memestertrucks | MARCH TDM

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After tumbling through shadow you find yourself in a shrouded, ruined garage. It’s full of shattered windows and broken mechanical equipment, with all sorts of sharp edges to watch out for. Between that are strange symbols scrawled into the ground. Outside is cloudy weather and the beginnings of a storm flickering and rumbling.

Beyond the rundown garage is a rundown gas station surrounded by rolling, grassy hills. Close by is a Convoy of vehicles, either parked or driving up to station.

01: SUMMONING CIRCLE

This time the summoning circle and car garage is attached to retro diner, and an old wind turbine, barely still spinning and providing fading power. There’s also a broken radio playing a message about Nirvana and imploring people to head north. In fact, there’s a large amount of broken electric equipment in here and spitting sparks.

A fan circles overhead, stirring those sparks and creating a breeze. Trails of paper are attached to the fan, spinning lazily about. If Drifters choose, they can easily retrieve those paper talismans with little more than a slight static shock. While the paper is tattered and smeared with ink and blood, the following can be made out: “Broken in two […] Nothing to lose-“ “Moon mourns, call her down, ease her pain-“ “Need […] Better vessels from afar. Stronger souls-“ “Imbue with moon sigils, Give blessings of moon, share her pain. Put the ritual right.”

Hard to say what that all means, but it seems to have something to do with the summoning circle here. And there’s lingering power crackling through the building. The sort that makes the lights flash and flicker… And line up eerily with flashes of thunder on the horizon.

02: START UP 

New arrivals will have a similar experience to before; a Convoy waiting outside for them, and a collection of vehicles, one of which feels like it belongs to them. The key to the vehicle may already be in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on their person, ever since they woke up in that garage. Either way, Drifters have the keys to the vehicle now.

…But there’s a few rough edges on these vehicles. Flat tires, cracked windows and mirrors, maybe some stuck doors and locks; all of them requires two pairs of hands and supplies. The garage can take care of the supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.

03: STORM WARNING

There’s something odd in the sky; it shifts between a dark cloud, and a collection of birds. As the thing draws closer, it clearly becomes a mix of both. Car-sized, dark feathered birds and skeletal avians fly in a thundering flock, and turn the sky stormy in their wake. That alone is bad… But what’s worse is how the shiny chrome of the Convoy and vehicles draws the birds. As they dive towards the ground to snatch at the shiny metal, they pull the storm and bring a tornado with them. The Convoy does its best to anchor to the ground, but lighter vehicles and Drifters might not be so lucky.

The garage and diner takes it worst of all: the electric devices start spitting sparks and can even act as homing beacons for lightning strikes if a Drifter with electric abilities gets too close to them. Any remaining, intact windows shatter as the storm winds pick up, pelting Drifters with razor shards. And water starts pouring in, further shorting electric equipment and soaking anyone to the bone. There’s even a strange droning, siren like noise to warn about the storm and cut into one’s hearing. It’s difficult conditions for anyone caught up in the blow-out.

04: WEATHERING

Once the main force of the storm hits, the following happens:
Diversion: Those with Fast cars can drive away from the station and divert the birds. They’ll want a second Drifter to come along; either to snipe at the pursuing birds, or keep eyes on the terrain! Eventually the birds will tire or get culled enough that the storm disperses.
Updraft: There is the risk of getting swept up in the tornado winds. Damage, injuries… And a particular quirk this storm has. Drifters who spend more than a minute in the storm winds will find that they begin to take on traits from the Harpy monster. These traits increase in potency if the Drifter experiences hunger or violence. As the weather clears and days become calmer, the traits fade.
Downburst: If Drifters get slammed into the ground by the storm, or the dark birds flying about. They may also find themselves drenched with rain. Any injury they take mends quickly, but is replaced with scales, as the Drifters begin to resemble a Naga monster. These changes grow worse if they tell lies, but disperse with the storm.
BIRDS: The birds themselves are vicious: those afflicted with Naga traits are seen as prey, while Harpies are seen as rivals. The birds are deadly, but also clumsy if forced to the ground. The screens on the Convoy recommend crippling the wings before finishing the bird off on the ground.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, NAGA

This month, Drifters will have access to the serpentine Naga. On top of all Naga species traits being available, the following occurs:
+Cold Blooded: the rain and storms can potentially make Naga slow and sluggish, or inclined to sleep or seek out other heat sources to gain energy; this includes basking in body heat from others!
+Water Divert: With their water shaping, Naga can divert falling rain and even ground saturation to make the area or other Drifters more dry. They can also concentrate water into different areas, and can also change water into mist or ice.
+Blue shift: the scales of Naga become more vibrantly blue, or a strange mottled combination of blue and stormy gray, the more intense the rains become. These scale colors can also reflect their moods.
+Extra arms that are painful and disorienting to grow, and can result in coordination issues.
+Scale Pains: Pain and discomfort when scales grow in, as well as fangs or talons!
+Water glide: during floods from the rains, Naga find they can easily traverse deep water as though they were simply walking (or slithering) across it.
+Thermal vision, making it easy to track others in the middle of storms. Vision may also become disorienting, and eyes become slitted.

04: MONSTER SHIFT, HARPY

The storm will bring a second monster this month, in the form of Harpy. On top of all Harpy species traits being active, the following occurs:
+Storm Rider: high agility and capable of flying through the storm winds without hindrance. Even tornadoes can be mastered!
+Feather pains: itching, or full pain when growing feathers or wings. Talons may also be painful when growing from fingers or from feet.
+Wind Affinity: able to shape wind, including diverting the worst of the storm winds, or summon and focus wind into razors.
+Warbling Voice: words may waver and slip into something more songlike, or even a damaging sonic scream if emotions are heightened.
+Height Call: a need to get higher into the air, whether through perching on buildings or the convoy, or through flight. A sense of euphoria as they go higher.
+Nest Building: a compulsion to create a nest out of spare and soft objects, and feeling more safe inside that space.
+Heightened vision like a bird of prey, able to pick out details even at great distance. This may be disorienting at first, as vision becomes telescopic.

05: RAIN, SHINE, OR SALVAGE

Upon culling enough birds, the storm disperses. The monster avians dissolve as they drop into streams of energy, feeding into Drifter Sigils and providing limited healing. And handful remain intact when they hit the ground and can be harvested for meat, feathers, and possibly even talons.

There is one extra problem, in the form of falling debris. After being pulled up into the sky, wreckage (and possibly stray Drifters) are going to drop back down. It’s advised to look out for falling objects and people. It might be possible to salvage something in the form of scrap metal for any vehicle repairs, but such a task requires two.

06: STORM SHOT 

The storm can be dispersed in one of two ways. One is waiting the storm out. The second is a battered collection of machines melted into the roof of the garage and gas station. When touched they burn the hands of Drifters, but also fire a jolt of lightning into the storm. One shot lessens the effects of the storm, repeated shots completely disperses the weather.

In the aftermath of the storm, something different rains from the sky in the form of glowing, quicksilver feathers. These feathers can suppress one avian or serpentine trait for a month, and can also drain away any Naga or Harpy changes from the event completely.

Alternately, the feathers will allow Drifters to temporarily access flight for one day. Doing so completely robs the feather of its magic: only one effect can be chosen from a feather.

MICRO ENCOUNTERS:

PLEASE NOTE! These are small bits of set dressing for players to include in threads if they wish, rather than full fledged prompts or events. You may handwave your exploration of these areas, or thread them out.

Windy Days: Preceding the storm are gales of strong winds, enough to stagger Drifters or send them staggering into other people or other vehicles.

Diner Is Served: While the retro diner attached to the garage has only limited food stores, curiously there is a respectable amount of cooking equipment that can be plundered. Portable stoves, pots and pans, spoons, and the like are all available for the taking.

Fading Storm: In the aftermath of the storm, the garage and diner look like they’re on their last legs, barely held up by their shelving. Anyone who wants to try salvaging had better move fast and carefully, before the entire thing comes crashing down.

NAVIGATION || RESERVES || APPLICATIONS

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"No real damage, I think." She gives her arms a careful flex, finally getting to take stock of her senses. Each breath, she's finding a little more strength and balance, after whatever just happened to her. "Just feeling off balance. I'm not carrying any curing materia either, but..."

Tifa raises a hand, putting a glove up to the wane light. It's a bit dim, but she should be able to make out the materia set into it...

...She can. And she can also feel her heart start to sink when she picks out how dull and lightless the materia is. It's almost like the magic and the spark has gotten pulled out of almost all of it. Save for one orb of magic.

"That's not a good sign. Something happened to my materia-"

She pauses again, tilting her head. That's weird; almost sounds like a radio is playing somewhere, judging by that crackle of static.

"Do you hear that?"

Eyes narrowed, Vincent turns his attention to his own materia. Drawing the gun from its holster and studying the array, the results seem to be...

"...Same here." But is there anything that can be done about it? Returning the weapon to its place, the former Turk turns his attention to listening for what Tifa has picked up on.

"...Yeah. That way." Rather than continue to speak of it, Vincent sets to action as he commonly does, beginning to walk in the direction of the radio in hopes to pick up a clearer understanding of the message being broadcast.

He pauses only when he remembers the flutter of the paper talismans. Reaching up to tug one down and read it, Vincent lets out a soft grunt before passing it to Tifa for her benefit.

....Though he'll then keep moving closer to the radio that attracted her attention before.

Tifa frowns over the paper; hard to say what it is, beyond cryptic. And why the focus on the moon, above everything else? It's a hard change from the usual talks about the lifestream... Though once she reaches the part about 'sigils' her skin gives an odd twinge. An echo of what she felt when she first woke up, and she has to roll her shoulders to keep the feeling from getting too strong. To avoid it from getting any worse, she revisits the top of the page, focusing on those almost-prayers about the moon.

"Makes me wonder if something happened to the moon... But it's hard to tell, with how stormy it sounds out there. My guess is we won't get a very good look at it,"

But as they walk towards the radio, she quickly goes silent and pays close attention to the words. Maybe they're patchy and full of static, but it's still some sort of information; something she'd desperately like more of.

You’re here? You’re mostly hu-?

Good. Need you to-

Watch out for mons-

Seek- Nirvana.

"...'Nirvana?'" Tifa tests the word out, once the radio goes silent. "Sounds less like an idea, and more like a place with how they were phrasing it."

"If it did, then those words also suggest someone's trying to use us to fix it."

Share the pain of the moon. Make the ritual right. Those don't bode well for people who suddenly found themselves on the wrong side of the summoning circle.

"Wonder where the people who set it up are."

Or if any of these people milling around might be hiding the culprit.

They've reached the radio and there's silence for a time while the message plays. And other than the suggestion of a place to go... Nirvana it has little useful information. Vincent releases a soft hrmph of noise that he's often fond of making.

"Watch out for monsters. Helpful." ...Spoken like a true denizen of a world where monsters are simply a part of life. Vincent crosses his arms. "Another journey. I hope you're right."

That it is a place and not some metaphor.

Vincent's attention has shifted to their surroundings. More and more people have come in and out which brings him to raise a remark.

"...Looks like it's just you and I." The rest don't seem to be here.

"No one else that I know." Tifa takes a quick scan of the area as she speaks. She glimpses a few people. Some very vibrant and distinct looking; a few even have the look of fighters, or weary adventurers... But absolutely none of them look familiar. "Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, that the others aren't here. That means they aren't caught up in... In whatever this is. But we're also on our own."

She pauses for a long moment, giving him a half appraising, half weary look.

Someone hasn't forgotten just what her recent ally is capable of.

"...Though I am guessing you can handle yourself, if you need to."

How does she politely state that she's more than ready to help, though? And get the offer accepted, rather than brushed off? She opens her mouth, trying to give voice to all of that, only for a rumble of far off thunder to fill the silence.

"It's also not the friendliest place, with the nicest weather."

There it is again. That sense of distant familiarity as though the two have just met. And while even in Vincent's mind they've not known one another long...

It's been more than enough ~~for him to get attached~~ to know what each of them are capable of. To delay the inevitable, the man's attention goes to the windows again with the peal of thunder heralding the closing approach of the storm. One which makes his senses crawl; and the former Turk isn't one to be afraid of a little rain and lightning.

"...Something's coming," he states. More than just weather. Vincent has decided the conversation about the discrepancies can wait until later. "Best prepare yourself."

Those words say a lot. There's the presumption that not only she's capable enough to have her help and that not only would it be accepted, but dare one say even welcome. Definitely in comparison to the uncertainty of strangers who may or may not help themselves before others.

What Vincent hasn't done is drift away from Tifa's side. And that in itself is a message that he agrees they would do best standing together for now.

"That's what I was worried about... But I'll do my best against whatever this is." Now that she's had time to breathe and find her balance again, Tifa has been getting a reminder that she still has her training, and her strength. Those are both easy things to slip into, just like the leather over her hands.

She finds a window in this place, a little smudged over and cracked, but it's still a view into the outside world. And the grasslands outside and ominous sky... It's worrying. So is the lack of windmills, chocobo farms, and the like.

It's still weird to be alarmed about the absence of Midgar and its steel skies. But as the thunder rumbles, and the wind starts to pick up, Tifa gets something else to worry about. Namely, that weird spark running along her skin, like all her nerves are getting set alight and ready to so... Something, radically different from throwing a punch. It dredges up other memories, of flickering lights in the Shinra Mansion basement, and a desperate battle.

"...One... One question, if you don't mind." She finds herself saying, as her skin gives a quick shiver. "Do you think you'll... Experience any changes, when this storm rolls over us?

Ah- Sorry. That might've been too personal."

Vincent hasn't spoken up again. Putting action to his suggestion, he'd turned to give his equipment a thorough once-over. Materia in the armband is dull as well but his gun is in order and ammo at ready.

The gunman looks up at the change in Tifa's tone as she voices her question. It's met with a straight expression and uncanny ruby eyes that betray little. Is it rude? Is it not? Nothing is given away even though privately, Vincent finds it only reasonable to have asked.

He looks back down where his fingers have been gracefully refilling a clip to its capacity, as though the question needed no explanation. Much less an apology.

"Nothing's changed there."

Not like the materia, dulled out and ineffective. Vincent still feels the beast inside him. He finishes the clip and returns it to his gun. No need to chamber a bullet as it's already present.

"We need to talk after the storm's past."

"Right... Time to survive this first." Tifa looks to the storm, and how ominous it looks. She wonders if there's a hint of even darker shapes in the clouds.

"And... Since you know that I can handle myself? If you need to help someone else, please don't hesitate on my account. More important that everyone here makes it through okay." She can kick a fair amount of ass, after all. Though she's tensed up already, it's a sort of restless anticipation. The closer the storm gets, the more she's certain there's something riding in on the winds. Which could very well be hostile; her time spent walking the great outdoors has shown how good it is to be cautious and on her guard.

"But like you said, we'll talk after weathering this."

Right. Surviving is the priority here. So Vincent turns to the matter of the other suggestion.

"I won't." Though his voice is still calm, almost indifferent sounding, the answer is not cold. Rather, it's as if he's fully aware of and trusting in Tifa's abilities.

Strange maybe, for a guy who only just met her and mostly keeps everyone at arm's length. But then again, that's why they need to talk later.

Once Vincent finishes his check and now that it seems conversation is coming to an end - at least as far as he's concerned- the man settles into a resting position. Arms crossed, something to lean against...

Time to wait for what's coming.

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MARCH TDM

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