
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 [ 10 00 ] 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 [ 12 00 ] 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 [ 15 00 ] 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 [ xx xx ] 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. ] |
Muzét (Tales of Xillia 2)
Rideaux
[Except we never had the chance to use you. Or had he already forgotten what Muzét had said?]
[But honestly, she was grateful for the break from that Bisley-business herself. Maybe when they were less naked, they could sit down and talk about how things went down. And if there were things they still needed to be concerned about, even though their world was apparently gone now. And if we're really lucky, maybe it took all the fractured dimensions with it, so there's nothing left to worry about!]
[She perks up at the mention of the 'vice president'.] Ludger? Now that's one swimsuit I'm dying to see. I wonder where --
[By the way, lest we not forget, the giant sand castle has been collapsing this whole time. With a loud sigh, the last support collapses, and what remaining structure there was disappears into a formless mount of sand.]
[Muzét turns to look at it.]
... ... ...
You don't suppose... he was still in there, do you...?
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(or maybe it's more that he doesn't want to consider that he could still be bisley's.)
glancing over at that mountain of sand, he shrugs carelessly. ]
Maybe. It wouldn't matter either way, though; he'd just come back, be it immediately or after this level is completed.
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[She look back and forth between Rideaux and the disaster site. I can't tell if he actually means that or if he's just a jerk who doesn't want to help Ludger.]
What, really? There aren't any consequences here?
Soleil
The fault lies with their own discourtesy, not yours. As I said, you made an effort for my sake, and for that you have my gratitude.
[She sets down the class and makes with the introductions:] I am Muzét. It is a pleasure to meet you.
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( A pause and then she shakes her head. )
Oh, sorry. I'm Soleil.
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So, what kinds of drinks do they serve outside of this place, then?
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Hiro
Typically, food and drink? You know, like soda rice and mabo curry... sometimes local specialties, like the Gaius Buns in Auj Oule.
[She gives him a funny look.] Why, do you come from somewhere that they sneak unsavory items into their offerings?
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[The nature of this place is still not quite clicking for Muzét. After all, with her experience, it makes more sense to assume this is some weird beach-centric alternate dimension than an entire fake reality.]
[But...]
Hmm... you do have a point. Rather than drinks, I could go for a proper meal. And a quick recharge of mana would hit the spot, too.
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Keimi
[Muzét's expression lights up when she realizes she's talking to a potential coworker.]
Oh, I'd love it if we did! Imagine what a pair we would make together! [She laughs lightly, and points out,] Particularly if they had us modeling in a scenario like this one! I'm sure the men would be delirious with desire!
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Something like this might be a little too much for me. B-but it looks great on you, your figure is amazing.
[Like some kind of goddess.]
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Really? Because I'd say the only real difference between us is confidence.
Technically speaking... this is more clothes than I usually wear. My normal garment is more of a manifestation.
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Phoenix
Wait. I normally reserve this for traversing greater distances, but perhaps if I were to relocate us just a bit higher in space than we are now...
[She holds out her hands, and... an itty-bitty black hole appears, hovering over her palm. There are glowing rune-type things circling around it, as if there was any doubt that this was something magical in nature. She spreads her hands and it expands out, filling the bubble, consuming Phoenix and Muzét both in its terrifying darkn--]
[Phoenix is now just over the bubble. When he drops down, he should be able to land directly on it, and ride it like an oversized beach ball. Muzét is hovering nearby, stretching out now that she has the room to do so.]
[What do you think of that, oh mighty veteran?]
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And once it's done, this mighty veteran thinks... that he's definitely still afraid of heights.]
HUUUUUAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHH!!
[As he falls to the bubble, he shouts as if falling from a hundred feet. And thought he lands on his feet initially, he soon slips and lands with his arms and legs spread out, clinging desperately to the top of the bubble.
Phoenix takes some heavy breaths for a moment as he assesses what the hell just happened, and he manages a weak smile of gratitude.]
W-well... I guess we did make it out of the bubble.
...Thank you.
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[She floats down to get a better look at him.] Not a problem. This way, we at least have some mobility, which can only help our situation
[And then she circles over the surface of the water, frowning.] But I'm still not quite sure where this attack is coming from. Or how it's happening. It seems to be that some sort of magic is at work around here, but I haven't seen any monsters, or sensed any mana...
[What is virutal reality, anyway. Why should it get to play by different rules than real reality?]
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Maya
Really? Because I was thinking the filling that they smoosh inside dumplings! [But that would make them... a hair dumpling. How disgusting!]
Come to think of it, though... perhaps a dreadlock would be a better comparison?
[Because now it's not just their hair getting tangled up in each other, it's the two of them getting tangled up in it. Especially around Muzét's wings, which yes, are very much big rigid flat things.]
I don't suppose -- ow! -- you brought -- ow! -- a hairbrush?
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[She absolutely didn't want to picture her a dumpling this way. Even if she is probably delicious.]
Ooooh, I wouldn't want to be the dreadlocked hamster in this dumpling...
[Now she's just getting everything mixed up. Maybe all the tossing and turning and hair mix is getting to her.]
[Maya's practically being crushed against said wings (which she finds very cool, for the record)]
Ow-- I--- no, but... I've got my hands! And you've got hands! So, let's, just...
[she tries to start untangling a bunch of their respective hair, and it might hurt a bit. Or, you know, a lot]
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Ishtar
It's a shame they put us in these outfits. Were I in my usual attire, I could have you hold on to the skirt of my dress.
[On the other hand... doesn't Muzét have something else that's about a mile long and hanging off her head, waiting to be pulled on?]
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[ She tugs at it with furrowed brows. Though, the idea works too but Ishtar's not so sure she wants to suggest that. She doesn't know the girl and it might be a bit awkward to ask. ]
What else can we do-- hmm...
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Cloche
There can be no doubt about that. It is only sand, after all, isn't it? It should take much more, unless it's being reinforced by something else.
[She contemplates this for a moment.] I don't believe it's magical...? I cannot detect any mana. [Which of course she wouldn't, but she doesn't quite get this virtual reality stuff yet.]
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I would have never thought about that one myself. I'm not getting a strange feeling from it either.
[ Muzet's really special if she can sense things like mana in the atmosphere. ]
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ii.
But then all of a sudden he's outside of the sand castle, and he blinks.
Glances back to where it was crumbled.
Looks back at Muzet.
What just happened?
Leon's not used to being confused, and it's not a feeling he enjoys; he's going to try to cover it up with bluster, but... it's not super successful.]
I--do not recall asking for your help!
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[She... might have picked him up, briefly, before teleporting. She does have a tendency to scoop up tiny people and fly away with them. It's sort of like a hobby of hers.]
Or did you want to stay back there?
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Kenta
A few days? But what would be the point of that? You wouldn't even have time to move in before you had to start building another one!
[You know what, Muzét stopped trying to figure out how this thing is standing under its own weight a while ago. Just keep an ear out for ominous rumbles, okay?]