TDM 015: IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PARADISE

[erkumods]

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

Comments

[madjesty]

[ There's a breath of amusement, just a quick one, but it's not without some solidarity to it. Dimitri is more accustomed to it now, more familiar with the luxury of sunscreen, but harsh sunlight does seem to have an universal effect on Faerghans in particular, bless their freezing cold asses. ]

Ah, well, this lotion should be able to alleviate your sunburns. [ Another squeeze higher up on Felix's shoulders, then his hands start to make the trek down. ] But if that is not enough, there is also a bathhouse that we could try. It is supposed to help with minor injuries, after all.

[ His palm slides lower still, to the small of Felix's back-- another tension spot, as he's learned. And as he idly kneads the muscle in the area, Dimitri tries to come up with an alternative to Felix's obviously sour mood, help him feel more at ease with something more familiar. And since this is Felix, well... ]

After a good soak, we could even practice with our swords, if you would like.

[ Sparring, he means, not a different type of sword. ]

[bestswordmaster]

Mm. I've been to the bathhouse. You're right, it would probably work.

[Felix is a little too distracted to realize that he's reopened the door to asking about that wrestling match.

And then he's more distracted when Dimitri's hands roam lower down his back, until fingers slick with lotion are kneading into the place where skin meets the fabric of his absurdly small swimsuit. He doesn't know when this became an impromptu massage, but it feels incredible. He supposes he's been more tense since he arrived in this place than he even realized.

...but it's not just that. It also feels...intimate, which is not a word Felix would use to describe anything he's done in a long while. 'Intimate' is something they used to be, albeit in a different sense of the word, but Felix had mostly given up on ever being that close to Dimitri again in any capacity. He thought the gap between them was too wide.

Now it seems like the gap is closing rapidly and all at once, faster than Felix is ready for. Dimitri keeps saying 'we' - things that 'we' could do - as if it's already assumed they'll be spending the day together, and Felix doesn't think he minds. He doesn't think he'd mind if they spent that time this close to each other, either, with Dimitri's hands running over his body--

And that thought gets his face reddening further. What if he did want that? Well, so what? It's not like he hasn't thought of Dimitri that way before. And it seems like the king has become much more relaxed and comfortable with things like this here; Felix can't even imagine him doing anything like this massage back home at all, let alone suggesting it. Let alone with Felix.

But he can't just ask for something like that. He's pretty sure he would have to walk directly into the sea just to escape the humiliation no matter what the answer was. And what if it went far enough that--well, he's never done that before with anyone. He'd sort of thought he never would, and he thought he didn't care. With Dimitri's hands on him like this, he's starting to think he was wrong.

His attention snaps back to the king; he lifts his head to glance back.]

You want to spar with me? ...good.

[madjesty]

[ Continued here! ]