TESTDRIVE #1

[cobamods]

There's a number of ways it could happen, but regardless you find yourself standing on the outskirts of a city. A beautiful city, as familiar to you as any from your world, with all manner of buildings within sight. A sign on the side of the road greets you, saying WELCOME TO COBA You're already part of the family! It's practically inviting you to step into the city limits. Why don't you? As soon as you do, you'll find a pamphlet in your hand, almost eager to tell you all about what this mysterious Coba has to offer. And eager seems to be the impression you get about almost everything - the sun seems to brighten, the flowers seem to perk up - it's almost as if everything about Coba is welcoming you as an honored guest. And you are. Though hopefully, only temporarily. Coba would love nothing more for you to become an honored member of her precious community. Welcome to Coba, visitor, and we hope you enjoy your stay! PREMISE | RULES | FAQ & QUESTIONS | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS Please read the FAQ before commenting! ♥ Welcome to the City of Coba Testdrive! Your character has found themselves in Coba, and are welcome to do any of the following: ● As you enter the city, you hear some bustle about a homecoming party! Following the signs will find yourself at a plaza with food, drink and live music, of all sorts and types. Why don't you stay awhile and indulge? ● Or, if you're not the party type, maybe you'd like to check out the city's cultural center! There's art, books, and other things to keep your mind occupied. And, maybe you'll meet other like-minded people there. ● Not in the mood for any of the above? There's always the beach! It's a lovely day, the waves are beautiful and the stores along the boardwalk all have signs up that read "TAKE WHAT YOU NEED". Maybe you need a surf board. ● Or maybe you have something else you want to do? Go for it! You're more than welcome to come up with your own prompts. In addition to the above, we would love to encourage anyone taking part in the testdrive to world build with us! Whether it be a street name or an entire neighborhood, whatever you come up with will become part of the game's canon. All we ask is that you pop over here to link us so we can see what you've done! Finally, ENJOY YOURSELVES. Seriously, this is meant to be a laid back, enjoyable game. We welcome any questions, critiques, and ideas, so always feel welcome to approach us about any and everything. We hope you decide to stay here in Coba!

Comments

Aiden | The Originals

[teamjosh]

[He literally has no idea what's going on. One moment he's...Dahlia is...

He blacked out. Because that's what happens when you...

But then the next moment, he was waking up on the outskirts of this....city. That he's never heard of before. He doesn't...know where he expected to go, but a place where they call him a welcome visitor - visitor, like he can leave - and hand him a...pamphlet. It just doesn't make any sense, it doesn't make any sense at all.

Not that Aiden's in much of a party mood, but he somehow ends up at the outskirts of the party, just because there are other people there and maybe they have some idea of what's going on. Maybe. Which means that there's a guy standing away from all the actual merriment, not touching any food or drink, and watching people with a wary, confused expression. He may or may not also be touching his hand to his chest every once in a while, over his heart. For some reason.]

[andps]

[a party is the very last place Josh wants to be, for once. He hadn't been in much of a mood for anything, so ending up in a strange city holding some strange party wasn't exactly his idea of fun. If anything, he was very tempted to leave - but for some reason he was staying. Masochism? Maybe. Or maybe it was the free food and drink. Or both.

But when he thinks he spots Aiden, he doesn't doubletake. Doesn't rush over, either. He just stops and frowns, as if he can will whatever games his mind is playing on him to go away. Wasn't that a common side effect of grief? Seeing your loved one everywhere? Whether it was or wasn't, it had to stop. Like, right now.

. . . and then he blinks, glances away and back and Aiden is still there, and he feels a weight in his chest that had just started to fade a little. He ends up just standing there, probably blocking the way of other party goers as he stares]

[teamjosh]

[Aiden doesn't immediately notice him, even though he's scanning the crowd fairly regularly. It isn't until he hears a couple people grumbling about What's your problem? and Are you going to move any time today? that he looks over to see what's going on.

He locks eyes with Josh. His heart feels like it stops. Again, but he's not thinking about that, he's not thinking about that. He's thinking about Josh and why is he here. If Aiden is where he thinks he is, then Josh shouldn't be...he can't be...

Aiden ends up staring right back for a few very long moments. And then...he has to will himself not to run over, not to bowl people over in order to be at Josh's side. But he moves quickly anyway, ending up in front of his boyfriend. (Boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend....boyfriend.) He reaches out, brushes his hand against Josh's shoulder, just to confirm that this isn't...something his mind is doing. But Josh is very solid. He breathes out harshly.]

Josh.

[andps]

[it's Aiden's touch that snaps him out of it, startling him into taking a step back. A step back as his hand practically lashes out to catch the one that touched him, to confirm that yes, yes that was real and this wasn't a hallucination. This wasn't his brain playing terrible jokes on him.

Aiden was right in front of him, alive.

When he finally moves again it's to step back close, lift his free hand to Aiden's cheek to make sure that yes, yes this was definitely not a trick of the mind. He sucks in a breath and when he speaks, his voice is shaky and tight, a breathless sound he has to force out]

I-If this is some kind of trick I'm going to be really, really pissed.

[teamjosh]

I don't think it's a trick.

[His voice is only marginally more stable than Josh's. The hand holding onto his, the hand touching his cheek...they almost break him down. In those last moments in the alleyway, facing Dahlia, he thought he'd never...

Well, maybe not never, but...not for a long time. If he was very, very lucky, if they even ended up in the same... This just feeds back into his fear and his worry for Josh, though. What is he doing here?

You might expect him to hug Josh right now, but he hasn't yet. But he can't help but tilt his head into that hand just a little, because it's Josh and he's touching him.]

But I don't understand...If I'm here, then...are you...?

[He can't bring himself to actually say the words, just like it's hard to think it about himself, still.]

[andps]

[and you'd think Josh would be all over him, but he's still surprised that this is even real. He lets go of Aiden's hand so it can come up to copy the other, pressing against the his cheek.

He shakes his head at the question, though it takes him a moment to actually understand what Aiden's asking. He even makes an incredulous noise, like it's ridiculous Aiden's concerned about him when he's the one who—]

No - no, I'm not—I-I'm okay. [he's alive. That counted as okay]

You're really here?

[teamjosh]

You're okay?

[It's not questioning the statement - not asking how Josh is okay, or if okay is the right word, or anything like that - so much as it is confirming it. Making sure it's true, because it's so hard to believe that he's the one who...is alive? But if Josh is okay, and they're in the same place, than Aiden himself has to be...alive. Or something like alive.

His hand comes up instinctively to cover one of Josh's, pressing that hand at little more tightly against his cheek. His eyes are suddenly very moist, although he's not exactly crying yet.]

I'm here. I promise, it's me. I don't know how, but...I'm here.

[andps]

[I'm here. That's enough to break through the already shaky hold he had on his emotions, and he makes a noise in his throat that sounds suspiciously like a forced-back sob.

And then he's pressing close and kissing him, with a desperation he didn't know he was capable of. Aiden was here, alive and breathing and the weight in chest is suddenly overloaded with too many feelings to name]

[teamjosh]

[It's met with an equally intense kiss, as Aiden places his free hand on the back of Josh's neck, pulling him in even closer. As close as possible. His fingers there are curled tightly (maybe just on this side of too, and he's breathing heavily.

This is still so hard to believe, but it's real. It's real, and he is not letting go for anything.]

[andps]

[as close as possible doesn't seem close enough, and a hand moves up to tangle in Aiden's hair, keeping him there. Just in case, the last thing he wanted to do was open his eyes and his boyfriend to be gone, again. He wouldn't be able to take it.

A distant part of his mind suggests maybe moving out of the crowd, and maybe they should, but he can't say he cares all that much about that right now]

[teamjosh]

[He's actually kind of shaking a little. He'd been so scared, before. With Dahlia. And then he'd been scared here, too. And now he's just relieved, but it's still too much to handle, too quickly.

He also absolutely does not care that they're clinging to each other in the middle of a crowd, or that people are whispering and staring. Like any of that matters. They both need this

Somewhere in the middle of the kiss, he murmurs Josh's name, and it's kind of a sob and kind of a laugh and no he has no idea what he's really feeling either.]

[andps]

[he answers back with a noise that's mostly a laugh, albeit one that comes out more of a sob than anything. And he wants to break to kiss to tell him all the things he didn't get a chance to, tell him how much he loves him and how much he missed him.

But then that seems a bad idea, and he only manages a love you before he's kissing him again, no less desperate than the first]

[teamjosh]

[At some point, he pulls away, but only because he literally can't breathe and just needs a second to do that. Even then, he doesn't let go of Josh, pressing his forehead against his boyfriend's. He's probably not going to disappear at this point, but why take the risk? If Aiden is holding on, then it can't happen, Josh can't go anywhere.]

I don't get what's going on.

[Now his voice is breathless, tight.]

God, I...I didn't think I'd ever...

Re: Aiden | The Originals

[acrescentwolf]

[The party gets his attention in passing, although Jackson's more about exploring his surroundings than actively joining in. Looking for Hayley or anyone familiar too, at least until he catches sight of a familiar figure.

And stops dead for a long moment, just staring.

Because that's not supposed to be possible.]

...Now I'm seeing things.

[teamjosh]

...Jacks.

[He's a little calmer now, not quite as shifty or freaked out because Josh is here and he's talked to him and...Whatever this is, it isn't death. Somehow, he's alive. Here. Or something.

That doesn't mean that the sight of Jackson doesn't bring him up short too, eyes going a little wide. After a moment, he shake his head, though, and takes a few steps closer to him.]

You're not. It's me, I'm actually here. Somehow.

[acrescentwolf]

Aiden.

[And you know, part of him wants to believe it, but he'd been there at the funeral, watched the whole thing. He'd lost both his best friends in the same damn year and now having one of them standing in front of him.

Not something he'd ever expected to happen.]

Yeah, and if I was, you'd probably say the same thing. [There's a smile to the words though.]

[teamjosh]

...Yeah, I guess I probably would, wouldn't I?

[There's a half-smile on his face, just a little bit wry. But while there's no good way to prove it's really him through words, he has a slightly better idea.

Aiden finishes closing the gap between them, pulling Jackson into a hug. There. Delusions can't hug people, can they? (Besides he...kind of needs this. A lot.)]

It's...really good to see you.

[acrescentwolf]

[Jackson returns the hug, holding onto Aiden and exhales a slow breath.]

Yeah, It's good to see you too, Aiden. [Because he needs you around,]

Everything went to hell after you died.

[teamjosh]

[For a second, his hands tighten where they're holding onto Jackson. He's better after seeing Josh, but it's still all really new, and he's still not...totally okay. With everything. With having died, or even acknowledging that it happened. He'll get there. He's not there yet.

But he still cares way too much about the pack, so after a few more seconds of hugging Jackson, he pulls back a little, looking concerned.]

What's going on?

[acrescentwolf]

We're back where we started before Hayley got that witch to break the curse, thanks to Klaus.

And this time, Hayley's cursed right along with us. [His voice is flat and his expression hardens slightly. ]

[teamjosh]

[...Fucking Klaus.

Aiden's brows pull together a little as he processes that information.]

Since it's Klaus, I'm not going to bother asking why. [Because...you know, Klaus is a dick and does he really need any excuse to be a dick. No, he doesn't.]

...What about Hope? If the pack's all cursed again...

[acrescentwolf]

She's with her father, as far as I know.

Dahlia's dead too. They got rid of her and all their other problems.

[teamjosh]

[There's a certain way he takes a deep breath in when Jackson says Dahlia's name, but that's it. That's all the unease he shows at the mention of her.]

Good.

[His voice is a little harsh when he says that. And he's not...really talking about the Mikaelsons getting rid of their problems (the pack being cursed probably counts as getting rid of one of their problems). Just Dahlia. Being dead.]

[acrescentwolf]

I don't know the details, but that's the gist of it.

[ Yeah he figured you meant it re Dahlia. ]

I was in the bayou with Hayley before I woke up here.

[teamjosh]

Have you seen her here?

[It's at least a little weird that there are three people here so far from New Orleans, and that they all know each other....or maybe that's not weird. Aiden's not sure.]