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

[smoakshow]

( crazy how ‘haven’t you heard of ancient sentient beings deadset on destroying the multiverse’ doesn’t roll off the tongue. mia opens and closes her mouth—he’s got her there. right, maybe let’s not spill the beans on day one? she musters up her best hot take on exasperation ( it’s not challenging ) and shrugs. )

I don’t know. Haven’t you been to a grocery store on a Sunday? ( the things ( people? ) she’s seen. passably funny and totally accurate. mia’s fond of her own jokes. her mouth puckers at his comment forced to taste her own medicine. there’s a gradual shift to a small smile, amused that he can roll with the punches and dish it back. ) Maybe I was hasty in calling you useless.

( maybe. also, not what she said. )

I’m obviously lost. I’m used to having tech for navigation. I doubt satellite imaging is getting through this if it’s available on this island at all. I could fire an arrow that’ll burst like a flare but it won’t do us much good if the person that barges in to rescue us doesn’t have a way out of the labyrinth. Do you have any innovative ideas?

[frackin]

[ he probably has, but he doesn't see what being at a grocery story on a sunday has anything to do with anything. then again, his grocery store experiences aren't exactly in line with everyone else. most of the time, he usually has to fight his way though.

but she seems to be opening up on not having to deal with this mutual predicament situation as enemies, as he sees a subtle shift of her expression, one that prompts a minor one of his own.

and when she gives her usual strategy, he's actually impressed with how much of a plan she could conjure based on her situation. ] Right. Since everyone that stumbles in here seems to be getting lost, no matter how good they might be at finding their way around, no point in bringing in anyone else.

[ which means there isn't going to be a rescue at all. not that he was expecting one. ]

We just have to work our way out of here ourselves. Now, the fog can muffle out noise, but it does make some other stuff easier. [ he smacks his lips before running his tongue across them, nose scrunching like he's testing something. ] See? The air's more moist than normal because it's carrying water. Which wouldn't mean much normally, but taste it — it's salty. Which means wherever we are, we're near the ocean. That's our target — we follow our taste and smell, and eventually we can at least get to the shoreline.

[smoakshow]

( prehistoric population on a sunday aside, mia’s fine with driving her point home. as long as he’s done asking questions and dismissing her, she doesn’t care. they can move on to strategizing, something she hopes ten thousand is more proficient at than she is. her game plan tends to involve the most straightforward path from point a to b and hitting things. she crosses one arm across her body as he works through his reasoning out loud, curling her fingers against her bicep while she cocks her head to the side.

she tracks the brush of his tongue across his lips, drawn in by the noise and observation he’s making. it’s not like he’s asking her to cut off a limb. with a soft inhale, not a sigh, she does wet her lips with some attempt at subtlety. interesting. )

Where did you pick up the survival skills? ( she steps forward and lets her arm swing back down, casually picking a direction beyond him. he’s free to reroute them, for now. ) Unless you’re winging it, and desperately hoping it’s not sweat?

( she keeps her digs free of malice. they're playful but she won't fault him for missing it, she's a dry person. )

[frackin]

[ considering she'd been pointing an arrow at him not too long ago, it's almost kind of surprising to see how much she's willing to listen now. he does notice that there's no obvious physical or vocal admittance that it's a decent idea, but when she casually begins to move forward anyway, he gives a small smirk to himself like he might have actually gotten a point of approval somehow.

keeping his gun held at his hip, he makes sure to remain ready in case someone (or something) else decides to show up that isn't as agreeable to play team-up, but he does lose a little bit of the tension in his muscle. they may not be out just yet, but it always feels good to at least have a plan of where to go. ]

No, sweat's a lot nastier. Trust me. [ he can play too, something almost kind of familiar about it, as an amused smile lingers on his lips. tough girl with a dry sense of humor? it feels more common than he can place his finger on right now.

shaking his head, his shoulders sink a little, eyes steering forward as he walks. ] It was my dad. [ a lot of things are lost in his mind right now, like where he is, or what he'd even been doing for a time before he'd arrived, but that's one thing that he wouldn't be able to forget. ] Raised me in a cabin in the woods. Said the world would all go to hell one day, so I should know how to fight and take care of myself.

[smoakshow]

( she’s condemned to the potential of teaming up. mia’s not unreasonable one-hundred percent of the time. her hard sprint into self-reliance has shown her that she doesn’t need anyone else; she can be her own person, she can build something from nothing. lately, she’s had to revise that mindset. mutual destruction ( i.e. starving to death, miles out ) is a decent foundation of a temporary alliance, however shaky. and he didn’t shoot her in the thigh, so she appreciates that much. )

Especially when it gets in your eyes. ( she commiserates, knowing all too well the pitfalls of strenuous exercise. her nose doesn’t wrinkle at the thought, she’s hardly squeamish.

the unexpected shift in conversation makes her stomach tighten. stop it, she chides herself and raises her chin. she can hear the freaking word dad. she focuses on her breathing and the earth under her boots, listening but eager to cut in. his story resonates with her, familiar and awful, and she turns her head to watch his face even if he chooses to look everywhere but at her directly. )

I grew up in a cabin, too. ( cabin is a reach. ) It was a safehouse. My mom made sure I would be ready for anything. ( she doesn’t shrug to get away from the burden of it. part of her can’t believe she’s divulging that considering they gave each other aliases, but his words feel true. ) Was he right about the world?

I don't think anyone could have predicted this. ( she's not convinced this isn't a dream. )

[frackin]

[ talking sweat probably isn't the most appealing topic of discussion in most conversations, but it doesn't bother 10k and it makes for decent side talk as he balances focusing on the taste of his lips and the whiff of salt against his nose. there's no way to tell if they're getting closer to where they want to be just yet, but at least they're moving somewhere.

his memory feels shaky right now, but growing up in those secluded woods, reloading a rifle, setting up bait on a hook, crouching down to study track patterns — all of that still feels clear in his mind, like it's become so innate, it's impossible to separate himself from it now. ]

Yeah, he was. [ the world did eventually fall apart, even if he can't ... recall of it, right now. he knows things aren't as simple as they used to be. ] I guess our parents had good instincts. [ considering her mom prepped her early too. based on the way she carries that bow and her reluctance to trust, seems like they're not so different with how they were raised. ]

Still don't really know what this is, though. Maybe it is the end of the world.