July | Event: Waterpark Waves

[jikan_mod]

Waterpark Waves↲ OOC Plotting

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Thanks to the Refugees, vital information concerning the history and application of Kizuna bonds is now available to the NRL with MRU's cooperation, quickly allowing for new breakthroughs in their research.

As thanks-- all Refugees who participated in the Trials last month are gifted a free week-long stay at Itabashi Springs, Tokyo's premiere (and only) indoor waterpark, while others will be given the chance to buy vacation packages at a highly discounted rate! Boasting a massive indoor complex, it's one of the largest buildings in Tokyo, housing a vast botanical garden, aquarium, and water park!

Wet n' Wild

By and far, the greatest attraction at Itabashi Springs is the water park itself! While the area will be a little overrun with children, the park is open to all ages, and includes a number of activities and pools for guests to use. Large water wheels can be seen pumping water through bronze-colored pipes, and a rainy midday sky can be seen though the steel and glass roof covering the complex.

But some may take notice of the large number of "swim at your own risk" signs. It turns out that Itabashi is among the first water parks in Nippon, and even after a year of operation, there aren't too many safety standards yet. They have lifeguards at least?

Black and Blue and Bronze Itabashi, Tokyo
Everyone who walks in will be immediately met by the sight of dozens of bronze tubes and slides encircling a number of pools. These water slides come in a variety of speeds, with one even requiring that riders wear helmets, as most people tend to slide out too fast, skipping over the landing pool, and slamming into a nearby wall. You know, safety first.

Those who visited Itabashi Gardens on its opening weekend may remember a certain waterslide boasting a pair of vertical loops. The slide has since been altered to create two horizontal loops instead, but the risk of being trapped inside is definitely still present, as most will find themselves coming to a stop in the purgatory between the two loops. Better start crawling, or else there's going to be a traffic jam inside the tunnel!

But not all the slides are dangerous. The newest attraction is by far the most popular, as a pair boards an inner tube and makes a slow decent down a clear pipe, which extends through one of the aquarium tanks. The lights are low and the ride is smooth, making it a popular choice for couples looking for something a little more romantic.

Wait, is that a crack? Is the aquarium tank leaking into the slide?? Don't worry about it.

Have Fun Don't Drown Itabashi, Tokyo
One of Itabashi Gardens' biggest selling points is their lazy river attraction. A narrow river circles and weaves in between other pools and under footbridges, lined with tall plants to give the illusion of privacy as swimmers float or ride atop an inner tube along the easygoing current of the water.

Along the way, swimmers can push their friends down various paths containing traps, such as a cave filled with waterfalls that drops buckets of heavy water on their head, or a slide that leads down into an isolated pool with a small bar, where swimmers can sit in the water and enjoy alcoholic beverages. Drinks must be finished before swimming back out to the main river again, but there's more than enough space to swim and float around by the bar. Alternatively, the bar-exclusive hot tubs are located just outside another exit, where additional drinks can be delivered while you relax in the hot and bubbling water. This is the only swimming attraction open late at night, so those who want a little more privacy best be staying in the hotel to get late-night access.

And of course, what water park isn't complete without a wave pool! Rather than use machinery for this, the lifeguards themselves have been trained in Mizu magic, allowing them to manually control the rise and fall of the waves. This results in a much more personalized experience, with some swimmers taking to goading the lifeguards into giving them bigger and bigger waves.

Just... don't piss them off. They're professionals who've studied for years to be able to do this, and insulting them will encourage them to bend the water around the offender, causing them to fall onto the dry pool floor. The water will constantly bend away from them no matter how fast they try to dive back into it. While not fun to experience, it's certainly hilarious to watch happen to someone else.

Deep Blue Sea

The aquarium is perhaps the greatest showing of Tokyo's technological advancements over other cities, with vast tanks containing any number of fish and other sea creatures. Guests can spend hours looking into the tanks and appreciating this rare look at Gaia's unique wildlife.

Refugees who decide to stay in the hotel will be staying in one of a number of rooms sharing a wall with the largest tank in the complex. Take a relaxing nap as sealife gently coasts by the window, as if living under the sea. Just keep in mind that with the lights off, it's not too hard to see across the tank and into another bedroom, so don't forget to close the curtains before doing any Activities (unless you're into that).

Landshark Itabashi, Tokyo
By far, the greatest appeal of the aquarium is the different ways one can experience the sights, as in addition to the winding paths outside the tanks, there are also guided tours inside, using magi-tech breathing apparatuses to allow for breathing underwater, with the latest model even allowing for natural-sounding speech through a small speaker. These devices have a half-hour time limit before they need to be refilled at the surface, but those proficient in Mizu magic will find they can stay underwater just fine for well over an hour.

Guests will be warned not to stray from the group for their own safety. But those who do may find themselves in areas they're clearly not meant to be, with one such area including a large shark tank. For the most part, the sharks won't bother anyone. They're not the thing to worry about. Unbeknownst to the staff, a kagewani was accidentally captured when gathering specimens for the aquarium. Known as the shadow-shark ayakashi, it appears only as a flat dark shadow with no physical body, and should your own shadow cross in front of it, it'll attack and simulate the pain of a shark bite, even from very far away.

Immediate treatment of the skin will alleviate the pain, but waiting too long will allow the curse to settle into their bones, resulting in a deeper pain that lasts for over a week. Alternatively, killing the kagewani will undo the curse immediately. How do you kill a shadow? While stabbing it may cause it to run away, exposing its body to bright light is the only way to kill the creature.

Considering the effects of its curse can extend through the glass walls of the tank itself, even those simply walking through the aquarium normally best be careful not to cast a shadow into the tank either!

Horny Sealife Itabashi, Tokyo
One of the newest attractions this year is a special wading pool that guests can walk through directly, extending through a winding path down a long hallway. With a sandy floor and waves that gently lap at their legs, it's a popular choice for those who wants to see creatures up close without doing a full dive.

For the most part, the pool is filled with starfish, harmless anemone, and the occasional small fish. But the pool comes with a warning. Don't touch the spiky anemone. But why? Of course someone is going to find this out the hard way, either by accidentally taking the wrong step, or curiously poking it.

The spikey anemone in the wading pool is actually a gentle ayakashi known as the anemonmon. Never attacking directly, these ayakashi will only cast their spells when stepped on, causing either feelings of intense anxiety and distress, or feelings of intense arousal, seemingly at random.

Why would they put such a thing in a wading pool?? Perhaps they put a bit too much faith into people reading the signs properly. Though this may explain why such a seemingly family-friendly exhibit has an age limit.

Greener Pastures

One of the most intriguing points of interest is the Botanical Garden. In addition to beautiful local plants, the garden boasts many exotic plants, including those previously thought to be impossible to raise in captivity.

Butterflies can be seen fluttering around, and while the inside of the garden is very warm, those sensitive to heat can borrow a cooling poncho with a magi-tech powered cooling device fixed inside of it to keep from overheating.

Plants of Temptation Itabashi, Tokyo
This summer features the opening of a new exhibit: an entire grove of wine fruit trees, specifically formulated to contain unique flavors. Thankfully, most of the fruit available is fresh, so the alcohol levels are low enough that one can enjoy as many flavors as they like!

There are a few basic flavors, including apple, strawberry, and watermelon, in addition to the classic grape-like flavor. Guests are welcome to pick them off the tree to taste test, and are even allowed to take the seeds home, which work as effective pain killers when chewed, no matter the ripeness of the fruit.

But those old enough to drink can select from a few fruit cocktails brewed using the fully ripened variety, which all contain a not-insignificant amount of alcohol. But among them, a suspiciously mild and floral variety is the most potent, with just a few sips required to put anyone flat on their ass. There's a reason they won't sell more than one glass of it to any one person.

However, those looking for something a bit more exciting should make their way over to the Nuruname Blooms. Carefully guarded by a well-trained samurai during the day, these plants are known for using their long, slimy buds to inject seeds into living creatures in order to incubate them. The samurai is there for your protection, not the plant's!

But the Gardens can't afford to pay a samurai to be there 24/7, and at certain times of the day, the nuruname is simply guarded by a strongly worded sign not to get too close. And while that may be a sufficient warning for visitors, it's not enough to stop the nuruname from hurling its vines across the barrier to try and drag some poor soul into its grasp. Looks like it grew a little faster than expected. The slime it produces is also a powerful aphrodisiac, but try not to have too much fun out there.

Cry Baby Itabashi, Tokyo
Plants aren't the only thing on display in the Botanical Garden. Isolated from the rest of the complex is a series of rooms housing plant-like ayakashi. Before entering these rooms, guests must be purified by a brief prayer given by a local monk, and affixed with a thin paper talisman on their forehead. Removing it will prevent them from being allowed to leave the area until they've walked back to the front and received a new one, in order to prevent any ayakashi curses from spreading.

After all, the very first enclosure houses an entire field of higanbana. As these flowers only grow in places where people have died, it begs the question of exactly how they got them here in the first place. However, there's a rather interesting trick at play here. The higanbana is only visible to those who have witnessed a person die. Those who haven't won't see them at all. Instead, they'll see the vast graveyard filled with stone markers hidden below the flowers, with an otherwise hidden plaque reading: "Dedicated to those who didn't survive to see the end of the time loop, and pledged their final year to the research of this facility. May their souls rest in peace." A bit grim, but a unique memorial all the same. But should there really be so many...?

Many of the next exhibits aren't too exciting. A Venus flytrap type ayakashi that gnaws on anything unlucky enough to sit next to it, a grass-like ayakashi that turns the ground acidic enough to melt metal, a distressingly stinky flower that manifests temporary synesthesia in anyone who stares at it for too long... okay, the tree that grows fruit that resembles laughing human heads is pretty wild.

But at the end of the exhibit lies an enclosure labeled "Unknown". Inside sits a singular boulder and nothing else. But the moment one turns away from it, they'll hear the sound of a woman crying and wailing for help in the distance. And yet, the source sounds as if coming from the stone itself. Attempting to listen to what the stone is saying won't bring any clarity, but it will cause the listener to begin crying profusely, overwhelmed by a feeling they won't be able to explain. Those who are affected are encouraged to leave as soon as possible, as the full effects of this ayakashi's curse are not known. What is known is that those who cry when listening to the screams of the yonaki-ishi will become more prone to crying whenever they become upset in the future. How long this effect lingers is also unknown.

OOC Notes
Welcome to Jikan's July event! Please direct any questions to the Question Thread in the OOC Plotting post.

• The slides can be as dangerous as you want them to be, but no fatalities, please! They don't have a great reputation for safety, but they're trying.
• Visitors are not allowed to retaliate against the lifeguards. Doing so will result in being removed from Itabashi Gardens all together. Splashing back doesn't count as retaliation.
• Feel free to get creative with what underwater wildlife exists in the aquarium! Siren jellies can be found swimming throughout, for example, but you're not limited to what exists on the Flora and Fauna page. However, due to their dangerous nature, any aquatic ayakashi such as Fukugyo will be kept in sealed tanks with no swimming access.
• If you are unsure whether your character would be able to afford basic amusement park entrance fees, you can assume someone at the NRL bought them a ticket!

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Comments

[outspokenlan]

Jingyi frowns, but can't argue with that. He's still working to understand the value of money as it wasn't something he had to deal with much before. He looks down at the salve in his hand. "I didn't know it was expensive," he admits sheepishly. "My elders just said to use it whenever I needed it."

He brings his hand to his mouth to try and cover his laugh. The comment is so vain but it's endearing and certainly understandable. The corner of his lip curls into a smirk. "I hope it gets you spoiled and admired then."

"I'm Lan Jingyi of the Gusu Lan clan." As he introduces himself, he gives the other young man a more respectful bow. "What's your name?"

[pilot05]

"Then they must place high value on your potential," Wufei agreed with a little smile, and offers Jingyi a deep bow. "I am Chang Wufei, heir of the Long Clan," he replies, and manages to hide how much moving like that hurts. "I'm sure as soon as he's done being annoyed, he'll be very impressed. And then I'll have to convince him not to repeat my mistake." It was exactly the sort of daredevil thing Duo would try -- and he'd not thought twice about the dangers, himself, despite being on the small side.

[outspokenlan]

Jingyi nods, not denying the remark at all. He knows they value him, especially now that he's the only junior here.

His smile brightens when the respectful greeting is returned. He'd run into a number of people so far who didn't understand it but he hasn't broken the habit of doing it yet. "Young Master Chang, you don't think he'll learn from seeing those not to do it himself? That seems rather foolish."

Not that he doesn't know someone who would be the exact same way.

[pilot05]

He chuckles warmly at the question. "He and I are both extremely foolish, but it is one of our strengths. We are the sort of men that get sent on missions that only fools would accept because success seems impossible, but we manage to do it. Sometimes the cost is great, but the price has always been worth paying so that no one else will ever have to," his voice is soft at the end, his smile fading a little. He's paid dearly for the peace his whole world now benefits from, and despite losing everything, he would do it again in a heartbeat.

With the way things are now, he wouldn't change anything about his past.

[outspokenlan]

"Ah, so you both are heroes in your world?" Who else could they be if they're willing to risk so much. "That's very honorable of you, Young Master Chang. I'd love to hear more of your stories, if they won't pain you to tell them."

He loves stories, but he can tell there's some pain on the other man's face- and not just from the bruises. He wonders what he's had to endure and if there's anyway he can help.

"Is it helpful to now be somewhere safe from what you faced back home?"

[pilot05]

He nods. It feels almost wrong to claim the title, but it is accurate. "I would be happy to tell you, though they are all painful. It is important to remember the pain, so that the mistakes won't be repeated," he replied with a small smile.

The last question draws a warm chuckle. "We made our world safe, but I've found the anonymity this place provides to be extremely refreshing. No one knows who I am or what I've done, no one hates me upon sight or wishes to thank me. And Duo is here. If I didn't know better I'd suspect this was the afterlife."

[outspokenlan]

He is learning that since titles aren't as common here as back home, he isn't address appropriately as 'Young Master' as often as he should. It feels good to be with someone who at least understands nobility and can properly provide the respect it warrants. Although, maybe eventually he'll stop worrying about titles from a world he is no longer in before too long.

"I've thought that as well, but would be a very strange version of it. There are so many here from my world who are no longer alive back home. While it's good news for them, if this is the afterlife it certainly wouldn't be good news for me!" He makes a face. As far as he knew, he was very much alive!

His attention is briefly diverted to another person going flying out of the same pipe Chang Wufei had just be thrown from. Fortunately, that person was heavier and managed to stay in the water. Jingyi breathes with relief. "I don't understand what people are doing in those things or why so many people are wearing such disgraceful things."

[pilot05]

Wufei chuckles warmly at that, giving his head a little shake. "This place seems to pluck people from whenever and wherever it pleases, assuming they're truly responsible for those time loops. I suppose I should be more irritated or suspicious of it, but my life here is much better than it was back home, and I doubt I would leave even if given the opportunity to do so." The only thing that could pull him away now would be if lives were at stake, here or there. And if Duo wouldn't be left behind without him.

His eyes follow the more fortunate slide passenger, and he actually laughs at Jingyi's assessment of the swimwear. "It's fun, and there is no shame to showing your body that much in this culture," he replies lightly. "There are many people here who have never engaged in battle. For them, riding down a slick tunnel at high speeds is the closest they can get to feeling that kind of a rush."

[outspokenlan]

That hasn't occurred to him until now- someone preferring to remain here instead of going back home. He knows a few people who would likely feel that way, considering they're dead back home. What about the others? In some ways his adopted uncle seems happier here and other ways he seems.. depressed maybe?

What would Jingyi prefer?

"It might be different for me if some more of the people I hold dear were here too. It's been quite strange without the rest of my clan here." Though it hasn't been entirely unpleasant either. He's sure gotten a lot more attention and made to feel special here.

He frowns at the laugh, wondering what was so funny. However, it doesn't sound like he's being made fun of. "It ought to be." He says stubbornly, making a face at some guy in a speedo. He doesn't even want to look at the women.

Thinking over the other part, he finds it more logical than he expected. Why else would he and the other juniors always be so excited about a night-hunt if there wasn't a 'rush' to it? Granted, there's honor to be gained by it too. "But you've seen battle and yet you enjoy this too?"

[pilot05]

Wufei nodded as he listened, offering a sad smile. "I imagine it is difficult to lose so much at once, even with the blow softened by the knowledge that they're still alive and well." He'd done that once, left with the belief that he'd never see them again. Watching them all perish had been much, much worse.

But then they're back to the subject of bathing suits and tube slides, and he can't help getting a mischievous glint in his eye. "Why should it?" He countered, without any judgement or offense, but genuine curiosity. "It does you no harm to see another's skin, does it? It's certainly safer than trying to swim in heavy fabrics." Though even he can't bear to look at the speedo.

He nods at the question of enjoyment. If it weren't for the bruises currently blooming down his side, he would've enjoyed it enough to go again.