ercookies | TDM 003

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TDM 003

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.

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N A V I G A T I O N

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( of all the responses she could have expected, none of them were that. literally dive bombing back to the beach to skeptically eye the waves only to wonder cautiously about the potential interest in marine life.

Carmilla huffs an astonished laugh; quite literally despite herself. she much prefers to pretend to be detached and mean and unresponsive. she is the bitter night, loneliness in the dark. the dark does not laugh at dumb boys. )

This place is kinky, but probably not that kinky.

( no, she meant other residents of the city, not the creatures floating in the ocean. )

They want us to generate sex energy, so practically everything around here has a chance of making you horny.

[ her laugh gets his attention since he hadn't exactly intended to make a joke, actually momentarily concerned before she corrects him on exactly what they might be urged to be interested in. that's a different kind of problem too, but at least he wouldn't be doing anything weird with a fish. ]

Oh, right. Yeah, I ... heard about something like that.

[ he did get the full explanation when he'd gotten here, but — well, it'd been a little hard to wrap his head around. probably just as much as his acceptance that this place is really existing while being completely zombie-free.

either way, from the sounds of it, the water isn't a good idea one way or another, boots shuffling back a bit more in the sand. ]

So you can't even take a swim without it making you want to ... get all frisky, huh? Is all the water like, or do we avoid taking baths around here too?

( no, he was dead and genuine serious in his concern that an errant bit of algae might make him eye jellyfish the wrong way. which is still adorable and hilarious in equal measure. he's very respectful of those jellyfish, which she's sure the jellyfish appreciate.

since he's not already used to aphros in every possible situation, she has to figure he must be new. there's another new crowd of trapped souls every month, it seems. )

There hasn't been plumbing until recently, so it hasn't been a problem. ( so far her shower hasn't wronged her, thankfully ... but at the same time, if it did it wouldn't even surprise her. ) I'm not saying you can't. Just that you should be aware of what might happen. You pointed out yourself there's not much moving on this beach, you could set yourself up for a really hard time.

( that was definitely a dick joke, though her wry delivery almost makes it hard to tell. she tilts her head, attention past him again. ) It's up to you whether it's worth the risk. ( the bioluminescent algae is incredibly beautiful, glowing an ethereal blue along the coastline. if he wants to try it, she won't stop him. hell, she's curious enough she might try it herself, if he can successfully go in without instantly getting randy.

as always she would rather someone else take the risk, and afterwards she'll benefit from their sacrifice. sorry, 10k, she's basically the worst. )

Wait, there's actual working plumbing here? [ he's asking the important questions here. hasn't been until recently means that it's functioning as of right now, which is something he hasn't seen in a very long time. ]

It's been like forever since I showered. [ ah — swiftly, he shakes his head. ] I mean, like — I just usually bathe in lakes and stuff. I don't stink or anything like that. I do ... clean myself.

[ this is why he usually just ... doesn't talk to women. or talk, period. it's just smarter that he doesn't.

but, wait, more importantly, is she actually encouraging him to go into the water that could actually raise the risk of him getting a fish turn-on? he squints, eyeing her with a stare and a pensive thought. ] Aside from the fact that I'm not actually, you know, desperate enough to jump in the weird glowing porn ocean for that — aren't you a moving thing on this beach?

Apparently somebody fucked some plumbing back into existence, yeah. ( the way he put that sure implies that he hasn't used working plumbing recently. sad that he came from some kind of existence without it, but also, maybe he should risk the ocean after all. if he's been without a shower for awhile, he might need it.

it seems he's guessed exactly what catty thing she'd assume about him, and makes great strides to impress on her that he's maintained his cleanliness. Carmilla doesn't look impressed, or convinced. ) Sure. ( truthfully, she can't tell if he needs bathing or not, it's just that implying he might is another means to an end. the end in question, of course, is him being the sorry sucker that needs to get off, just in case the blue algae is trouble.

though when he notes that she is moving and not a jellyfish, her perfectly arched brows lift toward her hairline. ) And because I'm sitting here, I have some obligation to help you out? That's not how it works, cutie, I don't do anything without getting something out of it.

Oh — right.[ he's heard that conditions actually improve based on people apparently hooking up, but it had sounded a bit too absurd to believe. harder to believe that than even the horny jellyfish theory. but if that's really the case, he might have a tougher time making things happen. he's never exactly been the type to make panties drop.

that point is made when he scrambles his speech about stinking and then apparently indirectly hints to some strange girl about more than he'd intended. ]

No, that's not — I wasn't asking to do anything. I'm just saying, you said that there was nothing moving on the beach and you're — [ you know what. never mind.

shaking his head, he rubs at his heads before his arms drop, shoulder slouching. ] Did you just come to the beach to pick on people or am I one-of-a-kind?

( does she haunt places just to find boys to torment? technically, no. it's just a bonus when they show up, ready for the tormenting. she rolls her eyes and stands up, dusting sand from her skin and tempting toward the vibrant glow of the ocean. she's barefoot already, because she's not an insane person. how he managed this long on the beach in boots is beyond her. )

I'm moving. You got me, ( she agrees dryly. she's not sure what point he was trying to make, if not that she's in boning distance, but she'll let the boy off with a warning this time. does he have to be like eight feet tall? )

I was just looking at the water. You're the one that talked to me, remember? ( she's not hassling, she's helping! he could be knee-deep and half-hard by now if it weren't for her. it doesn't seem horrifically horrible, as the water bats at her toes. )

[ if she really thinks he might have had a point in mind when he began talking, then she already thinks of him way more highly than she should. because as soon as his mouth opens, it's more just a blurt of words that come to mind as he tries too hard in his mind to not do that. words and girls were never something he was good at. put them together, the result is a lot worse.

he's not exactly geared for the beach either, boots just one part of the ensemble with the rest being cargo pants and a bomber jacket. it'd be a lot of removal to actually even begin enjoy the water. ]

I was talking more to — the air, I guess. [ he's usually more aware of his surroundings, but the sparkly waves won over with distraction. he watches her stand up, which shows a little more of their difference in height.

for her abrasive replies, she's pretty small, isn't she? ]

Sorry if I, I don't know, interrupt your quiet time or something. I literally just got here. Just trying to figure whatever this all is. I've never been on an island before and I'm more used to having places to go.

( yes, she's a tiny terror. without whatever lift she gets from her boots (which isn't much to begin with) she looks all of her five feet, three inches. the backdrop of an ocean doesn't help at all in making her look imposing. it's almost like beyond the cattiness and cruelty, she's not half as big or imposing as she makes herself out to be.

almost. because truth be told, she's still a problem, even if she's short.

the water licks over her toes, and there's something magical about the bright blue glow, even if she knows the risk of the approach. she's truthfully considering wading deeper, despite the warnings she'd thrown him. she's always been a little too easily enchanted by beauty, it's a weakness of hers. she tries to distract herself from a bad decision with her company, dark eyes skating over his form as she considers him.

he's surprised to hear about plumbing, he's never seen an island, he's not used to running into people at random. says a lot about what his existence must have been like before he arrived here. ) There's not much to figure out. The robots want us to get it on, and as frequently as possible. If you play along, you'll be rewarded, despite how degrading it happens to be.

( it's possible she finds it more degrading than most. she's all too used to second parties trying to take control of her body, and she's more than over it. even in sex city, Carmilla is determined to do what she wants on her own terms, despite the fact it rewards her less. )

You got a name, newbie?

[ he really doesn't place much judgement on her height, considering he's known plenty of girls her size, between cassandra and sarge, who could very easily kick his ass. for all that he knows how to handle a gun, a small girl with a few determined punches and kicks can absolutely get the best of him without much of a struggle. he's not necessarily weak in strength, by any means, he's just — awfully intimidated.

strangely enough, she's the one who seems to be lingering close to the water's edge now, despite her warnings, prompting a raise of his eyebrow that soon squints as he watches the water trickle in close against her feet. ] Yeah, I got that part. I just figured there might be more to the island than just that. Things to explore, you know? — hey, you sure that's a good idea?

[ he nods to gesture at the water, though he's probably more bothered by the fact that he'd wanted to do it and she'd coaxed him out of it with warnings. A bit unfair.

still, even with pouted lips, he shrugs his shoulder at her question. ] Ten Thousand. People just call me 10K, though. You?

( at his totally valid point that she shouldn't be wandering in the water after her warnings, she mildly kicks at a wave, risking a little more in the blue afterglow. so far, she feels fine, maybe she was wrong? it happens (rarely). ) I like to live dangerously.

( she's always been too allured by beauty and new experiences. she's approaching four centuries of living, there's not that much she hasn't seen or tried. presented with something new, she can't help her curiosity. and luckily, she's already dead, so that old saying about cats and curiosity doesn't track.

still, since it seems like she can push on his concern to test the waters (literally), she suggests, ) If you're so worried about me, then be a gentleman and see what happens if you walk in. Maybe it's nothing, we won't know if we don't try.

( as for his name, she lifts her eyebrows. ) That sounds more like a nickname, cutie. But fair enough. ( since she hasn't gone by Mircalla for centuries, she probably can't pick on him too much. well, she can, and probably will. but it'd for sure be hypocritical. ) Carmilla.

Yeah, you're really wild. I can tell. [ he's teasing her, because hey, he can do it, too. but in fairness, he's not against a little danger himself; the only difference is that he usually jumps headfirst into the danger on his own before he gets a warning. if someone tells him, "don't jump, idiot", he might think about it a bit more. sometimes.

he's staring at the water, staring at her feet, and seeing that she doesn't seem to be acting all too weird. as much as he can tell with a girl he doesn't know. so maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

huffing a defeated breath, he balances on a boot to bring the other up, tugging at the laces. ] It's my name. Made it up myself. [ because in the apocalypse, there's no rule that says you can't. ] Yours sounds like candy.

[ which is a compliment, really. he likes candy.

boots and socks off, he tugs up on the bottom of his pants, a cargo looseness that makes it easier to drag up the fabric to his knees as he steps in closer, gradually bringing his feet into the water. ] If we start humping jellyfish, it's your fault.

Something you made up for yourself sounds like a nickname to me.

( this is a super kettle-black situation because Ms. Carmilla over here is one of many pseudonyms she's gone by, another in a long line of anagrams based off her actual, family given name. she tells everyone her name is Carmilla — is it less of one because she gave it to herself?

maybe. maybe not. she's been Carmilla longer than she was ever Mircalla. so no matter the source, it's become an identity all the same. which is why she'd call him 10,000 if she ever used someone's name to begin with, which she doesn't. tough luck, cutie. )

It's wild that there's the obvious option to jack yourself off and you're still thinking about jellyfish. ( she sounds more amused by this idea than anything else. )

If people don't know what my real name is, then it's the only name I got. [ which is his logic on the matter, though it's not as if nobody knows his real name, just that he's been very selective on who he tells — which usually ends up being girls he really likes.

but tommy was what his dad called him, and once he'd taken on his self-assigned mission of killing ten thousand zombies, it didn't feel right to be called that anymore. not when it reminded him a lot of a different kind of life.

taking off his boots was a good choice, considering how nice the sand feels between his toes; it's even better when the tickle of the moist grains are taken over by the wading water brushing over his feet, warm enough to feel the right level of satisfying.

standing by her, he pouts at her comment. ] You said you like to live dangerously. Jellyfish's probably a lot more dangerous than touching yourself.

Okay, I'll bite. Why Ten Thousand?

( it's probably because he's done something ten thousand times, or close enough that he's willing to pad out his numbers. if it's points in a video game, that's kind of sad. if it's some running tally of how much he gets laid, then it's really unbelievable for starters. he seems way too awkward to get that much tail.

there's probably no right answer to this question, but she's curious enough to ask and that's an accomplishment in and of itself. there's a saying about cats and curiosity but after three hundred years and change, there's not that much that actually gets her attention these days.

almost despite herself, she laughs at his petulant pouting. because... yeah? probably?? ? ? it's so ridiculous she can't not be amused by it. ) I guess you got me, sugar. I'm not inclined to live that dangerously. Are you? Because I'm starting to worry about these jellyfish.

See? I told you.

[ it's all a ridiculous joke, but the jellyfish terrors are enough to make him laugh now that she's amused enough by the thought of it. the water actually relaxes him too, limbs a little more eased as the tension eases away from him some. turns out water can be soothing when you've been running around on a hot island in boots and too many layers of clothing. who knew?

he draws back on her question then, though, foot swaying a bit more beneath the water to feel it, fear of the jellyfish not actually being such a problem now that he's preoccupied talking to this girl. ]

It's how many zombies I'm gonna kill. [ never the answer anyone expects. even those who live in the apocalypse always end up baffled by that answer. ]

( he's right. that's not the answer she was expecting. her brows drop, contemplating that answer. look, she's a vampire, and her mother is the head of an undead cabal based out of a university full of supernatural faculty. she's been around the block, seen all sorts of things. from sirens to yeti to faeries. zombies... well, she's heard of them. never actively seen one. still, overall? it's not that unbelievable to her. )

Real ones, or the kind you find in Call of Duty? ( she's actually leaning toward the former, believe it or not. hell, being from some zombie apocalypse would sure explain the surprise over running water, and maybe the fact he's gotten away with trying to convince everyone to call him Ten Thousand. )

What number are you at now? ( a jellyfish is swanning closer to her ankles, though he's not the only one a bit distracted by conversation. perhaps he's earned some sort of respect, or sympathy, or an ugly combination of both. or even worse, commiseration — an understanding, of having to fight to survive. )

Well, I don't know what Call of Duty is, so — [ definitely not that one. he shrugs because it certainly wouldn't be the first time some kind of reference went completely over his head. most of his traveling time had been spent learning about things that should have probably been more familiar to him growing up.

but no matter how much addy would chat on about every cat video she's seen or doc tries to line out the plot of every rocky movie that's come out, 10k can't ever really visualize it as anything more than made up. ]

Real ones. [ in his life, there's nothing more real than zombies, nothing more consistent. ] I'm at 8,203. [ which might seem like a lot, but — ] Been building that up for about ... eight years now, I guess.

( as far as she's concerned, that's for the best. the mistress of the dark doesn't play video games, but despite her disdain for them she's more than aware of what they are. it only reinforces the idea he must be from some existence that doesn't have that sort of luxury.

that's a higher number than she'd have expected for someone his age. he must have started as a teenager, or close to it, if she had to guess. )

Don't you worry that killing that much changes a person? ( she's gone from wry and joking (mostly at his expense) to a bit more moody and philosophical. she doesn't seem to openly refute the zombie claim, though. apparently that's not particularly hard for her to accept. )

[ considering all the snark she's been throwing at him since he ended up on this beach, it's not the kind of question he expects to hear from her, nor is it really something he has an answer prepared for.

his eyes peer down at the water, quiet for a few beats almost as if he hadn't heard it, before he finally speaks up, ] They don't have souls anymore.

[ that's what he'd been worried about the first time he had to do it, when his father had been bitten and they both knew it was the end for him. he couldn't kill his dad, not as a person. ]

You're not killing a person anymore. There's nothing left in there. Some people can die and still keep a part of themselves alive, but with zombies — it's just a body.

( she's a two-sided coin, 10K, she can be snarky and philosophical all at once! besides, she's been a philosophy major for a good eighty years now, it's bound to come up a time or two. )

How do you know they don't have a soul? They've changed, they're not what they were anymore, but that doesn't mean they're soulless.

( is she projecting on that situation? ah, well. maybe a little. she kicks mildly at a wave, any sense of sass seemingly dissipated. with her mood thoroughly dampened, the allure of wandering the surf has mostly faded. )

I hope you're sure about that. ( 10 thousand is a lot of lives to take... even if they were half lives. she turns and picks her way back towards the beach. ) I'll see you around, Ten Thousand. ( and with that she'll head off to collect her jacket and swan off into the darkness. )

[ he doesn't have an answer for her, not an immediate one anyway. because it's hard to suddenly describe all his experiences to her, the things he's seen after watching people he's loved turn. or even what he'd felt when he'd gotten the bite.

he may not have become a zombie, but when he saw how lifeless the blends had become, how they'd simply stopped feeling, he knew there hadn't been much of a difference. and he knows it because he'd become one too — choosing not to be afraid anymore by becoming nothing at all. ]

I'm sure. [ it isn't said to her, more of a mumble in his voice, quiet in his breath by the time she's already walking away. when she turns, his head tilts up and watches her for a moment, wondering what someone on the outside would really think of him.

eight thousand, two hundred and three, he thinks again, as he turns his eyes back to the water, vibrant life swimming around his toes. ]

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TDM 003

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wraps dis.. so we can do a new thing!!

!!! hell yeah