one; video/action for new bark town

[arcanaeum]

video;

[ The first thing the video shows is not a face. Rather, it's a blue-looking mess of fabric, scraping back and forth across the screen. When it pulls back, it's shown to be a sleeve - specifically, one used to clean off the spit Minato's brand-new Gastly had decided to coat his screen with.

Because that's what you do. You lick things when you don't know what they are. He looks up at his Gastly with a tired expression. It cackles, then goes back to floating around and taking in the sights. ]

...hi. [ He pauses, long enough to make it seem like he's done. Minato looks away from the screen to the town around him: small, quaint, but peaceful. ] It looks like a lot of people arrived here...and they all got these new animals.

[ Or Shadows, as far as he's concerned. Still, having not left yet, nothing has attacked him. Just...licked him, pushing some of his blue bangs back off his face to reveal both eyes. ]

My name's Minato. Is this...supposed to happen?


action;

[ Is that good enough? That's good enough. He shuts off the video with a sigh and looks around again, stuffing his hands and device in his pockets.

Not only is this not his first visit to a new dimension, it's not even his first visit this month. Rather than worried or scared, he just looks tired. Glancing around provides him with a bench, just near the Pokemon Lab; he saunters over there and drops down, slouching into the seat.

On cue, his stomach gurgles. He sets a hand over it and frowns briefly. ]

...wonder if there's burgers around here.

Comments

[arcanaeum]

[ It's a pretty weird device, even for someone with years of smartphone experience. Minato's still getting used to holding it at the appropriate angle - not to mention out of reach of his Gastly's tongue. ]

Yeah...it could just be random. What did you get?

[schachmeister]

[Appropriate angles are completely beyond Armin. He's probably slightly wavering in and our of focus as is. He's used to talking to people in person, not talking into some odd... box.

Armin releases Amadeus from its poke ball --do pokemon get lost, he hadn't wanted it to get lost-- and the little hoothoot settles happily onto Armin's shoulder once it has... sorta... come into being again.

(pokeballs, how do they work?)]

Mine is called a Hoothoot. It's a flying / normal type apparently.

[Why yes, he has been reading up.]

[arcanaeum]

Ah. It's pretty cool.

[ He raises a hand to wave at the owl. Near his right shoulder, his Gastly gives a cheerful gas gas! of his own. ]

Does that suit you?

[schachmeister]

[The hoothoot ruffles his feathers, looking pleased with the attention while Armin thinks over that question.]

I'm not sure if I know enough yet to tell.

[Ever the cautious one. Still the question has piqued his curiosity.]

Do you feel yours fits you?

[arcanaeum]

[ He shares a look with Gastly. A giant, lolling-tongue ghost, endlessly entertained and curious about everything around them. He'd been here a few hours and it had been going the whole time, without even leaving the town.

It's his total opposite. But still... ]

...I think so.

[schachmeister]

[Armin smiles. He honestly isn't certain if Minato is joking around or being entirely truthful. He doesn't know him well enough.]

That sounds nice.

I'm Armin. I'm new to this place too.

[arcanaeum]

Ah, nice to meet you. I hope we can get along.

[ Super formal. He dips his head a bit, then relaxes back into his usual chilled slouch. ]

Did you already leave town, Armin-san?

[schachmeister]

[-San? The suffix confuses him, but no. Perhaps he simply misheard?]

Not yet. Me and Jean are planning to set out soon.

[They had stayed here for a little bit, just to make sure they were prepared and that no one else they knew was around, but they are kind of running out of things to do here. There are a lot of questions Armin still wants answered and he doesn't think he is going to find the answers here.]

[arcanaeum]

[ There's only so much that can happen in a town that's three houses and a lab. He nods, the camera shifting as he stuffs a free hand in his pocket. The view shifts to let him sit on a bench, getting more comfortable. ]

Good luck. I might stay and gather more information first.

[schachmeister]

[Armin nods, momentarily going in and out of focus on the video. Yeah. That's pretty much what they had done too.]

Can I ask you something. When you... arrived here, were you by yourself? I mean, was anyone you know there too?

[arcanaeum]

Ah...by myself?

[ The proper answer would be 'yes'. Usually, there's a spirit in his head - his Persona - riding shotgun in his psyche. That is...not gone, exactly, but sealed away. He can't hear Orpheus like he usually does.

But that wasn't the question. The question was real people. He nods after another moment's thought. ]

Yeah. It's just me.

[schachmeister]

I see. [A thoughtful expression passes Armin's face, as he clearly thinks something over, before he adds] And before you arrived here, do you remember anything out of the ordinary?

[Realising these questions might be just a tad invasive]

Ah, I'm just-- I thought if there was some common thread in all our experiences, it might explain why we were brought here. And how.

[arcanaeum]

I see. That's a good idea.

[ He'd been pondering along the same lines, just not...actually asking anyone. Save for his 'mom', these video calls were the first conversations he'd had at all in this place. ]

Everything was mostly normal. I think I just woke up here.

[schachmeister]

It was the same for us. I'm starting to think it might be something very small and easily overlooked.

[Or, you know, it could be completely random and without reason, but Armin doesn't like the idea of that.]

If you remember anything at all...

[arcanaeum]

No problem. [ THUMBS UP ] If you figure anything out, let me know. I'll help how I can.

[schachmeister]

[The confidence inspiring pro-tag thumbs up. Armin is blessed.]

Thank you. And good luck when you set out.