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

[vegalthon]

It's just a bit of magic.

[He's completely full of shit, but Oran doesn't mind playing in the space of someone with veritable demon's horns, at least now that he's used to most humans not knowing enough to call him on it.]

You look... new here. You okay?

[navigating]

[ He does not come from a place of magic, but it's a fib that lands easily with Abel, who is willing to accept it given what he sees before him. ]

Yeah... I'm doing okay so far. It's a lot to take in.

[ He isn't surprised Oran pegged him for new here, would be willing to believe that it's too obvious for any kind of magic to help there. Abel puts his arm back down, looking skyward for a moment, out over the water as if he could find where out in space home (or the closest thing to it) is just by looking for it. ]

Plus, I have a feeling I missed something important back where I'm from. But it's a little too late to do anything about it now.

[vegalthon]

[Give him a credit for every time he's heard that, and Oran might have... well... one or two. But he empathizes. He pokes a crab back into the bucket that was beginning to skitter out, and then gestures along the beach, offering to walk with the man for a while.]

Want to talk about it? You can hold the bucket; I'm going to catch more of these little monsters.

[navigating]

[ Abel takes the bucket from him, holding the handle with both hands. Oran is way more suited to going after the crabs, nudging them with little concern about the pinching that Abel is not at all eager to experience again. ]

There's not much to say... [ But he keeps talking, shuffling his boots through the sand as he follows the crab hunt. ] We were about to make our final attack on an enemy base, and now I'm here. I was late to the battle to begin with, but now I've missed it for sure.

[vegalthon]

[That sounds... troubling. Oran stops in mid-step, both brows raised.]

You seem to be taking it well. That sounds... um. Worrisome?

[He could prattle on about the strange putty-quality of space and time that the Augur has left them all mired in, but he hasn't yet made heads nor tales of what it means, and so in this instance... it's probably not a good time to make a little white lie, like with the elbow smooch.]

Are you doing okay?

[navigating]

I worked so hard to be ready for the fight, so I feel kinda awful about it, but...

[ He shrugs helplessly, jostling the bucket of crabs a little. It had meant a lot to him, really, to be able to participate in the battle, but there'd been one hell of a hiccup. Abel tries real hard not to sound too bitter with his next words, to moderate success, not wanting to burden his new buddy with his heavy thoughts. ]

I'm not sure I'd have been as useful in the fight as my commanders were hoping.

[vegalthon]

[Oran gives him a moment or two to compose his thoughts as he spots his next prey: a pair of crabs unceremoniously making a beast with two carapaces. He scoops them and chucks them into the bucket once Abel seems settled again, though he notes the... the disappointment? Baggage, certainly, that he finds in his voice.]

Maybe it's a good thing you're here. It sounds like you were going into a lot of danger and... and everything I've ever heard about being in the military sounds like you get treated like a pawn.

[He settles his hands on his hips, grinning and lashing his tail a couple of times.]

No offense. You don't look like one to me, anyways.

If you could go back to the same moment... would you?

[Maybe a bit of a bomb of a question to drop so early into knowing someone, but Oran has heard the gamut of responses by now, and he's genuinely curious.]

[navigating]

Yes.

[ He's answers that much without any hesitation, even though there are a lot of different things he'd rather not have to face back home. Even if Oran doesn't have the highest opinion of military life, Abel fought hard to earn his place as a navigator and wouldn't turn his back on it so easily. ]

Of course it'd be dangerous, but... The mission I had was on a volunteer basis— it's not like I didn't know what I was getting into. I should be there to see it through.

[ True, he didn't know everything of what was going on behind the scenes until just recently, but even with those wounds still freshly salted, he would still rather try. ]

[vegalthon]

[Oran wonders... he stops in his tracks, and turns to stare. He's heard that kind of stoic commitment before.

He doesn't like it, but at least it's something he's been inadvertently prepared for. Therefore, he doesn't blurt the first thing that comes to his mind, which is of course 'suicide mission'?! Instead, quietly, he says,]

Well, we're not entirely sure, everyone in the city, but most of us are guessing that the Augur will send us back once these are done. One way or the other. She can make other miracles happen, at least.

[And he taps his bracelet, that gilded shackle to fuck island. He feels bad about admitting that, assuming that Abel's just as mortified by the idea as most he's chatted with. But... in the face of what this guys is facing, it seems like more of a hope than a horror.]

[navigating]

[ To those who chose not to volunteer, and even for some of those that did, the mission was easily viewed with an air of finality. Abel didn't see it as such, believing wholeheartedly that it was something he and his partner could come back from.

The mention of the bracelets and Augur leaves him humming in consideration, some of the seriousness eased out of him. He might gain a slight rosy tint to his cheeks at the shift in conversation, but doesn't seem entirely mortified, lips pursed in curiosity and just a little bit of interest. ]

Has no one finished up their card yet? Or do you mean people suspect it's something that needs to be, ah... completed, as a community first?

[vegalthon]

[That last idea has Oran blinking, and then exhaling slowly. He only shifts as a rather large crab comes scuttling in his direction... and then past, thankfully. No surprise battles today.]

Nobody's discussed that, the last one. As far as I know, nobody's filled their entire card in yet, though some may be close.

[He quirks a grin for that faint flush. Oran will refrain from mentioning that if he's measuring by square, his card is a pathetic contribution... but he's not, not really; he's been taking it slow because even some of the basics are new to him.]

You know, though it would be far easier if it were the former, I wouldn't mind the latter? The, um, party I attended the night before last wasn't as well populated as people seemed to suggest when they discussed completing a square that requires rather a lot more teamwork...

[But Oran digresses. He takes a pause in the conversation to scoop another crab, and then a second. He's not going to miss out on credits when they're usually a free out on otherwise difficult or embarrassing robot-related interactions. And, anyways, he's here to flirt and make Abel feel at ease, not drag him into anything to unprovable.]

Doesn't mean you can't ask around and make an informed decision, when you're ready.

[navigating]

It might be harder to accomplish clearing cards as a collective effort if more people keep showing up. Hmm, though that could be the point.

[ He hardly knows it's a monthly event for new arrivals to come around, but he's seen a fair share similarly confused persons, enough to make a guess of it. He's stuck between thinking that over, and wondering about the party Oran is talking about, as the crabs get thrown in. ]

...Ready?

[ It takes him a second to catch up with what's being said there, and his cheeks flush a deeper pink even as he smiles. ]

Oh. Right. I'm, well. I guess I'm not really opposed to seeing how things will go for me on that.

[vegalthon]

It's something to adjust to, certainly. [Oran slows his pace for a bit, wondering if he's overloading the poor newbie. He's still learning to think about all of this without blushing, and it's been nearly a quarter of a year in this strange place. Let alone talk about it... But hey, he's helping, and Abel is definitely cut from a cloth that Oran can admire. Is he really positioning hi self as an expert right now?! Well... no, but welcome wagon, yes.]

If there's some other way to get home, I'll let you know, but in the meantime, credits and a nice place to stay are worth any embarrassment. Ah, speaking of which...

[He peers into the bucket, realizes that it's getting on its way to full. He hurries to finish the job, pointing them up the beach towards a roving robot.]

Shall we split the earnings? You've been a help...

[navigating]

It's still a little hard to believe that sex is more or less the currency around here...

[ He doesn't sound like he thinks poorly of it, with a hint of awe underlying the disbelief evident in his words.

The attention going back to the bucket has him glancing back down at it himself. It's a little heavy after all that's been put into it, but despite his noodle arms Abel's grip hasn't slipped up. He goes back to looking up at Oran, making nearly the same face he had when the kiss earlier had seemed to soothe the pinch he'd been given. ]

Oh. If you want to? That'd be really nice, since I don't have any credits yet.

[vegalthon]

[Oran rolls his shoulder in a shrug and casts a second look at that sweet face. He really shouldn't be sizing up someone so new to the island, but it's difficult not to.

As they make their way up towards the dunes and a pair of robots that are processing offerings, Oran gives him a grin.]

If the soft trades paid so well back home, I certainly wouldn't be putting my tail on the line against thugs and trolls... but I don't know. I haven't been treating it like it's just a currency. That's not nearly as fun.

[navigating]

Well, it doesn't have to be just a currency...

[ Does he want to ask about what Oran means by trolls? A little, but Abel feels like he could also take a guess, and having so many questions is starting to feel exhaustive, even to himself. When they make it over, Abel gratefully hands the bucket over for processing, rolling out his shoulders once the weight pulling on them has gone. ]

Hey, thanks for this... [ He pauses, looking surprised when something occurs to him. ] Oh! I never caught your name.

[vegalthon]

[Oran raises his brows and realizes... no, no he hasn't has he?]

Oran Vegalthon, Adventurer and ah, Mage in training. I suppose I should know the name of someone I've been kissing better.

[navigating]

Ah, well, it was just my arm, so I think you can get a pass for not knowing.

[ But, while he's on that subject, Abel'll slip over closer to Oran and give him a soft kiss to the cheek, letting it linger for a sweet moment before he eases back. ]

It's nice to meet you Oran Vegalthon. I'm Abel.

[vegalthon]

[The kiss is chaste enough, but it's so sweet that Oran feels the rush of a blush anyways. Oh, that's nice. When Abel pulls back, the slits of his eyes are a little wider, slightly unfocused. He has to blink a couple of times to re-center himself.]

Ah... just plain, simple, Abel?

[navigating]

[ Oh, that's a cute reaction, and is the perfect payback for stunning him similarly with a kiss earlier.

He contemplates for a moment, giving a name other than the one assigned to him, but Abel still feels like the right call despite the ways he's been used since being given it. ]

Task name Abel, Navigator of the starfighter Reliant, assigned by the Federated Alliance of Earth and it's Colonies — if you prefer that. But simply Abel is fine.

[vegalthon]

That's a bit of a mouthful, I suppose.

[Oran rallies, smiling brightly.]

Simply Oran, to you, too. Ah...

[He looks a little sheepish, and presses the bucket back to Abel.]

I have a few other errands I do have to run today... but if you want to take the time for extra credits, it's a good way to take your mind off of things. But... there's a few gathering places around the city, so if you see me, don't hesitate to find me if you feel any other pinches.

[He can't quite pull off the seductive flirt, still a little too in his own head about that kind of forward permission. He does jangle the bracelet on his wrist, though.]

Or reach me over the network. Search for dvtch.

[Absolutely not like 'dutch', he has to part his forked tongue to get that last consonant spat out.]

[navigating]

Ah, okay.

[ Abel takes hold of the bucket, a lot easier of a lift now that the crabs have been pulled from it. He seems slightly disappointed Oran is leaving, but that fades at the offer for him to reach out. And even if Oran feels like his flirt might have fallen short, Abel is all too happy to pick up the slack there. ]

Hopefully I won't get hurt again, but I'll keep an eye out for you to kiss it better either way.

[ And meanwhile he's mentally cataloguing dvtch away for when he himself has figured out both a handle on the bracelets network, and how to spell that. ]