TEST DRIVE 03

[pluviosamods]

TEST DRIVE

Hello, and welcome to the third Pluviosa Test Drive!

This Test Drive corresponds to Days 20-27 in the ship calendar, and will run until around the game's next major event. You can get a better idea what's going on in the most recent Game Update which covers Days 19-27, including the end of our previous event. Because some of the prompts in this test drive have differences based on whether they occur on Days 20-23 or 24 and on, you may wish to choose a firm date for your character's arrival and note it in your top level for other players.

Test Drive threads involving characters who are accepted are considered canon to the events of the game unless otherwise agreed by players/mods. Pluviosa does not do welcome mingle logs nor does it have any kind of in-character welcome information, making your test drive threads your character's arrival to the game setting. That said, mod-run interactions such as formal exploration and/or interactions with the Ship as an NPC are not available on the Test Drive.

It is advised that potential players familiarize themselves with the Premise page, the Rules/Session Zero page, and at least the first few paragraphs of the Setting page. As Pluviosa is a horror game, we especially encourage players to be aware of the content warnings that will be major themes of the game. If you have any further questions, you can ask them on the QUESTIONS header in the comments!

If you're test driving a character, you're welcome to join the game Discord and hang out and meet your fellow players!

ARRIVAL - GAZE FROM THE CLOUDS

Something jerks hard around your stomach, like a movement adruptly stopped. Something trickles through your hair, down the back of your neck - it's warm, and you get the feeling you know what it is.

But when you lift your neck to check, all there is is water. Somehow, counterintuitively, you feel a flash of disappointment. You feel someone's eyes on you...

As characters gain awareness of their surroundings, they will feel as though their head and neck are damp, as though they had just been in a light rain without any protection (even if they are, in fact, wearing a hat or hood). Unless they're particularly unlucky in the location where they wake up, though, the rain is in fact on the outside of the ship, and they are at most subject to humid air. Although the rainstorm in fact ends on Day 23, characters who arrive after that time will still be convinced that there is rain outside, complete with a hallucination of the sound of raindrops in the background, until they go to a window or an open-to-outside place (balconies, topside decks, etc) to check for themselves.

Rain aside, the feeling of being watched is stronger in the upper decks where characters arrive, which may send them seeking to go down instead of up. This might pose a problem in terms of actually making their way to the cleared, prepared-for-use parts of the ship... Especially with all that fresh rainwater breathing new life into the plants in the lower decks.

Note that prior to the rain ending, looking out the windows, glass balcony doors, or up into the domed roof of the passenger lounge will make it appear that the ship is underwater until late afternoon on Day 22. More information on this can be found on the So Below event posts. Additionally, the rainfall hitting the deck of the ship has a tendency to flood into the lower decks of the ship, particularly via the stairways and in rivulets down the hallways. It falls freely on the top deck and down into the open space in the center of the ship, though with less intensity than it does outside the ship's protective barrier.

SOMEBODY'S FOOTSTEPS

And while going down decreased the feeling of eyes on you, it brings about other complications. Ghosts have been present on the ship for around a week now, and their time being visible is nearing its end as the ship comes above the old sea-level line on Day 22... At least as far as the longer-term passengers are concerned.

New arrivals, however, will continue to be able to see ghosts haunting the decks for the first 24 hours of their stay onboard the ship, regardless of the exact date of their arrival. These ghosts largely take the form of vacationers and researchers (as described here under the Haunting Feeling and Growing Shadows sections, respectively), and do not respond to attempts to interact with them any more than they did during the event. Less, even - once the ship is above the sea level line (evening of Day 23 and on), the ghosts perform their loops without registering any attempts to communicate with them. No matter what a character does, their attempts to interact with the spirits are for nothing - even standing in their path just gets you walked through as though you weren't there.

However, there are also a few new ghosts who only appear to the new arrivals, and are invisible to characters who were on board the ship previously:

-> A young man in extremely worn clothing, nursing a bruised jaw wanders the upper parts of Fern deck. When he sees the newly arrived character, he says "Oh, not more of this shit," aloud before turning and booking it off in another direction. Characters who chase him will find that he is visible and audible for a decent amount of time, but that his knowledge of the twists and turns of the Ship exceeds theirs and that he is unhindered by any of the overgrown vines as though they weren't there. As such, characters will inevitably fall behind and lose track of him.
-> At night, a dark-skinned woman can be seen in the lounge, looking back and forth between a glowing tablet she's holding and the sky above. If she notices a newly arrived character in the dimmed-to-nearly-nothing, she tells them in a firm voice, "You're not night shift. Go back to bed, you need your rest," before going back to whatever she's doing with her tablet screen. She fades slowly out of sight afterwards.
-> An androgynous person with a nearly-shaved head and a small flower dangling from a green marking over their ear comes out of the communal showers near the cafeteria. They glance around and ask, "Hey, did you see where that new guy with the eyepatch went?" but head off down the hallway without waiting for an answer, scrubbing at their cropped hair with a towel wrapped around their head.
-> A young woman in an open bathrobe with bandages around her middle looks out the back of the ship from the cafeteria deck, sitting with her feet dangling over the edge over where the ship's protective bubble attaches. Her light brown hair is blowing into her face constantly by the cafeteria's slight wind tunnel effect, but she doesn't seem to care, supporting herself by leaning her arms onto the lower rung of the railing. If approached, she gives a tired smile and says, "It's alright. I'm just waiting for that nice angel to come back," and resumes her watch out the back, not responding to any further questions or interactions.

These ghosts do not seem to register the presence of those who have been on board the ship more than 24 hours, even if pointed out directly. New arrivals who attempt to interact with the ghosts will be able to see and hear them, but not touch them. Attempting to touch a ghost in a way that 'proves' that they're not physically there (eg walking through them) causes the ghost to disappear, and they will not reappear.

JUST ANOTHER WORKDAY

Of course, the upper floors of the ship are not exactly free of eyes. A rather sizeable fleet of motorized drones zips around the hallways, ranging in size from knee-height to large enough to contain a moderately sized couch. The former are often equipped with scrubbing devices along their undersides, and work hard at portions of the floor in the hallways; the largest are functionally dumpsters on wheels, and other drones with long unfolding arms prune and rip plants from the walls, floors, and even the ceilings to fill them. These top two levels of Fern - not the open deck but the two floors immediately below - are clearly undergoing renovations, and renovations start with getting the plants out of the way. A few are even doing electrical or plumbing work, once things have dried up enough after the rain that it's safe to do so.

Since these are also the primary floors on which new arrivals wake up, it's very difficult to not come across some form of cleaning bot soon after arrival. However, there seems to be something a little... off about the ship's cleaning crew if you're a new arrival. They don't seem to register new arrivals as passengers yet; as a result, new characters may find themselves sprayed down with hot soapy water or subject to a set of surprisingly strong mechanical arms trying to shove them into a dumpster. Even if you aren't actively being aggressed by cleaning bots, they don't provide the kinds of loud "warning: backing up" noises they do for other passengers, nor do they slow down to avoid running you down in the still-mostly-dark hallways. The drones either have very good night vision or have some other way of finding their way around, since the only thing that brings them to a halt is particularly bad patches of floor.

Ship drones will continue to treat new arrivals as part of the walls (at best) or particularly stubborn plants in need of pruning (at worst) until either a light is shined on them - but beware, because this will cause any plants in the area to experience a surge of growth - or another, more known passenger intervenes. Admittedly, at that point the drones will be positively apologetic, as much as robots not equipped with voices can be. Soaked characters will be given a complimentary warm-air drying (if they stick around long enough) and anyone thrown in the dumpsters will be appropriately rescued - but it's still not all that great of a first impression, is it?

IDEAL CAMOUFLAGE

Or perhaps it's not the ghost of a person or the drones of the ship that you first encounter. It could be something significantly less civilized.

Strange animals have begun to appear in the ship's jungle - but you'd be forgiven for not noticing them at first. At rest, anyone would dismiss them as strangely shaped bundles of plant matter, because that's exactly what they are. Tails formed out of plaited vines; pelts and feathers formed of interlocked leaves; legs grown out of twisted wood with roots formed into toes. And, occasionally, sharp claws made of bent nails, fangs made of shattered glass, and antlers of rusted pipe, and, always, eyes like black pits that could swallow you up if you stared into them too long.

The 'animals' occupying Fern deck, if they can be called such, are formed out of plant matter with scattered bits of debris from the ship itself. They are, by and large, animals appropriate to the environment of the temperate rainforest that consumes the deck - no elephants or giraffes here. Deer, foxes, the occasional big cat or even a bear, and any number of smaller creatures... Smaller being a relative term, because the animals aren't always to their proper scale relative to humans. A deer might be only knee-high (antlers included), while a squirrel may come up to your waist. On most decks, they're limited to the height of the ceilings above them (9 feet or so), but if you manage to encounter them either on the open upper deck (with its much less height-limited tree canopy) or at the bottom (where the gap in the ship's decks, down the center, leaves lots of space for clearance above the mud and standing water), they could easily be taller.

Most of them are quite skittish, and will bound off into the jungle from which they came and disappear as though they were never there. A handful, though, respond as though threatened - or hungry. And while it might be funny to be stalked through the underbush by a cougar the size of a house cat, it will be less funny if it manages to sink its very real rusty claws into you, and getting trampled by a wooden deer whose antlers scrape the rotten ceiling tiles won't be fun at all.

It is possible to fight the animals, though most will make an attempt to flee if they get the chance, especially if you bring light or fire to bear against them. A 'killed' animal collapses into a pile of plant matter (leaves, branches, vines, etc) with the occasional bit of metal or glass; these heaps don't maintain their form as the 'body' of an animal and don't seem to have been connected together in any way. If lit on fire or otherwise affected by supernatural abilities, the animals react to this as an animal would be expected to, but their bodies are affected in ways consistent with the plant matter they're made of. In addition, no attempts at animal communication will work on them. On the other side of the coin, if you attempt to flee from them, most won't bother to give chase.

Comments

QUESTIONS

[pluviosamods]

Jun Ushiro | Bokurano: Ours

[icanhearscreams]

Arrival (Day 24) (cw: past emeto, reference to past hallucinations)

He feels his strength fading, his body growing lighter, and - and -

The feeling of blood. The blood on his hands is mostly symbolic, but he feels it on the back of his neck and feels it dripping and... nothing? Nothing. He can hear and smell rain, but he rolls over and promptly bumps into something soft but firm. He opens his eyes and blinks, and - huh.

When he sits up he finds himself in a room with... chairs and couches - the lounge, though he doesn't know that yet. He grabs his clothing that he finds next to himself and... ugh, still smells like vomit. He gathers it up and starts walking around the lounge, doing his best to figure out where he is. It looks like... some kind of ship? If what he's seeing out the windows is true, at least. ... And while he can hear rain, he can't see it.

... He's probably hallucinating again. But he's very obviously new by the way he's looking around and by the fact that he's very young - thin, wiry, barely out of preteen years. Surely someone would have noticed him otherwise...


Camouflage (Day 24+)

He's trying to explore the... ship? Some kind of ship. It's... worrying that it's so full of plantlife. Something must have happened to cause this... and he's not sure if he wants to know. He hasn't seen any animals, but there's a sudden sound to his left - and a huge squirrel bursts out of the brush to stop in front of him. He takes a step back and stumbles over a root, landing on his butt and huffing. The squirrel darts away and he sighs.

Picking himself back up he starts moving through the plants again, but what he doesn't realize is that something is stalking him. It could be a bear or a bobcat or a wolf, but either way he doesn't notice it. Why would he? He's used to cities, not forests.

... Someone might want to help him, because otherwise he's going to get pounced on.


Visions (Day 25+) (cw: hallucinations)

It starts in the cafeteria during breakfast - the sight of something just out of the corner of his eye. He keeps pausing eating his food and turning to look at - something. Something that's not there. He could have sworn he heard... no. No, nothing's there, he's being ridiculous.

By the afternoon it's gotten bad. Possibly because he's hanging out towards the top decks where there's more of a possibility of 'animals' sneaking up on him, but he's found a corner where nothing can sneak up on him. Probably. But he keeps looking up from whatever he's writing and whipping his head around to stare at something that's... clearly nothing but open air. Occasionally he flinches like he just heard a loud noise, but either way after he sees/hears/whatevers the... nothing... he starts to shiver and his hands tremble.

It's nothing. It's got to be nothing. No one. They're not there. He's not there.


Wildcard

[Free space, hit me up on Discord if you want to plot something else.]

Arrival

[luciacorina]

Lucia Corina wanders into the lounge to get some sun without being around the plants--she's still trying to avoid them, though being essentially forbidden the top deck and 90% of the ship chafes. But she doesn't want to be possessed again, and she doesn't know when or if it will be safe again.

Wandering between the couches is... a young boy? She's never seen him before, but he looks more solid than the ghosts--are more passengers arriving again? He looks lost.

"Hello," she says, voice low, trying not to startle him. "Have you just found yourself here?"

Camouflage

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto found himself wandering the ship as he looked for clues. For the most part, he had found nothing that could get him home faster. Sighing to himself, he shook his head in frustration and continued into the jungle. Cautiously walking through the foliage, he was startled when he saw a young teen in there. Relaxing slightly, he started to walk towards the stranger to ask why he was here all alone when he noticed a leopard stalking towards the kid.

Alarm filled him as he picked up a thick branch and ran towards the boy.]

WATCH OUT!

[Just as the big cat pounced, Makoto jumped in front of Jun and slammed the branch down on the leopards head. His heart raced as he took quick breaths as he put an arm out to protect the teen.]

Are...Are you okay?

Visions

[chainedcerberus]

Wriothesley's kind of surprised to find an unfamiliar kid wedged into a corner on one of the upper decks. He knows there's one or two on the boat, which he doesn't like, but it looks like more are being pulled in, and he likes that even less.

He pauses a fair distance away, not wanting someone who's clearly so nervous - is it just nerves? it seems like he might be reacting to something Wriothesley can't see or hear - to feel crowded by a six foot plus man before clearing his throat. "Hey, everything all right? You sure you should be alone up here? There's those plant constructs around."

Sampo Koski | Honkai: Star Rail

[infectiousenthusiasm]

JUST ANOTHER WORKDAY FOR YOUR BUDDY, SAMPO! (DAY 20)
So, being picked up and unceremoniously dumped into a, well, dumpster, was not quite what Sampo had in mind in terms of a welcome wagon, but he was nothing if not flexible. The robot's arms had been surprisingly strong, and his catlike reflexes did nothing to help him in this regard, simply because he hadn't been expecting it. Robots were not... uncommon for him, especially now that they lived in harmony with the people of Belobog, but you don't exactly expect your new buddy to just toss you in with the garbage!

The door shuts tight behind him, and his weight makes him sink deep into the plant matter---Only for the lid to open again and for more detritus to be thrown in on top of him.

"H-Hey! I'm not a plant!" He slams his fist against the sides of his new prison. "If it's money you want, I have a great deal for you, friend! How about you let ol' Sampo on out and we can chat, eh?"

He's not sure if any of these robots are the speaking type, like Svarog or Clara's buddies, but man! It sure would be helpful if they were. He thinks he can hear someone outside of the dumpster, but it's hard to tell, with all of the mechanical noises and the sound of plants being torn from the earth.

"Help? Anybody?"


SOMEBODY'S FOOTSTEPS? HAVE NO FEAR! SAMPO IS HERE, FREE OF CHARGE! (TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY) (DAY 20)
Sampo's keen eyes catch a bystander, or perhaps a new client, nursing his jaw. The con artist entrepreneur smoothly makes his way over, a healthy amount of concern on his face. He always went the extra mile for a new client, and this one really seemed to need it.

"Why hello there, my friend! You seem to be in rough shape, perhaps I may be able to provide you a premium service? I'm well trained in first aid, I'll have you know--"

The other man turns, and Sampo's face falls just slightly, when he is very clearly brushed off, and his new friend takes off in a hurry. Not easily deterred, Sampo books it in that same direction, quite literally chasing the guy down, hot on his heels. He's fast, but this guy's a whole new level of speed. What gives? How was this fair?

"Sir! I just wanted to help you, really! I am also terribly lost--- If you really must go, can a guy get some directions?"

Unfortunately, whoever this was knew the Ship's layout much better than him, and even though Sampo wasn't getting any younger, he knew he was still a pretty flexible, limber guy. But his new friend just seemed to phase right through every obstacle like it was no big deal. Strange. Sampo does eventually lose sight of him, the sudden chase slowly tiring him out. He leans up against a wall to recover, panting and sweaty, struggling to grasp what all of this was, what any of it meant.

Just what was going on here? It all feels like a big prank that he's not part of.

WILDCARD (DAY ???)
[Hit him up with anything!]

GET DUNKED ON

[thelifeofafaker]

From outside of the dumpster, a giggle. Someone opens the lid and peers down at him, a face he will recognize all too well.

"Fancy seeing you here! Have you found your true home here in the garbage?"

Jamison Beckwith III | Scion | OC

[convinceconfuse]

Arrival

Beck wakes up on his back on the ground, blinking up at a metal roof. "Ahh, shit, what did I -" Beck sits up and lifts a hand to the back of his head and blinks at it confused when it just comes away damp, rather than bloody as he expected. He pokes at his own head a little in a few places, like he's expecting it to hurt, but shrugs when it doesn't. He brushes some of the dirt and detritus off his suit jacket, looking around. "...Bran? Bren? Guys?" No immediate response, so he reaches inside his jacket to pull out a rose gold iPhone, frowning at the lack of signal. "That's weird..."

Absent-mindedly he sticks his arm out and a white raven lands on it, making him oof a little as it hops up his arm to his shoulder, croaking dismissively. "Yeah, okay, obviously this doesn't have any connection to Grandpa, I get it... what if we try finding the outside? No? No, you're right... hey, I think someone's watching us. Can you go check it out?"

The raven croaks again, a grumbling sort of noise, and flaps heavily off Beck's shoulder, making him grunt again and finally push himself up to stand, flipping to the camera and lifting it to the right angle. "Okay... well, hey Twitter, you guys are going to be seeing this a little late, sorry, but it looks like I've been transported to an unknown Overworld. I don't know who it belongs to yet, or, uh, anything beyond it being really creepy and full of weeds. Big weeds. Not that kind of weed, I don't think, but I'll let you know..." He keeps going, rambling as he walks along the clearest path he can find, hoping for some kind of... direction sign, or 'You Are Here' map.

Workday Pt. 1 (Beck)

"Hey! Hey, put me down! I'm not garbage!" One of the cleaning robots has found a prime piece of trash - a tall, skinny young man in an expensive looking blue suit with a green tie (that is, to be fair, currently covered in dirt and debris). He's flailing as it drags him along but doesn't seem to be able to free himself. "Come on, seriously, not in the dumpster! What is this, middle school? Come on!" He yelps as he's pitched over the side onto a reasonably soft landing of plant matter. He tries to climb back out, only to be met by the robot's limb shoving him back in. "Seriously?"

Workday Pt. 2 (Beck Two)

Before he was dragged off into the dumpster, Beck had used the multitude of shadows to summon Beck Two, his doppelganger and sent him off to explore another hallway. That means there's a perfect copy of Beck (except that he's wearing a green suit and a blue tie), carefully making his way down a clearer hallway, his head on a swivel.

Unfortunately that doesn't stop the cleaning robot from reversing full-speed into him with no warning. All any onlookers will observe is a startled yelp and then a puff of deeper darkness as the doppelganger disappears.

you are the wrong icy norse demigod {Arrival}

[airplaneskyward]

Shang Beida is wandering, restlessly, around random lower halls, and he hears someone talking up ahead. He gets closer, and it's a guy in a suit... holding up a phone and... "Oh my god, are you vlogging?" What the fuck? This honestly feels even more bizarro world than meeting Super Mario or Hatsune Miku.

Queen Sphene | Final Fantasy XIV

[rhymeofreason]

Reminder: this post is formatted like this due to Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail Spoilers. I am going to be cautious like this until we're six weeks out. This is a threat. (joke)

1. Arrival

Sphere picks the Key up in her (Guide Unit M-0009's) hand, with a hard edged smile. This was it; now she could guarentee her people's happiness.

All it would cost is her-




The world blooms in senseless light, and darkness. Both shattered like she looked into a lightning strike at night with mortal eyes.

The sensations don't make sense, at first, and her head swims. Maybe this is it, maybe this is just what's left of 'her' after the memories are purged. She didn't expect to remember, or feel it all. Maybe this is death, that thing she has denied for so long.

Slowly the pieces are something she can pick apart. Liquid, blood, running down her neck. Maybe this body had been used to fight her people recently. Or, no. Its too fresh for that. The sound of rain; standard Alexandria weather, if not what she remembered from the forecast. Lost time from the wipe then.

If its the wipe, then the plan must be under way. Sphene must have their blood on her hands then.

Its fine. Its still worth it.

The idea that Wuk Lamat's blood is literally on her lingers and lingers as slowly, too slowly, Sphene fully wakes up.

Her eyes open.

The sky is a light grey, lighter than Alexandria has been in centuries.

Its not blood, after all, but Sphene doesn't know where she is. She. She doesn't understand what's going on.

2. Just another workday

Sphene hears the drone first, as it happens. The sound of machinery is familiar and in this moment, it calls to her like a beacon.

Unfortunately, the drone she finds... is less familiar than she hopes. Sphene walks up to it slowly, watching it scrub at the floor. There's no sign of electrope anywhere in its construction. Part of her, dutiful to the last, wonders if she could get a hold of the designs somehow. She knew, of course she knew that Alexandria over-reliance on electrope was part of what caused health problems. Maybe, if she could start diversifying technology here and there, the energy costs could then go to Living Memory instead-

Lost in thoughts of little hopes, the movement of the drone's camera completely goes unnoticed. At least, until the drone fully moves to face her, nozzle aimed, and-

There is soap. Everywhere.

(The first thing Sphene has tasted for herself, and it is bitter and horrible. There are several bad impressions at play here, really.)

Wildcard!

Just another workday.

[cloversandcranes]

[You would think about being almost pushed into a dumpster, that Makoto would avoid this place as much as possible. And you'd be right. ...Mostly. Carefully avoiding the drones as best as possible, he was about finished with his investigation of the room when he saw a drone blast soapy water on someone.]

Ah?!

[Makoto rushed towards the stranger and shooed the drone away as he took off his dry jacket and offered it to her as a towel.]

Looks like they got you too huh?

[While he could forgive the drones for their mistake, he still didn't like it.]

Are you alright?

Iggy Koopa | Mario Bros. (canon point is end of Bowser Junior's Journey)

[bahahahaha]

1 - Arrival; day 22.

What had started as a great party at Castle Koopa has somehow turned into a bit of a conundrum; specifically because Iggy had had the bright idea of allowing Bowser Junior to stuff him into a canon and fire him off into the distance. The loud bang of the canon still rings in his ears just as much as the wind sails through his hair; he's even still cackling his head off as he absolutely prepares to crash face first into the crowd of partying minions below.

Unfortunately, that last bit doesn't happen. He comes to and blinks, reaching up to adjust his glasses a little as he takes note of his new surroundings. For a split second, the Koopaling looks comically confused, before his face lights up with manic glee when he realizes he really isn't still in Bowser's castle.

"Wow, Lord Junior must have really shot me into the atmosphere!" he cackles madly, not at all seeming to be disturbed by this odd turn of events. Instead, he seems to welcome it with open arms. "or maybe I landed on my head and I'm in a coma. Hm, the possibilities... welp! No time like the present, eh?"

As if he owns the place, as if this is just some sort of normal, every day thing, Iggy casually begins to explore his new surroundings, humming as he runs a clawed finger across the metal side of the ship, the sound akin to nails on a chalkboard paired with the soft pitter patter of rain that seems to echo and bounce off of the walls for a few seconds before he pauses mid step, grinning like a maniac as he turns to look over his shoulder.

"I hear yoooou," he practically purrs. "come on out, then -- or are we playing a game of hide and seek? I just love games... ahahaha!"

2 - Somebody's Footsteps; day 23.

While he hasn't quite settled in, Iggy's torn between still half thinking this is some sort of weird head injury related hallucination and half accepting this as his new reality. Granted, he'd actually gone to search for his siblings just to check; but there'd been no family to be found. Even the great Lord Bowser seems to be absent.

The Koopaling isn't one for making friends, but as he explores, fascinated by the vegetation, he pauses as he hears someone blurt out 'not more of this shit'. His crazed gaze lands on the specter just as he darts off, and with nothing better to do, Iggy gives chase. Unfortunately for him, the young man disappears and Iggy finds himself staring into a vast amount of tangled weeds and fauna.

"Aw, come on, man. You can't just say something like that and then disappear!" he says with an over dramatic sigh. His attention soon focuses on the plants before him, and he reaches out to take a dried leaf between his fingers, his eyes narrowing. Given that he's usually stationed in the more dangerous jungles when Bowser decides it's time to kidnap the Princess, well. He almost feels right at home.

"...still not the same as Soda Jungle. What a drag," he says to himself, before cackling. "no matter~ This should make for some interesting research. Besides, if I stay here long enough, maybe that guy will show up again..."

Arrival - hi hello welcome!

[airplaneskyward]

Shang Qinghua... freezes, instincts torn between 'that is a threatening villain thing to say and I should grovel' and 'that is a fucking Mario character'.

Okay he's going to... try to have a crumb of dignity here. He steps out into the hall. He... could try and do a power play by knowing the dude's name but all he's got is 'a Koopa?'. Look, it's been sixty years since he played a Mario game. "Hi," he says, inanely. Okay let's just pretend this is greeting a normal and nonthreatening person. "Um, did you just get here?"

Makoto Naegi | Danganronpa (possible Danganronpa Spoilers)

[cloversandcranes]

Dread in my heart (Day 22)

[The feeling of something warm trailing down his neck made his groggy mind slightly jolt in alarm. It wasn't the first time he had felt something trailing down his neck, whether sweat or blood, but he didn't like it nonetheless. Lifting his weary arm to wipe it away, he was confused when he found rainwater instead. The feeling of unnatural disappointment at the discovery made dread fill him. The feeling of being watched only deepened the feeling.

Feeling more awake, he looked around at his surroundings as he tried to remember what he was doing before he fell asleep. If he was remembering correctly, he had gone to bed after talking to Togami-kun and Kirigiri-san after they left Jabberwock Island. This isn't my cabin... Trying not to panic, he stood up on slightly shaky legs and called out.]

Kirigiri-san? Togami-kun? Are you here?

[Despite the closed quarters he found himself in, he continued to feel rain. The absence of natural logic only made the panic continue to rise. Putting his dress jacket over his head as cover, he walked around and continued calling out to his friends.]


Still here (Day 22)

[The sight of more people here had his panic subside slightly and he closed his eyes to take a deep breath. He could do this. Opening his eyes, he looked at the moving people and started to walk towards them. Stopping in front of a young woman, he smiled gently and asked with a warm tone.]

Sorry about bothering you but can you tell me more about the situation here?

[When the woman was unresponsive to his words, he took a sigh and tried again.]

Hello?

[When the woman finally responded to him, his smile grew before he heard her words.]

Darling is that you?

[Makoto froze at her words and offered a apologetic smile but before he could answer, the woman continued.]

It's been so long! How have you been?

[The woman turned to fully look at him and smiled before walking towards him with her arms raised for a hug. Makoto tensed slightly at the motion before trying to explain.]

I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about.

[When the woman frowned at his response, he backpedaled slightly and tried to continue but before he could say anything else, the woman disappeared and reappeared back at her starting spot. Makoto tensed when the woman once again turned to look at him and repeat the words and actions of before. Once again she frowned and disappeared and repeated her actions. As he stood there frozen in shock, his eyes took notice that her and some of the other people were slightly transparent.]

What the... Am I in a simulation?


SHSL Good? Luck (Day 22+)

[Thoroughly confused and tired from his encounters, he decided to go back to the lower decks of Fern, hoping to find something. What, he didn't know, just something useful. He was startled to find the drones cleaning the deck. He watched them in awe as they plucked plants from the walls. At first they ignored him, even with his weak greetings but when he got too close to one, a few turned to look at him.

Makoto gulped when the plant plucking drones started to approach him threateningly.]

Um...hi?

[One of the three drones got closer and grabbed his ahoge in his hair with a harsh tug. Wincing in pain, he tried to resist, holding his head as they tugged. When he saw a sharp pair of shears coming close, he panicked as a flashback of a similar situation came to mind. Struggling more in fear, he kicked and struggled and once he was free, he started to run away from them, shouting.]

I'm not a plant!

[Running from the drones, he didn't notice when he ran into a drone with a dumpster and fell back on his behind. Wincing, he looked up and paled when he saw the giant drone staring down at him. Before he could fully react, he felt small drone arms pick him up and started to push him into the dumpster. Struggling in their arms, he called out.]

Y-You got it wrong! SOMEONE HELP!


(((OOC: Makoto's a good boy but he's gone through some stuff. Here's his opt-out just in case. You can also find his permissions here. Thank you for reading!)))

SHSL Good? Luck (Day 22?) - Maybe this is a Mite bit luckier

[beautyyearningknight]

Argenti was watching the drones work, utterly fascinated.

After the jump they had been far more active, attempting to do something about, the now he could reasonably guess, undesired foliage fiasco occurring in the hallways of the Ship.

They were efficient little workers, albeit polite ones, anytime he accidentally stepped across his path they gave him fair warning as he apologized and hastily went on his way.

He'd briefly entertained the idea of helping out himself, but pushed it aside. He was more likely to disrupt whatever plan was being mechanically communicated between the drones by his uniformed attempts.

Still... he lingers a bit longer to watch them work.

"SOMEONE HELP!"

A distressed shout echoes in the hallway. Argenti's head swivels around, searching for the owner of the voice, eyes wide and full of concern. Had somebody gotten stuck in the foliage-?

He dashed down the hallway in the direction he best judged to be correct, and spotted one of the drones lifting a boy up and into one of the dumpsters.

Alarmed, he ran over, grasping the arms of the drone and pulling it back away from the dumpster.

"Hold! Hold! This is not debris, this is a person!" he shouts, potentially rather uselessly, at the drone. He wasn't certain it had any kind of audio processing capability.

Although it did appear to stop fighting back.

Lalli Hotakainen | Stand Still Stay Silent

[dreaminglynx]

Gaze From the Clouds (Day 22)

Lalli’s not a stranger to water, not by a long shot.

It was an important transportation of his ancestors that once lived on a boat, an escape from danger, and an overall... boring and unpleasant place as much as he was concerned.

The water though was never far in his dreams, walking down rivers and endless pathways of water. He knew it well. He knew it was both life... and very much could be the death of you.

The night scout tries to pull free, tries to jerk back when something coils around his stomach and pulls. The strange feeling of warmth, sends him into confusion. The warmth feels different than the frigid cold waters around him, and it makes him gasp as it registers in his mind.

Can you even bleed in dreams? It’s not a question Lalli ever expected to ask himself.

He finds the force has left him, confusingly, being able to reach his hand free. He feels a wave of confusion as he tries to move, run, swim... but instead finds himself upset there is only water everywhere.

Why would he be feeling that when there’s something in the water with him?

He shivers feeling eyes on him and turns around-

To find himself drenched in a rainstorm on a balcony of some large ship. He grumbles, realizing he must’ve woken up and has to rush for cover under some trees. His entire uniform is drenched from head to toe and he finds himself trying to shake it off, pulling off his cloak to try to get the water out of it by shaking it.

He remembers heading back to the Saimaa settlements, to his homeland, wandering around but... he had gotten off the boat days ago.

“Emil?” he calls out, trying to see if the Swede would respond back. He sighs and frowns a little at the sound of silence.

He peers up at the treetops and furrows his brow knit with concern, had they taken refuge inside the hull of an ancient ship? He shakes his head; no, he’d remember that.

He finds himself immediately rushing through the underbrush to reach the edge of the ship. He gets up onto the railing to peer over, only to look up and see the boat seems to be underwater.

“Ah,” Lalli speaks up. “Yes, that explains it.” The young man gets up onto the edge and peers around through the strange field around the boat, as if looking for a proper entry out. To others, he may look to be crazy to preform a feat, to him, it was simply how dreams worked.

“Hmm....” He mumbles, contemplating where he could create a proper exit point for the dream. To others, he looks like he might simply try to jump off the boat entirely.

Somebody’s footsteps (Day 22)

Wandering the night to Lalli was like a bird in the air. The strange new place is rather.. odd. It’s overgrown and full of strange plants he’s never seen. It’s too humid and feels rather stuffy, he still finds himself searching around, wandering through the aimless corridors. It’s only when he sees the light of something that he creeps closer to see what it is.

There seems to be, among all the foliage, some couches and sitting areas in what appears to be a lounge of some sort. He furrows his brow at the person alone there, tapping on a thing. What a weird light...

Lalli slinks over and peers up from behind the couch, tilting his head to the side to see the weird light she was using. It’s bright, and he has to squint to even see. The woman seems to notice his long stare and scrunches up her face, “You’re not night shift. Go back to bed, you need your rest.”

Lalli reels back and states flatly, a small frown on his face, “But I am. It’s my literal job.”

She simply turns away and plucks away at the weird light. He looks away and simply watches the weird fiddling. It seems to shift a little for a minute, before he reaches out to try to touch it.

He blinks, pale blue eyes wide, when she vanishes, and ends up falling over into the cushions of the couch. He groans and pulls himself up into a sitting position. However, his expression doesn’t change. She must’ve been a mage right? That’s the only explanation... She must’ve woken up.

He sighs as he gets up, alone again, not even Reynir’s annoying yap was around. It was... strangely peaceful. That is until he heard something in the distance.

“Hey!” Lalli pipes up when he sees someone in the distance, coming over to them. “Geeze, why are there so many people outside their area tonight?” It’s clear he knows what he’s talking about, or at least he thinks he knows.

Ideal Camouflage (Day 23+)

The entire place reminds him of the Silent World, the boat’s ecosystem taking over the artificial hull slowly and bitterly. It’s comforting, reminds him of home.

He, however, hadn’t expected to meet a semi-familiar face. It first started as he was wandering the hallways during the day, due to the fact it was important to get a scope of the place. It wasn’t exactly mapped properly, the entire thing feeling like a confusing mess Lalli didn’t want to deal with or put brain power to figuring it out.

He doesn’t like scouting in the daytime, he’s a night scout for a reason. It’s less bothersome, less distractions... and, in this case, less people.

What he doesn’t like is the lack of cover the day doesn’t provide him, making his sneaking around not as effective.

He perks up when he hears something shifting in the bushes. At first he scans the area and watches for anything in particular, trying to get a sense of something. However, there it’s oddly silent, his senses through are screaming something is around.

He glances at the shudder of something when he notices a mass in the thick vines and foliage lining the walls. It appears to be a rather large looking creature, dog-like in appearance. He bristles and slowly steps back, one step at a time.

Easy does it.

He can feel sweat as he carefully tries to make his way down the much too visible hallway as he sees more of these dog-like creatures following behind the leader. A slow methodical game of cat and mouse. It's strange they aren't immediately pouncing on him, but some trolls are like that... Not all of them immediate attack, some prefer to hunt their prey.

He gulps, turns the corner as methodically as he can, and bolts the moment he’s out of sight.

He can hear the shifting of branches, vines, whatever foliage is around as he goes racing down the . Lalli would use his rifle if it didn’t mean stopping to shoot, as he didn’t feel like being troll food today.

He’s thankful for his scout training for a split second, as this is the umpteenth time he’s had to run from trolls and can potentially give himself some time to get out of harm’s way and figure out what to do-

Trolls are fast though, they'll catch up, he has to get away-

He finds himself turning another corner when he crashes into something- or rather someone. He finds himself on the floor before he hears the sounds of the pack behind him. He grabs the handle of the rifle and snaps at the person he’s just ran into, “Go, now! Run!”

Wild Card (Days 22+)

Feel free to write me on discord and discuss any plans!

Please keep your hands, arms, and the all of you inside the vehicle-

[doomed_gambler]

Aventurine had gone up to one of the open decks to enjoy some fresh air, the rains having finally stopped after so long. (Something in seeing everything still here after so much rain...not flooded away.)

He didn't expect someone to be up here. And he really didn't expect them to be...sitting precariously on the railing. We'll...crouching. That's even more alarming.

"H-Hey, kid? It's dangerous up there, you should probably come back down, yeah? There's nothing but wastelands past that barrier, you should...probably stay inside of it," he says, trying for casualness but holding his hand forward to try shielding back to safety if he really needed to.

[topazofdebtretrieval]

GAZE FROM THE CLOUDS (Day 22)

Something jerks hard around your stomach, like a movement adruptly stopped. Something trickles through your hair, down the back of your neck - it's warm, and you get the feeling you know what it is.

But when you lift your neck to check, all there is is water. Somehow, counterintuitively, you feel a flash of disappointment. You feel someone's eyes on you...

Purple eyes slowly blink open, staring straight up at the ocean hanging above them. The mind directing them gropes about, having no idea how long she’s been asleep or what she’s supposed to do next.

The shock of that breaks Topaz from her haze, jerking straight up out of her seat in the lounge with a loud yelp. Eyes staring around. Where is she? What’s going on? Where is … “Numby?!” she calls, and with it’s own disoriented squeaks the warp trotter crawls out from underneath her seat and bounces up to her. Their own confusion expressed in the circles they’re running around her. She reaches down to pick them up, looking around and calling out. “Is someone there? Where … am I?”

Perhaps there’s no response, so she holds Numby tight and begins a slow determined walk forward, piecing together her last few memories. Aventurine’s trial, plopping into her seat on the plane for a power nap. Mentally reviewing the next set of investments that need to be made and then. Here.

“Alright Numby, don’t panic” she assures the warp trotter (and herself). “Whatever is going on… we’ll make the best of the opportunity.”

IDEAL CAMOUFLAGE

And opportunities she finds! Having fled from the sensation of eyes on her, she follows numby down into the depths of the ship. Sidestepping the flowing rivers of water and sinking deep into the jungle around her, observing the scenery with a keen eye. Such a large ecology! Her own ship isn’t quite this large, and whoever’s let this one get so overgrown is slacking on the job, but they’ve clearly got the resources to make something grand!

So when the cutest fox comes bounding up to her she happily leans down to inspect it. Coaxing it closer as Numby crawls on her shoulders to take a better look, she finds that it doesn't just look green, it’s got actual plant matter for skin. Naturally, she pulls her phone out for an impromptu photo-shoot!

Unfortunately, with her attention focused on keeping the fox from running off on her,and Numby squeaking in her ear, she doesn't quite notice the charging Deer thrice her size rushing her, angry at seeing something invade it’s territory. Not until the last minute, when she starts to dive and draw her gun seconds too late…

Wildcard

((Find me on discord if you’ve got any other ideas for miss Topaz of the strategic investments depart!))

camouflage

[screwubbaboo]

Boothill heard there were creatures roaming in the lower decks so he goes down to check it out himself. He cut his teeth as a hunter first, after all - even if these are made of branches and leaves rather than flesh and blood, he figures he's got what it takes to clear a few out and keep things safe.

Looks like he had good timing, too - he sees the plant deer bearing down on a bent over woman and doesn't hesitate, giving it two in the head. It goes down, collapsing into a pile of leaves, and he steps forward. "Ain't you got a fudgin' brain in your head?" He demands. "What the heck do you think you're doin'?"

Jack Reacher | Reacher (2023)

[assumptionskill]

Arrival (Day 20)
Reacher arrives in the lounge. He has two different impressions immediately; this place used to be a lot more luxurious than it currently appears and that he is maybe on a vessel of some sort. That he can hear rain should signal that he is close to the outside of wherever he is, but he has already been inexplicably transported somewhere he doesn't recognize, so it is difficult for him to trust any of his assumptions.
He notices the window almost immediately. He initially thinks it might help him figure out what's going on, but when all he sees is water it does absolutely nothing to clarify the circumstances.
Instead, all he's getting is a sense of immediate danger. Is something watching him, or is he simply reacting to an unfamiliar circumstance unhelpfully? His usual ability to push past his background paranoia to his actually useful instincts is diminished; he can't shake the feeling that he's being watched.
Time to go figure out what's going on.
It's only when he runs his hands through his hair that he realizes one of the things that feels off is that he's soaked. At least it seems to be water.

Just Another Workday (Day 20)
At first, when the thing sprays him down with soapy water, he doesn't do anything. He almost lashes out physically, but when he realizes that it was trying to clean him he instead stares at it, trying to figure out what it is.
He is pretty big. Maybe it thought he was a piece of furniture?
He backs off. It follows, and sprays him with soap again. This time some of it gets in his mouth, and he has to spit it out. It would be funny, if he wasn't so utterly lost.

Just Another Workday

[harmoniousconsecration]

The halovian was deeply thankful of the drones attempting to clean the place up. Some of the floors had been filthy and overgrown for far too long. Sunday was pleased in watching them work, even guiding a few gently in the right direction with his foot, if roots had tangled and left them spinning.

And then he rounds a corner, to watch a poor man get absolutely doused in soap. Sunday picks up his pace, laughing softly, patting the drone.

"That was very rude of you. He's a passenger." Sunday then turns to acknowledge this new man. "I apologize for that. The rest of us have been here long enough to be easily recognized as people. "

He shoos the drone away as it makes the... approximate apology gesture, blowing warm air at the very soapy man.

"My name is Sunday. I suppose you'll be needing a shower, now. I can show you where they are located, if you wish."

Chirithy | Kingdom Hearts uX

[yourguidingcat]

NOTE: ALL prompts are DAY 24+! Also: Chirithy uses any pronouns! Go ham!!

ARRIVAL / GAZE

Blood. You don't bleed, obviously, but your wielder does. You remember. You remember curling up on her chest as if you were a real cat with any warmth, as if through sheer will alone you could heal her. You remember how cold their skin was and how warm their blood was, when they touched the back of your head to pull you closer.

"It's okay, Mint," you'd whispered. "It's okay, I'm with you. I'm not going anywhere."

It's not real blood, obviously. The sensation of something running down Chirithy's back is too strong, and they know... a little better than that! If they get wet they simply, uh, kind of absorb it. The feeling of eyes watching them is pretty familiar, though.

"Master....?" Chirithy calls out, cautiously. It does a full 360 to examine the surroundings, but there's nothing but this ship and the rain. No Master of Masters. "Well, you won't hear me complain," it whispers, feeling a little more cheerful.

Nothing to do but start searching.


SEARCHING

A small plush cat walks through the halls, waddling around on its hind legs with purpose. It's wearing a little cape, its eyes and nose are sewn on, and its ears flop - in the style of Scottish Fold? Just because it's a plushie!? Who knows!

"Hello?" Chirithy calls out, not seeming too preturbed by their surroundings, even as they continue to rub at the back of their neck. Water isn't running down under their cape!! That's not how it works!!! "Is anyone there?"

None of the people Chirithy has passed seem to register he exists at all, which is a little annoying. Usually he has to try if he wants to hide! (He doesn't know these are ghosts, of course. How could he!)

"Mint?" they call, a little more boldly. "Can you hear me!?"


YOU'RE NOT MY WIELDER!?

He's tired of being wet, he's tired of being ignored, and he's tired of not knowing where Mint is! It's been so long since he last saw them!! Enough is enough, Chirithy decides. They reach into their magic, and

-POOF!-

They teleport, but it's not to Mint's location! Nope! Who knows where this is, who knows who they are landing on, but land on someone they do, with a polite little thump of a two foot tall plush cat hitting you in the head.

"WAUGH!?!" Chirithy exclaims, and rights themself with a little flip. Its thread eyes DO widen, though it has no mouth to speak with, and it sounds embarrassed. Mortified, even. "Who- where am I!? You're not my Wielder!!!"


IDEAL CAMOFLAUGE

Driven to desperate measures, Chirithy starts exploring the jungle in the lower decks. This is going okay and alright until they lose their balance while trying to climb over a larger root, and their fall startles a - monster!? Awake!??

"H- Heartless!!" Chirithy gasps, though who knows who he thinks he's warning. He's alone! Remember!!! "Is- is that a Heartless...?"

The monsters eyes are void, instead of yellow, and it has no Emblem at all, but it still looks like darkness made flesh - er - plant? It's a deer-like creature twice Chirithy's size, with antlers of branches and rusted metal. Twice Chirithy's size is still smaller than most people, but Chirithy is so small and this thing looks real angry. Chirithy starts scrambling back... into the root they just fell off of! Oh no!!

Instinctively Chirithy starts to teleport away, and then remembers what happened last time. Now that he knows these things are wandering the Ship, he'll be less likely to do that again! Only one other thing to do, then. "H- Help!!! Boy I hope you're a deer who doesn't eat - uh - dreams?????"

Aventurine || Sorry your wielder is in a different room!!

[doomed_gambler]

Another set of nightmares. Another night waking up shouting for names he can't quite recall, grasping for people that no longer live. The...events of the past few days didn't help with this.

So he's in the lounge in the middle of the night again. At least the rain stopped. At least the windows are clear. He can play solitaire with a nice cup of warm milk and just pass the time until his mind settles--

POOF

"What the- huh?!" Something soft impacts with his head, and his hands automatically come up to- defend himself? Find what it is?

He ends up with his hands around the middle of a....um.

"You're a talking plush??" Aventurine asks, tired eyes blinking blearily at the...creature. It seems very upset. "I. Um. No, not your wielder, sorry to disappoint?" He holds the thing up, mystified. "I heard new animals were popping up but this is...wow. I'm...am I dreaming?" What is this thing??? It looks like something out of Topaz's office...

Deuce Spade || Twisted Wonderland

[cardsoldierspade]

Arrival (Day 22)

Something around his stomach- moves? Almost painfully, but-

Is he hungry? Vil-sama's new diet he instructed them with for the competition was still hard to adjust to. He...knew better than to go looking for a midnight snack now though...

But what time is it? It...there's light filtering in.

And he has morning class.

"I'm late!!!" Deuce yelps, sitting up with a jolt, then falling off what he was sleeping on- a couch?? It looks old enough to be something from Ramshackle, but also...not...

Something's dripping down the back of his head, down his neck. "What the...I didn't hit it that hard, did I?" he mutters, feeling around and finding...nothing?? Huh??

Someone's watching him too, but he can't...no matter where he looks--for an angry housewarden, an irritating roommate, or perhaps Vil-sama himself for missing practice-- no one. No one is here. And yet he feels watched. It makes his skin prickle, and his hands curl into fists, as if ready for a fight.

But he's not supposed to fight anymore. He's supposed to be good, now. He reaches for his wand and finds...nothing. He gasps, hands flailing as he searches himself for the red gem on a black pen, but not finding it anywhere. He grimaces. "Housewarden Riddle's gonna take my head for this..." he mourns, slumping in place.

"Well, maybe it ended up somewhere else. First I gotta figure out where this is..." he says, to no one in particular. It's comforting to do so; having no one around and feeling eyes on him?? That's extremely unsettling. He stumbles to a window and his eyes widen. "We're under the sea...? Since when? What??" There is ocean out there, but it looks nothing like what he saw with the Leech twins. It's...dull, way too see through. Still...maybe he's on a wrecked ship? Somehow??? It's raining....

He swallows when he remembers someone's watching. The gaze doesn't feel friendly. He takes a hurried pace out of the wrecked room and moves to somewhere lower. "Hey, anyone here? You can come out." His eyes narrow. "Ace if you're playing a trick, it's not funny. Come out!" he adds, sounding a bit more desperate than annoyed. "Vil-sama? Kalim-sama? ...Grim?"

He gets to the bottom of the stairs, being met with a hallway completely overgrown with plants. His voice is small as he stares into the darkness between vines. "Anyone...?"

Where is he??


Someone's Footsteps (Day 22)

Deuce is...not completely unfamiliar with waking up in strange places. Halloween ended up like that, of course. But he'd woken up surrounded by friends...friends who were literally beating the ghost out of him but still, there were people. So...he just needs to figure out where he is, where the people are. Easy.

He ends up somewhere near some showers, and finally finds someone. "Hey! You! Do you know where we are??" he asks hastily, bounding up to the person. They're wearing a suit he'd not seen before, but it does remind him of lab coats at school. Protective gear? There's also a flower hanging from over their ear...what impressive floral magic, to make art of it like that. So cool.

The person glances around, briefly at him, then asks, "Hey, did you see where that new guy with the eyepatch went?"

Deuce blinks. "N...No. You're the first person I've seen, sorry. But where are we??" he asks again. The person doesn't answer; they head off down the hallway shortly after asking, scrubbing at their cropped hair with a towel wrapped around their head. Deuce follows them, reaching forward. "Hey! Please, I-"

The person is gone. And he's in...a cafeteria? Deuce gapes; who eats so much food? Was that a ghost? Do they eat? The ghosts at the party seemed to enjoy at least pretending to eat at the party...

"Oh!! They have eggs here?" All that flies out of his head when he sees the boiled and scrambled eggs available to eat. He's so excited about them that he doesn't notice if anyone is already in the cafeteria, or coming in after them. Guy really likes his eggs.


Ideal Camouflage (Day 23)

Deuce had been watching the plant animals for awhile now, finding them interesting and frightening. He'd never seen a rabbit that big...it's almost as tall as him. Still appropriately skittish, though. He'd have a hard time racing that...was someone experimenting with floral magic?

He was watching a small pack of tiny plant tigers now, smiling. They remind him of Grim. Except their eyes are all so inky black...like blot creatures. Monsters. But they've all been docile so far...

They all scatter suddenly, bounding out of the clearing. "Huh? What's wrong?" he mutters, standing up.

He hears muffled sounds beating on the ground. He whirls around just in time to dodge a giant sized plant boar. "Holy sh- shoot!" Even surprised, he must use language an honor student would use. The boar charges on past him, seeming to chase the little tigers. "Wait, stop that! What did they do to you?!" he shouts, chasing after the boar without another thought, likely causing a noisy commotion the whole way.

Someone's footsteps (HELLO! I'm so sorry for being late!)

[cloversandcranes]

[Makoto was eating miso soup when he saw Deuce enter the cafeteria. Looking up with a hum, Makoto looked up to see a stranger looking confused before exclaiming about...eggs. Eggs? Was that really that exciting?]

Yeah...and other types of food. I'm sorry but...are you okay?

[Ignoring the strange fascinating with eggs, the guy looked ruffled.]

You looked confused before you starting talking about...eggs.

Sebastian Michaelis | Arrival

[demonbutlersebastian]

(Day 25)

The first thing Sebastian was aware of was the fact that he had recently been unconscious, which was rather odd. He rarely chose sleep as an option; it was hardly necessary and got in the way of tending to the young master's manor. A place that he very quickly noticed he no longer was.

Odd. They had recently left Weston College to return home for a temporary reprieve, having discovered exactly what the prefects were hiding. There was no way he should be in a place so unfamiliar. There had also been no rain on their trip back, yet his hair felt oddly damp. In fact, he could hear rain despite it being an unusually sunny summer in Britain.

An unfamiliar location (another luxury liner, as though the first weren't bad enough) and no sight of Ciel to be found. Quickly dusting off his suit, Sebastian resolved to investigate quickly. It wouldn't do if the Undertaker or some other threat found Ciel before Sebastian finally could taste his soul while he was missing, and he wouldn't be able to find or return to Ciel if he didn't investigate where he was now.

Perhaps if he searched long enough, he'd find somebody else who knew more about the predicament he had found himself in. Then, once that was resolved, he could start planning how to return home.

Arrival (Executor Federico | Arknights)

[sanktawithashotgun]

Sebastian likely isn't wandering very long before he comes across...someone working on some circuitry in the wall of the ship. They're very focused.

If he takes a closer look, he may notice black, shard-like wings floating at his back and a black halo over his head. He doesn't exude a profoundly holy aura, however; if anything it's more orderly and steady. He's in a black t-shirt, some outer clothing neatly folded on the floor next to where he's working. A mechanized drone waits nearby to give the tools needed over.

Executor probably senses Sebastian before he sees him. He blinks, turning from his work to look at the man. He's...never seen him before. Something about him...feels like a sarkaz, but not. There are no horns...perhaps the newcomer is a vampire sub-type, like the ship's chiurgeon. He tilts his head in greeting.

"Hello. Are you a new arrival to this landship?"

Flamebringer | Arknights

[indifferentinferno]

[Arrival - Gaze from the Clouds -|Any day after day 23|-]

Flamebringer's eyes fly open as he feels his body abruptly jerk, like a car or a ship slowing down abruptly, the all too familiar sensation of blood running down the back of his neck-

Crap, what had happened?! was he injured-

He reaches a hand back and feels. Nothing. Just the warmth of his own skin and his fingers brushing the edge of the hardened black spots that decorated the side of his neck.

Huh... pulling his hand back he stares at his palm. Its dry. No blood. Not even water. Even though he feels like he's been walking through the rain. He feels... disappointed.

He grits his teeth. Why would he be disappointed? That was less LMD he had to spend on bandages or medicines. This made no sense.

His tail twitched slightly as he finally registered a very different... and familiar sensation.

Something, or Somebody, had eyes on him. He wasn't alone.

Years of experience dealing with hostile gazes stayed his hand even though he wished to settled it reassuringly on his katana. It'd do no good to appear threatening if it was just some stranger who was smart enough to be on their guard. Or if it was something less friendly that would take that as a reason to put him down while he was at a disadvantage.

He forced himself to take a long, and measured breath.

Right.

He didn't know how he'd gotten here. One of the Doctor's plans maybe. If that's how it was, something had gone wrong. He didn't know where this was, or why he was here. That enough was good reason to have his guard up.

He quietly sighed to just himself. He started down the hall. First things first... he needed to figure out how hostile that gaze was. And if he could lose it's attention in this place.



[Somebody's Footsteps]

Flamebringer finds a staircase and takes it down. The sensation of somebody watching him grows weaker, but doesn't disappear. Purposely maintaining a casual, relaxed pace, hands in his pockets he continues to wander until he finds another staircase and decides again to take it down once again.

The sensation disappears entirely the moment his boots hit the bottom of the steps and he looks back over his shoulder bewildered. The timing was almost too perfect. What the heck was going on?

He continues to squint up at the top of the staircase for a minute longer, before shaking his head. Testing whatever, or whoever it was, was probably a bad idea.

Wandering further on this new level of whatever complex this was, only brought up more questions. He was seeing, people. Translucent people. Ghosts.

Flamebringer wasn't the superstitious type, but there were too many strange phenomenons in the world for him to disregard what he was seeing as a hallucination or something else.

He takes a cautious step forward into the crowd. None of them look his way, none of them even acknowledge his presence. He should be happy about that. It just makes his skin crawl.

He slowly makes his way through the crowd, looking at the different faces he saw. Some of them were dressed like civilians... some of them reminded him of the scientific and medical staff aboard Rhodes Island. None of it answered the questions of where he was and what was going on.

Refocusing his gaze on where he was going he yelped, "H-hey!" right before a guy walked straight through him.

It didn't feel like anything, nothing happened. Whipping around the guy was just continuing on his way, acting like he hadn't just completely passed through another human being. Flamebringer put a hand to his own chest just to feel that he was still solid to himself, his heart racing. Crap. Whatever was going on here. He'd had enough of it.

He found himself in a space that looked like a cafeteria. More ghosts were milling about. He ignored them. Except, there was one ghost, a woman, sitting at the edge, feet hanging out from under the railing, looking to all the world content to mind her own business despite how weird it was for her to be sitting so casually on the floor in that exact spot.

He stared for a minute, and started to turn away... ugh. Fine.

He made his way over, until he stood over her. Two things he noticed: she was in a bathrobe, which was really strange for a public spot like this. And below the bathrobe there were bandages. She'd been hurt.

"Hey. Lady. What are you doing here?" He asked.

She didn't startle, so she'd probably heard him coming. She turns to look up at him, expression tired, but she smiled at him anyways, "It's alright. I'm just waiting for that nice angel to come back," she states, then returns to looking out into the distance.

"Okay." fine, none of his business, although he did make a mental note of 'angel', could be a Sankta running around, "Whats this place then?"

She doesn't respond.

"Hey. Hey. I'm still talking to you."

Nothing.

"Hey," He reaches out to gently shake her shoulder, annoyed.

The moment his hand 'connects' with her shoulder, she vanishes. His fingers curl back and he takes a startled step back.

"Crap. Thats-" He hisses to himself, cutting himself off as every instinct he had told him this was a bad, bad place to be. What the heck was going on?!



[Ideal Camouflage]

Wired and on edge after his encounter with the ghosts, Flamebringer lets his feet carrying him down the halls and away from whatever that was. He didn't want anything to do with it. He wasn't somebody who was all that interested in mystic crap, and he didn't intend to start now.

Eventually he found himself in place strangely dense with plant life.

It was dumb, but the sight of greenery after all the hard metal walls, and the inexplicable ghosts, made his shoulders relax and he slowed down to look at the vines surrounding him and the other plants.

So this place was abandoned, he guessed. Nobody in their right mind would let this much greenery get out of control in a building... then again it wasn't like there weren't plenty of people who weren't in their right mind.

He walked deeper in, still keeping a weary eye out. Just because he was free of the weird stuff from before didn't mean he was safe.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught movement. Something else was here.

He slowly turned to face it. No sudden moves.

At first he didn't spot anything... but then he saw it. A... beast. He wasn't sure what it was. He hadn't seen anything like it before ((its a cougar)). It was moving with grace in the shadows, watching him.

Even if he didn't know what it was, he recognized the stance of a predator, and he slowly moved his hand to his katana. Grinning despite himself. Finally. Something he could handle on his own terms.

The beast realized it had been spotted, and pounced.

Flamebringer dodged out of the way with a hiss, minding his footing on the uneven ground. The beast landed and immediately whipped around to try again, but this time Flamebringer had the advantage.

With a flash he drew his katana, sword meeting foe mid-air in a violent clash that sent his opponent flying back and crashing back into the jungle floor.

Dashing over he raised his sword to stab it again, he didn't know what it was, and he wasn't risking it taking another shot at him-

He halted as he stood over it. There was no longer a beast. Just a pile of vines, leaves, and some jagged pieces of metal strewn in the pile.

He stepped back, stomach dropping and his sense of danger returned. The pile of debris vaguely resembled the beast he'd been fighting before, but it no longer held any of the life or structure.

What on Terra was GOING ON?!

There's the crunch of a footstep behind him and he whirls around, blade still in hand coming up to point at whoever approached him, eyes wide and wild, aura that of one who wouldn't hesitate to defend himself, or even kill, if given the excuse.

Camoflauge (May I offer you an angle in this trying time)

[sanktawithashotgun]

Executor heard commotion coming from somewhere in this overgrown hallway. Numerous small hoof-beasts had scattered and run by him, causing him to have to step around them. His movements are...a bit sluggish from the chill in the air. It is good that these plant creatures are too small to be a real threat to him. His wings fan out for balance as he proceeds to the noise, the whisper of steel being drawn. The sound of it being plunged into something-

His posture stiffens, his hand resting on his gun. He is ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

And draw it he does, when he comes upon a wider area and a clearing, and someone standing in the center, crouched over a pile of plant matter. They must hear him, because they whirl on him, eyes ablaze with adrenaline, their tail lashing. Executor levels his weapon on the threat in a flash, eyes narrowed as he takes in the details, possible weaknesses, possible-

A thin black tail. Black horns...and patches of black stone on his skin. A face he knows. Not well, but...it's familiar. He's worked with him at Rhodes Island, run operations with him before. He knows this person. A sarkaz. An Operator.

Executor's eyes widen near imperceptibly, hard to notice if you don't know what to look for. He drops the barrel of his gun to point it towards the ground, his mind fighting back a strange haze to run through operator records he'd memorized, searching for a name. Ah.

"Operator Flamebringer?" he asks, stunned. Well, as stunned as someone like Executor Federico could be. It possibly is the most emotion that Flamebringer's ever heard from the usually stoic man.

Tacey Seward | Forgotten Realms/D&D OC

[scuttleup]

Workday

After an uneventful arrival on one of the upper decks and not liking that feeling of being watched - being watched probably meant Zariel, and Zariel meant she was fucked, especially since her erstwhile party seemed to have disappeared on her - she had headed downward, into the bowels of what seemed to be some kind of massive ship. She doesn't watch where she's going, which means she almost trips over one of the smaller drones. "Ah, sorry-"

The drone reacts by latching onto her arm and tugging her toward one of the nearby dumpsters. "Oh, no you don't." She slips free easily and scrambles up the wall to hang off the ceiling by her fingers and toes with a hiss at the offending robot. "Stupid construct..." She fiddles around by her side and draws out a small crossbow, briefly taking both hands off the ceiling to cock it before she steadies herself again and aims at the little drone.

Ideal Camouflage

Eventually Tacey's trip down into the bowels of the ship brings her to one of the plant-filled decks. She eyes the greenery warily, not quite sure she trusts anything that... leafy. She's proved absolutely right to not do so when a thorny jaguar pounces out of the nearest bush with a dry rattle of a roar - but she can do one better as she lashes out with her dagger, her eyes turning jet black as she screams back. It's a terrifying sound and it seems to drain the life out of the jaguar and some of it crumbles away like dried bark, leaving it to limp on three legs back into the tangle of vines.

"Okay, I am leaving. Where's Hell? I want to go back." She sheathes the black dagger she was using and turns on her heel. Fine, if she has to go back up, she has to go back up.

Camouflage ((Hands over an Aventurine))

[doomed_gambler]

"My dear lady, I do believe hell is outside the barrier of this ship," a blonde man in a somewhat oversized jacket says, stepping out from between some nearby trees. He smirks, leaning against the tree trunk. "I wouldn't recommend going there, though. Not much to see, and I hear it's incredibly dry." He watches the jaguar scamper off, more curious than concerned.

He'd heard the screaming. It was...alarming, for many reasons. Might as well start with a cautious approach. "I'm assuming you're a new arrival?"

arrival ; Jigen Daisuke (Lupin III)

[smithandwestern]

Jigen Daisuke knew boats.

He's driven them, he's lived on them, he's partied on them. Boats of all shapes and sizes, all levels of dilapidation or wealth. Jigen's no slouch when it comes to supposed "ghost ships", either. 80% of the time they're just abandoned in the middle of the ocean and decaying just like the treasure inside of it.

Unfortunately, Jigen doesn't know what to do with the remaining 20% of times they don't turn out to be just abandoned boats.

When he sees the tattered man, Jigen goes to his first instinct of placing his hand over his magnum's holster. His suspicion all but confirms when the person runs opposite of the gunman. A rare feeling of anxiety washes over him when he gives chase, and the other ghosts make themselves known. It's not that he was scared of ghosts; he just friggin' hated dealing with the paranormal.

Jigen finds himself turned around when his initial target vanishes. After slumping down in exhaustion, he lights a cigarette.

This was going to be a long day.

GREETINGS (Arrival) ((Executor Federico || Arknights))

[sanktawithashotgun]

Executor had been patrolling the area when he feels a chill run down his spine. He blinks, holding a hand over his chest. That had been happening more frequently as of late...what was the cause? ((It's the ghost running through him, but he's a passenger who's been here longer so he can't see them!!))

He shakes his head, proceeding along his route. He catches the scent of...tobacco smoke? He rounds the corner, nearly tripping over the slumped form of a man he'd not seen before. He's inhaling and exhaling smoke from the cigarette between his fingers...Executor had not...seen that sort of thing since his missions in Siracusa. Perhaps this man is from there?

"Excuse me." Executor starts, aiming for politeness but his volume being at its normal level in the silent hallway is bound to be startling if the man hadn't noticed him yet. He tried. The sankta tilts his head slightly in curiosity, perhaps concern. "Are you alright?"

Arturia Giallo || Arknights ((Canon point: right after ZH event))

[virtuosaoftruth]

Arrival

Something jerks hard around her stomach, like a movement abruptly stopped. Has she been captured once more? She smiles. It seems their truce had not lasted long...

Something trickles through her hair, down the back of her neck - it's warm. Had she hit her head? That certainly is one way to incapacitate her, and it has been used before...

But when she lifts her hand to check, all there is is water. She's...disappointed. Why is that? How...delightfully curious. Is something playing her own emotions? That is quite rare...

A woman opens her eyes, sitting up in what appears to be...a commons room of some kind. Odd. It appears to be too old to be the Rhodes Island that dear little Fede was taking her to...

And her little brother is nowhere to be seen, either. She sits up and closes her eyes, listening to the songs filtering through her halo. Faintly, she does hear the steady beat of his own march, but it's...faltering in a way she'd not heard in years. Hm...it's hard to place why that is.

Another presence stands out, higher and more agitated, like a hymn sung to calm one's nerves. It is hard to discern...There is...a pressure here, a deep undertone surrounding her, too faintly to be painful or overwhelming, but still infusing its presence into everything else, a faint baseline of sorrow and hope to the other strange presences here.

As if the walls themselves were humming, old feelings echoing over years of loss and emptiness, accompanied by the pattering beat of the rain outside...

And yet the sky is clear. There is no rain. Someone is watching her. It feels...angry?

"How interesting...what could have happened to make emotion like this play on over such a long time...?" she murmurs, smiling for whoever is watching her. Arturia picks up her two instrument cases and goes to find the highest vantage point. The gaze is coming from above after all. It would be rude not to greet her possible host.

Somebody's Footsteps

Oh how lovely. How beautifully tragic.

The emotions here run so strongly that they seem to be manifesting as spectral beings. Ghosts...echoes of people who'd walked these very halls before. People who are so anguished or regretful that they cannot help but remain tethered to the place they died. How sad...

Perhaps those regrets can be lightened? She does not mind the company, but these people...if they are indeed trapped by the regrets they feel....she cannot stand idly by.

None seem to hear her, however. If her voice cannot reach them, her music most certainly will not.

She had been forbidden from playing her music until further notice...but Federico is not here. Not immediately so, anyway... This strange place feels...far from the reach of Laterano and The Law. And she wants to help...she's always wanted to help.

There is a woman on the deck past the cafeteria, sitting on the edge and watching the skyline. Something about her draws Arturia over. The woman is injured...and yet she smiles, tired and worn.

"It is a beautiful sunset, Signora. Does the sight inspire you?" Arturia hums, sweeping over to stand at the railing next to her. The woman is...already dead, that much is clear, the glint of the sun shimmering through her very figure. Even so, her curiosity always gets the better of her.

The woman only smiles at her, pained and accepting..."It's alright. I'm just waiting for that nice angel to come back," she says, then turns back to the beautiful, barren horizon. Arturia tilts her head, her fractured wings tipping as she considers that. Could she mean...? It would fit his particular priorities...

An Executor, working to carry out the final wishes of the dying. So he has likely been here. Of course he would. Arturia smiles, fond.

The woman does not answer anything else, and even disappears when Arturia tries to get her attention with a hand on her shoulder. Ah...perhaps she has moved on. And yet she can still feel...lingering emotion. It stirs her own heart.

She inhales, taking in the humid yet fresh air, then exhales it out. She sets up her cello, pulling out a chair from the cafeteria, listening for awhile longer to the feelings left behind. Letting them guide her fingers, she begins to play, a bittersweet dirge ringing through the air. She plays for the people trapped here, for the woman who'd just left. For the walls that seem to feel and regret. Perhaps she can free them somehow, even a little.

Wildcard!

((Got a different idea? HMU on discord, come at me!))

Arrival

[harmoniousconsecration]

Sunday had jerked awake, his head ringing, his halo reacting to... something. Someone? He reaches out with it for Federico, and finds him, but he didn't... seem to be any different than usual. And yet... There was another discordant thrum, one he couldn't recognize, but was.... similar.

Another Sankta? Someone else? The thought of it plagues the Halovian's mind. He thinks he knows who this is. Curiosity, fear, something like trepidation, settles in his bones as he pulls himself into his clothing, walking out to meet this new guest. He needs to know.

He knows her frequency through a memory that wasn't his own. Federico had told him that her songs were dangerous, that they tended to affect people horribly, encourage them to do things they would not normally do. The halovian knows he can call for help, if he needs to-- there are two upon the ship that seemed to really care for his safety.

But if her song touched one of them... If it affected either of them... Sunday tries not to think of that. This wouldn't take long. He did not come as her enemy. He was curious about her. He just wanted to understand what would turn a brother against his own sister.

Sunday remembers a gun raised to her head. The memory his mind created, of him doing the same to Robin.

The frequency leads him higher. He meets her there, a woman with two instrument cases, long black hair, with a halo, and wings similar to Federico's own. The halovian watches her from afar, but he knows that she is aware of his presence.

"Arturia?"

Brain | Kingdom Hearts Union Cross

[dandelion_virus]

ARRIVAL (Day 21):

The sound of Master Luxu's voice is fading— which isn't odd, Brain supposes —but then he feels as though he's falling. He's reaching for purchase against the desk behind him, where the keyboard should be. But then there's a twist in his stomach, and he hits a wooden deck. He didn't seem to fall very far down, but his arm hurts from where he landed flat on it trying to catch himself.

It's also raining, he notes, after a second. And he's soaked from said rain, which is weird. Because he could not have been in this rain for more than a moment, could he? His clothes were dry when he was talking to Master Luxu. And now, they're sticking to his skin and his hair is weighing against his forehead. Brain sits up, and wipes the back of his hand over his eyes to keep droplets from running into them, and reaches for his hat that had been knocked from his head. Adjusting it back into place, he finally takes in his scenery.

This... isn't Daybreak Town. This isn't even anywhere he had visited in the past, on missions to gather Lux. Could this be a world he managed to glance over when reading about the Data Worlds? How could he have gotten here? The lifeboats had been sent back to the digital Daybreak Town for Ephemer and Skuld to use. It didn't seem like Master Luxu had casted something... so it seemed unlikely that he could have sent Brain here. Besides, they were having a fairly important conversation!

Brain sighs, and rests his arms against his knees. He rubs at his forehead, squinting, trying to figure this all out. But... this is such an odd predicament to find himself in that he can't comprehend any of it.

"Chirithy?" He calls, a last resort. But he feels no familiar tug in his chest when summoning his Dream Eater. That's even worse, he thinks as he sucks air between his teeth. He's somewhere he doesn't know, Master Luxu had just asked him to do something incredibly important, and now Brain couldn't even ask his Chirithy for help.

Not to mention, the Dandelions were still at risk of falling to Darkness for good.

He feels himself starting to panic. Which... won't do. Not when he feels eyes on him. Not when he might need to figure out a whole new world without anyone to turn to. So instead, he picks himself up off the floor, feigns to dust his pants off despite the fact that they are still very damp from the rain falling from overhead, and wanders off to look for life to speak to.


SOMEBODY'S FOOTSTEPS (Day 23+)

Brain walks into the lounge, hoping to find something to keep his mind off of the responsibilities he can no longer return to. He has yet to find a library, which is more than disappointing. So his usual first step to learn more about his surroundings by reading is not going well.

It's dark in the lounge, no lamplight to fill out the space. So of course his eyes are drawn to a faint glow in the corner of the room. He finds a woman sitting on one of the couches, focusing very intently on the glowing tablet in her hand. He doesn't feel a dangerous presence from this woman, so without anything to lose, he says: "What're you working on there?"

She turns to him, something close to confusion written on her features that Brain can barely make out. "...You're not night shift. Go back to bed, you need your rest." She smiles, vaguely, before returning her focus back to the tablet. Brain hums a noncommittal noise, looking around the dim lounge. When he looks back to her, all that's left is an outline of her fading into the backdrop of the wall. She's gone when Brain blinks.

He drops his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. Turning on his heel, he resolves to find a distraction elsewhere.


JUST ANOTHER WORKDAY | It's just trying to delete the virus!! (Day 23+)

Walking down these winding halls can get pretty damn boring, after a while. Brain thought that the tower was big, but this cruise ship was at least twice it's size. Still no library in sight, either!

Brain is leaned up against the wall, brooding, when all of a sudden he feels mechanical arms clamp around his waist. "Hey! What's the big idea!?" He yelps, being picked up as if he weighed nothing to this little cleaning drone. He bangs his fist against the metal claw, trying to get it to drop him, but to no avail. It wheels him further down the hall he had stopped in, only to lift him and drop him into a dumpster.

Lovely. This is exactly what Brain wanted. He gains his footing on some trash bags and large vines that had broken holes in the side of the metal and pokes his head out of the dumpster. He is met with the drone shining a light directly in his eyes, bright enough to illuminate the surrounding area much more than Brain thought was necessary. He winces, reeling back. Covering his eyes and recovering from the damn-near flash bang he was just a victim to, he fails to react to the vines that were affected by the bright light.

Soon enough, one of the vines is coiling around his ankle and up his calf before abruptly stopping as the drone turns off its light. He hears the whirring of wheels backing up, and then the drone retreats down the hall in search of more trash to throw away.

Well... great. Brain easily could have gotten out of this dumpster had there not been a plant that decided it wanted to hug him. He can't even safely stand back up in this situation, not when he practically has made himself a bed of trash and vines. He contemplates taking a nap here, to wait for a different drone to come and empty the dumpster and find him. But he didn't know the schedules of these robots. That's not something he was paying close attention to with the minimal amount of time he's been here on the ship.

So instead, he swallows his pride. "Hello?" He shouts. "Is anyone nearby!?"


IDEAL CAMOUFLAGE | That is not a monkey, Brain. (Day 23+)

What a better place to learn about the ecosystem of this ship than to visit the jungle, Brain thinks. He's up to his knees in water that's flooded this deck from the rainstorm days prior. Wading through the viscous muddy water, he reaches for some of the vines hanging low overhead to pull himself up onto a tree root.

However, the vine he grabs... jumps. Startled, Brain lets go and looks up to see it retreat up into the canopy and a figure scurry away along the large branches.

So there is wildlife on this ship! He lets out a single laugh of amazement before grabbing a different vine and hoisting himself up onto the root of a nearby tree. He returns his gaze back up to the branches, searching for the creature he had accidentally grabbed the tail of. From the size and shape of the silhouette, it looked to be a monkey. It is growling at him, though.

A part of him wonders, briefly, if its a Heartless or Darkling. But then again, he would have been attacked by now if it were. He reaches a hand out absentmindedly to summon his keyblade, only for nothing to fill the palm of his hand. Right... he gave Master's Defender to Ephemer. Mentally he kicks himself, wishing he hadn't. All he really has is the magic he can theoretically use. Backing up, he reaches the hand instead behind him to find the trunk of the tree while keeping his eyes on the figure.

Suddenly, it pounces down at him! From what brief look he can get at it before covering his face, it looks like that of a leopard. Except its made up of twisting vines. Glass shards make up its razor-sharp fangs that bite at his legs. He shouts, falling back into the water below.

With a straight face and calm movements, he makes an attempt at backing away from the creature. He extends his palm in front of him to shoot a measly ball of light at the it. This is not how he was expecting his day to go.

WORKDAY!!! time to take out the trAsH?

[unihilism]

(if you haven't heard malos' voice line please listen to it)

Malos hears a voice. Coming from... the dumpster? Surely not. Right? Well, there's no reason not to check. Malos walks over and lifts the dumpster lid. And then he scowls.

He doesn't know this kid. They had a whole meeting, and almost everyone on the Ship was there, and Malos was handing out goddamn forms to everyone, so he saw every face. He would definitely remember seeing this kid and this kid's stupid little hat. But he DOESN'T remember seeing this kid before. He doesn't recognize him at all. Which means...

"You new here?" Malos says, in the sort of tone someone might ask you come here often?. "The hell are you doing in the dumpster, kid? I know we've been having ghost troubles, but I don't know why one would possess you to hop in here."

Von Lycaon | Zenless Zone Zero

[kicktothemoon]

Arrival

The first thing that Lycaon does when he returns to consciousness is confirm that he isn't bleeding (how strange - why did it feel that way?). The second thing is do a quick sweep of his surroundings to confirm that he is no longer in the Ballet Twins Hollow. Although this certainly could be a Hollow of some kind - it certainly appears to be abandoned and decrepit enough, although the fact that the sea is visible outside the windows is a mark against it - it isn't one that he's familiar with. How strange. The sweep also confirms that none of his companions seem to have arrived in the same area.

Although his first instinct is to avoid the... person? whose gaze he can feel on the back of his neck by going downward, he chooses to go up instead. Perhaps if he can locate the watcher he can find some answers, and if it turns out to be some form of Ethereal, perhaps he'll find more open ground up there.

Workday

His pathway toward the upper deck does cross the area of renovations, which means he spends a great deal of time dodging the little drones that don't seem to have any sort of collision avoidance programming. After the first several 'I beg your pardons' and 'Excuse mes', he realizes they aren't responding to his presence in the slightest. He still doesn't want to do the little ones any harm, so he continues to dodge - and, in some cases, pick them up and reposition them out of his way.

Somebody's Footsteps

By the time Lycaon makes it to the lounge area, it's dark. He can see that this area seems to be more lived-in - indeed, there is someone studying a tablet and watching the sky. Perfect. "Excuse me, miss. Would you be able to answer a few questions?"

Her response doesn't make very much sense. "You're not night shift. Go to bed, you need your rest."

"I was not aware we were registered for shifts -" His voice trails off as the woman disappears. Some sort of... Ether hallucination? He's been here for some time. Although his Hollow diving equipment is not registering any corruption, that doesn't mean it couldn't be having an error. He frowns, looking down at his hands. There's no visible signs yet, but... something is not right. A lot of things aren't right. And the only person he's found that might have answers doesn't seem to be real.

Someone's footsteps (Aventurine || HSR)

[doomed_gambler]

As has been kind of routine lately, Aventurine had been in the lounge with some snacks and a game of solitaire to keep him company, staying occupied and awake without having to focus on the visions his own mind tormented him with...

So he very much notices the- is that a Borisin???- enter the lounge. He can't completely contain the jolt of alarm seeing such a person here, but he remains seated, watching for now. For one, the wolf...person doesn't have the usual armor he's come to expect. He's also rather quiet in his words, his movements refined and controlled. It sparks Aventurine's curiosity, to say the least.

He doesn't know who or what the wolf-person spoke to, but they seemed to disappear, leaving the new person confused. They look down at their furred hands, frowning. Hm...probably a ghost sighting.

Aventurine takes pity on the guy, clearing his throat to better give away his presence. "I'm not aware of any shifts either. But if you have nowhere to be, you're welcome to join me here for a chat, sir," he calls out, giving an inviting smile. The gambler tilts his head, too tired to bother standing at the moment. "I haven't seen you around before. Did you just arrive?"

(camoflage) Rah'ōxah | Drawga

[idleworshiped]

It wasn't entirely strange for Rah'ōxah to end up somewhere where she isn't supposed to be - Ryjinah and Legzi always made sure of that. She wasn't sure where she was, but she was going to get her way out of it.

She finds herself in the jungle. The planted animals did little to make the eladrin scared; in fact, most steered clear of her. This disappointed her; Rah'ōxah figured that at least one creature would be aggro enough to fight.

Rah'ōxah makes an attempt to climb some vines, to see if she can get a vantage point and locate her friends. A loud hiss catches her off guard, though, and she falls right to the ground. Stubborn as she is, this happens a couple more times before she stays on the ground.

If she could tell what exactly was hissing at her, she could at least try to fight it.

And that was the thing - whatever she tried to pick up, to throw, to climb, to tear, it ran away from her. Some of the creatures bit at her. Rah'ōxah was starting to feel overwhelmed and powerless. This was not something she felt often, if at all, thanks to being able to fall back on the rest of the Ladies' Book Club. But they weren't here, and the sinking feeling in her stomach only grows.

Kitty || (Stand Still Stay Silent): Does friendly aggro count?

[trolltracker]

"Miau?"

In Rah'ōxah's frustration, a little orange and white cat approaches her curiously. She sniffs at her, tentative and focused. Finding nothing resembling a troll in her scent, she trills in affirmation, coming closer.

She sits, tilting her head at this person who has not disappeared. "Mau?" Her big eyes make for good expressions, her body language seeming to show...confusion? Concern? This person smells upset. Kitty is trained to help people. Can she help this person?

Kitty || Stand Still Stay Silent

[trolltracker]

Somebody's Footsteps

A little cat pads into the lounge, her head on a swivel as she searches this new place for danger. She sniffs the air periodically, blinking at the strong smells of plants, forests, and rot of those things all around. And yet there is no rot-smell of trolls, so her fur remains smooth as she wanders around.

"Miau? Mrr..." She notices a person in the lounge, sitting on a soft couch and looking at...a bright mirror? The person smells like nothing. Strange...she goes closer, sniffing. The woman turns to look at her, looking like Sigrun looks when she's grumpy or stern. "You're not night shift. Go back to bed, you need your rest," she orders.

Kitty blinks, not understanding those instructions. Her training had to do with trolls...finding the nearest human in charge and alerting them to danger. And treats for doing a good job. She did not make a mistake, did she?

But then the person disappears, and that makes her fur stand up on end as she steps back. What kind of person disappears? A new type of troll? It did not smell like one...

She goes over to where the person was, and sniffs. Nothing. Kitty huffs, sitting down and looking around again, mewling in confusion. Where are the people? Where are her people? She will contemplate as she takes a moment to wash herself.


Another Workday

"HISSSSSSSS!!!"

There is a small cat on one of the upper floors of the ship, growling and hissing at a particularly persistent cleaning bot. It's following her around and she's running from it as most cats would. She's also sopping wet. The thing probably thought she is a very mobile dust bunny of some sort...the audacity. She is a working cat.

Not that she knows what this machine is. Or where she is.

If she spots you, the poor thing will run right up to you, mewling up a storm. A request for help, perhaps?

FOOTSTEPS

[yourguidingcat]

Chirithy is aware this is a normal cat - or at least more of a normal cat than he is - but that doesn't mean he feels any less for the poor thing!

"I know, it's weird, right? I don't know why people are disappearing, either!! I wish they wouldn't."

He speaks to the cat like she's any old person, to him. Remembering his manners, he holds out a paw for her to sniff.

"I'm Chirithy! Can you... tell me your name?"

Essek Thelyss | Critical Role

[adistantstar]

Arrival

The feeling of eyes on the back of his neck is highly uncomfortable, though a quick check of his surroundings with a spell doesn't reveal any scrying sensors. Detecting magic gets him nowhere either - there are a few responses, but nothing close enough or strong enough to be what must be quite an impressive Divination spell.

His first idea, of course, is to teleport back to Nicodranas. The hand gestures that represent the folding of space and time are practically second nature to him, but although he's going somewhere familiar, the spell fails dramatically, the connection not only not finding purchase on the other end but not going anywhere at all as the power he put into it lashes back against him in a burst of white-hot pain. He reels and drops six inches to land with his feet fully on the floor, supporting himself against the wall as he pants for breath. After a moment he lifts a hand to his face, where blood is trickling out of his nose. "Ah... how inconvenient." He can only hope that no one was here to witness his embarrassing failure of magic.

Ideal Camouflage

Pressing deeper into the strange hallways in the hopes of finding a suitable place to draw a teleportation circle has instead landed him in a room full of plants - plants and what appear to be animals made from them. He should have left immediately rather than push his luck by going further in, but now there is a pack of what seem to be wolves formed out of vines between him and the door, their hackles raised as they growl.

Well, he sees no reason to hold back here when threatened. He palms a black marble from his robes and twirls it in his fingers, murmuring under his breath as he focuses on a point in the centre of the group, about five feet up in the air. Suddenly, the air seems to twist as a black sphere crackling with purple lightning manifests, pulling the wolves towards the sphere, their bodies twisting and cracking as the gravity sinkhole yanks them violently toward the centre.

Arrival

[paladinforhire]

There's a burst of magic as something resembling a healing word spell washes over Essek's body, mending his wounds and soothing his body. A person in heavy armor with a sword and a shield stands nearby, peering at Essek curiously.

"You're new." He's pretty sure, at least. He sheathes his sword to make sure the other doesn't panic. "Do you need help? I've been here for some time, so I know a little bit of what's going on. We're all confused when we first get here." Just... don't mind the rabbit ears.