TDM 04

[goldmods]

【 Thank you for choosing the Golden Peacock, 5-star resort and casino. You are currently registered as a WILDCARD in our system.

Due to a high volume of check-ins, temporary accommodations have been made on our brand new beachfront for new guests. We will endeavor to have all guests moved into their reserved rooms as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience. Affected guests may convene with the nearest lifeguard or reception for a complimentary swimsuit, at their earliest convenience.

Please remember that beach-appropriate attire is mandatory. Guests found breaking dress code may be escorted off the beach until they return in proper swimwear. We hope you enjoy your stay, and have a beachy keen experience. 】

BEACHFRONT PROPERTY

A BRAND NEW DEVELOPMENT

As the resort moves into what it claims is summer, the days grow longer. The sun is projected well into the evening, the heat of its warmth dialed up to a level some guests complain is unreasonable. Then there’s the most excessive transformation of all – half the Cloud Dwelling Gardens have been transformed into a sparkling beach of white sands and blue waves, seemingly overnight. Statues nearby have been dressed up with wide hats and stylish sarongs. Upbeat music fills the air without any discernible source.

A section of the beach has been reserved for a collection of bungalows. These cute pastel homes open straight onto the sand, and are comparable in size and amenity to a rank 7 or 8 suite. All screens within these bungalows are fixed to a channel that airs reruns of Boobwatch around the clock, a classic TV series about blue-footed boobys running in slow-motion across the beach. Staff and long-standing guests all agree — there’s no better summer programming than this!

IT’S FREE REAL ESTATE

▷ Thanks to a classic move called “overbooking,” new arrivals are being checked in to all this wondrous new property that’s just opened up. The catch? Why, characters are stuffed up to 4 in a room, of course. Don’t worry, that’s what the bunk beds are for!

▷ Characters still wake up naked save for a robe, as is standard for the Golden Peacock. This round’s robes are a light and breezy linen, patterned with tropical flowers and colorful designs. Some of these robes are more sheer than others. Watch out that the gentle breeze on the beach doesn’t reveal more than you wanted.

▷ Existing characters are welcome to temporarily take up residence in any empty slots in these homes. The staff understand that sometimes you want to pretend to be a brand new guest again, all bright-eyed and ready for adventure. They can even lock you out of your real room for an extra bit of authenticity. No need to ask! It’s all taken care of already.

THOSE WHO POUND SAND

▷ Several lifeguards have been newly hired to protect the beach and its visitors. These burly fellows and lasses all have three things in common: skimpy swimwear, rippling muscles, and seagull heads. They spend most of their time hanging out in groups, flexing and gossiping loudly. If characters approach them for their complimentary swimwear, they will provide whatever they’re currently wearing for them to use... by force, if necessary.

▷ Characters who seem particularly vulnerable or are holding something particularly tasty may find themselves surrounded by these lifeguards out of nowhere. The seagulls are relentless, pushing and shoving and pulling hair until they get what they want. Hope you didn’t like your sand castle very much. Those on the lower end of the rank scale will suffer the worst harassment, and they may even go out of their way to harass wildcards, 2s, and 3s just for the heck of it.

▷ Being new hires and fairly low on the resort staff hierarchy, these troublemakers can be easily chased off by someone of a high enough rank, or an assertive enough presence to pass as one. T-they’re not scared! They just remembered they have a mandatory group cawing session to get to! Buzz off!

FUN IN THE SUN

DON'T FORGET TO OIL UP

What’s a beach without fun and games? Dreadfully boring! That’s why all of the beach classics have been expertly set up by staff, including strip volleyball nets, giant boob-shaped beach balls, and plenty of floaties for use in the shallower areas of the temporary ocean. A row of parasols with paired lounge chairs underneath them are placed in some prime viewing areas for festivities. Any time you get thirsty, there’s always a cooler full of canned drinks conveniently nearby, courtesy of Cock-a-Doodle-Doo’s. Sometimes you can hear the staff whispering to each other, “What if it’s too perfect? We won’t be able to deal with the ratings dip once the beach ends!”

Seashells have been arbitrarily scattered along the shoreline, coming in both natural shapes and ones a little more... erotic. The sexiest ones of all are conch shells that let you hear the moans of another guest when held up to your ear; supposedly, if you hook up with the person on the other end of the shell, you’ll be extra lucky in the casino for the rest of the summer. All in all, it’s a carefully tailored creation that can be called nothing short of paradise.

THE BEACH BUNNY BARBECUE BONANZA

▷ This booth constantly has smoke billowing out the top and is manned during the entire day by one man – Steve, formerly from reception. It seems this is his punishment duty for be-bathrooming all of the arrivals, last time. Those willing to lend Steve a sympathetic ear will be entreated to bring him water, since the sweltering heat of the booth dries him out like nobody’s business. No matter how characters try to help him, though, a tragedy always occurs and the water always ends up spilled across the sand. That curse really is something, huh?

▷ The signature item at this cookout are the Flamin’ Hop Skewers. Made due to the current overpopulation in the Conservatory, these spicy-sweet — emphasis on the spicy — glazed skewers temporarily grant those who consume them the soul of a rabbit, including their insatiable desire to mate. Any rabbits that resort-goers have formed an attachment with have not been culled, so don’t worry about your precious buns!

▷ The booth also boasts several other exotic meats and vegetables that are considerably safer to eat, for guests who find themselves unable to overcome their attachment. Some of these skewers also feature fruits, including the hybrid ones from the previous gardening collab with the Dizzy Pigeon. Characters are free to revisit any of the Orchard prompts under the Smoky Nectar section of our PREVIOUS TDM.

A SHOW OF STRENGTH

▷ When the projected sun is at its highest, staff members will start bringing out tarps and watermelons, fresh from the gardens. What’s that, you ask? Oh, of course these were donated willingly! What a strange question!

▷ The goal is to smash the watermelon the staff give you until the succulent red fruit inside is splattered all across the tarp, perfect for falling comically into or... eating, if you’re into that. The rules are that you must use your buttocks to do so, and you only get two tries. Successfully cracking open the watermelon on the first try will earn characters a large payout, and if it’s on the second try, a medium payout.

▷ Failing to bust a watermelon at all won’t have any penalties associated with it, and you can always try again tomorrow! In order to keep their watermelon supplies steady for the duration of the beach festivities, the staff do ask that guests attempt this no more than once per day.

DAYDREAM PARASOLS

▷ Every umbrella set up on the sands has two lounge chairs set up underneath it, with a shared table between them. The chairs are padded and oh-so-comfy — sitting in them for too long while another person is present will result in both characters falling into a deep sleep.

▷ While asleep, characters will discover they’re sharing a dream with their umbrella-mate. The dream is always set on the same beach as the waking world, but there are floating clouds and sparkles in a range of pastel colors. Other beachgoers are faceless, if not entirely absent. It’s just the two of you.

▷ Anything the characters think of can drift in and out of the dreamscape, including but not limited to items from home, scary monsters to dramatically rescue your partner from, and strange abilities to fly or float through the air. However, characters will also be at full suit activation in the dream. Once both characters orgasm or they naturally wake up from their naps, they’ll find things are entirely back to normal, as much as they ever are in the resort.

NOTES

▶ All new arrivals have been issued four food and four clothing vouchers. These vouchers are as good as money around the resort. The staff will strongly insist on characters picking out "summery" attire with it, though.

▶ Existing characters may be booted into the bungalows or locked out of their room against their will. We leave it up to player discretion if this happens and the degree to which they're removed from their normal suite.

▶ For the Daydream Parasols, wildcards may be afflicted by whichever suit their player prefers for the duration of the dream. This will have no bearing on their suit selection when applying, and suit effects should not manifest once back in the waking world. It's just a dream, after all!

▶ The dreamscape has no explicit time limit, so feel free to make them as long or as short as desired. Dreams should also be sexy first and foremost. While you can include your mom dying in the background if you'd like, you have to be horny about it too.

TWINKLING CURRENTS

THE PARTY NEVER STOPS

As the sun sets in a cascade of colors over the water, lamps are lit and floating lights surface from the depths. Stars twinkle in the sky, and Steve is finally released from his smoky shackles. Though the daytime amenities have gone to sleep, the night promises its own set of beachy wonders sure to please even the most distinguished of vacationers.

Flyers posted in the lobby and in the hallways promise of a bar ran by the most enchanting mermaids you could ever want to fuck, as well as a fireworks show in every color, including ones you’ve never heard of. With the seagulls gone to bed, peace settles across the sands, tinted blue, yellow, and pink from the myriad of lights. For those seeking a more subdued, romantic air — this is the beach for you.

SWIM UP TO THE BAR

▷ While the advertisements promised mermaids, they were careful not to include any photos or illustrations. Wading out into the sea to the floating bar quickly illustrates why: these merfolk are fish on top, not the bottom! If asked about this configuration or accused of being unsexy, they’ll lift their elegant legs out of the water and exclaim, “How else would you be able to fuck us if not for these!” Though a few guests seem unsatisfied by this clarification, there are no complaints about the drinks themselves.

▷ HOLDING ON TO SUMMER. This cocktail brings seaberry-gin, limoncello, white crème de cacao, and freshly squeezed lemon juice over pebbled ice, wrapping you in decadent flavors accenting the season. Drinking this cocktail can cause you to be overcome with the desire to lean back and sink into the ocean itself, but fret not! It also grants you the wonderful ability to breathe underwater, no gills required! And it’s topped with a yummy little ball of white chocolate.

▷ MANGO STAR. A delightfully bright drink in a highball glass, the combination of elderflower rose syrup and seaberry-gin floats a summery pink over the orange mixture of mango juice, lime juice and honey syrup on the bottom. On top are two cute little stars cut out of mango, accented with mint leaves. Guests who drink this cocktail report some confusion in the identity of other guests, as just one drink is enough to shift perception of others. Other characters may appear to be different guests of the resort, or familiar faces from home.

▷ SEABERRY FLORADORA. This is a vibrant cocktail made of seaberry-gin, ginger beer, lime juice and raspberry syrup, highlighted by floral ice cubes and edible flowers. Despite its bright pink color indicating a level of cheerfulness for the summer, this flavorful cocktail causes guests to be quickly overwhelmed with a sense of loneliness. The longer this sensation goes on, the more guests will try to seek out company to aid in the ache, even if it means appearing quite desperate in the process. Each successive drink will increase the severity of the effect.

▷ BLACKBERRY ROSEMARY GIMLET. Blackberries, rosemary sprigs, simple syrup, and a combination of seaberry-gin and lime juice make this aromatic cocktail. It’s double strained over ice and garnished with a blackberry on a pick, giving it a regal appearance. Drinking this cocktail causes obsessive and possessive behavior, however — sometimes to extreme levels. Should your partner choose this cocktail to drink, you may not want to mention anything that could make them jealous. Each successive drink will increase the severity of the effect.

▷ JUST SOME SEAWATER? Questioning the mermaids and mermen on how they came to be the way that they are will result in them offering you an item off the sea-cret menu. Taking a glass from the bar, they dip it into the ocean and offer it right over to you. Drinking the seawater does, in fact, turn you into a very sexy reverse merman or mermaid. This occurs whether or not you drink it from the glass or take in a gulp while swimming, so watch out!

ACROSS THE NIGHT SKY

▷ Where else could you get a perfect view of the stars? Despite the sea of lights below, the artificial nature of the skies in the resort means that all guests get an unrivaled view of the galaxy. Which galaxy? Why, any of them — characters will see a shifting range of constellations from night to night, including ones they don’t recognize, ones shaped a bit like something you might find in Love Dove, and ones that are identical to those from their home. Happy gazing!

▷ A fireworks show is held every night, from 10PM until 1AM. The noises are just loud enough to block out a whispered confession timed correctly, but aren’t quite enough to inhibit conversation. Most of the fireworks are from a design series known as Matteo’s Masterpieces, and range from the standard burst to abstract shapes to... well, you know. Unlike the sloppy doodles found in the margins of books while Swan Lake was decaying, all of the boobs and dicks blasted across the sky are very well rendered. For fireworks.

SANDY SCAVENGING

A GAME OF BEACHES

It wouldn't be the Golden Peacock without a game for guests to play! All guests that wander into the beach area may find themselves receiving one of two Watch messages. Some very special guests may even receive both challenges — or continuously receive a new challenge when the last 24 hours is up. The resort just wants you to have the most fun possible!

SCAVENGER HUNT: EASY MODE (SFW)

Hello, dear guest. You have been randomly selected to play our EASY MODE: SCAVENGER HUNT! You have 24 hours to complete this hunt. Once completed, please submit your collected items to the nearest SEAGULL LIFEGUARD to claim your reward of Great Tit! Dessert Vouchers and a large payout.

Guests who do not complete the hunt in 24 hours will be hunted down and then publicly spanked by a SEAGULL LIFEGUARD.

Please note that items scavenged may not be personal items. They must be collected from other sources. Good luck!

1. Collect one unfinished drink.

2. Collect two kisses.

3. Collect three pairs of sunglasses.

4. Collect four sets of sandals.

5. Collect five feathers from a lifeguard.

SCAVENGER HUNT: HARD MODE (NSFW)

Hello, dear guest. You have been randomly selected to play our HARD MODE: SCAVENGER HUNT! You have 24 hours to complete this hunt. Once completed, please submit your collected items to the nearest SEAGULL LIFEGUARD to claim your reward of Naked Yolk Kink Vouchers and an extra-large payout. Winners will also be given a limited edition WINNER pin. Any guests wearing a WINNER pin will be treated as kings and queens of the beach, and be permitted to command any other guests as they see fit.

Guests who do not complete the hunt in 24 hours will be hunted down, stripped, and then strapped into the fuck pillory by our SEAGULL LIFEGUARDS. Losers will be free game for other guests to use for their pleasure.

Please note that items scavenged may not be personal items. They must be collected from other sources. Good luck!

1. Collect one cup of cum.

2. Collect two bite marks.

3. Collect three pubic hairs.

4. Collect four nudes (nude images).

5. Collect five bathing suit bottoms.

NOTES

▶ All effects from the swim-up bar last around 2-3 hours, but may be extended by having another drink.

INTO THE DEPTHS

IT'S HIGH TIDE WE GET OUT OF HERE

Though the beach experience is perfect on the surface, things are less elegant behind the scenes. Wave-making machines pulse and rattle down below, shaking the ceiling of the basement suites. Water leaks from pipes, streaking across walls and pooling on the uneven floors. The maintenance levels are abuzz with staff setting out buckets and pans, shooing lost guests away with a heightened level of urgency. Someone got a little too enthusiastic with mopping, they claim. Nothing to worry about at all!

Even the ocean itself isn’t without its issues. Despite appearing as a boundless expanse from the shore, the walls of the Golden Peacock are a very real factor. To avoid any undue damage to the screens that comprise the sky, the sea stops abruptly before it reaches them, cascading into a waterfall all the way down to the depths of the resort. Gentle currents become swirling vortexes and choppy waves, sure to pull down any guests that aren’t careful about where they swim. A few gull-guards patrol the line of buoys that mark the end of the safe swimming area, but the primary line of defense the resort relies on is the utter disinterest most of its guests have.

TUMBLING DOWN

▷ Characters who stray past the line of buoys out in the far sea will find themselves caught in a riptide that sucks them straight over the edge of the water. This applies both to characters swimming, or characters in some sort of vessel, such as a small rowboat borrowed from the staff.

▷ Feel free to make up any sort of vehicle rentals in general, as long as they’re reasonable in size — they should be able to accommodate 1-2 characters at most. A waverider would be okay, but a yacht would not.

▷ While falling down the waterfall, characters will temporarily black out before hitting anything solid. They will resurface anywhere there is standing water, whether that be a flooded hallway, in the Crane’s Respite, or even in someone’s open toilet bowl. There are no limitations on where in the resort the resurfacing can happen; even the bathrooms at Roost aren’t safe from this teleportation.

A RISING FLOOD

▷ Drainage is a difficult aspect to manage. Though the majority of the seawater is recycled to maintain the ocean above, enough of it is siphoned off for deeper filtration that the resort’s plumbing systems simply can’t handle the volume. Leaks are happening on all floors below ground, increasing in depth the further down into the basement characters go.

▷ Characters living in the rank 2, 3, and 4 suites may notice that in addition to having leaks in the hallway, their own rooms are also flooding. This can range anywhere from a constant, unpleasantly damp floor, to having an entire cascade of water blow them and any other unsuspecting guests down several hallways the moment their door is opened. Life vests are recommended.

▷ The flooding will intensify as the event goes on, culminating in some of the maintenance levels being entirely underwater towards the end of the event. Once the event is over, the flooding will recede within about a day, leaving only a few water stains here and there as evidence of their presence.

NOTES

▶ Any amount of standing water is a valid target for a character’s resurfacing, even something as minor as a glass of water. For situations where a character would not actively fit into the source of their arrival, they will be violently flung out of it, knocking over or spilling it in the process if that’s possible.

▶ As always, players are free to control the level to which their individual characters are affected, and being flooded out of their space is not mandatory.

---

OOC NOTES

INVITES | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS

▶ BLANKET CW: alcohol; altered states; aphrodisiacs; breeding urge; delusions; forced clotheswearing; hallucinations; harassment and bullying; jealousy; thalassophobia; transformation; unreality

▶ All characters on the TDM are WILDCARDS, which means they have not yet been assigned a card value. The house is still observing and deciding. As rank and suits are assigned upon acceptance your character's suit will not manifest until they are accepted into the game.

▶ All TDMs are game canon. This TDM acts as the game's June event. The beach will ICly be present from June 15th - June 30th.

▶ Current characters may top level on the TDM. Any current characters posting to the TDM should note they are current in their subject header.

▶ The top level directory is for new characters only. We want to make sure new characters are prioritized and receive attention!

▶ If you aren't satisfied with these prompts, please feel free to check out our LOCATIONS to explore more of the resort! There are recent additions to the locations page as well, for those who have yet to see them!

▶ Smut threads that take place on this TDM can be used for rewards. If both parties in the smut thread join the game, you may retroactively apply the character's initial card values to your 52 bank. If one character does not join the game the thread will not be applicable toward rewards (as that character would not have a card value). The character that does join would still receive a small payout for the encounter. Hopefully it was a fun thread regardless!

▶ We ask you to kindly add content warnings to your threads as appropriate.

▶ If you do not currently have permissions and kinks listed in your character’s journal we suggest leaving a note in your top level of any limits or boundaries for other players to reference.

▶ Don't forget your sunscreen! We'd hate for any chicken wings to come out burnt.

NAVIGATION • LOG • NETWORK • OOC • MEME

Comments

[macaronage]

[ To just casually announce that he had his body replaced. Navia is in awe, really. She can scarcely imagine what might drive someone to do such a thing. Had he been very ill before, perhaps? Feels rude to ask.

She does reach for his hand, though, wanting to take a closer look. ]

May I?

[ Her eyes get even wider at the comment about crunching on bullets. ]

A tasty snack? So you eat metal? Does that not hurt your mouth at all? Even with teeth like that...

[swearfilter]

[Boothill offers one of his hands easily. It's his right, the one that doesn't (usually) have a built-in gun, though that wouldn't really matter here, given that it's gone.]

Sure ya can. And I had a few alterations to be able to consume it, so I guess it's more accurate to say my mouth as a whole's changed.

[It still looks very human! But he can now consume metal and be just fine, so there's that...?? Who knows how Boothill works.]

[macaronage]

[ Boothill's hand is so much larger than Navia's that it takes a little bit of doing for her to turn it this way and that, running her fingertips over the segmented joints and the edges of the metal plates. It's fascinating--he is fascinating, radiating an easygoing but rough-and-tumble sort of energy.

Granted. The prospect of being bitten by that mouth of his is becoming more intimidating the more she learns about it. Her own body is a tender morsel compared to the hunks of metal he's apparently accustomed to chewing on. Maybe he'll be gentle and ease her into it? ]

If you eat bullets, then... are you a marksman? I normally carry my gunbrella around back home but of course I don't have it here.

[swearfilter]

[Boothill doesn't mind the contact at all; it's a little strange to have someone holding his hand, but it's not like the sensation is unpleasant. It's just not very often that people are genuinely interested in who and what he is rather than being intimidated on sight. It's kind of cute, the way Navia is looking him over and so eager to learn about what makes him tick.]

Sure am. Usually got two guns on me, but this place saw fit to get rid of 'em.

[But more importantly...]

Gunbrella, huh? [What a great pun, but also: what a fascinating idea!] Now that sounds like it'd be a lotta fun to wield. Tell me more about it; never seen anythin' quite like that before.

[macaronage]

I know what you mean. My Vision is here with me, but it's not working either.

[ She turns in the chair to show him the golden Geo Vision that she's tied to the back of her bikini, hanging down between her shoulder blades. ]

Oh, I bet you'd like my gunbrella. I didn't want to have to carry too many things around all the time, you know, so I worked with a blacksmith and combined an umbrella with a shotgun. My Vision and gunbrella usually work together. I use my Vision to make crystal shrapnel that I fire with my gunbrella.

[swearfilter]

[Ooh, interesting. It sounds like the Vision is an essential part of her combat, but she's missing the actual weapon that goes along with it. Makes sense, he has something similar going on with his arm. Though it sounds like that's about where the similarities end, since he is not capable of making cool shrapnel with his arm.]

Fascinatin'. I'm likin' you more and more, Miss Navia.

[He grins, those sharp teeth once again on display, but it seems to be a genuinely pleased expression.]

Here's hopin' we find a way to get our weapons back, 'cause I'd love to see how your gunbrella and Vision work.

[macaronage]

Monsieur Boothill, you're too kind.

[ What's this? Has he made her blush? Aww. And she's still holding his hand, too. Cute. Though, upon realizing she's been monopolizing his hand this whole time, Navia carefully sets it back down on his thigh and gives it a little pat. ]

Honestly, I'd be happy if my Vision were working like it's supposed to. My gunbrella is useful, but my Vision is what allows me to use my powers. But even if it's not working like it should, I'm still relieved to have it with me at all. Visions are very precious to those who possess them.

[swearfilter]

[Boothill doesn't laugh at Navia's almost sweet treatment of him, as if he isn't a mostly-metal killing machine, but he thankfully manages to control it.]

Yeah? So what... is a Vision, exactly? Don't think we've got anythin' quite the same where I'm from. Do most people where you're from have 'em?

[macaronage]

[ She appreciates him not laughing when she's trying to be considerate!

As far as Visions, what they are is... a little complicated? ]

No one is entirely sure why, but a Vision is proof that the gods have noticed you for one reason or another. There are seven elements that a Vision can be--mine is Geo, like rocks and crystals--and they're actually not all that common. They allow whoever wields them to control the elements, but there's only one element per Vision, one Vision per person, and it only works for the person who earned it. Someone else could try using my Vision but it wouldn't work for them.

[swearfilter]

Interestin'... So that's why yours is crystal shrapnel, 'cause it's Geo. Sounds like it'd be a pretty sight!

[And an awesome, explosive one. Boothill is always interested in unique ways of blowing things up and/or shooting them.]

So how'd you get your Vision? Does it just sorta... appear one day or somethin'? What do ya have to do to catch the gods' eyes?

[macaronage]

Now that's a funny story, actually!

[ And because most Fontainians have a flair for the dramatic, Navia launches into a description of a birthday party and the tabletop role playing game that she and her friends (including her father as the game master and numerous members of the Spina roped in to pad out the party) were playing when she got her Vision, explaining some of the rules in brief, recalling a few of the characters that she and the others played and how they used creative problem solving to save the day. It's basically Dungeons and Dragons, not that Boothill would know what that is, either.

At the climax of the story, Navia explains how she and her party defeated a demon with a show of daring and a lucky roll of the dice. ]

When we were putting all the game pieces away after it was over, Papa found the Vision mixed in with all the assorted bits and bobs, and he said he knew it must have been mine. The first thing I used it for was cutting my cake in half with a blade of Geo... but I ended up destroying the table on accident, too, haha.

[swearfilter]

[He listens to her story, finding the dramatic flair to add to the spectacle of such a fantastic story. He's not familiar with anything close to the game she's describing, but Navia does an excellent job of explaining enough where he can follow along.]

Hah, now that's the best way to try it out!

[Seriously, Navia is absolutely his kind of woman. Look at her go. Damn, he wishes he'd gotten to see the table-breaking, cake-cutting in action.]

Sounds like your gods picked well. Have ya had to use it a lot since ya got it?

[macaronage]

[ It sounds like Navia is going to have to put together a tabletop gaming group. She's positive he'd enjoy it! But that can be arranged some other time. ]

I've had plenty of opportunities to use my powers. The world can be a pretty dangerous place, and I spend a lot of time investigating criminals to try and bring wrongdoers to justice. I know how to fight with a sword, too, not just my gunbrella. Never hurts to have options, right?

[swearfilter]

Heh, can't argue that at all, though usually my other option is "another gun".

[He's grinning as he says it, but it is definitely not a joke.]

Sounds like you must have quite the busy life, huh? How are ya handlin' bein' dragged to a place like this?

[macaronage]

Oh yes, I'm always quite busy! I'm responsible for a lot of things and a lot of people. I'm the president of an organization called the Spina di Rosula. We do a lot of different things, but the long and short of it is that we help people when and where we can. There was a huge flood in my homeland recently, and we've been working on disaster relief and reconstruction since the waters receded.

[ A look of concern passes over her face as she thinks about all her subordinates, but she comforts herself knowing that time here passes differently than time back home. Even if it didn't, her people would know how to take care of things in her absence. The insecure part of her thinks there might be a few people who'd be happier without her, but Navia refuses to dwell on that. ]

You've got to watch out with me or I'll talk your ear off. Why don't you tell me a little more about yourself, Monsieur Boothill?

[ Sure, there's a deadline with these scavenger hunt items, but there's enough time to chat with a new friend, right? ]

[swearfilter]

Hah, you're soundin' more and more like my kinda gal.

[It's light though, clearly meant as a joke rather than anything serious.]

Sounds like a lotta hard work, but it's worth it, bein' able to help your people.

[Not in the way he does, but the way she does. Once upon a time, he would've been the first to jump in to help, just like that. But those days are gone, and he helps people in his own way now.]

I ain't seein' that as a problem, Miss Navia. Though I don't mind talkin' about myself either. Let's see...

[Where to start...]

I'm a Galaxy Ranger - we're a group of lone wolves who traverse the universe lookin' out for the people we meet along the way. I take bounties - kill off those who're harmin' those who can't defend themselves, mostly. It's rewardin' work, and it gets me closer to my goals. Besides, I get to see so many interestin' places - worlds I never thought I'd see and places that couldn't be more different from what I know.

[It may not be the life he would have wanted, once, but he can enjoy much of it now.]

[macaronage]

[ The life of a Galaxy Ranger sounds wild and dangerous, and lonely, too. Navia had often gone without a playmate growing up, gamboling around the hills and beaches of Fontaine, but she would never describe herself as a lone wolf. What must that be like, she wonders, traveling throughout the universe to different planets? ]

It sounds incredible. I can hardly imagine what it feels like to set foot on a completely different worlds, and I have a pretty good imagination. [ She laughs breezily. ] Actually, I suppose this is a different world, isn't it?

[ She likes him, she decides. He seems rough-and-tumble, unrefined in a way that appeals, but kindhearted under the rather intimidating surface.

Feeling bold, she shifts over, perching herself on his thighs and draping an arm around his shoulders. ]

I think I missed a spot earlier, actually.

[ A transparent excuse for her to lean in and kiss him fully on the lips this time. ]