[Action] Let's Talk to Pokémon!

[sixwholeplates]

[Backdated to the 11th.]

[Cecilia talked to Apollo and Lucas about the same thing: needing to talk to Pokémon to find out if they had seen any iron lately. It seems like a good idea to her, though it came from Apollo. But she can do that -- at least with ones that talk. And thus, here she waits, near the indicated place.]

[A huge, ancient oak stands up behind her, and sits on the crest of a hill. It makes it stand out. It's hard to miss. Being short, Cecilia is just dwarfed by it.]

[But, worst of all... she doesn't know Lucas's name.]

Comments

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[Nor does she know Apollo's age. Both of those things will soon be remedied though.

It's subtle, but there's a faint rustling of the leaves in the treetops moving towards Cecilia's position, branches bending for an instant before snapping back into place. It becomes increasingly louder as it approaches until it would be hard not to notice. The sound stops abruptly in the thick canopy near her, then a bit more rustling, quieter this time, comes from that spot.

A figure drops down next to her and lands in a crouch before standing, a red-haired boy in an old shin-length green coat with a large feathered amulet around his neck. The way his coat billowed as he descended would have allowed her to see that under the coat is worn dull green clothing, a brown leather courier bag, and a pair of very beat-up brown boots. Saying that he's 5'1" would be generous. He's most definitely not an adult.]

[a_gentle_boy]

[Mysteries all around. Lucas knows nothing about the third person accompanying them, nor does he know much about Cecilia beyond the fact that she could speak with Pokemon. Having told his grandfather that he was going to stay at a friend's house ('you have friends?') and after requesting some time off from his work, he leaves the city as unobtrusively as he can.

The boy can probably be seen approaching the hill from a distance with an Eevee trailing along behind him. He carries a hefty pack that almost seems to be as long as he is.]

[sixwholeplates]

[Cecilia had not expected Apollo to be so young or so short. She blinks at him for a moment, trying to decide which of the two she is -- and then she opens her mouth, closes her mouth, and smiles at him. That's when she spots Lucas approaching. She waves at him.]

[She waits until they're both closer, and then she smiles. A life of attending noble parties, social functions, and the rest takes over.]

Glad you both could come! I'm Cecilia, and this--

[She instinctively tries to make introductions, but she doesn't know which is which. And what Lucas's name is. Awwwwkwaaaaard.]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[Apollo doesn't pick up on the awkwardness of the situation, but understands that an unspoken invitation for introductions has just been given.]

I'm Apollo. I'm a Ranger.

[A Fletchling descends and lands on his shoulder. He smiles slightly.]

This is a friend of mine who's coming along.

[The Fletchling hops from side-to-side and happily chirps a greeting. He's very pleased to meet you both.]

[a_gentle_boy]

[As he draws nearer, Lucas smiles in a bashful manner. Though thirteen, he appears younger, not yet having reached adolescence. Hopefully Cecilia would be totally cool with traveling with two young boys.]

I'm Lucas. It's nice to meet both of you -

[A slight laugh.]

I'm sorry I broke off before I asked your name, Miss Cecilia. I guess I was in too much of a hurry...

Oh - and this is Avey.

[The Eevee has boldly walked straight into the middle of their circle and sniffs at Apollo and Cecilia.]

[sixwholeplates]

[A second Eevee pops up from under Cecilia's scarf. She reaches a hand over and scratches between her ears, then smiles and shakes her head.] This is Raftina. Ah--don't worry about it, Lucas. I should have asked earlier.

[She looks at Apollo and nods. A Ranger would be good to have.]

Well... we should probably move, before it gets late! We can get back before dinner that way.

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[Seems like both the boys are the same age.

Apollo sends a mental greeting to the minds of the two Eevees, then points to the west.]

We'll need to head west, past the Forest Shrine and to the canyon. Don't rush just to be home for dinner. It's better to take longer than have an accident because you were trying to save time.

[a_gentle_boy]

[Avey blinks at Apollo before responding with a cheerful yip; it is accustomed to this form of communication with Lucas himself.]

I've never been down into the caverns, but I know the Pokémon there are a lot more aggressive than the ones in the forest...

But, um. I brought dinner, if we're out too late.

[Lucas shifts his pack slightly with a smile.]

I hope everyone likes tofu...

[sixwholeplates]

[Raftina, conversely looks confused for a moment -- and then perks up on Cecilia's shoulder, tail swishing curiously.]

We should stop short of the caverns, I think, but the Pokémon outside may know something.

[She pauses, then she smiles, and nods her head.]

I love tofu! And jam. And berries. And hamburgers. And salads. And cookies. And cake. And...

[This could go on awhile.]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[Apollo nods and cuts Cecilia off when he speaks.]

Grandpa said that the Pokémon at the bottom of the canyon are stronger than the ones near the top, so we shouldn't go too deep if we can help it. Hopefully the Pokémon who aren't as deep into the canyon will be able to tell us something.

We should start moving if we want to get there soon.

[He begins walking, setting a decent pace that he thinks the other two should be able to handle.

OOC: I'm using three of the weekly levels on Apollo's Fletchling to let the party hit danger level 12. If we need to I can add 5 more levels so they can safely enter the deep canyon, but I'd rather save some of them for Apollo himself and anyone he bonds with while there.]

[a_gentle_boy]

((OK! I actually made Lucas's Eevee Level 9 earlier this week, so I think we're effectively 13 at the moment. As a note, I typo'd 'canyon' as 'cavern' earlier; sorry about that!))

I don't think I've got any of the rest of that, but, um... Maybe we can see what we'll find on the way.

[Cake trees could exist. Potentially.]

Oh - I forgot to say. Please let me know if anyone gets hurt. I have healing abilities, so... hopefully we'll be OK.

[Lucas will follow on behind Apollo.]

[sixwholeplates]

((I can toss some levels on Raftina, or call up Cecilia's level 7 Silcoon, too!))

Thank you, Lucas. I can't heal, yet, but I can do spells to support us... and Raftina is tough.

[Her Eevee nods. Cecilia starts walking after Apollo, too, and grabs her staff tightly as she does.]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

((Please tell me the Silcoon knows more than just Harden.))

What kind of support?

[Apollo doesn't look at them as he speaks, nor does he look around. Instead he's listening for Pokémon with both his ears and his Child of the Verdant Forest ability.]

[a_gentle_boy]

[Though having the same ability, Lucas is a simpler soul and instead figures that with the amount of noise they're making, most wild Pokemon would steer well clear. The ones that were looking for trouble would probably find them regardless.]

I've got bandages and medicines, too - I took them from the Medical Center when I left.

I hope nobody minds, but I haven't seen anyone using that cabinet in a few weeks, anyway.

[sixwholeplates]

((Maaaaayyyyyybe.))

Long-range spells. I am working on increasing others' abilities, then.

[She smiles and keeps walking, looking around. She can't feel for Pokémon, but she can have a conversation with them; once they find one, she can do her part.]

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

Those supplies are there to keep people healthy, so no one should mind. I have some medicinal herbs with me too, so between us we should be able to handle most things.

Increasing others' abilities should be helpful.

[Wait... a healer and a buffer...]

How good are you two at fighting?

[a_gentle_boy]

[................]

Um.

[Lucas looks apologetic already.]

I used to live out in the forest, so I know how to avoid trouble...

[He digs around in his pocket and... pulls out a yo-yo.]

I use this - and a stick, usually.

[translation: he isn't]

[sixwholeplates]

I can also shoot, ah, ice. And the staff can shoot fire.

[She holds it up.]

Raftina is usually on point for me, though...

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

[Well, two out of three isn't bad.]

It's good to avoid trouble whenever you can, but sometimes you can't stop it, so knowing how to fight's a good thing, even if you have a Pokémon with you who's willing to fight.

Don't fight unless you have to though. You shouldn't hurt anyone unless it's to defend yourself, to protect someone, or to feed yourself.

[a_gentle_boy]

Avey can fight pretty well. I've always relied on him if I've needed anything.

[Avey growls its concurrence from Lucas's arms.]

I, um, try to stick with the tofu, but... I understand what you mean.

[It was really terrible fighting something when you could feel its thoughts and emotions running through your own head.]

I guess all of this means you're probably good at fighting then, Apollo.

[sixwholeplates]

I don't like to fight, not if I can help it... there's better things that an Enlightened can do.

[Of course, sometimes they don't get a choice.]

We can support you, Apollo, if you have to. [Raftina makes a soft chirpy noise. Cecilia looks down at her, then back up.] And her, too.

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

((Speaking of fighting, if either of you want to throw a random encounter in feel free. Same as if you feel like we should skip ahead to the canyon. I'll probably be starting a bonding thread for whatever Apollo meets there below at some point too, but that'll probably just float somewhere in continuity while we continue tagging, if that's okay.))

The soybeans in the tofu had to die without growing a new soy plant to become food. Humans can't live without taking lives, even if those lives are plants instead of Pokémon. You just have to remember that whatever you eat, be it grass, berries, or Pokémon, you have to live its part. Don't waste a thing.

I'm not sure how good I am at fighting, but I can hold my own. You're right, though. Enlightened can do more than just fight. We can help humans and Pokémon understand each other and live in harmony.

[a_gentle_boy]

I guess that's how it is with everything. Even the plants grow better when there are other dead plants to use as fertilizer...

It feels a lot of people still think that Pokémon are there just to harm us... But I think they just want to live the way they know how. That was the lesson we were supposed to learn, back in those old days, wasn't it...?

[And because they were probably getting a little trite now, Lucas smiles, a bit embarrassed.]

I kind of hope there aren't any Pokémon near any iron mine we find. It feels a little like stealing.

((I could throw in a random encounter if you guys want!))

[sixwholeplates]

((Sure! A random encounter is cool by me!))

That's what the Savior taught. But sometimes people forget that, I think. It's sad, really...

[Cecilia shakes her head, then she looks down at the ground.]

I guess, if you think about it, we'll be eating the iron ore from the ground. Metaphorically, at least. So we have to live its part, too.

[whateveryoueatliveitspart]

It's probably because most humans can't talk to Pokémon. If they could, they'd understand why some Pokémon attack humans.

I've never thought of humans using nonliving things being like eating them. But if we treat them like we are, then maybe we wouldn't need to mine as much-

[He senses hostility and stops walking, extending an arm to give a "stop" gesture to those behind him.]

Someone's coming.

((Go ahead, Wighty!))