jikan_rpg | July | Event: Waterpark Waves

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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He pouted, just a little, when he was told no, but it faded into a lazy smile when his nose was kissed and he hummed happily. "It heals," he replied lightly. "So that way if I get injured," he twisted to show Duo his bruised side again, "I can banish it with a little magic."

And then the refill was brought and he accepted it with both hands and an overly-friendly thanks to the server. He settled against Duo again and drank half the glass in one long sip. "It's a very smooth ball, but he said if I broke it, I would break the whole city."

"You know that doesn't give you permission to go get fucked up just because you can heal yourself, right?" He said, a warning in his tone. Wufei had promised him and he knew Wufei would keep it. But Duo also knew if there was a loophole to exploit then it had once upon a time been their job to find and exploit them to get their missions done. If Wufei was determined enough, the damn ball might have been the loophole he needed.

When Wufei leaned against him, Duo slid his arm more around him but mindful of that bruised side.

"No braking it then, dummy. The city isn't too bad so lets keep it as it is." Unless it pissed them off, of course. So far neither of them had any real reason to be pissed off at the Powers That Be. But if that ever changed he wasn't above causing a little carnage.

Wufei paused, as if he had to actually thing that over for a long moment. "That actually makes a lot of sense," he agreed with a little nod, though whether he was drunkenly re-realizing why Sephiroth had taught him or agreeing with Duo it was hard to tell.

He smiled again, warm and sappy as he was told not to break his materia. "I like the city," he agreed, and gave Duo a little kiss. "It gave me you."

Okay, Wufei was a little shit but he was a cute little shit and Duo melted a little inside after that kiss. He relented and leaned in to softly return that kiss, eyes half closing and the corners of his mouth pulled into a warm, loving smile.

"Gave me you, too. I kinda like this city. Real chill. I could see myself settling down here." The fashion left much to be desired but he could get used to it. Eventually. It was only a little bit of a problem he could easily deal with for a life living beside Wufei.

Wufei chuckled warmly, giving his head a shake. "That makes no sense," as he swayed a little in Duo's grip. "We already have a house and a kitten... spider. Thing. She eats bugs," that was apparently the important detail. "We. Have roots." Which required him to stick a foot up above water level and wiggle his toes, for some reason.

It was a very important detail. She went for all the bugs that Duo wasn't fond of and that was great news for him. He lowered his head to give Wufei's shoulder a little nuzzle and kiss even as that sexy leg of his was raising from the water to wiggle an adorable set of toes. Duo had to laugh.

"I know we've a house and a kitten. I meant a future. The growing old together kind, y'know? Gettin married, raising a litter of spider-cats. Livin the dream." The secret one that they'd all been afraid of harbouring when they had been at war.

Wufei smiled warmly when he earned a laugh, humming happily. "You just proposed to me," he pointed out with a chuckle that bordered on giggle territory. "I will happily marry you, but there's a quest first," he grinned, giving Duo's nose a bump with his own.

"Did I?" Duo raised a brow questioningly. He didn't think that's what he had done, but instead of feeling panicked... he felt somewhat calm. Would it be that bad if he had? Though if he was going to do it it would be done better. Properly. Not in a hot tub while Wufei was drunk.

"What kinda quest?" He had to ask, his curiosity getting the better of him as he smiled, the little Eskimo kiss was cute.

Wufei hummed happily, kissing Duo again before he answered. "You did. Now you have to find a red chrysanthemum and bring it to me," he replied with a grin. "They're very special. Red is the color of celebration and happiness, and chrysanthemums are a symbol of long life and nobility. And," this time he really did giggle. "They're slang for anal sex."

Duo was all on board and invested in this quest... up until Wufei giggled and explained the other meaning of the flower he was requesting. Then he had to laugh, and when he did he wrapped his arms around Wufei a bit more and tugged him in closer.

"Guess I'll have to accept this quest then, huh? Sounds like it'd be right up my street." He smirked and went and kissed Wufei again.

Wufei returned the kisses happily, letting himself relax against Duo with a happy hum. He'd even managed to forget all about his bruises, letting himself just exist in the moment with his lover snuggled up to him as he thought about flowers and weddings and... sighed quietly.

"I don't wanna go back," he said softly, still smiling despite the tinge of sadness to his tone.

"Maybe we'll be lucky and get suck here forever?" He offered with tender smile. There wasn't much waiting for him back home anyway. Sure he'd miss the guys, Howard and Hilde, but if it meant getting to spend the rest of his life with Wufei then he'd give it all up in a heartbeat. Because if they went home... who was t say they would find their way back together again?

Duo lifted a hand, wet from the hot tub, and stroked up Wufei's back until he could raise it and bring it down to run over his boyfriends hair. "Maybe I'll be lucky and get to keep you forever?"

"I hope so," Wufei replied warmly, sliding his hand along Duo's neck gently. "I'm not leaving much behind," the only thing he really missed were the pieces of Nataku he'd kept. In her place, he'd gotten Duo. A life, a relationship, a home. He smiled as he straightened up to look at Duo, that pink, sparkly cloud growing up around him. "I want to be yours forever," he agreed lazily. "Here or there."

Duo's eyes closed, chin lifting as long, strong fingers glided up his neck. His lips curved into a smile.

"You'd really be mine if we ever went back?" He asked then, not bothering to open his eyes. "You think we could make it work?"

Wufei hummed happily as he nodded, letting his hands wander as they liked. Duo was his, and he was Duo's, and moments like this illustrated it in ways other people could never understand. "I would. And we can. We're two of the most stubborn, thick-headed people in the earth sphere. I'd like to see someone try to come between us," he said with a smug certainty.

Duo did enjoy it when Wufei got handsy like this. Being the tactile sort, it appealed to him on a fundamental level. And it felt pretty damn good. Admittedly he understood that Wufei was doing this because he was kinda drunk, otherwise he might not have been so affectionate in public. Not that there was anyone really watching.

"Such a romantic." And with that Duo pulled Wufei in closer and lowered his head to kiss him. As his tongue invaded his lovers mouth he could taste that strange drink upon his tongue.

To think Wufei would want him even back home... really was possibly the most romantic thing Wufei could ever have said to him right then. It was something that had bothered him. A little fear in the back of his mind that if things ever changed here, if they were ever sent home and didn't remember a thing... would he go back to being alone? Would they be able to find their way back together again? Duo hoped they would.

Wufei chuckled warmly. He really wouldn't have been so affectionate in public if he'd been sober, but he wasn't, and Duo was the only thing he could focus on right now. Someone could've dropped a Leo right on his head and he probably wouldn't have noticed.

Especially when Duo kissed him like that, earning a happy little sigh as he returned the kiss. He might have been distant during the war, but behind closed doors he was as touch-hungry as Duo had ever been, desperate for contact that he'd never really been allowed to indulge in, before. When the kiss broke he let out a warm, sort of silly chuckle. "I like this hot tub, but I think I would like our room a little bit better."

He let Wufei dictate when the kiss ended, but he kept his eyes closed and his smile was a lazy, happy one.

"Kinda like bein in here. Like you bein in here with me." He gave a low laugh of his own. "I'm still waiting on my next drink. You trying to drag me away before I have my fun, Wufei?"

That got an honest to goodness giggle, and his pink cloud turned a little red around the edges. "Maybe I'm trying to drag you away to even more fun," he teased. As if walking back to the room while drunk wouldn't be enough of a workout to make him pass out immediately. "But wherever you are is best."

"Oh yeah?" Duo glanced left and right, smirked and then eased his hands down under the water and went right ahead and pulled Wufei more into his lap, via a firm grip of his lovers ass. "Nothin says we can't have fun here. When're we ever gonna have the chance to relax in a hot tub with a bar willing to give us drinks without moving a muscle?"

Wufei giggled again, sliding into Duo's lap with ease and snuggling himself closer. "I think there are public indecency laws against that," he teased with a tipsy little grin.

As if he wouldn't have just passed out once they got to their room.

This was nice, though. Duo right here, the water nice and warm, the drinks... ooh, there were more drinks. He perked up a little as two were brought over -- Duo's, full strength, and his own, a fruity virgin drink, because he was very obviously very drunk already.

And completely oblivious as he took a long sip.

"As if no one else's is doing stuff or worse..." Duo smiled up at that grin of Wufei's but knew that he wouldn't actually push for anything more than what they were doing, not with Wufei drunk.

"You're so damn cute." He couldn't help himself, watching his boyfriend was something Duo was really beginning to enjoy. Everything about him from the way he moved to the way he spoke, Duo found it cute or sexy. And drunk Wufei was somehow even cuter than sober Wufei. The barriers had come down and he was just... just cute all over. He couldn't get enough of it.

"I," Wufei said, holding his cup out, away from himself like someone was trying to make him spill it. "Am not cute," he said, pouting cutely. "I am a warrior!" Up the cup went, juice sloshing up and out, and reminding him that it was there when it spilled down his hand, and he pulled it in to take another long drink. "Warriors are not cute," he said after his sip. "We are fierce and terrifying and... and..." and there went his train of thought.

"Nah, not cute. Fucking adorable." Duo corrected himself easily. "Fiercely, terrifyingly adorable..." He pulled Wufei right back down to him, laughing he tipped his head to kiss those fruit juice flavours lips. "You're my warrior. Beautiful and proud. And sexy as hell." And even more adorable for just how drunk he was. Duo had never seen Wufei quite this tipsy before and he was loving it.

Wufei probably wasn't even going to remember this part of the night he was so drunk, and he giggled at Duo again, leaning in to meet that kiss with a delightfully sloppy one of his own. "Damn right," he agreed smugly, leaning back again to finish off his glass and set it aside, draping himself against Duo's chest with a quiet hum. "Tell me how sexy."

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maxwellsdaemon - 2022-10-25 22:11 (UTC) - Expand

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