Week 13.

[azumods]

WEEK 13 The trip to Celestic Town is an unconventional one, though it's infinitely faster than walking and doesn't leave everyone feeling woozy in the same way that teleportation does. The town itself is a small one, though it's scenic, and there's a sort of beauty to it that's very rustic in nature; it's surrounded on both sides by mountainous routes that you're welcome to go on to both the west and the east, though it wouldn't be recommended that you venture too far out, seeing as they can be on the dangerous side for those who are unfamiliar with them. It seems Cynthia was right about one thing - there was certainly an incident at Lake Verity that went off almost as soon as you left, another of those deep pulses echoing through the surrounding area; it seems that whatever Mesprit did can be felt by the region as a whole, given that Celestic Town and the surrounding areas seem to have been affected as well despite being so far east of the lake. Cynthia herself can be found throughout the town for the duration, should anyone want to speak to her. Sometimes when left to her own devices, she can be seen in the company of a little girl who looks very similar to herself; sometimes she's with a pair of people much older. Either way, the family resemblance is strong. Lucas is here as well; he's still willing to speak to anyone that wants to, though he seems a bit subdued. Either way, it's been a long, harrowing trip so far; hopefully spending some time here will help to rejuvenate you. CURRENT LOCATION: CELESTIC TOWN POKEMON AVAILABLE: WITHIN CITIES SURROUNDING ROUTES: MOUNTAINS/ELEVATED AREAS SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY [OOC: Welcome to week thirteen 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

OTA + Cynthia!

[greydients]

[The events of the past few days have left Rey feeling drained and listless, and she takes the opportunity to spend most of Sunday sleeping, curled up in a corner of the Pokemon centre with her little team of Pokemon. She hadn't ever considered emotional exhaustion to be a...thing, exactly, but it's the closest she can get to describing how she's feeling.

She's not the only one struggling with her emotions; throughout their Sunday cuddle-pile, her Ralts - still newly captured - alternates between softly weeping and excitedly spasming, struggling to gain control of the sudden flood of emotions crashing through his little body. Golett and Riolu seem to cope a little better (aside from the odd high-pitched giggle here and there), and take the time to ensure Ralts feels safe nestled between them.

It makes Rey smile, at least.

Monday is a new day, though, and Rey dislikes being idle. The morning sees her in front of the Celestic Ruins, running a hand over the carvings outside it and pondering her book of Sinnoh Pokemon. Her Pokemon have taken it upon themselves to do some training, their excited cries almost sounding foreign. But at least they're genuinely enjoying themselves - even Ralts, who has evolved from weeping to just occasionally teary.

Afternoon has her...not too far away, this time examining the Celestic Shrine. There's something incredibly peaceful about this town...it's different from the warmth of Floarama Town, but not necessary in a bad way. Rey decides she likes it.

Particularly due to one inhabitant that she's just managed to spot.]

...Cynthia?

[azumods]

[Cynthia seems to be spending a fair amount of time near the shrine today; she doesn't seem troubled, per se, but she is decidedly lost in thought, though the usual light smile isn't quite absent from her features. It's just a little vague today.

That said, she doesn't seem bothered at all at the notion of being joined; when she looks over at Rey, she seems even and calm. Pleased to see her.]

Good afternoon, sweetheart. Can I help you with something, or do you just want to chat for a while?

[greydients]

[Rey falls silent for a moment, thinking. There's an endless list of questions she wants to ask Cynthia, focused around Team Galactic and if she thinks they have any chance of defeating Cyrus; on the other hand, it would be nice to just...chat. It's obvious Cynthia has grown up in this town, as she seems to embody that same calming feeling.

Hm.]

...nothing urgent, no. I was just admiring the shrine and thought I'd say hello.

[...]

I really like this town. It's...peaceful.

[azumods]

It's one of those places that's nice to call home, I think.

[It's gentle.]

I'm glad that I could show it to all of you. The people here have been curious about you, after all. Your achievements are a bit difficult to not notice.

[greydients]

It's nice to know we're making a difference.

[To both the people and the Pokemon, really; Rey hasn't had a chance to fully grasp how different her own team will now that they seem to have had their emotions returned to them. Maybe they could really be a little family.

The thought is painful, so Rey quickly returns her attention to Cynthia.

...]

...can I ask you something? Nothing personal, more...

[...awk...ward, she was getting so good at not being awkward but here we go-]

...serious, I suppose.

[azumods]

[There's no apprehension when she answer; if she finds this at all awkward, it doesn't show in her demeanor.]

Of course. Anything you'd like.

[greydients]

[...alright then. Turning away from the shrine to face Cynthia properly, and with a look of quiet determination on her face, Rey asks-]

Do you expect us to fight Cyrus?

[azumods]

[And that does get her to pause, though eventually she shakes her head.]

I'm not asking you to fight Cyrus. When the time comes where it becomes necessary - and I do believe that will happen one day - I'm not going to make you fight.

I expect that some of you will want to, though. I know you're all personally involved. But it isn't something I'm asking of you. Cyrus is still my responsibility.

[greydients]

[There's something in that response that bothers Rey, but she can't quite put her finger on it.]

...so you're going to fight him alone?

[...yes, that's it-]

You expect us to just...let you go up against him without any help? A man with multiple gods under his command?

[azumods]

[Mm.]

I'm not trying to say that I don't appreciate the offer, and I'm not trying to diminish the importance of it at all. It's a very noble thing, what all of you are trying to do.

[greydients]

[Cynthia seems determined, which frustrates Rey further. On one hand, leaving this mess for her to deal with would make her own life much easier, particularly if they could find a way to escape this place without needing to involve Cyrus.

On the other hand, there's something...painful about the thought of abandoning Sinnoh and its many colourful inhabitants, especially since they've made so much progress. It would feel...unfinished. As much as she wants to return home, it wouldn't feel right to do so knowing the region was still under Team Galactic's thumb - potentially being dragged deeper under it once they've gone. It's another feeling that's hard to vocalize, and not for the first time, Rey wishes she'd had more time to practice putting her emotions into words for Mesprit.

As it stands, she just sighs.]

I could say the same to you, you know. Fighting alone is miserable.

[azumods]

It's a lonely path to take for anyone.

[Her words are gentle, but they're tinged with...something else, something a bit more unreadable.]

I'm never truly alone; I have my Pokémon, after all. But I do understand what you mean.

[greydients]

Now that, I'm jealous of.

[Seriously, she tries not to think about how it is going to feel to leave her Pokemon behind, because if she does that she's just going to start crying and honestly crying really sucks-

...well. Regardless, it's an attempt to be light-hearted. Whether it worked or not is a different story.

...]

...did you know Cyrus? Before all this, I mean.

[azumods]

He was a rather prominent figure in Sinnoh, before this happened. Not particularly popular with everyone, of course, but no one really is. Just the same, he was a...presence. We'd met a few times.

We weren't close by any means, and I can't really say that I ever understood him properly, either. Something I regret nowadays.

[greydients]

[...

...oh. That's...familiar, isn't it?

Perhaps some problems really are universal.]

...do you think you understand him now?

[azumods]

I think I can guess at certain things. But I won't say that I understand him - that's not something I can do without hearing what he has to say, and no one's had that opportunity for a long time.

[greydients]

...I suppose it doesn't really matter at this point, does it? It's impossible to justify what he's done.

[And yet, wasn't there something in one of her conversations with Jake...?

...]

I just...wonder what sort of person you have to be to do this. I was talking about it with a friend of mine - Jake, he's really quite nice - and I can't decide whether he's an evil person, or just...

[...]

...damaged.

[azumods]

[...Goodness, you people really have been through a lot. The first time she heard about Jake, he was trying to kill the grunts...]

What Cyrus has done is unforgivable. That much is fact. Seeing this world so devoid of life and spirit... It's more than enough to speak for itself.

But even if his actions aren't justifiable, I have a hard time calling him an evil man.

[She pauses for a moment, going a bit still as she considers.]

I don't believe that anyone is a purely evil person. As long as we can still understand and connect with each other - as long as there's still any good in the world at all, I want to believe that some chance for it to live in us still exists. Does that make sense?

[greydients]

[...we like Jake. Jake is good.]

...it does. For what it's worth, I don't think he's evil either. Maybe he thinks he's doing something good, in his own twisted way.

[She's seen worse, if she has to be honest. At least this world isn't violent.]

Have you thought about how we're going to defeat him?

[azumods]

[The laugh that draws out of her is soft, but it isn't dismissive at all. Just a bit tired.]

We have time until that day comes, and things around here tend to change very fast. I'll be keeping in more frequent contact with you from now on, if I can.

We'll come up with something together, if you're all willing.

[greydients]

[That actually makes Rey smile slightly - even if she hadn't intended to amuse.]

...that would be nice. I think we can help.

[...]

...even if we could use a little more training. Your Garchomp is amazing.

Ruins

[gekkaju]

[Atsushi manages to catch sight of Rey at the Ruins during his visit to them today, watching her eyeing both it and her book from afar for a moment until Natto suddenly darts away from him and Chazuke to go join her Pokemon, seemingly interested in joining on their training if they'll have her. Her sudden burst of excitable energy is still weird as all hell to Atsushi, but he isn't going to complain.

He walks over after a moment, Chazuke in his arms...doing his best impression of a sack of potatoes because man feelings today are hard.]

Hi Rey. I hope you don't mind if Natto joins your Pokemon over there. I don't think I could stop her if I tried right now.