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Test Drive 005

WELCOME TO ATERAT

Here is our Fifth Test Drive Meme! There are a lot of areas of the city to explore, so please have a look around! In case you need a little help getting started, I've included a few prompts below, or feel free to start your own! Exploration and player initiative are the names of the game here!

Helpful Links to Get Started

Arrival & General Information | Setting & Bestiary | Locales & Businesses | Residences & Housing Info | Rules & FAQ (ask questions here!)

I. Crash Into Me

Not exactly, but close enough. You have just arrived and received a strange satchel from a tiny, strange little man and are left more or less to your own devices (more information on what to expect upon arrival can be found here)! Follow directions to the north and check out the housing, or maybe have a look around the Historium and try to get some information from that giant glowing ball, see what you can waste your meager starter coin on in the Market District, or maybe just meet the neighbors.

II. What Goes Bump in the Night

It looks like Aterat proper has a spirit problem. Maybe you're seeing specters, hearing disembodied voices, your windows rattle when there's no breeze outside. Maybe there are cold spots in your place of business (or your apartment, which is so much worse). Either way, you're 100% convinced you're haunted. Hopefully, someone else believes you, or maybe you're used to feeling crazy.

III. A Mean, Green Mother from where now?

There's a pollen problem in the city, and by that we mean it's everywhere. Yellowish green pollen seems to be caked-on everything with the misfortune of being outside, whether it's windows, banisters, carts, you name it. If it's outside for a duration of time, it's a free game to have a layer of dust settled upon it, and it plays havoc on anyone who breathes it in. Allergic to pollen? Your allergies are horrible. Not allergic, well, you might just have the sniffles anyway, and another problem. You seem to be completely unable to tell a lie. Not only that, but you feel the overwhelming need to tell people things you'd usually keep to yourself. Maybe you like to put cream in your coca-cola (you monster) or maybe you've done something terrible and you really need to get it off your chest either in person or over the network.

IV. Try the Network

The Tell-Phone allows for text, video, and audio transmissions to everyone else who has one. Give it a whirl!

V. Wildcard

The above prompts are all options, and there's much more to the setting than what they provide. Do your best (or your worst)!

Navigation

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Somewhere inside he told himself this was still just a dream. Jacob wasn't really here holding him, and he was just dreaming again. But the heat of that loose wrap felt a little more real than any dream.

He wanted to apologize for not being strong, especially right now. Jacob was worried enough and he didn't need to add to it. Heavens knew he tried to bottle all of his grief up when Jacob had left and that had him seek Nida sensei out and give himself something to do in order to be able to grow stronger, especially since Nida had been practically his only link to Jacob. There too had been the vain hope that Jacob would come back someday and maybe he wouldn't die here again because Yuki would be able protect and save him this time.

And now here he was, crying and clinging to the other as if he were a lifeline of sorts. All of his grief and everything he'd been bottling for nearly a year came spilling out even as he still fought to halt it because he didn't want to worry Jacob or make him feel bad for something beyond his control. So it took him more than a few minutes to quiet himself down a little more although he hadn't been loud to begin with really.

Finally he very reluctantly let go of the fistfuls of shirt and jacket and kept his gaze averted as he tried to sit back. "I'm sorry." Sorry for crying, sorry for making Jacob worry and adding to his already heavy burdens.

And then the tea kettle went off, so he had to try and wipe his tears away as fast as he could so that he could see a little clearer.

"Yuki." His voice was soft and heartfelt but he didn't resist when Yuki pulled away. "It's okay."

Jacob didn't know what else to say. He could assure Yuki over and over again but that didn't mean that he'd ever believed it. This wasn't an easy situation for them to overcome and this was only the first day but it was okay. There was nothing that Yuki could do that would make Jacob think less of him.

He rose from his seat and walked over to where the kettle was. Jacob was careful not to touch Yuki but he didn't think Yuki should try and keep things together for him. "Hey, can you look at me?" They'd done a lot of not looking at each other and it was time for them to face this head-on.

He just removed the kettle and turned off the stove, while still working on being able to see. Yuki obviously heard Jacob and could see him come over though he was pretty puzzled as to why.

But then he was asked to look at him and his head just lowered again because a few more tears were coming down. "I'm sorry." And he really wanted to reach for the man in front of him, in order to somehow solidify his presence in his mind. He was afraid to even go to sleep tonight and find this was just some really realistic dream he'd conjured up in his mind.

"I don't mean to cry." He really wanted to be strong for Jacob and he was failing at it. Crying was fine if he was alone, and he expected to do more later, but not in front of this man. The softness and gentleness in Jacob's tone alone was undoing him pretty fast.

Jacob carefully placed his palms on either side of Yuki's cheeks. "Hey. Hey." He whispered the words softly. "Stop apologizing." Yuki was capitalizing on his territory of over apologizing. "It's okay. Cry all you want and I'll stay here so you aren't alone."

He might not be able to control what happened in the past but he can control what he does now.

"Don't worry about the hot chocolate."

Yuki slowly lifted his eyes to Jacob and he was more than sure there were still tears in them. But he tried for the other's sake. And he almost went to apologize again but the other's words halted that.

So he tried a smile which was pretty watery he was sure. And finally he lifted a hand to lightly place on one of Jacob's wrists. "Thank you."

It meant more hot tears slid down his cheeks, but he was really trying to smile through it as ridiculous as it might look at this point. The smile faded after a moment or two and he looked concerned.

"But..you still need to warm up."

Jacob gently brushed his thumb along Yuki's cheeks. It did nothing but smear the tears to the side but he hoped that the gesture was somewhat comforting. He didn't have any practice with this sort of thing and wasn't really good at it but he was trying his best.

"How about you warm me up?" He pulled Yuki back into a hug, this time wrapping his arms protectively around Yuki's slender shoulders and holding him in place.

"I'll get warm like this." And maybe he'll be able to comfort Yuki at the same time. It was redundant but Jacob really didn't know what to do.

Yuki had no idea what to do in the face of such a tender gesture. No one did anything like this to him or for him before and he felt very vulnerable but in a good way. Why or how this was happening was just beyond him at this point.

And at the repeated request to warm him up, he couldn't find it in him to ask for clarification. He didn't need to as Jacob's arms wrapped around him and Yuki found his gray head firmly against Jacob's broad chest.

He drew a hitched breath and let himself be comforted, feeling the tension in his shoulders coming down. "We'll both be warm." Yuki murmured quietly, wrapping his arms securely around Jacob's waist.

This was all he could do.

Words would never describe how it felt to leave. He had finally begun to live his life and make his own choices, only to be thrust back into the hell he'd fought to escape. It was easier now. He knew he could leave and knew he was stronger but that didn't erase the wounds of the past.

For once, Jacob wasn't going to run away.

"Yeah." He whispered in response, his voice throaty and warm. Jacob closed his eyes and rested his cheek on Yuki's head. He wasn't sure how long they stood there but it didn't really matter. It was late in the evening and the office looked was closed. They had all the time they needed though Jacob was beginning to think that they needed more time than this.

"Hey." He stayed close but moved his voice lower to Yuki's ear, keeping his voice at a whisper. "How about I walk you to work tomorrow morning?" It'd let him go to the carpentry shop and then maybe he could assure himself that he was really back. And maybe Yuki needed those reassurances too.

He wasn't sure if he should grab fistfuls of that damn jacket, but his hands didn't give him a vote as they seemed to do it all on their own. And even though he thought himself as a pretty average height, Jacob definitely made him feel smaller. However, Yuki found that he wasn't minding it.

Being surrounded by the man felt safe and warm. Maybe this was the way it was supposed to have been before the other had left. And that thought made him smile. That was until he heard that low whispering tone.

His eyes opened up and he thought he could feel himself shake. No one had ever spoken to him like that in such a fashion. Half of him wanted to melt into Jacob's arms and the other wasn't sure what to make of it at all.

None of that came out in his tone though and he just let himself smile. "Yes, I would like that." The more he saw of Jacob, the better in his eyes.

He's grown over the last year that he'd been away from the city. His shoulders were wider, his muscles more prominent, making his six-foot frame look more intimidating than it had before, but he was softer around Yuki. It was a version of himself that he hadn't known existed until they met.

He wished that they could truly stay like this forever.

"Good." Jacob smiled against Yuki's head. "What time should I pick you up?" It didn't mean that he was ready to pull away but there was no reason that they couldn't make plans for the future.

"I have to be there for nine." Yuki replied. He was in no hurry to move and of course he'd noticed the physical changes. It would've been tough to not notice them since Jacob came in without a shirt somehow. And even since he'd noted the changes, he didn't want to mention what he noticed. While girls might like that sort of thing (depending on the change of course), to say something like to Jacob would somehow come off as creepy in his own mind.

His eyes closed for a moment as he let out a sigh. "Thank you."

"So, 8:30? You haven't moved have you?" It was a silly thing to remember but the memories had begun flooding back for a while and it was easy to pull smaller details from the hazy scenes in his mind.

A low warm chuckle vibrated through Jacob's chest. "You don't have to thank me." He lowered his voice to an inaudible whisper. "I should be thanking you."

He didn't know what he would have done if he'd returned to the city and Yuki hadn't been here.

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