It's time for the solstice!

[indigo_events]

Who: Everyone attending the Azalea festival!

Where: Azalea town and surrounding woods

When: June 21st

Summary: Celebi's come out, so it's time to throw a party in its honor!

Log:

It's Midsummer! Traditional festivities in Azalea are all in full swing, and this year even bigger and better than ever, thanks to the influx of curious tourists and Legendary Seekers drawn by the rumors in hopes of catching a glimpse of the elusive Celebi. Everyone in Azalea is putting out their finest, and the whole town is decked out with flowers in vases and pots, colorful streamers, and bright awnings under which vendors hawk their wares.

The fun doesn't stop there, however. Those time disturbances that have been popping up all over the place? They've become at once more localized and more benign. Flowers open quickly and stay in bloom without fading, a blissful moment seems to stretch into eternity, somehow you've managed to sample the food of a dozen different booths and it still is barely mid-morning. It's like a perfect moment somehow drawn out, suspended in time to savor as long as possible. Those who have a particularly fun few minutes may even find them repeated a few times!

Which perhaps should be no surprise, given that Celebi itself has come out to play! If you're lucky and paying close attention, you might even catch a glimpse of it flitting about from one place to another throughout the town and the nearby forest. It certainly isn't shy, though it is moving quite quickly and doing anything but staying in one place. Anybody who might attempt to catch or challenge it to a battle isn’t going to get anywhere at all—and stubborn trainers might find themselves stuck in a time loop for a few hours. There's simply so much to see and do, after all! Strangely enough, if any of the Legend Seekers are around, Celebi never seems to be anywhere to be found.

Eventually, though, the long day will come to an end, and the festivities with it. By morning, all the hubbub will be gone, and Celebi with it. But not quite without a trace: anyone who came to Azalea Town to participate in the festival will find in their belongings a single fossil as a parting gift from the Time Travel Pokémon.

Comments

[alltoblame]

[He hated to admit it, but he had a point. Ed hardly knew enough about Pokemon to call anyone out about being able to control their own, and he honestly hated having to resort to using the ball unless he absolutely had to. Even if he could, at this point it seemed a bit too late.

At the last part, he actually seemed a bit worried. There was the whole Pokemon not exactly following the rules of animals in his world aspect to consider, but- a bat zooming around that much in sunlight did sound like a recipe for exhaustion, at the very least.]

Hopefully he'll find somewhere cool to settle. I take it you're enjoying the festival, at least?

[Trying to brush that worry aside, and honestly up until now Ed had been mostly bored anyway.]

[pipers_son]

Oh, it's been a blast~.

[Now that it seems the bridge has settled a bit, he straightens up and tucks his hands fingers into his pockets cheerfully. That makes it a little more clearer to see that his own right arm is in fact a prosthetic- not a fancy one on the level of automail, just durable but lightweight metal and plastic. He's used to it, anyway, as he comes closer.]

Ta tell the truth, we came here less for me and more for this little one right here. [He points at the Larvesta, who wiggles further into his jacket.]

[alltoblame]

[His gaze may linger on the prosthetic for a moment, he hasn't seen anyone else on this world with one - and he keeps his covered, so it's not as though the topic comes up much.

As he approaches Ed blinks, peering at the creature curiously.]

You came to the festival... for a Pokemon?

[pipers_son]

Of course!

[He grins widely, even as his hand goes to cup the small bulge that's worming further into his clothing although the Larvesta's eyes are still visible.]

Some of my Pokemon don't go out and visit the world as much, since we live in Goldenrod most of the time, and this one's still a new little thing... So I thought I'd show 'em what kind of fun is out in the world! It's important ta let yer Pokemon have a fun life, don't ya think?

[alltoblame]

[He responds to that by looking remotely embarrassed, as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him.]

Yeah, I guess so. Mine seem to enjoy battling, I never really thought of- doing much else with them. I'm still kind of new here, so ... Not exactly used to all of this.

[It's been awhile since he's even come to close to having a pet, nevermind something on the level of a Pokemon.]

[pipers_son]

Oooh, a new face~. [Coming along further, Joker holds out his left hand- the flesh one- with a wide grin.] Well, I'm Joker, ringleader of the Eve's Garden Circus. Been here for a good few years now myself, so I'm more than happy ta help ya along.

[alltoblame]

[Everyone was so nice here, it was almost suspicious... but Ed had a habit of taking people at their word, and so far it had worked out for him. Mostly.]

A few years...

[He had heard some people had been around that long, but so far the only ones he knew of were from his own world. At the extended hand, Ed lifts his own left hand to shake, smirking some.]

Thanks, I'm Ed. [A brief pause.] Edward Elric.

I came in during that weird weekend where apparently everyone was supposed to be sent home.... Only I wasn't.

[pipers_son]

Ah, that. [Joker clicks his tongue sympathetically.] I guess ya know that those happen sometimes, although most folks don't usually remember 'em too well...

[Carelessly, he shrugs. Throughout the time he's been here, he's found himself adjusting to a whole lot of things he would have thought utterly outlandish and bizarre back in England.]

Well, at least the stay is nice so far, right?

[alltoblame]

Honestly with how strange this place is, might be better not to remember when it gets even weirder...

[At the last part he pauses. The place itself might comparably be better than Germany, but he was still wrapping his head around Al's association with Envy here. Nevermind the rest of the homunculi.]

Ah... Actually, it's- [He's not about to say not, but he's thinking it.]

Well, there are people here from my world and... Things are complicated.

[That was neutral enough for a conversation with a stranger, right? Not that Ed would mind explaining if he was asked for the details. He had a tendency to overshare.]

[pipers_son]

Ah.

[Yeah, he can figure out what "complicated" might mean in this context. He adjusts Ash's place in his shirt.]

Well, at least this place is big enough ta avoid anyone until ya settle on how ta deal with it all, yeah?

[alltoblame]

[He only wishes.]

It's... more than that. My brother's here, but- he associates with the people we'd normally avoid. i'm not really sure how well they're getting along, I just know things are different here than they were back home. Being new, I'm completely out of the loop.

[That complicated. Ed hasn't confirmed that Al's actually living with the homunculi yet, but he has his suspicions that there's more to the story than any of them had let up yet.]

[pipers_son]

[Gently, Joker nudges Ed along so that they can keep walking along the bridge. They're not the only ones attending the festival; who knows who else will come along if they dally?]

When ya say people ya would avoid, do ya mean because they're jerks or yer havin' a blood feud with 'em or somethin' like that?

It, ah... pays ta ask with how many different folks end up here.

[alltoblame]

[Ed doesn't seem to mind the nudge, moving along easily. He didn't want another repeat of earlier so not crowding the bridge was probably a good idea.]

I mean one of them literally killed me back home.

[Blunt? A bit. Al's insistence that he hadn't forgiven Envy still played over in his head every time he thought about it.]

[pipers_son]

Ah.

[Well, that's sure a thing. Then again, Joker is in the same position, although he's been lucky enough to not have to deal with his killer yet.]

Yer brother know that?

[alltoblame]

[Lucky him, when he figures out that Al lives with Envy he's going to have way more questions than he does now.]

He was there when it happened, saw the whole thing... Al's the one that brought me back, actually.

[He's not holding a grudge, just baffled more than anything.]

[pipers_son]

....Huh.

[Yeah, this is a mystery to him, too, and he leans over one of the rope railings a bit to look down below.]

Ask him about it?

[alltoblame]

I tried.

[It basically just resulted him in feeling like shit for even trying to bring it up. But Elrics don't talk about feelings, so we're going to pretend like that never happened.]

He just said he hasn't forgiven him... wouldn't even explain.

[pipers_son]

Huh.... Suppose it must be a tricky thing ta explain.

[Which. Considering attempted murder is involved, he guesses that's just par for the course. Joker pauses to peer up into a tree, just to make sure his wayward bat isn't in it.]

Ya talk with the guy in question?

[alltoblame]

I guess.

[A pause at the next question.]

The guy who murdered me? Not... really. He messaged me shortly after I arrived demanding some information, but I didn't give it to him. Not sure why he cares so much anyway.

[pipers_son]

Well, give it a try.

[Joker shrugs casually, reaching up to make sure that his Larvesta is back in his shirt properly- it'd been sliding down.]

Maybe there's somethin' yer brother sees that ya haven't yet, and the only way ta figure that out is ta approach him yerself. Ah, just make sure that it doesn't look like yer lookin' for a fight.