Test Drive Meme II

[eternitymods]

A. RETRIEVAL Dreams fade slowly, and awareness returns in increments. The hum of machinery, the smell of recycled air, the murmurs of others waking up around you. The interior of the ship has been outfitted with cots for those Biggs and Wedge retrieve from the Dream Width. Outside of the makeshift infirmary, windows set into the walls of the worn lounge area offer a view of space. It’s time to meet your fellow new arrivals who have been brought together on Biggs and Wedge’s airship. The other newly-awakened people have no idea how they came to be here, but now's a good time as ever to introduce yourself to the others on the airship and glean what information you can. B. CURTI CENTER The researchers at the Curti Center are not quite so unprepared as last time, but it is still obvious that they are struggling to understand the sudden influx of interdimensional travelers from the Dream Width. "Please step into the lobby for a quick survey. Perhaps there is some common thread we haven't discovered yet..." The staff will do their best to help the off-worlders settle in. They answer the questions they can, write down all proffered information they can about the arrivals' homeworlds, provide maps and pamphlets about Vaikuntha and the destinations within it, and even guide the arrivals to a neighborhood where housing has been provided for you. Yes, due to the strange influx of arrivals, you’ll be expected to share, but the Curti staff are doing the best they can, considering they are still housing the previous arrivals here on the island. Experiences like these bring people together. Perhaps you are the only one here from your world, but at least you are not alone in this experience. Others are right beside you, learning the same information, planning trips to visit the same new cities, checking out these Job things, and settling in to their new (temporary) homes. C. UP IN THE SKY There’s a whole new world to explore. It’s almost enough to distract from the fact that there’s one place you can’t go- home. You are on an Airship, the main mode of transportation between the major cities of Vaikuntha. While the majority are owned by airlines, perhaps you hitched a ride with a friend that has their own. You can go anywhere in a matter of hours — One can only hope you don’t have motion sickness. D. GUILDS Proud representatives of the Guild are lined up, ready to demonstrate their skills for the new initiates. Make sure to stay behind the designated line, this might get dangerous. So you want a new Job? You'll have to first travel to the Guilds, sign the papers, go through the orientation and introductory lectures, and get basic training. Afterwards, you can freely chat and practice with your fellow members, celebrating your new powers, and checking out your new wardrobe. E. LET'S BE ADVENTURERS Separated from all of your material possessions, connections, and everything you know, and really, what you’re left with is time. Better try to make the most of it. Enough expository banter. It's explorin' time. Maybe instead of spending every day in your room, you'd rather spend it living it up in the city of Lavode, or betting on Chocobo Races in Sparks Goldsaucia. Or maybe you'd rather go and explore the caves and ruins near Arito. With Airships and Chocobos at your disposal, you can go nearly anywhere! F. SIDEQUESTS Maybe you’re telling yourself, ‘I didn’t sign up for this.’ But wait, you did. At least it pays. It all started when you checked the Quest Board.  All you wanted was a few gil to spend, and here you are in the wild, hunting for a Malboro Vine. Or maybe you are in some ancient and decrepit ruins looking for an artifact. Or you could be asked to be janitor for a week. Consider yourself lucky though, at least you don't have to do that alone. G. GET A JOB (THE OTHER KIND) You’ve got a Job, but Claire keeps sighing and muttering about layabout space-people not earning their keep, so it might be time to seek out Employment as well. There are plenty of opportunities to earn some gil in Vaikuntha, no matter where you choose to settle down. Your iMog slate includes listing for employment opportunities. Hopefully you can find something you can live with so that you can start saving up for an airship or the security payment for your permanent housing. H. MOGNET *Ding!* You’ve got Mog-Mail! Thankfully, you can instantaneously chat with your friends around the world thanks to you iMog Slate. And unlike old-fashioned Moogle Letters, you can even send messages to everyone in a blink of an eye! However, despite the change in technology, the old tradition of Mognet Strikes have never gone away. Nobody knows any more whether the Moogles have legitimate reasons to go on strike or if they are just lazy. But today, Mognet is down, and to get information you have no choice but going to the public boards or risk message corruption and mishandling. I. RANDOM ENCOUNTER The ground trembles, and out of nowhere, something hostile appears! Is that battle music playing? You were minding your own business walking around, and suddenly monsters attacked you! Time to put to use the skills you've learned with your Jobs! Will you try to fight on your own or seek help? And remember, you die in random battle, you die FOR REAL. There’s no shame from running from enemies that are a higher level than you! J. CHOCOBO MADNESS You look at the giant chicken, and the giant chicken looks back at you. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful relationship? The kind folks at the Chocobo Farm have provided you with the tools of the chocobo-catching trade: greens, a bridle, and more advice than you can remember. Time to go find your new steed. Or perhaps you have already captured a chocobo, and your friend has captured a chocobo, and now you'd like to bring some chicks into the equation. Chocobo breeding may be the minigame for you! K. WILD CARD Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

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Ravus Nox Fleuret | FFXV

[sonoftenebrae]

Curti Center

[Ravus stands, stiff-backed and tall, in the Curti Center lobby, forgoing the staff members' information sessions in favor of reading through their literature. He flips through a pamphlet a little awkwardly with one hand. The long white sleeve of his coat hangs empty on his left side, his magitek arm lost to the Dream Width.]

This makes no sense. What cruel game are the Astrals playing now?

[He crumples the pamphlet and lets it fall to the ground, already moving on to the next in hopes of some explanation for his presence here.]

Guilds- Spoilers for FFXV Chapter 9

[His first Job was an easy enough choice for Ravus. He wears a borrowed sword at his side (though he hopes Fate will see fit to return his own glaive back to his hand), and plans to spend the next few months regaining his former sword fighting skills.

The second job, however...

He hesitates outside of the Summoner's Guild, brooding. The mantle of the Oracle, which had been denied him on Eos, finally resides within reach...too late to spare Lunafreya its burden.]

If the Astrals require more sacrifice from the line of Fleuret, they'll have to have it from me and none other.

[He steels himself and stalks into the Guild Hall to take on the asterisk. If all his Blood has been spilled and left him nothing but duty to live for, then he will see the Oracle's duty done.]

Sidequests

[The newly-fitted magitek prosthetic is a strange weight on his left side, but Ravus does not deign it worthy of comment. He'll not live on charity, which means earning enough gil to pay the Magitek Guild for the use of their equipment.]

I'll need a sizable bounty. [He comments, looking at the quest board.]

How barbaric, being reduced to hunting for my keep. Still, better a Hunter than a debtor. [That admission comes grudgingly, as does the assessing gaze right and left to find a companion for his quest. He'd greatly prefer to see to the quest alone, but his skill level does not allow it. He turns decisively, getting to the heart of it without concern for niceties like introductions or small talk.]

Join me. We'll see to this quickly and split the bounty equally.

Sidequests

[maximum_mighty]

Eh?

[Emu was still outfitted in his White Mage outfit but he had his doctors jacket slung over his outfit. He looked at the bounty and flinched a little: on the quest board was a sizable bounty for a couple of humanoid creatures.]

I don't know if I'm ready for that, [said Emu hesitantly.] I'm a doctor, I can't go around killing things indiscriminately. I can heal you, but I'm meant to cure, not maim.

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus's immediate response is annoyance, but he forces it away. He knows the value of a healer, after all. It takes a different kind of strength than what he possesses.]

Did you have a different quarry in mind, Healer? If you've no stomach for violence, there are other options. Make your choice.

[He'll acquiesce to the doctor's preference of quest, but that does not mean Ravus will abide his time being wasted.]

[maximum_mighty]

[It's the humanoid that gets him. It might trip his Hippocratic Oath and all.]

If we can get something LESS humanoid, then I'll be fine. I just want to make sure we're on the same page right now.

[He pulled a bounty off the wall.] This one. It's a standard opponent, and I'll feel better about it.

[Retrieve 5 skeleton ribs and fight 7 skeletons.]

[sonoftenebrae]

[In Ravus's mind, dead creatures walking are more disquieting than humanoid daemons, but he can put aside his personal disgust for the sake of the mission. It is rated less difficult than the quest he had aimed for, but perhaps that is a better starting point.]

Very well. I can see to the fighting, if you can provide support. What had died once already should not be so hard to kill a second time.

[He speaks with the arrogance born of faith in his own skill.]

[maximum_mighty]

[And to be fair, Emu was very skilled. It was just that his personal oaths made killing things like Sahagin difficult, let alone any bounties that might be on a humanoid.]

Of course. I'll pick up some antidotes as well, before we set out. Normally creatures like skeletons have poisoned blades or jagged blades that cause bleeding, so we'll need bandages too.

[sonoftenebrae]

Very well. I've little gil to invest in this mission now. Have you enough to see to your supplies?

[As much as he hates to cut into his earnings, he'll see to it that anything they pay for out of pocket is reimbursed before the prize gil is split between the quest-takers. At least bandages and medicines are less paperwork than a magitek unit.]

Sidequests (because lbr the intro log's where option 1 is at)

[warpstriking]

[Luckily for this one, he doesn't even need to handle things like small talk. He frowns, but says nothing despite being perhaps slightly offended at the ribbing at hunting. He's not wrong about paying the bills, though - and it's still something he's needing to do while training for a more steady paycheck.

This world doesn't care what your lineage is back home, after all. Though consider him surprised, since the last time they met (while he was conscious and Ravus was decidedly not dead or worse), they were at each others' throats.

This is gonna take some getting used to.]

What's the target?

[Read: Will they need his elemental skills, or will his borrowed daggers suffice?]

[sonoftenebrae]

[There is an ulterior motive in this alliance. Ravus made a promise to Lunafreya that he would support Noctis, should the prince prove himself. Though Ravus has no love for the line of Luci, he needs to see Noctis in action and judge his worth for himself. So here he is, swallowing the anger that Noctis' presence stirs in him.]

This one. 'Return with 8 pinion feathers from a cockatrice's wing.'

[It should not be beyond their skill, yet it is a mission that cannot be undertaken alone, given the threat of petrification.]

If it pleases your...highness.

[It costs him something, to use the title.]

[warpstriking]

[Of course there was an ulterior motive. He honestly would be surprised if there wasn't. And, as much as it annoys him that he can't use his own powers to do this, he nods the once.

It shouldn't be too difficult, considering he now had the second tier of magic spells. Which, considering it's a cockatrice they're after, it might come in handy to freeze it before it could petrify either of them.]

Fine by me. [Black mage, it is.] So long as you understand I'm not much of a close-range fighter, here.

[Not yet is the unsaid promise. He will find a way to access his family's magic once again. Also Ravus, your life expectancy is already prematurely shortened. Please stop docking off even more days. That's just weird for both of them.]

[sonoftenebrae]

I can act as our sword. Just do not expect me to be your shield as well.

[Ravus, even on his best behavior for his sister's sake, cannot go that far for an unproven boy of a prince.]

Are you ready to depart, or must you inform your [babysitters] retinue of your whereabouts? [Is that how friendship and brotherhood works?]

[warpstriking]

Wouldn't dream of it.

[Really. He wouldn't. This is odd enough as it is, considering. And, as for his retinue...]

Already told them I was going hunting. [And it took him a lot to convince them he'd be fine, until he mentioned making sure someone doesn't get in over his head.] Let's go.

[sonoftenebrae]

[Being ready to take action at once counts as a point in Noctis' favor, as does going out on his own, without his precious bodyguards. All of that will be forfeit if Ravus gets the slightest inkling that Noctis thinks him in need of a guardian. Ravus cannot imagine having to undertake this mission with the Prince's friends following along. It is small blessing, after such a long series of misfortunes, to at last be able to take the measure of the man his sister loved.]

Come, then. Our transport awaits. [He's not using the title again. Once was enough. He turns and starts walking.]

I doubt we'll make it to the forest and back within the day. We'll lodge in Von Oktavia. I do not share your proclivity for camping.

[There's disgust in his voice, like he considers 'camp' a four letter word.]

[regalblaze]

A sizable bounty comes with a sizable problem.

[One you shouldn't get right off the bat, Ravus. He might have new magitek prosthetic but it will need some time getting used to it, Ignis knows. He's been without his powers for over a month already and it still feels weird.

He will, however, back Ravus up. Despite their differences, Ignis was indebted to him for helping him break through the Empire's forces. Something they should probably talk about eventually, but for now-

Ignis pushes his glasses up.]

What did you decide on?

[sonoftenebrae]

I didn't take you for one to back down from a challenge.

[Ignis has rightly earned Ravus' respect, so his words lack bite. It is as close as he has likely ever gotten to friendly teasing.]

This one. 'Collect 20 gargoyle wings.' We have strength enough to see it through.

[Of course, traveling at night always presents the risk of encountering a more fearsome enemy, but Ravus will deal with that if and when it happens.]

[regalblaze]

[And the feeling is mutual. They... didn't really discuss what happened in Altissia, after Ignis was knocked out but- it could wait. From the looks of it, they aren't going anywhere soon.]

And I don't. However, I do advise going about this the smart way rather than the hard way.

[He peers over at the paper with their quest, pushing his glasses up. Without their powers they could be torn into pieces before they can say 'chocochick'.]

Looks reasonable enough. How are you faring with your Asterisk?

[sonoftenebrae]

[Work smarter, not harder... That is the difference between Ignis and Ravus 'Kick Down the Door and Go Challenge the God' Nox Fleuret. Ravus proposed an alliance with Ignis, that surely counts for doing things the 'smart way'.]

The damn Asterisk. [He glares at his hand where he'd accepted the Swordsmaster Asterisk. He wouldn't admit any of this, except that Ignis has earned his honesty.] I know not how this world stripped me of my abilities, but this 'Job' is a poor substitute yet. It will take time to be the warrior I was.

[He's angry about his new-found weakness, but he'll gain nothing if he does not push himself to recover that which he has lost.]

But this, I can manage. They haven't robbed me completely of my skill with a blade.

[regalblaze]

[But that's also what makes them a fairly good team? Ignis comes up with a plan and Ravus will just slice his way through with it. Ravus' will to cooperate is more than appreciated.

As well as his honesty. Ignis can completely relate to the feeling Ravus is currently experiencing.]

None of us know how it happened. Ever since we woke up on the ship, we had no access to our powers. Any of it. [Yes, even the Ring of Lucii is not responding and it's extremely troubling.] There was a single Asterisk that could let me wield my daggers so I understand how uncomfortable it is. [It has been frustrating, to say the least, trying to get back into shape. Years of harsh training disappearing overnight.]

That is good to hear. Shall we head out then?

Curti Center

[alborada]

[ It’s fortunate that Sylvarie has such patience, but a soft sigh still escapes her as her eyes follow the trail of the crumpled paper to the floor. Bending down she picked it up gingerly, trying to smooth it back out. ]

If you didn’t want it, or any of these, please simply return them to me.

[ They will most certainly not have the means to print out another batch of pamphlets if these influxes continued. Still she returns her gaze to Ravus, brow furrowing. ]

I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean by 'Astrals.'

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus fumbles open the pages of the next pamphlet, frustration growing. He holds the glossy page up to the young woman. It gives a breakdown of the Summoner job class.]

Astrals, the unfeeling gods of our Star. You call them 'Eidolons'.

[With his arm lost gods-know-where, folding the pamphlet back in on itself is a task. Crumpling the pages served the dual purpose of hiding his difficulty and giving him a small outlet for his anger. Now he is denied both.

He flutters the pamphlet, hoping she'll take it.]

If they are indeed the same beings, they'll be behind this.

Guilds

[regisrex]

[ Oh, look, there's a 20-year-old whose attention gets caught by those words. ]

You're of House Fleuret?

[ He does have the coloration for it, though it's not someone Regis has seen before. Or seen portraits of. ]

[sonoftenebrae]

[Ravus does not recognize the younger man, but he feels an instinctive, unconscious dislike of him. He studies the man.]

Yes, I am Ravus Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae. Are you another drawn here from Eos?

[He cannot imagine that a local of Vaikuntha would draw any special meaning from his family's name, so that seems the logical conclusion.]

[regisrex]

[ Regis, on the other hand, has no such reactions at all. Sure, the Nox Fleuret seems like to glare his way out through a steel wall, but that doesn't mean anything bad, necessarily. Probably upsetting for Ravus, truly, but not necessarily bad, in the end.

Besides, his glare has nothing to Cid, anyway. ]

Yes, I am. Regis Lucis Caelum.

[ Possibly one of the first time he's said his full name, here. He's written it, but most people don't care.

A Nox Fleuret would, though, and Regis gives a small bow, respectful and easy both. ]

A pleasure to meet you.

[ Regis, no. ]

[sonoftenebrae]

[Luckily, perhaps, for Regis, Ravus cannot reconcile the youth standing before him and the old dotard that fell in Insomnia. The others from Eos may have arrived from different months, but given the time to travel and the time spent lost in the Dream Width, Ravus can justify that. That the man before him is THE King Regis is too impossible for him to even consider.

He huffs and ignores the pleasantries Regis offers.]

If you're going to assume a false name in this new world, at least have sense enough to chose someone of merit. That coward's legacy is not worth preserving.

[regisrex]

[ It's a very small reaction, visibly. A slight widening of his eyes, and then a fall of his shoulders, before they rise again into a shrug. ]

I see. I suppose that would make sense.

[ His lips quirk a little, eyes dark but oblique, and he tilts his chin towards the entrance of the guilt. ]

Shall we?