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

[diplomat]

[ another angry noodle

look what the proverbial cat dragged in—though to her credit, despite the recent events surrounding her prior to being brought on this island, euphy is still both surprised and delighted to see lelouch again. perhaps even more so now that he's no longer wearing zero's mask, standing in front of her just as her brother.

or, well. her pale-looking brother, having seemingly seen a ghost. not unexpected, given what suzaku's told her some time ago, but she doesn't let this weigh on her mind or actions. she's glad to see him, she really is. ]

Lelouch!

[ and yes, that is a very delighted expression on her face as she goes over to him, the sea soaking into the hem of her skirt. a mistake on her part, her foot catching onto the fabric and pitching her forward into his arms.

please don't avoid her, or else she'll faceplant in the sand. ]

[ludicrous]

[ Of course he'd respond when Euphemia's the one to call to him. Lelouch visibly flinches; there's a wrongness to it now, his name in her mouth, revelatory and painful at once. Like sawing into his nerves, tenderness a soft stab into his heart.

Then she's tumbling over her dress— he'd always advised her to watch her steps as children, or the hem would catch at the roses that populated the Aries Villa— but he doesn't watch his own, sprinting to catch her. Lelouch is unheedful of the water, and the scintillant waves lapping about his shins, of anything but her. Euphemia tumbles into his arms, her dress somewhat sodden, and he sways but encircles her at once, so she won't collapse. This close, her heartbeat's so soft to behold and Lelouch struggles not to tighten his embrace into something punishing. That pulse alone is confirmation that she's alive, that the bullet he'd shot at point-blank range hadn't torn its way through her with her clothes so pristine and bloodless. ]

Must you be so reckless? Honestly... what if you'd fallen?

[ From the beginning, Euphemia's always, always stood in his way, destroying even his ambition and desire to retaliate against the world that spurned him. There's danger in standing even in the shallows, when everything in this world is fraught with so much risk. Prickling with distress, his hands won't stop trembling. ]

Are you alright?

[diplomat]

[ they're not at all different, are they? siblings in every right, even in the unmindful way they reach out for each other. very little has changed despite the years that separated them, despite the paths that they've started walking on. despite her death looming over the both of them an overcast.

euphy leans against lelouch as she tries to find her footing again on the soft sand. it's only when she's managed to tug at her skirts heavy with water that she looks up at him with a smile. ]

Yes, I'm fine. I had a feeling you'd catch me in the end.

[ does that rather innocent smile make you feel even more guilty? there's no hint of resentment, of hostility in that curve, even despite knowing her fate in his hands. if there's any resentment she feels, it's towards herself for not being able to save lelouch from his own choices. ]

How are you, Lelouch?

[ perhaps something he's never expected from his dead sister, asking the most innocuous yet hard-hitting question there is? who knows. ]

[ludicrous]

[ I had a feeling you'd catch me in the end.

One look should've proven her wrong. He's unfit for such a task; he couldn't even protect Nunnally, much less save Euphemia. Moreover, it hurts just to hold her, the afternoon spilling out around them. Too much sun, bouncing off the bright waves and her shining hair, intricately made and cascading about her shoulders.

Lelouch seizes her hand with his. If she remembers, there should be some kind of resistance; a shudder, or recoil, a sign that all has gone awry.

With her carefully gathered up in his arms, she won't be privy to the desolation in his face. The waves continue lapping around her dress, rippling outward.

He should let go, in part because it's entirely plausible he's hurting her, in part because his fingers are wracked with hot shivers. ]

Better. [ His voice resurfaces at last, though his breath has yet to follow. Lelouch struggles not to squeeze too frustratedly, tempering his voice so it doesn't split all the way down the middle and reveal his acute distress. ] When did you arrive? No, rather... how are you?

[diplomat]

[ the tremble in his hand doesn't escape her notice, but euphemia says nothing about it. instead, she shifts her hand in his, letting their fingers link and intertwine together, giving his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. as if to tell him that she's here, she's real and she's not a ghost, not there to haunt him for whatever sins he perceives himself carrying.

she continues to gaze past his shoulder, a small smile tugging at her lips as she allows lelouch to have the luxury of pain and self-deprecation for now. ]

I'm fine, I just arrived today. [ along with a slew of other newcomers, their expressions reflecting the same confusion and uncertainty over this island. she slightly lifts her head, her attention flickering over a small crowd in the distance. ] I saw Suzaku earlier, and he told me you were around too.

[ stuck on this unfortunate island, but she's at the very glad that he wasn't alone. lelouch, she thinks, shouldn't be left alone at all costs. ] I wanted to look for you earlier, but I didn't know where to start.

[ludicrous]

I couldn't fault you for that. I've made myself scarce as of late.

[ Spoken matter-of-factly, since he's been cooped up in the church ever since that argument with Suzaku, waiting for the fog to disperse. Not much time has been devoted to go sight-seeing since, whether with the locals as opposed to contemplating the circumstances that've brought him to this point. Whatever the situation demands, he'll give. Her fingers cinch tightly and he steadies himself by it, as if she's invoked within him the confidence to remain standing upright, rather than collapse to his knees. ]

What else did he tell you?

[ His mouth's stung so deeply by regret as he turns to lead her out of the ocean, carefully wading through water. He doesn't break the handhold. ]

We may as well start there first.