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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.]
no subject
Do I have the right of it in assuming you're a resident who is accustomed to such a setting, then? I must admit that I myself am... Something of a fresh face in this environment.
no subject
( she continues to swing her leg -- considering on whether or not she should move from her spot. her full intention was to rob him. new faces must have something worth having, right? after all, when she arrived here - she was luckily to have her pistol in tact. who is to say this stranger has something very unique? or perhaps she can con him somehow, that's also an option. )
— Hope you like water 'cuz there's a lot of it.
no subject
Can't say I mind it much, no. The winding currents of time have ever guided me along my path, so to be frank there are many other environments I would be much less suited for. [His expression turns more pensive, and he lets out a little hum in thought.] Ghosts and magic? Would you mind elaborating?
[He pauses for a moment, and then his mind is fully catching up to him and he's clearing his throat rather sheepishly.] Ahem. I apologize. It seems the circumstances have lead me to get ahead of myself, given that I am here pestering you with such inquiries when we have yet to be properly introduced. [He lifts his left arm, crossing it over his chest and dipping his head in the smallest of half-bows.] Kamisato Ayato, head of the Kamisato household and leader of the Yashiro Commission. I humbly apologize for the impropriety, and am delighted to make your acquaintance.
no subject
The name's Jinx. If you wanna know more information about this place from me, it's gonna cost ya. — I'm not the type to give free handouts.
no subject
[It's much easier to get a good look at her now that she's down here and they're face to face; her style of dress isn't exactly the most familiar to him... Certainly not Inazuman fashion, if nothing else. A citizen of Fontaine, perhaps? Mondstadt?]
no subject
( the smirk twists mischievous as she decides to walk around him in a big circle. she is doing her own good look at him now that they're close. the clothing is definitely not her style and she would never caught dead wearing. in fact, it's disgustingly resemblance almost like piltover's attire. )
no subject
If your interests lie in monetary value, more enough to cover the difference. If you prefer something of a higher value... I do have something I would be willing to part with. Provided I find the information satisfactory, of course.
no subject
( interest peak as she makes her way back in front of him again. the wicked grin is still dancing along her face -- if not gotten bigger. )
I'm aaaalll ears.
no subject
[His own smile mirrors her own, though to a less extensive degree.]
I would prefer to at least know of the spirits you mentioned first if you don't mind, miss Jinx. I have a limited supply currently, and given the circumstances I don't appear to be in a position to restock any time soon.
no subject
jinx crouches with her forearms resting along her knees, peering over with a grin. surely, she should be afraid of going overboard -- especially when she, well, almost drowned some time ago in a pool. yet still, there's no terror swirling in her blue eyes. after all, she knows what happens when one falls overboard. )
Some say the ghosts here were passengers from long ago. Died here maybe and now they just spookin' the place. — In the game room, you'll hear a girl laughin'. At bars, they serve you. The dining hall? They miiiiiight throw things at ya and tell you to get out.
no subject
There is also - of course - the more cynical view of things; should she go overboard with him as the only one nearby, it could implicate him in foul play.]
Interesting. I'm no stranger to the supernatural, but I must admit this is the first I've heard of spirits serving as staff. They're mostly harmless then?
no subject
( she says with a shrug still comfortably porched on the railing; keeping up with her balance. )
no subject
[When he withdraws his hand he has a sealed cup of boba in his grip, which he shakes a few times before puncturing the top with a wide straw he also produces from the innards of his clothing. He then takes a few steps closer, holding it outstretched for her to take at her leisure.]
Here you are, then. You mentioned magic?
no subject
Hm? Oh! — Yeah. There's a lotta magic users on this ship. So get use to that. Buuut ship is, too. You break somethin', it'll get fixed tomorrow. The captain's door is unbreakable no matter how much force and will-power you put into it.