Test Drive Meme V

[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, and some helpful Heroes of Light 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 and your rescuers 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. The experienced outworlders who helped pull you from your memories may be able to get you caught up to speed. B. CURTI CENTER The researchers at the Curti Center are pretty used to this right now, though there's still no good explanation for the influx of interdimensional travelers from the Dream Width since earlier this year. "Please step into the lobby for a quick survey. We have just a few routine questions, it's invaluable to our research so we do ask you indulge us..." 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 have offered to permanently house all of the outworlders here. 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 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 productive members of society and helping support the local economy, 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 housing elsewhere in the world. 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. And they say, those that party up will live to party on! J. THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR It's the most stressful wonderful time, but there really is nothing like the annual Star Light Festival. You know what needs to be done. Decorations- deck out your airship decks, hang lights upon your house, tie sprigs of festive holly to your weapons. Shopping- there are the best sales, but also the worst crowds. The 'hot' gifts this year include plush eMogis, Jecht-brand Blitz-shoes, easy-bake Kupo nut ovens, and the newest CD by renowned singer Likka! Good luck finding any of those in stores (there are even a few quest board quests asking adventurers to obtain them on behalf of very determined parents- by any means necessary). Traditions- Watch out for Mistletoe (you'll be obligated to kiss the person who walks under it with you), and the even more dreaded Mistlefoe (tradition dictates you must punch the other person!). The moogles around town have gone a little overboard with both variants, so beware! K. WILD CARD Feeling inspired to create your own prompt? The power is yours!

Comments

[einspine]

Papyrus narrowed his eyes. It was tempting to point out that he'd be just as ready to defend Frisk when the time came, but... Hmm. No. That would just spark fires. Tension between either friend hardly sounded ideal.

So, what to do. What to do...

He looked to a window, nearly losing himself in thought until Undyne made her way to the door.

Right. Probably best to stick close until they reached their destination. Off the cot he went, then!

"NYEH HEH HEH! EVER THE RESTLESS ONE, EH? WELL, IN THAT CASE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL ACCOMPANY YOU!"

It'd give him a chance to gauge her mental state, anyway. And to contemplate how to handle things next.

Granted, they likely wouldn't find much of note, beyond a hologram projector that would display messages from other offworlders. That and the view of space would provide some interest, but otherwise, they'd have to wait 'til they hit the Curti Center before they could truly explore.

[exspeariment]

Undyne looked around the room. Nothing that caught her attention. Even the hologram projector wasn't very interesting to her. She had made holographic missiles that actually exploded! Compared to that, this was boring.

Undyne elected to look out the window at the stars instead.

Seeing the stars, that's what everyone back home was hoping for. And now she was able to, but nobody but Papyrus could share the view with her.

She will keep her promise. She was determined to do so.

She turned away from the stars, and back towards Papyrus. "When are we gonna be there?" she asked.

[einspine]

"WELL, IT SHOULDN'T BE MUCH LONG-"

Before he could finish, the ship began to tilt forward. A clear sign of descent, though the sudden shift left him stumbling for a split-second. "OKAY, SCRATCH THAT! I THINK THEY'RE GEARING UP FOR LANDING RIGHT NOW!!!"

Ah, excellent. At least this way they'd have more space to acclimate and, with luck, clear the air further. In fact, in no time, the view of the stars would shift to a more ordinary sky. A sea spanning off into the distance, and an island with some sky-scraping buildings also drew closer. Finally, something of proper interest!

[exspeariment]

Undyne turned back to the window. The sea, the sky, the super-tall buildings, this was NOTHING like the Underground and EVERYTHING like an anime. This was freakin' COOL!

Multiple thoughts ran through Undyne's head. Was this what the surface was like in her world? Was it even cooler in her world? She had to tell everyone about this when she gets back home.

No, not tell them. Show them. She has to break the barrier. She has to keep her promise.

She will keep it, no matter what.

She turned away from the window, anticipation brewing, when a thought occured to her. Papyrus said that he had been here for almost a year, yet he had called her less than two hours before she was transported here. She asked Papyrus, "Wait, you've been here for a year?!"

[einspine]

He smiled as she took in her surroundings. It was good to see Undyne so captivated. So happy, for once. Not furiously chasing down a child he adored. No sparks from that robotic eye. No desperate shouts. Just... enthusiasm. Passion. Genuine excitement!

The ship had nearly docked now, and her question snapped him back to reality. He opened his mouth, shut it, then furrowed his bony brow.

How to put this...

"ALMOST A YEAR. BUT... HMM. HOW TO EXPLAIN." He began stroking his chin as he gazed out the window. "THIS WORLD SORT OF HOVERS OUTSIDE OF TIME AND SPACE. IF I HAD TO GUESS, OUR WORLDS SIT AT A STANDSTILL WHILE WE'RE HERE! AND SOMETIMES PEOPLE COME IN FROM DIFFERENT POINTS IN TIME? I'VE STILL GOT TO STUDY IT FURTHER."

[exspeariment]

Well then.

That would explain it.

That raised the question of when Papyrus was from. Was Papyrus from the same point in time as her? Or before? Or possibly even after?

Undyne could possibly learn about the future from this.

That would be so freakin' COOL!

She asked Papyrus, "Wait, what was the last thing that happened before you came here?"

[einspine]

That... was a very good question. Somehow, it hadn't even dawned on him to consider discrepancies in time between them. After all, Frisk's memories aligned with his. But Undyne...

Hmm.

Was she from the past? The future? She already knew about Frisk, so she couldn't have been too far behind. Well! No reason to hesitate, right? After a moment's contemplation, he spoke up again.

"WE'D JUST FLED FROM YOU AND METTATON AND HAD A RATHER UNPLEASANT ENCOUNTER WITH SOME SPIDERS! THANKFULLY WITHOUT JUICE SUCKING. BUT IF IT WEREN'T FOR NAPPERBLOCKS, WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO A CAKE OF UTTER WOE!!!"

His eyes went wide at the mere thought. "BUT AFTER THAT, WE MEANT TO HURRY TO THE TRIAL. WE JUST ENDED UP HERE INSTEAD."

[exspeariment]

So they were from the past then.

There goes the possibility of looking into the future for her.

Whatever! That's just for her! She could still tell Papyrus about what will happen, like the trial, the kid getting trapped in the CORE so she could fulfill her promise-

On second thought, maybe telling him about the future isn't a good idea. When they do get back, he'd probably be even more cautious, and not let Frisk go in the CORE alone.

Before she could think of what to say to Papyrus, she heard the sound of the ship docking. Now she could finally join the search for the summoner, and eventually punch her in the face and save the multiverse. She ran towards the door yelling, "Let's go!"