sail_ooc | TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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TEST DRIVE MEME #1

1. now it's fun to wake up in a strange chateau

[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! We're so glad to have you!

[you touch the lei. rooster feathers, lotus seeds, and a carved circle of something white and hard, linked onto a silk string.]

2. messing with my mind was fun at the time

[freshly lei'd, your legs are forced to lead out onto the deck and towards your muster station. the same woman is there, carrying a clipboard. this time, she introduces herself as Gal Friday, the cruise director, before immediately going into the muster drill spiel. it is very boring, and you are not allowed to move, except when you are required to show you know how to put your life vest on. you could try to not do this, but Friday will move to stand in front of you very closely and just. look in your direction until such a time that you decide to do it. and I'm sure your fellow passengers want you to just get on with it, too.

but, once it ends? she reiterates her desire to welcome you aboard. and, then, you're free.

well, free to move about the ship at your own leisure, of course. which is a kind of free, and probably the best one you can hope for. you could try to escape, maybe, if you have the means to; Friday certainly won't be one to stop you. that's what the barrier is for, after all.

but, wouldn't you much rather have fun?

the buffet is full. the pool is open. the casino jingles and chimes.

welcome aboard.]

3. lots of mystery in the history of the devils I knew

[you were never alone.

a few days have passed since you first arrived on the Serena Eterna. perhaps you've made yourself a little routine, and settled in a bit. or maybe you haven't done that at all. either way, you're here, and it looks like somebody is pretty pissed off about it.

it starts small. sometimes nearby plates skid off tables, or a pool chair upends while you're walking next to it. and sometimes that chair is aimed right at your head. objects are moving with quickly increasing frequency, and a wide variety of styles: some are dropped, or pushed, and others and others are tossed, but a few of the items are thrown, with great force and odd accuracy. if Friday is around during the lighter moments, she simply titters and cleans up whatever mess is made. if a pot of soup sails off the buffet line and nearly drenches you in boiling minestrone, she simply walks away.

and then there's the voices. hundreds, maybe thousands, calling out. not all are intelligible English, but you seem to understand them anyway. some sound scared, or angry. some are screams, others whispers. some sound entirely strange, while others are achingly familiar. and they're all saying the same exact thing:

Get Out.]

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[It was probably more aggressive than Will had intended, but so was the sudden aural intrusion that caused him to react without thinking so much as responding reflexively. Instead of pinning him Will placed both hands on the wall on either side of John and took a few steps back.

For the first time since their encounter, he leveled his eyes with John, not much of a height difference which made it less avoidable. He was searching John's expression for recognition, that it wasn't him, that he'd heard something as well.]

Sorry [His eyes flit away once again, still trying to process if what he heard was real or not.]

You didn't hear anything? [Aside from Will's own breathing trying to settle.]

I. UNWANTED AWAKWENING
[Natsuno doesn't expect to wake up. He was supposed to die back there in the pit – he was supposed to make sure that this time death would stick. So when he finds himself completely conscious on a ship, forced into a path by some unseen force, he's understandbly rattled.

The shock is the only reason he cooporates at first. In fact, Friday may need to repeat the drill spill a couple of times because Natsuno is busy staring down at himself like he still can't believe his limbs are all attached.

Finally though, he recovers enough to say- ]

This better not be the afterlife.

III. THIS BETTER NOT BE THE UNDEAD AGAIN
[So apparently the ship is haunted, like it wasn't suspicious enough already. Natsuno never dealt with ghosts, or poltegriest or - WHATEVER this is - but if vampires exist, ghosts might as well.

He really wishes they would stop throwing things at him. He'd be happy to get out, and is immensly frustrated that those things won't tell him how or why. Which means he should try to communicate with them. Natsuno falls back on the only method he has for dealing with the occult - horror fiction.

Natsuno can be found in the library, using a book as an improvised ouija board. He placed a fork on the page, since the ghosts seem to like messing with his food.

He's fully aware of how dumb this is, so if anyone looks his way he'll say:]

Do you have a better way to talk to them?

The Captain is in charge? Or does he work for someone else?

[ Knowing chain of command is how you survive. ]

You...you put me into bed?

[ It had happened sure but it made panic claw at her. ]

[ She's really not that good an actor, really. ]

You could? Without a key?

[ Manhandling would have panicked her, given Tiberius. But that he asked rather than just told her what he was doing made her think more highly of him. ]

Yes, please. Gratitude for your kindness.

A. It’s midnight, the sun is gone, and there is a little girl walking the halls. The lei is in her hands, and she’s gently dismembering it as she goes, trailing rooster feathers. She’s wearing an old-fashioned dress, silk and lace and ruffles, with small leather shoes and silken stockings. Her hair cascades down her back, golden curls, and her dark blue eyes are bright in her pale little kewpie doll face.

All of five years old, maybe, soft little face and Cupid-bow lips, pale and silent, turning to you with a soft kind of surprise in her face, her blue eyes fever-bright under the lights.

“I’m lost,” she says softly, her voice accented with a New Orleans drawl, heavy on the French influence, her tiny voice clear like little silver bells.

B. Claudia watches with delighted fascination as something unseen flings a pool chair past her and right into the pool. It ruffles her skirts but she doesn’t flinch, entirely unchildlike.

“And what is this?” she muses, tilting her head to take in the flicker of…something. Like light glancing off silk in the dark. She has heard of hauntings - she lived in New Orleans! - but she has never witnessed anything like this!

GET OUT!, and the next pool chair is aimed right for her.

A careless swipe of her hand, too fast for mortals to follow: she catches the chair by a leg and flicks it into the pool herself, effortlessly.

[ Giselle chuckles. ]

Don't let me put a damper on your fun. I'm used to working on my own in any case. [ She's not sure the spirits who speak to her would want to talk to a man. But then again, these spirits don't seem to want to talk to anyone. ] I'm just curious if all our fellow passengers share similar proclivities.

Giselle. [ She smiles faintly, close-mouthed. No need to spook the poor fellow any further; Giselle is a lot of things, but she doesn't particularly revel in the suffering of others. (Even if their fear does smell good.) ] Let me at least go through the motions of replacing it, then.

[ She twirls a damp lock of hair around one finger, her nose wrinkling slightly. ]

And I'd appreciate a towel, actually. [ She starts around the corner from whence she came. ] Shall we, mister ...?

A student and a singer...? My, wherever do you find the free time?

[The corners of his lips quirk into a smile.

Robin's hand will collide with the shield, a dull thunk like what you'd get if you were to reach out and poke a glass pane. The whorls of magic ripple under his touch, but other than that, the shield remains mostly translucent. It's cold, though not unpleasantly so, especially given that the weather aboard the ship proper is nice and summery.]

Huh.

[The irritation vanishes from her face and voice as she's struck with a sense of déjà vu--between the pink hair and the sometimes-questionably-placed enthusiasm, this guy could practically be Estelle's brother.]

How about weird, for starters? I sure as hell didn't get on any ship like this, and it doesn't look like I'm the only one.

[Rita sweeps a hands to gesture vaguely at the other passengers, many of whom look pretty confused, angry, or even both.]

But who kidnaps a bunch of people and then runs a safety drill of all things? It doesn't make any sense!

Wh--

[She whips around to the voice and

after the briefest of moments-]

Gaaah--!!

[A startled yelp disturbs the poor library even further as Rita stumbles backwards and drops the book she was holding. Who thought a faceless person would be so terrifying?!]

How--when--why are you here?!

Edited 2022-02-15 22:30 (UTC)

[Sometimes, one is a creature of the night with strong instincts, and that's valid.

Ebalon nods, and then a certain contemplativeness flits over his features before he takes up his typical small-but-polite smile.]

You would be correct in that statement, yes. I am not the only Master — there is one each for Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, and the Sun. Huhu... I would consider myself close to the Sun Master in a way.

[...Giselle might be able to pick up on his tone in that last statement, that perhaps he and the Sun Master aren't quite friends, and that "close" means more that they worked together once. Ebalon has very carefully chosen his words there. It's not deception, but it isn't entirely something that paints a full picture, either.]

Naturally, each element has a certain... "thing" it does better than the others. Healing and protecting belongs to the moon, though it is quite possible to create a shield of water... [His idle musings trail off there.] I'm getting ahead of myself. What shall I call you?

...Gyah-!

[She reflexively pulls back on the fork for a split second before letting it go entirely and practically leaping out of her chair. With no tangible--or visible--threats to blame, she turns her attention to Natsuno--what had he said? Either way, she points at him again (sans fork, this time).]

Y...you're awfully calm, aren't you? Whatever you're doing, how about you knock it off? Don't think I'm gonna fall for your s-stupid tricks!

[...H-her voice didn't tremor okok she is so not scared!!]

[Her grabbing of his hands succeeds; Ebalon makes a surprised sound before the briefest, most fleeting flash of ire flickers in his eyes. All at once, he's back to being polite, albeit still stunned, brows knit.]

Can I... help you?

[Whose child is this? Why is she so... grabby?

The magic that Ebalon is playing with — or rather, testing, just to make sure all is in order here — flickers out shortly after she grabs him. If she can sense lingering traces of magic, though, it's quite literally all over his hands and wrists.]

[Ebalon merely chuckles under his breath at that. Images of restaurants float through his mind, though none of them look very modern, nothing like things on this ship — and then there's a particular image set within a manor of some type, a feast on the table and the white table cloth ruined with droplets of wine, similarly-white curtains from obscenely large windows billowing in the wind.]

Is that what it takes? I would think perceived notions of danger cannot be assuaged so easily by food, but that could just be my take on the situation.

["I believe Miss Friday mentioned something about a buffet..." but that's not aimed at Wisely, just general musings.]

[ This story kept getting more odd? But seeing as how it had all happened before the boat, well.

Whatever. ]

Maybe you do need to worry about things that bump around in the night. At least when you get back.

That's kind of what I figured.

The year was 3006 where I was. I was fighting a terrorist -- it's a long story. She's not here.

Hmmm...

[Rita is completely, utterly oblivious to any hint of anger--or even the fact that she's currently clutching a person's hands, really. She doesn't really answer his question, just studies his hands intently, but she isn't able to sense his magic.

Finally, she actually looks at his face, but-]

Hey! Whatever you were doing, do it again!

[-it's just to bark an order at him. She has zero shame when it comes to being bossy.]

[ what a lovely laugh... every laugh is distinctive, unique to people just like their fingerprints. at least to him. ]

So they'd call it the S.S... um... your name!

[ and he laughs as well; half a giggle, half a snicker. a gentle sound that matches the color of his hair. ]

Missing something? Hm? Oh, I'm sure there are more chips on the floor that you might've left. Do you want me to grab those too?

Malcolm is usually not the fruity drink type, but, when in Rome, he supposes. He's not really the pool type either, and yet here he is in a pair of board shorts and a T-shirt. If only his mother could see him now: trying to enjoy a vacation.

Except that's not really what he's doing. As usual, he's working, trying to gather information about how and why they're here. Malcolm would look ridiculous sitting at the pool in a suit though, so he's trying to blend in.

His own fruity drink is a mai tai. When he overhears the man commenting on his pina colada, he turns to face him. "They're not terribly hard to make," Malcolm says. "It's just a blend of rum, coconut milk, pineapple juice and ice."

"It's the way the ice has been pulverized that's new to me. The ingredients are all things I could source back home, easily."

Malcolm may be afraid of looking ridiculous in a suit, but Johnny's still in his, looking far too classy for words, like something out of one of the earlier Bond movies. Of course, Malcolm being the observant sort, he'll almost certainly notice how the jacket of the dinner suit is weighted on Johnny's left side--perhaps some weapon in an inner pocket. That'd also be sort of Bond-like.

It's not a matter of fault--it's just that no one's getting away from the mess anywhere. Bathroom, bedroom, mess halls. Everything's haunted.

[Keith's mood doesn't seem to move Johnny at all. Sorry, he's dealt with worse attitude before.]

Then it might be weird, but at least it's not uniquely weird! Otherwise we might've all been alone or something.

[ he taps his chin with one finger and continues to scan their surroundings with eyes that go up and down and all around. ]

You're right. It doesn't make sense! So let's try to make it make sense. Maybe it's because we're being kidnapped but not in a bad way.

[ you know, the good kind of kidnapping??? ]

They don't want us to get hurt while we're on this trip.

Well, during the day? I've been trying to learn other languages!

[ something about this man is... well, robin feels like he could probably tell him anything and everything as long as it doesn't lead to his own demise--- which is only one thing, actually! he seems oddly pleasant, but also coolly so. it almost feels fake.

and that's when robin hums to himself, a gentle noise. ]

Night is when I sing. That's when our shows are.

[ tapping the shield, robin hums again. ]

How do you hold hands if you hide behind this barrier?

When they wake back up.

[A beat.]

So, what do you do with the dead folks?

I'm a bioexorcist, but, theater is my passion. I'm a graduate of Juilliard, y 'know.

[Okay. So he haunted the hell out of Juilliard off and on.]

Edited 2022-02-16 01:05 (UTC)

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TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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Natsuno Yuuki | Shiki

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Claudia | Interview with the Vampire | OTA

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2B

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