cityofsin_ooc | Test Drive 007

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!test drive

Test Drive 007

Test Drive Meme

Considering apping to the City of Sin, but unsure of who to bring or if they'll fit? Feel free to give the setting a test drive here! These are a perfect way of getting your playing sample done for the application.

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→ Comment with the character you'd like to test drive in the setting, with name and canon in the subject line
→ Choose a scenario, or create your own
→ Tag around

Possible Scenarios
01. A New Arrival: Hello, New Person! You seem to have found yourself on a sidewalk in the City of Sin with nothing but the clothes on your back and a stomach chruning feeling of being displaced. Thankfully, the streets are full of people - Watch out that you don't get mugged!

02. Demonic Presences: You were just minding your own business, weren't you? But that's always when bad things seem to happen, and the City of Sin isn't really that friendly. Whatever bar or street you're hanging out in suddenly go dim, filing the area with an unnerving feeling as the shadows on the walls jump out into reality. We suggest you phone a friend for help, or maybe try running?

03. Party Hard: You've been invited to a massive, elegant party at the Tower that spills out it's doors in welcome, by someone who calls themselves the Emperor. Obviously that's weird, but maybe you can get some free drinks and food out of it! This place might not be so bad.

04. Prominence: The City of Sin influences it's population on a weekly basis. Too bad you came right smack dab in the middle of a heavy Prominence. Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, or Pride. Choose your choice of sin and be wicked.

05. Trouble: Not everyone is sunshine and roses here. Some people are violent and cruel, raised in the sludge of a sinful city. And they like to pick on people they think can't fight back. Are you that person? Or are you the Hero who can't stand to watch? Worse yet, could you be the person doing the instigating? Villian.

06. Carnival: The City has carnivals or festivals now and then; you're lucky to catch one! With it's open booths filled with cork gun games and funnel cakes, how can someone not have any fun! Go win your darling a stuffed animal, or meet someone new on the spinning cup ride. You might even see someone you know being talked into sitting in the Dunk Tank.

07. Wild Card: Choose your own adventure in the game's setting!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It probably said something about Draco's personal growth that, upon seeing, from the corner of his eyes, someone seemingly cornered by a group of unfriendly gentlemen, his initial response was to change the direction of his lazy saunter over towards them. At the same time, he very casually slipped his wand into his hand, twirling it once.

The shield charm - modified, apparently - caught his eye, but he'd focus on that afterwards.

"Afternoon, gentlemen," he called as he approached, his voice a drawl. He didn't assume that they would leave whoever they were attacking alone at that point, but he did bank on getting the attention of at least one of them. Two, if they were stupid. And sure enough, two glanced over, one narrowly glaring at him, the other trying to figure out if Draco himself was stupid.

As soon as they looked over, Draco just smiled and stepped forward in an elegant lunge, casting a quick spell that sent the nearest man looking at him flying and toppling into the two next to him.

The familiarity of that voice made him jump and he jerked his head in the direction of it. The figure he saw, however, wasn't quite what he'd expected. Although he certainly looked like Scorpius' father, he was far too young. Closer to Scorpius' age than his father's.

It absolutely threw him for a loop.

The shift in his attention lowered the shield charm just long enough for one of the men to try and take a lunge at him and Scorpius took a frightened step back. This was worlds apart from dueling club, different even from the hexes that had been flung at him whenever he was caught alone by the wrong person at school. These men were looking to kill him. It shook him to his core, sent him back to being thirteen years old and seeing nothing but hatred and killing intent in the eyes of the Death Eaters who had kidnapped him. He felt frozen in place, unable to react.

He hadn't even yet noticed who he was saving, just that the potential assailants had knives, and he was saving himself a world of trouble later on at work. Besides, he'd been passing by; it was simply convenient. Convenient helping. Words rarely used by a Malfoy.

It was indeed the beginning of a duel, and while Scorpius didn't have much experience outside of Dueling Club, Draco certainly did. Not by his choice, of course; between the City and the war, he was remarkably good at thinking quickly on his feet. He snapped off a couple more curses at two of the men, those who'd taken a bit of a tumble and whose guard was down. Better to take care of two of them. Two on two were much better odds.

"Come on," he told Scorpius, eyes still focused on the men facing them. "I saw that charm, surely you know how to defend yourself a little, don't you?"

It was an attempt to goad his fellow wizard into action - this, from him, of all people; the irony was not lost on him. Draco winced a little, dodging as one of the men turned his attention fully to Draco, lunging forward with a few slashes of his blade. He murmured a bitten off expletive, stumbling backwards to get out of range before it caught him in the gut.

It wasn't the goading that finally spurred him into action, but rather the threat to the man who had come to his rescue. Scorpius very well couldn't let someone be hurt for his sake, let alone a man who was so clearly his father and yet so clearly not.

To his credit, his hand didn't even shake as he cast an immobilization spell on the man lunging towards his rescuer. Scorpius had always favored less directly harmful spells, even in controlled duels, because even after all he had done, it still felt like if he took one step out of line, he would prove every negative thing anyone had ever thought of him correct.

"It's different in practice." He replied, his voice sounding tight to his ears.

"Well, yes, I know that," Draco protested as a heavy exhale escaped him, the sound coloured in relief and appreciation that it was actually two on two now. Or rather, two on one, now that they'd taken out three of the lot. Those odds were even more up Draco's alley.

He snapped a hex at the final attacker, smirking slightly to himself as it struck, earning a yelp, and sent the final man fleeing. Obviously, this was far more work than they'd planned on. Certainly not worth it.

Finally, he turned to properly regard the other young man, his smirk remaining on. Until, of course, he looked at the face. It was impossible not to recognise a number of his own features on someone else's face - it was nearly like looking at a mirror, albeit a slightly more...timid mirror.

"Merlin's beard."

It was an immense relief when all the attackers had been taken down but Scorpius still was unable to give in to his rising panic because now he had to properly deal with getting some answers.

Starting with who exactly this man across from him was, because unless he had somehow been sent into the past-- no, that didn't seem quite right either.

Nothing made any sense.

He took a steadying breath. It didn't really help. One question at a time. "Are you Draco Malfoy?"

Even with Draco's knowledge of the multiverse - and the knowledge that he'd eventually have a family back home - all of this was still a bit of a shock. He didn't know why. Maybe because the last thing he expected to see was a face so similar to his own, tinged with features from... Well, he'd hesitate to name the boy's mother, but his money was on Astoria. But that was probably a topic for another day.

Scorpius would be right: nothing really made much sense.

"Yes," he answered after half a moment. "And you are? Besides someone who is clearly related to me."

Scorpius' brow furrowed at the confirmation as he tried to puzzle out how exactly that could be the case.

"Scorpius Malfoy. I-- am your son." It felt odd to say that. Very odd. His lips tilted into a slight frown. "What exactly is going on here? I was transported here somehow, but it didn't feel like Apparition or a Portkey. I don't even know where here is."

He blinked. Somehow, even hearing his suspicions confirmed out loud didn't make them easier to swallow. The whole thing was very odd.

"You're...in the City of Sin. It's a sort of...nexus, I've heard it described as. It snatches people up from various times and places and drops them here for an unknown purpose, though my running theory is just to annoy us all to hell and gone."

Scorpius took that information in, turning it over in his mind. "I've never heard of any magic that could do that. It sounds impossible." And yet he didn't sound as though he didn't believe it. If anything, he was puzzling through how it could be possible. After all, Time Turners and Portkeys were both very real and extensively studied and controlled... well, not so much Time Turners anymore, but the knowledge had been there long enough for someone to make them, even if it had been lost since.

"I assume there's no known way back?"

"It certainly does." And yet, it was bizarrely real. A fact that was truly baffling. Draco still had no idea how it managed it, nor how it managed to let their lives pause entirely while they were gone. The whole matter was enough to make his head spin, even with his knowledge of various Muggle sciences floating around. Not that it was really enough knowledge in any one subject to explain anything.

"I've been here three years." Draco thought that might answer that. His mouth twitched; he wasn't sure how to feel about that now. He still didn't want to go home. "And no. No one's found anything foolproof."

Three years? Scorpius couldn't help but display his shock at that. "Is it always like this here?" Draco had seemed so at-ease with dealing with his attackers, and Scorpius knew his father had grown up in war, knew very well the lasting effects of that, and had even suffered for some of them himself, but still--

It just didn't seem very like him. But three years was ample time to change a person. This man was entirely different from who Scorpius' father had been at-- whatever age he was at, he was certain of that. This man was at once very familiar and a complete stranger.

People were always shocked to hear that he'd been there for as long as he had, and he wasn't surprised at all. Nor would he have been terribly surprised to hear that he was a far cry from the man that Scorpius knew. Draco knew that as well as anyone else; some mornings, he woke up and stared at himself in the mirror and thought about how different he was now. He thought about how, if he forgot everything overnight, he'd lash out at everyone who called themselves close to him. He'd probably reject his entire damn life, in fact.

"Yes. It is. If by 'this', you mean 'horrid and full of ugly people with knives intent on killing you and stealing what little you have," he replied, shrugging a little, his mouth twisting in distaste. "We should get off the street. This isn't really a good neighbourhood. I know a cafe by my house; it's rather good."

Scorpius inclined his head in acknowledgement, a frown tugging at his lips as he continued to suppress his rising panic at the situation.

It wasn't safe here.

"I don't know if the money I have from home is worth anything anymore." He smiled wryly.

It most certainly was not safe. And while Draco didn't often enjoy inciting panic, this seemed necessary. Everyone needed to know, without any sugar-coating.

"It's my treat," he replied with a casual flutter of one hand as he turned to lead the way out, glancing only briefly backwards to make sure Scorpius was following him.

Of course Scorpius followed after him; he wasn't very well going to stick around here and wait to be attacked again, and some food and a cup of tea sounded heavenly.

He caught up with Draco easily enough, matching his long strides. "Thank you."

It was good to see a familiar face... or at least a sense of one.

He merely shrugged casually, feeling very much as though it was sort of a given that he not hang someone who'd declared themselves his son out to dry. That was a little too far, especially when the proof was right there in front of him. When Draco stole sideways glances, he could see the familiar Malfoy nose, the same colouring, hair, eyes. Tempered, as his own were, by his mother, but still prominent enough. No one could deny that they were related.

He had a feeling, though, that it might be a little more complicated to start explaining this. People had assumed Narcissa and Draco were related for ages, but they'd always toyed with the idea of cousins or perhaps twins; a third Malfoy coming into things would just be odd and confusing. Particularly since Draco hadn't made a secret of being an only child.

Most of all, he wondered what exactly Charles was going to say. But he had time to figure that out, probably.

As they walked, Draco spoke up: "So. Anything exciting going on back home?"

Scorpius could feel Draco's quick glances at him but he didn't mention them. It was quite understandable.

Scorpius hummed thoughtfully at the question. "Nothing quite as exciting as this, thankfully. I had just finished school and was about to enter into an internship at the Ministry."

It was a rather unambitious career path he'd chosen, working with the development and upkeep of barrier charms. Far less political than was the norm for their family, but still very important, skilled work that paid well and, more importantly, didn't make people fear he was trying to create some third coming of Death Eaters.

He needed a minute, basically. But in the grand scheme of things, Draco felt as though he was maybe doing all right with the whole thing. He had a son. That was interesting. Not a horrible prospect. He felt bad that he wasn't currently married to the poor boy's mother, and that would probably be a shock, but he hoped that he could deal with that well enough.

Actually, it was rather reassuring, knowing he had a son. Something inside of him felt just a touch giddy at the thought.

"The Ministry," he echoed thoughtfully, rolling that around in his mind. Not a horrid job, as things went. It was still a job, but- Well, Draco supposed things came to that eventually. A Malfoy probably no longer held the clout they once did, and that meant politics couldn't be a hobby anymore. "In what department?"

"Maintenance and Development of Protective Spells and Enchantments." Scorpius replied, lips quirking with amusement at the mouthful of a name that was still the standard for the Ministry. "In six months, I'll be eligible for a position as a researcher." Assuming all went well, but Scorpius knew better than to tack that thought on. He had to at least maintain the appearance of absolute confidence in himself.

The job wasn't political at all, really, but spell-creation was very dangerous work and rarely sanctioned by the Ministry, so in Scorpius' opinion, it was still rather impressive.

Technically speaking, he didn't need a job; the Malfoys had lost a lot of their wealth, true, but they still had an obscene amount of it left- more than enough to live on for several generations yet, even with their high standards. It wasn't for money- Scorpius just needed something to do. It was also a way to send a message that their family really had changed, that he wouldn't hide behind the scenes pulling the strings to escape responsibility for his actions.

Draco was, to say the least, impressed. It was abundantly clear from the look on his face, just this side of awe-struck. That a Malfoy would not only be able to get a Ministry position, but one in a department that was arguably rather important meant something to him. It wasn't something he could do, he knew.

And really, he knew much of the same as Scorpius did: that there was a certain message to be sent by the fact that the latest generations of Malfoys were willing to put themselves out there into the world as working individuals, instead of being portrayed as too good for it all.

"Very good," he remarked finally, a smile curving at his lips. He hadn't even fathered the boy yet, but in the back of his mind, he rather looked forward to it. Or - since he was always sceptical of what the future might hold for him - getting to know him here, for as long as it lasted. "I expect you'll probably get that researcher position, too, if you were good enough to get the internship in the first place."

This Draco was not his father but Scorpius still couldn't stop the little thrill of excitement in his chest that came from knowing he'd pleased him. His father had made no secret that he was proud of Scorpius' accomplishments but it made him happy all the same.

"Of course." He smiled, trying not to show how immensely pleased he was at Draco's approval. He had worked very hard on his N.E.W.T.s to get an Outstanding in every single one so that they couldn't possibly turn down his application. He'd nearly driven himself (and Albus) crazy in his obsessive need to study. "Assuming I am ever able to go back, that is."

It was a very similar feeling, most likely, to how Draco had always wanted Narcissa's approval while they were there in the City. Illogical, maybe, but still evidence of the familial connection that clearly meant so much back home.

"Well, I'm sure it'll happen eventually. And in the meantime, it's not like it's going anywhere. I don't believe anyone's ever had an issue with time passing while they were here," he remarked thoughtfully, glancing sideways to Scorpius again.

"So people have managed to return to where they came from? And then... they were brought back here?" Scorpius felt as though he were still missing several pieces of the puzzle. Or, more likely, like he'd received several pieces from any number of different puzzles and was trying to make them all fit together.

"No, to say that they 'managed to return home' suggests that they had some choice in the matter," he lightly corrected, fluttering one hand through the air a little. It was almost an agitated gesture, one born of nerves. "They didn't, from what I can tell. People leave as randomly as they come in. But yes, a few people have been brought back in the past."

It was indeed a puzzle, though. One that many people were focusing on, and that few had ever made headway on. Draco would be a little ashamed to admit that he'd all but given up on it.

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