[Open][Action] Oh, I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside..

[soulofmagus]

WHO: Sophia and YOU! (Bring a friend if you like!)
WHAT: It's a trip to the beach! (Just watch out for that magikarp..)
WHEN: ICly Between 23rd to 26th April
WHERE: Ocean Beach, south of Union

Harry's suggestion to get some rest had been on her mind since the post-trip gathering had concluded. She'd been out of sorts since returning from Gigas, something she knew her friends had noticed, and her pokémon had made a point to dog her steps out of concern since she'd gotten home. You'd think she was prone to fainting, not that she had, or something equally embarrassing..

It didn't take her long to make up her mind on what to do - or on where to go. Once she was certain things were in order at the Ranger office, Sophia quietly packed up a tent and some supplies, along with as many broken fishing rods as she could carry, before leaving a note on her desk (and one in Waver's office) to say she'd gone south for a few days.

Even with a brief stop near Moss Rock for lunch on the way, getting down to the coast didn't take more than a couple of hours at most. It was warmer here, even with the breeze off the water, but everything was cool compared to Gigas. Pitching her tent in the forest clearing nearest to the beach, she had a great view of the ocean without risk of the waves getting too close.

Anyone looking for her during the day (or who just happened to be in the area) would likely find her down on the sand, seated on a large red blanket. Sophia herself has one leg partially folded under her, balancing a reference book on magic that Raine had lent her against the crook of her knee while quietly taking apart and putting the rods back together and untangling fishing line. A Cherrim in full flowery bloom sits atop her head, basking in the sunlight as best she can, while at her back, a little Riolu meditates, ears occasionally twitching in annoyance at the distant clash of her trainer's other Pokémon brawling nearby.

Why don't you say hello?

Comments

[child_of_luv]

Minako was letting Myrna, her Milotic, play in the ocean with a few of her other Pokémon when she spotted someone else's party having a bit of a play brawl not too far away. She glanced over to see what was going on, finally spotting a tent near the tree line and someone with some fishing rods not too far from that on a blanket.

She waved in greeting. She wasn't terribly far, so she just shouted a little. "Hi there!"

[soulofmagus]

The brawl is supposed to stay off the beach. Trainer doesn't approve of fighting, but isn't going to stop them from training, so off into the trees the three fighters are supposed to stay. It does seem to be edging closer and closer to the edge of the treeline, however..

But for the moment, the person sitting on the blanket doesn't appear too concerned by the noise.

Aquamarine head lifts, following the sound of someone's voice when it calls. For a moment, Sophia looks surprised, then a smile breaks out, and she lifts a hand in return. It would seem that they're not the only ones to have the idea to head out here today. "Hello there! How're the waves?" On her head, a sunshine-facing Cherrim also gives a wave. HIHI, hi! Isn't this sun great? While behind her trainer, a Riolu straightened, turning her head as well.

[child_of_luv]

"They seem to be good. Myrna's enjoying herself."

True to word, the Milotic was quite happily splashing about. Minako had also brought her other water types... a Luvdisc, a Mantyke, a Sealeo, and a Magikarp. Her usual companions, a Sylveon and a Persian, had been annoyed at being left behind, but this was a day for the water types to get out of the habitat. Additionally, she had been left to choose between her Dratini and her Dragalge because of the restrictions of the Warp Band, but had brought the Dragalge in case she needed the levels for defense against anything.

"I don't get to exercise my water types as much, so I felt like they needed a day to get in some time away from the habitat." She sat up, taking a cue from the other woman that the noise in the forest wasn't something to worry about, and gestured. "Mind if I join you?"

[soulofmagus]

"So it would seem." Sophia has never seen a Milotic before, but there's no denying the happiness in her water acrobatics. "I only have the one water-based myself, and I think she's still trying to process how much ocean is out there." Which makes two of them, really. She points, indicating a very large magikarp who keeps surfacing and diving near the shore, clearly awed by its location but trying (and failing) not to show off this fact.

"Please, you're more than welcome." The book she was reading is folded closed on her lap, then set beside the rods she's been repairing, motioning for Minako to join her on the blanket if she likes. The Riolu frowns a bit, before edging over to make more room, paws lifting to adjust the fancy yellow about her neck once she's resettled.

"This is Sowilo," she gestures up to the Cherrim sunning herself from atop her head, "And this is Riolu. She hasn't settled on a name she likes yet. And I'm Sophia."

[child_of_luv]

"I'm Minako. That's Myrna playing about, and I have a few others out there, too. It's everyone's first exposure to the ocean. I usually head for one of the lakes in the forest."

She moved her stuff over and joined Sophia.

"It's nice to meet you. Do you come to the ocean a lot?"

[soulofmagus]

"No, actually. This is my-- our first proper visit." Seeing it from a distance is entirely different to being up close. She's not even dressed for swimming, relaxing instead in a light blouse and deerling coloured capri pants. "I've visited the lake shrine and the swamp, before, but the ocean is something else completely."

"I didn't realise how far it goes."

[child_of_luv]

"It does seem to go on forever," she agreed. Minako was definitely more appropriately dressed for the beach in a swimsuit and a sundress over it as a cover up for now. She hadn't been in the water, yet, herself. But she might later.

"Sometimes I wonder just how far you can go."

[soulofmagus]

Raising a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, Sophia peered out at the distant land masses. "I know there's a few Southerners in residence who might know, but it's never occurred to me to ask. There is a port near here, isn't there?" It had been marked on her map, though she hadn't ventured in that direction.

"I have heard that some of the islands are nice, though the zubat population is supposedly as great as any of the caves near Union."

[child_of_luv]

"Oh, yeah!" Minako nodded. "I haven't been to it, yet, but I know someone had been building one a while back. I'm pretty sure it's finished by now. They have a big boat and everything." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not sure where they sail to or how much they charge for it. I'd definitely like to see if I can get over to the those islands some day. I know some people just even ride their Pokémon across to them. I just wonder what's on the other side, sometimes."

[soulofmagus]

"From what I understand, it is finished. But finding out possible destinations certainly sounds like a good idea to me. Learning more about the world beyond our borders is important." So that there are no more unexpected, unpleasant surprises.

Just not today. Sophia is more than happy to stay seated here on the sand, in the sun, and the little Cherrim on her head trills happily as her face turns back towards the light.

"What would you say is the furtherest you've ever travelled from Union?"

[child_of_luv]

Minako agreed with that.

"The furthest?" She considered that for a moment. "Probably up to Glacier. But I haven't been out on the water. I haven't had my water types for very long, but I know some people ride theirs over to the islands sometimes. I've considered it, but I'm not sure I'd want to go all the way out there by myself. It's more fun with someone else, I think."

[soulofmagus]

"I don't think I'd get very far with a magikarp," Sophia replies ruefully, shaking her head. "Travelling alone may suit some, but, having company means you can weather whatever storms you encounter along the way together. We're fortunate that the weather is milder now, I'd hate to imagine the sea when there's a storm."

It's hardly still, after all, waves constantly in motion.

"What is Glacier like?"

[child_of_luv]

"Really. Cold." Minako giggled a bit. "But it can be pretty if you like snow and ice." She shrugged a little. "It's not like that all the time, of course. There are some warmer seasons, but it's definitely cold. Most of my ice types are from up in that area."

She considered the water. It was almost perpetually in motion for sure.

"Yeah... maybe not a Magikarp. But I think a bigger water type could probably handle the trip. And I think it's more interesting to travel with someone else. They can offer up different opinions and thoughts on what you encounter."

[soulofmagus]

"Colder than Union's winter?" No doubt, but more a query to clarify. Something to rival a certain dragon's frigidness wouldn't be all that appealing, but people from Glacier seemed pretty hale and hardy when they came to Union to help with rebuilding.

"Contrary to these fishing rods, I don't have that much experience with water types." She pats the rods idly, mindful not to move the parts too much. "I can only imagine the size of pokémon out there, though whether they'd be willing to carry a human for a while would depend on how friendly they are." Or how heavy the person's typing makes them..

[child_of_luv]

"Oh, yeah! It was completely covered in snow and ice up there." She nodded gravely. Sooooo cold.

"Well, I know the ones that I've bonded with are pretty eager to help me out." Mostly. "Are you an Engineer? I only have a beat up old rod. I haven't really done a lot of fishing, specifically. My water types all came from the Breeding center or friends. Or they're water and something else."