jigokufever | AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

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AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

1. SHUTEN TERRITORY - Muscling In

art by tohdraws

In the aftermath of the curse crisis, the Shuten Clan forgave a bunch of protection payments in the region, and helped cover the costs for rebuilding. Unfortunately, some of the street gangs in the area are much less civically minded. They have used the Shuten's relaxed policies as an opportunity to turn their own screws on the local business owners. These unaffiliated youth gangs have been much rougher with the locals, and have been asking for even larger collection fees. This has pissed off the folks who are just trying to get their lives and businesses back on track!

Unfortunately, the opening of Sai no Kawara in the underground drew so much of the clan's focus and manpower, that the issues up top just slipped through the cracks. Until now! Toraguma is in a bad mood and is looking for people to take it out on: the youth gangs will do just fine.

Volunteers are being solicited to join the regular Shuten enforcers in driving these interlopers out of Shuten territory. The gangs are wise to the usual Shuten tactics, though, and they're prepared for a fight. They are also appealing to the influx of Lost Souls: they act as though they're the victims of the factions' power struggles! They propose that taking up arms against the Shuten Clan will win them favor with the other groups in the city. (It will look less good with the Shuten Clan, should you be assigned to them.)

Fight with the Shutens, or with the gangs. Either way, a fight is coming.

2. TAMAMO TERRITORY - Throat Goat (NSFW)

at by akai riot

This prompt is overtly sexual in nature. Please use the proper NSFW labelling in your top levels and threads.

While the Palace of Sai in the underground is doing well, that doesn't mean the other businesses in the Tamamo Clan's collection have been slacking. One of the least "classy" soaplands has decided they're going to hold a contest to drive up business for themselves! They are partnering with some of the other sex clubs in the area for the sleaziest of events.

The Hyottoko Cup is looking for volunteer participants! The competition is pretty straightforward: a ruler is drawn on the throat of each participant and an array of members is presented to swallow. Whichever contestant can take the guests deepest and longest will take home the "coveted" Hyottoko Cup! Ok, there's a little judge favoritism involved too, so put on a show.

The guests have likewise been pulled in as volunteers, with instructions that they don't have to make this easy on the participants. Guests are provided with special seals that they can use for the length of the competition to enhance their natural assets. For those lacking the equipment entirely, there's a seal for that too.

Have fun and play nice.

3. TAMAMO TERRITORY - Strike a Poise (GEN)

Other businesses looking to jump start this month's earnings are also getting in on the spirit of competition! Businesses less oriented towards sexual service have come together as a means to draw in the high dollar clients, and one local club has proposed something old school.

Sign up for the Poise Contest, where contestants are placed into more and more ridiculous geta while tasked with serving drinks to the guest. Spills are expected, and the guests are cheerfully kitted out with cheap club-branded ponchos to protect their clothes. (Marketing, am I right?) While spills are expected, the contestant will lose points for each of the spilled drinks. Try to keep your balance as you attend to increasingly absurd drink orders. The intensity of the traditional footwear will only make your job that much harder.

Do you have what it takes to pour a champagne fountain while wearing teetering tengu geta? Prove your balance and dexterity is the best and the take home prize is some sweet cash. For Lost Souls freshly in the city, the chance to win some extra money can't really be passed up, huh…

4. SUTOKU TERRITORY - Jigokucho's Got Talent

Ever since Moonday's beloved singer – Ringo-chan – was kidnapped at the Tanabata festival, the band has had to cancel all of their scheduled gigs. Unfortunately, they were a hugely popular act, booked solid in most of the Sutoku Alliance's various nightclubs. This has left a ton of empty spots that need to be filled quickly, before the crowds get upset and demand… refunds.

That's where you come in, Lost Souls! Desperate promoters and talent bookers are literally grabbing Lost Souls off the street and begging, pleading, with them to perform a set for the night. They just need to have something to fill the space Moonday would have otherwise occupied. At least give the crowd something to see!

Acts do not need to be of the musical variety. Any performing talent is accepted, no matter how esoteric or bizarre! If it can fill out a 15-30 minute set, the club owners will be happy and the customers will at least see something interesting; even if it's a bad kind of interesting. So get on stage and show this city what you've got!

( Help us fill our time slots, please! We're desperate! 😩)

5. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENMA - Sticky Paws II: Outta the Bag

The Enma Department is busy: they have a kidnapping to investigate, a primordial god to pin down, and the crisis of their ever-shifting public image to manage. However, crime never sleeps and is always there to add to the troubled Department's workload. Worse still, we thought this little crime spree was over six months ago! But here it is again, much to the Enma's chagrin.

Cat cafés are a popular tourist attraction all across Jigokucho. About six months ago, a gang of bakeneko infiltrated several of the cafés to rob customers occupied with kitty bliss. Wallets, jewelry, and anything else those sticky paws could snatch away were being picked in droves. The cat capers are afoot once more!

Are you a hapless victim of these furry thieves, or are you helping the Department of the Enma track down these cat burglars? Unfortunately, the bakeneko are exceptionally clever and are using a seal to disguise their secondary tails. This makes them look just about like any normal cat. Better make sure your lead is good, or you'll be chasing down an ordinary Felis Catus. Soft to pet, but not going to return your pilfered cash.

Of course, the café staff might be in on this caper too… It's never easy to tell who's getting a cut of the profits. Be careful who you trust out there.

6. ALL OVER - The 100 Billion Yen Man (PLOT RELEVANT)

The local TV news has been announcing that Kaberou Kannazaki – the legendary finance wolf and the father of kidnapping victim, Ringo-chan – will be making an announcement this week. People have flocked to television sets throughout the city; at the squares, around TVs in bars, electronic stores, each other's phones, and any other venue with a connection. The kidnapping has been a highly public ordeal and the talk of the town. Many of the locals were present at the festival and witnessed the crime. They want to hear what the word is!

The public doesn't have to wait long. Wolf-eared Kaberou sits at a press desk, surrounded by microphones, and dazzled with flashbulbs. He clears his throat and, as he begins to speak, he is direct and to the point; not unlike a wolf lunging for the throat.

"As of today, I am issuing a bounty on the man known as the Iron Bear, who has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of my daughter, Ringo Kannazaki. The payout to the party responsible for bringing me Iron Bear, dead or alive, is 100 Billion Yen. Individuals or groups, I don't care. Just bring my daughter back to me, and the money is yours."

Well! The Department of the Enma's hopes of an orderly investigation have been dashed, but this is certainly an opportunity for anyone brave enough – or, more accurately, stupid enough – to traverse the Wasteland. Maybe one of you out there will find the legendary Iron Bear and bring him to some form of justice.

Local businesses are quick to leap at this opportunity, too. They begin to aggressively push sponsorships at would-be bounty hunters. Weapons? Armor? Survival gear? All at discount prices! Each faction has their interest in collecting the massive bounty as well. They will all be putting a lot of pressure on recruits to get ready to head out to the Wastes.

If you just got here? Well, it would definitely be in your interest to start finding gear, and finding people willing to collect that bounty with you. It could mean a big step forward toward your eventual contract, after all.

Welcome to the test drive meme!

First of all, big thanks to our discord chat for the "Throat Goat" prompt idea. Stay golden, gang.
IF YOU'RE TOP-LEVELING A NEW CHARACTER, post it here!
Characters already in the game can top level as well.
Threads here can be considered game canon.
Characters can be recruited to do work for any faction until they're given their official assignment.
If you have any questions about the TDM content, please ask them here! You can find information on the story so far here!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.
Reserves are open until September 5th.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Please don't call it the Big Gulp.

[they don't really know what else it is they can say. do they know nazuna well enough to explain things? —more importantly, does it really matter? they decide, ultimately, that it doesn't.]

That was a joke, what I said. [they pause, almost like that's the only thing they'll say, but.] I've had sex before, Nazuna. Just not here. [they wish they could say it had been some time, but they don't want to lie. so instead, they won't say much more specifically about that.] I don't know if there's anyone here I would be comfortable enough to do that with even if it were something I was... trying to do with somebody.

[there's a red creep to their face as the thought of the one person they would like to do something like that with comes into the forefront of their mind. their skin is fair enough that they think it's obvious, but they don't know how to politely ask nazuna not to say anything.]

Ah, sorry. Is "the hot dog eating competition" more to your liking?

[ but she does shut up and listen. she listens as levi explains that it was a joke - disappointing, but not surprising. and then she listens, her eyes going wide, as levi mentions they've had sex. hey, hold on, what was that about not being interested?! isn't that kind of a big difference?

she hears levi out. she understands their reasoning. and honestly, she gets it. it's a lot to adjust to, showing up here, you know? so she nods, and crosses her arms, and an uncharacteristically serious look crosses her face.

and then she says: ]

Leviathaaan... [ oh no. oh, that's an almost flirty tone - low and husky. ] I see, I see, so that's how it is... The bewitching meta-human, dragging a newly-arrived maiden out to get her drunk? My, what would people think?

[ she raises one curled finger to her lips, pouting in a perfect imitation of coy innocence. ]

Be gentle, won't you? It's my first time, you know...

[with all the affection that leviathan astrape can muster, they shove nazuna's shoulder in hopes to ever-so-gently knock her off balance. maybe if they can pretend they're being, like, playfully aggressive, they can act like it's all okay. like it's just friends talking to each other.]

I've dealt with pheromone-using meta-humans before and they don't behave nearly as nicely as I do, Nazuna. [and when both of them have had the chance to meet each other's eyes again, they lower their glasses and peer at their vampiric companion over the top rim.]

I don't know whether I believe it really is your first time. I think that a lot of stories about vampires say that you're very good at that kind of thing. Isn't that right?

[ nazuna barely budges at the shove - a vampire's balance is far beyond such petty interruptions. but not a vampire's sense of humor, as is evidenced by the enormous smile on nazuna's face. ]

Sure, sure. That's what they all say, right?

[ it's clear, from a moment's look into those ice-blue rings, that nazuna doesn't actually believe a word she's saying. it's jokes. it's play. it's what you do with friends.

though that won't top her from playing this little game of chicken to win. ]

Is that so?

[ it's all the warning levi gets. they're already close enough from levi's unexpected hug; there's barely any distance to cross from nazuna's own end. and yet, cross it she does. nazuna's own form, lithe and slender beneath the coat, presses against leviathan's fuller one; even through the fabric, the tiny ebb of curve and sinew is tangible, physical, felt in this moment. she reaches up, soft fingers caressing leviathan's cheek, and murmurs against their ear- ]

What do you think? Le... vi... a... than.

[ leviathan's neck is right there - right beneath that tantalizing strip of fabric. she could pull it back, if she wanted.

she doesn't, of course. she waits for the game to continue. it's as simple as that. ]

[nazuna may be able to sense leviathan's pulse quickening with each deliberate syllable. (they've never regretted not choosing "zeus" as a name more than in this moment.) it's echoing in their ears, their own heartbeat along with the entirety of their name that feels bizarre in a not-unwelcome way coming from nazuna's lips, in that tone.]

[they do not like themself for this reaction. they do not like themself very much at all. it would be wonderful if they could control their body the way they would like to. instead, they feel their carotid pulse harder, and the buzz begins again in their chest. their muscles stiffen, their brain stalls, and when they find the words it's hard to make them come out.]

I think... that you are very, very good at this.

Gyahaha! That totally got you going, didn't it?!

[ just like that, the illusion is broken; just like that, the glamour is dispelled. nazuna returns to her position from before, walking alongside leviathan as she honks with undignified laughter. ]

Ah, sheesh, don't feel bad about it! For real, for real. Of course we've got sex appeal, y'know? It's how most of us grab a bite in the first place!

[the casual nature with which leviathan has been approaching this conversation has evaporated, at least for the moment. their cool has been extremely lost, and they're silent for a noticeable amount of footsteps before the words even come to their head again. they feel warm and they hate it, because they know it's not because of the august weather. this, as they are eminently familiar with, is hell.]

[they breathe deeply, slowly, and for the first time in a while it actually works.]

If you're going to do that again please try to give me a warning next time. [they wipe at their forehead; sweat plasters their hair messily there. it's fine. it's fine if they get pushed out of their comfort zone as long as they have the chance to prepare for it. things can change quickly as long as they can expect the change in the first place. they add something else in a tone that lacks any of the teeth to be a threat, leaving its actual intent on a much smaller list of possibilities.] It's dangerous if you don't.

Huh? [ well, that wasn't what she was expecting. she nods, the mirth on her face evaporating for a moment. ] Ah. Sure. I can do that.

[ dangerous... a metahuman thing? is this about the electricity? can't be that, not with the limiters. or maybe it's just an old reflex.

huh. she'll worry about it later. she settles back into her original pace, ambling along without any real hurry. ]

You're gonna have to let me know when to turn. [ not complaining. just a simple observation. ] Unless you want me to choose someplace random.

[ the way she says it? she's probably not entirely against the idea. she'd just prefer levi's insights, y'know? ]

[they'll explain later. (they might not.) right now, they're just... they're grateful that nazuna is keeping them grounded, even if she is also the reason that levi needs that grounding element. they pay attention to the world around them again, letting it fade back in around them. and they take a turn as they realize that they're actually much closer to the bar than they'd realized, or maybe they had just gotten lost, or—it's hardly important.]

It's down this way. [they say it with just a little bit of that same hollow energy behind it, but the clarity, the character is returning to their words.] It's not too far. Let's just... let's get there, and we can focus on the drinks. [they press their hand over their front pants pocket to make sure the money is still there—good.]

I found out about this place from a friend of a friend who tends bar. She and I are from the same kind of world, with neon and steel and concrete... dark nights and fast motorcycles and alcohol. You know. [they're not sure if she does know.] The kinds of things that sound like they should be a lot of fun until you dig too deep into it, but... that's what living in it does to you, you know?

[levi shakes their head. it's easy to talk about things like this, to fall back on what they've explained before. but it can't be very fun. they know they're on the right path when they see a hell ampm that's staffed by an oni who they recognize; they wave at the oni from the open door.]

Anyway, it's just down this road here, and we'll be drinking before you know it.

[ she doesn't entirely get it. leviathan's strange, after all - a stranger in a strange land. but she's able to recognize stress and tension when she sees it, a lifetime of helping people rest and massages and sleep clinics having taught her well. so she walks a tiny bit ahead of levi, giving them a figure to follow; she brushes the other's arm every now and then, less sensual and more a reminder of existence; she walks in peaceful silence, a familiar sort of feeling even this earlier in the night.

when levi finally starts speaking again, nazuna chips in like nothing even happened in the first place. ]

Sounds like a plan.

[ dark nights and fast motorcycles and alcohol. those still sound like fun to her, honestly. those are what her best nights are, even if some of the worst nights feel that way too. ]

The city was kind of like that back home, yeah. [ she thinks for a moment, letting the silence echo out. ] But... there was plenty of time to sit around, too. Videogames to play and play again, yeah? You ever play any of those?

[ she doesn't need to be told twice. she's already making a beeline down that road - she hasn't had a beer since she arrived, man, she needs a little sippy! ]

[they have long since stopped believing in a god capable of helping them without hurting others, but all the same: thank god. this is something they can discuss, and the anxiety, the fear, any other emotions unpleasant for their heart but not their brain disappear. it's like a finely tuned engine starting back up.]

I'm not one to brag, but I've won a few eSports championships back home. Mostly in FPS games, things like Apex, but the occasional MOBA as well when I can find the time to make a bigger team. And of course, I try to play casually when I can to try to burn off excess energy... and because it's fun to do something I'm good at. If I weren't with the NSO, I could probably make a living playing video games professionally.

[they just sound genuinely confident in that fact by the time they finish. and as they turn their head to look at nazuna, they catch the bar sign and point.] It's right there. How about you, what games do you like?

Heeeeh? You're in eSports, is that right?

[ there's absolutely no indication of what comes after that: ]

So, FPS, FPS... ah, that's the stuff like Duke Nukie, right? [ duke. nukie. ] Ah, those are fun enough, but you get tired of playing them alone after a while, you know?

[ well, if that weren't the saddest goddamn thing nazuna's ever said. she ducks into the bar without even acknowledging it - like it's a perfectly reasonable thing and not kind of vaguely depressing. ]

I just kind of play whatever looks good. M*rio Kart, Street Fighter- ah, don't play the first one on that, it's trash, just skip to the second, you know? It's way better- you know, that kind of thing.

[ just... how old are her tastes? ]

-ah! Actually, I just got a new game the other day. Had to buy a whole console to make it work. [ she plops down at the seediest table she can find, immediately propping her legs up on a nearby chair. ] You start by punching logs, right? And then you make tools and start digging. There's no point and there's no way to win! It's great!

[ sorry, levi. not only is nazuna an older gamer than you...

she's a fuckin' casual. ]

[listen. listen. levi is in a good mood about their games, so they listen very politely to nazuna describe games that they have only heard about as archived software, they ignore the now third time that nazuna has censored something with her own mouth, and they just settle into the bar so easily they almost feel at home. it's not something, they think, that they should've gotten used to, and yet here they are.]

Oh, you're talking about the game that that one virtual singer made about a century ago? [they are talking about it so sincerely that there's no way they could be joking.] I've heard a lot of good things about it. I haven't actually played it myself, but people still like it even in 2120.

Things like Apex, though, they're team games. Three on three, mostly. They're fun if you have the patience for other people not being as good as you. [ah, yes, competitive gamer moments.] If not... well, let's say it's a good thing my usual gaming rig has a grounding rod attached to it. [a joke! not really.] I've tried fighting games, but I could never really get my head around them... they're complicated in a different way.

[see, the thing is that they're talking so openly and casually right now that it might well seem like a totally different person. nazuna really has gotten them into a comfort zone of theirs, whether she'd meant to or not. it's enough to take their mind off of almost everything else, and they're just smiling and talking and acting normal the whole time. (they do not notice this in the moment; they will later, when they replay this conversation a thousand times in their head.)]

2120? Ah, so that's it, huh?

[ don't worry, leviathan: nazuna has been on the internet exactly twice in her life. if you told her miku made minecraft, she'd believe you wholeheartedly. ]

Fighting games aren't that bad! You just gotta put in the practice, is all. [ a beat. ] Us vampires have a lot of time on our hands, you know!

[ she flips the happy hour menu up - barely giving it a quick scan before passing it to levi and waving down a beleaguered waitress. "beer. whichever one you like most," she says with a grin, and- yep, that's a blush on the waitress's face as she nods. goddamn. why are vampires allowed to get away with it?! ]

[levi watches that incredibly smooth display go down and says, politely, "make that two." they are nowhere near as charming when they say it, but they're still impressed with how smoothly it comes from their own mouth. the waitress nods just as politely and leaves the two of them be for the moment, and levi's attention turns back towards nazuna.]

Well, maybe I'll find some time to practice, if you'd like to be my partner. [they smile, either unaware or uninterested in the double meaning at play.] I still have a little catching up to do to get on your level, I bet, but I really wouldn't mind having someone over more often to do fun things like that. It can really help brighten Hell up.

[ oh, man. the joke's right there and she can't take it. this sucks, man. this suuuuucks. nazuna doesn't let a single moment of realization come through, of course, just grinning lazily and nodding. ]

's probably obvious, but I don't have any of my games with me. [ she stretches, yawns... ] Unless you give me a while, we'll be playing your copies.

[levi shakes their head like it doesn't even matter.]

I don't mind as long as you don't mind sitting on the bed together. I'm still working on getting enough actual furniture. [they know what's important to them, and so far it's been a comfortable bed, hard seltzer, and technology.]

You know, you'd be the first person I really invite over. It would almost be like you're breaking the place in. Oh, is that actually a thing, by the way? That you have to be invited in before you enter a house?

Huh? No way! No, that's not... I mean, we usually wait until we're invited anyway, since breaking in is a bad look?!

[ she's having a bit of trouble focusing on the question after that sitting on the bed together comment. MUST... RESIST... TEMPTATION. she's trying to be genuinely helpful here, okay?! ]

Is... isn't that...

[ OH GOD HER CONTROL'S SLIPPING, ABORT, ABORT ]

...isn't that kind of lewd, don't you think? [ her last bit of self-control flies out the window. goddammit, nazuna. ] Inviting a girl back to your room and sharing a bed with her? Even if nothing happens, that's plenty lewd enough, just having a girl and a...

[ ...ah. she stops in place for a moment, her brain clearly cogitating before she points directly at leviathan. ]

Ah, hold on, hold on. What should I be calling you? [ and then, after a moment: ] I know a real girly guy, and I know a boyish gal or two, y'know? You're not either of those things. So what's the digs there?

[they watch nazuna struggle to find the right way to ask a question that, so far, nobody else around here has asked. in the middle of the rest of the small, personalized meltdown over the lewdness of that sort of offer. it's funny, but not in a way where levi feels the need to laugh at—not even in that gentle sort of way where they're trying to spare nazuna's feelings.]

[instead, they wait on it for a while, thinking on the best answer and only getting interrupted by the server bringing over two pints of beer, heads thick and dark as the night. she serves levi first, then sets down a slip of paper alongside the beer in front of nazuna, and gives her just the tiniest little look before walking away.]

[levi does not comment. instead, they go back to the question and hope that they still have nazuna's attention.]

I don't really have a gender, you know? I threw it away when I turned 18, as soon as I had my own say in things. I'm no one's son and no one's daughter. I'm just... a creature who rose from the deep, formed by the thoughts and actions of people who should have known what they were creating. [they smile a little mysteriously and run their fingers along the condensation of the glass in front of them.] So if you're talking about me to other people, use "they", please?

[ does she get it? well... no. not really. how do you throw away a gender? there's gender, and there's wanting to be something. what does it mean to throw it away entirely? it'd be a lie to say she even kinda gets it.

but the thing is, that doesn't matter. not even a little. levi says they're not a boy or a girl, so they're not a boy or a girl, simple as that. that's all nazuna needs to know. she can ask invasive questions down the line, if she really wants to bother. ]

"The deep," huh? Too bad you're not calling on the night. Sounds like you'd be a good fit, y'know? We'd take you any day. [ she grins, flashing leviathan a quick peace sign. ] Anyway, that person. Gotcha, gotcha.

[ and that's it. nazuna drops the topic, as easy as that - grabbing the pint in front of her and raising it to her lips. she drinks-

and drinks-

and drinks, slamming down a good half of the pint in a single gulp before wiping her mouth with her sleeve. ]

Pfaaah! Sheesh, Leviathan, you're a lifesaver, you know that? [ she licks her lips. it is, unfortunately, as distracting as you'd expect. ] Damn, that girl's been drinking this? Sounds like someone knows how to party.

[ she reaches forward, plucking the paper off the table and stuffing it into her coat pocket without a second thought. she knows how this whole song and dance works, after all. ]

[they look at nazuna and they don't really know what they were worried about. there's immediate acceptance—hell, there's even the offer of another group to join, metaphorical or otherwise. and it swings immediately back towards appreciating the beer and pocketing the server's number, and levi is reminded all at once of who nazuna is, or at least the template of a person that, if pressed, they could map nazuna to. (they would never admit to doing it, no. but it's helped them in new situations before and it may help now, as well.)]

I don't know what I've really done except get you a beer and someone's number. [they smile, taking a drink themself and setting it back down with a little bit of the head getting on their upper lip. they reach for a napkin and wipe it off, before nazuna can do anything about it. sorry.]

But you said something about the night? You should tell me some more about that. I assume you don't just mean when the sun goes down.

Huh? What else would it be?

[ and if that's not the most nazuna way to answer that question, what the fuck even is. ]

I mean, think about it. [ another sip - this one reasonable, now that she's quenched her immediate thirst. she doesn't bother to wipe her own little 'stache off. ] Most humans get up in the morning, go to work, drink a bit, and then go to bed. Right? That's what day-to-day work means for people. That's life, for most people.

[ she leans in conspiratorially. ]

So what about the people still out at midnight? Are they a part of that life? What about two in the morning? [ she chuckles, an oddly restrained sound coming from someone who's been so loud and full of unlife up till this point. ] When the day's over, you can do whatever you want. Party! Lie down in the street! Head to a night pool and check out all the girls!

[ she throws one hand wide, the other still clutching that pint. ]

The world opens up around sunset. That's the night I'm talking about.

[the passion on display here is stunning, honestly, and they shouldn't expect anything different. they also really shouldn't be surprised that it's exactly what it looked like on the face of things—or that they find themself agreeing with it so much. they lean back, letting her explain and taking calm sips of their beer.]

I get it. [they say it simply once they can tell it's their turn in the conversation.] I did it for a while when I was just starting out. Staying up at all-night LAN cafes playing games until the sun would start to rise, then staggering home and collapsing for another eight hours... it wasn't bad, you know?

[they're talking about it in almost a reminiscent fashion, and the smile that creeps onto their face has a certain fondness to it.] Getting to hear the buzz of neon on a hot summer night, walking to the nearest convenience store and grabbing whatever drink I can get that will keep me going for the rest of the night, seeing the other kinds of people who come out at nightfall. It's got this whole...

[they laugh, quietly, once, as the realization hits them, and there's stars in their eyes. well, in one of them.]

It's like magic. [the words mean so much to them and nothing at all to nazuna, they're sure.] I'm still trying to let myself have some of that here. But it's hard when the world expects you to have a regular job and get by at normal hours, you know? Like with the NSO, back home.

Right. You get it.

[ the grin on nazuna's face at that is softer than any she's shown so far. it's the smile of someone content - someone who's found a kindred soul. ]

Is it really that kind of world? [ she's not being sarcastic, either - the tone in her voice makes it clear. she's offering a real, genuine question. ] This place... It feels alive, y'know? Nothing like the city back home.

[ another sip. she's already gone through a good half of the beer, and shows no sign of stopping. ]

Would it really be so bad to live the way you want?

AUGUST 2022 TEST DRIVE

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