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

Mikazuki Augus | Gundam: IBO

[tekkadan]

↘ Arrival

[ The ocean has a slurry of memories for Mika. On earth, near the water, he'd seen the moon he was named after. He'd seen a fish for the first time. He'd lost a close friend in a surprise attack.

Crawling out of the ocean, cold and waterlogged with salt burning his eyes, was not a mark in its favor right now.

He'd been sleeping in the hangar, hadn't he? He remembered dreaming of something vague and warm feeling. Now he's shuddering in some hazy, unfamiliar place with his hair stuck to his face and some metal man trying to pull him up onto his feet.

What are these things? Who are they? Who made them?

And where was Tekkadan? Where was Orga?

He's frustrated, agitation growing as he gets his bearings and finds himself on his feet. The robot grabs his arm out of its sling to put his bracelet on him. It is trying to be courteous, but Mika can only see it as a threat. It's the only thing here and 'Here' is not Tekkadan's base of operations. 'Here' is not where his family is. This inhuman thing could be friend or foe, but it doesn't matter to him.

It's in his way and is the most likely candidate for why he's here at all.

With his limp arm hanging and his sling still around his neck, he reaches his functional hand into the sling and retrieves his gun, turning it out to the robot and shooting it in what he can only assume is its head.

Three shots, his signature triple tap, before he hurries to back up from it and keep it at gunpoint, letting out a breath. ]

What the hell... is this shiny guy?

↘ Spa

[ It is for the best that Mika's been stripped of everything as they dragged him into the spa. He can't cause havok without Mr. Shooty. He's grown more lethargic since Edmonton and that's to the robots' advantage.

And to everyone's advantage, they have decided, charitably, to scrub the hell out of him before dumping him in one of the hot baths.

He wants to rumble out of here, but it's a good a place as any to think about what he needs to do about this place. He's not really the one who usually does the thinking, but he's not totally lacking in planning skills. He's just, typically, a thinkin in the moment sort of guy.

How does he get back when he doesn't know where he is? How does he contact the others? All he has is his gun and his coat. If Tekkadan's Earth base isn't here and there's no way to communicate with them, what does he do?

He has to do... something. Anything. But scrambling about won't get him anywhere right now.

He sinks into the water up to his nose, sulking. ]

↘ Tattoo

[ When he's washed and clothed and settled back into a jittery but focused state, Mika starts to explore. If he can't find home, maybe he can find other Tekkadan members. If Atra or Kudelia are here or one of the younger members, he needs to find them. They likely aren't safe on their own.

He can be seen wandering around and rubbing his left wrist again his hip. There's a mark there, some black drawing that looks like a set of teeth, and it's tingling and bothering him. It's like he'd singed his skin on a hot plate. Someone must have drawn it on him at some point. Maybe Ride had played a prank on him at home while he was sleeping? It was always possible with the younger ones even though, to some extent, they were nervous around him now. ]

↘ Hangar

[ By now, at least, he's realized going back is not yet an option, either by his own deduction or by speaking to others. He's not easy to convince and he's too stubborn to just 'give up', but if there's no direct route home... there's not much to be done.

There is at least one good thing that has happened, at least: He's located the hangar and Barbatos. There's no words to describe his relief. Mika can be seen wandering up to the scaffolding to his mech and, going forward for his first few days, camping in Barbatos's open cockpit and leaving only for the essentials. You can try to address him, but the chances of ending up looking up into the barrel of his handgun are pretty high. Proceed with caution! ]

[ ooc: For reference: Mika is 17. His right eye is mostly blind and his right arm is paralyzed. ]

Hangar

[zechs_isonfire]

There's a new suit in the hangar. Zechs couldn't help but walk up alongside it, on the catwalk, intrigued. Later on, he would have to see what it was like within the simulator, he thought.

It appeared there was movement up there? Curious, Zechs called up to him, "Good afternoon."

[tekkadan]

Mika has never been terribly social. He doesn't hate talking to people, but he has learned to distrust people who are not in his 'circle'. At best, they see people like him as 'rats', and at worst they want them dead. He has no reason to believe that's different here. He doesn't care what people outside of Tekkadan think of him, but he does care that he's in enough pieces to go home.

He's no good if he can't help Orga, so he has to live and go home. That much is simple.

He hears a voice call up to him. At the very least, it sounds like the voice is meant for him. A small face with wide, intense blue eyes peers over the open hatch of Barbatos's open cockpit. He debates for a moment, wondering if it's worth the energy to answer.

Mika has to eventually start getting tangible answers about this place and not answers from those... things. They're pretty useless, as far as he can tell.

He calls back, firm and flat: "Who are you?"

[zechs_isonfire]

That was the look of a fighter. A soldier, perhaps not - but a warrior, definitely. Young again, distrustful, alert, wary. There was strength in the gaze peeking out of that cockpit.

He held up his hands, showing he wasn't currently holding any weapons. (It would be a lie to say he was unarmed.)

"My name is Zechs Merquise," he told him, calm and firm. Not gentle, yet really, he wasn't good at gentle. "You've been recently abducted, I'll assume."

[tekkadan]

Mikazuki might have recognized the universal sign of surrender, but he could only trust so much. From his perch, he kept a hand over the hilt of the gun tucked into his sling. He wasn't going to aim, not yet, but he would be ready to take him out if he needed to. It was the easiest way.

He'd asked for his name, but chances were, he wouldn't remember it. It was a weird name, hard to say and hard to tuck away into his head.

"Zek... su... hm," he repeated back without much care about how right he might have been. He nodded his head slowly, eyes completely trained on his current conversation partner. He, at the very least, did not look like a mouse eying a cat on the prowl anymore.

"By those things... the metal guys."

[zechs_isonfire]

A little bemused, Zechs reflected that at the very least, he didn't go by the name given to him at birth. It was far more of a mouthful. But he didn't voice that thought aloud, of course.

He nodded, expression serious. "Yes. As was I - and anyone else you'll encounter on this accursed island. We're given clothes, a few things from home - our mobile suits, if we're pilots -"

Zechs gestured vaguely towards Tallgeese III, a bit of a ways off, but shining and proud, well-maintained, "- and, eventually, tasks. Had the robots told you why they've taken us?"

spa

[pawper]

[Blue eyes, untidy dark hair...a passing glance to see who else was already occupying this particular hot bath turns into a double take, wondering if she'd caught a distorted glimpse of her own reflection. Stupidity, of course, pure nonsense—but still preferable to thinking, even for a moment, that her little brother might have wound up here.]

Oh, sorry. [A small smile to contrast his sulking, the expression less embarrassed than it would be if she was stuck in a towel instead of a tacky aloha shirt and breezy waist pants. Barefoot, she walks up to the edge of the bath and sits down, tugging up those pants so as to dip her long legs into the hot water.] Have you been in here long?

[Weirdly enough, she's brought snacks: bagged chocolates in one hand, bottled tea in the other. Because on the rare occasions that Lys allowed herself a luxurious soak, she liked to eat while she did it. Liked to eat while she was doing anything, really.]

[tekkadan]

[ Mikazuki is generally less hackles up around younger girls, likely due to Atra's influence. She'd scold him if he was too mean for no reason, so it's easy for him to fall into neutrality when she speaks to him.

He is sitting in the water naked, obscured by the way he's sitting with his knees curled and his limp arm resting in his lap. He shakes his head at her question. He'd only been in for a short while. ]

They dragged me in here... I decided to stay for a little bit.

[pawper]

[She'd appreciate being thought of as younger than she is—with her height, usually the opposite happens. Hiking up her pant legs a little more, she nods as she listens, surprised by none of it.]

Yeah, that sounds like them. [A sympathetic glance that politely avoids lingering for too long, taking in his face and then flickering back down to her snacks. The baggie is opened; one, then two pieces of chocolate popped into her mouth.] I guess you're new, then? Just walked out of the ocean?

["Guess" really is the operant word. The nameless island has expanded so much since her own arrival that sometimes it feels unrecognizable, full of new and strange faces.]

[tekkadan]

[ So they just behave this way all the time, huh? He isn't surprised. He doesn't understand a lot about robots, but he does realize they all seem to function similarly: That is, they're very pushy and demanding. Annoying. ]

Yeah. I just got here today.

[pawper]

[Another nod as she sips at her bottled tea, carefully munching another piece of chocolate. Then she zips the baggie closed and tosses the rest at him to share, expertly lobbing it to land on the edge of the bath instead of in the water.]

And I guess you haven't had the chance to find somewhere to stay, right? 'Cause I can help with that, if you want. I've been here for months.

hangar

[braidedwonder]

[ Of course, Duo had noticed the new mobile suit in the hangar. He'd have to be blind not to notice that hulking thing in the hangar at any rate, and so he'd kept an eye out for the suit's pilot. partially because he's nosey, partially because he thinks it's a good idea to know all of the applicable parties if they ever have to rally all of the mobile suits and move on something.

Who knew what this place could end up being, after all. Always good to have a safety plan.

He turns up to run a few diagnostics and do some maintenance to notice the new suit's cockpit is open and notices a body moving around in there. Curiosity not sated just yet by knowing there is a pilot here for this mobile suit, Duo scales the scaffolding but bypasses his own darkly colored mobile suit to instead see who is inside the new one's cockpit. Duo has no way of knowing if the new person is as paranoid as him, but... considering...

He'll treat them like they are. Duo calls from a respectable distance away from the entrance to the cockpit, leaning slightly, half-smiling but also keenly aware just in case. ]

Uh, hey! I've been waiting around to see who the pilot of this suit was.

[tekkadan]

[ Mika has been the 'new kid' around a workplace before. He and Orga were not the first children to get drawn into the CGS with the promise of money for hard work. Being eyed up by the veterans of the place was common practice. You want to know if you can trust the other guy in the future. You want to know if they'll be an asset or a burden. You want to know if they'll be on your side or cozy up to the guys in charge.

Mika had always earned a 'hesitant' reaction. His large, piercing blue eyes that softened for only Orga at first had been enough to make the other boys feel uneasy.

He's been aware of the other pilots buzzing around on the lower floor, naturally curious about the new mech resting in the hangar with their own suits. He assumes they are sizing him up the way he's been sizing them up. Without Orga, it's hard to tell friend from foe. Without direction, it's hard to tell what he should or should not be doing.

He can't communicate with them for the time being and as much as he wants to barrel out of here in Barbatos, it doesn't have enough fuel to go all the way to Mars from wherever this place was. It could never make a trip that long. It's meant for fighting, not for long haul transport.

Duo isn't the first to approach him and won't be the last. It's pesky to have them keep sniffing around him, but he supposes he can't expect less in this scenario. He doesn't understand people well, but he's starting to understand other pilots well. They're always in fight or flight mode, aside from him, who has never been able to kick out of 'fight' without Orga calling his name.

He peers over in the direction of Duo's voice. He's perched on the open door of Barbatos's cockpit, a long cable connecting him to the giant machine and plugged into his bare back. He has a tablet in his lap that he's been using to write on in, currently paused. There's something he's chewing on while Duo speaks to him.

A pesky question from another nosy person, but this one doesn't look like an adult. He feels less agitated, but not by much. ]

Ah... it's me. This one is named Barbatos.

[ It's matter-of-fact and simple, in a near-monotonous tone. He assumes that's all Duo wanted and turns back to his tablet, starting to write with his index finger, slow and meticulous, mumbling to himself: ocean... oc... ean.... ]

[braidedwonder]

[ Duo had trained alone, despite all of the time he had spent before being a gundam pilot primarily in the company of a gang of others. In a way, being thrust in to a situation where he had to work alone had been sort of bizarre. He wasn't a big fan of it, by any means, and had been practically estatic to learn that there were others.

Of course, Heero hadn't exactly wanted to connect with him at first. In fact, he'd stolen his parts and fucked off for his next mission. But it hadn't put Duo off much in the end. Instead, he'd ended up becoming closest with the other pilot and, in a way, they all formed their own little gang by the end of the war. Duo wasn't opposed in any form to that. He quite appreciated knowing there were at least four other people in the world that understood his problems and the odd things he tended to do.

Duo offers a wave as he's acknowledged, as per usual in a faux 'relaxed' body language that isn't necessarily what he's actually feeling at any moment. But, in general, it makes others feel better around him, and more relaxed as well. ]

Barbatos.. [ Duo repeats it with a little nod, looking up at the mobile suit's face for a moment. In typical form, Duo keeps talking despite the other pilot turning and going back to his task at hand, too used to Heero to be put off for too long. ]

Mine's the black Gundam over there, between the one with the angel wings and the one that's.. kinda dragon themed. It's called Deathscythe Hell.

[tekkadan]

[ Mika takes something small from his pocket and shoves it into his mouth. That guy is still there. He's going to hover like the other guy did. He could tell him flat out to leave, but information is important right now. Even Mika can recognize that, even if he can't trust most information that comes out of anyone outside of his family.

They've been lied to so often in life, skepticism is baked into him as hard as his lack of trust.

He doesn't look up this time at first, but he does stop writing. It's not hard to practice his homework, but he can't do it solidly while talking to someone else. ]

Ah... so those one are, somehow. But, they're different. They're definitely different.

[ He furrows his brow and huffs, setting it in his lap. He turns to look at the suits. Definitely, definitely different from his and Akihiro's... but somehow still called a Gundam frame? But this guy can't be from his world and though he can vaguely understand that there are 'other realities' if he thinks really hard about it, it's still a concept way, way beyond the frame of reference for a guy who's never even heard a fairytale before. ]

No Ahab reactor... this one can't detect any, at least.

[sharpestsword]

[ Julieta picked the wrong day to wear her uniform. New mobile suits in the hangar no longer surprise her, but this one is different. It's intimidating in battle, even more so from the ground. She stands there, staring up at it. Her comrades left her and now she has to deal with this all alone. Reaching for her gun she looks around for any sign of a pilot. ]

[tekkadan]

[ Julieta picked the wrong day to wear her uniform.

Mika's been keeping an eye on the people wandering in and out. He has learned what that uniform implies after seeing it on screens and on the ground during fights. Of course, if there had to be someone else here, it had to be one of them, right? Maybe it was her fault. If anyone would be at fault, it would be the military, right? The ones in the coats? They were always the ones in the way. They were always the ones he was supposed to take out. They caused the most problems.

He's sure she will also cause problems.

The gun is enough of a signal. He unhooks himself from Barbatos and pulls his arm back into its sling before taking the gun at his side in hand. ]

[sharpestsword]

[ It's been months here with no sign of the enemy. Just as she's getting settled there he is. She feels nothing but resentment for that right now as she quickly approaches. She's about to be a problem. They're not going to talk. She's far too on edge and negotiation was never a skill she mastered anyway. ]

You can't be here.

[tekkadan]

[ He doesn't know who the hell this is or what she wants, but it doesn't matter with that uniform. She's approaching and he's getting up from his spot, training his gun on her as she makes her way towards him with urgency. ]

I am here. What do you plan to do about it?

Spa

[unquenched]

[Mikazuki may be distinctively cleaner, redder (thanks to all the vigorous scrubbing), with hair shinier than in all of his years of existence to the point of unrecognition, and still, there is no mistaking the icy blue eyes. They are all that can be seen above the surface of the water, staring morosely ahead. They belong in no other head.

Not that Yamagi has gone through any great effort of disguising himself, aside from submerging himself as far as he could go into the water, the top of his pale knees peeking in twin islands before him. He's spent a lifetime making his only relatively small size even smaller, more invisible, and definitely less noticeable. This he does out of habit alone. He clings to this habit, now that he's unceremoniously dragged into an entirely new place altogether, like a life line.]

...Mikazuki-san?

[He only lifts his chin enough so his shaky voice is more than a gargle in the water, his own blue eyes going even wider--a feat considering the ordeal he's been through up to being left to his own devices in the bath.]

How are you here?

[Not "what are you doing here?".]

[tekkadan]

[ Yamagi is not necessarily a person he spends a great deal of time around, but they are the same age and Yamagi is always at Ride and Takaki's side. He's always around Ryusei Go now, too, so his voice has become more and more familiar over time. He's using that voice more, though they are equally taciturn.

He perks up when he hears his voice, back straightening so his chin is out of the water. Mika's wide, wild eyes turn directly towards Yamagi, looking him over. He doesn't see any harm done, but the water obscures a lot. ]

Yamagi... so you, too.

[unquenched]

[Well. That confirms it. There's no mistaking the drowned rat look, now that the lot of them have the privilege of showering more often. One luxury that pales in comparison to the rest of their misfortunes.]

I-I'm fine! [pruney hands are waved around to show just how unharmed he is.] They didn't do anything to me! They just... Washed my hair and scrubbed me a little bit. [and he'd wanted to die throughout all of that. His clothes are gone, even.

It is avoiding the obvious question of whether he's actually fine fine, considering everything else that's gone down prior to this. Which Mikazuki has chosen not to answer.]

[tekkadan]

[ His body seems to relax as Yamagi says he's fine. He doesn't look hurt. It's not like when Atra says 'she's fine' even when she's in pain. He can't trust anything here. He's hackles up, confused and trapped like a badger in a trap. Yamagi's presence is the first thing that's made him feel calm at all since he washed ashore. ]

Mm... they scrubbed me down. My skin stings. It got all red.

[ He lifts his left arm out of the water to show him the pink, now pruned, skin. ]

Ah. Yamagi, did you see anyone else? I didn't.

tattoo!!

[shesgotguts]

[there's been quite a few familiar faces on the island, more than she expected, but she's still searching for one in particular. someone said lelouch was on the island, but she hasn't found him yet. of course, if he doesn't want to be found, he won't be. that doesn't mean she'll stop looking for him. she taken to the far reaches of the island, wandering into places he certainly won't be in the name of leaving no stone unturned. for the most part, though, she keeps to the beaten paths, but making sure to keep her eyes open.

dark hair is always a good lead, and when she spots the back of mika's head as he's exploring the city, she thinks she's finally found her target. quick as she can, she races over to the young man, placing her hand on his shoulder. but as soon as she does, she realises her mistake, and pulls away, disappointment and embarrassment evident on her face.]

Oh! I'm so sorry! I thought you were someone I knew. Kinda hard to tell who is who in the dark, though. [a gentle laugh, despite her expression.] I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?

tattoo!!!

[tekkadan]

[ Mikazuki whips his head around, startled, before realizing it was some girl he's looking up at who's already apologizing. He lets out a breath, calming down as quickly as he'd riled up, looking at her with agitated confusion in his large, blue eyes. ]

I just got here... so yeah. Sorry I'm not the guy you were looking for.

[ He supposes? He should apologize. He continues walking, assuming she doesn't have much to say to him if he's not that guy. ]