TEST DRIVE MEME

[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. None of you know how you came to be here or where you are going, and the door to the cockpit is locked as the pilots focus on navigating the treacherous obstacles of the Dream Width. You might as well take this moment to introduce yourself to your fellow travelers. B. CURTI CENTER There’s an almost overwhelming aura of excitement in the tower as researchers rush to document this unprecedented number of interdimensional travelers. Over the commotion, the leaders of the Center struggle to explain, ‘Welcome to Vaikuntha. We don’t know why you’ve been brought here, but this is your new home.’ The staff will do their best to help the off-worlders settle in. They answer the questions they can, provide maps and pamphlets about the world 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 under the circumstances. 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. WILD CARD Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

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Chrom | Fire Emblem: Awakening | OTA

[chrombobreaker]

A. is for Not Airsick

There’s at least one blue haired figure staggering around the halls of the airship, trying to get his bearings. He does not have motion sickness, thank you very much. He’s just a bit… wobbly on his feet. And constantly bumping into walls as the ship sways underneath him.

Still, give a man credit for trying and being very stubborn at figuring out where he is. And grumbling under his breath.

“This is- this is ridiculous, it’s just a ship. I’ve been on ships before-”

He cuts off once he throws open a door… and potentially wrenches it off its hinges to reach the passenger deck. He almost falls over, but this time it’s from the sight before him.

“…Oh.” Chrom manages, trying to get his legs to stand straight with mixed results. Oddly enough, he doesn’t seem to be THAT scared of the height, with how he’s staring down at the landscape. Just the novelty of being thousands of feet in the air.

“This… looks nothing like Ylisse.” He deflates a little as he says that, a lot of the fight and willpower going out of him just like that. It leaves him off guard; once a stray breeze rocks the ship, and he stumbles, likely straight into anyone else on the deck.

D. is for Damage-Inducing Training

Some things don’t change, as it turns out. Chrom all but jumps at the first opportunity to start training and swinging a sword at things. (Actually, there might be a little bit of literal jumping once he notices a striking similarity with the paladin class, and quiet admonishment to stay behind the line until the demonstration is over.)

And to be fair, he looks quite at home with the new outfit… though he appears to have removed one sleeve for some reason. Maybe it’s just to better swing a sword, which he’s doing with gusto. THIS is clearly something he knows-

And is maybe a little overconfident with, due to one of his swings going wide. And chopping an arm off a training dummy. And then smashing a hole into the wall behind it. Oddly enough the sword stays intact, even if there’s a sizable gap/new window space in the bricks now.

…Just. Don’t look at it. Don’t look at the hole in the wall. Maybe people will think it was there already?

F. is for Freaking Out Over Horsebirds.

Given how much property damage debt he’s managed to build up in just a few hours/days, maybe it’s not that surprising that Chrom has accepted a brief quest. And it sounds fairly simple; go to a chocobo stable, and give the mounts some exercise. He DID list his qualifications as being a decent rider.

No one told him that chocobos have a habit of nibbling on people with pokey hair, however. Or the whole ‘giant bird’ thing. Maybe it was just taken as a given.

“Right…” Chrom mutters, sizing up the big yellow bird in front of him, trying to push back against the beak. The chocobo however just continues nibbling with a good natured coo as Chrom struggles to put the saddle on the thing. “It can’t be that different from a horse, right? Right.”

He finally gets the straps in order, and distracts the bird long enough with some greens landed from the stable master. It gives him room to climb into the saddle. And do it well enough! He actually feels like a proper rider now. Just one whose hair has also turned into a bird’s nest, and who looks like he’s already done hours of riding instead of a few minutes.

A

[spaceforged]

A hand reaches out to steady Chrom before he could impact into white and black armor. "Steady. If you plant your feet a little wider you can weather any wind out here." Shiro had found it much easier to deal with the entire business by being out in the wind. It isn't much but it's something. He waits until he's sure his fellow outsider is steady before he moves to lean against the railing.

"Not used to flying?" Probably not. But it never hurts to ask and see.

[chrombobreaker]

"Thanks," he tries to mimic the advice, and it does seem to help a little. Enough that he can brace himself against the ship rail, instead of clinging onto it. "That does help a little."

"Only with a pegasus, and only then with someone else at the reigns." A second glance at their surroundings, particularly those below them, and Chrom adds. "I've also never been this high up... and I thought we were sailing in a storm at first. Turns out I was only half right."

[spaceforged]

That gets a grin out of him. "We'd be knocked around a lot more in a storm." He glances down at the ground so far below them. It's comforting. "Up this high isn't so bad. Above the clouds...it gets cold the farther up you go. Sort of like climbing a mountain." That's the best way he can put it.

He reaches up and pulls off his helmet, tucking it up against his side as he does. "They don't have pegasus where I'm from but I can sort of guess what that would be like. We use machines a lot like this one but more advanced."

[chrombobreaker]

The term Robin would use would likely be 'culture shock.' The term that comes to Chrom's mind is 'wait what how do you get more advanced than FLYING BOAT.' That much shows on his face, when he glances between the speaker and the ship in question.

"That's a little hard to imagine. I'm still adjusting to ships that fly instead of sail. Though before I try that... I guess some introductions are in order." Particularly since he can finally spare a hand to shake.

"Chrom, lately of Ylisse. And you would be?"

[spaceforged]

"Shiro, ever and always a pilot." Shiro takes a step towards Chrom, bracing himself against the railing with his back and accepts the shake. His hand won't feel quite right, too hard with no give. The shake is quick and precise. "Take your time getting used to everything. I can always explain later once you process this much. We're apparently going to be here a little while."

Hopefully a lot less time than their rescuers seem to think, but he keeps his mind open to a possibly long stay. His grin is laced a lot of gentle apology. He feels a tad guilty causing that culture shock. "But I can't say I ever imagined ships like this. Heard about them in stories but never pictures."

A little head canon ahoy!

[chrombobreaker]

"Ah, not a problem. I'll adjust; you seem to be doing a good enough job of it, after all." This said, his eyebrows do shoot up a little at the handshake. It's not that he's never encountered prosthesis, but it's still rare enough.

"You're a soldier?" He says without thinking. Maybe just because he's only seen them among those who've survived wars. Some of them more bloody and unprovoked than others.

Woo!

[spaceforged]

He freezes, to the outside world its just a momentary pause. Perceptive. Probably a solider himself. He shoves aside every feeling he could have had and shrugs. "I was and still am. And I'm sure you'll adjust just fine. You're doing a great job at it already."

But that question is there and he stands straighter. "Is this the case of it takes a soldier to know a soldier?"

[chrombobreaker]

"A little..." Well, now that he let that slip, he might as well explain.

"I've seen my share of aftermaths from fights. My fa- That is, someone I knew had a brutal policy of war. And it made for a lot of people who had to pick themselves up and find other means, once those battles were finished." And he tries to keep his expression from darkening too much at that, lest Shiro get the wrong impression, that Chrom's angry at him.

"...Though yes, I'm also a soldier." There, that at least is something he can raise his head for, and be more confident in admitting.

[spaceforged]

His blood runs cold for a brief moment. He considers what to say to what little he's been given. In a way it reminds him of the princess who looks to him for tactical suggestions. But this is someone who had been tried by battle and come out the other side. Shiro studies his face for a long moment.

He breathes out through his nose and nods once. "Well, at least we'll have common ground whenever we work together. I offered this to someone else but if you want me to keep my ear out for anyone from where you're from, I can. It's not a trouble to help where I can."

There's something to that dark look and the correction that makes him want to say something else. But he doesn't know enough and lets it lie.

[chrombobreaker]

"I'd honestly breathe better, knowing there's some one seasoned in a fight to watch my back."

Though... He could use some tactical advice, right about now. Or any advice, really; waking up like that with no friends or family was a hard shock. Still, at least it wasn't in the middle of enemies, and he's slowly starting to get his sea... air legs under him, with practice.

"Thanks," he says, and honestly means it. There's clear relief in his voice. "And I'll return the favor, if there's anyone you're looking for. Any names or faces I should be vigilant about?"

F, because why are chocobos, really.

[takyumi]

"It's very different from a horse," pipes up a drained voice that sounds very much like the owner has been through hell.

The source is a slight young man - oddly fuzzy in appearance at first glance until one realizes that he's wearing his ponytail like a scarf after being reverse-clotheslined off his mount one-too-many-times - on a smaller bird that seemed to be making up for its lack of stature with an abundance of hyperactive twitching.

Takumi had ridden everything from pegasi to horses to kinshi, but nothing had prepared him for the rapid, lurching, two-beat THUMP, THUMP of a chocobo running full tilt. His tailbone was killing him, and gods knew it was a good thing he hadn't eaten recently.

[chrombobreaker]

"Ah... I- I see." There's really no polite way of asking what just happened to him, is there? "Is there a battle field nearby? You look like you've just been through a war."

Which is probably why that instantly slips out of his mouth.

"Though I'll probably look the same in a few moments, odds are," Chrom hurries to add, hoping that'll add a little humor to the situation. Though in his rush, he eases up on the reins a little... and that gives his chocobo room to move, and it chooses to rush up to the other rider, crest up and giving off a series of excited "KWEHS!"

...Is his chocobo seriously challenging the other to a race. Because that's certainly what Chrom is getting from this interaction. And no amount of tugging on the reins seems to dissuade the bird. Which continues bobbing its head and pawing the ground with its talons.

[takyumi]

Lucky for Chrom, Takumi is far too wary of the animals they're sitting astride to get particularly offended. He even laughs, in fact, though it's more a bitter bark of sound than anything. Unfortunately he's too wrapped up in spouting a good comeback to notice that his bird is ruffling its feathers and scratching the dirt in a distinct on your mark gesture: "Trust me, I look a lot better after I've been through a waaAAAAUGH--!"

Yeah, that... That's a chocobo taking off with such force that the reins are useless and Takumi is left piling forward to wrap his arms around the bird's neck. This was officially his worst farm-related experience. This was even worse than that time a few years back where he stopped to assist a village near the bottomless canyon and somehow ended up elbow-deep in the placenta of four subsequent ewes (alongside Hinata) at three in the morning. "I hate these things!" he calls over his shoulder, having no way to see or hear if Chrom is especially nearby considering the loud and wild thudding of his chocobo's feet. Where did this oversized chicken even think it was going!? " 'Domestic beast of burden' my ass--!"

[chrombobreaker]

Knowing that the chocobo is about to take off doesn't make it any easier. Chrom finds this out when his chocobo surges forward, neck down and wings flared in full charge. Apparently it believes in going full force right from the word go... and leaves him clinging onto the saddle horn for dear life and trying not to get bounced out of the saddle.

"Okay not like a horse, notlikeahorse, notlikeahorseatall," he digs his feet into the stirrups and manages to half brace himself against all the bouncing. He's fallen off horses plenty of times to know how to do so now, but that still doesn't make him all that eager to try.

"Really!?" He grits out as the two birds run alongside the fence, apparently deciding to pick the longest route. "How do you get them to stop!?"

[takyumi]

"Why do you think I said they don't handle like a horse!?" Takumi hollers back in a fantastic mix of panic and exasperation. "When I throw my weight back it jumps!"

Indeed just falling off is an option for both of them, but it's far enough down and would be too much of a pain to try and catch their birds again to make it worth trying to abandon ship.

[chrombobreaker]

"I was- urk! Hoping it was an exaggeration!" Chrom finds himself half crouched, almost splayed over the chocobo's neck as it gives another excited "wark!" and piles on more speed.

It probably isn't the safe to be going this fast. Certainly not safe to fall off at this speed any longer.

"It's a challenge just to stay on-"

But once he says that, realizes that this is a challenge as well, something changes in his expression.

...Oh.

No.

That sudden wild grin on his face can't be a good thing. Granted it flickers in and out as he fights to keep his balance but... it looks like he's starting to enjoy this. Granted it's more like he's holding on for dear life than actually controlling the chocobo. But he's also gotten it into his head that it's a race. And he's a little curious on who might win.

"I think it helps though, if you try to just crouch forward! It's keeping me in the saddle, at least." He yells over, trying to sound encouraging.

[takyumi]

The look Takumi throws the other man has a distinct tone of 'no shit?' about it, hard as it is for Chrom to likely catch in the midst of the rest of the chaos. Takumi's only been clinging to his bird's neck and shoulders since it went full-tilt into a dash half a pasture ago, after all. "I've figured out how to stay on, thanks. If you figure out how to make it listen to you, that'll be something worth yelling about!"

[chrombobreaker]

"Well, actually," Chrom says to partially to himself, glancing at the chocobo before looking ahead. There's a bit more pasture to go, though it seems like they're running out of field. Particularly since there's a bright painted barn looming up ahead, with stables and likely feeding stations that the birds are making a straight line towards.

"...That's the finish line, huh?" He might not be able to control the situation, but he can try to direct it a little. Perhaps by winning finishing as quickly as possible.

"FASTER!" That, he does yell out... and it seems that's a command his chocobo knows. Or at least chooses to listen to, with how it goes into a sprint and tries to take the lead. "I found one command that works!"

...He sounds so very pleased about that, too.

[takyumi]

Well, at least one of them was having fun. Really - if the birds were included - it looked like Takumi was the only stick in the mud present, but in his defense it was because his rear was seriously starting to kill him and the center of his range of vision included the ground moving alarmingly fast while it was regularly torn into with uncomfortably giant talons.

This was why he wasn't a mounted unit.

"That's not exactly one that I was--" he started, only to be interrupted by his bird's outraged warble as it shook its head and snapped at a tail pinion waving remarkably close to the side of its face. Takumi fumbled to get a better grip on the reins and jerked back with one hand. "Hey, hey, none of that!"

D - Kinda had to

[grandmastertactics]

Robin did her best to hold back a small laugh as Chrom chopped off the arm of a training dummy. She was staying out of the way of the sword swinging. When she heard about the tactician job, she had chosen to use it. It was similar to what she did for the Shepards, but vastly different as well.

"You need to be aware of where you're swinging that sword, Chrom," she said as she turned another page in her tome. "These spells are so different from the ones back home. I can't use wind or fire or anything like I could back home with the different tomes. I can't even use a sword either. Maybe I should have gone with the Red Mage or Black Mage jobs..."

But of course!

[chrombobreaker]

"I-I was aware." He sounds more than a little defensive. And embarrassed, like he was just caught with his hand in a sweet jar. Bad enough she already knows about that wall accident over in Ylisse. "...You saw all of that, then? I guess we can add that to the repair costs."

It hasn't been the greatest of starts. Or at least not the most elegant.

"I'm not used to the swords, myself. Falchion was always a constant at my side, and now..." He trails off, shaking his head. "Tactician suits you, but... I'm sure you'd have a talent for anything you choose. Personally, I still don't trust myself with a spell book."

His eyes slide back to the wall, almost against his will, and he gives another wince. "...Though maybe I should add swords to that list as well."

[grandmastertactics]

"I'm sure they've had worse damage happen when the black mages train," she said with a small smile as she stood up and dusted herself off, the tome closing in her hand.

"Have you seen any of the other Shepherds yet? We can't be the only ones that were brought to this strange place," she asked. She hadn't been awake for long herself and hadn't had much time to search for the others.

"Then again, this is a large place. We have time to search."

She walked over to the sword and picked it up, only to fumble with it herself. Just as she thought. It was like she had never touched a blade before.

[chrombobreaker]

"...Thank you. I guess." Is that a compliment, to be compared to someone flinging fire around and their destructive scope? He'll try to take it as such. At the other question, he gives a wince. "None, I'm afraid. I've met my share of people who... almost feel like they would fit in just fine, with the company. But no one truly of Ylisse."

He watches her take up the sword, only to start, once it looks like the blade might slip out of her hand. He half rushes to catch it if necessary, or press it back into her hand.

"I wouldn't believe you couldn't handle a sword, if I didn't just see it for myself." It's... a little unnerving, actually. "But your ability to cast spells is still intact?"

[grandmastertactics]

"I can still cast, but they are different spells than what I had access to in Ylisse. The tomes are fascinating though," she would let Chrom take the sword, fearing that she would injure herself or someone else and that was the last thing that she wanted to do.

"Maybe we could start a second branch of the Shephards here. Wherever here is. I am not sure just where we are, but it is quite interesting."