![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
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.
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 |
no subject
that first step in is hesitant, though. this place certainly hasn't made Cloud any friendlier (as if Leslie is one to talk), yet the greeting he gets isn't the kind of warning he expects. Leslie doesn't read too far into it. yes, he'd been hoping to hide and wait out the day, but he supposes familiar company is the next best thing. ]
Because I keep running into you somehow?
[ it's a bit of light ribbing, even though Leslie still slinks into the space more like a cat than a person, hugging the wall by the door in order to keep an eye on it and Cloud alike. they aren't friends, but Leslie would like to believe some sort of camaraderie was forged that night in the sewers, something that would carry across whatever plane they'd crossed to both end up here. he knows more than most, so Leslie trusts him more than most--and that's why what he says next is as much of a joke as it is a fishing expedition. ]
What kind of trouble do you need me to bail you out of this time?
no subject
Leslie's retort prompts Cloud to snort softly.
He's right. A kind of camaraderie exists. By association with Andrea, who not only had a hand in helping Cloud achieve the rescue of his friend, but who also imparted some moving life advice, Leslie enjoys the sort of patience Cloud doesn't extend to the average distant acquaintance. Stands on his own character, too, once Cloud realized what motivations drove Leslie to do as he does.]
Not unless you have a way off this rock I don't know about.
[He isn't even that confident the machines are functional enough to reverse whatever process can pull people here from other worlds (and different times). This might be less of a hostage situation and more like the machines need their help to restore enough of this world to restore the ability to return.
And then there are other, Zack-shaped complications. Sephiroth, too, to some extent. Neither of them are Leslie's business.]
no subject
He sighs heavily through his nose, a frown borne of more distress than disappointment carving out his features, forming a basis for creases that are surely only going to deepen dramatically over the next few years if he keeps this up. Or if they really are stuck here. His hand reaches into his pants pocket, to fumble with the pendant still tucked away in there.
It's not fair. ]
Still working on figuring out the economy. [ His tone has reverted back to its usual monotone; that playfulness is gone. ] What do you know? About...any of this. [ He gives a vague gesture, encompassing the tent, the water, the direction of the drink stalls, all with the arm cuffed with that bracelet Leslie hasn't bothered to try removing yet. Truthfully, he's a little anxious to try, with what he expects the answer to be. ]
no subject
There's little point in indulging his own curiosity to ask Leslie how they were doing, because the they he's talking about all since parted ways and left the city of Midgar. There's no reason for him to know anything. It's frustrating.
Cloud notices him reaching into his pocket and doesn't like that he knows what Leslie is likely reaching for. It isn't his problem. Nevertheless, that thought arrives anyway: now they're really worlds apart.
His arm is resting over his bent knee. The gloved hand hanging from the end of his wrist lifts, a general gesture.]
It's gonna sound crazy....
This was a barren island with a crumbling city two months ago. The machines keep telling us to fulfill our function.
[Cloud, keenly aware he's likely heard all about it at the hospital and eager to get past it, doesn't pause to explain away what that function is.]
When we do, things change. Sometimes we can ask the Augur for something, we have some control over what changes here. Sometimes we don't. Like when plants started growing like crazy.
no subject
If what he divulges can really be called an explanation, since it really doesn't shed much light on anything at all. Part of it--the parts Cloud neatly skips over, for both their sakes--Leslie does know even if he doesn't quite understand it. But the fact that all that shit about "the Augur" is true hits a little hard and fast. Or maybe Leslie's just been in such staunch denial that he should have sat before Cloud started talking. ]
You're right. It does sound crazy. [ He pulls his hand from his pocket, to cross his arms over his chest. He doesn't trust the wall of the shanty to hold him up if he leans on it, but he's not quite prepared to have a seat in the sand yet either. He couldn't be further from comfortable if he tried, present company not withstanding. ]
So we get taken, to...evolve this place? Until when, we're dead? Until we can no longer "fulfill our function?" [ He doesn't expect Cloud to have these answers, the questions mostly rhetorical and entirely composed of worries he shouldn't have said aloud because now he's only more unsettled. His frown deepens, and for a not-so-fleeting moment, Leslie shows his age, not his experience. But he doesn't expect Cloud to do anything about that either, and honestly it would probably make the feeling worse. ]
Just one other question. [ He's already stubbornly determined to figure the rest out on his own. ] Is it worth my time looking for a job to do?
no subject
That's his excuse.]
There ain't much. The machines do all the odd jobs people usually would do. Look for a place that isn't about to collapse, or....
[There are tells, subtle signs of embarrassed silence, like the small duck of his head or how steadily he's decided to stare at the sand outside the shelter.]
Don't ask me how it works. What we do generates some kinda energy the Augur uses to change stuff. Couple places popped up, like a bar and this place that will give you whatever you wanna eat on Thursdays. Even this-
[Cloud's hand moves again, turning up his palm at the sunshine just outside the shelter's entrance.]
This is the first time I've seen a sunny day here.
Not everything we do generates the right energy. That's what the A5 is for. Maybe when more of the city's restored, there's gonna be work.
no subject
His mouth and jaw are taut as he listens, tense and increasingly uncertain that there is any chance of him getting by, to say nothing of thriving in a place like this, with the expectations what they are. He is not really this kind of resourceful, but he supposes that's going to have to change. Or he'll start to turn into the sort of ghost he's only just noticing Cloud is becoming too, with shadows along his cheekbones, beneath his eyes. The slums can prepare a person for that too, but only to a certain degree. ]
Then I guess I work towards rebuilding. Like back home. [ "Home" almost seems like a forbidden word; it tugs at something he didn't realize he'd already tucked away somewhere deep, and at the corners of his mouth to deepen that frown, too. It's not any easier to focus on what he's suggesting of himself either, but really, what else is there to do? Nothing, from what Cloud is explaining. But he's grateful to have the explanation.
Except-- ]
It's not dangerous, is it? That fog, sure, I don't trust that at all, but the city. The other people.
no subject
[Leslie has a worldliness and understanding about the ugly side of human nature, he has street smarts. So as far as the human element goes, Cloud thinks he'll be fine. Most of the people he's met here have been respectful enough.
Not that Cloud is so sociable he's managed to meet everyone. His sample pool is very small.
With a troubled wrinkle between his eyebrows, Cloud closes his eyes and adds]
Other than that, the machines have mistaken us for enemies. The plants can poison you, make you see things or lose control, they even attack.
Usually it's all for the same thing.
[Fulfilling their function.]
no subject
So the food is poisonous - or worse. The robots are friendly, until they're not. Housing is where you find it. The weather isn't any better than the smog. And if I want anything at all, it's at the expense of dignity.
[ It's more review for himself than anything, and is punctuated by another deep, resigned sigh, the only indication of and fidelity he'll give. Because Cloud is right--that isn't his problem.
One hand lifts to adjust his cap; sweat beads along the line of it, but that only discourages him about removing it. He feels insecure enough after all of this, enough that maybe he just isn't going to bother. ]
Thanks. [ A beat. Then he gestures to the enclosure as he speaks. ] I'll leave you to this.
[ It's not really a rejection of Cloud's company, although despite their similar natures, Leslie can't help but feel an odd sort of tension between them, even now. Like they both feel obligated to say something, even though there's not really anything to say. It is, however, the perfect excuse to get his legs moving so maybe his thoughts will stop for a little while. ]
And I'm sure I'll see you around.