memesofeternity | Test Drive Meme III

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Test Drive Meme III

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. SUMMER SUN

[insert Sheryl Crow track here]

Vaikuntha offers opportunities for many summer activities. Only some of the beaches hold the risk of being attacked by aquatic monsters, the others are a perfect destination for a day trip on a sunny day. Take a hike up the mountains and relax in some hot springs at the top. Go camping in the woods ~~just not on Friday the 13th~~. Enjoy a refreshing sea salt ice cream bar. Just because you’re here, it doesn’t mean you’re not entitled to a vacation.

K. WILD CARD

Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Okay, I can't even be disgusted by that because I spent the last two years eating giant space bugs and whatever we found on the back of a giant space creature that was edible.

[Wait for it...] But a sea god?

It was an accident. He slipped on our old roommate's blood and tripped and, [He makes a chop motion with his hand.]

I'm not sure who was more surprised - Leviathan, us, or Hunk. He got some scales from her. I think he kept them.

[Shiro sighs, pauses and holds up a finger. Right, he should warn about Dark Knight. He could just see Keith pick it up and get surprised.] Baiken uses Dark Knight. That job sacrifices of themselves in exchange for power.

Her wounds reopened as a price and...

[He spreads his hands.]

...Quiznak. [He brings a hand to his brow again.] Sounds like it was quite the mess.

[He grunts in agreement and leans into Keith, blowing out a breath a second later.]

That's about all the surprises I can think of off the top of my head. [When his head is full of things like 'so there's a clone of you'. 'You called out to me'. But no mention of what happened to him.

He has a solid lump of dread in his stomach at what the answer might be. He's not an idiot. If he wasn't inside the cockpit and had vanished. But...

He drops his head into his hand and shuts the door on those thoughts. Not yet.]

...Keith. Have you gotten any rest at all other than that nap in the cot?

[He knows that they have a lot to talk about. In private. Especially the brief hints he's given so far, but... he's tired. Not quite to the point of collapsing again, but, he leans back.]

No. [Unless we're counting losing consciousness because it was briefly pulled into Black?] Three or four battles in a row. Didn't have time to stop.

[Especially when the others were in danger. They needed him and he stepped up despite nearly...]

[He stares at him with open concern. Four battles in a row. Shiro touches his shoulder and gets up off the couch.] I'll be right back.

[He doesn't give Keith time to tell him yes or no. He walks away, disappearing through the door. He returns a few minutes later having nipped into the infirmary to grab a blanket.]

I want you to sleep for a few hours. I couldn't find any spare pillows but you're more than welcome to lean on me.

[Shiro holds out the blanket to him.] I'll be right here when you wake.

[Look, at least it wasn't nearly two days of nonstop fighting this time?] Shi-

[He was going to say he's fine, that he'd rather talk and could sleep later, but by the time he starts to say it, Shiro's already disappearing through the door. He sighs, leaning back against the couch they were sitting on. His mind trying to wrap itself around what was being said earlier. It's a lot to take in even without including his current state.

In the end, he takes the blanket and drapes it over his legs. He nods numbly.] Wake me up an hour before we land. [If the others moving about doesn't wake him, first.]

[He leans back against the couch to make himself a more comfortable pillow and nods. An hour gives Keith time to prepare and get some food into him. He needs that for the paperwork, processing, and the trip to another airship.] Of course. You'll need to eat before we land.

You're going to be a little busy when we get there. [If he's got the read on Keith's changes he'll be smart and get some shut-eye.]

[Which is exactly why he asked specifically for that amount of time. He trusts Shiro more than enough to keep watch even if it isn't necessary.]

Great. [Just what he needs. More to do. He'd ask what it is he'll be busy with but that can wait until he wakes up. He's out before his head even grazes his best friend's shoulder.]

[He spends the time Keith is asleep to update his notes and check in with his friends. It paints a picture of who he can expect and if the house sound get additions. Or purchasing the nearest house. So far they’ll all fit just fine. He saves his altered notes and notices the time.

Keith’s warm weight and soft breathing has been a gentle counterpoint to his thoughts. He had let himself feel frustrated and helpless while Keith was out. Now his churning emotions have settled. As he had planned.

Shiro turns his head slightly and calls out in a normal tone.]

Keith. Keith, it’s time. Once you’re up I’ll pour you some coffee and you need to eat a few sandwiches.

[It's probably for the best that he doesn't stir, then. He must have been really out of it if the others or the messages replaying in the background hadn't done it.

Yet all he dreams of is a black expanse lit up by a sea of stars. A low rumble of a growl and a sun in the distance.

Keith stirs the moment Shiro says his name; blinks as everything comes into focus and he sits up. Better, but his body is screaming for more. Which he'll likely get after whatever it is he has to do planetside first.]

Alright, I'm up. [His body doesn't want to be, but his mind's already starting to override that.] ...You doing okay?

[He knows he left a lot of bits and pieces out in the open with very little to connect them save the scar.]

[He gets up and snags a mug, pouring coffee into it. He doctors it to take the bitter edge off of it and grabs a sandwich. Shiro returns to the couch with both of them. It gives him enough time to really think about his answer.]

I'm about as well as expected. I have a lot of questions, but they can wait until we're at the house.

[Shiro smiles and it reaches his eyes. It's tired and a little sad, but real.]

Really, I'm alright. How are you?

Edited 2018-07-25 07:01 (UTC)

[He folds up the blanket while Shiro thinks on that response. The silence is biting, gnawing at him almost as much as those glimpses into the future had.]

How long will that be? [He asks, trying to get a grasp on the plan.] You mentioned I'd be busy with something when we land.

[It's probably obvious what he's trying to get at. He doesn't want it eating at him the entire time.]

And I'm fine. Tired, but fine.

You'll be busy with registration and get your necessary equipment for this world. [Shiro says as he holds the coffee and sandwich while Keith cleans up. He calculates the days it will take to get back.]

It will be at least four days before we get home. You'll need your Asterisks and what ones you want will decide some of that time.

[He knows what Keith is getting at. There is a black book hidden in his room that is full of plans to defeat him. He has spent months with fragments.] It can wait, Keith. I've been operating on fragments for months. A little longer isn't going to hurt anything.

[Keith gives him a look. One that says he understands, certainly, but also that his mind went directly to Lance or Coran being registered. The former would try to skip it if he could. The latter? He felt a sympathy headache coming on already.]

Any info on them where we're landing?

[He understands that it can wait, but he's also wanting to hit the ground running. The more information in his hands out the gate, the better.]

[Once the sandwich is taken he touches Keith's shoulder. It's alright. He has suspicions but they can wait for everyone to be safe. Even if Keith wants to make it all okay right now. They have a team to guide.]

Yes, there's a library in the Curti Center. It contains information on the jobs, maps, and any general information you want to know.

Hunk will be there too. He can give a solid rundown of what we've seen and heard.

[He takes the sandwich and the coffee, finally, having put the blanket down to the side. Folded nice and neat. Though he pauses at the shoulder touch, sighing. He knows, but a certain someone is also a part of that team.]

Before or after he starts asking if I'm okay?

[Because, well, the scar wasn't there the last time he'd seen him if what Shiro said earlier was anything to go by. He can almost hear the Hunk Panic Time™ already. He takes a bite of the sandwich with that thought in mind.]

...after.

[His eyes lose a bit of the light in them. He's doing a swift calculation in the back of his mind. Hunk will ask about what happened to Keith. The clone might come up. The question will be there. He looks away, fighting with himself.]

He's going to ask what happened to me.

[They both know it. He knows where this is going. Shiro stares at the floor and finally meets Keith's eyes.]

...maybe...you should tell me. So we can both handle Hunk's reaction.

[Keith puts the coffee down on the table in front of them. He knows himself well enough to know that for this? It wouldn't be wise to hold on to it with how this is turning. Might as well.]

I said before, [His voice is quiet, lowered so only his best friend could hear as their eyes meet.] -that it was a clone that I'd found after you disappeared. That's because your body was gone, but Black somehow retained your essence. [You died, Shiro.] You said you tried to warn the others about the clone, but your bond with each other wasn't strong enough. I told the others after we defeated Lotor, and Allura pulled you from Black and placed your consciousness into the clone's body.

The last thing I remember before waking up back there is us agreeing to go home once you stabilized.

[This was another part he dreaded having to say, because he knows how they all took it. He has no idea how Shiro will, or Hunk where he is now for that matter.] We need to replace the Castle. Coran gave Commander Holt copies of the plans for the Castle so they could prepare Earth.

[He felt a thin line of pain stretch inside him. He had come to terms with death a while ago. Years ago when he got told he only had so long for his dreams. But this is different. Not only had those who cared for him had to mourn him. His face became a tool to be used against them.

He sits and absorbs this knowledge as his hands curl into fists. Rage boils up and he clamps it down with a drawn-in breath. He lets it out and reviews the facts.

Black saved him. He tried to protect the team but the bond wasn't strong enough. Keith came for him not knowing the clone was a fake. Instead of giving up they pulled him from the Lion and gave him life again.

But he had died. Everyone who saw his last memory saw him die. And the Castle is gone. That one kicks him hard. Keith had set down the coffee and sandwich. Shiro leans in and wraps his arms around him, hugging him tightly. Terrible things have happened.

But they made it through. When he's alone he'll deal with all the twisting surges of emotion he feels about all this. Right now.]

You saved me, Keith. You never gave up. ...it hurts to know what you all went through. But you're alive. We can rebuild from there.

[His voice is soft and low. They're alive. They can handle whatever else comes next. Together.]

...We'll do it together. [He rests his head on Keith's shoulder, holding onto him for Keith's sake and his own. He knows how much it cost his best friend to say all that.]

Once we all settle and get on the same page, I want you to rest. You've more than earned it. I'm not ordering it. I'm asking you to.

[It's not hard to pull Keith in. He was this close to initiating it but wanted to give Shiro a moment to review what he just laid out in the open for him. Keith wraps his arms around his best friend, trying to ignore how he feels fangs biting into his lower lip as he tightens his grip.

It hurt to say what he did, but it hurt even more because it meant telling Shiro what lay in store for him. Only being able to watch as he floundered in his grief and failed, his instincts he didn't understand nearly costing the team everything. Watching his own clone question every choice he made as a leader. How he withdrew and chose to be on the mission. He had to be on it, just like Shiro had for the Kerberos mission years ago.

A sad smile crosses his lips as he squeezes in reassurance.]

We saved each other. [It's a small correction, but an important one. In the back of his mind he notes how easy it is to rest his chin on Shiro's shoulder, but it's swept aside by the request.] We will, and I'll rest on the way.

[Like I'll be able to sit idly after everything, he thinks to himself.]

So long as you rest even a little bit, that's fine. [He knows as much as Hunk could tell him about what happened. All the questions he had been sitting on suddenly don't matter. Keith is in pain and it isn't worth it to cause him more for the sake of clarifying how it all went wrong.

Not after Keith came for him when all hope was seemingly lost. Not when telling their friends and teammates comes next. They need their energy to weather it and shoulder the sorrows of the others. He squeezes him back, one hand resting in the middle of Keith's back.]

...I'm alright. It's a lot to process but, I'll deal. Now, [He slowly lets him go and watches his face.] Get a few sandwiches in you. You'll need them.

[Keith nods. Right, he knows. He's not going to deny himself the sleep he definitely needs, but for now, he needs to focus on what comes next. Telling Hunk will be painful as well, but he'll bear it like he did all those glimpses of the future. Weather and prepare. Shoulder the others' grief and remind them what he can tell them of the positives they have to face, along with the fact they're here. Even if this isn't where they're meant to be.

He'd been just about to ask how he was holding up when it's answered for him already. He sighs once, letting the tension in his chest that built up go in one steady breath. As they slowly pull away, Shiro likely glimpses a slight hint of yellow before Keith blinks and it's gone; replaced with a determined but concerned look. The fangs, however...]

Any other blank spots I can fill you in on later, I will. [When they're both ready, in private.] However, I was gone for some time.

[He can't fill him in completely on the team, but he can at least tell him what he was up to with the other Blades at those points. Keith sighs and returns to the sandwich. Shiro's right. He will need it if they're going to talk to Hunk.]

[Had he mistaken that bit of yellow in Keith's eyes? At first he thinks he's just tired. Then he sees the fangs. The words his best friend is saying wash over him as he blinks.

Yep.

Fangs.]

Keith. Don't take this the wrong way but, why do you have fangs?

[Had he? Had he? That'll be a question he'll have to ask himself because it's not exactly something he could say. There wasn't a mirror on the space whale sabbatical.

The question earns a quirked eyebrow.]

Do I? [Huh. They seem to retract as he calms down.]

fin

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Iiiit's Return of the Spoiler Hinting, oh boy...!

OH BOY

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And spoiler tunnel yet again wooo

/picks up speed

/buildings are zipping by now

/wheeeeeee

/WOOO

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,､’`<(❛ヮ❛✿)>,､’`’`,､ HOLY SHIT THE SPOILERS

⊂(◉‿◉)つ I COME FROM THE FUTURE AND HOLY SHIT DA SPOILAHS

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