TEST DRIVE MEME #10

[sailmods]

a. that's where we both belong

[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.]

b. and there's plenty of that down by the sea

[it’s strange to think about, isn’t it? how all those new passengers, the ones grumbling or shouting their way through the forced muster drill, have absolutely no idea what happened just last month. no idea about the labyrinth. no concept of why anyone around them would be a bit more hesitant around shadows.

they’ll learn.

sometimes a shadow is darker than it’s supposed to be. very rarely does anything come of that; just a vague sense that someone is watching you, and little more. sometimes, though, the shadows move. sometimes they grab at your ankles as you walk. sometimes they give you a shove as you go down the stairs. sometimes they pull your hair, or pinch your arm.

sometimes you feel something sharp cut into your lower leg.

that’s not a shadow, though. that’s a fiddler crab. you see the crab, sometimes. the cut isn’t from its claws, which don’t look very intimating; it’s not a very large crab. the cut is from the large kitchen knife crudely taped onto its back. it’s probably fine. it's not chasing you. there isn't evil in its heart. probably.]

c. think I'll go back to the Keys

[one day, in the atrium, two pedestals suddenly appear. on each is a large button: one green, and one blue. pressing the blue button gives you a little treat, popping out of thin air next to you. pressing the green button sends a small electric shock through your body. weird, but, hey, pretty avoidable, right?

except, it seems to be spreading. to every other button on board.

in the elevator. on the soda machine. the arcade. your phone. the bell on Friday’s desk.]

Comments

[dupli_arms]

Every ear turns toward the...cougar? Yes, that really is a cougar that's talking to them. Well, it isn't the oddest thing he's ever encountered, considering his...y'know. Everything. A few of those ears turn into eyes, though only one remains focused on Siffleur while the rest turn back in the direction of the bahaminal.

"I'd rather not be hunted, thank you," he replies as politely as he can, bowing in the direction of the big cat watching his appendages.

[teethoftherisk]

He chuckles a little and inclines his head back towards the man with many ears. "Of course. If you change your mind, I'm sure you can find me."

And with that, he slips back into the displays, letting Erin and her new friend enjoy some peace and quiet.

[crushed_pearls]

Erin waves as Siffleur leaves and gives him a bit to get some distance before turning back to Shouji. "So yeah that's Siffleur, friend of mine, has the most fascinating conversations. He won't always be comfortable by human standards but he'll never double deal you or hedge his answers."

[dupli_arms]

He straightens up again, relaxing a touch though he does still keep an ear out for the monster in case it changes direction. "He seems decent, if you think so highly of him."

[crushed_pearls]

"I mean, don't let me oversell the man. He's an admitted cannibal in every technical sense of the word who kills for fun. But, and this is key, he's also a man of honor and knows how to get on in the context of the new society he's in. Which you are now also in." Erin flashes half a smile at Shouji, a little guilty, a little mischievous. "It's not like there's anywhere for us to go, so. Monsters like me and Siffleur gotta get along, and humans gotta learn to extend us half a chance. If y'follow?"

[dupli_arms]

Well, any solid ground he thought he'd gained here has just evaporated under him. That's....hm. Morals conflicting. It's already been agreed that he wouldn't be hunted, but his assumption in the moment was that it meant 'for sport', not 'for food', and he's wondering now if he's going to have to explain to someone that in spite of appearances, he is not going to taste like octopus.

"If...If he's not doing anything wrong, and not hurting anybody, and he's not targeting me, I... I guess there's not a lot I can do about that anyway."

[crushed_pearls]

"It's a lot to take in," Erin says softly. It's not a question. "But we're all in the same situation here. Not like we can kick people out. Hell, can't even kill 'em, they come back. So...we learn to get on."

[dupli_arms]

Record scratch. People come back? "This place seems less and less real the more I hear about it," he muses, turning his attention back to the rack of terrible prints to find another shirt in the correct size for assessment.

[crushed_pearls]

"...Yeah, mood. Hey, if you need help or just a listening ear, I'm outta Cabin 134. My name and that number will let your ship phone text me, but I think maybe I should dip before I say something else insane. You gonna be alright?"

[dupli_arms]

At the mention of his phone, he digs the device out of one of his pockets to thumb, then nod at the offer. "Thank you, I appreciate the help. I don't officially have a room assignment yet, but I suppose it's just a matter of time. For now I think I'll be okay."

[crushed_pearls]

Erin tips the youngblood a jaunty salute before wandering off.

He'll get along fine. Only a matter of time before the other teens find and adopt him, and if they don't she can always ask Ruby to check in on 'im.