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

[canceller]

Please, as if I had a choice on the location. [Jeremiah raises the box higher, not by so much that Lloyd couldn't still reach it, but what he hopes is enough to deter him. It likely won't be, but his reflexes ought to still be fast enough to compensate.] The beach is rather nice, at least.

[It's been an eventful day already, and he hasn't even had his lunch yet. Can't this be easy?]

This is part of my earnings. I was given an opportunity to work for credits, then exchange credits for food. You know how this works.

[Go ahead and be blasé, he's heard it before. It might be comforting to hear, even when irritation settles more firmly on his face, at his usual bad behavior and little else. Just par for the course.]

[canceller]

[Persistence isn't helping the half-life of Jeremiah's tolerance, scowling in earnest as he lifts his food above his head, dodging one way or another as needed. Taunting him and barely fending him off with his other forearm is no way to resolve things, but he won't push him off properly. Very mature, indeed.

He has missed you, Lloyd.]

I might, if you'd lower your hands and deign to use your words properly. [Does he know "please" and "thank you?" Let's find out.]

[canceller]

I do, but I prefer those people to be a little less ill-mannered with their demands.

[A lost cause. He knows it's a lost cause, he's already tried before. Jeremiah resorts to brushing him aside after all, arm braced against his chest at his center of gravity as to carefully not topple him over. Taking a chance, he lowers his arm and steps aside to the nearest stall, stopping to grab an additional fork and some more napkins. Put upon as ever, he turns back to his old friend.

He clearly gives, even if he won't say it. Better than letting Lloyd continue on and try to find sustenance from a less trustworthy source.]

Where would you like to sit?

[canceller]

No doubt we do.

[He follows readily, setting his shed layers aside and seating himself. It's a comfort to have a familiar face, but it's also nice to have the company for a meal. Jeremiah's gotten rather used to it. Opening the carton, he reveals four (four!!!) grilled fish, still stuck on their skewers and toasted brown. Separating the box on the perforations, Jeremiah flips the lid over and places two of the fish in it before pushing it in Lloyd's direction.

Can he even eat that much? Well, fair is fair. It's not like Jeremiah doesn't have the credits for more if he's still hungry after his half. In the meantime, they might as well start from the top.]

You arrived at the hospital the same as everyone else, did you not?

[canceller]

[... Right. That is the vein of things he'd latch on to here, isn't it? Of course Lloyd's notes are going to be much more singularly-focused given Jeremiah can't imagine he's even thinking about anything but the technology.

How blissful. On the other hand, he'll take intel where he can get it, and he can't think of anyone with a more specialized eye for some of this.]

It's an impressive piece of machinery, if that's even what it is, or if we're to believe what it's capable of.

["Delightful" is certainly not the word, but Lloyd is free to share whatever twisted sentiments he's fostered, they won't shock him. Jeremiah picks up his fork, extracting one of the skewers from his food.]

It's not just a hologram. The Augur is the very force that brought us here.

[canceller]

[So it goes once you've faced power granted by the gods themselves. Up too close, it can lose that allure of impossibility and simply becomes another tangible thing. Jeremiah knows he must be more ready after his entanglements with geass to simply accept what is, not how it came to be.

He's also more the type to be invested in how to take care of something than learn how it works, if possible. Questionable, in these circumstances.]

You think it's not man-made, then? ["Human"-made. You know what he means. Maybe.] One would think we'd find some traces of their builders and what they were, but I haven't seen any.

[canceller]

[Should have found another test subject, then.

Of course the fish he adds in flops right on top of the one he was just going to stick his fork into, thanks. Nudging it aside, Jeremiah tucks in, though he doesn't speak until he's done with his bite. It's fresh enough that salt is really all it needed. Suddenly he's pretty sure finishing three off won't be too much of an ask, but his "advance" had just been something to tide him over so he wasn't utterly tortured with the smell of cooking food. The robots may be morally questionable, admittedly by design, but they don't seem inhumane.]

That's a good way of putting it. I think I like more traditional methods of procurement myself.

[Can this be as specific as has to be? It's been an eventful afternoon, and he'd very much like to not talk or think about the dirtier details for a minute. Perhaps Lloyd's laser focus will spare him for a while.]

Perhaps that's why their society failed?

[canceller]

[At least someone agrees with him that the energy source is ridiculous. Finally.]

In a way, yes. As for this place, yes, I suppose whatever we see is whatever we're supposed to believe. I wouldn't trust it to do so with complete honesty either.

[He sighs, a little put-upon by the idea of it all, but returns to his food. Jeremiah's stomach could settle to fill itself faster than this, but he's not to go losing his table manners over it all. Still, he'd better eat well where he can, because he's got a long road ahead.]

With enough people searching for answers, they won't stay hidden forever, right?

[Ah, the folly. Give him some time to adjust, he'll grow despondent before long.]