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TEST DRIVE MEME #2
1. this hotel room got a lot of stuff
[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 aboard! We're so glad to have you!
[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. and a touch-tone phone
[chatterbox isn't exactly the most popular venue onboard. it probably has something to do with the distinct lack of open liquor bottles. so, nothing personal. except it seems that it's decided to take it that way, suddenly.
anyone enjoying the other amenities of deck five will feel the distinct sensation of being watched while they do so. the kind of feeling a prey animal gets while being stalked on the grasslands. something may slither by their foot, or past their elbow while they rest it on the bar, but nothing appears to be there when they look.
until there is.
a black electrical cord originating from somewhere will, first, wrap around their ankle, tugging in a very clear "follow" instruction. should this instruction be ignored, a second cord will wrap around their other ankle, and, once again, tug. should this clear final warning be ignored... well, now they're being dragged down the promenade, and that's really their own fault, isn't it. don't struggle. struggling means more cords show up. and none of them seem terribly aware that most species need to expand their lungs to live.
their final destination, no matter the journey, is chatterbox's main stage, where the karaoke machine awaits. the cords place a microphone in their hand; the mic's cords bind it tightly to their hand.
they don't have to pick a song. there isn't an actual gun to their head, in any literal sense. it's just, those cords really don't seem that interested in letting go until they do.
and if you were heading to chatterbox anyway? welcome to the weirdest goddamn karaoke night you've ever seen.]
3. and a bucket of ice (cw: cannibalism mention)
[no longer will scoops be bound by the shackles of only having 31 flavors. for this month, and this month only, a sign that very much looks like Friday hand-wrote it announces, they will have 32!
what is that mysterious 32nd flavor? it depends, really: the letters on the display case seem to shift and change with each new pair of eyes that fall upon them, with the contents changing along with it. someone from the capital wasteland might find some Nuka-Cola ™ branded ice cream. twilight town residents will be thrilled to find sea salt on the menu. and a frankly concerning amount of people bring out a flavor that only describes itself as "long pig." it's a weird off-white color. don't think about it too hard.]
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Weird, right? [ Another laugh, like he's just told a funny story and not a devastating realization. ] I wish I could tell you in such a way that it does make sense, but... none of us have really figured it out. Oh, but there's some kind people here, too, from other worlds. And they're all working very hard on trying to find out how to get all of us back to our respective homes.
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what if whoever is in charge takes away the food? or something else- what if- she can't do this again. almost hesitantly, completely unaware, gummy takes a step back shaking her head- )
I don't understand... how could this happen?
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[ He gestures around to the ship, though he clearly means just being in a new place altogether. Though, he does stop to glance at her, noticing the way she's moving back. Maybe he's not instilling the hope that he thinks he is. And that's not fair. She's too young to lose hope over something like this. ]
But, like I said, there's a lot of very kind people here, Gummy. [ He holds his hand out. ] And I'll make sure to stick by you, too, okay? We'll go home together, somehow, I'll make sure of it.
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gummy takes his hand, nodding. it's a silent promise: i will protect you, and we will go home. but when they're both the protectorate here, maybe that might be a little difficult? well... at least she's got her shield. but gummy is perhaps first and foremost a child. one who has once again been cut off from her family. and mizuki is here, offering to be there for her.
she'd be an idiot not to take it. even if it puts them both in a difficult situation- he doesn't know her habits, after all. )
Don't go off ahead, okay? I've got to shield you, too.
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Ehehe, do I seem like the type to go charging head first into danger? [ Maybe not physically, but it's not too far off from his attitude in general. She doesn't need to know that. ] We'll just stay together then. Side-by-side. How's that sound~?
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( what's a little steak and eggs on the battle field? normal, at this rate. --would this place let her cook? what if she tried to get into the kitchens? where are the kitchens, actually. where's anything. she needs a map. and maybe a nap. except that sounds horribly unsafe or maybe that's the slowly increasing fear of everything around them?
it's probably fine. she's fine. don't worry about it.
gummy squeezes back, before looking up at him. )
You've been here a while, huh...? What should we do, then?
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Long enough to know a bit, I suppose. Though, I'm not well acquainted with the ship itself. I mostly just sleep in the pool and play video games...
[ Which isn't too far off from what he does at home. ]
But if you're looking for things to do, there's a library, and a bunch of places to eat food, and... the pool. [ ... Maybe Mizuki doesn't actually know what's around the ship. He feels like those are, like, the only places he's been? Besides the bars. He's not taking Gummy to the bars. ] ... You could always play video games with me, though.
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I'll explore later. I wanna stay with you right now.
( its a little disappointing that he sleeps in the pool, because if she needs him she can't join him like she does others- but she'll be okay. she'll figure something out. she's got to. )
no subject
[ Spoilers: it's all just beef jerky. ]
And, if you'd like, we can play games for a while, so you can... soak it all in? [ Or, you know, eventually fall asleep to whatever Terra's equivalent of Stardew Valley is. ]
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( she doesn't let go of his hand, managing to hold onto the cord tied to the shield and her frying pan in her other hand with barely any visible struggle. if it's heavy for her, she doesn't seem to care. but between the two objects and mizuki, she doesn't want to let go of any of them, so... maybe it's a little weird. )
... I don't remember where mine is. --Oh, but, I'll figure it out later! It's okay.
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[ He guides Gummy here, back to the cabins, all while humming a tune that's probably from one of his games, knowing him. And then, finally, stops in front of one of them. "111". ]
Ta-da~. Pretty easy to remember, right? Though, you'll probably find me at the pool, I'll definitely try to stay here more often in case you need me, okay?
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( 111... number of the
beastmoon jelly. clearly. that is a thing that makes sense and is definitely real. it's nice that he's willing to change his schedule up so much for her though. she'll have to make sure its worth it. or... adjust quickly, so he doesn't have to inconvenience himself more. )I'll learn the layout fast, don't worry. And thank you, Mizuki.
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Anytime. I don't even need the thanks, I'm happy to help.
[ He lets go with a tiny squeeze before he opens the door to gesture Gummy inside, and bouncing over to get a game set up for the both of them. ]
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mizuki doesn't smell like zima or istina at all. or leto. or even rosa, not that she hugged rosa often. he doesn't feel like du-narr or the doctor. it's... different. but it's not bad. and when they let go, something in her heart feels heavy and light all at once. she's not sure if that's a good thing or not. )
... Mizuki?
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Yes? Something up? Oh, did you have a game you wanted to play specifically?
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( gummy falters for a moment, trying to find the words. eventually, she just gives up and gently flops against him, leaning with... her full weight, really. and she stays like that for a little while. )
... Okay, I think I'm good. Sorry. I just- sometimes you gotta just flop, y'know?