TDM 002

[erkumods]

TDM 002: IF FOUND PLEASE RETURN TO

( 1 ) Around mid-morning, a message from the Augur appears on bracelets all across the city. "New organisms discovered. Domestication in progress." The wark of a chocobo rises up from the outskirts of the city. Several more join in, forming a charming chorus. And, strangely, this is when new arrivals begin to show up. Beamed in one at a time, scanned en masse, they are processed just as the first wave was. There's one major difference: whereas the old guard was given their bracelets and ushered into the City, the new folks are also given... collars. Buckled, snapped, or otherwise fastened around their necks, a variety of colorful collars with some rather unusual novelty pet tags. (These are just a few suggestions. The typical “If found, please return to ____” is also very much acceptable.) "You are new organisms. Domestication in progress. Compatible Eros energy will complete domestication." No matter how hard they try, characters cannot take the collars off by themselves. They need a partner's help - but not just anyone will do. It very well might be the first person they find, or it might take several tries. The robots grow bolder as the day grows on, targeting characters who aren't new, as well. "Y̶o̶u̴ ̸a̷r̸e̷ ̵o̵r̵g̶a̴n̷i̷s̶m̸s̶.̶ ̶D̷o̶m̴e̴s̶t̶i̶c̵a̸t̶i̸o̴n̸ ̷i̵n̸ ̴p̸r̶o̵g̷r̵e̷s̵s̷." Their antics die down by nightfall, but for the next day or two, the occasional malfunctioning 'bot may accost someone in the street, so stay on your toes! ( 2 ) An abandoned racetrack lights up the night. That's right: place your bets, folks, because these birds are about to run around a track while robots sell synthetic, overpriced aphro-popcorn. ...Did you say priced? That’s right! If you participated in the orgy earlier this month, you'll find you have a stash of credits accessible in your app. You've fucked money back into the world, so why not waste it? (Opportunities to earn credits will come up periodically and won't always be sexual in nature, so don't worry if your character wouldn't have any yet.) And if you don't have credits to bet with, why not get creative? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

[aeroll]

i'll meet you at the entrance to the racetracks

i'm the redhead

[smoulder]

Alright, I'll keep an eye out for you.

[ he'd give a similar descriptor for himself but he... doesn't really stand out that much. ]

[aeroll]

[ it's alright. reno can stand out for the both of them.

he's pretty hard to miss with bright red hair fashioned into a rattail and two red markings beneath his eyes, dressed in a suit that makes him look more like a sleazy thug than someone with a high paying job. he also has a noticeably pink collar on his neck.

that particular accessory wasn't one he would've chosen for himself. ]

great i'll see ya soon

[smoulder]

[ mako will consider himself lucky ones he sees that bright pink collar; his own is a boring brown leather thing with a silver tag that reads won't stop humping legs like it's some kind of shame sign than an actual dog tag, but whatever.

it takes him less than ten minutes to get to the racetrack, having already been wandering around before answer reno's text. when he spots the man, his brow will quirk up curiously at his appearance... but it's more over his opened shirt than the collar, given he's just accepted that the latter's just a thing now. ]

Hey... [ oh. he forgot to get the guy's name. ] Fruit bar?

[aeroll]

[ tell him about it. reno would have loved another color, preferably black or, heck, he'll even take red. just... the pink is embarrassing. but apparently it isn't embarrassing enough for him to button up his shirt to make it less visible to the naked eye.

it looks like he isn't the only one who's been collared though, so it makes him feel a little better. misery loves company.

when the brunet approaches, reno straightens from a perch against the wall of the stadium. ]

Yea! [ a grin spreads over his face. ] Fruit bar. [ huh. this mako guy doesn't look half bad. ] Thanks for the freebie.

[smoulder]

[ at the confirmation, mako reaches into his pocket to retrieve the fruit bar (a plain strawberry flavor, as advertised by the pink wrapping that funnily enough matches reno's collar). this he hands over to the other without hesitation. ]

I'd say try to make it last but... it's not really much to begin with.

[ he spares a moment to get a proper look at the racetrack behind reno, brow scrunching up in thought. ]

Have you been in yet?

[aeroll]

[ taking the bar from him, reno tears it open, taking a pretty happy bite of it. oh, wait. was he supposed to make it last? ]

I haven't eaten in hours. Don't think I can make this last even if I tried, yo. [ he gives his stomach a light pat. ] Need my sustenance.

[ he follows mako's gaze, offering a nonchalant shrug of his shoulder. ]

Yea, I wanted to see the chocobos. But I don't have any credits to place a bet. [ total bummer. he happens to be great at gambling. ]

[smoulder]

[ seeing how eagerly reno's chomping away at the simple fruit bar, mako is reassured that he definitely made the right choice in handing it over. but, that's a problem that's only temporarily solved... and one that will definitely crop up again later.

he steps a little closer to the entrance, sneaking a peek in. it's meant to be a casual look, but to be honest it's a hard look to accomplish when the line of his frown definitely makes it look like he's sizing up the place. ]

All they're selling is popcorn? Have you seen what happens to the people eating it?

[aeroll]

[ curious, ain't he? ]

Yea. Just popcorn. Fucking overpriced popcorn if ya ask me. [ with another unhelpful shrug of his shoulder, reno joins his side, looking at the mill of people within the racetrack. ]

Wanna go scope it out? [ may as well right? ]

[smoulder]

Yeah...

[ popcorn isn't exactly the more nutritious or filling food, but food is food. mako knows to take advantage of that whenever possible. ]

If it turns out the popcorn isn't tainted, we can get our hands on some to hand out.

[ man of the law though he may be, he's not above committing a few crimes to do some good.

besides, in a lawless place like this, what even are crimes? ]

After you.

[ he nudges the door open, gesturing for reno to enter first. ]

[aeroll]

[ is he suggesting what he thinks he's suggesting?

reno is 100% down for stealing untainted popcorn, yo! ]

I like the way you think. [ he points a finger at him before he walks through the door. ] What's your name? I'm Reno.

[smoulder]

[ look he's not proud of suggesting something like this..........





but also, fuck their robot overlords tbh. ]

Mako.

[ he comes up to stand beside reno as they enter, glancing around at their surroundings as they make their way towards the seats. ]

I say we lay low for now, keep an eye out for anyone eating the popcorn, see how things go... Then we take it from there.

[aeroll]

Fine by me.

[ it's a dog-eat-dog kinda world. don't sweat the small stuff, mako. what's a little illegal activity for the sake of the greater good? ]

I wanted to watch the race anyway. [ scanning the benches, he picks out a nice spot where they can get a decent view of their surroundings. he starts to climb the stairs toward it while he makes note of which individuals are lucky enough to afford the popcorn. ]

Let's hope no one springs a boner then.

[smoulder]

[ exactly. even anti-heroes are heroes, right? or something.

anyway, mako climbs after reno and lets out a muffled grunt at the other man's candor, feeling just a bit of heat rise up along his neck. absently, he tugs on the collar, suddenly very aware of its weight there. ]

Yeah... At least there are enough exits to make use of in case it gets weird.

[aeroll]

[ mako is just gonna have to get used to it. reno doesn't tend to hold shit back. ]

Get weird? [ stepping onto the designated row, he walks toward the available seats he picked out from below. ] You think people will get so horny they'll start fucking in the middle of a racetrack? [ he sounds more amused than he does incredulous. ]

[smoulder]

[ he follows easily enough, though their shift in conversation topic definitely has him moving a little more rigidly. ]

Considering that seems to be our captors' overall goal? I don't doubt for a second they'd lace the food with aphrodisiacs that strong.

[ once seated, he keeps his eyes on the crowd rather than the track, scanning for any currently munching on food. ]

[aeroll]

[ dropping down onto his own seat, reno stretches out his legs, crossing them at the ankles. ]

I guess we might be in for a show then. [ he doesn't sound put off by the idea. ] Anyone look like they're about to burst, yo? [ turquoise hues lazily sweep over the bottom rows, zeroing in on all the folks with popcorn in their hands. ]

[smoulder]

[ mako's lips twist slightly, very clearly put off by the idea, and he decides not to risk glancing over at reno lest his embarrassment manifest into an actual blush. instead he keeps his focus on the crowd, scanning the area for those who've got popcorn to munch on, watching for any kind of sign that they might be tainted.

minutes pass. the race starts. mako keeps quiet and focused, even as the people in the seats start to get worked up over the birds. ]

Huh. Looks like the popcorn's okay after a—

[ NOPE nope he spoke too soon. almost as soon as he says that, the person he'd been watching stuffs their hand into their pants. his eyes snap away, landing on reno. ]

Nevermind.

[aeroll]

[ honestly, once the race kicks off, reno's interest in the popcorn eaters dwindle significantly, most of his focus going to the giant birds bounding across the dusty tracks. it's only when mako speaks up that reno remembers they're supposed to be watching the people around them. looking over at him, his eyes widen ever so slightly at the sharp turn in direction the guy's observation has gone. ]

Wait, did you see sumthin'? [ turning his gaze to the rows below them, he picks out each person he'd identified earlier before he finally lands on the one that mako must be referring to. ] Oh shit, he's really going for it, ain't he? [ he leans forward in his seat to get a better look. ] But hey, [ he glances over at him. ] shouldn't we wait and see how the others do first? Maybe he's just a pervert.

[smoulder]

Oh... Right.

[ that could be it. who can say for sure it's the popcorn, when this place in general encourages lowered (or nonexistent) inhibitions? swallowing thickly, mako forces himself to look back into the crowd... though he does decide to watch others instead of that man. who is definitely going for it. ]

[aeroll]

[ poor guy doesn't seem too comfortable with any of this (even though it was his idea). he doesn't blame him though. never did reno think that one day he would be on a stakeout to see if people can get horny off of eating overpriced popcorn. ]

If you don't wanna look, then you can leave it to me, yo.