fluxscapememe | Test Drive 2: Beachville in Flux.

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Test Drive 2: Beachville in Flux.

[ ooc: Thank you for considering us! TDM links can be considered game canon. Reserves will open soon. Please be sure to check our taken page to make sure the character you want to play is available! Please and Thank You! -Fluxscape Mods. ]

Upon Arrival:

Just ask anyone, Beachville is the most beautiful city anywhere! That's exactly what the NPCs will tell you with a genuine smile on their faces and a happy nod. It even just might be true. For a beach as crowded as it is, it's surprisingly clean! The sand is just right. Not too hot and soft to the touch. The water is so blue you can see marine life swimming just under the surface. A variety of multicolored fish. Dolphins. The occasional mermaid.

...yes, that was in fact a mermaid! They're playful, don't worry. They won't try to drown you, Maybe just knock you off your surfboard with a laugh and a flash of a shimmery tail as they swim off to who knows where.

There are still sharks in that very blue, very clear water, but they're not interested in you in the slightest. In fact, they seem very keen on avoiding you.

There's so much to do here in Beachville! There's fishing off the docks, well away from where people are swimming. There's a boardwalk with almost every shop imaginable. A tattoo artist, a piercing parlor, a place to buy silly souvenirs like hermit crabs in cages, or ridiculous shirts. There's so much food to be tried; Pizzas, Salt Water Taffy's, lemonades of various flavors and some of the best burgers and fries you've ever had!

If the day-life isn't for you, wait until dark. The amusement park (which opens at sunrise and runs until 2 AM), lights up the night in a fantastic and colorful display, the sounds of the roller coasters and laughing guests heard for miles around, and part of the docks turns into an open air nightclub, complete with dance floor, beverages for all and alcohol for anyone over eighteen. Don't try to trick the bartender. They'll know.

If the hustle and bustle and noise of the beach isn't for you, don't worry. There are many resorts nearby with their own private swimming pools and entertainment. There are coffee shops on almost every street, various boutiques and curios to look at and a movie theater or two.

Don't worry; you'll also find the more necessary stores like grocery stores (where there is something for almost everyone), pharmacies, book stores, clothing stores, hardware stores. There's even a police station, fire house and hospital.

But that's not what Beachville is about! Everyone needs a vacation, right?

Beachville Locations
(Feel Free to use our locations to spark ideas for prompts! Check out other fun locations Here!)

	Beachville Boardwalk and Amusements Just what it says on the tin. Every possible Boardwalk location you can think of is here. Tattoo parlors, really cheesy t-shirts and hideous beach attire, awesome food of highly dubious nutritious value. There are also rides, like a huge ferris wheel, bumper cars, spinning rides and a huge roller coaster. At night, part of the boardwalk closes and turns into a place for dancing, drinking (For anyone over eighteen) and watching fireworks every weekend until 2 AM.
	The Surf Board There are three of these places located along the beach, and each one seems to be run by surfers in 'business attire'. Of course, by business attire, we mean these shirts and khaki shorts. They're here for all your surfing needs whether it be board rentals, lessons or even board purchases and care products. Dude.
	Shellfish Shack A small, outdoor restaurant right beside the fishing docks that can happily boast the freshest, most inexpensive seafood. There are crabs, lobsters, shellfish of many edible varieties and other seafood, besides. They also sell fresh catches by the pound that you can cook yourself at home, so go ahead and buy some! And be sure to buy some of their fresh made lemonade by the gallon. It's known all over Beachville as the best.
	Beach Breeze The Perfect place outdoors to grab a smoothie or any kind of fruit juice. They also serve the best shaved ice you've ever had in your life. What a great way to beat the heat!

Bear in mind, however, that while things look bright an shiny and lovely, shops have a tendency to move overnight and change entirely. What was once beachville's finest seafood yesterday is, today, the finest in antiques and even though the owner looks like the right owner, he'll insist he's never sold seafood, nor does he like the stuff or know the first thing about it.

The sandwich shop you love is now a small advertising agency and the round and jovial owner is now rude and loud and doesn't remember your usual at all because he doesn't run a sandwich shop now quit wastin' his time!

And should your character notice there's no town dump, even though people generate garbage and there are garbage trucks, it'll be discovered upon following them that they seem to vanish all on their own with no trace whatsoever that they'd been there at all, save that there's less garbage in town.

Or maybe your character isn't for staying in such an odd place and they're going to try to leave. Good luck with that. You'll only get so far past the borders of Beachville before they're dumped right outside the information booth with Jerry the Booth Guy peering over his paper at them. Another attempt and maybe you won't get quite as far. You'll get to just within view of the 'Now Leaving Beachville' sign just at the edge of town before finding yourself once again outside of Jerry's booth. Keep trying. You'll get bored of it eventually.

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The weirdest thing about all of this, besides being here to begin with, was Gansey talking about Cabeswater like it still existed, or mentioning Aurora. Adam really wanted to ask what was going on. He didn't want to lie and pretend Cabeswater was still around. He didn't want to lie about anything. This wasn't like his college friends, this was Gansey (and Ronan) and both of them deserved the truth.

"I'm all right," he confirmed. He didn't know which instance of Maura and the others Gansey meant; they'd helped so many times. He owed so much to them. "Are you? You're acting like..." He gestured vaguely with his free hand. "Like Cabeswater is still around." That was more important than the mermaids right now.

"Of course I'm all right. Cabeswater is still around." Did Adam know that? No, he didn't. He hadn't been with Gansey when Ronan told him about Kavinsky. Obviously, he'd made an incorrect assumption. "It's disappearing because of Ronan and Kavinsky. Mostly Kavinsky since Ronan is - was - going to stop - " He couldn't gesture to finish the sentence so he shrugged elaborately. "We were planning how to stop him before we arrived here."

The shrug turned to something apologetic. "I should have told you that, but in the excitement of seeing you, I forgot that you weren't with me. We'll fix it, Adam. Somehow."

Kavinsky. That put everything into perspective, and he was even more convinced that something was wrong. It had to be, because this wasn't some kind of joke--it wasn't Gansey's style. Adam also knew that Ronan couldn't stop dreaming, but he would get to one thing at a time. Tackle the important things first and work from there.

He shook his head. "I'd say Kavinsky's stopped, all right," he said, "Since he's dead." Adam had never liked Kavinsky, but he wasn't glad he was dead. He didn't miss him, though. "Gansey, what's going on?" As if Gansey would know. But Gansey knew a lot of things. He was probably the smartest person Adam knew.

Only years of training kept Gansey from dropping the pizza. His expression slipped to disbelief, a faint sputtering escaping before something horrible twisted in his gut, before he regained his composure. He'd never liked Kavinsky. There had been bright, terrible moments when he hated him for how he'd instigated so many of the darker situations in Henrietta. How he'd goaded Ronan into danger, but he'd never wished that he was dead.

"Joseph's dead?" It was a foolish thing to say, but he needed to voice the thought to make it real. "How? Ronan saw him right before he gave me the Pig." When Ronan had told him how he'd created the Pig, Gansey had the feeling that some details had been omitted, but nothing that significant. It would have been one of the first things that he told him.

Trying to shake off the shock, he watched Adam for some sign of... what he wasn't sure. "I don't know what's going on. Just what was in the information that we've been given and what we've figured out from the Barns."

Adam could see that had been a lot to drop on Gansey all at once, but there hadn't been a gentle way to word it. Death was never easy to deal with, no matter how many times Adam had been faced with it. It was always awful, terrible.

"I wasn't there," he said. "But he had a dragon, and he'd kidnapped Matthew." Adam had been working on strengthening the ley line for Ronan, so that he could have the power he needed to dream up something big.

Why did he know these things but Gansey didn't? Would something benefit from tricking him with replacements of his friends? And if it really was Gansey, why were things like this? "I don't understand why I know these things but you don't."

Dragons. Kidnapping. He felt like he was repeating everything that Adam said, but the idea of dragons and Matthew being in danger kept him from being able to catch his mental balance. At least this time he repeated in silently instead of aloud. "Jesus. Is Matthew safe? Did Kavinsky hurt him?" If he did... Ronan would... He couldn't even imagine what Ronan would do.

He had to be all right. Adam wouldn't be so calm if something had happened to Matthew. If Ronan had went through something so terrible. "I don't know." He began moving again, simply to help steady his thoughts, letting connections come together through motion. "Could this place be like Cabeswater? Time isn't a straight line?"

"Matthew's fine." He probably should have lead with that, but he was still getting used to the fact that Gansey hadn't experienced half the things Adam had, apparently. "Kavinsky didn't hurt him." Adam wouldn't have just dropped a second load of awful news on Gansey after the first. Which was part of why he was going to avoid mentioning Aurora for now.

"It could be," he said carefully. "But it's not connected to the ley line if it is. I can't feel it." It didn't mean time wasn't weird here though, just that it wasn't related to ley lines. "Or, whatever force brought us here screwed with our memories." Which was an idea he was less fond of. Did it mean any of their memories were less valid? Could they remember things that hadn't actually happened, or were they forgetting things that had? And not just in the way that Gansey didn't remember a lot of things.

The relief he felt knowing that Matthew was all right, caused his steps to slow. He wasn't quite sure how he felt. He wasn't someone prone to anger, but the idea of Matthew being hurt, of Ronan going through that kind of pain... That was a set of emotions that he didn't have to process since Matthew was safe. Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes briefly. "Be careful how you broach that topic with Ronan. He's settling down, but if he thinks Matthew might be in danger, he'll do something foolish to try to return home."

They'd already been trying foolish things, but nothing too reckless. Nothing that would risk their lives.

As they moved farther from the stores and closer to the Barns, Gansey made a disbelieving sound. "That is faulty logic, Parrish. There's more ley lines in the world than just the one in Henrietta. We could be on one of those. Technically, we'd probably be on another one that isn't even connected to the ones we know since we're in a 'pocket dimension'. I've been planning on getting the proper equipment to test if there's a ley line, but we were busy making the Barns livable."

But Adam's theory on memories could be correct. "The last time I saw you, we were leaving D.C. You were going to Fox Way. Ronan was telling me about how - " Pausing, he couldn't quite bring himself to say 'totaled the Pig', amending that thought. "He dreamed up a better version of the Pig and what Kavinsky was doing to the ley line. I don't know where Blue and Noah were."

"I won't make him worry for nothing." He wasn't cruel, and he knew how Ronan thought. Adam didn't want to cause him any distress that wasn't necessary. And even then...he would avoid it if he could.

"If there is a ley line, it's not one I can feel." And he felt like he knew something about them, since he'd been connected to the one in Henrietta, after all. But if there was a ley line here and he couldn't feel it, what did that mean? He was still psychic, wasn't he? He thought he'd be able to feel whatever ley line he was on, even if he'd never been connected to it. "But maybe there is one here." He was curious to find out for sure.

D.C. had been a nightmare, and he cringed internally as he remembered it. It hadn't helped anything that Cabeswater had been trying to communicate with him almost the whole time, making him feel off kilter. "That was months ago," Adam said. "The last time I saw you, you were off on a road trip with Blue. I'd just gotten back to college. Harvard." There wasn't any need to mention what college he was in, but he was proud, even if Harvard hadn't been his first choice.

"Thank you. I know that he misses and worries about Aurora and Matthew." He paused, giving Adam a wry smile. "He probably misses Declan too, but he'll never say it." Distance might help Ronan realize that Declan wasn't as bad as he thought, or at least ease the strain in a relationship that was regularly threatening to break.

Humming thoughtfully, he made a mental note to add Adam's observations to his new journal while wondering why Adam was so confident about the ley line. "Would you be able to feel it? You seemed to be still be learning about your connection to Cabeswater." Or he assumed so. It wasn't a subject that Adam had been willing to talk about to any of them.

Then Gansey realized that Adam probably did know more about ley lines than he had originally assumed. His smile turned to delight as he realized that Adam had gotten one of his wishes. He'd always known that Adam would excel, that he'd find the Ivy League dream he'd always wanted, but that didn't lessen his happiness over that success. "Congratulations. I knew that they'd be clamoring to have you attend. I just wasn't certain which one you'd choose."

Harvard was close to Henrietta. Adam would be able to see Ronan occasionally, check on him after... Slowly, the rest of what Adam had said began to gain context. Months. Road trips. College. Gansey going on a road trip with Blue. That - that couldn't be real. That was an impossibility. An Adam who was going to college at Harvard would know that Gansey couldn't do such a thing.

Looking over at Adam, he tried to ignore the sharp pang of dread that accompanied his realization. He tried not to think of Whelk and the gun. No, if something like that was going to happen, this person would have already acted. So there had to be a different motivation for someone pretending to be Adam. "You don't have to keep pretending to be him. Adam being here would make us happy, but we're content with the Barns and Chainsaw. You can go back to being whoever you were before."

Knowing that Ronan missed and worried about Aurora and Matthew was exactly why Adam didn't want to mention Aurora. The truth was too heartbreaking. He'd seen Ronan go through the grief once; he didn't want Ronan to have to go through it again. "Declan isn't so bad, sometimes." He wished the brothers got along better, but that was something they were going to have to work out among themselves.

"I'm pretty sure I would," he said. "Even without Cabeswater, I could feel the ley line." So why wouldn't he be able to feel others? Cabeswater had changed him, and he hadn't lost everything like he'd thought at first. True, it had taken a while to get used to his connection to Cabeswater at the start, to figure out what it was trying to tell him when it reached out to him, but he'd made so much progress since then. "Maura and the other ladies. They said I'm psychic."

He brightened when Gansey congratulated him, standing a little straighter while he walked. "Thank you. I've been doing well." Sometimes he wished he was closer to Henrietta, but the drive wasn't the end of the world. And to think, a year ago all he'd wanted was to get as far from Henrietta as possible.

His lifted mood lasted about as long as it took Gansey to speak again, and then he frowned. "What are you talking about? It's me, Gansey. It's just that a lot's happened." And he was trying not to overwhelm Gansey all at once. It was going to be a little harder though if Gansey was going to be suspicious of him.

Gansey mentally shelved the discussion of ley lines for later, knowing he had to be careful now that he'd announced that he knew that this person wasn't Adam. He wasn't sure what to expect. Not violence, he told himself. He would already be injured or dead if that was this being's intent.

Not-Adam had to be here to lull them into contentment. To make them happy to be here instead of wishing for home. It potentially could have worked if Gansey hadn't recorded that tape and knew what it meant. He would have believed Adam, thrilled at the idea of a road trip with one of his closest friends. But that possibility couldn't exist for him. He knew that he less than a year left.

"Some things that you mentioned couldn't happen," he offered gently, uncertain of how far he should push with the truth. "I can't be on a road trip with Blue while you're at Harvard." Looking down the road that would lead them to the Barns, he let out a weary sound. "I'm going to be dead by summer. If you want, I can pretend that you're Adam. For Ronan."

Adam had decided that he didn't like being the only one to bear all of this knowledge. He'd liked things a lot more when they'd all lived through events together, instead of him somehow being the only one who knew these things. Losing Gansey, however briefly, had been hard enough to actually live through, let alone talk about.

Taking a deep breath, he looked down at the box in his hands. "You did die," he said quietly. "Cabeswater brought you back." He still thought it should have been him instead of Gansey to make the sacrifice, even if things had worked out in the end. For a horrible span of time, they hadn't, and Adam had lost his best friend. He didn't want to go through that ever again, losing somebody that he cared about.

Despite knowing what would happen by April, it still hurt to know that there had been no escaping this fate. His chest ached and he had to force himself to breathe evenly, to not betray how much the truth effected him. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask. Had his death been painful? Had he been a hero or a coward during his final moments? Had his life been worth the cost to Noah? Had his life mattered?

The idea of Cabeswater somehow resurrecting him, caused his hands to tighten around the pizza box as he focused on Adam again. "Why would Cabeswater bring me back? I'm not - " He struggled for a moment to explain his wayward thoughts, trying to separate emotion from logic. "It likes to pick up my whims, but I'm not like you or Ronan." If something happened to either one of them, he could believe that Cabeswater would save them somehow. Adam was pledged to the ancient power. Ronan had some sort of complicated relationship to the forest that Gansey was still trying to understand. "I'm not important to it the way you two are."

Adam stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. Maybe Gansey hadn't had the same visible impact on Cabeswater like Adam and Ronan had, but that didn't mean he wasn't important to the forest. In fact, Adam thought Gansey was more important to it now than ever. Or at least, from Adam's point in time he was.

"You're important to us. Cabeswater would do anything for me or Ronan." And it had. They'd asked, and Cabeswater had obliged. "And Blue," he added. It had answered all of them, sharing one final gift with them. "Cabeswater gave everything it had left for you." What did it make Gansey with the last power of Cabeswater inside of him? Adam didn't know.

(ooc: continued here)

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Test Drive 2: Beachville in Flux.

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