For quite some time she put it off, but eventually Olivie couldn't shut out the sunlight any longer. She pulled herself into a sitting position, her movement slow to prevent the crick in her neck from causing her any further discomfort. Through her bleary eyes, the room came into focus. A bug buzzed near her head, forcing the brunette to flail her arm around in attempt to slap it away. The first thing she spotted was the round form of Gespenst sitting in the window, soaking up the morning rays. His shriveled, black flower drank in the light and restored energy to his body. Buck, meanwhile, Olivie discovered curled up right next to her. [color=954535]”Betcha could go all day, huh?”[/color] she mumbled with a craggy smile on her face. After she rubbed her eyes, she extracted herself from her bed and stood up to stretch. Once content that she'd worked out all the kinks she'd accumulated overnight, she put on her clothes and prepared to depart. Verrine and her Nidoran, stood on either side of the door, stolid as trained sentries. Before she approached them, Olivie wondered why she felt so drained. A muddled memory of something frightening needled her, but she couldn't remember a thing. Putting it aside, she knelt down in front of her Nidoran. [color=954535]”A'right. That was one crazy night at Feyhollow, and after that, you've earned yourself a name. I thought it up yesterday while walking. Bifrons, a dark spirit in the culture of my ancestors. Pretty badass, yeah?”[/color] If he understood, the Nidoran did not give any indication of approval. Perhaps he simply didn't know what to think; a name was, after all, a thing of vital importance. Regardless, Olivie left the room soonafter, with all four of her Pokemon in tow. She stopped by the front desk on the way out. The old clerk remembered her face. “Oh! G'mornin', missie. Headed out fer the day?” While irked by the codger's nickname, Olivie nodded before replying, [color=954535]”What's there to do around here? I'm happy to explore, but...”[/color] Eager to share his knowledge, the man interjected as his guest trailed off. “There's heaps o' stuff! All kinds of rare pokes and mighty mysterious goin's-on by the seaside. Plus, we got a mission for any trainers what might like to earn a li'l reward. Pay Mr. Wernicke a visit at the Pokey Mart 'cross the river if ya like.” It sounded like a plan to Olivie. [color=954535]”Might as well. D'you need me to pay for my room?”[/color] A quick consultation of her pokedex later, she added, [color=954535]”I have tons of Trainer Points.”[/color] Her acquaintance shook his grizzled head. “Nah. Outside the Pokey Mart, we here in Stillwater do our tradin' with stuff a li'l more real. Sand dollars is what we use for currency. Although, iffen ya do somethin' 'bout all the bad dreams, I'll later ya stay for free as long as ya want.” He gestured to the rooms again to emphasize his reward. [i]Bad dreams?[/i] For a moment, Olivie was silent. Though she remembered little, she felt as though bad dreams might have hit her hard last night. She certainly felt as though she'd been tossing and turning for hours. The old man's phrasing, too, caught her off guard. Typically there wasn't much people could do about bad dreams, but from the way the guy spoke about them, they sounded like a sickness that could be cured. [i]Strange.[/i] Olivie turned to go, giving a little wave as she did, for she could appreciate a hospitable, no-nonsense attitude. The elderly deserved more respect than the young and foolish in her book. [color=954535]”I'll check it out. Later.”[/color] One creaky, water-soaked, plank bridge later and Olivie stood outside the Poke Mart with her party. The open-air establishment, styled much like an enormous stall at a county fair, afforded her a good look at the people inside as she entered. A solitary table with two chairs stood on the boarded floor, and at it sat a middle-aged man and woman. The man, a heavyset fellow with a receding sandy-colored hairline and spiky beard, wore a set of beige waders and a dark blue cotton shirt. Across from him, his companion wore jeans, a flannel shirt, and a faded orange shawl to match her bright red hair, tied in a ponytail. Neither could be said to be particularly good-looking or friendly, but they gave off the air of absolutely average, approachable, down-to-earth people. At the moment, both were playing cards, but Olivie's approach caused them to look up. In an instant, a wide smile appeared over the woman's face. In an accent as thick and sweet as honey she exclaimed, “Well, ain'tcha a purdy gal! An' slap me sideways if ya ain't a pokeymon traina! Behin' the counta, dear,” she added, turning to her husband. “Barely open five minutes an' ya gotcha first sale a' the day!” The unexpected compliment brought a stormy frown to Olivie's face, and she made as if to turn around. When did people get so personal? But the shopkeeper was already on his way. Oddly silent, she shuffled behind the counter, then altered his countenance. In a very official manner he clapped his hands and declared, “Welcome ta the Stillwata Pokey Mart, young lady! What can I getcha this fine mornin'? We got run-a-the-mill pokey balls, great balls, antydotes fer what ails ya, and a buncha local goods with the amazin' ability to raise yer pokeymon's power. Goober! C'mon out, ya hear?” From behind the counter, an odd shape emerged. A creature that could only be described as a living top inside a blob of green jelly levitated up, a look of dull surprise on its face. The shopkeeper laid his hand on the top of the creature and squeezed it, and much like a dog getting scratched, the Pokemon closed its eyes and tilted its head back. Olivie watched with eyebrows raised. [color=954535]”Uh, I just want a pokeball.”[/color] After making the transaction, Olivie found herself confronted by the shopkeeper's wife, who was eager to show her a new pokemon item she was working on. So genuine was the woman's enthusiasm to share with her that Olivie couldn't bring herself to deny her. According to the craftswoman, when finished the item would power up a pokemon's ghost-type moves by half. During this time, some other girls entered the shop, but the brunette didn't pay them much attention. Only when she'd been shown every detail on the so-called 'Spell Tag' did she get the chance to look away. Immediately Olivie recognized one of the girls as the annoying goodie-goodie who she'd been forced to get some directions from back in Central City. [i]Ugh.[/i] More than prepared to leave and explore Stillwater, Olivie started toward the door only to pause when Leisy asked about a paper attached to a sort of notice board. The shopkeeper wasted no time responding. A serious look had come over his face, and he removed his hand from his Duosion's head. “People been havin' weird dreams lately. People have lots a' vivid dreams in this place, but in the past couple a' weeks it's been more nightmares. Some poor folks wake up screamin' in the middle of the night, an' some won't wake up fer hours in the daytime no matter what noise ya make. There's sleepwalkin' too. Mrs. Valerie Winterbrook thinks it's a pokeymon makin' trouble—a real strong'un. We put up a reward for any trainers what help us out, an' most townfolk would be awful grateful too. Maybe...?” At that point, Olivie crossed her arms and stepped forward. [color=954535]”Hey, if you're lookin' for someone to give some rotten monster a royal beatdown, I'm your girl. I bet me and Barnie can kick this thing's ass in a day flat.”[/color] She glanced at Leisy and Ella, her eyes challenging, then back to the shopkeeper. [color=954535]”Let me have the job, chief. We'll have you all sleepin' like babies in no time.”[/color] [hider=The Benevolent Beauty Turned Boisterous Bruiser] [b]Current Location:[/b] Stillwater [b]TP:[/b] 40 + 1 = 41 [b]CP:[/b] 19+ 1 = 20 [b]Interaction:[/b] [@Dusksong]'s Leisy Takigawa (The Adventurous, Unassuming Go-getter) [@LuckyBlackCat]'s Ellanor Beaufort (Pretty, Perky, Poison-Prone Punk) [b]Pokemon:[/b] Buck the Bidoof – lvl 3 – healthy Gespenst the Cacnea – lvl 4 – healthy Verrine the Karrablast – lvl 4 – healthy Bifrons the Nidoran♂ - lvl 2 - healthy [/hider]