May Adventure: I Want to Go Where Everyone Goes

[lifeaftr_mods]

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?

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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

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LOGS ● OOC ● STORIES ● MAIN NAVIGATION

( CODED BY BOOTYCALL )

Comments

[barberian]

(Of course Yasha expected some kind of response from Beau, because this is Beau and she has a quick quip for almost everything, but what she actually says throws her for a bit of a loop. It's less flirty and ridiculous, it's... sincere. Again.

That, and this is just like the first day they met, except Beau is actually in her arms this time, and it isn't a joke. It's different. Yasha has changed a lot since that day and Beau has changed a lot too.)

... Thanks. (Yasha says, after a long moment. Her throat feels a little dry. She's thinking too much about the warm weight of holding Beau in her arms, trying to judge whether she's holding her too close to her chest or not. She doesn't want to make it weird by purposefully holding Beau out, and away from her either. That's not the kind of vibe she's going for. It's maybe a minute to the pools, but Yasha thinks about that the entire way there, and stares straight ahead, her heart in her throat.)

Want me to toss you in? (She does shift Beau then, but only to mime throwing her into the water.)

[lesbeau]

[Beau isn't very aware how much time has even passed by the time they get to the pool, feeling like it's been a million years and half a second all in one. This doesn't mean anything. Surely it doesn't mean anything, and more importantly, why should it? Why does she want it to?]

What?

[Shit, she said something. Beau blinks once down at the plant, and then sees the mana pool. Ah. Right, there was a point to all this.]

I mean, if you want. Water probably won't wreck a plant, right?

[Or she could just keep carrying her, tilt her head into her chest with a moment of shared pressure and only water surrounding--

Yeesh, she has to stop thinking about this.]

[barberian]

Water doesn't wreck plants, but... drowning it might.

(What is she saying, of course that would wreck the plant. And the whole point is to keep the plant safe, that's why this whole thing has happened, that's why Beau is in her arms. It's for absolutely no other reason whatsoever.

She's silent the whole time she's thinking about this, then she sort of blurts:) I'm going to hold onto you anyway. Just to be safe.

(And she steps awkwardly into the pool, pulling Beau a little closer to herself in the process.)

[lesbeau]

[Yeah. It's all about this plant and nothing to do with the fact that Beau is becoming really acquainted with Yasha's soft chest, her strong arms. Yeah! That's it!! JUST DRUGS, INNOCENT DRUGS.]

Uhhh, yeah, yeah, no need to wreck a thing that. Works. Here.

[Do they work?? God maybe she should just shut the fuck up. But Beau is nothing if not an opportunist, so she curls in towards Yasha too, nestling the plant between their stomachs and pulling up her knees.

It scares her, just a bit, how safe this feels.]

[barberian]

(They both want to do it, so why is it so difficult to acknowledge that? Yasha feels stupid, and embarrassed, but not enough of either of those things to put Beau down and walk away and that... means something. Obviously.

She's going to have to talk to Molly about this, huh.

About how natural it feels to hoist Beau up a little closer, pull her in tighter under the guise of keeping her feet from getting wet as the pool rises a little to teleport the both of them away. About how she can almost feel Beau holding her words in just in case the moment is interrupted. About how much she likes that.

Damnit. At least when they get back to the house she can set Beau firmly down and then go about planting this little thing they've taken together and let that fill her mind for a while instead.)

[lesbeau]

[Out of everything Beau doesn't have experience with, one of them is nice. People were not nice, jobs were not nice, the world was never nice either. It was a struggle against people sickly-sweet with lies, moments of extreme triumph and crushing defeat, nothing ever simple in the grind. Every action was a tempest. Every move a gust of wind to fell a tree. Every thought a cataclysm, crashing from one to the next.

But this is simple. An easy pleasure, a soft experience, a gentle repose into a comfort. It doesn't have to be the grand, elaborate Everything.

It's just nice. And for two people whose lives have been so complicated, so driven by movement and anger and no light in the storm... sometimes, the simple pleasure is what she needs.

For it to just be nice.]