Test Drive Meme

[mercenarymayhem]

The city of Gulch is a bustling place, a haven for criminals and rogues, yet a cherished home to its natives. You might be a native, well familiar with typical, day-to-day life here. Or you may be from off-world, here for some opportunity you think you can't get elsewhere.

Or, you may have been dragged here by the dimensional portal known as the Transponser™— an outsider, confused and weary.

What will you do while you are here?

1) New arrivals: Maybe you're a mercenary who just arrived from off world. Or maybe you're a visitor who came through the transporter. Either way, you're new, and it's time to explore.

2) Taking a job: Everyone who comes to Gulch needs to have a means of making income. Maybe you've taken a job as a mercenary. Maybe you become a lowly store clerk. Either way, you need to make contact with customers.

3) Avoiding the plague: The clouds are descending and it's time to find shelter! Make your way through the streets with the others who have found themselves vulnerable.

4) Touring the city: It means a long train ride but you want to see the sights, so you pay for a token and off you go!

5) Wildcard: Whatever you want to play out! Tag around and have fun!

Comments

[baruthumos]

I'm thinking it's time he had a party. You're in charge of food. Dinner for us, snacks for after. I'm putting Sig in charge of cupcakes. We'll invite his friends, all four of them. Play poker for M&Ms. It'll be great. You and Sig duke it out over G-man and grape soda. I'm using the twins to make decorations.

Also what does he want? He never tells me anything remotely fun. It's all boring stuff like "new shoes for Theta." It's his birthday, the presents should be for him.

That can be your mission, number four. Get a wishlist out of him.

[wanderingmemory]

Wait... Delta has four friends outside the family? Damn, I've been missing things.

Let me see what I can figure out. No promises, but I can certainly try to get some kind of wishlist.

[baruthumos]

York, Maine, and Roxy. And I'm inviting Tex. Just for the cupcakes after. Don't want to push him too far out of his comfort zone.

You have no idea.

I'll pin him to the wall and see if I can at least get boring practical stuff for him. We can compare notes. The twins are getting him books, so if you can get any titles out of him, that'll be great.

[wanderingmemory]

Well... Looks like I have some new faces to meet. Glad to hear he stepped out enough to meet people.

I'll do my best when I talk to him again. Guess this means I need to stop home more.

[baruthumos]

...you don't know about York. Please, tell me you know about the York saga.

Yes, you need to be home more. Also possibly to meet Florida. He's trying to track down the Counselor. I don't suppose you have a picture of him.

[wanderingmemory]

I take it I missed something big?

Who's Florida? And I don't have a picture of the Counselor, unfortunately. It might help if I did, considering what I do in my free time.

[baruthumos]

You know what, I'm not even going to tell you. Ask Delta, ask Sigma, you really want the full experience. Let's just say I was playing Condom Fairy until Sigma started bleeding.

A person I know at my new job. You did get the memo that I have a new job? With Delta's fit and the exciting new hours and all?

[wanderingmemory]

All right. I'll take it up with them.

And yes, I have that much. Kind of hard to miss what happened with Delta.

[baruthumos]

Once you get it from them, I'll fill in the holes. Trust me. There's going to be holes.

Good. So you need to be home more. Delta's going to need us all to pull our own weight, you understand?

[wanderingmemory]

I'm sure there will be, considering the mention of condoms.

I'll pull my weight, Omega, but you know I can't be there all the time. I just can't.

[baruthumos]

Well. Things need to change, number four. If you can't be there more often, do more when you're there. I'm putting you in charge of the downstairs bathroom. Either keep it clean or bribe one of your brothers to.

And you should meet Tex. You and her have things in common. Maybe she can help you look?

[wanderingmemory]

Yes, Omega. I understand.

Let me meet her before I make that decision on help, Omega. And whether I choose to work with her is my decision.

[baruthumos]

See, this lone wolf thing? This is why you two will get along like a house on fire.

And, you know, Gamma's old enough to clean a bathroom. You could always encourage him to add that to his plate next to the floors.

[wanderingmemory]

I'm not trying to play lone wolf. I search alone because I need to know, and I won't have someone else vanishing because of me.

I'll keep that in mind, Omega.

[baruthumos]

So long as you don't vanish on us. Epipen.

[wanderingmemory]

I haven't yet... And I'm not planning to.

Just remember this: If I ever stop responding to calls and messages... If I ever don't come back? It won't be because I chose to walk out on my family.

[baruthumos]

Oh, ask Delta what happens if you stop answering my messages.

And you're coming to Sig's party, right? This weekend, in the park?

[wanderingmemory]

... Do I even want to know?

Of course, Omega. I wouldn't miss it.

[baruthumos]

I am going to pay for it for the rest of my natural life.

Good. We'll have sandwiches and cake. I'm going to see if I can find the frisbee. What kind of sandwich do you want?

[wanderingmemory]

Wow. How did you make Delta that angry?

Just make me a vat-turkey snadwich Omega. And thanks.

[baruthumos]

I may have called him some names. Made some poor word choices. Accidentally asked a mercenary to find him. Really, he blew the whole thing up far bigger than it had to be.

Turkey sandwich it is. No problem.

[wanderingmemory]

You insulted him and sicked a mercenary on him? What the hell, Omega?

[baruthumos]

It was an accident! I didn't know Florida was a mercenary! He'd just slapped me and disappeared, what was I supposed to do?

[wanderingmemory]

You sent a stranger hunting after Delta in a complete panic. Or at least someone you didn't know well enough to know his occupation.

And I don't know... Trust Delta to be able to take care of himself long enough to calm down? If he can handle the family... He can handle himself.

[baruthumos]

There was context. That you would know about if you had been there. Trust me. I'd rather have him hate me than dead.

We're good now. Everyone's going to stop dumping everything on Delta. You are going to clean the downstairs bathroom or arrange for someone else to clean it. Someone who is not Delta.