Week 12.

[azumods]

WEEK 12 For the time being, it would seem that you're back on the routes again. Route 202 is thankfully a simple one - it's straightforward as compared to the winding paths of Eterna Forest, with a clearly marked path surrounded by trees. The usual patches of tall grass are present here, though they can be avoided if you really want to stay clear of them; it's a fair easier walk than most of the routes you've traversed so far, and mercifully it's also a far shorter one. It seems August is being kind to you in that way; there's decidedly less walking required of you, which is likely not all that unwelcome after the frozen hellscape that constituted most of July. As before, the changes to the world are still present, particularly in your own Pokémon, are still occurring but seem to be slowing down a bit as the month continues on; a worrying trend, perhaps, but they haven't stopped altogether. That said, however, there's a change to the route that you may see from time to time - patches of those bright flowers in varying colors will show up along the routes themselves here and there. Perhaps a sign of gratitude from a friend you've helped out... By Tuesday morning you'll find yourself in Sandgem Town. It's very small, similar to Floaroma Town in size, and the town itself smells vividly of the saltwater of the ocean; the main points of interest seem to be the research lab and the beach to the south of town proper, though there are a few locals present as well. Your stay here shouldn't be long; you're actually very close to Lake Verity, and it won't take you long to reach it given how relatively simple and straightforward the routes here are. Thursday morning will see you on Route 201 - it's just as easy a walk as the previous route, if not easier, and if all goes well you should be able to find the lakefront by Friday evening... CURRENT LOCATION: SANDGEM TOWN POKEMON AVAILABLE: WITHIN CITIES / NEAR WATER SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY [OOC: Welcome to week ten 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.]

Comments

mid-afternoon

[semistableman]

[Bucky can't blame Jake for keeping to himself; after all, that's exactly what he's been doing himself. But Bucky can't help approaching-- along with his usual companion Flora walking behind him, because that sure is an interesting... something.]

Every time I think I've seen the strangest of creatures this place has to offer, there's always something stranger out there.

[He gestures to the... vine creature for emphasis.]

You figure out a name for 'em yet?

[bloodspent]

Still working on it. He reminds me of somebody, I'm just not sure I wanna go there.

[...That said, though.]

There's some weird as hell stuff around here, though. This guy's pretty up there in terms of strange.

[semistableman]

Does he?

[Bucky peers at the Pokemon for a long time, but he can't really get over the fact that it looks like an overgrown vine on a wall has gained sentience.]

I keep expecting to find more alarming statues of gods, but we've really only seen the one, haven't we?

[He's not sure what to think of it. Maybe that statue in Eterna was more of an amalgamation than a literal representation.]

[bloodspent]

Yeah. Maybe Ignis had a point in thinking that it's a bunch of 'em smashed together. You'd think we'd find shrines or something, though, for the lesser gods maybe.

[semistableman]

Maybe that's what the caves were for, originally? Some kind of pilgrimage for the pious.

Though that doesn't explain where the shrines to the other ones are.

[bloodspent]

Yeah. Uxie said we could find out more about those two she mentioned in Canalave City; I'm pretty sure we're all going to want to go there next, because somehow I doubt we're just gonna find the third and call it a day.

[semistableman]

Definitely not. If anything, it'll end up being our line in the sand-- the moment we rescue the third, we'll probably stop being seen as an annoyance, and instead as an actual thread.

[bloodspent]

I don't know how much we want that. People talk about how frustrating it is that we aren't taken seriously, but... I dunno about you, but I don't want the crazy son of a bitch with multiple gods under his command noticing us.

[semistableman]

I can't say I'm wild about it either.

We're better off not being taken seriously; if they don't consider you a threat, it's easier to sneak around under their noses. They might say they want it, but when people start coming after us, they'll change their minds pretty quickly.

[Then again he's massively paranoid and used to people trying to rule the world.]

[bloodspent]

[I mean. Same hat.]

Especially since they still haven't come after us, despite all the changes to the world. Even Mars wasn't after us for that shit, she was just mad about her friends.

I don't like it. Can't really explain why, but I don't like it.

[semistableman]

It's not a reaction I can understand.

[He doesn't like it either.]

I'm not sure we should poke the hornet's nest to find out what needs to happen before they actually come after us.

[bloodspent]

I suspect that whenever they do, one of three things is probably gonna happen. One, Cyrus finally does something. Two, we find out the hard way what happened to the commanders.

Three is worst-case scenario and it's both.

[semistableman]

Yeah.

This would be a lot easier if we were dealing with actual combatants, and not using Pokemon as proxies.