bravenewworld | Arrival in Gigas

The City of Gigas is unlike anything the people of Union have ever seen before. The city is immense, a sprawling metropolis that covers the land as far as the eye can see. Built up primarily around enormous centralized towers, unlike Union these towers are dark concrete buildings, covered in glass windows. The buildings seem to serve any number of functions, and have a startling variety in construction, style, and even size, creating a unique skyline that is breathtaking to behold. The city is connected with roads of asphalt, upon which whiz smoke-belching steel carriages at frightful speeds, the engines (and piercing, constant horns) creating an ever-present din that engulfs the city in loud, chaotic sound.

“Downtown,” as the Gigans know it, is a huge collection of stores, apartments, and businesses. Apparently, the larger homes are built in Calderan-style but tend to be further from the main commotion of the downtown areas, of which Gigas citizens assure Union citizens that there are several, each with their own district name and culture. The technology is quite advanced as well, full color televisions are standard in every home and built in devices so slim and with such sharp images that they seem decades ahead of Union’s own technology. Pokemon are still quite present in Gigas, many people riding flying types and the buildings having huge perches to accommodate them. As with the vehicles below, however, Gigas seems to regulate air traffic to individual lanes and the birds seem well-trained as they convey their trainers to and fro.

Humans are just that, here, Human. No unusual shapes and sizes like the Enlightened and Earthkin of the Union Alliance, and those displaying unusual traits receive odd looks. Like many civilizations to the east, Battling is a common sport though in this place it’s more like the combat arenas of old. Several stadiums dot the cityscape, the sounds of Pokemon Battles and cheering crowds echoing for blocks all around, and it’s a stadium where humans are not welcome. Unless, of course, they want to make a show and spar against a Pokemon, of course.

This is Gigas, the City of Reclamation. Union civilians have free rein to explore this grand city as councillors are invited into the massive capitol building to negotiate with the Gigan leaders. Gigas civilians, for their part, are polite, friendly even. While many of them are caught in the bustle of their daily lives they regard Union citizens with interest and curiosity, willing to talk about their city, extolling its virtues while complaining about the noise, the crowds, the lines, and the expense all the while. One thing is clear though, the people of Gigas are proud of their city and their accomplishments. This is their home, and they are eager to show it off to the world.

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[ A hand lifts, covering the beginnings of a smile with her fingers. She understands his feelings all too well, but that sour look is rather funny. ]

You could say that.

Or, you could say, that you're looking for help from a fellow photographer, who happens to be from Gigas.

[ We no longer have the luxury of thinking of these people as the faceless masses of the Enemy. ]

[He knows, he knows. Trust him- it's been one of the harder things for him to come to terms with.]

[Another sigh and he smiles, faintly.]

Yeah, I guess if you put it like that, it doesn't sound too bad.

Not too bad.

[ It may take a long time. Some people might never manage it. But Hayato seems the sort to do the right thing, even if it's the harder thing to do.

(Just don't mention you're Calderan until after you've suckered the guy into Friendship, 'kay?) ]

Did you bring any of your photos with you?

[She wouldn't be wrong. That entire character trait is what's always gotten him into trouble. That and his stubbornness.]

Hm? Oh, I did actually. Nothing wrong with trying to drum up new business, right?

[Though the interest he got was ... not what he expected. People loved his work for the "retro" look. He's not sure if he should take that as a compliment or not.]

Did you want to see?

Nothing at all. And given your usual subject matter, it's a good way to show Gigans what the world outside is like.

[Reveal unto them the hippy life style of Union, Hayato! ..Sophia would have no idea what 'retro' is though.]

I'd love to! If that wouldn't be any trouble here. [they might want to move to one side to avoid getting in someone's way]

That was my thought, too.

[He left most of his war photos back home, save for a few shots that were ....less incriminating towards Gigas.]

[He smiles.]

No trouble at all. Let's mosey.

[And he will point to a bench near a steet.]

Lets.

[ There's a wave for the shopkeeper as they exist the building, though they're not going too far from the store. There may even be enough foot traffic that passersby may well stop and stare.

But first things first. Adjusting her hat to shade her from the sun, still reflecting brightly and hotly off the buildings, Sophia takes a seat on one side of the bench, expression expectant. The Porygon whistles and clicks, and floats under the bench to wait. It's shaded under here, after all. ]

[It's clearly not his biggest portfolio, but he pulls out a small album and hands it to her for her to thumb through.]

[The photos have a unique range of subjects. For the one he brought with him to Gigas, there's not a lot of his work from Caldera or anything that could be considered controversial, of course. Instead Sophia will find portraits of happy trainers and their pokemon, Various candids of people around the city, scenic landscapes and ...and entire section dedicated to photos of Union's restoration. A few chilling photos of the damages and the people who survived and then ...pictures of workers and pokemon coming together to raise a wall, or a crowded pub of dirty, tired people smiling with pints in their hands. It tells a story in its own way.]

I put a lot of thought into what I would bring with me. I wanted to tell the city of Gigas a story.

[ It may not be the biggest portfolio, but each selected image suits Hayato's style perfectly. And the story he wants to tell the Gigans, if they'd only give him the time to do so, and looked beyond the limited range of image colours at what they were being shown.

Each image gets more than a cursory glance, lingered over as different portraits are admired. She does stall longer once they hit the images of destruction, having been there at ground zero. To watch a tower fall when you are near its base is no small thing to remember. But move on she does, small smiles slipping in now and then as Union's people pull themselves back together, and accept the helping hand of their allies.

This shows why Union and its Alliance work. ]

I can tell. You made some very good choices here, you've a very good eye for capturing the feel of a scene.

[that smile is turned on Hayato] It's little wonder you're so interested in the chance to take colour photographs.

[He can't help but watch her face as she looks. The reactions to his work are very important to him, and- when she gets to the end, that smile. That is what makes photography for him. That's what he strives for. To see people smile, but also, to see them appreciate the message he was trying to convey. To see it hit home.]

[His own smile is bright.]

Thank you. It's always good to know my intentions are hitting home.

[he grins wider and looks up.]

There's a few reasons! But I think, one of the biggest ones, what pushed me to really look into it, was the last Day of Fire.

[Pause.]

It's a Calderan holiday. Have you ever been?

[ The folder remains open on her lap, one finger idly tracing the shapes of pokemon and people hauling wood and rocks away from one of the collapsed buildings, part of the rebuilding effort. But her attention is on Hayato now, watching as he looks skywards a moment. ]

No, actually. Aside from passing through their borders on the way here, I've never been to Caldera.

[ That she is aware of, anyway. Amnesia's one hell of a thing. ]

[!!]

Oh! You should definitely come to the next Day of Fire then. [He grins. Talking about Caldera always puts a certain light in his eyes. You know aside from the fact that they were already bright red.]

It's to celebrate the summer solstice. It's roughly a two day affair. It starts on the day of the 20th where we hold the throwing of the colors and then carries into an all night festival where the city sets up stalls of food and everyone shows off what they've been working hard on for the year. there's competitions, dancing, lots to drink. It's a time to relax and let loose.

[he looks at his camera and looks up.]

Black and white doesn't do the holiday any justice. The throwing of the colors is a city wide battle where you throw colored powder at anyone and everyone. It paints the city into something beautiful and I'd really want to capture to true spirit of it all.

[ Far be it for her to put a damper on anyone's spirits if she can avoid it, even setting aside her own internal unease at the thought of fire. (Probably a side effect of being a grass-type.)

Her interest is evident as he talks, explaining the festival. Though she does squint a moment. ]

Throwing of the colours?

That..That would be beautiful. And very appealing to everyone. [If there's colours involved, and extensively as he says, that does explain his excitement for an upgrade to his camera. Such pictures would truly be amazing!] You could even make a study of holidays across the known world, you know. Starting with the fire festival, and expanding to other cities.

..Is it as hot in Caldera as it is here?

Arrival in Gigas

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