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

[omnistriker]

[ Normally, she fancies herself able to win a competition of stubborn wills, but she also feels more exposed than usual. If she's honest with herself, she really liked the extra layer of modesty the jacket has given her even if she isn't particularly reserved about clothing. It still feels awkward to be wandering about in just a towel only being held close by her white-knuckled grip. ]

Well, if you're going to insist that hard then... thank you. That's very kind of you.

[ She musters a more genuine smile because it's more than what most people would do. Chivarly is indeed a dying art and all. ]

I wish I had something to offer in return to keep you warm, but if I come across more towels, you get first pick, okay?

[ It's the least she could do for him at this point. As for her skirt- ]

And it's short and black. Something easy to move around in battle. Do you also... fight?

[ She's not sure what to assume by the jacket. It looks like something a storybook pirate would wear. ]

[pyromance]

[ He simply nods in response to her thanks (unnecessary, because as far as he's concerned this is a Basic Courtesy), though the offer of more towels manages to pry the hint of a smile from him—a most difficult achievement to unlock. He huffs quietly, his personal variant of laughter. ]

A most worthy exchange. You have yourself a deal.

[ (He says that so matter-of-factly it's difficult to tell... he is kidding...) ...Anyway. A short skirt, is it? Diluc is now imagining something with a knee-length hem and a voluminous twirl, like what Klee or Barbara might wear... ]

You're a warrior, I see. [ He may not have anticipated it, but it isn't a surprise, either. Where he's from, men and women, and even children wielded weapons and Visions. There's no single standard with which to quantify strength. ] As for myself... it depends on whom you ask.

[ He does fight, but nobody is supposed to know about it... It's not that he's inherently distrustful of her (she seems an honest enough soul), only that secrecy is a difficult habit to break.

He's distracted from the question anyhow as his eyes wander to an unclaimed pile of clothing left on one of the benches, a number of folded pieces of black fabric in it. After divvying up the lot for a quick inspection, he picks up one of the garments—to soon discover it is not a skirt at all, but someone's silky black chemise.

He clears his throat, and hastily sets the garment aside. ]

...We'd best work quickly, lest we find ourselves in a grave misunderstanding.

[ He's keenly aware how this might look to the random passerby. ]

[omnistriker]

[ There's something a little disarming about the way he smiles -something that makes him look a little younger and smooths out all the rough edges in his expression. She'd almost hazard to compare him to another sullen-faced, black-wearing friend back home, but she refrains. It's hard enough worrying about her clothes; she doesn't need to dredge up any other lingering anxieties about the fact that she hasn't found many of her friends in this land so far.

Instead, she focuses on the topic easier to address, her eyes shifting a little self-consciously to the ground. ]

Bartender actually. I do a bit of martial arts in my free time.

[ Which is certainly quite the understatement, but she's not about to reveal to him that she moonlights as an environmental terrorist. Besides, it doesn't seem as he feels like being all that forthright about his own profession either. Kindred spirits, one may think.

Maybe that's what ultimately gets her to relax a little more around him, nodding at his insistence. ]

I'll tell you more about it once we're both dressed. Maybe over drinks?

[ The sauna dried her out, and running amuck hadn't done anything to alleviate her thirst. She feels like she could down a whole cooler full of water at this point. ]

I'm Tifa by the way. I'd offer a hand, but... we can save that for later, too.

[ Her chin lowers, gesturing awkwardly to their present state. Best not to try and cross the invisible boundary she's stubbornly holding between them. ]

[pyromance]

[ ...A bartender by day and urban anti-hero by night? They really do have more in common than meets the eye... And while Diluc doesn't have insight to the whole picture, he's finding he doesn't mind the pieces he's shown. (Metaphorically speaking! Diluc respects women!!) She seems both sensible and good-natured, someone he might enjoy an extended conversation with, despite all his claims of disliking smalltalk. ]

...I'd like that. [ There's that amused huff again, another sliver of a smile. ]

Perhaps you'd be generous enough to exchange a recipe with me. I work at a tavern myself, on occasion.

[ What are the odds? As for that handshake, he nods in agreement—later is just fine, and he'll keep picking through these garments in the meanwhile. ]

Diluc.

[ As soon as he's given his name, his attention narrows on a familiar pattern. Some quick rummaging nets him his shirt and trousers (etc.), and his expression slackens slightly with relief. Good thing they hadn't been allocated to another arrival. ]

...Any luck with yours? [ He glances over curiously at her side of things, but quickly looks away again. ]

[omnistriker]

[ She shakes her head before something peaks out of the corner of her eye. It's subtle at first, the robot trying to inch its way undetected before Tifa spots her familiar top wrapped around its torso.

Her eyes narrow a little. ]

I hate to cut these introductions short, but I have to take care of something first.

[ She moves quick, crossing the distance in seconds flat. Her leg then flicks out to sweep the robot off its feet before it can run. Once it's on its back, she levels it with an unhappy stare. ]

So you're the one sneaking off with my clothes. Did someone send you to steal them from me? It'll be better for you if you fess up right now.

[ The robot just makes a comment along the lines of "step on me more," which does nothing to really quell her ire. ]

This one must have a few circuits loose. Can you hold it down while I undress it?

bless and ty for carrying this entire thread evy

[pyromance]

[ There is a lot happening at once. First of all, when Diluc sees the top in question he thinks he's looking at her undergarments (and while he would try not to stare, that would defeat the purpose of catching the culprit); second, she moves quick, sweeps her leg out in a way that can only be described as practiced, accurate, and potentially deadly were she of a mind to terminate her target, rather than simply incapacitate. (Which she seems to be deliberating, and he'll not interrupt her while she does.) ]

No need to ask.

[ Being a claymore user, he's used to hefting around slabs of metal, so holding down the machine poses little problem. —Naturally, there isn't just one of them. Another attendant rolls up to join in on the commotion, trying to make off with Diluc's reacquired clothes while he's momentarily distracted.

With a displeased grunt, he pushes it away with a foot. The movement renders the towel around his waist precariously loose. ]

If you decide to do more than undress it, I'll not say a word.

[ He's of a mind to straight up send these pests to the scrap heap, though he supposes the best course of action is to just grab their clothes and get the hell out of here. ]

oh you, you bridal-carried me too;

[omnistriker]

[ It's tempting really to try and kick the robot into the sun. She certainly wants to with the fight its putting up it surrendering her clothes, but Tifa doesn't want to destroy private spa property. Aside from the clothes-stealing, it's not as though her experience in there had been unpleasant, and she had enjoyed the relaxation while it lasted. ]

I'll be fine with just being able to walk out of here in something more than a towel, although... they are pretty feisty.

[ She grits her teeth a bit as she frees her top and skirt before paling at the sight of her nice underwear on its robot legs. Did they have to go that far?! Oh, she's going to have to wash all of this again, isn't she? ]

What do you even need to cover up?

[ Not that she expects the robot to answer. She's just exasperated, and the fact that they're going after Diluc's garments once more is icing on the shit-cake. She manages a glance over her shoulder after racing to claim her panties and hide them completely out of sight. That's another embarrassment she can live without. ]

How are you holding out, Diluc?

/////!!!

[pyromance]

[ He did not mean to see her underwear. He had just happened glance over the moment the robot flashed its panty-bearing leg. Though it is soon no longer a panty-bearing leg.

Diluc awkwardly clears his throat, fighting the weird pinch in his gut. He is not a child, and it isn't a big deal, just an errant scrap of fabric. (...He may or may not unintentionally conjure the memory of it at a later time...)

For now, he has far more pressing matters, like wrestling his clothes back from metallic menace #2. Which he does, with an exasperated noise that almost resembles a growl.

Spoken in monotone, ] Couldn't be better.

[ Outfit finally pried free, he gives the robot a hearty shove, sending it colliding into the other in a resounding clang of hard plating. ]

Let us take our leave, quickly.

[ Now for the timed escape portion of this stage!!! ]

[omnistriker]

[ With the battered robots left to lick their proverbial wounds, Tifa finally breathes out a sigh of relief. She didn't like the idea of walking out of here in a towel, jacket or no jacket. There is already an all too unpleasant breeze flying up across her legs that just makes her feel overly exposed. ]

I'll follow you out in just a sec. I ...well, I need to put all this on. I'll be quick, I promise.

[ Considering that there might be other robots lurking and waiting to take off with her clothes, she doesn't want to take her chances. Instead, she rushes behind the nearest curtain to pull everything on then squeezes what dampness she may have gotten on the jacket out. Or tries to. It doesn't quite work. ]

Would you mind if I gave this back in a few hours? I still feel bad I got it all wet.

[ And he probably doesn't want to be walking around in Tifa's bath water all day. what kind of weird person would be into that. evy would. yes evy would. Thankfully, it's clean bath water, but still... ]

Where can I find you later? I think there's a bar close by on the beach.

[ It's probably the closest to "home" she'll feel in the place for a while. Everything else is too tropical to remind her much of Sector 7, and she unfortunately never had a chance to venture out to anywhere nice like the Costa del Sol back home, though she's always wanted to. ]

[pyromance]

[ i would risk it all for tifa's bathwater While Tifa makes herself presentable, Diluc unceremoniously shrugs on his own clothes on the opposite side of the curtain, simultaneously guarding her privacy in case anyone decides to disturb her while she dresses. It's a good thing he's learned to dress quickly and efficiently—he barely manages to pull his vest over his head when he hears the rustle of the curtain parting behind him.

Being caught putting on clothes shouldn't be half as embarrassing as being seen in only a towel, and yet he feels another pang of unease, and promptly tugs the rest of his top over his midriff. (It's a bit rumpled, and his tie is undone. By his standards, he must look like a slovenly misfit.)

As for Tifa... He catches himself staring at her (yet again), and forces himself to blink away as quickly as he can manage, without drawing attention to the fact that he is doing so. (Her outfit is exactly nothing like he'd imagined, hugging her generous figure and accentuating her toned physique.)

...Has his brain been steamed for too long? This is ridiculous. His gaze drifts back to her face, and stubbornly stays there when she addresses him. (Focus, Diluc.)

Right. His jacket. ] You really needn't go so far, you know. But if you insist, I'll leave it in your care.

[ He won't try to argue with her sensibilities—if anything he appreciates the courtesy. Just because they've both been stranded on this lawless rock doesn't mean they should act uncivilized!!

As for the bar, ] ...I believe I know the one.

[ He pauses, because here the proper thing to do would be to offer to escort her back home (who knows what other island dangers are out there), but also he doesn't want to insinuate she isn't able to take care of herself, when it's obvious that she is. ]

If you have need of me before then, we can use these devices to get in touch.

[ He gestures to his bracelet, not at all realizing that his earnest offer could be easily interpreted as a booty call. ]

[omnistriker]

[ Ah yes, the devices. She keeps forgetting the bracelet is for communication, rendering her cell phone all but defunct. It's just another new fact she'll have to adjust herself towards, though she's collecting more information here than she knows what to do -and nothing really telling her anything about how she'd be able to get home again.

The sinking feeling she'd harbored upon her arrival on this island is back, but she's doing her best to ignore it. Focusing on better things. Drinks with a kind and handsome stranger. That's something more amenable than every other new event erupting around them, and Tifa could use a bit of a distraction at the moment. Anything to avoid thinking about all the familiar faces she's already starting to miss. ]

Good. I'll set up a meeting then, and you better answer. Don't go off the grid on me without warning.

[ She's had enough grief and stress trying to contact Cloud on multiple occasions. It'd be nice if she knew she wasn't sending messages out to the void more often. ]

Until then, will you be all right? Is there someone waiting for you?

[ She's trying not to make her prying too obvious, but she would feel awkward if she was inviting a married man out to drink. Not that she had anything but friendly intentions-!! But it might not seem that way to his partner, and she doesn't want to land him in trouble.

Although, if he were single... -nope, she's not going there. She hasn't given herself any leeway to hope in a long time, and she's not going to start now. They're veritable strangers on an island in another dimension. That's already a complicated start. Neither of them know when or if they'll return, and Tifa hasn't even given much thought to the A5 card of the super computer's demands. It's easier to simply pretend this is just a small vacation. That she'll eventually wake up tomorrow and be back inside the truck, trying to escape death. ]

[pyromance]

[ While Diluc may also be a broody warrior with an oversized sword and incredibly dry sense of humor, he is at least a public figure where he comes from, someone used to handling constant correspondences and making himself available in both a professional and personal capacity.

...He has no idea what a "grid" is, probably, given that Teyvat still runs on snailmail, but the gist of the Tifa's firm expectations are loud and clear. He appreciates her efficient and cordial candidness, and it shows through with another small smile. ]

I wouldn't dream of it.

[ The friendly attraction is mutual, even if Diluc has the propensity to hold himself from meaningful relationships with a ten-foot pole. But in this case... it couldn't hurt, could it? If he's to be stranded here for an indefinite period of time, then it would be prudent to seek pleasant company.

Also, he's so used to being identified as Mondstadt's Richest Bachelor that he forgets (again) his relationship status isn't common knowledge here. He blinks for a moment, not quite catching the full meaning of her words. ]

There isn't. I arrived here alone. Yourself?

[ (Arrived alone... with a metric tonne of baggage he chooses not to acknowledge... But at least it means he isn't about to inflict said baggage on an innocent bystander...)

Anyway, point is, he doesn't have anything that would get in the way of a round of drinks. ]

[omnistriker]

[ Who didn't come here with an overwhelming amount of metaphorical baggage? Tifa isn't even going to acknowledge hers in a public space, which is why she shakes her head, but the worry might still worm its way onto her features against her better wishes. Why had she woken up here alone when she'd been surrounded by the others just before opening her eyes on the island? ]

Somehow, they managed to only grab me. I'm not sure why, to be honest.

[ She doesn't think she's particularly fit for the requested tasks, considering what little experience she has in that area. Dating while running a bar and being an eco-terrorist is a tall order she's never given herself opportunity to fill, let alone even thinking about casual one-night stands. ]

I'd like to think it may have been random, but maybe...

[ Maybe it's a punishment for the things she'd done to get Jessie and the others killed. The plate in Sector 7- she knows she's far from innocent for that too, and this is probably what she deserves. But she's trying desperately not to let that thought sink in any further either. ]

I'm probably over-thinking it. I'll shoot you a message then. Do you have an account yet?

[ Does he even know what an account is? It's difficult to really place is acuity with technology, and the outfit doesn't tell her a lot about his world and time period. ]