TEST DRIVE MEME #8

[sailmods]

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.]

Comments

1

[not_the_last]

That lost, pleading look makes her flinch, with a complicated emotion that's only one part sympathy.

"I don't know any Lord Osborne," she says, "but maybe I can help? What does he look like?"

[maximumcake]

He flinches when she does, already thinking he's done something wrong by asking.

"I'm sorry. I..." She doesn't know the name. She's obviously human and probably not involved in any of this. Will he be putting her in danger if he says more?

"No. That's okay. I'll just... keep asking around."

[not_the_last]

His reaction, strangely perhaps, steadies her a little.

"Do as you like, of course," she says carefully, "but I really must warn you that if you're looking for someone from your home, he's not likely to be here."

[maximumcake]

As he likes? That's... a taller order than she knows. Wait. What?

"What do you mean? Why? I have to get back to him."

[not_the_last]

"I'm very sorry." She says it steadily, meeting his eyes. "That may not be possible. All of us here have been brought against our will, and no one has yet found a way for any of us to get back."

[maximumcake]

"All of us? But that's... no." His brow furrows with deep confusion. "No one should be able to-- Who's in charge here? Is it another vampire?"

[not_the_last]

She's standing close enough for him to hear the tiny indrawn breath, see the way her face pales slightly and the corners of her mouth tighten.

"Not in the literal sense, no. Is that what this Lord Osborne is?"

[maximumcake]

Oh. That's not the reaction he was hoping for. Shit. Shit

"You know what? I should probably just, you know, get going. I'll look for him uh... somewhere else. Thank you. I... oh, I don't think I got your name?"

[not_the_last]

The fear in his voice as he tries to excuse himself --

"Wait," she says on impulse, "please. I didn't mean to alarm you."

[maximumcake]

"No. It was me," he hurries to say. "Forget I brought it up. Please. I didn't mean to upset you."

[not_the_last]

"Forgotten," she lies, smoothly. "It's all right. I'm Cassandra. I don't think I got your name?"

[maximumcake]

"Thank you." He foolishly takes her at her word. "Sorry. I'm so sorry. My name is Max Maximum." He gives her a little bow as he says it.

[not_the_last]

"Pleased to meet you," she says, and bends her head in something between a nod and a very abbreviated curtsey. "I truly am sorry; I know how upsetting one's first appearance here can be. I haven't been here so very long myself."

[maximumcake]

"Does this really happen all the time?" He looks around, still in a state of shock and disbelief about the entire thing.

"Are we all stuck here forever?"

[not_the_last]

She takes a deep breath, lets most of it out again.

"That's what many here are saying. I don't accept it."

[maximumcake]

Max takes a few steps and then leans heavily against the wall. He's pressing hard to keep himself standing.

"H-ow often do new people show up here?"

[not_the_last]

"A handful every month or so. It seems to vary. Hey --" The last isn't sharp, but softer, gentler. "Come sit down. This way."

And she'll guide him down the deck a little ways, to where a couple of deck-chairs face out to sea.

[maximumcake]

"Okay..." Listlessly, he follows her to the chairs and sinks down on one. "Sorry. I've always been a little prone to fainting, but I'll be okay if I sit a minute."

[not_the_last]

"It's all right. You've had a terrible shock. Take a few moments."

She studies his downturned face, frowning internally in thought.

[maximumcake]

He does as she says, taking a quiet moment just to breathe slowly in and out until that queasy feeling starts to subside and his head doesn't feel so light.

"I'm doing better now. I'll be okay. You don't have to...babysit me all day."

[not_the_last]

"If you don't mind humoring me?" She makes her smile apologetic, hoping to get past his defenses by framing it as a favor he would be doing her. "I find I feel a little responsible. I'd like to at least be sure you're all right before I leave you alone."

[maximumcake]

"Okay," he answers meekly. He's caused her distress; he doesn't want to add to it! "I really will be okay. It's just that this... my schedule... it's all thrown off and I..." No. don't get worked up again. Deep breaths.

Despite the deep breaths, water is starting to leak from the corners of his eyes. "It's been a really long time since I was on my own."

[not_the_last]

Oh. Oh no.

"You're used to being with ... the lord you mentioned? Are you in his service?"

[maximumcake]

"I... yes." Wait, he shouldn't admit that so easily, should he? He should say what he was told to say instead in situations like this. "He's my employer. I work as his live-in butler."

[not_the_last]

She nods, frowning a little in mild confusion. "That last word isn't quite translating. You're his ... steward?"