Vertigo

Pokémon Journeys

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In retrospect, Cedric should've probably kept Warden in his ball. Letting a curious, untrained puppy roam free in a place full of people, scents and food wasn't... the best idea he'd ever had, exactly. But considering Warden was meant to be a companion Pokémon for the home, there'd never been a need to recall him, and so Cedric had not.

Damnit, if something happened to the pup, Cedric would never forgive his idiot of an uncle. This was all his fault for asking him to come all this way for-- for what, he still didn't know. At least Warden hadn't ran off too far; Cedric could hear him barking over the noise of the crowd. It was joined by another bark, one he didn't recognize. Great.

Cedric pushed past people faster, one leg still ablaze with pain, gait uneven and unsteady. Soon enough, he realized he was swimming against the current; people were quickly distancing themselves from the stage, and after a few more steps, Cedric understood why. A pungent smell assaulted his senses, and he nearly gagged.

A white-haired man of about his height stood in the way, so Cedric elbowed him to get past, only to catch the strangest sight he'd seen in a while. The performer, draped in extravagant clothes and colours, was yelling at some girl to... put away what seemed to be... thrash? Why the girl was attending a fair with a literal trash bag, Cedric didn't know and didn't really care, because he'd finally found what he came for!

Warden had let out a surprised yelp upon being bitten, and had wasted no time trying to return the favour. It had tried to tackle the Snubbul into a rough play-fight, barking, biting and growling all the while.

"Warden, you can't---" Cedric was about to scold the Growltihe, when he realized neither was actually trying to kill the other - or at least, he was pretty sure they weren't. Hopefully. So, his concerned expression turned to a grin, and his call to quit turned into a-- "Can't let that thing win! C'mon, you got this, we take these!"

One of his hands curled into a fist, the other was used to lean against whoever happened to stand closest for support. The trash bag still smelled.

This was a weird-ass day.

Heiseina: Memories Long Forgotten

Hi! I appreciate the interest. Unfortunately I'm pretty much at my limit here haha, eight is a lot already and I have two players from the previous iteration that also expressed interest.

@Supermaxx

Alright, gotcha. Lemme know if room opens up later on, yeah?

Heiseina: Memories Long Forgotten

This looks awesome, definitely interested in making a character if there's still room!

Persona: Roll the Dice (5e)

And imma do it in the next few days, finally catching up on stuff now.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Also voting to keep him as an NPC, and if Digi does return, should be easy for him to jump back in that way too.

Leveled Fell up, advanced her signature move to get to ask even more questions 8D

Pokémon Journeys

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Cedric wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing in Sandgem Town.

Something important, if his uncle was to be believed. That was all he knew; the old man had always been stupidly mysterious when it came to his job, and had only shared that he had something important to do in Sandgem today - and that Cedric could help with it in exchange for some extra money. What he should help with and how, the man had refused to say, but supposedly Cedric would be given directions later.

Well, it was later, and he was still bored.

The fair was alright, but compared to many he'd seen, it was small and lacking in activities. The vibe was peaceful, cozy, the kind folk from small towns probably liked, but that he found too slow. The food was good, though. Way better than anything he'd bought from street vendors back home in Goldenrod.

Cedric bit down on a bun shaped like a Bidoof's head, watching the fairgoers from his spot in the shade. Next to him, Warden pawed at his leg in hopes of getting attention - and a spare Bidoof bun. A few Starlies nearby seemed to be of a similar mind, their small heads whirling each time Cedric moved his hand. He ignored them.

"The sugar isn't good for you," Cedric told his companion, who let out a displeased, stubborn whine. "Yeah, I know. Not good for me either. Doesn't really matter anymore though, huh? Don't have to watch out for stuff like that."

He spared Warden a glance, and the pup's face - or what little he could see of it from under the mane - lit up instantly at the attention. Damnit. Cedric sighed and offered the rest of the bun to him, ruffling the pup's fur. Note to self, buy something made for Pokémon later. And maybe more of those Caterpie rolls.

Somewhere in the middle of the town, someone started a song number. Cedric could hear the music and vocals even to where he sat underneath a tree, far from the main event. It sounded pretty good, he supposed. The tempo could've been faster, though. Had more... oomph, you know?

Man, he missed those Caterpie rolls.

"We should get some more rolls. I think you could eat one too," he mumbled to Warden absentmindedly. "Don't think they had an-- huh?"

Warden was gone. Or rather, going; all Cedric saw of him now was his tail, quickly disappearing into the sea of people. The damn pup must've smelled something. Cedric stood up so fast pain shot up his leg and made him crumple. Cursing under his breath, he supported himself on a nearby wall and shouted as loud as his lungs could muster: "Warden! Get back here!"

Arceusdamnit, Pokémon really were just trouble. Pushing himself to a wobbly stand, Cedric started after the canine as fast as he could, elbowing his way through the crowd. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, Warden had found himself a front row seat at Fae Rae's show. He was wagging his tail and quickly barking up a storm at the Snubbull on stage.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

𝔏𝔢𝔦𝔣𝔲𝔯 𝔊𝔲ð𝔪𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔰𝔰𝔬𝔫

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What curiosity Leifur harboured towards coffee was quickly quashed by Galahad's honest explanation of the tactics used to sell it. Gimmicks, novelties and tourism; he couldn't think of a worse combo to waste his time on.

By the time Galahad was done, a hint of amusement tugged at the corner of Leifur's lips, only barely failing to turn his perpetual frown into a smile. "You're quite fortunate your career as a knight took off so well - you would've made for an awful salesman, Caradoc."

Even with his expression unchanged, Leifur's tone made it clear enough that he appreciated the dragoon's honesty. There were many who wouldn't have spoken so readily of their home's shortcomings. After all, patriotism could run deep, could spur people to say and do all manner of things.

Leifur glanced briefly at Izayoi.

He had never understood patriotism. Perhaps because he didn't, exactly, have a home.

Arton's use of the word tour tore a groan from the viera, but he followed the others to Mara & Malen's regardless, if only because of its supposed quality. Still, he hoped their visit would stay brief. Leifur had a long list of things he still needed to buy, and the storm was getting closer by the minute. While rain would hardly stop him, he would rather get his errands done dry.

They'd barely made it inside the coffee shop when Leifur realized he recognized the smell wafting about - the smell of coffee, he supposed. It wasn't... unpleasant, per se. It was strong though, almost overwhelming. Nose wrinkled, the viera settled behind the others as they peered at the menu. Some words were completely foreign, while others resembled ones he knew enough to leave room for confusion. Latte? Late? Did preparing it take a lot of time in particular?

Izayoi seemed to have similar trouble, and as the Osprean slid next to Éliane to ask her about it, Leifur did the same, stepping to the gunbreaker's other side. Gaze still fixed on the menu, arms firmly crossed as if to form a barrier between him and the utterly confusing words, he commented: "It was my understanding that coffee was black, and rich in flavour. Why, then, would they call something a flat white? It seems at odds with the image they wish to portray."

Perplexing.

Expedition to Isekai

𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐭

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Duncan wasn't sure how long they'd walked for, but it sure felt like a week. Their pace felt abysmally slow, and the constant whir of flies around his head was about to drive him crazy. Tsubasa alleviated the problem some, dutifully swatting at the insects as they walked, but eventually her presence started to grate on Duncan's nerves too. She was practically just one big fly herself, constantly buzzing around him. The two were far too different to talk about anything Duncan gave a shit about, and he didn't like picking between awkward silence and chatting about art or whatever. Besides, if she had that much energy, couldn't she have helped carry someone in the back, so they could walk faster?

Probably not. Whatever. The stream they were following had turned into a river some time ago by now, and Duncan was sure they'd find something worthwhile at the end of it. He wanted to wash himself, to swim, to test out how long he could hold his breath, maybe. He wanted to do something, anything to push his limits. The walk, while long, wasn't fast-paced enough. The carcass wasn't heavy enough. If he couldn't have nicotine, he needed adrenaline. He needed--

The carcass slipped from his shoulder, hitting the ground with a loud thud. The flies scattered. Duncan didn't notice them. All he saw were the people up ahead, their faces both familiar and not, like it'd been years since he last saw them. Funny, because he'd spent most of last night unable to see nothing but them whenever he tried to close his eyes.

Everything seemed to stop for a moment, faces frozen in surprise, bodies suspended in time, until someone pulled the plug and the two streams of students crashed together. Asahi went to Sasuke, but their conversation got buried by all the other noise - a lot of it Duncan's own.

"Holy shit! You guys ain't ghosts, right? What happened last night, those things must've been huge, and you guys look--" his gaze travelled over the group as if looking for missing limbs or crushed heads or snapped spines. "Sort of... fine." Better than he'd expected, anyway.

Akito and Tsubaki were with them, too. Huh, right. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen them with their group today - but they had initially followed them when they'd ran from the bus... right? Duncan's memories from last night were fuzzy, further blurred by lack of sleep. He could faintly recall hearing some people diverging from their group, though. Probably those two then, but they were injured, so it's not like Tsubaki could have walked on her ow--

"Hey! Who're you calling Masato and everyone?" Duncan hollered at Shun, only marginally aware that her usual smile was strained and on the brink of snapping. "Don't remember making him the boss. Just 'cause the guy likes to talk like he knows everything..."

Shit hit the fan before Duncan could finish that thought. Shun grabbed Masato by the collar, the sudden movement instantly nudging Duncan forward as if by reflex. But where Shun's actions had spurred him to move, her words halted him in place.

"I see mostly everyone in your party seems to be the picturesque definition of healthy."

Fuck.

She was right. Duncan had beat himself up over it most of last night, so there was no trying to deny it now. He knew he'd made a mistake by leaving. He should have stayed to fight. From what Shun was saying, someone had... Yuudai had died. The image of vultures pecking at a bloody mess flashed into Duncan's mind, and a wave of nausea rushed up his throat.

Shun was right, but-- why she was so angry with Masato in particular, Duncan didn't get. It pissed him off. If anything, she should have been more angry at him! What, was it because she really did think Masato was their leader or something? That all the decisions they'd made were his responsibility? That Duncan had left because he'd just followed a leader like some fucking sheep?!

"Hey, hey, hey, cut it out," Duncan strode over and practically forced himself in between the two parties, one hand firmly on each one's shoulder in case they tried to get at each other again. Part of him hoped they would. The familiar burn in his body at the promise of a fight was a welcome relief. "Masato wasn't the only one who made shit choices last night, alright? And we don't even know if they were shit! I mean-- hell, Masato's got a point. If Yuudai died... the fuck do you think would have happened to the others if someone didn't take them to safety? Yeah, it probably should have just been one of us leaving with them, but--"

Duncan grit his teeth. As much as he blamed himself, and as much as he would have preferred blame from others instead of being reduced to a follower, his pride couldn't quite let him say any of it out loud. So, he deflected.

"... But if you guys would've handled yourselves better, maybe no one would have died! You don't see us throwing blame at all of you for whatever happened to Yuudai, huh? So how 'bout you either calm the hell down or stop yapping and show me why I should trust you in a fight ever again!"

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Yeah, sounds spot on to me.

Epyllion: Beyond Moonlight's Reach

Alright, so! (Last yes I'm a little unsure of, don't know if all knowledge re: Darkness is technically supposed to be secret, but--)

1. Did you learn a lesson from a friend?

2. Did you help a friend solve a problem?

3. Did you fulfill an obligation to your House?

@XxFellsingxX

1) Yes. There are things I shouldn't - that I cannot - do alone. Just as I wish to help my friends, they, too, wish to help me in turn, and I shouldn't deny them that.

2) Yes. I helped Stargaze with figuring out what is ailing her home and its inhabitants, and I assisted in finding some of the missing dragons. If only I could've done more come time to face off against the Shadow Dragon... next time, I will not falter.

3) Yes? I used secret knowledge I gained from spying on the Darkness, more so than some might say is safe. But without its aid, I wouldn't have been able to help with the above. All my dealings with the Darkness are to help others. The risk is worth it.