sail_ooc | 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

That didn't seem to help him much. If anything it only increased his anxiety. He seems to be somewhere between eagerness and fear, definitely easy pickings.

"Everything sounds easier than it is," she replies, "But your master isn't here, so you need to learn to stand alone."

The easiest. In more ways than one.

"But, what if he comes? If I got here he could too, right? He'll be looking for me."

"Well, if he comes and doesn't behave himself there may be an issue, but I suppose it is possible he might show up."

It's almost like Max cannot stand to think for himself, he needs someone to tell him what to do. It's both pathetic and sad at the same time.

"Behave himself?" Max bristles. "My master is a gentleman. He's not some monster or beast. He saved my life." By enslaving him. But Max is very good at overlooking that detail.

"He's an Elder and a Lord of his own territory."

"And I'm a Queen," She says simply, going back to her book.

"You seem quite loyal, but in a very twisted way. How did he save your life?"

"You are?" He sits up in his chair so fast already terrified at the possibility she isn't lying.

Twisted? That's not... no! "A good servant should be loyal." He's trying to sound innocent about that but he really just makes himself sound more guilty. "That's... a long story. I'm not sure if I should--are you really a queen?"

Apparently that was the right thing to say.

"I am." It's not really a lie, you don't just stop being queen of an entire race just because you locked them in Purgatory. "And good servants should be loyal, but I much prefer mine to be able to entertain themselves."

Or at least she would imagine that she would.

Shit. He almost pulled a knife on her. But she said...! Well, Erik has gotten in bloody battles too.

Max shoots out of his chair and bows deeply to her, averting his eyes in full supplication. "I'm so sorry for my rudeness, Your Majesty."

But he can't... he can't help himself. He doesn't come out of the bow, but he does chance a look at her, with a hint of flirt in his expression and tone. "What if they could entertain you instead?"

Her eyes lift to his. The sudden shift in his entire mentality and body language is a little disconcerting. He's definitely flirting, it's not quite carnal, very polite, an offer not a demand or expectation...And she's really not sure what to do with all that.

"I'm not interested in having servants."

That isn't a hard no from her, he doesn't think. He's too aware that his first impression he made on her wasn't the best, but he finds himself drawn to her enough that he decides to risk pushing just a tiny little bit.

"I already have a master. But he doesn't always keep me to himself. You did tell me I should try and make connections." Friend was the word she used, but that feels like too much. "Who better to show me how?"

It's not a hard no, as she's so completely confused that she doesn't know how to respond. Valdis stares at him silently for several uncomfortable moments. He seems to be floundering, but not desperate, simply looking for a place to belong. He's a bit like a puppy, very sweet, but...

"I...suppose friendship isn't out of the question. You know, to start."

That image of a puppy might only grow stronger when he perks up at her use of the word friend. If he had a tail, it would be wagging.

"I appreciate it so much." He finally pulls himself upright and takes a few steps toward her. "Um... is Valdis what you would prefer I call you?"

Valdis continues to stare at him, very much questioning her lack of judgement when it came to teasing new people. First Yato and now Max. Both have come back to bite her very quickly.

"Yes," she says hesitantly, "And what do you want to be called? Just Max?"

(Something, something, two-nickles)

"Yes. Just Max. It sounds less... ridiculous." His hand slips to the back of his neck, rubbing at the rough spot there again.

"If there's another name you prefer, this is a new reality, you can almost be anything you want to be."

He still seems nervous in that puppy-dog kind of way. It's a little sweet, but also greatly bewildering.

"Has...anyone shown you around or are you just lost?"

His hand squeezes the back of his neck so hard it pulls his jaw tight. Another name. He had another name, once. It doesn't feel like his anymore. He couldn't go back to that...not now. That innocent college kid is dead. He's gone.

"N-no. Max is fine." Max is who he is now. He can't run from that.

"No one really gave me a tour. I've tried to explore a little on my own but I haven't gotten very far."

"Well, it's a large space, but one you can learn to navigate quickly. I can show you around."

This man clearly had a rough time of it, even with his devotion to his master, she believes his life had not been happy.

"There's also a wedding tomorrow, lots of people here are more than human, but I think all of us have promised to not ruin it. Just stick by me if anything happens."

He swallows down a litany of protests about how a queen shouldn't be showing the likes of him around for a tour and how he is hardly worth her time but... that feels so much like talking back he can't bring himself to do it, so he nods instead and comes to stand at her side.

"A wedding? Here?" That is surprisingly encouraging. "Should I really go to it if I don't know the people getting married? Unless... you're inviting me as your plus one?"

Valdis tips her head, she was going to go to the wedding with her pack, Nobunaga, Klaus and Ari, but she can't just leave Max to his own devices. Surely the three would understand on the off chance she needed to explain it to them.

"If that would make you feel more comfortable about attending." She replies, choosing to ignore the swallow and hesitation he feels.

"Now, let me show you all the important places on the ship."

"It would, yes." It's possibly the only way he could justify it. There's still a nervous flutter in his chest, but at least he can try to go and meet people this way. And if anyone asks, he can point to her for comfort.

"Thank you. You're really kind." He will gratefully follow where she leads him, doing his best to remember what he's shown so she won't have to do it twice.

TEST DRIVE MEME #8

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