Week 9.

[azumods]

WEEK 9 The one thing Team Galactic seems to have done right in this world is perfecting teleportation technology. The device Maylene gave Rey will get all of you back to Eterna City easily; from there, it's a matter of very briefly stocking up on supplies on Sunday before you move westward, away from the massive, imposing form of Mount Coronet and into the deep shadows of Eterna Forest. During your brief stay in Eterna City, it's likely that you'll notice a few things have changed, as far as both the people and the Pokémon go; this holds true as you make your preparations and disappear into the forest on Monday. It's heartening, maybe, to know that once again your actions seem to have made a difference; meanwhile, the trip to Lake Verity looks to be a long one, but it isn't entirely insurmountable. The forest itself is large and dark, covered high overhead with a thick canopy of trees; the Pokémon here are plentiful, which likely cuts down on any inherent creepiness to the place - whether that's a good or a bad thing depends entirely on your point of view. Either way, it's going to be quite the adventure trying to make your way through; here's hoping that your luck continues to hold over the coming week... CURRENT LOCATION: ETERNA FOREST POKEMON AVAILABLE: PLAINS/FOREST SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY [OOC: Welcome to week nine 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 this weekend!]

Comments

evening

[hyruglyphics]

[ Zelda's bonding meanwhile tonight seems to be walking around the camps with that still not named Geodude floating behind her. she's on the look out for some new stones here for him, and right now, she's doing that also with the Porygon floating next to them, honestly sort of... just the both of them are a bit blank faced but seeing Jake there.

... Oh, that's cute. ]

[bloodspent]

[Oh, hi. It takes him a moment to look up, but Lobanja's looking at something all of a sudden and he'll follow her gaze towards- ]

Hey, Zelda. Keeping busy?

[hyruglyphics]

I am, yes! ... I was looking for either rocks or... well. [ She glances at the Geodude, who does seem to be preening a little even through the blankface. A hand reaches up to smooth out its sand-"hair" a little. ]

... I don't know quite how to cultivate his new hobby.

[bloodspent]

...Huh.

[You. You go, little man, you make yourself the hottest rock-thing around.]

So he's starting to work himself out a bit too, then.

[hyruglyphics]

Yes! ... And I only captured this one the other day, but they have been showing ... a fair bit quite quickly.

[ Not much in emotions, but a lot in just being kinda weird? The Porygon's head kinda spins in place. Beep beep. ]

[bloodspent]

[...jesus, where is shirou when we need him.]

That's... Well, it's definitely something.

[hyruglyphics]

[ Yes it is.

It now seems to want to stretch so it's legs leave its body and rotate too. ]

They're quirky.

[bloodspent]

I'd say so, yeah.

[So weird...]

So how're you holding up lately? New friends and hobbies aside.

[hyruglyphics]

I'm grateful to be in more familiar terrain.

[ As opposed to all the ice. She knows, of course, what the actual implication of the question is... but. She's not sure how else to answer it. ]

[bloodspent]

[...Close enough.]

God, same here. Better this than all the snow, and if we've got to be surrounded by trees at least it's woods and not a fucking jungle, so I can't complain.

[hyruglyphics]

I agree in that I have more experience with woods than jungles... but do you have poor experiences with jungles, Jake?

[bloodspent]

I did a few missions in a place that was largely jungle, one of 'em didn't go so well. Everyone I was there with ended up getting taken out, some fucker went to town on my face with a knife. So that's what happened to my good looks, if you were wondering.

[It's said sarcastically, that last part, and it doesn't genuinely seem to bother him; at the same time, he's going to spare her the inevitable awkward several seconds of wanting verification that that's what happened to his damn face.]

I'm pretty over it now, it worked out in the end. But it sucked at the time.

[hyruglyphics]

[ Oh that's... not good. Why does he keep having all these sad experiences? She frowns a little and steps a little bit closer to the man, the Porygon and the Geodude following suit behind her just... well, because. That said, he did have that scar there, so that would... explain that, eesh. ]

Yes, it certainly sounds like it was quite difficult at the time. ]

[bloodspent]

[He shrugs.]

It was a few years ago, I was around your age. Maybe a bit younger. Shit happens when you're in my line of work, you know?

[hyruglyphics]

So it sounds from your stories. ... How ever did you get so caught up into it?

[bloodspent]

What, work like that...?

[It gets him to hesitate for a moment.]

My dad ditched before I was born, so he was never around. My mom was sick all the time, and she couldn't afford treatment because she was trying to take care of me, you know? So I started doing this as a kid to try to help with money. She died before too much could come of it, though.

I didn't really have anywhere to go after that, so I just stayed with it.

[hyruglyphics]

[ That's so tragic. ... But if she said that, wouldn't that be belittling Jake's way of life? Still, she sits down next to him and all the Pokemon, humming some. ]

And so it became something you were talented in...?

[bloodspent]

[He doesn't seem bothered by any of this, at least.]

Yeah - you have to learn pretty fast but I've always been a quick study when it matters. I actually don't mind it all that much now, and I'm putting what I do to better use nowadays than I used to. There are these kids I'm kinda looking out for? Making sure no one fucks with them, clearing monsters out of the area, shit like that. I don't want them to grow up the same way I did, you know?

[hyruglyphics]

Of course not, such a response is only natural, I should think.

[ Geodude is.

Okay like the Porygon is wary to get too close it'll hang a bit back, but the Geodude wants to look at the blingee man. ]

I... wonder though, would that be what you would want to do, if you were given another choice?

[bloodspent]

[Lobanja has so much bling, she is truly living the dream.

That said, he just sort of...takes a moment.]

At this point, I don't know what else I'd do with myself? This sort of shit is what I'm good at. I don't really know what else I would even want.

[hyruglyphics]

...Mm. If you don't regret it, or at least find fulfillment in it... that's good. Even if it did start from a dark place.

[ It's something she has wondered about herself before, after all. ]

[bloodspent]

I don't really regret it. If anything, it gave me something to do with all the anger and shit. I'm pretty fucked in the head, just as a person, and this gave me something to do where I could be as fucked up as I wanted and get paid for it.

[hyruglyphics]

[ She smiles softly. That... it's a sad way to word it, but it makes sense. ]

... Jake, are you the sort to show off a little?

[bloodspent]

[Um.]

Depends on who you ask. Why?

[hyruglyphics]

I suppose I'm thinking of the Champions... Revali was the most braggadocious, but they all had their own ways of showing off their skills. I wondered if that might be inherent to the warrior psyche.