[ACTION | Caverns Expedition Log]

[antiseptic]

Log Deputy: Rei antiseptic and Charles makeitquick
Participating Characters: Jade Curtiss, Imogen Moreno, Flynn, Chris Ramirez, Ezreal, Melaka Fray, William Flemming, Varun "Banzu" Elmas, Eren Jaeger, Armin Arlert, Elhaym van Houten (Elly), Ondorus Univir, Lux Crownguard...possibly more! Feel free to gatecrash the party at any time.
Plot Description: A group of intrepid explorers set out in search of an iron mine. Things probably don't go as expected.
Warnings/Notes: Possible violence?

QUICK LINKS: Pre-exploration mingling | Travel | Arrival at Caverns | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3

Overview:
At 6AM, the group will be meeting at the city gates, where there'll be some time for mingling and last minute emergencies before they set off.

The group will travel east through the Verdant Forest for around half a day before reaching the Caverns. It will be freezing with a few flurries of snowfall. Try not to get lost! Or disturb hibernating Pokemon, for that matter.

At the Caverns, Jade will split everyone up into three groups. Group 1 will consist of Elly, Eren, Armin, Ondorus, Chris. Group 2 will be Jade, Melaka, Banzu, Flynn. Group 3 is Imogen, Ezreal, Flemming, and Lux. These groups aren't fixed, and characters are free to protest and try move around! Ideally, each group will end up with at least 4 members just for safety's sake.

Aaand after that, the exploration begins! At first there'll be nothing but caves and tunnels, but it shouldn't take very long for that to change...


Misc notes: Feel free to go wild with thread-jacking! The mods recommend not strictly enforcing a post order since things will probably stall that way. Also, if anyone wants a random wild Pokemon bonding encounter going in the mountains during any of this, just respond to the Map post as usual!

If you need to ask any questions, the quickest way to get in touch with me will be through PMs.

Comments

PRE-EXPEDITION MINGLING

[antiseptic]

[antiseptic]

[Easily recognizable in his Ranger uniform, Jade will be at the gates fifteen minutes before the meeting time. As people begin to arrive, he'll make his way over to speak with each and every one of them - it's much easier to evaluate a person when speaking with them face-to-face, after all.]

[Every so often, he glances around, almost as if he's looking for something.]

[reborn_love]

[Elly knows to report to Jade before she sits down for the briefing, or talks to her group. The younger Ranger stops in front of him and fires off a quick salute, looking quite serious for a moment.]

[There is, however, a hint of a smile on her face.]

Sir. Ranger van Houten, reporting for duty.

[antiseptic]

[There's a hint of a smile on Jade's face as well.]

Greetings, Elly. I hope you're feeling awake.

Open

[for_realsies]

*Imogen arrived early. She was dressed with her usual... flair.

*The core of her outfit was functional. Layered fabrics for warmth in dark colors, brown boots with a bit of a heel to them, and a pair of thin glasses perched on her nose. The 'flair' was in the added layers. She had a pink and green skirt, strictly decorative and in no way functional to attire. Fuzzy pink arm warmers and hat, and a jacket of thick hide (colored pink), and green fur edging.*

*Her partner Brighteyes was much more conservatively dressed, the Eevee simply had blue jacket, scarf, and hat to keep warm. He was curled up on her supply bag. Who knows what she had in there. Imogen stared off into space, getting distracted by other people's clothes, and talking to the occasional Pokemon as her partner kept her from walking into things with his warnings.*

[antiseptic]

[Judging by her style of clothing and attitude, Jade guesses that the person is Imogen. He approaches her with a light smile.]

My my, you have quite an eye for colours.

[for_realsies]

My eyes are one of my more useful features.

*Imogen dipped into a polite curtsy, coming up from the act with a little hop.*

Imogen Moreno, Delver. This here with me is Brighteyes, also a Delver.

*Brighteyes the Eevee merely bowed his head in greeting... then curled back up on Imogen's pack.*

Open

[ladyofluminosity]

[Lux knew that mishmash of colors anywhere. It was Imogen. Normally she would not be opposed to seeing the other girl--they were part of the same groups, although Lux did find her a bit odd to say the least--but she was trying to keep as low of a profile as possible.

Pulling her hood up over her head, she hoped that she wouldn't recognize her. Camille, however, didn't seem to care, slinking about as if she was owed attention. She knew the general gist of why they were there, but certainly didn't approve. She would engage in conversation if it befitted her, not the other way around.]

[for_realsies]

Camille?

*Sadly, Imogen is very good at recognizing very recognizable Pokemon. She crouched down and said hello to the dragon, offering any attention the dragon wanted. Brighteyes leaning over Imogen's shoulder to strike up a conversation.*

Hey... that is a good point, where's your Human? I would figure in this cold a lovely Dragon such as yourself would like to be home...

[makeitquick]

[ Wow. You know her hair might be naturally multi-color and thus stand out almost as much as those clothes, but Melaka genuinely cannot help herself at the attire there and she speaks up before she can stop herself. She wanted to be professional for this but: ]

Savior, are those the mating colors of your species?

[ ---Maybe too rude. ]

[indy_wannabe]

[Ezreal is on time, if only just. His clothing is very functional, with warm layers and a backpack full of supplies. His Elekid, Spark, is with him and also wearing a warm poncho. They roll in casually and unconcerned.]

[makeitquick]

[ Melaka went to bed early so she could wake up and arrive early. She's put on a Ranger uniform as well and actually looks well rested if... subtly eager. Okay so she's a little tense, but mostly, she's excited to make a name for herself here. She's trying not to let it show (after all, this is a serious mission) but despite the thicker gloves she's got on and the rest of her winter ensemble (as well as a pack of supplies she ends up sitting on the ground next to her) she starts to perform some stretches while she waits ]

[outtahere]

[If Banzu's not the last person to arrive, he's pretty close to the last, showing up looking rather tired. He's really not a morning person. A Klink floats behind him, quietly grinding away.

Banzu himself is 5'6" and looks at least 18, though he's actually 16. He's dressed for the weather in a charcoal gray parka and thick black pants tucked into scuffed black work boots. His clothes, as well as the black backpack he's wearing, are generic and unremarkable examples of their types. It would be hard to pick him out in a crowd. The only slightly noteworthy trait is that, aside from the boots, everything is obviously new.]

[antiseptic]

[Not a morning person indeed. The newness of his clothes and the expression on his face, coupled with what Banzu had told him yesterday, are more than enough to clue Jade in on his identity.]

Hello, Banzu. I was beginning to wonder if we would have to set off without you.

Re: PRE-EXPEDITION MINGLING

[stahlflugel]

[That sure is a pokémon walking up with a blonde-headed kid about ten minutes late. But the metal bird isn't just a pokémon, as indicated by the warp band around the "wrist" of one of his wings. Eren turns to Armin, speaking just like any human.

Doting, actually. Fussing over his human companion like a worried mom]

Are you warm enough? Do you have all your supplies? If you don't wanna do this, just say so, ok!!

[There's also a very uninterested looking Eevee on the skarmory shifter's back (along with Eren's gear), nestled in between his wings. Honestly, Armin wasn't a baby. He'd be fine.]

[antiseptic]

[A Skarmony. Well, there's only one person it could be. Once they reach the group, Jade approaches them from behind.]

Ah, Eren. I can't say I think much of your decision to make everyone else wait for you.

[tinytactician]

[Every party needs a pooper, that's why they invited Armin! He'll be standing as far away from other people as possible, looking somewhat pale in the face, battling between oh my god I'm going to get in so much trouble oh my god and the familiar nausea that comes from being around crowds of people and trying to resist picking up on their emotions.

His Ralts friend, Meredith, is settled in his arms, looking mildly annoyed by how tightly Armin is gripping them, but otherwise just looking around with curious interest.]

[for_realsies]

Why are you so nervous?

*Imogen said from behind the kid who was looking rather... uneasy about all this. Of course, she can do this sort of thing because as a Dark Type she's... hard to read psychically speaking.*

First time going outside the wall? Mine too! It should be fun!

oops that was the wrong eren journal

[stahlflugel]

[And Eren is standing RIGHT NEXT to Armin in pokémon form, glaring daggers at anyone who dares get too close]

How are you feeling?

[Here Armin, just focus on the INTENSE SHOUNEN next to you]

[highliber]

Zarvora isn't going, but as this trip is a significant investment for her, she has at least arrived to see everyone off. She has a severe looking black jacket on, and a fletching sitting on her shoulder, looking around curiously. Behind her, a wagon comes to a stop to drop off all of the special gear she has provided people: Mainly prospecting equipment (pick axes, etc), cold weather gear. She is currently checking everything off on a clipboard.

[makeitquick]

"Payboss, right?"

Melaka says this lightly - she knows she should probably be more professional, but right now she's got a bunch of nerves (positive and negative) fighting on overdrive. She's relying on a lot of the special gear which is being supplied here and ... actually she has no idea who is footing her payment for this venture. This woman? The Rangers? Both? Is she on a commission? Normally she'd be more frugal, but she had to make am impression here to get the job to begin with, so it as a secondary concern right now as compared to impressing Mr. Curtiss.

... So basically, she was in a mood to be irreverent. To calm down being over-pumped.

[antiseptic]

Jade heads over immediately as soon as he spots the wagon, ready to organize the distribution of the items, but stops once he notices Zarvora. He smiles courteously, nodding a greeting. "Hello, Zarvora. How nice of you to come see us off."

Although he personally doubts her motives are so simple - it's likely she's checking to see if the group he had called together is adequate.

[reborn_love]

[Elly is in her Ranger uniform, too. Before they set off, she's adjusting a few of the packs she brought, which are hanging from her belt. Making sure she has everything and testing everything out. She wanted to have the supplies and items she might need ready.]

[Others might need them, too. But partway through, she hisses lightly, and frowns. She checks a couple other pockets, then she glowers down at the ground.]

Oh, no...

[choseneutrality]

[Flynn walks up to the gates, a bag filled with the supplies he had bought slung over his shoulder. He glances around the gathered group and offers nods to them in greeting. Now that he was here, the only left to do was to wait until the signal to go was given.]

[stardunes]

[ONDORUS IS PREPARED.



...Well, materially, at least. He's friends with enough Delvers to know who to get advice from, and well-off enough to get what he needs to pack for the journey. He's also brought some extra supplies for Pokemon-placating purposes, as well as materials to record anything of interest along the way.

His job will be to prevent conflict between the expedition and wild Pokemon, and possibly to interpret old writing hinting at the presence of iron or other resources if the need arises. That doesn't mean he's not anxious about how this all will go.

Ondorus spends the time before the expedition sets out jotting down preliminary notes in a notebook - and communing with Star, if the way the (warmly dressed) Ralts is clinging to his neck is any indication.]