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

[keep_surviving]

She places Petey back on the floor, where he begins bouncing the balloon again, while she digs into her pocket and pulls out some cash.

"Here." She holds it out to Walter. "Sorry, when he wants something he's pretty insistent about it."

[11121_assumption]

"There's no need to." He didn't reach to take it, only glancing at the money. Doll giggled from his arm. She truly liked her trainer...but she liked knowing his well hidden feelings too, especially when they were less than sunny. He didn't want to accept anything from Diana again.

[keep_surviving]

"You sure? I'm just paying you back." She lowers the hand with the money. Hell, if Walter wants to give her something for free, she won't argue too much.

Then a grin breaks out on her face. "Some birds told me your birthday was coming up."

[11121_assumption]

"...what."

Here's the thing; Walter hadn't told anyone his birthday. He hadn't even told his Pokemon! Wisdom knew because she had glimpsed through his life and had learned both his birthday and his date of death. He wasn't even certain of the date himself, given the circumstances he was born and discovered in. "Nobody knows my birthday."

[keep_surviving]

"So, your birthday isn't this weekend? Because that's what I was told."

[11121_assumption]

Walter blinked several times. "...It's around that time. I was never told the day and I never told anyone else about it."

It's highly, highly suspicious that Diana knew it was upcoming. What birds could have told- It's obvious when he realises who could have told her. "When did you speak to Wisdom?"

[keep_surviving]

"Well, it more like she spoke at me until she decided that she was done."

She smirks at the memory.

"Anyway, I need to get you something." Diana holds up her hands. "Nothing alive or soon to be alive, I promise. Think of it as a 'sorry-I-got-you-the-worst-gift-ever-last-time, present."

[11121_assumption]

Doll cackled again, feeling waves of distrust roll from Walter's stoic form. "I don't need anything." He needed to question Wisdom on why she spoke to Diana of all people about his birthday. And Jimmy. And who else she might have told. But he hadn't brought her with him today.

[keep_surviving]

Caine didn't like Doll's laughing and started lashing his tail back and forth, a low growl in his throat.

"That's debatable." Diana said, looking at Walter's outfit. "But think about this, I'm going to get you something, so wouldn't you feel better being there and picking what you want? Look how things turned out the last time I picked."

[11121_assumption]

That was a good point. And he had other Pokemon in their balls if things got uncomfortable; Psyche in particular could enable him vanishing without a trace. But he still didn't like how she had pointedly looked at his clothing. It reminded him of too many pointed looks he had gotten in the past regarding his appearance.
"You don't need to get me anything."

As he clearly thought over her offer, Doll just giggled at Caine and waved to him. She's used to grumpy cats, she joined Walter's team before Chaos. Hi grumpy cat.

[keep_surviving]

"Yes, that's usually how gifts work. You don't have to get them for anyone."

Caine bristled, his fur standing on end.

"So, I'm thinking Goldrenrod. This Sunday. Maybe afternoon? Lunch? I can get you a slice of cake too." She grinned, bombarding him with information.

[11121_assumption]

Everything about this was making him deeply uncomfortable. "Why." He didn't want pity, or gifts, or anything from Diana. Not after last time, and not after how she looked at him; it felt like she was teasing him, or prodding him like this for her own amusement. He just wanted her to leave him alone and find others to harass like this.

Doll simply kept smiling at Caine, still unfazed. Source shuffled closer to Walter, as if to whisper something to him. He tiled his head to her, listening.

[keep_surviving]

She shrugs. "I dunno. I just like you, so I want to get you something." It's not like she could show up to the party for him after being explicitly told not to do so. Well, she could but she was audacious not stupid.

"I know you don't like me but I'm used to that." Diana doesn't even seem fazed by her admittance. "And besides, I know how much you didn't like the last thing I sent." His Pokemon whining about it had told her as much. She sighed, all this actually giving a shit about feelings was exhausting.

[11121_assumption]

There's a lot to unpack here. But first and most importantly; "Why would you like me?" Even after making several friends, it was still a difficult concept to grasp. He folded his arms. None of this made much sense to him. "I don't understand...I had told you I couldn't accept the egg, but you insisted." Which is why he now had Sniffer. Asriel had been helping him but it was much harder than it had been with Jennifer.

Source's flame flared at the mention of Sniffer. She did lean to him now, seemingly murmuring something in his ear. He lifted a hand and cupped it around her to keep her on his shoulder. No Source, don't eat Diana's soul. Yet.

[keep_surviving]

"I don't know." Well, she wasn't sure, but she had an idea.

It was his demeanor. His sadness. He didn't trust her. It was his look. She'd been so used to that look for the better part of a year. There's was something familiar about that and, in a twisted sense, comforting.

Coming here where everyone was all smiles and helpful, like nothing was ever wrong. It felt wrong. Like it was going to turn on her at any moment.

There was- Whatever. That was the basic gist of it. No time to delve into a psycho analysis of herself. It wasn't a good reason. But it was a reason.

"I like that you don't trust me." It wasn't even a lie, not bad for her.

Her brow furrows in irritation and she blows a sigh out through her teeth, but she could see he wasn't going to let this go. "I made a mistake, alright? I wanted to give you something and even when you told me you didn't want it I thought you'd get used to it like I got used to it." She shoves her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

Caine deems Source as unimportant enough for his attention as now he's too busy watching his trainer.

"I'm sorry. That's why I get that you don't like me." She was so used to having to just get over her own hang ups, she forgot other people weren't like that. Alot of people weren't like her. "I'm a pretty shitty person."

[11121_assumption]

Walter watched Diana, taking in what she said quietly. It wasn't the answer he had been expecting. But out of all the answers she could have given? It was probably the best.

"...Okay. I will meet you on Sunday." Doll clapped together her cloth hands gleefully. She liked Diana. She brought out lots of interesting vibes from her trainer. Source huffed but settled on Walter's shoulder comfortably again.

[keep_surviving]

Diana treated him to a large, beautiful grin. "Perfect! Sunday is it."

She reaches out and presses the money into Walter's hand, making the contact and transaction as quick as possible.

"Oh, and that isn't for you. That's for her." She points to Doll. "Since you got my Pokémon something, you can use that to buy her something."

She stoops to pick up Petey again and turns to leave. "Come on, Caine."

The lion Pokémon huffs and follows her as Diana calls over her shoulder. "See you Sunday, Walt!"