sail_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME #8

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TEST DRIVE MEME #8

1. but times have changed for sailors these days

[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! I'm so happy you could join us!

[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. tried to amend my carnivorous habit

[the space inside John's where the piano normally sits is mysteriously vacant today. as a matter of fact, the entire piano bar is silent, without so much as a muzak-inspired interpretation of Uptown Girl to hum along to.

the piano itself seems to have disappeared... for the most part. unlucky, unsuspecting passengers who enter the cabin hallway, step out onto the lower decks, or find themselves in one of the other narrow corridors of the ship, may find themselves suddenly facing down a silent, unmoving grand piano. it takes up too much space to squeeze by comfortably...

and then, the cover lifts, exposing what looks to be... teeth?

yeah. yeah, those are its teeth. and it's coming right for you.]

3. that American creation on which I feed

[it had been a difficult October for bahamanuel, the bahamanal. its territory had changed utterly, becoming alien and strange. new predators were encroaching on its hunting grounds. its position in the natural order is under threat. and so, nature finds a way.

the old timers know to be wary of large piles of clothes, but even they won’t think to look twice at the tiny lumps of garish kids’ swimsuits and sundresses - until they feel something latch onto their leg, and then several more things, and anywhere from ten to twenty balled up clothes piles try to take down their prey.

the young must learn how to hunt, after all.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[cw: This character's backstory comes baked-in with some things that may be triggering: slavery/servitude, sexual abuse/mental abuse, biting/bloodplay (because vampires), unhealthy power dynamics. Happy to accommodate where necessary just a general FYI.]

1. You know the drill
One shock, leads to another, leads to another. It was bad enough waking up in an unfamiliar place alone. But then he was compelled to come to drill, and meet that lady with no face. How is that possible? How is any of this possible? He tried asking her but all the answers he got were vague and unsatisfying.

"Please," he pleads with nearest person who walks by. For such a tall and athletic man, Max looks for all the world like a cowering lost puppy, complete with big watery brown eyes. "Have you seen Lord Osborne? Has anyone seen him? I have to get back to him."

2. In all my dreams I drown
It's been several days now. He kept hoping maybe this was some terrible nightmare. But he's still here. It's the longest he's been without his master in seven years. In the back of his mind, he always wished and hoped a day might come where he could be free. Not like this. This isn't relief. This is terrifying in its abruptness. What can he do? Who can he trust?

He only knows one way to cope--sticking to his routine. 5:30 am he's in the gym, running, then lifting, then drilling martial art techniques. 8:00 am he goes to the pool to swim laps for another hour after that. Then he finishes with stretching and yoga poolside. After that, he grabs some coffee and gets himself cleaned up. He arrived here in a nice suit, it seems to get washed every day, somehow, so he goes on wearing it. (Just his luck he ended up with one of his least favorite ties, the gold paisley one. Why couldn't it have been the nice navy blue one?)

By 11:00 am he's washed, dressed, ready to present himself. This brings him to the problem. Usually, now is when he would go upstairs and find his master. He'd make himself a hearty brunch and then sit at the table discussing the affairs for the day, plan what chores need doing. But his master has not appeared and everything seems to clean itself. What is he supposed to do with all these unfilled hours?

Catch him between noon and 7:00 pm all over the ship, trying anything and everything to stay busy. He scours the bookshelves in the library for interesting titles. He goes to the arcade to try and distract himself with games. The casino too. He's not bad at cards. Playing against vampires with hundreds of year's of experience bluffing means he's pretty used to losing. He's a good sport about it. Max makes his way to Sand Dollars several times a day to feed his coffee addiction. Although, the way he jitters and spooks at every little sound or sideways glance makes it seem like more caffeine is the last thing he needs.

By the evening, as early as it feels safe, he can be found occupying a seat at one of the many bars (except for Tauva, because his master was always against smoking), nursing whiskey after whiskey with his shoulders hunched down, like he's trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible. Sometimes the fear and hopelessness overcome him, and he sniffles into his glass, hiding his face from view while he wipes at his stinging eyes. He will stay huddled up like this for hours, well past midnight, because he can't bring himself to go back to that room and sleep alone. Every time he closes his eyes, he sees all his worst fears coming true. But, he can't keep up this pattern forever. Sooner or later, his head thunks against the bar and he starts to lightly snore. Not exactly an ideal way to catch any rest, but he feels less guilty this way, like at least he fought for as long as he could not to get comfortable here.

3. You actually eat like this?
There's a lot of things that suck about being here. But the worst--the absolute worst--is that buffet. He's standing there frozen in pace with a mixture of disgust and horror while he surveys the rows of homogenous lukewarm food offerings. No. He can't do it. He can't. Where are the kitchens? He'll make something himself!

"People actually like eating here?"

Edited 2022-12-07 16:56 (UTC)

There's an actual person behind the counter at Sand Dollars the second or third time Max makes a visit to the cafe. A ~~tall~~ dark and handsome someone with a galaxy of freckles on his face and arms, and an easy smile on his face. He smells like coffee and tobacco and something that might be grave dirt, but he's clearly aware of what he's doing behind the line.

What do?

Max gets halfway to the counter before he realizes he's in the company of more than just spirits. He goes full deer-in-the-headlights, frozen in place with his lips forming an unspoken "oh" of surprise. There's a man behind that counter. And he's beautiful. Oh no.

"S-sorry. I can come back later..." he's already trying to back away, but then he accidentally bumps into a chair and flinches when it screeches against the hard floor. "Ah, shit."

"Whoa, sweetheart. You don't gotta run away from me. I'm here 'cause I wanna be. Can I getcha a cup of decaf or something?" Because yes, he's already getting the impression that Max is wound up tighter than one of those toy cars that goes vroom down the hallway when you let them go.

"I was kind of hoping for another espresso..." Sheepish, because even he can tell how high-strung he is right now. Which, is apparently so high-strung that being called 'sweetheart' immediately makes his knees wobble.

Max Maximum | OC | OTA (Yes, another Max)

Wherein a Coffee Happens

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1

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A bar exam

lol

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Library

Re: Library

Re: Library

3. You actually eat like this?

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Buffet

Re: Buffet

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