week 4

[biteys]

WEEK FOUR

road trip!

As the doctor mentioned, the next leg of your trip is quite long, so walking isn't advised; hopefully, you've all secured alternative methods of travel between the abandoned cars and the wild pack of horses you found last week.

These cars are long abandoned, and most of them still have things like CDs and magazines in the gloveboxes and trunks - so at least you’ll have some entertainment for the trip! Conveniently, music you can find comes from the year 2024 and earlier, because in the Turnout universe, CDs were still widely a thing in modern times because I said so.

Be aware that there are not enough cars and horsies for everyone to go solo; you’ll need to group up and decide who’s driving! And, more notably...

Your drive won't be entirely peaceful! There are bound to be some zombies littering the street, which characters will need to clear in order to keep going. Whether that's through running them over, sniping them with your newfound long-range gun skills, or doing it the old fashioned way by hopping out of the car and beating them to a pulp, they've gotta move! Be careful not to let the horseys get bit.

respite

Whether or not you were suspicious of whatever the “SAFE” marked on the map was supposed to mean, when you come to the coordinates that are marked, you’ll be in front of a door that opens down into the earth — it's a bunker. The entrance is slightly hidden by foliage, seemingly intentionally so.

Inside, it’s obvious this place is not like the places you’ve been traveling to thus far. It’s clean, well stocked, and nicely furnished. Judging by the pictures on the wall, it’s a safe house that’s been used many times by Dr. Bei and her five associates. So, it was built by a bunch of super nerds surviving the apocalypse, meaning that it's pretty well fortified and self sufficient. It seems like the Doctor must have been here at least a few weeks ago, judging by the dust levels and quality of the food.

That means there’s clean running (and hot!) water, as well as a freezer that’s stocked up with some raw meat, vegetables, and a rare ice cream treat. Also in the kitchen are some seasonings and other staples: flour, rice, etc. There are cooking utensils too, of course! Characters well versed in cooking may just be able to throw together a nice feast for everyone.

There’s also, you know. Alcohol. Not a ton of mixers, though!

It seems like the nerds had simple things for means of entertainment: there are some party and card games hidden away in drawers — think pictionary, uno and twister, or other such party games. Of course, only your imagination is holding you back: while you have a safe place to rest, it might be easier to let loose and have fun.

The six rooms in the bunker all have one bed and a connected bathroom - each one is identical but decorated with sparse things, like stray trinkets or a picture frame. Only Dr. Bei's really has anything different about it, because in it, there's still a working computer.

Characters will be able to open basic programs like wordpad, MS paint, or iTunes for music purposes. Like everyone who had iTunes, she has U2 songs on there. There's still no internet, but there are some saved messages from her and another colleague using an alternative connection method.

While exploring, characters can discover a chat log between ♛, which appears to be Dr. Bei's display name, and ♝, another user.

Aside from the beds in the six rooms, there are also sofas and armchairs to rest on.

oops all memshare

While within the safe house, your bracelets will start acting strange. It might have to do with being underground, or perhaps just the highly advanced technology at work down here, but at inopportune times, you’ll find your mind linking with other party members’, especially when initiating physical contact.

When connected to another survivor, you may exchange memories, which may come with 1) the physical sensations you felt at the time, 2) the emotions you felt at the time, or 3) the thoughts you had at that time. Players can be creative with this mechanic and have the memshares be like watching a movie, or physically acted out — whichever is your preference. There’s no prerequisite on the type of memory that might accidentally spill over, and characters may share multiple memories with one person.

According to the map's schedule, you have some time to rest your weary feet from the long ride… you’re not scheduled to leave for two or three days. It seems the Doctor might want you to fill up and face the second half of the trip with your most well rested selves. So, why not relax while you can? What’s the worst that could happen???

code

Comments

[hydrotherapy]

[ !! Truly Haru is such a smart girl. ]

Haru really is very talented, isn't she?

[ Able to cook and clean and make bandages and also.........cut off people's arms.............let's not talk about that. Anyway. ]

Do you want to learn how to cook? It's a great way to be able to not only feed yourself but also be able to customize any meal instead of just accepting what other people give you. We might not get very many chances to be in a kitchen from here on out.

[venomnom]

[She nods. Cooking, cleaning, making bandages, dismembering people—Haru has got it all.

Customizing her meal is the least of Reiju's concerns, but Sigewinne has a point. There may come a time, sooner than later, when she'll have to feed herself. While certain foods pose no danger to her, nutrition is important. And . . . ]

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn a little more. You never know when we'll have to split up again.

[hydrotherapy]

[ looks directly at the camera at the mention of splitting up

But that's a problem for future Sigewinne and Reiju. Present Sigewinne and Reiju have a perfectly serviceable little kitchen they should make use of. ]

In that case, why don't you help me make something for everyone? [ Say no, please say no. ] There's probably not too many fresh ingredients in here, but I'm sure we can figure something out with what we do have.

[venomnom]

[Reiju says neither yes nor no. No, she takes a step in the direction of the freezer.]

There's meat and vegetables in the freezer. Should I fetch them?

[hydrotherapy]

Yes, please! Only if you wouldn't mind.

[ RIP to everyone's taste buds tonight. ]

Could you list off what you find in the freezer? [ i am leaving the fate of everyone's stomachs in your hands jae ]

[venomnom]

I can bring you one of everything.

[Because she has no idea what's what. Uncooked meat all look the same to her; ergo, Reiju opens the freezer and begins pulling out whatever she can. She sets the first batch down on the island, then turns to Sigewinne and holds out a package of something labeled shaved steak.]

How's this?

[hydrotherapy]

[ Shaved steak....a good start. Sigewinne takes it from Reiju and sets it on the counter. ]

Great. Protein is an important part of any meal. It helps give us enough strength to get through the day. What else is there?

[ But also: ]

If you never cooked before, does that mean you had friends or family cooking for you?

[ Or was she a take-out only kinda gal....tell her your backstory, Reiju. ]

[venomnom]

[She sounds like a chef. How charming.

Reiju turns around to sift through the rest of the packages on the island.]

Neither. The kitchen staff prepared all of my meals.

[That's all there is to tell, really. As for the rest, the proximity from passing off the meat and the topic of discussion trigger a reaction between their bracelets. The kitchen melds away, pluging them into a memory . . . ]

picks memory 1

[hydrotherapy]

[ Kitchen staff....how fancy. Or not, most of the meals in the Fortress are prepared and handed out by Wolsey too. it's really not so different.

But before she can say anything, something else grabs her attention. A sudden shift in scene, vivid enough to be reality, of Reiju and a second figure who looks an awful lot like her. The air around them is solemn but Sigewinne can still feel the fondness that threads through Reiju's voice and lingers at the edges of this memory.

She's quiet after the memory fades, a troubled expression on her face. She should be thinking about how to cook the meat they've fished out of the freezer but... ]

I don't agree with one of the things you said. I don't think you deserved to die.

[ Just saying. ]

[venomnom]

[The memory flows and ebbs like one of many tides on Reiju's end. Her hands rest on the island and the plastic of a packaged meat while her eyes soften, narrowing slightly, at Sigewinne's sentiment.

That's just it, isn't it. They all think something (and feel some way).]

Well, I lived. He made sure of that.

[hydrotherapy]

[ Sigewinne laughs, a soft sound that's been terribly absent in her life of late. (Not much to smile about these days, even if a good smile is even more important after all they've been through.) ]

That's true. You're here with the rest of us now, aren't you? And I know I'm glad to have met you here.

[ Even if the circumstances could be....a lot better...... ]

You're very lucky to have a brother [ ??? assuming she interpreted all that right ] like him.

[venomnom]

[Her lips stretch at the laugh. Sigewinne is awfully sweet, both inside and out. ]

I am. [Not because he saved Reiju, but because of who he is. After all the resentment and shame with which she's lived, his goodness had been a balm. Out of everyone, he's the most precious.] Do you have siblings of your own?

[hydrotherapy]

[ The question has her falling silent briefly, lips pursing. ]

Hmm...you could say that all Melusines are sisters to each other. We're all created from the same source, after all.

[ Created?? She doesn't seem to be particularly perturbed by the language she's using, sitting and talking calmly like being created is just how most other beings come into existence. ]

But I don't really call most of the other Melusines my sisters. We were all born at different times and grew up separate from one another. I doubt I feel as close to them as you do with your brother.

[venomnom]

[Melusines (and the creation of) are beyond Reiju's current comprehension, but she thinks she can understand the neutrality behind the statement. It's not like someone would find their manner of birth odd unless there's a suitable comparison.]

We aren't especially close. Most of our lives were spent apart, and I was distant when we were together.

[His attachment is disproportionate to their childhood, which is what made his obstinacy so frustrating yet winsome. In any case:] What would you call them, then?