A Well Earned Celebration

[bravenewmods]

[The battle was over and the god Reshiram defeated, driven away by the aid of Union and its allies. The city was safe, by and large, and as the news spread throughout the peoples of the tundra, they began streaming back into the settlement in droves. Dirty, ash-coated faces were filled with relief and gratitude when they saw that it wasn't just a rumor and that their home had indeed been spared. Not everyone was so lucky, but they'd weathered worse, of course. The people of Glacier endured, as they would always endure, and they were also a people that repaid their debts. And they most certainly all agreed that they owed their rescuers a debt.

So, as night fell after the battle, a great celebration was prepared in the center of Glacier. A wide square was cleared away in a matter of hours, and the people gathered what they could in a show of thanks. Tables of food, bonfires towering into the night sky to keep out the autumn chill, and throngs of cheering wellwishers lined the area. Warriors of glacier, men carrying swords and women all bearing axes offered enthusiastic handshakes and claps on the back. Music of all kinds was played, though tribal tunes full of horn and percussion, chanting and yodeling, and even some brass groups dominated the soundscape.

A platform for various elders was set up, and they offered speeches, of course...but those were somehow dwarfed by the presence of the divine beings that were waiting silently for the proceedings to end. Some of the gods that had come to the aid of the war parties had apparently decided to stay, though their reasons were as mysterious as they themselves. The humans would have their time, and the Servants would mingle freely throughout the evening.

Food, of course, is set out in piles. Meat, fish, arctic berries, and various pastries and the like line table after table. A smorgasbord of Glacier specialties, each with a new and unique flavor all their own, and some (such as the stew) possessing a smell that only a native could probably endure. Akutaq in particular seems to stand out among the worst offenders, but the Glacier natives seem rather fond of it, and offer it to their rescuers with great gusto.

And the rewards do not stop at simple meals. either. As the speeches begin to wind down, a woman some might find familiar walks up onto the stage carrying a singularly massive trunk and dropping it down onto the wood with a heavy thud.]

Southerners! You have done a great deed this day! We, the people of Glacier, would like to thank you and honor your sacrifice! Few would do as you have done, coming to the aide of strangers against the might of that dragon...and you have accomplished something we did not think possible. To that end, we would like to present you with the first of many gifts, a token of our gratitude and a promise that should you need it, we will come to your defense in a time of need!

[And then with a sharp kick, she cracks open the trunk and reveals a veritable treasure trove of three different stones to be distributed by her subordinates.]

Rest well, and enjoy the festivities! You are welcome here, for as long as you like! Eat, drink, and be merry within our halls!

Comments

Raikou

[bnw_ax_npcs]

[The First Thunder, the Lightningcaller, He Who Echoes, is getting quite a lot of enjoyment out of all of this. He'd shown up, done a little bit of empowering, and now these humans were all offering him food? He should've done this more often, really. He's claimed an entire table to himself, picking up the whole thing in his massive jaws and pulling it to one side so he can feast upon delicious Sawsbuck.

Humans that approach will feel a tingly sensation all around them, hair standing on end of it's own accord, and an odd ozone smell lingering. He's happy to engage in conversation, though it will have to be between bites. He's a growing god, after all.]

[lunchleader]

[Right's riding nearby on top of his Bouffalant when he sees the 'First Thunder' lift an entire table full of meaty goodness by himself. His eyes go a little wide as both human and Pokemon stop to stare, but it's more out of awe than anything else.]

...and they say I got an appetite.

[bnw_ax_npcs]

[Setting down his prize, Raikou peers curiously over his meat mound.]

Heh. You look like you could barely handle a tenth of a real meal, human.

[lunchleader]

[Wait...did a God just say he couldn't eat as much??

Challenge Accepted]

...You wanna bet that I can? Cuz I got the biggest stomach in Union.

[bnw_ax_npcs]

You have little of value to me to place a wager on.

[He eyes Right up and down...]

But, very well. If you lose? I'll just take a bite of you. An arm, a foot, perhaps?

[lunchleader]

[Right immediately pales upon hearing that.]

Erk--! Um... [Oh, Gods--wait, he's one of them; that won't work this time. Oh, man, he's gonna be hurting even more if he loses.

...but what if he wins? Then he wouldn't be hurt. Think, think, think...]

If I lose...you can have my left hand. And if you lose...I get a ride on you!

[bnw_ax_npcs]

Is that all you want? So be it, human. But you will have to find your own table of food.

[Because he's already started chowing down, tearing off huge hunks of meat and clearly enjoying himself.]

It has been some time since I have tasted manflesh, you know. And never a fairy type. I wonder if you're as sweet as they say.

[lunchleader]

[Right nods and nudges Betsy over to a nearby table loaded with meats and fruit. He carefully gets off of his Bouffalant, and sets himself up right in front of it.]

Well...here goes nothing!

[And with that, Right dives right into the nearest couple of dishes. It's a good thing he has a stomach to rival a Snorlax...but will it be enough this time?]

[bnw_ax_npcs]

[Pound after pound of meat disappears into Raikou's ravenous maw. It just seems that nothing can possibly fill it's belly, and that it's going to continue eating just to make sure that it gets to keep some of it's dignity and not let a human ride it.

Or maybe it really is just that hungry.]

Fah! You're going to have to try harder than just a couple of dishes.

[A whole Sawsbuck down, starting a second...]

[smitesevil]

[ The Sword that Smites Evil on the other hand, is a pile of burns and pain. It's not stopping him from going right at the food though. Swinging around a sword bigger than your body takes up a whole lot of calories, who would have thought?

Between meats and fruits, Sanger finds the time to head over to where Raikou had set up. There really isn't much to say with the threats gone, but they still owed him one. ]

Thank you for your aid.

[bnw_ax_npcs]

[Not having hands, Raikou wouldn't really have thought of that. Or much of calories, being powered by electricity and all that. Food was just for fun.]

Hmmm? [Said around a Sawsbuck flank. Give him a moment. He's polite...]

No thanks are necessary, human. I was merely doing as I was commanded by my master. Though, our interests and yours do coincide in this. The Eternal Blaze needed to be stopped.

[smitesevil]

Your master?

[ Do even gods have their god? It wouldn't surprise Sanger. ]

Regardless, we might have died if not for your intervention. Even if our alliance is temporary, it is appreciated.

[bnw_ax_npcs]

Yes. My master.

[A bigger god?

The big Pokemon rumbles a deep, basso laugh.]

It is no temporary alliance, human. So long as you fight to preserve balance? It will be a lasting one. My kith and kin are impressed with the people allied with Union. You all have a peculiar way about you.

[smitesevil]

[ The biggest god. ]

Balance is a difficult concept for a simple man like me to grasp. I merely seek to to strike down evil where I see it, grand plans or not.

[bnw_ax_npcs]

[The bestest god.]

Well, the world is not so black and white, Sword that Smites Evil. But it is good that there are those who would seek justice, all the same. Tempering your judgment with knowledge would perhaps be wiser than clinging to simplicity.

[smitesevil]

The world truly is a complicated place, but if a sword must be unsheathed then most excess has already been cut away. I defend love and life, that is paramount.

Yet perhaps you are right. So let me ask what is the balance that you seek?

[bnw_ax_npcs]

Harmony. Where Pokemon and humans live side by side. Neither dominant, neither subservient. Humans are no blight, but my kin will not be controlled. Not again.

It should be a partnership.

[wise_maiden]

[Approaching any of the gods is no easy task, even for the sake of just... learning about them.

As it is, thanks to a conversation, the god of thunder is also on her list to visit. Although observing this god's appetite, she also has a large platter of food with her, which she sets down in front of him before she bows her head and gives a respectable curtsy.]

Thank you for your help, earlier.

[bnw_ax_npcs]

[Raikou looks up, and manages not to burp. Nodding his thanks for the food, he even sits up straight, a paw dabbing at his chin to make sure there's no meat there.]

You are most welcome, human. I was glad to be of assistance.

[wise_maiden]

Thank you. [Goodness, how did one go about addressing gods?]

I know you weren't involved with my group directly... but it's still significant, to know how many of you would not see us fall out there.

[bnw_ax_npcs]

We merely did as we were ordered. We are but servants, of course. And our superior wished your success.

[wise_maiden]

Then I hope you'll be able to pass our gratitude to your superior as well.

[bnw_ax_npcs]

I will do so. I'm certain that they will appreciate your thanks, mortal.

[wise_maiden]

Thank you.

[A pause, as she considers.] If I may ask... are they the one who has been setting the tests for Union?

[bnw_ax_npcs]

They have. But others as well. Though, I can say no more than that. It's not my place.