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

[anbu]

[That approach sets tension into trained muscles. As in every encounter between them, nearness can only be a prelude to violence—it should be no different now. Whether or not they have their eyes, his brother can only want one thing. A predictable desire rooted in the visible flare of emotion on Sasuke's face, in his body, in that dark tone of voice.

Predictable because he's seeded it there.

When those words come, Itachi doesn't move despite how close Sasuke is now, how blatant that threat is. He hears the clack of glass against the counter, yet it's ignored to the incomprehension of what is said. Were.

Liar.

Black eyes narrow dangerously. His thoughts almost slide into a freefall, unwilling to accept what he has heard. Steeled composure prevents this crack in his demeanor from showing.]

Where did you hear that?

[It's the only explanation.]

[inhospitable]

[ That expression is almost a relief — the deadly narrowing of Itachi's black eyes. Some part of him wants to grab that suggestion of anger and wrench it as far as it will go — the familiarity of hatred stretched between them. It's a crutch Sasuke had fallen hard on when all the love in the world he'd had was splattered across the Uchiha estate by this person in front of him. But he can't — not now that the truth has come smashing through that forged reality, leaving it a broken mess for Sasuke to pick up the pieces.

The hate is still there — deep and abyssal — but it has a new target. ]

Uchiha Madara. He told me everything—

[ He sucks a sharp breath in and anguish claws at his throat, pinches his expression into something tight and angry. Even without his sharingan, his eyes widen reflexively. All it houses is the blowing of his pupils, making his dark eyes even darker, the reddening of his scelera purely from emotion instead of the bloody spin of tomoe. ]

Everything they forced you to do.

[anbu]

[The shock is cold and abrupt. He realizes then, deliriously, the difference in time and reality between them. This is an event that has never happened. It is one he anticipated as a possibility, and one he attempted to prevent from happening, but unless Madara had succeeded at some point behind his back—despite the failsafe of Amaterasu—it would be impossible.

... And yet this encounter, too, is impossible. Surrounded by water and machinery, stripped of their bloodline, not yet bending into the violence he expects and plans from their interactions. Sasuke is standing close to him, but there's no weapon at his throat.

Itachi looks into those eyes as though waiting for them to bleed red. When they don't, he falls further to silence, resting on the jagged edge of his brother's words.]

You misunderstand. [Suddenly he moves, reaching for the cup on the counter and standing, stepping out of reach. He turns and begins to walk. There's no question whether he'll be pursued. Any change in his demeanor is subtle, hidden in the straight, stiff line of shoulders.] I wasn't forced.

Tell me what he said. [And this is a sharp, low command.]

[inhospitable]

[ You misunderstand, he says, and it rings like a bell through his head. He misunderstands everything, but how can he know what's real when everyone is lying? Itachi, the Leaf, Madara — how can he trust anything he hears? He hadn't wanted to believe Itachi's betrayal, and he hadn't wanted to believe Madara either — but too many pieces didn't line up, and too many slotted perfectly together.

He opens his mouth to retort, but then Itachi moves. He stands so swiftly that Sasuke feels himself take a reflexive step back, a fear manipulated into him, so deeply ingrained that even at the end of their fight, it had zipped up and down his spine as his brother closed the distance between them. He gives Sasuke his back, the sight vicious and familiar, and he can do nothing but follow.

He takes the drink in his hand with him, but doesn't seem to notice, fixated on the swish of his brother's ponytail between his shoulder blades. ]

He told me everything! What our father wanted you to do, the position the Leaf backed you in to, that you asked for his help —

[ He hates this, that even now Itachi won't stop and look at him. Even now, in the face of the truth, Itachi maintains this cold, distant exterior. ]

I was never supposed to survive that night, was I? Itachi!

[ A fit of passion makes him strike, trying to grab his brother's elbow to stop him. ]

[anbu]

[The pursual comes as he expected, Sasuke's words lashing hot at his heels with accusation, a question that won't be ignored no matter the refusal. He walks in a straight line toward the shore, away from the drink stands and more populated area, knowing whatever distance can be put between them and the entirety of this place is for the best. Whatever clash they'll have is their own, and will be for their eyes only.

Perhaps part of that is selfishly motivated. Now that he is aware of his younger brother's presence, he has no intention of allowing someone else to intervene in this conversation—or any other they might have. The deserted beach is preferable to a busier thoroughfare.

He senses the reach a moment before it comes, body tensing for that altercation. He allows it. Sasuke's hand closes over his elbow, and the momentum of it forces him to halt just at the edge of the path where sand begins. That touch is like a brand; still he doesn't turn around.]

And he told you I was dying? [There's the slightest pull, testing that grip to see its strength.] You believed him? Given all that I've done, all that I have done to you—why I chose to keep you alive for my sake and your own weakness—you allow yourself to be swayed by a man you don't know or trust?

[The harsh, cruel voice he uses is like some last effort to stay above drowning water.]