lifeaftr | May Adventure: I Want to Go Where Everyone Goes

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May Adventure: I Want to Go Where Everyone Goes

NEW ISLAND: IO

Who: Everyone!
What: Io appears!
When: May 10th and onward
Where: Io
Warnings: The possibility of drug use and alcohol may come up. Otherwise, tag as you go!

Things Are Shaping Up to Be Pretty Odd
As of May 10th, the mana pools on Ensō and its islets will now allow for travel to Io. Though you could always opt for sailing, if you wanted. As we mentioned on the island's introductory post, no exploration is necessary! The island is small enough and easily traversed, and with a minimum of dangers, you have plenty of time to visit each of Io's six draws.

The temple is the easiest place to get in touch with the local avatar, though you can contact them just as easily by striking up a conversation with just about any honeybee you see in the vicinity. The lazy drone of them can be heard all over the island, though they're quite complacent, and not at all prone to disturbing adventurers. The temple itself is twined with grapevines and smothered with inlays of rubies, proud and sparkling. Inside, it smells of honey and wine, and seems to exhibit a naturally contented glow. Just outside, numerous fruit trees sprout all about the temple's courtyard, to be sampled at your leisure.

The bathhouses are located just south of the temple, and are prime locations for some rest and relaxation. Bathe, swim, take a spa day! There are innumerable rooms to do exactly that, and more space than be reasonably filled by some sixty-or-seventy people.

Or maybe you're interested in getting absolutely sloshed instead. The vineyard is perfect for that, located to Io's northeast on one of its long, tapering peninsulas. Rows upon rows of grapevines lead up to the crown jewel of the region: a proud winery with enough goods to satisfy even the most parched.

For those less keen on mind-altering substances, the tea gardens are a far safer bet. They practically emanate tranquility, with their soft paper lanterns, thickets of tea trees, and a tea room with a seemingly endless supply of every supplement to your drink that you could ask for. And if none of the teabags or tea leaves in there suit your preference, you're free to wander about the gardens yourself and sample whatever you like.

The Honeycomb at the island's heart is much more akin to a play structure or jungle gym than anything else, but its interlocking passageways and erratic, hexagonal architecture aren't for nothing. It's an ideal spot for play or exercise, if you're into that kind of thing - or for getting positively sick on honey sticks.

The campsites ensure that you don't truly have to depart from Io, if you don't want to. Tents full of chairs and cushions and blankets make it a wonderful place to spend the night if you're so inclined, and the lockers full of food and drink are assurances that you won't go hungry. And with all these massive bonfires and firework cannons, why would you ever want to leave?

Welcome to the island of Io! Please, enjoy your stay and make full use of this island's many faculties! For further information in regards to the island, or plotting, the following links may prove handy:

[ ♆ ] OOC info and introductory post
[ ♆ ] Io on the Locations page

LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, that's what I said.

[The words are wry as he raises his mug to his lips.]

Look, I might not be able to fix your problem. I don't know anyone who could. Literally the least I can do is listen, if you need that.

[Listen. Asgore's lips quirk bitterly for a moment. He needs to stop that yearning for someone to listen. Things seem to spill out of him too much lately, at inappropriate times and to inappropriate people.]

I - you do not need to be so kind.

[Tim is close to Chara and Frisk. He must know that Asgore is the last person whose needs ought to be considered.]

Sure, no one needs to be nice. Maybe I just feel like being less of a dick than usual.

[He's trying, anyway. It's a good skill for someone who's running Denny to have. He's gruff, blunt, socially graceless, prone to stumbling over his words and not knowing what to say. But he might as well try and be a little better.]

Come now, you have never been rude to me! You should be kinder to yourself as well.

[man we like just missed getting Asgore to say the word "dick"]

[Oh, no, he knows he doesn't deserve that either. But he's not about to dismiss that outright.]

I'm not good at this, is my point. This whole...talking...thing.

That is alright. I rather suspect I am not, either.

[A king ought to be, he thinks. He guesses he gives pre-written speeches adequately. But, like most things, when left to his own devices he always manages to say something wrong.]

You're fine. When was the last time someone just sat and listened to you, anyway?

[Is he ever gonna just talk about his own feelings without any prompting whatsoever? Tim would put money on the answer there being no.]

...we would talk often in Beacon. Of a great many things. Secrets, regrets...they were all tools that could be used against us. Eventually it just seemed better to have it all out in the open.

[And it had been. For him, at least. Maybe that's what he's missing?]

Besides, we all lost memories upon arriving. I could not have hidden what I was remembering from anyone. [You don't just remember things like that and go on like before. He'd hidden away, but in such close quarters everyone still noticed. Somebody always came.] But that was a unique situation.

[And that was how many years ago, now?]

Not that memories always stick around anyway. I mean - last month, yeah? [Boy, he doesn't wanna think about that at all. Why did he bring that up?]

Yes...

[He thought we weren't talking about that. There's a lot he feels bad for not following up on appropriately...but he was only a child himself. Bringing Tim home to his parents was the best thing he could think to do.]

I do apologize for causing you distress.

It wasn't on you. I was an easily..."distressed" kid.

[A shrug, offhand, like this could be easily dismissed. It can't, really, because he was entirely too forthcoming with some things that he shouldn't have been.]

[Can't be helped now.]

Nonetheless...

[Asgore doesn't seem quite so comfortable with dismissing it, but it's too late to do anything else now. And as for the rest of it...]

If you would prefer not to discuss it, I understand. I think many people feel that way. [He's fine, for his part; his child self didn't have any secrets to reveal. Probably never gonna talk to Toriel about their encounters though!]

There's not much to talk about.

[That's a lie, of course, but he's never in any hurry to talk about himself. Why crack open that heavy door, pry open that safe, when all that's inside is a long list of things that no one should have to contend with? He couldn't handle it. Why would he expect anyone else to?]

[He's a liar. He's a liar he's a liar he's a liar.]

Not really.

[Asgore just frowns. It seems wrong to just let that pass as if nothing ever happened - but then, there are plenty of things which he does not want to discuss, either.]

If you are sure. I am always around if you ever change your mind.

Hey, same to you. Not like I'm a registered therapist or anything, but I guess I'm an all right listener.

[When he's not bulling off trying to make things better, anyway. When he's not fucking things up by trying to make them better.]

Of course.

[Asgore smiles wryly, looking down at his teacup. Neither of them is very well off, are they? He hopes Tim is doing better overall than he himself feels sometimes.]

I know...I know they have only recently come back. But are the children doing well?

About as well as they can. I think they're still adjusting. To...Toriel. And everything.

[That's about as honest as he can get. They're "well" in that they're relatively healthy and surviving on a day to day basis, but as far as the edge they operate on - the only people who can walk them away from that are the kids themselves.]

I imagine having her here will be quite an adjustment.

[He doesn't really count as a parent anymore. Toriel will be around; she'll be there for them, because neither of them has any reason to fear her. They should have had her from the beginning. What has his presence ever been except upsetting?]

But Toriel is a good mother. I'm sure it will be good for them to have her around, once everything is more settled.

We'll agree to disagree on that.

[She has the nurturing thing down, sure, but...well. What's he know about parenting, anyway? He's not really any good at it, and it's not like he's ever had any examples to look up to. He could be completely off the mark.]

[Maybe she's a fantastic mother. Who knows.]

[Asgore blinks and glances up at Tim.]

Why do you say that?

[And that feels too argumentative already, definitely an overstep. He can't think of any reason Tim would dislike Toriel when he seems perfectly happy to sit here and talk to him - though Asgore has kept his distance from the children. Maybe he considers that enough.]

Ah, forgive me. That is not...nevermind.

[There's no way to get into that without bringing up the fact that Tim knows more than he should. About either of them. So he just shrugs, uncomfortably, looking away.]

She's just...she's not my mom, you know? Sometimes she acts like it, and I don't...

[He can't put into words why it makes him uncomfortable. It's not like his mom was ever around anyway. Maybe that's why.]

[Well, Asgore now has enough context about Tim's mother to make some unfortunate connections.]

I see.

[He looks away, uneasy. He could never say anything against Toriel, but...well, she does tend to mother people. That's not generally a negative thing to say, right? Just sometimes...maybe it isn't always for the best.

He wants to try and smooth it over on her behalf, but nothing he can think of to say seems quite right. Does he believe she'd back off if Tim asked? Of course. But he doesn't want to act like Tim is at fault here, either. Certainly he should not have to broach his past with anyone at all, if he does not want to.]

I'm sorry that has been your experience. I would...offer to say something to her, but I rather doubt that would improve things. [An association with Asgore is definitely not what Tim needs there.]

It's fine. It's not your problem. It's mine. If it comes up, I'll deal with it.

[He's dealt with her - abrasively thus far. Coldly. He's not the best at this. He's an asshole, plain and simple, and always has been. It's no wonder if she doesn't think very highly of him. No fucking wonder at all.]

I mean, if you...want to talk about it, you know, is it weird with you both being here?

It... [Asgore hesitates for a moment.] ...I had not thought I would ever see her again. I was well-aware of her opinion of me, but...

[Had he hoped she might forgive him now, over a hundred years and six dead children later? Of course not. Maybe he did once, but he gave up on that particular fantasy two years ago. That doesn't make it any less painful to be constantly reminded of everything that lays between them.]

Well. Of course she's correct, but it is much more difficult to stay out of her way here. These islands are even smaller than the Underground, when you consider the parts we have settled.

[He's taken to avoiding public places more, not wanting to run into Toriel and spoil both their days. There's plenty of gardening to do at home anyway, it's...fine. It's all the consequences of his own sins; there's nothing for him to do but deal with them.]

You're really just okay with that? Just...staying out of her way forever?

[He has his misgivings but - hey. He's not a politician. He has no idea what goes behind decisions that make or break an entire kingdom. And he knows that all four of the players involved in the thing that splintered a kingdom overnight blame themselves heavily for their part in it.]

[As if that blame were ever evenly divided.]

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