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

[deathmagnetic]

It's possible.

[ Risotto's going to brushing some of the confetti off of him like it was dust. ]

Though my first thought was that you were doing this on purpose.

[ Maybe because he's a no-fun sour pants and hung around people who'd definitely do this type of thing. ]

[scythegun]

[you look like you could use some more confetti, but thankfully yeager will behave himself for now.]

Which do you think it is?

[deathmagnetic]

[ And so Risotto avoided looking like some kind of killer clown with more confetti sprayed on him. Thankfully. ]

I'm inclined to believe the latter. There are people inclined to trying to brighten up situations by performing some antics.

[scythegun]

Oops, it looks like you've caught me.

[He holds up his hands as if in surrender, but like. He still has more party poppers. They're his now.]

It is better not to panic, right?

[deathmagnetic]

[ He'll hold in a sigh, just barely.

At least Risotto won't try to ruin any future fun events with the party poppers either. ]

I can't argue against that, silly or inane antics or no. There are also stranger ways of coping.

[scythegun]

[risotto is gonna suffer so much, isn't he.]

Precisely. A little levity goes a long way toward getting people to relax, and I have no doubts that we'll have quite a few people panicking here.

[deathmagnetic]

[ .....sssstory of Risotto's life, actually. ]

It'd be strange if there weren't.

[ Though he thought panicking would be a useless expenditure of energy, he knew it was a reasonable reaction due to it looking like a mass-kidnapping of some sort... ]

Have you had the chance to see those profiles?

[scythegun]

I have, yes. We do have quite the strange collection of people here, don't we?

[So many weirdos....]

[deathmagnetic]

We do. [ Beat. ] The blue creature stands out in particular.

[ Like, it was fairly obvious, but also. He had to say it. ]

I imagine that having such a wide variety in individuals and beings wasn't an accident either.

[scythegun]

[You get him, Risotto. He was trying not to say it.]

It would be strange if it was, ja? But I do wonder what the point is in bringing all of us unique individuals here...

[deathmagnetic]

To use us.

[ Whatever reason that would be, was beyond him. But ultimately when you kidnap someone, your ultimate goal was to "use" that victim to help achieve some sort of goal. ]

Which likely also means we're considered disposable, unique or not. Just not all at once and not at this current time.

It'll obviously be to our benefit to figure out more about these circumstances so we could turn it against our captors.

[scythegun]

Ja, of course. Knowing why they wanted us specifically might help, but ultimately our goal should be to learn what we can about our captors and this ship; we need to use everything we have against them.

[deathmagnetic]

[ Well that's good. He got the feeling the man wasn't daft, and this was something that proved it. ]

Precisely. Hopefully the others will get on the same page if they want to get out of this alive.

[scythegun]

Ja, that's my hope as well, but I suppose we'll have to wait and see on that!

[risotto's gonna be so disappointed with everyone very soon, isn't he.......]