Adventure Forward : Feel-good Fantasies

Travel

The Tailor dropped down from the sky, landing on smooth wood of the giant ship.
They looked around, noticing other people, but they were dressed more formally.
"This must be Vacation Cruise, huh?"

Not even one step forward on the ship, a loud voice tore through the silence on the ship.

"Has the new Tailor arrived yet?!"

Then came a Point, with a gray fading to orange gradient, dressed in white with a navy vest.
Immediately, they took notice of the three-pointed star that they assumed was his symbol.

A smile bloomed on their face as he approached the Tailor, and they felt comfortable already.

"Welcome, welcome! I'm Shallare, captain of the S.S. Venture. It's nice to meet you."
He took their hand and initiated an enthusiastic handshake, letting go after.

"So, Cyalm told me you were interested in becoming the next Tailor, eh?"
They nodded, waiting for his response.
"Alright, collect a thread and I might consider giving you my symbol." His smile was then turned into a cheeky grin.
"There are plenty of threads around the cruise, so finding one should be easy enough."

"Jeez, mind giving me a hint?"

If he had eyes, he would've done an eye roll motion at their response.
"Fine, fine, just for you. Check out the engine room."

Their eyes lit up at that, already mapping out a route in their head.

"Noted! You can go back to your duties as Captain, I'll go ahead and find a few threads."

"The more, the better. I'll be at the bridge if you need me."
He said, as he walked away, leaving them to their own devices.
Running around the cruise ship, they got side tracked from actually finding the threads of thought, and instead explored the ship.

Eventually though, they did find all threads of thought laid around the ship, with some loose threads alongside them.

It had been a while since he last saw the Tailor, so when he exited the bridge, he didn't expect to see the Tailor practically springing from area to area.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down there, Tailor! What's got you so jumpy?"
He gave them another warm smile, trying to see what they were so excited about.

"Sorry, 've just never been on a cruise ship before, never knew it was like this!"

They said excitedly, stretching their arms out and twirling around, feeling the wind flow past them.

Shallare shook his head, laughing at the display.
"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself, Tailor. But do you have those threads?"

They nodded, and he looked closer to see that the iridescent threads were wrapped around their arms, how clever.
And under the perpetual light of the sunset, they kept warping into magnificent colors, some he couldn't quite place a finger on.

"You're practically shimmering in this light.."
He said in amazement, admiring them for quite a while.
A cozy blanket of quiet surrounded them, time slowed as Shallare kept looking at them.

They were mesmerizing, he'll admit. Like a siren, but not one that was out to get him.
Slowly brought out from the trance, Shallare fake-coughed into his fist, grabbing the attention of the Tailor.

"You still need to get my symbol, you know."

They straightened up, nodding as they followed after him towards the front of the ship, keeping a languid pace.

He waited for them, gazing at Tailor fondly even though they were still quite unfamiliar with each other.

He was warm, welcoming, how could they not warm up to him?
Meanwhile, they brought a sense of familiarity to Shallare, even if he didn't know why exactly.

Once they finally arrived to the bow, he brought his hand forward and his symbol materialized on it.
"As promised, I will be giving you my symbol for gaining all threads."

They raised a brow to him, and he laughed at their suspicion.
"Alright, alright, fine. There is a catch."
A knowing look of satisfaction sprouted on their face.

"I'll need to see how you manage in a specially designed challenge course, to test your abilities one last time before you leave. Are you up for it?"

They hummed. "Will this be something I'll always go through after getting all the threads in the others' worlds?"

"Yep. They'll need to test you a little more before they fully trust you, just like me. To see if you're worth the title of the new Tailor."

"Sounds a bit harsh, is this gonna be difficult?"

"Not at all. Since you're starting out, my course is quite simple. As you move forward though, it'll get harder, so be sure to keep yourself in top condition."

They nodded.
"Okay, I'm ready."

He smiled, the symbol from his hand disappearing as he clasped his hands together.
"Wonderful, I'll take you there right away. Do well!"

A gust of hot air rushed by them and the atmosphere of the cruise drastically shifted. From a comfortable, dream-like feel to velvety, almost romantic area.
Not like it wasn't a welcome change, they appreciated the effort Shallare put into the challenge.

Observing the area around them more, they were at the very rear end of the ship, which led them to the assumption that they needed to reach the bow again.
Some areas are blocked with barriers in the form of his symbol, so they knew they needed to get creative on how to return to the front to gain his symbol.

Fortunately, arrows directed them throughout the course, and by diligently following them, they had reached the bow in no time.
All workers were lined up in two columns, separated by an orange carpet that they took their time to walk on as they saw the symbol waiting for them, with Shallare standing beside it.

"Fantastic work, you've completed my course without a hitch. My symbol is yours for the taking, noble Tailor."

They smiled at him and took hold of the symbol, feeling a searing sensation course through their body for a moment, before it disappeared.

"If you'd like, you can stay here a little longer before returning to the emporium?"

"I'd like that very much, thank you, Shallare."