memesofeternity | TEST DRIVE MEME

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TEST DRIVE MEME

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

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I mean I've carried a gun around for my job before, but it's... a lot bigger.

[ He looks her over again. She's calm, cool, collected, kind of terrifying, so... ]

W-wait, you're not an assassin, are you?!

[ Now he's terrified, and he has only himself to blame. ]

[She was about to ask him why he has a gun, but instead, she gives him a flat-eyed stare.]

I'm not an assassin.

Ohthankgoodness!

[ He spits the words out in an ever-so-slightly panicked wheeze, because that'd be the last thing he needs right now. Or ever. ]

So, uh... [ A breath catches in his throat. The conversation is uncomfortable even if she's not an assassin (is he sure he believes her?) she still casually has a gun, which necessitates another question. ] What do you need the gun for then?

[Well, he's making this conversation kind of... awkward. Why was assassin his first thought anyway?]

I'm a private detective. It's only for emergency purposes.

Oh. Ohhhhh. I gotcha. That makes sense.

[ He cracks a huge smile and laughs. Teenage assassins might be a bit too fantasy for Vaikuntha, and for that he breathes a sigh of relief. ]

I've run into some crazy characters, so I just kinda... expect the worst.

[ He rolls his eyes, downplaying the entirety of his statement, and goes right back to shrugging off seriousness. ]

You uh... you got any good noir stories to share, gumshoe?

Hm... I suppose that would put someone on guard.

[She'd certainly be on guard... then again, that's always.]

Gumshoe...? My name is Naoto. [Her tone probably says enough about her feelings being called 'Gumshoe'.] And none of which I can divulge.

What?! Aw, come on. I'll share a story if you tell me one.

[ He's spent most of his time lately in space, but that means hearing a story from (what he assumes is) Earth is like... visiting a childhood home. So he's gonna press the issue. ]

Oh, my name's Hunk, by the way.

[ A grin, a smile, and a hand presented for a handshake! ]

... You're going to persist, aren't you?

[The moment people hear she's a detective, the general consensus is that she had an interesting story to tell. Not... always the case.]

Hunk-san then.

[And she accepts his handshake with a firm grip.]

Nice to meet you Naoto...s-san!

[ He stammers a bit, almost forgetting the honorific she used, that he... still barely knew existed. He lets go of her hand, a bit surprised that such a tiny person could have such a firm handshake, and... waits a few seconds for her to start a story.

Until he decides to start one of his own, then she has to share one! ]

So one time, me and my buddy Pidge reprogrammed an Imperial war sentry from, yanno, an emotionless robot into a fun-loving thrill seeker! Then we blew some stuff up, nothing too serious, ran from the fuzz, made friends with the fuzz, and strapped our rebellious robo-buddy to a rocket so he could travel to space like he always wanted.

[ Hunk laughs, before pausing with a bit of a shock, and correcting himself! ]

Don't worry, he always wanted to go out with a bang. It wasn't murder or anything... but I'm not sure if blowing up a robot even counts as murder.

You don't have to use honorifics if you're not used to them.

[It's... polite of him to try, but it's wholly unnecessary if it's not something he did normally. And it wasn't as though she didn't have experience with foreigners, but he didn't know these details.]

[He's waiting; of course, but before she can decline again, he's already off. That was the plan, wasn't it? Tell his own story to make her divulge her own. Though, he does have her raising an eyebrow at several things. Imperial war sentry, robots, fuzz, and space... Intergalactic soldier? She didn't ask what he did before this.]

... No, most people would not count destroying a robot as murder. Though, I would suppose that changes depending on time, place, and what inorganic life would be decreed.

Oh, good! [ Hunk barks out a slightly forced laugh, and entirely disregards her attempt to clarify. If the detective says sentries don't count, then sentries don't count! And he does not need to think about his body count... but like elephants, trying not to think about it slams it front and center into his mind and he goes a little... pale. ]

So Naoto, gimme a cool detective story. Or a boring one. I probably won't know the difference!

[ It's so forced. The awkwardness is strong as Hunk glances again towards the pile of Zadom in the ocean. They sure do have a lot of blood, ew. Maybe they should do something about that?

After this story, for sure. ]

[She does need to eventually do something with the Zadom... if not to get rid of the blood, but likely to avoid attracting something else. She didn't need to lose her target to the gullet of another monster. Hunk's probably not going to let her work until she says something either.]

... One of my more recent cases involved three people being murdered and having their bodies draped around town, five instances of kidnapping including myself, one unsuspecting accomplice who had been in a relationship with one of the murder victims, and a culprit who was just another tool used for his nihilistic views.

[The short and long, and it should be enough to keep him in some awe so she can gather her leather.]

Yeesh. W-wait.

[ Hunk was pretty sharp when he wanted to be. But he did intend to do something about those Zadom after the story, so as much as he wanted to ask questions, he did so while kicking off his shoes and switching back to the Gourmand asterisk. ]

How did you stop him? And if the culprit was a tool, doesn't that mean there was a mastermind?

[ Lotor, that slimy space Emperor, comes to mind with all his scheming and manipulation, and Hunk shudders... at least until he shrugs it off with a smile. ]

You want me to gather those up for you, Naoto? Least I can do.

[ He doesn't want to date his engineering knowledge and ask if that gun is too old to even fire in the water, so he's willing to be a thorn in her side just a bit longer. ]

That's right. And the culprit just cracked under pressure.

[The pressure of eight teenagers... honestly. But details.]

Hm? Oh... that would be appreciated.

No worries, Naoto. Just... cover me if anything tries to eat me!

[ He laughs, except it's because he's terrified and not because he's joking. He shouldn't have waited to get those things out of the water, he shouldn't have waited a second. ]

And I gotta ask...

[ Hunk shrugs his backpack from his shoulders, suddenly but gently emptying the contents onto the leathers that were serving as a great cushion. There was a bunch of miscellaneous cooking supplies, and then a few white boxes, the kinds you'd see in a bakery. The speed and grace of it may be jarring, but it's almost like he packed the bag expecting to dump its contents. ]

Didja stop the mastermind?

[ And then he scampers off, empty backpack in tow, into the ocean. He was honestly hoping that Naoto would shout over him plowing into the waves, but all the good stories build up the listener's anticipation, and he's totally willing to wait until he has a sack filled with dead, bleeding sea lizards. ]

(ooc: If you wanna throw a monster at him then feel free, but also no pressure! )

I can do that.

[He doesn't have to do this for her after all; though, she's not entirely sure why he's laughing. Was he nervous that she might hit him shoud it become necessary to shoot?]

Hm? What is it?

[While she waits for the question, her eyebrow rises again as he empties his bag. Considering the size and the contents, fitting everything inside shouldn't be feasibly possible. Even when he picks it back up, she eyes it, wondering if it was truly empty. At least the backpack makes more sense than her Senpai's weirdly deep pockets.]

[She doesn't answer his question when he takes off and is in the water. There's no guarantee he would hear her voice the lapping waves. Besides that, she has to focus and keep an eye out for any monsters that might approach... such as the spear-wielding turtles that must have heard her gun fire. Well, she's not going to hesitate, taking aim and firing before the first one gets too close.]

(OOC: Do Sahagins work?)

(ooc- Shyeah let's do it! )

[ Hunk dives into the water, and begins breast-stroking with... a lot more strength than his demeanor would suggest, though there's not a lot of finesse. He's nearly to the Zadom pile, and then bang, a gunshot.

So obviously, Hunk screams like a little girl, because he wasn't really expecting it. He figured he was just blowing it out of proportion! His breast strokes turn closer to a doggie-paddle of terror as he beelines to the pile, taking advantage of Naoto's distraction. Hunk gets there and takes his backpack in one hand, unsheathing his knife with the other, and begins frantically punching the corpses into his backpack as quickly as possible. ]

Get it get it get it get it oh my gaaaaaaaahahahahahaha [ And now he's crying. ]

[Of all the reactions, Hunk beginning to cry was not what she expected to happen. While the Sahagins shriek in surprise, Naoto can focus again and take the next shot. There aren't that many right now, but where there's a few, there could be more in a moment's notice.]

Calm down, Hunk-san! Just focus on your task; I said I have you covered.

[Taking aim, she goes rather Trigger Happy, blasting back a Sahagin before quickly reloading.]

[ The tears are abating, if only a little. Maybe it's because he's swimming and his face is drenched with saltwater, and he's still crying a lot, or it could be because he's forcing his body to calm down so that if he gets attacked, he's not taking in a lungful of ocean. He lost track. ]

Just shout if you can't get one of the-e-e-emmmmmmm!

[ He's still sobbing by the end of that wail though, and he's got a deathgrip on that knife. You better believe he will use it... as long as a sahuagin doesn't spook him and he drops it! As Hunk continues punching the Zadom pile into the backpack, he's no longer sure if the one at the bottom can still be considered a solid, at least until- ]

I-I got the last one!

[ But that backpack is full to bursting, like the poor Zadom at the bottom. So Hunk flips the arm-straps around before sliding it on, so the outside of the bag, where the opening is, presses against his chest so the contents don't spill. He's not putting himself in this much danger to do it halfway.

He starts swimming, and after the first stroke holds his knife with his teeth, biting down with what he assumed was enough force to crack those shells... but it was mostly nerves. He has no idea how the others on his team can manage with melee weapons and being face-first with so much danger. No idea at all, and a gurgling whine bubbles up by the time he's back on the move. ]

If it becomes necessary...

[He's definitely not suited for close-ranged combat if this is how he behaves right now. Sure, he's gathering Zadoms right now, but he could try drawing less attention to himself instead of crying. Honestly, she's never seen someone cry that much before either.]

Alright, hurry back!

[As she makes another shot. There's only three right now, but they are determined even under gunfire. At least her next shot is critical after a reload.]

(ooc: lemme know if anything's too little for you to work with or anything like that- never did a fight scene in dwrp before and it seems a different sorta beast than normal tags... )

[ At least this time Hunk can't shout and cry anymore, because he's still got his knife gripped in his teeth. He flinches as the shot rings out, glancing behind him just in time to see one of the Sahuagin drop, and... for a few bits of brain matter to splatter his leg. At least he's in an ocean! But so are the enemies. One has the presence of mind to dive, out of sight and out of the crossfire, while the other launches a water gun straight towards Naoto in an effort to avenge its fellow as it begins to circle around the swimmer like a shark.

Hunk, on the other hand, continues to swim, blocking it all out until-- THUMP. A bit of force applied to his stomach. His swimming stops dead and he looks down, only to see a trident sticking out of him. Well, the prongs are stuck in a maze of padding, between the leather of the backpack itself and the tons of Zadom inside to block the blow. Physically, he's fine.

Were he a savvy melee fighter, Hunk would take advantage of this. He is not, so instead he drops the knife from his mouth and shouts with offense and snatches his knife before it can sink. Its arms are trying to remove that trident to take another stab, but there are so many corpses in that bag. ]

Out of everywhere for your little fork, you had to stab there?!

[ In his indignation, Hunk grabs the shaft of the trident and holds it there, putting that Sahuagin in a very awkward position. ]

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TEST DRIVE MEME

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