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

[deduety]

[For a moment, he himself is still as he looks at this stranger of a woman. Her skin and color of hair send a brief pang of sentiment, and he thinks less of the soldiers that paid their debt to him and more of the family he'd lost to retribution. However, the ears and marks on her face make it clear she is not what he thinks. Which is fine, but it is difficult to depart from the first impression.

So, perhaps with less of a stern look in his eyes, he does give her his attention.]

If you are able to provide it. Are you able to tell me where I am?

[lioness_rampant]

Certainly, though I’m afraid the answers I can provide are rather unsatisfying.

This place is called the nameless island. In many ways, it is a world unto itself—if you travel towards the horizon in any direction, you’ll find yourself back where you started within moments. Many people from many other realities live here now. Maybe even someone you know.

If you come with me, I can show you to some facilities where you can clean up, if you like. There are cafés and restaurants, as well, and other amenities you can make use of at your leisure.

[ She gestures for him to follow her, turning back toward the city. Plachu narrows his little mousey eyes at Dedue and squeaks, which makes her chuckle softly. ]

Quite right. I should introduce myself. My name is Princess Allura of Planet Altea, and I’m the paladin of the Blue Lion, though such titles mean very little to most newcomers.

[deduety]

[It's foolish to let sentiment guide what trust to place in a person. He wonders, still, if it is many signs that indicate that he can consider her words: both her appearance and the mention of a Blue Lion give him a moment to digest.

The mouse is also very cute, but Dedue doesn't try to interact. Most animals tend to find him frightening. Tragic.]

I am Dedue. I am a vassal to His Highness, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. I am grateful for your assistance, Princess Allura.

[And he does follow.]

You mention you are a paladin to the Blue Lion. Would you explain that as well?

[lioness_rampant]

I’m pleased to meet you, Dedue. Oh, and this is Plachu. He’s a companion of mine.

[ The mouse chitters enthusiastically, gesturing with his paws like he’s actually trying to talk to Dedue. Allura makes a little sound of amusement and shakes her head. ]

I’m not repeating that, Plachu, be polite. At... at any rate, the Lion is... easier to show than to explain. It’s a robot in the shape of a lion—one of five built by my father. I could take you to the hangar to see it, if you’d like, but I imagine dry clothes and food are more pressing concerns at the moment.

[deduety]

[He just nods to the mouse. Adorable and talkative and evidently rude, but adorably rude at least.

Robots. A concept he's still working over in his mind, something that is not exactly common in Fodlan or anywhere else in the world that he can think of. Yet, he can't deny what he'd witnessed, those automatons that guarded Cornelia. Curious as he is, Allura is not wrong.]

It would be wise to address those first, I agree. ...Perhaps sometime after, if you are amendable to that.

[lioness_rampant]

Of course--any time.

[ First thing's first, though. Shelter, dry clothes, and food. There are only a few choices for lodging unless any of his friends are here, and they won't know that until they check the network. Now that she's thinking on it, perhaps a trip by the hangar wouldn't hurt... ]

This is what I think would be most expedient. We'll go and get you some dry garments. There are a few shops that might have something in your size. We could store your armor in my lion for the time being, in fact, since there's not much use for it here in the city. From there, we can stop by a restaurant and get something to eat. I'm a bit hungry myself, actually. After that, I can show you where to find lodging, and we can reach out to see if any of your friends are here on the island. They might be able to offer you more comfortable accommodations than the apartments or the barracks.

[deduety]

I appreciate your assistance.

[Normally, he would be more concerned about how she might associate with him as a man of Duscur, but... well. Clearly, she is from somewhere else entirely. That is something she would not have to consider. It's oddly refreshing, to be honest.]

Is there truly no need for armor in a place such as this? No battles?

[How odd, he thinks. People are always in disagreements]

[lioness_rampant]

There are battles if you seek them out in the mists beyond the city. Strange creatures live on the mountain and in the forest, but they typically don't venture into the city. There's nothing wrong with wearing armor, of course--I have my own set, as it happens. But there's been no real violent conflict to speak of between the residents of the island. Not that I've heard. We must all cooperate to survive, after all.

[ Not that it's that difficult now with all the amenities that have been added in, but it's still true in the larger sense. Theirs is a small community and they really can't afford to have fights breaking out. ]

[deduety]

I would not necessarily seek out to fight for pleasure. Though it would indeed be wiser to cooperate with one another than not.

[It's still odd to him. Others have taken to a truce, and there is no conflict in such a way? Intriguing and hard to believe, but he will have to keep it in mind.]

I thank you for offering to store my armor. I may need to do so anyway. Salt water is not ideal condition for it and I will need to tend to it eventually.

For now, as you say, eating and dressing would be best to focus on first. You have my thanks, Princess Allura.