lifeaftr | August Intro: You Think...You Wink...You Do A Double Blink...

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August Intro: You Think...You Wink...You Do A Double Blink...

INTRO LOG: AUGUST

Who: Everyone!
What: New souls arrive to the archipelago of LifeAftr.
When: August 3rd
Where: Ensō
Warnings: Mark as needed!

Part I: Get Wrekt
You rouse to a splash of sea salt drying on your skin. A haze of glass-white sand glitters in your vision, dappled by lush palms and thick, curling foliage that disappears into a jungle of deep jade. From behind, crackling wood and sawing rope groan from a mangled life raft ran ashore. A petering wash of tide over pebbled sand fills your ears as you struggle to gain your bearings in a vast portrait of tropical color…

No...no, no, that’s not precisely how this story starts.

Why don't we start over?

You rouse to a splash of sea salt, spraying across yourself and the wooden floor beneath you as it breaks across the edge of the platform. The light as it dances across the sea is blinding, dappling white spots across your vision as you slowly come back to consciousness and realize that - this is not where you last remember being.

The middle of the ocean is likely not a place most recall being at all. As you struggle to fully comprehend the new scenario in which you have found yourself, three things become quickly apparent. The raft you find yourself upon barely constitutes as something that should float, never mind a boat. In the distance, perhaps a few hours away at most, a large island beckons to you, a wide strip of beach surrounded by cliffs making it very clear where the most fortuitous of directions shall be.

Lastly, of course, you’re not alone. Hopefully your new companion(s) are just as keen to get ashore before nightfall as you, or voyaging together will not be the most positive experience. At your side you will find a knapsack, one to every member of your raft party, and upon inspecting its contents, you will discover any rewards you may have accrued - as well as a few other items to give you a fighting chance.

A note to those who participated in the Test Drive Meme: those threads, if all parties involved would like, can be game canon in the form of dream-like memories involving a place very much like this one, though the layout is considerably different.

Part II: Choose Your Own Adventure

By fortune (or misfortune, as it were), you eventually find your feet meeting sand, blessed shore to stagger upon as you shake off your newly found sea-legs. There are those that may find this place familiar, as though it appeared in a dream, though the expanse of shore certainly seems larger. The beach stretches off into the distance on both sides, curving around sharp ridges and cliffs, mist obscuring the view the farther along it goes.

So here you are. You’ve found land. Company. Supplies. The sun is now beginning to trek rather low upon the horizon…spending the night outside in such an unfamiliar land is unappealing at best and outright dangerous at the worst.

There is one silver lining in the midst of this mess. Directly ahead, the beach curves up a gentle slope until it meets forest, some manner of building visible through the trees. Further exploration of this area will reveal a dilapidated building of sorts; the architecture is indiscernible to even the most skilled eye. Despite looking as if it has seen better days, there are areas that offer some form of shelter...and who knows what else. Just because it appears uninhabited doesn’t mean you won’t wind up pleasantly, or unpleasantly, surprised.

So what shall you do from here, traveller? There is land to be explored, strangers to meet, friends to reunite with. Supplies to inspect and plenty of questions in need of being said aloud. Choose your path, make haste, and above all else: survive. And whatever you will, take heart.

Your story is about to begin anew.

Feeling a tad adrift? Make sure to check the Locations Page, which has details regarding the starting areas and a handy map for those who feel better with a bird's eye view!

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

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[At this rate, they'll owe him doubly. That will be...it's not unheard of, they concede at last. It is difficult to pay one back for saving their life, and they had never succeeded in doing so. They will have to be better about paying back their debts.]

[Hence, they will not release this one without first ensuring they have paid it back.]

[The Drifter finally nods.]

ok.
what is it?

[One of these days Guzma will really have to tell the Drifter he doesn't need to be repaid for what he does - he likes the little guy plenty, and he's not looking for collateral for just hanging around someone he likes. It's rare he finds someone he enjoys spending his time with, so truly, the company is payment enough.]

S'a coconut, bro. It's a hard fruit that's got water inside it, and the flesh on the inside is edible, too. Lotta uses for the fibers, too. Anyway, you hit the seam here after you shuck it - see? Then you can crack it open real easy. [Guzma points out the seam easily, and gives it a hearty whack with a small rock, which splits the coconut apart. A bit of the water leaks out, but most is salvaged, and Guzma hand one half to the drifter.] Dunno if y'all got a sweet tooth, but this'll quench ya good 'nough.

[Hm.]

[They'd been wondering if they'd have to slit the thing asunder with a hard light blade, given how sturdy it looked, but he pieces it apart without difficulty. They accept one half of the coconut and turn it this way and that in their hands without spilling the milk within.]

[They've not seen anything like it before, but his explanation is sound.]

you have others?

[Which is to say - is his generosity going to doom him to starve?]

[Guzma has already drank the sweet water inside the coconut, tempted to begin gnawing away at the meat as well. He could just use his knife to scrape or cut off chunks, but he'd much rather preserve the blade for a while. It's been pretty handy to have.]

Huh? Oh, yeah bro, island's probably chock full of 'em. Believe me, you'll find a whole bunch'a these things on an island like this, that's almost a guarantee. Probably a whole lotta bananas, too. [Man, if he could find some mangoes, though. +__+]

[They don't know your strange and foreign fruits, sir. The Drifter does not devour it just yet, instead weighing the contents in their hands and peering at it from all angles.]

[In actuality, they're trying to decide how to eat it without uncovering their face.]

bananas
?

Dang, you're really not from 'round here, are you? [Guzma assumed as much, but it's still bizarre to have to explain common fruits he's seen globally to someone. Lord, how does he even begin, uh... Looking up (there's your chance, Difter), Guzma hums and taps his feet on the sand.]

They're fruit - skin is a bright yellow when ripe, green when unripe. They're long and grow from trees with large, waxy leaves. Uh, what else...oh! Yeah! They grow in bunches, so there's never just one banana, y'all get a heck of a lot of 'em at once. Peel back the skin and the inside is edible and sweet. Real good for you, too.

Just, uh...stay away from the dark brown ones, them's no good anymore. [Unless they're plantains, but that's something totally different and to be discussed later.]

[Part of them gets the impression that they may need to take notes, just to compare the description of bananas to the description of any other fruit they may encounter on the island. The difference between that which is edible and that which is not is seldom obvious, particularly when one is in a foreign area.]

[And they are. Truly.]

all of this - unfamiliar.
water untainted.

Yikes, uh...well, I don't mind tagging along to help you out if you need it. I lived my whole life on island like this, yeah, so I can at least point out what's edible and what to avoid.

[It'd probably be a good idea - Guzma's concerned for Drifter's already frail health, though they look alright at the time being. What could happen, if they ate something that irritated their condition?]

Huh--water? You found fresh water here? I mean, the ocean water's clean, obviously...but I hope you know y'all can't drink that. [HE DOESN'T KNOWWWW.]

[Ah, they should have - they forget to clarify, at times, having grown used to not needing to be any more exact than was required of them. And divorced from the context of their home, it seems they can no longer be as vague as they're accustomed.]

[The Drifter adds, hastily.]

not poisoned.
but salty.

[So...no fresh water yet. Sorry.]

[Ah, okay, so then that means the poor Drifter actually took a swig of the sea water, or probably tried to sip from a tide pool or something, poor thing. Guzma sighs and shakes his head as he gnaws a piece of coconut, talking through bites like the filthy heathen he is.]

Ah, yeah...that'd be seawater - don't drink none'a that. Tastes foul and it'll actually dry you up faster'n a shriveled raisin. Real bad stuff. Best bet is to find a lake or some kinda river or stream somewhere...something we can all drink.

Or pray it rains here often. [And they can actually find something to collect that rainwater in.]

[The Drifter sets their half of the coconut down - possibly not hungry just yet, or possibly insisting that Guzma keep it for himself - and extends one hand, tipping it this way and that, gauging the heat versus the prayer for rain.]

[Humid, but no rain. Not even a breeze to cool the surroundings.]

no fresh water on the beaches.
trying ruins next.

By yourself?

[Guzma frowns. He really doesn't like the thought of them going out all on their own, though they do look in better health than when he first ran into them. Guzma looks out towards where he can see the top of the ruin in the distance, hooding his eyes with his palm to block out the sun. It's pretty far, and he's...never walked that far, nope, but the structure is probably the best bet for shelter and any sort of civilization.]

[A pause. Why shouldn't they? They've endured most troubles on their own, independent of anyone but for their fellow drifter. That is what a drifter's occupation entails, and they've not needed any companionship aside from that of the jackal that prowled before their path, illuminating the way.]

[But he does what so few do in the first place.]

[He asks.]

most drifters are.
why?

[It's none of his business, Guzma knows, and his self preservation still tries to tell him it's not his place to even care what the Drifter does - they're clearly used to this if they're looking at him like he grew a third eye - but...]

Tch! [Rubbing his neck, Guzma frowns, jutting out his lower jaw.] Guess that just don't sit right with me.

[Even young trainers have their pokemon partners to support them and keep them company, so going at it really and truly alone seems so... With a shakes of his head, and a casual shrug of his shoulders, Guzma snaps off another piece of coconut and chews on it with a mumble.] Y'all can do what you want, but thought I'd offer.

[I-IT'S NOT LIKE I CARE ABOUT YOU OR ANYTHING!!! B-BAKA!]

[He's offering?]

[He's offering to accompany them, when all sense would dictate he has nothing to gain from such. Does he? He...wouldn't have to. It's a completely unnecessary instinct, and they're not certain as to its etiology. The Drifter's head cocks slightly.]

offering to

come with me?

[Guzma scoffs, turning a bit pink around his cheeks and the tips of his ears. Really? Doe they have to bring it up like it's so darn strange? I mean, he certainly is a little concerned, sure, but Guzma also wants to scope out those ruins and maybe explore the path to them anyway. Maybe find some good tools and items in the forest that could be useful down the line, or food. Two heads are better than one, right?]

Tch! W-Well, s'better to go at it in a group, yeah? Dunno what y'all can run into in a place like this. And I wanted to go up to that there ruin anyway...

[It is not surprise that he would not want to travel with them; a drifter is hardly a desirable a companion, let alone a sickly, blue-skinned one. Out of courtesy, they lower their head in a solemn nod. Traveling by group is likely the wisest option - even if, in solitude, they risk far fewer lives.]

a group is safer.
any others?

[If only Guzma knew what was on the Drifter's mind, he would squash that thought immediately - it's false, and he's simply a stubborn fool who isn't used to showing his more compassionate side for fear of smearing the image he has made for himself. But the real truth is, he quite likes this lonely little Drifter; their company is enjoyable and they've been nothing but pleasant.

He cares, which is why Guzma tries so hard to pretend he doesn't.]

Dunno, but shouldn't be too much trouble going up to the ruins - least what I'm hoping for - and a big group can't travel none too good... You'n me oughta be fine. [And his pokemon, of course.]

[He's offering to travel with them - willingly. As though they're in any way what passes for an adequate companion in braving new and unkind lands. That will mark them further into his debt in turn...but given his response to the last time they mentioned that, it's doubtful he would take it well this time around either.]

[So their head dips once more, polite as ever.]

all right
c:

[Uuuughhh, they're so stinking cute!! Guzma huffs loudly, turning about face with his thumbs hooking through the beltloops of his pants, trying to hide how red in the face he was getting. He swiftly packs up his supplies, kicking the remnants of his coconut towards the sea - where the tide will surely take it eventually.]

Tch, you just--...j-just let me know if you ever need a breather, alright? C'mon, let's get going.

[To that, they have only one answer:]

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[Don't you worry none, Guzma - they'll be fine. And adventuring they both shall go!]

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August Intro: You Think...You Wink...You Do A Double Blink...

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