Arrival.

[azumods]

GREETINGS. Several days through the woods seems to have at least been preferable than several days through snow; it's seen several evolutions, as well as new friends joining you along the way. It's been a long trip, but not an altogether unpleasant one, and when the route through the forest finally opens up back onto open road, it's a relatively short walk to Floaroma Town. This place is much smaller than any of the cities you've been to so for; it's a tiny town in the relative middle of nowhere, surrounded by vast fields of flowers and large, open meadows. It's peaceful, for lack of a better word, and likely far more welcoming than it could have been given the recent improvements in the people lately. You'll be getting in sometime late afternoon; given that the town is so small, it seems that the people here are definitely noticing you - there are a fairly large number of you in your group, after all, especially to all be traveling together. Not like that's a bad thing; they certainly don't seem to think it is. But it is noticeable, and as such you're going to have a few people that seem...dully interested in your sudden appearance. Although it's worth noticing that not all of the people noticing your arrival are locals - there's someone here that you might want to meet eventually... [OOC: Welcome to the end of Week 9! As of this log, you'll be gaining a new party member; feel free to come say hello! No NPC response will be given to this post, though you can thread here amongst yourselves if you wish; we'll see you tomorrow at noon with a new log for your further adventures!]

Comments

[discutio]

[Ignis had collected quite the small group following him by now; an Absol in front, a Swablu and Chimecho floating at his side, Larvesta in his arms, and now a Scyther walking beside him munching on a sandwich. Add that to the full uniform he had and perhaps he was one of the less conspicuous of their number.]

Sounds a bit more lively than the usual welcome, don't you think? [Whether that was addressed to his party or the group at large was unstated; it was probably both.] That's not a bad sign.

[niceoppai]

No kidding! I mean, we do kinda stick out, but these guys actually care a little.

[discutio]

It's a refreshing shift in circumstances, I think.

[eudaimonikos]

Can you blame them? We make a sight, at this point.

[Michael looks Ignis up and down, grins, and points at the people watching them, entirely for his own benefit.]

There’s a young boy over there, I think his father took him into the city just to tell him about you!

[discutio]

...What are you talking about.

[lu i swear to god]

[gekkaju]

[This isn't the first time Atsushi had been taken care of by complete strangers, and he's beginning to wonder if this was going to be some sort of...trend in his life. Waking up in an unfamiliar building in god knows where so recently after his kidnapping by the Port Mafia was...honestly terrifying, though it was surprising to him just how easily he'd been able to leave. He felt like he was escaping for the second time, but it seemed like his time in this place was less forced than he'd been expecting. It was only until he'd gotten deep into and extremely lost in the forest that he'd noticed the pokeball on his person, an object foreign to him that only became more alarming when it exploded into a Creature the moment he touched it.

But that was over a month ago, before he'd been found by these locals and cared for because he certainly didn't have any way to fend for himself in the woods with this little...he wasn't sure if he'd call it a bug or a crab or what, but the poor thing seemed just as lost as confused as he was. If nothing else, the town was nice...actually, his time spent here was more peaceful than his few weeks at the Agency had been. It was like he'd been transported to some world where gifted people weren't trying to kill each other on the daily.

Imagine that.

The only thing that shakes up the sleepy ecosystem of the town during Atsushi's time here is the sudden arrival of quite a massive group of people, clearly not of the same brand of...blankness these people had been until pretty recently. It's enough to prompt Atsushi to quickly get dressed and head outside, standing nearish to one of the buildings with a Wimpod nervously peering around from over the tops of his arms. Getting used to the concept of Pokemon was at least not too terribly difficult...they were gifted animals instead of people. Certainly strange, but not something unbelievable given all he'd experienced.

The boy sticks out like a sore thumb, and given the way he'll start to move but then falter and stop himself, it's clear that he's trying to decide whether or not he should talk to the rest of you.]

[redbellion]

[ ah, another newcomer. two in one week... it's interesting, how he and noctis showed up together, but these two arrived completely separately. keith sees the newcomer falter, as if he doesn't know whether or not he wants to approach them, so he decides to do the approaching first. ]

Hey. Welcome to the group.

[ nailed it! ] I know it seems like a lot right now, but I promise we're all going to help you get situated. I'm Keith.

[gekkaju]

[Atsushi had been opening his mouth to say something, only to change his mind again, when Keith approaches him and saves him the effort of trying a third or fourth time.

What he says though...]

The group?

[He looks over at the others that Keith arrived with, and right away he's feeling the weirdest sense of deja vu...]

I- I'm Nakajima Atsushi. It's nice to meet you, Keith-kun.

I'm sorry, but...I'm just a passerby, or- Well...I don't really know how I got here to begin with, actually.

[anythingforyou]

[Well, it likely won't be too long until one of those people decides to come on up to greet him, really; the denizens of the town itself are certainly an interesting bunch, but the way Atsushi seems to falter seems to get Camilla's attention easily, and she watches for a moment; they've certainly seen some odder people wandering around, but he seems a little different from the locals for sure.

Before he likely knows it, she walks up to him with her Deino close at her feet with a calm smile on her face.]

Well, hello there. You needn't be so shy, hm? We don't bite.

[Camilla says that lightly enough at least, if to be slightly encouraging.]

[gekkaju]

Ah- oh no, I'm sorry! I don't mean to be rude, I just...wasn't expecting to see so many people here today.

[He gives the Deino a careful glance. It must be similar to his Wimpod, or...at the very least a lot more outgoing than his.]

[heritrix]

[This boy really does stick out, and he won't stop staring. Rin looks at him and back at her group, then back at him again before raising a hand.]

None of us are hairdressers, if that's what you're wondering. If you're really interested, though, I could try to give it a go?

[gekkaju]

[...]

I...I'm sorry?

[You look like you cut your hair with rusty scissors in the dark, Atsushi, that's what.]

[perfectselfie]

[Aya waves and smiles. She gets that feeling, one hundred percent.]

Hello! I'm Aya, it's good to meet you!

[gekkaju]

[Without thinking, Atsushi raises his hand and waves it a little to Aya on reflex, the shift causing his Wimpod to wiggle and make a slightly disgruntled chittering sound at being moved.]

Oh, uh-! It's...nice to meet you too, Aya-chan. I guess you all must be passerby too...?

[eudaimonikos]

Ah, hey! Another one!

[Michael, it’s rude to point. At least he’s also smiling?]

These extradimensional recruits are dropping like flies!

[gekkaju]

[Another one...the heck's that supposed to mean.]

R...recruits?

[Oh no not again]

Wait a minute, I never remembered agreeing to be recruited for anything! I don't even know how I got here!

[hyruglyphics]

[ Oh it's... someone new? The princess, standing out from most of the people here given her elf ears, she smiles at him. ... There is also a Metang floating behind her who also leans in towards him curiously? But for her part, she greets him with, ]

Hello. Are you alright?

[gekkaju]

[The closely hovering Metang is enough to give Atushi pause, moreso than the elf-eared girl before him. There's a lot to take in, clearly, but if she's anything like the others...she'll be friendly.]

Actually? Better than I've been in a while, considering...I'm not from here, but the people in this town have been taking good care of me.

[Which is shocking, since he isn't at all used to that sort of treatment. He wonders, though, if it has something to do with the fact that he can't seem to reach his gift right now...usually it took a lot of emotional strain anyway, but even in trying...there was nothing. It was as if he was just. Normal, for once in his life.]

[ventulus]

[ Oh hey Atsushi, Ventus is going to be giving him an enthusiastic wave in order to help seem welcoming, and actually walk a few steps closer. Today he has Klefki and Togetic out with him, the latter of which peers at the newbie curiously. ]

Hi there! You're new here, aren't you?

[gekkaju]

[Oh hello more Pokemon...are they all really this varied? He's never seen a thing like any of them...at least his looks sort of like a crab or something.

Those are...keys? They're floating keys, yes.]

Pretty new, yeah...though I've been here in Floaroma town for a couple weeks already. I'm Nakajima Atsushi.

[discutio]

[After things had time to settle down just a bit, a blue bird with cotton wings drifted over in Atsushi's direction...with every intention of landing directly on his head for a nap.]

[Intercept/greet/run away?]

[gekkaju]

Eh-?

[Atsushi blinks as he feels something exceedingly soft settle on top of his head, prompting him to look up and be met with a cluster of feathery...cottony...downy something suddenly perched there. His Wimpod looks up as well, chittering.

Normally he might run, but...it's so soft, so it's probably safe right

TIME TO >greet]

Ah...hello?

[Maybe it can sort of understand him like Chazuke seems to be able to.]

[bloodspent]

[You know, Jake will actually wait a minute, at least until everyone is done getting in this guy's business; he'll approach once the initial onslaught has died down a little, carrying a goddamn Scrafty in his arms like it's an exhausted child.]

Hey. Sorry about all that; we've all kinda got two modes - scream in your face until we get results, and scream in your face until Emmeryn tells us all to sit down.

[He'll free one of his hands long enough to point out Emmeryn.]

That's Emmeryn, she's kind of everybody's mom whether you really want her to be or not. She's pretty nice, though, just kind of weird if you're not used to her deal.

Name's Jake, by the way.

[gekkaju]

[He appreciates that, actually. It's a touch overwhelming to have so many people approach him, even if it is nice after the lack of connections he's been able to make with the locals here.

...also he's glad to see someone else carrying their Pokemon like a sack of potatoes. Chazuke doesn't stay in his ball much these days since he's really been Atsushi's only companion the last month, so.]

Oh, it's alright. It's good to meet you, Jake-san. I'm a little surprised, if I'm honest...a couple of your group have already invited me to join you, though I'm not entirely sure it's...okay, yet?

[He knows Aya said people joined them and was pretty emphatic about it, he just can't fathom them wanting to take him in without some sort of...he doesn't know, screening first.

Also...being an orphan who Has No Mom, the concept of a team mom is intriguing to him at best.]

I wish I did have more information for you, though. I really can't remember much.

[divinedescendant]

[Emmeryn's basically always towards the back of the group because she absolutely sucks at hiking—hence why she's falling behind enough on the introduction train that everyone else gets the chance to do their usual fucking shtick and Jake gets to introduce her as everyone's mom on her behalf. G...reat... Those particular specifics are lost to her but she knows her gaggle of shithead idiot children (apparently these are her children now!!!) well enough to guess about how the last few minutes while she's caught up have gone. Time for damage control... Her little Bagon plods happily along at her feet beside an overall less enthused Ralts, and her Nidoran gets the VIP treatment of being carried in her arms.]

Good afternoon. I see our group has been quick to acquaint themselves, but you must still have no shortage of questions... You are not one of the local residents, are you?