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

fuck i also missed replying to this lmao BUFFET TIME

[thisaroma]

[ Oh, uh. Well, that's a duck in a dress, but at least ducks are supposed to be wet, so that part is probably fine! He politely offers some paper napkins anyway, lowering the plastic glass of Hawaiian punch he was trying. ]

Amulet?

[ Oh-!! His eyes widen and he breaks into a smile. ]

Ohhh, you're into occult charms and stuff too, are you?

[ Nods with understanding!! ]

Yeah, the stuff I had with me before this is gone too... What's your amulet supposed to do?

[magycks]

[ In a true New Year's miracle, this sudden burst of enthusiasm keeps her from mentioning the smell! (Not the fact that she was just in a swamp herself, of course. That's not even a second thought.) Magica snatches the napkins and starts using them to blot completely arbitrary parts of her dress. As she busies herself doing this, she says, very matter-of-factly: ]

It contains the full breadth of my magical power. [ Which she probably shouldn't have just said out loud?? But also she probably wouldn't be this color in the first place if it were just sitting around for anyone to grab, and she's been powerless for almost a year, so. ] Totally useless in the hands of an amateur, by the way, so don't get any ideas. What did you lose?

[thisaroma]

I see! That's a little vague, but it does sound like it's important. [ Probably, he guesses??? ] That's probably why they took it from you though, huh?

[ He idly wonders if maybe she was originally just a normal duck who used this magic amulet to turn herself into a... this? Hm. Kind of feels like one of those one of those things where you make a wish but it only gets half-granted because you read the instructions wrong... ]

Oh, well, my iron maiden's the main thing. See, it grants wishes on a 765-day cycle, and that day had just come up, so this is pretty much the worst possible time I could have lost it.

[ Not that there would ever be a good time to lose it, since he kept both his weapon and his collection of Alice pictures in there. Sigh!!!! ]

I also had some soulmate shackles and a love-me locket... taking those just seems kind of unnecessary.

[magycks]

The cowards took it from me because with it I could give them exactly what they deserve—

... sorry, a you-sized iron maiden? What were you, just lugging it around everywhere? Did you have it on wheels like one of those rolly backpacks?

[thisaroma]

Yeah! Er, to the lugging it around part, not the wheels. It has this heavy duty ring on the back of it, kind of like a door pull, and I can carry it over my shoulder by holding onto that. [ Grabs an imaginary handle over his shoulder to illustrate! ] It doubles as a storage locker for my sword and stuff, so it's really convenient.

[ The Lezareno Group sure sells some great stuff!! ]

[magycks]

Right. Keep an eye out for that, then. Anyway, it's a visibly ancient talisman, you can't miss it.

[thisaroma]

[ That's also pretty vague, but, uh, if she says so...? ]

Got it, I'll be on the lookout.

[ can't wait for him to get someone else's visibly ancient talisman instead ]

And don't worry, I won't mess with something like that without instructions.