sail_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME #5

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TEST DRIVE MEME #5

1. not subtle revealings

[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! 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. a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling

[the reflections are missing. all of them. in mirrors. in television screens. on the backs of spoons. nothing looks back at you.

then, figures do show up. not your own, like you'd expect. thin, wispy apparitions, people with pleading eyes and hands, reaching out to place their palms against the surface, from their own end. faces familiar and not, beckoning, mouthing words you just can't quite make out. help me, it might be. get me out, perhaps. just until you're close enough, until your skin warms the surface of whatever it is you're peering into. and then, those same hands wrap, all too real, burning-cold against your flesh, and pull, trying to drag you through the surface, making up for their lack of strength with desperation. any flesh unlucky enough to enter the reflection comes back bone-white and cold, all sensation dead, though it will fade within a few hours.

in retrospect, it looks a bit more like they were saying something different. something more like, better you than me. or maybe it's not even words at all. they look a bit more like they're laughing.]

3. complex mementos

[but, hey. sometimes changes are good! like, today, in Playback, there's a brand-new game available for all the children to play! it's an old-fashioned sort of claw machine, the type that's so large, a particularly dedicated kindergartner could wriggle their way inside. the prizes vary, and sit loose: bags of candy, stuffed toys, firearms, painfully early-00s electronics, actually that one just looks like a dead iguana, tiny ship-branded knickknacks... like all the other games in the arcade, the game starts up automatically upon being touched; lack of quarters shouldn't keep you from having fun! pro tip: they are loaded, and they will go off if you suck at claw games and let it fall.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Hm, how long... ] Not as long as you've been here?

[ He guesses. It's at this point that he realizes that it sounds like he's been looming over her shoulder this entire time—but just outright denying that sounds much worse!! A bit of embarrassment finally creeps in past his excitement. ]

But, it's because I've seen different people try their hand at this while looking around here that I think I've gotten the pattern.

[ Yep. Now back to the machine! ]

Anyway, let's see...

[ Putting all that behind him, he scans the capsules in the area he saw Rita aiming before... Ah! There it is!

...It's a cute little pin. Is she embarrassed about wanting something cute? Shi Qingxuan could almost be relieved that she's just a normal girl and not trying to win that shriveled, leathery hand there beside it...

Now that he knows, he starts up the machine. ]

It's a beautiful hairpin. I think whoever received it would be very happy to have it— [ Go claw! Ah, not that far to the left... ] —So let's win it before you try your plan B!

[ ...and because she's a normal girl, he also has to take her feelings into consideration here. Pointing out the bad lie would just be bullying... ]

[Wow, that totally makes it sounds like she was here a long time, rude!! (Even if it's...not entirely untrue...)

Anyway, though...at least he seems to have a little self-awareness (not that she's one to talk), even if it's still a little weird that he's just been watching different people play the game... On the other hand, though, if he really thinks he can get it...]

Hm...you think so too?

[She is slightly pleased that he totally agrees wholeheartedly, right? Also she's pretending that hand isn't there...even if she may have been horrified by it earlier...]

...So who're you supposed to be, anyway?

[ Unaware of her thoughts, he thinks this has been totally smoothed over! It's normal to watch people play games in public spaces like this, no reason for her to feel singled out! ]

Mm, it's very pretty, and aren't black cats good luck?

[ Or, they're meant to scare away evil, which is at least a kind of "lucky" here where evil seems to be ever creeping...

Usually, Shi Qingxuan is very good at holding a conversation while doing something else, but after saying that, he actually falls silent. These controls are more sensitive than he had thought... A little push seems to jerk, and making the claw hover where he needs it is challenging.

Eventually, he realizes he hasn't actually answered her question. ]

—Ah, sorry, sorry. My name is Shi Qingxuan. May I ask your name?

[ Hopefully he isn't too distracted by The Claw? ]

[It's fine they can both play it smooth. Probably!]

Hmm...Maybe where you're from, but if it was good luck, you'd think it'd be a little easier to catch.

[She is closely watching him handle the controls, caught between satisfaction that he's not picking it up as quickly as he apparently thought he would, and annoyance all over again since it means grabbing that pin is still going to be a pain...]

Rita Mordio. You a noble or something?

[It's an unfamiliar name--she's been here more than long enough to not find that surprising in the least--but judging from his appearance and clothes...]

...Or maybe some kind of performer?

Oh, but the more special and rare something is, the harder it is to come by, so this should be especially lucky.

[ Shi Qingxuan is using his great skill in running his mouth to bury the fact he can't seem to get the controls to do what he wants them too. The claw sways slightly with Shi Qingxuan's attempts to nudge it right where he wants it...

... Performer??

The corners of his mouth twitch. Do I look that gaudy??

It's a good thing there are no reflections in the glass right now, because Shi Qingxuan's smile falters. ]

Not quite. [ Just...a little more to the back of the machine...! ] I was coming home from a party. It was the kind of event that only happens once a year, so everyone must dress their best to—Ah!

[ Shi Qingxuan jumps in his skin as a discordant, chirping tune from the machine plays. He should have come up with a cover story for his identity before this point. Now his entire rambling explanation is cut off by the claw descending on its own. ]

...

[ He sighs and lets his hands fall from the controls. The thin, metal prongs brush against the various prizes, knocking some of the capsules aside. Now he's actually nervous - or eager? - watching the first round close... ]

[She remains oblivious to the finer details of his reaction, paying more attention to his manipulation of the claw.]

Must've been some party.

[Rita's blasé enough, but there is a very mild undercurrent of sympathy for him, for reasons that will become clear sooner or later... As the claw descends, she casually informs him-]

Sounds like you're new, so--sorry, but you're stuck here with the rest of us now.

[Well, it doesn't look like it's going to grab the capsule... It's several inches off, closing around some kind of stringy-looking mat of...fabric? As it's pulled out though, it looks like it's attached to--

A shrunken head.]

--Gyaah!!

[Yeah don't mind Rita shrieking in your ear, Qingxuan...]

[ He shakes his head, turning to face Rita as the claw grabs their prize. ]

Is that anything to apologize for? As you said, we're all in this situation together now, so there's no need to say sorry on account of that.

[ As he's saying that, he sees the way Rita's eyes follow the ascent of the claw and her less-than-joyous expression, and he looks back...

...just in time to hear Rita screech and for Shi Qingxuan to shift in front of her, arm out to shield her as he catches sight of the stringy hair parting to reveal a grisly, sneering smile on the shrunken head.

It has no eyes, yet it seems to watch them as the claw leisurely deposits it into the prize chute, playing another cheery tune.

It's...probably not an actual threat. Even if it might be cursed. Truly, bad luck is easier to come across than good luck...

Shi Qingxuan lowers his arm, shaking his sleeve out like a cat that's been caught in an embarrassing position, and kneels down to the prize door. ]

I apologize, it seems my aim was off. I'll take care of this one, so you can put it out of your mind!

[ Don't ask what he's doing crouching down there, it's definitely not wrapping up that shrunken head and tucking it into his sleeve. ]

[She'd point out that he's being weirdly accepting of all this--even if he's not the first--but, well, shrunken heads do tend to be kind of distracting!!

Maybe it's for the best that she can't see it around his billowy sleeve, but...doesn't that...sound like the prize is being deposited?! And...why is crouching down...what is he doing... No, she probably doesn't actually want to know, but she just can't help blurting it out-]

W...what do you mean, you'll take care of it?! What are you doing with it?!

[ Shi Qingxuan's adaptable personality is in a league all its own...

However, it's around now that he realizes how bad this situation probably looks to her, having won a strange, possibly cursed item and not even hesitating to take it! But wouldn't it be worse to leave it there and let this young girl worry and get nightmares over it?! What kind of person would he be?!

Hence, he rises again and faces her with his hands tucked into his sleeves. There's no benefit in hiding the truth, so he explains the situation honestly: ]

Something like this can't be left alone. If another person found it unexpectedly, who knows what kind of misfortune would come to them. When it comes to human remains, they need to be attended to properly.

[ But there's also no need to say things like "cursed" and "haunting" when it's there between the lines. ]

[Let's please not talk about curses and hauntings!! Even if....she's getting hard-pressed to continue being in denial over the haunted ship...

She watches him warily, looking down at his sleeves--oh no, the head's totally in there, isn't it--but then he's...being surprisingly thoughtful about it...even if it just makes him look like a different type of weirdo.]

Attended to... You're going to give a funeral to that thing? It's--probably not even real, you know!

[Which could be possible...or maybe it's just her being in denial... A little of column A, a little of column B...]

If it's not real, then that's even better!

[ He claps his hands as if to banish the earlier mood. ]

An actual human head would be too macabre to use as a game prize. Would you want to keep it for yourself if it was a fake?

[ ...Yes, he was going to cleanse it and give it a funeral. No need to say it! ]

[She shakes her head and grimaces, not quite as ready to give up the topic.]

Of course not, but--it's exactly the kind of sick prize the captain would put in there. Real or not.

[Oh, that's right--she finally remembers that he's new to the ship.]

Oh, since you may not have heard--that guy basically gets off on our misery, or something to that effect.

[ Young miss, do you want to forget about the obviously scary thing or not?! Maybe he isn't giving her the proper consideration, though; she has been here longer than him by some stretch, and who knows what kinds of things she's been through here. Shi Qingxuan holds his arms into his sleeves again and relents. ]

I admit, you're more experienced in the ways of this ship than I am.

[ For all the other experiences Shi Qingxuan has. There are already clearly malicious beings on board - directed by a Captain or not - and Shi Qingxuan hasn't been here even a week yet to know that. While there's plenty he can reason out, it's not right to dismiss someone with more firsthand experience. ]

What would you suggest be done with this? Whether it's real or not, you can't just plan to leave it in that little drawer?

[Sometimes...one can be their own worst enemy...though Rita isn't having that kind of self-awareness right now.

Although she's still shooting his sleeves nervous glances, she looks back over at the claw machine.]

Well...no, but...

[Ugh...she hates the creepy little thing, but even she's not heartless enough to completely ignore it...if it's real.]

F-fine, let's get it over with! I can use fire magic, so how's that?

[ Well that's...not his first choice...and his face pinches in thought, head tilting, as he weighs his own experience versus Rita's. ]

Is fire the way you usually handle the dead here...?

[ The ways of this cursed and terrible realm certainly are violent. ]

[She figures it'd be quick and easy (not that she has any experience with cremation, of all things), but his question...prompts a different sort of frown to cross her face, and she crosses her arms.]

There's no usual way...because nobody stays dead here. If you die, you just wake up the next day.

Oh.

[ Shi Qingxuan blinks, and thankfully he doesn't try to take the shrunken head out of his sleeve to examine it again. ]

Even someone in this state might come back to life after a day??

[ This...makes things more concerning, really. The wheels in his head are spinning as he considers this...

It's successfully distracted him from inquiring further on the matter of final rites. ]

[Thankfully!! Even if it's probably not real, Rita isn't exactly eager to see it again.]

L-like I said...it's probably just fake.

[More importantly, though...]

But when you wake up, any injuries and stuff are gone. So...I guess you'd come back normally, even if that happened to you.

I see...

[ So it either isn't real, or it will spring back to life tomorrow. The mental image of this head growing into a full, living person the next day while crammed into that tiny machine flashes through Shi Qingxuan's mind briefly, and he's almost grateful he could catch the little thing, if by accident. ]

Still, there's something that bothers me...

[ He starts, then stops, considering his company again. It's a little hard to reconcile talking about such morbid things with such a young maiden... Or maybe it's less her age and more the fact she screamed in fright right beside his ear not ten minutes ago.

In the end, he chooses to shelve the other thought for now. ]

Miss, we still haven't won your lucky hair pin!

[Too bad she didn't quite get around to details like the fact they always wake up in their cabin beds, huh... (Unfortunately, he'll probably find that out eventually, though.)

Rita blinks, distracted from his unfinished train of thought when he brings up the pin again.]

Oh--that's right.

[She turns back to the claw machine, looking for the pin--there it is, same spot as before.]

...Maybe I should just bust it open...

[ Yep, morbid thoughts go away!!

But, uh.

Shi Qingxuan tilts his head in question. ]

If this captain is as sadistic as you say, won't he punish you for breaking into a machine? You've been practicing for so long, so maybe this will be your winning hand.

[That's actually not a bad question, but Rita just shrugs.]

Even if you'd think that, his magic just fixes everything. You can break anything on the ship, and it'll just repair itself the moment you look away.

Besides...I need to get some revenge on this stupid thing...

[For all the time she spent...and for scaring them with that shrivelled head! Rita starts casting an earth spell, a bronze magic circle appearing at her feet.]

Revenge? On a game?? How is this something to carry out revenge on??

[ Young Miss Mordio, aren't you acting petty now?? Is there any use trying to stop her when she's already started something? Shi Qingxuan isn't foolish enough to get caught up in whatever is going on, so he takes a few steps back to observe.

As anxious as he feels, he isn't sure if intervening is the right call either when she already has some spell activating at her feet.

Well, he resolves himself, if things get bad, he'll jump in and protect her! ]

How is it not?

[The wittiest of comebacks...before Rita completes her totally-not-petty revenge spell.]

Stalagmite!

[--And a pillar of rock violently erupts from the floor, smashing through the claw machine. The whole thing flies into the ceiling, before falling back to the floor on its side with a resounding crash, and the case shatters open, letting the assorted prizes spill across the floor.

Ah...now that felt great!]

[ Well... Rita is young, so this level of impulsiveness is maybe expected. Shi Qingxuan watches expectantly, eyes flying up along with the machine is thrust into the air by a pillar of rock that's impossible find on this ship.

Then, before he can consider it more, the entire thing falls apart.

Sparks of electricity fizzle along the broken machine, sparking embers in the fluffier prizes that hadn't tumbled out of the machine, and the floor becomes littered with more prizes than Shi Qingxuan thought that thing could hold. In the chaos, various smaller capsules roll under other machines.

Rather than elated, Shi Qingxuan rubs the space between his brow.

How is this going to be okay?! Who would be so carefree to simply laugh off this level of destruction?! ]

Miss, have you done this kind of thing before??

[ While he screams on the inside and frets on the outside, he can't even begin to question the finer points of what Rita has accomplished. ]

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