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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.]
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[ He looks down again, and around, and...there really is a lot left still. But- ]
What's there to not believe? [ He asks innocently... This is way more believable than the truth! ] Are my skills not enough proof of my identity? Who else will you meet that can control wind like me other than a follower of the Wind Master?
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At his question, she gives him a flat look...before starting to casually list people.] Jade, Venti...maybe some others here whose powers I don't know yet. I could develop more formulae utilizing wind if I felt like it, too, and there was the old man back in my world...
[In other words: she's heavily implying that he's nothing special!!]
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You say that, but you haven't seen what I'm capable of yet, so how can you act like it's all the same? Even if there are such skilled people here, that doesn't change my own expertise?
[ Sigh!! He shakes his sleeves out in a huff and starts walking! ]
Fine, whatever. If it's like that, then let's just go on deck to sort this out.
[ Good thing she didn't want the hairpin that much anyway?? ]
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[Wow, it's like he's suddenly getting a little grumpy for some totally unknown reason?! Huff, well, if that's how he wants it, then she'll follow after him! (As soon as they step away, the mess and smashed claw machine get magically cleaned up, everything returning to the way it was before Rita ruined it...maybe she'll get that hairpin another day...)
Since he's the one so worried about the location, she'll continue to let him lead the way to the deck of his choosing.]
And just so you know, I'm not here to be your target practice.
[You know, as if everyone's as willing to throw magic at people at she is...]
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[ He wonders aloud. How much has his reputation suffered to reach this point? ]
I couldn't use you for target practice. You'd be swept up so far, you would wind up flying out to sea. And then maybe end up floating away like a leaf on the breeze, right back onto the roof of your home...
[ The deck Shi Qingxuan walks to is Deck Six—with the pool! It seems like one of the less potentially dangerous locations to let things go. The breeze is also strong through here when Shi Qingxuan walks to the edge of the ship. ]
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[Maybe she intentionally leaves her answer vague to string him along...or maybe she doesn't particularly care that much.
The pool is one of her locations of choice for magic testing too, so she supposes she's...not impressed, but agrees with his choice there. The breeze seems a bit stronger than usual, but otherwise... His talk of floating home, no matter how lightly he may have intended it, sends a different sort of morose glower across her face.]
It'd be nice if it was that easy...but it's not.
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Well, no. If it were that easy, then how could everyone be trapped here in the first place...?
[ It was a joke, but it wasn't a very good one all things considered...
In truth, he hasn't actually been able to test the other extent of his abilities yet. There doesn't seem to be any sort of oppression of a domain, but that feels hard to believe. If his abilities aren't being oppressed, then why can't he reach anyone psychically?
As he thinks all that, he just looks momentarily thoughtful, and then just flicks his fan down, and up he goes! Into the air, with the wind billowing about his robes and his hair—but in a way that looks cool and elegant, not in a sleeves and hair slapping his face way. Shi Qingxuan has his own pride to maintain, after all!
He smiles to himself, rather pleased with this end result. ]
What would you like to see next?
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[His face would almost be funny, if her thoughts hadn't turned to home. Well--she sighs, and tries to put it out of her mind with a shrug. It doesn't matter anymore. It shouldn't. (But it still does.)
--Huh, she didn't exactly expect him to just fly like that. Rita blinks at him for a moment...]
...Is that all? Surely you're not planning to beat monsters by floating.
[Okay, maybe she is taking a little bit of satisfaction from goading him--but really, she can float, too! And she isn't the only one, either. It's not that impressive on its own-!]
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There aren't any monsters here, so we'll need to make do with other options! [ He sighs! Pouting behind his fan! (Even if his expression can't be seen from so high, at least it comes across in his voice!) He sends a breeze down to ruffle through her hair! ] I'm asking if there's anything you want to see, so why not just ask to see something interesting?
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[What's with the hair-ruffling!! She's shooting him a suspicious look, even if he can't see it.]
Then let's see something interesting, already!
[Huff! Does he want a target? They're around the pool, so...]
Use the chairs as targets!
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Breaking the pool chairs? That's no hard task.
[ If that's what she wants to see, then she'll have that! Still, Shi Qingxuan isn't going to let anyone get caught up in his spell. He searches across the pool to make sure there aren't any people to be caught in the crossfire, and then flicks two fingers over to send a couple chairs to the entryways to block anyone from entering the area unexpectedly. They hit the walls with a clattering crash, and then Shi Qingxuan looks down at Rita again to make sure she isn't in danger. Then... ]
Wind—
[ The wind around the two of them picks up as Shi Qingxuan lifts his fan. Now, he could just do this the way he would usually solve a situation like this and simply pick up the chairs and dump them in the ocean. That would be the fastest and easiest way, but won't that be boring? The violence-and-destruction-loving young miss will fall asleep! And then cry foul that he can't do anything noteworthy!! Not only will she be bored, but his poor face will suffer even more!
So, of course, he has to do something somewhat more interesting. It's not as pretty as a garden in bloom and a rain of blossoms, but he'll make it work!!
The wind blows across the deck and lifts the endless amounts of towels from the chairs, making the chairs themselves to rattle against the deck as their towels float up and flutter off overhead, dancing over to the edge of the ship like strange, overly large wings. They hang there, flapping in the circling wind, as Shi Qingxuan waves his fan a couple more times to bring the chairs up from the ground.
Over the whistle of the wind and flapping of the towels, a quiet, yet tense tune can be heard, with the beating of drums and cries of string instruments, with seemingly no source. If Shi Qingxuan is going to put on a show, then the show needs an appropriate accompanying soundtrack to set the mood! The tempo gradually picks up as the chairs are lifted together and then spun into a vortex of wind by the head of the pool. droplets of water sparkle in the sunlight as the chairs spin around, making the whole thing look rather pretty, Shi Qingxuan thinks. Metallic clang!s ring out as the pool chairs are smashed and crushed together, and it makes for a nice accompaniment to the music, he thinks. The screeching of metal bending and crack of plastic snapping increases as the chairs are gradually flattened and twisted together as the vortex grows higher and narrower.
Then, eventually, those sounds quiet, and the vortex shrinks to the ground, depositing the ruined chairs into a nice, soggy pile on the deck.
Around them, the towels that had been floating around them rush over to the pile and drape over it in a flurry to create...a colorful pile of towels! With some sharp-looking shapes poking out from underneath! The music quiets to a stop, and then, the intense wind dies down altogether.
The show is over! And now that it's over, Shi Qingxuan looks down at Rita expectantly, like a child hoping for a piece of candy. ]
So, what do you think? Did you like it?
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--Well, if the whole idea was to prove that he can actually handle
ghostsmonsters, then...yeah. That. That'll do. But...like it? Hmm...]...
.......Hmph. It was way too noisy.
[Okay fine it was. Kind of impressive!! But she's not going to outright say that now.]
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The beach chairs are made of metal, it can't be helped. It would have been quieter if the chairs weren't metal. I'll try silencing that part next time; it will be easier to enjoy the music that way.
[ He fans himself, wondering if that's enough to cheer her up... Oh, but she wanted to know more, right? He descends back the ground, landing lightly on his feet. His hair and clothes? Still immaculate. ]
So, is there anything else?
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Music...? Now that you mention it, I did hear something weird like that. Are you saying your magic was responsible for that, too?
[She isn't missing the way he looks totally immaculate despite all the roaring winds. This guy...is clearly vain about his appearance.]
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That's right. [ No shame. ] Just breaking chairs isn't very exciting, so I added some music to set the mood a little bit and make it more exciting. It's a shame you couldn't hear it well.
[ He's a beautiful man, ok?? ]
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Wha...what do you mean, you just added some music?! How the hell does that work?
[She can understand elemental magic but there were no instruments there?!]
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I added music! It's just a little spell, do you want me to cast it again for you? You can make a request! Tell me your favorite type!
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[YES LOOK THIS KIND OF WEIRD but she can rationalize it... Instead of making a request, she just continues on.]
Is it based on air pressure? I mean, I guess you'd just have to make the right vibrations in the air to generate soundwaves, but the level of precise control it would take to make that into music...
[She's staring at him. This might...actually be really impressive??]
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But, she seems to relish in that sort of thing! It's endearing to finally see her so interested in something! The mystery is probably half the fun here for her. Like when ordinary people stare in awe at a cultivator's magic, the unexplained is always more interesting than the known, so why take that away from her? ]
You're such a talented mage, if you study it more, you're sure to figure out the ways and reasons of this bit spiritual magic. Isn't it more rewarding to discover secrets on your own?
[ His voice is happy and encouraging, until he adds, teasingly: ] Unless Young Miss Rita would like me as a teacher?
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And, sure, she does like investigating these things herself...but it's rather difficult to do here, especially when talking about an entirely different magic system! So he's getting a skeptical, narrowed look.]
Are you any good at explaining?
[He seems like the type to ramble... (no, this is nothing to do with pots and kettles!!)]
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His smile freezes awkwardly, not expecting anyone in a thousand years would ever want him as a teacher.
He coughs and raises his fan to his face, hair floating behind him as he fans himself. ]
...If you actually want me as a teacher, there's much more involved in it than just explaining clearly...
[ He doesn't mention she would be getting a late start, too. ]
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Still...Rita ends up shrugging.]
People in my world can't use magic on their own. [Except for Estelle, of course.] That's why we use blastia in the first place. Even if I wanted to, that's how it is.
[She's met enough people with the natural ability to use magic that the slight pang of envy is long-forgotten. Sure, it'd be nice, but there's little point dwelling on it!]
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It's not unlike that in my own world. Even creating small spells isn't guaranteed no matter how young one begins cultivating. There's a degree of natural ability to it. That's why things like miracle medicines and treasures are sought after; they help people without natural abilities improve their skills.
[ That's a lot of words to get to: ]
But that doesn't mean you can't try cultivating. If you're serious, then we can test your natural abilities and I can do my best to teach you?
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Well, anyway...hm. She supposes there's no harm in trying, if he's offering. She doesn't plan to get her hopes up, though.]
If you're serious, then... What does this "cultivating" entail?
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It involves cultivating spiritual power. [ It seems obvious that, with such a vague term, she wouldn't understand, so he clarifies the most important part first! ] It's not just about being able to create spells; it's also to improve your health and longevity. So, you would also practice meditation and martial arts, building your base and learning to control the flow of spiritual power, and then start learning how to create spells. Spells actually comes much later. Forcing yourself to go too fast is bad for your health.
[ He nods in a rather exaggerated manner, as though he has never personally encountered this issue but still knows to take it very seriously. ]
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