Welcome To The Village

[number_2]

Who: Everyone who was signed-up for the excursion
What: The Village December Excursion
When: Dec 1st - Dec 23rd
Where: The Village
Warnings: Involuntary capture and confinement including immobilization and restraints, violence, injury, maiming, possibility of death, torture, coercion, gaslighting, mind control, drugging, scientific experiments, and extremely inaccurate depictions of mental health facilities/hospitals, among other potentially triggering themes. Please mark all threads appropriately.




"Good morning, good morning, good morning!" A voice that sounds very similar to Friday's chirps over a loudspeaker outside your character's home. Yes, their home.

Overnight, all the passengers who signed up for this excursion have been transported to their very own personal cottages. They will awake in a bed that is familiar to them. While this home of theirs does not necessarily have to resemble the place they were born or raised, it will be a perfect replica of a place they truly thought of as their home, down to the most minute details.

The cottages are self-contained, the size of a large studio apartment so, in some cases, they may only resemble the bedroom and living room of a person's home with a shrunken-down kitchenette and bathroom adjoined. But the heirlooms of their past are here. A favorite doll? A treasured family portrait? Trinkets you have long forgotten about? All of them will be here, somehow. (All except for weapons, that is.) They are indistinguishable from the real item, down to the molecule.

After that wake-up call, the voice continues on to express that the weather will be warm and sunny, with no rain forecasted. A brass band concert is announced, to start at noon on the lawn next to the living chess set. And once that bit of news is wrapped up, lively marching band music will begin to play. And it will continue to play. All day. From every speaker...including the ones hidden in their home.

Welcome to Your Village

It only gets stranger from here. Characters may be dismayed to find that they are without any of their original clothes or belongings. They awake in conservative button-up pajamas. The closet in their home is full of the latest Village Fashion to choose from. Everything is The Village label brand, including the tin cans of food that stock the kitchen and any of the groceries you could get at the General Store.

Your ship phone rings. When you answer it, you will be greeted, once again, by the voice of Friday. "Your number, please? Of course, you have a number. Look at your badge." If they look down at their chest, they will discover a small round number badge has been pinned to their pajamas. Was that there before? It bears the symbol of a Penny-farthing Bicycle, with a number in the spokes. This is their number.

"No names here," the voice of Friday chides, "Only numbers. Number 2 would like a word with you at the Green Dome. He requests you come for breakfast. Thank you!" Before they can protest further, the line goes dead.


Some Notes:

No matter how many times your character tries to take off and disregard their number badge, they will always find it re-attached to their clothes again the moment they look away and look back.

Your characters still have their phones but now they can only make calls instead of sending texts. They also do not take or store photographs anymore.

If your character destroys or damages anything in their home, or in The Village it will instantly repair the way things used to on the Serena Eterna.

The noise from the speakers can be muffled by covering it with pillows or other creative items, but cannot be stopped entirely. (Sorry Phil)

Comments

[be_seeing_you]

"I'm fond of the girl, but regretfully she will always see us as other. We are not part of the Tradeline, and that will always color her opinion of us. She will never trust or respect us as much as her own people." She's always made it very clear what she thinks of all of them, that they don't do things the right way. He views this as nothing but an extension of that mistrust.

"Regardless, when this is over I mean to investigate who it was. I don't ever want to see it happen again."

[decohere]

She ducks her head down slightly, leaned in so closely to Peter as others attempt to rile Number 2 up. So far he hasn't seemed to spare them any attention.

"Do you think she'd..." Ava cuts off that thought immediately. No, Tayrey wouldn't ally herself with such a man, who seems to be more of what everyone imagines the Captain to be. Tayrey is nothing but steadfast in her stubborn refusal to give in.

"My... guess would be somebody back on the ship," Ava suggests, scanning the faces in the room.

[be_seeing_you]

It seems like only a matter of time until Number 2 turns his attention to them both. He knows it's coming because he knows this Number 2. But while he can, he will use the cover of all this commotion.

"Never," he answers the unasked question. Ari may be self-serving, but she'd never accept aid from a monster like Number 2. She'd know better after everything he told her about this place.

"That thought has crossed my mind. She does those patrols, you know. Someone might have wanted to ensure she couldn't meddle in their plans."

[decohere]

For the brief moment, she's more concerned over what might be happening back on the ship than the present threat.

That doesn't last long.