TEST DRIVE - BELLMARE MOUNTAINS

[phantasmods]

Hello and welcome to Phantasmal Rift's Test Drive Meme!

Test drive threads are assumed to be game canon for accepted characters unless otherwise noted, so don't feel like you'll have to introduce yourself a second time to everyone you meet! As an added bonus, participation in the test drive comes with the chance to earn up to two items of loot for your trouble! Characters who are accepted can earn one item for having a top level, and one for tagging out to someone else's top level! Your SWEET LOOT will be included with your acceptance notice.

Additionally, characters currently in game can earn themselves a piece of bonus loot for the dungeon by tagging people's top-levels on the test drive! Existing characters get their bonus loot along with the rest of their loot at the conclusion of the dungeon.

This test drive takes place in the Bellmare Mountain range, a chilly environment even when it's not locked in the dead of winter. Considering that November is just starting to bite - or is it, with the Fissure's time-displacement effect in place? - that makes for an extremely chilly reception for all of the new arrivals. If you're a person at risk of frostbite, you'd better hunker down in one of the scattered mountain cabins or find someone with extra snow gear, and quick.

Once you're a bit more warmed up, exploration of the area will reveal that it's largely abandoned, but there's still some evidence of past human habitation. Old chair lifts stand guard over untouched ski slopes, the remains of what was once a resort, and a handful of hiking paths twist back and forth through the mountain forests, the snow melting off them due to the magical crystals in the gravel that lines the paths.

LET IT SNOW

Chances are that, upon arriving, you find yourself outside in the snowfall. Hopefully you weren't from somewhere too terribly warm, but chances are that unless you were specifically in a cold environment before, you're going to be feeling the chill now. (Unless, of course, you're not human and don't get bothered by the cold. That happens.)

Fortunately, there are plenty of paths scattered around that are warm enough to keep the snow melted off of them - it shouldn't be that hard to stumble across one. The question then becomes, which way to shelter and civilization? You'll have to take a bit of a gamble, but it's almost certainly better than staying where you are and freezing.

LOCKED IN

How fortunate, then, that you were able to find shelter against the cold - at least for the time being. The wooden cabin is the exact opposite of luxury, but there's a bed and wood to make a fire in the fireplace, so you can't ask for terribly much else. Especially once night falls - or when the snow outside begins to fall in more than flurries - it's far better to be outside than in. Even if you can't figure out how to start the fire, the dimly glowing crystals that serve as fire starter will at least keep your hands warm.

Of course, with only a limited amount of shelter to go around in these mountain trails, it's fairly inevitable that you would have to share with someone... Hope they're friendly, otherwise this place is going to get awkward fast.

FROSTY THE - OH, MAN!

And if you're still running around outside, sooner or later you're almost certain to run into a deep patch of snow that rises up to meet you. These giant snowmen, ten feet tall and aggressive, stand up in response to anything that isn't the local wildlife approaching - and their goal is quite simple. Better watch out, because these guys are your own personal avalanche, seeking to bury you under themselves until either the cold or the weight saps the life out of you.

One's dangerous, but it's not uncommon to find them in groups of 3-5, either, which is where things start getting to be a problem. Luckily, it's possible to melt them down to nothing, or just blast them apart with pure force - the scattered snow won't rise again, at least not any time soon.

Comments

Maki Harukawa | DanganRonpa V3

[harumakiroll]

Let it Snow

[ To put it simply? She was definitely not used to it being so cold where she came from, but it's really not the most concerning thing on the forefront of her mind. It was the more important fact that she'd been taken away from one situation and just thrown into another without so much as having asked her.

It's left Maki in quite the foul mood.

So anyone who spots her walking along one of the paths can almost see the irritability radiating from her form as she walked, ignoring just how she was starting to show signs of the cold starting to get to her. It didn't help that she wasn't dressed very warmly for this weather, her mind focused on something else entirely.

The second she finds someone? They're going to have to answer her questions and quickly. ]


Locked in

[ It didn't matter if the cabin was fancy or not. There was a roof over her head and that's all that mattered for the time being, eyes scanning around her surroundings almost methodically before going to examine the crystals. Only as the sound of the door opened and shut did she cast a cursory glance over her shoulder, eyebrows narrowing slightly when she realized they were giving her something of a look. ]

You could do something useful instead of standing there looking stupid, you know.

[ Maki's never been one to sugar coat anything and came off as a bit blunt. It's not as if her social skills are the greatest. They've improved some since her time in the school and after meeting her friends - especially Kaito - but they could still use some work.

Even after saying that, Maki went back to looking at the crystals and even took one into her hand without any fear that it might actually have a chance at burning her. ]


Unfriendly Frosty

[ Most people might be intimidated by having run into a ten foot tall snowmen. Not her. She dealt with insane robots that were normally piloted by mutant robot bears so this was nothing. One was fine and she stood there unphased before shifting to a bit more of a fighting stance, staring up at it as it then lashed out.

She dodged each one with a strangely unnatural grace and unleashed a rather strong kick at it's middle, taking out a fairly decent chunk. Though someone may want to intervene because she is still wearing a simple uniform and that's not going to protect her from the cold if she stays outside too much longer.

Not that it means she's going to be backing down anytime soon, though. ]

Unfriendly Frosty

[hairpincurves]

Incoming!

[Maki's getting some backup real quick, since one of the local Persona-users has spotted what's going on. Akira dashes over, trading out her winter coat for her Joker attire with its usual flash of blue flame.]

Melt it down, Isis! [Her mask disappears in that blue fire, coalescing behind her as the Persona--while this is happening, Akira turns her attention to Maki.] Probably ought to back up a bit, we're about to be playing with fire over here!

[harumakiroll]

[ There were a lot of unusual things about her situation back home but it was something else entirely to actually witness someone who had actual supernatural abilities. Not that she was one to deny help when it arrived, but it was slightly jarring to see this other girl summon what appeared to be some kind of being.

Not that she'd question it just yet, casting a glance back to the girl before just nodding in understanding. ]

Right.

[ With that, Maki's already moving back a bit to give the other some space with a touch of surprise still on her face. Just what the hell was happening here? ]

[hairpincurves]

[As soon as Maki's standing clear, Isis waves a hand, unleashing an Agilao. It's enough to melt the snowman down and Isis vanishes after her work's done. That's one snowman that won't be bothering anyone anytime soon.]

And that's that... Are you alright, miss?

[She pushes her mask up, as the rest of her outfit shifts back to her regular attire.]

[harumakiroll]

[ Maki honestly can't hide the flicker of surprise that crosses her features when she witnesses the impressive show of flames that the strange being unleashed, completely melting the snowman into nothingness. ]

I am. Thank you.

[ She looks up behind the other girl to where the being had been, and then back to her shortly after. Still not paying much mind to that the cold was still an issue with the lack of proper clothing, though her cheeks were beginning to look a little flushed at this point. ]

What is it that you just did a moment ago?

Locked In

[reforgeries]

[Wow, rude much? The faintly surprised and searching look Archer was giving Maki hardens slightly, but he sighs and turns his attention to the rest of the cabin.]

Very well.

[He closes the door behind him and heads directly to the rudimentary kitchen space, since it seems Maki's covered fireplace inspection. There, he finds a stove, some space to work--ah. There's even some of the makings for something hot to eat. This is far more hospitality than Archer expected, but he's not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He does something useful. He sets a pot down on the workspace to clean out before trying to cook.]

There's no need to insult a complete stranger, you know. In a situation like this, survival could depend on your ability to make friends.

[harumakiroll]

[ While he moves to check out the kitchen area, she's taken to thoroughly inspecting the fire crystals before checking out the rest of the fireplace itself. Doing so in the faint hope that it would give her any idea how the crystals could be used to start a fire.

It's only as he speaks again that Maki stills in her movements, and after a minute or two looks over to him once more. ]

Sorry. I guess you could say it's a bad habit. I've never really been great at socializing with other people.

[ The words are soft but genuine. She didn't trust strangers any easier but supposed there may really be no need to be how she was back home. Not entirely, anyway. ]

[reforgeries]

...Well, women who speak their mind are popular, too. I suppose I can't say it's bad to be honest.

[He takes the pot and returns to the door, scooping up a couple handfuls of fresh snow to scour and rinse the pot before turning it over to pour the melt out. Once he's deemed it clean, he adds much more snow and brings it to the stove.

Whatever he does when he bends to light it, it works. Fire catches and crackles merrily and Archer straightens once more.]

I didn't find much to eat, so we may have to make it last. I presume you're not from the area, either.

[What with the tiny skirt and all, in this weather.]

[harumakiroll]

[ She frowns a little but then shakes her head, exhaling a soft sigh. ]

I'd rather be up front with others instead of sugar-coating my words. You avoid miscommunications that way. [ A beat lingers to which has Maki standing up with a bit of natural grace in her movement. ] It doesn't really matter to me if it makes me popular or not.

[ Grasping one of the fire crystals in one hand again, she turned on her heel to walk over to where Archer was in the kitchen area. He'd managed to light the stove so perhaps he would know how to light the fireplace with these odd crystals. ]

Obviously. [ It's not spoken with any kind of bite, but said more as a simple statement over anything else. ] It shouldn't be hard to make it last if it's just the two of us here.

[ Rolling the crystal around in her hand, Maki then held it up for Archer to get a good look at. ]

These are what they provided as a way to start a fire. Do you think you could use it to get one going in the fireplace?

Let it... Oh.

[whatsmytalentagain]

[Ya know, he'd be happy to awnser her questions, but...

As soon as he saw someone wandering around the snow in just a school uniform, he rushed over to her side with a look of concern. Of course, the fissure wouldn't be thoughtful enough to provide the new arrivals with proper clothes. The least he can do is lead her to one of the nearby cabins to warm up-

His pace slows to a halt when he gets close enough. He knows her... But would she recognize him?]

[harumakiroll]

[ Being trained as an assassin meant keeping alert in situations, so as soon as there was movement and steps headed her way? Maki intended to round on them with the intent of getting answers out of that particular person until her gaze landed on Rantaro, red eyes widening.

How could she not recognize him?

The shock is visible on Maki's face and for a moment she doesn't even know what to say. What could someone say when seeing someone who she last knew to be dead?! It takes a second for her to let it sink in but the shock doesn't quite go away entirely. ]

Rantaro-san? How are you here...?

[ Please say or do something before she acts on how she's feeling. Mostly in that she's seconds away from rounding on him in the possible assumption that he could be an impostor assuming his identity to mess with her. ]

[whatsmytalentagain]

[That's the problem. He can't.

He tries to speak, tries to say anything in his genuine shock... But as they have been, the words seem to get lodged in his throat before he could even get a whole sentence out.]

I... Ah...

[It sure sounds like him. His heart races as he tries to come up with some way to explain himself or at least force himself to talk! God, why was it so hard?! He glances away for a second as he rubs the back of his neck.]

[harumakiroll]

[ There's a lot of things going through her head right now. Mostly the disbelief that someone she'd seen lying dead in the library not that long ago, was standing here before her. Some people might be the type to go and hug the other person, but she was just trying to process what the hell was going on.

He'd tried to speak and it'd certainly sounded like him, but how could she be sure?

Maki's expression turned a bit more steely and serious, only followed up by walking up to him and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. Something shifted and the look in her eyes was incredibly searching, not wanting any lies from him. ]

Explain yourself. I don't care how you do it.

[ The unspoken 'tell me it's really you and you're not a fake' lies in the silence between them. ]

How is it you're here? Everyone saw what happened to you.

Let it snow

[silentmonarch]

The trail she was following took a turn, and when Maki turned it she had to stop awfully quickly because the alternative would be to walk face first into someone much larger than her.

King blinked, looking down at her curiously, but didn't say anything. She probably looked about as confused as Maki did right now, but marginally less irritated.

[harumakiroll]

Thankfully, she had years of training that had honed her reflexes rather well and was what stopped her from running into the other person who was standing there on the path. Her first instinct was to ask the older woman if she knew anything about ending up here, but she hesitated upon seeing a distinct lack of confusion on her face as well.

It was hard to miss an expression like that when she'd seen it a couple times where she came from before.

"I take it that you just showed up here like I did."

[silentmonarch]

Cool. Personal bubble space was maintained. King pursed her lips thoughtfully and nodded in agreement at her comment. Neither of them knew what the fuck was going on here.

[harumakiroll]

Taking a small look around where the two of them were, she considered heading off on her own as she had been previously - as that was what her instincts told her to do - but decided against it. In this case, sticking close to someone else could be beneficial for the moment.

"Standing out here in the cold isn't going to do any good. Finding somewhere to take shelter comes first and then try and figure out where this is." Maki regarded the taller woman with a look, indicating that she could come along with her if she so chose to. Especially with how she'd moved with ease to get past the other woman right after, not wanting to waste any time talking more than she had to.

At least she was a bit more hospitable than she usually was.

Let It Snow

[fifthreplacement]

[Sync, unlike Maki, is dressed for the weather with a fairly hefty black coat on that's still loose enough to allow for combat if absolutely needed. He's mostly been exploring the pathways, and it doesn't surprise him to come across someone who's almost definitely a newcomer with that outfit on]

You definitely got a crappy Fissure to be picked to arrive at. [She's irritable, he can understand that, so very mildly understanding. Very mildly]

[harumakiroll]

[ Being able to pick up on small details was a crucial thing in any situation. Her training taught her that much at least, so when she came across him and he was actually dressed properly for the weather? That alone was enough to tell her that he must be someone more acquainted with this place since he'd had enough time to get proper clothing before coming up here.

Instincts told her to act as she usually would, but there was something about him that was enough to keep her cautious. She was irritable, but not stupid. ]

That would be one way to put it.

[ Her tone is calm and surprisingly level for someone who's most certainly not all that warm in her school uniform. ]

You said this was a Fissure, did you not? What is it you know about this place?

[fifthreplacement]

[Being cautious was probably wise. Sync is relaxed enough to be talking, but he's still very much on guard, balanced enough to avoid an unexpected attack and occasionally checking on their surroundings to make sure no one is sneaking up on him]

The basics is this is a world with an unstable reality. It pulls people and objects from other worlds and tends to dumb them in various Fissures around the world. Fissures being areas of the unstable reality with various effects to them.

[His voice is calm, easily replying to the question as if he's used to being asked for information]

[harumakiroll]

[ Strangely enough that was just a normal thing for Maki. To be cautious enough and on guard enough that she could avoid any unexpected attacks, but it never really showed much in terms of how she held herself. Crossing her arms over her chest, she took in what he said while giving him a slightly surveying look.

If someone tried to lie to her, it would have been obvious. The way he'd spoken and his tone said volumes in that this wasn't the first time he'd recited this information to people. ]

I see.

[ For what it's worth, she'll believe him. Since it honestly didn't even remotely seem like he'd be the type to lie about any of this. ]

You said 'various' effects. Are those ones that affect the people dragged into the Fissures?

Locked in

[dubiouslychthonic]

Just wanted to make sure I wasn't intruding.

[Jetshard doesn't seem overly concerned by the brusqueness or the insult; she reaches up to unbutton the flaps where the hood of her coat fastens around the bases of her horns, and pushes the hood back as she steps into the room.]

I've got supplies, if you don't mind sharing the hive.

[harumakiroll]

[ It's unintentionally just in her nature to be this way, though she hadn't entirely meant to come off seeming as callous as she had just then. Maki fixes the older woman with a mild look of surprise and curiosity once she takes another look at her before going back to her inspection of the fireplace. ]

I'm not bothered by sharing it when cabins like these don't seem to be really all that frequent around here.

[ Maki's tone is a little softer this time, if only to reflect the honesty of what she'd said just then. ]

[dubiouslychthonic]

[Honestly, the kid's attitude hardly counts as confrontational by Alternian standards. She's also not terribly surprised by Maki's surprise; doubletakes are kind of the order of the day when she's hanging around humans.

Jetshard shrugs, pulling off gloves and blowing on her fingers to warm them.] Good to meet you, then. I'm Jetshard.

[harumakiroll]

[ Straightening up with one of the crystals in her hand, she walked over and held it out to the older woman. ]

Nice to meet you too. [ She's a lot better in terms of being courteous now compared to in the past. So that's a plus in this situation. ] I'm Maki.

Here. The crystal is warm to the touch so it should at least warm up your hands faster.