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Duplicity Game Mods ([personal profile] duplicitymods) wrote in [community profile] duplicitymemes2019-09-12 04:47 pm
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TDM #8


« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »


« « « AND IT GOES ON AND ON


It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy.

This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses.

To counteract the discovery of the Deceit Gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the L.I.E.S. program was founded. The program had been designed to introduce new subjects to the current environment and test for the Deceit Gene through immersion in Duplicity's standing society. Sexual impulses and encounters increase the chances of detecting the gene within these individuals. Participants are typically released from L.I.E.S. after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues.

... and you’re here! Finally! Welcome to Duplicity.

After choosing a door and stepping through to the other side, the first thing that greets you are the enthusiastic faces of people in medical scrubs and pristine lab coats. Their enthusiasm translates to eagerness as they strip you of your clothes to perform a thorough examination—you will be healed, bathed, and given a paper gown to wear until your items can be processed and delivered to your residence later in the evening. You are also given a device that accesses the network as well as the time and location of orientation.

If you enter Duplicity into the Up, congratulations! You’re a Dominant, which means you are immediately picked up by a limo after processing and taken to your highrise. Here, it is two Dominants per floor with separate apartments. If you enter Duplicity into the Down, congratulations! You’re a Submissive, which means you are directed towards public transportation with the address of the motel you’ll be living in. Here, it is two Submissives per room with a shared common space for all rooms.

Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new and old arrivals.

The hellish summer heat is finally starting to subside, and the cool breeze suggests autumn is approaching.



» » » TAKE A RIDE




After stepping through the door and participating in orientation, LIERS are assembled together in the Up for a tour of Duplicity in its entirety. Seats are in pairs and randomly assigned to Dominants and Submissives alike. Traveling from Fiddler's Square, the train journeys through various parts of the Up, showcasing society and examples of lifestyle. Along the way, frequent stops are made; a variety of passengers can be seen exiting and entering the doors. A Dominant with a kneeling Submissive takes a seat near the front of the train at one stop. A small group of Submissives board and sit closer to the LIERS at another, all seemingly content in their roles. As the tour continues through the Up, the train passes close to the Market and White Wall Bridge and zips by North Park before heading into the Down and bypassing Red Wall Bridge and South Park.

The train makes a "final" stop at Riddler's Square, where inhabitants of the Down are instructed to return to their temporary housing. Those who live in the Up are permitted to stay on the train and revisit the same locations while returning.



« « « A POCKET OF PENNIES




The weather’s getting cooler, and people have begun transitioning from summer clothing to the sweaters and jackets of early fall. With jackets come pockets, and with pockets come a bizarre uptick in robberies.

Then again, perhaps the correlation is flawed. In the Down, getting robbed is a constant threat. Gangs of street toughs look for lone or inattentive people who look like they’ve got valuables on hand. Uncontracted Submissives are particularly easy to rob, since authorities have little time to bother with a lowly Submissive without a Dominant to advocate for them. One particularly nasty gang of young adult men, the Bulldogs, hangs out near the train, looking to ambush unwary Submissives fresh out of Orientation. They are prone to violent muggings and will simply beat up their target and leave them in a gutter when they’re finished robbing them.

In the Up, the streets are nominally safer, but there have been reports of a group of college-aged Submissive women taking advantage of their designation to attack travelers. They, too, stand near the train and the orientation center, looking to seduce passersby into an alley where a group of them can beat and mug their victims, usually Dominants looking to capitalize on their pretty appearances.

But you’re truthfully at risk anywhere in the city. The new arrivals are easy targets, and any brazen thief might get the idea to make some quick cash. The authorities are spread too thin to help, but perhaps LIErs can look out for one another?

Or they might just get in on the thievery. Everyone’s out for themselves, after all.



« « « NEW FLESH LIKE A GLOVE


( CW: potential dubcon, drugs, BDSM/sexual torture, prostitution, public use )

Surrounding a large building near the orientation center in the Up, banners and fliers announcing the beginning of the inaugural Duplicity High Tech Sexpo, a trade show for businesses and manufacturers of adult novelties. Since this is the expo’s first year, admission is free and many excited volunteers are handing out vouchers all over the city. These vouchers can be exchanged for goods and services within the expo, but have no monetary value outside of it. Even if you refuse them, you’ll likely find two or three of them tucked into your bag or pocket.

Inside the expo hall, there are dozens of booths pitching a variety of entertainments. Many offer interactive demonstrations, showing off their tech for the crowds of interested onlookers. Competition is fierce, and booths try to attract attention and customers through any means necessary. There are private rooms all around the expo for potential customers to try out the products. Booths will also happily accept volunteers for demos, or try to recruit them by bribing them with cash or free samples. There’s a nasty rumor going around that some are recruiting volunteers via more illicit means, like drugging and dressing them up, but surely that’s an exaggeration…

Some of the smaller booths sell more traditional toys and accessories: leashes and collars, specialty lubes and massage oils, fetish gear, strap-ons, dildos and vibrators in myriad shapes and sizes, and other basic items. Others advertise apps for the devices, the most notable of which is HUGGR (which LIErs may recognize as a poorly rebuilt sex-themed version of a certain other app.) The closer you get to the big-ticket sponsor booths, the more elaborate and fantastic the products become.

One of the most eye-catching demos is for the Climax VR Headset. You and a partner both wear a VR headset, which displays a collaborative virtual scenario. Both partners can alter the setting and surroundings however they like, and any sexual activity conducted in VR transmits real sensations to their bodies. You can come together without ever physically touching.

Symphony Hydraulics have a large, loud booth where crowds gather to watch perhaps the most outrageous demo: a variety of fucking machines. Volunteers get stripped, strapped in, and turned on, brought to screaming orgasms in front of the whole crowd. There is a fifteen minute break between demos on each machine, as some poor intern hurriedly washes and sanitizes them between uses. In the interim, they offer smaller, portable versions for sale or rent at the expo. (Some may note that a few of the Symphony Hydraulics staff members look a bit familiar.)

Does all this high-tech equipment have you overwhelmed? Wish you could go back to a simpler time? Sir Robert’f Bedroome Provifionf (sic) is helmed by historical reenactor Robert Plum, who has also created his own line of medieval torture device-themed sex toys. Need a chastity belt to keep your Submissive all to yourself? A rack with an attached spreader-bar? An iron maiden with soft vibrating silicone ticklers inside? All the stocks and whips and chains you could ever need? Sir Robert has you covered. Of course, everything on display is harmlessly altered for sexual novelty purposes, but one might also ask to see Sir Robert’s “special” merchandise in the back.

Perhaps the most unassuming booth at the expo belongs to Grandma Hattie’s Snacks and Sweets. Grandma Hattie, a kindly old Submissive, has partnered with a tech company to produce what appear to be completely normal vending machines, stocked full of her tasty homemade bread, snack cakes, and other baked goods. Vouchers are good for a free sample of any treat from a vending machine. They taste amazing and have no apparent odd effects-- until 10 minutes after consumption, when you suddenly gain an insatiable craving for a random kink. Your craving will dominate your thoughts for three hours, or until it is appeased.



« « « PERFECTION OF THE DIGITAL




(CW: potential dubcon, objectification)

By far the largest and shiniest booth comes from expo sponsors Sexy Metal Incorporated, who have set up a display of their incredible high-tech sexbots. These life-sized dolls are made of extremely realistic material that feels like warm human skin, and come with state-of-the-art mechanics that give them lifelike movement. Engineers show off how the bots can be plugged into a computer and programmed to act any way the buyer likes.

They come in a wide variety of customizable appearances and eerily, some of the bots on display look exactly like people you may know. Booth staff encourage customers to buy these dolls, or to rent them and give them a try onstage in front of the fascinated crowds. If that’s not kinky enough, one of the engineers has purchased a VR headset from another booth, and programmed it to interface with the bot’s controls. Care to slip inside the silicone skin of another person?



« « « MOD & OOC NOTES



Please read carefully.

On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, characters will still have gone through the doors but assignments OOCly are still randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chooses "left" or "right". When participating on the TDM, there will be a third option. Players may link either a top level or a thread (five or more comments from their character) from the TDM and title the link as "Door Pass". This means that the player is choosing to take the designation that they were randomly assigned on the TDM, rather than taking the designation of a door. If the player decides to select a door rather than use the pass, then they are trying their luck; they may get the same designation they had on the TDM or the opposite. Once the application is submitted, players can't change their choice.

To assign roles to characters for this TDM, use the following guide: In celebration of our one year, pick whichever role you want for your character!

» A Pocket Full of Pennies: Feel free to come up with any free-roving gangs or petty criminals you like for your characters to tangle with.

» New Flesh Like A Glove: Characters can spend money on items at the expo, or may exchange vouchers for what they want. Each voucher has a value of about $5 within the expo and they may be acquired by finding them, having them handed to characters/stuffed in their pockets or bags by expo volunteers, or paid them in exchange for “volunteering” at booths.

Characters may indeed try before they buy, either out in the open or using one of the provided private rooms with a partner. The expo has a staff of unpaid student interns tasked with cleaning and sanitizing products if they are used but not purchased.

Grandma Hattie’s snacks can inspire characters to have any kink you may desire.

» Perfection of the Digital: Sexbots can resemble any player characters, including brand new arrivals/test drive characters. They can also resemble characters that yours knows from home. The engineers have no explanation for this, and the one who identifies himself as the designer will shrug and say he gets inspiration from many places.

The sexbots are hot-ticket expensive merchandise, so security is tight around the booth. Characters who attempt to steal or destroy a sexbot (for instance, one who looks like themselves) will be quickly set upon by guards, who are meant to eject them from the expo. However, many of the guards will take bribes from other booths to provide them model “volunteers,” drugged into complacency.

If characters want to acquire a sexbot permanently, they will have to buy it or exchange a hefty 50 vouchers for it.

Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!!




» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

inaurare: (Wistful)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-20 06:09 am (UTC)(link)
[a slightly sheepish chuckle]

Ah - I'm not sure I quite understand all these ball metaphors...! But I understand your point. I shall try to be... more aware of my position.

[perching again on one of his seats. At least for the time being - something will certainly have him popping up again. There's a light frown of his own, more with how he moves more than the gash in the shirt. A shirt can be fixed.]

You're sure you will be all right?
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (🔫75)

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-20 11:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ Despite his rough background, Ash is actually highly intelligent. Still, when it comes to himself, he can have a blindspot. He was aware of what he was saying, but he hadn't realized how many ball metaphors he'd been making, but Linneus is right. It's very, very odd for him, and he has to wonder why. Is it a good or bad thing? Was it because this thing was taking him back to childhood or had Eiji healed something?

Pausing a second too long, he pushes it aside and focuses on Linneus. ]


I'll live.

[ In pain, but alive. But now that he's patched up, he looks around again. Is he staying? Should he go? He'd about decided on the latter when he realized what the group had interrupted: Ash was on his way to lunch. He can still go, but. ]

Hungry. They were trying to take my lunch money.
inaurare: (Yes?)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-20 12:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Your lunch money.

[there are a lot of more modern turns of phrase that Linneus hasn't heard of before. Some are more obscure, but at least this one is relatively self-evident.]

I could make you something, if you would like? It would hardly be fine dining...

[and he understands, if the other man is reluctant. But he keeps some things in the house when he can, and Ash has turned up at a good time - he's relatively well-supplied]
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (🔫10)

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-20 12:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Then, you won't be treating me to steak and aged wine? Then, I suppose I should find somewhere else to eat.

[ He'd have been eating in the Down so he wasn't particularly looking for fine dining. ]

If it's not a weird dish or hamburger, I don't care. But you're being weird. Why play host?
inaurare: (Startled)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-20 01:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh--

[looking up sheepishly - he has already put a kettle on to boil.]

Habit. I served in a large house that had many visitors and it’s simply... ingrained, I suppose.

[habit, too, has him summarising - glossing over certain parts of his story as he checks his refrigerator, calculating. Fast and easy... he can put together something with pasta and the vegetables he had on hand. But at least he can give his guest tea while he waits.]

I’m not sure it’s... weird, necessarily?
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (🔫22)

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-20 01:55 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He doesn't have to say much for Ash to assume. Perhaps he was just a house servant, but Ash's mind jumps to something worse. ]

You find it normal to invite weird guys into your house? I could kill you and claim this house for my own. Instead of being weary, you're offering me lunch. You're either weird or you want something.

[ Maybe he's just related to Eiji. ]
inaurare: (Happy)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-20 02:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[a gentle chuckle, lifting the kettle off the heat.]

Well, when you put it that way...! But I do operate under some judgement.

[even if he hadn't had much choice of who he was left alone with before, that didn't mean he wasn't at all cautious.]

Or should I have just left you there?
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (Default)

<3 Made it in

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-21 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
That would have been the smart thing to do unless you had a reason for helping me.

[ His tone isn't actually accusatory. Ash knows people can be his friend without wanting something in return though it had been a concept he'd had to relearn. Still, he also knows people can have agendas as well. ]
inaurare: (Default)

Yeeeeah~!

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-21 12:46 pm (UTC)(link)
I helped you because it seemed like you needed help.

[maybe that wasn't necessarily the case - but Linneus hardly could have stood and done nothing, either.]

And - I know many people are probably more self-sufficient than I. But I would not have liked to have simply left you in the street. The first days in this place are a trial enough.

[He is assuming - but he hasn't seen Ash before. A little tea service has taken shape under his hands as he talks; the teapot filled. Mentally he ticks off the time for the tea to steep while he bustles about - vegetables come out of the fridge while he gets the milk, and he makes a start on getting those cleaned and chopped while the pasta gets a headstart in the water. Green vegetables - a little broccoli and spinach - and a lemon zested, before he pours out and brings over a small tray. It seems a little silly to bring a whole service...]

There is milk there, and sugar... it shan't be too much longer.
Edited (tmw your account expires and the majority of your last-uploaded icons are from a de-ageing event. I guess I'll be on defaults until the payment system is fixed XD) 2019-09-21 12:48 (UTC)
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (🔫10)

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-22 06:15 pm (UTC)(link)
How altruistic of you.

[ Making himself at home, he crosses one leg over the other and watches as Linneus dances around the kitchen. Ash knows little to nothing about the domestic life, but he can tell when someone's moves are practiced. He seems to go from task to task seamlessly as if he could perform this in his sleep. Maybe the guy really had only served tea. Sometimes, the pretty people could be meant for decoration instead of fun. Maybe he's letting his own experiences color the world.

Still, it doesn't feel like his earlier assumption was wrong. ]


So what do they call a professional tea maker? A tea-r?
inaurare: (Default)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-22 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh - a maid?

[from his laugh, it might be clear that probably wasn't what he was]

I'm not entirely sure professional tea-maker is a real occupation. Though if it were, I think I should like to be one. I would make a much better tea-maker than a chef...!

[but at least he cooks well enough that he wouldn't starve, left on his own. Fishing out some of the pasta and the cut broccoli from the rolling water, testing for doneness... close enough. He leans back from the sink as he drains it all, away from the cloud of steam, juggling the ingredients from the colander back into the pan and throwing in some spinach to wilt while a separate pan goes on to heat]

I suppose I simply like to host. I find myself more comfortable to have others in my own space than to be in theirs.

[and that's probably more because he is accustomed to it - because he so rarely left the Teahouse and even when he did it was never unaccompanied. But it also plays into his upbringing, even in what used to be childhood chores - like setting the table]
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (🔫82)

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-23 01:08 am (UTC)(link)
It can be.

[ Ash has no experience with them, but he'd heard about what he considered to be the equivalent. ]

In Japan. They're called geishas. They do more than serve tea, but that's mostly what they're hired out for. They'd be the hosts. By my time, they're not as big, but I heard they used to be popular.

[ He hadn't looked one up so he didn't know there was a particular look. Instead, Ash imagines beautiful women in feminine, delicate clothing. If a male could hold the job, Ibe and Eiji had failed to mention it.

Likes people in his own space, does he? Ash is a bit of the same, a bit different. He likes having the home ground advantage, but he also prefers people staying out of his personal territory. He would have helped, but he wasn't likely to invite them home. ]


Don't know if the job was open to men.
inaurare: (Default)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-23 06:27 am (UTC)(link)
Geisha.

[the foreign word is strange on his tongue, uttered as he moves back to check on the pan - warm enough for some butter, and a little garlic and red pepper, though he is conservative with both (more red pepper can be added at the table, but the garlic can overpower if he isn't cautious with it). It sits to warm through, while he grates some cheese and pulls out a serving dish.]

No, I've not heard of those before. Though admittedly I don't know much of the world, either. My country was only very small, and I never left it.

[it was rare enough that he left the house - even when he did, it was never unaccompanied. The butter sauce gets some lemon, and he tosses it through the pasta and vegetables, adding in the cheese as he goes.]

Come - it's ready. [apologetic, as he brings it over to the table] Although I'm sorry, there's no meat...


((on the menu tonight we have...!))
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (🔫12)

fancy ash for a fancy dinner

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-24 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ Eiji has cooked for him. When living in the penthouse, Eiji had provided the meals. Ash himself had never learned to cook, never really intended to. As much as he teased him, Ash enjoyed the meals when they hadn't been weird Japanese things. Likewise, Shorter had provided some food on occasion as well. Oddly enough, though Ash went through years where he ate only the best foods prepared by the best chefs, it's these small, homemade meals that seemed better.

Linneus stumbled onto something about Ash without meaning to by making something devoid of meat. He's not a vegetarian, but he's not far from it, choosing vegetables and fruits over meats with his favorite food being a salad. He'll eat meat that's offered to him, as long as it wasn't a hamburger, but he wouldn't often choose it himself. ]


It was a Japanese thing, and I'm from America.

[ He keeps it vague not out of some sense of concern for revealing his homeworld location but because he doubts it would mean anything to Linneus. A lot of people here wouldn't know the difference between New York and Cape Cod. ]

Doesn't smell too bad.

[ As dismissive as it sounds, that's actually a high compliment when coming from Ash, who is much more likely to heckle than praise. ]

[ Pushing himself from the couch, Ash walked the small distance to the table. He'd have enough manners to sit there instead of taking it back to Linneus' couch. ]

Least the food here's familiar.

[ Once he settles in, Ash samples the food. It's good. Instead of expressing the sentiment, he shows it by continuing to eat. ]

Do you make a lot of salads?
inaurare: (Default)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-24 11:36 am (UTC)(link)
[a gentle chuckle, dipping his head with the... compliment? He's hardly the type to jump to any perceived insult - far more likely to accept even faint praise.]

Well, I'm glad. I can't say it is always the same for me, necessarily, but... there are enough familiar things.

[or close enough to things from home that he can use them almost the same.]

But not always salads, no. I'm still getting used to cooking for myself, but I don't tend to eat a large amount. So it's not necessarily practical, to have a lot of food in the house. Often enough I simply eat at the motel...!

[shy, with the admission. His own serving is a little smaller, in comparison to what he laid out for Ash, but there is still enough in the serving dish that they can have more, if they need.]

America and Japan... these are countries of your world?
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (Default)

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-25 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
Do you make shrimp?

[ He asks as if planning to ask Linneus to cook for him more often, but it could also be a curiosity. There's not enough in his tone to make it immediately obvious, leaving Linneus to interpret as he'd like. ]

But yeah, you are pretty skinny.

[ Like he might break at any moment. Ash himself is considered slender by many, a fact he often uses to make people drop their guard, but he's almost bulky in comparison. Already, Ash can be accused of occasionally undereating. If he drug the kid around, maybe it'd take some heat off of him the days that food didn't seem as appetizing.

His fork cuts through the pasta and lifts it up. He chews, swallows, and then replies to the question. ]


Two really different countries. [ The pasta swirls around the silver tongues, his jade eyes watching the process. ] I can't find proof they exist here. I don't know if I landed in Oz or went down the rabbit hole, but this place shouldn't exist. [ His voice is quite and contemplative. ] But here we are.

[ Another bite, another chew, another swallow. ]

Where are you from?
inaurare: (Default)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-25 02:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[a soft chuckle.]

Well, I suppose I am - and I always have been.

[No, there is certainly no denying that he is skinny. Though that's probably down to his eating habits, too.]

Shrimp - prawns? I haven't tried to. Much of my cooking I learned from the kitchens, and they were a costly ingredient - not for staff.

[not to risk him potentially making a mess of. Twirling up his pasta delicately.]

My country's name was Ivore - beside it was Verone, and that... is about the extent of my geography, I fear. I shall have to learn of these new countries...!

[America, and Japan. And Oz]
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (🔫02)

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-25 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Shrimp salad. It's not bad. You should try it.

[ And also make it for him. Ash would be lying if he said some of the high end foods weren't good, but he's also a simple eater most of the time. After living on his own, he either survived on bar food, pre-made salads, or Shorter's Chinese food. Eiji had spoiled him recently. ]

Might not exist in your world. I've never heard of those countries.

[ Ash isn't an expert of all the countries, but he knows a huge majority, if not all of them. ]

There's probably a lot more important things to learn.
inaurare: (Default)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-25 03:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Shrimp salad.

[salad with shrimps. He's trying to picture it]

More interesting than countries...? I think it's fascinating to learn where people are from - there are individuals from places so different to Ivore and to what I have known. Even this place...

[no, it is not the best place to be. But even here, he has learned so much]
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (🔫01)

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-27 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
[ In New York, such a dish is about as easy to obtain as a hamburger. Though there are many drawbacks to living in such a large city, the availability of items is a silver lining around a dark cloud. ]

People aren't where they're from. If you want to know them, don't connect them to that.

[ Perhaps he finds the distinction important because of his various backgrounds, but you can't leave your past behind you if it becomes central to who you are. ]

You still exist here, outside Ivore.
inaurare: (Wistful)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-29 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
No, this is true. But a person's origins can say a great deal about them, I think - or where one has grown, or where one has travelled; in my own case very little. I may not be my country, but it is a part of me.

[thoughtful, as he takes another forkful]

That is not to say we don't learn and change. But I think it is not good to forget where we come from, especially under our circumstances.
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (🔫64)

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-29 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
Hn. Cling to it if you want.

[ Sometimes, their pasts don't represent something they want to remember. It's not something Ash will say, but the thought lingers heavily on his mind.

He shifts, the pain in his side becoming irritating. It's always worse when the adrenaline wears off. ]


You got something back there worth clinging to?
inaurare: (Shy)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-29 07:14 pm (UTC)(link)
No, not really. Not anything at all - memories, mostly.

[sometimes one's past is all one has. Another shy dip and shake of his head, gently setting his plate away]

...I would like to believe I might one day have a place. But it was not my place to claim or call anywhere home - certainly not the house where I served.

[that had been made perfectly clear. For all that he had been raised in that house, just as Xanthe had been, it was never his to call home.

Maybe he did cling to it, still. If only because it was all he knew]
jadedlynx: commissioned; please dns (🔫73)

[personal profile] jadedlynx 2019-09-30 04:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ And some people have pasts that are important to them. Ash himself wouldn't want to forget Griff, no matter how it ended.

Grew up without parents. An orphan or runaway? Picked up by some rich person. Maybe bought by them. Envious of the home he was raised in, feeling like he had nothing of his own. Desperate enough for roots that he'll take this rundown house if it's his.

Ash takes another bite. ]


What would you do if you owned a place of your own?
inaurare: (Shy)

[personal profile] inaurare 2019-09-30 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
All of my own?

[there's a breath at that, drawing up as though in gathering himself he can gather his thoughts]

If I had the freedom and everything that went with it...? I think I should like to have my own garden. I have always enjoyed tending to plants - seeing them grow. Beyond that...

[another of those pauses, and he shakes his head]

...mmm. I haven't really thought. But it would be mine? I have never really had anything that could not be taken away from me.

[sheepish]

Perhaps I should start smaller...?

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