COMMENCE VOYAGE

[bathymetric]

Fun Fact: Did you know the Atlantic Ocean has a surface area of 41.1 million square miles? No reason.

...

There's something uneasy in the air as you come to.

Well, "come to" is an interesting word in this case. It implies waking up, which is not exactly what happens. None of you are in beds, nor are you really asleep in the traditional sense. One moment you're somewhere else, doing something else with your time, and the next? You're somewhere on board a massive cruise ship - maybe lounging on a deck chair by the pool, maybe getting some Gains in the exercise room, maybe enjoying the tasteful décor in the buffet - and you have no idea how you got here or how you might get back. This is not your beautiful house. If you have a beautiful wife, she isn't here.

What you do have, apart from 25 other unlucky souls, is a small smartphone-like device in your pocket with only a handful of things on it: a clock reading 11PM, a pdf of a ticket in your name on a special Atlantic Liners New Year's Eve Cruise, an app labeled Passenger Profiles with some basic information on your traveling companions, and a message:

Welcome aboard, passenger! Please feel free to partake of any of the facilities while you wait for the big event! Remember: when midnight comes, you better make your way to the theatre at the back of Level 1 for the main event! The Captain and the First Mate will be there to take care of you all personally, and to help you ring in the new year in style!

Well, that's a start. But what you do until then, it seems, is up to you!

Comments

[queceracera]

Like, you know. When you finish the scene and then you blink and you can see the big number and the fancy words? [He has never had to explain this before.] Did you not take the fourth wall awareness perk in fourth grade?

[For the record, Scott has said all of this completely seriously and smoothly. He absolutely thinks these are coherent statements.]

[oceangirlfriend]

I have no idea what you're even talking about, here. [That's definitely confusion on her face, yep. She's somehow managing to keep her voice even despite that.] Or, well, I do know what these words you're saying mean, but in fictional terms, not in real life.

[queceracera]

Is this, like, not a thing in whatever country you're from? Do you not have level-ups and stuff?

[????? He's so confused right now.]

[oceangirlfriend]

[A raised eyebrow.] I've heard some people describe their Pokemon's abilities in terms of levels, but it's more of an approximation of power than what you get inn videogames.

[queceracera]

Weird. I mean, we learned in school that other countries used different systems but I've never actually met one unless you count Todd being vegan.

[Is vegan school unlike video game school? We just don't know.]

[oceangirlfriend]

[A slight shrug.] I'm certainly not vegan, myself, so that's not it. But I haven't visited that many other regions, so I can't be sure how it works there either.

[queceracera]

I've never been outside of Canada.

[Nobody asked you, Scott.]

[oceangirlfriend]

[She still looks concerned and confused about this whole thing.] We'll leave that in reserve for now. I was mostly hoping you might know someone particularly important or powerful who might be looking for you so we could get things sorted faster.

[queceracera]

[Oh, that's easy.]

Gideon Graves. He's been trying to kill me for like a year.

[oceangirlfriend]

[...um.] You don't seem particularly worried about that.

[queceracera]

Well, I level up recently and gained the Power of Love which boosted a bunch of my stats, so I'm pretty sure I'll be okay.

[It's fine! Everything's fine!]

[oceangirlfriend]

...the power of love? [Can Scott hear that she didn't capitalize it?] So you have someone you're fighting for, then?

[queceracera]

No, the Power of Love. [Yes, he can. To Adeline, however, there's no difference.] It means I'm fighting for love.

[He has not gained the Power of Understanding yet.]

[oceangirlfriend]

I meant, are you fighting for love as a general concept? Or do you have someone you love enough to gain that power? [Honestly power of love is not that weird a thing considering the stories Adeline's heard.]

[queceracera]

Uhhhhhh the second one, probably? I got it after I told Ramona I was going to fight to be a better person for her or whatever.

[oceangirlfriend]

...huh. I'd expect that to be a metaphorical fight, not a literal one.