bravenewworld | (001/action) The Forest Shrine

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(001/action) The Forest Shrine

[Forward dated to Monday the 20th.]

[Elly is back on the patrol. She has her Fletchling, Severain, with her today. She stuck to the forest after getting back from the expedition, giving herself and her Pokémon some rest after the intensity of the last patrol. She decided to investigate the shrines that a few reports from other Rangers and wanderers mentioned, though. That led her to the Forest Shrine. She stares up at it, at the moment.]

[Her rod, which she had used to beat back some underbrush, is in hand. Elly flicks it it out to the side -- and then it telescopes back in. She spins the smaller handle, and tucks it into her belt, before she starts walking closer to the small building and the altar.]

[A place where the dead come back to life... she finds that hard to believe, still.]

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[Jinxie hangs out here a lot. Here and the Lake Shrine. They're nice places to hang out and get a little peace and quiet away from the bustle of the city. Glancing up at the sound of Elly's approach, she smiles.]

Oh... hi, Miss van Houten.

[Elly looks up as she comes around the side of the shrine. She pauses, then, and her eyes light up -- and then she smiles. She waves a hand in the air, and her Fletchling chirps once from her shoulder.]

Oh, Jinxie. Hello! I didn't expect to see you out here.

[Or past the city walls, really.]

I come here with Dokuro a lot. It's very peaceful.

[And speaking of Dokuro, he suddenly drops down from where he was floating up near the treeline - right in front of Elly's face in an attempt to frighten her.]

Dokuro! Be good. This is a friend.

Kyaah!

[That makes Elly jump back and sputter. She stares at Dokuro, before she shakes her head a few times; Severain squawks with annoyance, flapping up into the air, but stays put.]

...hello, Dokuro.

[At least Dokuro calms down fast.]

I'm sorry. He likes to play tricks on people sometimes.

[Dokuro looks appropriately amused with himself, happily floating next to Jinxie's head now.]

No harm done, at least. [She dusts herself off -- nevermind that she didn't just get dusty, but it's a nervous expression -- and then she looks back at Jinxie. She smiles, then.]

It is very nice out here. I can't quite figure out what the shrine is for, though.

It's okay, he's actually really friendly.

[Jinxie frowns over at Dokuro before smiling apologetically back to Elly.]

I don't know either. I just know it always feels very calm and quiet here. It's nice to come here sometimes and clear your mind.

It is definitely good for that. And I think Severain likes it. [She looks up.] Lots of branches for him to perch on and such.

[She looks back at Jinxie and tilts her head.]

How long have you known Dokuro?

We've been together since I was just little. Almost everyone in the enclave has either a Ghost, Psychic, or Dark type Pokemon. They seem to like us a lot for some reason.

[She smiles, then she nods her head.] It's like that with my Dratini, Vierge. We've been together from a young age, too.

[Her head tilts to the side, curiously.]

Enclave?

It's like our own little community in the northwest corner of the city where I live. It's very tight-knit, with some of its own legends and traditions. Lots of us have spiritual powers that go with the kinds of Pokemon we use.

Oh, I see--yes, that makes sense. [Like a neighborhood, but more tight-knit. Elly knew her neighbors growing up, but it wasn't quite a community; her dad's co-workers and her schoolmates were closer to that.] Ah, are a lot of you Enlightened, too, then?

Uh-huh. Most of us are. My papa is our community leader.

[Jinxie smiles. Clearly she's pretty fond of him.]

My father is an Enlightened, too. He was a Ranger, like me, but he became an administrator at the agricultural tower a few years ago.

Do you have the same kinds of Enlightened abilities as your father too?

Ah... no, actually. [She shakes her head.] He excelled in training and evolving Pokémon, and had some psychic links with them. I, ah... nothing of the sort, actually.

[It sounds awkward, when she says it. Like she's faintly worried about that, for some reason.]

Um... well... everyone's different. That's not a bad thing, right?

[Elly looks up; there's a small smile there, and she shakes her head.]

No, it's not. It's strange, but... it happens, sometimes.

So, um...

[Jinxie feels like she's accidentally hit a sore spot, so now she's trying to cast about for a new topic.]

...what are you and your Pokemon doing out here today, anyway?

[Elly welcomes the change in subject. It's embarrassing, if for reasons she isn't likely to discuss at the moment. She perks up at the change, and then she looks around.]

Well... I bonded with Severain recently, and I wanted to train out here -- and explore, actually. I heard about the shrine and wanted to see it for myself.

It's mysterious, isn't it? Have you heard the stories about people showing up here all dressed in white with no memories? What do you think causes it?

There are legends... that they died, and were brought back. But... I can't believe that. I think they may be just stories. I certainly never met anyone that did...

I bet if it's real, it's a powerful Ghost Pokemon that's behind it.

Do you think--could a Ghost Pokémon really do such a thing...?

Uh-huh. I think a really strong one probably could. There's gotta be lots of types of them that we don't even know about.

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