TEST DRIVE MEME #5

[sailmods]

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.]

Comments

[winepouring]

[ Oh...Yep, there we go! Quick and easy handshake!! (Definitely didn't laugh a little midway through that!) It comes as no surprise to be told that Yongfeng Temple is as unknown to Jade as Malkuth is to himself, or that these unknown distances between passengers' homelands is common - it's actual more surprising to hear someone say they aren't used to responding to their family name - but in this case, confirming that people are from such far flung places is exactly the "I'd rather not dwell on this" level of worrisome that he's been noticing is common here.

Well, he can suss out the finer points and how to deal with them later. First things first! And that is... Shi Qingxuan sees how amused Jade is looking at his ensemble!! Of course he looks a little silly now, but what is he meant to do with the life jacket other than wear it? Not that he needs to anymore...

Ahem, ahem. He knocks his fist into his palm. ]

You're exactly right! Let me go back to that cabin first— [ Not needing to be told twice, he starts walking there. ] —and then you can show me all the good spots on board, and we can talk as much as we like, as leisurely as we please!

[ Maybe...Jade's friendly and smiling ways are rubbing off on Shi Qingxuan, because for as serious as things are, he really is acting just as chipper. ]

As for talismans... [ He taps his chin in thought, humming. ] Naturally I can make them in general, but there really are more charms and more methods than there are stars in the sky. Whether I can make what you need, it depends what your needs are?

[ Somehow, the path back to the cabin doesn't feel quite as long and winding without his movements being restricted. His eyes are on the room numbers as he continues to infodump explain. ]

You mentioned wards. Talismans to ward off intruders are common. [ It doesn't feel necessary to specify ghostly or demonic intruders. ] Generally, they'll try to block entry, and they fail, the talisman's destruction also acts as a warning in itself.

If you want something as simple as that, then that's very easily accomplished!

[ And here's his cabin! He goes ahead and pushes open the door, leaving it open in case Jade wants to follow him in for...the part where he awkwardly rolls his sleeves onto themselves to get his arms out of the life jacket. ]

But that's not quite what you're looking for, is it?

[ Or why even mention "certain needs"? From someone else, this might sound accusatory, but Shi Qingxuan says it in a tone that's genuinely curious. ]

[fonomena]

[The laugh wasn't minded, for the record--kind of a funny bit of awkwardness there all around, really--but Jade does very politely ignore that it happened, and then they're moving onwards...! Shi Qingxuan's ready agreement to relocate to a cabin is met with a pleased sort of nod; they're off right afterwards, which is all the better, Jade trailing idly along beside him but letting the latter man take the lead to his memory of his new residence.]

A fine plan to me. I suppose I am rather familiar with all the good spots on board, by now... [For better or worse, and not by his own wishes, but that's just how things are on this prison of a ship. The easy humor in Jade's tone doesn't wane in acknowledging this, at least; there's a bit of a vague wryness, more than anything else.] Might be a good way to pay you back for your consultation on talismans, if such a price would be amenable to you!

[Shi Qingxuan sure is quite readily leaping into a infodump detailed explanation on the matter of charms about now, after all, and it is appreciated. Jade listens with close attention as transit is made to the cabin; it caps off right around the time they arrive, which is quite convenient with all things considered. Jade sure will follow him inside to...prudently not make a show, of watching too hard, as Shi Qingxuan begins the awkward struggle of working his large sleeves back through the holes in the life jacket. (Though it is...a pretty comical sight, goodness. Must have been an ordeal to get the jacket on in the first place, too....but alright, we're still not looking and definitely still not laughing a bit on the inside at this, anyway--)

He's moving to pull the door shut accordingly. And now, with the most secure approximate privacy afforded against the captain, by being within the confines of a cabin instead of outdoors...he can speak just a bit more frankly, finally.]

This is a very interesting explanation...I thank you for it. There are aspects of it that are both familiar and not, to me--another result of the disparity between our homelands, no doubt. ...But you're correct, it's not necessarily what I'm looking for at the moment, though I could certainly see the examples you provide being very useful in a place like this...

[Jade draws further into the room, and folds his arms; the pleasant smile on his face doesn't fade, but his overt humor does finally wane slightly, in favor of being direct.]

I can see now that your experience with handling talismans is extensive. And I'd like your assessment of an existing one, actually. That lei in your sleeve right now is allegedly some form of protection against "times when it seems like the world is ending"...and the captain is not aware of their existence on this ship.

[winepouring]

Ha! There's no need to worry about payment. Just remember the Wind Master in your future endeavors! [ Even it's a stock phrase for the role he's playing, it feels a little shameless for the god himself to say... ] But, if you're really offering to show me around, then I'll gladly accept.

[ It's the first time he's heard some degree of displeasure in Jade's tone, subdued as it is. Now he really wants to what this ship has to offer, if only for risk mitigation. After all, the only reason he can find his way back to his room now is because he's simply retracing his steps and hasn't been able to deviate from the path since waking up.

(Silently, Shi Qingxuan is grateful that Jade is only internally laughing. Not that he particularly minds looking ridiculous, but there's no need to rub it in! It's an entire ordeal of wrapping his arms up like spring rolls, leaning back and shuffling his arms to shake the puffy jacket off onto the floor, and then kicking the hideous-looking thing off to the side as he shakes his sleeves back out. Huff!)

With that out of the way, Shi Qingxuan turns around again like nothing happened! His bright eyes focus on Jade attentively, listening to his answer like a mission briefing.

When he describes his interest in the lei, however, a look of astonishment crosses his eyes before he reaches into his sleeve to tug it back out. ]

I can see why you're interested now. A protection talisman of that nature should be exceptionally rare.

[ Except, everyone here has one. He lowers his gaze to the lei and turns it in his hands, clutching the circle of bone gingerly between his fingers. His thumbs begin tracing over the surface. Since it's his assessment he wants, it's his assessment that Jade gets! And, truthfully, Shi Qingxuan simply likes talking, so he starts running his mouth. ]

Maybe this is all old news for you, but let tell you anyway. When it comes to crafting things like this, the materials are key. Knowing what it's meant to do now, these strange materials make some sense. The creator was attempting to invoke a sense of purity and hope for the future with these things. However, be that as it may, I still can't understand...

[ He trails off, thumbs still searching the bone, then suddenly starts again. ]

Anyway, when it comes to charms, if it isn't drawn in something, then it's usually carved. But if someone wanted an invisible charm, that's also possible. If you're especially talented, it's possible to create charms using your own spiritual power and hide them in the open. In that case, even someone like me might not be able to detect them.

[ And, he doesn't, and he lifts his gaze from the lei. ]

You said the captain wasn't aware of these leis' power, so it would make sense that the ward itself is invisible. Whoever placed it must be very powerful and very skilled in this particular form of magic. Not only that, but if they were meant to protect against such a catastrophe, then these materials shouldn't be ordinary feathers and lotus pods, either, but something rarer that has existed in this world for centuries and gained power in itself. If these are made with spiritual magic, then whoever created them must have genuinely cared about the people receiving them...

But, saying that, these leis being created using spiritual magic seems unlikely, don't you think? It isn't as though this ship isn't operating under some powerful magic, but who would go through the trouble?

[fonomena]

[(Lifejacket neutralized for now!! At the very least, Shi Qingxuan probably won't need to worry about it again for the foreseeable future....until yet another supernatural storm comes along to try battering the ship to pieces again, or something. Long story, several months ago now, and no sign of similar incidents occurring since, for now--)

Jade's hardly about to fault the man for talking too much in an occasion like this, of course; not exactly as if he himself isn't prone to the occasional long ramble too, when it comes to topics of interest. (Try as Jade might to claim he hates explaining things, he does get occasionally conned into doing it anyway sometimes...) That aside, this is also a topic of considerable interest right now too! Disparate as the magic systems currently represented on this ship happen to be, it's been difficult to find a solid consensus as to what to make of the leis, ever since the discovery of their warded properties came to light...especially with the few finer details they've acquired about them since. Case in point--]

Ah, we do have an idea of who's responsible for their creation...though the how remains more obscure. You're now approximately familiar with Miss Friday--that lady with rather unique facial features, who directed your safety drill with those life jackets earlier, yes? Since she's the one that's been distributing the leis, the man who initially discovered the warding on them decided to ask her about them in confidence...and, it seems, she's the one who makes them. [Here, a slight dip of Jade's head, in acknowledgment of a question he can already anticipate arising:] Despite the fact that she is, indeed, a construct created by the captain. It would seem she wanted to implement these leis in a fashion outside his supervision...and this sort of warding is the result, thus far.

She did mention as well, however, that explaining exactly how the leis work--and exactly how they are meant to be useful in a world-ending crisis--would compromise their effectiveness. I'm aware a talisman like this might not utilize mechanics entirely parallel to what you're familiar with...but does this sound like a plausible reasoning to you? Where an invisible charm like this might be concerned...

[In short, Jade's curious on Shi Qingxuan's own take on how earnest Friday might have actually been, about that particular reason for keeping the details so sparse. Palamedes seemed more inclined to trust her word than not--and Jade is somewhat inclined to agree--but it's still an optimistic sort of bent, and there hasn't been a lot of data on hand to really correlate anything...]

[winepouring]

[ (Dear Colonel, don't say such scary things! Shi Qingxuan can't swim that well!!)

Shi Qingxuan listens silently, arms folding into his sleeves. So it's Miss Friday who's responsible for them... If it's anyone, it does make sense that it's the person who ceremoniously gave them to everyone here. But it also raises more questions, and Shi Qingxuan bites at the inside of his cheek in thought as those questions stick in the back of his mind. He can ask about Miss Friday later - if Jade knows more - but right now, he's the one being asked questions! ]

No. [ Pointblank. ] At least as far as the charms I'm familiar with are concerned, there's no such thing as needing to keep secrets to protect their effectiveness. If that were the case, how could one protect themself? If the goal was to hide it, then discussing it at all would endanger its integrity, but she's already done that much, so that can't be right. [ In confidence or not. ] Besides, saying something like that just teases people's imagination. Even you're curious about it, so you know what I mean.

[ Like a mystery in a storybook, the more you hint at, the deeper people want to dig! If something's meant to be a vital secret, why even drop the hint?? Although the whole thing sounds like nonsense, Shi Qingxuan isn't sure if he believes or doubts her himself. There is also a practical explanation to be had here. ]

Even if it doesn't sound very plausible from a spiritual magic standpoint, that doesn't necessarily mean Miss Friday is lying. Isn't it also possible that she just doesn't know the how or why, only what they do? In that case, then people losing faith in her abilities also counts as a way for her leis to lose their effectiveness... [ Sigh! ] Sometimes acting mysterious is a more effective strategy than admitting the truth... Magic is arcane, after all, and she isn't an ordinary human. Do you know how she even came across this knowledge in the first place?

[ It isn't as if she went to school and trained if she was created by the captain! Usually creations shouldn't have more knowledge than their creators anyway, but he has to admit to himself that it's already extremely unlikely Friday is the sort of man-made avatar he's familiar with... This whole thing is a lot to take in when he was playing drinking games and discovering new and inventive ways to get a rise out of his best friend not even tweleve hours ago. But if he focuses on trying to solve this strangeness, he doesn't need to focus on the other parts. ]