TDM 003

[erkumods]

TDM 003: #BEACHBUMS

I. BEACH Welcome arrivals, new and old! The skies on Erku may be perpetually gray, but the weather has taken a sudden turn to summertime heat. Fortunately, soaring temperatures have chased away more of the strange fog that conceals so much of the island, unveiling a charming, sandy cove dotted here and there with rustic love shacks. These shabby little lean-tos are dusty and sparse, but they provide everything one (or two, wink wink) might need for a little relief from the sun. Just don’t wander too far... that fog has memory-loss properties. II. DRINKS The 'bots are very apologetic about the whole fog incident, and they are trying to get on the new arrivals' good sides by giving out fancy drinks. Of course, they still haven't mastered the art of making things properly, so each drink has a little something... extra. Geloso: Has a slightly bitter, yet refreshing herbal taste... and it will make you feel inexplicably envious of virtually anything, to a petty degree! Be it someone else’s shoes or their incredibly muscular physique, you’re jealous enough to tell them about it! Colpito: Fruity and sweet like candy. If you drink this, you will feel hopelessly infatuated with the very next person who catches your eye! Vivace: Delightfully tart, with a flavor somewhere between citrus and raspberry. This summery drink will fill you with bubbly energy. Whether you’re feeling flirty or just mischievous and playful, you’ve never felt more alive! Verace: Creamy, earthy, and a little nutty - the flavor is hard to describe, but delicious. After drinking this, you’ll feel strangely compelled to spill something you’ve been keeping a secret, no matter how incriminating or embarrassing. Conoscere: The robots are especially excited about this flavor! They’ve heard organic beings enjoy chocolate, and hope you like their first attempt (it’s a little bitter, but it is chocolatey). Those who drink this will feel incredibly confident and sensual. Better yet, if you share it with a partner - which the 'bots encourage you to do - you’ll find that every touch is enhanced, and every sensation is shared between the two of you. A lucky few may even be able to sense one another’s thoughts! III. SNACKS Lo! As you ask, the Augur shall provide. Thanks to the efforts of your organic predecessors in restoring the planet’s Eros energy, edible fishes and seaweeds have returned to the ponds and the shores of Erku. If you fancy yourself savvy to basic survival skills, why not fashion up a fishing rod and catch yourself dinner? Just be careful if you happen to hook one of the octopus creatures from the deeper waters - they can be quite forward with their tentacles! Or, if primitive angling isn’t in your repertoire, you can always trade some credits for a tasty catch from one of the food stalls along the coast. Most stalls are manned by 'bots, but there’s nothing stopping an enterprising arrival from setting up shop. No credits? No problem! The robots have also provided a bit of entertainment, and any volunteers to man the kissing booth, get dunked in the wet t-shirt dunk tank, or grill up some fish - among other opportunities - will find credits automatically loaded onto the payment app of their bracelet devices. The 'bots are recruiting especially hard for participants to work in the gloryhole tent! IV. SPARKLES As dusk descends, the white sands of the beach suddenly come alive with glittering lights. It’s as if the darkened waters have carried a thousand shining stars from the depths of the sea to the shores of the cove. In actuality, each little twinkle is a bioluminescent plankton or jellyfish! Feel free to wade among them and admire their shine; even the sting of the jellies won’t hurt you... though they do pack a different punch. The tentacles of the jellyfish elicit a powerful aphrodisiac response, which gets the heart racing and the blood pumping for an intimate touch. The effects come on within a matter of minutes, and last for a few hours. Only time will relieve the symptoms, but a partner will help to make it more bearable. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

[regalfluff]

[It was good to know that was a custom. He'd be certain to avoid it. Touching humans wasn't something Sesshoumaru intended to do. It was useful to get so much information from the man, however. And he'd had to work so little for it, why was that? Most humans found him intimidating, to say the least, and more than a little other. One cold look and most turned right around and left him be, but not Jeremiah Gottwald.

Why?

Sesshoumaru pulled in another breath, slowly, and considered the man's scent. Ah. Pheromones. He'd smelled similar often enough between his half brother and his pet, though why the man was interested in him was a wonder. Still, it was useful. He didn't care if the man desired him as long as something he needed came from it. Sesshoumaru attempted a slight smile, just to see the effect it had on the man.]


I see. I suppose you'd like to have my name then, Jeremiah Gottwald?

[canceller]

[He isn't left wondering for long. Jeremiah's smile warms further, the light ring of his iris betraying how his pupil widens, his breath catching a bit on the next greedy inhale. Coldness suits his features, yet the look he wears now draws that tightness all the sweeter around his heart.

He's losing his grip, fast.]

If I could be so lucky, yes.

[Whatever Sesshoumaru is making of all this, as otherwise impassive as his demeanor has mostly been, it's serving no deterrent for him. He'll take anything he's given, just for a few moments longer, even if all he receives are fleeting expressions and soft-spoken words.]

[regalfluff]

[It was almost . . . fun. Sesshoumaru wasn't very big on fun, since it wasn't generally a part of his life back home, but between Rin and the many many encounters he'd had because of his half brother and pet, he'd become used to seeing others indulge. But sitting there, watching the man slowly melt at even a faint smile was . . . fun. Also cruel. Sesshoumaru did realize it wasn't acceptable for him to actually engage with a human, but he wanted to see what happened. No one had ever been so adamantly interested in him before.]


Lord Sesshoumaru.


[As long as the man continued to fawn over him, Sesshoumaru would stay and keep feeding the need. He was learning about the world he was now in, and the man wasn't offensive. Jeremiah Gottwald was actually rather interesting, if unexpected. And he was getting used to the half-mask and the lack of ability to see the man's other eye. The one he could see was rather a pretty color. Unexpected in a human. The hair too. It was . . . interesting.]

[canceller]

[That quirks his brow. A lord? Now weren't those the good old days.

Familiarity grows over his face, even if the title as it applies to... whatever he is, wherever he's from, is surely alien to him. It gives context to the way he holds himself, lofty but purposeful, dignified. It sparks another tangent of interest, fighting its way for space in the forefront of his mind, the light in his eye. There's so much he wants to know about the man before him.]

Lord Sesshoumaru... [Jeremiah's testing it on his tongue, a little slow at first. He does sound out the phonemes with ease, but he's practiced by now with names of a similar-sounding etymology. He pauses after saying it, then smiles a little wider. How beautiful and strange, like the rest of him.]

It's a pleasure to meet you, my lord. [And he clearly means it. It's too easy to want to overuse the title both out of respect and novelty, but his home hasn't cared to use them much anymore. Might as well indulge when he can, again.] May I ask where you hail from?

[regalfluff]

[He looked thoughtful for a few beats, considering the man’s question. Would it make a difference to say where he came from? Sesshoumaru still wasn’t certain how he’d gotten to the human world, or well really, the modern age. He ought to be accurate in what he called places. It just seemed like he was in a world made up of the stinking humans. They were everywhere, and demons seemed nonexistent. He missed home.]


The feudal era. I believe you would call it Japan. I suppose it’s less a different world than a different time, but it feels very much as if I’ve been lead into a new place. One that is quite unfamiliar. You humans seem to completely dominate this place.


[It wasn’t a sneer exactly, but the tone wasn’t totally complimentary either. At the moment, Sesshoumaru didn’t mind Jeremiah himself, but that could certainly change easily enough.]

[canceller]

[It's not what he's expecting, not nearly as fantastical as his appearance may have suggested. Jeremiah's seen things today he would expect only to find in dreams, if anywhere, but like anything else, it simply is.

And to be fair, Sesshoumaru could say he was the moon incarnate, and right now he'd still accept the information gifted to him graciously, smiling.]

You would be correct about that. I would have thought the same of Japan at that period of history, but clearly I was wrong.

[His gaze finally begins to stray, down the column of his neck, over the curve of his shoulder, studying the cool undertones to hair where it falls down his back. Jeremiah wants to touch it, wondering if it feels any different.]

What would that make you, if not a human? [An angel, perhaps? He almost says it aloud, too.]

[regalfluff]

Dangerous.


[His smile might show just a hint of fang, not that he normally shows them, but for effect, Sesshoumaru could do a great many things. He shifted his mokomoko-sama just a little, the giant boa-like appendage that generally rode his shoulder and dragged the ground behind him, and preened just a bit. Being admired was, after all, simply his due. He was from some of the bluest blood the demons contained, and it usually showed to great advantage.

Besides, he could see the gleam in the man's eye, and smell the slow progression of the hormones and pheromones as Jeremiah continued to be more and more interested, and it intrigued him. What did the man intend to do anyway? How far would he go?]


I am an Inu Daiyokai, the great Lord Sesshoumaru. In human words, a very powerful dog demon, though it hasn't the proper ring using that description. In my proper time, there are many demons, greater and lesser, but not many in the present day, as I understand it. My world is harsh and cutthroat, but the present seems very soft, and those in it just ripe for the plucking. What about you, Jeremiah Gottwald? Just what are you? You're not fully human, but I've never smelled a man who carried such an innate whiff of that human invention machine.


[Sesshoumaru's eyes all but glowed, and his one hand did glow, just a little. The nails had lengthened into claws and there was a faint haze of poisonous green, though his hand still sat harmlessly on the table. Three more markings scored his wrist beneath the kimono sleeve, but the demon made no violent moves. In fact, he made no other moves at all, cat-slit eyes glued to Jeremiah as he waited for an answer. For all that he was a dog, Sesshoumaru was as patient as any cat and enjoyed the little games with any potential prey.]

[canceller]

[Every word and detail gets his eye growing a little wider, taking it all in rapt as anything. The glow of his hand draws his gaze most of all, maybe understandably so. He almost opens the shutter on his mask to try and analyze it further, but stops.

Right. Whatever it is they broke or is malfunctioning has rendered his left eye useless for anything other than, well, sight. On that note, he looks up, an awe still on his face.]

I am very much human, I was born human as any other is. I was a soldier who suffered great casualty in battle, but was spared death by means of human technology. Scientists both healed my body and replaced what I lost with machinery. It wasn't just to save my life, it was to rebuild me into something stronger.

[And now, it all feels off. He's weak here. Sesshoumaru does, potentially, serve a larger threat for it, but even his full strength would be untested against whatever a being like this could do.]

A demon, then... how perfectly sensible. [Jeremiah looks to his hand again, nails no doubt sharp. His own have stayed still for the moment, but he's suddenly got an itch. Shifting, one white glove alights on the table, just next to the base of his glass. Within reaching distance, but staying where he is, looking up again once more.]

Not the answer I'd expect, but one befitting such beauty.

[regalfluff]

Stronger? I see . . .


[Not really, and honestly, Sesshoumaru completely disapproved of such things. It was like the weak demons who’d gone after the Shikon no tama. If you wanted to be better, you had to work for it. Then again, it sounded as though Jeremiah hadn’t been asked about the tinkering. That was a betrayal he wouldn’t have stood for. Humans were so puzzling.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes when the man shifted and that hand over closer.]


Do not touch my hand Jeremiah. The poison would likely kill you. I can smell your interest, but I don’t understand it. You prefer men to women?


[There was no judgment, merely curiosity. The demon had never felt romantically about anyone, or desire really. That was more a human thing in his opinion. That didn’t mean he couldn’t entertain the idea of doing something with Jeremiah. The man wasn’t a typical human after all, and it could be incredibly valuable to have a walking, talking guide at his beck and call.

Of course, that meant making compromises with himself.

As he’d been thinking, Sesshoumaru had allowed the poison haze and his claws to vanish, leaving him a great deal less immediately lethal. To add to the silent invitation, he turned his hand over palm-up. He touched Rin often didn’t he? Well, sometimes. It wouldn’t hurt to allow the man access to his hand, not when the scent hanging around him only grew stronger.]

[canceller]

[Jeremiah doesn't understand fully, either. He's bewitching, it seems that's all there is to it. Every bit of it culminates into a magnetic force, and though he's already been warned that a touch could end his life, he stares at his offered hand, and yearns. He wants to cross that line, whether it's safe.

His words are cold, factual, sometimes cruel. The world, ripe for the plucking? It doesn't bode well for his intentions. Demons are known as demons for a reason, whether he believed in them before, he should know better.]

I wouldn't say so. [If anything, the leaning is the other way around, but not by an amount worth mentioning.] It doesn't matter much to me, beauty is beauty.

[Eye contact may have been a mistake. He's lost looking at his face again, mapping every feature. Sesshoumaru's method of dress, his unfamiliar appearance, it's all captivating, but his face... his face is perfect.

His hand slides but a fraction before he realizes and stops. He hadn't even committed to the action before now, but the wordless offering sunk him where he stood. Jeremiah can't pass up the chance.]

... May I touch you now?

[regalfluff]

[Well. Interesting. Sesshoumaru could understand a sentiment like that. Beauty was beauty. It didn't really explain Jeremiah's interest in him specifically, but it was a good sentiment.

Sesshoumaru's eyes flicked to the man's hand when it inched closer, then back to Jeremiah's face. Allowing contact was expected in humans, and it wasn't completely abhorrent. It was just . . . awkward. He inclined his head slightly, giving permission.]


If it would please you. I'm no longer instantly lethal, though that can change.

[canceller]

[It shouldn't prompt a cock of his head and a twinkle in his eye. That kind of talk should at least be taken with some caution. It's barely even registering in his mind now as, you know, a bad thing.]

I don't doubt that.

[Jeremiah just calmly, none too quickly, closes the distance and lays his hand atop Sesshoumaru's offered one, fingers curling into a light hold. Nothing overbearing, not for a human anyway. He tips his wrist just slightly, examining his pale skin next to the stark white of his glove, the taper of his fingers where Jeremiah holds them. He's eager to absorb as much as he can, the warmth or coldness in his touch, the weight of his hand, whether or not it draws a reaction.]

Many creatures utilize a striking appearance to convey deadliness, to serve as a warning to predators and foes. I must wonder, is the same true for demons? Are the most stunning among you also the most powerful?

[regalfluff]

[It almost made him smile, the pleasure the man took in his lethality. Jeremiah gave him every respect and Sesshoumaru appreciated that. It pleased him and he relaxed a bit more, watching with deceptively slumberous eyes as the man's hand moved to cover his.

He didn't grip the man's hand back, but there was no tension in his digits either to indicate he disliked the contact. Sesshoumaru didn't like or dislike it, he simply allowed it to happen, as he occasionally did with Rin. It certainly seemed to please Jeremiah, however. That also pleased him, to see such obvious joy in the simple contact. It wasn't exactly every day that he allowed complete strangers to fawn over him.]


Mm. The most stunning of us are generally the most powerful. The good breeding shows. But you should see me when I get angry. I'm utterly magnificent.


[Sesshoumaru did smile then, a dangerous, vicious smile. His other form was magnificent. It was also humongous and not a form he took often. He didn't have as much control in that form and a loss of control was never something he enjoyed.]

[canceller]

[It's a different smile, not reflected from the sharp look on Sesshoumaru's face but spawned from inside, bubbling up out of him. Warm and radiant, beholding him when struck with such deep and immense fondness.

As if he couldn't be any more ideal.]

Some look their absolute best when incensed.

[Of course he thinks it in the purely emotional sense, unwitting to the rest, but he'd like to imagine that of the man in front of him. It's a kind of passion that burns brighter, the drive that hate can provide pushing further. It makes a terrible fascination of his, but for those who lead dangerous, violent lives, it might seem less strange.

Jeremiah gently squeezes his hand, just a moment, before relaxing his hold again. Just the littlest sign of affection, testing it. He can tell this isn't usual for him.]

I'd say I'd like to see it, but that's a rather cruel sentiment. I'll just have to imagine it, for now.

[regalfluff]

[The longer he sat with the man, the more he enjoyed the attention, which made Sesshoumaru both confused and uncomfortable. But also curious. The way Jeremiah spoke to him, looked at him, wasn't really any different than the way most female demons had, but it wasn't nearly as irritating coming from Jeremiah. That didn't mean he had any intentions of letting things go too far. The hand squeeze wasn't a kiss, but Sesshoumaru could tell that wasn't far behind.

Still, let the man enjoy himself a bit longer. He was useful.]


Perhaps if you ask nicely I could shift, but not indoors. I'm much too large for that. It would destroy this business completely. Or you could follow me. All these humans are bound to anger me sufficiently sooner or later. But you'd have to run away as well. You'd be at risk otherwise. Promise me, Jeremiah. If I ever get angry, you'll run.


[It was the same sort of thing he'd have said to Rin, or even Jaken if the imp hadn't already known his other form. Someone useful was worth preserving, and Jeremiah was certainly that. Reasoning in his other form was . . . a little hit or miss. He might not recognize an ally in the middle of a fight.]