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TDM 013: BARING IT ALL
| TDM 013: BARING IT ALL |
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. THROW IN A TOWEL? Erku's new arrivals may be encouraged to seek out the Laid Bare Massage & Spa for some specialized attention and relaxation, but they and long-time inhabitants will also be offered a chance to earn credits. Anyone interested in earning robot wages will be tasked with being the resident towel person! You’ll stand inside of the room while the patrons are receiving their massages, hot scrubs, or relaxing in one of the saunas holding towels for them should any be requested. Or you may be asked to help with the regular cleaning of the Spa, wiping down all of the tasteful nude statues to free them of the grime and filth (or… other things) that builds up over time. You might even be asked to help lovingly clean the murals of nude patrons (that is to say, fellow Islanders) all over the Spa. But this is a job that requires a very specific uniform. Robots will provide you with your very own chiton or toga. The chitons happen to be very short, not covering nearly as much as they reveal, but the togas might be entirely too long. They brush or drag along the floor and what with being barely held together with the thinnest and most fanciful of ropes, who knows how often they might be untucked? Take care, please, or else the robots might pull you into being the next model for their latest mural portrait instead. II. GRIN AND BARE IT Erku’s resident mental health professional, Dr. D. Love of Healthy Body, Healthy Mind Therapy Center, has taken a keen interest in ensuring that the relationships of you Islanders are progressing in a productive, healthy, and open-minded fashion. And to ensure this, he’s tasked his robot staff to pay close attention to anyone who looks like they are having trouble with relationships with other people on the Island. And after months of so few (none) clients, these robots are very motivated to seek out people in need of their therapeutic assistance! Arguing with a friend? Telling someone to stay out of your life? Being a hermit who refuses to come out of your apartment? Accidentally bump into each other on the street? Make a joke at your friend’s expense? Playfully punch someone in the shoulder? Walk by someone you don’t know and not tell them hello? Well clearly all of you need help in repairing whatever may be damaging your relationships! Before you know it, you’ve been bundled off by the robots right to Dr. D. Love’s office and sat down to talk it all out. The fact that you may not even know the other person the robots think you need to work your troubles out with doesn’t matter. Dr. D. Love is here to make sure everyone goes home happy and satisfied. You may have to play along with this confusing farcical situation, even making up wrongs and slights you claim you have done to one another before finally coming together in reconciliation. The more you deny there is anything wrong, the more the good Doctor will insist you need even more help than they first thought. They might even have to send you into one of their Privacy Rooms and work out your frustrations with each other with their wide array of therapeutic sexual devices and supplies. III. BARE NAKED AMUSEMENT TOUR The trolley is making its rounds as usual with announcements echoing from the loudspeakers that it’s Bare It All Week at Six Flagellants Amusement Park and to kick it off there will be a grand concert at the Loudinus Outdoor Amphitheater that lasts all week long! Not sure what that means? Well, come to the concert and enjoy hours and hours of music played by robots who seem to have taken their songs right from the pop rock crazes of old. Whose old? Who knows. The music may not be completely to your taste, but something about it may make you feel energized and overly dressed. You might even feel the need to strip down until you’re not wearing anything at all! But don’t worry, the robots performing on stage will give you new clothes to wear by throwing skimpy, sexy underwear and lingerie right at you! How did they know your size? Don’t ask questions, just give into the urge to put it on while you rock out until it’s time for the trolley to take everyone right to the gates of the amusement park! Anyone dressed in less for this week will receive free entry, rides, and food and might even receive special prizes at various booths of sex toys, candies that act as an aphrodisiac (meant for sharing of course), stuffed animals, or even a free sex doll! Those are super hard to win from the ring toss, so you should really take advantage and enjoy all the perks of baring yourself for everyone’s viewing pleasure. N A V I G A T I O N |
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The island was an adjustment for a lot of people. Even Shaun had a hard day or two in the beginning. He was simply better at adjusting than some people. He was also very happy with how things had turned out for him.
"Why don't you have a seat while I take care of things?" He even pulled out a chair at the table for her.
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"Thank you," she said quietly, taking the offered seat, watching him as he got the tea ready.
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"You're very welcome, my dear. You know you can always count on me for the best service. No matter the time or place or situation." She had looked after so many for so long it was time someone looked after her for a moment.
When the tea finished he brought it to the table, poured her a mug and then added a generous splash of whiskey. "Drink up."
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She took the mug gratefully, and after a long drink made a happy noise. "Oh, this is perfect. I needed this, Shaun, thank you." And then, tentatively: "How are you?"
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He was building up to reclaim them all at once but that plan was just details at this point. If she asked for details he'd be happy to give them.
"I've rather enjoyed meeting this group from Wildmount. They're very much a young Vox Machina with less charm." He smiled fondly at her. "And... there's Vax. So, I've been very happy."
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"Less charming than us when we first met? I'm skeptical." She giggled, and then when he mentioned Vax, she stared down into her drink, taking a big mouthful--maybe too big, but that was okay, where did she have to go. "Vax," she said, almost inaudibly, and then: "I...I know. I'm...that's...it's good. Yes. It's good. He's happy, and you're happy." There. That wasn't so hard.
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He imagined it would take maybe another month or so to actually manage it. Shaun wasn't trying to rush through it.
Her response was somewhat expected. This had to be hard when Vax was hers and hers alone for so long. His smile is soft. "You could be happy with him too, you know. But that's a conversation for you two."
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On the topic of Vax, though, she offered what she hoped was a warm smile, even though she just wanted to burst into tears again. "It's not you," she explained, when the tears started to roll down her cheeks. "It's just, I don't, you wouldn't, never mind, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Shaun."
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He sat forward and gently took her hand in his. He held it loosely so she could pull away if she didn't want the contact. "You don't have to apologize. I know how much you love him. I know how much it hurt to lose him. And how overwhelming this is. I felt it too. Let it out. It's okay."
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When he took her hand, she didn't flinch away, and in fact, gave it a little squeeze. She let herself cry for a little while longer before finally, quietly speaking. "I don't mean to be selfish, Shaun. I know in my heart that if Vax wants to I could s-share with you." It's everything else. "...can I tell you something?"
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"I think he would want to have us both." Vax had mentioned it a time or two. Shaun wasn't against the idea either. Keyleth was one of the people Vax loved most in the world. He hoped this time they could share.
"You can tell me whatever you want, my dear. I'll listen."
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"But I promise you. I swear to you... you will not lose him." He squeezed her hand tightly. "No matter how many lovers he has, he will love you. I was terrified at first thinking he'd choose someone else and leave me but I've come to realize that won't happen. What I give him he can get from no one else. The love you give him, he can't get from anyone else. This place takes a lot of trust but it's worth it. This second chance is worth it."
Now, he assumed that's what scared her. It had scared him. Why wouldn't it scare the other person that loved Vax the same as he did? If he was wrong about why she was crying... well, he'd feel a bit foolish but the words were worth saying anyway.
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"I thought I'd wished myself dead so we could be together," she said after a moment, feeling somewhat stupid. "thank you, Shaun."
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"You're very welcome, dear." He snapped his fingers to presdigitiated her tears dry. He still had some magic. "Feel free to ask me anything about being here and being with him. How we've managed this. Or tell me any fears. I'm here for you."
And for Vax and all of Vox that shows up as he's always been.