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TEST DRIVE MEME #3
1. you're the only one you owe (GUEST STARRING:
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selenokinesis and creepyoldguy)[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 Passengers(s),
You'll be unable to leave your cabin until you read this note. Congratulations on making it past the first step. Keep reading if you wish, as I have information to share with you, as a fellow passenger stuck aboard this ship. Or don't continue reading, and burn the note. I'm not particularly invested either way, especially if you choose to throw away valuable warnings.
Watch out for the Captain.
Be cautious what you sign up for.
If you die, you'll come back to life eventually, though I would recommend you try not to die.
Your life is the Captain's plaything.
Do not think for one moment that someone isn't watching you.
With that aside, I am now contractually obligated to tell you the following: You will find a life jacket within your cabin's closet, and you are required to bring it with you to your assigned muster station on deck one. A companion and I will take you through the drill. If you cannot find us, look for a tall male with white hair and blue eyes and a friendly-looking man with unkept brown hair and a winning smile.
Respectfully,
Moon Master Ebalon
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 two people standing at the front of the crowd: an exhausted-looking man with white hair who seems rather displeased that he's been roped into this, and a man with a wide grin, bright green tips on his hair, and amber eyes. the latter is waving cheerfully, having an armful of leis. he quite happily puts them around people’s necks and while they’re distracted, attempts to dip them into a kiss.
as he’s basically a walking corpse, and smells like one to boot, it’s not exactly hitting the jackpot. but, he does at least listen to the word “NO”.
the tired-seeming man ignores this and announces over the drone of chattering passengers like yourself,]
Welcome to the Serena Eterna. Do try to enjoy your stay here; it is rather permanent in nature, huhu.
[and from next to his companion, the… er, overly-affectionate man who sounds as though he smokes ten packs a day rasps,]
You’re all doomed!
[you touch the lei. rooster feathers, lotus seeds, and a carved circle of something white and hard, linked onto a silk string.
after the duo complete the drill, you'll find that your legs suddenly obey your command, for what that's worth.
welcome aboard, passenger. we hope you enjoy your stay.]
2. one by one they'll do you in
[it starts, as most things do, with a table lamp. floating down a hallway, or the length of the promenade. ambling at a distinct clip: one-two-three-KICK, one-two-three-KICK.
and that's... not immediately concerning. after all, things float around here all the time; usually plates and drinks, but maybe the shades want to mix it up a bit. the lamp is alone for about a half hour before it is joined by others. a pillow. some knickknack from the ship store. Friday's clipboard. an empty vodka bottle. all have lined up, one in front of the other, and lead a procession snaking around the ship, growing with each passing hour. anyone familiar with the concept would begin to recognize it as a massive conga line.
there is a small chance you will want to join of your own free will. most likely, you will not want that. this does not matter: something compels you, like pins and needles in your feet, to join the dance. and once you have joined in... your body fights your mind on the subject, even as it grows more and more tired.
you pass by a familiar face. they could help pull you out. or you could pull them in.]
3. the price of vice foretold
[the scent of citrus and coconut rum hangs heavy in the air. there is a new storefront on the promenade, tucked between Sand Dollars and John's in a place where you are very certain there was not enough space to tuck a store before.
the clothes for sale are... a lot. like, a lot a lot. but, there are quite a lot of choices, though they do seem to repeat a little, once you've gone in far enough. in fact, even if you actively attempt to find it, you can't seem to find the back of the store. you can see a wall, sure, but it never seems to get any closer, even as you walk towards it.
be forewarned: the infinite tommy bahama does not have food or water.]
i.
either way, jinx is watching over her from above in the rafters -- debating whether to disturb her or let her stand there for awhile. hm. actually, toying with her would be more fun. so jinx digs into her pocket for a moment and pulls out only pocket lint and one small crumbled piece of paper.)
( with her fingertips, she rolls it up to a little ball and tosses it down to alex's head. )
jinx is best girl
Still, as she leans into the railing, she lets herself drift for a moment. She's on a cruise with-- Gabe. Gabe and Steph and Ryan. Charlotte and Ethan. All together, the first time she and her brother have ever been on a vacation. They're all just inside, Gabe, Ryan, and Steph messing around with the ugly shirts, Charlotte showing Ethan around where he could play or make friends. Just for a moment, it can feel okay.
The paper ball, slight as the weight is, pulls her right out of it and she's pushing away from the railing, glancing around. But there's no one, everyone else milling about further on the deck.
Was it carried by the wind...? She picks the ball up, examining it in her hand. No emotion attached to it, nothing to read off of it.
There's been enough of them thrown at her in her life, it's not hard to believe it was on purpose, though. So she calls out: ]
Seriously? I'll give you credit for the disappearing act but that's it.
[ I'm gonna look pretty silly if I'm just talking to the wind. ]
she queen, we stan.
(finally deciding to come out of hiding, jinx drops down from the rafters with a big THUD of her boots hitting the floorboards. a short blue-haired girl approaches alex with her hands behind her back with a sway in her walk. jinx is practically... overwhelmed with emotions -- a lot has happened to her in the past few days to a week and she's still handling them all one by one. and despite the crazy glistening pink color of her eyes, her most upfront emotion is playful as she hums quietly. )
Hope you like the ocean 'cuz that's all you'll see and nothin' else.
i have a vi journal called gaypunch that i keep swearing i'll do something with one day lol
If she tried to dig in, would she drown? What would the world even look like, through this girl's eyes?
But, there doesn't seem to be ill intent, at least. So the defensive set of her shoulders drops some. ]
I've actually never seen the ocean or been on a boat before, so that's okay. If we're going to be stuck here, might as well get something out of it, you know?
[ Maybe Haven Springs has made her a little more open, after all. ]
:SHAKEYES: u have a vi you say????????????????????///////
(she does a spin before hoping over beside alex but instead of leaning against the rail like she is -- jinx literally jumps on the rail with her arms sticking out to balance herself.)
Yeah yeah, we gotta fight each other and blah, blah, yadda, yadda. But ya really can't talk down on the digs of this place got. Have you seen the buffet place, yet? You totally gotta!!
i do!! i've watched arcane way too much lol
For a second, she just stares between the railing and Jinx, back and forth, like she can't believe Jinx is actually doing this. ]
...No, I haven't. I've just been up here since the muster drill. Please don't fall.
1/2 there's two YT vids i watch of arcane im obsessed with. want me to share?
Dare me to jump?
2/2
Juuuust kidding~ ♪ ! — It's a long way down and I just woke up. I'm not in the mood to sleep in. 'Cuz, y'know, can't die and all that jazz.
absolutely!!
Right. Can't die. Still not sure how that's possible.
[ Is everyone here like this? First creepy dudes trying to kiss everyone...
But she's calmer once Jinx is on solid ground again. ]
It feels like we're in a bad video game.
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Yeah, totally. Video games are waaaay more fun. You'd think the Captain would make the dyin' part less hurt but I guess that's part of the fun for him.
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[ She doesn't have her headphones to fiddle with like she normally would, so instead Alex tugs at the bracelets on her wrists. ]
Not like here here, but before the boat? I keep trying, but there's this gap, and...my head starts hurting when I try to think about it. Just...wasn't sure if that was normal. I feel like a part of my day is just...gone.
[ ooc; omg those are so good!! have you heard Don't Remember Me? ]
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(a beat.)
I mean I don't remember the Captain snatchin' me but I remember before that.
((yes i have!!))
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[ gestures at
everything
She's just going to have to figure it out on her own. ]
Anyway, I'm Alex.
[ ooc; I love how much the fandom loves Jinx. So many fan songs and videos. ;; ]
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((ooc: aaaa i know! i love the whole series. im just obsessed with it.))
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I hate that question. I like Alex more than Alexandra, but people always want to know what it stands for. Like I didn't just tell them the one that mattered.
[ ooc; the first time i ever watched Arcane, i put it on for background noise while i played Animal Crossing and ended up watching it straight through. i'm dying waiting for season 2!! ]
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((ooc: i decided to watch arcane cause i was just bored one day and clicked on it. and it was the best decision ive ever made. i looove rping as jinx even tho she isn't my favorite. tbh, vi is. but i never rp my favorite characters. idk why. its this weird...thing i have.))
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[ See: Nearly punching Beetlejuice for trying to kiss her. ]
Anyone else I should avoid? I'd rather not be known for getting in fights on my first day. Or. At all.
[ ooc; I'm the opposite lol! Jinx is definitely my fav, but I ended up making a Vi journal. Something about punchy lesbians. xD I've been thinking about making a Alex journal since the game came out, I just had to sit down and actually make icons. ]
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(she grabs on one of her blue braids and twirls it in circles.)
Spunk as in, I told her I wasn't up for talkin' and she called me a, "Bitch". She's PRETTY out there. And that's sayin' a lot coming from me.
((ooc: it was suuuch a good game. i can't remember what i chose though. it's been so long. i think i ended up with a "eh" ending. like wasn't bad but wasn't good either. just normal.))
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[ At the very least, Alex knows she can hold her own if it did come to a fight. Doesn't mean she has to like it. ]
It sounds like I'm going to start missing my headphones pretty quick.
[ ooc; yeah i got a fairly normal ending the first time, but managed to get everyone on my side in the most recent playthrough! i just wish it had been longer. haven springs was so pretty i wanted to be there forever. ]
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(she giggles before pushing herself off the railing. once more, she scoots on over to alex's personal space but not so much so they can feel each other's breath and all.)
You're not as boring as I thought, Goggles. I think I'll keep ya around for a lil' longer.
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Trying to cover it with a nervous chuckle, the more open, casual air she'd slowly adopted in the short conversation is gone, walls back up like a door slammed shut by the wind. ]
Sorry, you-- Uh. You startled me there.
[ Smooth, Chen. Boring is better. ]
I don't want to disappoint, but I'm really not that interesting.
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clicking her tongue slowly, her chemical pinkish eyes resumes to glimpse over her with even another step closer.)
Hmm~. That's where you're wrong. You're plenty interestin'. Like, you're cute, for starters. That gets ya a point.
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It's an act she's familiar with by now, done too many times to count, always with some new girl in the group home. At least now it feels more playful, rather than the troubled kid equivalent of cats testing the hierarchy.
Still, she has a little too much pride to let Jinx walk away thinking she could be made nervous so easily. The flirtation might be a little infectious itself.
There are worse things to do than flirt with pretty girls, really. ]
Maybe I shouldn't mention I also play guitar, then?
[ THERE IS NO GAY PANIC IN THE HOUSE OF CHEN. -- Gabe, probably. ]
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(a grin and wink before taking a step back; now allowing her to give her some space.)
What kinda songs do you usually play? I got a few recorders of my own at my place. Maybe I oughta let ya borrow them, see whatcha think.
(sadly, it's just three but hey - better than listening to some of the music the ship provides. some are... a bit horrible, in her opinion.)
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[ The lack of her guitar is a true tragedy. ]
And I'd be willing to listen. I usually have headphones, but.. [ vague gestures at her poor, empty neck. ] Something to listen to would be awesome.
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