[PRP] Swanapping [Kaleb/Cass]

[demon_pachabel]

There was always some sort of whisper in Ashdown. Cass had been expecting whispers from beyond more than rumors based off of what people had told her on her way into town. 'Hey', someone had been talking with one of their friends at the laundromat (she hated the laundromat more than doing dishes, sigh) 'Have you heard about that 'Tunnel of Love' that was set up?' Cass had tried to not laugh, listening to the explanation that there was no explanation about it.

How quaint.

Of course she was going to go investigate that. There was no way she wasn't going to investigate that. The problem had been finding where 'That' was. Which was why she'd stopped to get directions. Except she didn't know the city well enough to understand them. Cass could easily get intense.


And that was how she'd practically kidnapped poor Kaleb to come and investigate this weird swan-boat ride. Eyeballing the the attendant, she then looked back to Kaleb (poor soul, never had a chance). "Well, since you're here...might as well go with me!"

There was no choice, only Zuul.

Grey Dragon

I figured a near kidnapping job on Cass's part because 'No seriously, just show me' would be the best way to make him be there. XDD Let me know if that's not OK!

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb blamed the entire situation on himself. When his peaceful walk home had been hijacked by a very intense and enthusiastic young lady looking for directions, he had done his best to help. Except he was not a native to the town either, and he had only a vague recollection of where the 'that' was located. He was not exactly the adventuring type, and the place she described was somewhere at the very edge of his travelling comfort zone.

So without being able to give any clear directions at all, he could only nervously accompany the young lady to where it was she was going. And then once they arrived, he couldn't find the appropriate moment to say goodbye and good luck with the exploration... so that's how he found himself being pushed past the attendant and ushered onto a swan boat.

It set off into the darkness of the tunnel, and Kaleb was nervously silent for a long second.

"I don't believe I got your name," he finally murmured, tightly clutching the strap on his book bag.

demon_pachabel

It is actually the perfect way for him to get there. XD

 

[azuredreams]

It was probably not so strange, or maybe it was, that the shadows lengthened briefly on the ride. On the top of the swan's head, slowly sliding down was an inky black shape not unlike a marten. Ears perked as white eyes looked around and then focused on the pair that were found.

Apparently they had a third on their little ride but, for the moment, the black as pitch critter said nothing and instead stayed perched on the edge of the swan boat. Sometimes happy chitters escaped as he looked at the surroundings.

... sometimes it sounded like excited gasps but it was clear he had somehow managed to tagalong with them for the ride.

Grey Dragon

a visitor

demon_pachabel

appears!

 

[demon_pachabel]

Quote:

AREA ONE
Once you step into the swan boat you immediately realize that one) those are totally real feather and two) that somehow you have traveled down the water to what looks like a romantic garden area.

Soft music plays, you hear the laughter of couples, and there is a table and chairs with a pair sitting across from each other and leaning forward to press their foreheads together and whisper sweet nothings to one another. The scene plays out and the paused swan boat moves forward once more.

AMBIANCE
2 - flower petals fall from above, showering you in a sweet smell that relaxes you (unless you’ve got an allergy and then it’s little bits of glitter).

[BOAT POINTS: 20 - 2 =18]

The swan boat began it's adventure into the darkness, Cass looking eagerly ahead for a moment before her attention turned back to her poor kidnapping victim. "Ah! Of course, my name's Cass," she introduced, offering a hand. As she did, the actual oddity of the boat itself became apparent on a few levels. First: The boat was covered in real feathers. Second: What the hell was that.

As the boat descended into the romantic garden area, Cass leaned into Kaleb. "I think there's a wild animal on the boat..." she whispered, eyeballing the marten which, as of this moment, was not entirely suspicious to her. Except she was having a thing with really smart animals showing up around her lately so she was...tentatively concerned.

A concern that edged off relatively quicker than she normally would have allowed as the garden area deemed it thematically proper to rain rose petals from the ceiling. Cass looked up into them...then sighed and leaned back into the bot, concern almost immediately gone.

"Heyyy, look at these people liking each other's company. That's...that's a little over the top, isn't it? Do people actually do that?"

Asked the girl with probably the most dating experience in the boat.

Grey Dragon

Azuredreams

 

[Grey Dragon]

"Kaleb," he replied, introducing himself calmly in the few moments before he too noticed the black shape curling down from the swan's head. He almost jumped to his feet, but the slight rocking of the boat reminded him there was nowhere to go. The teen settled warily as the tunnel opened up into a wider area, and then he was able to get a better look at the 'wild animal' in their boat.

"Wait, are you... Gloom?" He asked, blinking first at the creature, then at his unconcerned companion. It wasn't until he was brushing flower petals out of his hair that he felt the effects of the calming scent in the air. It had to be Gloom, the description he had been given twice now fit perfectly, and it seemed more interested in taking in the scene than terrorizing them.

Cass also seemed more interested in the scene. "I'm not sure," Kaleb replied hesitantly. This was shaping up to be a pretty bizarre day, although perhaps some other guys in his situation might have counted it as super lucky. Even with their shadowy third passenger.

demon_pachabel

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom, it appeared, was also mostly interested in the boat ride and what they were seeing. He ended up sniffing at the air a bit and seemed to loaf into a marten sized loaf with a lazy swishing tail.

This was a nice smelling place and he was going to enjoy it.

"Not a wild animal, m'a Gloom," he told them both, "and humans do that all the time. The magic box says so. It's how y'raise affection levels and y'get smooches."

demon_pachabel

Grey Dragon

 

[demon_pachabel]

Quote:

AREA TWO
As you come around the bend clouds blow in, hiding the ground and water. Building tops are visible, the moon high in the sky (does it have a face? is it singing?) as a pair dances across the clouds without a care in the world, their eyes only on each other. They dance and eventually have a romantic moment on top of a giant elephant.

It’s a little weird.

AMBIANCE
2 - flower petals fall from above, showering you in a sweet smell that relaxes you (unless you’ve got an allergy and then it’s little bits of glitter).

[BOAT POINTS: 18 - 2 = 16]

"Gloom?" Cassandra repeated after Kaleb, wondering if this little guy was just a local urban legend of random appearances or- holy crap it talks. Cass leaned in closer to Kaleb. "It can talk." she whispered, more in awe than fear before leaning forward.

"I've gotten my affection level up quite a bit, Gloom," she stated calmly, "but a set up like..." she motioned to the table scene, "that is a little bit much if I say so." Some people may have liked it. Cassandra wasn't exactly the type to...ooze affection like that. At least not to another person. She must have been a higher affection difficulty level.

She didn't seem to stressed about everything, rose petals continuing to rain from the ceiling as the boat continued on it's journey to the next scene. A scene which was increasingly bizarre in comparison. "Okay, when is the Moulin Rouge music going to kick in?" she asked lightly, jestingly. "I can't say I've ever liked anybody quite this much."

The figures danced about the clouds romantically, off of rooftops, and onto the back of the elephant where they leaned in for a kiss. It was quaint.

Grey Dragon

Azuredreams

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb nodded, still a bit wary of the whole situation, but entirely unsurprised by Gloom's talking ability. He had been told by multiple sources that Gloom was a friendly creature, so he was able to focus his bafflement on the scenes playing out as the ride progressed.

"I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with either of these methods for... the smooches..." Kaleb replied hesitantly. More petals fell down on his head, and he fidgeted as one brushed the back of his neck and landed in his collar.

"I didn't expect this place would be so big inside," he muttered, glancing suspiciously at the moon. While at first he was surprised to meet Gloom on this side, having believed the creature to be a resident of other Ashdown, Kaleb was starting to wonder if they hadn't crossed over at some point by just getting on the ride. It seemed pretty magical, and setup would have been much more difficult than the average carnival ride. Even the swan had feathers, he suddenly noticed.

Kaleb stared at the feathers, frowning.

demon_pachabel

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom's eyes went wide because between what he was seeing and what Cass just said-

"So you can get smooches from anyone y'want? Even him?" If her affection levels were high, that's what it meant! She could get a smooch from the other one! "They have stuff like this all the time in the magic box ..."

His tail swished from side to side slowly before he raised up on his hind legs to look at Kaleb a little. "It's magic. Like ... the TARDIS! Bigger on the inside! ... but there's no Time Lords." Someone had let him watch BBC. Whoops.

Grey Dragon

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Quote:

AREA THREE
Leaving the pair of dancers behind, the sound of swords clashing and fighting fills the air. Not all the parts of the ride are apparently for the disgustingly romantic sort and instead, it’s a battle as two people fight back to back, prepared to do whatever it takes to keep the other safe and see them live through the day.

A large beast appears after they’ve knocked down their foes and, with a battle cry, they charge an face it together. The scene fades as the boat is once more pulled forward on its watery path.

AMBIANCE
6 - a slightly chill breeze blows through, making you want to press close to one another (or hug yourself).

[BOAT POINTS: 16 - 6 : 10 ]

"Yeah, and the detail put into everything is pretty...intense." She would have gotten bored halfway through the first one's set up. Bored, or frustrated. Patience wasn't exactly Cassandra's cardinal virtue. "Don't they usually hire actors for these sorts of things? I mean, someone spent a lot of time on this..."

As the boat continued on, a more dramatic scene unfolded. One that apparently Cass was way more into. "Now see! This is a bit more my speed! Not..that I've ever had a chance to do something like this." she squinted a little bit. Maybe in another (hunter) life. "But it's totally what my thing would be if I had a chance."

Gloom's inquiry about smooching Kaleb made Cass laugh. "Well, I could but I don't think he'd like it much. He needs to level up his affection stat too." she explained. "And the affection stat isn't universal. I still have to level it up with certain people." So much more complicated than dating sims.

As she explained, the strangest breeze blew through and Cass pulled her jacket in around her, immediately (and without much fuss or hesitation on her end) sidling in closer to poor Kaleb. "Shoulda brought a bigger sweater," she mumbled, rubbing her arms through her sleeves.

Grey Dragon

azuredreams

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb had no clue what Gloom was talking about now, and was settling into thorough dismay as they left the flowery petals and romantic scenes behind. The tardis thing and time lords must have been some sort of other Ashdown thing, but at least now he knew the ride had to have magic involved. How else could anything be bigger on the inside?

"I'd rather not have to fight anything," he replied, giving the new scene only half his attention. He didn't want Gloom to get the wrong idea about how human romance worked, or suddenly expect the two humans in the boat to start with 'smooches', but thankfully Cass was up to the challenge of explaining for the shadowy creature.

And then she slid across the swan next to him. Please, please don't let Gloom think this was an attempt to raise affection stats... It would be a futile attempt to retain warmth though, Kaleb was far too scrawny to protect against any wind, and cold seemed to just go straight through him.

demon_pachabel

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"This is so cool!" Gloom sounded like a kid who was at a theme park and totally got to have fun with one of those interactive rides. His tail continued to swish as he looked around as he half-listened to what Cassandra said about affection levels and not being high enough.

Instead, when the breeze blew the black as pitch shadow marten hopped from his perch on the swan boat and landed perfectly between the pair. There was a nook right there, just right for him to slip into and be warm.

"Humans gotta be warm," he intoned seriously, "so Gloom will help keep y'both warm." As the air had been cold and, strangely enough, he was actually emanating some warmth. "This isn't to raise affection levels, 'cause Gloom already has someone he wants to raise affection levels with."

demon_pachabel

Grey Dragon

 

[demon_pachabel]

Quote:

AREA FOUR
The lighting dims, the flicker of a fireplace the only thing that illuminates the area. There’s a couple sitting close to one another on a stuffed unicorn. The boat does not linger long in this area, instead only giving you a glimpse as things appear to be getting heated quite quickly.

Ambiance
4 - stepping forward from the scene (out of nowhere), the something that runs the ticket booth appears and hands over a romantic present (your choice of present to give to your partner or keep for yourself!)

[BOAT POINTS - 10 - 4 = 6]

"Well I appreciate you keepin' us little furless freaks warm," Cass cooed at Gloom. Affection points gained. Just not enough for smooches. Maybe for face rubs and - okay, don't feed it. The last thing she'd fed turned into a real boy on her kitchen floor and she still needed to recover from that.

If Cassandra had been excited about the swordfighting, she was slightly more excited about the unicorn. And only about the unicorn. Of course for this exciting unicorn, they were doing a drive by. "Are they using sparkles to cover up nudity on the back of a unicorn?" Cass asked, frowned, then added, "Would a unicorn even allow for something like that to happen on it???" They liked purity and virgins and stuff and clearly someone was very much into the unicorn mythos.

She apparently spent enough time ogling the unicorn (and not the implication of other things going on on top of it) that to her surprise, someone else stepped out from the scene, holding out a neatly wrapped gift. Cassandra took it with both hands, blinking, then immediately handed it to Kaleb.

"For you."

Grey Dragon

azuredreams

 

[Grey Dragon]

"I-I don't know, I don't suppose it would care once it's been stuffed," Kaleb stammered slightly, turning away to avoid looking at what was about to happen on the unicorn. It might have actually been a unicorn considering the ride's circumstances, but it might also have just been a nicely decorated horse. Even in the dim light the red on his cheeks was visible.

He was similarly caught off guard by the offered present, although for different reasons. Kaleb accepted it almost reflexively, like one would take dishes that needed to be dried after dinner, and then stared at the nicely wrapped gift with absolutely no idea what to do with it. Why did it end up going to him? He wasn't sure he wanted to open it, just in case it had anything to do with the scene on the unicorn they were quickly passing.

"Maybe Gloom would like it, he is being so kind and helping us out after all," Kaleb offered, holding out the gift to the creature in between them. "You know, like a souvenir? From the ride?" It didn't escape his notice that Gloom was quite enthusiastic about the whole event, and perhaps more likely to appreciate whatever it was inside the wrapping.

demon_pachabel

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Gloom practically gasped. "Is that Geralt? He is the witchiest! ... but what are they-" There was a squeak as the shadow marten promptly ducked his head down between the pair he was helping keep warm.

Of course at the mention of souvenirs he was peeking back up and an excited chitter escaped him. "Gloom collects souvenirs!" he said gleefully before he paused. "Are y'sure Gloom can have this? The other gave it to y'two to have ..."

His tone was oh so hopeful but he wasn't going to take a perfectly good present from nice humans. Even if he was sniffing up at the wrapped parcel every other moment.

demon_pachabel

Grey Dragon