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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no subject
Leave it to Sakura to try to talk her way out of it with a sweet smile and kind words. ] Please mister, you don't understand. There were misspelled words so we were just trying to help out by rewriting them!
[ Except that only seems to piss the owner off even more. How dare she accuse him of not being able to spell. He's yelling for something and oh my, a swarm of these robots show up to take the case. ]
Sasuke-kun, I think we should probably leave. [ Talking her way out of it has failed them both. Maybe they can walk away from the shack without anyone (or anything) getting hurt? ]
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[ But it's not as if the owner cares. He's still yelling at Sakura for insinuating that he can't spell, and then there are clams. Just when he thought this stage couldn't get any weirder, out come the robots.
Giant clam robots. Beautiful. Can today possibly get any worse? Setting the eraser down, he backs away from the board until he's within reach of Sakura, his attention fixed on the clams. Leaving is very good, and if they can't walk away, they run, and if they can't run, then he needs to be able to grab hold of her to teleport them both out of harm's reach. Whether or not that's a thing he can actually do, who knows, but there's a first time for everything. ]
You just had to insult his spelling, didn't you?
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Plus, how was she supposed to know it was intentional on the shack owner's part? She doesn't have enough of a sense of humor to find joy in puns despite finding word games to be fun. Puzzles don't belong in business, Sasuke. It's completely justified in her mind. ]
You have to admit it was poor. [ His spelling, not her manners. ]
In a situation like this... I've found it's better to run away rather than fight the monsters. [ Most of the time they're programmed to be unstoppable. ]
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He got one right... [ The only one that he was concerned with, anyway. If he's honest, this was justified in his mind as well -though, not for the same reasons.
But now there are the clams to worry about, and while she's the intelligent one who understands that fighting is futile, he's the-- Okay, he gets to be the token hot-headed idiot right now, because yep, he's just going to prepare to shove a Chidori right into the maw of the first clam that makes a move.
Nobody has ever actually informed him about the robots' programming, and oddly enough, this is one of the first he's actually attempted to take on. The rest were just ViViD's idea of monsters. ]
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In the past, a younger Sakura would have covered her face with her arms and cowered in fear, leaving one of her teammates to have to save her from an assault. In the past, a more love-struck Sakura would have fawned over Sasuke acting as her savior.
Fortunately she's come to her senses since then and can easily dismiss the thoughts of her past. ] Sasuke-kun!
[ Not this time. This was going to be a point in her life where she took action and stood beside her (former) teammate as a partner. Reaching up for the side of his head, she'll employ a tactic used often enough on Naruto. Yes, she's attempting to grab at his ear. ]
This is a waste of our energy and time!
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It's not a feeling he's used to, and the suddenness of it has the jutsu dissipating, flickering out to nothing as he winces at the pain. This is a woman who could probably easily separate his ear from his head with a flick of her wrist if she felt so inclined. ]
Sakura, that hurts!
[ Maaaybe it's a good idea to listen to her. Hopefully the crabs don't take offense and attack them anyway...]
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At least the shack owner seems willing to call off the hoard if they willingly leave (also if they accept their lifetime ban). ]
Isn't that right, Sasuke-kun?
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We will?
[ Hey, whoa, who let her decide on things? No no, they're not leaving yet! What if the clams attack? Wouldn't it be best to take them out before they can make a move? Between the two of them, they should be able to handle this many without a problem! What is it with you people? First you tell him he can't run off to get stronger, then he can't have his revenge, then he can't stay gone, and now he can't beat up a few clams? Do you hate
what passes forfunaround herethat much, Sakura? Do you??But he also likes having his ear attached to his head, so despite not wanting to listen to her, he'll fold... but not without a little resistance and an irritated sigh. He's not quite docile enough to just shut up and obey. ]
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Sooner at the rate their interactions keep escalating. She's not on Naruto's level of FRIENDSHIP, but she's stubborn when it comes to her own beliefs! Especially when they come to Sasuke. ]
You're about as bad as Naruto. [ Always causing trouble when it's unnecessary.
When they're far enough away from the premises, she'll release her hold on him. ] Don't you think you should conserve your energy for something stronger or did you forget already?
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Like what, you?! Don't make me laugh. Sakura, in case you haven't noticed, there isn't anything. Not in this stupid game or outside. Why should I worry about conserving energy when there's literally nothing else here? Even Naruto made it out!
[ They'd both been here, but then Naruto disappeared and he was left behind. It's more than a little frustrating, especially because he absolutely refuses to believe that their world is just gone, as it would mean he has no purpose any more. Not happening. He didn't just go through a 'fate of the world' war just to end up with nothing.
Okay, so the significance of the names on the board is a little lost on him. ]
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I understand what you've gone through here, Sasuke-kun. [ There is something she could relate to in his words. ] When I was here before, Naruto left me behind as well.
[ Why can't he relate with her even when they've gone through the same series of events? It's difficult but she wills herself to remain focused on what's important
which isn't how naked he is. ]That board had some unfamiliar names on it. When I spoke to a few of the others at the establishment, they said that their names were on the board and that they were new to this place. [ She has to steer him this way, manipulate him with what she knows to be a trigger for a volatile reaction while bracing herself for the impact it'll have. ] Another Uzumaki and another Uchiha. We need to find them before they discover us.
It also listed, Naruto. [ Which means it's possible that he's here. ]
So let's look for them together, okay?
no subject
[ Nobody died because of it, though, which was good. And if he runs into Neji again, he's going to punch him in the face for being the reason behind it. Though, it's probably not helping much that right now, he's pretty sure he kind of looks like some sort of cheap hooker.
Arms crossed. He's grumpy.
And then she mentions the names on the board. So... the names he erased weren't just put there at CERES' whim? They were like those silly nutritional label shirts the group he'd arrived with had been stuck in?
Which means that Uchiha is someone he doesn't know, and it's not Obito or Madara. Did Itachi have a kid that he didn't tell him about? Was there someone else who might have survived? Are they some sort of genetic construct like something out of one of Orochimaru's hideouts? Whose side are they on?
And Naruto, too?] He'd better not be here.
[ Naruto, you idiot, you're supposed to be at home doing who knows what, because Sasuke kind of left before the Infinite Tsukiyomi could be dispelled, but maybe there's something else that could be done to fix that. He was actually starting to come to terms with the whole home choosing Naruto over him thing, and now the guy just comes back? That's it, he's going to have to kill him for coming back as well as to sever ties.
But where do they even start to search? ]
...What if they've already found the way out of ViViD?
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At least she manages to keep a straight face through Sasuke's retelling of his plight in this place. The jobs here weren't like they were back home but Sakura treasured them herself. It kept her busy which in turn kept her from dealing with the heavier stuff on her mind. ]
It's possible. [ As long as she can keep Sasuke fixated on the same goal as herself, they'll be able to make it through this together... right? That's what she's aiming for at the very least. ] Which means we need to figure out how to get out of here first. Then we'd be able to use the Cerevice to contact them and locate them if we're lucky enough to trick them into revealing their general position.
[ Plus they can ask Naruto for help once they're out! ]
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screw the Uzumaki, he's had enough of them hanging on him to last him a lifetime... even if it was only two, because those were the only two he'd ever met.Ignoring the constant use of 'we' in her words, he'll acknowledge that she's got a better grasp of the situation than he does due to experience. He can work with her on this, if it means getting out of ViViD. ]
...Alright.
[ As much as he hates the thought of it, he's going to let her run the show, because if it had been up to him, they'd have probably still been fending off clams. At the very least, she might have an idea for how to get out of the game and back to what passed as reality. ]
And where do you propose we start?
[
Only if he can punch Naruto twice in the face: once for disappearing, and once for coming back.]no subject
Generally the end condition is to defeat the boss of the level. [ It's only after she's phrased it that way does she stop to think that he may not understand. Okay, she can simplify this.
She has this situation completely under control! Yeah!
As long as she keeps cheering herself on.] A large monster with seemingly impossible odds to beat is what we're looking for, Sasuke-kun.no subject
Can't you be a little less vague? That describes everything from the Ichibi to the Jyuubi to Kaguya to that giant plant that tried to eat people when I got here.
[ So basically, everything ever. ViViD, you suck.
Sakura, what if the monster they have to beat was with the clams? What if you just cost them a way out? What if they're stuck here for hours on end in hideous swimwear? ]
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Something like that. [ The plant. ]
We just need to figure it out and no, I doubt those clams were what we were looking for. There were too many of them and they seemed pretty flimsy.
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How do you know if they were flimsy or not? You didn't let me break any of them.
[ Okay, calm down and think. Be rational. Getting upset over clams is not rational. ]
If there were something large with difficult odds, we should've seen it by now. There are too many people here for something like that to go unnoticed. It's probably either something we're overlooking because it's the exact opposite, or it's concealed somehow which would explain how people can get out of here without anybody else noticing.
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Of course she'd probably just cry about it later but if she had to be honest with herself (which she's not at this moment), she'll be crying her eyes out about him once she's able to. ]
Where could a large monster be to remain undetected? [ Turning her head slowly to look around and just.
Stopping.
To stare at the ocean. ]
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But evidently she's thinking what he's thinking, and if not for the circumstances, this would sound absolutely hideous, but...]
So, Sakura...
[ A sidelong glance, a smirk that isn't on his face but is present in his voice. Please don't take this as anything other than what it is, okay? ]
Wanna take a walk?
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Um... along the beach? [ Where else, Sakura? WHERE. ELSE.
Just start walking off without her, she'll probably catch up once she manages to slow her racing heart a little. ]
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How else do you expect to find this thing? [ Though, walking out over the water might not be a bad idea, but how far would they even be able to get before the level just... ends?
But if she's going to stand there and make him wonder why it is women all seem to do this, he's just going to ignore it and start walking. Nothing super-breakneck-speed, just almost casual, trying to avoid drawing any attention. They don't need any idiot bystanders interfering. He doesn't go too far before stopping to look back at her, wishing he'd just brushed her off from the beginning. Women are such trouble. ]
Well?
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What's that, Sasuke-kun? [ Shoving her feelings to the side, she tries her hardest to keep a neutral expression as she joins him by his side once more. ]
I was trying to think about how we could coax something like that out of the water was all.
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Anything more is unnecessary. ]
Damage sustained in ViViD doesn't transfer back, does it?
[ Because there's something that could technically be used, but it poses a risk to everybody in the water. While he doesn't particularly care about what happens to them, she might, and he would prefer not to end up on the wrong side of her fist. ]