018 // action - union divine theater/ninetales vale/around union

[actsmagnificent]

[ a - union divine theater ]

Ah.....Left.

[ The Machomp and Nidoking holding up the decorative carving nod and move accordingly. Haruka surveys the result from several paces away, arms crossed. ] That's good.

[ A hired carpenter and her Mankey move in to affix the refurbished peace. No longer needed, Haruka glances around the rest of the damage. The dorm is mostly repaired by now, but the Theater is a long, slow process. They won't be putting on any more plays for a while...

...wait. ] Gene!

Woop! [ A Wooper flees the scene, the small rain cloud that'd been forming above some paint cans dissipating. Isn't he even allowed to dance his support anymore?!

He isn't really looking where he's running, and may very well end up lost. ]

[ b - ninetales vale ]

[ Ninetales Vale, while a haven for the physically spiritual, is also a place one can come for less directly spirit-related needs as well. For example, this unassuming building that has just reopened for business, every perfectly-shaped roof tile in place, is widely-known as one of the best places to go for a form of meditative hospitality centered around the drinking of tea.

Haruka is headed there now, dressed appropriately in a robe that crosses across her front. She takes a deep breath in front of the place, smiling to herself. Things are only going to get worse from here. She might need this. ]

[ c - HEADED RIGHT AT YOU, OH SAVIOR, GET OUT OF THE WAY ]

Move!

[ If the shout doesn't get you moving, Union pedestrian, perhaps the sound of a professional racing Rhyhorn thundering towards you on the open street might. It looks terrified, and is being pursued by a tall young "gentleman" on foot, who hurdles over a table of street wares like it wasn't even there in her quest to catch up to the stray beast.

The street is too crowded. So the young man looks for a handhold and begins vaulting himself up...onto the rooftops. Hope you weren't about to open a window! ]

Comments

[windyflower]

[Whatever was going on, Fuuka didn't know what to do! Here she was minding her own business and trying to get a few items ready for her ship when suddenly? A Rhyhorn appeared out of nowhere!

With no other option, all Fuuka could do was run! Sure, she could move but where could she move to??]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Where exactly are you running in proportion to this Rhyhorn, Fuuka? There's just barely enough space to maybe squeeze by on either side of it, but if it's coming up directly behind you, it doesn't show any signs of yielding.....

...but a shadow is approaching it from above. ]

c

[pathofheaven]

[ Who's that guy walking down the street with a bowl of tofu in one hand? That's right, it's Tendou Souji.

Why is there a Rhyhorn running towards him? A crash would ruin his tofu! So would jumping out of the way, for that matter. It's very delicate, silky tofu. Any sudden movements would break it.

So what's a man to do but sort of... slowly shuffle half out of the way? Not quite enough to fully avoid the Rhyhorn, but enough to slowly pull up a layer of pavement with Mat Block?

Hopefully that's enough to redirect the charging Pokemon. Tendou really likes his tofu. ]

[actsmagnificent]

[ The Rhyhorn doesn't seem intimidated by that sudden vandalism of city property! In fact, it lowers its horn and charges the obstacle!

Tendou maybe has one more chance to try something before that oncoming Rhyhorn ruins his tofu. And, you know, his body. But. Priorities. ]

b

[incousinswithyou]

[here's Michiru next to you, similarly dressed.]

Nervous?

[that sigh almost makes it sound like you don't want to be here]

[actsmagnificent]

That's what this fixes, right? [ It's not the tea. It's the state of the rest of the world - Gigas apparently making diplomatic overtures (she doesn't trust them), the Elite Four apparently having enough forces to need to have made camps (it would have been too much to hope for just four opponents), Ever Grande remaining an unknown (she wants to head east before they strike again). The Silence draws ever nearer. And Haruka gets ever tenser.

But she knows she's not at her best like that. So. Here's a little half-smile. ] Let's be entertained.

a

[magicquotes]

[ He's been drifting all over the city, familiarising himself with people and places. Those still being reconstructed are of particular interest to him, as he loiters and makes himself useful by offering what help he can.

It's a strange feeling, to be helping without his master's behest, but his master had always said that to be idle led to troublesome behaviour. So help he does.

He's stopping for a moment when a Wooper bumps into his ankle; his Gligar pokes her head out from under his hair, scuttling down the length of her trainer to hang off his robes and stare. She swings to and fro for a moment, and then Magnolia peers down. ]

Oh? And who is this? Are you lost?

[actsmagnificent]

Woop woop! [ Gene hops up and down, then spins in a circle on one foot. He was making a Great Escape! And now he is. Ah. He is.

Gene looks around and realizes he recognizes exactly nothing. ] Wooooooooooop!

[sleepingvalkyrie]

[ The shout turns her head, and earns a frightened squeak from the bunneary at her side as the rumbling signals a speedy approach. Gwendolyn ducks to scoop Myris into her arms. The older pokémon is fast but there's little room to maneuver in any direction except up.

Which is exactly where the Valkyrie goes. Her new wings mantle, then spread out, one beat given before legs bunch beneath her and Gwendolyn leaps up into the air, leaving plenty of room for the runaway to charge below her. ]

[actsmagnificent]

[ Smart move. The Rhyhorn thunders past below, and from a nearby roof, a passing actor winks at Gwendolyn. ] Nice reflexes, kitten.

[ And then, in a dusting of brilliant light and sparkles, Haruka is jumping down, trying to cut off the Rhyhorn's path. ]

B!

[disasterrific]

[Working in a theater after the crazy in Refuge is...almost whiplash inducing, but hey, it's a job! And it's so pretty here! She's not much good for the wood-bits, but lighting and other mechanical rigs are right up her alley and she's doing pretty good with them.

She's just coming back from grabbing lunch with the Wooper runs smack bang into her shins. Her Klefki and Murkrow begin to scold the little guy while Rikku just winces and looks down.]

Owwie...you okay?

[actsmagnificent]

WoooOOoop... [ Dizzy, Gene turns in a circle. Then this turns out to be a lot of fun, so he keeps it up, hopping from one foot to the other. ] Woop! Woop! Woop! Woop!

[ ....Either you broke him or he barely noticed. ]

c

[partyfog]

[ SWOOSH. Here comes, and then there goes, the rampaging Rhyhorn. Suika looks after where it went for a moment, gears turning.

Shortly afterwards, there's a child with horns chasing behind the Rhyhorn on foot. Amazingly, she seems to be keeping pace with it. What's she doing here? ]

I'm gonna ride it!

[ Oh. ]

[actsmagnificent]

What are you doing?!

[ And then suddenly on the other side of the Rhyhorn, also keeping pace, there's a tall handsome person who's just leaped down from the roof. ] It's dangerous!

[ The Rhyhorn is currently headed right for a food cart....the people have fled, all except for one clerk still hurriedly trying to rescue their wares. Food is harder to come by in the winter, especially this winter... ]

B

[arachnocide]

[Kurapika had been feeling restless, it seems he had missed a chance to get closer to the object of his hunt, but also that the best chance to continue his mission is to stay put.

The Vale felt closer to his home, but he never tried the tea ceremony until today. He was focused on a map as so not to get lost, and ends up bumping into Haruka, stepping back]

Ah! Excuse me!

[actsmagnificent]

[ Haruka blinks, looking down. Huh. In some ways, she can't really be surprised to meet someone just as out of it as she's been lately on their way to this particular pastime.

She nods to the map. ] That isn't quite how you center yourself.

[ She's joking. Also doesn't actually seem put out by the imposition. ]

a

[sparrowfeathered]

[Rose isn't, precisely, prepared for the Wooper. She is inside the Divine Theater's lobby -- curious about showtimes -- and thus she comes to a stop, in time to see it appear.]

...er.

[She stares, then she smiles.] ...Hey there, little guy!

[actsmagnificent]

[ No one is ever prepared for this Wooper.

He notices Rose a few paces after she had spoken up, but then his face breaks into a wide smile (really, his face is mostly smile). Audience! Ever since the roof got broken, and all the other things got broken too, they have not had an Audience. But this person is new. That means they are here to see a show.

He rushes over excitedly. Welcome! ] Woop wooop!

b, a little late!

[faithfulflame]

[Haruka's not the only person who's fond of this particular tea-shop. Rei is something of a regular, and she just so happens to be entering about the same time as the other woman. There's a half smile, a nod of her head, and she approaches.]

Haruka. I didn't know you came here.

[No -san, today. You must have graduated.]

[actsmagnificent]

[ She's honored. ] What's that supposed to mean?

[ You implying she doesn't have culture? She lives in a theater. She's made a career out of dressing up in silly costumes and making bedroom eyes with the audience. She is deeply steeped in culture. ]

C.

[platinumlucifer]

[ Excellen heard it before she saw it, the sound of raging thunder tearing through the streets like a Zubat out of Hell. Thankfully, her wits still about her, and blessed with a natural danger sense, the blond managed to float out of the way at the last possible second. ]

Whoah~

[ With a flying-type's eye view, the blond could observe the scene as it played out, watching as the dashing young person vaulted past her. Well hello, angel, she didn't realize that today was her lucky day. Shooting off after Haruka, Excellen kept pace, an easy smile on her face as she flew at her side. ]

Need some help?

[ Two people were better than one, especially if Haruka wanted to corner the rampaging Rhyhorn. ]

[actsmagnificent]

Clear the street!

[ Whether Haruka means "help me by doing so" or "get out of the way" isn't quite clear, itself, but she's a bit preoccupied. Racing Rhyhorn aren't allowed to be ridden on streets for this exact worse-case scenario. Someone has to stop it.

Someone like ~Haruka Tenoh~. ]

C

[guitar_case_vagabond]

[People everywhere go scrambling out of the way of the rampaging Rhyhorn, rushing to safety in a perfectly understandable bid for self-preservation. Almost everybody anyway. With the streets clearing out it leaves a nice, open path for one girl standing in the middle of the street with her hands in her pockets, eyes focused on the approaching Pokemon.

As it comes closer, she reaches back, yanking the heavy red sword from her back and stabs to point into the ground in front of her. The edge is turned away from the Rhyhorn with the weapon turned so the flat side is angled to intercept that horn. Ryuko Matoi sets her feet, braces her shoulder against the sword and shouts out her challenge.]

Bring it!

[Holy shit, she's planning to take this charge head on!]

[actsmagnificent]

Idiot!

[ Comes a cry from up above. Forget running to catch up - Haruka uses Gust to propel herself off this roof and down onto the Rhyhorn's back so she can steer it away from the person who intends to fight it. Or....at least engage it in. Something.

This is a racing Rhyhorn! They're priceless!

Also very difficult to stop head-on. ]

I hope this isn't too late!

[nonstopyouth]

[What is it with pokemon barreling down streets?? This all seems really dangerous. She looks up at the command and has all of two seconds to react.]

[To which she does by screaming and leaping out of the way with Pyuru in her arms just shy of getting trampled.]

E-E-Eh!?

you're just fine! always happy to see a skitty

[actsmagnificent]

[[ also, would you like the tdm thread to "count" as something that happened or should this be their first meeting? I'm good either way! ]]

[ That was far closer than Haruka would have liked. She leans over as she passes Cyan so that her head and the other girl's are about equal, giving her a wink in passing. ] Pardon the dust.

[ And then she puts on an extra burst of speed to catch up to that Rhyhorn, hoping to get in front of it before climbing on so it knows she's coming. Easy, buddy. You're scaring the Skitty. ]