victory_road | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Everyone who wandered into the nightmare forest!

Where: Inside the nightmare forest!

When: October 22nd-29th

Summary: The culmination of weeks of worsening bad dreams comes when all that accumulated power is enough for the Pokemon to sprout an entire forest meant to trap people and harvest even more power. Now people from all over are lost in the woods...with very little distinction between what's real and what's not.

Log:

Whether by being drawn in or by simple curiosity (or poor decision making skills), people and their Pokemon have wandered in amongst the trees that have sprouted overnight. Only to find that once inside? There doesn't seem to be any way back out. No sunlight can pierce through the dense foliage overhead, but there is an eerie sort of green-tinted light with no source that gives people enough light to see by. The thickness of the woods varies--in some points it’s practically easy to move forward, and in others the trees are so close together that your character might have to squeeze between them. Phantump flit through the air and Drowzee can be seen occasionally running along the ground.

And in the background, a Trevenant and a Hypno watch. And wait.

Wait for these lost souls to finally drift off into sleep.

Full event info and questions can be found here!

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Reno's ears perk when he hears the crunch of leaves and a moment later the Vulpix is standing, taking a few steps forward to put himself between whoever's coming close and his trainer. Tseng and Shuriken stay right where they are on either side of Cissnei who is completely unaware of Heather's presence at first--until she speaks. That outright startles the other young woman and her head jerks up as Reno let's out a growl, much to his trainer's surprise.

"I...I don't know," Cissnei admitted. It was much easier this time than it had been before. "Please just--just stay there. For a moment." Nothing personal, Heather. Getting a grasp on reality was still difficult. "You...are you real?" A pause before Cissnei let's out a weak laugh. "I suppose that's a dumb thing to ask. Either way you'd probably say yes."

Fortunately, having been through this song and dance before, Heather stops right on the spot, raising her hands. When you're in a nightmare realm and someone asks you to keep your distance, you just do it. Safer and less stressful for everybody involved.

The Riolu-- also glinting gold in the low light-- stops as well, remaining tightly by her side.

"All right, stayin' here. And-- I was kind of gonna ask the same thing of you, so, uh... no hard feelings."

But she has a feeling the poor girl and her Pokemon ARE real, if only because the sorts of things her brain tends to conjure in situations like this are nowhere near as innocuous. Which admittedly doesn't mean she's not watching Cissnei carefully for signs that she's about to erupt into some kind of horrifying flesh monstrosity, but she doesn't think that's likely to happen.

"My name's Heather. This is Wolf, and Kite. You-- look kinda familiar, so we've maybe talked before. But everything's kinda hazy in this place so I honestly don't remember."

Cissnei manages a slight smile at that.

"At least it's mutual." It was nice to know she wasn't the only one second guessing everything. Then again, who wouldn't be in the midst of all this?

She relaxes slowly now that she's a little more sure that Heather is real though her Pokemon stay close to her. Just in case.

"I..think we might have. My name's Cissnei," she replied before motioning to the trio with her. "This is Tseng and Shuriken and that's Reno." The Vulpix gives a soft snort and promptly sits where he is, keeping himself between them all for the time being.

"We did speak before. I remember you," Tseng spoke up, nodding to Wolf in particular.

"Cissnei? That sounds familiar too. ... Shit luck to be meeting again in this place, but well..."

There's a pretty high likelihood that they're both real, Heather figures-- but all the same, she doesn't move closer. There's no pressing need to be getting up into anybody's personal space bubble right now so she'll stay right where she is.

The Riolu at her side tenses a little bit when addressed, pressing closer to her leg-- but a soft aura shimmers around him that Tseng will no doubt understand. Recognition, a greeting. Reluctance, though not reluctance at meeting. Just at the situation. Some fear.

It would seem that Wolf is still not the biggest fan of speaking aloud.

"I suppose it's better than being alone, even if it's hard to say what's real and what's not," Cissnei added on to what Heather had said, able to relax just a bit more. She remembered Heather better now, remembering their conversation to some degree and remembering, especially, her shiny companion.

Tseng's expression softened into something friendly as he allowed his own aura to shimmer softy. Warm and gentle. And there was fear as well; similar to what Wolf had shown.

This place was taking it's toll on everyone.

"I'm guessing you haven't had any luck finding an exit?"

Wolf relaxes a little bit-- ah, thank goodness, he understands. Most other aura-users do, but meeting new Pokemon is always a little nerve-wracking. His tail picks up a little bit of a wag and his aura glows a little bit warmer despite the fear, to show his thanks for the comfort.

Heather, meanwhile, shakes her head.

"No. I don't know if there is a traditional exit-- I only went a few steps in to begin with. Should've been able to turn right back around and leave, but it was like the place closed in on me."

"I had the same sort of thing happen. Since then it's just seemed so endless," Cissnei admitted in a rather defeated voice. She was so tired but the idea of falling asleep was not one she was comfortable with right now. Not after the first set of nightmares.

Tseng smiles despite the situation, nodding to Wolf before he glances at his trainer. She was exhausted--they all were--but there wasn't much that could be done about that.

The young woman glanced at him and smiled in a slightly forced manner before looking at her lap.

"A part of me keeps hoping that if I just close my eyes it will all go away. Childish, isn't it?"

She shakes her head.

"No, sounds normal to me."

Because god can she relate.

At last, she steps forward (though still not like, DIRECTLY into Cissnei's personal bubble or anything) and holds out a hand.

"But it probably won't work, no. I think the best thing to do is keep moving. You wanna try?"

Heather's words make Cissnei feel a touch better about how..how honest to god scared she is right now. As a Turk she had learned to ignore fear and not let it get to her but this was something unlike anything she had ever dealt with before. No matter what she tried to do the fear just clung to her mind and it wouldn't let go.

Which is why she can't help but stiffen slightly when Heather moves.

Her Pokemon are all watching sharply, just in case, none of them absolutely sure this isn't some sort of trick. But it's a genuine offer and Heather's not being pushy, is giving Cissnei a choice..

Slowly the young woman slides her boots forward in the direct, unfolding from her seated position and reaches out to take the offered hand.

"I think it's worth a shot," she murmured, managing a faint smile as she climbs to her feet with Heather's help.

Choice matters more than one might think in places like this.

Heather helps tug the other girl to her feet, offering a crooked but encouraging smile as she does so. Behind it, there's mostly just a rush of relief. Having even just one other person around can make going through this crap so much more bearable-- and not to mention, her Pokemon seem pretty competent. The more the merrier when you're up against nightmares, right?

"Me too. And besides, this place is kind of like walking through one of those haunted houses. You're not supposed to do that by yourself."

Even if the stuff here was inherently way grimmer than a scare-actor dressed up like a bloody Gengar jumping out at you.

To be honest Cissnei is pretty relieved to have someone else with her outside of her Pokemon now and that crooked smile is returned with one of her one. It's still a bit forced but it's better than it had been.

"You know, I have to admit, I've never been to a haunted house before," Cissnei murmured before letting out a weak laugh. "At least not in the traditional sense." Because she had been in some really strange places during her various missions back home and honestly she would have preferred one of the campy, set up just for fun haunted houses.

"I've been to a few. Never been a fan, personally."

Almost died in one, after all.

But she starts to walk. Because the only way anything is going to happen, good or bad, is if they just keep putting one foot ahead of another.

"I don't even think I could go to another one at this point-- my first impulse when something pops out at me is to punch it right in the face, and I don't think some poor scare-actor would appreciate that very much."

Cissnei slowly follows, her Pokemon sticking close to the group as they begin to traverse this wonderland of horrors.

"That's not a terrible reaction to have most of the time but it would definitely cause a bit of an uproar at one of the haunted house attractions," she mused, unable to help but laugh again as she rubbed her arms. "I learned from a young age to always be a few steps ahead of people so anyone sneaking up on me is unnerving."

It meant that she wasn't as prepared as she needed to be.

"Same, actually."

Not in a professional capacity, no... but the combination of having a paranoid father and literally being in hiding was a potent mix.

She laughs, too-- the less she dwells, she finds, the less this forest gets to her.

"It does pay off in terms of survival, but it can sure be hell on your nerves."

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