Isla sneezed again at the yellow-tinted powder, the burst of which could only be described really as a move, and immediately enough Swiper started to whine. He twitched a little, sure, but…none of those little movements and gestures that Isla had come to understand as normal. None of the little sniffs and curious ears. Not even a paw's motion. Her eyes widened at it, the realization of it fully coming. Paralyzed.
“Why you little-”
How dare this little, little guy take advantage of her charity? How dare this little Budew decide that it was his job to take what was offered and give back in fighting her? Not even Swiper had been that tricksy! Not even Swiper had been that deceitful! Isla's tone certainly wasn't gentle about the whole of it. The Budew had decided it wanted to fight, to make that first attack, and Isla felt her blood hot like it hadn't ever really been before.
She snapped out taut words, a whip to them as the duffelbag slammed on the ground with dust gathering about its base.
“Dancing! Hold them down!”
He charged on it, closing the distance fast between them while low, low, all while Isla quickly dragged out her blanket from the bag. It was big enough for a person, weighted enough for a good sleep, and entirely too massive for a Budew. Like a net, Isla cast the thing over the little bulb Pokémon just before Dancing got there.
Isla used Blanket! Dancing used Helping Hand! Swiper is Paralyzed!
Well, look at that. Isla hadn’t fully expected the method to work, not as well as it had, and she was pleased as could be with herself that it had worked. The Budew seemed to be relaxing, at least as much as could be expected, moving forward a little bit, opening up and maybe getting just a little bit bigger. Well…the girl didn’t really know, not entirely, how the whole Budew thing worked, but she was still pretty pleased that the Pokémon was relaxing and walking up and all the rest. Surely it wasn’t interested in attacking or anything.
Isla flicked more water to the bulb Pokémon, smiling a bit. Well, smiling until she felt that tickle in her nose. They were flowering! Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Why hadn’t she considered that a flower opening might involve some other things. She felt that tickle in her nose, kept breathing pretty deeply despite the impulse to hold her breath or anything of that sort, and let out a “choo” as Isla’s head whipped forward, free arm swinging forward to shield it.
Deeply breathing out, the girl opened her eyes again, making sure that she had kept it quiet enough despite the absolutely violent head motion, making sure she hadn’t scared the little Budew away. Despite the Pokémon having a heck of an effect on the air, Isla still wanted to make friends with them. She hadn’t seen the little guys before, not on the Sevii Islands, and they were pretty interesting.
Lou hadn’t been waiting at the airport long, exactly, nor had he arrived right on the dot. Working as a runner makes one develop certain habits, certain aspects of the self, and one of these was not exactly a degree of punctuality, but also not exactly a degree of extreme laxness. The latter would waste too much time, would create too long a vulnerable frame which was especially dangerous with some of the types he had been forced to deal with. They would hunt him if given a chance, and waiting too long at one place or another would be deadly enough. The former would be too predictable, dangerous for the same reason. No, he’d been at the airport for roughly twenty minutes beforehand, had attracted some few looks by passers-by who kept their eyes open instead of on the next flight, but generally speaking the priest hadn’t been accosted too much.
The bus - and the team - arrived. One man Lou knew and had worked with before, Whetstone, while the others he did not and had not. The most notable among them a Troll, then an Ork, an Elf, and a pair of humans rounded out the list. It was, put easily, the standard Shadowrunner group, replete with a drone hovering about the Elf. He knew their names, though, or at least that.
"Chercheur? What’s the good word in Lisbon? You're been our man on the ground...for I don't know...some time...Any sweet data you have to share with the rest of us?"
The question had played about Lou’s head for some time. Ms Tower had disappeared quite completely, and the street level sources he had grown to rely upon for local issues had struggled in providing any answers at all. In fact, they had provided none, and the priest had been hesitant about working with the more legitimate organizations; they had been hired for a reason, after all, and discretion was just as valuable as success to such people. Six years was colder than any case Lou had worked before, though, and leads had proved insubstantial at best. Before he had a chance to speak, however, the Elf began; her smile was one that he’d seen before in the red light districts, same with the tone.
"Ooo, man of the cloth. This girl likes the hard-to-get types. Or is this priest the confessional type, because, hoo, have I got some sins to get off my chest."
He let the silence fill it for just a moment, turning his head to look the woman up and down. Sighing, deflating almost as his mouth went wry, Lou let out his thoughts from the pause. “A tease, how…boring.”
Turning back to Wildfire, the human who’d first spoken, he shook his head. “No word from my usual sources. Forgotten Greens and Vultures don’t talk to outsiders, not unless they receive substantial favors, and the favors either want aren’t the sort that are done quickly or easily…not without drawing fire from the other.”
Isla didn’t really get the response she expected about the articles found at the grove, sure, and stared down at the Pokédex for a good few moments considering it. It was probably put there for a reason. Yeah, sure that was true enough but it might also have been a clue as to what had exactly happened at the shrine. Was the state of it the reason for…whatever it had been with Celebi? Had Yasu considered some other route since then of finding the Pokémon? Had she given up entirely about it? For that matter, why had she wanted to find Celebi in the first place? There had been so many questions that Isla just didn’t have the answers to, and really she didn’t expect the priestess to be open on sharing. Yasu didn’t seem to be the sharing sort, on the whole of the problem. It really hadn’t helped.
Swiper, though, had finally figured out what exactly he wanted. Picking up the carving gingerly with his mouth, the Nickit looked up expectantly at Isla, tail slowly wagging away at the excitement of his find. After all, whoever had put the carving there clearly didn’t value it all that much, considering they hadn’t brought it with them, and he would be a far better owner than them. Isla looked down, frowning. “You can’t bring that with you.”
A cock of the head. Well, why not? After all, it was his now, he’d picked it up and that was just how the world worked. The tail paused, too, stopped in its tracks by the sudden rejection as Swiper tried to figure out why he couldn’t just…bring it along. The tone was there, too, as Isla sighed. She needed to figure out how the heck to have the Pokémon just…not do that, but also he was a Nickit. Just saying it’s wrong wouldn’t altogether work. There needed to be another way…maybe she had it. Maybe.
“You can’t bring that. Look at it, you’re already putting teeth marks into the wood. It’ll get ruined. And besides, whenever we’ll sit down to eat, you’ll have to put it down and it’ll get even more ruined.” The accusation made Swiper put it down pretty quickly, looking it over for the alleged damage. There was a little bit here and there, the wood not being entirely as solid as it had once been before, but surely that would be alright. But then…he’d held it up for how long? How long did he intend to keep it? Maybe…
“It looks better here. It should be here, whoever left it meant to put it here.” Well, that was just plainly wrong. To make a point of it, Swiper stared at the destroyed entrance, practically pointing at it with his nose, before passing over the various burn marks and other damages. Isla took his point, crouching down ever so as he considered the issue at hand: damaging it. Taking a few steps forward, the Nickit nudged at Isla’s bag before looking up. Maybe she could hold onto it? Maybe?
“Well, I can’t take it. I don’t want it. If you want it, you’ll have to take it.” Darn. Maybe she was right. Swiper huffed out in annoyance before pointedly walking out from the shrine entrance.
And right to the Budew. He stopped, still as can be, staring at the other Pokémon as it had emerged from the bushes just some little ways away. Isla, while she was still breathing a sigh of relief at the fact that she’d avoided…stealing something from a shrine, of all things, had followed close behind, pausing to stare as well. The little guy - or girl - was truly little, barely coming up to Isla’s knee, and had just noticed her, Swiper, and Dancing just some little ways away. Dancing had kept about the fringes of the site, searching here and there, but had stopped as the rustling in the bush came.
Huh. Well, what the heck did a Grass type like, she wondered internally, considering it. Good dirt wasn’t something she could magic up, and surely they had as much sun as they wanted, but…hmmm…there was another thing. They seemed happy enough, all told, but maybe the little Budew wanted some water? Maybe? It was as good a guess as any. Isla sat down her bag slowly, careful to not make too many sudden moves, as Swiper looked up with his head cocked. No not that pouch…no not that one…where were the bottles…ah, the girl nodded in satisfaction, taking one out. “Mineral grade” hadn’t meant all that much when Isla had bought them, considering that had been the only grade the store had sold, but maybe it might mean more with the little Budew. Now…how in the heck to give it to them?
“Hi,” she said, trying to at least somewhat fill the awkward air that had developed as she’d searched. Unscrewing the cap and kneeling down next to her bag, Isla just sort of…whipped the bottle as though she was blessing the Budew. Maybe that was it? The girl really didn’t know.
Location: Dorms, Hawks Common Room, Eirei Hills, Shibuya, Tokyo Prefecture Mentions: N/A
"Well that's fast. The Indra Mudra Handseal sure is handy, oh I'm sorry...I do Hindu Yoga, do you do Yoga? Omg, it kicked in late, you're Jun...the Jun...I'm a bitch fan I mean big fan...you just slayed the Sports Fest!"
Jun stared for a moment, swallowing at the sudden and pretty strange greeting. The girl that stood before her, with the white hair and choker and everything of that sort, seemed pretty…out of it? Pretty awkward or strange? Granted, that seemed to be people at Eirei in general it turned out, but on the whole they seemed weird, but close by. This girl, she seemed really out of it. Then again, though, there were a lot of things that could cause that sort of deal but it didn’t seem quirk related per say. It seemed to be person related for her.
“Hi, ah…thanks. No, I don’t normally do yoga.” She paused, considering why. What a weird way for the day to have gone, all things considered, from a crazy class leader to an absolute nonsense of a teacher and, of all things, a test out of the blue. Apparently she’d passed, true, but Jun didn’t really feel like she had. That seemed to be the more important thing to her. She hadn’t seen the problem for what it was, just…thought the teacher wasn’t being moral and moved against him. The right choice for the wrong reasons, maybe. In any case, though, that was all besides the point. From crazy class leaders to yoga…why? Jun wasn’t altogether sure. It had never really come up, she thought, never really been there as an option. She’d just…worked out.
Maybe yoga would be alright.
“And thanks, the sports festival was…really a good challenge. I’ve never had to run around like that for so long. Busy, busy.” Jun realized that she’d not really…introduced herself, nor the other girl in return. Who was she…she leaned ever so back, eyes scanning over the door for any sort of names. Darn, nothing. She didn’t really want to just outright for the girl’s name, on one hand, but also still felt like she needed one for politeness’s sake.
“Good to meet you…” Jun walked further in, letting the door close as she leaned in, arm outstretched for a handshake while the statement ended as though a question, on the rise, for a name.
Swiper was, per the usual Nickit nature, exceptionally happy with his find. After all, it was something no one else had, at least not that he knew, and it looked interesting enough. A pause to look over what exactly it was confirmed that much, a framed image with a face cut away, as well as a wooden tablet, a carving of a Pokémon he didn’t entirely recognize. A pause and a pace around; he couldn’t take both, that was for certain, and so it came down to which exactly Swiper did want to take. One or the other, one or the other…smell them, wipe a paw against the surface, the Nickit hemmed and hawed enough that Isla had grown curious at his delay.
She entered warily enough, even as Yasu grew quieter and quieter in the distance, kneeling down to look over the finds. Well, interesting. an exhale, just a bit, as she drew out here Pokédex…it had sounded like Camila had also run back with Yasu, probably to keep her company in case the Heracross came back around. Ah. She paused, device in hand, considering exactly what had just happened while feeling her heart quickly drop. They’d left her alone, off from the main trail, while strangely aggressive Pokémon were willing to willy-nilly attack out of nowhere.
Well, thanks a lot I guess. A deep breath out, deep breath. Yeah, sure, it’d be fine. She’d run from Pokémon before. Yeah, it’d be fine. Yeah.
Isla tapped away at the device, messaging Camila. It should have service out in the forest, shouldn’t it? The Professor hadn’t mentioned the Dex messing up too much outside, in the wild, and besides that they weren’t really out in the wild that far…it should work. She’d said it wouldn’t connect if they were deep underground, Isla remembered that much. Swiper, meanwhile, was still contemplating which exactly would be his prize, moving about left and right.
>> Ask Yasu if a photo of family w/ little girl’s face cut out means anything. Also, prayer tablet with Celebi carving. <<
Location: Lower Decks, The Green Horizon, Pacific Ocean Mentions: N/A
A few clicks, a whirr…the loading of a disk here, there, the electronic hum. The glow of life within an armored core as a fusion reactor thrummed away. Something was happening, something to trigger the protocols, to initiate a routine here, a scan there. Audio sensors began to intake data before he even moved, filtering out the ambient noises to pinpoint individuals here, there…actions by a great many in the lower decks of the ship. There had never been a lack of actions to process, the whole reason why John Doe had not stayed active during the entire voyage. That and he felt undue attention would draw others to try and salvage his parts. Normally, the Mr Handy would have no qualms about removing a few criminals from their existence, but the lower decks were no place to let rip laser-fire willy-nilly. He was certain some part of another would combust. And so, with all that in mind, John Doe had taken another route.
He had been sleeping. Dreams weren’t dreams, not to a Mr Handy, and the startup process was never entirely cleanly done, yet he had been dreaming before. Memories, going over memories again and again and again. Some of them were better than others. The robot had but partial control over which he accessed in such a powered-down state. He remembered the ruins of Portland, the long walk, the Shi. He tried to not remember the Vault. It was not always successful. And yet…and yet he was waking up. The noises of a hawker had gone ignored by the Mr Handy, as well as the casual threats and sounds of metal movement, but what hadn’t gone ignored was a distinct click…a hammer of a gun. He had heard that noise before.
A shift in the large, half-rotten canvas tarp that had covered his shell was all John Doe needed to move one of his eyes to see what was going on. One native, Power Armor covering his head, with a knife…and a good number of criminals about, weapons in their hands. Standing against them was a NCR soldier, who was unarmed, and a Super Mutant with a hand cannon. A shift-about in the crew manifest was quick enough…John Doe had scanned that before coming aboard…Andrew Rivers and Hog, respectively.
A click-clack…whirr of a motor…the steady stream of power to a laser repeater. Approaching the issue wouldn’t go well, all things considered…yet if they attacked, the Mr Handy felt bound by the law in one way or another to help another US citizen.
Readied action If combat initiates between gang and Kahana/Rivers/Hog Activate engine, come to normal height to remove tarp covering, fire on gang with laser repeater
"Are you an adventurer? If so, we are willing to trade some coin for some info. Secondly…you realized me?"
The gravekeep looked down to the man, down a good ways by the difference in height. Adventurer. He never would have used the term to describe himself, in all the ways he had led his life. Had the man ever actually searched for adventure? Had he searched for wonders before? Riches? Self satisfaction in life by victory? No, the gravekeep couldn’t say anything of that sort. Yet he sensed that question was just something of an excuse to ask the real question.
Realized me. He wasn’t sure if that was the phrase, the right phrase to describe what had been felt between the two, yet…yet no other words really, truly came to mind that better described what had passed there. The gravekeep exhaled long and slow, nodding once. Leaning just a fraction, almost looming over the man of faith, he spoke quiet as the other had. “I realized you. I do not know why. I do not know how. Do you?”
Location: 1B Homeroom, Eirei Academy, Shibuya, Tokyo Prefecture Mentions: N/A
Jun watched with some degree of amazement at the casual just…what? Dirtblood? Whoever would just drop that, with little to no regard to just who they were talking to in an official manner no less, was clearly not fit for the role as student advisor. She didn’t consider it to be proper behavior, no matter what the school administration said Rin was or wasn’t qualified to do or be. They could be wrong, human as they were, or they could be blind to exactly how a person acts when they get a taste of power. Rin hadn’t had many instances of her leading others, Jun guessed, hadn’t demonstrated tendencies before. For that matter, this most definitely was one of the first times she was in a position of power judging by how nervous the girl had acted before. Swinging between nervous indecision when others acted out of line and harsh, overt cruelties when others threatened her…that wasn’t the makings of a teacher, surely, nor a student advisor.
Then the professor entered the room and things were worse. He used the phrase, too, as Jun gave a harsh stare to the man. What. She couldn’t quite grasp the whole of the issue, the whole fact that not only did Rin feel so carefree as to use a term like that, but that the appointed professor was too. What sort of ‘heroes’ did Eirei even produce? What sort of people did it make and hire that it felt comfortable in hiring such a person with such a personality? It called into question much as the man introduced himself, raged a bit at Mia…calling the entirety of the class Dirtbloods, Nullbloods, Truebloods before assigning the class detention…for a month. Of course, then the professor gave a list of those exempted.
Mawatari. Mamushi. Himura. Yuzuki.
She stared still, swallowing while considering the whole of the issue at hand. She’d been given a reprieve, sure, but it was a reprieve shared with the individual who had caused much of the whole event, Himura. That wasn’t quite comfortable with Jun, that Rin would be there, though in all honesty Hebi and Akira were deserving of the out. They hadn’t done anything exactly wrong, not as far as Jun could recall. Jun coughed, though, summoning up her courage to speak up with a long breath.
Color me interested. Halfway contemplating a cousin of Talos, built by the three brother Cyclopes in a bid to see if they could out-do the god himself. During the civil war, that automaton would distinguish himself well enough, either through slaying one of the minor gods or besting them, that he would be given some degree of status - though I'm unsure what.
Member
Urizen
Izurich
Fading Memory
Gerlando
Rune_Alchemist
Hedgehawk
Shin Ghost Note
Megsychan
Butteryicarus
Apoalo