TEST DRIVE 001b

[pyracy]

Try on those ridiculous clothes, sample the catering, and run through your lines. It's time for the Long 18th Test Drive.

ARRIVAL: Characters come to in a dark, tropical forest in a huddle. There are the sounds of strange birds, animals, and insects all around, some of them perhaps worryingly close. With a closer inspection, arrivals realize they're on an incline: Going up will prove fruitless, no matter who they are. The ground there starts to grow rocky the further they climb, and they may find themselves slipping back down to their arrival point, even if they're expert mountain climbers. The ground sloping downward will eventually level out leading toward light, music, and noise. But for the moment, they're simply a group of lost people (or monsters/bipedal animals/robots/etc) with no idea where they are or how they got here. Now's probably a good time to ask, "Who the hell are you? Where am I?" Time to use the buddy system.

TORTUGA: There's a town off the coast of Hispaniola that never sleeps, and that town is Tortuga. It's swapped hands more times than anyone can count, but for now, the French have it. And they do like the extra money the pirates that frequent it bring in; they like it so much that they imported over 1600 prostitutes from Europe to keep them happy. So you might as well relax while you're here, as much as you can with random gunshots and fist fights, anyway. Drop in for a drink at the Faithful Bride, check out the wares for sale (provided to you tax-free thanks to piracy) near the dock front. Visit the warehouse where those ill-gotten goods are stored and distributed. Maybe you're looking for work on a ship? The captains can usually be found - frazzled and busy - in the taverns and at the shipwrights and everywhere in between (just look for the hats), and if they're in a good mood, they might be willing. But the key point of Tortuga is this: Have fun. Some examples might include: A barfight! Wandering into a brothel (maybe by mistake)! Getting duped into joining a crew! There's no end of trouble to get into.

MIRROR POST: When they arrived, every person found, in a pocket or a bag or tucked away somewhere on their person, a little compact mirror. It's nothing fancy: Square, with hinges and a latch that keep it closed, the outer casing carved from seashell, the inner mirror a little spotted with age. But if it's played around with enough, it quickly becomes apparent it works as a communication device. Here you have access to all of the marked folks, no matter how far and wide they might spread. Need to have a heart to heart with a buddy in Singapore? Want to send out a general ad to everyone at large? Looking for answers to questions? This is the quickest way to get all of that.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE: The world is open, and it's full of pearls that are just waiting for you to take them. Maybe you want to have some quiet time to scrub clean in a bathhouse in Singapore. Perhaps you're visiting the fabled pirate city of Libertalia in Madagascar. Maybe you've found yourself lost in Mayan ruins or stranded on an island. Or you were shipwrecked in a hurricane. Or you've decided to relocate to Port Royal or one of the American colonies for a quieter sort of life. Either way, this is your story, might as well make it a good one.

Comments

[storygami]

[The man's reaction has him scrambling for purchase. If he can't tell his stories, he doesn't know how else to make money. How is he going to survive in this town?]

Yes, but. Tortuga doesn't have what I can do. [He brightens with a child's hopping excitement.] Here, wait--watch this!

[Kubo pulls the shamisen from his back and grips his pick. He is definitely desperate to prove himself, and he wastes no time with his usual dramatics. A series of notes pluck toward the sky, and from his back, three sheets of blue paper rise with them. They fold themselves into blue jays, which chase each other above Kubo's head.

His music becomes more frantic, and the first jay eats the second, then the third, before spitting out their confetti remains over Jack's head. Oh, the gore, the horror!]

[pistolproof]

[ As this confetti rains down upon Jack's head, his face is completely emotionless. He stares at this kid, not even the slightest bit impressed with his display of magic. He stares at him for another few seconds before heaving a sigh.

If it were anyone else, Jack wouldn't bother answering at all, he just move on with the rest of his night. After all, everyone in Tortuga is desperate for another pretty penny, for another drop of rum, for another night with a whore. But this isn't an able-bodied sailor. It's a child, desperate and determined. Not to mention Jack himself is tired -- it has been a long day and a long fight against Davy Jones himself, and the day still not over.

He supposes, just this once, he can afford to be helpful. ]

Look, lad, [ he says as he takes off his hat and brushing off all the confetti from it. ] You been to one of the taverns yet?

[storygami]

[Kubo's face falls at the total lack of reaction. But that's fine! He can do bigger, better, no problem! He's just about to gear up for a greater display when the man's question distracts him.]

Uh, no, not yet.

[He sounds unsure, the unspoken question already present in his voice: why? Where is he going with this? And why would he want to head directly into the heart of all the rowdy, drunk men?]