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

[littlefairytale]

Smart move—an ability like that is, at least, far from unfamiliar given one of her old professor's Semblance was telekinesis.

"Yeah they've seriously multiplied. I've been trying not to think about how that—" a grunt, as she drives off one that's bold enough to leap first, "—works! Too much, but—"

Realistically they probably just spawn from a single source like Grimm do, again something almost familiar, but who knows.

"—point is, yeah, there's a lot and they are going to keep coming if we don't leave their territory for a bit. So—"

She presses a button on the sword's hilt, and a black energy surges up part of the blade, matching energy appearing beneath a group of the things, suddenly pinning them to the ground. Flattening the piles out.

She hasn't used much Dust since she got here, but no time like the present.

[seethesun]

That is fascinating, but questions can wait. Eleanor works fast; piles get drawn to her four at a time and flung deeper into the store.

At last the area is clear, for now. There's a hissing sound; the blue vial on Eleanor's arm lowers in level, and she makes a sound of relief.

After a moment she removes her helmet and it turns out there's a girl under there.

[littlefairytale]

Ruby keeps her eyes on their surroundings for a long moment even after the area clears, grip on Summer's Thorn still tight and her body language all on-guard. Only when she's absolutely sure they're not immediately going to come running back does she drop out of stance and turn around.

"Alright, they'll come back bu— oh!" A sudden double-take, when she realises there's now a girl's face instead of just the helmet. "Hi! You have a face! Wait, I mean— wow, that's probably one of the stupider things I've said..."

How's that for an immediate flip to the other side of the Ruby shaped coin.

[seethesun]

You only get one first impression. It's a lesson Eleanor learned from her family, and for that matter from the Family; her mother the psychiatrist, Aunt Gracie the singer, even that weasel Stanley.

But the call of mischief is entirely too strong to think about that. Eleanor's free hand flies to her cheek in a remarkably good performance of shock: "I do?? I didn't before!"

[littlefairytale]

Ruby is far too bad at reading social cues to tell if that's a joke immediately, especially around here of all places, resulting in a wide-eyed stare and 'o' shaped mouth as the cogs slowly, visibly, turn inside her head.

Eventually, she just flat out says, "—okay I have absolutely no idea if you're joking or not because I gave up questioning anything months ago."

She could have had no face! Giving people a face would not be the weirdest thing this boat has done!

[seethesun]

That gets a laugh (note to self, what in God's name is wrong with this place), and Eleanor drops her hand. "I have had a face for most of my life, with the exception of the usual brief period before my birth when I was busy growing one as people tend to. What I lack is appropriate attire - I am rather afraid I arrived in my sleepwear under this suit. Is this truly the fashion here?"

There's a gesture at All Of Tommy Bahama.

[littlefairytale]

Ruby droops with tangible relief that she doesn't have to add that particular brand of weirdness to Things She Simply Accepts As Reality Now. "Thank Gods, saying something stupid is a much better alternative to someone just... growing a brand new face..."

But! She claps her hands together, shaking that off.

"Um, as for the clothes... kinda? This is the only real clothing store we have, everything else people wear we either arrive in, get in packages, or get when we go on trips off the boat."

[seethesun]

"It's all so...gaudy." Listen there's no polite way to say that but Eleanor's still giving it her best shot. "I suppose there's nothing for it, but..."

Trailing.

Trailing off.

Trailing off more.

In a very small voice: "Where are the frills?"

[littlefairytale]

"Gods, I know, right? It's all so—" Ruby makes a motion that is intended to convey the smoothness of the silhouettes of the dresses and such here, but probably doesn't. Like at all. "I was making do before I got a package of stuff like I'm wearing now, but it's not the same."

[seethesun]

"Might I, in the interest of haste, ask your help in finding something decently modest? I had been worried about being seen in my nightgown and these are..." Several words are not said. "Less appropriate. I know the surface world is warm but this seems like an overreaction."

[littlefairytale]

'Surface world' is an interesting choice of words that Ruby absolutely takes note of, but doesn't immediately ask about, choosing instead to just nod and flash a smile.

"Sure, I can help! If I could I'd lend you something but you're— well, taller? Than I am, but! There's some stuff in here that isn't so bad and you can layer it, too. We'll make something work."

[seethesun]

"Mm. Taller and longer in the legs and arms by the look of it." Eleanor approaches the clothing again with a dubious look. "I place myself entirely in your care - dear God, I haven't given you my name!"

Eleanor turns to Ruby with an apologetic smile. "Eleanor, my very great pleasure to meet you."

[littlefairytale]

Ruby waves the apologetic air away, "Oh you have no idea how many times I've done that when meeting people around here. Nice to meet you, Eleanor, I'm Ruby! I'd say welcome to the Serena Eterna but I'm never sure if that's really the right thing to say..."

That's a thought she quickly tries to shake off, rocking up onto her toes briefly and nodding down an aisle. "Let's see what we can find. I don't think anyone's ever had trouble with sizing and stuff in here at least."

[seethesun]

Ruby. A lovely name, and she certainly seems to have embraced it if her color scheme is anything to go by. Eleanor dubiously starts in on various long-sleeved tops and blouses; these should be a good place to start.

Ruby's weapons haven't gone unnoticed. "Are life forms like those common here?"

[littlefairytale]

Ruby stands by to assist where she can, already trying to remember where some other possibly useful items might be.

"Not really? It's just inside the store. There's a bigger one, which used to be the only one, and before that it didn't exist at all, it just... was suddenly a problem one day." Beat. "Oh, wait, the piano in one of the clubs comes alive and tries to eat people sometimes too. That also just suddenly started happening one day."

[seethesun]

"...And you all just live like this?"

[littlefairytale]

"We sure do!" The upbeat mask is... so very well practiced. "Not much choice but to, you know? We're all stuck here for the foreseeable future, so we just have to learn to live with all the weird stuff. And really the boat itself isn't super dangerous, most days."

[seethesun]

The fact that clothing monsters have already attacked is doing a lot of lifting here to prove that Ruby isn't insane. Eleanor acknowledges that with a nod and busies herself again; she wants a bit of time to think on how to approach the question on her mind. Is there a leader here? Is this just a new version of the nightmare she escaped?

There's a space in the conversation left by the thinking.

[littlefairytale]

Ruby laces her fingers behind her back, arms stretching out behind her as she starts idly rocking onto her toes in the silence, debating whether or not to say anything to interrupt it or not. She's not sure if it's an awkward silence, or just a normal silence, or— some other kind of silence? There are probably other kinds of silence between those, right...

Eventually, speaking wins out.

"You must uh. You must have a lot of questions, huh?"

[seethesun]

Instant relief. "A great deal of them, yes. But I suppose the most pressing is...social." The word 'political' almost made it in there. "Is there a...how have you all chosen to govern yourselves?"

[littlefairytale]

"Uhhhh." Oh, Gods, isn't that a question... "We... haven't? Or. Well. The Captain's in charge, but none of us asked for that or to be here in the first place, and no one's really... governing anything. No organised— well, no organised anything, really. Except some clubs and things."

Is that the kind of answer you were looking for, Eleanor, because it's the kind of answer you're getting.

[seethesun]

"...I feel as if we may have different understandings of 'clubs'. Surely this ship does not have several exclusive drinking establishments which cater only to their members?"

Welcome to culture shock again Ruby hope you've gotten good at it.

[littlefairytale]

"Uhhh, no, we do not. We have drinking places but not like that. Clubs as in, like... group activities? Like a bunch of us get together to practice fighting stuff, or I think there's a poetry thing... stuff like that."

She's trying! Her best!

[seethesun]

Comprehension and relief and confusion all at the same time. Linguistic drift, perhaps? Some surface custom that evolved in a different direction from Rapture's culture? Still.

"I believe I get it, but then...what is the role of this Captain?"

[littlefairytale]

"Mostly he just... watches us and sends us on trips and generally controls the reality we're in. He kind of stepped back for a while once and the ship started falling apart because it wasn't repairing itself? But he doesn't tell us what to do day to day or anything. Sometimes he makes us play games?"

...wow she hasn't ever had to do the 101 speech for someone before and it shows, doesn't it. She groans.

"Ugh, sorry, this place is really weird, it's hard to explain. Things have changed a lot over the last eight months or so I've been here."