jikan_rpg | July | Event: Waterpark Waves

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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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh really? Share with the class, what did you get?

[ He's glad the cashier at least puts the plushie in a bag, so he can hide it behind his legs for now. ]

You need me to pay for it? Because I totally will.

No!

[Ah, that was a bit abrupt.] I mean, please. Let me purchase this and then I'll let you see it.

[ There was a beat when she abruptly reacted to him. His eyes blink and he raises his hands, stepping aside with an amused expression painted in his features. ]

Fair enough. There's cash registers this way.

[ He misses the ease of transaction back in his homeworld, but this isn't so bad either. Even credit cards are not a thing here, but it's still simple enough. ]

Back in my world there's register lanes that you can just pay for the item yourself. No need for an employee to perform the transaction for you. I love those things, I can just tell a girl to go to the cutest cashier, then they find the lane is a self-checkout lane.

[ He laughs with pride. It sounds silly when he says it out loud, but that move earned him some cute reactions from women he dated ]

For what it's worth though, I think you're cuter than the cashiers in here today.

[Edelgard isn't particularly interested in hearing about his past pickup lines, but she knows he's not trying to be boorish. Honestly it makes for a good distraction while she tries to keep the wood carving out of his view. When they finally get to the cash register she insists he turn around. And will even grab his arms to do it for him if he gives her trouble.]

Is that right? How often has that type of flattery worked for you?

More than it should.

[ He replies, raising his hands in surrender and consequently showing he has a paper bag in one hand. He is thoroughly amused when she insisted that he turns around, doing so without question and to also hide his laughing grin. She's adorable to look at when she's being shy like this, a far cry to what the idealized image of an emperor would be. Much like him who's supposed to be a commander and king. It's a nice reminder that they're just both people. ]

Y'know, I'm kinda having fun trying to guess what you bought if you don't want me to see it.

Is that right?

[Edelgard is quick about getting the little item paid for and in a bag on its own. She folds the top to keep it a mystery for now.]

Perhaps I'll give you three guesses, but you can turn back around now.

A shirt?

[ Troy only turns around when he voices his first guess. He's not really trying so his guesses would be pretty far from the real thing. ]

Maybe a hat?

[ He's just being coy now. Because somehow, imagining Edelgard with a hat is an adorable image. ]

No. You've got one more guess.

[Since they've both made their purchases, Edelgard will walk them out of the gift shop so they don't take up space.]

A whale shark figure?

[ He drops the coyness a little, smiling softly with a knowing hint. His superhuman observational skills allow him to guess it from the start. The size of the bag, the sound the item made suggested the weight and density of the object, among other things. Despite guessing the item, it didn't make it any less flattering and make him more excited to give his gift to her. ]

Don't worry-

[ He raises his bag and gives it a little shake ]

I got you something too.

[That certainly wipes the smug little look off her face. There is great effort that she puts into trying not to pout, but it leaks out a bit anyway. Once they've departed the building she'll hand the bag over to him without a word.

Edelgard isn't very good at being a loser.]

[ He got a kick out of seeing her smugness fade in an instant when he guessed her gift right, making him more excited to give his gift to her - hoping she'd actually like it. After letting that image of her pouting be etched into his mind, Troy graciously accepts the bag from her hands after putting his on the floor behind him. ]

Thank you.

[ He says earnestly, taking the bag and opening it to view the carving. He takes it out for a bit, smiling warmly and observing the likeness of a particular animal that brought good memories of his youth back into his mind. Swimming with them was one of the balms of his rigorous training. ]

It's very beautiful. Kinda makes me worry if the one I got for you is even on the same level.

[ He gently places the figure back into the bag, setting it aside and taking the bag containing the soft plush creature within. With the seal on the top, he gives her a few moments of suspense as he hands it over ]

[Edelgard is very careful about undoing that seal, but when she does the large plush expands a bit now that there's no resistance. The sudden movement surprises her, but in the end she pulls the stuff shark out of the bag.

It's so damn cute...!]

Oh. It's... lovely.

[Oh no she loves it.]

Yeah?

[ He asks with a breath of relief pushing his words out of his lips, a weight from his chest released when he sees her reaction. ]

I'm glad you think so... Part of me wasn't sure, but you seem to like the baby sharks earlier.

[ Maybe the fact that they're misunderstood creatures - seen as evil and vicious, but are actually more than that - is what connected Edelgard in his mind to the creature. But a part of it was also thinking the plush toy and Edelgard herself are both adorable in his eyes. He steals a bit of touch on the plush, squishing to feel how soft it is. ]

And just thought they make for good pillows. Might make ya sleep better.

July | Event: Waterpark Waves

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