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TEST DRIVE MEME #10
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.]
no subject
The floating teddy is something alright.]
Hello! Yeah, I'm a new passenger on this ship. [nodnod.] Well, if you'd like to help... Daffodil is my cat, you see. He's small and super fluffy with this white fur. Honestly, he's about the size of your bunny rabbit there.
no subject
So Daffodil's a kitty! He has such a pretty name! [ She would notice if there's a fluffy white cat around. The animals that she knows aboard the boat are actually shapeshifters, though there's some that she's never had the chance to see in their true forms. Most people arrive alone for some reason... but it doesn't hurt to search around. ]
Oh! [ Introductions. ] This is Leppy. The bear over there is Judy. [ Judith. Lepus. She's introducing them by their nicknames. ] My name is Fio. I've been living on the boat for... a little over a year now. I know most of the places around here.
no subject
Thanks! I named him myself! [Lily helped, as little sisters often do. Unfortunately, Daffodil is a smart kitty. And he should be in her shadow by now, if he was here. But it couldn't hurt to look, right?
Right.]
Hi, Leppy! Judy! [She's pleased to meet all three of them.] You've been living on this boat for a year now? Gosh, I hope the captain is treating you well.
no subject
Um... well... [ She's terrible at concealing her emotions. But she lifts her head, putting on a smile. They can talk about where Daffodil might be, even though it's highly unlikely the cat's around. It gives her a reason to talk about the amenities. ] We have a buffet here! Do you think Daffy might've gone looking for food? We can check around there for him.
[ "Daffy"... ]
no subject
[...Pff. Stella's smile cracks just a little wider.] I've called him that before, too.
[Something's amiss. Stella isn't sure what yet, but that doesn't mean it will stay hidden forever. Things just have a way of reaching Stella, one way or another.]
Well, we do spend a lot of time around food... So, it couldn't hurt to check. Did you want to come look with me?
no subject
[ She repeats in a singsong voice then breaks out into a giggle. Well, she's glad it's not the first time that nickname has been used. ]
Yeah, let's look together! I know the way there. [ Especially since Fio's been living here for a while, she wants to be helpful to the new passenger. ] Um... I didn't get your name...
[ So she can think of a nickname for you, Stella. ]
no subject
Plus, she doesn't really know her way around.]
I'm Stella! It's nice to meet you, Fio. How long have you been on this ship?
no subject
[ They're on deck one and if they're going to the buffet or any of the other eateries, then it's quicker to take the elevator. She bounds a few feet ahead of Stella, before turning back around, making a gesture to follow. ]
This way. [ A beat. ] ...Stel! [ A little shorter than "Stella." ] The elevators are over this way. Windjammer's on the upper decks... that's the name of the buffet! And there's a whole bunch of other places with yummy food too.
no subject
[She knew another eight-year-old. Once upon a time.]
'Stell' is pretty good! If that's what you wanna keep. [She's had a ton of nicknames. Captain, Big Hat, Scout, Kid, Honey bee, Commander, Smellers...] Kinda wish my boat had elevators.
[She's perfectly content to let Fio guide her where they need to be.]
no subject
We didn't even have elevators where I come from! [ Coming from around a medieval era. After spending more than a year on the Eterna though, she can sort of pass off as a modern day Earth child now. ] You had a boat? ...Were you the captain?