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

[allumer]

Say something damn it!

[ Light sparks from his fingers as the Engine Blade appears from the Armiger. His shout echoes over the beach, but fades away under the roar of the cresting waves against the shore. Noctis clutches the hilt, knuckles white as he shakes and a fierce, ugly emotion passes over him. That he could just threaten the being before him with violence, force him to undo everything that has happened, threaten him with hate and anger and vengeance.

Just the way Ardyn has lived, for thousands of years.

His fingers go slack. He releases his hold of the weapon, but before it can drop to the sand below it fades away into the same flicker of light. His arm falls to his side. Noctis is still trembling.

He can't meet the other in the eyes. He doesn't want him to see the way he struggles. Not again. Not anymore. He won't let them wallow in his misery anymore. They don't deserve it.

What they've done to him... ]

Tell me, why...

[ Noctis chokes as he sobs, then falls quiet. His voice goes brittle, soft. ]

Why did you think I'd be strong enough to handle this...?

[ If sacrificing himself had been his destiny, if that's what the Gods had chosen of him, before he'd ever been born, then why did they give him this life in particular? Why couldn't they have made him suffer, left him miserable, alone, with nothing else worth living for, so giving up that part of himself would have been so much easier, because he had nothing else? Why did you give him a father that he so desperately wanted to be loved by, a woman who saved his life and whom he wanted to share everything with, friends who showed him how to have purpose and meaning, an entire beautiful world to explore full of wonderful things and fascinating people. Why did they give him all these things he wanted to love and cherish and live with forever?

Why did you give him this chance, and then take it away from him?

Prompto, Gladio, Ignis.

'Why would you give them me, and then leave them with nothing but my memory?' ]

[luciing]

[ He watches as the Chosen emotions become further unraveled before him. First, a blade. Then, weaponless. Third a crack in his voice, the telltale sign of a levy breaking for the sob that follows. Finally, quietness, defeat, and a question.

Somnus does not speak for the Gods; however, he believes this: that if the Hexatheon created their world, and they are sworn to protect it, both Eos and her people were made in such a way that they were worth sacrificing for, fighting for, even to the point where the gods themselves turned on one of their wayward own in a bygone era. ]

The answer you seek [ He begins slowly, not to parse his words, but to give Noctis time to adjust. Somnus lifts his hand, pressing a hand to his own chest-- over his heart. ] lies within.

You must be strong, to save all that you love.

[ And Somnus knows for certain that Noctis does, indeed, have ample amounts of it. For his family, for his brothers, for the people he's met, for the beauty of Eos. From Regis' finger he's seen him as a young boy wonder at the world at large. Within the palm of Noctis' hand, he had seen him grieve after the Oracle's death. He was there when he vouched for Ignis, he was present when he struggled to focus when Prompto was cast from the train, he was there when Noctis was alone in the bowels of the Empire, fighting to reunite with those for whom he cared. The answer is obvious, that love for the world and others has pushed him forward.

He is strong, and what a curse it is that Noctis does not see it. ]