[01] video / action - route 29 + cherrygrove

[lightningfang]

[video - route 29, backdated to 1/4. action responses welcome too!]

[The video clicks on to the darkened, zoomed in face of a Bunnelby. It sniffs at the PokeGear and its sudden light and noises, then quickly loses interest. As it moves on, daylight filters in and illuminates the contents of a bag, all being jostled as the Pokemon rummages around.

This goes on for a minute or two before the bag sags, revealing some of the surrounding forest and... a giant Eevee?

No, actually... It's a person wearing an Eevee kigurumi over the outside of their clothes, like an animal skin. The kid is silent and stern-faced, in the stalking stance of a predator as he gets closer and closer... and finally, after crouching, he pounces.

Quite a few things happen in the next span of two seconds. The Gear gets thrown out into the snow as the boy lands, and the Bunnelby screams in surprise. The bark of a Rockruff sounds off furiously in tandem. There's the loud, wet splat of a Mud-Slap hitting true, and a pained grunt from the victim.

Upside down, the camera still films the Bunnelby sprinting back off into the trees, and the boy now caked in mud heaves a sigh as he starts to scrape the dirt from his eyes and mouth.]


[action - cherrygrove, forward-dated to 1/6]

[After nightfall, it may be considered wise for most humans in Cherrygrove to be indoors and bundled up. After all, the combination of snow and ocean air only serves to exacerbate the cold.

It seems, though, that isn't the case for one person. A skinny teenaged boy in tattered clothing and his Rockruff shadow slink through the quiet town, avoiding streetlamps, windows, and doorways. When things catch his attention -- an odd machine, a distant noise -- he pauses to stare and listen and sniff, but ultimately keeps moving. When he stays still, the chill really sets in, and he can't afford to get much colder.

Like a stray dog, he follows his nose to the back entrances of what few restaurants there are and starts picking through the trash. His face is curious, seemingly ignorant to the fact that it's... you know. Trash.]

Comments

[eternallyabsconding]

[Zagreus decides to pick up some burgers from said restaurant. Take out bags in hand, he turns the corner, and the Houndour at his heels notices the rummaging in the dumpster, and gives a sharp bark in alarm. Once warning, Zag clearly sees that something is rooting around in there. Something big.]

Is it one of those giant, nasty rats? [Zag peers around cautiously. His starter Pokemon was still fairly weak, so he didn't want to get in a fight he wouldn't be able to win.] I really need to get myself a sword, these things are everywhere.

[lightningfang]

[Though Rockruff begins to growl in response to the nearby bark, Razor stays silent. Theoretically, he's ready for a fight, but it's going to be a lot more difficult to defend both himself and Pup without his Vision or claymore...

When Zagreus chances a look, well... what he sees does sort of resemble a giant, nasty rat. Just a dirty kid hunched over the trash can like a raccoon, gleaming red eyes included. He regards the Houndour will far more apprehension than the human, whom he almost pointedly ignores, save a sniff towards the bag in his hand. His own pup, on the other hand, stops snarling and gives a tentative wag of her tail.

Her growling is replaced with that of Razor's stomach. He grimaces at the betrayal.]

[eternallyabsconding]

[The Houndour is not particularly aggressive, and wags his stub tail back at the Rockruff. Zagreus then realizes that he's not dealing with a Pokemon, but a human kid, rooting around in what even he knows is trash.]

Hey, no, no, get out of there! That's garbage! Where are your parents?

[Zag hears that grumble, a noise he has become familiar with since he first experienced hunger.]

No, you're not going to eat garbage in front of me. Here. [Zagreus reaches in his bag and gives Razor a burger. Everyone likes burgers, right?] Don't eat the wrapping paper.

[lightningfang]

[When he sees that there's no threat, he relaxes, though he doesn't go back to digging just yet, instead keeps his eyes on the newcomers. He does quirk his head at the more forceful words, but still doesn't feel like he has anything to fear.]

Garbage..? [He doesn't know her. Entirely unfamiliar with the concept. This is just a bin full of burger bits.

Again, he sniffs at the offering, and finally accepts it.]

Thank you, for this garbage.

[eternallyabsconding]

No, that's not-- Blood and darkness. [Zag pinches the bridge of his nose. He doesn't have a whole lot of experience engaging with kids, let alone feral wolf children.] Where are your parents? Who takes care of you?

[He makes some emphatic hand gestures along with this words, but they're really not inferring anything of use.]

[lightningfang]

[As if thought has suddenly come to him in droves, he doesn't answer immediately, but stares at the wrapped burger. It takes him some poking and prodding to figure out there's a casing on it. Once he has a corner unwrapped, he glances around at Zagreus and both of their Pokemon, as if searching for objections. When he finally takes a bite, it brings a smile to his face. He breaks a section off and offers it to his Rockruff before addressing Zagreus at last.]

No parents. Not from here.

[eternallyabsconding]

So you're one of us, then? [Well, that makes this encounter very marginally less strange, as he found that people from this world generally didn't need to root through trash for food.] Were you just set free without any help? Didn't your "mother" try to give you money and food?

[lightningfang]

[At the thought of New Bark and the food he was given, Razor wrinkles his nose.]

Not mother. Not enough meat. Long journey here, no prey in forest.

[He doesn't even comment on the money, just looks back at his burger and picks out some green stuff before taking another bite.]

[eternallyabsconding]

I like a good steak myself kid, but other food is still better than garbage. [No prey in the forest? The thought of where meat comes from here crosses Zag's mind, but there are more important things to address here.] You had to have been given money, even I got enough to get by. Where's the satchel everyone's supposed to get?

[ route 29, action ! ]

[fortuna_tenax]

[ One might notice the sound of footsteps crunching in the snow from the other side of the PokéGear- she'd been polite and kept her distance and volume down, but since... whatever Razor was doing came to an abrupt end, she figures she can ask now. ]

So what was that about? --Oh, you dropped this.

[ And up the camera goes! ]

It doesn't look broken...

[lightningfang]

[Despite his traveling companion's consideration, Razor's first response is an irritated grunt. At the situation, of course.]

Hunting. Rabbits here are very strong...

[He tilts his head and narrows his eyes at the Gear in her hands, recognizing it as something given to him by "Mom," but nothing further than that.]

Useless. Can't eat it. [He isn't even sure why he's lugging that dead weight along.]

[fortuna_tenax]

From my understanding, we can't really hurt the animals here.

[ Given his disdain for the device, Jinx doesn't hand it back, but she's not about to throw it aside either. Instead, she almost frowns, but explains. ]

Generally, it's for communication and information- not eating. You can talk to people who aren't here as if they were in the same place as you, or find something like in a book, among other things.

[ ...A-Assuming he knows what a book is. She doesn't want to ask.

... Wait. ]

How long's the camera been on?

[lightningfang]

[That... doesn't exactly make it more appealing to Razor, who regards it with new suspicion and shakes his head.]

Don't read. But... how does it talk? [The concept of a talking brick is a little too much to wrap his head around.]

Um... [Come on, he knows this...] Kam-er-a? Lupical uses this... Don't know how.

[fortuna_tenax]

The devices are all connected to each other, which lets them share things between each other- from writing to sound and sight. [ And here she gestures to one of the speakers on the Gear, and then the screen and camera lens. ] This is where sound comes out, and this is how it sees and shows us what the other Gears see.

[ Sounds like she's used to explaining things without referring to too many technical terms. ... Look, just 'cause Gizmo was a technical genius doesn't mean the rest of her team was. Still, if he didn't have it on intentionally- which it sounds like he didn't, she'll turn the broadcast off for him. ]

The camera is easy to use. I could show you, if you'd like?

[lightningfang]

[For starters, Razor stoops and tilts his head, trying to get a view of all other sides of the Gear. It certainly doesn't look connected to anything else.

But he is curious, and Jinx is making an effort to help him. He steps closer, still peeling caked mud off of himself. Some of it may or may not get on Jinx. Sorry.]

Show me. Um... Please?

[fortuna_tenax]

[ It's easy to tell what he's looking for. ]

We can't see or feel the connections, because they're not meant for us. But they're there.

[ Still, she does smile a little at his request, even if it was preceded by a little wince at the mud. She gives him back his Gear and takes out her own, if only so he can follow by example. Keeping her temper even in these times was... difficult, but she was determined not to snap at someone helping her, or to punish a desire to learn. ]

So, this glass piece is basically it's eye, like I said earlier. So if we push this button- [ And she's careful to show him exactly where she means the entire time. ] it shows us what the Gear is seeing.

[ And with a switch, her own Gear does come to life! ... Metaphorically! Jinx then moves the gear so what's on the screen changes to show Razor... and then she clicks a button again, causing a flash, and the screen freezes, lingering on some barren and frosted over trees. ]

So this is a picture. We could send it to someone, or something, but I don't really know anybody. If you hold the button a little longer, however, that turns on the video- which means people will be able to see and hear us as we talk, instead of a frozen image like this.

[lightningfang]

[He supposes he can accept that. After all, the Electro Archon didn't exactly descend to physically hand Razor his Vision; it simply appeared. Maybe this brick uses similar godly power to connect with others.

Following along in silence, Razor focuses intently on learning the brick's ins and outs. Seeing himself briefly is surprising, as is the flash -- for a moment, he expects some sort of elemental force to strike him.

When that doesn't happen, he fumbles with his own Gear and causes such flashes to occur in quick succession. Maybe he isn't learning the vocabulary quite as quickly, but it seems he's getting the hang of the tactile side of it.]

Then... if we get lost, we can talk?

» action | I'M SORRY I'M SO LATE

[lordofthefries]

[Sasha doesn't fear the nightfall like other people. Probably never knowing what electric light was for most of her life helps with that. Also what helps is her desire to not be in the shared house she lives in now with a married couple who are, to say the least, very active. So she wanders onto the mainland after dark quite a bit and tonight she's in Cherrygrove for no particular reason except that's where her feet took her.

She's making her way out of the city towards the forest to camp for the night when a strange sound catches her attention. It's not the sound of a Pokemon, that's what her hunter skills tell her, but also like the shuffling of paper, bottles, and whatever else is in the alleys. Following the sound is easy enough; the hard part is trying to figure out what her eyes have landed on.]

What are you doing?

[It looks like someone digging through the garbage, but why remains the mystery here.]

NO U ARE SO GOOD HELLO I'M LOVE YOU

[lightningfang]

[To Sasha's credit, the boy doesn't catch on to her approach until she's practically already upon him. Though, that in itself gives him a little start, and he's positioned to fight or flee in an instant.

His Rockruff, though, quirks its head at her, which at least assures the kid enough to keep him from reaching for a sword that isn't there. An actual animal probably has better instincts than he does. Slightly.

Still, he can't help but feel like he's been caught hunting in someone else's territory. Humans all look the same to him, and he can't tell a local from an otherworlder.]

Not trying to intrude. We will leave. Don't want to fight.

[lordofthefries]

[Being trained all her life as a hunter pays off when she needs to move in silence. However, that's not what her intention was, so when she notices the boy tensing in the way a trapped animal does, she throws her hands up to show she's unarmed.]

I don't want to fight either. I just wanted to know what you were doing.

[From her backpack, there's a happy sounding trill before the spiky head of a Togepi pops up to peer at the duo in front of them. Omelette doesn't want to fight anybody either; he's just curious!]

[lightningfang]

[Her actions and words are as reassuring as a human's can be, so at the very least, most of the tension leaves him. Even more so when he sees the baby peek over her shoulder.]

Oh... Um. Eating?

[At this point, Rockruff's tail is wagging furiously at the new Pokemon. She looks up to her trainer for unspoken permission to come closer to Sasha and Togepi, whining for attention as she does so.]

[lordofthefries]

[His answer strikes Sasha right in her heart. It's not that she couldn't recognize someone so hungry that their only choice was to eat garbage, it's that she didn't recognize that situation in the form of a garbage can. After all, she's eaten garbage and food with visible mold and food on the verge of spoiling in minutes herself because she too had no choice. But there were never any garbage cans back in Dauper, just trash heaps and holes. Same thing in the end, anyway: desperation.

This boy needs to say no more. Sasha kneels down to the ground as she slips her backpack off her shoulders. Omelette pops out and waddles towards the Rockruff, knowing that he doesn't need the other Pokemon's permission to approach. That leaves room for Sasha to dig through her bag and pull out a sandwich, fully laden with far too much meat (just how she likes it), a bottle of juice, and a couple of plastic wrapped snack cakes. She glances at the sandwich in her hand before putting it back in the bag and pulling out a plastic travel container with a built-in spoon and handing it over along with the rest]

Here. I have more if you want.

[The container is filled to the brim with a thick beef stew and it's still piping hot. A better choice for someone who is obviously cold in addition to being hungry.]

[lightningfang]

[This human... is magic. Razor's eyes widen more as she continues pulling food out of her bag, all but visibly drooling at the sight of that sandwich -- which is a shame, really, but the scent of meat in the stew makes him forget about it immediately. His stomach groans in anticipation, even if he still feels some hesitation about just taking food from a stranger. Most humans who offer scraps to wolves do so with the intent to poison, but she doesn't have an air of malice about her...

Rockruff, at least, has no such reservations, sniffing at Omelette before wagging her tail and giving him a big, wet kiss, forgetting just how cold it is. Sorry!]

This is... [Suspicious? Generous? Irresistible?] ... a lot.

[lordofthefries]

[Not a magic human, just a human capable of hearing that stomach growling. She's hunted wolves in the past, sure, but purely out of a need to survival and not one bit of them had gone to waste. Sasha has no interest in purposely hurting another person or animal for fun.]

It's better to have a lot than a little. [She waves the container at him, continuing to offer him the meal. Sensing his hesitation, Sasha adds on:] It's fresh. I made it this morning. Nothing's wrong with it.

[Not that she has any idea he thinks it might be poisoned; she just knows sometimes people give leftovers and things better suited for the trash to those in need and that's not happening here.

What is happening here, by the way, is Omelette trilling in the closest things to a Togepi's happy squeal. Cold! Yes, cold! But he still takes his two little hands and gently paps Rockruff's cheeks. Friend? Friend!]

[lightningfang]

[Well... either he's dropping his guard out of desperation, or he actually believes this stranger. Razor isn't sure which, and doesn't care to linger on it, but he takes the offerings and wastes little more time popping the lid and taking a tentative sip of the stew -- forget the spoon.

He isn't usually one for cooked meat, but the flavor is so prevalent and hearty that he can't help the absolute whimper that escapes his throat. It even drowns out Pup's happy whines, as excited as she gets with new friends.]

So good. You made this? [Not yet convinced she isn't magic.]