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TDM 008: A WALK IN THE THEME PARK
| 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. 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. 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:
A group shower will be provided after the festivities wind down. III. MISTLETOE Many cherub dragons can be found gathering together in the Greenhouse, working together to finish the cultivation of a new plant. They spend an exhaustive night decorating the island with the new greenery, which can soon be identified as mistletoe. You may think it's sweet of them, but don't get caught underneath one of these sprigs! Standing under the dragon's mistletoe will cause sensory deprivation - and of course, the only way to regain what was lost is to indulge in an Auspicious Act. (You may choose whichever sense you like, or even choose to be figurative, such as "the sense of reason" or "a sense of purpose.") N A V I G A T I O N |
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But now his ego is a little inflated, and he's walking with a little more confidence than one should really have while walking barefoot on a beach while wearing slightly more than half of a suit. ]
You know what? You're right. I think I deserve a drink.
[ Makoto is already strutting on over there. Clearly, there is zero worry of Dante attacking him anymore. ]
Well, around ther- [ But he stops to look at him with surprise. ]
Wait, you've been to [ Makoto pauses, since he's never had to specify before but he can't think of another way to specify. ] Earth?
Was Redgrave City on Earth?
[ And his grimace says and demons!? ]
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[The devil hunter lets out a chuckle as he walks past, clearly oblivious to Edamura's surprise. While it dawned on him that they could be from two different dimensions, Dante doesn't seem too concerned about it. He learned a long time ago to never sweat the small stuff but sometimes his cavalier attitude is a tad startling.]
It's an old city in Europe or rather was an old city. It got wrecked by a bunch of baddies from the underworld fighting for dominance.
[He states entirely too casually for his own good. Despite his own misgivings about the topic at hand, Dante doesn't seem too perturbed about it. However, he doesn't seem pleased about it, either. What happened in Red Grave left a bad taste in his mouth.]
I've been fighting demons for years now and those bastards are no joke.
[Dante says once they enter the bar. It seems that robots are running this joint judging from the lack of people here. While there are a few stragglers here and there, Dante hopes the service won't be ass.]
Hey, gimmie a glass of rum on the rocks! And some water at that.
[He orders before flopping down upon a nearby stool. It's a little cooler inside here than out there. Must be the A/C or something.]
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There aren't any demons on Earth. I mean, my Earth.
At least, I've never heard of any actually being real.
[ Makoto looks thoughtful a moment. It is sort of strange to him that his Earth would even have the concept of demons while apparently other Earths were out there actually having to deal with them. That's a little sad, actually. It also makes him question what else out there from mythology might actually exist in other worlds. Universes? Dimensions?
Wait, did he call him Eddy? Makoto looks up with the intention of correcting him, but Dante's already walked past him.
Crap, he wasn't paying attention and Dante probably walks faster than him with those longer strides. Makoto sprints a little to catch back up with him, the sand making that all the more cumbersome. ]
Oh. So that's what happened to it. Is that why you fight demons?
[ Makoto awkwardly tries to knock off more sand from his feet and clothes before entering the bar. It would be rude to trail sand in. Don't mind him just taking the time to do that, as well as carefully putting his shoes back on, rolling his pants back down, and buttoning his shirt back up (mostly).
He'll be joining Dante in a second, but he's still within earshot of whatever robot is taking orders. Makoto waves his hand like he really doesn't want to have to decide. He's not a big drinker anyway. ]
I'll take the same.
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One part of it. [He answers tersely once the robot bartender returns with two glasses of rum and two nice cold water bottles.] The other part has to deal with my old man but he's a subject for another day.
[After a swig of alcohol, Dante gets to the nitty-gritty at last.]
Believe it or not but there are two different worlds. The Human World and the Demon World. As you would suspect, the Demon World is plagued with demons and humans, well...live in the Human World. Duh, right? Back in the day, it used to be called the World of Light. Our world has a strong connection with the Demon World, giving those critters the chance to emerge at will.
[That's the abridged version if anything. He's not about to mention his father's role in all this or Mundus. Dante doesn't want to think about all that.]
One day a big ass war broke out in the Demon World over the throne, and this new Overlord took over Hell. He led the charge to the Human World and caused a lot of destruction. Many people died and many more suffered.
[This sounds like something right out of a comic book but this is Dante's reality in a nutshell.]
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He copies Dante, taking a swig, though it was probably a little much at first since afterwards he looks like he's about to cough or choke. Makoto forces it down though, recovering without looking worse for the wear. He takes another swig from his water bottle to keep himself from dying or sounding too raspy.
Through all of this, he keeps his eyes on Dante as he talks, watching him with quite a bit of fascination and nodding when appropriate. Just like he thought. This guy and his world are cool. Dante's world seems scary to experience in real life, and he'd never want to visit, but he can't deny he's riveted by the second hand details.
Though that fascinated look is clouded when Dante mentions people dying, softening into sympathy. Makoto takes a much smaller sip of the alcohol, this time without issue. ]
Whoa, that's. A lot. Were you.. alive when the war broke out or was it a long time ago?
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[Dante explains before taking another sip of rum. Even though the island itself kind of sucks, the drinks here are strong. That's both a blessing and a curse for someone like him. Dante is definitely a drinker. He can't stand cigarettes but he doesn't mind alcohol. He can't help but wonder if Edamura is the same. So far Eddy is handling that drink like a champ.]
My brother and I were both kids. We had no idea what the hell was going on.
[Feeling cagey again, Dante glances over at Edamura with a lopsided smirk.]
Enough about me, tell me about yourself. I don't want to bore you.
[More like Dante doesn't want to reveal all his secrets just yet. Booze makes him a bit chatty but he knows better than to spill his guts to some random stranger. Eddy is a cool guy and all but they barely know each other. Though, Dante is kind of surprised that Eddy is such a good listener.]
You look like a geek but you got a little bit of swag.
[He says with a chuckle.]
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That gets a laughs out of him. Like any part of what Dante's told him could be considered boring. ]
My Earth is definitely more boring than yours.
[ And as an afterthought, a little sheepishly ] I guess that's not such a bad thing after all, actually.
What do you wanna know?
[ Makoto almost chokes on his rum. No one has ever told him he has swag before. Although his expression hasn't changed, he wonders briefly if he's being made fun of. But, no, he decides this is probably just Dante being, well, Dante. ]
Think so?
You know, I think most people have a different definition of "swag."
[ Though he obviously let's that get to his head too as he takes a nice confident swig to finish his drink and although it's still a little strong for him, it barely registers on his new smug expression. Which quickly devolves into a slightly panicked expression when the robot gives him another automatically without him asking for it. ]
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[Dante is definitely just being "Dante". He's a bit of a "geek" in his own right. It's just that he hides it better than most people. Nevertheless, it feels good to speak to someone who's normal and not some demon in disguise or some shit. He can actually let his guard down a little bit.]
Depends on what you're willing to tell, Eddy. [Dante answers with a grin.] I don't need to know any deep dark secrets, so let's start with something mundane.
[When the robot bartender moves to fill his glass, Dante reaches over and snatches the bottle out of its grasp. The robot protests for a bit but gives up quickly. Dante can pour his own glass, thank you very much.]
Like what do you do? I know you were excited about that new job.
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[ But Makoto's grinning up at him and says it in such a genuinely positive way, it's hopefully pretty clear he means it as a compliment. Being called Eddy's sort of grown on him, though it may just be the rum or the fact that Dante makes it sound cool. His grin barely flickers when he hears it but he doesn't comment on it. It's better than Edamame at least. ]
I was. But that's mostly because it was a fresh start.
[ Makoto pauses, looking down at his untouched drink a moment before continuing. ]
Actually, I've had a lot of different jobs all over the world.
I don't know if all the places exist on your Earth, though.
[ He turns back to Dante, resting his elbow on the bar and his head in one hand as he looks up at him. Makoto figures he should start at the beginning. ]
Have you heard of Hollywood? In the United States?