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TDM 012: SLINGING IN THE RAIN
| TDM 012: SLINGING IN THE RAIN |
00. Arrival 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. If you don’t manage to get away from them quickly enough, they may even usher you toward the Laid Bare Spa, where new arrivals will be offered free massages, a sauna, hairstyling, and their clothing may come up permanently missing. But you will be given a complimentary towel to leave with if needed! Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see beyond what arrivals before you have helped to rebuild. 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 place to live in the now, whether a rundown apartment in the City, a tent on the beach, a bed in the barracks, or your own space at the House of Worship. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home. I. THUNDERBOLTS AND LIGHTNING Erku's new arrivals may not be the only residents left dripping wet. Although the weather on the Island is almost always dreary, clouds begin to multiply and darken over the days before that first arrival, turning ominous shades of purple and blue which may look familiar to Islanders who have been around since Erku's beginnings. Perhaps robots will advise Islanders to fortify their shelters and get ready to accept refugees, and they hope their charges take the warnings to heart! When the rain finally falls, it is a non-stop torrent. Even though the weather is warm, the rain itself chills to the bone. Shacks and beach tents won't stand up to the downpour for long, and the shabby apartments may leak and flood. New arrivals who aren't handy enough to make quick repairs may be forced to take shelter in the homes of current Island residents, or else huddle together in the 12 rooms of the barracks for the full week that rain falls on the Island. Cats, dogs, and little dragons will also be begging Islanders for a warm place to stay! Beware of lightning strikes, too, because the skies rumble with thunder throughout the storm. Buildings and residences are frequently damaged by strikes. They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and that's very true on Erku - Islanders who are struck by the lightning might find themselves temporarily blessed with god-like super strength. Such power might not always be a good thing for those who aren't used to wielding it, so please be careful not to damage your friends or property! Islanders may choose to keep their new powers, but a bingo square can be used to wish them away. II. A TASTE OF ERKU In need of shelter and credits? Then the robots have a task for you! Erku's robot population has taken note of how much Islanders seem to love the humble potato, and they want to contribute! Ready as always to please, the robots have filled the hospital cafeteria with mountains of potatoes in every imaginable variety and color: russet, red, gold, purple, chartreuse, sweet, savory, spicy, and so many more! But wait, there's more: they have provided knives, cutting boards, and peelers too, and are eager to see Islanders work their magic in their open cafeteria kitchen! Robots will monitor every dish produced, as they are eager to improve their food replication repertoire. No worries if you aren't culinarily skilled, however. Islanders will be rewarded in credits for whatever they can contribute, whether it's a gourmet meal or simply a basket of peeled potatoes. Robot-provided potato preparations are also freely available to snack on while you work, though as always, they're liable to be spiked with something to encourage Islanders to get more "friendly" with one another. Of particular note is an invention the 'bots are quite proud of, sure to delight your organic tastebuds: the potato cocktail, which packs quite a punch and - strangely enough - tastes just like a hearty steak dinner? III. NOSTALGIA FOODS Seeking a bit of refuge and some comforting food to warm you up? Signs and flyers are out informing residents of the Straight From Home Special going on right now at the Flashbang diner! Come In For All The House Favorites! For the next few days anyone can walk in and receive a free meal (or two if you’re really nice) from the robot cooks behind the counter! And it just so happens that they know exactly what you want. You will be served a meal of your favorite foods from home just the way you like them. Did you tell them? No. How did they know? Don’t bother asking, they’ll just say that the Cook Always Knows. The robot waitresses will make sure your drinks are topped up and you have everything you need, just like any hometown diner or pub you may have heard of. Eating any of the foods will bring out such nostalgia. Feelings of fondness, sadness, longing, anything when you think about the memories of your past and even of recent events. You won’t be able to stop yourself from sharing those thoughts and feelings with those around you. You’ll want to talk about your life, your opinions on the weather, the sex you just had last night and in great detail. The waitresses are listening and so is everyone else nearby. When you leave the diner you might just have to keep on sharing your thoughts about anything that comes to mind. Walk by someone you think is attractive? You’ll have to tell them. Don’t like someone’s outfit? Definitely have to tell them. Suddenly remembering having sex on the beach? Maybe the person next to you on the trolley won’t mind hearing all about it! The effects of the nostalgia will last for half a day or until the completion of an auspicious act. N A V I G A T I O N |
Wei Wuxian | Mo Dao Zu Shi
His last memory before crawling onto the sand, his body slower to respond than he'd like, hair plastered to his clothing, which was also soaked, was of Wen Qing's face, her words resounding in his head and his fingers dug into the dirt, his eyes closing for a moment as he fought for control. Because he wasn't anywhere familiar and if he lost control now, there was nobody to pull him back.
Not that there had been at Qiongqi path and that... He couldn't think about that. Not here and not now. Getting to his feet takes more effort than he'd expected, his fingers reaching up to pull the needle from his skin. And that does help, at least to get him moving. Cold is a familiar feeling, Wei Wuxian moving from the beach into the town, water soaking him and him barely reacting as he moves, almost automatically. At least until he hears a sound.
A very familiar and very unwelcome sound that has him lifting his head to wipe his face, gaze settling on a dog some distance away and that's when he turns, feet pounding the ground, finding the first person he can hide behind, a Chihuahua hot on his heels.
"Save me!"
[ooc: willing to write other prompts if asked. PM for plotting. ]
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He was shivering and trying to make his way back home from his job at the cafe on foot since flying was not an option for him today. He walked fast, thinking about the large fire he will light when he got to the rooms that Master Shen gave him in the Unclean Realm.
He made an alarmed noise, being caught up in his own thoughts as a red and black blur moved past him and used him as a sad shield.
"What?"
He started before his eyes fell on the chihuahua. Ahhh poor thing is soaked. He leaned down to scoop it up gently.
"Is everything alright?"
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And if he looks once he's rid of the dog, he'll find Wei Wuxian somewhere down the road, under an awning of some sort, shivering and looking a bit wild-eyed.
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With a small laugh, he signaled it over, giving it a few affectionate pets when it came bounding up. It looked wet and miserable.
He placed the chihuahua in one of the buildings, after going to retrieve some food that he had brought back from work and water for them. They looked settled and happy to be out of the rain. He will come back to check in on them later in the day and if they had no owners, perhaps bring them back home with him. He gave the creatures a few affectionate pets.
"I'll be back soon. I should check in on the human as well. Stay here and be good." He told them before heading back out in the rain.
..."Wei Wuxian?" His body was his old one before the siege and not Mo Xuanyu's body. He was sure he looked ridiculous as well, in his long maid dress of a work uniform. The only thing that marked him as a cultivator was the Jin vermillion mark between his brows and Hensheng on his waist.
"The dogs are gone, it should be safe now."
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But he does peer down the street, both ways just to be sure before his attention returns to the man in front of him, brow furrowing at the stranger using his name. The mark at least is familiar and...not a welcome one, his hand closing around his flute reflexively.
"...I should go, then. Thank you for your help." And he does at least have the presence of mind to offer a bow before moving to walk away.
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"And where are you going to go? In the rain to meet more dogs?" he gave a deep sigh. "There's not that many cultivators here. It's a small community and I wouldn't have survived if they didn't help me.
If you want I can bring you somewhere warm and dog-free." He was in a new life now, he wanted to do better this time when he wasn't running on fear and a bad sense of self-preservation.
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"I think it would be better if I found my own shelter. I doubt anyone here would want to acknowledge my existence, much less approach me willingly." Which is more or less what he was used to, at this point.
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"However, if you do need something master Wei, you may contact me on the network under the username 'Lianfang-zun'. It's the little magical box on your wrist."
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Best not to risk it, at least not until he's had some time to figure out what's really going on.
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"Here, sir! You can bring your dog too."
He doubts most anyone outside in this weather is looking for the entertainment expected of this sort of venue. Most likely everyone just wants to get somewhere dry! Still, today he wears the uniform expected of this place, just like the owner before him had.
Though at a glance, he can make a guess from the long, loose hair and robes that this is a cultivator he hasn't seen on the island before...
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"Why are there so many dogs?!" And somehow seemingly attuned to find him which is not good for his sanity, especially with everything else.
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Xiao Xingchen blinks as he watches the man slump against the door. Before he can say anything along the lines of 'you left your dog outside!' he manages to put the pieces together, letting out an 'oh'. He feels a sting of guilt for the dog outside that scratches on the door, but it loses interest soon enough and hurries off to join other dogs passing by. Perhaps chasing after another person?
At least it lets Xiao Xingchen turn his attention to the soaked man, as holds out his hand for him to take, should he need it. As much as he's curious who this is, that's far from his business and he won't pry.
"Come take a seat and I'll pour you some tea. We'll have to get you dried off, too..."
The cafe might not have a direct source of heat to huddle by, but he will make the most of what he can right to help.
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"Maybe something to dry off with first before I try to sit?"
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In a flash, he turns to go rifle through a lower drawer behind the counter - forgetting how high the skirt rides up when reaching down - before carrying out every fluffy towel he has on hand.
"Here we are. Use as many as you need."
There are very many thick towels, Xiao Xingchen barely able to hold them all in his arms. They could probably wrap entirely around the man.
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Someone else might have been startled, or instantly taking a defensive stance to look for the danger, but Shen Qingqiu was rather good at looking calm at all times, even if inside he was racing to try and figure out what the hell was going on? He only saw a tiny dog. It couldn't be the tiny dog. Could it?
...
Well, he's seen dumber things.
"Stop!" He spoke out in his most authorative teacher's voice dramatically pointing his fan at the dog, and either through proper commands, or just being sudden and startling, the dog stopped in it's tracks.