Week 2.

[azumods]

WEEK 2. The new week begins with new surroundings. The city you've been growing accustomed to over the past week is now well behind you as you set out on your journey proper; the terrain still seems rocky and steep here as you move downhill and to the south, dotted here and there with small ponds to the east and rocky outcroppings that you can climb on to the west. There are also large expanses of tall grass here, and the entire route is flanked with tall trees leading off into the forest a short ways. You're more than welcome to explore; just don't stray too far from the group - you wouldn't want to be left behind out here, for any reason. Wild Pokémon are abundant here, as anyone venturing into the tall grass will discover; they aren't inclined to attack you, however, simply watching with dull, dead eyes as you stumble through the area they've come to call home. The trip is difficult, and it's a lot of walking, but it's not unmanageable; fortunately enough, the route you're on should lead you directly to Valor Lakefront, assuming there are no complications along the way. From Thursday and beyond, the route takes a sharp turn west; in front of you lies what's clearly the ocean, large rocks jutting out just offshore tempering the waves. It's safe to go in the water if you so choose - assuming you can swim, that is - and the forested terrain has given way to a large beach with patches of tall grass here and there. Interestingly, there's a house located on the beach; whether it's inhabited or not is difficult to tell. Of course, exploring slightly north of the beach will reveal a path. Maybe it leads somewhere important... CURRENT LOCATION: ROUTE 213 POKEMON AVAILABLE: NEAR WATER SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY [OOC: Welcome to week two of Azume; feel free to make as many top levels as you'd like and tag out to other characters! This post is for all of your interactions this week... at least until the weekend. Don't forget that a write-up is due next weekend!]

Comments

[semistableman]

[Bucky tosses one, looking a little amused at the guy who looks like he has never spent time outdoors in his entire life.]

There you go.

[He looks Michael over for another moment before speaking.]

You've never gone camping before, have you?

[eudaimonikos]

I live in Hell, Bucky.

[He starts peeling open the granola bar.]

We only make the humans do this.

[semistableman]

You don't go hiking in Hell?

[He asks this incredibly conversationally, like this is the sort of thing he's long gotten used to.]

That sounds pretty boring.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael considers how to respond to this, then leans forward to rest his weight on his elbows.]

You know how people say that office work is its own circle of hell?

[semistableman]

[I hope you weren't expecting a serious reaction from him, Michael, because he snorts a laugh, and struggles to stop himself from laughing so hard he's wheezing.]

Are you sure this is punishment for humans?

[eudaimonikos]

[Nah, he grins too. That was a joke.]

You think demons aren't dicks to each other, too? That's our whole thing. It's less of a punishment, more a way of life. So, naturally, we have a corporate ladder. Sure, I could take a job overseeing some human death march somewhere! Stretch my legs, swing a whip around, all that fun stuff.

[He takes a bite of granola, chews thoughtfully.]

But there's not a lot of upward mobility in that.

[semistableman]

[Bucky still looks incredibly amused.]

They sure don't teach you that version of Hell in Sunday school.

[eudaimonikos]

Not unless you've got Doug Forcett as a teacher. Only human in history to ever guess anywhere near what the afterlife is like. He had something like 92% accuracy, it's quite impressive.

‘Course, he'd probably have a hard time getting hired because of all the pot. [Michael seems incredibly...well, not serious, exactly, because this is blatantly absurd. But he seems like he means it.]

[semistableman]

[It's only the combination of casualness and absurdity that makes him take Michael at his word.

Claiming to be an ageless demon and acting like he doesn't know how to person helps, too.]

Figures. People 're always getting basic facts wrong.

[eudaimonikos]

Aw, it's not so bad! You guys finally learned to wash your filthy, disease-ridden bodies!

[semistableman]

[Well, that's going to make him laugh, though he looks startled.]

Thanks, asshole. You're a real pal.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael smiles and spreads his hands.]

I'm just here to help. Vaccinations are good too, by the way.

[semistableman]

Yeah, I got told all about that a couple years ago.

I grew up in the 1930s, not the 1630s.

[eudaimonikos]

Oh, everyone gets told. But you'd be surprised how many people ignore that.

[But, more to the point:]

You grew up in the 1930s?

[semistableman]

Born in 1917!

[He's only talking about this so freely because Michael is fucking old, tbh]

[eudaimonikos]

Huh. I didn't get that vibe from you.

[But he seems more or less unmoved by this.]

[semistableman]

It's kind of a long story; though I'll admit I don't know much of anything about modern life.

[eudaimonikos]

Well, it doesn't seem like you'll need to much anyway! We're just gonna spend a lot of time hiding in the woods from space-themed cultists.

[there's some kind of nature vs. technology theme you could put to this, probably, but Michael's really more here to drag Team Galactic at any given opportunity]

The technology in Veilstone wasn't exactly modern-Earth-standard either - oh, it was 2017, 2018, something like that the time last I checked.

[semistableman]

[He laughs, giving a nod.]

Works for me, I've been living on a farm for the last couple of years.

[He looks thoughtful, frowning like he's considering how to word his next though.]

It's 2018 for me, too.

[Yes, even though he was born in 1917.]

[eudaimonikos]

[.....]

Dermatologists must hate you.

[semistableman]

[That makes him laugh hard.]

Jake said the same exact thing.

It's... a little complicated, and I don't want to get into it too much. Let's leave it at I actually haven't experienced much of the last 70 years.

[eudaimonikos]

No. [Michael laughs at that.] I think we have a similar sense of humor.

Well, that's fine, it's not any business of mine. I assume you're not asking me to catch you up on what happened?

[semistableman]

Nah, I'm actually not entirely out of the loop. Thanks, though.

[eudaimonikos]

It's for the best. When you get to be my age, it's easy to zone out on Earth stuff for a few decades here and there. There's people who don't deal directly with humans who probably still think you live in caves.

Me... [He makes a so-so gesture.] I got a little busy from the thirties to the fifties or so? I'm real up-to-date now, though, all my human friends were born in the eighties.

[semistableman]

Busy, huh?

[That could mean so many different things, Michael, and Bucky's not so sure he wants to know what.]