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

Re: barnaby brooks jr | tiger & bunny

[tigerbeat]

[ Kotetsu has, of course, gone through the ringer today. Which is why he has a drink in hand. It's not his usual, he's not much of a ~fruity cocktail~ kinda guy, but he will take what he can get today. It's a little too much for the guy.

He'd already bumped into Ivan, for better or worse in this environment, so getting nearly tipped over by a distracted Barnaby just seems like the most logical conclusion to this absolutely roller coaster-type day. He almost starts popping off until he realizes who it is.

Hey. Probably one of the best faces he could see here given the circumstances... even though those circumstances will, later, make him more than concerned for his poor partner. ]

W-- Oi! Bunny! It's you!

[mettle]

[ Of course he does not expect to bump into someone who immediately calls him "Bunny". Nor does he expect for said person to have the sort of beard that looks like a pair of kittens shaved into his face. But then, only one person fits all this criteria, and wouldn't you know it, it's exactly who he thinks it is. Barnaby is speechless for a moment before he prattles on. ]

Kotetsu...? Are you alright? Did you just arrive as well? You're not hurt, are you?

[ He knows his partner has a terrible habit of hiding pretty much anything that bothers him, so already, he's intently looking him over like a fussy mother hen.

Which means he sees the drink in his hand. All concern gone. His expression goes more firm. ]

...why are you drinking? This isn't the time for that!

[ Barnaby please, let your partner get his wits together and enjoy himself. Also be more appreciative of him being here with you! Not that he isn't, he's very relieved and happy, but it's easy to fall into the habit of scolding Kotetsu. ]

[tigerbeat]

[ Yup, that sure is Bunny! Fussing like a mother hen already. He wonders, sometimes, to what extent Barnaby forgets Kotetsu is indeed the elder in their partnership. Sometimes the doting isn't that bad, though. Sometimes. ]

Ahaha, naah, I'm fine. Basically. I washed up here like a dead fish! No idea what happened! Err... do you know what happened? I can't even call back home.

[ He looks at the drink in his hand and triiies to hide it behind his back as if Barnaby did not, indeed, already point it out. ]

Hahaha, uuuh... s-some guy handed it to me, I swear! Some long haired pretty guy who looked like he fell out of a historical film!

[mettle]

[ Maybe if Kotetsu actually acted his age Barnaby would remember to give him the respect and authority he deserves as the eldest of their duo. Alas, such a thing will probably never happens. He calls the shots here, partner. Forever. ]

I've been told we've been transported to another world entirely, though it has no name and simply is referred to as the Nameless City.

[ Awful redundant to call a place that. Naming it gives it a name, but it's supposed to be nameless. Just call it "The City". ]

Outside communication is impossible. There are individuals here who have spent some time on this island already, while there are also recent arrivals such as ourselves. This is a common occurrence, apparently. Have you gathered any information as well? Or have you been busy enjoying your free drinks?

[ He's out here doing all the work, as usual. Heavy sigh. ]

[tigerbeat]

[ Ah, so that's it, that's it. He'd hear about the same from that guy who handed him the drink he is still clutching, but it's all so farfetched he can barely process it.

Not being able to call his mom or Kaede... is maybe taking up more of his brain than is should in an emergency like this. But here he is. Letting that happen. ]

Aaaahh... haa... w-well, I've been talking to people! For sure! I've been talking to people, but, uh, they were mostly new people, you know? So I didn't... get much useful. B-Besides, some guy handed this to me! I didn't wanna just put it down and be ungrateful! That'd be rude, right? Right?

[mettle]

[ Friendly as ever, but still entirely lacking in productive evidence. Well, Barnaby found a good source of information, so at least he can't be terribly cross with Kotetsu coming out of their unexpected travel empty-handed.

Just, y'know, aside from his fruity drink. ]

Keep the device with you. It's what the individuals here on the island use to communicate with each other. It works like a phone, so it should be simple enough for you to get a handle on.

[ If the old man can manage a smartphone, he can manage what is essentially a smart watch. ]

[tigerbeat]

[ He looowers the drink, as it seems to be the Point of Contention here. Not putting it down... but he is lowering it out of sight as if Barnaby would somehow forget it's there by not looking directly at it. ]

Right, right, it's like the one for work... too bad it won't call home, though.

[mettle]

[ He's looking at it, he sees it, you silly old man. Shrodinger's cocktail. It exists but it also doesn't. ]

I'm afraid not.

[ Not as if Barnaby could try. He doesn't have much of a home to call to.

No one that lives there anyway. But he understands Kotetsu's concern immediately, not in regards to work, but his family. He raises a hand and settles it on Kotetsu's shoulder, expression softening. ]

They'll be fine, Kotetsu. Kaede's gotten rather big, hasn't she? She can take care of herself, and she has your mother and brother as well. It's to my understanding that the Kaburagi family is very strong-willed.

[tigerbeat]

[ Having it confirmed again just cements it in further. What will Kaede do? What about his mom? If he disappears like this, will Kaede be mad at him again?

He's frustrated, but slaps on a smile instead.]

Ah, thanks, partner. You're right, you're right, but a papa can't help but worry! She's growing so fast, you know? It's hard to keep up if I'm away. I'll be totally behind again!

[mettle]

[ Damn it, it's so hard to stay mad at Kotetsu when he's this endearing in father mode. He knows he has a terrible tendency to be a bit overbearing, because lord knows Barnaby's experienced it more times than he can count, and he can only imagine the degree in which his meddlesome attitude is applied to his own, only daughter. But he likes to see Kotetsu like this. Kind, nurturing, so eager to be at his daugther's side and be involved in her life, even with the obstacles laid before him with his job as a Hero.

He's a handful, but... he's a good father. Taking him away from that is an unforgivable choice. ]

We'll have to cooperate as hard as ever then so we can find a way to get you home. The sooner the better, yes?

[tigerbeat]

[ It's one of his charm points even if he doesn't know it. Maybe if Kaede favored him more, but he doesn't know how else to father.

He grins and at him and pats the hand on his shoulder amicably. Ah, he doesn't want to give away too much. Now more than ever, Bunny will just worry. ]

Ah, that's right. That's right. We'll be back in Stern Bild in no time, right?