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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 |
no subject
"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.
no subject
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?"
no subject
"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."
no subject
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 subject
"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.
no subject
"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.
no subject
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?"
no subject
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.