bravenewworld | [Audio]

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[Apollo's voice makes him sound a bit older than he is. Anyone who doesn't know him may be in for a surprise later.]

How many of you who are planning on exploring outside the city have spent much time in the wilderness during the winter? If you haven't you should travel with someone who has. You won't be able to find an iron mine if you die.

[With that morbid thought delivered in a completely calm tone, there's a pause before he asks another question, one that he doesn't know the answer to.]

What does an iron mine look like?

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I will be careful.

[She knew about that intellectually, but reading books and experience are two very different things. She frowns while she thinks about the question he asks, though. Shouldn't everyone know that? A mine is a... mine. She hesitates, her voice wavering when she speaks.]

Like a cave, but with wooden beams supporting the walls. Veins of ore should be visible on the rock inside, from what I understand.

[He lets her response to the first question stand; if she's aware of the possibility of danger and still wants to go on, that's her decision to make.]

As far as I know, the best places to find caves are near the mountains or in the canyon. Grandpa told me that he once found a small cave in the canyon, but I've never been that far west so I haven't seen it for myself. Like the announcement said though, the mountains are dangerous right now, so the canyon would probably be the safer place to search.

That's a good idea. I don't know that I can handle the mountains, at the moment...

[She frowns at that, then she sighs, and speaks a little quieter in the warp band. She is out in the forests, after all.]

I plan to see if any books can shed light on suspected iron ore veins. If we know where they run, we can reduce the areas we need to consider searching, too. Of course, it is hard to say if those records exist...

[He hadn't considered that books might have relevant information about this kind of thing.]

Wouldn't the announcement have said if the Council knew anything about where iron is?

My hope is that it's hiding in an old book, and they don't know that. But you're right, it could be a fruitless search.

Wouldn't it be better to just start looking in different places? If someone finds out anything they'll be able to announce it over the Warp Bands, but while they're looking in books people could be exploring. Even if no one finds any iron someone might meet a species of Pokémon who we've never seen.

[A brief pause while an idea occurs to him.]

Maybe if we ask Pokémon near the mountains and the canyon one of them will have seen iron somewhere.

That--that's a wonderful idea!

[Cecilia exclaims it excitedly. Her mind is rushing now that she's thinking about it, in fact. She can talk to Pokémon; it's always been a specialty of hers. It's better than looking in a book. That can be Plan B.]

They would be suited to knowing and--yes, yes!

[She's nerding out. You'll have to pardon her, Apollo.]

[Apollo doesn't understand what the big deal is; you talk to people and ask for directions when you're trying to find a place in the city, why wouldn't you talk to people to find something outside of the city as well? He tends to forget that not everyone is used to or able to communicate with Pokémon like he can.]

Aron eat metal, so asking any of them who live outside the city might lead us to iron. We'd have to make sure we didn't take any more than we needed though, otherwise they could starve.

[For Cecilia, it's a different notion: it's a source of knowledge she never considered. She loves Pokémon, but she still sees them a little differently than Apollo. Or maybe a lot. Being able to talk with them doesn't make her bonded to them quite the way it does for him.]

Mm... yes. And I'd rather not see us wreck the landscape with mining, either. It can carve up the surroundings if it isn't done properly.

[Being born with the ability to essentially read Pokémon minds and learning to do so before learning how to talk to humans gives him a unique perspective, to be sure.]

It can? We'll need to be extra careful then. Just because we need iron doesn't mean that we have any right to hurt anyone for it.

[Another him, who hadn't lived in civilization, would have said that if mining might damage the environment then humans would just need to get by without iron regardless of the costs. He might even have taken action to ensure that no mining took place. Having perspective can radically change one's opinions.]

Mm-hmm.

[She pauses, then she adds:] I'm Cecilia. Cecilia Adlehyde. Do you want to go to near the canyon together and ask? I can... speak with Pokémon, after a fashion.

I'm Apollo.

[And I still have no idea what his AU family name will be so I'll just ignore it for now. She wouldn't recognize it anyways.]

Sure. I can too.

Where are you now?

It's a pleasure. [She considers the question a moment, before answering.] The forest. Do you need to prepare, before we do that?

All I need to do is get my bag from home and then I can leave. I'm already on the stairs. Where in the forest are you? I can catch up to you if you aren't too far out. Otherwise we can meet halfway.

I'm in the northern part of the forest. Near a very large oak, at the moment, on a crest.

[There's a delay before he responds, during which the sounds of a door opening, a few Pokémon, and a door closing can be heard.]

I think I know which one you're talking about. I'm on my way. I should be able to catch up to you without any problem.

Certainly. I was also speaking with a boy-- [Cecilia didn't get his name. Erk.] --who said he would like to come, too.

Is he on his way too?

He is. I just confirmed. About half an hour, he said.

Okay. I should be there by then.

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