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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Oh. Perhaps Watson got distracted too, for a moment, but this is a very interesting conversation. He's learning many things after all, some good, some bad.

"Is that all?" he asks, an eyebrow raised.

[ Flynn can understand her anger well enough. He remembers her snapping impatience in the shimmering heat of the desert, full of fire and worry for Estellise. She'd snapped him out of a spiral, helped him refocus on the facts, and he can do the same for her now. Flynn doesn't quite reach out with a steadying hand, but he offers a small smile. ]

Attempting to bring your memories back does seem like the easier option. Let's try that first. There was nothing like peace or joy in Commandant Alexei's death, but... he is gone, and there is a small amount of justice in that.

[ Even if Yuri nearly died too. Did die, as far as Flynn is aware. Even if he unleashed a massive evil they have no idea how to fight, even if the world is spiralling into chaos and Flynn lies awake at night wondering how they're going to get out of it and whether there was anything else he could have done if only he'd noticed earlier.

Even with all that.

Flynn swallows, aims for a steadier smile. ]

I promise you that we will do everything in our power to get your memories back and get ourselves off this floating prison.

César finishes taking his drink and shrugs lightly, again. "Mmm, no. I've remembered that I'll be going about adjusting my circadian rhythm over the next several days, so I'm considering how I wish to do that."

He tilts his head, frowning as he tries to recall the phrase, and fails. It's nothing he knows.

"I'm not familiar with that term," Watson says. "What does it mean?"

"Circadian: relating to biologic variations or rhythms with a frequency of 1 cycle in 24 ± 4 h; circa (about, approximately) and dies (day or 24 h)." Why yes, he's memorized the official definition of that term; what he says next is rote from someplace else as well. "Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. These natural processes respond primarily to light and dark and affect most living things, including animals, plants, and microbes."

Then, César adds himself: "Sleep-wake cycle, in this case. With the proliferation of artificial light in my time, it's very easy to get lost in one's work and stay up far later than before rapid electrification. Our artificial light is strong enough to disrupt our natural bodily rhythms."

Which absolutely had nothing to do with keeping himself distracted until he was literally too tired to think about one of the most traumatic experiences in his life that just happened. Nope. Absolutely not.

Okay. So that's not an entirely unfamiliar concept. People get tired at night, generally. It's maybe not something that he's spent a lot of time studying, but it's a sensible concept.

And he has to suppose that if one were to be somehow transported from one time zone to another, that could cause problems, but he's really not sure how it might do that.

Watson has been running a finger over his moustache thoughtfully, but now he leans forward. "César," he says, in a serious tone of voice, "how long have you been awake?"

Watson immediately finds not only the breadcrumbs that César was metaphorically leaving but the entire loaf guiltily held in his hands. Guilty, because that really describes the tone to his smile. He looks down at his left wrist, then starts to turn his hand around.

"I've been up for, uh, ahhhh-" That sure is a handful of mixed nuts that ended up in his lap before he tilts the bag back up. "Oh. ... ... ... perhaps a tad too long. Over 23 hours."

César was trying to be a smartass by reporting the time to the second. He's tired enough to be a dumbass instead. Very, very carefully, he puts down his water next to him and starts pinching up the nuts one at a time and gathering them in his fist.

[One thing is for certain here: Rita has never met anyone quite like Jade--and especially not as insufferably collected. The fact he calls Friday lovely tugs her scowl into a grimace, because how the hell is a faceless person anything pleasant?!

And then--well, she visibly tenses, going rigid for the briefest moment before very, very insistently refuting him-]

There's no way it's anything like ghosts! That's just stupid--they don't exist! The crew's obviously just somewhere we're restricted from accessing, or they only work at night-!

[And she spouts various much more logical reasons as quick as she can think of them, because she absolutely didn't see a book mysteriously drop to the floor when she first stepped in here or anything-!]

Watson's face is as neutral as he can be, but sometimes doctors have to be able to do that. It would be a lie to say there was no disapproval in his face, though.

"Yes, I'd say that's a tad too long," he says sternly. "I think that perhaps you ought to rest, in that case."

[He isn't wrong. Alexei is far better off dead in Rita's opinion, but she still wants to at least personally remember blasting him for everything he did--without that memory, it doesn't entirely feel real, although she doesn't doubt at all what Yuri and Flynn have told her.

It's annoying. But she can deal with it.

She takes a breath, lets out a sigh. Decides that if no statue of Alexei exists, she'll build one herself when they get back and then take great satisfaction in smashing it to pieces.

With that very important goal in mind, she focuses more on the current state of things--and is a little taken aback by Flynn's declaration. He really is as serious as ever, but it's awkward now to have him being all serious about her memories.]

Well--of course we'll figure it out.

[Mildly embarrassed, but otherwise a lot calmer than moments before, she tries to casually wave it off.]

Anyway, if I can't remember it myself, then I want to hear more. You said Alexei caused the Adephagos to appear, but how? The aer wasn't that far out of balance yet.

César blinks a couple of times, regarding Watson curiously and looking directly at his face. "I was thinking it might be easier to sleep if I stayed up until bedtime proper."

It's not quite rolling up his personable nature that he was showing several seconds ago, but more that he's so fully taken attention to Watson's response that he's forgotten all else. Including the peanut between his thumb and index finger.

Watson looks at César for a moment, then takes his watch from his waistcoat pocket, consults it, and shakes his head. "No, that won't do. I cannot recommend that. While I applaud the general notion of trying to 'reset' yourself, I think that it would be far better to take a nap."

His expression is pointed. This is a very strong suggestion.

César makes himself relax. No use being paranoid. Black Knight wouldn't be able to hire someone who could care to save her life. No one who could would want to work for her. ... save for him. For good reasons. The end justify the means, the ends justifies the means....

He smiles weakly. "Do you have children, Doctor Watson? You have... t-the Stern Father Face down to a science." He had meant the words to be a teast; he hadn't meant that moment of wavering weakness.

It's alarming, really. His mental fortitude against showing his emotions is greatly weakened. César should've known. After today's events, staying up far too late, and not properly nourishing his body... Sleep. Sleep is the only thing he should be doing.

"You won't hear me argue. A nap is precisely what I need."

"He likes the sea. He likes to watch the moonlight..."

Louis liked to watch many things, in fact. Would sit and stare for hours at things, contemplating their beauty: the candleflame, the crystal drinkware, the small canaries in their home in New Orleans. Claudia doesn't quite understand it, but is very used to his trances of absorption.

But out in the dark, it will be easy to strike.

She puts her tiny, round-fingered hand in his. She is only room temperature - and while this is much warmer than usual in the tropical weather, it is still rather shockingly chill to actual human flesh. Her hand is soft, silky, but there is no plump give as there would be with a real child. It's like silk over stone, something unyielding beneath the softness.

She is a dead thing, after all.

A flicker of pain passes over his face despite himself, his smile flickering, his gaze fading into the middle distance for a moment

"I am a widower, and we had no children," he says, his voice very neutral. "Perhaps it's not meant to be." And then, to avoid the conversation lingering in this uncomfortable place, he carries on. "Why don't I walk you to your room?"

Microexpressions. César's learned about them and to hate his own, but it means that sometimes he catches those of others now—

His expression mirrors Watson's, automatically, but this time César doesn't hate it. A swirl of relief that he doesn't have to stop it and grief because that's what it is. Understanding.

César's expression does melt into something quieter, and he nods silently. He throws the nuts he dropped on his lap into his mouth and while chewing, caps the water bottle, and rolls up the rest of the bag of nuts so they won't fall out. The nuts go into one of his pockets, like a squirrel saving food for later.

"... My condolences." César says quietly, looking forward, expression more neutral; he needn't apologize for reminding Watson, as he couldn't have known. "You reminded me of my father. You're cut from similar cloth."

"I'm sorry you've suffered such a loss, too." He slowly stands, a sad smile as he turns to offer Watson a hand this time. "I lost my parents, recently. An accident. It's never gotten any easier."

Watson's the first person he's ever told. A near stranger. The first person who's shown him genuine concern and caring for him in a moment of need since his parents. César's father would've made the exact same face had his mother been the only one to not make it out.

[What, should he call her "horrifying" instead of "lovely"? And be rude about it?? Look, they say good manners and nice compliments can get you a long way sometimes! Every now and then you need to glaze over the truth in favor of being diplomatic, when it comes to these sorts of things. Besides, they might be getting eavesdropped on right now, for all either of them know--from what little of her Jade has observed thus far, Friday certainly seems to have a habit of cropping up quite out of nowhere when you least expect her to....

May as well be civil, just to be sure.

But anyway!]

My my, you do seem quite confident about that! If you're so certain already, we simply must take any ghostly possibilities off the list altogether, then. [It's a sort of tone just readily agreeable enough to slide over the line into sardonic--or maybe he is agreeing wholeheartedly, and the phrasing's just making it sound like that anyway? Actually, Jade's entire tone in general for this whole conversation has probably been about like this, and so Rita could be forgiven for maybe having difficulty being able to tell. ...Still, there might be something a bit concerning about just how pleased he seems to be at her reaction...? Oh no--] A restricted area is a decent possibility...but them working at night! Now there's an interesting thought. Suppose we could catch them in action? Perhaps it'd be quite worthwhile to stage some sort of stakeout!

[Close as they are to the end of this particular row of bookshelves, it's easy enough to cast an idle glance towards the nearest porthole in the library walls; afternoon sunlight's currently streaming in.]

It'll be evening pretty soon, after all...though they'll probably want the darkness of total nightfall, if they're so terribly discreet about these things. And we'd want to go somewhere out in the open, no doubt, to spot as much as we can. Whether they're really people, or just items floating about! [You know, like that book she totally didn't see, that totally didn't drop on its own when she came in.....seemingly entirely too enthused about this idea (or maybe just really committing to the bit), Jade cheerfully holds up the book he's had in hand.] Why, we could even spend the time reading a few more of these useless books, until we reach the ideal haunting hour?

The lei certainly is a point of some interest, even if there's no time for a closer look over the course of the drill. (A drill that's surprisingly...mundane, altogether, at sharp odds to everything else Very Not Mundane about this whole business.) Jade ends up incidentally positioned somewhere to Ravi's left, attention affixed on Friday and posture at practically military attention during the safety proceedings. But once everything's wrapped he does finally seem to relax, lifting a hand to his own lei--

But glancing sidelong to find somebody else already beating him to a close examination. --That goes quite above and beyond, no less! The opposing lei is unceremoniously spat out, and Jade's arching his eyebrows expectantly in the stranger's general direction. "Well, don't keep us in suspense! Is it bone after all, then?"

The white part, he means. The part you just chewed on a bit, there.

[It makes one wonder if the crew's definition of vacation actually differs quite a bit from the norm, doesn't it? Surely most people in fact wouldn't enjoy being told to leave by phantom voices in varied stages of agitation? On one hand, it does strike as a very interesting phenomena to Jade, even putting aside the almost stereotypically ghostly nature of it all...mostly because it sits at such odds to Friday's general attempts at cheer and accommodation. If it's the crew trying to speak, lately, it seems they aren't agreeing with the sentiment?

...But it does make sleep a harder thing to come by, as night wears on and it all continues. Even for someone like Jade, who doesn't tend to keep a normal sleep schedule to begin with. No, any chances of shuteye seem especially low at this particular hour--and he's fairly sure he smelled coffee wafting out of this cafe the last time he walked by it earlier...

Oh, but it seems somebody's already beat him to the punch here! Just managing to catch the remark spoken aloud as he passes into the area with hands tucked idly in his coat pockets, Jade pauses to consider Yuri properly with a vague amusement.]

My, are you sure you want to tempt fate quite like that? Our phantom acquaintances could take that as an excuse to throw you directly into the ocean anyhow, you know...

"I don't do missions anymore," he says shortly, shaking the arm out again to get the sleeves back down, and then shoving his hands in his pockets. Then, in explanation rather than just reaction, he adds, "I was kidnapped. I was in hiding. And then suddenly I woke up here. No one I've talked to is on assignment. Not officially. We were all just taken."

He eyes the air quotes uncertainly, then after a pause says, "I don't know what is normal. Not. Really." His normal is not anyone else's normal, and he's come to realize that. But his normal doesn't encompass anything like this place.

There's another pause, then he admits, "And I don't know what a zombie apocalypse is."

[ Jade... Jade. Hm. Well, it's short and easy enough for her to say. Quietly, she wonders if she can come up with some kind of fun nickname for him.

Fio focuses her attention on gathering up her own serving of food. She pours herself a bowl of seafood stew and helps herself with two pieces of bread.

She can't help but sneak a small nibble of one of the loaves before sticking it back in her bowl. Snacking right before the buffet table is certainly tempting, but that would be rude. Piling on mountains of bread is also tempting, but she doesn't want to appear greedy. There's still some fear she might earn some vile expressions from others if she tried.

Then another moment of hesitation, freezing up this time at the question of her parents. It doesn't take her long to start moving again, though she remains silent for a while longer as her eyes scan a selection of fruits and vegetables. ]

...My parents couldn't come.

[ Of course, it's clear there's more to it than that. No matter how obvious it is, she barely makes an effort to cover it up. She can't bring herself to outright say she'd been abandoned. ]

I have one friend. He wouldn't find you frightening. [ Of all the things she's said, this sounds the most confident so far... ] But I don't think he's here...

[ooc: Heads up that the manga ver. is different from the anime ver. Key points are: 1) Nyuu learns how to speak normally. 2) Nyuu eventually finds out about Lucy. 3) Nyuu even learns how to use her vectors. 4) I've taken Lucy & Nyuu from near the end of the manga. 5) Detailed info post if need be. 6) Permissions]

1. Is This Hell? (Lucy)

[The last thing Lucy remembered was dying, so it'd been a hell of a shock to wake up in a soft bed with overly clean sheets, and in one piece nonetheless. All the pain was gone, as if it'd never been there at all. She even looks under the coat given to her by Kouta for any scars, but the only ones are those she already had from being experimented on at the Diclonius Research Institute. No new scars.

She reads the welcome note in disbelief. A cruise? The fuck? Naturally, she tries to go somewhere other than deck one, only to find herself unable to go in any other direction except for the one that leads to where the note wanted her to go. But what really throws Lucy off is when she gets her first look at Friday's face, or lack of one rather.]

W-What...?

[Most of the info from the muster drill falls on deaf ears as Lucy tries to process what's happening to her. It's only when Friday stands in front of her that she snaps out of it. Friday stares at her, and she glares right back, except Friday just keeps on staring... and staring.

With an irritated sigh, Lucy gives the faceless woman a repeat demonstration of how to put on her life vest, just so she can leave her alone. Once she's free to go, she asks aloud for anyone nearby to hear.]

Is this hell? I was dead. My body... [A sense of dread tightens her throat, preventing her from finishing. She swallows, clenching her hands into fists at her sides.] I shouldn't even be standing here right now.

2. Exploring the ship (Lucy & Nyuu)

-All and Sundries | Lucy: [One of the first things Lucy does once she's free is "buy" a journal and some pens so that she and Nyuu can communicate with each other through written messages, since they can't talk to each other directly. Perhaps someone else is curious as to why she chose those items over everything else in the store? Or maybe they're just trying to get to know their fellow passengers through small talk?]

-Deck | Nyuu: [Despite being brought up to speed about their situation via the long, written explanation left by Lucy, Nyuu still found herself in shock. She makes her way out onto the deck in hopes that some fresh air and sunlight will help her feel better, but seeing the vast ocean all around the ship only made her realize how alone she was right now. None of her friends were here. Kouta wasn't here. There was nothing left for her back home now that she was dead.

Nyuu rests her elbows on top of the railing and leans forward, covering her face with her hands. If one gets close enough, they can hear her muffled crying.]

3. Poltergeist Activity (Nyuu) | Buffet

[Nyuu can't say she's fully recovered, but she numbly goes about trying to create a routine for herself. She's standing in line at the buffet when a glass comes hurtling towards her head. She can only make a frightened squeak and screws her eyes shut, holding up her empty plate like a shield, except the glass never makes contact. Some might be able to see the strange hand that emerges from Nyuu's back to grasp the flying glass before it can hit her. But to others, it will look as though the glass is floating in midair.]

[ooc: In canon, Lucy and Nyuu's strange hands (called vectors) can't be seen by normal humans. My general rule is pretty easy: If your character has special abilities, or is psychic, they can see the vectors. If you're unsure feel free to ask me.]

"Same for me." And it feels an emotion of some kind hearing the other use the word 'anymore'. Whether or not a governor module was involved, this is another rogue unit of some kind.

"I suppose figuring out where we are, who brought us here and how to get home is a pretty good unofficial assignment, though."

[ however loud and rambunctious he has always been, this isn't itto's scene. he prefers open fields, the limitless sky. the music blares here, lights artificial and gaudy, but at least the refreshments are free, and itto helps himself to them despite how the majority, if not all out on display, aren't native to inazuma.

there isn't much to explore aside from that. itto ignores the slot machines, the empty tables and the deck of cards, stacked gaming chips. might as well take his leave, venture elsewhere on this cruise ship, confining him, the rest of them, here. but he hears some passing commentary on his way to the double doors. the recognition is instant, his features blooming with some childlike joy as he turns towards the traveler. ]

Come on, have you heard of the ghost stories about that place? Think that island's got this place beat on the creep factor with that alone. But hey, have you checked out the grub? Better than prison food, and that's sayin' a lot!

[ itto will even present his mini stash for aether to survey. just a bunch of candies, really. what a way to greet a familiar face. ]

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Page 66 of 102

TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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I dicerolled this to be fair but he rolled a 1

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Lucy/Nyuu | Elfen Lied (manga ver.) | OTA

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2.