TDM 010: PARTNER UP, PARTNER

[erkumods]

TDM 010: PARTNER UP, PARTNER

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” barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● I. Laid Bare Basics There is a new addition to the scenery at the beach, and everyone is welcome! Especially new arrivals, who will be ushered to the recently-established Laid Bare Spa, where (provided they don't slip away from the bots' helpful grasp) their uncomfortably wet, sandy clothing will be stripped away and they will be lovingly pampered by the cold metal hands of the resident robots. Long-time Islanders and newbies alike are welcome to enjoy such amenities as hot and cold baths, sauna rooms, scrub-downs, thorough whippings with birch brooms, skin treatments, massage and energy work, and more! All rooms are thoughtfully decorated with tasteful murals of naked and disrobing bodies. Maybe you'll see someone you recognize?! (Maybe you'll see... you?) Islanders who happen to find their clothing mysteriously missing are welcome to borrow a Laid Bare branded towel to cover up with on their way home. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● II. Tattoo to You, Too The Augur understands that sometimes, it's difficult to find a partner to indulge you in those favorite Auspicious Acts - especially for new arrivals, but surely even long-time residents could benefit from a little assistance now and then. That is why ever-benevolent entity has gifted Her precious Islanders with tattoos which feature their most secret, urgent, and/or shameful of desires! (Even if that desire is to simply complete a Bingo.) The tattoo may be a picture or a word, and it can appear anywhere on the body. At first it is pleasantly warm to the touch, like a soft glow of light on your skin. It soon becomes apparent - through either robot advice or a notification on your communication device - that your task is to find a match for your tattoo and complete the depicted act with that person. The longer one goes without completing the act, the more the tattoo seems to heat up, until it feels like it is burning into your skin. Take too long, and the tattoo may become permanent. Otherwise, the tattoo will fade within hours of completing the Auspicious Act. [ For TDMers: feel free to select any favorite kink for this prompt! If you complete a kink that doesn't appear on your card, you may switch one square for the completed kink. For current players: by participating on (tagging into) this TDM, you may switch one kink into your card (it must be the kink in the toplevel prompt you responded to). ] ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● III. Creepy Crawly Caterpillar Crawl Are you on the hunt for credits? Then have the robots got a task for you! The 'bots of the Nameless Island are recruiting Islanders to go bug collecting in the caves, crevices, and hollowed-out logs of the wilderness. The quarry? The (shudder - literally, the robots will shudder) doom-summoning harbinger bug. They describe these creepy creatures as fat, fuzzy, and rainbow-colored, with long, fluffy antennae that look like rabbit's ears. The robots describe these critters as so dangerous that Islanders should only hunt them in pairs. Should your team return successful, you both will be rewarded very handsomely for every caterpillar caught! The bugs are typically very docile and seem to enjoy soft pets, judging by the cooing and squeaking noises they make (especially to scritches behind their "ears"). Poke or disturb them however, and they may bite! Body parts bitten by angry caterpillars will swell up cartoonishly, and can only be treated by having someone else suck the venom out. Good thing you're traveling with a partner! The 'bots strongly recommend against keeping these little buggies as pets, but they're not your dad. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

Felix Hugo Fraldarius | Fire Emblem: Three Houses | OTA

[swordthot]

00 - Arrival

One minute he was riding through the Fraldarius territory with Sylvain chatting his ear off, and the next he's coughing up sand and water. Briefly, he wonders if there was some kind of misplaced warp spell at play, but being sent clear to the ocean would be almost unheard of. He's never seen this place before. It's certainly not the cold climate of mist and pines he had just come from.

"Sylvain!" He wrings his overcoat out to very little effect, turning in place on the damp shore. "You know I hate jokes! I'm going to slice your stupid hands off at the wrists if you don't come out!" Yes, this is the part where the redhead would come out from behind a tree or one of the tents and reveal his absolutely hilarious ruse. Right?

Minutes pass in silence, and there's no irritating punchline. Felix can feel his stomach drop. More so when he reaches for a hilt and finds nothing but an empty scabbard on his hip. The swordsman curses under his breath, feeling acutely uncomfortable now, and regretting having shouted like that. Was this some kind of enemy tactic? They'd won though... not to say that there weren't enemies still to be rooted out, but in his own family's territory so far in? No- no time to ponder the why of the situation. He has to find cover, and perhaps from there he can suss out what kind of game is on here.

01 - Laid Bare Spa

The whole situation feels like a dream of sorts. Not one of the dreams where Dimitri is living in his fire place and eating the burned wood and Ingrid is talking backwards, perhaps a little more coherent. He can't say he isn't grateful to be able to wash the sand from his hair and a heated bath (no fire? no magic to make the water hot?). It's just all a bit much to take in. If it is a dream, it's one that he can't seem to rouse from, and if it's real... well. Irritating. Irritating in that way that irritating is a placeholder for scared and uncertain. At the very least he's not been attacked or harmed, but he's really not about to look for any kind of silver lining.

Despite being clean at the very least, he still looks like hell, and he can't find the damned hair tie now (did he put it on the edge of the tub?), they took his clothes who-knows-where to be dried and he's left looking like a bedraggled, angry animal in a towel. The bots are creepy as hell and totally useless to tell him where the last of his belongings went.

"Marvelous." He scoffs, pinching his nose as he sits down on the bench in the waiting room. It's unusual that he's really encountered a problem that he wouldn't deem fixable with a sword, but today he's been caught out and found lacking for other, more useful problem solving (Goddess help him he can almost feel Byleth's disappointed gaze boring through his mind at the realization).

[deduety]

It is not hard to see Felix as he is. His general color choice causes him to stand out easily among the flora and fauna, as well as his grousing. Not that Felix is a man to be underestimated, but he makes it obvious that he is not hiding.

No matter his personal feelings, Dedue doesn't hesitate on this one. If there is him, then there could be more. Hopefully, His Highness is unharmed.

"This would be a very difficult prank to execute," Dedue says simply. He does not look much better, his armor and clothing having seen better when not, in fact, completely soaked from ocean water. It's not a pleasant feeling, and everything sticks, but Dedue deals with it, his expression giving nothing away.

"You are unharmed." It's not a question. He can see it for himself. "We should proceed into the island if we wish to find anyone familiar."

[swordthot]

The voice catches him off his guard, but he knows it instantly. It grates on him.

"Oh wonderful." He snaps, feeling quietly relieved to at least see someone he knows. Even if that someone is Dedue. Irritatingly reassuring. He's thankful to not be alone here, which is all that really matters. Dedue simply gets an annoyed glare though, for his trouble.

"I suppose. Do we know if anyone else is here? I was with Sylvain in my house's territory before arriving here. Where were you?" As much as Dedue chafes him, he can at least appreciate the matter at hand and get his displeasure at company later.

[deduety]

The glare isn't even quite mutual. Dedue just stares at him as he normally does, stony and careful.

"You are the first individual I have run into." The question does... pose a concern for him, though. Dedue holds his chin thoughtfully, considering this information. Perhaps their memories do not match up because of the way they were transported? A hard thing to determine.

"Enbarr. We'd completed our infiltration of the palace. I have no doubt in my mind you were there."

[swordthot]

"Well that's certainly not the case for me. We had long since defeated the Empire. Everyone went home, and then suddenly I was here."

That's. Incredibly worrying. As much as he hates to admit it, they should probably stick together for now. Dedue, while he was an expert at pissing Felix off without even trying, was incredibly reliable. He'd give credit where credit is due, after all.

"Well. Shit." He drops his hands to his sides, turning a slow circle to see if there was any landmarks to explore. "There's no point in standing around then. I propose we head inland to see if there's any population."

spa!

[socialjusticeknight]

Ashe has to admit, he's curious about the spa as soon as it opens. He's been taking baths in his apartment, but the range of options at the spa is so much more impressive than anything he's ever had in his life! Sure, it's also more horny than anything he's ever seen in his life, but in this place one starts to learn to roll with it.

So he's here, in the spa, currently with a towel wrapped around his waist to hide anything important, another towel held in his hand while he rubs water out of his hair. He's staring at a menu of skin treatment options and trying to understand what they're even good for (salt glows? European facial?) when he hears someone approaching.

"...Felix!" His eyes go wide, before a wide smile spreads across his face. "I wasn't expecting to see you... did you just get here?"

It's not a surprise at this point, given how many of them are here, even if he thinks it would be better for Felix to stay in Fodlan... but it's out of his control, so might as well make the best of it!

Re: spa!

[swordthot]

It isn't so often that Felix is so thoroughly out of his element that even the sound of Ashe's mild voice makes him turn and stare like a deer in headlights.

"Ashe?" The archer greets him so... normally. Like this is a normal situation where they'd be meeting each other and not some weird creepy place with very specific murals. "I- yes? About an hour ago?" At the very least, Ashe is someone who he finds tolerable to be around, if not only because his relentless refusal to accept Felix's efforts to rebuff him. "What exactly is going on here? They took my clothes, is this some kind of sick joke? Did you see the weird painting over there?" He violently points at the beautiful render of Dimitri across on the opposite wall. "What the hell is this?"

Re: spa!

[socialjusticeknight]

An hour ago... so he really isn't used to things at all, and now he's (mostly) naked. No wonder he's staring at Ashe like he's grown a second head.

Ashe looks over at said painting, and can't help but blush a little, because it really is an incredible likeness of Dimitri and maybe he shouldn't be staring.

He tears his eyes away, back to Felix.

"Ah... this place can be pretty jarring at first, but it gets easier, mostly!" The extremely casual and open sexuality has been difficult for Ashe to get used to, but he slowly is. Slowly. "Do you want me to help look for your clothes?"

Re: spa!

[swordthot]

Well, Ashe seems like himself at least. Felix can feel a little relief seeping in. This isn't just some weird sexy hellscape. Just weird.

"It gets easier?" He echoes, a little incredulous, "Just... how long have you been here? Didn't you go back to the capitol with Dimitri and Dedue? Dedue is also here, by the way, he arrived along with me. I... figure you'd want to know."

Oh Ashe, always willing to help. Felix hates to admit he's grown to more than just tolerate him, there's a tiny little Ashe-shaped soft spot. Not that he'd ever admit it.

"Yes, thank you."

2

[silky_bearing]

Felix might have had the (mis?)fortune of catching sight of a certain painting somewhere along the way to where he is now. One that Lorenz himself is simply sighing in exasperation at. As though he'd be wearing heels that weren't boots. They could at least be accurate if they were going to do something like that. He smiles as he catches sight of Felix though, moving over to sit beside him on the bench. Not too close, not trying to crowd him or anything.

"Well it's been a fair bit since I've seen you." A curious little tilt of his head, his hair now considerably longer and draped over one shoulder in a loose braid. "I suppose you don't recall being here before do you?"

He barely even gives the other man time to answer, Mercedes didn't remember, Dorothea didn't... why would Felix? "No matter, I'm certain Dimitri and Mercedes will be thrilled to see you."

Re: 2

[swordthot]

Lorenz is rewarded with a look that betrays Felix's current state of mind completely, staring at the man as though he's grown a second head and started breathing fire.

"...Gloucester?" He squints a little, and the combined expression and tone is probably enough to answer the question asked of him. "What...? Was I? Have I finally died? Is that it? Goddess... Sylvain is going to be pissed." He holds his head for a moment, deflating a little.

"Dimitri and... Mercedes are here too? Where is here anyways? It's hell, isn't it? That's why the paintings are everywhere."

[silky_bearing]

"Oh goodness, you really have no idea yet, do you?"

Lorenz takes a steadying breath, crossing his legs and leaning back to consider what to begin with. This is precisely why they need this guide for Newbies that Peter and Garma were discussing at the meeting. Goddess help him.

"It's not hell, don't be ridiculous. You're... probably not dead and, unless he's just arrived as well, Sylvain is not here. There are a number of us from Fodlan here and everyone's memories are at least a little different.... sometimes a lot different. I know it sounds like madness."

[swordthot]

Felix just shakes his head, hating how absolutely helpless the whole situation makes him feel. Naked, no swords, and talking to Lorenz who he would probably liked to have fistfought on a good day back in the academy.

"It sure feels like hell." He sighs, at least, resting his face in his hands. "It does. The whole thing is just. I don't know. I'm going to find out who is responsible for this and-"

And what? Fight them naked without a weapon?

He settles for making a noncommittal gesture.

Spa

[idratherbeasleep]

"I agree, I've been wanting for a proper sauna." Does Linhardt know that Felix's assessment of the situation is sarcastic? Does he know that Felix has just arrived? It's hard to tell whether he doesn't know or he just doesn't care. Linhardt is sitting on a bench next to Felix's, and he's spread out his notes to rifle through while he waits.

"Could you move over to a different bench? I need more room to spread out these equations."

When the request doesn't result in an immediate vacating of the bench, Linhardt sighs and finally looks away from his notes, rifling through his coat for... something, which he holds out to Felix. A hair tie.

"The automatons don't seem to understand hair."

His purple-blue eyes look at Felix, expectant. He performed the bare minimum of social interaction, can you get out of the way now?

Re: Spa

[swordthot]

Today has been a veritable parade of people he knows who seem to be fully accepting of whatever the hell is going on here and weirdly pleased to see him. When Lindhardt sits down, Felix looks at him with only moderate distress. He remembers seeing him from time to time, a general nonentity of a person from what he remembers.

He's saying words to Felix who just sits there and lets them bounce off of him until he's handed a hair band which he numbly takes and starts to scrape his messy hair back into some semblance of a ponytail again.

"Linhardt, right? Listen... I'm either dead, dreaming, or this is the most elaborate prank I have ever been involved in. Can you just. Explain- the. What is this? Is it hell? Are we in hell?" By all accounts that would explain a lot.

Re: Spa

[idratherbeasleep]

Hm. Not his Felix, then. Linhardt lets out a suffering sigh: Of course he ends up explaining things. Then again, who else was going to? Dimitri? Did he even understand what was happening? Well, at least he can get information on Felix's Fodlan to add to the pile.

"We might be dead. I don't have any way to rule that out." It's not exactly a comforting answer, "But I find it difficult to believe that hell would have saunas. I don't think you're dreaming. Given you don't remember my name, we're clearly not close in your Fodlan and therefore there's no reason you would come across me in a dream sauna."

Now, as for what was happening.

"It's... hmmm..." Linhardt stops to consider his words. He's talking about concepts he barely understands, so translating them for someone else is difficult, "I think it might be similar to a Warp spell. But we've been taken a long way. I can't match up any of the stars with ones from Fodlan."

Or maybe what he wants is practical information, "What the robots have told you is the approximate truth of it: We appear to have been brought here to engage in erotic activities." Linhardt doesn't blink an eyelash.

He shakes his head, he still doesn't understand how something as powerful as the Augur ended up picking people and acts at random. Oh, but talking about the Augur does remind him.

"Be careful with things here, a lot of the flora, fauna, and edibles have aphrodisiac qualities. I'm trying to figure out how they work so I might be able to mitigate the effects, but until then be careful what you eat and touch."

Re: Spa

[swordthot]

The information seems to penetrate somewhat at least. Felix spends a long time simply listening, processing, piecing it together. Admittedly, he probably was the least bright of the Faerghus Four. Sylvain always hid his cleverness behind the cavorting and the devil-may-care attitude, Ingrid was sharper than a sword, and Dimitri, for all of his problems, was incredibly intelligent. Which left little Felix, ever lacking.

The one word that he does attach to in the explanation, he echoes back, too-loud.

"Erotic?" Loud enough to have an echo, and he'd probably have been embarrassed had he not been so alarmed.

"I can't- there's no way." He sounds mortified, he looks mortified. That is not really something he'd ever bothered with. That kind of thing was for other people. People who wanted heirs and people like Sylvain. Sure he'd considered it from time to time, but he was always fast to dismiss. To be thrust into this situation feels overwhelming. Of course, that annoys him. "This is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life, and I have heard a great many stupid things."

And yet, here he is, Linhardt has no reason to lie, and Felix scoots over to make room for his notes.

"Why did you bring study notes to a spa?" Of all the things to fixate on...

Spa!

[backstreetbard]

It seems to Dorothea that the robes at this spa are not quite fitted the way they should be. She’d undressed upon arrival, as requested (because of course she rushed over the moment she’d heard a spa had opened on the island) and while the robe they gave her seemed like it should be big enough, she’s dangerously close to spilling out of it all the same.

Not a problem; she just sweeps her damp hair down over her chest. That should do, given that everyone here seems to be in some state of undress. Even Felix is—wait, Felix?

It feels less surprising to Dorothea that Felix is here on the nameless island than that he’s here sitting at the spa. Does he even know how to relax? If so, she’s never seen evidence of it.

Approaching him, she’s certain she looks visibly surprised, adjusting the front of her robe slightly.

“Felix? It really is you! When did you arrive?”

Re: Spa!

[swordthot]

Now there's someone he wasn't expecting, at this point he should have though, because for some reason other people are here and that's... normal? At least she looks surprised as he does.

"Dorothea?" There's actually a hint of relief, though he quickly realizes what kind of situation he's in and she's standing there in a robe. Not-so-subtly he tries to shade his eyes and avert his gaze, clutching the towel around his waist a bit tighter. "The- yes. It- who else would it be?! I just got here a couple hours ago. Listen, I need to find my clothes. These bastards took everything!" It's hard to sound angry when he's bashfully looking in the other direction. Not that he cared but he did have at least some sensibilities and the occasional hint of manners, rare as it was.

[backstreetbard]

Ah yes, there he is. Classic Felix. Dorothea chuckles and shakes her head.

“Well, they’re probably cleaning it up. You did just drag yourself out of the ocean—I’m sure your clothes were all crunchy. The rest of your things should be delivered to you by tomorrow, wherever you end up staying tonight.”

That was definitely not phrased as an invitation, no matter that everyone is naked here. She can’t help but grin a little at how shy Felix is being. Is this typical of him or is it just because of their wildly unusual circumstances, she wonders.

“Anyway, I’m about to go have a mud bath. You’re welcome to come along if you like. Oh! And in case you didn’t know, our friends are here. Some of them, anyway, and also... some you wouldn’t think of as friends. Apparently a truce has been established here, and it’s been peaceful since I arrived. I’m sure you could still find someone to spar with you, though.”

[swordthot]

"Tomorrow? What the hell am I supposed to wear in the meantime?" As if that was Dorothea's problem. He scrubs his hands miserably over his face.

"Mud bath? Seriously? You don't have anything better to do? Nobody is trying to escape this bizarre perverted prison?" Not to say he has a plan, he definitely doesn't. He's not the plan type of person. Stab first, ask questions never.

"I'm almost afraid to ask. Sure, whatever. I don't have anything else I can do, but I'm not getting in or anything like that. I just- I need to talk-" And he does despise talking, but there's still a lot of questions and he doubts Dorothea is going to stick around and entertain that.

spa!

[madjesty]

Unlike Felix, Dimitri doesn't quite begrudge the spa so much-- or even the skimpy excuse for a towel he was given upon arrival, though it's at least big enough for a full wrap around his waist. He's had far worse while on the island, and for all the new attractions they have had for the past several months, this one at least gives them some semblance of privacy.

Following the bots' instruction, he heads over to the waiting room until they call up his name for his treatment of choice; for all that the island seems to love forcing suggestive practices upon them, a scalp massage sounds fairly tame for their usual standards. Surely they couldn't mess this up, right?

Looking at a certain very familiar head of hair, one might think the bots can, indeed, mess it up. But that's not what's really matters here.

"Felix...?"

Do excuse his wide-eyed look, it's been a long while since Dimitri last saw him.

Re: spa!

[swordthot]

Dimitri's voice has a certain way of sending Felix from zero to one-hundred in any number of directions. His head jerks around as soon as he hears his name, and from under the tousled mess of black hair, he stares for a moment before he's immediately up and angry.

"YOU!" Despite having... come to some hint of an understanding before the end of the war, there was still so much left to be desired when it came to how Felix felt about him. Complicated really did not even begin to cover it. "You've got something to do with this don't you?! Where is Sylvain? I'm going to cut it off for good this time."

Despite the fact that this is way too complex for someone like Sylvain to come up with or execute, he's clinging to the assumption like a safety blanket, every other possibility is too far out-there for him to want to begin to examine.

"And what-" He sweeps his hands in a grand gesture, leading the gaze to the massive, beautifully detailed mural of Dimitri in a state of repose on the far wall. "Is that?!"

[madjesty]

... ah. It has been a while since Dimitri has last been on the receiving end of such snappy anger, but then again, this is Felix, so one should assume it was only a matter of time. Either way, he's still happy to see him! ... even if he has no idea what Felix is talking about?

"Cut it off...?" What is this "it" he speaks of, to begin with? And why would Dimitri know of Sylvain's whereabouts when it was Felix sharing an apartment with him, last he checked? So many questions, but first he needs to get Felix to, well, chill. "Felix, whatever you're accusing me of, I can guarantee it was not my doing--"

Dimitri's next mistake is to allow his eyes to follow the trail of Felix's arms, inevitably laying upon the offending mural. And earning an instant flush from Dimitri, eyebrows arching high. What in Ailell...

"... and neither was that, truly. Who would want to be publicly exposed in such a way?"

[swordthot]

For a few seconds, Felix just seethes. He's deciding if Dimitri's confusion is genuine or a ruse, but he knows it's the former, deep down. As flustered and angry as he is. He's also stopped long enough to get a good long look at the king, too.

"Tell me what's going on here, then." He grits his teeth, trying to get himself reigned in. Their relationship was tenuous, bordering on the brink of slow healing, but Felix was still prone to anger when it came to Dimitri (when it came to anything actually).

"This place is creepy, there are people I know but not really, everyone seems complacent and I'm told we're expected to engage in perverted acts to the benefit of someone else." Still weird to be having this kind of conversation with Dimitri while they're both mostly naked. It certainly drains Felix of some of his edge, and paints the whole situation in an almost comical light. He could have appreciated it if he had any kind of developed sense of humor.