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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 |
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I know. I’ve been here for two months. [ he reaches forward, touching the ends of her hair, and she visibly flinches, attempting to swat his hand away just a little too late - but then nothing happens. there’s no sudden insight into his past from his point of view rushing into her head, and she sighs with relief, some of the tension held in her body disappating, her shoulders relaxing the slightest bit. ]
I was somewhere else before then, for longer. Those people are the ones I have to thank for this. [ she gestures to the glowing in her chest. ] And the haircut, incidentally. [ and her wardrobe - okay, maybe not the specific items, but she is attempting to cover as much skin as possible so she doesn’t accidentally view other people’s memories.
she looks him over again - that he’s reacting with surprise to the implant answers whether or not he remembers new amsterdam, so that’s one question she doesn’t have to ask but one more thing she has to explain. she sighs again, pushing a (gloved) hand through her hair. ]
We should talk somewhere else. Where are you staying?
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He really wishes that Joshua was here at least. He always put Max in a better mood. She had a soft spot for the big guy (truthfully so did Alec) and he tended to get the better reactions from her. He also could be a way more efficient and sizable buffer. Which he is almost desperate for at times. Right now he's still making his decision. He's not visibly relieved when she knows it's not his fault. That doesn't mean anything. There's still a lot that she could blame him for. Though now he's just confused as to how she's been here for two months given that he literally just saw her. World's biggest sourpuss leading a revolution. Great. ]
Are you high?
[ That's really the only thing that makes sense to be honest. She must be high. Because she's saying she was some place else for even longer before she ever even got to this sunshine shit hole. His brows knit together when she admits they're also the ones responsible for the haircut. Now that sounds very Manticore. They loved to control everything about you. Typically no one and he does mean no one makes Max do something she doesn't want to do. ]
We're standing on a beach. Alone. Where do you wanna go? Pretty sure I don't see any Space Needle's around here. Unless ones hiding in the fog.
[ Alec is just selfish enough to not give one single flying fuck about that fog. At least not enough to risk his tail entirely. Especially when there's no reason to investigate. ]
Ya know--I just couldn't decide between all these rundown shacks spread out before me. Where are you staying? You've been here longer.
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he asks if she’s high and she shuts her eyes, huffing in frustration. she knows how crazy all of it sounds, especially if he remembers more recent events from home, but if the haircut and glowbox in her fucking chest aren’t enough proof that what she’s just told him is true, she really doesn’t know what else will do it for him. maybe the fact that he was there, too, but his reaction to her new appearance is a pretty clear indication that he won’t remember that.
the irritation fades into just plain distress as he goes on, shaking her head when he mentions the fog. ]
No. Definitely not. [ regarding the fog, which she’s already had her own experience with. ] I have a place in town.
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There's a town? Like--what're we working with here? This isn't another Terminal City situation, is it? [ He's dealt with Manticore all his life. It was nice having a place of his own for a while. Then rooming with Joshua. Now it's like Terminal City is all they've got. He's tired of it being taken from him. ] How're these people in regards to--ya know? [ He turns around and points to his neck quickly. He swivels back around to face her. ] I'm tired of pitchforks.
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[ she starts leading him away from the beach and into the city (as it were), towards the building where her apartment is located, pausing again to regard the gesture towards his barcode. a cold feeling creeps into her stomach when he mentions pitchforks. ]
I haven't been advertising anything specific, but they're not put off by the implant. And I think we're on the tamer side of weird around here. [ but that he feels the need to ask is troubling. ] Why? What's been happening?
[ and then something else he said comes back to her. ]
Why did you mention Terminal City?
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You're talking from experience huh? [ In regards to the bingo card checking for nicer and fancier stuff. His grin growing as he pieces it together. ] Max, did you do crazy sex shit for nicer digs? [ The jokes he could be making right now. He tries not to because he's still well within punching range and just because she's "happy" to see him doesn't mean she won't deck him just to make a point. Or kicking him in the dick. That's another favorite of hers.
The next couple of questions make Alec cock an eyebrow. Though she did just mention that the fog caused memory loss. The aphro drinks is hardly something to really worry about, but memory loss fog is something. ]
Did you go in the fog? TC is where we're pretty much stuck now. Cat's outta the bag back home. All of us. They know. Normies think we're freaks. Mutants. They got their hands on Biggs--[ He hesitates for a moment and breaks eye contact. ]--beat him to death. Strung him up. Can you seriously not remember what happened at Jam Pony?
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I didn't, whatever crazy sex shit anyone does contributes to the town getting reconstructed on its own. [ and no, nothing on her card's been checked yet, because while she's kind of accepted never being able to go home again once she realized she'd been abducted to a second alternate world, she hasn't gotten any better at being told what to do. not to mention her intimacy issues have only gotten worse since being given an ability to see into people's heads when she touches them.
she's about to continue when he mentions that terminal city is the new transgenic central, and more importantly why it's now transgenic central, and then she stops dead in her tracks. it's a few moments before she remembers to breathe and when she does it comes out as a choked sob. ]
No. [ both in answer to his question and as a quiet exclamation. the last thing she remembers from home is being on the space needle with him, after leaving joshua and turning her back on logan for good. things were bad then, and looking to get worse, but nothing like what he'd just described. ] I don't remember any of that, but I - the last thing I remember from home was being on the Needle, with you. We broke out out after the cops arrested you for -
[ she can't bring herself to finish that sentence. she claps a hand over her mouth, a tear rolling down her cheek. ]
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[ He doesn't believe for one second that she hasn't done something kinky to get something to go her way. Max isn't above using her boobs to manipulate situations. He honestly wouldn't be shocked to see her use other assets to make it happen. Not that it'd be anything to frown upon. If he's understanding this place as he thinks he is then she's pretty much got no other choice. Alec knows that if he was here for as long as her that he'd no doubt jump in head first to make something happen. In the past he had no problem stealing what he needed. This was almost simpler.
She looks--defeated. Which Alec wasn't actually expecting. He didn't want to have to be the one to tell her all of this, but it was just their life now. Their new normal. He figured if anyone could adapt to things quickly it would be Max. He listens to her carefully as she explains what she remembers. He frowns almost instantly as she summons up the memory of the Space Needle and Ben's murders being put on his shoulders. He rubs at the back of his neck and looks around for a moment. Intimacy has never been his strong suit, but he tends to try when she needs him. ]
For Ben's murders. [ He nods. He reaches out to put a hand on her shoulder (if she'll let him). Trying his hand at comfort even though it's just not his forte usually. ] Hey. It's okay. I know it sounds bleak, but you're leading a revolution. So, you're kind of a big deal now, Max. Plus there's an upside. [ He smiles at her. ] We don't have to work for Normal anymore.
no subject
she feels defeated. she feels devastated. the transgenics were her responsibility and things had been getting worse, and she hasn't been there. and even when she had been there, it sounds as if she's been letting them down.
a few more tears fall before his touch registers, and she blinks in surprise when it does, looking up at him. it doesn't trigger any views of his memories and she takes a few shuddery breaths, wiping at her eyes. ]
I haven't lead anything. [ because she'd been somewhere else - against her own wishes, sure, but that doesn't make it better. ]