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 can't promise I'll be listening the whole time, but sure. Let's hear it. -Because despite what she'd said, it definitely seemed she was reluctant to actually talk about herself. And also, despite that, she was looking at him directly, intent, and focused on what he had to say. She wasn't sure why, but she'd given the man enough trouble already. She may as well hear him out.-

All right! [ He leans forward and claps his hands together, and starts rubbing them mischievously. ]

So my friends Lance, Pidge, and I were students at the Galaxy Garrison, a military academy to train tomorrow's space explorers. We checked out a spacecraft that fell to Earth, and it had this guy Shiro who went missing, and then this dropout Keith helped us escape. [ Exhale. Deep breath! ] Then we found a giant blue ancient robot space lion and it took us through a wormhole to a grounded space castle, where we met an alien princess and her butler. We got four more of those ancient robot space lions running, and took the fight to the Galra Empire, a universe-spanning dictatorship that consumes entire planets and enslaves worlds, by combining those robot lions into one bigger humanoid robot.

[ Louder exhale. He normally doesn't talk this much! Deeper inhale, and... ] It turns out for a bunch of humans out of their element, we're good at fighting a war, so we started winning. A lot. Captured the Emperor's son, made allies with him, and then he killed his father and usurped his throne. [ Another gasping exhale mixed with rolling eyes, but at this point he's laughing in between wheezes. ] But we don't know how well any of that's going to end up, because I got plucked out of spacetime and dropped into a crazy fantasy world.

[ He exhales again and kind of collapses into the couch he's sitting on. ] So yeah, that's the short version. [ She has to have questions, if she's listening at all. ]

-There was a long, pregnant pause between them as smoke slowly trailed up from Baiken's pipe, hazing up the room as she continued to stare him down, as if determining what, if anything, he'd said was actually believable in any way. She knew there was a time, long ago, when humans had attempted to explore beyond the earth. So that part seemed to float. But the rest of it...-

You expect me to believe you're a *succesful* insurgent against an empire that big? If they're losing to just five guys in a blacktech weapon, that's either one hell of a weapon, or their empire is made of tissue paper.

I mean, our group of robot space lions were built from an interdimensional meteorite that could only be refined by one person. Who died. [ He chooses not to mention that Allura has some similar degree of knowledge now, if only just because she hasn't used it. ]

It helped that nobody really liked them being in charge, and we had help- [ He grins, ear to ear. ] -from an ancient insurgent splinter group who planted agents throughout the entire Empire... along with some ragtag teams of bandits, ex-prisoners, and a few allied systems with ships to spare.

We didn't do it alone. Our team- four guys and two girls, mind you- just did the heaviest lifting. [ Another pause. He has some ideas, but figured it'd be better to just ask. ] So what's "blacktech," Baiken?

-That clarification made his story easier to digest, and she leaned back, letting out a sigh as she exhaled a trail of smoke into the space between them.-

Forbidden tech. Mostly the sort that can be used to build weapons. Where I come from, there are pretty strict laws against it. Considering the state of the world, I can't actually argue against their reasoning...

Yeah... the stuff I run into is a lot more advanced than anything I've seen on Earth, for sure. [ He cringes a bit despite his smile, because boy has he seen some great and terrible things. ]

The lions aren't forbidden so much as coveted because we only have those five, and they're part of a set. Whoever can use them is really lucky, and whoever can't just gets to hope they're on the same side. The bright side... [ He smiles, and it's a warm and genuine one. ]

...Is that these things have been used for good, the whole time. The combined form and the pilots are literally called the Defenders of the Universe. So when things went wrong, they were separated to keep them out of enemy hands. [ A giggle, ever so small. ] And that's how humanity got pulled into things.

Sounds pretty clean cut... -Or maybe it was just a matter of Hunk being naive. Both could be true, she figured, but it'd be cruel to needle him over the morals of war.-

So you're a pilot. An astronaut. A soldier. I honestly wouldn't have guessed, just meeting you.

[ Hunk's face is plastered with a sly grin as he mimics the rhythm of her words. ] I'm also an engineer. A hacker. A diplomat. And a chef!

[ He laughs again and, after realizing that his storytelling was making him more and more engaged, bringing him and his posture further and further from relaxation, lets out half a shrug and reclines once more. ] Would you have guessed any of those?

-A cocked eyebrow, and a smirk.- Diplomat, maybe. Chef, definitely. -And not just because he was fat! He just... had an aura to him. She'd met plenty of chefs, after all. But thankfully, he wasn't quite as obnoxious as the one that tried to bring her in for a bounty...-

Alright! [ Hunk pumps one of his arms in triumph and pride, letting out a self-assured little cackle. ] Two out of four isn't bad at all! [ And while Baiken has trouble seeing him as a diplomat, he chooses not to press the issue. She's actually relaxing, smoking, and in a lounge after pointing a sword at him not too long ago. He's sure it'll click one day. ]

Any other questions? It's actually pretty fun to talk about this stuff with someone who doesn't know anything about it. [ Because everyone else, they're either part of their team, a diehard fan, or trying to kill them. Never anything casual or calm. ]

-Another pause, another draw from her pipe.-

Tell me more about your friends. If they're your comrades in arms, you must trust them pretty deeply. -Another exhale of sweet-smelling smoke.-

Hmmmm.... [ Hunk cradles his chin in the palm of his hand, thinking intently. Where to start? ]

My friend Shiro is the leader. He's got black hair, but a bit of white in the front- it's weird. He's a trained soldier and is the one with the prosthetic arm. [ Hunk's eyes light up, if only for a moment. ] It was actually made by the Empire we were fighting, and he can do more than just punch with it.

My good pal Lance is a sharpshooter, and he tries really hard to be suave. [ Hunk smirks, and rolls his eyes. ] He's not, and he's totally oblivious to it. Pidge on the other hand is smarter than I am, and she and I worked on some great stuff. Like hacking a robot to make it have fun. [ He sighs longingly. So much cool tech waiting back home for him. ]

And then there's my buddy Keith, he's half-alien and a space ninja and a great pilot, but he's moody. I think you'd like him! [ Hunk grins, and chuckles just a bit before continuing. ] There's Allura, our Alien Space Princess- she's very [ He adopts a posh accent. ] refined and dignified [ And then it's gone. ] but she's managed to fit in just fine. Her butler Coran is really old and knows a ton of stuff but he can be a little... much.

[ And then Hunk side-eyes towards the window, groaning juuuust a bit. After a moment, the smile returns. ] My friends are all pretty great though, and I'm glad they're the ones I've been out in space with.

-The smallest hint of a smile pulls at her lips.-

The way you talk about them... I can tell a lot, more than just what you say. You, yourself, must be a good man to attract people like that around you. -She takes another draw from her pipe.-

All the more reason to find a way back home, I'm guessing.

[ Hunk blushes visibly at the compliment. Baiken is pretty much a total stranger, so he's pretty flattered. He doesn't verbally respond to it though, merely tensing up with surprise as she keeps talking and the wheels keep turning. ]

I mean yeah, obviously I wanna go back home, but I'm not that worried. [ Hunk sighs and innocently shrugs his shoulders, smile still not fading. ] We've been split up all the time, and sure, it's stressful...

But we all keep going and it all turns out okay in the end. [ At least so far. They've had more close calls than he'd like to admit, but luck's been on their sides. Plus, he knows firsthand how hard the team tries to find their own. ]

Honestly, I'm still expecting to see them kick that door in, screaming their heads off. [ He laughs once again, half-genuine and half-condescending towards his friends. ]

That's a lot of faith you have in them. -Baiken set her pip down on one of the ashtrays on the table, pulling free the jug she'd kept at her hip, uncorking it with her teeth. She held the jug, holding it out for Hunk, a silent offer if he wanted to partake. More importantly, it was a meaningful gesture. A symbol of respect...-

[ Hunk wants to make a quip about how they've saved each others lives multiples times, like it's nothing, because it is nothing. But he doesn't, because that jug is interesting. He's pretty sure he's never even seen a jug like that, so he leans over and sniffs it...

Only to contort his face into a bit of a grimace of discomfort. ]

I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that smell. What is it?

[ He has some hunches, but with as long as he's spent away from Earth, he can never be too sure anymore. ]

-A sour look crossed her face.- Don't insult someone's sake right in front of them.

[ It takes one moment, and then another, but then the pieces all fall into place. Sake. That's an alcohol, duh! That's what's in the bottle, and she just said- ] S-sorry, I forgot what liquor smelled like after so long in space with nothing but weird alien food.

[ Hunk doesn't want to say he's got more experience with things like cooking wines than hard liquor, but since the scowl gives him a gut fear of another swordpoint moment, his ego relents. ] I don't think I'm old enough to drink that, either... [ A twisting of the truth- he wasn't quite sure how old he was anymore. ]

...And I'd hate to drink it just to lose it if there's turbulence again. [ Given that he just vomited before they started talking, well... he didn't want to risk it. ] Th-thanks though.

-He was trying to be polite, he really was, but Baiken had to roll her eyes and nearly shove the jug into his chest, apparently not taking "thanks though" for an answer.-

Just have a drink. This is a custom where I'm from and I don't care how old you are. If you barf, you barf, but don't turn down a swordsman's sake.

[ Hunk knows when he's in a situation he can't get out of, and golly was this one. He takes the jug, winces a bit as he tilts it towards his mouth... pauses with visible discomfort, and finally takes a sip while noticeably holding his breath, his face freezing with tension. He's used cooking wines before, he can handle straight liquor!

So it goes down well enough. The look on his face, however? ]

Eugh, I'm... not used to that taste. [ He sighs, loud and forcefully, as if to get rid of the aftertaste, the smell. ] I mean, it's not bad, I've definitely tasted a lot worse! [ The Arusian nunville comes to mind, especially when Keith spat it into his face. Ick. ]

But- [ He let out a small burp, at the same time trying not to shrink into too embarrassed a posture. ] -sorry, but it's definitely an acquired taste.

-Okay, now she actually laughs. A nice, big, chesty sort of laugh.-

For a man who's faced what you have, you'd think you'd be able to handle your sake better! -Good natured ribbing, of course, as she takes the jug away and clearly isn't offended by his remarks. He drank, after all. That was pretty brave, considering how strong she knew that sake was.-

[ He cracks a relieved smile now that Baiken's laughed. He knew she had it in her! And then Hunk realized a most peculiar thing. ]

I'm not actually a man! [ And then his eyes go wide, because no, not like that, that was Pidge's thing. ] I- I mean I'm only seven...

[ He trails off, scrunching up his face in a moment of intense thought. ]

...teen? Maybe?

You fought as a soldier in a war to defend a cause you care about. That makes you a man. -Not even a moment's hesitation.-

Baiken, I...

[ He looks up towards the ceiling for a moment, choosing his words. ]

I guess you're right.

[ And now he looks excited, like a kid in a candy shop, with a noticeable edge of worry. ]

So... now that I'm a man, what can I do?

[ Because he sure doesn't know the rules and logic to this whole "adulthood" thing. Not at all. ]

-A smirk.- You could drink more. -Because of course.-

TEST DRIVE MEME

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