TEST DRIVE MEME #1

[sailmods]

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.]

Comments

robin laffite | visual prison

[sweetsong]

I.)

[ of course, robin is as compliant as he has to be; discovering that he couldn't immediately wander about and meander as his legs chose not to be cooperative if he wasn't going to the deck meant the pink haired boy had to play along. not that there isn't a reason not to? yeah, he's mostly unfazed by it--- perhaps with the distinct and fleeting thought that if some kind of unseen force wanted to kill everyone, it probably would've by now! now that's optimism!

as he stands there with the lei being placed around his neck, robin's smile is as genuine as it comes. it's a cruise, right? on a big ol' ship??? how fun! he's only heard about them, never been a part of one, and a vacation is sort of what he needs. being a busy student and performer means very little time in between.

turning to one side, robin beams at whoever is fortunate to have such a positive presence next to them, his life jacket underneath one of his arms. ]

Isn't this exciting?

II.)

[ after demonstrating that he could put that jacket on? he's free! free to immediately head in the direction of food. he's pretty darn hungry, and there's only one thing that can solve the current, unsettled feeling in his chest. something that he's been craving ever since waking up:

pannycakes.

a nice, big stack of them! dripping with syrup, the most picturesque pat of butter on top. he's already diving into them without hesitation. it's only when he realizes he's forgotten a napkin to wipe his face that he looks around and quietly whispers to himself: ]

I forgot a napkin.

[ that one slowly floats in his direction and promptly lands on his head. ]

... I could use a wet one, too.

[ because you know, syrup is sticky and it's inevitable that his hands will get dirty. thankfully, a small packet labeled 'wet nap' is placed on top of the dry napkin. ]

Ooh... nice.

[ said to no one in particular, but he assumes that he just missed them as he pulls both off his head and places the one napkin his lap. a perfect gentleman. or something. ]

III.)

[ what has been bothering robin is that his phone won't let him send messages to anyone he knows: ange. eve. guil. even pannya (does a panda-cat actually have a phone, this is a mystery but he tries anyway). putting in their names does absolutely nothing and is... pretty concerning. he can't even access his social media feeds! there's only one app and it's seemingly worthless.

but what's worse is when he's headed toward the pool, where he does want to swim a little and try to stave off the growing ennui from being on a ship for too long without being able to contact familiar faces? passing by a bucket with a mop inside of it, robin thinks nothing of it--- someone clearly is doing some cleaning and that's not really a concern. if anything, he doesn't want to slip and look like a fool.

the problem is when he tries to pass it and is immediately blocked off as the mop raises up and floats horizontally. ]

Eh? [ blink, blink. ] Is this a magic trick?

[ that question is answered as it viciously swings and robin is barely in time to raise his arms in order to block what would be a brain rattling strike to his head. with a pained cry, he stumbles backwards to dodge the next one--- the bucket joining in to try to trip him up with the sound of plastic scraping against the deck's floor the only indicator of how quick it happens to be.

help. ]

IV.)

[ anything goes! PM this journal or leave something boaty, i guess. ]

iii.

[fortify]

[ Oh my. Someone will be there to catch him if he does trip, and he will get completely scooped up into the stranger's arms as they move to kick — with incredible accuracy —the bucket off the ground and straight into the mop, sending them both flying a good distance (a distance way too far for a normal person to ever dream of kicking something) from them.

Not that Zhongli assumes they will be left alone for long if the spirits are insistent, but he will let the boy down to his feet gently with the mop and broom gone from their sight. ] Are you hurt?

[ Despite asking, Zhongli is already visually looking for any signs of harm to the other. ]

[sweetsong]

[ he's not quite human, but even those vampire traits of his aren't particularly strong in his blood. it's why he's silently thankful as he feels arms that are much more capable than his not only keep him from colliding with the ground, leaving him in a worse position, but also catch him somewhat awkwardly.

robin's even more thankful when he watches the cleaning tools get absolutely demolished--- no doubt they've been destroyed based on how far they've been kicked. ]

I... yeah, a little.

[ he'd love to say his forearms aren't in pain, but they are. both are red from the solid hit he took just before. ]

Are you?

[ is his footsie okay... ]

[fortify]

[ Zhongli can tell he's different from humans, but he is not quite sure what the other is as of current. It matters little, anyway, considering the revelation would have zero effect on his manners towards the teenager.

Zhongli checks the red spots, making sure there is no bleeding (but those will more than likely bruise) before offering a smile. ] I am quite fine, thank you for the concern. [ he's kicked much harder heavier things than that mop and it's bucket friend. ]

Shall we go find some ice or pain reliever? I imagine you will be sore there the next day or two.

[sweetsong]

[ that's a relief. what he didn't want was someone getting hurt on his behalf... even if it's not his fault, he'd still feel guilty! now that he's not in zhongli's arms, robin can check for himself. just to make sure. ]

Mmm... maybe some ice? But it should get better sooner than we think.

[ giving one of his arms a rub, robin looks up at zhongli. ]

Thanks for catching me! I wasn't expecting anything like that to happen... but I guess no one really does, huh?

[fortify]

Let us head to the bar near the pool. I believe that is the closest location where we can acquire ice. [ The other's cheerfulness is quite a breath of fresh air, considering practically every person he has encountered has been in a(n understandably) foul mood. Zhongli smiles appreciatingly over the teenager's concern and then his subsequent gratefulness for being assisted. ]

You are most welcome. It is true this is certainly not a situation one would expect to encounter. Even now being aware that it is quite possible ... one cannot go around terrified of every step they take in this place. We will simply have to do our best and look after one another, when possible.

[ that doesn't make any of this less concerning, though. ]

Oh... I did not properly introduce myself. My name is Zhongli.

[ he'll start walking to lead the other in a direction, but will wait for the other to come alongside him so that they may go together. ]

[sweetsong]

The bar near the pool... oh! Yeah, I remember that. They had all kinds of drinks with umbrellas in them.

[ but he didn't partake. no, he's not of drinking age where he's from, and he certainly would NOT break that law. even if he'll never appear anything older for the rest of his existence! ]

I'm not terrified. Just surprised, is all. [ the smile on his face is a little more confident with the reassurance that if the worst thing possible is having something thrown in his direction, he can maybe defend himself the next time it happens.

but having zhongli here... he probably doesn't have to do that. ]

Zhongli-san. Thank you again. [ a slight bow as he follows after! ] Can I ask where you learned how to kick so hard?

[fortify]

[ perhaps they can get him one that has no alcohol if he likes the look of the drinks, regardless. As for his question about his kicking, Zhongli chuckles. ] It is a part of my martial arts training. When I was younger, I trained quite often and my master was very strict on form. I had to learn to be quite precise with my feet involving much heavier items. It is less about the force behind the kick and moreso where you make contact with what you are kicking. Even if you are not particularly strong physically, you could still kick quite effectively.

[ once they arrive at the pool bar, Zhongli looks around but doesn't see anyone around so he will move behind to where all the drink making supplies are and find the ice freezer. From there he searches for a dry and clean cloth they can wrap the ice in. ] Are you familiar with these drinks provided? They are quite colorful. [ they look nice, and Zhongli had never really seen such fantastic vibrant colors in such verity in drinks before. ] ... Although I imagine you are a bit young to have tasted them. Perhaps you have without alcohol, however?

[sweetsong]

... so you're saying you practiced kicking mops and buckets all the time?

[ that's what he's getting from zhongli at this point, and robin is more amazed by the specificity of the training and not necessarily the rest of it. then again, if that's what you encounter the most of, then that's what you should be good at kicking. right? right. what an expert this man is!

as he peers at those drinks, they appear to be set out buffet-style, as if it's expected for people to come by and just snag whatever they want. that's kind of a bad way to serve alcohol; what if a minor comes by and just chugs a bunch???

thankfully robin wouldn't do this. also, he has a chaperone. ]

No, but they look really cute! They look sweet. But maybe you could take a sip of each and tell me which ones are safe...?

I

[myagic]

[Rita's thoughts have been little more than a litany of hell no, this can't be happening, what is WRONG with her face, and the like, when she turns her head to the source of the question, her expression is anything but enthused.]

...Wait, did you say exciting? Hey, are you working with whoever's behind this or something?!

[sweetsong]

[ her reaction doesn't faze him; robin's more than happy to maintain the innocent smile that comes naturally despite the uncertainty they're all facing?

though he's also quick to shake his head, his hair drifting in front of his face as he does so. ]

No, I'm not. I've never been on a ship like this before!

[ and then robin hums. ]

If it's not exciting, what is it?

[myagic]

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!

[sweetsong]

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.

[myagic]

[And she gives him a look somewhere between utter exasperation and disbelief, planting her hands on her hips.]

There's no good kind of kidnapping, you know! Kidnappers usually don't have your best interests in mind.

[She ends up frowning as it brings her right back to some of the odd details.]

Besides, it wasn't even like a kidnapping; I was just--here all of a sudden. You don't remember anyone grabbing you or anything, do you?

[sweetsong]

[ he might be willing to openly disagree here. hasn't she ever seen someone get 'kidnapped' to go do something fun? there's no hesitation in his mind that this could be a possibility...

just. maybe not in this case. maybe! ]

No. I woke up in my room. I was just leaving the café for the day, and...

[ and then he was on a boat. ]

... were you grabbed?

[myagic]

[What sets it apart for Rita is that they didn't even ask to be kidnapped--or at least she didn't; she can't speak for the other passengers.

Either way, she sighs.]

No, it was about the same for me. I was just on my way to the edge of town, but then the whole city was just...replaced by this boat. And they kind of interrupted something important!

[And now she's irritated again. And...a little worried. At least she figured out something to keep her friend safe, but there was still more to do...]

[sweetsong]

Oh... that's definitely different.

[ and he feels a little bad for making it sound like rainbows and sunshine when his situation is clearly very different than hers? still though, it's hard for him to not feel optimistic despite it all.

why?

because he hasn't been smacked around by weird possessed things yet. ]

I'm sorry.

[ wait. ]

A city... replaced by a boat. That sounds like magic.

[myagic]

To be more precise, I was transported here. There's obviously no magic that actually turns a city into a boat.

[She says it like it's a fact--but doesn't dispute the existence of magic at all.]

Hmm...maybe...we're missing the memory of exactly what happened...

[Thinking out loud more than anything.]

[sweetsong]

You think that someone was able to sneak up on us both, and everyone else here... and drag us onto this boat?

[ a moment as he processes this possibility... ]

That'd be pretty incredible! And a little scary too, especially if we can't remember how it happened.

[myagic]

I mean--I guess it'd be impressive, in a way. Even I don't know of any magic that can mess with your memories.

But we need more data first...

By the way, which town were you in? Were you in the capital too?

[She means Zaphias, of course, but at the moment, she has no reason to specify the name; she assumes he would know.]

[sweetsong]

Town? No, I live in Harajaku.

[ a city, not a town! a minor correction in the scheme of things. that being said, he tilts his head. ]

Where are you from...?

[myagic]

Never heard of it.

[She assumes it must be some tiny place out in the middle of nowhere.]

I'm from Aspio, but as I mentioned, I was in Zaphias before all this.

[sweetsong]

[ blinks slowly... ]

I've never heard of those places.

[ and then robin snaps his fingers. ]

I understand! We're from different worlds, aren't we?

[myagic]

What?

[He gets an very dubious look now as she puts her hands on her hips.]

Look, I don't know how you've never heard of them, but how the hell do you jump to that conclusion?!

[sweetsong]

[ he shrugs. ]

This all reminds me of uh... a story. Or fable.

[ a very weird one, but it certainly sounds more like fiction than reality. ]

Besides, I don't know what's easier to think. There's a lot that doesn't make sense.