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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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Everything around her just melts away in his presence. Nothing else matters. Not the robots, the beach, or even the weird ears and tail he's sporting. The only thing that mattered in that moment was the feel of him close to her.
The wound is all but forgotten, her arms staying around his neck and her face buried in his chest. She didn't want to let go. Letting go would hurt too much.
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She doesn't protest, or pull away, or even say a word. But the state of her tells him why, and so he doesn't press her to talk. Only lifts her and carries her away. He knows how to get to the small cottage where he lives, though perhaps Koi Tower would be better for this. He still gets lost getting there, and it would take longer besides.
As it is, it takes a fair bit of time, but he doesn't even pause or complain, only rejoices in having her with him again. He doesn't ask if she remembers her previous time here. Even that doesn't matter.
Finally they reach the cottage and he opens the door with a bit of effort to avoid jostling her too much, and carries her straight to his bedroom, where he sits and finally sets her down on his lap. His tail drapes over her legs and he lifts a hand up to her cheek.
"I'm here, A-Li. We're alive here." Maybe he should have been telling her that along the walk, but he hadn't thought to before!
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She vaguely notices the cottage and once they're inside, merely leans against him once he's sitting down, and she's in his lap. The tail that drapes over her legs is new. New to the point that she reaches down and brushes shaky fingers over it.
Leaning into that touch, she looks up at him," How... You weren't." Alive where she just came from.
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Zixuan's cheeks pink a little at the touch to his tail, but he only tightens the arm still around her waist. His other hand traces over her beloved face.
"I was. Before I came here, I was brought to another world right after. I was...am, possessed by a friendly spirit. It's why I have these ears and tail. I call him Kujaku. He won't harm you." Now he knows for certain she doesn't remember.
"Then I was brought here, a few months ago."
He rests their foreheads together with another sigh, eyes closing very briefly before reopening - no. He doesn't want to look away from her for even a moment if he can avoid it.
"A-Li..." ok so maybe he's saying her precious nickname more than necessary. He's missed her fiercely! "Your wound needs to be tended. I can do that while answering more of your questions."
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No matter what or who Kujaku was, she wasn't worried about being harmed. Even if it was weird to think about her husband being possessed by a spirit, friendly or other wise. Had her little brother ever dealt with such a thing?
She closes her eyes before opening them and giving him a soft, albeit weak, smile," Okay." Her voice comes out soft as she tries to take in everything that was going on. "Where are we exactly?"
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"No one I've spoken to knows the name of this island, or the city. Just that we're all brought here by, what the auger calls, glitches. The world is called Erku though, and we're supposed to bring life back to it."
He soaks some bandages in medicinal herbs before binding her wound and resettling her clothes in place. Mourning robes, he notes.
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"So the world has a name but the city nor island do?" She's not, however, entirely sure what exactly glitches are, but she's bound to find out eventually.
She leans into him a bit once her wound is bound and something occurs to her," How exactly are we supposed to bring life back to it? Or does that have something to do with this thing on my wrist?"