memesofeternity | Test Drive Meme IV

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Test Drive Meme IV

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. PUMPKIN SPICE

Let us send shivers down your spine.

The weather has turned cooler, and with the arrival of autumn comes fall-themed treats, fall fashion, and of course, the beginning of the spookiest holiday season. Even though summer is still newly ended, it is not uncommon to already see people embracing the season in full force. Pumpkins and ghost-moogle decorations begin to appear on porches and in windows, stores offer a pumpkin version of everything, and there is so much orange.

It is all good fun in the day time, but there does seem to be a rise of monstrous activity after the sun sets...

K. WILD CARD

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B. CURTI CENTER
The Curti Center is always chaotic, but today takes the cake. For the blue-haired boy running around in the lobby, it’s a first. Handing out pamphlets, answering questions, occasionally stopping to greet newcomers with a friendly smile and an offered hand. Today, he’s wearing a nametag, pinned hastily to the front of his uniform, identifying him as ‘Serge’.
When stopped, he turns to the individual who flagged him down, grinning widely. “Hey! What can I do for you?”

C. UP IN THE SKY
Serge doesn’t enjoy flying nearly as much as he enjoys sailing, but it’s still relaxing. He’s made a beeline up to the deck, a moogle trailing behind. “Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on an airship. I think the last time was when Mom moved.”
“How come the Center gave ya a ticket, anyway? Sen Riqueaux’s a really long way away…”
“I dunno, honestly. They just said I should give the Time Mage’s Guild a visit, and I can’t say for sure why, it just sorta… clicked?”
Mochi snickers. “Dont’cha mean ‘ticked’?”
That earns the furball a playful shove, and before long the conversation has devolved into a heated discussion about where, exactly, they should go when they visit the Empire. “Man, I wish I could’ve gone when that big banquet was going on, that would’ve been great.”
“A big fancy banquet? Knowing your taste in food, you woulda hated everything there.”
“Would not! I love trying stuff, just because I’ve got some favorites other people think is gross-”
“Squid guts are gross.”
“It’s not just squid guts-”
And so it goes, probably loud enough to be overheard by literally everyone else on the forward deck.

K. WILD CARD
It’s a Saturday afternoon, which means that Serge is taking the opportunity to enjoy the beach. There’s a fire going above the high tide line, the pleasant aroma of wood smoke and roasting fish filling the air. He doesn’t even seem to mind when he gets a visitor, waving them right over with a cheerful grin. “Hey! Turns out I caught way more than I needed, you want some?”

Edited 2018-09-15 18:28 (UTC)

Unfortunately Serge's casual, innocent invitation has fallen on deaf ears, as a red-clad girl comes stomping up the beach— looking like she had a bone to pick. "Hey! What's the big idea!" her raised voice rumbles as soon as she's within earshot.

"You're just loungin' here down on the beach enjoyin' yerself an' here I was all worried?!" her gloved hands are on her hips, now that she's close enough to stare down this easy-going guy down.

"Better have a good explanation for that one, mate! And the fish ain't gonna cut it!" It's a look that says... 'say yer prayers.'

The blue-haired boy blinks, looking up in confusion, though... there's something... familiar about this. "Well... yeah. I always go fishing on weekends, it's a great way to relax..."

He doesn't really want to be rude if this girl's met him before and he just doesn't remember. She certainly seems familiar.

But on the other hand, he really has no idea, and he doesn't want to be dishonest, either. He might well be different to her memory, too. A little more tan, an old scar across his face that wasn't there before, an expression that's maybe a little too cheerful and carefree, not yet worn down by message after message that the universe would be better off without him.

"I'm... I'm really sorry, but I... I'm having a lot of trouble remembering where we've met before. Maybe you could give me a reminder?" He grins apologetically, standing up and brushing sand from seawater-soaked shorts. Come to think of it, the voice does feel like he's heard it before. Is it a name that starts with an S? Sarah? Sally?

Edited 2018-09-15 19:33 (UTC)

"Always go..." she had been ready to ream him out, prepped to tear him a new one— but as she looks him over again now that she's close enough, the wind seems to go out of Kid's sails in real time.

Was she really hearing this right? A disbelieving "A..." started to come from the blonde girl, but it never really took off into a full-blown word. Something was knotting in the pit of her stomach and as he stood up, she seemed to stare... then plunk herself down into a heap on the sand, hard.

Could this be... how Serge had felt talking to everyone in Another World? Were they destined to replay this game with the same mistakes?

Looking up at him from her spot in the ground, there was something pleading in the blue of her eyes, as he brow screwed upwards. "You really don't... remember me, mate? It's me— Kid. You're... yer Serge, ain't ya?"

Well now the poor kid just looks guilt-ridden. Here this girl is, clearly knowing him by name, and he can't remember a thing. "Kid? Y-yeah, I'm Serge, I- look, I am so sorry. I've completely forgotten, but..." He puts one hand to his forehead, trying to think for a moment.
"I'm completely drawing a blank, sorry. But, tell you what. Why don't you join me and we can catch up?" He offers her a hand up and a wide, honest smile. "Serge Uehara. My, uh. My dad's from Nakagawa," he offers, by way of explanation.

The last of her hopes were dashed hearing his name. This was Serge Uehara, from Nakagawa. This was Vaikuntha's Serge not the one... that she was looking for all this time. Not the same ghost boy from Arni that had ventured to the ends of the earth both at her heels— and by her side.

There's a silence that fills the space between them as she tries to work it all out, staring into the fire just ahead. But finally, she looks up at his inviting hand, and that smile... the nostalgic feeling of a shoreline washes over Kid in that moment, the image of a shoreline, reaching out for...

"Tch," damn. How was she going to explain this one? "All right, all right," she concedes, smacking her glove down into his palm to accept. "But only 'cause the fish smells so good."

He seems honestly pleased with the result. "You literally can't get 'em fresher than this." He's got a fair spread, a filleted sea bass baking on the coals and a bucket full of some type of mussel steaming next to it. He seats himself in the sand, grinning up at her. "Okay, Kid. Tell me what I've missed since the last time we've met?"

Not one to be shy, the girl reached forward without hesitation to grasp at some of those fillets. It was a good thing that she wore gloves, but that didn't stop Kid from having to juggle it back and forth between her hands ad she blew on it, ready to shove a generous amount in her mouth.

"Last thing I remember's about this place called Chronopolis," her tone was so nonchalant, as though the crazy things she was about to say weren't the least bit abnormal. "But it all got crazy after Fort Dragonia, if you ask me. It's almost like— feels like I was asleep or somethin'."

She paused then, a half-devoured bass in her hands, still steaming. "But... you wouldn't remember any of that since— it was you that was there but— not you," Kid leveled her gaze, looking to meet his eyes as she confessed, "'Cause it was the Serge from another world. My world."

In case there was any doubt, she's definitely an off-worlder.

Edited 2018-09-17 05:56 (UTC)

Serge listens intently, though his brow furrows in confusion as she talks about all these places he's never heard of, places he's never been... He's about to open his mouth to interject, because she's an offworlder, that much is clear now, but then she drops that bit of knowledge.
"I. I don't..."
And yet, it feels... strange, somehow, like he'd forgotten things, and suddenly been reminded of them.
"Another... me? But that's- how can there be two of me?" Chronopolis. There's something about that name, that place, that tugs at the corners of his brain, like a word on the tip of his tongue... "No, it makes... way too much sense. You recognized me, knew me by name... I mean, I guess you could've seen me at the Center and decided to take advantage or something but... why? And I admit it does... kind of feel like I know you. Were we... were we close?"

"Centre, schmenter," she scoffed, as though that was the craziest thing that had been shared between the two of them so far. "I can tell ya that it's like I say it is 'cause... this ain't the first other world I've been to, either. There's plenty of people I've met twice now but," the assurance that had resounded in her voice as she spoke seemed to drop off as she looked down, and off to the side.

"It's definitely the first time... it's been another you." Was it, though? Ugh, that Serge that she traveled with after what had happened at the Fort, it hurt her head to think about it sometimes.

But even then that Serge— he didn't have the warmth in his smile that the one she knew, did. This one, he felt that way, too.

"You an' me..." how could she even begin to describe it? Through all the revelations they'd endure throughout the course of their journey, there were times when she even caught herself starting to... "We were partners."

Edited 2018-09-17 09:15 (UTC)

The blue-haired boy hesitates, now, looking up at the girl across from him... By all rights he should be writing her off as insane, but again this is a piece of knowledge that just... clicks into place, like it was waiting to be remembered. "Look, Kid, I can't... I can't claim to be a replacement for that... other Serge. This is all probably way too deep for me, all this philosophical... me-but-not-me stuff. But-" He grins, now, the melancholy draining out of his expression. "You seem pretty okay to me. How about it, wanna stick together?"

As that digests, so too does the rest of her fillet go down the hatch. At least he wasn't freaking out; maybe the fact that otherworlder's becoming commonplace in Vaikuntha was helping her case.

While she listens though, her last bite goes down with a hard swallow, as Kid's tone takes on a serious edge. "I get it, you're you. You ain't the Serge I used to get on with even though you're a dead-ringer for him an' smell like fish—" the hard truth that she still felt in the bottom of her gut. But all the same, it just felt too natural to be sitting here with him, like this.

Clearing her throat, and wiping at her mouth with her glove, Kid leaned back, closing her eyes as she considered his offer. "But hearin' you ask so nicely like that... I guess I could let ya' tag around with me for awhile."

With that, her head tilted back, one eye opening half-way to peer at him curiously.

Serge laughs. "Well, if I'm gonna be 'tagging around' with you, you're gonna have to get used to fish. Dad used to brag how I knew how to sail before I could walk."
The soft, easy smile returns, and he stares out to sea for a moment. "'Course if we're gonna be friends I'm contractually obligated to inform you that my Mom is gonna insist on having you over for dinner at some point, and she's not gonna take 'no' for an answer." He grins apologetically.

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kissthemoons - 2018-09-21 14:28 (UTC) - Expand

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timecrash - 2018-09-21 16:04 (UTC) - Expand

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kissthemoons - 2018-09-21 21:03 (UTC) - Expand

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timecrash - 2018-09-21 21:17 (UTC) - Expand

"He's right."

The canine peanut gallery didn't even turn around to face Serge, instead trying- and failing- to keep his focus on a crate and a clipboard. After the last few times, he wouldn't even usually be on an airship other than his own were it not for a high-paying delivery job.

Okay, decent-paying. But radar wasn't cheap. And this conversation at least offered him a distraction.

"I don't even know what a 'squid' is but the second part sounds gross enough."

Serge looks nothing short of crestfallen. "Oh, come on, Mochi, now you've got a complete stranger ganging up on me."
The little moogle snickers again, dancing out of the way of the hand that tries to grab him. "Yeah, well, he's riiight!"
Serge crosses his arms, quietly raging against the sheer unfairness of the situation. "Okay look, it's not 'guts', it's livers and there's salt and spices and stuff involved and they're really good if you'd just give it a try. I swear, next time we visit Mom I'm gonna make you try it because..." Hang on.
He turns to look at the dog-man who spoke, looking as though he's trying to work something out. "Uh... Hang on, don't I know you from somewhere?"
"Serge, he's a rando on an airship. There ain't no way-"
"No, I know! You're Red, right? From the Dragons?"

"Oh, it's salted guts! That changes everything!" Red's fur was bristled and his demeanor sour long before the thoroughly unappetizing discussion, but what was he supposed to do on a long air trip with only a single crate of goods and a manife--

His ears suddenly pricked upright. Did this kid just recognize him? Maybe this wouldn't be such a dull trip after all. He fetched a bone from his case and popped it into his mouth as he turned around.

"Guess I do stand out a bit, huh?" It was the first grin he'd felt himself give since takeoff. "You a Cloud City fan?"

Well now he's embarrassed. "Well, yeah. I'm not like obsessed or anything, usually I can't afford tickets to games, but I've always been a Dragons fan. I know you weren't around then but my Dad took me to the World Cup back in '05 and I've been pretty much hooked ever since!"
There's an apologetic grin, and Serge glances down at the floor. "Sorry. I bet you get this all the time, you're probably sick of it..."

But the smile that comes in reply is broad, toothy, and anything but apologetic. Time to enjoy the perks of his new promotion. "You kiddin'? I always have time for somethin' like this."

Especially when he's stuck keeping his eyes on a crate for a few hours. Now he can just lean up against it instead.

"Just sorry I don't have a Blitzball or flyin' disc or somethin' I could give you as a memento. What'cha say your name was?"

"Serge! And hey, no worries, way I see it it makes a neat story to tell and that's enough for me. I might ask you to sign the rookie card I've got for this season if we ever run into each other again, but it's not a huge deal." He offers his hand, grinning brightly. "Nice to meet you, Red."

"Serge? Well hey, maybe the nex--"

sputter.

"I have a trading card?!"

Serge finds himself cracking up, a snort turning into laughter at the sudden change in expression. "Well yeah, they do a printing every season, right?"

[Just give him a minute here. This is the sort of thing every little pup who had ever watched a Flying Disc match had dreamed of.]

Autograph? Heck, you bring that thing to a match of mine and I will personally buy your ticket for it.

Serge grins. "Hey, you don't have to tell me twice. Best deal I've ever heard, in my opinion."

Sounds like a deal.

Sorry I'm not so excitin' to look at right now, though. I do jobs like this on the side.

[He raps the side of the crate with a fist.]

That and adventurin', but... y'know. Can't complain when things get peaceful, right?

Test Drive Meme IV

Serge || Chrono Cross || Native OC

wildcard

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more like s for savage

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Up in the sk--eww

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1/2

2/2

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