time than loitering around all day talking to strangers. That was enjoyable in its own time, but it wasn't something she could do very much without becoming weary of it.

The arboretum seemed like the best place to go to be alone and attempt to work through her plans for her stay here. The young man already inhabiting the room did somewhat put a damper on that intention. She internally chided herself for not checking ahead of time with her telepathy. She nodded politely to the young man, taking her time to walk deeper into the room.

[toujoursmalfoy]

Draco's eyebrows lifted fractionally in surprise. So, not a wizarding hotel, then. Or not one in Britain, anyway. Even six years hadn't been enough to dim his infamy in the eyes of the wizarding public; he'd gotten used to being accosted in the street by total strangers looking for someone to blame the war on. He couldn't even deny he presented an easy enough target— so this girl was either possessed of commendable self-control, or had no idea who he was.

Whatever the reason, he'd escaped censure for the moment, which meant it was time to see if he could get some answers. One fortunate side effect of his job with Gringotts was that he'd learned to get over his hatred of pleasantries and small talk— or at least, to hide its existence when speaking to strangers.

"Excuse me," he said before the girl had gotten very far away, "but do you know anything about this place? I've just mistakenly Apparated here, and I need to be— well, anywhere else." His mouth tilted slightly, not quite a smile, but not not one either.

[stealtheneedle]

Name: Locke Lamora
Canon: the Gentleman Bastard sequence by Scott Lynch
Location: the Smoking Room

Locke Lamora was nothing if not adaptable. It was one of his specialties— like a cat, you could drop him anywhere and he'd land on his feet. Maybe not without a bit of yowling and scratching on the way, but still— here he was, in a totally unfamiliar place with no idea how he'd got there, no Jean, no money, and no idea how to get back home.

But one thing was certain: a tavern was a tavern the world over, no matter what world you were in, and Locke had no trouble picking out a rowdy table who was all too willing to invite him to share their liquid bounty. A few drinks in, and he thought he might almost be starting to like this place.

Then someone brought out a deck of cards. "Now we're in business," he murmured to himself, with a smile that would have made anyone who knew him very, very nervous.

[iron_y]

Tony wasn't here to play cards. Tony was here to drink more than he probably should, laugh loudly, and have fun. The end.

Things in his own world were tense and getting tenser every day, and the one big advantage of this Nexus Hotel was that no one knew who he was. Sure it was a downer when he wanted to flash his celebrity status, but on the more important hand, it cut down to near zero the number of people who might take a pot shot at him on sight -- or as a part of their overreaching plot for world domination, can't forget that.

So if you looked at it the right way, having his night on the town lightyears from any town that knew his name was a totally responsible choice.

He'd had a few already -- you win some -- and he'd already completely exhausted the entertainment value of alternately praising and skewering anyone who looked interesting enough to have a conversation with -- you lose some. The deck of cards appearing at a nearby table caught his attention. Could be fun?

"What kind of stakes are you playing for?" he asked loudly, displaying the brash arrogance of a man who never bothered to play for anything but high stakes -- unless it could be made worth his interest in some other way.

[hashtagging]

Name: Loki
Canon: Marvel-616
Location: The Bistro

At the moment, an inter-dimensional hotel far in the middle of nowhere with a full wait-staff was exactly what Loki needed. He drug himself into The Bistro, flinging himself in a booth and awkwardly flipping through the menu one-handed. His left arm hung limply at his side, a casualty of the same battle that had left his eye black and broke a horn on his headpiece.

Ignoring the waitress' look of concern, he finally tossed the menu onto the table in frustration. "I want a plate with enough breakfast meat that The Hulk would not ask for seconds, and the largest chocolate shake you have."

[not_lost]

If there was one thing that would improve this place, Fiona thought, it was room service. The extravagance of something like that was not one she'd pay for back home, but here? After a shift behind the bar, and when the food was otherwise free? Yeah, she'd pay just to not have to tromp back downstairs to the buffet.

Of course, there's no telling what you might miss if you hole up in your room. Like, for instance, a bacon fanatic with an air of extremely unsettling familiarity about him.

Pausing on her way to a table, she looked at the guy, then looked skeptically around the room, and then looked back again, full plate wobbling atop her hand.

"Jesus," she said, arching her eyebrows. "I'd hate to see the other guy. You okay?"

[hashtagging]

"Oh, you know, just mildly broken. I have not started coughing up blood yet, so I would say that is a plus." Loki winced as he shifted to look at the woman who was completely unfamiliar to him. Yet another plus, in his book. He could do without being recognized for a bit.

[averygoodshot]

Name: Aramis
Canon: BBC's Musketeers
Location: the bar

In his defense, Aramis is used to drinking wine like water. So that would explain the carafe that sits on the table in front of him. But beyond that, there are times when he can be accused of thinking too much, about things he has no control over.

It calls for a drink or three. Of course, he is not Athos and doesn't have his tolerance, but Aramis has no intention of getting stinking drunk either. Perhaps just enough to chase his mind from promises he made that now he keeps if only because he is in this place and not in Paris, destined, it seems, to always want what he cannot have.

[armedagainstlove]

The bar is Athos' favourite place. In fact, he has fallen asleep here more often than he has in the room that he has taken for his own. Finding Aramis there is a shock, though on the heels of Porthos, he shouldn't be surprised. Taking the seat next to him, he orders the standing drink order he has placed and enjoys the bottle that is slid to him. "I suppose it was only a matter of time before you all followed me here," he notes. "What madness have you brought me?"

[averygoodshot]

"Madness?" Aramis asks, looking up at Athos and giving a small, crooked smile that doesn't reach his eyes, as he gestures for his compatriot to join him. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Which is, of course, blatantly a lie. Athos, though, knows all of Aramis's secrets, for better or worse.

[somanyopinions]

Name: Queen Anne
Canon: The Musketeers
Location: The Nexus Library

[Warning for potential spoilers if you're not caught up.]


For all of its undeniable tangibility, and despite days now of slipping discreetly into this strange, new world, the Nexus still felt entirely surreal. There was even yet so much to discover, so much to be surprised by, that Anne had begun to think she might never feel any other way about the haven she had found tucked inexplicably behind one of her boudoir doors.

The curious looks she sometimes drew drifting about the halls were, she discovered, not due to her rank; rather they were owed to the effluence and elaboration of her gowns, so ill-suited and impractical for a place so sleek and bright. Stranger still were the instances in which she drew no gaze at all, as if she might be anyone passed upon the street rather than the Queen of France. There was little deference to be found apart from those whom the hotel employed, and this was both unsettling and thrilling in equal measure.

Much like the discovery of the hotel's library, in which she was presently engaged.

She had claimed one of the chaises and filled it with the voluminous fabric of her skirts and a number of books. One, half-hidden by golden damask, was open to the impossibly clear images of a Versailles whose elaborate halls were far removed from the hunting lodge she remembered. A large tome was perched open in her lap, and she bit thoughtfully against her bottom lip as she slid a fingertip across a line of print: le Roi-Soleil. The Sun King.

[armedagainstlove]

It is a strange thing to find the Queen here in this place. She is still royalty and despite Athos' own background, he has not even the pedigree to touch upon her Grace with a brush of his fingers. He is no longer in that life, however, and is happy to be merely Athos. Still, he feels that his duty extends even in this odd realm and so he stands guard at the library quietly, his attention is barely on her, acting more as furniture than anything else.

He does not wish to interfere in the book she reads, but his own curiosity burns on a low level, ever-present as he remains watchful and cautious.

[averygoodshot]

Is it wrong - how can it be wrong? - to see her in this place and hope? After all, Aramis is nothing if not an optimist and a romantic and if there is to be a good side to being pulled here, can this not be it?

Aramis approaches slowly, making sure not to sneak up on her, close enough to look over his shoulder at the page. "... your Majesty," he murmurs, having gotten past Athos but not easily.