epidemiology | EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

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EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

Thanks to your help, repairs to the flood wall are complete. The Nalawi are still largely without their Gifts, so they are thankful -- without the aid of ALASTAIR recruits, they would have surely drowned or been eaten by sea monsters.

Despite the barely averted disaster, the residents of Komo have decided to go along with their lives as planned, perhaps to bolster morale instead of giving into despair. By chance, their annual fishing contest is scheduled for today! As honored guests, recruits are invited to participate.

FISHING CONTEST

Dugout canoes are provided for all participants, patterns that suggest fish scales burned into the wooden sides. Curiously, no fishing rods are offered; if a recruit requests one, they will be given a strange look, but the harbormaster will acquiesce.

Due to the rough seas, the passage between Komo and the other islands is still inaccessible. Contestants are reminded to stay behind the reefs or venture east toward open ocean for their quarry. It’s only when the contest begins that the quarry in question is actually announced . . .

Sharks.

You are fishing sharks. And, judging by the lack of equipment (or the puny fishing rod you requested), you’re expected to do this by hand.

The tiny deer people don’t seem bothered by this predicament at all: the goal is to catch the biggest shark, by length and poundage. Better not embarrass yourself in front of the locals.

GET PUMPED

Mettaton has announced over the jewelry that he will be hosting a celebration in tandem with the fishing contest, in order to help the native Nalawi and the ALASTAIR recruits get to know each other better. This includes singing, dancing, and all sorts of different performances -- and, of course, reporting on the actual fishing.

If you aren’t the fishing type or maybe you just need a break from chasing sharks around, this is a good chance to bust a move and show your teammates how you can get down -- or just sit back and watch! It’s bound to be entertaining one way or another.

Plot for the stage here!

Olivia will be the final performer in the showcase. Anyone who witnesses her dancing may feel themselves super-charged by the spectacle . . . with possibly unexpected results! Characters may feel even more determined to win the fishing contest, or perhaps they’ll take this surge of optimism to help rebuild some of Komo’s destroyed buildings before the day winds down into night.

THE FEAST

After the fishing contest, the sharks will be collected and prepared. Grilled shark, fried shark, shark caviar, and shark jerky from the results of last year’s contest. There are fruits and vegetables and breads available as well, but if you want some protein, you’d better go native.

During the feast, some of the Nalawi perform dances and song. The subjects range from their goddess Nalanni to love songs. Want to show off your talents again? Now’s the time! Or, if you’d prefer to step away from the excitement, the beach is quiet and empty, and the baths are unoccupied since the whole of Komo is at the gathering.

As the feast winds down, the Nalawi will pass around their very potent alcohol for a toast to Komo’s health. Someone shouts, interrupting, wondering what good that will do if Nalanni has abandoned them. Concerned murmuring fills the gathering, spoiling the mood. ALASTAIR recruits may attempt to put them at ease -- otherwise, the feast will disperse on a sour note.

OOC INFO

If you would like your character to win the fishing contest, please sign up below. You must thread out fishing in order to participate in the drawing. There will be only one winner, decided by RNG. The winner will be contacted on April 1st. The prize is a necklace of shark’s teeth, which has a one-use spell that will make all sharks in a one mile radius sleep for 30 seconds.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[There is absolutely nothing safe about this entire affair and as soon as she changes out of her garish fashion show outfit and into something less shameful, she's definitely going to get to the bottom of this. For now—

She leaves Aqua be for the moment, striding towards the door and peering outside suspiciously at the throngs of deer and ALASTAIR recruits. There's too much movement for her to catch sight of anything suspicious, and it's only after a few moments that she sighs, shoulders dropping.]

Whoever it was picked a good time to do it. There are too many people around to pinpoint anyone out of the ordinary.

[Her attention wanders back to the pieces of fabric in Aqua's hand.]

I can search around for alternative options but...

[No promises that she'll actually find anything, especially with all the deer being a fraction of their size.]

[ What a hero!! What beautiful, bold determination in the face of oppression (ala surprise bikinis)...!!

But alas, Riza makes a valid observation, and unfortunate though it is Aqua must agree. )It's a lost cause, trying to right this injustice; far too many suspects and far too few clues to follow.) ]

No, you're right... I doubt we'll find whoever it is behind this, crowded as it is.

[ There's an uncharacteristic, defeated sort of sigh that issues from her as she blinks down at the scanty material in her hands. (Hard to say which is the worse option here, not enough covering or far too much of it...)

—But after a quick glimpse of Riza beginning to fidget (just ever slightly) under all that irritating grass is enough to convince Aqua of what must be done. ]

...I suppose we'll just have to make do.

[ A sharp, hesitant breath, like she's about to make a terrible mistake (because she is), ] Shall we...?

[ ~~get naked~~ Get changed... (She won't let you go it alone Riza...!!) ]

[It's yuri time.

But Aqua's right, there's little alternative left to them, as much as she'd like to fight this unfortunate fate that's been placed before them. No point in losing her cool now, especially over a few scraps of cloth.

So!

Riza nods once, padding barefoot back inside the room - though not before firmly closing the door and keeping them from prying eyes - and setting her own bikini down on a stray chair in order to free up her hands for the momentous task of undressing.

There is, at the very least, one bright spot to this whole affair, and Riza voices that thought aloud to cut some of the tension in the air.]

At least they're black.

[And not like.....neon yellow with hot pink polka dots.]

[ Aww yiss.

Aqua politely finds her own corner to start shedding layers in, though she nearly blinks back at Riza at the somewhat unexpected comment. ]

That's true... I'd say we've both had enough 'color' for one day.

[ The last half of that sentence is muffled as she squirms out of her sweater, careful not to stretch it so far that the flowers might fall off—again. (Garish as it is, it's still something Mabel had dedicated time and effort into creating...)

Her moon pants quickly follow, a two-part puddle of canvas on the floor, and she shimmies into the bottom half of her swimsuit. As for the upper, she may need... a little assistance... ]

Um... Would you know which side is the front...?

[ (She covers herself demurely with one arm, using the other to hold up the excessively strappy top for Riza to see.) ]

[Riza's own state of undress is hindered by the tight fit of the yarn comprising most of the dress, and it leaves her hair a mess when she finaly manages to tug it up and over her head. On the bright side, the delay means she's still somewhat clothed - albeit in her underthings - when Aqua calls out for assistance.

The dress is laid on the ground before Riza steps over, and the swimsuit's given a good once-over. (Though really, 'swimsuit' is an incredibly misleading term for the thing, given how it's little more than a few threads and pieces of fabric tied together.) It's not quite like the swimsuit's she's seen at home, but after ten or so seconds of musing, she gives it her best shot.]

I'd say this one. [With a tap to the side she thinks is the front. And because there are so goddamn many strings and straps to it:] If you hold it out, I'll tie it in the back for you.

[ I'm so glad neither of them understand something as basic as a bikini... (Also let me be a perv and ask what color Riza's undies are...)

While Aqua isn't particularly conservative about her dress (she usually walks around with her back on display), this is still way more skin than she's used to showing. (What would poor Master Eraqus say about all this...)

Anyway, ] Thank you...

[ She's not... exactly nervous about this ordeal but it's still rather bizarre, getting dressed with help from a non-parental figure... (She was tiny the last time she needed help tying anything...)

There's minimal fidgeting though as she holds the presumed front over her chest, letting Riza take care of the rest; she trusts the other recruit with far more than just a skimpy top. ]

[Omo please....also they're black!! (What did you expect, really.)

What did either of them expect when agreeing to Mabel's outlandish fashion though, really? Certainly not to having their clothes stolen from right beneath their noses and replaced with sad excuses for swim wear. Surely these things will fall off as soon as they both take two steps into the ocean...?

Regardless, Riza takes the mundane task given to her seriously; her fingers make deft work of the myriad of strings and straps dangling off Aqua's swimsuits, fingers grazing light across Aqua's shoulder blades. (The skin underneath her fingertips is soft, almost unexpectedly so considering how talented of a fighter Aqua is.) It's not long after that the whole thing's tied up neatly - but firmly, lest some pervert try and untie the whole thing by tugging at a single string - and Riza steps back to admire her handiwork (and Aqua).

Lightly, with a smile:]

It looks good on you.

[ I know... I expected as much...

And that's too terrifying a thought to entertain, Aqua will do everything in her power (invisibility spells included) to make sure nothing of the sort ever comes to pass.

The light brush of Riza's hand is almost ticklish, and she does her best not to scrunch up her shoulders and interrupt her work. (But the lieutenant does a quick job of it anyway, sorting out every miscellaneous attachment with professional ease.)

Aqua casts her gaze aside at the compliment, though her eyes eventually wander back to Riza's, expression somewhat undecided. (Bashful, unsure, etc.) ]

I'm glad you think so.

[ (She'll take her at her word, even if every instinct is screaming at her to find a makeshift cover-up...) ]

...Will you need any assistance with yours? [ She seems to know what she's doing anyhow, but if she needs a firm knot in the back, Aqua can surely provide. ]

[Work that body, Aqua.

The offer's considered seriously, Riza heading back to inspect her own swimsuit for a final verdict. It looks simple enough but a closer look at the top part reveals a number of strings coming from both the top and sides. She can't possibly tie two sets of strings at the same time one set of hands. (What kind of designer makes a critical design flaw like this??)

After her initial facescrunch over the design, she shoots Aqua a grateful smile.]

If you wouldn't mind.

[But first - she shimmies out of her own underwear and slips on the bottom. Her bra goes off, and then she's holding up the top against her chest, spinning around so that Aqua's given free access to the strings dangling at her side (and a free pass to view the ornate design that spreads across her back).]

[ Oh yeah.

((She doesn't mind...))

She waits until the liutenant's ready for her before she pads over, and reaches delicately for the ties to the bikini. (She'll return the favor, trying a knot so secure even Riza ~~or someone who is not Riza~~ might have a little trouble trying to get it undone later...) Better safe than sorry.

It's hard not to get distracted from the task, though. In between her ministrations, her eyes flick up to the array on Riza's back, the marred skin interrupting the crimson pattern. (It's a design she's never seen before, quite beautiful and remarkable in its intricacy...)

...Before she realizes it Aqua brushes her fingertips against one of the burn marks, though she knows in her heart it isn't anything she can fix with her magic. (Still, she almost tries. Almost.) And though Riza can't see it at the moment, her expression's become both soft and solemn, tone of voice matching in sympathies. ]

...May I ask what happened?

[Her attention's caught at the light touch on her back, head twisting slightly so she can peer at Aqua out of the corner of her eye. Ah. She never really forgets about the ink underneath her skin so much as suppresses it, stacking other, more important things on top that deserve her attention first and foremost. It's old, in any case, and no longer as painful as it once was (in any sense of the word).

Unseen to Aqua, she smiles, though it's barely more than a slight upward curve of her lips and not at all full of good cheer.]

My father.

[Decisively, like those two words are the answer to every mystery in life, including this one. (They aren't, not even close.) Because they aren't, she appends an explanation at the end, softer but more enlightening.]

That was his life's work. His notes, if you will.

[Laid out delicately using her flesh as his canvas rather than anything quite so mundane than sheets of paper, too easily prone to theft and robbery.]

[ She's quiet for a moment, no dialogue between them save for the light weight of her palm against Riza's back (that she quickly and mindfully withdraws).

There's no mirth or fondness to her explanation, certainly then no happy memory behind the strange seal. ]

And the scars...?

[ Did he burn you, too...?

If she doesn't wish to discuss, it's fine, but Aqua can't bring herself to ignore something right in front of her, especially when it involves someone she trusts and cares for as much as Riza. ]

[Her frame stays still as the question's uttered, her own lips straightening out at the memory. Neglectful her father had been in spades, but he'd never been abusive, not intentionally so. There's residual affection left in her person, enough to compel her to set the record straight and clear his name.]

The scars were my choice.

[Quiet, but the firm tone to the voice brooks no argument—and little room to ask further at the moment. Her past is hers alone to deal with, and whatever resultant suffering she might have experienced because of her father's choices ought not to be a burden placed upon anyone else's shoulders, least of all Aqua's. Besides:]

They don't hurt anymore.

[Physically or psychologically.]

[ Each explanation only seems to produce another question, but Aqua's considerate enough to desist. (Old though the wounds might be, it gives her no more right to pick and prod at them.)

With a lengthy exhale, she steps back to allow for some space, some time for a tactful silence to settle.

—But it would be ridiculous to stand around in this literal shack forever, moping over bygones while in a state of virtual undress. ]

...Shall we get going?

[ There's festivities to be had, their uniforms to be found (not gonna happen), and of course, ] I believe we still have that date on the beach.

[There'll be time for explanation in the future, time to slowly deconstruct her defenses piece by piece, but for now Riza's content to let them stay in piece. Mature though Aqua might be, she doesn't deserve to have the weight of Riza's troubles added to her no doubt already heavy burden.

They're on a beach, in swimsuits. Even if their clothes have mysteriously vanished, there's still plenty reason to pull forth a smile, enjoy the sunshine and the good company. And Aqua's right—they do have a beach date still unfulfilled.

Riza tugs the last bit of swimsuit into place, turns and presents Aqua with a smile that, if a bit small, is wholly genuine.]

Let's get going then, before everyone else clears the dinner table of the most delicious options.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ★ GONE FISHIN'

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makes this so homo, as usual

there aren't even ties to that bikini but let me pretend

forcefully suspends disbelief for goodtouch X(

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what is that strikethrough supposed to be.....

(; (; (; (; (;

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