TEST DRIVE MEME #4

[sailmods]

1. you will survive being bested

[you wake up.

it doesn't matter where you were before. going to bed? dying? opening the door to face a great evil? same result. you wake up in a soft bed with starched sheets in a cool, darkened room, sunlight peeking out from behind thick curtains. maybe you're alone; maybe you aren't. maybe you immediately notice the folded paper on the bedside table near your head. if you don't, you better fix that real quick: you won't be able to even open the door before you read it.

the note itself is written in a neat hand on white card stock; there is a stylized logo of a ship with the words SERENA ETERNA printed underneath. the note reads as follows:

Dear Passenger(s),

As your cruise director, it is my great honor to welcome you aboard the Serena Eterna, your destination for fun and adventure! We know you could have chosen any cruise line for your vacation, and we're very grateful you chose ours! On behalf of the Captain, I would like to assure each and every passenger that will we do whatever it takes to fulfill all your needs and desires during your journey with us.

At your earliest possible convenience, please attend the mandatory lifeboat drill by the end of the day. I'm sure everyone is very eager to get started on all the fun and sun, but safety always comes first! You can find your life jacket in your cabin's closet; carry it to your assigned muster station on deck one, where I will take you through the drill. If you can't find me in the crowd, just look for the gal with the winning smile!

See You Real Soon!

Sincerely,
Gal Friday

you walk to deck one. you have no other choice: every time you try to step in a direction some unseen being considers "not towards deck one," you find your legs no longer move, staying stock still, frozen. whether compelled quickly by curiosity, or delayed by pure stubbornness, the result is the same, and you are left milling around with other similarly curious or stubborn people.

you see someone in uniform near the front of the crowd. she seems to be a gal, but is missing the winning smile, along with most of her other features. she seems to see you, though, rushing to your side and placing a lei around your neck with great formality. a voice, cheery but artificial, sees to come from nowhere and everywhere.]

Welcome! We're... I'm very glad to have you aboard!

[you touch the lei. rooster feathers, lotus seeds, and a carved circle of something white and hard, linked onto a silk string.

after the drill is completed, you are seemingly free to go. or, well, your legs work, now. and maybe that's as good as it's gonna get.]

2. think about how many times I have fallen

[for the most part, no one has given the elevators much thought. they've all done their job reliably and dutifully this entire time, never so much as being blocked off for maintenance.

until today, when the doors close behind you as you enter, and don't open again.

for the most part, that's all that happens. the doors can't be pried open, or broken with force or magic, and though the glass walls remain stubbornly shatterproof, you can look through them and try to get the attention of anyone outside. (Friday, down in the atrium, sees your desperately pounding fists and gives a wave, but does nothing else.) the elevators don't move... except, when they do. going up two or three stories, and then dropping, sometimes as many as five stories at a time, stopping just as suddenly.]

3. it was the easiest thing to do

["physically assaulting people is an easy way to get attention" was probably a very bad lesson for the neglected locations to have learned, but it they did it anyway.

this time, it's the sushi restaurant on the promenade, Mikabo. it turns out, the conveyor belt can go faster than one would assume. much faster, actually, with the apparently ability to stop on a dime. both of these factors have combined to create what is functionally a pitching machine, but for dragon rolls, wads of wasabi paste, and exceedingly sharp steak knives, all of which are being aimed at anyone foolish enough to walk by the doors of the restaurant without coming in.

its aim, at the very least, doesn't seem to be the best. for now. because it very much seems like it's getting better.]

Comments

[opheliac]

Zaun. It's an underground city from Piltover. It's the most amazing place in the world where the air filled with pollution, water might have some gross stuff in it, and you get to pick out the mold pieces from your meals. If ya want coins, you gotta either steal or trade up somethin'.

(her tone is obviously sarcastic because this amazing "city" sounds absolutely horrid. and it is -- well, it's in the progress of getting better.)

— A lotta times you get scammed or you gotta rough up a few people so you can live another day. The people are pretty colorful, though! A lotta gangs and kooky people in every corner. But 'least it never stays boring.

[lenivy]

Dylan stares at her as she describes it. That is miles away from his own experiences. Maybe not the pollution stuff, and... Well, there are definitely people who live like that in New York City. Definitely not him though.

"Wow," he answers, not entirely sure what to say. "That sucks, dude, I'm sorry."

[opheliac]

Don't sweat about it! My old man is workin' on improving my city so soon it won't be like that.

(getting tired of standing, jinx will now sit on the floor -- sitting cross legged with her hands in her lap.)

Whaaaaaat about you? Gimme the details of Dylan. — What else is there 'sides the fact he can fight off werewolves?

[lenivy]

"Uhhh," he answers, not sure even where to begin. "Well, first of all, saying I can fight them off might be a little strong," he answers, lifting his lack-of-hand. There was an incident with a blow torch, but mostly he's just been using his environment, no fighting involved.

"I dunno, I'm just a soon to be college student," he answers with a shrug. "Hopefully," he adds. "Been spending summer being a camp counselor for kids. The werewolf thing is a.. recent development. Like. Half a day kind of recent."

[opheliac]

(she listens to him attentively and not trying to interrupt. letting him have the floor may help him workout his own thoughts, feelings, and maybe ease off the shock he is in. although, jinx snorts a little when he mentions the camp counselor part.)

If only you had stopped by a month ago! We were havin' our lil' summer camp thing here. Had counselors and everything! I would had love for you to be my counselor for my cabin. — You seemed preettty chilled and funny.

[lenivy]

"I also have the best music," he answers with a grin.

At that comment he has a thought, and he pulls out his phone from his pocket. There's almost no battery left. More importantly, there's no bars. He's zero percent surprised.

"How do you even has summer camp on a cruise ship?" he asks suddenly, just realising.

[opheliac]

It wasn't on the ship! The boat stopped at an island and we had the camp there. Cabins, doing craft stuff, rope climbin', swimmin' in the lake, we even had a dance!

(she then begins to swim warmly thinking back on it.)

— Gotta say, it was actually pretty fun. And if ya got the best music, I'll have to hear it. I got some a few good ones, too.

[lenivy]

Oh, that makes a lot more sense. And it's also the stuff he loves about summer camp. He went there for a few years before he was actually a counselor himself.

At the mention of wanting to hear the music, he opens his party playlist on the phone and starts a random track, then puts the phone down. He doesn't quite have the brain capacity to be picky about it. (Although if he were to put his energy towards something, honestly it would be that.)

He's not sensible enough to conserve what little battery he has left. There's no signal anyway, and his mind is torn between the justifications that he can find a charger somewhere around here, and it doesn't matter because it's a weird dream anyway.

[opheliac]

(music time? oh she can totally dig with this. while jinx enjoys talking and rambling on every now and then, some quiet time is always good, too. so she doesn't mind sitting here quietly while the two of him jam out to some tunes he has on his phone. much later, she'll have to let him know that he is able to charge his phone in his cabin. or well now, he has two phones.)

[lenivy]

Dylan idly sits there wiping at his face and his arms and some of his hair while they're listening, then gets up to rinse the rag a bit.

It occurs to him suddenly that he might be rinsing away the last he'll ever see of Abi and Kaitlyn, maybe even Nick, and he has to take a moment to steady himself, closing his eyes and leaning against the sink.

[opheliac]

(jinx is nodding her head to the beat of the song until she sees in her peripheral vision of dylan struggling. trying not to rush too quickly, she gathers up to her feet and cautiously makes her way over to him.)

Hey.

(her tone is low too as she touches his lower back; her hand will probably be stained with blood but she's alright with that.)

If you gotta vomit, go ahead. Don't hold it in if you have the urge to.

[lenivy]

Even hearing her approach and having her announce herself, he still tenses a little bit as she touches him, but then makes an effort to relax. Part of him never wants to be touched again, while another wants about a billion hugs. Right now he probably leans towards the former, at least for people he doesn't know very well.

He feels a little queasy, now she mentions it, but he hasn't eaten in at least a dozen hours, so he doesn't really have anything to throw up.

He shakes his head a little. "I'm okay," he says. He's clearly not, but he's not about to pass out or anything.

[opheliac]

Yeah, uh-huh. And the "City of Progress" is actually makin' progress.

(she knows he wouldn't get that but to her, that just shows how much bullshit he is spitting and she can definitely see by his body language he is way far from okay.)

Just rest here for a bit, alright? Remember to take deep breaths.

[lenivy]

"Well, it's a... relative sort of 'okay', alright?" he argues, but without much power behind it. He doesn't get the reference, but the sarcasm is still obvious.

He does respond well to having someone ground him a bit though, and he takes a few deep breaths in through his nose, which steadies him a little.

After a few moments he turns to face her and gestures at his face and neck with the wet rag. "Did I get most of it?" he asks. He didn't, and there's a bunch stuck in his hair which is harder to get out, and he desperately needs a shower no matter what.

[opheliac]

(if he needs someone to ground him, jinx will definitely be that person. not because of caring for others (sometimes) but mainly because she enjoys bossing people around. when he turns to her, she stands on her toes as she grabs on to his chin; thumb and index. jinx moves his head around slowly to get a closer look while murmuring "Letseee...".)

You missin' some spots. Want me to get it?

[lenivy]

Dylan is mostly okay with being bossed around - as long as he doesn't really disagree with what he's being told to do, of course. Then he'll argue stubbornly - although he might still do as they say (pouting all the way), as long as he doesn't strongly disagree.

"Sure," he answers, handing her the rag. He's a lot more okay with being touched when he can see it coming, it turns out.

[opheliac]

(one whom may know jinx being so "caring" to dylan might find it very strange. her offering to clean him up, let him speak when need to, even wrap his wrist (which she will do so in a moment). but in her mind, it all makes perfect sense to do this. when there is an injured animal in the wild, fragile, weak, and defenseless -- what would another animal or human do? there would be two options. one, put it out of its misery and kill it or two, nurse it to health.

jinx could very easily put dylan "out of his misery" and most likely would if death was permanent(and if she was armed). but she decides to do the latter. why? if she nurses him to health during this very sensitive time, she'll gain his trust. and then with this trust, she can easily manipulate him in the future if necessary -- to call this a "you owe me". now what reason she would need him to be her ally? well, he dealt with this "werewolf" which meant he couldn't be too much of a pushover. and maybe in the future, he can do her dirty work for her wherever need be.)

(perhaps she won't need to do this but perhaps she will. at least by doing this, that option is always there. so on her toes again, jinx wipes off a few more blood from the side of his head -- mostly towards the ears.)

Think we gave that enough air so I'll start wrappin' it up. You still okay with that?

[lenivy]

It doesn't occur to Dylan to find it strange, since he doesn't know her. If is however a very welcome change from... well, the last night especially, but even just the past two months. He hasn't really been in a situation to have this kind of gentle closeness with anyone all summer.

He tilts his head to less her at the bloody spots, standing there patiently, mostly just listening to the music still playing from his phone, letting himself zone out a little bit.

"Oh, yeah. I mean, I dunno of it's necessary, but probably best to be safe, I guess..." he answers. Though at this rate, it'll probably be fully healed pretty soon. As fully healed as it can be.

[opheliac]

Yeah, you're probably right in the end. Buuuut maybe some gross bugs will fly in it or somethin'. I mean I haven't seen any bugs here but this place is kinda whack.

(finishing up, she then tosses the blood stain rag into the sink then no longer on her toes.)

Think you can manage sittin' back down or do you wanna stand? I'm following your lead on that.

[lenivy]

Dylan makes a face at the gross bug possibility. Yeah, he'd rather avoid that.

He shrugs, then goes to sit down. It probably makes it easier for her to wrap it up if he can rest his arm on something and keep it still.

"Thanks for doing this, by the way," he says quietly.

[opheliac]

(she follows him along and takes a seat next to him -- grabbing the bandage. with her slender fingers, she begins to peel a nice lengthy strand before glancing over to him.)

No need to thank me. ('you'll owe me later.') — Couldn't let ya just leave you high and dry. ('yeah i can.')

(so carefully, she begins to wrap along this bummed wrist.)

Soooooo. I think the next thing is to get the blood outta your hair then get you some clean clothes. Probably get you some water along the way. Food, too? Somethin' small.

[lenivy]

Dylan watches idly as she wraps up his arm. It doesn't hurt exactly - certainly not as much as it did earlier tonight, before he was bitten - but it does feel kind of weird.

"Sure, that sounds good, I guess," he answers. Intellectually he knows both food and water is important and helpful. Especially the water. He's lost a lot of blood, so he needs to replenish those fluids, right? He's pretty sure that's a thing.

"Can't you just drink from the sink? Or is it like weird cruise ship water?" He feels like that's a thing but he's not sure.

[opheliac]

Hmmm... — I mean sure if you wanna drink from the sink. Dunno how it tastes like. Can't be any gross than the ocean or pool water, right?

(him drinking from the sink would knock out the rest of the list they need to do to help him get situated and taken care of.)

[lenivy]

He shrugs one-shouldered, not wanting to jostle the arm currently being tended to. Might as well try it. For now he just sits and waits until she's finished up.

The song changes, and unfortunately it's to the song that was playing at the end of their truth or dare session, when they were interrupted, and Dylan frowns, reaching over to turn the music off. That's enough of that.

[opheliac]

(hm, that was an interesting reaction to that song but she doesn't pry. it's better to have him have the floor if he wants to explain himself or not. jinx continues to wrap him up until finally, thinking that's enough. and since there are no scissors around, she simply uses her teeth to tear it -- a rough jerk back of her head to rip apart from its roll.)

Alright, there. That oughta do it!

(she uses a bit of stick tape to fix up the ends.)