ercookies | TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK

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TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK

00. Arrival

This time, you come out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface 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. Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see. Most of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair, and beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased.

With that in mind, it may be wise to stake your claim on a rundown apartment, a tent on the beach, or a bed in the “comfortable” new barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home.

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I. SIX FLAGELLANTS

Welcome, one and all, to a thrilling new location! Robots have worked tirelessly to build, from the ground up, what can only be recognizable as an amusement park. You are just in time for the grand opening of Six Flagellants: Great Advagtures!

The Ferris Wheel routinely stops when lovebirds reach the top, waiting for a kiss - or something more daring! - before it starts up again.

Robots warn of the scary Haunted House: a dark building with wall-to-wall creeps, and hot and cold running chills. Flickering ghosts roam the halls, and you may find an eerily realistic Headless Horseman -- who bids you, "Come closer. Give me head," while pointing to yours. Hey, get your mind out of the... Nevermind.

The Carousel is a two-story affair. Nude figures with familiar faces lounge about, waiting to be ridden, and closer inspection proves that they have the faces of your fellow islanders. Hop on your favorite person and take them for a spin!

There are even Bumper Cars, which have the interesting effect of making one feel more aroused with every bump and impact. (It's randomized each time, so don't try to guess based on car color!)

What should be a similar ride, the Teacups, has the robots' madness written all over it instead. They have misunderstood the gentle spin-cycles for dangerous, dizzying loop-the-loops across a wide track. Some would swear that the ride has a supernatural invocation for fear. Others are simply man enough to admit they're afraid.

Lastly, the Tunnel of Love is not what you expect. Although flavored lube and guides to cunnilingus are on each fleshy-log-shaped boat, the motion of the ocean is quite soothing, and there's a pleasant floral scent in the air that causes a light intoxication.

Don't forget to try the food! Similar to the Street Kiosks, there's a ton of faire food: cotton candy, corn dogs, and the like.

Mascot outfits are available and those who wear them will be rewarded generously with credits.

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II. LIKE A FIREWORK

The next morning, you receive a message on your device: You are cordially invited to a celebration of skinship at the House of Worship. Please do not dress for the occasion.

If asked about it, the robots will confirm that is not a specific holiday, but a simple joyous event. If you pry, they may even say that the Old Ones often made merry and partook in the pleasures of the flesh - and so too should you.

For an hour, there will be food and drink - alcoholic and aphrodisiac. Then, at the designated time, once the sun has gone down, clothes will be shed and a revelry begun.

As fireworks explode overhead, the different colors send the naked senses reeling:

Red: You are amorous towards the people around you. Yours is a joyous celebration. The Auspicious Acts you offer are happy and lighthearted, full of kisses and sweet nothings.
Orange: You feel bold and adventurous, eager to try something - or someone - new. Your preferred Acts may be dangerous or exciting, perhaps with more than one person.
Yellow: You feel reverence when you watch the fireworks, reverence when you look at your fellow people. You feel blessed to be part of the celebration at the House of Worship, and you make the Acts you complete into Acts of worship. You are all about the spirit of generosity.
Green: You are not here to celebrate. Jealousy is your lot. Uncover a new side of yourself, full of bitterness and resentment, and try an Act that treads the fine line between light and dark.
Indigo: You are proud to celebrate! Those around you are lucky to bask in your presence. You have a newly-minted domineering attitude that makes itself known, and your Acts are likely to be something where you'll come out on top.
Violet: These fireworks make you feel unusual - the opposite of yourself. You are different in all that you want to do, preferring Auspicious Acts that you may not have thought twice about before.

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III. MISTLETOE

mistletoe

sensory deprivation

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N A V I G A T I O N

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The beach is miles long, but thankfully they won't be walking all the way down it. The path that will take them to the Neinhaus, their temporary home, isn't too much further.

"Ja, I have made that comparison as well," Caleb confirms with a satisfied quirk of his lips and a spark of excitement to match Essek's. "This island is a pocket dimension of some sort, I am fairly certain, which would explain some of the issues with time. As for the Augur itself--I have a difficult time believing that there is nothing arcane about it, especially when it occasionally produces effects that are magical in nature, or has the ability to take and restore spellcasting ability. But to say for certain would mean studying it, and that is not something anyone has been permitted to do yet, to my knowledge."

Caleb catches himself imagining that: studying the strange phenomena of this place with Essek, aiding each other in circumventing issues with spells or components, creating workarounds and entirely new spells together, born of a need for cleverness and ingenuity. The ebb and flow of arcane work, ideas spilling from one's mind to the other's lips without needing to be explained. The thrill of creating and understanding something that was before incomprehensible. The inherent closeness, glances and smiles shared across a lab, a chalk circle, an equation. The potential--and isn't that what it's always about, with Essek?--for more.

He wants that, and it hurts. They haven't had the chance to talk like this since the reveal of Essek's secrets. To be...normal? To be the way they had been before, at least. It's apparently so easy to fall back into old patterns that Caleb has to remind himself: I don't trust him.

His smile dims to something rueful, more a regretful twist of his lips that doesn't reach his eyes. It is impossible to look at Essek and not think about what they could have done and had together, what Caleb had been starting to consider a real possibility. It's been a month, and the loss of that possibility is still deeply painful. He has to wonder if Essek understands how important that was to him. How important he was.

Looking away, he rubs absently at the inside of one forearm covered by long sleeves. "How long has it been for you since we have seen one another?"

Having to leave to go back to Xhorhas on such tentative terms with the only people he's cared about in decades had left him with a sick, dizzying feeling. The newfound camaraderie with all of them, but also, so wonderfully, the kindred spirit in Caleb. His same thirst and desire for knowledge, the excitement at the possibilities of what they could uncover - all of it, he thought he might have lost permanently when weeks had passed without any word from them. At first the time was necessary, he thought. Maybe in time, they would forgive him.

In the end, Essek doesn't regret the actions that had brought them to such a precipice. They had been necessary. The Nein had simply been caught up in plans already in motion, and somehow Essek had likewise found himself caught up in them.

He wants to show all of them that he is an ally - a friend. Someone they can come to for help, someone they can trust if everywhere else fails.

Someone Caleb can trust again. The ache has sat with him, too, for all of these silent weeks.

"Over a month," he answers as they finally come out of the sand and onto grass instead, a trail not far ahead of them. "Recently Jester sent me a message that you all were heading to Aeor, though it has been past time since you were to arrive." Essek looks over at Caleb carefully, wondering if any of this is new information given the discrepancies in time he had noted earlier. "I've...been worried."

Caleb nods, conveying that none of this is new information to him--most of it, anyway. "It has been more than a month for me, too. Well, a month there, and now another here. But as I remember, Jester had spoken with you very recently. It seems that you and I may be a few days apart." His brow furrows as he considers this. Perhaps their business at A2 had taken them longer than expected, or they encountered an obstacle on their way. Or maybe the Tomb Takers had caught up with them. None are appealing prospects. "I can only guess at what might have delayed us. With how Eiselcross has treated us so far, it could be a number of problems."

And now that's really going to bother him.

Thankfully they're approaching the path off the beach, which provides a new distraction. "This may not be so kind on your bare feet," he observes, glancing between said feet and the rocky, root-lined track through the trees. "But I have a spell prepared today that will help." Oh, this is perfect. Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? The small smile he gives is encouraging, but also tinged with amusement at his own idea. "It may not work if you resist, though, so you will have to trust me."

(Those words seem to hang in the air for a moment: trust me.)

They haven't spent so much time apart that Essek can't pick up on that lighter note in Caleb's voice. He also can't help but lift a somewhat suspicious eyebrow in curiosity, but there's no sense of mistrust in his eyes. Far from it.

Trust me. The words travel through the air where he breathes them in and the stick heavy in his chest.

Essek holds Caleb's gaze a moment, a faint smile of his own coming through as he spreads his hands.

"If not you, then no one."

There's a twitch of a grin at the edge of his lips. "Surprise me."

Caleb spends a long moment just looking at Essek's face, searching for something in his violet eyes and the curl of his lips. But there is no trace of duplicity, or even hesitation. Just a genuine willingness to put himself in Caleb's hands. His expression visibly softens, and he stops them both by laying a hand on Essek's shoulder. He holds it just long enough to look intently into his eyes in that focused way that is very Caleb and squeeze gently. That focus breaks when he releases him to open his component pouch.

Thankfully for Essek, the spell Caleb begins to cast is a simple one, and likely familiar enough that he will be able to recognize it just from seeing what he pulls out (a small leather loop) and the somatic gestures that follow. With a short verbal command Caleb casts Levitate, and Essek's feet leave the ground. He rises several inches into the air until the two of them are just about the same height--Essek's usual, from his recollection.

Caleb can't help a pleased little smirk. "This feels a little more normal." Softer, he adds, "If it is too uncomfortable for you, just say so. I will release it." Of course since Essek has not cast the spell himself, he will not be able to control where or how he levitates. But he will float along beside Caleb, which is the whole purpose.

They have spent moments scrutinizing one another from across a room before, from a safe distance or unnoticed. If part of him had relaxed when Caleb's expression gentles, it gets wound back up in knots immediately after, unprepared for the touch or the intensity of that gaze. For the whole of it, Essek doesn't dare breathe.

Levitate. Of course. It would have been simple enough if he'd had his own things for spellcasting. Being without them feels like being without a limb. In this precise moment, he's even more grateful for Caleb discovering him so soon; he surely would have gone mad otherwise.

Essek flexes his feet above the ground. It does feel strange to be doing this not of his own accord, but, as he said, he trusts Caleb to willingly submit himself to whatever he'd had in mind. This feels familiar, though the familiarity oddly...hurts. Still, he manages a small, appreciative smile.

"I'm sure it will be fine." Not that he particularly imagines the alternative being better. "Lead the way."

It's brought Caleb some momentary amusement, at least, though it definitely doesn't have the same effect without Essek's usual cloak and mantle. Which might make it even more amusing, actually. Regardless, Caleb and Essek are able to walk and float, respectively, side by side down the wooded path without issue, at a pace somewhat more than sedate but far shy of urgent.

"The Neinhaus--that is, ah, our group's home here--is not so far. Down this path, and then a little ways into the city proper," he explains, making their destination clear now that he's settled on it. "You can bathe there if you'd like, and I think that some of my spare clothes will fit you well enough while yours get clean."

It feels sort of strange being the one to offer Essek help like this, where previously it had been Essek who'd always provided the Nein with his aid: showing them around Rosohna, giving them a place to live there, lending his knowledge, power, expertise, and Teleport spells. Perhaps this, Caleb thinks with bitter humor, will count as repayment of a favor owed. Just another sign that things between them have changed, he supposes.

The reversal isn't lost on him. Yet they had always tried to offer their hospitality before, hadn't they? Many times, until one wildly strange night, he had accepted. Or rather gone home and realized...he hadn't wanted to be alone.

It had been a strange, niggling feeling. Over decades he had grown accustomed to solitude, a combination of external and self-imposed isolation. No one in the Dynasty seemed to carry his same questions, always so beholden to the Luxon, either out of hope or obligation. Until a strange group of adventurers stumbled into the throne room.

Essek floats alongside Caleb - and that in itself is a little strange, not being the one to control his floating, but tethered. Under the coat he shivers a little, pulling it closer. His lips feel excessively dry from the salt water, and there's small dustings of white crystalline powder forming on his skin where it dries.

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

A hot bath and fresh clothes would do wonders. Though, he supposes, that if he had to arrive via ocean in anything, at least it was only his sleeping clothes that were soiled. Not that he wouldn't have been able to clean them like he had Caleb's coat, but even so.

"What else can you tell me of this place? You say you are missing some components for spellwork, might there be a chance to acquire them somehow?"

That small shiver catches Caleb's attention. He's given Essek his coat already, but he can't help feeling like that isn't quite enough. Good then that he'd chosen home as a destination rather than anywhere else.

As they talk the tropical foliage fades until they're stepping off the path and onto a wide city street, though the pavement is jagged and broken up, much like most of the buildings on either side. Clearly some great calamity had occurred in this place in the past, leaving behind a shell of the island's former civilization. It's a bit eerie, as the city is still mostly deserted, and only a few buildings throughout--the public ones, and the homes of the island's new inhabitants--have been renovated or repaired.

Caleb grimaces. "Only through requests made to the Augur. Most of the components I am missing are personal, rare, or expensive pieces which would be impossible to acquire here otherwise." Clearly this is not a city where one can readily find a shop carrying a plethora of arcane goods. In fact, there aren't many shops here period. "I hope that you fare better when your things are returned to you, but I have been hindered quite handily."

It isn't difficult to remember the other information that had been conveyed to him almost immediately after arrival, and which has proved invaluable since. "Don't eat or drink anything offered to you by the robots that you have not paid for. In fact, most things that are free here should be avoided. The plants and trees can be dangerous also, and it is best to let someone know if you are going out by yourself. Strange things can happen here at any time. Recently there was a massive blizzard that lasted for several weeks, and the entire island was covered with snow."

This is mostly strange because there is absolutely no trace of snow now, and the temperature is fairly temperate.

As Caleb leads him further towards something that...perhaps once resembled civilization but now struggles to remember it, the sun continues to wink overhead through the leaves, and sometimes even more directly. Essek lifts a hand to shield his eyes, but already he's beginning to feel uncomfortable in the direct light. Thankfully, they seem to be close.

The list of things to avoid grows rather long, and the drow can't help but lift an eyebrow in slight incredulity.

"What is it about these things that makes them so dangerous? How am I to determine what might or might not be safe, if I should find myself somehow separated from you? For if you are missing particular items, I somehow doubt they are about to return much more to me."

Essek takes in a particularly run-down building, walls reduced to little more than a skeleton and the insides meaningless rubble.

"How might also one go about making requests of this Augur?"

Caleb understands the skepticism in that look, Essek, but just trust that it's necessary.

"Generally," he explains, "they induce strange effects, the most common being a powerful aphrodisiac." Or so he hears. He's never actually experienced it for himself, but that is only because his friends had been savvy enough to warn him away and ensure they all have clean food to eat. (Goose. So much goose.)

"As for the Augur--ah, the sunlight must be irritating for you. Here." Interrupting himself, Caleb leads them both to walk closer to the line of buildings on their right, ensuring that they'll stay mostly in the long shadows cast by the ruins. Once Essek has at least a little shade, he continues. "So, making requests requires speaking to the Augur directly after you have completed one of your directives. It is...not much of a conversation, honestly, as it mostly speaks in poems and riddles, but you will at least be told whether your request has been approved or not."

They make a sharp right turn at the next intersection, and though the buildings don't look much different, Caleb clearly knows exactly where he's going.

The shade is better, and Essek murmurs a soft thanks as Caleb leads them out of the direct sunlight. Helping him float, keeping him out of the sun - at least Caleb seems to be allowing him a small modicum of courtesy.

He ponders the information for a thoughtful moment. Making resources scarce and then incorporating an aphrodisiac into the food certainly makes sense if the entire point is to encourage sexual activity. Curious, though, that it seems to be for the sake of the act itself rather than for repopulation.

Speaking of, however...

"Are there no people here native to this place? Is it only the automatons and this Augur you've described that remain?"

As they walk, Caleb watches Essek more than he watches where he's going, relying on his memory to bring them home. Of course he wants to see what Essek makes of all this, but he also just wants to look at Essek after a month apart where thoughts of him had been frequent, if painful.

"It's just as you say. Those who once lived here are gone, which presumably is the reason we have been brought here instead. The Augur is less a sentient being in and of itself and more a machine fulfilling a directive it was left by those who once occupied this place. As I have heard, when the first of us arrived some six months ago this island was even more of a wasteland than it is now, with neither plants nor animals. Our presence here has restored these things, along with several public buildings and a number of private ones."

From the main road they turn down a smaller side-street leading further toward the center of the city. By now there are one or two buildings visible that seem to have been restored, and at least one larger one that looms several blocks over. "It is a deeply intriguing mystery, though I have made frustratingly little progress in solving it."

It's not difficult to notice Caleb looking at him - he's hardly trying to hide it, after all. Perhaps it is simply to ensure he doesn't accidentally knock him into anything as he's floating along, perhaps it is because Caleb is still wary despite their easy conversation. Essek can't be sure, but somehow he manages not to stare back. Most of the time.

In part, it is because he is afraid what he'll find if he looks too deeply.

Things appear a little more promising in this area, at least. Something like they won't be living in complete squalor for the time being. Of course, the Nein are far more accustomed to bedding down on the road; spending time aboard the ship during the exchange between the Dynasty and the Empire had been the first in a long time that Essek had spent more than one night away from Rosohna.

"It is curious" he muses academically, "that the Augur is so intent on encouraging sexual activity, yet from the sound of things it is not necessarily for the sake of reproduction and repopulation. If the animals have returned, perhaps the original inhabitants will as well? Does it intend to send us all back once we have achieved this aim rather than keeping us to assimilate?"

No, Essek, he's looking because he missed your face and he's very conflicted about it!

"Sexual activity is what produces eros energy, which the Augur uses to alter the world. Repopulation in the typical way is seemingly not required."

They pass an empty lot that is mostly green grass growing over and around a building's foundation. Several large geese are nesting there, and Caleb picks up his pace a little. Those things are mean.

"But your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not we'll be returned eventually," he continues. "I would rather not wait to find out."

It's another block or so from there that Caleb slows. A three-story house rises distinctly among those around it simply by virtue of being entirely intact, some parts of it even new looking. There is a small yard with a fire pit in the center surrounded by several thick logs, but no fire currently, which is a good sign. It means no one is cooking, at least.

"It is not quite the Xhorhaus, but this is where we have been living," Caleb explains as he opens the front door. No chimes (yet), thank the gods. He wants a little more time to himself with Essek.

Perhaps unfortunately for both of them, Essek is very much unconflicted about his feelings. He just knows he can't act upon them. Directly, anyway.

"How convenient." Even though that's not at all how he feels regarding being brought to an island that thrives on sexual energy with the first person in an incredibly long time he's desired in any way, but arguably cannot have.

Very convenient.

Thankfully their arrival is distracting enough. Essek glances up at the home; the architecture is...interesting, but at least it looks in much better shape than most of the buildings they had passed.

"How long did you say you've been here?" he asks once Caleb has floated him through the door.

"A month to the day."

Once they're both inside Caleb lowers Essek gently to the floor, then drops the spell to allow him to move on his own. The space they've found themselves in is more a landing than a foyer, with doors to the left and right and a staircase ahead leading up.

"Right is the kitchen," Caleb volunteers. "Left is the living room. The bedrooms and washroom are upstairs on the second floor. The third floor is still pretty new, so we have not done much with it yet." He is voice lowers, softening as he asks, "Do you want to bathe and change clothes before we do more talking?"

It's...quaint? In truth he's not entirely sure what to make of it. Much of it feels foreign, adding to the surreal feeling he's had since washing up on the beach less than an hour ago. There's still sand stuck to his feet, and his clothes are unpleasantly damp under the coat Caleb has lent him.

Essek removes it now, carefully, handing it back to him.

"I should like that, yes. Thank you." As much as he would like to continue their conversation without delay, it's been some time since he's been this filthy.

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TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK

00. Arrival

I. SIX FLAGELLANTS

II. LIKE A FIREWORK

III. MISTLETOE

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