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TDM 015: IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PARADISE
| TDM 015: IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PARADISE |
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. Beach Episode Welcome to your beautiful and sunny island paradise, Erku! ...wait, it's sunny? That's right! For about two weeks, the Island will enjoy unusually warm and clear weather, just perfect for enjoying the cool waters of the beach. Don't swim out too far, however, lest you stray into hazardous choppy waters or get lost in the fog that still lingers beyond the peaceful cove. Just stay close, and you're golden! Once again, friendly robots have erected beachside food stalls for grilling fish and crabs, and encourage any enterprising Islanders to help hawk foods for credits. If gutting and cleaning fish isn't your forte, however, never fear. The robots are recruiting for a very important task! You see, they have very thoughtfully set up swimming and snorkeling lessons for any Islanders who are doubting their skills at staying afloat, or who just want to have some fun in the waves. There is only one complication: the robots are too heavy to swim. Enter, you! Earn credits by instructing your fellow Islanders in the marvels of the ocean. Not just swimming and snorkeling, but also fishing, clam digging, and sand castle art - among other things - are valuable skills you can sell. II. Sand Sport For the more competitive sort, the robots of Erku are happy to share a bit of culture from the planet's ancient past: wet sand wrestling! Volunteers (or any innocent Islander roped off the beach by an enthusiastic 'bot) don their skimpiest swimwear and duke it out for dominance in the wet sand by trying to throw their opponent outside of a ring. Knock-outs count as an automatic lose, so be careful! Oh, and no worries if you aren't particularly strong. Before the match, competitors are offered a a special drink - simply named "The Creamy" - an ancient recipe which is said to temporarily increase your strength and vitality. One shot of this, and anyone could take on Goliath! (And not just in a fight.) By the way… those who lose the competition are mysteriously compelled to accompany the victor for the day, waiting on them hand and foot, anticipating and fulfilling their needs before they are spoken. Did the 'bots forget to mention that? III. Graciously Given Gifts While swimming in the nude is completely acceptable on the Island, the robots know that many residents still (for some reason) value their modesty. That is why they are happy to encourage beachside revelry and communion by making sure scanty swimwear is readily available to Islanders who are in need of something to cover up with - while still showing off your assets, of course. Islanders may purchase for themselves, but they are especially encouraged to gift swimwear to their fellow Islanders... in fact, any swimwear to be given as a gift is free! Not only is it a lovely gesture to let a friend or lover know you appreciate their body, but also, swimwear received as a gift is said to be very good luck in wet sand wrestling competitions. Naturally, the robots are sensitive to the emotional needs of their organic charges, and thus they wouldn't want any new, recent, or less personable arrivals to the Island to feel left out for not receiving gifts. That's why some Islanders will find surprise swimsuits in pretty gift wrap sitting on their literal or metaphorical doorstep… addressed with love from a random Islander! With thoughtfully written messages included, of course, usually complimenting the recipient's figure in graphic and/or poetic terms. If you have any manners, surely you'll find these mystery admirers and thank them for the lovely gift! (If you're really a person of culture, maybe you'll even show it off for them.) N A V I G A T I O N |
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It's awkward to be mostly skin-to-skin like this, more awkward still to discover his arm twining around her waist with purpose, but none of that matters as long as she has the challenge in front of her. She has the span of about two heartbeats to realize what he means to do, and the truth is that she has very little experience with attempted headbutts. If she had her headpiece on it would be much riskier for him.
The hand that doesn't have his arm trapped rises to catch his chin and turn it aside but that doesn't stop their heads from striking off-center, breath pushing audibly past her lips. The impact halts her progress, forces her to blinkblinkblink, and she does the first thing to come to mind, given their entanglement: her knee hikes sharply into his crotch.
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Still, the fight's not over, and now that he's aware of what she's doing, he ought to be able to better ignore it. (...maybe. Turns out, the Adrestian Emperor shoving her leg between a man's thighs is pretty hard to ignore. But he's fought through worse distractions before. He can handle a little...incidental fondling.)
The headbutt doesn't go exactly as planned, but it still stops her in her tracks. Felix is already shifting his weight to follow up on it when he's suddenly flooded with pain so intense he hardly registers what happens at first, even as he cries out and practically collapses against her.
...of course, after a second it's excruciatingly obvious what happened, but that doesn't make it any better. Unless she bothers to catch him, he lurches forward onto his knees in the wet sand and tries not to vomit.
Belatedly, he realizes the fight still isn't over, although it soon will be if he doesn't do something about it. The best he can manage is to stagger halfway to his feet and lunge at her knees in a last-ditch attempt to knock her over.
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Yet even now Felix is stubborn. He does not quit. In that regard he makes her think just a bit of the far more boisterous Caspar.
His lunge makes her take two steps back, but she hooks her arms under his and while she may not have Blaiddyd strength she coaxes him more or less upright, walking him backward over the edge of the ring. She can't imagine that he wants her touching him at the moment -- if ever again -- and she's quick to separate once they cross.
The robot returning with ice for Felix advises them to immediately take a dip in the healing waters of the bathhouse to care for any injuries they may have, noting that the trolley or a nearby robothorse-drawn carriage can have them there in minutes.
She doesn't apologize but she does offer a confirmation, still suspecting that this Felix is not the same one she last saw. "The robots are not exaggerating. The water in the bathhouse is known to heal minor injuries. It will help."
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He accepts the ice without bothering to acknowledge the robot's presence at all, and he has no idea what a trolley is, but he does glance up at Edelgard.
What he means to say is something along the lines of 'fine, I don't need a babysitter, good match, bye.'
What he actually says is, "If that's what you want, consider it done." And then he pulls himself back to his feet, bringing the ice with him, and...waits.
"Well? Are you coming?"
...because apparently, if she isn't, then he's not going anywhere.
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It has been five years since she has been familiar with Felix in any capacity. At the Academy she frequently saw him training and always thought he seemed somewhat... surly, something that her limited experience with him here has enforced. (To be fair, he has typically looked irritated even before setting eyes upon her.) Even if she is the first from Fódlan he has managed to find here, it comes as a surprise to have him say something agreeable and look at her so expectantly.
Especially after getting kneed in his most delicate parts.
Try as she might to keep her surprise in check, she does hesitate for a half a moment... but escorting him to the bathhouse and making certain that he does not suffer needlessly seems reasonable.
"Of course. Let us take the metal horse."
In general her feelings on the metal golems are not particularly charitable, but the trolley potentially holds more people. If she was given a pack of ice to hold between her thighs she would feel more comfortable doing it with fewer eyes upon her.
It's just a short walk across the sun-warmed sand to the nearest horse-drawn wagon. She hops in first and holds one hand out to help him join her, in case he is still in pain.
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As they approach the carriage, he tries to speed up to get there first so that he can help her up into it, but he's too slow under the circumstances and he scowls in frustration. "This is supposed to be my job," he grumbles, but he is still in pain, so he does accept her help.
He sits - gingerly - facing her in the wagon and studies her for a moment. She looks relatively content, he thinks? Covered in sand, though - that's probably uncomfortable. With a faint grunt, he gets up again and shifts to sit beside her instead so he can hold the ice with one hand and use the other one to begin brushing sand off of her as best he can, beginning with her shoulder and arm.
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"Thank you, Felix, but that is..." Weirdly attentive of you? "...not necessary."
Between this and his insistence that he should've been the one helping her up, one might wonder if he is just that particular. This doesn't seem especially sexual, but she finds it difficult to believe this is normal.
"The trip will be a quick one," she assures him as the robot horse takes off. "Are you comfortable enough?"
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"Hmph. Do I look comfortable?" He really doesn't, the way he's holding himself as he sits. "Do you have a hairbrush? Otherwise I'll have to use my fingers." To brush the sand out of her hair, presumably.
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That much she can say with certainty.
"There are places in the bathhouse where we can rinse the sand away before we step into the bath." Not that she had really planned to stay. She thought this would be more along the lines of dropping him off, perhaps even helping him into the bath if he is that sore, but then politely taking her leave. "Sit back for a moment or two. It will be fine."
No, she really is fine - she doesn't need to sit forward.
"Tell me, Felix: have you just arrived today?"
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"I have."
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"Then you may not know that those of us here from Fódlan have not been fighting each other. When we can, we share information. Whether you think of yourself as a prisoner or a guest here--" She has always leaned toward the former herself. "--we clearly have larger problems than each other."
A short pause.
"Have you seen any of your friends yet?"
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"'Guest?' Please. Anyone who believes they're a guest here is naive at best." He shakes his head. "I haven't. Who else is here?"
And now he knows another of her needs: she needs information.
"As for information, I don't have much. Apparently, driving off the robots when I first arrived meant that I didn't get whatever excuse they use to justify bringing us here. But if you need more, I'll find whatever I can for you."
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It has only been recently that her outlook has truly adjusted somewhat, and not because she has stopped thinking of herself as trapped here. Over the past year she has been told more than once and by more than one person that she should do more to make herself happy, especially while she is free from responsibilities. Whether or not she ever stops thinking of herself as a prisoner here, there is more happiness to be had than she has allowed herself.
"Dimitri has been here nearly as long as I have. Ashe is also here. I share a building with Ferdinand and Constance von Nuvelle. Seteth and Flayn are here as well. Claude, Hilda, Mercedes, Annette, and Sylvain have all been here before, although I don't believe any of them are now." A short pause. "You have been here before, and I have met more than one Dorothea."
And somehow none of them were the Dorothea she knows.
That is quite a lot to take in, though, and some of it may surprise him. As the wagon slows, she can't help voicing her own surprise.
"I did not imagine that you would be so amenable, but I appreciate your willingness to help."
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Ashe, Seteth, Flayn...those make him feel a bit better. At least it's not just him, Dimitri, and a bunch of Black Eagles. He actually perks up when she says Annette and Sylvain have been here, but glances away in badly disguised disappointment when she says they're not here anymore.
And then he's blinking at her blankly. "What? What do you mean, I've been here before? Do you seriously believe I wouldn't remember that?" A pause. "What is 'more than one' Dorothea even supposed to mean?"
Her surprise prompts a bemused shrug from him. "It's not like I have a choice. You defeated me. ...definitively."