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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 |
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Rumbling an acknowledgement, he squeezes Xichen hard. The man can take it. He's halfway to immortality to start with. Being missed, though...
With a war in the way, he's missed Xichen in an abstract sense, but he saw him between battles, healthy and whole. Mingjue's barely been on the island long enough to do more than punch robots and find a dry mattress.
"Glad you still liked me enough at the end to miss me." It comes out quiet, without humor, because he knows what the sabre spirits do to their wielders, and if it got bad enough that he qi deviated, then...well. "I would never choose to leave if I had any choice."
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Sighing in pained chagrin, he shifts so he can rub a hand down Xichen's spine without letting go of him too much.
"I know you did your best. But it was going to happen eventually, regardless. There really was nothing you could have done except stave it off for a little while."
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"I should have played for you myself, but with Wangji's situation, I taught A-Yao the songs and he took my place. I didn't..." Xichen takes a slower breath, shakes his head.
"It doesn't matter now. You're here and that's more than I ever expected."
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He strokes down Xichen's back again, contemplative. "Because I am here. For no good reason, I'm sure." That's more of an existential question than he wants to tackle, though, so he adds, "I guess I will have to make sure you're not left alone."
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"And I'd like that. You're...someone I never wanted to lose, Mingjue-xiong."
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He brushed at Xichen's hair.
"At least sticking with you is something I can do. As soon as the rain lets up, or sometime in the morning, we'll go back to the Unclean Realm."
[Small OOC note: we're retconning the element of 'Nmj's just hanging out here in the apartments' and instead just having him get caught here by the rain after having been introduced to the UC by JGY.]
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"Your home is here? How?"
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He soaked in Xichen's warmth for moment, considering, then shook his head and let that be all he said about the boon request.
"But I guess I have rooms there, if no real furnishings."
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"...Have you learned anything else?"
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He cut himself off, because had he learned anything else? Yes. Yes he had. Was it anything that he wanted to bludgeon Xichen with when they were damp and cold and exhausted? No. No it wasn't.
So he simply said, "Yeah. A bunch of ridiculous shit that I have decided we're dealing with in the morning. Let's see if we can dry you off a little and get to bed. I'm not letting you go now that you've found me."
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In the morning, they'd return to the Unclean Realm, but until then, sleep.
~Fin~