Mingle ∞ Log
No Lifeguard on Duty
Summary
What's going on?
An
unexpected heat wave in mid-June, coupled with the cycling shutdown of all air conditioning units in motels across the Blocks, has made the summer unbearable. Meanwhile, the ever-eager
storm chaser,
Felix Bjurstrom, has uncovered a
fancy resort with a pool in a diffusion zone only 1 hour out from Panorama. Lucky, right? Well...kind of. It's got some quirks.
When is this happening?
June 10 - 30
What should I know?
- This area is one of many diffusion zones that appear throughout the planet.
- A storm chaser is someone dedicated to studying the cosmic phenomenon in the Diadem. Felix is a pioneer in his field.
- A winding highway filled with old empty barrels will take you to the zone.
- Characters can travel with a friend to save on gas! Parking's limited, so it might not be a bad idea.
- At any given time, there's max several dozen visitors. Most work long hours, some are traveling through the diffusion zones, and others prefer not to risk the drive or waste precious gas, so it won't draw a huge crowd (but there's still a crowd!).
- This is a mingle rather than an event. Plot-heavy elements will be minor. The game's first proper event will be posted in July!
What does my character know?
- Having lost his phone, Felix will spread the word using good old-fashioned printed posters that he's put up around Panorama. A young woman is seen helping him. They appear to be close. Some say that's his daughter.
- Though the timing is impossible to predict accurately, Felix believes that due to this zone's unusual proximity to an anchor point, it has a high chance of persisting for 2-3 weeks.
- Directions are printed on the posters, though characters are also free to stumble across the zone by accident.
∞ Links ∞
Introduction
The resort looks like your typical upscale vacation spot: a beautiful pool, lovely cabins, and plenty of pool chairs. The sky is
perpetually nighttime and there are
two moons. One moon is smaller than its sister and glows purple. The other looks like the Earth's moon. The weather is
pleasantly warm. In fact, conditions are almost
too perfect.
Other
fluxdrifts are here, too, and you might come across them, all of whom are taking advantage of the pool. They'll converse superficially with you and will come and go randomly. You'll want to keep a close eye on your belongings. Other than cooling off, this isn't a bad place to start making connections. Life in the Diadem is better when you've got allies if not friends.
Just outside the resort is a
spacious parking lot, designed for visitors. Nobody's following parking rules so put your car anywhere it fits. If you get blocked in, well, that's a problem for when you leave.
At the end of June, the diffusion zone will flicker and morph into an unremarkable overgrown park, long abandoned to the decades.
Prompts
As you wander around, you discover deactivated androids in many of the poolside huts. These androids cannot be mistaken for any organic species: their chassis is metal, and their heads are shiny. Circuits and wires are visible. But each is dressed distinctly human in a way that borders on disturbing. You spot lipstick drawn on some of the metal faces, as though they're playing dress up...or as if they don't realize they aren't human. One android is frozen in place with a diary clutched in its hands. Another has a hairbrush for its nonexistent hair.
Something seems to have destroyed them—perhaps a powerful EMP wave that knocked them all out. All except one.
The Bartender
The poolside bar is at the eastern end of the resort. There are plenty of seats. A few are occupied by deactivated androids. The bartender is also an android and appears to be the only functional one in this place. He speaks with a modulated voice and has a neutral accent. He exhibits the following behaviors if you sit at his bar:
- Icebreaker. Whether you're alone or with a companion, he'll try to get you all to be friends, asking random self-generated icebreaker questions. He'll be visibly disappointed if you don't play along.
- Bartending. While cheerful, he can't make the correct drink: it's always too strong, incredibly weak, added salt instead of sugar, messed up the ice. He's obviously doing his best, but it's just not working. The harder he tries, the worse he performs until it becomes a comedy of errors with stuff falling over, ice dumped in your lap, champagne corks flying, and any number of slapstick mishaps. You can help him out by mixing the drink yourself.
If you're nice to him, he'll introduce himself as Thomas Lustras. He's happy to
tell you about his son. Strange, you think, but who says androids can't have paternal instincts? Yet, when the android takes out his wallet to show you a photo of his son—named Edward Lustras—the picture is that of a
human child, roughly 5 years old, in the arms of his
human father.
The driver's license in the same wallet confirms that Thomas is (was?) a real person. The picture on the license matches the human male in the photo. A half-scorched business card states that Thomas was a consultant at Outer Rim Resettlements. Thomas believes he's on a company retreat and wistfully declares he's eager to return home to his son.
Maybe don't look too closely. After all, this place will soon disappear. And so will he.
The Grill
It's not a vacation without a grill! Not a grillable item is in sight, though, so you'll have to rely on what you can bring out of Panorama. Some of the visiting drifters will pitch in to share, unloading hotdogs (some synthetic, others authentic, and some far past expiry), burger patties (same) and buns, and "kebabs" made of blocky frozen vegetable squares. The squares vaguely resemble corn, mushrooms, and pineapple. The texture is passable, like a flavor-infused block of tofu.
Fire up the grill and take turns grilling. You'll also have to manage the propane. The grill's also prone to sputtering out, requiring regular minor repairs to get it back up and going. Any loose bolts or screws can be taken out of the dead androids to replace the rusty ones in the grill. You're unsure if you should feel uncomfortable doing that or what, but it is a solution.
Parking Woes
Like any crowded event, the parking lot can get chaotic, and the lawlessness of the diffusion zones doesn't help. While some are happy to help barbecue, others are more interested in picking fights over who got to the parking space first. It won't take much for a fistfight to break out, and a knife fight isn't out of the question, either, though nobody'll be killed (this time).
You can let the troublemakers beat each other, or you can try to intervene if somebody who doesn't deserve it is getting harassed. Just avoid causing too much of a scene. Breaking noses is acceptable; gutting someone head to toe is not. There are Enforcers visiting the zone, and if you interfere with their nice pool time, they won't hesitate to haul away everybody involved and make you sit in jail for a few days.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thediadem) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
diademlogs2025-06-08 10:11 am
benny lafitte | supernatural - ota
poolside;
(( ooc; ota of course, feel free to go for any prompt and run wild! Add your own icebreaker questions, choose your own adventure and wildcard, go nuts. I’m easy peasy and can go with the flow! if you wanna plot something specific feel free to pm me or hmu on plurk
I'm here once more, bartending
Hello!
[ He waves and then hops up into a seat at the bar. He curiously looks at the various poorly made drinks that are there, and the one that recently looks spilled, and frowns. The android seems to be moving to the side so Benny could take his place, and he has already spoken to him before. They had a thrilling chat of question and answer thirty different times before Jack went back to Rowena. He liked talking to him, but he's more interested in talking to Benny. ]
I'm so glad to see you. Are you the bartender today?
[ Jack doesn't really drink outside of when his family gives him a beer to fit in. On his own he would probably take a soda first, but that's because he has a sweet tooth. He's come and gone a few times, with his family and then on his own, and he likes it here. Jack's never experienced anything like this, they've always been in rundown motels and the bunker is the fanciest place he's been outside of Heaven. He has walked every inch of this place to experience it. ]
Can va---do you taste the way hu--everyone does?
[ Jack stumbles over his words which is unusual for him, he usually speaks directly his mind and the words rumble out of him. But he recognizes as he speaks that Benny isn't public as a creature of the night so he hurries to brush over it and not be so obvious. ]
no subject
He glances sideways, gives the kid a once-over: wet jeans, bare feet, plain t-shirt, dopey little smile like nothing in the world’s ever bothered him. Course, it probably has, but Jack seems like the kinda kid that lets it roll off his shoulders. Damn near everyone’s been chewed up and spit out by the world and it’s fuckery, everyone Benny knows is fucking traumatized beyond belief.
Still. Must be nice to keep that cheerfulness. Benny sure can't claim to have any, though he reckons he puts on a good front.
He grunts, reaching for the bottle he’d been halfway to claiming. ]
Guess I am now.
[ He holds the bottle up with a slow smirk, mischief in his eyes, and takes a long, measured swig. The bartender, bless (curse) him, scoots aside and lets Benny take over for the time being. Thank you. It isn’t what sates the thirst-hunger that’s always raging in his veins around humans, but it sure does curbs some of that intense craving.
Soda drinker or not, Jack’s getting a drink poured. Up to him if he drinks it. ]
I can taste. [ It’s cute, the stumble. There isn’t anyone else in the proximity, thankfully, cause Benny sure isn’t out of the metaphorical vampire closet yet to anyone else that doesn’t know exactly who he is - Jack, Sam. Cas. So he appreciates the fumbling attempt to keep his dirty little secret.
He jerks his head at the handful of travesties sitting on the bar off to the side. ]
Kinda wish I can’t, right now.
no subject
You're probably going to be better. I'm not sure you can get worse.
[ He winces and looks genuinely apologetic at the android. ]
I'm sorry, I know you meant well.
[ It was just trying to do its job, but it was clearly malfunctioning. Jack has no engineering capability to fix it. He would absolutely try if he could, because he likes fixing things in theory. He decided to be kind to it and converse seriously before. He picks up the drink and sniffs it. Usually they don't give him anything heavier than beer but he tries it. He makes a face since it's so strong comparatively, but he wants to be just like Benny, or at least impress him. He sips it again for that reason. It is a little easier the second time.
He can't get drunk so alcohol is nothing more than a series of tastes to him. But he doesn't have the entire problem of angels tasting every molecule. It seems that Benny can too, which is nice for him. ]
The first one it gave me was the sourest thing I've ever experienced.
[ He did more than make a face, he tried not to gag. But Jack being Jack, he held it anyway as if he intended to try again someday. ]
Do you like it here? I've never seen anything like this! It's wonderful.
no subject
Mine tasted like bayou swamp water, I'll take just about anything else at this point.
[ He has to contemplate that question, though. He hasn't been here long, not really, not long enough to form a strong opinion. He supposes it's better than Purgatory in a whole lot of ways, but he does miss Dean, and he does miss the...purity of the place. The ease. There's something about singular focus. One goal - survive. This place has a lot of distractions, human distractions. ]
Well... [ He says, nice and slow, Louisiana drawl coming out; ] In Purgatory, there isn't much room for thinkin’ when you’re only focused on not gettin’ your head ripped off. There's...a lotta distractions here.
[ It's not really an answer, but his words say a lot. ]
no subject
It doesn't seem he has human taste so that might be part of it. He wouldn't know what it tastes like. I wonder why he is the only android working.
[ The others are all frozen in place or in various states, seemingly having stopped exactly where they stood, in whatever world this all was originally. Jack couldn't really guess at the why. But it does seem strange that only one of them would be working, and that one says he has a son, so maybe biologically androids can have them. He doubts he'll get answers so he'll just wonder.
Jack means specifically the resort is wonderful, although really he means everything when it comes down to it. It's an exciting new place and he's not back home dying for the cause, so it's a temporary reprise and he's decided to just keep going for now. He plans on going out to the middle of nowhere at some point and testing out opening rifts, but no where anyone else could get sucked into.
His eyebrows furrow, frowning.]
That sounds exhausting. You never can relax or have peace? Even we have that, sometimes.
[ The hunters are busy but they have downtime. Jack's had pockets here and there where he could sit in the bunker and read quietly or even watch television if he was lucky. Normally he would look on the computer for more cases to be a good member of the team, but the option was there. ]
But ... you don't sound thrilled to be here despite it being much quieter. This doesn't feel like a reprieve? I know it's strange, but you can probably rest without being hunted.
[ Jack listens carefully to people's tones and watches their expressions, and he would have expected Benny to be happy to be temporarily outside of such a chaotic place. ]
no subject
He shifts on the barstool, shoulders loose, but there's still that faint tension beneath the surface. He feels like a man who hears footsteps long after the chase is over. ]
Rest's a funny thing. [ His voice is low, a hint of amusement threading through the gravel. ] You get used to livin' with your teeth bared long enough, you forget how to unclench.
[ He sets the glass down and pours a little more for himself. ]
Guess I'm still learnin' how to sit still. Might need a tutor.
[ Then, with a faint smirk, that familiar drawl slipping back in-- ]
You takin' students?
no subject
[ Dean rests, kind of, but there always is that tension too, that he's bracing himself for the next bad thing to happen. Jack spends a lot of time watching Dean, he has from when he was only a few days old. He knows Dean a lot better than Dean probably is aware of, or would like. He can see why Benny was an exception. He doesn't seem anything like any vampire Jack has ever heard of.
He looks a little surprised and then smiles, figuring that Benny is both joking and being sincere at the same time, a quality he's only seen in a few people. ]
I've never been a teacher but I would try my best. I sit very still.
[ Jack is not a twitcher or someone who moves a lot. He doesn't have the typical small tells that other people do in their body language. If anything he's too still, like he hasn't gotten fully comfortable in his body despite being three years old. Just now, he's even less comfortable with all of Lucifer's energy in him. ]
Relaxing is not my strong suit. I was on a serious mission when I came here, I feel like I am not living to my potential.
no subject
He watches Jack for a moment, watching the stillness. Kinda uncanny, but Benny reckons people get that feeling about him, too. ]
Well, you figure out how to enjoy it, you let me know. I’ll be takin’ notes.
no subject
[ Jack looks around a little wistfully. It was usually work or some supernatural drama for them to worry about. They only occasionally had nice quiet times together, but they didn't travel for something nice and pretty. No beach days with his family. It feels surreal to go somewhere as a 'vacation' although they also came here to curiously see what one of these storms was like. He suspects this won't be the usual.]
I'm not sure how to relax but I have gotten to meet a lot of new people. I think that helps, giving yourself something to do. Like a goal. Maybe you need a goal.
[ Jack doesn't have a number goal like he has to meet one hundred people in the next month, but he does have a 'meet at least one other person' goal, and therefore he's always succeeding. ]
Oh maybe you can meet another va---person like you. [ He doesn't want to shout out vampire here for Benny's sake. ] There have to be others, that blood drive was suspicious.
poolside (also lmk if this isn't enough to work with!)
But he sees people mingling, laying out by the pool, and it's — interesting. Not a thing he'd actually considered. He didn't come here for any of that, not really. He'd come to see what supplies he could gather up and take back to the city with him. Maybe walk away with a bottle of booze, too.
The guy near him seems like he's having the time of his fucking life, not a care in the world right now. That must be an interesting feeling, something Amos is in some ways familiar with, in some ways not. His mind doesn't race with worries or frustrations, he lives moment to moment, doesn't borrow trouble from the future. He's detached from a lot of the things that stress people out, generally, so he doesn't need to unwind, he doesn't think. But this — huh. He wonders — would it do something for him if he tried it? Would he feel much at all, anything different? Well, he's here. He can try.
He doesn't have a fancy drink at the moment — that's still to come — but he sets his small pack down, makes just a small amount of noise shuffling around before settling in the pool chair. He stretches his legs out a little, leans back, looks up at the sky so unlike the stars he's used to inhabiting. And he — tries to feel it. Something in the stillness, something that feels like how the guy near him looks. What would that be like? While he ponders, though, he doesn't do anything to disrupt whatever peace this guy is chasing. He can chat when prompted, but he's not about inviting himself into a moment that's not really his. ]
its perfect!!
But he’s practiced at control, and there’s no slide of teeth, no reaction beyond a subtle shift of his body on the creaky pool chair. It’d be nice to relax in the sun - he wouldn’t combust, but the sunburn would go from mild to really damn annoying before long, so this atmosphere is perfect for him.
He doesn’t sit up, but those senses narrow in like a camera lens, focused sharp on the stranger taking a seat a chair or two down. Not a threat that he’s aware of (yet, everyone here seems to be some breed of bagged cat), but definitely something alive in a way that’s hard to ignore.
He lifts his drink, takes a long sip of something way too sweet (he’s more experienced in straight liquor, the syrup in his drink is his own damn fault this time), and finally speaks. ]
I can almost hear you thinkin’ from here. Have a drink, stay a while. [ He might have a syrupy sweet little cocktail, but he’s easing up a bit to rummage in his own duffle to produce a bottle of liquor he’d ‘procured’ from the pool bar. ]
sorry for this delay!
There's a lot about this whole resort that would probably warrant a lot of thinking if he were to even barely scratch the surface. That would mean caring enough to know, and really, he's more a man of moving from moment to moment, acting and not thinking. Just doing. Taking a page out of this guy's book, maybe.
For now, that action is sitting here for a minute because he's invited and there's the promise of a drink that looks decent enough. Coming straight from a bottle is always his preference. So he edges the chair closer, the legs just scraping a bit on the concrete. ]
You got the right stuff.
[ Said with a little nod to the bottle before he glances back at that cocktail he'd been sipping on. ]
That other drink as shitty as it looks?
no worries!!
The bottle promptly gets offered to Amos. ]
That thing tasted like somebody melted a cough drop in dishwater.
He leans back again, one arm resting behind his head, lazily watching the flickering reflections on the water. While he wouldn't say 'this is the life', it's certainly a far enough cry from Purgatory that he'd at least think it. ]
But it was cold, and it came with one of those little umbrellas, so I let it slide.
no subject
While Amos has caught on to the fact that the drinks here seem to be plentiful for as long as this all lasts, and the supplies magically don't seem to run out, it's still decent enough for the guy to offer up his bottle like this. Well, he can always get more, he figures. And he sure won't turn it down. He takes the bottle silently, lifts it, takes a long sip before setting it back down between them. ]
So — still shit, just dressed up prettier.
[ With the umbrella.
Amos loosely folds his hands, settles back just a little in his chair before glancing at the pool. Guess it's almost kinda — peaceful, the way the moonlight shines on the water. These are the kinds of things he doesn't tend to notice a lot, or get to notice a lot. When you live most of your life out in space, you stop seeing it all like this. He wouldn't be able to frame it well, the way it makes him feel, just because he's not good at figuring out how much of anything makes him feel. But this ain't bad, really, for a moment. ]
You stayin' in one of the cabins?
no subject
Benny just likes the little umbrella, to be honest. Only reason it's still in play. ]
Yeah. Motel’s got the charm of a punch to the gut. Figured I’d take my chances out here. Less weird stains.
[ He doesn’t press with questions, doesn’t really need to. Just lets the conversation roll with it. ]
You? Or you just passin’ through?
no subject
Yeah — you get any three in the morning wake up calls around your room?
[ Either he knows what Amos is talking about or he doesn't. Depends on which "charming" motel he's at. One night, it was someone screaming, another night someone knocking on the door, supposedly, but no one was there. Then, randomly, someone throwing rocks at his window, and when he'd gone to check, again, there was nothing there, save for a random can of Blitzo Cola. Strange to some maybe, but it didn't really unsettle Amos so much as just annoyed him. ]
And me, I'm just passin' through. Worth checkin' it out, I figured, and see what I could pick up here.
[ He wouldn't consider himself to be an explorer or anything like that, and he's not motivated by a need to mingle and get to know people or make connections; if he happens to, well, that's fine. Like the guy sitting opposite him. But ultimately, Amos isn't here out of interest or curiosity, necessarily, it's just some fact-finding to see what's out there, what this place they find themselves in is like, and what supplies he could snag and take back to Panorama. ]
Icebreaker
But someone she actually knows is now seated at the bar, being pestered in the same way. And looking about as thrilled as she'd been. Still feeling her alcoholic beverage, she returns, and takes the seat next to Benny. Why not? He's an...acquaintance. And the kind she likes. He keeps to himself, he doesn't ask a lot of questions, and he's a considerate neighbor.]
He doesn't really stop until you're having a conversation with someone else. I went through it earlier.
[And had been rescued in similar fashion.]
no subject
Luckily, someone familiar approaches. He clocks her presence without turning his head; footsteps, the thump of a heartbeat, a familiar scent. Humans all have their own signature scent, like a perfume that lingers even after it's been showered off.
She's quiet, great neighbor, and doesn’t come armed with a mess of super personal questions. He likes that about her.
He lifts his drink slightly in her direction in a silent toast. Then, finally, speaks, Louisiana drawl, dry as ever. ]
Think he's got a quota or somethin'? Question every poor bastard who looks like they’re thinkin' too hard?
no subject
[Nadine waves her hand to dismiss a request for a drink, not wanting to go through that again. Her one robot-made drink was more than enough. She's only here to rescue Benny from a string of inane questions. Who knows what she'd get if she just asked for a cola.]
I don't know which gives me the creeps more, the broken down ones in the pool huts or this guy.
[It was okay until you really started talking to him. Then it got weird. This whole excursion has had a vaguely quirky science fiction novel feel to it. Her neighbor's presence is nicely grounding - funny, what so quickly becomes the normal and familiar.]
But at least it's nicer here than at the motel.
no subject
[ At the mention of the pool hut bots, he wrinkles his nose, and does not spare them a glance. ]
Those ones creep me worse. Like somebody tried too hard to make 'em human. Makes you wonder.
[ He tips his glass toward her again. ]
Much nicer. Cheers to that. How're you holding up, by the way?
icebreaker.
At the answer to his biggest pet peeve, though, Vi accidentally snorts aloud. Thomas turns, his metal lips fixed in a smile she can only find unsettling.
Ah, shit.
Hello! says the android, clearly eager to engage.
Trying to avoid talking to him, Vi instead turns to the other guy she shouldn't have laughed at and asks the first thing that comes to mind, hoping it'll deter further 'icebreaker' questions if they're already striking up a conversation on their own. ]
What's gumbo?
no subject
But then the android swivels, a robotic nightmare with a singular purpose, and he’s not sure who he pities more - himself, or the poor soul who just got caught in Thomas's line of sight.
But before the questions start up again, she turns. Not to the machine, to him, which is smart as hell, even if he isn't expecting the question.
He hurries to answer before that abomination can chime in again. ]
Gumbo's a meal with a soul. Starts with a roux, dark as sin if you’re doin' it right - lot of people don't. It's got crabmeat and shrimp, chicken and sausage sometimes, too - depends on your tastes. You serve it over rice, always hot, and it's always better the next day. [ He pauses. ] And no, you can't make it without makin' a mess.
no subject
The android, at least, has shut up for now. He watches them, that creepy smile fixed on his metal lips, but Vi ignores him. ]
Damn, really?
That sounds so good... [ It comes out almost a groan. She tried some of those vegetable blocks earlier, but they were passable at best. Just edible is perhaps a more realistic word.
Vi swivels in her bar stool a little more, leaning an elbow between them to face him fully now. ]
You think we can get anything like that here?