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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.]
no subject
(and she doesn't need to say much more to that. even jinx is aware she tend to get extremely angry and that emotion is like a giant meal for the captain to have. and with vi having her own anger, that just makes the two sisters being the greatest buffet for him.)
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Someone told me he can't be beat. Have you ever seen him?
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(deciding to get a little more comfortable, jinx removes her boots and begins to settle more in on her bed. lying there on her back, she rests her hands on her stomach and stares up at the cabin's ceiling.)
Yyyep! Had a full blown conversation with him, actually. ... He knew about Zaun and everythin' so... that was unsettlin'. — Reeallly hate when people know so much about us but we don't know a thing about 'em.
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'Everything'? So, he's like... what. Exactly. Why is someone that powerful wasting their time on a boat? There's got to be like a million better things to do out there.
[ It's a rhetorical question. Vi doesn't expect Jinx to know more than she can guess the reason, but it feels helpful to express the disbelief out loud. ]
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Who knows. Maybe he's a magic-y being who just get crazy bored.
(she gives out a nonchalant shrug while swinging her feet gingerly.)
— I mean I sorta get it. I get pretty bored easily too and I get an itch of wantin' to blow up buildings. Makes the day exciting so I guess it's a lil' like that for him, too.
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[ It's been a long time since Vi has had the luxury of being bored. Stillwater thrived on keeping mental stimulation low, and over time Vi settled into the feeling of ennui and became comfortable with feeling bored out of her skull. But if she had the power and ability to rip it all apart… it would be tempting. She has to admit that much.
Vi hunches forward, leg bouncing as she thinks it over. ]
Let’s keep the bombs off the ship, yeah?
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Oh, wait. You're actually serious? — Weelllll, hate to break the news to ya, Vi. But they're already on the ship. And my pistol, and machine gun, Oh oh! And you can't forget my lovely Fishbones. He's a lil' useless, though. He was gifted to me without a rocket. Now all he does is yammer on to me about table manners.
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I mean let's not set them off, Powder.
[ Vi eyes her over large hoodie, suddenly very suspicious that the large swaths of fabric might be hiding some sparkles or cherry bombs in its depths. ]
I can't believe they even gave you those. Even without the rocket.
[ She doesn't address the table manners thing, because well, she doesn't really know what to think about that. ]
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(she arches her back in a small stretch while letting out a sigh. jinx has almost forgotten how soft these beds can be. but some nights, the beds are a little too soft for her to be comfortable.)
Buuuut doin' that will be a quick death wish for anyone.
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Have you ever shot something that big before? At anyone?
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(she's a bit puzzled by her question because shooting is something that she does overall? and from jinx's point of view, everything she does is big. either go big or go home is one of her many mottos.)
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[ Is it weird that Vi knows what it looks like? Who's to say. ]
Yeah, him. Have you killed anyone with it?
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but she drops the look and switches back to a slight carefree notion.)
Nope. He came to me packaged up with no rockets. — Haven't had the pleasure yet.
no subject
'Pleasure'.
[ She really wishes Jinx didn't use a word to imply she would gladly nuke a population if given the chance, but for now... Vi chooses to believe her. Only because it's easier that way.
She sighs and runs her hand through her hair. ]
Are you good to hang out on the bed for a bit? I'm going to clean up the door and my hands. This 'plaster' thing is doing an okay job but—
[ She flexes her fist and the donated bandaid strains at the motion before the sticky-back pops off. ]
I can do better.
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(even if, hypothetically, her body screams wanting to rush out of the room or away from her -- mentally, she's too exhausted. and she needs a moment for her mind to wrap around the sudden presence of vi and along with everything else going on.
her mind flutters back of a promise she made to venti that the next time she encountered vi to at least hear her out and speak with her calmly. at least she is half-way fulfilling it. they are talking calmly but over why caitlyn is so damn more important than her to leave her twice? maybe... now isn't the exact time, not with her mind pounding and foggy.)
(so for now, she'll just continue to rest on the bed with her eyes shut -- trying to imagine this stupid feather floating to calm her breathing.)