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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Ravi only relaxes maybe ten percent, but at least that means his arms are lowered. "I, uh. Yeah, that checks out," he says, as his eye flicks down to the umbrella. "Seems that's been happening a lot lately."

He looks back at Yuri with one eyebrow raised. "So, uh. Thank you?"

He's not shocked that someone saw him, but heat still rushes to his face and he jumps slightly at being called out for it.

"Uhm- yes, actually, as a matter of fact. Or at least, uh, preliminary tests certainly support it as such." He pulls the lei off over his head and wraps it around one hand. "I'm not sure if we have the equipment necessary to perform further tests, but I can probably make-do if we find a kitchen or something."

That makes Ravi blink in surprise, and his hands drop. "Oh. Um."

...why would he expect the soldier to know that?

"Basically, uh. Zombies, the living dead, are real where I'm from," he says carefully. "Zombie apocalypse means that there's enough of them to be a tangible threat to the current way of existence, so. They're mostly all locked up in quarantine in Seattle - like a police state but hungry."

Something like that! [and that's as much of a hint he's gonna get]

It's going to lots of places! The shore excursions are very fun!

There seems to be some visible embarrassment kicking in belatedly over there, but Jade simply gives him a pleasant smile in response. Nothing wrong with hopping right to the first tests to come to mind, in these sorts of situations! Even if they make you look weird in public! Granted, he himself was more inclined to wait until reaching someplace a bit more enclosed, but he's sure not about judge somebody for beating him to the punch.

"Hm, a kitchen would probably do in a pinch, that's true. Though a vessel of this size should usually have some form of infirmary built in as well. Perhaps if we're very lucky, there might even be a morgue available!" Jade turns and takes the couple of steps needed to place them in proper conversational range. With a cheeriness that would probably be more fit for discussing the weather than...this: "Do you think we ought to start a betting pool? I'm already inclined to put some money towards the possibility that it's human bone, myself. What do you think?"

ONE.
Trevor most definitely did not choose to be here, and he resents the whole ordeal more than a little on principle alone. He wakes in a bed that isn't his own, which isn't that much of a problem, except for the fact that once he's out of the room his feet feel compelled to move on their own. He fights the impulse every inch of the way, a deep scowl etched into his face as he tries to dig in to go the other way, because compulsions to move in a particular direction have seldom ended well, in his experience.

All the same, he ends up on the deck with everyone else in the end, glowering at everyone who looks his way. The lei is tolerated exactly until it's around his neck and the greeter's back is turned, after which it's quickly pulled off, examined, and discarded with disgust.

"Where can a man get a drink in this place?" he asks nobody in particular as he moves around and among the other passengers; if this is where he's got to be right now, he absolutely is going to need a heck of a lot more ale.

TWO.
The extended greeting-slash-lecture is exceedingly boring. He resists exactly as long as he feels he can get away with before begrudgingly doing what he's told, but once he's free he makes a beeline for the food and drink, helping himself to both. His sword and whip are gone, along with the rest of his weapons, and his cloak's been abandoned to the cabin he started in because it's clearly too warm here for that, so he moves mutinously among the others with his glass, eyeing everything suspiciously, like he's surrounded in a world of magic he's feeling increasingly uneasy in.

Hey, where he's from running water is a luxury.

But the pool is certainly enticing, and he knows he could damn well use a bath, so eventually he strips down to his underthings and jumps in, then settles at the edge, sipping his beer. The blood and muck will come off just as easily if he just soaks, right?

THREE.
Ghosts, Trevor understands. They're less numerous than the undead, of course, but common enough, so when things start moving and invisible people start whispering and shouting he mostly just rolls his eyes, shoving things back where they came from when they start moving too close to him.

"Oi, what's got you in such a tiff? I didn't ask to be here either, so lay off already. You're lucky I don't have my things or else you'd really have something to whinge about."

"Jeez, fella, you get on board a swanky ship, immediately get leid, and all you can do is complain."

Beetlejuice had decided that gravity was for chumps, and was floating in a deck chair while sipping a mai tai.

That's... a little helpful, admittedly. He hadn't thought of it like that. "A cover name," he says, putting a label on the concept. Then he makes a face, because that still means he has to pick something. Making choices that aren't related to violent action is not his forte. "I don't have any ideas. But I'll think about it."

He's heard the word before, but it had been leveled at him by techs who fully expected him to not respond. And he hadn't. Because responding just got him hit or zapped or wiped again. He knows there was at least one tech whose favorite nickname for him was zombie, but he can't actually remember his face.

He frowns, looks down at the deck. "Living dead," he repeats. "What does that mean. Exactly." Because he's pretty sure it doesn't actually mean him, in this situation.

"A cover name. Mine is Rin. I also answer to SecUnit, though. Neither is my name--that's private."

Because it wants him to know it's not talking about this all in abstract. It's preaching what it practices--at least in this area.

"I took Rin from one of my favorite serials to watch."

[He's not, but he hadn't wanted the ghost of Alexander Pierce here, so hearing that he's not is... a relief. He relaxes a hair.]

Good. If you see him. If you see him, avoid him. He's no good.

I recognize all of the faces from the ship. And a couple from. Elsewhere.

[There's one in here with the face of a STRIKE member, and another with the stupid former target, which is almost as disturbing as his own face.]

[Maybe he's not scary right now, no. But this way it at least won't be a surprise if this ever ends up changing, you know? Or at least, that's how he'd probably explain it, if he were ever asked why he makes it a mild habit of bringing up the scariness himself off the cuff the way he sometimes does like this...

That's a bridge to cross only if they ever actually reach it, though--ideally never! In the meantime, Jade's certainly not about to stop Fio from elaborating on her friend, because that's how conversations are supposed to work, even with small children. (Or so one would think, in civilized societies...) And--

Well. Actually. With a description like that, there's probably going to be a lot more elaboration needed in general here, now isn't there?

Fio dives right into the oddness of it all, and for the first time an expression that isn't some form of neutral cheer crosses Jade's face: startled, perhaps even surprised, as the implication actually sinks in properly.]

--Monsters are usually very scary, it's true. In fact, in my own experience, they are almost always more dangerous than not. This is a bit surprising to hear about... [And it simply must be a monster that Fio is describing, as there really isn't anything else "a giant black bug with wings" could possibly be. Yet she also speaks of it with more cheer now than she has for pretty much this entire interaction so far, nothing unhappy or uncertain here. Not to mention she's...already given it a name, apparently. Mr. Monster, is it...?

Jade's already pretty much picked out all the foods he wants to eat for the meantime, but he stands aside to watch as Fio adds myriad greens to her own plate and chatters along. At this rate...he's probably going to end up following her to a table anyway?? Normally he'd be more inclined to leave her to her own lunch and devices--he wouldn't generally assume she wants to spend a whole meal with somebody who's still more or less a complete stranger, after all--but at this point, well! She's just raising far too many questions for him to just leave things off now...

He'd be ready to bet she isn't talking about an 'imaginary friend' at all. In fact, the concept isn't as completely new to him as it maybe should be. Jade finds himself more immediately reminded of Arietta the Wild, for better or worse.....but whether hers is a comparable situation to Fio's? That remains to be seen.]

Well, but it sounds like Mr. Monster ought to be very easy to find. Perhaps we'll end up hearing of him from others, even before seeing him ourselves! ...How exactly did you two manage become friends, I wonder? Or perhaps-- [--hm, he does have to keep it in mind--] --this is a normal sort of occurrence, where you're from?

It's an interesting predicament that he's found himself in, but Vanitas wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouse-- or however that saying goes. He wanders the pool deck with a carefree gait, snooping about the ship to get an idea of how or why he'd ended up here. There are a lot of interesting sights to see and things to investigate, but it's a man stripping down to enter the pool that catches his eye.

He stalks over towards the edge of the pool, leaning over to look down at Trevor with bright, curious blue eyes. He lets out a low whistle, as if impressed by the man's gal to treat a public swimming pool like it's a bathtub.

"You know..." he trails off, eyeing the grime that is beginning to turn the water around him murky, "You're usually supposed to wash off before getting into the pool. Is that blood?" He sounds about as delighted by that possibility as he is surprised by it.

Hmph...right back at you.

[It's a response as equally sincere and enthusiastic as Clarke's, and then Rita goes back to exploring.

As much as she despises so many of the topics that came up, much of what the older girl said will remain in the back of her mind for days to come, though.]

[Huh. They actually agree on this library, after all that. Somehow that in itself also gets on her nerves, but her brows also furrow in confusion at "fonology" (if phonology exists in Terca Lumireis, it's far outside her field).]

Intentionally annoying, maybe.

[Not that he's wrong, either; they do need information to make sense of all of this, and having it missing could be part of the point.

His change in tone is...better, even if she still gives him a skeptical frown.]

What do the publication dates matter? It's not like the books are written in ciphers or anything.

[Just. A language she can somehow read despite having never seen it before in her life. Which is bizarre as hell and something she'd rather not think about (and yet it just keeps nagging at her anyway).

She had flipped open a couple of books, but even if she glanced at the dates, they didn't mean anything to her.]

Unless you somehow know what a "January" is...?

"Haven't gotten laid yet since I got here," he grumbles, clearly missing the other meaning.

He takes a more than healthy gulp from his glass, watching the strange man over the rim, one eyebrow quicker.

"Neat trick you've got there." Not the strangest thing he's seen, which is honestly a miracle for once.

He tilts his head up with a dry kind of curiosity to regard the other man, deliberately raising his glass to take a gulp of beer before answering. He refuses to feel embarrassed, honestly he left embarrassment behind a long time ago. What's shame?

"What's the point? Isn't it here to get you clean? Why bother cleaning up first?"

Kicking off his shoes, he drops down to sit next to the other man, only dipping his feet into the water. For a complete stranger, his chosen spot is pretty close to invading Trevor's space.

"No no no," he says with a frantic wave of his hand, then gestures out towards the other brave people in the water. "Pools are for recreation! For fun. If you muddy the water with all your blood and other mysterious substances, you'll ruin it for everyone else."

It was a shame his wordplay was missed, but, he was willing to overlook it for the sake of a compliment.

"Thanks! I'm dead." Beetlejuice beamed from his floating seat. "I'm a demon."

Are you suggesting that I wish to leave the casino because if I cannot go "all out," I may be too rusty in my old age to properly deal with you?

[ Zhongli asks, and while there's no emotional hint to go on in his voice, if Childe manages to see his face he'll see the consultant's nose is wrinked ever so slightly as if he's detected a sudden and unpleasant odor. ]

That's what I am trying to figure out!

[ Flynn snaps, whirling fast enough that if Yuri isn't fast, he'll run right into him. His brows are drawn together, his mouth tight with anger. At Yuri, a little, but mostly at this boat, at the lack of answers, at his own absolute lack of progress, at—

At everything, really. His nostrils flare as he drags in a hard, sharp breath, glaring, and tries to reign himself back in. ]

2. Messing With My Mind

Palamedes reminds himself, not for the first time, to apologize to Gideon if he ever sees her again for pinning her in place during those last minutes at Canaan House. He had had a good reason for it, yes, but he supposes that his current hosts, as unsettling as they are, also believe themselves to have good reasons. Still, the fact remains, being stuck like a bug is not a very comfortable thing to have happen to oneself.

It does raise all sorts of scientifically interesting questions, though, which Pal finds himself contemplating while the faceless woman describes what they are supposed to do in the event of an emergency (what counts as an emergency on an impossible boat in the middle of an impossible sea? is a question that remains unasked and unanswered). Ms. Friday doesn’t seem human, so he doubts that she is a necromancer, and yet someone on this ship has the ability to disrupt the neural pathways of the dozens of people gathered on the deck. He also doubts that some sort of pharmacological intervention was used, at least none that he can think of. That, of course, leaves the possibility of some kind of power beyond his knowledge—

Pal is jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of someone nearby clearing their throat. With a start, he realizes that Gal Friday is standing in front of him with her arms crossed, looking surprisingly impatient for someone with no face. He blinks owlishly behind his glasses. “…Sorry, what were you saying?”

3. Mystery in the History

The Serena Eterna refuses to give up its secrets, and Palamedes is beginning to get irritated.

In the time since he woke up in his little cabin and found a polite note welcoming him aboard, Pal has been making his way through every psychometric trick he knows to discover anything about his new home-slash-prison. Whether because of the relatively low levels of thanergy on the ship or some other trick he has yet to suss out, his efforts haven’t revealed much in the way of data. The age of the ship itself seems to vary from location to location, and the history of the furniture, the cutlery in the dining hall, the goods in the stores, and (most annoyingly), the books in the library, remains fuzzy and indistinct no matter what he does.

Drastic times call for drastic measures: Palamedes decides to ask the revenants.

Ever a child of the Sixth House, Pal decides to hold his seance in the library in the dead of night. He’s no expert spirit-talker, but he knows how to call a ghost from beyond the River and pin it in place, and these ghosts are already eager to flit about at the edges of his vision, so he doesn’t imagine the task should be particularly difficult. Pal sets his blood wards around the room, sits down in the middle of the floor, and waits.

And waits.

The whispers are barely audible at first, and even as they grow louder, he can’t quite understand them. Once or twice he thinks he hears a voice he knows—Cam, or Harrow, or Teacher—and it turns his stomach sour. Then, all at once, they coalesce into a great cry.

”Get out”.

All the lights in the room go out. Palamedes wrinkles his nose. “Well. That’s not very polite.”

3. Wildcard! Pal is going to be doing lots of exploring and will be reading every book in the library in short order, so run into him wherever! Happy to chat historein

[ It has been weeks since it awoke, and the world is spiralling.

Was, Flynn reminds himself, looking out at calm blue water and fluffy clouds scudding across the horizon, rather than at Rita. Her anger is justified and too-much all at once. Guilt and worry gnaw holes in the lining of his stomach. Flynn swallows. His voice is steady. It doesn't feel like it should be, but training will do that for you.

He clutches white-knuckled at the rail in front of them. ]

It is... beyond the scale of comprehension.

[ Big words from Flynn, who tackles massive structural problems every day. ]

Every day, the sky grows darker. Monsters and people alike are on-edge, and the monsters seem to be experiencing echoes of what they did in Zaphias. You can look up anywhere in the world and see it, turning the sky purple. We should be able to see it here.

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TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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Trevor Belmont | Castlevania | ota

Re: Trevor Belmont | Castlevania | ota

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no worries!! also i cant believe this thread actually manifested a levania omg...

two

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Palamedes Sextus | The Locked Tomb

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