Arrival

[bravenewmods]

They were noticed a half hour before they arrived.

The Guardsmen atop the city walls, their keen senses trained to observe anything out of the ordinary, had not failed to observe the flight of birds disturbed from their nests and the distant shuddering of trees. The pace was steady. Not of wild Pokémon meandering about, but of something with fixed, determined purpose.

News spread quickly, as it ought. The Council was aware of the situation in five minutes flat, and the guard on the walls surreptitiously tripled in the same amount of time. It didn't take much longer for idle citizens to realize something was amiss, and as the rumors propagated -- There are people coming through the forest! -- so, too, did the number of people thronging at the gate craning their necks to get a look.

They emerge from the forest, their pace brisk and their numbers thirty strong. Many wear attire that is hardy, made for traveling - leather boots, thick wool pants, and long jackets in shades of deep crimson and black. Others, clearly of some higher rank, are clad in suits or other formal wear; a few wear pristine white coats that must have only just been changed. As they approach, most stare coolly upwards at the assembly gathered before them atop the walls of the city.

At their lead stands a man with a mild smile and shaggy red hair. Two others stand close beside him: a young woman in a crisp, fur-lined white coat, sleek black hair pristine and perfectly in place and a gentle smile on her face and an aloof woman with brown hair wearing a sharp suit who appears extremely disinterested in the proceedings.

The company pauses. And there is a long, awkward silence before the man with the red hair takes a step forward. He speaks, and his words, though understandable, have a strange, foreign inflection.

"My name is Rory Donnachaidh. We have come on behalf of our people to serve as a diplomatic presence to your city."

...Another awkward pause.

"...I believe it is appropriate to say - take us to your leader."

He smiles more broadly, as if he's made a joke.

---------

We are Team Evolution.

We represent a group of people with a common purpose - to restore humanity to the peaks it once ascended and to raise up all Pokémon alongside us. We call ourselves Team Evolution for the only path forward for both human and Pokémon is to evolve. When we realized that our signals could be detected no longer, our scouts reported that the reason was human sabotage. Imagine our surprise to learn that a human civilization lay so close to those mountains... But what do I say? You, of course, must all have experienced surprise in equal measures, no?

We have come here for reasons twofold: to establish relations with this city and to retrieve the materials that you have been holding for us. It was a prototype, you see, and we would wish to have it returned.

Of course, we understand that you have little reason to trust us and great reason to drive us away. We will not attempt to enter your city if that is preferred - but we will camp outside, between the forest and the gates, for the space of 10 days, after which we will depart, with or without our materials. We hope you will be willing to speak with us during this time. We would also like to... hold a demonstration to explain our actions, if you and your Council are willing.

Please, come and speak with us if you have any questions. That is an offer extended to anyone in your fine city. I shall personally ensure that any visitors are treated with the greatest of courtesies...

((For approximately 10 IC days, the people of Team Evolution will be camped outside of Union. The next part of this event will require sign-ups. There is an accompanying OoC post to this post here. Please see that post for more details.

Please feel free to use this IC post to talk with the NPCs. All responses here will receive an NPC response.))

Comments

Dr. Crystal Verdine

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[When out and about, Dr. Verdine is the paragon of cleanliness, fur-lined lab coat freshly pressed and bright. For the most part, she appears to be frequenting the university, however, can be caught making rounds by some of the more "trendy" areas of the city.]

[comparative_insanity]

[On one hand, Fai does distrust them, because it's clear that the mess they've had was at least partly caused by these people, even if it wasn't intentional. Not to mention, the way they propagate themselves smacks a little bit too much of the kind of rethoric he tends to be distrustful of. And so he's not quite comfortable with venturing out among them.

On the other hand... he's curious. So very curious of these strangers they'd known nothing about. And so when he recognises one of them wandering around when he exits a boutique, he only hesitates momentarily before shifting his parcels to one hand and approaching her.]

Ah, excuse me? You are a member of... ah, Team Evolution, right? [Well, he was never fond of beating around the bush. Just beat the bush. Teach it a lesson.]

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[Really, they thought such things were fashionable? How very, very quaint. Flitting about the shops, she reaches out to grab a particularly fine satin satchel when she hears someone address her. She turns, putting a few jet strands of hair behind her ear with a smile.]

Why yes, I am. And to whom do I have the honor of speaking with?

[comparative_insanity]

[This young man is dressed up like a peacock, which will probably tell her something about his love for their brand of fashionable clothes. He certainly likes them enough to put up with a bustle, which is not the most practical piece of clothing.]

Oh, forgive my manners! [A wide, winning smile, and of course he'll take her hand very lightly and bow.] I'm Fai Flourite. [Even though she can't possibly know his family, he still slurs the last name a bit out of habit.] And will you give me your name in return?

[antiseptic]

[Jade fully intends on speaking with their leader later on, but for now he's speaking with as many newcomers as he can, especially the ones he can find in the city.]

[Which is why he approaches Dr Verdine when he finds her at the university, the very picture of courtesy despite his many doubts about the newcomers. He offers his hand for her to shake.]

Greetings. I'm Jade Curtiss. I hope you're enjoying your stay in the Union so far?

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[He would find her meeting with another of his colleagues, speaking on certain matters. However, as he spoke, she brought up a hand to the person she was speaking to, turning and greeting Jade.]

I am, thank you very much. It's interesting, I don't get to visit many other human establishments.

[antiseptic]

[An interesting turn of phrase.]

That's a pity. Why not?

[highliber]

[Zarvora had distinctly avoided the leader of the expedition, going instead for the one who stood behind him. The good Doctor probably was aware of much more than she let on. She might even be more in control of this expedition than Donnachaidh was, by her guess.

She hunted Verdine down during one of her explorations of the University. While looking similarly neat and clean, Zarvora still made a stark contrast to her counterpart, standing very tall in a black overcoat tailored so sharply you could cut yourself on it.]

Ah, would I be correct in guessing you as one of our esteemed guests?

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[Having abandoned her fur-trimmed white coat for one of the university's lab coats, black hair pulled back into a smart bun, she seemed to be working with one of the other Team Evolution scientists, who was taking copious amounts of notes as she spoke.]

Excuse me, just a moment.

[The scientist nods, quickly moving out of the way.]

I am.

[highliber]

Wonderful! I had been hoping to get a chance to speak to you at some point. Until recently we thought we might be the only pocket of humanity left in the world, and suddenly we find that not only are there others, but they have found their way to our very doorstep!

[stahlflugel]

[Eren is among the first of the guards to see this group. These are the ones who had put the machines in the caves? How could they NOT have known Union was here? It was huge!

Eren narrows his eyes, looking at the less closed-off of the two women who seemed to be in charge. If she'd never seen an Enlightened before, Eren would be quite the sight with his bird legs and pointed ears]

So you... you guys are the ones who made those machines. What are they supposed to do? If you guys really are about furthering humanity's progress, I wanna help.

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[My goodness, those are some legs on you. She might be staring for a moment.]

Yes, the machines. They were meant to help Pokémon evolve, and in that way they worked. However, considering the side-effects to their use, we may need to go back to the drawing board. It was not our intent to cause so much trouble.

[She claps her hands, smiling.]

Wonderful! I'm glad to hear that you wish to help! Would you mind giving me your name?

[stahlflugel]

[he scratches the back of his head] Well, yeah. It does do that. Now I have an immature pest of a Tyrantrum to deal with... the noise the machines made. Humans can't hear it, but Pokémon can. It was like nails on a chalkboard...

Um... Eren Jaeger. I'm a member of the city's Guard, but I'm joining the Rangers soon.

[outtahere]

[Banzu waits until he can catch one of the visitors at the university alone to talk to them. Dr. Verdine is the first one he's found, and he carefully hides his distaste at her fur-lined lab coat; showy things like that annoy him. He's far from showy himself, dressed all in black with his clothes being the "style" worn by workers in the industrial district. He keeps his expression and tone neutral and polite, but he certainly doesn't bother being formal with her, just as with anyone else.]

Hey. You're from Team Evolution, right? You one of the people who built those machines in the mountains?

[He's assuming that the people hanging around the university are the most likely to know how the machines work, but checking first seems like it would be a good idea.]

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[She turns, shaking her head and frowning deeply.]

I did not build it, no.

[myfedorarocks]

[It's not often that Flemming visits the University these days. He's been too tied up with work, but his attempts to research things have brought him back.

He couldn't say he trusted Team Evolution. Making humanity rise up was why it had fallen in the first place. It made him wary, but it also made him curious. He was a scientist, after all.

Even if his pursuits were almost entirely focused on making life in Union easier, he couldn't help be curious about what sort of technology humans outside of the city could possess.

That, and he couldn't help but feel a little bad about being one of the ones to destroy the machines in the first place.]

Pardon me. You're with Team Evolution, aren't you?

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[Dr. Verdine, working with a few other Team Evolution scientists taking notes, turns with a nod.]

That is correct.

[somnambulatory]

[Jinxie's more than a little worried about the sudden appearance of this new group, especially considering they're the ones who apparently put those horrible machines under the city. She's got a couple of questions of her own, but is clearly nervous as she approaches Dr. Verdine.]

Um... hello?

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[It appears that the good doctor is either busy or didn't hear you, Jinxie. You'll have to try a bit harder.]

[tinytactician]

[Armin is, as per usual, on his way back from the university library with an armful of books and Meredith the Ralts trotting along next to him. He's wearing a hooded coat today, with teensy-tiny Nim the Mareep -- only a few days old -- riding inside the hood and occasionally peering out to peep greetings at passers-by.

He notices the Doctor and, because he's not the most up-to-date kiddo when it comes to current events, doesn't see her as anything out of the ordinary, giving the same polite smile and nod he gives every official-looking type.]

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[She gives him a gentle smile and nod as well.]

What a tiny, adorable Mareep.

[at_too_low]

[... Oh, it's that lady who's one of the newcomers. Atsuro's been very curious, especially initially - but the way the negotiations are going and the rumours spreading throughout Union are making him a little nervous. Still, he wants to make contact - but the leader of Evolution is making him really wary for reasons he can't explain himself, and most of the people of the team just don't seem too approachable. It's not like it was impossible to hear the hints of threat in the leader's speech... Still, this lady seems to be a doctor-- a Pokemon professor or an equivalent of one, maybe? It's always been somewhat of a tradition to wear lab coats for them. And science and knowledge are supposed to surpass the boundaries of political differences, right? So he decides to call out to her]

U-Um, excuse me...

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

[She appears to be busy, or at least hasn't quite noticed that someone is calling out to her. Shopping is important business, after all.]

Yet another person-

[radiantwingedone]

[ If she takes a break in the university, that is when Duke finds her. He had been intending to avoid the lot of Team Evolution, simply because he didn't want to bother with them.

But.. this was an area where he would already be. Its harder to avoid this one. For once, there isn't a flower in his hair (Laulyse is watching Sulion, and he really doesn't trust these people), but he still smells like lilies. ]

I have some curiosity involving the placement of your experiment. Would you mind explaining some things?

[bnw_sheepy_npcs]

Of course. What questions do you have for me? I'll answer them to the best of my ability.