TDM 004: WASHED ASHORE

[erkumods]

TDM 004: WASHED ASHORE

Arrival This time, you come out of the water. While the Augur reboots, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy draws people in. It's like being suspended between realities and walking through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you and carrying you to shore. Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals will be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card is already loaded up. Inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● I. Feel the friendship! Recent arrivals and visitors to the beach may notice a sudden influx of hundreds of bright red crustaceans crawling (and coupling) across the sand. It's crab mating season, as it turns out, it's a regular invasion! To keep the beach a pleasant place to gather for the island's inhabitants, the robots are offering credits to especially enterprising crab-catchers. Grab a bucket and get to work! Be sure to watch out for their pinch, mind you. Their little claws are tiny, but that doesn’t mean they don’t hurt. Surprisingly, there is another effect that even the robots don't anticipate: islanders who are pinched by the crabs find themselves feeling instantly buddy-buddy with the next person they spot. Did you just become best friends?! Get pinched one too many times, however, and those feelings may sour into a crabby mood, indeed. If you are feeling particularly vengeful (or just hungry), the little crabs do make for delicious gumbo. Once cooked, they have no side effects whatsoever. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● II. Phallus Phestival Although the Augur is offline and supplies are scarce, the robots of Erku are still eager to make their run-down little island a welcoming place for the new arrivals. To that end, they have arranged a three day festival to boost morale and promote the generation of plenty of Eros energy to assist in the restoration of the damaged and decayed parts of the city. The robots claim that this celebration was once a cornerstone of the long-lost civilization of the island. By the dawn of the first day, every island resident will find at their doorstep (or tent flap, mobile suit, etc) the traditional costume of the ancient islanders to wear to the festival. It appears to be... a giant sheet? There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the sometimes garish colors and patterns of the fabric, but at least the robots have uploaded instructions on how to wear it to your bracelet device. Attendees will find food (mostly crab-flavored), confections, and household necessities in rather suggestive shapes, as well as goods you might find handy to complete your A5 squares: sex toys, pervertibles, sexy maid outfits, and the like. While islanders are welcome to set up shop on the festival grounds and sell (or charge) whatever they like, all items from the robots are offered up for free to those who wear their traditional island garb! ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● III. Fireside Adventures Each night of the festival is wrapped up in style with an enormous bonfire on the beach, where drinks, fruity cocktails, and lively music appropriate for dancing is all provided at no cost by the robots. Even if you’re not usually much of a dancer, the longer you stand by the fire and allow it to warm your limbs, the more you feel like moving! Not only that, but everyone is looking quite beautiful by the firelight, are they not? If you’ve grown tired - or if dancing just isn’t your thing - you might prefer to sit back and swap stories on one of the many driftwood log benches the robots have prepared for seating. Or, maybe you’d prefer to rough it for the night in one of the beachside canvas tents. Better claim one quick, though, or be prepared to share… there’s only one sleeping bag! ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

[nobiliteatime]

[ Ah, how unfortunate. Ferdinand knows this reaction well. The Great Bridge of Myrddin, the professor having taught a different class... he is sadly used to having such a reaction. How fortunate he must be that though he had to cross swords with Claude and the Alliance, none of their former classmates were among their numbers, and that the war is over.

Only because he has seen that reaction before, he knows how to deal with it. He gives Lorenz a reassuring wave of his hand, as if acknowledging where the other noble's hand is located. ]

Lorenz, whatever events you may remember, they are unimportant to me. Please, if we faced one another on the battlefield, I will hear nothing of it, nor will I bear any ill will.

[ That Ferdinand von Aegir that Lorenz remembers may as well be a stranger, as far as he's concerned. This Ferdinand von Aegir yet lives to enjoy many a cup of tea with the war now behind him, as does the Lorenz Hellmann Gloucester that he remembers. ]

Let us not be bound by our loyalties, whether they be to the Empire, the Kingdom, or the Alliance. We all must co-exist here, and I would do so as your friend.

[silky_bearing]

[Lorenz' hand almost immediately lifts to press his fingertips to his chest, lightly tracing the ridge of one steel petal not unlike the same gesture, same tell, he had in his youth when the flower was silk instead. Well, now he felt perfectly foolish.]

That is the best news I have heard in months, I swear. Do forgive my rudeness, Ferdinand, surely you must understand a measure of caution is required at all times given the... most disagreeable state of things.

[Apology given, however, his smile returns this time brighter and more genuine. Violet eyes flicker from Ferdinand to the beach beyond, the shambling city beyond.]

If we're speaking of co-existence, however, I must ask what in the heavens is going on here. The... residents [Stressed slightly, with a subtle tilt of the head, not unlike how one might refer to other indelicate topics not fit for noble conversation, especially not publicly.] seem to have some very uncouth ideas of appropriate use of my -our- time.

[nobiliteatime]

[ Aside from his initial wariness, Lorenz is exactly as Ferdinand remembers him. That much comes as a relief. It seems that despite whatever discrepancies they have in their memories, people from the same world do not simply change due to their memories. It would sadden Ferdinand quite a bit if his good friend and equal in terms of nobility were to have lost his way. ]

Yes, I am afraid that what they say is true, or at the very least, some of it. I find it utterly distasteful, and such conversation would only leave us both feeling degraded, would it not?

[ He brings up a closed fist, clenching it with a look of determination in his eyes. As much of a shame as it is that he and Lorenz did not end up on the same side of the war, he presumes, in Lorenz's memories, they made quite the team in his own. ]

Please, allow me to take over seeing to the others who may need to dry themselves. As you can see, I am perfectly dry and would sacrifice nothing. It would not do at all were you to catch a cold because you were too busy assisting others.

[silky_bearing]

[A soft hum of agreement and a nod. Yes, most distasteful indeed.]

A cold? Ferdinand you are too kind, to worry over my well-being and sacrifice your own comfort for the sake of those around you. Truly exemplary. I do hope you will not think too poorly of me if I accept such a gracious offer.

[Spending so long now in sodden clothing was distinctly uncomfortable and he was beginning to fear for the health of his boots, the poor leather so thoroughly saturated as it is. With salt water, no less.]