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

[pacifismaggressive]

[Quatre is even more confused now. The idea of Treize not being dead as they all assumed, is surprising, but a person's death can be faked or misjudged. He had almost thought that Trowa was dead, once. But even still--]

Sandrock? All of them? Whatever brought us here rebuilt our Gundams?

[Quatre is more concerned about what purpose Gundams would have in this world.]

Is there a war we are expected to fight?

[braidedwonder]

Yeah, seems like. And not a thing I can find on Deathscythe is different. Even has my somewhat not-to-par repairs still in place from before the self-destruct sequence. [ Duo has enough memory to know exactly what condition his Gundam had been in prior to them deciding to destroy them to move forward into peace. Had Duo 100% wanted to do it? No. But he'd done it anyway in good faith for the future or.. something like that. Anyway. Long story short - it's more than slightly bizarre. ]

I don't know. Neither does Heero. [ Duo says it with unusual seriousness, casting a look over his shoulder to the other pilot with a little furrow in his brow. ]

I guess the best we can do is be prepared either way and see what happens.

[pacifismaggressive]

[Quatre is quiet for a moment, letting this sink in. The idea that he could see Sandrock again--after having to destroy her a second time--makes a weight in his chest lighter. In his mind he has just watched the gundams self-destruction. And now that might not be the case.]

Do you think we can go there after we visit your house?

[He tries not to sound too excited--to urgent--but he doubts he does as good a job at it as he would like.]

[braidedwonder]

Yeah, Quat. [ Duo smiles in that soft way that’s reserved for his fellow pilots and a select few others. Of course, he’d show Quatre to the hangar right now if he wasn’t wet and sandy. ]

I figure if you weren’t wet and all that you’d wanna go right now, but ... thankfully with Relena and I there Heero’s got more than like. Eight in one body wash and one towel.

[pacifismaggressive]

[Quatre does laugh at that, because he can definitely imagine Heero having only the bare minimum of supplies for survival and possibly hygiene if someone wasn't there reminding him that soap isn't meant to scrub your skin off. It makes him relieved to know that even if he doesn't think they should be here, they haven't been alone...

A little part of him wonders if Trowa will show up, with everyone else being here, but then he tells that part to kindly shut up and not wish such things on his friends.]

Yes, I think removing all of the sand and...whatever else is in that water is safer, no matter how curious I am. Maybe we'll see Heero and Relena there.

[braidedwonder]

[ Duo would be happy to see Trowa - put at ease by the proximity of all of the familiar bodies and people. If they can all sort of live communally it might.. oddly feel like a less strict safe house and Duo is not 100% opposed to that, necessarily.

Still.. it isn't fair to wish people here and he knows it. ]

Maybe. I can always call 'em, too.. [ He smiles, softly, a little tension leaving his shoulders unbidden. ] I know this is probably bad but... I'm really glad to see you, Quatre..