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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
He certainly doesn't remember that being on the menu at Quark's. Also. Ghosts. Hm. He doesn't much like the sound of that. Garak gives a little bit of a sigh. "What sort of ghosts are you talking about?"
no subject
"Oh, uhhh, you know... the lingering spirits of passengers who eventually got eaten by the ship's engines and turned into mindless servants of the living? But don't worry! They're like, not really a thing anymore. Used to be they were all over the place, makin' empty rooms feel creepy, cartin' food to your table during dinner, mixin' drinks behind the bar... One time they possessed a bunch of people and went all 'vengeful undead' on us. But we sorta broke them out of the ship and now they..."
...Huh.
"Don't exist anymore, I guess? TBH, I got like zero clue about that shit. Probs better off askin' Ava about it, she's like," he crosses two fingers and holds them up, "Tight as shit with the people who know stuff."
no subject
Still, it doesn't do to go around making enemies, and Garak's smile is a bit strained, but he nods. "I see. You're not the first to mention this Ava. Clearly I must make her acquaintance, as she seems a person of some importance."
What sort of importance will remain to be seen, he supposes.
no subject
"Oh, for sure. Ava's been here forever, she knows all sorts of stuff. Plus, she like, talks to the guy in charge. He was at her wedding and hugged her and everything!"
no subject
Very friendly with the Captain, is she? That's interesting on several levels. He absolutely has not worked out whether it's better to stand with the Captain or against him, but either way, valuable knowledge.
"How very nice for her," he says, casually. "I'll have to make her acquaintance at the first possible opportunity. Or that of her... husband?"
no subject
"She's kinda shy so like, sometimes she can be hard to find." Because she uses her invisibility to hide and eavesdrop, you know how it is. "And yep, got it in one. They're like, the cutest hetero couple on the ship." He's totally biased though, because objectively that honor goes to Vance and Chrissy. "They're both super cool. Just remember, no matter how hot Ava is, you can't hit on her. Peter would noooot be okay with that."
no subject
"Ah, is he the jealous sort?" Garak tilts his head slightly. "I would not want to fall afoul of him, certainly." He smiles. "I really must thank you for how informative you are. This is all very good to know. I would not want to be making enemies here."
no subject
"Nooo, you definitely do not want to get on Peter's bad side. Or Ava's." He refrains from mentioning Ava's habit of sticking her hand in people's chests... "And it's no problem, dude! When I first got here, a couple of people were super nice and sat me down to talk me through everything. So I figure I gotta pay it forward. You got a phone when you showed up here, so if you ever have any questions or anything, you can just shoot me a message! You just gotta put in someone's name and their room number to reach 'em. I'm in 131."
no subject
Garak turns to go, straightening a little. "What a pleasant surprise it is to find that I am in the midst of such a helpful community. I shall see you around."