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 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.

Well, that matched more with what Draco had already said, but it still left him with a distinct lack of answers that made him uncomfortable. He didn't understand how any of it was possible. It was beyond comprehending.

"At least the whole city isn't as bad as where I was at first." Indeed, everything around them had gotten much nicer, from the buildings to the people they passed by. Scorpius could almost feel at ease, if it weren't for-- well, everything else.

It truly was. It was more than a little off-putting. The fact that Draco seemed so utterly at peace with it all probably didn't help any; he probably seemed like he'd been brainwashed or something.

"No, that's certainly true. Sadly, you ended up in...well, one of the worst districts here." He wrinkled his nose distastefully. That was just sad, and he couldn't quite place why it might be. "I showed up in the Tower District, later moved to Leisurebrook. Both of those are relatively decent. The Tower is fairly expensive, though, so I don't know how many places you want to frequent until you're more settled."

It was definitely very peculiar that none of it seemed to phase him. But then again... three years. Scorpius had no idea how much time would normally be needed to adjust to such utterly bizarre things, but perhaps that was more than enough.

He cringed at the thought of that horrid room he'd started out in. There had been roaches. He'd never even seen a roach before and one had nearly crawled on him. "Somewhere decent would certainly be preferable."

"We'll start with the cafe then." That was that. It was quaint and relatively inexpensive, as things went. And they weren't too far out from it either, which was a plus. Perhaps that was mostly because Draco's strides were as long as he could make them in an attempt to get far away from those horrible roaches. He hadn't seen them, but he didn't need to. The whole district was run-down and disgusting.

They were passing through the Tower District then, and the change was obvious. Things were brighter, more modern, and decidedly nicer. The juxtaposition was almost disconcerting compared to Shantytown and the Red Lantern districts.

"Leisurebrook is generally fairly...middle of the road, as things go. Everyone can generally afford it." A little shrug. "Rumour has it, the districts are all based around the seven deadly sins. You're familiar?"

It was strange how swiftly the overall mood of the city seemed to change from one block to the next, but nothing Scorpius hadn't seen before at home. After all, just one corner was all that separated Diagon Alley from Knockturn Alley.

Scorpius could still remember the lectures he'd been given as a child to not wander down there almost verbatim. For very good reason, of course.

"Not overly, but I know enough to recognize them." They'd gone over all sorts of religions in his Muggle Studies courses- those were a requirement now, in hopes that a better understanding of muggles would stop prejudices from building once more.

Shantytown was officially the Knockturn Alley of the City: that was all there was to it. Listen to those lectures, Scorpius.

He nodded, content with that answer. He hadn't really known much besides the very basic details when he came into the City, after all, so it seemed ridiculous to him that people were immediately leaping to that conclusion. That said, once he really looked at it, it actually made sense.

"The Tower will make sense as pride, then. The Red Lantern District is supposed to be lust - there are enough brothels to sink a bloody ship, after all. Finance Street is greed, I suppose. The Gardens, I think, are gluttony," Draco mused, fluttering one hand through the air. "It should be noted that it's called the City of Sin for a reason. This place does things to people."

With every answer given, there were only more questions. The Seven Deadly Sins theory was interesting, although he didn't have nearly enough information to put any credit or discredit to it.

"What do you mean? Is there some sort of encouragement for acting on those sins?"

"Well, the City, to be quite frank, fucks with our emotions." That was the easiest way to put it, blunt as it was. "So yes, in a way. It's hard to resist something when you don't even realise it's happening.

"Picture, for example, simply being out and about. Suddenly, you wander by a shop, and you think to yourself, yes, I do deserve nice things, and you buy a few hundred Galleons' worth of things. There's no rhyme or reason behind it. You just felt like it."

Merlin, he's not sure he's ever heard his father swear. At least, not that casually. That was enough of a reminder of the differences just by itself. "I can see how that would be an issue."

It seemed like not much of a person's life was under their own control here. It was a little terrifying.

There was no better way to punch that little fact home than with a very casual bit of profanity. But he was right - that too was probably an excellent way to indicate that he was not yet and not quite Scorpius' father, save in name alone. He did, however, have a paternal streak a mile wide, and the urge to step into those shoes. Hopefully, that would be good enough.

"It's an odd little issue, but an issue all the same, yes. Perhaps you'll have a better time than most avoiding such influences," he mused, glancing to Scorpius a little hopefully.

"Perhaps... though the way you described it, it seems more complicated than a matter of self-control." Part of him hoped that was the case; if it was out of his control then maybe it wouldn't be a grave disappointment if he slipped and gave in to those impulses. The rest was terrified at the thought of not being able to control himself.

"There is a bit of resistance you can put up against it," he admitted, shrugging slightly. "But you have to know that it's happening beforehand. Otherwise, it's rather hard."

He was slightly ashamed to admit that he was considerably weaker than he could have been. He so often ended up just giving in and letting his emotions have the better of him. Of course, he'd been there so long, sometimes he wondered if he wasn't just entirely mad anyway.

"Does skill with Occlumency help at all with that?" Scorpius asked. On the one hand, if the problem wasn't magic in origin, perhaps it wouldn't apply. On the other, Occlumency was more a practice in mental discipline than pure magic. Tight control over one's self and one's emotions were the basis of it.

"Yes," he replied mildly, glancing over. "It helps a bit, at least. You can keep some things out, and that's probably a good thing. I can't imagine what it might be like without Occlumency on my side."

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