Lugubrious

Phoenix Wing (A Fairy Tail RP-Always Open, Open)

Hey @Zarkun I'm assuming Damian used a teleportation lacrima or something to zip back to Crocus? Because considering the events of the night immediately prior, he would have been hard pressed to make the half-day journey on foot.

Pokemon: New World

Having forgotten, I'd be glad if anyone reminded me what day on which we're moving on to the next IC day.

Phoenix Wing (A Fairy Tail RP-Always Open, Open)

@Lugubrious So do we wait for you since the next day happened?

@Oblivion666

Well, reacting to what happened would probably be a good idea, first. It'll be some time before Frenzy Plant proper returns to Crocus.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@Lugubrious Is Jay still in the Beacon infirmary?

@Prince of Seraphs

No.

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious>

I'm sorry, I would have chimed in earlier but I've been a little inactive the past day or so. Would it be possible for @Plank Sinatra and I to handle a few things with Ben and Lauren on Friday evening? They weren't really doing anything that would affect anyone outside of them, and there were some character development related matters there.

I understand if that's not possible, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

@Krayzikk

That's okay, so long as it's not too protracted.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@Lugubrious

To make sure no one outside of the sub plot is affected by it, we would like to elect that we can just play it out outside of IC time since we're completely separated from it anyway. Pretty sure none of the missions were cohesively tied together through a single time frame either.

@Write

Works for me, I assume that might have been the case.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

So, I don't know if a transitory post is especially necessary on my part, but let it be known:

@Whom it may concern, we are now on Saturday morning

Harine, Gren, will your characters have returned to the dorm to sleep in their beds? I'd like to know for when I get to work on an Abel morning post.

Pokemon: New World

With that, I am done for this IC 'day'.

Pokemon: New World

Olivie watched her Bidoof out of the corner of her eye as she approached despite the display, noting that the Bidoof appeared to be panicking. At the last moment, before she wound back her leg to kick the little monkey across the sidewalk, Buck threw himself forward. The plump mouse Pokemon's body slammed into the Pansear in a full-body tackle, knocking the skinny creature down into the trash and sending its berry bouncing away. It did not get back up, and Olivie watched its eyes glaze over. A needle of alarm shot through her: was it dead? She didn't want to kill it, after all. The movement of the monkey's chest, however, revealed that it was just unconscious. A quiet exhalation of relief escaped through Olivie's nose. ”There you go. Slow starter, is all. Hopefully you'll get read a little quicker next time. We're gonna be fighting tougher stuff than scrawny alley pests before long.” She picked up her Bidoof, who seemed to be out of sorts. His eyes were dark and his body shaking slightly. Realizing this, Olivie pet his head. ”Aw, don't worry, tough guy. It can be a little shocking to realize how strong you are. I was surprised when I got my first K.O.” She stared at the Pansear, which had awoken and was dragging itself through the rubbish to get to the berry, which had been mushed into a paste when it rolled onto the street. ”Yeesh, what a gross little monkey. Pokemon like that must be a real hassle for the city to deal with.” The Pansear scooped up a handful of berry mush in a trembling paw to bring it to its mouth, looking up at Olivie as it did. Even conscious, its eyes were cloudy, and they beheld a deep frown on the brunette's face.

However, this frown wasn't from contempt. Something inside Olivie was hurting. Her eyes stung, and her breath caught in her throat, forcing her to swallow. ”Such...a pathetic...weakling. No wonder nobody loves....nobody loves....” When she looked into Buck's sad eyes, her vision was distorted by something. Olivie felt some kind of liquid running down her cheek, and a pressure building up behind her cruel facade. She tore her eyes away, glancing back down at the Pansear, who'd gone limp hanging off the side of the curb, one paw resting in the berry juice. At that moment something broke.

Explosively, Olivie burst into tears. Noisily and messily she bawled, throwing herself to her knees in front of the Pansear. She didn't put up any resistance when Buck squirmed out of her grasp, instead reaching out to gently lift the Pansear up beneath her arms. ”How could I do that!?” she sobbed. ”I'm not heartless, it's all an act, you poor thing everyone looks at you just like they look at me. Please, I'm sorry. I forced Buck to hurt you to keep me from doing it. I'm so sorry.” She cradled the monkey in her arms, standing up and rushing toward her house with Buck at her heels. Still weeping profusely, the tapped in the residents' code to the lockpad and opened the door before hurrying inside.

Once in the safety of her own abode, she immediately set the filthy animal on a folded, soft towel atop a table, then grabbed a leftover peanut butter and jelly sandwich to set before it. The unique smell stirred the Pansear from her daze, and as she ate, Olivie washed and brushed its fur. This she did using the old Pokemon grooming kit of her father's that he showed her the evening of her birthday, when he revealed to her that he'd been a trainer in his younger ears. Once the Pansear finished eating, and she didn't look quite so ragged, she fell back into a daze, and Olivie took both her and Buck -who'd been watching the whole time- to her room. She set them in her bed among the pillows, changed quickly, and then plopped into bed. Perhaps out of instinct the Pansear clung to Olivie's stomach, while Buck settled himself closer to the foot of the bed. ”You've got fighting spirit,” she murmured softly to the Pansear, who'd fallen into a fitful sleep. Caught in a bad dream, maybe, she tossed and turned, and each time she whimpered in fear she pressed herself closer to the human she clung to. ”It takes guts to keep living when nobody cares about you. Even if you hate me, I can still care for you...” Unable to keep herself awake any longer, Olivie sank into slumber.

Pokemon: New World

“See ya!”

“Have a good night! And come back soon!”

One wave to the greeter later, Olivie was out of Electrode Eatery and back in the blanket of night. The attitude of the man behind the counter of the energetic fast-foot place sparked instant camaraderie; after all, those who lived boisterously -wearing their hearts on their sleeves and placing great value on strength and fortitude- always understood one another and could get along easily. Without wet clothes, she discovered that the slight breeze actually felt quite nice. It ruffled both the brunette's hair and her Bidoof's fluffy fur, but even though it scoured some of the fatigue from their eyes, Olivie knew that the time had come to wrap up the eventful evening and return home with her partner. One final rest awaited her at the abode of her parents before her journey truly began, and the prospect of introducing her scrappy new buddy to her dad, knowing that he'd been a trainer in his heyday, excited her. What would someone with a thorough understanding of Pokemon have to say about her friend? Olivie endeavored to imagine what glowing praise might issue from his mouth. He's deceptively harmless-looking, but he's got a vital spirit, the true heart of a warrior. Secretly, Olivie was proud of the little guy already, though he'd neither won a battle or displayed any courage. The sight of him walking dutifully alongside her as she made her way back toward her family's condo confirmed in her heart that she'd picked the right partner.

Ten minutes later, she'd already passed into familiar territory and unconsciously picked up her pace, eager to lay her head down and sleep. Around her, the darkness had settled peacefully, neither too black thanks to the streetlights nor too quiet thanks to the chirping of insects tucked away in the trees that sprouted from squares of dirt along the sidewalks. In the yellow light of one lamp, Olivie spotted a flash of orange among one tree's branches. Her curiosity piqued, she slipped out her Pokedex to find out exactly what it was. Although she couldn't see the whole animal through the leaves and their shadows, her device displayed an image of a Pokemon called Kricketot. Silently she read over its entry, walking again before she finished. ”Huh. These things really are everywhere.”

The familiar outline of her family's condo lay only two buildings away now. Somehow, the Bidoof sensed that home was nearby and picked up its pace. ”Wanna sleep, Buck?” she asked absently, expecting to hear him chitter in reply. Instead, she received only silence. Caught off guard, Olivie stopped in her tracks to look around and spotted her Pokemon padding slowly over to a trash can on the opposite side of the street. Already rooting around in the overturned can was a little red and cream animal with a swirl of fur on its head. Dirty and disheveled, it looked a lot like a rat, but it stood upright like a person as it used its hands. Olivie watched it pick up a rotten berry and spew a steady stream of fire from its mouth, burning away the brown flesh to reveal a mostly-intact fruit beneath. At that moment Buck drew too near, and the Pansear hopped backward, whooping and shaking its free fist at the intruding Bidoof. It's dangerous flashed through Olivie's head, and she began to walk forward.

”Buck!” she called. The Bidoof craned its fat neck around as far as it could to glance her way. Wearing a cold look, Olivie continued, ”It might be late, but diamonds are forged under pressure. Your first Pokemon battle will be to get rid of that vermin!”

Almost imperceptibly, Buck's eyes widened. He refocused his attention on the Pansear, who clutched her fruit closely and slapped the trash can noisily with her free hand. Buck didn't flinch—in fact, he didn't do anything for a moment. Olivie figured that he was preparing himself to attack until he looked back at her with eyes that looked almost sad. ”What's the matter with you?” she demanded, eyes narrowed. ”I'm your trainer, so you do what I tell you!” Still, the Bidoof didn't move a muscle. Crossing her arms, Olivie began to walk forward, and her fighting gloves appeared out of her back pocket. ”I know you're not disobeying me on purpose. Guess you're just tired, or maybe haven't fought before. That's fine. I'll show you how it's done for next time.” In response, the Pansear leaped onto the overturned can to make itself seem taller, and jumped up and down to cause a racket that might drive these newcomers off.

Steeling herself mentally and physically, Olivie went closer instead.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

I thought so. We'll just be moving into the weekend then.