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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Amaterasu | Okami

[motherofthesun]

[B. Curti Center]

Okay, new world and new places, all that's well and good, but she had her attention elsewhere already. New world and new places meant new people and new scents; more importantly, new scents would lead to new foods. So while everyone else took their time to figure out where to go next or what to do, she just wandered off at a trot, head up and nose sniffing.

Until she got a snack after being brought to a new place, she wasn't going to consider doing much else.

[C. Up in the Sky]

Running back and forth next to the window, her tail was high and wagging. Occasionally, she will pause to stand on her hind legs and press her paws against the glass to look down to gaze at the passing landscape. There might be the one or two or ten barks as she saw something else that caught her interest, but at least she saved that for being on the deck.

[F. Sidequest]

Sidequest: Bring back twenty (20) piece of takoyaki

Challenge: Trying to keep the large wolf from eating it all

Even with the Summoner's staff in her mouth, she was still managing to eat every other drop from the Octopi. Hope the individual accompanying her was in for the long-haul; her bottomless pit of a stomach knew no bounds. At least there was going to be plenty of Gil later.

[OOC: Testing out a potential Summoner/Ranger.]

F

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Now, Jecht wasn't a man who's used to pets or animals or stuff like that. The busy life of a sports superstar, and later a Guardian, kinda didn't allow for the care and feedin' of animals.

He's guessing he probably shouldn't be planting one foot on the big ol' dog's muzzle to keep her away from the takoyaki he has held up high in his other hand, but screw it! He was going with what worked!

"Would you cut it out!? I'll buy you a bone or something when we get back! If we EVER get back, which we're not GONNA at this rate!"

[motherofthesun]

Jaws open and pushing back against the foot, she really didn't care about fighting more octopus for more takoyaki; this guy just didn't have the energy to keep up. It's not her fault it's so tasty!

However...

Her ear turned at the word 'bone'. A bone? He'd really get her a bone like the ones back home? She withdrew her slobbery fangs from his foot and barked, tail wagging. Jecht, you owe her that bone and she definitely expected it later!

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Wait, really? That was all it took? Jecht figured poochy here would try to argue up to a steak or something.

...Man, he sure hoped that what pup thought of as a bone was what he thought of as a bone. She didn't want some giant thing out of a monster the size of a city, did she?

"Y'know, when I put out an ad looking for the help of a Summoner on this thing, this wasn't what I expected."

[motherofthesun]

Trotting on ahead to try sniffing out the next octopus (if they haven't already run away), she was just thinking about her treat later. Ah, it would be so delicious and chewy, and she probably needed to stop drooling on her staff. The smithy would not like slobber again... hah.

Looking back, she rolled her eyes. Well, she can image what kind of Summoner he might've wanted.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"I was a guardian, y'know." Jecht had apparently decided that the lack of conversation from Ammy's end meant he had to fill the air. Had a few things to get out and a dog probably wasn't too judgmental, right? "I guess they don't have 'em here... summoners aren't as big a deal as they were on Spira. Every summoner was supposed to be on a pilgrimage. Get all their Aeons, get to -- the last one. Here, you guys are just normal, huh? 'Cept I still gotta protect you while you're doing your thing. Guess some things never change."

[motherofthesun]

'The last one'? Oh, he said it so ominously; she wondered what really happened and how many summoners reached this end. Still, he'll have to pardon her for not saying anything in the matter for she could not speak. She does have to huff though at the idea she required protection while doing this job since doing anything and everything was her actual job. Alas, what a limiting world.

c

[garyoutensei]

... Was that someone's dog? Actually... the closer a look she got, the more it became obvious that it was a wolf... And an unusual one at that.

Baiken couldn't say she was fond of any kind of dog, wolf or otherwise, given how much boisterous they tended to be with their interactions. Even the barking was making her nervous.

"Hey, is anyone gonna shut this animal up?" she growled, looking around for any kind of owner.

[motherofthesun]

Unfortunately for Baiken, two things: one, looked like there was no owner, and two, looked like no one was interested in quieting the wolf. In fact, now the wolf had some rambunctious kids running around with her away from the railing of the ship.

More barks, more laughs, and a big dopey tongue hanging out while she got hugs.

[garyoutensei]

Baiken growled. This was making her too anxious, and she needed to take some control of the situation.

"Knock it off and shut up!" she shouted, not even caring that more people were likely to stare at her now that she'd raised her voice...

[motherofthesun]

Sure, that got people to shut up and others too look, but Baiken, even the wolf had to fix her with a 'Are you kidding me?' look. Shaking her head, she nudged the first child and began leading the rest.

They'll go have fun elsewhere spoilsport.

B. (IT'S A DOGGY)

[sassafrisk]

Frisk, despite their experiences with the Canine Unit, Dohj, and the Annoying Dog, still had something of a weakness for cute puppers. Who may also be wolf goddesses. But was first and foremost a cute pupper. Frisk's first instinct on seeing Amaterasu is to crack a wide grin, moving to scratch her behind the ears.

[motherofthesun]

Oh, it's a person not too nervous to approach a wolf. And they're already going for her ears, happy day! The big sorrowful eyes only worked so well when one appeared to be a fluffy predator. She really should've changed forms if she knew she would be coming here... oh well, pets.

[sassafrisk]

With no obvious threat of retaliation, Frisk scratches the big wolf behind her eyes, smiling widely. The therapeutic nature of dogs cannot be overstated. "You new here too?" they ask.

[motherofthesun]

Tail wagging, she whines, pleased. Yes, more pets. But, she guesses that she's been asked a question and better answer. "Wruf!"

[sassafrisk]

Frisk chuckles. "I'll take that as a yes." It was oddly grounding petting Amaterasu, a much-needed calm in the middle of the completely insane storm Frisk had found themself in. Hopefully the wolf wouldn't surprise them with a freakishly long neck extension. "Wanna get food?"

[motherofthesun]

How does this human just know all the things she needs to get right now? Because food? Yes, time to get food! Such was her original goal until pets happened!

F

[kuposcreed]

Bonnie let out an annoyed huff as she chased after both the strange Octopus they were after as well as the wolf who was supposed to be her companion. Unfortunately her little wings were failing her on speed on the straightaways. At least she was able to handle it better when the thing would turn suddenly. And at least she had her mail satchel on hand to hold all of the takoyaki.

"Kupoooo~ Please stop eating them all! What are we going to do if it runs out and we don't have enough, kupo~"

[motherofthesun]

If anyone came across them right now, it would be a very amusing sight. One monster, supposed to be the villain in this, running away from one large wolf determined to bite and hit it with more magic, and finally, followed by one moogle weighed down by a satchel. Well, the wolf along with the partial form of Ramuh to shock the heck out of the Octopus before it could get away.

That was one more and some Gil, and freshly fried Octopi... though, Amaterasu sat this time.

[kuposcreed]

Bonnie wasn't so quick to stop as Amaterasu suddenly gave up the chase. Her wings, beating as fast as she could flutter, sent her colliding into Amaterasu's back with a soft paff.

The octopus kept on fleeing, of course, wanting nothing to do with any of this silliness any longer, though battered and fried as it was both literally and figuratively now it wasn't making a speedy escape.

B

[finny_fun]

What is that? It looked like Max, but it was... different.

"Whatcha looking at Kupo?" asked Boxcar as Ariel gestured towards Ammy. "Oh, that's a dog!"

"I thought so, but it's so different from Max." She held out a biscuit for Ammy, trying to coax her over, not even realizing she was a newcomer.

[motherofthesun]

She smelled... she smelled!

Turning her head, ears straight up, she smelled a biscuit! And what a delightful-looking young woman was holding it out!

Trotting over eagerly with a wagging tail, Amaterasu was happy to accept the treat gently from Ariel's hand.

[finny_fun]

"Aww she likes it!" Exclaimed Ariel, feeding Ammy with a giggle. "Hey there, you're a girl right?"

"Seems like it." said Boxcar.

[motherofthesun]

Munching happily away on the biscuit still, she nodded. Was it her fur that was a giveaway? Totally the fluffy fur.

[finny_fun]

It was the fluffy fur. She was giggling as Ariel reached out and said, "Can I pet your snout?"