Something's ... Not Right (Open)

[true_noir]

WHO: Chloe and You!
WHERE: In and around Recolle
WHEN: 4/6-4/12
WHAT: Awkwardness as Chloe notices some things are not right with her body
WARNINGS: Nup

Option 1) It was a Thursday, like any other Thursday since she'd gotten this silly app on her phone. She was trying to keep her life normal and together, and doing a good job of it. In fact, following through with Yu and Naoto's request had helped a little, taking some of the worry away from her life. Having just finished her shift, she was walking back towards the bus station to get a ride home when it happened. There at the cross-walk, maybe she was a bit tired, but she started to cross before it was her light. There was a honk of distress from a car and Chloe acted.

Really, she wasn't in any danger. The driver was over-reacting and swerving successfully to miss her. But, the honk caused an immediate reaction. Her body launched back without her thinking, leaping up and into the air, sommersaulting back and landing lightly on her feet. The motion was far too limber for what she should have been able to do. It wasn't like she was in poor shape, but leaping like that in the air felt beyond her. As she landed, her eyes widened and she took two or three shaky steps back before falling unceremoniously on her butt.

"What... just happened?" she said, looking around in shock.

Option 2) When she wasn't helping out with the play, Chloe had a couple of days off on the weekend. She tried to visit the local gym to get a bit of the stress out. There was a horse set up there for those who wished to practice gymnastics, and she found herself staring at it with a nervous look in her eyes. Biting her lips, she walked over and patted it, reaching up to scratch at the back of her head.

"Should I?" she asked, wondering for a moment before going to put chalk on her hands. There was only one way to find out if the strange itching sensation in her arms and legs was real. She was feeling restless, restless like her body wasn't moving the way that it should, that it needed to move.

Option 3) There was bad news on Friday, news she did not want to hear. It had her in Starbucks, fumbling for a drink of mint tea. She wanted to calm her jangled nerves. There had to be a logical explanation for any of this. She was tempted to ask on the network, but at this point she wasn't even carrying her phone with her. She'd warned her boss that if he needed her to call the land-line, that she was trying to test out what happened if she didn't use the network. She wasn't going to break that promise.

She had to know if this was affected by the app, or if it was simply happening. But, as it stood, she was getting nervous and worried... and the tea was only helping a little.

Wildcard (Anything that you want can be managed. Chloe is off network for this week, helping out at the play and frequenting work. She has just experienced the return of her natural athleticism and agility, along with the realization that her hair color actually changed last month and wasn't dyed while drunk like she thought. It's causing her to start to freak out again. Either way, if your character wants to meet up with her, we can handwave that they left a message on her answering machine at home.)

Comments

1

[appraiser]

It's the blaring of the car honk that jolts Ryoji out of his reverie, head snapping up just in time to see Chloe fly through the air. His hand immediately slips into his pocket to grab— his phone isn't there; he'd made the same promise to Yu and Naoto to stay offline, and not carrying anything around is his only way of resisting the temptation. Needing his phone for emergencies wasn't something he predicted, so all he can do is hope another bystander could call for an ambulance if needed, while he himself weaves through the stalled cars and across the street to Chloe.

'What happened' is something he should be asking, staring down at her with wide eyes and silent mouth, shocked still for the longest moment before, as if coming to his senses, offering a hand to help her up.

He hadn't seen any accident, but he has to assume there was one, because he thought he saw a body hurtling through the air like it's some cartoon. How is she okay? What??

[true_noir]

She rubbed at her fanny and started to get to her feet, brushing herself off. The fact that she was shaken was still evident in her bearing, but she was steady enough on her feet not to be showing any signs of inevitable collapse. When she saw him, she reached up and scratched her head, face heating a little bit. "Sorry about that, Ryoji. I'm ok, and I hope I didn't worry you."

Except the fact that she had hurtled like that... it hadn't been inhuman. She'd seen acrobats do jumps like that. It was just... she wasn't an acrobat, not at all. What the hell had just happened?

[appraiser]

"I'm glad you're okay, but... how can I not worry— how are you not hurt— how are you still standing?" His questions blur all together in trying to sort his out his thoughts, and he presses his lips tightly together to cut himself off. It doesn't look like Chloe is hurt at all; it looked more like she'd leaped into the air like a cricket leaps to safety at the slow approach of a shoe.

Deep breaths. Being more shaken than Chloe, who'd almost gotten hit by a car, is unsightly of him. Though she's already standing, Ryoji reaches for her hand again, as if wanting to make sure she doesn't suddenly get carried off with the breeze again.

"We should get away from the street for now," he suggests. "Were you going somewhere? Let me walk with you."

[true_noir]

"How am I... oh! The car did not touch me, if that is your concern," she said, shaking her head. Now she could understand the reason for a bit of worry. If he'd thought she'd been knocked clear by the car, he had every right to be a little nervous about her well being, after all. "I... just jumped out of the way, it would seem. I did... I did not know that I could do that."

She nodded, stepping back from the curb more and looking around. "I think I was on my way home, actually, but I feel a little frazzled, honestly. Perhaps coffee?"

[appraiser]

It's good to know, but all that does is shift Ryoji's concern from not getting hit by a car, to the somersault reflex. A different sort of concern, but it's a better one, one that's not immediately life-threatening and so Ryoji just lets out a sigh. Frazzled is him. He needs something to drink, but not coffee.

"After a scare like that, coffee might not be the best idea." The caffeine, in particular, being a stimulant and he already feels like his heart is going to explode. A quick glance up and down the street, and he hods his head towards a quaint little tea place. "How do you feel about tea? There's this one blend that always calms me down, a green tea with cinnamon, elderflower, cardamom..."

3

[megabond]

It was any other visit to Starbucks after work as he takes a cream latte from the counter before he walks to a nearby table. But it isn't until he notices a young woman somehow fumbles her mint tea, realizing that something happened to her for some reason. And yet, her face is somehow familiar. Is she's one of the Retrospec users?

Regardless, he then slowly approaches her and asks, "Miss, are you feeling okay?"

He doesn't know if she knows him or not, but he really wants to know if there's something that troubles her.

[true_noir]

She blinked and looked up at him for a moment in confusion. She didn't know this man, did she? Oh wait, no there was some familiarity in that face. He looked a bit like one of the icons she remembered, didn't he? But at the same time he was still someone she'd never met in person. There was only one way to be sure before she continued.

"The answer to your question depends on the answer to mine," she said, taking a steadier sip. "Do you remember horses?"

It really was becoming a thing for her, to use that like a gatekeeping test on conversation, to be sure she was talking to a user.

[megabond]

He is surprised at the question she gave to him. Then again, this confirms his suspicions that she is a Retrospec user as well.

"Yes, every detail of it as well with the fruits." One of the main advantages of being a professor or animal biology is that he learns of the appearance of horses even after the strange changes that caused them to be replaced by Chocobos. "May I take a seat?"

If she says yes, he then sits down on one of the empty seats at her table as he puts down his cup of cream latte on it. While he wants to ask about her involvement with the site, he wants to wait for her answer as he is still worried about her state.

[true_noir]

She motioned to the seat across from him and waited for the man to sit down before sighing and setting her tea on the table. She seemed to visibly relax at his reply and settled back some, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't ask that of everyone, but I thought your face was familiar... It's a good way to be sure," she said, closing her eyes and grunting. "I am not especially well, no. I got some bad news today. Apparently this... is not a dye job."

She reached up and held a lock of purple hair between her fingers for him to see.

Reserved for Grell

[true_noir]

[On time, and hoping for good news, Chloe made her way to the doctor's office at the hospital, as they'd agreed upon. She was in a waiting room, quietly thumbing through one of the magazines and trying not to think too much about some of the things she'd just recently experienced in her life.

Admittedly, the home and garden magazines were nice to look at. They always had pretty flowers, but she was having trouble concentrating on that. More than anything, she wanted to start getting answers to what was going on for her. This made going through the changes of her teenage years pale in comparison, and it was getting gradually more and more alarming for her. Hopefully the doctor could at least shed some light on things.]

[erythristic]

[if Chloe had asked reception to contact the doctor for her, she would have gotten a slightly confused look before they would have agreed and gestured that she should sit. Grell gets the call when she's in the middle of reviewing something else, so fortunately it isn't too difficult for her to push it aside.

the receptionist directs her to where Chloe can be found, and so when she sees the young woman with her head in a magazine, she puts on something of a smile before she speaks.]

Ms. Bouchard? It's good to meet you, I'm Dr. Sutcliffe.

[after seeing Yu's hair earlier in the week, she has a pretty good idea now of what she wants to look for.]

[true_noir]

[Chloe looked up at the Doctor and smiled at her. Somehow, she wasn't quite sure what to expect of her from their conversations in the past, but she was hopeful that they'd be able to at least help answer questions. And, perhaps she'd actually get to speak with them a bit, since the situation wasn't quite as awkward as their first conversation.

She stood and offered Grell a handshake.] Yes. It is good to meet you as well. I think we had spoken once before, but it has been quite a while.

[erythristic]

[her handshake is quick, firm, and despite their previous conversation she seemed to be in a pleasant enough mood.]

I do recall. Please, follow me.

[with that, she turns on her heel and expects Chloe to follow her to the elevator, where she'll push the button for B1 and let them descend to the lower levels. she needed equipment that was down in the lab, and at this point, it'd feel odd trying to pretend someone else's clinic was her own. Jack was a special case.]

Has anything else arose since we made our appointment?

Wildcard - 4/10

[notyourutopian]

[Eleanor was clearly in a hurry as she came bustling into the shop, dressed in a pair of jeans and a light brown jacket, her big bulky purse swinging at her shoulder. She stopped, scanning the little shop quickly as the door closed behind her, and when she spotted Chloe, practically bolted across the store to her.]

There you are! Why aren't you answering your messages? I need to talk to you.

[Someone has been frazzled all week and clearly missed any announcement as to going off the grid.]

[true_noir]

Oh, Eleanor! Hello there!

[Chloe, at first, was all smiles to see her friend, waving as soon as she'd caught sight of her. It was nearly the end of her shift, which meant that she'd get to see her for even longer. All in all, that had to be a good thing since she'd been a little troubled herself and could use the company.

That was, right up until she saw the way she was approaching and the frazzled look in her eyes. That put her on alert and she reached out for Eleanor's hands, her eyes a mixture of concern and curiosity.]

Wait, stay calm. Sorry, but I have had my phone turned off for the last few days. What is wrong?

[notyourutopian]

[Eleanor didn't pull away when Chloe took her hand, which was probably a sign she really was flustered.]

Who turns off their phone?

[I mean, really. It's the future, Chloe.]

Right. Anyway. Whatever. Do you have a minute? Can we talk?

[true_noir]

Oh, it is an experiment, to test this network we are forced to ... [A shake of the head. no, that wasn't important right now, was it? she looked over at the clock and held a finger up.]

If you give me just a moment, I will clock out. We can speak freely then. I'll be right back, ok? [She made her way to the desk, checking back to make sure if Eleanor was ok with it. As long as she was willing, she'd be gone only a moment before returning and motioning for the two to go outside and walk. This... any time someone she knew on the app looked like that, she didn't think it was a talk for the public eye.

It rarely was.]

Special Prompt - Father Ignatius

[true_noir]

Chloe was holding a manila envelope in her hand and frowning when she stopped by the church. She had spoken with the Father here once, and he'd been surprisingly helpful, surprisingly enough that she was willing to hazard this again. Because what Retrospec had offered to her wasn't helpful in the slightest and her irritation with them was even worse than it had been over this.

But, as she wasn't using her phone, it also didn't hurt that she knew where she could find him. The church was useful in that sense, since priests could usually be found there. So, she asked at the entry after him and began walking through the building, looking for the Father, cloak draping over her shoulders as she kept the envelope in plain view.

Re: Special Prompt - Father Ignatius

[obscultator]

Father Karl, true to form, was indeed to be found in the parish, although not in the church building itself. Instead he was sitting alone at the end of a large empty table in the parish hall, paging through a stapled document. A nearby window was cracked open just enough to let in a faintly floral-scented breeze from the churchyard garden outside--the hyacinths were coming out early in this good weather. By the neatly-arranged printouts on the table in front of him and the two pens and a highlighter placed off to one side, one would guess he was doing some paperwork, but there was no particular urgency about him and frankly he looked like he could use a break.

He was, however, engrossed just enough in his reading and annotating that he didn't notice her come in, even though nobody else happened to be in the hall at the moment.

[true_noir]

It took a moment for her to be directed to him, but once she was, she made her way to the parish hall and walked over towards him. He seemed to be fairly busy, so he may or may not have heard her approach. When she drew in near to him, she came to a stop, the envelope in hand and her eyes looking at the back of his head for a moment before she cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Father Karl, if you have a moment...?"

[obscultator]

Karl did finally notice the sound of her footsteps as she approached, but he was still vaguely assuming it was the secretary or one of the volunteers just passing through the hall until he heard the cough and turned to look over his shoulder.

As soon as he caught sight of Chloe, he smiled. "Miss Bouchard!" he said, setting down his papers and turning his chair aside from the table somewhat to look at her more squarely. "Of course, of course," he answered to her question with apparent sincerity, broudly indicating the several empty chairs around and across from him in invitation for her to sit wherever she liked. A brief flick of the eyes indicated he had noticed the envelope, but his kind expression didn't change.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Special Prompt - Evangeline

[true_noir]

Chloe was a little frightened of the changes in her body recently, but her arms and legs itched to be in motion. The experience at the gym had been... informative, but one day she was done with her shift and in one of the city parks near a playground with a vast number of jungle gyms and the like, and the urge started to get to her. It was late enough that there weren't any children playing right then, and she saw the bars and wondered to herself...

It would have been an easy sight for anyone passing by, a girl with a long, green cloak charging at one of the overhanging bars and lunging upwards. Her hands missed the mark and she fell on her rear again, but the second time she got up and leaped, she was grabbing the bar and whipping up and over, planting her feet firmly onto the bar like a little spider monkey, looking around to see if anyone had seen that in brief embarrassment.

[trivialization]

Yup. Someone had seen. Someone with flat eyes that just took it all in, revealing nothing of what she thought. The essential other. Even the brief applause could really have meant anything. But since it was Catherine... it wasn't hard to bet she'd get a mixture of approval and reproach.

"That all looks very dramatic in the cloak but if you ever wrap it around the bars when you're doing a turn you'll regret it."

[true_noir]

She crouched there, suddenly turning her head when she heard Catherine's voice and looking at her curiously. So, she'd seen all of that? Well, there was no point in denying it, was there? She began to spin around, coming upside down on the hanging bar and looking over at her before twisting and dropping to the earth. The landing was not perfect, but she nevertheless managed to get it close to stuck.

"I do not know why, but it never seems to catch... and I do not tie it to my neck, obviously." That would be suicidal. "Still, I suppose that is a bit of a risk." Somehow, from her tone, she did not seem that worried about it.

[trivialization]

"You didn't mention you were a gymnast. Not exactly my field but that looked pretty good for being improvised on a playset."

Well, it wasn't like they knew each other that well, but to Catherine that was the kind of consuming endeavor people usually made a pretty big part of their identity.