You know what everyone needs after rampant robotic attacks and another iteration of clone wars? A vacation! That’s right everyone, you deserve this. CERES understands what you need. CERES is here for you all the time, so never doubt that this is a pleasure colony, and they are here to look after all of your needs. Kick your feet up, relax, and let CERES Recreation and Activity Necessity Keepers (Team RANK, that is) set you up with your ideal getaway.
It’s as if you can sense the incoming relaxation and luxury before you even completely finish loading. There’s the warmth encompassing your entire body as your code gets transferred into this particular ViViD Level. A cool, refreshing breeze hits you. The sounds of waves gently lapping against the coast fill you with relaxation. The sun, the sand, the surfs, it’s all there – welcome to the beach, baby!
An echoing greeting message from the ocean comes next, if you can translate it.
 OOOOOOOOOOOOHMAHH GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHD.
YOOOOOOOOOOOORRRALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOO KYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT.
KYOOOOOOOOOOOT EEEENAAAAUUUUUUUF TOOOOOOOOOOOOO EEEEEEEEEEEEEEET.
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PHASE I [ 08 00 ] That said, isn’t that breeze a little… too strong? It feels like it’s brushing up against all of you, if you know what I mean. When you open your eyes and look down, it becomes rather clear why. It seems that you’ve found yourself in some pretty interesting attire. Everyone. No exceptions. You appear to have two options – be overcome and scream like the Victorian maiden your heart says you are, or strut like a model in this stuff. Turn some heads! Work that up do!
But don’t worry, we’re also conscious about safety here at CERES! Therefore everyone’s also been provided a pair of super high-tech safety-tested appendage protection floatation devices (STAPFD for short.)
At least everyone around you is caught in the same sort of attire – and everyone around you also appears to be stuck inside a giant sand castle. It’s entirely malleable to what you want it to be! Want to see a fancy sand bidet? Feel like adding a sand statue in your honor? Think that wall should now be a door? Well, with enough perseverance, you can make it happen!
Just uh, be careful about getting sand in your… everywhere.
PHASE II [ 1000 ] Someone broke it. Not pointing any fingers, even though you sure do seem like a prime suspect, but someone broke it.
It almost starts like an earthquake with how the castle starts to rumble, the sand shaking right beneath your feet. And then the walls right next to you start to cave in followed promptly by the ceiling right… above your head. Oh dear. The sand starts to run and fall, losing its structure and shape. The hallway behind you starts to cave in, ceiling first and then the walls follow suit. Now the sand really is getting everywhere – but not just uncomfortable places. It’s in your hair, your eyes, your nose…. this sure doesn’t seem like a pleasant way to go!
Best to start running – there’s a trusty drawbridge to get over the moat (because what’s a sandcastle without a moat?) but who knows how long until that, too, is going to give way? Best to cross over it before it starts to shake and disappear too. Or if you don’t make it, hopefully you can land some pretty impressive airtime to make it to the other side!
If not, well...there'll be the sensation of sand crushing down upon you, filling your mouth and eyes, and you won't be able to breathe at all – and then you're alive again on the beach (but possibly in yet another new, uncomfortable, skimpy swimsuit). Honestly, be more careful, would you?
PHASE III [ 1200 ] However, once you do make it to the other side, it’s all smooth sailing from there! Or is it? Hah, as they say, life sure can be a beach.
Which is what this is.
Welcome to your Beach Episode, folks. Now that you’ve made it out of the collapsing sand castle, you’ve made it to the luxurious, picturesque golden coastline. Sure, you’re coughing up fine, luxurious, sand dust right now and you’ve definitely gotten sand in all of your crevices thanks to your swimsuit, but that’s okay! Go take a soak in the ocean or something or cool off with a smoothie. There’s a smoothie shack off into the distance, complete with a long chalkboard with… well, probably a few familiar names? And some unfamiliar ingredients. Sounds appetizing right?
That said, once you do ingest some of the smoothie with the name of a newcomer, you might suddenly find yourself feeling a bit… different. You’ll be taking on some of their traits, one of the most intense parts of their personality – or you might need to take a second to sit down because you’re suddenly seeing one of their memories. Whoa. What do they actually put in this stuff?
PHASE IV [ 1500 ] For the brave souls that venture out into the water, you have even more adventures waiting for you. Anyone who’s swimming around, wading in the water—hell, even looking at the water is getting scooped up and deposited in one of these giant orbs. But don’t take up too much room, because someone else is getting shoved right in there with you. Time to get cozy with your new friend, because it's only going to get worse as the waves begin to carry you out into this big, blue, virtual ocean. Hopefully the choppy waves don’t bounce you around too much or – well, you could always get really friendly with a stranger! Why not?
At least until it’s made very clear that fresh air does not make it back into these balls. That seems like a bit of a design flaw. Now what? Fight the other person who’s inhaling all your air? Suffer through it for swimsuit-clad fun? Or if you break it…. well, you sure are stranded out in the ocean. Or are you?
After enough flailing, you’ll be met by a giant, dumb-looking creature who will then eat you whole.
Everything goes dark. This is surely the end --
And then you're in Cerealia proper; it seems that was the exit to the level (but why there?) and you'll find yourself either in one of the fountains or the pond in the park. Either way, you'll be very, very well. And this time, that's not virtual. But hey, at least you'll have all of your stuff with you.
BONUS [ xxxx ] Do you hear that?
Anyone idle on the beach will hear a distant melody coming from further out into the ocean. It’s a beautiful, elegant song that automatically makes the listener stop what they’re doing and immediately wander toward the noise. It takes you a moment to recall – it takes a moment to think about anything now, really – but you remember hearing the smoothie shack owner say something about mermaids populating the beach. Could this be their song calling out to you? Whether you would normally abide by this kind of call or not, you find your feet walking further and further out into the water, the shallows lapping up to your ankles and up and up as you are drawn in by the song.
A rather classic song, though the usual instances of French are also replaced with the very enticing, enchanting nonsense promise of omelette du fromage........and then they try to drown you.
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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phase iv...
I can't move if I can't even stand up right!!
[HE'S TRYING, OKAY. But look, he's a sword, not a ship! This is the first time he's ever even been to a beach!! He doesn't have his sea legs at all...!
Another wave crashes into their dumb orb then, but at least it sends Kashuu sliding away to the other side this time...]
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Just- [ He starts to give instructions, but Sebastian realizes that he really has no more idea what to do in this case... ]
Can you swim?
[ because he will pop this stupid thing who even cares ]
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But that question! A question he can focus on! He can answer this-!!]
Uh, I, um— I dunno? I dunno!! [Wait, never mind.] This is the first time I've been to an ocean! I don't know what to do if my feet don't touch the bottom!
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...No, that would probably be bad. He won't leave him to drown (unfortunately). ]
Then I suppose managing to use this somehow is what we must do...
[ He sighs, then brings his hand to his mouth in thoughtful contemplation, but it doesn't take long for him to come to a conclusion. ]
Perhaps if we were not worrying about balancing us both? I could carry you, and that way we are not actively working against each other.
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But oh, the offer of being carried is fine! That's... well, he's not really sure how it will actually work out, but this is the guy who stopped a jeep to save their bear companion, so surely it'll be okay!]
You sure that isn't gonna make it harder for you?
[No, Kashuu, what makes it hard is screaming and rolling around all over the bubble while Professional Mountains are trying to get work accomplished... At the very least he doesn't seem adverse to the idea.]
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Not terribly. As odd as it is to say, I am somewhat used to such a thing... Not under these conditions, mind you, but looking out for my master sometimes requires that he be carried.
[ Which makes it sound like Ciel is a prissy brat, which is true, but Sebastian is really thinking of the dangerous situations they often end up in more than that. Though considering Ciel never exactly likes that, it's somewhat refreshing that Kashuu doesn't seem to be quite so opposed. ]
However, the initial portion may be a bit difficult. Perhaps... If you can hold still, I think I can manage?
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[Kashuu will definitely be easier to carry than Ciel... Mostly because his feelings on being carried vary from "this is okay" to "please never put me down again", so. HERE WE ARE.
And if he's got to stay still, he sure will try his best, okay. He's been otherwise useless up to this point so he has to make up for it.]
I can stay still!
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Why, I am simply one hell of a butler. I would not be worth my salt if I could not manage this.
[ obviously... But he does keep his center balance low as he holds out his arms to start picking up Kashuu, and it comes with a light bow of his head as if in polite apology. ]
Please, excuse me.
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For now, he just lets himself be picked up. He's pretty light, at least! A stick sword...]
It's okay, I don't mind. People used to carry me everywhere, y'know?
[Literally...]
Just like... tell me if I need to do anything, 'kay? [Like "hey Kashuu stop flailing wildly" or "please let go of my head" if he ends up reflexively locking on when they start to move.]
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[ Sebastian is surprised by that, since even someone who gets carried around quite frequently (Ciel) didn't tend to be so casual about that, in his experience. He carefully shifts as he starts to stand, but so far so good. Luckily, Sebastian has Demon Balance (tm) on his side, so it's not terrible hard for him to stay centered even with Kashuu in his arms. ]
Goodness, I hope I have not been rude, in that case. Are you someone quite important, sir?
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Oh— No, no! I'm a tsukumogami is all, so people carry my vessel around a lot! Sorry, I thought you knew.
[Because Sebastian himself doesn't feel like a human, so clearly they're on the same spirit page! Or something...
Either way, he'll loop his arms around Sebastian's neck to secure himself, but otherwise doesn't flail or make life more difficult for him. Yet.]
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Though what Kashuu says does indirectly embarrass him (so much as he can feel such a thing). For one, he has no idea what that word means, and second, apparently it was supposed to be obvious. There's a moment where he pauses, thinking of how he can feign knowledge, but he just shakes his head. ]
...I apologize, but I have never heard of a tsukumogami. It is something from the East, I take it?
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Yeah! Right, sorry, I forgot things are all different over there. [In the west, he means. He's never met a western spirit before coming to Tellus, okay... This is kind of exciting, then!]
My vessel is my sword, so people're obviously gonna carry me around a lot, see? I'm a blade spirit!
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It's also what leads him to a slight misunderstanding, because a spirit as he understands it tends to carry a slightly different connotation than it does in the East. A spirit of a blade is probably closer to what he is, he thinks, for any weapon of war would not exactly be benevolent... Or so he assumes. ]
A blade... I admit, I am surprised. I have never encountered such a person before.
[ He still sounds thoughtful, but not quite confused. That comes as he hesitantly starts to ask another question: ]
I apologize, but is that something I should have noticed sooner?
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