first channelling - action (Forest Shrine)

[mastermedium]

[Meditation in the forest shrine is always rather peaceful.

You know.

When it isn't cold as balls.

Of course, the cold-as-balls is good for resistance training, which is exactly why Maya is out there, her duskull, Shi, hovering above her head. She wears her usual furisode, crouched on the ground where she's cleared a space of snow.

After a good few hours worth of meditation, she decides that it'd be good to take a walk-- perhaps to encounter some pokémon (or perhaps just to regain feeling in her hands) or to see if anyone else is out walking along the forest path. As Shi slides into her hiding place in Maya's hair, Maya rubs her hands together and sets out to explore.]

Comments

[bravenewmods]

[The rest of Mother Nature seems to concur with Maya on the 'cold as balls' bit, as she'll find the forest is relatively quiet. The occasional chirp of a bird can be heard far off, but there doesn't appear to be any signs of movement.

The path branches out a bit from the Forest Shrine, splitting in two after a few hundred feet - to the right, Maya will spot something interesting: footprints in the snow. The prints are of some hooved animal and they seem to be fairly fresh.]

[mastermedium]

[Maya is not exactly a nature expert. She can't tell what hooves those are. This doesn't seem to deter her nosiness curiosity, as she finds herself following the footprints in the snow.

Shi raises her deathmask from Maya's hair, inspecting them as well. Whether the duskull has said anything or not, Maya gives an answer to a question that... really hasn't been asked.]

I dunno what it is. I just wanna see it.

[Rolling the light behind her mask, Shi shakes her head. Curiosity hasn't killed Maya yet, so she's not about to stop the medium.]

[bravenewmods]

((Is that fanart of Maya with a Bannette))

[The hoofprints lead onwards! If Maya has excellent hearing, she might note that some very faint rustling noises off in the distance will sound right after she finishes speaking aloud.

Continuing onwards will show that the hoofprints lead straight into a patch of berry bushes.]

[missleadingquestions]

((I have a friend who wants to play Hanna as a banette shifter eventually in the far future and I have drawn copious amounts of Maya with Hanna/Banette))

[It's not so much 'excellent' hearing as it is 'selective hearing', but details. For what she can't hear, anyway, Shi is paying plenty of attention.

Approaching the bushes, Maya can't help but poke through them a bit, looking for signs of the pokémon she's tailing.]

C'mon, I know you're out there! Heere, little pokemon...

[Floating forward out from Maya's locks (and proceeding to make a mess of it in the medium's face as she does so), Shi inspects further. After fixing her hair, Maya hoists up the length of her furisode to get out of the way of her feet and follows after the duskull.]

[bravenewmods]

((Oh gosh that is amazing haha.))

[There is unfortunately nothing in the bushes except a dark-brown sort of boulder thing.

A dark-brown sort of boulder thing with a head attached and an expression that belongs on someone who very much thinks that if they stay absolutely still nothing can see them this is just how reality works.

A wild unremarkable piece of rock Deerling has appeared!]

[missleadingquestions]

((I have no life but to draw these things I mean thanks :'D ))

[Oh God, that's the cutest thing.

Maya covers her mouth quickly to stifle a laugh, squatting down where she's held out her arm to push aside the branches.]

I wonder how that got there, Shi. Do you know any pokémon strong enough to put a rock in a bush?

[The duskull makes a ghastly warbling noise, apparently amused.]

Yeah, that's what I thought. It's too bad, huh? I thought we were gonna see something really cool.

[She stands, takes a few paces away, and starts to whisper to Shi. After all, spooking a little deerling might be a bit too mean-- but she's a bit interested in bonding with it, so if the deerling doesn't take the bait, a prank is the next best way to go.]

[bravenewmods]

[Just as keikaku the Deerling breathes a slight sigh of relief at this exchange between the human and its Pokemon. All it has to do is stay absolutely still until they go away and then time to snack on berries.

...Although it's kind of upset they don't think the camouflage is totally cool it thinks its camouflage is totally cool. Then again it probably wouldn't be that effective if it were much cooler.

But anyway. Absolutely still.]

[mastermedium]

[It'd probably be easier to stay still if Shi weren't slowly making her ghostly way up through the ground in front of the deerling, her single glowing eye rolling around between the sockets of her death mask. It's the oldest prank-trick in the book, but Maya's sure it'll at least get a rise out of the deerling-- what do you mean, she's not supposed to be playing with it?

As she slips up through the ground, she makes her haunting little Duskull noises-- as exaggeratedly as possible.]

[bravenewmods]

[Absolutely....

...

still..................

With an ejaculation of horror, the poor creature springs about ten feet into the air and lands with its front hooves hooked over a low-hanging tree branch. Its existence as a deer notwithstanding, it rapidly attempts to ascend the tree on its hooves.

This works about as well as one could expect it to.]

[missleadingquestions]

[This time, Maya doesn't even bother hiding her laughter, even as she hustles over to the tree.]

Stop-- stop! [She tries to warn the poor thing between her giggles.]

You're not gonna get anywhere like that! Come on, we're not going to hurt you.

[...in reality, they can't. But deerling doesn't know that, and it sure as hell doesn't keep Shi from giggling all ghosty in Maya's hair.]

[bravenewmods]

[Deerling has strong reservations about this supposed claim of not being hurt
It also has good reason to question whatever other intentions there may be even if it isn't hurt
You are clearly a menace and you are laughing at its misfortune







stop laughing gosh]

[mastermedium]

Aw, come on.

[Putting her hands on her hips and restraining her giggling to a smirk, Maya quirks a brow.]

It's just a bit of fun, you know. Can't help it if a ghost likes to give a little spook.

But really!

[She holds out her hands, as if showing them off.]

I can catch ya, but I sure can't hurt ya. I'll even stop teasing you if you want me to.

[It's no fun if everyone isn't having fun, right?]

[bravenewmods]

[Deerling thinks your motives remain highly suspect but it supposes it has no choice.

Hopefully Maya is ready to catch something that weighs a good forty five pounds or so because it loses its grip right about now.]

[missleadingquestions]

[Forty-five pounds is about as light as some of her small cousins, but that doesn't mean she's gonna catch the deerling like a pro.

She does catch it-- but wobbles, falling back into the snow with at thwump!

So grace. Much master. Very wow.]

S-see? Not so bad.

[A bit strained, but hey-- it's better than landing on directly on the floor.]

[bravenewmods]

[Deerling may or may not accidentally on purpose rub its butt in Maya's face a little bit as it awkwardly scampers to its feet. It would normally run off, but it pauses - it seems vaguely surprised that she can communicate with it more easily.]

[missleadingquestions]

[--Okay, Maya's pretty sure she deserved that.]

--Come on, don't go so quick.

[Shi slowly rises out from Maya's hair again as Maya gets to her feet, dusting snow from her furisode.]

We can play something you like instead, you know. Or we could teach you to play tricks on people, too! I'm totally an awesome teacher.

[It's entirely plausible that Maya's existence as a kindred soul is supported only by the fact she talks so damn much pokémon have to at least recognise the repeated patterns.

She's a bit distracted as she speaks, rubbing off balls of snow that have gotten stuck to her clothing.]

It's actually kind of my job.

[bravenewmods]

[Deerling doesn't particularly want to play tricks on people. It already has a great trick; its Camouflage is pretty amazing and it takes great pride in its work.

It has no idea how she even saw through its perfect disguise.

Maybe next time it will paint moss on its back.

Why does she want to play, anyway? Most humans just tried to ignore the Pokemon in the forest. They left each other alone for the most part.]

[mastermedium]

I'm not like the others, little deer.

[In an almost Sokka-esque motion, she makes little spooky fingers-- then realises that yes, ghosty things were part of the problem, and quickly straightens up, hiding her hands behind her back.]

I mean, we're kinda the coolest kids around this part of the forest, you know, doing the training and meditating thing-- right, Shi?

[Shi is not a liar. Shi does not approve of this excessive use of the word 'cool' in regards to Maya. Stop that, Master Maya.

Pouting at Shi for a moment, Maya turns her attention back to the deerling.]

Besides! Ghosts are super good at hiding... disguising... all that.

[bravenewmods]

[It can concede that point, but it doesn't think that it can learn to turn invisible and transparent, no matter how hard it tries.

Deerling takes a few steps closer to Shi and lifts up a hoof to poke at her.

...OK. If she wants to play a game, let's play a game! If Maya wins, maybe she really does have a lot she can teach it.

It wants to play...

Hide and Seek!]

[mastermedium]

[When poked, Shi turns transparent for a moment-- all but her mask-- and spins gently out of the way.

Maya just grins-- she supposes she brought this one upon them.]

Okay-- but if we win, you're setting yourself up for a lot more games in the future, you know.

And if you win... then I guess we'll let you get back to those berries.

[bravenewmods]

[It bounces up and then and looks a little bit excited. She doesn't have to worry about winning. Forget not joining in the Deerling Games it was the master of the Deerling Games.

Ready, then!

Count to 50!

And before Maya can agree, Deerling will prance off into the forest, vanishing quickly into the underbrush.]

[mastermedium]

Well, Shi...

[She looks toward her duskull, smirking.]

Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, huh? Fifty, then.

[She counts aloud, hands crossed behind her back, staying still. She has to play fair, after all-- and she's not looking to make this deerling too angry. After doing so, she heads out, sending Shi one way and looking another.

Deerling aren't too big, so she crouches low, searching through the foliage as quietly as she can.]

[bravenewmods]

[The Deerling's tracks in the snow are clear enough to follow -- at a certain point, they become extremely clear and extremely heavy. Right up until a three way fork in the path! Left, forward, and right. But it is here that they puzzlingly seem to vanish... and there are no vague dark-colored boulder things, either.

Around the path are strewn a variety of berry bushes.]

[mastermedium]

...Huh.

[Looks like this deerling's not so bad at hide-and-seek, either. Maya can't contain her grin; a challenge like this is always fun.]

Well, you can't have flown.

[So the path she takes won't go any further-- rather, she follows the path back a little, minding the heaviness of the tracks.

She's rather glad she's had to deal with finding crafty little girls to get them to baths, or she'd be in a much bigger mess.

She approaches one of the bushes-- no thought put into it-- and begins to rustle about.]

[bravenewmods]

[Maya will note that there is a clear point at which the tracks become heavier. ...As if they've been stepped on twice.

The bush she rustles in has nothing whatsoever in it but the poor disillusioned Deerling rises up from behind her about ten feet away and slowly attempts to tiptoe off through the woods.]