//TESTDRIVE.EXE

[reparator]

"I'm the reason half of you are drunk at the moment." (CEO-SAN, NO...) "I'm the reason half of you are drunk at the moment." (CEO-SAN, NO...)

//TESTDRIVE.EXE The lights flicker overhead, music blaring from the speakers as you step inside, every sound drowned out except for that hypnotic tune. The walls are painted in an array of hypnotic colors, saturated to the point where your attention doesn't know where to land, and all kinds of screens hang from each corner, showing flashing images of ads, gadget after gadget appearing in a second to show you the best of what Ceres has to offer. Dancing bodies flank each side of the large ballroom, bodies with eyes that look hollow and their faces too symmetrical. They'll occasionally glance at you and smile, maybe even engage and offer to take you to one of the private rooms in the back. However, their words are interrupted when the lights suddenly turn brighter and focus on the center where a raised platform sits. A man appears in the center, one hand raised to silence the music while the other holds a microphone. "It's been some time, hasn't it? As you may or may not know, I am the CEO and founder of CERES, Julius Vincere, and you can say, I'm the reason half of you are drunk at the moment." He chuckles lightly before continuing, "For a second there, I was worried we wouldn't make it, but I placed my confidence in all of you. I knew you'd surpass my expectations when I first brought you here, and you were able to utilize our tools to perfection. As you may have suspected by the gallons of champagne being passed around at my behest-" He pauses to reach out for a glass, snatching it from one of the wait staff passing by before raising it to the crowd. "We've finally obtained our first victory here on Cerealia. The colony is ours completely and will be fully functional from this day forward. Please enjoy all the luxurious amenities we have put together, and join me in journeying towards a new and better future. Together, we will expand our territory here and reach even further horizons. And by all means, don't be shy with the staff. They're also here for your entertainment." He gestures around the room, smiling before taking a sip of his champagne. Applause echoes from the crowd while Julius steps off the stage, handing the mic to one of the staff before pausing for pictures and interviews from reporters. You stand in the crowd as the lights dim once more, lost in a sea of people and wondering where to go next.

//SCENARIOS.EXE PHASE I [ 1801 ] The screens lining the walls inside even extend into the bathrooms and the back rooms, playing commercial after commercial, all CERES themed, as you mingle with the other guests, but occasionally, the image transforms into a flash of something else. It appears for a split-second. There's the face of a woman, lips parted in a soundless cry. She looks to be in pain, fingers pressed to the screen. It's so quick that most don't register it, barely even notice it's there unless they focus. The party continues without incident, otherwise. Because it's a pretty damn good party, isn't it? There's plenty of food, strong drinks - hey, no one under seventeen is allowed to drink - and many decorative people. Just ignore that feeling of being watched! You're just so good looking, after all. PHASE II [ ???? ] A room sits in the back with several helmets characters can wear to upload themselves into ViViD, a state of the art virtual reality game, and enter one of the game stages to participate in a team mission. They can sample a few minutes of gameplay as they enter a short battle with one of the NPC creatures. They'll quickly become familiar with the state-of-the-art technology as all pain and wounds experienced inside will feel real and will appear on each character's body. But what an awesome game it is. With amazing digital quality surround, it's a world like none other... but be careful not to fall too fast! (Those monsters even smell real, don't they?) Feel free to talk to Vidia, the game host, if you need help getting things going! PHASE III [ 2134 ] The evening is wearing on, the dance floor is becoming more crowded. The music seems oppressive by now. People are feeling charged with adrenaline, or feeling the intensity rise in the mood. Maybe a new partner is the right choice to go with- or maybe you can talk to a wallflower. But one thing is for certain... The loud vibrations disguise the fact that something is moving over the vents. You can hear it in the background, the rustling sound that agitates your ears. But hey, maybe it's nothing, right? After all, it's just a party... Maybe you'll want to go into the back rooms for a bit to... explore your new friends? The rooms (and your companions) are quite pretty and cozy, and can be adjusted with holograms to create a room for your desired mood. After all, it's a little too noisy when you're not alone, but the sudden silence might get oppressive too... [ Feel free to get intimate or just get out of the party and sleep off the drinks, but remember, anything above PG stuff must go into your own journals and under NO circumstances will unwanted propositioning be allowed or any non-consensual activity lest you want to be locked in a cold box on top of a huge ice cube for the rest of the night. Naked. Please use your own discretion, the minimum age for intimacy is 15-16. ] PHASE IV [ 0243 ] In the quieter corners of the party, it becomes more ever-present until something falls on your eye. It's red. Warm... As you gaze up, you see a dead body faced down, the half-sliced face lying against the ventilation screen. The body's eyes remain open, staring down at you. Screams and sounds of shock sound, and the party halts. As the security filters in to investigate the body, the rustling only grows louder. It's then that they suspect something is in the vents. It's crawling avidly across the ceiling, and lights fall one by one, exploding against the ground. There's barely a moment to register the chaos before the last knight of CERES appears. You can choose to run. You can choose to engage. The knight won't let you leave its sight alive. But you know you have to do something. Be it protecting the innocents there, or fighting off the creature that seems to only be there to harm you and your friends, old and new. And you do want to protect this place, because it's just been won... don't you? BONUS [ whyo'clock ] There's a ball pit hidden in one of the auxiliary rooms. All invited parties are given a maximum of one hour to have fun time in the ball pit. They must not exceed their one hour or they will be forcibly removed by the security droids. Please keep all food and alcohol out of the ball pit. Do not have any genital parties in the ball pit. The ball pit is sacred to CERES. [ The party will be long, so take your time enjoying each scenario... and dreading it. At the end of it all, things will be calmed down and you're free to enjoy the night as you please. Remember to keep things PG (the FAQ below elaborates!), and absolutely no forcing any R-rated things with anyone below 15-16 (so be sure to ask their age, right?) or the droids will have a little fun chasing you around! Do enjoy the pretty views of the gorgeous digital city though. Which seems strangely quiet, but at this late hour, why not, right? ]

//RUN.EXE Welcome to CEREALIA's first test drive! Please forgive our appearance as we are going through the final stages game completion. While most pages are under development and/or hidden from the public eye, please don't feel discouraged, since knowing everything doesn't always make the experience. Your characters will know as little as you. For your convenience, we have compiled a mini-FAQ - please read it thoroughly before playing. Thank you! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS HOW DID MY CHARACTER GET HERE? You may have been just been doing their day-to-day activities - be it swimming or fighting demons - but the next moment, a crack and blinding light - now you're here, in your best attire, celebrating. The memories of your at-home activities fade away like a fleeting dream, and it's replaced with the feeling of happiness. ( You haven't forgotten your past, just that anything you were doing seems far too distant to be important. ) Must be something in the air. You can't remember clearly fighting for CERES, and whatever this Julius Vincere is telling you might be complete bullshit for all you know, but something influences you to play along anyway - if you think about it long enough, perhaps you had fought for CERES after all...? WHO/WHAT IS CERES? WHAT IS CEREALIA? You mean... you don't remember? After all the help you gave it? WHAT FORMAT CAN WE USE FOR THIS TESTDRIVE? Action (brackets/prose), video/voice, and texting are all available via your CEREVICE at this moment. Most functions are currently undergoing a system update, but as long as it is still connected to the Auralia Network, it will be available for communicative uses. WHAT IS ViVID? An amazing VR game! The demo version of ViViD will be here to play, aren't you excited? It's played with headsets that immediately allow you to experience full-body simulation, without having to move out of your seat! You can enjoy the demo world, design your own, play alone, play with a team, but remember, the boss must be beaten! Please check the phase ii thread for details and interactions! SO... PHASE III? Sexy things can happen, you're getting hot and heavy on the dance floor, and there are rooms in the back that can be decorated to your mood, after all. REMEMBER, the age of consent is 15-16, please use your own discretion and don't upset people. For the test drive, any situation that goes above PG (beyond kissing/grinding/light making out... We're lenient) must go into threads in your own journals. Any creeper behavior or unwanted advances will get an IC boot into the Frozen Locker with "Let it Go" on repeat. POWER LIMITATIONS? Actually, no, the characters don't have any of their abilities locked or otherwise suppressed. More info will be i the official FAQ, but so long as you don't destroy the entire game ( and we trust you can use your powers responsibly— as does CERES! ), limitations are nonexistent. OKAY, WHAT ABOUT PREVIOUS GAME MEMORIES? It's completely acceptable to bring a character that has been in a previous game to Cerealia! THE NAME LOOKS FAMILIAR. . . Yes, a loosely related setting concept with a place called CEREALIA was pitched for an ExitVoid phase before the moderators decided to close the game for good. A few of us got together with the original pitchers of the idea since we thought it really awesome and with a lot of potential and decided to try our own thing with it! ARE THE GAMES RELATED? Nope. Not at all, it's been rehashed from the ground up and built to stand on its own as an original place and game. We'll keep coming back to this, so don't worry.

Comments

leanne | resonance of fate | phase i

[regives]

[ Leanne was never someone who attended parties, let alone one that kept her so on edge with the crowd of unfamiliar faces. The man by the name of Julius Vincere speaks of a victory that she can't recall, and the thought alone has her searching for anything in the back of her head before that's swept away with the crowd once the lights had dimmed down. She feels a force against her back that has her stumbling forward, quickly regaining her balance before she even has the chance to accidentally bump into someone else.

There's a bothersome itch in the back of her head as her gaze travels around the room, eyes still adjusting to the lights as she attempts to look for a familiar head or two (preferably two). She moves among the crowd, not exactly sure where she's going before her eyes catches the woman on the screen in absolute pain. Immediately she jumps, her heart stops for a brief second in surprise before she can even register that she no has someone by the arm in her grasp. ]

Oh! [ She immediately lets go. ] I'm sorry! I...

[ She points up to the screen. ]

Did you see that? The girl on the screen, did you see her?

[insitor]

[ Oh, what a pity... it seems as though someone might not be enjoying the party as much as they should. They can't have that. In fact, boss might get a little too creative with his disappointment if they have that.

A smile rests on his lips, ever friendly, ever welcoming, because he's just that nice. And his hand moves forward, a drink- nothing sketchy, it's a soda, the same as him, offered to her. ]

I only see a pretty girl who might have had a pretty long day. Not that I'd blame you. Saving the city is such hard work.

[ She's a pretty little thing isn't she. He does let his eyes wander, but they're back at her face as he takes a sip from his own drink. ]

Bumping into people, seeing girls on screen... the text can make some strange shapes, but I'm quite sure the only girl on it is the one praising our company, Missy.

[ Now why would he ever let a pretty face like that fall into worry? It's just not done. ]

[regives]

[ Though she's hesitant, she accept the drink after giving both the beverage and the man before a quick gaze over. Mumbling a quick thanks before he's able to speak, in which she finds herself swallowing down a bigger drink of soda than she had originally intended. ]

A pretty girl? [ For a moment, it completely flies over her head before the comment acts like a boomerang and smacks her in the back of the head. ] Oh! You mean me? Uh, thank you... But I don't really think I can agree about that last part.

[ Because somehow the entire idea of saving this city felt so foreign to her. Especially since no sight of Zephyr or Vashyron made her only that much more skeptical. ]

I swear I saw something, though. It happened so fast, but I know it was a different person!

I apologize tremendously for this creeper ;_;

[insitor]

[ His own expression remains calm, encouraging her to keep talking, though he is making a mental note to make sure that the fool programmer that messed up enough for anyone to see anything than what they're supposed to see is properly reprimanded.

Little Lisa is going to regret making that mistake.

But at her comment, he feigns confusion for a brief moment before smirking and shaking his head. ]

Missy, Missy, Missy...

[ He leans close, his red eyes watching her with an amused glint. ]

If you'd be seeing a different person in there that oughtn't be, I'll bet it's someone out to mess with you. After all, we did just win this place back from a bunch of creeps that were out to harm everyone. I'm willing to bet that you're still recovering from the shock of it all. It happens, you know. How about we get something to eat? Looks like you're still shaken up enough to not realize how cute you look right now.

[ Ah, ha, ha, he kills himself, really. Now, if only he could get her alone... but no, if he did anything untoward, boss will have his hide. He can only hope she'll want to. That'll just make things easier. ]

LMAO oh no you're fine!!!

[regives]

[ She just about freezes when he leans in closer, her expression calming slightly enough so she wouldn't appear like some frightened and confused child.

Someone out to mess with her? That's not something that she's unfamiliar with given her job back in Basel, and the thought of actually help save this place with the people around her seemed much more real to her now that he had said that. But the details were still so far away from her that she couldn't help but bite the inside of her cheek before slowly nodding her head. ]

You're... probably right. [ She tries to laugh it off, taking another sip of her drink, breathing a sigh of relief after she swallows. ] Sorry, my head's a little fuzzy about the details...

[ Her lips curve into a small smile. ]

But food actually sounds really nice right now, to be honest.

[insitor]

[ But the fun is when they are frightened and confused, and the thought makes his own smile become slightly more interested as he lifts a hand to casually brush past her ear and it may seem like he's trying to wall her-

But he only taps the screen behind her, that reacts and replays the ad on the holo-screen. He then gestures over to her. ]

There, it's going on again, and no girls in sight. Guess you're good, Missy.

[ He draws back before flicking his head, a gesture for her to follow and steps ahead of her. There's a huge buffet line across the glass walls of their party hall, and he extends his hand towards it. ]

All yours for the craving. And eating, if you're going to do more than stare. The boss would have my hide if I didn't make sure a pretty little thing like you went unsatisfied.

[ He grins then, standing at full height as he watches her. ]

Not waiting for any friends to join you, are you? Like a, shall we say, significant other, maybe?

[regives]

[ There's no moment of surprise when she feels his hand go past her. Honestly, it only gives her reason to be more on edge, looking straight at him before taking a moment to look back at the holo-screen.

It was normal. The woman that she thought—no, that knew she saw was no where on the screen. She can't just swallow the image down and shrug it off, either, but she can at least keep it in the back of her head until she can find some sort of answer. ]

It's Leanne. [ Almost said firmly before she decides to follow behind him. Taking a long, hard look down the buffet line in awe before she finally takes steps closer towards the table. ]

Whoa... shoot, where do I even start? I don't even know what half of this stuff is. [ Because living in the slums doesn't really come with fine dining, you know.

But then his final question begins to register, and she finds her eyes immediately looking back to him. ] A significant other? [ She can't help herself when the blood rushes to her cheeks, immediately shaking her head to protest. ] No way! The only friends I have don't seem to be here, either, so I'm pretty much alone.

[ Probably not something that she should admit, but... that seems to completely fly over her head at the moment. ]

[insitor]

[ Those pointdexters are going to have a lot to answer to when he's done with them. Still, he can afford the distraction, especially when it's a girl this cute. Of course, he knows better than anyone that anyone pulled out of the Code is going to be a special sand grain... or whatever that was, and he waits as she talks before bursting into laughter. ]

You're a real riot, Missy. You just start where your stomach takes you.

[ He wonders what kind of poor, sad place she comes from where not being able to decide what to eat is a problem. Well, he's heard of some shitty places, but even so. However, at her next words, he chuckles and shakes his head. Gotta give her points for being honest... no matter how dangerous that info is. ]

Pity they haven't been found, yet. Maybe they'll show up, but you shouldn't have to wait on them to help yourself. And when you say friends you have... do you mean friends from your own world... or friends from some place else?

[ The Code had turned up some interesting types. He's just curious to see if their recoveries worked. ]

[regives]

[ Even though she wants to, Leanne refrains from telling him her name again since it seems like she's stuck with him calling her 'Missy'. Which isn't a bad thing, really, but it will be something that she'll have to adjust to so long as she's talking with him. And the more he speaks, the more she realizes that he knows much more than she does. Information that she's seeking for, at the moment. ]

Sorry... have we met before? That's an oddly specific question to ask someone. [ But an answer like that makes it pretty obvious.

But her attention was completely on him now, turning her gaze away from the line of food. ]

If you don't mind me asking, what's your name? I mean, since I've already told you mine.

[insitor]

[ Specific, and leading nowhere. And really, there's no point in not using the nickname- they all look the same to him, after all. But at her question, he laughs. ]

I'm sure I'd grace your dreams if we'd met before this, but I doubt it. You're all new faces. And a little hero too, aren't you? Saving this place from the big bad.

[ He smiles though, lifting a hand to her chin and tipping it up. ]

The name's Lucius, sweet girl. Second in command to Julius Vincere himself. The guy who helped all of us stay safe around here, huh?

[ His eyes twinkle, red and sharp. ]

So, where did you drop in from? Don't leave me hanging. But where are my manners. Make sure you fill your stomach first, or I'll have nothing to fill my broken heart with.

[regives]

[ "Grace your dreams"... somehow, she feels like there's a double meaning to that, and that's exactly why she doesn't bother to think over it longer than she already has. And it's not exactly hard to jump from that to his comment after it, in which him calling her a "hero" sounds... wrong, for some reason, even as a piece of her was so willing to believe in it.

But that's all difficult to concentrate on when he brings his hand up. She could have sworn that she felt her heart skip a beat, ultimately out of surprise that is made a little too obvious than she'd like when she looks at him. But she calms, lifting a hand and gently grabbing his before pushing his hand away from her face. ]

Basel. [ Answered quickly, her eyes glancing to the food and then back to him. ] I'll be fine... I thought I was hungry before, but I guess not.

[ Which is a terrible lie, but oh well. ]

I guess your heart is just going to stay broken for the time being, then.

[occator]

[ He catches it only because he'd peaked over her shoulder just as it happened, but the fact that she grabs on to him makes it an easy save -- she hadn't caught him glancing, had she? Well, at least he can play it cool for the time being. What was that woman doing on the screen --? ]

Oh, it's no worry... [ Glancing at her screen and then her face, he tilts his head. ] Um, did you take a picture of someone?

[regives]

But.. [ It certainly didn't seem normal. ] Huh?

[ She shakes her head. ]

No, I didn't. Why do you ask?

[occator]

[ To be perfectly honest, he's certain she'd seen it. It hadn't been an illusion, but playing it safe is better than coming off clueless. He has no idea how that had happened - which is why it's time to do some damage control.

Dmitri resolves to rub that back of his head, feigning ignorance. ]

You were talking about some girl, right? But I don't see any girl on your screen...

[regives]

But she was there, I know it.

[ She wasn't just seeing things, right? Even though something felt so familiar—but at the same time so off—about this place, the difference between the ad now playing and the woman that appeared on the same screen was something that she couldn't simply overlook. ]

... Do you think there might be something wrong with the screen? [ There's a hint of concern in her voice, as if his answer wouldn't matter now that the image was basically implanted inside her head. ] It only happened for a quick second, after all.